BB00135: Kitab al-Hujja I

In the Name of God, the Inaccessible, the All-Protecting!

This is a Book from God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting, unto him whom God hath made the mention of his name to be the name of Nabil-i-Ali, a remembrance from Him amongst all worlds. O Nabil-i-Ali! I have neither beginning nor end. Verily, I have been from time immemorial, having neither beginning nor end, and I shall forever remain. I created all things through My command “Be!”, and it is. And I have made the likeness of My Cause as the likeness of the sun—though I cause it to rise countless times, it remains one sun, and though I cause it to set in ways none but I can comprehend, it remains one sun. Verily, I am the Best of creators.

That which I have created hath neither beginning nor end, lest it should occur to the heart of anyone whom I have created, or who hath been created through My power over the worlds, and My grace unto all beings. I have manifested My Cause through clear signs that render all worlds impotent, and I have made Myself known through the very essence of My Cause unto all that I have created through My command, that they might enter the paradise of My knowledge—a paradise that nothing can equal, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. Verily, I am the Most Excellent of all who show excellence.

Say: Were We to gather together all creation, past and future, from the first to the last, and make them learned upon the earth, they would be powerless to produce the like of this Book from Us. Such is Our power over all worlds. We nurtured the creation of the Furqan for one thousand two hundred and seventy years, that perchance when they hear Our verses they might believe in Us and in Our proof. Thus have We admitted into the paradise of Our love those who followed Our verses and believed in Our proof, and We have forbidden from paradise those who, when they heard Our verses, said not “We are among the believers.” On that Day of Resurrection, all shall be brought before Us.

We created thee from a beginning that hath no beginning, and We were well-pleased with thee from a beginning that hath no beginning—a paradise that no other paradise can equal, as a favor from Us, for We are the All-Bountiful. And We shall surely create thee unto an end that hath no end, and We shall be well-pleased with thee in every resurrection like unto this, as a favor from Us, for We are the All-Bountiful.

We bestowed upon thee faith because thou wert among the assured ones in the Furqan, and We withheld faith from those who followed conjecture—and that is the fire wherewith they are promised. We made thee aforetime Our proof in the Furqan unto all worlds, then We made thee in the Bayan a proof from Our proof in the manifestations of the Primal Unity unto all worlds, that thou mightest guide every soul unto Our religion and deliver Our God-fearing servants. Verily, Our mercy hath preceded in the Book for the believers. Therefore deliver on the Day of Resurrection those whom thou seest behind the veils, free them from the people, and cause them to enter paradise, for We are ever-forgiving.

All know My good-pleasure, yet how is it that on that Day ye shall be veiled from My good-pleasure? O all things! Know ye God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, then believe ye in His verses and be assured of them, then believe ye and be assured of him upon whom God hath sent down the verses, then support ye, as far as ye are able, the religion of God, for this is to support your own selves, could ye but perceive it. Verily, We are independent of the creation of what hath been created and what shall be created, but ye believe not in Our verses.

From Our proof they deserve in their lives what they themselves do not love, and after their death they shall enter into the fire. Therefore have mercy on yourselves and show mercy to others. Let not your lives deceive you, for verily you shall die. The grace and mercy of God hath come unto you—how then do you not turn to your Lord? This is what you supplicate for on the day of His manifestation, weeping night and day. This is the Cause of God through which all were created from the beginning that hath no beginning, and through which all shall be created unto the end that hath no end.

We have not found those who were given the Furqan (Qur’an) to be believers in what We have revealed therein. Some have transgressed Our bounds therein while outwardly following other than Our bounds, after We had decreed for them in the Furqan which they recite night and day. And some among their divines have made the Cause ambiguous to the people while claiming they follow the bounds of God, taking what God hath not permitted them while thinking they do good.

Say: Before the appearance of My proof you were veiled from My path. How do you follow conjecture after We forbade you from it in the Furqan, while thinking yourselves God-fearing? And verily the name Nabil-i-ʿAli is Our proof against you, for he followed the truth with truth and wrote the judgment of those who follow conjecture as being far removed from Our path. You have been veiled from true knowledge and have clung to principles you invented for yourselves, thinking you are helping the religion of God. Nay, nay! We have exposed your affair through the appearance of Our proof, showing that you were formerly far removed from God’s path.

And verily one among you, bearing the name Muhammad-Baqir, built a mosque from what he took from the right of his Lord’s proof and pronounced death sentences contrary to what We revealed in the Book. This is the condition of their greatest one before God—how then those below him who alter God’s decree in minor matters?

When the earth was filled with their oppression, We manifested Our proof against them and desired to fill the whole earth with justice and equity for all peoples. We commanded him not to reveal himself so that all the worlds might be tested. Behold what We revealed through his tongue:

“Verily there is no God but I, the Lord of all worlds.”

Those people were not content to make him a servant of their proof after We manifested him with proof they cannot produce the like thereof, nor did they believe in it before the Furqan.

We shall question them: Have you seen Muhammad the Messenger of God as one of the witnesses of truth other than what you found in the Book of God by which you judge? If you entered your religion after knowing you were powerless before the Furqan, then let God speak to you in the Bayan—but you are unable to respond. And if you entered your religion without knowledge of this, then how do you perceive your religion? The truth has come with truth and you are unable to respond with truth. All that you say regarding that is untrue, if you would but reflect a little.

Behold how We have closed in the Furqan all the doors through which they might hold fast to the proof of their religion and be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Verily We revealed aforetime in the Furqan that which all shall believe in on that Day. None besides God can reveal a verse, and you all, for one thousand two hundred and seventy years, have witnessed this with your own eyes and were certain of it. Therefore when you hear or see a verse, there is no recourse in your religion except to say this is from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

You have spent your time in matters that do not benefit you and have veiled yourselves from the proofs of your religion, thinking you would not be tested. Do you not consider those who were given the Gospel, how they veiled themselves from Muhammad, the Messenger of God, after having been promised His coming? And their divines until now weep for the appearance of Muhammad after one thousand two hundred and seventy years have passed, yet they still do not see. And the example of those who were given the Qur’an when We revealed the Bayan is like the example of those who were given the Gospel when We revealed the Qur’an.

Say: O people of the Qur’an, fear ye God! We have revealed in the Qur’an that by which you prove the Book, and We did not prove in the Qur’an the appearance of Muhammad except by your inability to produce verses. Why do you not reflect? And likewise We have proven the appearance of the Bayan—how is it you do not remember? If you say this single proof does not suffice us, look in the Qur’an where We revealed through the tongue of Moses and Aaron:

“We have brought you a sign from your Lord, and peace be upon those who follow guidance.”

And though We gave Moses nine clear signs, one of them sufficed for those who in their day believed in their Lord.

And We revealed in the Qur’an in the Surih of the Spider:

“Is it not enough for them that We have sent down unto thee the Book which is recited to them? Verily in this is a mercy and a reminder to people who believe.”

According to your religion, you have no recourse except to be satisfied with that, if you truly believe in what We revealed before. Say: If any Christian wished to enter your religion, would you prove it with anything other than the Qur’an? Do you have any other proof? Say: Glory be to God above those who know not!

We had nothing besides that Qur’an and by it We proved. Therefore just as you prove by the Qur’an to those who were given the Gospel, prove by the Bayan to yourselves and save yourselves from the fire. And We have caused one raised among the non-Arabs to speak these verses so that you might not be able to doubt. This is a wonder from one We raised before among the Arabs—how do you not see?

Say: The Qur’an which We revealed before over twenty-three years—We can now reveal the like of it in three days and nights if We wish, while you are confined before Our proof, hearing with your ears and seeing with your eyes. Say: All that you prove from the traditions you have leads back to the Book of God—why do you not remember? You must judge according to God’s Book that you possess. We are independent of your creation and your faith, but We desired to cause you to enter Paradise and be saved from the fire if you believe. Thus you will attain the good of your life and death.

And if you veil yourselves, you harm none but yourselves, and God will surely reckon with you and question you, for He is the Most Knowing of the knowers.