BB00003: Kitab-i-Asma’ (Book of Names)

[This translation includes 8:1-9:16, 9:18-11:6, 11:8-11:16, 19:12-19:15, 19:17, 18:17, 19:8, 19:18, 16:7, 15:13, 19:7]

Vahid 8

Bab 1: Arshad

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Guiding, the Most Guiding

There is no God but He, the Most Guiding, the Most Guiding! Say: God is the Most Guiding, above all who possess guidance. None can escape from the dominion of His sovereign guidance, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been the Guide, the Guider, the All-Guiding.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoted to Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them bow down in adoration. Say: All are prostrate before Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Chrysolite, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been powerful over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.

Say: God originateth all things and then causeth them to return, and unto Him shall all return. He it is Who createth all things by His command, and unto Him shall all be turned. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command, from the past and unto the future. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. He it is Who createth all things by His command. His is the creation and the command, from the past and unto the future. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

He it is Who determineth the measures of all things in the Book. There is no God but He. Say: All are prostrate before Him. All who are in the heavens and on the earth glorify Him. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Well-Beloved. All who are in the kingdom of command and creation and what lieth between them prostrate before Him. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: He is the Subduer over His creation and the Manifest over His servants, and He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: He is independent of all who are in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them, and all stand ready at His command. He it is Who hath created all things by His command, and all glorify Him by night and by day. And He it is Who hath ordained the sustenance of all things by His command. His is the might and power from the past and unto the future, and all are devoted to Him. And He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and there is no God but God. Say: All are prostrate before Him. He it is Who sends forth the winds as glad tidings before His mercy, and Who sends down from heaven the water of life wherewith ye till the earth. And He it is Who has made subject unto His command the sun and the moon and the stars. Is not His the creation and the command? There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: He is the One Who stands supreme above His creation. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lies between them. There is no God but He, the Great, the Most Exalted. Say: Through God do all stand firm. Glorified and exalted is He above what they mention. Glory be to God, the Lord of dominion and sovereignty! Glory be to God, the Lord of might and grandeur! Glory be to God, the Lord of power and divinity! Glory be to God, the Lord of strength and glory! Glory be to God, the Lord of sovereignty and the human realm! Glory be to God, the Lord of majesty and glory! Glory be to God, the Lord of the divine countenance and beauty! Glory be to God, the Lord of the face and perfection! Glory be to God, the Lord of power and action! Glory be to God, the Lord of mercy and grace! Glory be to God, the Lord of dominion and justice! Glory be to God, the Lord of similitude and parables! Glory be to God, the Lord of station and majesty!

Glory be to God, the Lord of grandeur and independence! Glory be to God, the Lord of supreme glory and magnificence! Glory be to God, the Lord of might and inaccessibility! Glory be to God, the Lord of power and exaltation! Glory be to God, the Lord of joy and gladness! Glory be to God, the Lord of sovereignty and power! Glory be to God, the Lord of victory and triumph! Glory be to God, the Lord of conquest and dominion! Glory be to God, the Lord of supremacy and manifestation! Glory be to God, the Lord of authority and might! Glory be to God, the Lord of power and exaltation! Glory be to God, the Lord of the countenance and inaccessibility! Glory be to God, the Lord of grandeur and detachment! Glory be to God, the Lord of majesty and magnificence! All that are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lies between them glorify Him. There is no God but He, the Self-Exalted, the Most High. Say: All believe in God and His signs. Say: All stand firm through God and His signs.

Say: All bow down before God and His signs. Say: All are devoted to God and His signs. Say: All remember God and His signs. Say: If ye truly believe in God and His signs, then ye are believers; otherwise ye are, in the estimation of God and those endowed with knowledge, truly among the unbelievers. He is the Truth. There is no God but He. He giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. They who have believed in God and His signs are in their own eyes truly among the believers. And God is independent of them and of their faith and of all that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lies between them, and all are His worshippers. They who have barred themselves from their Lord’s command—these shall abide forever in the fire. Say: He is the Truth. There is no God but He. He creates what He willeth through His command ʿBe,’ and it is.

Say: He is the All-Compelling high above you, the Manifest over you, the Exalted at your right hand, and the Most High above your heads, exercising authority over you from every direction, that He may transform you in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them, however He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Unto God belongeth whatsoever He hath created and will create, and unto Him do all return. Unto God belongeth the splendor of all He hath created and will create, and unto Him shall all be raised. Unto God belongeth the majesty of all He hath created and will create, and unto Him shall all be turned. Unto God belongeth the beauty of all He hath created and will create, and verily unto Him shall all be raised.

Unto God belongeth the grandeur of all He hath created and will create, and all stand firm by His command. Unto God belongeth the light of all He hath created and will create, and verily unto Him shall all be turned. Unto God belongeth the mercy of all He hath created and will create, and all seek mercy through His mercy. Unto God belong the names of all He hath created and will create, and all are called by His names. Unto God belongeth the glory of all He hath created and will create, and all derive their glory from His glory. Unto God belongeth the majesty of all He hath created and will create, and all derive their majesty from His majesty.

Unto God belongeth the knowledge of all He hath created and will create, and all learn through His knowledge. Unto God belongeth the power of all He hath created and will create, and all derive their power from His power. Unto God belongeth the strength of all He hath created and will create, and all draw strength from His strength. Unto God belongeth the good-pleasure of all He hath created and will create, and all seek His good-pleasure. Unto God belongeth the nobility of all He hath created and will create, and all derive their nobility from His nobility. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of all He hath created and will create, and all derive their dominion from His sovereignty.

Unto God belongeth the kingdom of all He hath created and will create, and all derive their dominion from His kingdom. Unto God belongeth the loftiness of all He hath created and will create, and all derive their exaltation from His loftiness.

Unto God belong the signs of all He hath created and will create, and all are honored through His signs. Unto God belongeth the riches of all He hath created and will create, and all are enriched through His riches. Unto God belongeth the grace of all He hath created and will create, and all receive bounty through His grace. Unto God belongeth the justice of all He hath created and will create, and all are justified through His justice. Consider then your beginning and your end, and observe how many servants are like unto you. This is your station with God, and that wherein you take pride is that which God hath ordained in you through His command. Were God to withdraw aught from a thing, then would ye witness.

The second in the second

In the Name of God, the Most Righteous, the Most Righteous

Glory be unto Thee, O God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and the divinity, Thine the force and sovereignty, Thine the dominion and the realm of humanity. To Thee be glory and beauty, and Thee be radiance and splendor, and Thee be countenance and perfection, and Thee be likeness and similitude, and Thee be station and majesty, and Thee be grandeur and glory, and Thee be exaltation and sovereignty, and Thee be dominion and independence, and Thee be might and invincibility, and Thee be power and ascendancy, and Thee be joy and gladness. And Thee be whatsoever Thou lovest or conceivest in the kingdom of Thy Command and creation. Thou hast ever been one God, eternal, single, living, self-subsisting, everlasting, independent, transcendent, invincible.

Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast created all things according to Thy measure and hast formed all things according to Thy Will. There is no guide save Thee and no leader beside Thee. Whomsoever Thou guidest shall never go astray, and whomsoever Thou leadest shall never be veiled from Thy good-pleasure. Glorified art Thou! Thou art exalted above all creation which is in Thy grasp. Thou art raised in Thy loftiness above all possibilities, and hast manifested Thy majesty above all contingent beings, and art magnified in Thy might above all creation, and hast asserted Thy sovereignty over all atoms, and hast demonstrated Thy domination over all who dwell in the kingdom of earth and heaven, and hast shown forth Thy power above all symbols and allusions. Glorified art Thou!

How great, how exalted, how mighty, how majestic, how lofty, how invincible, how dominating, how powerful art Thou! Thou hast brought the creation of all things into being from nothing through Thy power, then manifested Thyself to all things through all things by Thy grandeur. Whosoever seeketh manifestation through Thy glory, this is from the might of his own self, whereby he hath attributed mere evanescence to absolute permanence and utter poverty to complete independence. Otherwise, Thou hast ever been exalted above what Thou hast created and wilt create, and sanctified above what Thou hast fashioned and wilt fashion in the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth. And all, in their relation to Thee, assert relationship to exalt their own selves and existence. Glorified art Thou!

Thou hast cut off relationship from all possessing relationship and hast confined all relationship to the Manifestations of Thyself and hast severed all relationship from all peoples save those who follow Thee in true obedience in the Bayan and worship Thee in true worship in the Exposition until the Day when Thou willest to transform love and show forth the signs of Thy power to those in the kingdom of earth and heaven. Glorified and exalted art Thou! All shall worship Thee according to the truth of the sovereignty of Thy oneness, and all shall prostrate themselves before Thee according to the truth of the might of Thy singleness, and all shall unite in Thee through the manifestations of the glory of Thy divinity, and all shall magnify Thee through the revelations of the holiness of Thy eternity, and all shall glorify Thee through the modes of the glory of Thy singleness.

Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection through what Thou art in all Thy names and their examples by Thy Command. Verily Thou hast encompassed all things in knowledge and Thou art powerful over all things.

The third in the third.

In the Name of God, the Most Guiding, the Most Guiding.

Praise be to God, Who hath exalted Himself in His transcendence above all contingent things, Who hath manifested His sovereignty above all created things, Who hath demonstrated His dominion above all things that have being, Who hath shown His might above all atoms, and Who hath revealed His grandeur above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He is the One beside Whom there is no equal, the Most Exalted above all likeness and duration, and the Most Holy, sanctified beyond every attribute and number. He hath created what He willeth by His command and ordained what He desireth by His sovereignty. Every created thing beareth witness that there is none other God but Him—a testimony purified from the ways of associating partners with God and from all veils, sanctified from the paths of remoteness and separation.

This testimony pointeth to the sovereignty of His oneness and rendereth all else as mere words before the King of His single sovereignty, giving utterance to that which He is in the might of His supreme oneness and upon the throne of His singular dominion. This testimony is magnetic, beauteous, magnificent, luminous, merciful, mighty, glorious, content, learned, powerful, steadfast, noble, sovereign, dominant, transcendent, impregnable, generous, detached, gracious, bountiful, near, remote, clement and supreme. Its beginning testifieth to the primacy of its Creator, its end to the finality of its Fashioner, its outward aspect to the manifestness of its Originator, and its inward reality to the hiddenness of its Revealer. This testimony filleth the pillars of all things with the truth of His knowledge, and every thing testifieth to that which proveth through its own essence and for its own sake that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling.

He hath chosen a Mirror for His manifestation and deposited within it His signs by His power, filling thereby His heaven and His earth with the truth that there is none other God but Him, and that this is the Source of all names and attributes, the Revealer of all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Through Him alone is God known, not through any other. Through Him alone is God worshipped, not through any other. Through Him alone is God described, not through aught else. Then He created by His Word whatsoever He wished of the paths of His glorious Lordship and the measures of His holy eternity, that all contingent things might testify that there is none other God but Him, the One in Essence, like unto Whom there is nothing, and He is the Most Great, the Most Exalted. Then the first thing He created was One at the summit of attributes, sanctified from all similitudes and likenesses.

Through Him God hath made Himself known on the Day of Resurrection to everything upon which the name of a thing hath been conferred, of all that hath been or will be brought into being through creation. Whoso knoweth Him thus is a believer in God, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and whoso denieth this, God loveth not to make mention of him, and this one is destined for the fire until such time as God may wish to create him anew and cause him to enter the paradise of the knowledge of His Self, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling.

The Fourth in the Fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Righteous, the Most Righteous

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Righteous, the Most Righteous. And verily the glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen except the First Unity. And after a time, bear thou witness that there is no guide save God, the Glorified, and no object of desire besides Him, and no guide other than Him. If thou seekest guidance through the guidance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, then verily He, exalted be His glory, is thy guide, and this thou canst not attain through any means until the Day of Resurrection. And thereafter, if thou seekest guidance through God’s guides who desire naught but God—not those who attribute themselves to God that they might attain their selfish desires—then thou hast sought guidance through the guidance of God’s Cause for God’s guidance.

For that which liveth in those guides is the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest, not their own selves. Then thy end shall be praiseworthy in that it leadeth to God’s good-pleasure. Otherwise, follow thou no one, for whoso followeth anyone hath as though worshipped him. Worship none but God alone, alone. The witnesses of the Bayan, when they call unto God but thou followest them to their own selves—they, insofar as they are themselves, God hath not commanded thee to follow them. This holdeth true until the Day of Resurrection when the Lord of the Cause shall shine forth. Then follow thou none except Him, and seek not guidance from any guide besides Him, and follow not the ways of those who mislead people in the name of guidance. For these are like those who guide people in the outward aspects of their religion—both are forbidden by God, since neither these nor those will have been guided by God’s guidance on the Day of Resurrection, nor will they have openly worshipped God.

Therefore, cut thyself off from both and hold fast unto God, then unto His verses, then unto him who calleth thee to the path of truth made certain. For anything less than this is not of God’s guidance, and this is of God’s guidance which thy Lord hath ordained. Hold fast then to the Most Great Handle which until the Day of Resurrection shall remain lofty and inaccessible, and through the truth manifest and triumphant, that perchance thou mayest thereby be guided on the Day of Resurrection unto Him Who created thee and sustained thee and causeth thee to die and giveth thee life, through the right path. On that Day shall guidance be sought through the guidance of God, exalted be His glory, and direction be sought through the direction of God, exalted be His majesty. For anything less than this is not of that which thou wert commanded in the Bayan.

However, these who have become known by the name of guidance are better in God’s sight than those who have become known by the name of religious jurisprudence, since these latter ones on the Day of Resurrection did not judge concerning God their Lord while the former did judge. Therefore these are, in God’s sight, above those others—better than them in degrees and their veils. Otherwise, in that paradise neither these nor those shall have any portion. None entereth therein save he who hath four stations.

Bab 2: ArSad

The first in the first

In the Name of God, the Most Watchful, the Most Watchful.

There is no God but He, the Most Watchful, the Most Watchful. Say: God is more watchful than any possessed of watchfulness. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can escape from the dominion of the Sovereign of watchfulness. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been watchful, watching, and vigilant. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth themselves all who are in the heavens and all who are on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are submissive before Him. And praise be to God, unto Whom belongeth all who are in the heavens and all who are on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are humble before Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the sovereignty and the kingdom, then the might and the dominion, then the power and the divine realm, then the strength and the crystal essence, then the dominion and the human realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. He, verily, hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God is the Creator of all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and unto Him shall all be raised. Say: God causeth all things to die, and unto Him shall all be transformed. Say: God giveth life to all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: He is the One Who subdueth His creation, and He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: He is the One manifest above His servants, and He is the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. And He is the One Who createth what He willeth through His command “Be,” and it is. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever dwelleth in the night and in the day, and unto Him shall all return.

There is no doubt in God, the Originator of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Well-Beloved. Say: Glorified be God, there is no doubt in this and all are certain of it. Say: He aideth whom He willeth through His command. He, verily, is the Strong, the Mighty, the All-Loving. He it is Who determineth the measures of all things in the Book. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and verily there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.

Say: Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, if ye be knowing? Say: God is the Creator of all things and we all believe in that whereunto He calleth us. Say: Unto whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them, if ye bear witness? Say: In the hand of God Who originated all things, and unto Him are all humble. Say: He is the Subduer above His creation, and the Manifest above His servants, and the Exalted above the right hand of all things, and the Inaccessible beyond the left hand of all things, and the Most High above the height of all things, and the Dominant over all things, and the Guardian over what proceedeth from Him. He holdeth the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them by His command. His is the creation and the authority. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: Through God do ye shine forth, and through God do ye attain grandeur, and through God do ye acquire beauty, and through God do ye achieve greatness, and through God do ye become illumined, and through God do ye receive mercy, and through God do ye gain elevation, and through God do ye obtain power, and through God do ye find contentment, and through God do ye exercise authority, and through God do ye acquire nobility, and through God do ye gain dominion, and through God do ye achieve transcendence. He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. Say: All are subservient unto Him. Say: All that hath been and shall be created is for Him Whom God shall make manifest, then ye shall possess it by God’s leave. And whoso possesseth even a grain of mustard seed after His manifestation, verily the breath of their own souls hath not become lawful unto them, how much less that which their hands possess. O all things! From that Day be ye God-fearing.

Verily it is a Day of truth wherein ye shall all attain every grace if ye believe in God and then in Him upon Whom God shall send down His verses, that ye may be assured. That is the Day wherein all the works your hands have wrought shall come to naught if ye turn away from Him Whom God shall make manifest and follow not that which He commandeth you from God. Follow no one besides Him, lest ye follow other than God while ye perceive not. Love no one besides Him, lest ye love other than God while ye know not. Look not upon anyone except by God’s leave from His presence, for this is the balance of justice from God for the Day wherein ye shall be brought before God, your Lord.

Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Sovereign, the Inaccessible, the Most High. Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth transcendent might. Unto God belongeth the good-pleasure of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them; He is well-pleased with whomsoever He willeth among His servants, for He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Unto God belongeth the command of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and His command is supreme. Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth mighty splendor. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth supreme majesty. Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth supreme beauty. Unto God belong the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth supreme grandeur. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth supreme light.

Unto God belong all the mercies in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth supreme mercy. Unto God belong the names of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth supreme names. Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God possesseth transcendent might. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous power. Unto God belongeth the utterance of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is possessed of tremendous utterance. Unto God belongeth the glory of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous glory.

Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous majesty. Unto God belongeth the praise of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous praise.

Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous sovereignty. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous dominion. Unto God belongeth the loftiness of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous loftiness. Unto God belongeth the exaltation of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous exaltation. Unto God belongeth the growth of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous growth.

Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and in the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is truly possessed of tremendous essence. Say: Nothing is ascribed unto God that is not likewise ascribed unto Him Whom God shall make manifest. This is the Path of God, from before and from after, if ye wish to follow it. Otherwise, it is all the same to God, from before and from after, in every condition, and unto Him do all worship. And all, in all conditions, belong to God and unto Him do all prostrate themselves. Say: He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. He giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. And we have no God but God. His is the grandeur and the majesty in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.

Then the second in the second.

In the Name of God, the Most Watchful, the Most Watchful.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, then the might and the grandeur, then the power and the divinity, then the strength and the ruby-like splendor, the sovereignty and the human realm, then the glory and the majesty, then the countenance and the beauty, then the face and the perfection, then the strength and the activity, then the mercy and the bounty, then the likeness and the similitudes, then the stations and the sublimity, then the greatness and the independence, then the awesomeness and the manifestation, then the might and the invincibility, then the power and the exaltation, then the joy and the gladness, then the sovereignty and the omnipotence, then whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Command and creation, and in the realm of Thy heaven and earth.

Every thing, within the bounds of its existence and the limits of its possibility, beareth witness that it hath no master besides Thee and no sovereign other than Thee. Glorified art Thou, and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Self-Subsisting, Unique, Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining, a Sovereign, Supreme, Holy, Eternal, Everlasting, Self-Dependent, Transcendent, Inaccessible. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any associate in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast ordered by Thy wisdom what is in the kingdom of Thy heaven and Thy earth, and hast brought all things into being from nothingness by Thy Will. Thou art manifest above all things, triumphant over all things, exalted in the heights above all things, and elevated above all that Thou hast created and fashioned.

The dwellers of Thy earth and heaven and all that lies between them in the kingdom of Thy Command and Creation shall surely prostrate before Thee. Thou art He before Whom all existing things shall surely sanctify themselves with all that is within and upon them, and all created things shall surely affirm Thy unity with all that is within and upon them, and all atoms shall surely glorify Thee with all that is within and upon them, and all essences shall surely magnify Thee with all that is within and upon them, and all humanity shall surely extol Thee with all that is within and upon them, and all things shall surely prostrate before Thee in their beginning and their end, their outward and their inward aspects.

Glorified art Thou, and exalted art Thou! Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy Command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Therefore, O my God, shower Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection through Thy names and attributes. Verily, nothing in the heavens or on the earth or between them can escape Thy knowledge, and nothing can frustrate Thee in the kingdom of Command or Creation or what lieth beneath them. Verily, Thou art All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Watchful, the Most Watchful.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath manifested Himself in His appearance above all existing things, and hath concealed Himself in His concealment above all created things, and hath triumphed in His victory above all atoms, and hath demonstrated His power above all who dwell in the kingdom of names and attributes, and hath proved inaccessible through the inaccessibility of His eternity above all similitudes and allusions. He is the One God, Single, Unique, Self-Subsisting, Ever-Living, Peerless, Everlasting, the All-Glorious, the Most High.

At this moment, I testify, and all His creation testifieth, to what He is in the sanctity of His attributes and the glory of His names, that He hath ever been the One God, transcendent above all praise and glorification, and the Lord, exalted and sanctified above all description and comparison. He hath originated all originated things through His Will, and hath created all created things through His Purpose, and hath brought all new things into being through His Power, and hath caused all things to exist through His Decree, and hath formed all forms by His leave, and hath made manifest what He hath willed in the kingdom of His heaven and earth according to what He hath detailed in the Book by His leave, and hath encompassed all that He hath created and originated through that which was revealed in His Book, whereby He desired to surround all His servants with that which hath issued forth from the treasury of His concealment and appeared from the dawning-places of His holiness. His knowledge hath ever encompassed all things before the existence of all things and after all things, before the limitations of all things.

I testify that He is the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, from time immemorial and unto time immemorial, and the Almighty, the All-Wise in the sovereignty of sanctity and majesty. He hath chosen an impregnable essence, a subtle course, a radiant camphor, an exalted harmony, and a lofty being. Then He shone forth upon it, and through it He became inaccessible from it and independent through it from aught else. He made it the station of the manifestation of His Self and the concealment of His Essence, and revealed through it whatsoever He wished of the signs of His power and the manifestations of His sovereignty. He and all His creation testify that He hath indeed known all things Himself. He hath caused all creation to hear His verses and hath called all things unto His servants, their Creator, and hath willed that all things should enter into the good-pleasure of their Fashioner and that all things should know the path of their Lord therein.

He hath filled the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him. And this is the first Temple that hath shone forth and radiated, and the first Pattern that hath been adorned and embellished, and the first Light that hath dawned and been uplifted, and the first Radiance that hath risen and flashed forth, and the first Harmony that hath been concealed. And I bear witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Glorious. He hath chosen for the Manifestation of His Self mighty proofs, each one in a mirror indicating that there is none other God but Him, and this is a Sun through which God hath manifested Himself unto us through our own selves, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Manifest.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Watchful, the Most Watchful.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Watchful, the Most Watchful. And verily all glory from God be upon the First One and upon him who resembleth that One, wherein naught is seen save the First One. And furthermore, I testify that there is no guide save God and none can be guided except through His guidance. He knoweth the stations of hearts and spirits, then of souls and bodies, and whatsoever is beneath that are His manifestations in His dominion through paths He hath guided and dawning-places He hath caused to shine forth. They guide by His leave and direct by His command, and all are within the grasp of the Sovereign of His might and the dominion of His Self-Subsisting power. None hath any thing save by His command. His is the creation and the command, before and after. There is no God but He, and His are four degrees.

Bab 3: A’mad

The first in the first

In the Name of God, the Most Supporting, the Most Supporting.

There is no God but He, the Most Supporting, the Most Supporting. Say: God is the Most Supporting, above all who possess support. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape from the Sovereign power of His support. Verily, He hath ever been the Support, the Supporter, the Sustainer.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are worshippers before Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He Who possesseth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is possessed of mighty splendor. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is possessed of true and mighty majesty. Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is Beauty, the Beauteous, the Beautiful. Unto God belongeth the greatness of what He hath created and will create, and God is the Greatest, the Great, the Magnificent. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Light-Giving, the Luminous, the Illuminating. Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Merciful, the Compassionate, the Clement.

Unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Greatest, the Most Great, the All-Great. Unto God belongeth the glory of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Glorious, the Most Glorious, the All-Glorified. Unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Knowing, the Knower, the All-Wise. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and He is the All-Powerful, the Powerful, the Almighty. Unto God belongeth the good-pleasure of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Well-Pleased, the Pleasing, the All-Pleasing. Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Loving, the Loving, the Best-Beloved.

Unto God belongeth the nobility of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Noble, the Noble, the All-Noble. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Sovereign, the All-Sovereign, the Supreme Sovereign. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is powerful over all things. Unto God belongeth the loftiness of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most High, the Lofty, the Exalted. Unto God belongeth the bounty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Bountiful, the Bestower, the Most Bounteous. Unto God belongeth the grace of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Gracious, the Gracious, the All-Gracious.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Send down Thy blessings upon the Primal Unity through that which Thou hast encompassed through the knowledge of Thy glory, for verily Thou art possessed of a magnificent glory. Glorified art Thou, O my God! Send down Thy blessings upon the Primal Unity through that which Thou hast encompassed through knowledge of Thy majesty, for verily Thou art possessed of a tremendous majesty. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his beauty, for verily Thou art possessed of majestic beauty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his grandeur, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty grandeur. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his light, for verily Thou art possessed of might. Glory be unto Thee, O God!

Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his mercy, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty mercy. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his words, for verily Thou art possessed of mighty and glorious words. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his names, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty names. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his glory, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty glory. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his will, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty will. Glory be unto Thee, O God!

Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his knowledge, for verily Thou art possessed of mighty knowledge. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his power, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty power. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his good-pleasure, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty good-pleasure. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his love, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty love. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his nobility, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty nobility. Glory be unto Thee, O God!

Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his sovereignty, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty sovereignty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his dominion, for verily Thou art possessed of mighty dominion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the First One, inasmuch as Thou hast encompassed through Thy knowledge his loftiness, for verily Thou art possessed of true and mighty loftiness. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Verily Thou hast encompassed all things through Thy knowledge. What Thou hast intended for the First One is Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection through Thy signs and the Letters thereof from Thy presence, for verily Thou art the All-Knowing over all things. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon those who are in the Bayan at this time through sovereignty and power. Glory be unto Thee, O God!

Send blessings upon those who are in the Bayan through might and omnipotence. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon those who are in the Bayan at this time through sovereignty and power. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon those who are in the Bayan at this time through might and omnipotence. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon those who are in the Bayan at this time through victory and triumph. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send blessings upon those who are in the Bayan at this time through dominion dominion and manifestation. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan with might and victory. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with glory and majesty. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan with countenance and beauty. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord!

Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with presence and perfection. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan with authority and justice. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with grandeur and sublimity. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with might and inauguration. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with loftiness and exaltation. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with gladness and joy. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan with similitude and parables. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with greatness and independence. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord!

Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with sovereignty and the Kingdom. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with might and power. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with power and divinity. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with strength and radiance. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with dominion and the human realm. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with greatness and grandeur. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with loftiness and exaltation. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan at this hour with dominion and invincibility.

Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who is in the Bayan with all the good that Thy knowledge encompasseth. Verily, Thou art the Encompasser of all things and Thou art powerful over all things. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Verily, Thy knowledge encompasseth all things. Thou hast desired for those in the Bayan, from the first moment Thou didst reveal it until the time Thou shalt raise it up, none save Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection through Thy power, and then the evidence of Thy Cause in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Verily, Thou art the Guardian over all things.

Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Grant then a mighty victory unto him who is therein. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Manifest then what is therein with a mighty manifestation. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who aideth Thy religion therein through what Thy knowledge encompasseth of Thy grace. Verily, Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon him who exalteth Thy Cause therein through what Thy knowledge encompasseth of Thy bounty. Verily, Thou art the Most Bountiful, the Most Generous. Glorified art Thou, O my Lord! Aid then him who helpeth Thy proof therein through the angels of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, through what Thy knowledge encompasseth of every good. Verily, Thou art the Knower of all things and art the Preserver of all things. Sanctified be Thy names, both in the past and in the future. There is none other God but Thee, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Glorified be Thine exemplars in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. We all, through God, are the Conquerors. We all, through God, are the Victorious. We all, through God, are the Manifest. We all, through God, are the Possessors. We all, through God, are the Supreme. We all, through God, are the Dominant. We all, through God, are the Sanctified. Say: He is the Conqueror over His creation, and He is the Best-Beloved. Say: He is the Manifest over His servants, and He is the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Unto God belongeth the wealth of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Bountiful, the Enricher. Unto God belongeth the preservation of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Protector, the Guardian, the Preserver.

Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Watcher over all things. Unto God belong exalted seats wherein dwelleth whomsoever He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent. Say: Praise be to God Who bestoweth His remembrance upon whomsoever He willeth. Verily, there is no God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. And praise be to God Who guardeth whomsoever He willeth through His angels in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. We all are grateful unto Him. We all are praising Him. And praise be to God Who provideth from His presence whomsoever He willeth through His grace. Verily, He is the All-Embracing, the All-Knowing. Wherefore, praise be to God, the Lord of the East and of the West, the Lord of the visible and the invisible, the Lord of all the worlds.

Say: Verily God shall send down from His presence provision unto whomsoever He willeth among His servants by His command. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Say: He is the Manifest above you and the Conqueror over you from behind your backs, and that which is exalted above you over your heads, and that which rules over you beneath your feet, and that which dominates you from every direction that reaches unto you, He will assuredly assist whomsoever He willeth through His command and will protect whomsoever He pleaseth through His leave. Verily He hath power over all things. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Unto God belong the scriptures of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever pertaineth thereunto by which all are guided. Unto God belong the evidences of the heavens and whatsoever lieth between them whereby all are exalted.

Say: Verily God will remember whomsoever He willeth among His servants through His command. Indeed He is the Great Bestower. Say: Praise be to God Who possesseth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. His knowledge embraceth all things. He aideth whomsoever He willeth through His command. Verily He is the Mighty, the Impregnable. He exalteth whomsoever He pleaseth through His remembrance. Verily He is the Ancient Succourer. Unto God belong majesty and grandeur in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All stand firm through His command and all are apprehensive through fear of Him. Say: He is the Subduer over His creation and He is the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. He is the Manifest above His servants and He is the All-Powerful, the Most Holy.

He it is in Whose grasp is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and unto Him shall all return. Unto God belongeth guardianship in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. God is the Guardian and unto Him belongeth guardianship. He aideth whomsoever He willeth through His command. Verily He is the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Almighty. His are the most excellent names in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. His is the supreme example in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All prostrate themselves before His presence. Say: All bow down before God. Say: All humble themselves before God. Say: All extol God. Say: God hath created them and provided for them and causeth them to die and maketh them live. Verily there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Unto God belong sovereignty and reliance in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. And God is the Sovereign, the Trustworthy, the Great. Say: God exalteth whomsoever He willeth among His servants like unto this. Verily He is the Bountiful, the All-Bounteous, the Most Bountiful. And He elevateth whomsoever He willeth among His servants. Verily He is the Exalter, the One Who exalteth, the Most Exalted. Therefore ye shall assuredly aid Him Whom God shall manifest with a mighty aid and ye shall prostrate yourselves before God in willing prostration and ye shall aid the true Faith from His presence according to what He hath prescribed and is powerful and mighty to accomplish. For naught hath been created except that ye shall believe in Him Whom God shall manifest and shall aid Him according to your power. Say: All power hath been created through the power of God and lieth within His grasp. Do ye not perceive?

Say: All exaltation compared to the exaltation of God was created and lieth within His grasp. Do ye not behold? Say: The names whereby God is described, ye cannot be described thereby. The creation and its attributes were created through the command of your Lord. How then can ye claim to be equal? Glorified and exalted is He above whatsoever ye mention.

Bab 4: Ashhad

And He hath four stations.

The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Evident, Most Evident.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, the Most Evident, Most Evident. Say: God testifieth above every testimony. None can withhold himself from the sovereignty of His testimony, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the All-Witnessing, the All-Seeing, the All-Testifying. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him. God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Nature, the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Nature.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth not a thing, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed be His sovereignty over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Unto God belongeth the glory of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and unto God belongeth glory most glorious and resplendent. And unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and unto God belongeth majesty most majestic and sublime.

And unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and unto God belongeth beauty most beauteous and beautifying. And unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and unto God belongeth grandeur most grand and magnificent. And unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Luminous, the Light-Giving, the Most Luminous. And unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving, the Most Merciful. And unto God belong the names of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Great, the All-Transcendent, the All-Glorious. And unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Mighty, the Source of Might, the Almighty.

And unto God belongeth the will of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Encompassing, the Encompasser, the Most Encompassing. And unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Knowing, the Knower, the Most Knowing. And unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Powerful, the Most Powerful. And unto God belongeth the good-pleasure of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Pleasing, the Well-Pleased, the Most Pleasing. Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Loving, the Best Beloved, the Most Loving. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Most Powerful, the Omnipotent.

Unto God belongeth the nobility of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Noble, the All-Noble, the Exalted in Rank. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Supreme Ruler, the Sovereign, the All-Subduing. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Supreme Lord, the Sovereign, the King. Unto God belongeth the loftiness of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most High, the Exalted, the Supreme. Unto God belongeth the bounty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Bountiful, the Most Gracious, the Beneficent. Unto God belongeth the perfection of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Perfect, the Complete, the Consummate.

Unto God belong the words of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Complete, the Perfect, the Most Complete. Unto God belong the signs of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Generous, the Bountiful, the All-Munificent. Unto God belongeth the victory of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Helper, the Sustainer, the Succourer. Unto God belongeth the purity of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Pure, the Purifier, the All-Pure. Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Compelling, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. Unto God belongeth the glory of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Almighty, the Powerful, the Omnipotent.

Unto God belongeth the invincibility of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Impregnable, the Invincible, the Most Strong. Unto God belongeth the triumph of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Conquering, the Triumphant, the Most Victorious. Unto God belongeth the dominance of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Supreme Ruler, the All-Dominant, the Most Powerful. Unto God belongeth the omnipotence of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Compelling, the Omnipotent, the Invincible. Unto God belongeth the exaltation of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Exalter, the Most High, the Most Exalted. Thus doth God recompense those who have martyred themselves in His path, and who are assured of God and His signs.

Say: Whoso is martyred in the path of God, God will assuredly exalt him in the life to come and in this life, for He hath power over all things. Say: God hath ordained for those who are martyred in His path that He shall exalt their mention in this life and in the life to come, and shall cause them to enter the seats of light from His presence. There, by God’s leave, do they glorify Him. Say: This indeed is the Most Great Name among all names in the Book, through which ye call upon God, your Lord. The first to aid God in the Bayan were the harbingers of that Name, and these are they who, in the sight of God, are among those who glorify Him. Say: For him who is martyred in the path of God, there remaineth naught that he should ask of God at that time, by virtue of God’s grace upon those who were martyred in His path when others would follow after them. Say: God is the Light of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are guided by the light of God.

Say: God is more luminous than every possessor of light. None in the heavens or on earth or in what lies between them can withstand the sovereignty of His light, for verily He has ever been the All-Luminous, the Most Luminous, the Resplendent. God hath not created in Paradise any station more exalted than the stations of those who have been martyred in His path, for they have ascended unto God with all that they possessed from Him, and unto God, their Lord, do they return. They love for themselves what He loves, and when they sacrifice their lives it is in the path of God their Lord. Thus no rank remains in Paradise to which they do not attain by God’s leave. Thus doth God bestow His favor upon His God-fearing servants. Say: They gaze from the highest horizon upon all things and laugh, saying: “Praise be to God Who hath made us inherit these realms wherein we shall abide forever.

Therein we have whatsoever our souls desire, and God increaseth His bounty unto us, for we are among the thankful.” Say: The mention of Light after Darkness is like the mention of Baha after Dal in the Qur’an, wherein ye at that time bore witness to your religion in Islam. Nothing could be greater than this twofold manifestation. This is the light of God whereby all of you are illumined. And ye shall witness in the Bayan what is greater and mightier than this, and ye pride yourselves, are exalted, elevated and magnified by the mention of those who are martyred in God’s path, though ye reflect but little thereon. All this is but a leaf from the gardens of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Ye shall then submit and attain unto all good. If ye desire to be among the exponents of His Name, ye shall witness this among the exponents in God’s path. And if ye desire to be among the exponents of God’s light, ye shall witness this in God’s path.

And if ye desire to be among the exponents of God’s might, ye shall overcome in His path. And if ye desire to be among the exponents of God’s mercy, ye shall show mercy in His path. And if ye desire to be among the exponents of God’s grandeur, ye shall manifest grandeur in His path. And whatsoever ye love of the most beautiful Names, to the number of all things, before the number of all things, and after the number of all things, ye are able to acquire these fruits from the gardens of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and upon every branch that ye love shall ye find repose. If ye desire to be of the glory of Truth, ye shall take from that Most Exalted Example, and if ye desire to be of the splendor of Truth, ye shall take from that Most Exalted Example whatsoever your souls desire of sublime attributes and lofty examples from Him Whom God shall manifest. From Him shall you derive illumination and in Him shall you remain steadfast.

And for whomsoever bears witness in the path of God, it is ordained before his martyrdom that he shall take vengeance on those who were proud against him. This has been decreed before all things, after all things, above all things, beneath all things, and with all things. That which hath been sent down in the Book from His presence cannot be altered, and that which hath been ordained from the presence of God by His command cannot be changed. Verily, He is the All-Compelling, the All-Powerful, the Most Great. Thus shall God take vengeance by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Witness, the Most Witness.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, then the might and the omnipotence, then the power and the divinity, then the strength and the sovereignty, then the earthly realm and dominion, then the glory and the majesty, then the countenance and the beauty, then the face and the perfection, then the grandeur and the independence, then the inaccessibility and the sublimity, then the mercy and the grace, then the authority and the justice, then the might and the action, then the glory and the invincibility, then the power and the exaltation, then the joy and the gladness, then the sovereignty and the omnipotence.

Then unto Thee belongeth whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the kingdom of Thy Command and creation. Thou hast ever been, O my God, powerful over whatsoever Thou willest, and supreme over whatsoever Thou desirest, and dominant over all things, and manifest above all things, and sovereign over all things. Thy dominion is exalted above all contingent beings, Thy manifestation is evident throughout all existence, Thy compulsion encompasses all created things, and Thy power prevails over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Thy invincibility transcends all similitudes and allusions.

Thou hast ever been one God, Self-Subsisting, Single, Ever-Living, Self-Existing, Sovereign, Supreme, Holy, Eternal, Everlasting, Independent, Transcendent, Inaccessible, Exalted, Joyous, Majestic, Beautiful, Great, Luminous, Mighty, Glorified, Powerful, Compelling, Well-Pleased, Stern, Sovereign, All-Possessing, Merciful, Magnificent, All-Encompassing, forever and ever. Thou hast never taken unto Thyself any partner, companion or son, nor hath there been any associate in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned.

Thou hast ever been the Subduer of the mighty, the Manifestation of manifestations, the Sovereign of sovereigns, the Vanquisher of vanquishers, and the Possessor of power. Thou hast assured whosoever ascendeth unto Thee with all that Thou possesseth of Thy grace, Thy generosity, Thy bounty, Thy favor and Thy gift. Therefore, O my God, cause the dwellers of the kingdom of Thy power to enter that sea, for I know of no sea in the kingdom of Thy names more exalted, greater, more glorious, more impregnable, more mighty, or more sovereign than this. Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for all Thy decrees, and glory be unto Thee, O my Beloved, for all Thy favors in their essence. Thou hast chosen as guides for entry into that transcendent and surging Sea those who praise Thee, glorify Thee, proclaim Thy unity, magnify Thee and extol Thy greatness. Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for what Thou hast decreed and ordained.

O Lord! Cause all whom Thou willest among Thy chosen ones to enter into that most exalted, vast, tumultuous and mighty Sea. All these seas are but parts thereof—some dwell in the sea of that Name. How great is their station, O my God, and how lofty their rank, O my Beloved! O Lord! Shower upon them Thy blessings through Thy glory, majesty, grandeur, light, mercy, words, names, might, favors, knowledge, power, utterance, gifts, honor, sovereignty, dominion, transcendence, and through all that pertaineth unto Thee of Thy most beautiful names and most exalted attributes. For I know not in Thy knowledge any dwellers of the sea nearer than these or mightier in rank.

O Lord! Free Thy servants that they may dwell in all the seas of Thy names and attributes. O Lord! Manifest the dwellers of the sea of Thy omnipotence, dominion, might, power, sovereignty, invincibility, authority, triumph, bounty and grandeur. Thou hast clothed them in the garments of might and dominion, and arrayed them in the robes of sovereignty and manifestation. In every revelation and in every paradise Thou createst therein all manner of fruits, each of which sufficeth its people apart from others.

O Lord! Bestow upon me all the fruits of Thy good-pleasure. O Lord! Suffice me through Thy sufficiency. O Lord! Guard me through Thy guardianship. Protect me through Thy protection. Preserve me, O Lord, through Thy preservation and shelter. Safeguard me, O Lord, through Thy safeguarding and sovereignty. For Thou art the All-Subduing, the All-Powerful, the All-Sufficient, the Manifest, the Impregnable, the Most Exalted.

The first fruits I tasted from the paradise of the Bayan were the fruits of that Name, O my God, and grief from Thee hath filled me. Therefore, O Lord, cause me to taste of all Thy names as they are in themselves. Fill me, O Lord, with the manifestations of Thy strength, power, greatness, might, subsistence and sovereignty. May that grief be transformed into Thy joy, and that weeping be changed through Thy grace. Verily Thou hast encompassed all things with Thy knowledge, and Thou art powerful over all things.

Raise up, therefore, O my God, the manifestations of Thy dominion, and Thy power, and Thy compelling might, and Thy inaccessibility, and Thy sovereignty, and Thy omnipotence, and Thy exaltation, and Thy loftiness, and Thy greatness, and Thy inaccessibility, and Thy Self-Subsistence, and Thy manifestation, that Thou mayest cause all who are on the earth to enter into Thy love and Thy good pleasure, and that Thou mayest bestow upon all in Thy creation who are deserving all Thy bounty and Thy favors, and upon all who merit Thy pardon and Thy forgiveness. Verily, Thou hast power and ability over all things, and Thou art inaccessible and impregnable over all things.

The third in the third

In the name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

Praise be to God, Who hath prevailed through the sovereignty of His supreme dominion over all created things, Who hath manifested His transcendent power over all existence, Who hath demonstrated His sovereign might over all beings, Who hath exercised His dominion over all atoms through His supreme authority, Who hath triumphed through His overwhelming power over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, Who hath displayed His invincible strength above all who inhabit the realms of earth and heaven, and Who hath shown forth His compelling majesty over all symbols and evidences.

He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Witnessing. He further testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling. Again He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Subduing. Yet again He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Conquering. And again He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Helping. Moreover He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Opening. Furthermore He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Almighty. Again He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Bountiful.

He further testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Powerful. Again He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing. Yet again He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Judging. And again He testifieth, and all His creation testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Perfect.

He further testifieth, exalted be His remembrance, that He hath created the Paradise of the Bayan for the Manifestation of His Self, and hath caused to grow therein the trees of His most excellent names and His most exalted attributes, that all may partake of whatsoever they desire through the bounty of their Lord. Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the Sovereign. And may His blessings rest upon Him Who hath manifested that Paradise, and upon the martyrs in His presence who have detached themselves from all mention of their own selves for the exaltation of the Cause of their Glorified Lord. These are they upon whom are bestowed the blessings and mercy of God, their Lord, and these are they who have attained their goal.

The fourth in the fourth

In the name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious. And verily all glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon him who resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the First Unity. And furthermore, O thou Name! Thou hast indeed fulfilled thy covenant on the Day of Resurrection, and God hath caused thee, by reason of thy faithfulness to thy covenant, to transcend all names. Verily, He is witness over all things. Moreover, I testify that the Bayan is God’s Paradise; whosoever desireth to draw nigh unto God, his Lord, through lofty proofs, God hath opened the way unto him.

If thou desirest to be among the exponents of glory, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to exaltation, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to knowledge, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to wealth, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to martyrdom, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to dominion, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to might, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to sovereignty, be of them; if you wish to be among those who guide to agriculture, be of them. For you shall see in all these guidances but one Guide, as in all these mirrors there is but one Sun by which all are moved. But you must be among those who guide to Glory that you may believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted and sublime be His power and elevated be His remembrance. Be not among those guides, nor be a mere abstract essence seeking none but God and desiring naught besides Him.

Let your guide be Him Whom God shall make manifest and none else, and your leader be Him Whom God shall make manifest and none other. For without this you will be veiled from beholding the lights and from witnessing His mysterious countenance before the King, the Supreme, the All-Luminous, the Sovereign, the Omnipotent, the All-Revealing. There is no God but God, the One, the All-Compelling.

Bab 5: Abshar

And it hath four stations.

The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Gladdening, the Most Gladdening.

There is no God but He, the Most Gladdening, the Most Gladdening. Say: God is the Most Gladdening above all bearers of glad-tidings. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can withhold himself from the dominion of the Sovereign of glad-tidings. Verily He has ever been the Bearer of Glad-tidings, the Gladdening, the All-Bountiful. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and what lies between them. Say: All bow down before Him in adoration. Praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lies between them. Say: All are devoted to Him. God testifies that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Glory, then the Sovereignty and the Realm of Creation.

He causes to live and to die, then causes to die and to live, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He creates what He willeth by His command. Verily He has power over all things. And blessed be He Who is the God of the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. And exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the beauty of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the grandeur of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the light of Him Whom He shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the mercy of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the names of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the might of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the knowledge of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice?

Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the Book of Him Whom He shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of forgiveness from Him—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of His good-pleasure—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of His good-pleasure wherein is that which your souls desire—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the meeting with the Manifestation of His Self—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the contentment of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the sovereignty of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the dominion of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the words of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice?

Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the conditions of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the verses of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the perfection of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the power of Him Whom God shall make manifest in the lofty sanctity—will ye not rejoice? Say: Verily God giveth you glad tidings of the proofs of His Will from Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not rejoice? Say: All glory before His glory is but creation—will ye not rejoice? Say: All majesty before His majesty is submissive—will ye not rejoice? Say: All beauty before His beauty is prostrate—will ye not rejoice? Say: All grandeur before His grandeur is humble—will ye not rejoice? Say: All light before His light is dependent—will ye not rejoice?

Say: All mercy through His mercy is created—will ye not rejoice? Say: All perfection through His perfection is manifested—will ye not rejoice? Say: All names through His names are exalted—will ye not rejoice? Say: All similitudes through His similitudes are established—will ye not rejoice? Say: All might prostrates itself before Him—will ye not rejoice? Say: All knowledge encompasses nothing before His knowledge—will ye not rejoice? Say: All power is powerless before His power—will ye not rejoice? Say: All that is pleasing is pleasing through His good-pleasure—will ye not rejoice? Say: All honor is honored through association with Him—will ye not rejoice? Say: All sovereignty rules through His sovereignty—will ye not rejoice? Say: All dominion reigns through His dominion—will ye not rejoice? Say: All loftiness is lowly before His loftiness—will ye not rejoice?

Say: All who are in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, their existence before Him is as their existence was before Him—will ye not rejoice? Should they believe, then their glory before Him would be that He would say concerning them: “These are My servants who believe in My signs.” But should they veil themselves from His remembrance, then concerning them would be revealed: “These are they who are created for the fire by My command”—Will ye not, then, rejoice, O people of the Bayan? Make ye yourselves, therefore, angels bearing glad-tidings, that haply on the Day of Resurrection, in the presence of God, ye may be remembered in truth through the glad-tidings. And manifest ye naught before Him Whom God shall make manifest save the glad-tidings, and then fear ye Him.

Say: God shall verily take vengeance upon them that have the power to bring glad-tidings unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, and yet do disappoint Him. These are the companions of the Fire, and these shall not enter into the good pleasure of God. Mention not, therefore, a single letter of sorrow before Him Whom God shall make manifest, for God hath ordained the limits of sorrow for none save the Manifestation of His own Self on the Day of Resurrection.

Fear ye God, and Him shall ye fear. Let not the glory of what hath been and shall be created divert you from the glory of God, if ye be among them that believe in God. Let not the sovereignty of what hath been and shall be created divert you from God’s sovereignty, if ye be among them that believe in God and His signs. Should all that is on earth divert you from Him, and ye find yourselves before Him Whom God shall make manifest, then ye shall not be counted among the believers before God. But should your faith in God remain steadfast, and naught veil you from Him, then ye shall be numbered on the Day of Resurrection among the believers. He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. He accepteth naught from anyone save the truth from Him.

Thus hath the Bayan been sent down in truth, that ye may be assured of the pure truth on the Day of Resurrection. Unto God belongeth all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. All shall rejoice at the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all shall render thanks at His manifestation.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Joyous, the Most Joyous

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm, then the Glory and the Majesty, then the Countenance and the Beauty, then the Face and the Perfection, then the Strength and the Action, then the Face and the Grace, then the Authority and the Justice, then the Likeness and the Examples, then the Stations and the Grandeur, then the Greatness and the Independence, then the Awe and the Revelation, then the Might and the Inaccessibility, then the Power and the Exaltation, then the Joy and the Gladness, then the Sovereignty and the Power, then the glad-tidings of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, then whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and creation.

Thou hast ever been alone in the dominion of might and majesty, and exalted in the realm of holiness and beauty. Thou hast given glad-tidings unto all Thy creation through Thy knowledge and the knowledge of the guides to Thy Self. Thine is the praise of gratitude, O my God, for these great glad-tidings and supreme joy. Thou hast ever given glad-tidings unto Thy servants of Thy good-pleasure and forgiveness, when Thou didst say—and Thy word is the truth—through the words of Thy beloved aforetime: “O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls! Despair not of the mercy of God, for verily God forgiveth all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” Then Thou didst say: “O all things! Seek ye forgiveness from Me, for I shall forgive all in the Bayan whatsoever I love not for them until the day of My manifestation, should they believe in and be assured of the Manifestation of My Self.

Verily I have ever been the Forgiver, the Bountiful, and verily I have ever been the Concealer, the Merciful.” Glory be unto Thee! How exalted are Thy glad-tidings in the Bayan, and how lofty Thy joy in the Bayan! By Thy glory, my heart findeth no rest save through faith in Thee and in whatsoever Thou hast ordained in the paths of Thy might and the dawning-places of Thy will. My heart shall find no peace until Thou dost raise up powerful sovereigns and impregnable kings who shall cause all upon earth to bow down in the Bayan before Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest. Should my knowledge encompass that there remaineth anyone in any region of the earth who hath not prostrated before Him at the time of His manifestation, my heart would not be content. Therefore, O my God, give me glad-tidings, for by Thy glory, I shall show more mercy to all things than they show unto themselves, by delivering them from the fire of their veils and causing them to enter the paradise of Thy forgiveness.

Strengthen me, O my God, in this and cause all Thy glad-tidings to grieve for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, that Thou mayest cause all His enemies to hear that whosoever believeth not in Him is lower than the lowest, and whosoever believeth in Him is higher than the highest. Show this manifest before Him as Thou willest and as Thou pleasest, for Thine is the sovereignty and the power, Thine the greatness and the transcendence, Thine the grandeur and the invincibility, Thine the majesty and the glory, Thine the dominion and the all-compelling force. Bless Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection with every joy and splendor, with every gladness and glory. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest and invincible in whatsoever Thou desirest. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Pervading, Holy.

Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast ever been the Subduer of the mighty, the Manifest among the manifest ones, the Powerful among the powerful, the Exalted among the exalted ones, and the Helper of helpers. Thou givest life and causeth death, then causest death and givest life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who perisheth not, the Just Who wrongeth not, the King Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Joyous, the Most Joyous.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted through the exaltation of His sovereignty the sovereignty of His Self-Subsistence above all contingent beings, and hath prevailed through the triumph of the King of His mighty dominion above all existing things, and hath manifested through the manifestation of the King of His mighty dominion above all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and hath transcended through the transcendence of the King of His Self-Subsistence above all created things, and hath become inaccessible through the inaccessibility of His oneness above all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is no God but Him, the One Who hath ever been and ever shall be, the Sanctified in the sovereignty of holiness and beauty, the Exalted in the kingdom of might and majesty, Who is inaccessible in the sovereignty of power and perfection, and Who is exalted in the heights of glory and transcendence.

All creation bears witness that there is none other God but Him. He is the All-Compelling through His power, the All-Manifest through His might, the All-Luminous through His grandeur, the All-Subduing through His strength, the Ever-Helping through His sovereignty, the Creator through His glory, and the All-Forgiving through His mercy.

He created what He willed without will and brought forth what He desired without desire. Through His power He created Will from nothing, and through His Will He brought forth Desire from naught. Then He raised up whatsoever He pleased by His command in the kingdoms of His might and holiness, and in the realms of His detachment and grace. He made the repositories of His knowledge, the vessels of His secrets, the keys of His mercy, the measures of His grandeur, and the lamps of His guidance to be exalted essences, lofty manifestations, radiant realities, resplendent beings, and eternal, self-subsisting entities.

Then He revealed Himself unto them through them and deposited within them the example of their power. Thus their influences became manifest and He filled therewith His heavens and His earth. He bears witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling. Verily, the Being of the Seven Letters is His servant and His proof, directing all to none but God, the One, the All-Manifest. God chose for Him primary names and immersed them in the limitless ocean. Thus, countless are the harbingers of His glad-tidings, the envoys of His sovereign kingdom, the witnesses of His Faith, the measures of His wisdom, and the wellsprings of His authority. He has given glad-tidings of His love to all creation, and this is the highest summit created in His knowledge, whereunto they who ascend to that horizon.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious! The splendor from God be upon the First One and upon whoever resembles that One, wherein naught is seen but the First One. I bear witness that there is no glad-tiding save the knowledge of God, His love, His good-pleasure and His affection, and there is no way for thee nor for anyone to attain unto that knowledge except through the knowledge of Him Whom God shall make manifest, His affection, His good-pleasure and His love. If thou comprehendest this, then prostrate thyself as long as thou art able, for all on earth prostrate before Him, turning to none but Him and following none other than Him. When night approaches, follow the path that hath been ordained, for this is the good-pleasure of God.

Ask not of the why’ and wherefore’, for He is wise in the kingdom of His Command and creation, and seeing in the realm of His might and holiness. He beholds the kingdom and decrees what benefits the cause of His servants. He shall not be questioned about what He doeth, but all things shall be questioned. For verily He is the Manifestation of the deed of God, exalted be His glory. All exist by His command, both before and after, and in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them.

Bab 6: Andhar

He hath four stations. The First in the First.

In the Name of God, the Most Warning, the Most Warning!

There is no God but He, the Most Warning, the Most Warning! Say: God is the Warner above every warner. None can escape from the dominion of His warning, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been the All-Warning, the All-Cautioning, the All-Forewarning.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Nature, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the Human Nature. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been powerful over all things.

Blessed be He Who possesseth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God verily warneth you against failing to know Him. Will ye not then fear? Say: God verily warneth you against failing to please Him. Will ye not then fear? Say: God verily warneth you against a single letter from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Will ye not then fear? Say: God verily warneth you against veiling yourselves from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Will ye not then fear?

Say: God hath indeed revealed aforetime and will reveal hereafter:

“Verily there is no God but I, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. Whosoever worshippeth Me from the beginning of his life until the moment he heareth mention of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and upon hearing faileth to say Yea, I believe in God, the Lord of the worlds’—I shall cast him into the fire, and none of his deeds shall be accepted. Thus do We destroy those who veil themselves. And whosoever worshippeth Me not from the beginning of his life until the moment he heareth mention of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and upon hearing declareth Yea, I believe in God, the Lord of the worlds’—I shall command the angels to record good deeds in his book, and I shall transform all his fire into light from My presence. Thus do We recompense the God-fearing.”

This is glad tidings for the righteous and this is warning for those who veil themselves. Thus doth God cause you to fear. Will ye not then be God-fearing? Say: If ye believe in God, ye should fear God, your Lord. Will ye not then reflect? After your death, as long as the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them endure, ye shall suffer torment in the fire. Therefore show mercy unto yourselves by believing in Him Whom God shall make manifest during your lives, that ye may dwell after your death in the Ridvan for as long as the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them endure.

Say: On the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, God shall transform the creation of all things, and all shall abide on that Day in the stations which God hath ordained for them. Nay, those that dwell in Paradise shall abide therein until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Then, when they respond to God and to that which is revealed from His presence, they shall enter Paradise. Otherwise, God shall banish them from Paradise by reason of their rejection of the love of Him Whom God shall make manifest and His Cause, and they shall enter into the fire wherein they shall abide until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. On that Day, whoso believeth in Him Whom God shall make manifest, God shall deliver him from the fire and cause him to enter Paradise. Verily, He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous.

Will ye not reflect upon those who preceded you, such as Shaddad who ruled over the earth and all that was thereon? When his soul was taken, God cast him into the fire where he longeth to be but one of the lowly of the earth who had never shown pride toward anyone in matters of faith. The fire of his pride toward God’s creatures is a fire wherein he yearneth for relief, yet findeth no way of escape therefrom.

O all things! Have mercy upon yourselves and consider your ultimate end about which there is no doubt. Ye shall be taken, then unto God, your Lord, shall ye return. Should time decree your death while ye are patient in His good-pleasure, ye shall enter Paradise after your death and therein shall ye dwell in delight. Therein shall ye have whatsoever your souls desire. God hath created therein of all things that which hath no equal, no likeness, no similitude, no peer, and no parallel. Will ye not then be thankful?

But if during your lives ye attain unto that which giveth peace to your hearts without God’s good-pleasure, then your knowledge shall be as fire unto your souls. This is God’s fire in your lives, and after your death ye shall be tormented therein for as long as God willeth. I counsel you to show mercy unto yourselves and believe in God Who created you, sustained you, caused you to die and brought you to life, and Who giveth you glad tidings of meeting Him. This, verily, is of God’s bounty unto all the worlds.

While ye strive in your religion, on the Day when He shall make Himself known unto you, ye turn away from the presence of God, even as those among the People of the Book in the time of Muhammad whose glory it was to attain His presence and meet God in the countenance of His Beloved, prostrating themselves before Him. Yet they remained veiled and abide in the fire whereunto they shall forever cleave. Likewise did those who were given the Qur’an fail to attain the fruit of their being by meeting their Lord, though they might have comprehended this. God doth warn you hereby, for this shall render vain your souls and your works, if ye but perceive it.

How many were the divines in Islam who believed in the true Imams and strove to win their good-pleasure, yet when they came into the presence of the Point of the Bayan, they denied the meeting with their Lord in that they failed to believe in the Manifestation of His Self, whilst they deemed themselves to be doing good. Thus doth God warn you at the time of the appearance of the Truth that ye, even as ye are in the Bayan, shall obey as ye know. But when He Whom God shall make manifest maketh Himself known unto you and calleth you unto His presence—He through Whom ye were created, sustained, caused to die and made to live—ye strive in your religion and act according to the command of God for which ye were created, thinking ye do good. Thus doth God warn you with a severe warning. Thus doth God make you to fear with a great fear. Thus doth God cause you to dread with a mighty dread.

For without this, neither you nor your deeds shall be rendered vain, but this shall change your light into fire and your faith into error while ye perceive it not. Therefore watch over your souls that ye grieve not anyone, nor pass judgment upon any soul, lest ye pronounce judgment upon the Manifestation of your Lord or cause Him grief. This is what God hath counseled you that ye may be saved. Otherwise, a single ʿnay’ from Him Whom God shall make manifest shall suffice to render you all like unto those who were given the Book, nay worse than these, if ye would but remember. And if ye accept God, He will grant you from His presence stations of glory and guidance wherewith ye shall glory until the Day of Resurrection. He doeth what He willeth as He pleaseth. This is what God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, hath ordained. Ye know the measure of the days of His Manifestation.

Then believe ye in God with truth, and love not your faith in aught that would turn you away from His good-pleasure while ye know not. And profess ye the unity of God according to your capacity, by not associating any partner with Him Whom God shall make manifest, nor seeking anyone besides Him.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Warning, the Most Warning

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the dominion and the kingdom, and Thine the might and the power, and Thine the strength and the divinity, and Thine the force and the sovereignty, and Thine the grandeur and the majesty, and Thine the Face and the perfection, and Thine the power and the action, and Thine the similitude and the examples, and Thine the stations and the glory, and Thine the greatness and the independence, and Thine the awesomeness and the revelation, and Thine is whatsoever Thou lovest or desirest from the kingdom of Thy Command and creation, and Thine the might and the invincibility, and Thine the power and the exaltation, and Thine the sovereignty and the omnipotence, and Thine the joy and the gladness. Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Individual, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, Supreme, Holy, Eternal, Everlasting, Transcendent, Exalted.

Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power hast Thou created all things and set their measure, and by Thy will hast Thou fashioned all things and given them their form. By Thy glory, O my God! Were I to worship Thee from that beginning which hath no beginning unto that end which hath no end, my fear of Thee and my apprehension would not be removed. For perchance one day the Manifestation of Thy Self might recognize me while I remain veiled. This is what I fear and dread, for this is greater than any fire and more severe than any torment. Indeed, what Thou hast promised to those in the fire is created under the shadow of this. Yet my hope in Thee never ceases, nor my trust in Thy favor, even though I remain veiled from Thy commandments from that beginning which hath no beginning to that end which hath no end.

If in the appearance of the Manifestation of Thy Self I should gaze upon His countenance with love for Him and faith in Him, this would suffice me and would rectify all that hath been and shall be decreed. For paradise lieth in Thy word through Thy love for Him, and the fire in Thy command concerning what Thou lovest not.

Therefore, O God, preserve all Thy creation from being veiled from the Manifestation of Thy Self, and grant them patience concerning the Dayspring of Thy Being. For Thou hast warned them of this and caused them to fear that. Yet when I behold with mine eyes the diverse peoples upon the earth, after Thou hadst perfected Thy warning in Thy Books and completed Thy admonition through Thy Messengers, these peoples have not benefited, nor have they refrained from being veiled from the Manifestations that came after. Therefore my heart is not at ease concerning those who are in the Bayan, for they are like unto previous peoples who may be visited by that whereof they were warned and promised, yet they pay no heed nor accept His authority, even as I have witnessed concerning the Letter Vav on the Day of Resurrection—all hastening day and night seeking Thy good pleasure while remaining veiled from the Source of Thy good pleasure and the Manifestation of Thy Cause.

Therefore, O God, aid all Thy creation through Thy grace however Thou willest, and as Thou willest, and through what Thou willest, and where Thou willest, and whensoever Thou willest. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Warning, the Most Warning!

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself through the sovereignty of His omnipotence above all contingent beings, and praise be to God Who hath manifested His dominion through the power of His unique majesty above all existing things, and hath revealed His might through the authority of His Lordship above all created things, and hath shown His good pleasure through the expression of His eternal pleasure above all atoms, and hath demonstrated His power through the sovereignty of His holy oneness above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. All His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Glorified.

He hath chosen for Himself a Mirror, resplendent, adorned, beautified, glorified, illumined, exalted, sanctified, elevated, inaccessible, sovereign, mighty, powerful, manifest, magnificent, hidden, and possessed of divine qualities. Then He revealed Himself unto it through itself, and through it He became inaccessible from it, and through it He became independent of all else, and He made it the station of His Self in fulfillment and decree throughout all the kingdoms of might and creation. He hath chosen for His creation spiritual names and abstract appellations, and hath filled therewith His heaven and His earth. Verily, there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Seeing.

He warneth all things, save through recognition of the Point of the Bayan and what He hath ordained, until the Day when God shall illumine all who are in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them through the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest, the Revealer of His Self and the Repository of His Mystery. On that Day all shall be brought before God, their Lord. God hath given them glad tidings of attaining His presence and of His good-pleasure. These are they who shall prosper.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Warning, the Most Warning.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Warning, the Most Warning. And verily all glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon them who resemble that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the First Unity. I testify, if thou be among them who comprehend the Cause, that the warning of God proceedeth from His justice alone, and His glad tidings from His grace alone. If thou be among the denizens of the holy gardens of detachment and the chambers of glory and unity, then let thy warning be through the word “No” from the Sun of Truth, and thy glad tidings through His word “Yea.” No greater warning than this, no greater glad tidings than that. And if thou descendest therefrom, then witness every shadow within the shadow of “No” and every glory within the shadow of “Yea.”

As long as thou livest, and after death, if thou be among those whom the Tree of Truth hath addressed through “No,” then thou art in the fire, and there is no escape therefrom. And if thou be among those whom the Tree of Truth hath addressed through His word “Yea,” then thou art in Paradise, and there is no escape therefrom. I counsel thee and all things to make your fear naught save the displeasure of God, even if it be not manifest, and your hope in naught save the good-pleasure of God, even if it be not manifest. For if one be not cognizant of God’s good-pleasure when it encompasseth the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make manifest regarding any soul, He shall bring him to naught ere His displeasure be made manifest concerning him.

O all things! Make yourselves the essence of warning through the essence of fire and light, and look not for the appearance of their limits in the kingdom. Until now, I have found none who warned save through God’s good-pleasure, nor anyone who hoped save through God’s good-pleasure, but after certitude I found all manifesting their fear and hope. Therefore their dwelling is not in the summit of unity, nor their station in the sanctuary of detachment.

Beware, O people of the Bayan, lest ye make yourselves the essence! By Him Who cleft Paradise asunder and created the breath of life, Who is sanctified in might, exalted in grandeur, and magnified in majesty and power, ye shall assuredly attain unto His presence, and He shall warn you with a fire the like of which hath never been created, while ye remain heedless. When ye become certain of this matter, ye shall all be brought low by His authority. He shall bestow upon you a Paradise the like of which hath never existed, while ye remain heedless, until when ye become certain thereof, ye shall all fall prostrate before Him and render thanks. Then doth God bear witness concerning you without the essence of warning and glad tidings, and that testimony ye witness from every fire.

And should He bear witness concerning anyone through the essence of glad tidings and warning, the dominion of the earth and whatsoever is thereon would have no glory over him, but ye do not understand and are not mindful. From the beginning that hath no beginning until now, ye have indeed known all things through Mine own Self. Hence, there have not appeared in the kingdom any servants in whom could be found the essence of warning and mercy, except that both of them are not defined by their limitations. O people of the Bayan! Ye do not expose your own selves.

Bab 7: Adhkhar

And it hath four ranks. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Treasured, the Most Treasured.

Say: God is more treasured than every possessor of treasure. None can withhold himself from the sovereignty of His treasuring, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been a Treasurer, Treasuring, Treasured. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom doth praise whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are worshippers of Him. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Nature, then the Strength and the Ruby Nature, then the Sovereignty and the Human Nature. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who oppresseth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth not anything whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been powerful over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: The treasure of what He hath created and will create—all through Him do they seek sufficiency.

Say: Make ye everything a treasure for yourselves, for then on the Last Day ye shall be in want, unless ye make God your treasure in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. For if ye become in want, then through God your Lord shall ye find sufficiency. And make not God a treasure for yourselves unless ye make Him Whom God shall make manifest—verily all things do ye fear Him. Therefore fear ye God lest He remove from you the limits of your own selves, for verily ye shall be tested on the day of His manifestation. Perchance ye treasure for yourselves a single mithqal of gold, yet ye treasure not Him Whom God shall make manifest. Then look ye to the measure of your deeds and your faith, then seek forgiveness, then unto God your Lord do ye turn in repentance. If ye make all that is on earth a treasure for yourselves, it will not suffice you in place of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Do you not perceive this?

Rather, you must watch over your souls, for you shall be sorely tried on the Day of Resurrection. Perchance your faith in God may not equal even one of your own houses, since you treasure the latter for yourselves while failing to treasure Him Whom God shall make manifest, neither using reason nor understanding. Instead you ponder upon those who came before you, content with far less, taking but a measure of silver while veiling yourselves from Him Who created you, sustained you, caused you to die and gave you life—even after proclaiming “We believe in God and in Him Whom God shall make manifest.”

If you should come to possess all that is on earth, yet detach yourselves from it and make Him Whom God shall make manifest your treasure before God, He would testify that you are believing servants. Otherwise, your station before God would be only that which He Whom God shall make manifest testifies. Therefore be vigilant and fear Him. For if you make all things on earth your treasure, you must inevitably relinquish them when you are taken, whereupon you shall enter the fire and be tormented therein as long as the heavens and earth and all that lies between them endure, except as God may will. This is how your treasure shall benefit you, if you but knew it.

But if you make God your treasure, then even should you possess in this life but a grain of mustard seed, after your death you shall delight in Paradise as long as the heavens and earth endure. Would aught be diminished from such a treasure, if you but remembered? We have witnessed on the Day of Resurrection the stations of all creation, each treasuring something of God’s kingdom, save those who have recognized God—these have treasured God their Lord. Indeed, God is ashamed to record their numbers in the Book, so few are they.

Therefore watch over your souls, O people of the Bayan, that on the Day of Resurrection you may not be veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Perchance you remember Him not, yet treasure a cup of water for yourselves, thereby showing gratitude to God Who created you, caused you to die and gave you life—neither using reason nor understanding. We have shown you all the paths of guidance that you may, on the Day of Resurrection, enter into all things with God’s good-pleasure and be veiled from all else that lacks His good-pleasure.

Say: God is my treasure in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them. I have taken no other treasure besides Him, nor will I ever do so. Say: God is my refuge in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them. I have taken no other refuge besides Him, nor will I ever do so. Say: God is my protection in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them. I have taken no other protection besides Him, nor will I ever do so. Say: God is my support in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no support other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: God is my might in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no might other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: God is my greatness in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them.

I have taken no greatness other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: God is my protection in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no protection other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: God is my strength in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no strength other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: All that I have made God my Lord great for myself, I desired not, nor do I find any way to that except that I make Him Whom God shall make manifest my stronghold in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no stronghold other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: He Whom God shall make manifest is my treasure in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no treasure other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him.

Say: He Whom God shall make manifest is my greatness in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no greatness other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: He Whom God shall make manifest is my refuge in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no refuge other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: He Whom God shall make manifest is my support in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no support other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him. Say: He Whom God shall make manifest is my protection in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. I have taken no protection other than Him, nor will I ever take any besides Him.

But when ye recite these verses, they deny you, and ye shall witness on the Day of Resurrection how ye make every falsehood a treasure for yourselves, yet make neither God nor the Manifestation of His Self a treasure for yourselves, and ye imagine. Look ye at those who made falsehood their treasure from the beginning of this Cause, how We seized them, and they now possess naught save the fire, yet they perceive not. Therefore watch over yourselves, for ye shall indeed be questioned on the Day of Resurrection. Perchance ye make every base thing a treasure for yourselves and remember not, and when God makes you know the Manifestation of His Self, ye make Him not a treasure for yourselves, nor are ye fearful of Him. God hath created for you no fire more intense than this, if ye would but reflect a little. We have, verily, dissociated Ourselves from those who make not Him Whom God shall make manifest the treasure of their lives, both in death and in life.

We shall cast them into the fire for this, and We shall be of those who exact retribution. Such is the recompense of him who maketh creation a treasure unto himself, yet maketh not God—Who created him and sustained him and caused him to die and brought him back to life—a treasure unto himself, though he declareth:

“I am, verily, of them that believe in God and His signs.”

Say: If ye truly believe in God and His signs, how is it that ye believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest? Is there any path unto God save this, if ye would but reflect? And unto God is the ultimate end of those who fear Him and those who do good in His path.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Treasured, the Most Treasured

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Force and the Celestial Realm, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. Thou givest life and causest death, then causest death and givest life. Verily, Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or what lieth between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! Lord of this Friday, bless those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy glory, for verily Thou art possessed of mighty glory.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy majesty, for verily Thou art possessed of great majesty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy beauty, for verily Thou art possessed of wondrous beauty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy grandeur, for verily Thou art possessed of tremendous grandeur.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy light. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true light.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy mercy. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true mercy.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy words. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true words.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy names. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true names.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy knowledge. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true knowledge.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy power. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true power.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy utterance. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true utterance.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy nobility. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true nobility.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy sovereignty. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true sovereignty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy dominion. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true dominion.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy loftiness. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true loftiness.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy bounty. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true bounty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through what Thy knowledge hath encompassed of Thy signs. Verily, Thou art possessed of mighty and true signs.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon him who hath believed in Thee and then in what hath been ordained from Thy presence in the Bayan, through what knowledge hath encompassed of every good thing. Verily, Thou art the Encompasser of all things.

The third in the third.

In the Name of God, the Most Hidden, the Most Hidden!

Praise be to God Who hath ascended in the loftiness of His Essence above all created things, and hath risen in His sublimity above all beings, and hath elevated Himself in His exaltation above all creatures, and hath manifested His revelation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and hath dominated through His dominion all who abide in the realms of names and attributes. I testify on this Friday, the Day of Independence, with a testimony purified from all other testimonies and independent of aught else, that should I attain unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, I shall testify to the Cause of God in such wise that I shall be independent of the testimony of all things, and shall sanctify His testimony above the testimony of all that hath been and shall be created. For this is what God hath testified and will testify throughout creation and invention. No path existeth for creation save this, and no way remaineth for servants except this.

He sufficeth as the All-Seeing and the Witness, He sufficeth as the All-Knowing and the Omniscient, He sufficeth as the All-Powerful and the Almighty, He sufficeth as the All-Subduing and the All-Compelling, He sufficeth as the Manifest and the Helper, He sufficeth as the Reckoner and the All-Accounting, He sufficeth as the Helper and the Succourer, He sufficeth as the Preserver and the Guardian, He sufficeth as the Most Hidden and the Treasured, He sufficeth as the Most Great and the All-Glorious, He sufficeth as the Refuge and the Shelter, He sufficeth as the Supporter and the Defender, He sufficeth as the Mighty and the All-Powerful. Verily, there is no God but Him, alone with no partner, and verily the Seven Letters are His servant and His Word, and verily all the paths of the Bayan and the decrees of the first and last of creation, from a beginning that hath no beginning to an end that hath no end, God shall make manifest from His presence as He pleaseth by His command.

There is no God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Hidden, the Most Hidden!

Praise be to God, beside Whom there is no other God, the Most Hidden, the Most Hidden. And verily the glory from God be upon the Primal Unity and upon those who resemble that Unity wherein naught is seen except the Primal Unity. I testify that God hath ever been and will ever be too exalted to be a treasure unto any of His creation. However, since God hath created all things for His knowledge and worship, He hath opened for them a path in creation beyond which nothing is possible in invention, and hath made Him Whom God shall make manifest the Sun of Truth, purified from all that is attributed unto Him. If thou makest Him thy treasure, thou hast made God thy treasure. But watch thyself on the Day of Resurrection, for perchance thou mayest treasure that which hath no glory and treasure it not, and be veiled from Him.

And if thou art not convinced of this, then remember what transpired regarding the Point of the Bayan, that should anyone make Him a treasure for what he desireth, His knowledge encompasseth not any grief in that regard, for all His grief is for that which is not pleasing, that they should make Him a treasure for what they desire. Therefore, He hath written in His path what He hath gained. And thou, on the Day of Resurrection, being enchanted by this, must watch over thyself that thou makest none other than Him thy treasure. And shouldst thou find between earth and heaven the red elixir, verily this would not suffice thee, but this would suffice thee. And watch over thyself with true vigilance, for thy salvation lieth in this and thy destruction in being veiled from this.

If thou makest Him Whom God shall make manifest thy treasure, thou shalt never lose in thy transaction, even if thou art slain in like manner as those who were martyred in God’s path made the Point of the Bayan their treasure. Then how dost thou see them all remembered? And those who made Him not their treasure possessed naught and were upon the earth as thou seest. How can they possess any good when they died and became dust and entered into the fire wherein they shall not be helped?

Bab 8: Aknaz

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Treasured, the Most Treasured.

There is no God but He, the Most Treasured, the Most Treasured. Say: God is more treasured than every possessor of treasures. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can withhold himself from the dominion of His treasured sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the Treasurer, the Treasuring, the Treasured. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom doth glorify whosoever is in the heavens and the earth. Say: All are devoted to Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command.

Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. And exalted is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: God is the Creator of all things, and He is the Living, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and He is the Living, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God giveth life to all things, and He is the Living, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God causeth all things to die, and He is the Living, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God is the Resurrector of all things, and He is the Truth, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: In Whose hand is the dominion of all things, if ye but know? Say: In God’s hand is the creation of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. He saith “Be,” and it is.

Say: God is the Provider of all things, and by His command are all raised up. Unto God belongeth all might in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is Mighty, Most Powerful, the All-Powerful. Unto God belongeth all power in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Ordainer, the Powerful, the Omnipotent.

Say: Verily, He shall bless those who turn unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, and they shall believe in what God revealeth unto Him. These are they who are guided by God’s guidance and mercy, and these are they who are rightly guided. God hath created Paradise for them, wherein they shall abide forever, and therein shall they have whatsoever their souls desire. And God shall increase His bounty unto those who fear Him and who show patience in His path.

Say: He is the Subduer over His creation and the Manifest over His servants, and He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. He it is Who scattered creation and then reassembleth it. Do ye not see? He it is Who giveth life and death, and unto Him shall all return. Say: In whose hand is the dominion of all things? Verily, unto Him shall all return. Say: Verily, He Who created you is able to recreate you, and He hath power over all things. Say: There is none other than the Sun of Truth who is your beginning and your end, this by God’s leave. Do ye not see?

Say: God giveth life and causeth death, and unto God shall all return. Say: In whose hand is the dominion of all things? Verily, unto Him shall all return. Say: In God’s hand, Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and unto Him shall all be turned. Say: God giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all be raised. Say: Victory is in God’s hand alone—He bestoweth it upon whomsoever He willeth among His servants. He is the Self-Subsisting, the All-Compelling.

Say: In whose hand is the dominion of all things? Verily, unto Him shall all return. Say: In God’s hand, Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and His command is nearer than “Be, and it is.” Say: Through God do ye dwell, through God are ye helped, through God do ye appear. His is whatsoever dwelleth in the night and in the day, and unto God shall all return.

Say: God shall verily send His blessings upon every Throne of His Manifestation, both past and future. There is no God but Him, the Self-Subsisting, the All-Compelling. Say: God shall verily send His blessings upon the Throne of His Manifestation in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.

Say: Every Throne of Manifestation is this one, and all stand through this. Say: Every Throne of Manifestation is He Whom God shall make manifest; all shall return unto Him. And whosoever taketh unto himself a protector other than Him or followeth anyone without His leave—these are the companions of the Fire, and these are they who are far removed from God’s good-pleasure. Say: God giveth life and causeth death. Say: In His hand is the dominion of all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: God is the Creator of all things, and by His command do all things stand. Sufficient is God unto me, Who hath created me and provided for me, Who causeth me to die and giveth me life, and Who showereth upon me the wonders of His mercy. Verily there is no God but Him. He aideth whom He willeth through His command. He is indeed the Powerful, the Mighty, the Loving.

Say: He is the Subduer above you and before you, the Manifest behind you, the Inaccessible at your right hand, the Exalted at your left, the Most High above your heads, and the All-Compelling over you from every direction. He will assuredly help you by night and by day, and will raise you up as He pleaseth through His command. He is the One, the Sovereign. That is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. He is the One Who createth what He willeth through His command “Be,” and it is. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the creation and the command. He giveth life and causeth death. He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth through His command.

There is no God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Say: The Gate is indeed the Truth from God, even as ye yourselves speak in the knowledge of God. Say: He is the Knower of every soul. He knoweth what it hath earned and witnesseth what it earneth. He is indeed the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. Is one whom God teacheth from His presence like unto one who learneth from His creation? Glory be to God! This is in the highest heights and that is in the lowest depths. Say: Both are from God through what He revealeth from His presence. Will ye not then be thankful? Say: Praise be to God Who hath taught me the knowledge of all things from His presence before any of His creation taught me. Verily He was All-Knowing, All-Wise, All-Informed. These are the verses of God. God hath taught me, and none among the worlds hath learned this.

This befitteth none but God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of the East and the West, the Lord of the visible and the invisible, the Lord of the worlds.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Hidden, the Most Hidden.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God; there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, and the Earthly Domain. Thine are the Glory and the Majesty, Thine are the Countenance and the Perfection, Thine are the Face and the Beauty, Thine are the Similitude and the Examples, Thine are the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine are the Greatness and the Independence, Thine are the Awesomeness and the Revelation, Thine are the Might and the Inaccessibility, Thine is the power and exaltation, Thine the gladness and joy, Thine the sovereignty and dominion, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love. Thou hast verily aided me with true aid, wherefore praise be unto Thee, O my God. Thou hast preserved me with true preservation, wherefore thanks be unto Thee, O my Beloved.

Thou hast strengthened me with true strength, wherefore praise be unto Thee, O my Adored One. Thou hast empowered me with true might, wherefore glory be unto Thee, O my Heart’s Desire.

Thou hast ever been the One existing before all things, the Being above all things, the Essence with all things, the Creator of all things, and the Essence after the passing of all things. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Unique, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the All-Sovereign, the All-Powerful, the Most Holy, the Everlasting, the Eternal, the Self-Dependent. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast created all things by Thy power and ordained them by measure. By Thy will Thou hast formed all things and fashioned them by design.

Glorified art Thou and exalted art Thou! I shall praise Thee beyond all that contingent beings have praised or will praise Thee. I shall glorify Thee above all that beings have glorified or will glorify Thee. I shall exalt Thee beyond all that essences have exalted or will exalt Thee. I shall magnify Thee above all that realities have magnified or will magnify Thee. I shall honor Thee beyond all that the honored ones have honored or will honor Thee.

Thy grandeur hath ever been sovereign over all Thy creation, and Thy manifestation exalted above all Thy servants. All bow down before the sublimity of Thy sovereignty and humble themselves before the loftiness of Thy station. Thou hast ever been living and diest not, a king that passeth not away, a justice that wrongeth not, a sovereign that changeth not, and One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

O God! Thou shalt verily assist the guides of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection with all Thy assistance, preserve them with all Thy preservation, guard them with all Thy protection, strengthen them with all Thy might, exalt them with all Thy majesty, and elevate them with all Thy exaltation. For Thou art the Subduer over all things, the Manifest above all things, the Inaccessible before all things, the Most Exalted after all things, and the Sovereign over the heights of all things. All are fearful of Thy might and all are apprehensive of Thy love.

Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee, the All-Powerful, the Self-Subsisting. Verily, Thou art the Eternal, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Hidden, the Most Hidden.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, hath prevailed through the sovereignty of His might above all created things, hath manifested through the power of His eternity above all beings, hath magnified Himself through the grandeur of His Self-Subsistence above all atoms, and hath triumphed through the sovereignty of His holy oneness above all who dwell in the kingdom of names and attributes. His creation beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the All-Powerful, the Most Mighty, the All-Subduing, the Supreme Subduer, the All-Conquering, the Helper, the Supreme Helper, the All-Aiding, the Manifest, the Supreme Manifest, the Most Pure, the Glorious, the Supreme Glorious, the All-Glorious—His mercy hath preceded all who dwell in the kingdom of His heaven and earth, wherein He hath ordained for all things the recognition of His eternity and hath willed that all things enter the sacred heights of His love.

Therefore, He and all His creation testify that every object of worship from above His throne to the depths of His earth is a worshipper of His Self, and that none is worthy of worship except Him. He is the One deserving of worship by right and the Object of all seeking in His independence. All things have worshipped God before and after, from a beginning that hath no beginning to an end that hath no end, and all things shall worship God from a beginning that hath no beginning to an end that hath no end, and we are all worshippers of God.

Then He and all things testify that when He was the Impenetrable Unknown, the Exalted Essence, the Transcendent Origin, the Sovereign Substance, and the Powerful Abstract Being, He chose for Himself an exalted Essence. Then He revealed Himself to it through it by His Self and made it the source of all He hath created and will create. Nay, He sanctified it beyond such description, for the glory of all created things derives from the glory of His Manifestation. He joined the acknowledgment of His oneness with allegiance to His Cause, the recognition of His Reality with the acknowledgment of His eternality, the confession of His primacy with the attestation of His everlastingness, and the recognition of every perfection possible in creation with what He possesseth of all names and attributes. And we are all believers in this.

Then God chose for that Supreme Essence and Most Glorious Abstract Being wondrous names, through which He revealed Himself to all in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them. When the First Unity entered the limitless ocean, none could reckon save God all the evidences from before and after that there is no God but Him, the One, the Treasured. And verily the Being of the triangular letters before the square is the Manifestation of His Self in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them, calling all unto God, the One, the All-Compelling, Who created all things by His command. Verily there is no God but Him, the Supreme, the All-Forgiving.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Treasured, the Most Treasured.

There is no God but Him, the Most Treasured, the Most Treasured. And verily the Glory from God is upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen but the First Unity. Furthermore, I testify that in all names the Outward is one Name and the Inward is one Name, the First is one Name and the Last is one Name, the All-Compelling is one Name, and that is He Whom God shall make manifest—exalted and sublime be His mention and exalted and elevated be His station. Verily all within Him guideth unto God—needs must He guide unto Him in his heart, and unto the Manifestations of His Cause in the stations of his spirit, soul and body. And we are all believers in what is revealed in the Bayan. Bear thou witness that the essence and substance of religion is contained in two phrases: “There is no God but God” and that the Being of the Seven Letters is the servant of God.

Then all measures from the paths of all things are from Him according to what hath been revealed in the Bayan with all the fruits of that Paradise. And these two phrases, when manifested, become four phrases, and the First Living One is God’s guide, and verily the Bayan is God’s proof. Then when these four are separated, thou seest the paths of all things in the Bayan, all returning to one word: “There is no God but God.” Therefore hold fast unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in the beginning of His manifestation, before the second word appeareth from the first word, for this is an exalted and lofty glory, and a transcendent and sublime majesty. There is no power nor strength except in God, the Most High, the Most Great.

Bab 9: A’Zam

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great.

There is no God but He, the Most Great, the Most Great. Say: God is greatest above all greatness. None can withhold himself from the dominion of the Sovereign of His protection, neither anyone in the heavens nor anyone on earth nor what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom worship whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are worshippers before Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Truth that dieth not, and the King that passeth not away, and the Justice that wrongeth not, and the Sovereign that changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God will protect whomsoever He willeth among His servants by His command. Verily He hath ever been the Supreme Protector, the Preserver, the Mighty. Say: Verily protection lieth in His good-pleasure in all things. Will ye not then seek His protection? Say: Without protection is without His good-pleasure. Will ye not then be God-fearing? Say: At the end of every Manifestation is the beginning of their protection and their steadfastness in their religion, for otherwise they are in the fire in God’s sight, or else they enter into a religion. Do ye not observe those who were given the Gospel? They were steadfast in their religion, but when God manifested the Manifestation of His Self, lo, their protection and their steadfastness were changed to the greatest error, while they themselves neither reflect nor understand, even after hearing the verses of God from His Messenger. Thus do you, after the Pharisees in the Bayan, bear witness.

Indeed, in Islam there were servants who never contemplated aught save God’s good-pleasure, yet in God’s sight they were of the essence of fire, while they themselves supposed they were doing good. Say: This concept of infallibility is the greatest error in God’s Book. Fear God at the time of the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and be conscious of Him. Say: Verily, infallibility is the good-pleasure of God in whatsoever proceedeth from the Manifestation of His Self. Walk ye in this path in your private and public lives, in your beginning and your end, in your outer and inner beings, in your absence and presence, and then be conscious of God. When ye are alone between yourselves and God, follow naught but what the Bayan hath revealed, and transgress not by a grain’s weight. Be not those who outwardly manifest while inwardly change, for this is contrary to your infallibility.

But God will forgive you if He willeth, and will transform every fire into light from His presence. Verily, He hath power over all things. Say: The ocean of infallibility is Him Whom God shall make manifest. Should all on earth enter therein, prostrating before Him, they would be instantly purified. And whoso seeketh refuge in infallibility throughout his life yet remaineth veiled from Him hath indeed committed the greatest error, and God will not forgive him unless he returneth unto God his Lord and becometh of those who prostrate themselves. This is the path of God, from before and after, for the God-fearing. Say: Whoso declareth “I believe in God and what was revealed in the Bayan unto the Primal Point,” hath entered the ocean of infallibility and become of the believers. But none shall confirm this save Him Whom God shall make manifest, and whoso confirmeth this, God hath clothed him in the robe of mercy from His presence. O people of grace! Ye shall attain unto this grace.

Say: Verily, infallibility in the night is naught save the night of the martyrs who call you to the inmost of the inmost while ye follow behind veils, but on the day of the outmost of the outmost ye shall rend those veils. For whoso followeth Him Whom God shall make manifest as he would follow the martyrs of the Bayan—such have no knowledge. They follow truth as they would follow creation, and God hath not made them martyrs save by the command of the Point of the Bayan. Fear ye God on the Day of Manifestation that ye may comprehend pure truth. If ye desire, I shall show you true infallibility with God. Look ye to those whom God hath willed in the inmost of the inmost, for these are they who are purified in God’s sight, having desired their Lord. All were created for this, yet all remain veiled. And those who have rent the veils and desired that for which they were created—these exceed not the number one, and these are they who shall be transformed in God’s Book.

This is what is decreed with God, not what ye consciously observe by night and day within yourselves. I bear witness that We have witnessed a thousand and a thousand thousand, without limit in number, in the Book. We shall therefore judge them accordingly, though We were not witnesses. Yea, in the mystery of the Cause are servants who have sought God, been God-fearing, and followed the ordinances of the Furqan. These are they who are accounted believers before God. God hath chosen them and made them witnesses from His presence, and these are they who are honored.

However, what hath issued from the ocean of the Furqan regarding the essence of the Cause is what We have mentioned in the Book. And had We witnessed less than that, We would still have remembered them.

O all things! As for that which ye were commanded in all the Books—that ye should seek God and turn unto Him—how is it that ye remain still and patient while they have sought the Truth and have arisen to fulfill that for which they were created? These are they who are the triumphant ones.

God shall soon choose from among those who possess the Bayan servants who shall appear before Him Who God shall make manifest and act according to His command. They desire naught save God and seek none but Him. Follow not your own selves throughout your nights, for ye shall find no path to the Sun of Truth except on the Day of Resurrection. Then whoso hath been granted this bounty from the Book of God shall comprehend the Cause of his Lord and shall be among those who are present before Him Whom God shall make manifest.

He followeth God in ways he knoweth not and comprehendeth not. When God willeth to make Himself known, then all shall know Him. This is what God and the Point of the Bayan have promised you in the Bayan. This is the Day for which ye were created. Present yourselves, therefore, before God, for this is your protection in following the paths of your religion, since all this ye do by God’s command.

The day they presented themselves alive, that first day was the beginning of the Resurrection. Say: All things shall perish save the face of thy Lord, the Sovereign, the All-Powerful. And even if there be living creatures besides them, they shall present themselves before God. Yet God hath servants on earth who act according to His command.

Say: These are they whom He hath guided, and God guideth the first ones when they have attained unto the Cause of their Lord before the believers. Therefore observe from the first day of the Resurrection until the last—ye shall witness the mystery of the Cause in all things.

Say: God will verily protect whomsoever He willeth among His servants by His command. He, verily, hath power over all things. Say: The Most Great Protection is that ye desire naught save what God desireth. If ye hold fast to this path, then ye are protected. Otherwise, the moment ye deviate from the path of protection, ye are cast out. This is what God bestoweth specially upon whomsoever He willeth among His servants. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: The protection of Him Whom God shall make manifest is like the protection of the sun, and the protection of him who believeth in Him is like the protection of mirrors. Ye all witness protection in God’s Cause. Say: Protection is what God commandeth. If the heart of anyone is not veiled from the remembrance of God to the extent that the thought of aught else occurs to him, then he is recorded in God’s Book among the protected ones.

Say: Who besides the Sun of Truth and then the guides to His Self can traverse that ocean, if ye be of them that know the truth.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great!

Glory be to Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Nature, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and Human Nature, then the Glory and Majesty, then the Countenance and Beauty, then the Face and Perfection, then the Symbol and Symbols, then the Stations and Grandeur, then the Greatness and Independence, then the Awesomeness and Manifestation, then the Glory and Invincibility, then the Power and Exaltation, then the Joy and Gladness, then the Sovereignty and Might, then whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation.

Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Independent, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Subduing, Most Holy. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast caused the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them to dwell by Thy command, and Thou hast ordained the ways of all things by Thy will. Thou hast ever been existent before all things, bringing all things into being after all things, and existing above all things. Thou givest life and causest death, then causest death and givest life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

I bear witness that the Sun of Thy Reality was and is and ever shall be preserved through Thy protection, and shall forever be preserved through Thy power, Thy might, Thy glory, Thy majesty, and the splendor of Thy sovereignty. For all protection is manifested through His good-pleasure, and all else is established without His good-pleasure. Therefore, O my God, adorn all who are in the Bayan with the acceptance of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, who are steadfast, who desire naught but what He desireth, who will naught but what He willeth, who are able to do only what He hath ordained, who decree only what He hath decreed, who permit only what He hath permitted, who defer only what He hath deferred, and who write only what He hath written, that they may attain the bounty of that Name from Thee and the existence of that Name from Thy presence. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Protected, the Most Protected!

Praise be to God Who hath risen in the exaltation of His Self-Subsistence above all contingent things, and hath prevailed through His primordial sovereignty over all created things, and hath manifested through the revelation of His oneness above all existing things, and hath exalted Himself through the elevation of His Self-Subsistence above all atoms, and hath remained inaccessible through the inaccessibility of His sanctity above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Protecting.

He hath chosen for Himself a subtle mirror, an impregnable essence, a lofty abstraction, a pristine purity, and a resplendent simplicity. He hath clothed it with the garment of infallibility in its mission, in its beginning and its end, its outer and its inner aspects, its hidden and its manifest qualities. He hath caused it to speak that which He desired it to speak, testifying that there is none other God but Him, and that the Being of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word—all appear by His command from His presence.

Then He chose for Himself Names and eternal mirrors, simple realities, pure essences, and abstract substances. Then He revealed Himself to them through them while remaining inaccessible to them. Thus did the sun of His manifestation shine upon them all, and the signs of His concealment became established in and upon them. He clothed them with His infallibility in all that they imagined, revealed, uttered and manifested, lest they should indicate aught save God, or speak except from God, or desire save what God hath desired, or will save what God hath willed, or have power save what God hath ordained, or decree save what God hath decreed, or permit save what God hath permitted, or set terms save what God hath set, or write save what God hath written.

Then were created mirrors facing those mirrors, all deriving light from the Sun of Truth, guided by its infallibility, seeking its good pleasure, and empowered by what is destined with it. These are the guides to His letters, all pointing to none but God, deriving light from none but God, desiring none and seeking none save Him. They glorify God by night and by day and tire not.

The fourth in the fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Protecting, the Most Protecting.

Praise be unto God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Protecting, the Most Protecting. And verily, glory is from God unto the First Unity, and unto him who resembleth that Unity, wherein naught is beheld save the First Unity, and thereafter. And he beareth witness that all the names of goodness are in the grasp of God, exalted be His glory, appearing only from the Throne of Reality and the Seat of Oneness. Consider this as the example of one who receives a position of honor from the True King—how he manifests it, takes pride in it, gives thanks to the one who bestowed it, and shows humility before him, even if this be for a year or more or less within worldly bounds and individual manifestations, if thou dost comprehend Him Whom God shall make manifest and He bestoweth upon thee a goodly station from His presence, thou shalt not demean His glory, for this shall endure until the Day of Resurrection.

And if thou shouldst not manifest according to the merit of what He hath given thee, We shall assuredly purify according to the bestowal of anyone from the lowly worldly stations. For verily I have witnessed the Day of Resurrection and the degrees of creation, and I am ashamed to mention it. However, I shall assuredly educate those who are in the Bayan for the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, that if ye comprehend that manifest and conquering Truth, and that sovereign, transcendent and omnipotent King, ye shall not demean the stations which God bestoweth upon you. For if ye were to make all that is on earth the glory of His mention of you, it would not equal it—how then do ye pride yourselves on the mention of your earthly king and speak of it among people, and thereby exalt yourselves in your seats and take pride? Even though this shall not endure for you, nor shall anyone among the people of knowledge remember you thereby.

And this is in the path of your worldly life—how much more so the mention of the Creator of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, Who, when He maketh mention of a thing, every thing mentioneth it as befitting, and this endureth until the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, take heed unto yourselves on the Day of Resurrection that ye demean not the commands of Truth nor make them seem light, for this is the greatest thing in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them for those endued with knowledge who are assured of God and His signs.

Bab 10: AqSam

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Decisive, the Most Decisive.

There is no God but He, the Most Decisive, the Most Decisive. Say: God is more decisive than any decisiveness. None can resist the sovereign power of His decisiveness, whether in the heavens or on earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been decisive, determining, and conclusive. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God before Whom singeth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Realm of Names, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been powerful over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Glorified be He in Whose hand is the dominion of all things, and unto Him shall all return. His is whatsoever dwelleth in the night and the day, and unto God shall all be raised. He it is Who created you and whatsoever ye know.

He it is Who heareth whosoever calleth upon Him, and verily He is the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. He it is Who answereth the prayers of them that believe in God and His signs, and who are assured of Him Whom God shall make manifest. We invoke blessings upon them who invoke blessings upon Him Whom God shall make manifest, for they are sincere in their faith. We have bestowed upon him who first inquired concerning His mention five mithqals of gold as ransom for His outward name, then six mithqals for His inward name. We do seek forgiveness for this, inasmuch as were all that is in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them to be expended, it would not equal the splendor of His mention, how much less could it be a ransom for the mention of His own Name, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. His is whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. This is of His dominion, and We are, by God’s leave, powerful over it.

None possesseth so much as a qirat save by His leave, and We do dispose thereof by His leave at all times. Say: Ye navigate in the ocean of names, and there is none other God but God, and all are His worshippers. He is the First in the eternity of eternities, then the Last that hath ever been and ever shall be, then the Manifest in the kingdom of sanctity and glory, then the Hidden in the realm of might and beauty. He createth what He willeth by His command, and verily there is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Most Exalted. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth. We are among those who prostrate before Him. And if ye navigate in the ocean of primal creation, then observe the Sun, and at each of its risings ye shall witness every Manifestation.

Say: Verily He Who speaketh in Muhammad the Apostle is He Who spoke through Ali before Muhammad, and He Who speaketh through him in truth, and We are among those who hearken unto Him. He it is Who speaketh in Him Whom God shall make manifest—that Spirit of God’s command through which God breatheth into whomsoever He willeth among His servants. Verily there is none other God but Him, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Were the veil to be lifted from the eyes of all the peoples of the earth, they would behold their Prophet in the grasp of Him Whom God shall make manifest, for they are not prophets except by God’s command from His presence. This is that command of God from Him. Will ye not then be thankful for this? He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. Descend not from the ocean of primal creation, for beyond that are the stations of those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all stand in their ranks before God.

There is none other God but God, and We are among those who prostrate before Him. We have bestowed upon the first who asked the number of the Gate, then upon him who asked thereafter the number of the Waw, that all who dwell in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and all that lieth between them would assuredly testify that there is none other God but Him, and that all are His servants and all bow down before Him. Say: The first Who was asked was the Sun of Truth, and the first Who answered was the Sun of Truth. All make mention through the remembrance of God from His presence, and all distinguish according to what hath been distinguished. Glory be unto Thee, O my Lord! Forgive me for what hath expired in Thy path, for verily all who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them cannot equal the radiance of a single hair that is attributed unto Thee. Glory be unto Thee! There is none other God but Thee.

Glory be unto Thee! I, verily, have been of the transgressors. Yet that which is attributed unto Thee is greater than all that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and we have ever gloried therein. Blessed are they who spend their wealth in remembrance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and blessed are they who take hold of these and those, though perchance they may attain unto His Revelation while they believe not. Then God will forbid unto them all that they have taken through His remembrance, and will multiply it unto them who believe in Him and who are assured of the Hereafter.

And unto God belongeth the most exalted similitude in the heavens and on the earth and in whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Say: God giveth life and causeth to die, and unto Him shall all be turned back. And His is whatsoever dwelleth by night and by day. There is none other God but Him, the All-Prevailing, the Self-Subsisting.

And unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and in whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Say: Who is He in Whose hand is the dominion of all things, and unto Whom shall all return? Say: In the hand of God—He Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them—there is none other God but Him, the All-Prevailing, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God, verily, apportioneth among His servants the measures of all things—will ye not then perceive? From the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, all are in the hand of God; He apportioneth in truth even that which could enter the fancy of an ant. Thus doth God show you His signs—will ye not then perceive? And His is whatsoever dwelleth by night and by day; there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

Say: He giveth life and causeth to die; then He causeth to die and giveth life; and unto Him shall all be raised up. Say: Who is He in Whose hand is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them? There is none other God but Him, the All-Prevailing, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God giveth life and causeth to die; then He causeth to die and giveth life; and unto Him shall all be raised up. He it is Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them by His command. His is the creation and the command, from the beginning and unto the end. There is none other God but Him, the All-Prevailing, the Self-Subsisting.

And unto God belongeth the most exalted similitude in the heavens and on the earth and in whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Say: In His hand is the Kingdom of all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: In the hand of God—He Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them by His command. Verily We have been of them that remember Him.

Say: Verily God will break asunder with truth—He is the Stern One of the worlds. Say: Verily God will break asunder with truth—He is the Overcomer of the worlds. Say: Verily God will break asunder with truth—He is the Vanquisher of the worlds. Say: God will assuredly take vengeance on them that act with tyranny in the earth to the extent of a mustard seed, and He will take vengeance on them by His command—He is mighty and severe. Say: Transgress not the bounds of the Bayan, for God hath angels to the measure that ye exceed who will take vengeance on you. And be watchful on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest lest ye judge those who believe in Him by the bounds of the Bayan, for on that Day all sovereignty belongeth in truth unto Him, and all abide by His command. Say: God giveth life and causeth death, and by His command are all transformed. We have no God but God—verily we are them that bow down before Him.

He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all be transformed. For He it is Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them by His command. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Severe, the Most Severe

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, and Thine the might and the power, and Thine the strength and the divinity, and Thine the force and the sapphire, and Thine the sovereignty and the human realm, and Thine the glory and the majesty, Thine the grandeur and the beauty, Thine the countenance and the perfection, Thine the greatness and the independence, Thine the reverence and the sublimity, Thine the might and the invincibility, Thine the power and the exaltation, Thine the joy and the radiance, Thine the dominion and the detachment, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, everlasting, sovereign, all-compelling, holy, ever-abiding, self-dependent.

Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither companion nor son, nor had Thou any partner in what Thou didst create, nor any helper in what Thou didst fashion. Thou didst create all things through Thy power and ordain them by Thine ordinance, and fashion them according to Thy design. Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for all that Thou hast created and wilt create, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O my Beloved, for all that Thou hast fashioned and wilt fashion. Thou dost ever cause to live and to die, then to die and to live, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for the wonders of Thy favors, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O my Beloved, for the subtleties of Thy bounties. The fragrances of Thy holy throne have ever been diffused and the gems of the glory of Thy sovereign might made manifest. None besides Thee can truly break anything—Thou art He Who hath broken the hearts, the spirits, the souls and the bodies, and then the attributes that appear from these essences and their like that derive from these realities. Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thine is the might and the bounty, Thine the glory and the exaltation, Thine the victory and the dominion, Thine the grandeur and the power, Thine the similitude and the examples. How great art Thou in sovereignty! How exalted art Thou in station! How invincible art Thou in loftiness! How mighty art Thou in proof! How supreme art Thou in bounty!

Nothing escapeth Thy knowledge, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them, nor can anything frustrate Thee, whether in the kingdom of command and creation or below them. Thou hast ever been the Healer of the oppressed, the Breaker of tyrants, the Destroyer of aggressors, the Chastiser of the proud, and the Enricher of those who veil themselves from Thy countenance, O Beloved of the worlds! Thou hast exalted Thyself through Thy might above all contingent beings, magnified Thyself through Thy greatness above all existing things, elevated Thyself through Thy loftiness above all created things, empowered Thyself through Thy power above all essences, established Thy sovereignty above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, manifested Thy revelation above all atoms, and demonstrated Thy dominion above all symbols and allusions. The names of Thy compulsion have ever been just with Thee, and the names of Thy bounty excellent in Thy kingdom.

When Thou dost clothe Thyself with compulsion, that is from Thy justice, for verily Thou art the Compeller of compellers. And shouldst Thou cause the unbelievers to perish, Thou art verily the Subduer of the mighty. Thy decree hath ever been justice wherein no injustice can be found, and Thy judgment hath ever been equity wherein there is no likeness. And shouldst Thou exchange fire for Thy light, that is of Thy bounty. And shouldst Thou cause anyone to enter beneath the shadow of Thy affirmation after Thou hast caused him to enter into negation, that is of Thy munificence and Thy grace.

Thou causest all things to enter into the ocean of Thy bounty, for Thou art the Bounteous in truth and the Bestower in sincerity. And shouldst Thou cause them to enter into the ocean of Thy justice, Thou art verily the Compeller through justice and the Subjugator through truth.

Glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou! Thy bountifulness is supreme over all possible things, and Thy bestowals are exalted above all who are in the Kingdom of earth and the heavens. Thou hast summoned all Thy creation to enter into the ocean of Thy time, yet they among Thy creation have been veiled, inasmuch as they enter not themselves into the surging sea of Thy bounty and the mighty ocean of the glory of Thy grace.

Raise up, therefore, O my God, servants endowed with strength and power, and make them to be manifestations of Thy compelling might in the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them, and of Thy subjugating power in the Kingdom of the Cause and of creation and that which lieth below them. Deal Thou with them that are in the Bayan with the fullness of Thy tender mercy, and cause to enter therein, through Thy compulsion and Thy subjugation, them that are not therein. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Severe, the Most Severe

All praise be unto God Who, by virtue of His transcendent Being, hath ascended above all contingent things, Who by the exaltation of His eternity hath risen above all created things, Who by the invincibility of His sovereign might hath remained inaccessible above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who by the overwhelming power of His royal dominion hath proven victorious over all contingent things. His creation beareth witness, as doth He Himself, that there is none other God but Him, His existence precedeth all that was before in the eternity of eternities, and His permanence endureth beyond all that cometh after, forever and evermore. He is the One, the Peerless, in the sanctuary of holiness and beauty, and the One, the Unique, in the heights of glory and majesty.

He hath chosen an exalted Essence, a lofty Reality, a refined Countenance, a near Camphor-like Being, and an eternal Essence. Then He revealed Himself unto it through itself, and cast into its identity the likeness of its own being. Thus were manifested from it its signs, its attributes, its revelations, its emanations, its appearances, its will, and whatsoever is attributed to it in the Mother Book by virtue of what hath appeared from it. Then He chose for that Essence primary mirrors and immersed them in the sea of Oneness, whereupon every heaven and earth was filled thereby, testifying that there is none other God but Him, and that the Being of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. The proof of this lieth in the verses of God, whereby God hath manifested the Tree of the Bayan with all that is in it and upon it, and whereby God shall manifest the sign of His Own Self on the Day of Resurrection.

Verily, He is the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the Omniscient, the All-Wise.

The fourth in the fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Severe, the Most Severe

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no God, the Most Severe, the Most Severe. And verily all glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One, wherein naught can be seen except that First One.

I testify that God hath ever been the All-Knowing, having knowledge of all things and power over all things. Beware, beware lest thou acquire in the path of any Manifestation except what God hath ordained. For if thou shouldst acquire other than this, the Names of Protection shall overturn thee, and the Manifestations of the Names of the All-Compelling shall cause justice to flow concerning thee.

Fear God greatly through that Name, for verily He, exalted and glorified be He, is the Crusher of tyrants and the Compeller of oppressors. Should anyone acquire aught in the path of the Manifestation of His Self, He will assuredly take vengeance through His might, His power, His dominion, His sovereignty, His transcendence, His omnipotence, His supremacy, His authority, His rule, and His kingship, and through His Names and Attributes.

This is a Name that bringeth joy to Him Whom God shall make manifest and to whomsoever is clothed with that raiment. When thou beholdest on the Day of His Manifestation one who hath caused Him grief, be thou his crusher, for he is an unjust oppressor.

Take from this the key of knowledge and act, for on the Day of the Manifestation of Truth, the Daysprings of negation in their remoteness are transient, while the Dawning-Places of affirmation in their nearness are established. Blessed is he who through God crusheth the signs of negation and through God compelleth those near tokens, and through God breaketh the tyrant of compellers and the oppressor of oppressors in the Dawning-Places of affirmation and the Rising-Points of the transcendent, the inaccessible, the sublime.

By thy life! On the Day of His Manifestation, when thou art clothed with this raiment, none of thy knowledge shall have honor with Him unless it be acted upon. This is what God, the Manifest, the Inaccessible, the Compeller, the Most Great, the Oppressor, the Most High, the Supreme, hath counseled thee.

Bab 11: Aslam

It hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Safe, the Most Safe!

There is no God but He, the Most Safe, the Most Safe! Say: God is safer than every possessor of safety. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape from the dominion of His safety. Verily He is the Safe, the Secure, the Protected.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrating before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are worshipping Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth nor in all that lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them.

There is none other God but He, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. His is whatsoever dwelleth in the night and in the day. There is none other God but He, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Glorified be God at such time as ye glorify Him, and glorified be God at such time as ye render Him victorious, and glorified be God at such time as ye bear Him, and glorified be God at such time as ye write, and glorified be God at such time as ye acknowledge, and glorified be He at such time as ye preserve, and glorified be God at such time as ye contemplate.

And glorified be God, the Lord of dominion and sovereignty, and glorified be God, the Lord of might and grandeur, and glorified be God, the Lord of power and divinity, and glorified be the Lord of strength and ruby light, and glorified be God, the Lord of earthly sovereignty and the kingdom of names, and glorified be God, the Lord of glory and majesty, and glorified be God, the Lord of divine countenance and beauty, and glorified be God, the Lord of divine visage and perfection, and glorified be God, the Lord of might and action, and glorified be God, the Lord of metaphor and similitude, and glorified be God, the Lord of divine stations and sublimity, and glorified be God, the Lord of mercy and bounty, and glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and justice, and glorified be God, the Lord of grandeur and independence, and glorified be God, the Lord of glory and majesty, and glorified be God, the Lord of might and inaccessibility, and glorified be God, the Lord of power and exaltation, and glorified be God, the Lord of joy and gladness, and glorified be God, the Lord of divine authority and sovereignty, and glorified be God, the Lord of might and power, and glorified be God, the Lord of triumph and dominion, and glorified be God, the Lord of victory and conquest, and glorified be God, the Lord of divine wrath and omnipotence, and glorified be God, the Lord of forgiveness and divine selection, and glorified be God, the Lord of light and illumination, and glorified be God, the Lord of pardon and forgiveness.

And unto God belongeth glory and grandeur in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. And unto God belongeth power and exaltation in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Glorious, the Most High. And unto God belongeth might and inaccessibility in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Subduing, the Almighty. And unto God belongeth sovereignty and power in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. There is none other God but He, the One, the All-Luminous. And unto God belongeth triumph and dominion in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. There is none other God but He, the One, the All-Compelling.

Say: God is the Creator of all things and verily unto Him shall all return. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and verily unto Him shall all be raised up. Say: God giveth life to all things, and verily unto Him shall all be turned. Say: God causeth all things to die, and verily unto Him shall all be raised. Say: He is the All-Subduing One above His creation, and He is the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: He is the Manifest One above His servants, and He is the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Send down, then, the spirits of those Names which have been sent down in this Tablet from Thy presence upon Thy Name, the One, the Most Exalted, the Unique, that they may aid the Truth from Thy presence. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things. And preserve, O my God, all that hath been revealed therein, that it may be present before Him Whom God shall make manifest in homage unto Thee. Verily, Thou art the most powerful of the powerful ones.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily Thou hast sent down the Bayan in truth, wherein are clear signs for all the worlds. Do Thou, then, O my God, send down upon them that preserve Thy words the wonders of Thy grace and bounty. Verily, Thou hast ever been a Magnificent Bestower. Thine is the creation and the command, both before and after, and verily Thou art the Generous, the Bountiful. Thou preservest what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art the Guardian, the Protector. And Thou aidest whom Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art the Helper, the Succourer. Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Most High, the Most Great. Say: God aideth those who have believed in God and His signs, and who place their trust in their Lord. Say: The similitude of these verses in the Book is as the similitude of the verses of your hearts within you.

These indicate God Who created them, sustained them, caused them to die, gave them life, and exalted them, and they indicate likewise. Say: All shall return unto God. Say: God verily forbiddeth those who have been given the Bayan from burning paper with your hands when anyone writeth unto you or when ye write unto anyone. This is one of God’s ordinances; fear ye God, that ye transgress not His bounds. And if ye become wroth, then through God, your Lord, be ye calmed; and if ye become angry, then through God, your Lord, seek ye mercy. Show not aught of your displeasure in writing, for God hath ordained this from His presence. And verily this is the name of an angel in the highest heavens who glorifieth his Lord at all times, before all times and after all times. Grieve not, then, that angel in the highest horizon lest he call upon God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, and God take vengeance thereby upon you while ye know it not.

And should anyone write unto you a letter whose contents ye comprehend not, then do ye inquire. Perchance someone intendeth to mention a truth known to him while ye know it not. Then if ye become wroth, calm yourselves through God, unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. Verily there is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: The honor of the believer lieth in his letter; look not upon it save with honor from your presence, and read it not save likewise, and answer it with the best ye are able. For among you is He Whom God shall make manifest; perchance ye may not grieve Him. This is one of God’s ordinances; watch over yourselves lest ye transgress God’s bounds and thereby cause grief to any soul, whereupon ye shall, from whence ye know not, be filled with remorse. Say: Whoso hath observed this in the path of God, God shall grant him the excellence of the life to come and the first life by His command.

Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, the Most Excellent. And let him who hath acquired this without knowledge seek forgiveness from God his Lord, then let him be among those who are grateful in the religion of God. Say: The most exalted of your deeds in the sight of God is your tranquility in all things; therefore be ye not wrathful save that ye be forbearing. And whoso becometh wrathful in the path of God, then calmeth his heart and showeth patience in what pleaseth his soul—these are they whom God shall grant a double reward in the life to come and the first life, and these are they who shall triumph. Say: Verily We shall remove the grief of him who hath acquired grief from one who witnesseth this in truth and this without knowledge in the Book of God. O people of the Bayan!

Ye are all, every one of you, treading the path of your religion and your world for the sake of life and truth, lest any soul be grieved thereby and this return to God while ye know not, for whatsoever returneth to Him Whom God shall make manifest and those who guide unto Him, and who are guided by God your Lord—that returneth unto God. Therefore watch over the bounds of your own selves, for perchance ye may be tested by one who is better for you in the sight of God, yet ye look upon him without the eye of glory, and for this shall ye be called to account before God, your works shall be rendered vain while ye know not. Therefore seek ye forgiveness of God and unto Him shall ye seek forgiveness, and turn ye in repentance unto God and unto Him shall ye return.

And God desireth to cause all to enter the paradise from His presence wherein is all that their souls desire—wherein are for you houris like hidden pearls, wherein are for you youths like rubies, wherein is for you whatsoever your souls desire, and God increaseth this for whomsoever He willeth among you. Verily there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: O people of the Bayan! Make not yourselves to be among those who transgress the bounds set by God, lest God look upon you on the Day of Resurrection without the eye of love while ye know not. And make not yourselves to be other than companions of paradise, that He Whom God shall make manifest may look upon you with the eye of love, and ye may be among the thankful before God. Say: Verily We shall be observers on the Day of Resurrection—We recognize the companions of the Fire and those who believe not in the signs of God; We recognize the companions of Paradise and those who believe in the signs of God.

Say: Verily God hath created in every heart the love of His verses as the best of all things—do ye not desire to hearken, then to behold them, then to acknowledge them? Say: Verily God hath created in every soul the love of Him Whom God shall make manifest […] Is there anyone who loveth not God his Lord? Say: Glory be to God! All glory in the love of God. Say: Verily your remembrance of God your Lord is glory for your souls—will ye not then be grateful? And if ye remember not God, or if ye do remember Him, it is all one in God’s sight. But at such time as ye make mention of this, ye are honored in the sight of God and in the sight of those endowed with knowledge. Otherwise, ye shall not be honored in the sight of God, nor in the sight of them that have been endowed with knowledge.

Say: God will verily exalt the verses which have been sent down from His presence, then will He raise them up, then will He cause them to prevail over whomsoever He willeth of His servants. He is, verily, the All-Powerful, the Almighty. Say: All are severed through them. Say: All are attracted through them. Say: All through them are brought into the presence of God. Say: All through them prostrate themselves before God. Say: All through them glorify God. Say: He is the Subduer over His creation, and the Manifest over His servants, and He is the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God aideth whom He willeth through His command. Verily, there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God is more knowing than anyone possessed of knowledge. None can escape from the sovereignty of His knowledge, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He hath ever been the All-Knowing, the Omniscient, the All-Informed. Say: God is more powerful than anyone possessed of power. None can escape from the sovereignty of His might, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He hath ever been the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent. Say: God verily loveth that ye should submit. Say: They who have been given submission are those who are secure from their tongues and what proceedeth therefrom. These are they who have been given the Bayan, who desire naught save God and who submit to those who love in the path of God, and who, when they hear the truth, respond. How they love! Therefore, abandon not this in the Bayan, that ye may thereby submit to Him Whom God shall make manifest and then receive answer from God. This is of God’s bounty unto those possessed of submission and those who show humility in the days of God.

Say: In the Paradise of Peace are servants who desire naught save God, and who act for His sake by night and by day. They follow what is revealed from God and show patience for the sake of God, their Lord. Say: God hath a servant in the Supreme Concourse who is mentioned by the name of Peace whenever ye submit. This is from God that he may bear witness unto you, then answer you from His presence that there is no God but Him, the One, the Peace. And unto God belongeth whatsoever dwelleth in the night and in the day. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Most High. Say: God hath created in that Paradise naught but goodly things—will ye not then be thankful? Say: God hath created in that Paradise goodly things the like of which existeth not—will ye not then glorify God and sanctify His praise? Say: God hath created therein maidens like unto hidden pearls whose tresses make mention of Him by night and by day—verily, there is no God but I, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: In that Paradise are youths like unto pieces of ruby who glorify their Lord’s praise by night and by day, and who prostrate themselves before Him. They make mention of God from their Lord—there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Holy. Say: He hath created in that Paradise white silk arranged in rows wherein He hath placed such wondrous things as your souls desire, in such wise that God hath purified it from similitudes, and therein ye shall be exalted in paradise. And say: Praise be to God Who hath caused us to enter the abode of peace from His presence; verily we were submissive unto Him. We shall glorify our Lord, the All-Merciful, with praise and shall be among the thankful. And say: Praise be to God, unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Most High, the Most Great.

And say: Praise be to God, there is no God but Him, the Most High, the Most Great.

Bab 12: AHfaZ

And unto Him are four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Protective, the Most Protective.

There is no God but Him, the Most Protective, the Most Protective. Say: God is more protective than any protector. None can withstand the sovereign might of His protection, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the All-Protecting, the Preserver, the Guardian.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him in adoration. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are submissive unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things.

Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily He shall protect whomsoever He willeth among His servants through His angels of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Verily He hath ever been the All-Protecting, the Preserver, the Guardian. Say: Who other than God can protect you? Will ye not then be thankful? Say: Who other than God can aid you? Will ye not then render thanks? Say: Verily God aideth whom He willeth through His command. He hath ever been the Helper, the Succourer, the One Who rendereth victorious. Say: He exalteth whom He willeth through His command. He hath ever been the All-Protecting, the All-Preserving, the All-Guarding.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! My Lord! Thou hast verily protected me from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end through Thy protection. Verily Thou hast ever been the All-Guarding. Glorified art Thou, O my God! Unto Thee be glory for having protected me with magnificent glory. Glorified art Thou, O my God, my Lord! Unto Thee be praise for having protected me with exalted praise. Glorified art Thou, O my God! Unto Thee be grandeur for having protected me. Verily Thou hast ever been possessed of magnificent and true grandeur.

Say: When ye enter upon the evening or the morning, ye shall verily recite the first verse before you and behind you and above your heads and on your right and your left and beneath your feet and from every direction that extendeth unto you. These are seven complete, the number of the Gates of Certitude, and the letters of Ali-before-Muhammad, and the days of your week, and the degrees of your origination, and the seas of your glory, and the stars of your sanctity. Through God’s command ye shall attain unto all good.

Say: We are all protected by God. Say: We are preserved within God’s sanctuary. Say: We are guarded within God’s mystery. Say: We are sheltered within God’s fortress. Say: We are protected within God’s might. Say: We are preserved within God’s majesty. Say: We are guarded within God’s mercy. Say: We are protected within God’s sovereignty. Say: We are preserved within God’s riches. Say: We are guarded within God’s grandeur. Say: We are protected within God’s light. Say: We are preserved within God’s verses. Say: We are guarded within God’s dominion. Say: We are protected within God’s good-pleasure. Say: We are preserved within God’s kingdom.

Say: Verily God protecteth us before us and behind us and on our right and on our left and above our heads and beneath our feet and from every direction that pertaineth unto us through the angels of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. Verily He hath power over all things. This is through God’s bounty unto us. Verily He is the Preserver of all things.

Say: Who other than God can preserve the verses of your hearts and your spirits and your souls and your bodies? Will ye not then see? Say: Who can preserve the measures of what hath been sent down from God in the Book save those who have been given knowledge from God and who are assured through God’s command? Say: Verily God will preserve all that hath been revealed from the Point of the Bayan through the angels of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, even were it but the measure of a point. Verily He is the Preserver of all things. Say: And likewise hath been revealed concerning Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say: That is greater than this. And ye shall preserve the traces of God according to your capacity. Say: Had not the Book of God been preserved aforetime upon the leaves of trees, how would ye today be reading from gilded tablets? Therefore preserve ye all that hath been revealed in the Bayan, for this is sustenance unto all the worlds.

Then preserve ye all that hath been revealed from God according to your capacity. Say: God sufficeth me, both in the past and in the future, that He may preserve by His command. God sufficeth as a Preserver and Guardian. God sufficeth as a Helper and Succourer. God sufficeth as One Who is Manifest and as a Support. God sufficeth as One Who is All-Knowing and Omniscient. God sufficeth as a Judge and One Who is All-Wise.

O ye who are endowed with knowledge! Preserve ye all that hath been revealed from the Point of the Bayan more carefully than your own eyes, nay, more carefully than the verses of your hearts, for these are established through the verses of God. Will ye not preserve them? Say: Yea, we all, by God, are preservers.

Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Preserve Thou Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection in the exaltation of Thy glory. Verily, Thou art the Most Beautiful Preserver. Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Preserve Thou Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection in the stronghold of Thy grandeur. Verily, Thou art the Most Beautiful Preserver. Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Preserve Thou Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection in the loftiness of Thy Self-Subsistence. Verily, Thou art the Most Great Preserver. Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Preserve Thou Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection in the radiance of Thy countenance. Verily, Thou art the Most Beautiful Preserver. Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Preserve Thou Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection in the might of Thy sovereignty. Verily, Thou art the Most Beautiful Preserver. Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Preserve Thou Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection in the summit of Thy glory. Verily, Thou art the Most Beautiful Preserver.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Preserving, the Most Preserving!

Glory be to Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Glory and the Might, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Ruby, Thine the Glory and the Majesty, Thine the Face and the Beauty, Thine the Grandeur and the Perfection, Thine the Mercy and the Grace, Thine the Authority and the Justice, Thine the Likeness and the Examples, Thine the Stations and the Exaltation, Thine the Greatness and the Independence, Thine the Pride and the Sublimity, Thine the Glory and the Inaccessibility, Thine the Power and the Transcendence, Thine the Bounties and the Favors, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and creation, of sovereignty and power, of triumph and victory, of manifestation and revelation, of light and radiance, of might and glory—whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and creation, of Thy generosity and grace, Thy gift and kindness, Thy favor and munificence, Thy loftiness and beneficence, Thy transcendence and bestowal, and that which befitteth Thy station and Thy Names and attributes, and thanksgiving be unto Thee in a manner worthy of the sublimity of Thy glory, and none else.

I render thanks for how Thou hast preserved me and all that pertaineth unto me from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end through Thy protection, Thy guardianship, Thy preservation, Thy sheltering care, Thy triumph, Thy sovereignty, Thy might, Thy power, Thy greatness, Thy self-subsistence, Thy loftiness, Thy perpetuity, Thy eternity, Thy beloved nature, Thy radiance, Thy exaltation, Thy good-pleasure, Thy names, Thy splendor, and all that Thou art in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. Whomsoever Thou preservest shall not be lost, whomsoever Thou aidest shall not be forsaken, whomsoever Thou exaltest shall not be abased, whomsoever Thou strengthenest shall not be weakened, whomsoever Thou empowerest shall lean upon no pillar save Thee, and whomsoever Thou raisest up shall look to none other than Thee.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for the wonders of Thy preservation, the tokens of Thy protection, the dawning-places of Thy guardianship, the daysprings of Thy sheltering care, and the manifestations of Thy watchful eye. Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Holy, Everlasting, Independent, Transcendent, Inaccessible, Exalted, Supreme, Mighty, and All-Powerful. Thou hast taken neither consort nor offspring, nor hast Thou any partner in Thy creation or any associate in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life, and Thou dost preserve all things howsoever Thou willest, wheresoever Thou willest, and whensoever Thou willest, save him who entereth not into the Bayan and seeketh to veil himself from the sublimity of Thy remembrance in the Furqan.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Glorified and sanctified art Thou! Glorified and magnified art Thou! Glorified and honored art Thou! Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Preserving, the Most Preserving.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent things, raised Himself in His elevation above all created things, made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all existing things, made Himself victorious in His triumph above all atoms, made Himself mighty above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, made Himself well-pleased in His good-pleasure above all who dwell in the kingdom of similitudes and allusions, and made Himself glorious in His glory above all who dwell in the kingdom of remembrance and evidences. He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is no God but He, the Single, the All-Preserving. Then He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that the Seven Letters are the guardian of His mystery, the repository of His hidden knowledge, the key to His wisdom, and the lamps of His guidance, whereby God hath filled His heaven and His earth. He, verily, is none other than He.

This is the first embroidery that hath been embroidered, the first that hath been adorned, the first essence that hath been manifested, the first abstraction that hath been made abstract, the first radiance that hath radiated, the first dawning that hath dawned, the first rising that hath risen, and the first manifestation that hath been manifested. Through Him hath been renewed the creation of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Through Him hath God revealed what was hidden in the mystery of the kingdom of Command and Creation and whatsoever lieth beneath them. How preserving is He of God’s Cause and His signs! How mighty is He in the sight of God and His loved ones! How exalted is He in the Book in the kingdom of Command and Creation, then before His witnesses!

Wherefore, praise be to God for the perfection of His preservation and the symmetry of His handiwork—praise resplendent, radiant, sanctified and gleaming, transcending the praise of all who praise and rising above the heights of the worlds—praise that hath no likeness in His knowledge, no peer in His Book, no equal in His earth, no similitude in His heaven, and no parallel in the kingdom of His Command and Creation—praise that God loveth and with which He is well-pleased through the bounty of His Lord and the gifts of His Creator. Verily, there is no God but He, the Overseer, the Self-Subsisting.

The fourth in the fourth

In the name of God, the Most Preserving, the All-Preserving!

Verily, all glory from God be upon the Primal Unity and upon him who resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen except the Primal Unity. And furthermore, I testify that God, exalted and glorified be He, preserveth the heaven lest it fall upon the earth, and preserveth the earth above the water, and preserveth all things in their orbits save what descendeth to the nethermost earth through means He hath created and manifestations He hath originated. Therefore, preserve what thou willest in the Book and thank God for having created paper, for every knowledge that is not recorded therein is effaced. And make thou the means of preservation for all things those instrumentalities which have been created by God’s command. Yet look not unto them, but rather unto Him Who created them and preserveth them. For God, verily, preserveth all things as He willeth, through what He willeth, by His angels of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. He, verily, is the Preserver of all things.

Bab 13: Ashkar

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the name of God, the Most Thankful, the All-Thankful

There is no God but He, the Most Thankful, the All-Thankful. Say: God is more thankful than anyone possessed of thankfulness. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His thankful sovereignty, whether in the heavens or in the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He, verily, hath been thankful, grateful, appreciative. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoted to Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the sovereignty and the kingdom, then the might and the dominion, then the power and the heavenly realm, then the strength and the crystal realm, then the dominion and the human realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who fadeth not, and the Just One Who deviateth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One Who letteth nothing escape His grasp, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. Glorified is He unto Whom offer thanks all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting.

Therefore render ye thanks unto God Who created you and sustained you and causeth you to die and giveth you life. For none besides God is worthy of this except him whom God permitteth by His command. Verily He is the All-Thankful, the All-Subtle. Say: Should the essence of unity appear in your hearts, ye would assuredly connect this with all that your knowledge encompasseth of the bounds of your hidden and manifest selves, your outer and inner beings, your seats and your assemblies, and whatsoever ye possess by His leave. Ye should cause the essence of the Cause to flow through all things, that ye may ascend unto the Ridvan of the Bayan in spirit and delight. And lest He Whom God shall make manifest should witness in His dominion that which He loveth not from you who, from the beginning of your lives unto the end, move within God’s kingdom. Therefore act in such wise that ye may respond to Him, and should He testify concerning you, possessors of exalted might would surely affirm this.

There is no God but Him, the All-Subduing, the Beloved. Say: From the beginning of your lives until ye are taken, ye move within God’s kingdom. And should ye render what ye possess in accordance with what your souls love, no one would witness any grief. This is of God’s bounty unto you, that ye may be thankful. Say: God loveth that all that is on earth be rendered according to what is possible in all things, that ye may thereby give thanks in the Ridvan of the Bayan. Say: When the potentiality of each thing reacheth its highest manifestation, then verily it hath entered the Ridvan of its Lord. Therefore ye must give thanks. Give thanks unto those in authority from God, for He hath permitted this unto you, that ye may love one another and not be proud. Say: Whoso giveth thanks from a soul that hath believed in God and His verses and hath accepted what was revealed in the Bayan—how doth such a one render thanks unto God, his Lord? O all things!

In all things ye give thanks, but ye give thanks to none save Him Who created all things. This is of God’s bounty unto all things, that ye may abide in God’s kingdom in spirit and delight. Say: If you possess something you love, behold how delighted you become; but if you possess what is disliked, you yourselves become saddened thereby. Therefore consider that which leads to your exaltation, if you be of them that observe in the paradise of the Bayan. Possess not that which you yourselves do not love, but exchange it for that which you do love, even if it be but a sheet of paper, if you are able. Say: Examine all things minutely, lest you be veiled from the particular and heed it not, thus entering into sorrow. If you observe every universal, you observe every particular—their Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them.

He desires to raise each particular and universal to a horizon beyond which there is no higher, that they may give thanks unto God, their Lord—those servants who rejoice in Him. This is what God has enjoined upon you in the Bayan, that perchance on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, all your possessions and what you own may be like precious olive oil, which you must preserve that all peoples may enter your Faith through love thereof, and all may flow in God’s good-pleasure. Say: I give thanks unto God, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of all things, Lord of all the worlds, for all that He has created and will create. Verily there is no God but Him, the Inaccessible, the Mighty. Say: All praise belongs to God as your thanksgiving unto Him. Invent not from yourselves different expressions which people then follow in your knowledge. We have indeed known what has been composed in the science of meanings and what has been composed regarding praise and thanksgiving.

Say: All this but proves that the Qur’an in itself has extensive power which all are powerless before. Yet on the Day of the Fruit We witnessed that you comprehended naught save counted words devoid of spirit, nor did you attain unto what God intended. Had you learned that knowledge, you would testify that the verses are from God. How then, when you hear them, does your knowledge not benefit you? Thus have you veiled yourselves from God your Lord. Were it not for what you have learned, perchance you might be guided. Invent not expressions among yourselves to exalt some above others without right while you know not. Say: You have called yourselves learned ones, then invented distinctions between praise and thanksgiving while knowing not their mystery nor what God intended thereby, and little do you remember.

God created praise that you might praise before His presence on the day of His manifestation, and created thanksgiving that when you hear of the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest you might give thanks. Yet from the beginning of your lives until their end you praise and thank God while neither your praise nor thanks reach unto God, for they reach not unto His Proof. Yea, if you convey your praise and thanks unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, then shall you be rewarded thereby. This is what reaches unto God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, whether you understand its meaning or not. Say: Were God to make all the oceans of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them the meaning of a single Ha of Hamd’ and Shukr’, all these would be exhausted before their meaning could be fathomed. How then dare ye speak in the Book of God, except that ye acknowledge your powerlessness?

Moreover, on the Day of God’s Manifestation, ye shall witness your powerlessness before Him Whom God shall make manifest, and in this shall ye glory. Say: He Who revealed the Bayan knoweth its beginning and its end. This knowledge belongeth to Him Whom God shall make manifest, and besides Him none knoweth save what He hath taught them. Fear ye God, that ye may enquire concerning its beginning and its end only that which God hath intended. Say: Should all who are in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them gather together to produce one letter like unto that which hath been revealed in the Bayan, they would never be able, nor would they have the power. How then could they comprehend the knowledge of its meaning, or the mystery of its beginning and its end, or that which the knowledge of God hath encompassed therein? Say: Glorified be He far above this, with an exaltation that is great!

None knoweth the interpretation of what hath been revealed in the Bayan except God and those who have been given knowledge from God, not those who have acquired knowledge from creation, for they comprehend not that which God hath revealed therein. Say: Knowledge other than that which encompasseth the good-pleasure of God profiteth not, for all peoples possess knowledge of their religion and worldly affairs—how can this benefit them even to the extent of a mustard seed? Make ye your knowledge to be of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then of His good-pleasure, then of all things—thereby shall ye be independent.

The Second in the Second:

In the Name of God, the Most Thankful, the Most Thankful

O My God! I testify, and all things testify, that verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Sovereignty, Thine the Power and the Divine Realm, Thine the Strength and the Glory, Thine the Dominion and the earthly realm, Thine the Majesty and Grandeur, Thine the Countenance and Beauty, Thine the Face and Perfection, Thine the Mercy and Bounty, Thine the Authority and Justice, Thine the Similitude and Examples, Thine the Stations and Sublimity, Thine the Greatness and Independence, Thine the Awe and Majesty, Thine the Glory and Invincibility, Thine the Power and Exaltation, Thine the Joy and Gladness, Thine the Province and Detachment, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Sanctified, Everlasting, Self-Dependent.

Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast created all things by Thy power and ordained them by measure, and formed all things by Thy will and fashioned them completely. Unto Thee be praise, O my God, with such praise as none save Thee deserveth. I praise Thee with true praise in all things, for Thou hast created all things that they might praise Thee before the Manifestation of Thyself. Therefore, O my God, I shall reap the fruit for which Thou hast created all things, and I shall praise Thee with praise that filleth Thy names and Thy earth and whatsoever lieth between them from the kingdom of Thy Command and creation. Verily there is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting.

I shall thank Thee, O Lord, for having created all things, and for creating from all things that which Thou hast encompassed in Thy knowledge. For Thou hast created naught save that it might render thanks before the Manifestation of Thyself. Therefore, O my God, I shall thank Thee through my self, by my self, before Thy Self, and I shall praise Thee through my essence, by my essence, before the Dawning-Places of Thy Cause. I shall call upon Thee in the secret of my soul, for Thou hast encompassed all things in knowledge. I shall manifest all Thy praise and all Thy glory in whatsoever is therein and thereupon, for unto Thee belongeth thanksgiving from before and after.

Never hast Thou ceased, nor wilt Thou ever cease, to be thanked by him who thanketh Thee before Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest in the days of His appearance, and unto Thee be praise, O my God, true praise by him who praiseth Thee through the manifestation of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in the days of His concealment.

Thou hast created all things in the form of Thy love. How wondrous and exalted is praise in Thy kingdom! How holy and sublime! It belongeth to Thee alone, there is no God but Thee, that all should worship Thee, prostrate themselves before Thee, praise Thee, sanctify Thee, glorify Thee and exalt Thee. How glorious and majestic is thanksgiving in Thy kingdom! How beautiful and magnificent! How radiant and holy! Who can comprehend the knowledge of Thy praise or the reality of Thy thanksgiving? For true thanksgiving belongeth to Him Whom God shall make manifest, as all else belongeth to Him, and it is Thine alone, there is no God but Thee.

O God! Create servants in the Bayan who will thank Thee in the day of His manifestation through His manifestation, and praise Thee in the day of His advent through His concealment. For I have not witnessed among the people of Islam a goodly upbringing that would manifest Thy love, though the people of Islam are countless and all await the appearance of Thy Proof, weeping and supplicating throughout long nights. Yet when We caused them to hear mention of Thy manifestation in My manifestation, I witnessed no servants who would praise Thee or worship Thee or thank Thee, although all Thy creation, by night and by day, unknowingly praise and thank Thee. Therefore, O God, raise up the people of the Bayan with a goodly upbringing that their praise and thanksgiving may benefit them and not be lost.

Through my praise of Thee in my manifestation and my thanksgiving to Thee in my dawning, I shall be independent of the praise and thanksgiving of all things, should there appear before anyone his praise and thanksgiving upon the appearance of His proof, and that is His glory and honor. But I have cut myself off from Thy creation and become independent of Thy servants, for I see not in them the spirit of insight or the secret of truth, praising in heights that benefit them not, or giving thanks in horizons that bring them no love. For Thou didst say—and Thy word is the truth—“If ye give thanks unto Me, I will give thanks unto you.” By Thy might! Were all things to thank Thee in the presence of Thy proof through faith in Him, Thou wouldst surely thank them for what Thou hast revealed in Thy verses. Yet I have not comprehended this knowledge, nor witnessed it intensely in these days. Glorified art Thou! Glorified art Thou!

He whom Thou didst exalt throughout the ages—when Thou didst manifest Him, they thanked Him not, nor praised Him with Thy thanks and praise, save what I am ashamed to mention. Indeed, two letters have come before me from the name of Muhammad and Ali—one from the land of Ta and one from the land of Za—wherein they gave thanks for the manifestation of Thy proof. Beyond these two, if they thank Thee, it is in their secret hearts. I judge no one except by what Thou hast ordained as paths and revealed as stations. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee! Glory be unto Thee! I am of those who give thanks.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Thankful, the Most Thankful

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His transcendence above all contingent beings, Who hath made His good-pleasure to excel above all created things, Who hath demonstrated His dominion over all existence, Who hath raised Himself in His elevation above all atoms, and Who hath proven His invincibility above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven.

I bear witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is none other God but He, the One, the All-Grateful. And call thou Him to witness, and let all His creation bear witness, that He hath caused the Sun of His Reality to rise, and hath made manifest the Moon of His sovereignty, and hath caused the stars of the heaven of His power to shine, and hath made clear the paths of the glory of His Lordship, and hath exalted the measures of the holiness of His Oneness—a thanksgiving such as none before Him hath offered thanks. For had God not made anyone manifest, how could creation have worshipped God their Creator, or attained unto the good pleasure of their Fashioner, or renewed upon themselves the degrees of His good pleasure, or compassed aught of the measures of His sanctity and that which hath been sent down from His presence?

Glorified and exalted be He above that for which they that praise Him give praise! All, in the unseen, give praise unto God. Glory be to God above that for which they render thanks! All, in the unseen, give thanks unto God. Yet the thanksgiving and praise of all things reacheth unto God only through that which is manifested before Him Whom God shall make manifest. Watch ye, therefore, on that Day, that ye may praise Him.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Thankful, the Most Thankful.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Thankful, the Most Thankful. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein none can be seen except the First Unity. I testify that praise was created for God, and all that whereby thou thanked or praised God thy Lord shall cause His signs and bounties to increase upon thee. But if thou art able to bring this to fruition, then thank God during the Manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest through what reacheth unto Him, and praise God thy Lord at His dawning through what reacheth unto Him. For other than this shall not profit thee on the Day of Resurrection. Throughout the night praise God as much as thou art able, that perchance through this habitual practice thou mayest thank God on the day of His Manifestation and praise God at such time as He maketh Himself known unto thee, that there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 14: ADrar

And He hath four ranks. The First in the First.

In the Name of God, the Most Harmful, the Most Harmful.

There is no God but He, the Most Harmful, the Most Harmful. Say: God is more harmful than any possessor of harm. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can escape from the dominion of His harmful sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been harmful, injurious, and destructive. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Nature, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Nature.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who perisheth not, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and that which lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: God will indeed benefit you—will ye not then be thankful? Say: God will indeed harm you—will ye not then be God-fearing? Consider what God hath prescribed for you concerning pilgrimage, and how ye spend in the path of God. Thus doth God do what He pleaseth and ordain what He willeth. Say: None but Him Whom God shall make manifest can either harm or benefit you. Therefore hold fast to the Most Great Handle which cannot be broken, that ye may prosper on the Day of Resurrection. Be assured concerning Him when He maketh Himself known unto you, then be ye ever thankful. And if your hearts be not at peace with Him, make yourselves like unto those who were given the Book before you, whom ye now observe—how when the Truth came to them from God, their vain imaginings veiled them from God their Lord. Unto God belong greatness and majesty in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.

Unto God belong might and power in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say: None but God can harm you, and none but God can benefit you, and none but God can exalt you, and none but God can abase you, and none but God can aid you, and none but God can abandon you—will ye not then see? Fear ye God through His Manifestation, then fear ye Him. Say: Were He to ordain for all who are on earth a measure of gold each hour, could ye compute it? This is God’s command—who can resist His sovereignty in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth and all that lieth between them, if ye but knew? And were He to withhold this from you, could ye reckon the benefit that cometh from God through His Manifestation? How is it ye see not? Say: Verily the offices of your religion and your world lie within the grasp of Him Whom God shall make manifest—will ye not then consider?

Say: These lie within God’s grasp, Who created you and sustaineth you and causeth you to die and to live again. Is there any creator besides God who could do this unto you? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe! All that He hath created and will create glorify Him. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Who created the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them by His command, if ye but knew? Say: God Who created all things by His command is nearer than “Be and it is.” Such is God your Lord—His is the creation and the command. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Unto God belongeth all that is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Bountiful, the Bestower of bounties, the Most Bountiful. Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and God is the All-Loving, the Lover, the Beloved. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. God is the Possessor, Owner and King. Unto God belongeth the everlasting sovereignty of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them. God is the Eternal, Everlasting, and Ever-Abiding One.

Say: In His grasp is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the Most High, the Most Great. Say: God giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. Say: In His hand is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: By God’s command do ye appear. Say: God is my Lord and the Lord of our forefathers. Say: God is my Lord and the Lord of our mothers who have gone before. Say: God is my Lord and the Lord of our manifest brethren. Say: God is my Lord and the Lord of our hidden sisters. Say: God is my Lord and the Lord of all that hath been created and shall be created. There is none other God but Him, the Great, the Most Exalted.

Glorified be He Who, by His command, bestoweth benefit upon all who are in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Unto Him shall all return. And praise be to God Who, by His command, causeth harm to those in the kingdom of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them. Will ye not fear?

Say: It behooveth not to attribute to God the measures that appear from the Sun of Truth, while ye, by day and by night, through their means, acquire that from which ye derive benefit or harm. This is what God hath ordained through Him Whom He shall make manifest, according to what hath been decreed in the Book, while ye circle round the Cause of God and are empowered by what God hath ordained.

Say: God will teach you in the Book a benefit the like of which ye cannot find in the knowledge of God. Will ye not profit thereby? Say: This is your faith in God, then in Him Whom He shall manifest, then in what appeareth from Him. Will ye not benefit? For if ye were to acquire all things but not this, it would not profit you; but if ye possessed naught yet acquired this, God would cause you to benefit from all things. Will ye not be thankful?

Say: God will teach you of a harm the like of which existeth not in His knowledge, that ye may guard yourselves. This is your veiling of Him Whom God shall make manifest. This confirmeth your veiling from God, your Lord, then from Our holy measures from His presence. Though ye might benefit from all things, it shall harm you. Therefore have mercy upon yourselves and be merciful, for in your life there is no benefit for you save to be enriched. After being veiled from this, ye deserve naught else, and though ye acquire every benefit, it would not be considered valid before God. Therefore watch over yourselves and worship God, your Lord.

However, if ye believe in God and in what hath been revealed in the Bayan, ye will truly deserve all good, and ye shall witness that no harm existeth before God, and it will not harm you, and in your earthly lives you shall bring forth benefit, and after your passing you shall enter into the Most Great Paradise, and therein shall you glorify Him.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Harmful, the Most Harmful.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the dominion and the kingdom, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and the divinity, Thine the force and the sovereignty, Thine the majesty and the glory, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the symbol and the symbols, Thine the station and the grandeur, Thine the greatness and the independence, Thine the awe and the revelation, Thine the glory and the invincibility, Thine the power and the exaltation, Thine the joy and the gladness, Thine the sovereignty and the dominion.

Thou hast ever been the Harmer of tyrants and the Benefactor of the righteous. Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Independent, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, Supreme, Holy, Everlasting, Inaccessible, Exalted. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in sovereignty nor any protector on earth save by Thy leave. Thou hast created all things by Thy power.

Therefore shall I magnify Thee, O my God, with supreme magnification, and glorify Thee, O my Lord, with mighty glorification, and sanctify Thee, O my Creator, with great sanctification, and exalt Thee, O my Maker, with tremendous exaltation, and honor Thee, O my Fashioner, with mighty honor.

I find none like unto Thee in harm, for I have witnessed in Thy decrees that Thou hast ordained that none shall benefit who entereth not the Bayan. Glory be unto Thee! How mighty art Thou in harm, how exalted in power, how sovereign in dominion, how great in bounty, how manifest in appearance!

And I have seen none like unto Thee in benefit, for Thou hast permitted all that Thou hast created for those who have believed in Thee and in Thy verses in the Bayan. How bountiful art Thou, O my God, and how generous! How beneficent art Thou, O my Beloved, and how giving! How kind art Thou, O my Desired One, and how loving!

Nay, by Thy might! I know of no harmer like unto Thee, and I witness no benefactor besides Thee. When Thou revealest what Thou hast ordained, all souls shall testify that Thou art the Harmer, none can resist Thy Cause, and that Thou art the Benefactor, none can bestow benefit like unto Thee.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! These are the limits of oneness in Thy kingdom, and if Thou desirest the limits of faith—whoso seeketh not Thee, Thou harmeth him such that it is as if he had never worshipped Thee from the beginning of his life to its end; and whoso confirmeth Thee, Thou benefiteth him by exalting him after none had known him, though all Thy creation knew the First One.

Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. Thou art the Harmer in truth and the Benefactor in truth. None shall benefit in his worldly life or his religion on the day of Thy manifestation save he who cometh unto the Manifestation of Thy Self with faith in Thee, attesting that there is no God but Thee and that Thy proof hath been perfected from Thy presence, and His call hath reached all Thy creation, and through Him have been detailed the measures of all that pleaseth Thee. Therefore, when such a one hath sought Thy protection from the name of harmfulness in his religion and his world, and hath entered through Thy bounty into the ocean of beneficence in his religion and his world before Thee, O my God, I too shall surely seek protection from all that harmeth me.

Therefore, O God, preserve me and those who have entered the Bayan, by Thy glory, Thy majesty, Thy beauty, Thy grandeur, Thy light, Thy mercy, Thy words, Thy names, Thy might, Thy knowledge, Thy power, Thy utterance, Thy honor, Thy sovereignty, Thy dominion, Thy loftiness, Thy bounty, and Thy signs. For verily Thou art the One with power over what Thou willest and mighty over what Thou desirest. Cause me to enter, O my God, into the ocean of Thy beneficence, that I may move in Thy path within the bounds of religion and the conditions of beneficence with such benefit as Thou hast not given the like thereof to anyone, nor bestowed its semblance upon any soul in the kingdom of what hath been and shall be created, from a beginning that hath no beginning to an end that hath no end. Verily, Thou hast ever been the All-Beneficent, the Mighty, the Great.

The Third of the Third

In the Name of God, Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent things, Who hath manifested His dominion above all existing things, Who hath revealed His triumph above all created things, Who hath shown His victory above all who dwell in the kingdom of names and attributes, and Who hath demonstrated His power above all atoms. I testify, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is no God but Him, the One, the Harmful—a testimony purified from the doubt of conjunction and the limitations of veiling, for His harm is like His benefit. He hath ever been praised in all excellence and beloved in the kingdom of origin and similitude. He hath created all things from nothing by His power, and hath shown the path of His good-pleasure in the measures of the benefit of His Lordship, and the path of His harm in that which followeth not the good-pleasure of the sovereignty of His oneness.

The first harm that hath been ordained is for him who believeth not in Him Whom God shall make manifest—the elevation of His presence and what He hath been given. For when one entertaineth in his heart aught but faith, he deserveth not to benefit, much less to possess His glory—this in the first life and in the life of fire, as long as the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them endure, except what God willeth through His bounty. I seek protection from His harm, for nothing can withstand it. I testify, and all His creation beareth witness, that the Seven Letters are His servant and His proof, and what hath been revealed in the Bayan concerning the measures of all things are the keys to His bounty and generosity, and the fountains of His grace and mercy. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. From the summit of harm flow forth the oceans of benefit. Verily, there is no God but Him, the One, the Harmful.

The Fourth of the Fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Harmful, the Most Harmful.

Praise be to God, Who is no God but Him, the Most Harmful, the Most Harmful. And verily the glory be upon the First Unity and upon them who resemble that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity. Then bear thou witness that there is no harmer save God and no benefiter besides Him. This hath not been made manifest except from the Sun of Truth in all its manifestations and in its concealment, according to what hath been ordained in its manifestation. If He Whom God shall make manifest benefiteth thee, render thanks unto God thy Lord, for verily He is the Supreme Benefiter. And if He Whom God shall make manifest harmeth thee, praise God thy Lord, for verily He is the Supreme Harmer. Let not His harm veil thee from His benefit, for both proceed from Him and are praiseworthy. But watch over thyself when He willeth to benefit all things, for to harm is justice and to benefit is grace. Say: All is from God and all are created before Him.

Bab 15: A’khadh

And He hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Taker, the Taker.

There is no God but He, the Taker, the Taker. Say: God is the Supreme Taker above all possessors of refuge. None can escape from the dominion of His taking power, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the All-Taking, the Most Taking, the All-Seized. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them stand in devotion. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily God shall destroy those who enter not the Bayan by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Say: Verily God shall seize with a grievous seizing those who believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say: Verily God shall banish those who enter not themselves among the steadfast ones.

Verily He hath ever been the Preserver of all things. Say: Verily God shall distinguish between all His servants at every Resurrection. Will ye not fear God? Enter ye, then, into that which God hath ordained for you in every Dispensation, and be not veiled from God by that which ye acquired in your former manifestations. Pronounce that Name upon those who believe not in God, your Lord, and who follow not what hath been sent down in the Bayan, if ye desire to behold them abased beneath your feet. Say: God shall, verily, seize with a severe seizing those who have not believed in God and His signs. He, verily, is a Mighty Seizer, seizing with might. Say: If ye seize those who believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest, then in the fire shall ye find no patience. When your hearts incline toward those Names, they shall love you and aid you and exalt you and grant you your rewards in your return and your abode.

God is with the doers of good who do good in the path of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and who believe in God and His signs. O people of the Bayan! Ye observe in the Qur’an how those who were given the Qur’an took the commands of their Lord in His Book, while they remained far removed from what God had desired therein. Read ye the Qur’an from beginning to end; little shall ye witness therein concerning commands and prohibitions. And all that was revealed therein was that ye might believe in God and be assured of His signs. How is it that ye have taken your ordinances and veiled yourselves from all that was revealed in the Qur’an from beginning to end—a command from God that ye should be assured of God and His signs? Soon shall ye take your ordinances, and God shall manifest the Manifestation of His Self, while ye remain veiled from the purpose of God.

Say: The purpose of God therein is that ye should believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and be assured of His signs. Say: The commands of God are for the exaltation of the Manifestation of His Self—can ye not see? Say: The prohibitions of God are for the protection of the Manifestation of His Essence—will ye not consider? How is it that ye have taken your ordinances while remaining veiled from what God hath desired therein? All this is for the exaltation of Him Whom God shall make manifest and His protection. Therefore fear God, lest ye be veiled from Him by your ordinances while ye perceive not.

Verily God hath created you and all things through the Manifestation of His Self, that ye might be guided by Him on the Day of Resurrection. Reflect ye a little, then look into the essence of wisdom. For all do work for God according to their own selves and make supplication unto Him, but God beareth witness to those who fear Him in His path and who believe in the meeting with His Proof. These are they who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, and these are they who are assured of the command of God from His presence. Were anyone to offer them all that is on earth, it would not turn them aside from the path of God, and they supplicate Him night and day. These are they whom God hath created for His Cause, and these are the chosen ones.

If ye follow Him Whom God shall make manifest, then have ye followed the ordinances of your religion; otherwise your religious ordinances and their components shall profit you not. All hath been created for the exaltation of God’s Cause—and what cause is greater than Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye but knew? Take ye your name; if ye be not assured of it, ye shall be guided to understand how God will seize thereby […] and take all that veils you from God, your Lord, ere the angels of divine chastisement seize you while ye are unaware. And take ye those who believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest, who, when they hear mention of Him, arise not, nor present themselves before Him, nor prostrate themselves as ye are able. For these are the companions of the fire who shall seize them, and the companions of paradise—verily He hath power over all things.

Say: Those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and who, by His leave, enter the House of Truth—these are they who shall enter upon the fragrance of paradise, and these are they who shall triumph before God. And those who enter into the house of one who believeth not in Him—these are they who enter into the fire, and these are they who shall not be helped therein.

And if ye desire to aid the Cause of God, God hath indeed given you permission. Enter ye their dwellings and set aright the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest, insofar as ye are able. Say: Their likeness is as the likeness of those who were promised Muhammad, the Apostle of God; yet when He came unto them, they believed not in Him. Again, their likeness is as the likeness of those who were promised Muhammad, their Proof; yet when God made Him manifest with clear signs from His presence, they believed not in Him.

Watch over yourselves, O people of the Bayan, lest ye become like unto them. For when ye are veiled, God will take you to task for your veiling of yourselves. Have mercy, therefore, on your own selves, then return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in truth, and prostrate yourselves, and by His leave possess all that is on earth. For all that is on earth belongeth unto Him Whom God shall make manifest. God hath not made lawful unto anyone so much as a grain of mustard seed save by His leave, even were it nine times nineteen measures of mustard seed. For this hath been created for Him, and He is not pleased that any should possess it save by leave of his Lord.

Therefore seek ye to possess all things by leave of God through the Manifestation of His Self, if ye desire to possess in truth. Otherwise He will not desire to make mention of you. And how many are the servants who possess without right that which they possess! God shall soon seize them and purify the earth of such as believe not in God, the Self-Subsisting, the Eternal. And He shall cause all to enter the religion of the Bayan. Verily He is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Taker, the Taker

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the omnipotence, Thine the power and the divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the dominion and the realm. Thou givest life and death, then causest death and givest life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst whatsoever Thou willest by Thy command. Thou, verily, hast power over all things. I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art the Most Powerful of the powerful, the Most Mighty of the mighty, the Most Compelling of compellers, the Most Subduing of subduers, and the Most Sovereign of sovereigns.

Thou hast ordained for Thyself in every Revelation that Thou wilt seize him who believeth not in Thee and in Thy signs. Therefore, O my God, hasten the manifestations of these Names and the dawning-places of these proofs, for verily whosoever taketh aught from anyone, that taking is Thy taking, and it is not established as Thine except it be for Thy Cause and be like unto the manifestations of Thy compelling power, Thy subduing might, Thy overwhelming force, and Thy sovereign authority. Preserve then, O my God, for him whom Thou shalt make manifest from these proofs the most separated, the most manifest, the most enduring, the most established and the most prevailing, that the heart of him whom Thou shalt make manifest may be at peace concerning those who are veiled from him on the day of his manifestation, after having worshipped Thee from the beginning of their lives unto the end thereof.

Do Thou, O my God, send forth the Most Mighty among the mighty compellers, for verily I intended by all the manifestations of the Names—whether of might or sovereignty or the like thereof—naught save Names that in such instances indicate none but Thee, and that transcend every attribute of Thy creation and every designation of Thy servants. Never have the Manifestations of Thy Names ceased to be evident above all contingent things, and the Dawning-Places of Thy proofs to be supreme and inaccessible above all created things. Therefore, O my God, have mercy upon all who are in the Bayan through Thy mercy by guiding them to the path of Thy forgiveness, for Thou art indeed independent of all Thy creation. The proofs of Thy obedience are thereby exalted and the proofs of disobedience to Thee are thereby remote from Thee. Otherwise, Thou hast ever been independent of all things and self-sufficient above all that beareth the name of a thing.

All things are dependent upon Thee for their very existence, and all are Thy worshippers, prostrate before Thee, devoted to Thee, mindful of Thee, thankful to Thee, praising Thee and glorifying Thee, each within its own limits—some according to what Thou hast loved, some in previous manifestations, and some according to what Thou lovest in the manifestation of Thy wondrous creation. Glorified art Thou, O my God! I ask forgiveness of Thee for all things and I turn in repentance unto Thee from all things. Verily Thou art the All-Forgiving, the Bountiful, and Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Merciful. Thy forgiveness toward the dwellers of Thy kingdom and Thy mercy toward those in the dominion of Thy earth and the wonders of Thy grace appear not save that Thou sendest forth One Who seizeth and manifesteth destruction, that all Thy creation may enter, through a compelling force from Thee, into forgiveness, and through Thy subduing power into the dawning-places of Thy mercy.

Verily Thou art the Knower of all things and Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third of the Third

In the Name of God, the One, the One!

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent things, Who hath raised Himself in His elevation above all created things, Who hath made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all existent things, Who hath made Himself victorious in His triumph above all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, Who hath made Himself transcendent in His transcendence above all similitudes and allusions, and Who hath made Himself mighty in His might above all things. I testify, and all created things bear witness, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing—a testimony purified from whatsoever imaginings may occur or understandings may pursue, a testimony wherein His firstness indicates His lastness and His outward manifestation His inward reality, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling. He seizes whomsoever He willeth through His command from the Manifestation of His Self.

Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Seizing. I testify, and all created things bear witness, that the Letters of the Seven are the repository of His names and the dawning-place of His attributes. God hath chosen him for Himself, then chosen for him whatsoever He willeth from the kingdom of His command and creation, that those who reason may be led to know that there is none other God but Him, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth in the Fourth

In the Name of God, the Seizer, the Seizer!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Seizer, the Seizer! The glory from God be upon the First One and upon him who resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. I testify that God, glorified be He, in His Essence is sanctified above all attributes and names, yet naught is seen therein save the One, the Manifest. If thou attainest unto the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then seize those who believe not in Him, for this is the deed that shall profit thee before Him Whom God shall make manifest. And if thou art in the darkest night and God manifesteth unto thee the means, then seize those who believe not in God, the One, the All-Compelling.

Otherwise, be patient in the path of God and seize through thy words those who believe not in God, thy Lord, by cursing them, for this is among the ways of seizing when physical seizing is not possible—words intended for action, that thereby thou mayest comfort the hearts of those who grieve for God’s sake and cause those who believe in God their Lord to turn unto God, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 16: Ab’ad

And it hath four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Remote, the Most Remote!

There is none other God but Him, the Most Remote, the Most Remote! Say: God is more remote than any possessor of remoteness. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape from the dominion of His remote power. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath been One remote, removing, and far. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. Praise be to God before Whom all in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them do glorify. Say: All are devoted unto Him.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His is the dominion and the kingdom, then the might and the divine power, then the strength and the celestial realm, then the power and the ruby essence, then the sovereignty and the human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command; verily, He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and in what lieth between them.

There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and in what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and in what lieth between them. He giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. Unto God belongeth whatsoever dwelleth in the night and in the day, and He is the Mighty, the Beloved.

Before Him boweth down whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and in what lieth between them, and unto Him shall all return. The Creator of the heavens and the earth and of what lieth between them, His command is nearer than the utterance “Be, and it is.” Say: How is it that with a single Pen ye write all that ye love, whether it be the weight of silver or that which none can reckon save God? Thus hath God ordained it. He createth all things. Will ye not see? Unto God belongeth whatsoever dwelleth in the night and in the day, and unto Him shall all return. Say: Verily the Command of God appeareth only through Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all appear through His command. Say: At this time, none in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them possesseth any command that can be proven to be from God, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting, except from the Point of the Bayan. Will ye not see?

Say: If ye be in doubt concerning this, then bring forth His verses from God which prove that command to be from Him. Say: Glory be to God! Exalted is He above what they associate with Him. There is no god besides God Who could manifest a command as He willeth through His command. Verily, there is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: God is nearer to you than your own selves. Will ye not see? Say: God is more remote than what your hearts can comprehend. Will ye not perceive? Say: Nearness and remoteness are alike in His sight. Will ye not witness? If ye draw nigh unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, then shall ye attain nearness unto God. And if ye distance yourselves from Him Whom God shall make manifest, your belief will not profit you, nor will ye possess aught that can benefit you or draw you nigh unto God, your Lord. Will ye not draw nigh? Say: All glory in their faith in God.

O all things! Believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, for through this shall ye be glorified. And whosoever believeth not in Him is like unto one who believeth not in God his Lord. God is independent of those who believe and those who believe not. But they who believe have grown rich through their faith, and they rejoice in the paradise of His good-pleasure […] They who believe not in God and His signs, in this first life and in the hereafter, are veiled by the fire and shall not be helped. Say: God is the Creator of all things, and He is the Single, the Inaccessible, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and He is the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: God causeth all things to die and then giveth life unto all things, and verily there is none other God but He, the Dominant, the Beloved. Say: God is sufficient unto me; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the trusting ones put their trust.

Say: God is my glory; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the assured ones put their trust. Say: God is my support; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the God-fearing ones put their trust. Say: God is my shelter; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the sincere ones put their trust. Say: God is my protection; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the knowing ones put their trust. Say: God is my strength; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek strength put their trust. Say: God is my last end; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the trusting ones put their trust. Say: God is the One Who ordaineth my will in the first life; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the responsive ones put their trust.

Say: God is my splendour; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the splendorous ones put their trust. Say: God is my glory; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the glorious ones put their trust. Say: God is my beauty; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek beauty put their trust. Say: God is my grandeur; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek grandeur put their trust. Say: God is my light; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek illumination put their trust. Say: God is my knowledge; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all the knowing ones put their trust.

Say: God is my power; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek power put their trust. Say: God is my sufficiency; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek sufficiency put their trust. Say: God is my good-pleasure; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let the veiled ones put their trust. Say: God is my honor; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek honor put their trust. Say: God is my sovereignty; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek sovereignty put their trust. Say: God is my dominion; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek dominion put their trust.

Say: God is my signs; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who marvel put their trust. Say: God is my words; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who discern put their trust. Say: God is my loftiness; in Him do I put my trust, and in God let all who seek loftiness put their trust.

Say: God is too exalted to be mentioned without Him, and all are His servants, and all goodly names are attributable unto God even as ye from the beginning attribute them unto God, your Lord. Glory be to God that there should be anyone before or after Him, and all bear witness that there is none other God but He, the Dominant, the Self-Subsisting. Therefore call ye upon that Name, then through it draw ye nigh unto God, your Lord. Say: Verily God is near in His remoteness and remote in His nearness. Will ye not fear Him?

Say: Were there to be a speck beneath a rock at the bottom of the seventh sea, God would know it and would be nearer unto it than it is unto itself. And He knoweth its secret and its intimate converse, and its beginning and its end, and its outward and its inward aspects. And He answereth it, and exalteth it, and bestoweth upon it whatsoever He willeth from His presence. Verily, He hath power over all things. This is the nearness of God, if ye be of them that believe in God.

Say: The nearness of God is not after the manner of your nearness, nor is His remoteness after the manner of your remoteness. None knoweth how He is save Himself. All stand fast in that which is theirs. Their relation unto God is the same. Do ye not behold the mirrors and their relation unto the sun? And all are made manifest according to that which is manifested within them.

Say: The stations of nearness bear witness to their remoteness, and God is with them both, and is nearer unto them than they are unto themselves, and is more remote from them, through themselves, than they are unto themselves. Glorified and exalted be He above that which they mention!

The second in the second

In the Name of God, the Most Remote, the Most Remote

O Lord my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and grandeur, Thine the power and divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the dominion over the world of nature, Thine the glory and majesty, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the presence and perfection, Thine the mercy and judgment, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the symbols and parables, Thine the stations and sublimity, Thine the greatness and independence, Thine the grandeur and transcendence, Thine the might and invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and dominion.

Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, everlasting, enduring, self-dependent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in Thy creation nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power hast Thou created all things and ordained them according to Thy decree. By Thy will hast Thou given form to all things and shaped them according to Thy design.

Thou hast ever been near in Thy remoteness and remote in Thy nearness, knowing all things, powerful over all things, and sovereign over all things. All worship Thee in the glory of Thy unity and glorify Thee in the garments of Thy majestic grandeur. Thou art the One Who existed before all things and Who will endure after the passing of all things. The extinction of Thy creation is naught but their veiling from Him Whom God shall make manifest and the Dawning Places of Thy revelation in every dispensation, and the life of Thy creation is naught but their recognition of Thee in every dispensation through what Thou revealest of the signs of Thy power as Thou willest and how Thou willest.

Therefore, O my God, send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection with all Thy glory, beauty, majesty, greatness, light, mercy, words, names, might, favors, knowledge, power, strength, attributes, nobility, sovereignty, dominion, exaltation, and whatsoever Thou art in Thy names, Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the Sovereign Whose dominion passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Ruler Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou hast made the manifestation of Thy proof none other than the manifestation of that Reality which Thou didst establish through the Manifestation of Thy Messenger aforetime, when Thou didst teach him from Thy presence the rending of the veils of glory without allusion, the effacement of illusion, the consciousness of the known, the tearing of the veil through the triumph of the mystery, the drawing of oneness to the attribute of unity, and the light that shone forth from the Dayspring of eternity upon the temples of unity and its effects.

O God! Do Thou enable all who are in the Bayan to witness that Reality of realities, that essential Camphor, that pristine Essence, that pure Substance, that abstract Truth, and that divine Adornment for which Thou didst create all things, that on that Day all Thy creation may recognize its own self, that there is no God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Remote, the Most Remote

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath ascended in His elevation above all created things, and hath become inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all existing things, and hath appeared in His manifestation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and hath prevailed in His dominion over all atoms, and hath triumphed in His victory over all symbols and allusions, and hath shone forth in His splendor above all beings.

He beareth witness, and all His creation, that there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling—a testimony transcendent above conjunction and sanctified from division, a testimony that filleth the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them with the wondrous signs of His mercy among those in the kingdoms of Command and Creation and all that lieth between them from eternal manifestations.

He beareth witness, and all His creation, that there is no God but Him, and that the Being of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word through Whom the Bayan was sent down, and the Proof was established, and Paradise was made manifest, and the fires were nullified, and all possibilities were revealed to the highest degrees of existence, as a token from His presence through His manifestation and a grace from His court at His appearance.

Unto Him be praise—praise radiant with the effects of holiness and glory and dawning from the court of might and beauty—praise shining and gleaming, tribute brilliant and resplendent, Who was exalted and elevated, Who became inaccessible and unattainable, Who illumined and was illumined, Who enlightened and was enlightened, Who explained and was explained—praise that hath no equal in His knowledge, no peer in His Book, no likeness in His earth, no associate in the kingdom of His Command and Creation, and no suspension in His designation of the manifestations of His might and holiness and the dawning-places of His mystery.

All praise belongs to God, the One Who causes all things to speak of His oneness, testifying that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Most Glorious. Verily, He Who is manifest in the Seven Letters has chosen servants as He pleased and ordained whatsoever He desired. His is all praise for His decrees and His ordinances—praise that none can comprehend save Him, and none can fathom its knowledge except Him. Such praise attests that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Most Glorious.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Remote, the Most Remote.

All praise belongs to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Remote, the Most Remote. And verily, the Glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembles that One, wherein naught can be seen except the First One.

I testify that God, exalted and glorified be He, stands in equal relation to all things. In the unseen realm, none can comprehend the manifestation of eternity nor the concealment of destiny. However, I shall inform thee concerning the world of creation and the paths of divine authority. Observe then how, at the dawning of the Point of the Bayan, His relation was to all created things. Whatever thou hast witnessed in creation—whether beloved or forbidden, manifest or hidden, dominant or prevailing, near or remote, exalted—these are but limitations of mirrors, else the relation of that which is reflected is equal. He established His Cause in clay and made it a Prophet, then in man and made him the Gate of Paradise, then in a form less than man and made it less than Paradise. All are quickened by the same living water from the Point of Truth of the Bayan.

This is God’s mystery in the kingdom of the clouds, His power in the heights of radiance, His might in the realm of Sinai, His dominion in the dawning-places of creation, and His authority in the daysprings of invention. Never hath the pole of heaven witnessed its like, neither in the past nor recently. It indicates naught but God and speaks of none but Him. All are in awe of His fear, all tremble at His sovereignty, all are fearful of His Lordship, all are humbled before His dominion, all are grateful for His commands, and all are content with His prohibitions.

His is the most sublime similitude in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 17: Ashraf

And He has four stations. The First in the First.

In the Name of God, the Most Noble, the Most Noble.

There is none other God but Him, the Most Noble, the Most Noble. Say: God is more noble than any possessor of nobility. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them can escape from the dominion of His nobility. He creates what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is noble and ennobled. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate all who are in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: all are prostrate before Him. And praise be unto God Whom all in the heavens and all on the earth and all that lieth between them do glorify. Say: All are obedient unto Him. His is the Kingdom and the Realm of Might, then the Glory and the Sovereignty, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Dominion and the Human World.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Whose sovereignty passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He, verily, hath power over all things.

Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Omnipotent, the Self-Subsisting.

Glorified be God, the Lord of Dominion and Kingdom! Glorified be God, the Lord of Glory and Sovereignty! Glorified be God, the Lord of Power and Divine Essence! Glorified be God, the Lord of Strength and the Ruby! Glorified be God, the Lord of Dominion and the Human World! Glorified be God, the Lord of Might and Majesty! Glorified be God, the Lord of Countenance and Beauty! Glorified be God, the Lord of Direction and Perfection! Glorified be God, the Lord of Power and Action! Glorified be God, the Lord of Similitude and Examples! Glorified be God, the Lord of Stations and Glory! Glorified be God, the Lord of Grandeur and Independence! Glorified be God, the Lord of Greatness and Sublimity! Glorified be God, the Lord of Might and Inaccessibility! Glorified be God, the Lord of Power and Exaltation! Glorified be God, the Lord of Authority and Detachment!

Say: All things within their limits manifest the signs of the One in His presence. Can ye not see? Even if ye were to look upon an ant, ye would find within it all these most excellent names in its creation. Therefore, belittle not any of God’s creatures, but look unto Him Who created all things by His command. However, no manifestation of glorification in the kingdom shall appear that doth not point to God through sovereignty and power. Not a single atom remaineth upon the earth but that He possesseth it through truth. This befitteth none save Him Whom God shall make manifest and those who are guides unto the Point of the Bayan, who are, by His leave, the orbits of religion revolving.

Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Lord of Dominion and Kingdom! Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Lord of Glory and Sovereignty! Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Lord of Power and Divine Essence! Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Lord of Strength and the Ruby! Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Lord of Dominion and the Human World! Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Lord of Might and Majesty! Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Possessor of Glory and Beauty!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of the Face and Perfection! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of the Similitude and Examples! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of Might and Justice! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of Grandeur and Independence! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of Majesty and Glory! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of Power and Exaltation! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of Might and Loftiness! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of Sovereignty and Power! Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other god, the Possessor of Joy and Gladness!

Say: The signs of the One are in all things—will ye not behold them? God’s reckoning is in an ant, yet if ye were to witness all that is on earth within His grasp—Him Whom God shall make manifest—then verily ye would testify that these are among those signs.

God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of the Kingdom and the Realm Above! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Might and Dominion! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Power and the Divine Realm! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Sovereignty and the Human Realm! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Strength and the Ruby! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Glory and Majesty! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Glory and Beauty! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of the Face and Perfection! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Power and Action! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Mercy and Grace!

God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Might and Justice! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of the Similitude and Examples! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Grandeur and Independence! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Majesty and Glory! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Glory and Inaccessibility! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Power and Exaltation! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Joy and Gladness! God testifieth that there is none other god besides Him, the Possessor of Sovereignty and Power!

Say: The signs of the One are in all things—will ye not behold them? Should God reveal the like of what God hath sent down through His knowledge, then all things would be within the grasp of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and ye would then be among the signs of the Bayan to which ye bear witness. Exalted be God, the Possessor of Kingdom and the Realm Above! Exalted be God, the Possessor of Might and Dominion! Exalted is God, Who possesseth power and the realm of divinity! Exalted is God, Who possesseth might and the ruby! Exalted is God, Who possesseth sovereignty and the realm of humanity! Exalted is He Who possesseth glory and majesty! Exalted is God, Who possesseth beauty and comeliness! Exalted is God, Who possesseth the countenance and perfection! Exalted is God, Who possesseth grandeur and independence! Exalted is God, Who possesseth awe and sublimity! Exalted is God, Who possesseth similitude and parables! Exalted is He Who possesseth stations and magnificence!

Exalted is God, the Lord of mercy and grace! Exalted is God, the Lord of might and justice! Exalted is God, the Lord of power and action! Exalted is God, the Lord of glory and invincibility! Exalted is God, the Lord of loftiness and elevation! Exalted is God, the Lord of joy and gladness! Exalted is God, the Lord of sovereignty and might! Say: All glory before Him Whom God shall make manifest is but supreme abasement, and through Him shall all glory be attained in His presence and in the presence of those who dwell in the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them. This is the glory of God unto all worlds. Say: All are humble before glory.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the glory and the might, Thine the power and the divine realm, Thine the strength and the ruby, Thine the sovereignty and the human realm, Thine the glory and the majesty, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the power and action, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the might and justice, Thine the similitude and parables, Thine the stations and magnificence, Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Command and creation, Thine the glory and invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and might. Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Independent. Thou hast taken neither companion nor son, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in sovereignty, nor any protector in the earth save by Thy leave.

Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily Thou art powerful over all things. Therefore, O my God, make all things in the Bayan redound to the glory of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, to the might of Him Whom Thou shalt elevate, to the majesty of Him Whom Thou shalt magnify, to the beauty of Him Whom Thou shalt adorn, to the grandeur of Him Whom Thou shalt exalt, to the loftiness of Him Whom Thou shalt raise up, and to the power of Him Whom Thou shalt cause to reign. Verily Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

All praise be to Him Who hath exalted Himself through His loftiness above all created things, Who hath prevailed through His dominion over all existence, Who hath manifested His sovereignty over all beings, Who hath revealed His majesty above all atoms, and Who hath demonstrated His grandeur above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He is the One in His essence and the Exalted One in the kingdom of names and attributes. He hath no peer, no equal, no likeness, no partner, and no similitude. He hath ever existed before all things in glory and majesty, and will forever exist after all things in grandeur and beauty.

He hath chosen a sublime essence, an exalted abstraction, a transcendent simplicity, a radiant purity, and a primordial reality. Then He revealed Himself unto it through itself, and through it He became sanctified from all else. He cast into its identity the likeness of its own essence. Thus did His actions appear through it, His examples shine forth from it, His manifestations dawn from it, His signs gleam from it, and His words reverberate through it, until He filled thereby His heaven and His earth, testifying that there is no God but Him and that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. God hath no sun of reality except Him, and He hath chosen for it beloved primary names, then filled therewith all who dwell in the kingdom of His names and examples, until He caused it to enter the sea of infinity through the declaration that there is no God but Him.

This is the First in the First, this is the Last in the Last, this is the Hidden in the Hidden, and this is the Manifest in the Manifest. God indicateth naught but God in His beginning and His end. All are guided by Him.

The fourth in the fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

All praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious. Indeed all glory from God be upon the Primal Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the Primal Unity. I testify that the glory of God hath not been manifested in that kingdom except through the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, for the Divine Essence is an inaccessible sanctity, an exalted sovereignty, a mighty sovereign, a beloved ruler, and a triumphant sustainer. No thing can comprehend Him whilst He comprehendeth all things, and He is the One, the Glorious.

If thou wishest to understand the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest, imagine that all who are on earth have attained the utmost limits possible in their glory, such that no higher station could be conceived for their rank. Then if He Whom God shall make manifest should recognize Himself, even were He dwelling in the dust, at that very moment all who are on earth should prostrate themselves before Him. Such is the glory of all who are on earth in relation to the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest, for His glory transcendeth every glory, and His majesty is such that no earthly sovereignty can bear it, by reason of its supreme loftiness and exalted dominion. If thou art one upon the earth, there is none equal to thee in glory save thyself in the glory of knowledge, power, and beloved names. Then prostrate thyself before Him Whom God shall make manifest at the Point of the Bayan, for glory was created only for submission unto Him and humility before Him.

Verily, glory and all who possess it shall bow down before Him, and whoso boweth not before Him is lower than the most lowly in the sight of God and those endued with knowledge, though he be deemed glorious by men. For glory existeth only through faith in Him and His good-pleasure—this, this is the ultimate glory if thou dost comprehend, then be thou of the thankful ones.

Bab 18: Akfa

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the All-Sufficing, the All-Sufficing.

There is no God but He, the All-Sufficing, the All-Sufficing. Say: God sufficeth above every sufficing one. None can escape from the sovereignty of His all-sufficing power, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath been an all-sufficient Sufficing One. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the kingdom and the dominion, then the might and the grandeur, then the power and the divinity, then the strength and sovereignty, then the rule and the earthly realm. He giveth life and causeth death, and causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the Sovereign Who perisheth not, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Ruler Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed be He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted be He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God sufficeth all things beyond all things, but nothing in the heavens or on the earth or between them sufficeth beyond God thy Lord. Verily He hath been an all-sufficient Sufficing One. Say: Verily, after Him Whom God shall make manifest, He shall suffice all things beyond all things, but nothing in the heavens or on the earth or between them sufficeth beyond Him. And sufficient is the proof of our Lord, the All-Merciful, as a support and protection. Say: Though thou shouldst possess all that is on earth on the day of His manifestation, it would not suffice thee. And ye should enrich yourselves, if ye truly believe in God and in Him Whom He shall make manifest.

And if ye possess naught, God will suffice you, then His Proof, then those who are guides from His presence—they who are guided by God’s command from His presence. Say: Let us speak words that your own souls would verify, if ye be of them that are certain of God and His signs. If ye say “God sufficeth us through what He hath revealed of His Cause through the Manifestation of His Self,” let nothing veil you from this utterance if ye be truthful in your words. Otherwise all speak that which they do not practice. Say: All glory that hath been and shall be created is from the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not perceive this? Say: All majesty that hath been and shall be created is from the majesty of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not recognize this? Say: All beauty that hath been and shall be created is from the beauty of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not see this?

Say: All grandeur is from the grandeur of Him Whom He shall make manifest—can ye not acknowledge this? Say: All light that hath been and shall be created is from the light of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not be illumined by this? Say: All mercy that hath been and shall be created is from the mercy of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not obtain mercy? Say: All words that have been and shall be created are with perfection through Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not attain perfection? Say: All heavens that have been and shall be created are from the words of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not ascend? Say: All names that have been and shall be created are from the names of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not increase in understanding? Say: All might that hath been and shall be created is from the might of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not gain strength?

Say: All will that hath been and shall be created is from the will of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not progress? Say: All knowledge that hath been and shall be created is from the knowledge of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not learn? Say: All power that hath been and shall be created is from the power of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not gain power? Say: All force that hath been and shall be created is from the force of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not be satisfied? Say: All riches that have been and shall be created are from the riches of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not become enriched? Say: All honor that hath been and shall be created is from the honor of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not become ennobled? Say: All sovereignty that hath been and shall be created is from the sovereignty of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not gain sovereignty?

Say: All dominion that hath been and shall be created is from the dominion of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not gain dominion? Say: All loftiness that hath been and shall be created is from the loftiness of Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not become exalted? Say: All existence that hath been and shall be created is from Him Whom God shall make manifest—can ye not advance? Say: All signs that have been and shall be created are from the signs of Him Who shall be made manifest—can ye not become honored? All this is through the essence of knowledge with Him, if ye would but understand. We reveal this unto you that ye might be reminded. Consider how in every nation upon the earth, all matters pertaining to their religion and worldly affairs return unto the command of their Prophet.

When that Sun of Reality appeareth, can ye find any besides Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye be them that traverse the ocean of primal creation or ascend through the realm of names? All that hath been created and shall be created hath its beginning from God and returneth unto Him by His command. Therefore hath He created no greater Cause than that of Him Whom God shall make manifest. All things are from Him, could ye but witness it.

Consider how in Islam all your glory returneth unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God, through the degrees that God hath created within you, which none can reckon save God alone. Ye are all believers in the religion of Islam through your relationship to Muhammad, the Apostle of God. Likewise do ye witness the essence of every excellence through Him Whom God shall make manifest. For verily the essence of all creation is to attain unto His good-pleasure. Thus the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make manifest is the good-pleasure of your Lord. O all things! Ye were created to attain unto that which He Whom God shall make manifest loveth, not that which ye love. For whosoever loveth that which Him Whom God shall make manifest loveth not hath indeed worshipped other than God.

Fear ye God on the day of His manifestation. Let not your love be for aught save His love, nor seek ye any pleasure but His pleasure. For though your piety reach the highest degree, if He Whom God shall make manifest be not pleased with it, it shall be counted as less than piety in the sight of God. Therefore fear ye God by following the good-pleasure of the Truth that is from Him, if ye be sincere in your claim. Otherwise all nations have practiced piety according to what they possess, yet have entered the fire while supposing themselves to abide in God’s good-pleasure. Say: Nay! Verily God’s good-pleasure in the Bayan until the Day of Resurrection is that ye should on that day take the good-pleasure of the Most Glorious through whatsoever He Whom God shall make manifest shall utter. This is the light of God for all who are in the heavens and on earth and all that lieth between them. Say: All are guided by it.

The second in the second

In the Name of God, the All-Sufficing, the All-Sufficing.

Glory be to thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without peer. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, the Might and the Power, the Strength and the Glory, the Force and the Authority, the Sovereignty and the Realm, the Grandeur and the Majesty, the Beauty and the Grace, the Countenance and the Perfection, the Might and the Action, the Example and the Exemplar, the Mercy and the Bounty, the Sovereignty and the Justice, the Hosts and the Independence, the Glory and the Sublimity, the Might and the Inaccessibility, the Power and the Exaltation, the Joy and the Gladness, and Thine is the dominion and the opening, and Thine is the sufficiency and the culmination, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love from the kingdom of Thy Cause and Thy creation. Thou hast ever been the All-Sufficient unto all Thy creation through Thy most excellent sufficiency and Thy supreme protection.

How all-sufficient art Thou unto Thy creation, how compassionate toward Thy servants, how merciful unto the dwellers of Thy heaven and earth, how beneficent unto those in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation, and how generous unto that which Thou hast created or wilt create by Thy leave! Thou hast ever been existent before all things, a Being above all things, an Essence with all things, a Creator above all things, and One Who will endure after the passing of all things. Thou hast created all things by Thy power and ordained the measures of all things by Thy grandeur.

Glorified art Thou! Thou hast kindled the lamp of Will, whereupon all lamps shine forth therefrom. Thou hast caused the Sun of Truth to appear, whereupon all mirrors are illumined by that Sun. And verily, all who are in the Bayan—Thy bounty unto them is as Thy bounty unto the Point of the Bayan, would they but understand or remember. Glorified art Thou! How generous and exalted art Thou, for all speak by that which the Point of Truth hath spoken, and all bear witness by the testimony of the Eternal Essence.

Therefore shall I thank Thee, O my God, for all that Thou hast created and wilt create, and shall praise Thee, O my Lord, for all that Thou hast brought into being and wilt bring into being, and shall glorify Thee, O my Creator, for all that Thou hast fashioned and wilt fashion, and shall magnify Thee, O my Fashioner, for all that Thou hast originated and wilt originate, and shall extol Thee, O Thou Who sufficeth me, for all that Thou hast caused to appear and wilt cause to appear.

The Dawning-Places of Thy sufficiency have ever shone forth from the right and the left. None can seek sufficiency from any save Thee, nor find satisfaction in aught except Thee. By Thy might! Thou art the All-Sufficient unto all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or on earth or between them can suffice without Thee. Thou didst say—and Thy word is the truth—in the Qur’an: “Is not God sufficient for His servant?” Yea, Thou art indeed, O my God, sufficient unto all things, before and after. And Thou didst later reveal in the Bayan—and Thy word is the truth: “Is not God sufficient for all the believers?” Yea, by Thy might, Thou art, O my God, sufficient unto all who believe.

Through Thee have I found sufficiency from all else, and through Thee have I become independent of all besides Thee. Therefore suffice me, O my God, and all who are in the Bayan, through Thy mighty sufficiency and Thy impregnable protection. Verily, Thou hast power over all things and dost encompass all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Sufficient, the Most Sufficient.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His sublimity above all contingent things, and raised Himself in His loftiness above all created things, and made Himself inaccessible in His strength above all existing things, and manifested His sovereignty above all atoms, and revealed His power above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and drawn all through His attraction above all semblances and indications, and guided through His guidance above all that was and will be created by His signs and words.

All created things and His verses bear witness, and all His creation testifies, that there is none other God but Him. He hath ever been, and will ever be. His eternity extends to the beginnings of beginninglessness, and His timelessness dwells in the sanctuary of grandeur and glory. He hath made no way for creation to know Him except through their powerlessness to know Him, for how can that which bears the name of a created thing serve as proof of His knowledge or as a path to His oneness? Glorified and exalted is He above what those who describe Him, whether of the ancients or the moderns, the manifest or the hidden, have described. The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

Then bear witness, and let all creation testify, that there is none other God but Him. He hath chosen from among His creation a single Temple and made it the Sun of His Will, the Mystery of His eternity, the Inaccessibility of His grandeur, the Exaltation of His self-subsistence, the Joy of His oneness, the Content of His sovereign individuality, and the Splendor of His glory of independence. He caused it to speak forth verses that rendered all things powerless, wherein lay the knowledge of His unity and the paths of His good-pleasure, through His power, before any of His creatures could learn from another. Then He caused it to speak words before which all contingent beings stood powerless to comprehend, and signs that bewildered the realities of all essence, and evidences that all within the kingdoms of earth and heaven failed to grasp.

Then He chose for the throne of His manifestation eternal names and immersed them in the limitless ocean of eternity. On that Day no truth existed save from Him, and no glory save in His good-pleasure. Through His manifestation He separated truth from falsehood, and annihilated falsehood through the ascendancy of every truth. All created things, past and future, praise Him for having conveyed from His Lord that which was entrusted to Him of His revelation, His wisdom, His decree and His justice. The Command of God hath never been suspended nor altered, neither before nor after, and God and His proof suffice as witness and helper.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the All-Sufficient, the All-Sufficient.

Praise be to God, beside Whom there is none other God, the All-Sufficient, the All-Sufficient. And verily the glory from God is upon the Primal Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the Primal Unity. I testify that the sufficiency of God was not manifest in that kingdom except through the sufficiency of the Sun of Truth, and this appeareth not save through the sufficiency of the Letters of the Living, and this appeareth not save through names that have entered the ocean of infinity. Verily thou art in the Orient of the earth. If thou seekest not sufficiency from anyone in the Bayan, this is from God’s concealment through means that have reached thee. Look not to thyself nor to it, but look to God alone and seek shelter in the shadow of Him Whom God shall make manifest and what He commandeth thee. For verily He sufficeth thee above all things, while nothing sufficeth in His stead.

Make thy remembrance from the beginning of thy life to its end:

“O Thou Who sufficeth above all things while nothing sufficeth in Thy stead,”

that perchance through this continuance, on the Day of God’s manifestation, thou mayest find sufficiency in Him Whom God shall make manifest rather than in another, for verily none other than Him sufficeth thee. This is the meaning of what He hath taught thee in thy remembrance, if thou be of those who seek sufficiency in God. And if thou desirest to exalt thy mention, recite this verse, for it is more glorious and more resplendent than aught else in the former and latter days.

Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or on the earth or in whatever lieth between them but God, thy Lord, sufficeth. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. God sufficeth as Protector and as Guardian.

Bab 19: Ad’iy

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted!

No God is there but Him, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted! Say: God is more exalted than any possessor of exaltation. None in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever is between them can escape from the sovereignty of His exalted dominion. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the All-Calling, the All-Summoning, the All-Inviting. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. All praise be to God, Whom all things in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them do glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. No God is there but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them. No God is there but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily, they who call upon Him Whom God shall make manifest, these are they who call upon Him. God will answer them on the day of the manifestation of His Own Self, saying: “O all things! It is Him Whom ye invoke!” For verily, ye hear not any mention that would profit you except that ye call upon God through Him Whom God shall make manifest, for verily, ye shall then hear at once. Be not veiled from your prayers, for those who call upon God through that which returneth unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, and who prostrate themselves before Him—these shall enter the Fire, and therein shall they find no helper.

Say: All upon the earth call upon the Point of the Bayan unknowingly, but God loveth not their prayers save those who call upon God through Me and who know Me. Say: It hath been revealed unto Me that there is no God but I, the Answerer, the Beloved. Say: O My servants! Call ye upon Me on the day of My manifestation, for verily ye did not hear your answer before that, nor were ye able to encompass it with knowledge. When ye call upon the Manifestation of My Self on the Day of Resurrection, then will He answer you from My presence. This is what ye loved before the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Verily I am the All-Hearing, the Near One, and verily I am the Answerer, the Kind. I will surely answer everyone who calleth upon Me, for I am the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. All that ye call upon through the Point of the Bayan, I will surely answer your prayer, then through the Letters of the Living do ye turn unto Me. And on the Day of My Manifestation, I will surely answer whatever ye call upon, except if ye appear not before Him Whom We shall make manifest and prostrate not yourselves.

I am God, there is no God but I. All things call upon Me with their secret and manifest tongue, though they observe not their own form. And verily I will answer the prayer of all things, for I am the Ever-Living, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. And if I delay the answer to anything, this is due to what I know to be good for it in the Book. O all things! Be ye not dismayed, for verily I know you better than your own selves, and I see you more clearly than ye see yourselves. Call ye upon Me through Him Whom I have given clear proofs, if ye desire to hear what is revealed from God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. Behold how all upon the earth call upon God, their Lord, and all do humble themselves in their prayers. Yet God answereth not their prayers, for they are veiled from His proof.

Say: He answereth only the prayers of those who have believed in the Bayan and who follow what God hath ordained. Watch ye for the Day of God’s Manifestation, for your claims, like yourselves, shall be rendered null, except if ye call upon Him Whom God shall make manifest, that God may send down His verses upon you from the Manifestation of His Self, through Whom ye shall attain all good. Say: Your calling upon God, your Lord, is better for you than all that is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them, if ye would but reflect a little. Though your purposes are created by God, yet ye call not upon God, and We answer you not, for ye are greater in your own stations than all of them, if ye call upon the Truth. Call not upon anything that would make void your prayer while ye know not. Say: Call ye upon God as beseemeth Him, then remember all things in their proper measure before Him.

And if ye call upon God to provide for you, and in your prayer ye have read your own provision, then seek forgiveness of God and turn unto Him. Likewise is it with all that beareth the name of anything when ye call upon God, your Lord, in truth, whether He answer you or reject you, if ye be discerning in your prayer. And if ye call upon Him Whom God shall make manifest and He answer you, this is a bounty from God upon you. O all things! Be ye thankful unto Him. This is what God hath answered from His presence. O all things! Then seek ye Him. And if ye are denied what ye have asked for, this is from God’s justice—ye should praise Him for it. Let not your faith waver whether your request is granted or denied, if you truly call upon Him. Otherwise, you have merely called upon your own desire and have not truly called upon He who created you, sustains you, causes you to die and brings you to life.

Be mindful of yourselves on the Day of Resurrection, for verily you, O people of the Bayan, shall be tested. Perchance He Whom God shall make manifest may deny your requests, whereupon you will find yourselves deprived of what befits Him. In such case your supplication would be greater than any sin, if you would but reflect. Let not your circumstances alter you, for whatsoever appears from God is truth, whether He grants or denies your request. This is a bounty for those who ask, and this is God’s justice for the supplicants. Say: If you knew what God has ordained regarding asking, you would never ask anyone anything. And if you knew what God has ordained regarding every answer, you would never deny anyone. Is it befitting that God should be questioned? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe. Say: From the first moment God made Me manifest until now, I have called out to all things: “O all things! Answer ye My call!” This is God’s call, if you would but see.

Has God created anyone more constrained than one who desires a response from Him to Whom belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and earth and all that lies between them, while all are veiled from Him? How then do you not answer God by responding to the Manifestation of His Self, while you hear His call day and night? Thus does God show you your deeds, for you hear not nor answer the call of your Lord’s Proof. How then do you expect God to hear and answer you through the Manifestation of His Self? This is the essence of what appears from God, if you but knew. Say: Yea, all hear My call and all shall answer Me. O all things! You see no one when he calls you, but if you see him possessing sovereignty, this is one of God’s mysteries, the Self-Subsisting, the All-Compelling. For Muhammad claimed aforetime over all created things past and future: “O all things! Answer ye My call in God’s Cause!” Though He possessed sovereignty over all created things past and future, it behooved Him not to ask of anyone. But God permitted Him to ask you so that God might see what you are capable of.

O all things! Behold how God aids His Proof if you truly call upon Him. And if you cannot answer someone’s call, then answer with noble and mighty words that grieve not his heart. Otherwise answer according to your capacity, for this is God’s bounty if you but knew. The most honored before God are those who answer the call of creation before they speak, responding to what their inner reality expresses even as they answer when they speak—these are the friends of God in the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and these are they who shall attain. They observe within the dominion and reach out to each according to what they secretly ask, and these are they who bear witness from God. These are the Dawning-Places of God’s Command, and these are they who shall attain.

Say: Ponder ye! God hath forbidden you to reject anyone’s supplication even if it be to the weight of nineteen times nineteen mustard seeds of clay—how then would God call you when He Whom God shall make manifest summoneth you to believe in the Truth, yet ye respond not? Will ye not respond to God Who created you and sustained you and causeth you to die and giveth you life, and desireth to admit you into the paradise of His knowledge, while ye, by this, remain steadfast in the true Faith? Answer ye Him Whom God shall make manifest before His heart is saddened by all that ye witness. Verily, He loveth this heart of His. Tarry not when He asketh you or writeth unto you, but answer Him with all that ye are able, and respond to Him with all that ye can accomplish.

Say: We call upon God Who hath created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, by all the good that His knowledge encompasseth. There is no God but He, the One, the All-Answering. Say: Verily God addresseth at this moment:

“There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Thou hast called upon Me through all things, and I shall answer thee before thy prayer is ended. O all things! Verily I am God, there is no God but I, the One, the All-Bountiful. I have sent down all good in the Bayan—thou and all things take from this.”

Thus doth God answer the prayer of him who calleth upon Him in truth. Verily He is the All-Hearing, the Near.

Say: Verily the caller is the one called upon, would ye but understand. Say: Verily the answerer is the one answered, would ye but know. Comprehend ye this, for this is from one Temple, would ye but understand. Otherwise, verily the One called upon is God, and the one who calleth upon Him is My Being—thus do ye remember this.

And likewise doth My Being ask of God its Lord, and God answereth it, yet both appear not from that Temple in this way, even as We have revealed in clear revelation. Otherwise, glorified be God above all that He hath created or will create. There is no God but He, the Single, the Most High, the Exalted.

Say: What preventeth you from asking of anyone is that perchance ye may call upon Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. God hath permitted all things to call upon God their Lord—O all things, upon Him do ye call. And God hath forbidden all things to call upon aught else, for that which is other than God is powerless before Him. How can the powerless answer the prayer of its like? Say: Glorified be God! All are powerless before God. But ye must look to the Dawning-Places of God’s Command, then from there call ye upon God your Lord. All that ye see in the dominion are the Dawning-Places of God’s Command—ye all take from the treasuries of His Command.

Be not impatient that God should send down to you what you seek, for God has created you and taught you knowledge of what you ask from Him. Understand it through its means from your Lord, for this is from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Cut off your gaze from yourselves and all means except God Who created you, and call upon all things with truth before God. Entrust your prayers to Him, then respond to what He answers, that you may attain all good from Him. This is from God’s bounty to you on the Day of Resurrection at God’s throne—be not grieved.

Call upon Him Whom God shall make manifest concerning the measures of your religion and your world, and be content with what He ordains for you, for that is what God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting has ordained. Let not what God has ordained for you be changed by love of your own selves, for you know not what is best for yourselves, nor do you encompass it with knowledge. You may call upon God for something while it is harmful for you and you know not; and perhaps you ask not for something while it is good for you with God, yet you encompass it not with knowledge and know not. But God looks upon you and will cause you to attain what you seek of His bounty in accordance with what is best for you in the kingdom of the heavens and earth and what lies between them. God knows all that you know not.

Ask of Him Whom God shall make manifest and entrust to His knowledge, for that is what God has permitted you. For all things are manifested through what you seek of God’s bounty. Say: Yea, His knowledge suffices beyond all your asking, but you have been commanded to manifest what you love. This is the path of God for those in the kingdom of the heavens and earth and what lies between them. Say: All paths lead to one path in the Mother Book, if you would understand. That is the word of Him Whom God shall make manifest, lest you call upon anyone and call upon him causing his heart to grieve while you know not, and if he calls you to a matter you respond not to it and know not—thereby you enter into the veils of fire even though you call upon him night and day.

Say: All on earth call upon Me and turn to Me, and I call them to enter into the religion of God, whereupon some remain veiled and some accept. Say: God will help and answer the prayer of all things, and desires to cause all things to enter into the Most Great Paradise from Him. Verily, there is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Vahid 9

Bab 1: Arhab

And it has four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Awe-Inspiring, the Most Awe-Inspiring.

Say: God is the Most Awesome, above all that inspire awe. None can escape from the dominion of His awesome sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been awe-inspiring, awesome, and fearsome.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom all who are in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them do glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God will surely fill you with awe on the Day of Resurrection, that Day which you await. That is the Day when, should you withhold from saying “Yea,” God will render void all your deeds done for His sake, due to your withholding from saying “Yea” to Him Whom God shall make manifest, that perchance on that Day you may dwell secure in God’s protection and be not filled with dread.

How often will the Day of Resurrection come upon you and He Whom God shall make manifest appear, while you supplicate day and night. Then when He sendeth down unto you Books written in His hand, you forbid yourselves from acknowledging Him Who created you, sustained you, caused you to die, and gave you life. Then you will not have worshipped from the beginning that hath no beginning, and it behooveth you to annihilate yourselves and cease to exist.

This is the awe of Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of His manifestation. O all things! It is this that filleth you with awe. For this is the essence of all things—if you take hold of it, then shall you dwell secure in God’s protection. And should you fear being slain in His path, let not your hearts be filled with dread, for you behold the good-pleasure of God.

But should you veil yourselves from this while believing in your lives, then will He Whom God shall make manifest remember you with the word “Nay.” Then will your hearts be filled with dread and your souls and deeds be brought to naught, as though you comprehended nothing of the matter.

O all things! Reflect upon those against whom the number of the letter Waw hath been decreed. Some recognized the Cause of God and ascended unto Him, their hearts unfilled with dread, and they now receive their reward in the lofty chambers of Paradise for what they had dreaded outwardly when they entered the fire, and God shall cause them to hear mention of His proof whereby their hearts are filled with dread and their souls and deeds are brought to naught, and they shall be unable to help themselves. O all things! Have mercy upon yourselves, for I fear not for you that you have failed to worship God in any way—is there any dread equal to this, if you but knew? Your hearts are not certain that this is truly a Book from God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting, and you imagine that you do good; but God has testified that it is indeed a Book from Him, and those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest are themselves convinced of this.

O God! Fill with dread of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest the hearts of all who dwell in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, that when they hear mention of Him they may stand firm. And O God! Fill the hearts of those who believe not in Him with the utmost dread from Thee—verily Thou art powerful over all things. And O God! Fill the hearts of those who believe in Him and who on the day of His manifestation are certain of His signs with might and reverence—verily Thou art powerful over all things. Say: He is the Subduer over His creation, the Manifest above His servants, the Inaccessible from aforetime, and the Omnipotent in the earth. He causes to die and brings to life, then causes to die and brings to life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the King Whose dominion changeth not, the One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or on earth or between them.

He createth what He willeth by Thy command—verily Thou art the Subduer, the Powerful, the Mighty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant us security on that Day through Thy mercy, for Thou art the Best of those who show mercy. Fill us not with dread of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection—by Thy might, for Thou art the Best of those who grant security. Show us no severity on the Day of Resurrection, but cover us with Thy grace, for Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful. Shelter us in every good-pleasure of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, even if we be sorrowful, for the ultimate victory shall be ours as we are patient. Should all on earth be in our possession, we would still triumph through the truth; and should we possess nothing, we would still be content with the truth. Glory be unto Thee, O God!

Let not Him Who manifesteth Thyself on the Day of Resurrection desire anything beyond what Thou hast created or wilt create, and preserve Him, O God, with a mighty preservation. And if ye hear words containing dread, mention them not in the presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest lest His soul be grieved, while ye have power over this. Stand between Him and all dread or fear. O angels of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, all of you together! O all things! Stand between Him Whom God shall make manifest and those who would grieve Him. Say: May all be His ransom if ye would truly sacrifice. This is the path in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, if ye would sacrifice. And to Him belongeth whatsoever dwelleth in the night and in the day. There is no God but Him, the All-Powerful, the Self-Subsisting. He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return.

His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Powerful, the Self-Subsisting.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Awesome, the Most Awesome.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, and Thine the Glory and the Might, and Thine the Power and the Divine Realm, and Thine the Strength and the Ruby, and Thine the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, and Thine the Glory and the Majesty, and Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, and Thine the Face and the Perfection, and Thine the Example and the Examples, and Thine the Stations and the Grandeur, and Thine the Mercy and the Grace, and Thine the Authority and the Justice, and Thine the Greatness and the Independence, and Thine the Awe and the Splendor, and Thine the Might and the Invincibility, and Thine the Power and the Exaltation, and Thine the Joy and the Gladness, and Thine the Sovereignty and the Omnipotence, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the kingdom of Thy Command and Thy creation.

Thou hast ever been the Subduer above all contingent beings, and the Manifest above all existing things, and the Invincible above all created things, and the Exalted above all atoms, and the Most High above all who dwell in the kingdom of earth and heaven, and the All-Powerful above all particles.

Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Unique, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Powerful, Holy, Everlasting, Eternal, Independent, Exalted, Joyous, Glorious, Beautiful, Great, Luminous, Merciful, Supreme, Mighty, Powerful, Sovereign, Possessing all, Noble, Manifest, Hidden, Awesome. Thou givest life and causest death, then causest death and givest life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Therefore, O my God, place between every awe that Thou hast created or wilt create, and the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of obedience to Thee therein, and cause this to reach Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest and then the exponents of His good-pleasure in Thee, through all Thy splendor and majesty and beauty and greatness and light and mercy and words and names and might and will and knowledge and power and utterance and questions and nobility and sovereignty and dominion and loftiness and whatsoever Thou possessest of Thy names and examples. For verily, I know no excellence like that which filleth anyone with gladness and might, and I seek not Thy permission to mention anyone with awe or that whereby he feareth for himself. Therefore, O my God, protect me and all Thy creation from this, and inspire, O my God, all Thy servants that they shall not manifest from themselves that which would cause any of Thy loved ones to turn away.

Thou hast revealed this so that all may be freed from their veils and enter into Thy paradise. How beloved and exalted art Thou! How mighty and merciful art Thou! How generous and gracious art Thou! How protecting and preserving art Thou! How kind and munificent art Thou! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest and upon all who believe in Him, as Thou hast ordained a measure for all things and a recorded time for all things. Verily, Thou art the All-Dominating, the Best-Beloved. Verily, Thou art the Most High, the Most Feared. Verily, Thou art the Inaccessible, the Most Desired. Verily, Thou art the Most Exalted, the Most Praised. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Worshipped One. Verily, Thou art the Supreme Ruler, the Well-Known. Verily, Thou art the All-Possessing, the Most Thanked.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Awe-inspiring, the Most Awe-inspiring.

Praise be to God Who hath elevated Himself through His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath manifested His dominion above all existing things, and hath revealed His manifestation above all created things, and hath raised Himself through His elevation above all atoms, and hath made Himself inaccessible through His inaccessibility above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and hath magnified Himself through His magnificence above all similitudes and allusions, and hath exercised His sovereignty through His sovereignty above all similitudes and indications. Therefore, He and all His creation bear witness that there is no God but He, the Great, the Most High—a testimony that is resplendent, majestic, magnificent, luminous, merciful, perfect, articulate, great, mighty, learned, powerful, pleasing, beloved, noble, generous, sovereign, possessing, manifest, hidden, preceding, succeeding, bountiful, bestowing, gracious, beauteous, inaccessible, and exalted.

A testimony that filleth the pillars of the heavens with its encompassing power, and the earth and all that is therein with its rivers and all that is in them, and whatsoever lieth between them with all that is therein and thereon, that there is no God but He, the One, the Sovereign, and that the Being of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. God hath chosen Him from the heights of the realm of creation and the essence of the power of invention for the station of His manifestation’s establishment upon the light of the white path for the creation of all contingent things, and His establishment upon the crimson throne for the life of all atoms, that all things may testify that there is no God but He, the First, the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden, the Creator, the Sustainer, the One Who giveth death, the One Who giveth life. There is no God but He, the One, the Judge.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Awe-inspiring, the Most Awe-inspiring.

Praise be to God, there is no God but He, the Most Awe-inspiring, the Most Awe-inspiring. And verily the glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen except the First One. And furthermore, I bear witness that shouldst thou cause him who believeth not in Him Whom God shall make manifest to fear, and fill him with awe and dread through thy dignity and power and dominion and might, and through what thou possessest of thy names and attributes which are as nothing compared to the names and attributes of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then it behooveth thee to guide thine own essence to inspire awe in thy lovers. Be thou of such character if thou findest thy Lord in grief for those who believe not in Him. Beware lest thou frighten or intimidate any believing man or woman, for God hath strictly forbidden this.

And verily I adjure all who are in the Bayan not to be afraid of anyone, that ye may not be afraid of Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention. Rather, be mindful of the fear of God, for this is a word from Him Whom God shall make manifest. He is the Beloved, the Feared One, the Intended, the Praised One. All things point to Him, that there is no God but He, the Worshipped One, Who created all things by His command. And verily there is no God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 2: AqSad

He hath four stations. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Purposeful, the Most Purposeful.

Say: God is more purposeful than all who have purpose. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape from the dominion of His sovereign purpose. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the Supreme Purposer, the Purposeful, the Purposed One.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on earth raise their voices in glorification. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He—His the dominion and the kingdom, then the might and the power, then the strength and the divinity, then the force and the sovereignty, then the rule and the human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just One Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them. There is no God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: We have purposed naught but God and we all worship Him alone. Say: We have desired naught but God and we all bow down before Him alone. Say: There is no purpose for anything in the heavens or on earth or between them except God. God knoweth while ye know not.

Consider from the beginning of your creation—your fathers approach not your mothers except they purpose God, and thus are ye created by God. Then reflect upon your creation after your form is fashioned in your mothers’ wombs—who provideth for you except God purposeth it, and thus are ye sustained by God. Then when ye are born, your elders rear you not except they purpose God, and thus are ye reared by God. Then when ye reach the age of reason, ye seek not any religion except ye purpose God, and thus do ye all follow the religion of God. And ye seek not any worldly thing except that through which you seek nearness to God. Say: All seek to draw nigh unto God. Therefore, in all that you nurture and elevate in your religion and worldly affairs, you aim for naught but God Who created you, sustains you, causes you to die and live again, and ordains the measure of all things. Thus do you bear witness that God is the Unseen, Whom none can comprehend save Him.

And if you desire to comprehend, then comprehend Him Whom God shall make manifest. For you all, in your entirety, have aimed at none other than Him Whom God shall make manifest, and you seek none but Him. This is your beginning and your end, though you seek without being aware. And when you reach your Objective, perchance you become veiled. God has granted you dominion over the earth; therefore seek not God that you might be raised up through God’s Cause. How then, when your Objective comes to you, can you become veiled by that which you sought for His sake? Little do you reflect, then perceive. Say: These are the limits which you comprehend, since you seek not God in your hearts. This is a sign that has sprouted within you from the Point of the Bayan. Yet He Whom God shall make manifest is exalted above this. Say: This is God’s creation—will you not reflect?

Say: All that has appeared as Truth and those who have guided unto Truth from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end—all have sought God. But when they knew God, there befell them what God loved for Himself. O all things! Little do you know My purpose, then through it gain insight. For example, if you become jealous, you seek within yourselves God Who created you, and you know the attribute of jealousy and count it praiseworthy, then manifest it openly. But were you to recognize that your Objective is He Whom God shall make manifest, greater than your purpose within yourselves, and that you have become jealous for His sake, you would not manifest it if you were seeking. Similarly with all things—you love religion and the world since you seek God. How then do you seek that which God has neither willed nor purposed? We have witnessed in no one the spirit of faith except that they seek God unknowingly and unconsciously. Say: O all things!

If you have sought or seek God your Lord in all things, then how is it that when I made Myself known to you—that there is no God but I, the Lord of the worlds—you neither sought Me nor seek Me? Rather you seek God within yourselves through verses that were revealed from My manifestation in the Point of the Furqan. This is the extent of your understanding and knowledge. Reflect a little on what you remember, and consider all who have occupied the thrones of reality or guided unto it—can any harm you except that which you bring upon yourselves? When God desired to make Himself known, He created as He had created before. Are ye able to intervene between God and His Manifestation? Say: Glory be to God! All are powerless before this. And when aforetime He desired that Moses should reveal His Lord’s sign, God manifested it through His power. Say: This is of God’s handiwork—ye are all together powerless before it.

He is the Subduer over His creation, the Manifest over His servants, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Therefore nullify not your purpose, neither in your return nor in your dwelling-place. For verily when ye aim to draw nigh unto God, ye turn about Him Whom God shall make manifest. Yea, ye suppose that ye are seeking God, yet when God showeth you the Manifestation of His Self, ye seek Him not. This is proof that ye have not sought God. Nothing that God hath created faileth to seek God its Lord. Say: All seek God their Lord. Say: All love God their Lord. Say: All glorify their Lord. Say: All declare the unity of God their Lord. Say: All magnify God their Lord. Say: All extol God their Lord.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Purposeful, the Most Purposeful

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Glory and the Might, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and Sovereignty, Thine the Rule and the Realm, Thine the Majesty and Grandeur, Thine the Force and the Action, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Presence and the Perfection, Thine the Mercy and Bounty, Thine the Authority and Justice, Thine the Likeness and the Examples, Thine the Stations and the Exaltation, Thine the Greatness and Independence, Thine the Awe and the Sublimity, Thine the Might and the Inaccessibility, Thine the Power and the Transcendence, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, Thine the Sovereignty and the Omnipotence, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation.

O my God, I and all things bear witness that we have sought none but Thee and seek none but Thee, from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end, in Thy Book. Therefore, O my God, ordain that I may recognize Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, that I may not be veiled from my purpose in Thyself by the Manifestation of Thy Self. For verily all that I have sought Thee for, from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end, descendeth only for the annihilation of Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, and likewise all things. How blessed then is he who knoweth his purpose, having sought none but Him from beginning to end in all his affairs. By Thy glory! Were I to possess all that is on earth, and were I to hear of the appearance of Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, I would surely seek Him, for I have not possessed that dominion except for Thee.

For verily nothing is created save that it seeketh Thee—how much more when the Dawning-Place of Thine Invisibility appeareth! I have not sought Thee in my soul except through a sign of His revelation within my soul. By Thy glory, He is greater, more glorious, more mighty and more splendid. Glorified art Thou! Glorified art Thou! I have sought none but Thee and seek none but Thee. I beseech Thy forgiveness for all things, since all things are Thy creation—how then could I make them my object? Blind are the hearts that seek other than Thee and seek Thee not, and perished are the bodies that veil themselves from what seeks Thee within their souls, being veiled from Thee through the Manifestation of Thy Self. Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. Glorified art Thou! Verily I am of those who seek.

Whosoever seeks Thee, O my God, must seek Him Whom God shall make manifest. This is irrevocable, for He is Thy mirror wherein none can see aught but Thee. But whoso seeks a religion and turns not unto Him—by Thy glory, he hath not sought Thee nor will return unto Thee. I beseech Thy forgiveness for all that the seekers have sought apart from those who seek Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, for these are Thy truthful servants. All others are as dead, loving while thinking they know their Object, yet from the beginning of their lives to the end they know not that which they claim to love.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Seeking, the Most Seeking!

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent things, raised Himself in His elevation above all created things, rendered Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all existing things, magnified Himself in His magnificence above all atoms, and shown His dominion in His sovereignty over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. I testify, and all His creation, that there is no God but He, the One sought in His Essence. All else is but the seeking of His path and His good-pleasure. Every object of search is encompassed in him who seeks the Manifestation of His Self, and every object of desire in him who finds the Dawning-Place of His Mystery. For every seeker of anything, even his own self, God is the ultimate object of his seeking. How much more then when he attains unto the Manifestation of His Self, Who is Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention!

Yet he remains veiled from his Object after having sought Him, and returns not to his Beloved after having found Him.

Glorified and exalted is He above what they seek without knowing, then glorified and exalted is He above what they seek without comprehending. We all seek Him. We have sought God, the Lord of the heavens and earth, Lord of all things, Lord of the visible and invisible, Lord of all worlds, inasmuch as we have sought His proof and what He hath ordained of the paths of His command and prohibition. This is by God’s command, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Seeking, the Most Seeking!

Praise be to God, there is no God but the Most Seeking, the Most Seeking. And verily the glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon him who resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen but the First Unity. I testify that there is no object of seeking save God and no object of seeking save Him Whom He shall make manifest. Therefore, all that God hath commanded thee or forbidden thee is because His proof aspireth to no other. For example, when thou enterest into the Bayan, thou followest the paths of all things, and in every path thou followest, there is breathed into thee the spirit of the purpose of the Point of the Bayan. All these paths are for thee to seek God, and since this is impossible except through seeking the Manifestation of His Self, therefore all ways are paths of devotion that perchance through them thou mayest seek God, thy Lord.

Thus on the Day of Resurrection be thou conscious that the purpose of all things is not veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest, for thou mayest perchance present thyself before Him seeking God within thyself while rejecting Him to His face, though what thou hadst sought within thyself was the sign of God from the Point of the Bayan, and this is the same sign as He before Whom thou standest. How then canst thou reject Him again within thyself and remain veiled from His essence in all horizons? Similarly, understand this regarding whatsoever is called a thing, and be not heedless of this. For all those who remain veiled are veiled for this reason: each one loveth to think that he hath sought God, while God beareth witness that he hath wrongfully turned against Him. When thou turnest against Him Whom God shall make manifest, it is as though thou hast turned against God, even if in this turning thou seekest God; and if thou seekest not God, thou art an idolater.

Say: This is impossible, for if thou didst not seek God in something, this would not have issued from thee. This is the path of God in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Hold fast unto it and make your remembrance, O ye who seek, contingent upon reaching Him Whom God shall make manifest, that ye may seek none other than Him. Say: Seek ye God through His attribute of being sought, for this is a quality essential to the court of His oneness—glorified and exalted be He above having any like unto Him, by reason of His supreme inaccessibility and exalted transcendence. Yet we, in our powerlessness and love, are all seekers of Him.

Bab 3: AfTar

And it hath four stations. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Originating of originators.

There is no God but He, the Most Originating of originators. Say: God is the Most Originating, above every possessor of origination. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them can escape from the dominion of His sovereign origination. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath been an Originator, Originating, Most Original. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then Glory and Might, then Power and Divinity, then Strength and Sovereignty, then Rulership and Humanity.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-living Who dieth not, and a sovereignty that fadeth not, a justice that doth not transgress, a dominion that changeth not, and an Entity from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and all that lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Glorified is He Who causeth the night and the day to alternate by His command. His is the creation and the command. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Can there be doubt concerning God, Who hath created the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them by His command? Nearer is He than to say unto a thing “Be” and it is.

And He it is Who created you at first by His command. Will ye not then perceive? Say: He is the Subduer over His creation, and He is the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Say: He is the Manifest over His servants, and He is the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. God is more glorious than that which ye glorify. God is more exalted than that which ye exalt. God is more beauteous than that which ye beautify. God is more magnificent than that which ye magnify. God is more luminous than that which ye illumine. God is more merciful than that which ye show mercy. God is more perfect than that which ye perfect. God is more complete than that which ye complete. God is greater than that which ye make great. God is mightier than that which ye make mighty. God is more knowing than that which ye know. God is more powerful than that which ye empower. God is more pleasing than that which ye please. God is more noble than that which ye ennoble. God is more sovereign than that which ye rule.

God is more possessing than that which ye possess. God is more transcendent than that which ye transcend. God is more ancient than that which ye make ancient. God is more generous than that which ye make generous. God is more shadowing than that which ye shadow. God is mightier than that which ye make mighty. God is more bountiful than that which ye make bountiful. God is more bestowing than that which ye bestow. God is more elevated than that which ye elevate. God is more subtle than that which ye make subtle. God is more seeing than that which ye see. God is more hearing than that which ye hear. God is better than that which ye deem good. God is more wise than that which ye make wise. God is more attractive than that which ye attract. God is more just than that which ye make just. God is swifter than that which ye make swift. God is more manifest than that which ye manifest. God is more compelling than that which ye compel. God is more powerful than that which ye empower.

God is more hidden than that which ye hide. God is more forbearing than that which ye forbear. God is more thankful than that which ye thank. God is richer than that which ye enrich. God is more joyous than that which ye make joyous. Unto God belong all the most excellent names in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily the glory of names lieth in their being attributed by God unto His Own Self. Glorified and exalted is He above what they mention. None possesseth any existence save by the leave of God. All that are in the heavens and on earth and what is between them glorify Him—those in the fire are for their obedience and those in the light are for their worship—all bow down before Him. His is the Most Sublime Similitude in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: He is independent of whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lies between them. All are His servants and all are powerless in His grasp. Say: He is the Almighty over all things. He gives life and causes death, and unto Him shall all return. Reflect ye upon your own creation. We created you from two particles and unto them shall We return you. Have ye any power to oppose God’s command if ye but knew your own capacity? And if there be any power, it is from God’s command—all is from God and all bow down before Him. Say: How do ye seek forgiveness from God Who created you and sustained you and causes you to die and gives you life, while ye forsake not that for which ye seek forgiveness? Say: If ye are truthful in your seeking forgiveness, then seek not forgiveness from God and commit not what God has forbidden you. This is the path of God for the God-fearing.

Otherwise, were they to believe in God and what He has created and creates, verily God is Self-Sufficient, Inaccessible, Exalted. And all that has been created and will be created believes in God—verily He is Exalted, Sublime, Great. This is the glory of these and this is the abasement of those—both move and rest within their bounds. These are in the degrees of fire and those are in the degrees of paradise—both abide by His command and what is ordained in the Book. Say: Those in the fire, were they to know God, would worship Him more greatly than those who have known Him in paradise and worship Him. Do they not see how they worship God while they suppose they are worshippers? And were God to remove the veil from their insight, then all on earth would at once present themselves before God and prostrate themselves. These are they who, having acted according to the truth from God, will never oppose it, and are at this moment following it.

But those who were oppressed in the land, even if they should act a thousand times, would alter the limits of their own selves. Whenever a living breeze comes to them, they follow it, and whenever a lifeless breeze comes to them, they change. Say: Do not change or alter your faith in God, if you are truthful in your faith in God. This is what He has counseled you, O all things, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection you may stand firm in your path before Him Whom God shall make manifest, like a mountain upon the earth that none in all the worlds can move.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Originating of originators.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and divinity, Thine the force and sovereignty, Thine the earthly realm, Thine the glory and majesty, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the face and perfection, Thine the likeness and similitudes, Thine the stations and grandeur, Thine the greatness and independence, Thine the stations and manifestation, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the power and effectiveness, Thine the glory and invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the sovereignty and might, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. Can there be any god besides Thee to be its possessor, or any creator besides Thee to be its ordainer? Glorified and exalted art Thou!

Creation is Thy creation and command is from Thee and unto Thee, alone with no God but Thee. I worship Thee above all that Thou hast created or wilt create, I prostrate to Thee above all that Thou hast created or wilt create, I sanctify Thee above all that Thou hast created or wilt create, I magnify Thee above all that Thou hast created or wilt create, and I glorify Thee above all that Thou hast created or wilt create, taking pride in this and deriving might from that among Thy creation and servants.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, enduring, sovereign, supreme, holy, everlasting, eternal, self-dependent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou givest life and causeth death, then causeth death and givest life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them.

Protect Thou, therefore, O my God, all Thy creation from that which Thy knowledge hath encompassed, which falleth short of Thy good pleasure. And cause Thou all things to attain unto the glory of Thy good pleasure. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

The third in the third

In the Name of God, the Most Originating of originators.

All praise be to God, Who hath created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them through the sovereignty of His creative power, and hath purified the heavens and the earth and all that is between them through the dominion of His radiant might, and hath ordained the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them through the transcendent power of His eternity, and hath subdued the heavens and the earth and all that is between them through the compelling force of His omnipotence, and hath manifested the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them through the independent authority of His supreme sovereignty.

Unto Him be praise in the eternity of eternities, now and evermore—praise that shineth forth from the horizon of sanctity and glory, and riseth from the court of holiness and beauty; praise that blazeth and gleameth, flasheth and illumineth, and filleth all creation with the testimony that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Creating.

Then He bore witness, and all His creation with Him, through the essence of transcendent glory and the abstraction of holy exaltation and the camphor of mighty grandeur and the pure crystal of glorious bounty and the primordial reality of ancient elevation, that He is the first whom God chose from the pinnacle of all possible beings and revealed Himself to him with all His names and attributes. He caused him to speak with the signs of His power like a surging, billowing ocean, and through him filled His heaven and earth like a resplendent, overflowing sea.

Then through His eye He gazed upon the kingdom of His command and creation, and chose whatsoever He pleased from among the temples of His cause and creation, and ordained through him whatsoever He willed of the paths of His holy existence. All are from Him, unto Him and for Him, their Lord. There is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Bountiful.

The fourth in the fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Originating of originators.

Praise be unto God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Originating, the Most Originating. And verily, glory is from God unto the First Unity, and unto him who resembleth that Unity, wherein naught is beheld save the First Unity, and thereafter.

Bear thou witness, then, that God—glorified be He—hath originated the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them from naught, even as He hath originated man from naught. Was that Temple in the speck of clay, or was that Temple in the originating substance of water? Even so hath God created the creation of all things—He hath originated them from naught, and He causeth them to die unto naught, by His power. He is the One, exalted above number and units; the Eternal, the Single, transcendent above likeness and opposites. All His creation is within His grasp.

He hath originated His Primal Will from naught, through itself, for itself; and then hath He originated through it whatsoever He hath willed of all things, without how or wherefore. None knoweth His handiwork in this save Himself. His is the most exalted similitude in the heavens and on the earth and that which lieth between them, and He is the One, the All-Originating.

And should the heaven of the knowledge of Him be cleft asunder, and the earth of love for Him be rent in twain, this shall be in God, for the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Thus when there reaches you from the ray of that Name what shall hold fast your heart—for God is exalted above any who would indicate His creative essence by what pertains to His luminous glory, His supreme dominion, and His transcendent power—verily all wherewith He has sanctified His Self and revealed in the Book, or what is possible or can be named, He revealed not for the creatures to know Him Whom God shall make manifest and the paths of their servitude to God through Him.

For when you observe that He is the Creator of a thing, you shall traverse the ocean of Names, and likewise if He be the Compeller, you shall traverse the ocean of Compulsion after Creation, and if He be the Forgiver of a thing, you shall traverse the ocean of Subjugation, lest you behold the Countenance of God save through the Names and Attributes in all opposing conditions. Until now none has attained to God’s purpose in establishing these Names, but God has appointed a few servants for Him Whom God shall make manifest—these are they who gaze upon God their Lord as they traverse the ocean of Names and Attributes. These are the gems of the Bayan, around whom revolve night and day, and none knows their worth save God Who created them, then the Manifestation of His Self, and they glorify Him by night and day and they grow not weary.

Bab 4: Askhar

And He has four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Subjugating, the Most Subjugating.

There is no God but He, the Most Subjugating, the Most Subjugating. Say: God is the Most Subjugating above all possessors of subjugation. None can escape from the dominion of His subjugating power, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He creates what He wills by His command. Verily He has ever been the Subjugator, the Subduer, the Overpowering. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate those who prostrate, and praise be to God Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifies that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm. He gives life and causes death, then causes death and gives life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dies not, and the King Who passes not away, and the Just Who wrongs not, and the Sovereign Who changes not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapes nothing whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He creates what He wills by His command. Verily He has ever been the Subjugator, the Subduer, the Overpowering. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate all who are in the heavens and earth and between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifies that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then sovereignty and the human realm!

He giveth life and causeth death, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and a King that passeth not away, and Justice that oppresseth not, and a Sovereign that changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, neither aught between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God hath indeed subdued all things by His command. His is the creation and the command, both before and after. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God hath indeed subdued the sun and the moon and all the stars; they are all subdued by the command of their Lord. God is glorified in the evening and at sunrise. Say: Verily the heaven is like unto the earth—He hath subdued them both and cleft them asunder, raising this one and holding that one. Then above this He subdued the mountains, then within them He subdued the seas and rivers and whatsoever ye cultivate therein. These are the signs of God—can ye not see? Is there any god besides God, Creator of all things? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe! Is there any god besides God Who subdueth things? Say: Glory be to God—all are His worshippers.

Say: God subdueth what is beyond your power to subdue. Ye are not able to subdue even your own selves—how much less others! Nay, God hath subdued you and all things through what was revealed in the Bayan. Will ye not marvel? Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of might and majesty. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of countenance and beauty. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of power and action. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of mercy and bounty. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of dominion and justice. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of similitude and parables. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of stations and glory. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of grandeur and independence. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of pride and sublimity. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of might and invincibility. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of power and exaltation.

Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of joy and gladness. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of sovereignty and might. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of the kingdom and the realm. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of glory and omnipotence. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of power and divinity. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of strength and the Ruby. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, the Lord of sovereignty and the human realm.

Say: Verily God shall indeed subdue all things. He hath power over all things. Say: Verily the person who subdueth certain things—God hath already subdued them. Can ye not see? Say: Who subdued the First One and caused them to descend upon the Point of the Bayan, and held them in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, if ye but knew! Say: Who, save God, can subdue that which is revealed in the Bayan and hold it fast until the Day of Resurrection? Will ye not marvel? Say: Who, save He, hath subjected the heaven above you and the earth beneath you and the air between them both? Will ye not make haste to understand? Say: Who, save God, hath subjected the primal point in your mothers’ wombs, if ye but knew? Say: Who hath subjected the Tablet within your grasp and the pens in your right hands and the ink between them? Will ye not marvel? Say: None can subject flight to your control, and ye are powerless to subject it save as He willeth.

Verily, He hath power over all things. Say: All these are signs from Him Whom God shall make manifest, that ye may bear witness that there is none other God but Him, and that this is the mirror of His Self—all bow down before Him and all prostrate themselves before Him. The Kingdom on that Day belongeth to none save God, the One, the All-Compelling, Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of all things, beside Whom there is none other God, the One, the All-Glorious. Say: In Whose hand is the kingdom of all things, if ye but knew? Say: In God’s hand, Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and ye worship Him by night and by day. Say: Were the veil to be lifted from your eyes, all things would behold their beginning and their end, that they were created for Him Whom God shall make manifest. But when they learn of His manifestation, they work for other than Him and perceive it not. Say: Work not for any save God, lest ye enter into the Fire and know it not.

Work ye for God Who created you and sustained you and caused you to die and gave you life and enriched you and forgave you and exalted you and abased you and strengthened you and forsook you and honored you and tested you and taught you and withheld knowledge from you and doeth for you whatsoever He willeth. There is none other God but He, the One, the All-Glorious.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Compelling, the Most Compelling

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is none other God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Power, Thine the Strength and the Divinity, Thine the Force and the Ruby, Thine the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, Thine the Glory and the Majesty, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Perfection, Thine the Strength and the Action, Thine the Mercy and the Grace, Thine the Likeness and the Similitudes, Thine the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine the Greatness and the Independence, Thine the Pride and the Manifestation, Thine the Glory and the Inaccessibility, Thine the Power and the Exaltation, Thine the Joy and the Sovereignty and the Might, and Thine whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the kingdom of Thy Command and Thy creation.

Thou art He Who hath subjected all things by Thy power and made all things to prostrate before Thy face and hath caused the dwellers of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them to abide through Thy strength. Thou art resplendent in sovereignty and earthly dominion, made merciful through glory and majesty, perfected through radiance and beauty, exalted through the Face and perfection, glorified through power and action, made knowing through mercy and grace, empowered through authority and justice, made content through likeness and similitude, made compassionate through position and sublimity, ennobled through grandeur and independence, made sovereign through pride and majesty, given dominion through glory and invincibility, exalted through power and elevation, sanctified through joy and gladness, and made to subdue through sovereignty and might whatsoever Thou hast willed or shalt will of all that Thou hast created or shalt create.

Therefore I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thyself—naught being like unto Thee before Thee—to subdue the splendor of all things and their glory, the beauty of all things and their grandeur, the light of all things and their mercy, the words of all things and their perfection, the names of all things and their might, the will of all things and their knowledge, the power of all things and their expression, the love of all things and their honor, the sovereignty of all things and their dominion, the loftiness of all things and their signs, the essence of all things and their words, the existence of all things and their favors, the grace of all things and their manifestations, the appearance of all things and their concealments, and whatsoever names of goodness Thou possessest for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest and for Him Whom Thou hast manifested, and for every Sun of Truth Thou shalt manifest, whereby Thou shalt cause the manifestations before it to enter under its shadow, for all things are subdued by Thy power.

I beseech Thee by Thy power whereby Thou hast subdued all things, that Thou wilt subdue unto Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest all that are on earth. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things. And do Thou bestow upon Him, O my God, through Thy subduing power, Thy determining power, Thy compelling power, Thy mighty power, Thy transcendent power, Thy magnificent power, Thy glorious power, Thy supreme power, Thy sovereign power, and Thy invincible power. Verily, Thou art potent over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Subduing, the Most Subduing

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath subdued through His subduing power all existent things, and hath raised Himself in His elevation above all created things, and hath made Himself invincible in His invincibility above all atoms, and hath shown His dominion in His sovereignty over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven.

His creation beareth witness, as He Himself doth testify, that there is no God but the One, the All-Subduing, Who hath subdued all that He hath created and shall create through His essence which He hath manifested, and His abstraction which He hath made abstract, and His pristine nature which He hath made pristine, and His camphor-like quality which He hath made camphor-like, and His eternity which He hath made eternal, and His subduing power which He hath made subduing, and His creative power which He hath made creative, and His glory which He hath made glorious, and His majesty which He hath made majestic, and His beauty which He hath made beautiful, and His grandeur which He hath made grand, and His light which He hath made luminous, and His mercy which He hath made merciful, and His completeness which He hath made complete, and His perfection which He hath made perfect, and His greatness which He hath made great, and His knowledgeableness which He hath made knowing, and His powerfulness which He hath endowed with power, and His pleasingness which He hath made pleasing, and His belovedness which He hath made beloved, and His nobleness which He hath ennobled, and His sovereignty which He hath invested with sovereignty, and His dominion which He hath given dominion, and His loftiness which He hath exalted, and His precedence which He hath given precedence, and His wondrousness which He hath made wondrous, and His generosity which He hath made generous, and His bountifulness which He hath made bountiful, and His bestowal which He hath made bestowing, and whatsoever resembleth those exalted similitudes and those inaccessible proofs.

Through them He hath filled His heavens and His earth, for there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Subduing. He hath made subject unto the Seven Letters, His servant and His Word, whatsoever He hath created and will create through His power, that they who seek may recognize that He is the Object of all names and attributes, the One glorified in the kingdom of holiness, the Doer of whatsoever He willeth. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Great, the Most Exalted.

The fourth in the fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Subduing, the Most Subduing.

All praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Subduing, the Most Subduing. And verily all glory from God be upon the Primal Unity and upon them who resemble that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the Primal Unity.

I testify that God, glorified be He, hath ever been and will ever be powerful over all His names and their likenesses, and unapproachable in all His qualities and attributes. He subdueth whatsoever He willeth, howsoever He willeth, through whatsoever means He willeth.

Verily thou art in the Bayan. That which God hath not permitted thee, seek not to subdue, and that which He hath permitted thee, subdue all who are not in the Bayan that thou mayest cause them to enter into the Bayan. This is from the good-pleasure of God, the Help in Peril, the All-Subduing.

Know thou the science of talismans in their beginning and their end, their outward form and their inner meaning, for therein lie mighty wonders and exalted mysteries. Yet this is for the establishment of truth, not for what the desires of men may dictate. For if thou shouldst recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest, thou wouldst subdue one through prostration and faith in Him. Otherwise thy knowledge and power of subduing will profit thee not. From dust thou came and to dust thou shalt return, while the Cause remaineth with God, the One, the Inaccessible.

Join not two through this knowledge except through truth, nor separate them except through truth, for all things have their proper effect. Draw not nigh unto that which God hath not permitted thee. God created not this name save for the time when He Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, shall subdue whatsoever He willeth, that thou mayest witness the compelling power of God, the One, the All-Subduing. And should He compel thee, thou shalt witness the compelling power of the One, the All-Compelling. Should He forgive thee, thou shalt witness the forgiveness of God, the One, the All-Forgiving. Should He deal justly with thee, thou shalt witness the justice of God, the One, the Just. Should He show grace unto thee, thou shalt witness the grace of God, the One, the All-Bountiful.

Yet move not from the Point of the Bayan, lest the mystery become difficult for thee in the kingdom of names and similitudes, for all names belong to God, exalted be His glory, and He has permitted none to bear them save Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His bounty. Therefore, bear witness unto all names and attributes from that Source, and in all else, follow what God has permitted thee, for this is the path of God, the One, the Bountiful.

Bab 5: AHsab

It has four stations. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Reckoning, the Most Reckoning.

There is no God but He, the Most Reckoning, the Most Reckoning. Say: God is the Most Reckoning above all who reckon. None can escape from the dominion of His reckoning, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the Reckoner, the All-Counting, the All-Sufficing.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them stand in devotion. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the kingdom and the dominion, then the might and the omnipotence, then the power and divinity, then the strength and sovereignty, then the rule and the earthly realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed be He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted be He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God will assuredly reckon with you on the Day of Resurrection through Him Whom God shall make manifest. Will ye not, then, be God-fearing? Fear ye the Day when God will call you to account, for on that Day ye shall know. Perchance ye have worshipped from the beginning of your lives until the time when He Whom God shall make manifest reckoneth with you, and He recordeth that ye have not worshipped God and that ye shall enter the fire, because ye followed Him not and were among those who were veiled from the signs of God from His presence.

And perchance one who was not of your religion at the time He maketh Himself known—say: Yea—then it shall be written for him that he hath worshipped God from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end. This is God’s bounty unto the God-fearing. Yet We find not the worth of your religion to be as much as a grain of gold, for were anyone to call you to account for it, ye would reject it. But He Who created you, sustained you, caused you to die and gave you life, desireth to reckon with you on the Day of Resurrection after the number of the letter Vav hath been fulfilled, and ye reject not the signs of the One within yourselves, nor the paths of the Qur’an leading to its Lord, and ye think ye do good, but We have taken account of what ye did and what We have brought you, and We have reckoned with you and taken from your hands Our possessions, and We have made you unjustified upon the earth.

Say: Our possessions are Our paths in the Book, after the verses of the One in your hearts and spirits and souls and bodies. If ye reckon with yourselves in relation to Him Whom God shall make manifest as ye reckon with one another in your religion, then ye shall be God-fearing. But ye shall be called to account for the mithqal of gold which God hath commanded you to return unto Him Who shall give it unto you, that ye may reckon with yourselves regarding your faith in His presence. For if the measure of your faith be less than a mithqal of gold, then by this shall ye reckon with yourselves, yet by this shall they not reckon. And were We to establish Our authority over the earth and all that is thereon, We would assuredly call everyone to account for every general and particular thing they do in their religion and their worldly affairs. We forgive whom We will and We take to account whom We will, for verily We have knowledge of all things and We have power over all things.

And if God hath not manifested the means for this, then We have already reckoned with you through Our word in the Bayan, and behold, ye know. Yet ye arise but little from your slumber. Say: If ye follow the religion of your worldly life according to God’s command, then how is it that ye follow not your religion by returning unto God all that He hath created? And ye reckon that ye are religious. Nay, We have witnessed no religion in you, neither in faith nor in worldly matters, nor in this religion of yours. Perchance ye may become certain in your religion. All that ye possess hath appeared through what was revealed in the Furqan. This is the key to Our possessions with you. How is it that ye return them not unto Us while ye yourselves until now dispose of them without right? That is concerning your religion. We have left you not a single letter, and We have made lawful unto you but nineteen times nineteen letters, and We were witness over all things.

In your worldly life, from the beginning of your lives unto their end, ye say with your tongues that unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them, and that unto Him all shall return. How is it then that ye dedicate not unto God yourselves and what ye possess, after ye have read and witnessed that unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them? We have not made lawful unto you even the measure of a single soul, yet behold, ye dispose without right. Verily I am God, there is no God but Me. I have taken account of everything in its religion and its worldly affairs, and all possess therein without right. Therefore abase not yourselves on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest by withholding aught from the Possessor of your religion and your worldly affairs.

And if ye enter into the Bayan, then your religion and your worldly affairs shall be made lawful unto you until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Then all that ye possess shall be forbidden unto you, unless ye act by the leave of Him Whom God shall make manifest. If anyone oweth a debt to another—even if it be five mithqals of brass, whereof a hundred equal one mithqal of silver—they must not rest in peace until they return it, for God hath willed this. Yet ye are circumspect and vigilant in the affairs of your worldly existence, while in matters of your Faith ye take not account of yourselves before Him Who created you, sustained you, caused you to die and brought you to life. How then shall it be with your world, if ye but reflect a little? We observed not that ye presented yourselves before Us when We commanded you to do so. How then shall We reckon with you when ye present not yourselves before God?

How shall God take account of you when ye recognize not the God Who created you, sustained you, and gave you life, though ye count yourselves among the righteous? Nay, God hath created naught except in truth, and this He hath desired only for the Manifestation of His Self, yet all of you remain far removed from the will of God. Ye must watch over yourselves in your worldly transactions with one another, even to the seventieth part of a mustard seed and less, keeping precise account. Yet ye place not your religious obligations upon your necks when ye have the power to discharge them. Ye must settle your accounts with one another with the utmost dispatch that ye are able. For your hearts become attached when there is an account between you and another. Ye must loose the cord of your hearts from this, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may turn unto Him Whom God shall make manifest.

It is as though We behold you on the Day of Resurrection reckoning with one another regarding your worldly affairs, yet ye reckon not with Him Whom God shall make manifest in matters of your Faith and your world, nor do ye remember this. Woe unto you and the extent of your knowledge of God, your Lord! Are ye content with that which is lower in preference to that which is highest? Will ye not understand and reflect? Glorified be God above all that He hath created and will create, and all shall return unto Him. Exalted be God above all that hath been and shall be reckoned, and unto Him shall all be turned. Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Forgive me when Thou takest account of me, for I possess neither Faith nor world before Thee. If Thou takest account of me by pardoning me, verily Thou art the Most Excellent of the bountiful. And if Thou seizest me for my every whole and part, verily Thou art the Most Excellent of the just.

I have no refuge save in Thee, and verily Thou art the Best of reckoners. Thy decree is justice and Thy reckoning truth wherein is no wrong, and verily Thou art cognizant of all things and verily Thou art informed of all things.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Reckoning, the Most Reckoning.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Ruby, Thine the Sovereignty and the Human realm, Thine the Glory and the Majesty, Thine is splendor and beauty, Thine is grace and perfection, Thine are the parables and similitudes, Thine are the stations and exaltation, Thine are mercy and bounty, Thine are might and justice, Thine are power and efficacy, Thine are majesty and independence, Thine are greatness and sublimity, Thine are honor and immunity, Thine are strength and ascendancy, Thine are gladness and rapture, Thine are sovereignty and dominion, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

I testify, and all things testify, that wert Thou to call anyone to account on the Day of Judgment as one would reckon with another in this world, none could withstand Thy reckoning, how much less before the subtlety of Thy vision and the precision of Thy all-encompassing knowledge. Glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou! If someone brings something to another and experiences it, then on another day he will account for himself according to what has transpired for him. Thou hast completed the Qur’an and all that is therein for all Thy creation and hast granted them a respite of one thousand two hundred and sixty-seven years that they might profit by what Thou hadst given them. Wherefore that is the Day of Reckoning, when none shall come to repay that which he hath received, and all shall possess, without right, that which is with them.

Though Thou art independent of them and what they possess, they are in need of Thy reckoning, just as one who deals favorably with a poor person needs the accounting of the one for whom he trades. If his owner did not reckon with him, his heart would not be at peace.

Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! By Thy might, I have seen none among Thy creation raise their insight to the measure of one person’s trade with another. But I, O my God, will not reckon with anyone, and I commit all affairs unto Thee until the Day when Thou shalt appear and the Manifestation of Thy Self shall be revealed. Then shalt Thou reckon with all Thy creation through Thy true judgment and just decree. Besides this, I find no way.

Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. I have indeed been among those who reckon. But I bear witness that my religion is from Thee and my worldly affairs are in Thy hands, both held within Thy grasp. Thou hast given them to me that I might trade with them, and I shall return my being to Thee, however I may possess it. I am as certain of this as I am of Thy oneness, and I glory in it as I glory in my faith in Thy Lordship. I fear not, nor am I afraid, for I have not been veiled from Thee in any matter, and I have not disposed of Thy wealth except by Thy leave. Thou art sufficient as a witness over me. I possess naught but myself, and Thou art sufficient as One Who encompasses all things.

Should Thou manifest the causes of Thy power, then I shall reckon with all Thy creation. Otherwise, the Command is Thine, from Thee, through Thee, and unto Thee alone. There is no God but Thee. Verily, Thou art the Best of Reckoners.

The Third of the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Reckoning, the Most Reckoning

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His transcendence above all contingent beings, Who hath manifested His dominion above all existing things, Who hath revealed His mastery above all created things, Who hath established His sovereignty above all that is in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who hath demonstrated His reckoning above all atoms.

I testify, and all His creation testifies, that there is no God but Him, Who is too glorious and exalted to reckon by His Own Self the account of any of His creatures. He hath chosen a dominant Sign, an all-embracing Word, an elevated Essence, a sanctified Being, a unique Identity, and hath delegated unto it the reckoning of all things. None can revoke what He hath confirmed, and none can confirm what He hath revoked.

He hath extended the reckoning of His creation from one Resurrection to another, as a token of honor unto them lest they be disgraced, and as a protection for them lest they be tried. He hath reckoned with all His creation from one Resurrection to another through the Thrones of His Manifestation. Whosoever is reckoned with in that Resurrection shall ultimately arrive at the Resurrection of Him Whom God shall make manifest. That is the Day whereon God shall reckon with all His creation through the Manifestation of His Self.

O all things! From that Day forth ye shall be God-fearing. For there shall be naught but “yea” or “nay.” Should ye possess all things, they would not benefit you without a “yea,” and a “nay” would harm you. And should ye possess nothing, a “yea” would benefit you and a “nay” would not harm you, if ye be among those who believe in God and in Him Whom God shall make manifest. Verily, I fear not for you at the station of reckoning that He Whom God shall make manifest should utter “Nay,” while you and your deeds would perish and you would be unaware. Therefore, watch over your souls lest you be veiled from the Proof of your religion. Perchance you may hold fast unto that Proof on the Day of Resurrection and believe in God and His Proof. Should He reckon with you by saying “Yea,” then be thankful, and should He reckon with you by saying “Nay,” then seek His forgiveness, then return unto Him and repent.

For verily, if after possessing all things, the word “Nay” is pronounced, it shall profit you not. How then will it be when He takes something from you that affects your hearts? How then when God takes from you all that you possess, yet you are neither affected nor do you remember? Therefore, have mercy upon yourselves, then upon your own souls.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Reckoning, the Most Reckoning.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Reckoning, the Most Reckoning. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon those who resemble that Unity wherein naught is seen except the First Unity. And after thou hast realized the Day of Resurrection and He Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, reckons with thee by saying “Yea,” say: “Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. Verily, Thou art the best of the most excellent ones.” And should He reckon with thee by saying “Nay,” if thy spirit be not seized by the intensity thereof, thou wouldst not be human. And if thy spirit be seized within thyself and thou art able to seek forgiveness and then repent unto Him, hasten to do so. Occupy not thyself with thy deeds, for the fruit of deeds is that thou shouldst hear “Yea” on the Day of Reckoning. And verily thou hast wasted thy deeds, so with what wilt thou occupy thyself? Return unto Him and be of the penitent ones.

And if anyone is to be reckoned by His command, it behooveth that the shadow of that Name be attached to thy heart if thou seest none other than God, the One, the Reckoner.

Bab 6: Ajbar

And it hath four stations. The First in the First.

In the Name of God, the Most Compelling, the Most Compelling.

There is no God but He, the Most Compelling, the Most Compelling. Say: God is more compelling than every possessor of compelling power. None in the heavens or on the earth or what lieth between them can resist the power of His compelling sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the Compeller, the Compelling, the All-Compelling. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him.

And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Nature, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Nature. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. And blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

And exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All stand in awe of His fear. Say: Should He Whom God shall make manifest compel you against your pleasure, that indeed is God’s compulsion in the Book, and ye shall now submit. Say: God’s compulsion is justice in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and this is a bounty from His presence unto all worlds. Say: God hath created names that ye may through them perceive the attributes of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then unto Him shall ye return in the ocean of names and attributes. When ye witness compulsion from Him Who compels by His leave, then ye behold compulsion, and when ye see bounty from His presence by His permission, then ye witness bounty. That is the shadow of compulsion from the Sun of Truth, then the shadow of bounty from His presence which ye witness in its mirrors.

All this is when ye behold from Him Whom God shall make manifest that which weigheth heavy upon your hearts, then ye shall at once submit to God’s justice and resign yourselves to God’s compulsion. Say: We have believed in God, the Compeller of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them, the Just, the Self-Subsisting, the Eternal. And when ye behold from His presence that which brings solace to your hearts, then ye shall at once give thanks, saying: This is from God’s bounty, the Self-Subsisting, the Beloved. Say: All is from God and verily we submit to whatsoever appeareth from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say: Should He Whom God shall make manifest leave none upon the earth, that indeed would be justice—why and wherefore do ye not speak concerning God’s compulsion? And should He grieve no one upon the earth, that is God’s bounty—why and wherefore do ye not speak concerning God’s bounty?

Say: The compulsion that is attributed to God is that which is manifest in the Bayan. Therefore fear God and enter into God’s religion. Say: Until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, your deeds are attributed to God, even were ye to attain the highest degrees of piety. Then if ye follow not Him Whom God shall make manifest from His presence, may your compulsion be changed to mercy from God’s presence that ye may not grieve on the Day of Resurrection as champions of truth. And may your wrath be changed to compassion from God’s presence that ye may not be overcome as champions of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Do ye not see how God hath made the outward aspect of that Gate a blessing unto those who know not its inner reality, and the inner reality of the Gate a mercy unto those who have believed in God and His signs and who submit to God’s command? Likewise shall ye assume in all your attributes that which attracts the hearts of all beings.

If ye exercise outward compulsion, inwardly ye show mercy, and if ye show outward mercy, inwardly ye take hold of the thread of compulsion; and if ye manifest outward wrath, in your inmost heart ye spread forth the waters of life; and if ye show love outwardly, then in your inmost heart ye reveal but a drop of anger. All this ye do amongst yourselves, but before God ye are all as ye were on the day He created you. Therefore, manifest not before Him Whom God shall make manifest, nor before them who shall return unto Him, aught save that wherein both ye and they would find delight. Adorn yourselves, therefore, with the attributes of your Lord. Manifest not compulsion save unto them that are believers in the Cause of God, and in like manner in all your attributes, if ye be of them that walk in the path of God with godly fear.

And unto God belongeth the compelling power of the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them, and God is the Compeller, the All-Compelling, the Compelled.

Say: Should He Whom God shall make manifest constrain you through His command, then unto the Day of Resurrection shall ye ascend through His constraint. And should He ordain mercy from His presence, then unto the Day of Resurrection shall ye be raised up in His mercy. Therefore commit no deed whereby ye may be justly constrained, while ye perceive it not, and grieve no one lest ye be overcome, while ye witness it not.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Verily, Thou art the Compeller of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. All that hath been created and shall be created dost Thou constrain in truth. Verily, Thou art the Most Compelling of compellers. Do Thou raise up servants who shall, through Thy power, constrain all who are on earth, that they may enter into Thy Faith, and then show mercy unto them.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Verily, Thou art the Most Merciful of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Then all that hath been created and shall be created dost Thou show mercy unto in truth. Verily, Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful. Do Thou raise up servants who shall show mercy from Thy presence unto those who truly believe in the Bayan. And make these the manifestations of the power of Him Whom God shall make manifest, who shall leave none on earth who believe not in Him except that they shall prevail over them. And these are the manifestation of mercy unto those who believe in God and His signs, and who are assured of the manifestation of His Self on the Day of Resurrection.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Compelling, the Most Compelling

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divine Essence, Thine the Strength and the Substance, Thine the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, Thine the Glory and the Majesty, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Perfection, Thine the Likeness and the Examples, Thine the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine the Mercy and the Grace, Thine the Authority and the Justice, Thine the Force and the Effectiveness, Thine the Greatness and the Independence, Thine the Awe and the Revelation, Thine the Glory and the Invincibility, Thine the Power and the Exaltation, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, Thine the Sovereignty and the Might, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation.

Thou hast ever been the Compeller of compellers, the Subduer of subduers, the Most Severe of the severe, the Supreme of the supreme, the Most Powerful of the powerful, the Most Triumphant of the triumphant, the Most Forbidding of forbidders. O my God! In Thy constraint there is no injustice, and in Thy subjugation there is no deviation. Therefore I beseech Thee by Thy might and Thy holiness that Thou wilt, through Thy bounty, make me independent of all else but Thee, and through Thy grace, shield me from Thy subjugation, and through Thy favor, protect me from Thy justice, and through Thy pardon, preserve me from Thy grasp, and through Thy generosity, save me from Thy vengeance, for all are impoverished before Thee and none possesseth anything save through Thee.

Thou hast ever been the Subduer over all contingent beings, the Manifest over all created things, the Compeller over all existences, the Mighty over all atoms, and the Sovereign over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. O God! Thou shalt raise up servants for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, whose hearts Thou hast created from the mountains of Thy might, that they may, through Thy indomitable power and transcendent sovereignty, prevail over those who believe not in Him. Create within them, through Thy mercy and loving-kindness, guides to His faith and love, and witnesses to His nearness and presence, and make them manifestations of Thy sovereignty over those who are veiled and of Thy mercy towards the believers. For verily Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, the Living, the Self-Sustaining, the All-Ruling, the All-Subduing, the Holy, the Everlasting, the Independent, the Most Exalted, the Inaccessible, the Most High.

Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son. Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Through the sovereignty of Thy might, Thou hast bestowed upon me a wondrous Temple that existed not before, and a sphere of glory the like of which hath never been, and Tablets inscribed in the Book, and inaccessible Tablets manifest in the hands of the servants, as a bounty from Thee. Verily, Thou art the All-Subduing, the All-Bountiful. This is what Thou hast manifested through my influence among Thy servants. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee, the One, the Compeller.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Compelling, the Most Compelling

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself through the sovereignty of His might above all contingent beings, and hath prevailed through the dominion of His power over all created things, and hath taken possession through the authority of His strength over whatsoever He willeth among all existences, and hath established His rule through the dominion of His sovereignty over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and hath demonstrated His power through the sovereignty of His might over all atoms. All His creation beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the One, the Compeller—a testimony resplendent, majestic, beauteous, magnificent, luminous, merciful, perfect, eloquent, mighty, glorious, efficacious, decisive, powerful, well-pleasing, loving, noble, sovereign, royal, and sublime.

A testimony whose beginning indicateth His primacy, whose end evidenceth the finality of its Educator, whose outward aspect attesteth the manifestness of its Originator, and whose inward reality proveth the hiddenness of its Creator. A testimony that filleth the pillars of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them: There is no God but Him, the One, the All-Luminous.

Then He and all His creation bear witness that He Whom God shall make manifest is the Sun of His Revelation, the Mystery of His Concealment, the Essence of His Secret, the Camphor of His Manifestation, the Substance of His Cause, the Embodiment of His Creation, and the Glory of His Self. God hath chosen Him for the station of His Own Self from the most exalted summit of holiness of all contingent beings, and hath delegated to Him the command of all things inasmuch as He desireth naught but what God desireth. The acknowledgment of His sovereignty hath been joined with recognition of His oneness, and hath made that which descendeth upon Him the Guardian over all that hath been revealed, and that which appeareth from His presence concerning the measures of all things the Guardian over whatsoever He hath manifested through all that He hath created and will create.

For through Him is God worshipped and unified, through Him is God described and magnified, through Him is God sanctified and praised, through Him is God exalted and glorified, and through Him are the heavens and earth and all that lieth between them filled. There is no God but Him, the One, the Manifest.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Compelling, the Most Compelling.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Compelling, the Most Compelling. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. And furthermore, I testify that the compelling power of God is justice and the justice of God is truth, and this appeareth not save at the dawning of the compelling power of Him Whom God shall make manifest, that ye may witness that He is justice and may testify concerning His justice that it is truth, for God hath created the names that thou mayest witness in the Countenance of Truth their attributes in every name, description, meaning and capacity, and that thou mayest attain unto that Source of Truth in whatsoever thou art able to set forth in the tablets of form.

Then bear witness that God, glorified be He, hath given the Word of the Bab the number of “Ha” in utterance, and the number of “Ha” following the first in verses, communions, sermons, commentaries, and whatsoever God hath manifested through His Proof from among words in foreign tongues. Then there are the effects which have appeared in His handwriting: the pentacles, books, tablets, and graceful missives, whether they be according to the pattern of the five effects or one of them. This is of His grace unto His servants. O all things, be ye thankful unto Me!

Bab 7: Amhal

And it hath four stages. The First in the First.

In the Name of God, the Most Patient, the Most Patient.

There is no God but He, the Most Patient, the Most Patient. Say: God is more patient than any possessed of patience. None can escape from the dominion of His patience’s sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been patient, long-suffering, and forbearing. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him in prostration.

And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are His worshippers. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who is not ungenerous, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. And blessed is He, unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and all that lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: God, verily, granteth you respite from one Revelation unto another that ye may, during your prolonged reprieve, make ready your souls for the meeting with your Lord. Yet from one Revelation unto another ye remain heedless. We granted respite unto the people of the Qur’an for the number of the name of Grace in the Book of God, but We witnessed no shame among the people of Islam throughout their reprieve. Rather, their wretchedness and their veils grew more severe. Therefore fear God, then be ye of them that fear Him. For the length of your night is for your own selves, but on the Day of Resurrection ye shall act. Who else would grant you such respite as this, did ye but know?

Say: Nothing can frustrate God from hastening your destruction, yet He granteth you respite that He may intensify your fire. Then will He seize you by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Say: Fire is extinguished at the mention of God, so how is it that ye are not extinguished on the Day of Resurrection before Him Whom God shall make manifest? Say: Should He Whom God shall make manifest grant you respite and ascend to heaven saying “No,” then all your essences and deeds would be rendered void. Therefore fear God in the days of your respite that ye may attain unto the command of God. We have granted respite from the beginning of this Cause until now, and We have dealt with you through the days that ye might feel some shame and remember.

Then shall We seize you with a trial, and ye shall not be able to turn back the decree of God. O all things! While ye have power to do good, acquire it, for after your respite in your Cause, ye may not be able to acquire aught. Say: God feareth not the passing of time, and granteth you respite only that He may seize you with a severe seizing. Verily He is the All-Compelling, the Manifest, the Sublime.

Say: God loveth that His attribute of clemency be made manifest in the Book which ye reveal one to another. Make ye no stipulations in the course of your affairs, and should anyone seek respite from you, grant it forthwith. This is what God hath prescribed for you, O people of knowledge and wisdom, that ye may fear God on the Day of Resurrection. Whosoever seeketh respite from another, it is incumbent according to the Book to grant it, even if he be not a believer. This is the path of God, both before and after, in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and all that lieth between them, O all things, follow ye it!

Say: God granteth you respite from one Resurrection unto another. How is it that ye grant not respite one to another even for numbered days? Should anyone grant respite to another as a bounty from himself, God will grant him a goodly provision in the life to come and in this life, and will multiply what is written for him from His presence. Verily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.

And God hath ordained for him who seeketh aught from anyone, and beareth witness that he is unable to repay it, that he should not ask of him again, and should grant him respite in the path of God, that God may give unto him twice as much as he had desired to take from him—nay, two thousand times as much—as a bounty from His presence, in the Book. Verily, there is none other God but He, the Protector, the Most Exalted. But you are ashamed to return anyone’s property to its owner and cannot bear to wait even a little while, though you should return it immediately. God has prescribed for you in your journeying and your dwelling, in your religion and your worldly affairs, and in your latter and former states, the paths of truth from His presence, that you may be grateful in the religion of God. Grant respite to all who seek your protection, even if they be not of your religion, as a bounty from God upon you and them.

Verily, He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, the Most Excellent. Say: Through this they enter into the religion of God, and you should not grieve about this in your religion. Whosoever seeks protection with another and is not granted it shall enter the fire, even if he has not entered the Bayan. O all things! You are awaiting the Cause of God. Whosoever seeks your protection, protect them, that God may protect you from difficulties on the Day of Resurrection when all shall be brought before Him. Say: Whosoever desires respite from another or seeks protection with another who grants it—for these two are manifested in the Bayan—these two shall enter Paradise and be encompassed by mercy, even if they were not among the believers. All this is so that on the Day of Resurrection you may not judge except with truth. If anyone seeks your protection and asks you for respite, show them from the Book of God and do not grieve them.

To God belongs all respite in the kingdom of the heavens and earth and what lies between them. God is the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent. God is the All-Knowing, the Omniscient, the All-Informed. God is the All-Wise, the Judge, the Most Wise. God is the Sovereign, the Supreme, the Almighty. God is the King, the Owner, the Sovereign. He causes whomsoever He wishes to enter His mercy. Verily, He is the Most Merciful, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Patient, the Most Patient

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, and Thine is the Might and the Power, and Thine is the Strength and the Sovereignty, and Thine is the Force and the Grandeur, and Thine is the Rule and the Realm, and Thine is the Glory and the Majesty, and Thine is the Beauty and the Grace, and Thine is the Countenance and the Perfection, and Thine are the Symbols and the Examples, and Thine are the Stations and the Magnificence, and Thine is the Mercy and the Bounty, and Thine is the Authority and the Justice, and Thine is the Greatness and the Independence, and Thine is the Awe and the Sublimity, and Thine is the Might and the Inaccessibility, and Thine is the Power and the Exaltation, and Thine is the Joy and the Gladness, and Thine is the Dominion and the Power.

Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Living, the Everlasting Sovereign, the Supreme, the Holy, the Eternal, the Everlasting! Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and there is no partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power Thou hast created all things and ordained them according to Thy decree. By Thy will Thou hast formed all things and shaped them according to Thy design. Thou hast ever been supreme over all created things, manifest above all existing things, inaccessible above all beings, exalted above all creatures, and transcendent above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven.

Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken, for verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the King Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things. Sanctified are Thy names and exalted are Thy likenesses, and there is nothing that can be likened unto Thee. Thou hast ever granted Thy servants respite that they might turn to Thee from one Manifestation unto another. How sublime is Thy forbearance toward Thy creation and how glorious are Thy gifts unto Thy servants! Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die by Thy power. Thy forbearance and patience proceed from naught else but Thy grace and mercy. Thou hast ever been powerful over all things and manifest above all things.

Only he who fears losing something hastens in a matter, but glorified and exalted art Thou above having anything escape Thy grasp or flee from the right hand of Thy sovereignty. Glorified and exalted art Thou! How great is Thy forbearance from Manifestation to Manifestation that Thy creatures might live and worship Thee in every Revelation according to Thy reality. Then throughout their nights and in the days of Thy forbearance they follow Thy commandments and are strengthened by what Thou hast ordained for them of Thy ways and Thy prevailing wisdom from among those who know Thee, and Thy binding command from those who serve Thee. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Glorified and sanctified art Thou! Creation is Thine and command is from Thee and unto Thee alone, no partner hast Thou. Verily Thou art the All-Bestowing, the Most Exalted, the Inaccessible. Verily Thou art the Munificent, the Most High, the Generous. Verily Thou art the Beneficent, the All-Ruling, the Great.

Verily Thou art the Peace-Giving, the Almighty, the All-Wise. Verily Thou art the All-Compelling, the Irresistible, the Most Powerful.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Forbearing, the Most Forbearing.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath prevailed in His dominion above all existing things, Who hath appeared in His manifestation above all created things, Who hath demonstrated His might above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who hath shown His power above all atoms. He is the One exalted above every description and likeness, and the Single One sanctified from every mention and comparison. He hath made Himself known through Himself—verily there is no God but He, the One, the Most Forbearing. He hath chosen for Himself an exalted Essence, then revealed Himself unto it through it, and cast into its identity the likeness of His Own Being. Thus did His deeds appear through it, and His manifestations became evident, and His likenesses shone forth, and His words were uttered, and His revelations were exalted.

He therefore called Himself and all His creation to witness that there is none other God but Him, and that the Seven Letters are His servant and His Word. Through Him hath He granted respite to all things from their Resurrection unto their Resurrection, and hath willed, then commanded forbearance in His earthly kingdom as a token of grace unto His weak creatures and as a kindness to the inhabitants of His realm, that all His servants might thereby give thanks unto God and bear witness at all times, before all times, and after all times, that there is none other God but Him, the Sanctified, the Exalted.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Forbearing, the Most Forbearing.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Forbearing, the Most Forbearing. And verily all glory be from God upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One wherein naught can be seen except the First One. I moreover bear witness that all names in their station are like unto the Most Exalted Names. For instance, when thou art compelled to seek forbearance, then nothing will benefit thee except forbearance, and no other station of the Names will profit thee. Look, therefore, only to that which is manifest in the Names, and that which is hidden within them, and that which is first among them, and that which is last upon them. For verily He Who created thee is He Who sustained thee, and He Who sustained thee is He Who caused thee to die, and He Who caused thee to die is He Who gave thee life, and He Who gave thee life is He Who granted thee forbearance, and He Who granted thee forbearance is He Who exalted thee. There is none other God but Him.

His are the most beautiful names. All that are in the heavens and on earth and between them glorify Him. There is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Forbearing.

Should anyone grant forbearance in His path, God will assuredly manifest it, for this is among the attributes of God’s forbearance, exalted be His glory. Abandon not this attribute, nor the attribute of him who seeketh protection, for both are from the might of God, the One, the Jealous, and from the loftiness of God, the One, the Great. Whosoever seeketh thy protection, grant it unto him, and whosoever desireth forbearance from thee, grant him forbearance, for verily He hath commanded thee thus, and He is indeed the All-Forbearing, the Forbearing, the Most Forbearing.

Bab 8: Arsal

And it hath four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Sending, the Most Sending.

There is none other God but Him, the Most Sending, the Most Sending. Say: God sendeth above all sending. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can resist the sovereignty of His sending. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the Sender, the Most Sending, the All-Sending. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and between them. Say: All bow down before Him in adoration. Praise be to God, Whom all in the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them doth glorify. Say: All are humbly submissive unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who oppresseth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down, on this Night of Independence, Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest and the exponents of His Cause, through all the good that Thy knowledge encompasseth. Verily, Thou art the All-Encompassing, and Thou hast power over all things.

O God! Do Thou aid those who, on the Day of Resurrection, will help Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest. Exalt them, enrich them, strengthen them, and grant them dominion over all the world. O God! Bring low those who believe not in Him and seize them with a mighty seizing. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with might and grandeur. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan with power and divine essence. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with sovereignty and earthly dominion. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with glory and majesty. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with countenance and beauty.

Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with visage and perfection. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with strength and action. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with might and justice. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with similitude and parables. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord!

Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with stations and sublimity. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with grandeur and independence. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with majesty and transcendence. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with might and invincibility. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with power and exaltation.

Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with gladness and joy. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon the Point of the Bayan and the exponents of His Cause with sovereignty and might. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send down Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee with dominion and kingdom. Glory be unto Thee, O God, my Lord! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through power and the Divine Realm. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through might and the ruby.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through sovereignty and the human realm. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through glory and majesty. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through the countenance and beauty. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through the face and perfection. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through power and deed. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through mercy and bounty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through might and justice. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through similitude and parables. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through grandeur and independence. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through majesty and glory. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through might and inaccessibility. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through power and exaltation.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through joy and gladness. Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Send Thy blessings upon those who have ascended unto Thee through sovereignty and might.

Say: Verily God hath sent all His Messengers that ye should worship none but God and that ye should be believers in Him Whom God shall manifest. Say: He will assuredly send whom He willeth, and they shall be sent by God’s leave.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the omnipotence, Thine the power and the divine realm, Thine the strength and the ruby, Thine the sovereignty and the human realm, Thine the glory and majesty, Thine the face and perfection, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the power and deed, Thine the might and justice, Thine the similitude and parables, Thine the stations and glory, Thine the grandeur and independence, Thine the awesomeness and majesty, Thine the might and inaccessibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and might, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! This is a night which Thou hast magnified, honored, preferred, exalted, beautified, glorified and elevated, and named it the Night of Independence. Therein Thou hast opened the gates of Thy heaven and permitted the angels to raise unto Thee the voices of Thy servants, and commanded the angels of the Throne to call out to those on earth:

“Call ye upon God Who created you and sustained you and caused you to die and gave you life, that ye may glorify Him in like manner.”

O my God! I call upon Thee, seeking from all things Thy bounty, the abundance of Thy generosity, Thy favors, Thy grace, Thy gifts, Thy beneficence, Thy tender mercies, Thy compassion and Thy bestowals. O Lord! Elevate the stations of those who have ascended unto Thee with their hearts, their spirits, their souls and their bodies. O God!

Cause to descend upon them on that night, through Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, the most resplendent of all Thy glory, the most sublime of all Thy majesty, the most beautiful of all Thy beauty, the most magnificent of all Thy grandeur, the most luminous of all Thy light, the most extensive of all Thy mercy, the most perfect of all Thy words, the greatest of all Thy names, the most mighty of all Thy power, the most decisive of all Thy will, the most penetrating of all Thy knowledge, the most beloved and noble of all Thy causes, the most honorable of all Thy honor, the most enduring of all Thy sovereignty, the most excellent of all Thy dominion, the most exalted of all Thy loftiness, and of all Thy names and attributes that which befitteth the sublimity of Thy might and the exaltation of Thy glory. That is the night when the angels descend upon them and command those on earth to stand before them. O God!

Exalt the remembrance of Thy loved ones, their first and their last, their outer and their inner reality, and elevate their stations to the highest chambers and the most exalted throne. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the name of God, the Most Manifest, the Most Manifest!

May the most resplendent glory of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. Then may the most sublime majesty of God be upon thee, and His most magnificent grandeur be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most luminous light of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most extensive mercy of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the greatest names of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most perfect perfection of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most mighty power of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most penetrating knowledge of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most potent decree of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade.

And may the most pleasing utterance be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most honorable honor of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most enduring sovereignty of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most excellent dominion of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And may the most exalted loftiness of God be upon thee and upon those who seek shelter beneath thy shade. And verily among the signs of God unto thee and unto those who seek shelter beneath thy shade—the most glorious of them—God and His angels and those endowed with knowledge have ever invoked blessings upon thee concerning the letters of thy self and upon those who have ascended unto thee through their love for thee. And God will surely bestow His grace upon those who uphold not thy rights and the rights of those who have ascended unto God through thy truth.

Neither thou nor those with thee were ever abased, for glory belongeth unto God and unto His Messenger and unto those who have believed in God and His signs, and who ascend in His good-pleasure. And God will surely cause to enter into paradise whosoever offereth unto thee a service or expendeth aught in thy path, after having recognized thy right and thy station before God, thy Lord. And as to those who dwell beneath thy shade, God regardeth them with the eye of His love and will surely increase His bounty unto them in all things. Grieve not, for ye shall behold in the chambers of your paradise that which ye desire of God’s grace, and God will show you those who believed not in Him as though non-existent upon the earth. Verily He is the All-Knowing, the Powerful, the Mighty.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Sending, the Most Sending.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Sending, the Most Sending. And verily all glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. I testify that there is no sender save God, exalted be His glory, and God hath sent no Messenger nor revealed any Book except that all believe in the Tree of Truth from the beginning that hath no beginning until this moment. This is the fruit of the Messengers and the Books, where the Tree of Truth is not seen alone upon that mountain, though all imagine themselves to be doing what pleaseth God. When thou art given the essence of knowledge, bear witness that the fruit of all the Messengers and all the Books is that thou shouldst worship God and associate naught with Him. And this is impossible unless thou believest in Him Whom God shall make manifest and associate none with Him.

And submerge not thyself in seas that profit thee not, for what God hath intended through all the Messengers and Books is this, and all claim this, yet all are liars save those who have entered the Bayan and are assured of God’s Cause.

Bab 9: Ar’iy

And it hath four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Seeing, the Most Seeing.

There is no God but He, the Most Seeing, the Most Seeing. Say: God is more seeing than all possessed of sight. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can escape from the dominion of His sovereign sight. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the All-Seeing, the All-Perceiving, the Most Seeing. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God, Whom doth glorify whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoted to Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the sovereignty and the kingdom, then the might and the dominion, then the power and the divine realm, then the strength and the celestial realm, then the dominion and the realm of creation. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Whose rule passeth not away, the Just One Who wrongeth not, the Potentate Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He, verily, hath power over all things.

Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God will show you His signs as He willeth. Will ye not cease to hasten? Say: God cannot be seen nor comprehended by anyone. Glorified and exalted is He above what they mention. And all that ye have witnessed of the meeting with God—that is the manifestation of His Self. Do ye not, then, believe with certainty in the Cause of God?

Say: God hath created for you no beauty like unto this, if ye would but believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord on the day of His manifestation.

Say: God is not pleased that any should gaze upon the countenance of the Manifestation of His Self save those eyes that behold Him with the eye of God, and who witness in Him the revelation of God, and who witness in Him the inner meaning, and who witness in Him the glory of God, and who witness in Him beauty, and who witness in Him the grandeur of God, and who witness in Him the light of God, and who witness in Him the mercy of God, and who witness in Him the words of God, and who witness in Him the perfection of God, and who witness in Him the names of God, and who witness in Him the might of God, and who witness in Him the knowledge of God, and who witness in Him the power of God, and who witness in Him the utterance of God, and who witness in Him the love of God, and who witness in Him sovereignty, and who witness in Him the dominion of God, and who witness in Him that which is of God, and who witness in Him the signs of God, and who witness in Him the loftiness of God, and who witness in Him the justice of God, and who witness in Him the nearness of God, and who witness in Him the Cause of God, and who witness in Him His most beautiful names.

Say: All these are names whereby ye seek to understand Him, but God is sanctified above all that ye mention. God hath indeed purified and sanctified the Manifestation of His Self from every similitude that ye mention. Say: Naught shall be seen in Him except God, and all in their degrees before God do glorify Him. Make ye your knowledge into deeds if ye wish to benefit therefrom. When ye behold in Him the sovereignty of God, then look not upon anything else on earth, for this matter shall endure until the Day of Resurrection, and when it is revealed, all who are on earth must follow it until the Day of Resurrection. Do ye not see? Yet a mighty command runneth upon the earth by God’s bidding so long as those who hold sway in His dominion do so without right. How then do ye not recognize such sovereignty? We found not in that creation any spirit, and they remember but little.

Yet those endowed with knowledge, were they to behold Him Whom God shall make manifest on earth, would testify that His Cause is exalted above all on earth, for all creation is before Him and all bow down unto Him. Were the veil to be removed from their vision, then would all prostrate themselves before Him. This is the sovereignty of God, beneath whose shadow all on earth shall seek shelter by virtue of its worthiness until the Day of Resurrection, and there is no repelling it from God. What aileth you that ye seek sovereignty which deriveth its authority from God’s Cause without right, yet turn not unto Him Who created you and His Command which endureth until the Day of Resurrection with no repelling it, if ye would but remember?

Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Splendid, the Most Splendid, the Resplendent. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Majestic, the Most Majestic, the Glorious. Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Beautiful, the Most Beautiful, the Beauteous. Unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Great, the Most Great, the Magnificent. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Luminous, the Most Luminous, the Light-Giving.

Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. Unto God belongeth the words of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Perfect, the Most Perfect, the Perfecting. Unto God belongeth the perfection of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Perfect, the Most Perfect, the Perfecting. Unto God belong the names of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Great, the Most Great, the Greatest. Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Mighty, the Most Mighty, the Almighty.

Unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Knowing, the Most Knowing, the Omniscient. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Most Powerful, the Omnipotent. Unto God belongeth the utterance of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Pleasing, the Most Pleasing, the Well-Pleased. Unto God belong the evidences of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Loving, the Most Loving, the Best Beloved. Unto God belongeth the nobility of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Noble, the Most Noble, the Exalted.

Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Possessing, the Most Possessing, the Supreme Sovereign, and unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them.

God is the Most Exalted, the Most High, the Most Sublime. You shall indeed attain on that Day—the Day of Independence—when your possessions shall be multiplied in this first life, and then your good deeds in the life to come. You are preparing yourselves for the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, not in the manner of those who have recited the prayers of the Manifestation.

The letter Vav has passed while you were all sleeping. You hear the Command of God but do not comprehend, nor do you believe. Therefore, understand and then believe in God’s Command, else you shall surely die like all the nations upon the earth and then enter into the fire.

Say: The paradise of each Manifestation is greater than the paradise revealed by God before. Do you not then give thanks for God’s bounties? Say: The fire of each Manifestation is greater than the previous one. Do you not then fear God’s Command? This is so you may witness that those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest occupy no more exalted station before God than those who entered the Bayan and upon whom you invoke blessings. And those who do not believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest occupy no lower station than those who did not enter the Bayan, nay, than all that is on earth. Indeed their fire is greater. Therefore fear God on the Day of God’s Manifestation regarding those who believe not in Him, for that is the fire with which you are promised. And if it be your own souls, then fear them, for you shall be consumed therein and shall not see, just as God consumed the first and the second and those who were with them. Thus will God consume you if you remain veiled from the presence of God.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Manifest, the Most Manifest!

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee. Unto Thee belong the Kingdom and the Dominion, unto Thee belong Might and Omnipotence, unto Thee belong Power and Divinity, unto Thee belong Strength and Glory, unto Thee belong Sovereignty and the human realm, unto Thee belong Honor and Majesty, unto Thee belong Grandeur and Beauty, unto Thee belong the Face and Perfection, unto Thee belong the Likeness and Examples, unto Thee belong the Stations and Glory, unto Thee belong Mercy and Grace, unto Thee belong Authority and Justice, unto Thee belong Power and Action, unto Thee belong Greatness and Independence, unto Thee belong Pride and Manifestation, unto Thee belong Glory and Invincibility, unto Thee belong Strength and Exaltation, unto Thee belong Joy and Gladness, unto Thee belong Sovereignty and Power, and unto Thee belong whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Command and creation.

Thou hast described in a verse of Thy Book—and Thy Word is the Truth—“Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth all vision; and He is the Subtile, the All-Informed.” Yea, there is no doubt in this, that Thou in Thine Essence cannot be seen nor comprehended, for in every manifestation there is after it Thy invisibility, and none hath access to that. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Glorified and sanctified art Thou! Then Thou hast described Thyself in another verse and promised all Thy creation to meet Thee. There is no doubt that this is the meeting with the Manifestation of Thyself on the Day of Resurrection, and those who, by Thy leave, guide unto Him from His presence. Therefore, O my God, enable all Thy creatures to attain unto this, for Thou hast not created anything except for this purpose—that it may behold Thee in that which Thou lovest and with which Thou art well-pleased. Glory be unto Thee! Exalted art Thou!

I know not, nor can any know, a Resurrection like unto this Resurrection, and verily I am ashamed to make mention of any limitation of that creation. Glory be unto Thee! Exalted art Thou! Glory be unto Thee! Magnified art Thou! Therefore, O my God, train the people of the Bayan for the meeting with Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, prostrate before Thee. Verily, Thou art the best of trainers.

Thou hast ordained a connection between every seer and the seen, yet Thou hast sanctified Thyself from all connection. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee, the One, the All-Seeing. Thou seest but art not seen, and verily Thou art in the Most Exalted Horizon, the Cleaver of the grain and the date-stone. Unto Thee belongeth whatsoever is in the highest heavens and the lowest earth, and in the Hereafter and the former time.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Seeing, the Most Seeing.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath glorified Himself in His glory above all existing things, and hath magnified Himself in His grandeur above all created things, and hath manifested Himself in His manifestation above all atoms, and hath made Himself victorious in His victory above all who are in the kingdom of earth and heaven. I testify, and all His creation doth testify, that there is no God but He, the One in Essence, the One in Attributes, the One in Names, and the One in Similitudes. There is no God but He, the Great, the Most High.

I testify, and all His creation doth testify, with a testimony purified from the turbidity of allusions and cleansed from the dregs of doubts—a testimony that findeth stability in the shadow of Him Whom God shall make manifest and goeth not forth unto aught else, that it may thereby reach unto its Originator, its Creator, its Nurturer, and its Essence—that there is no God but He, and there is nothing like unto Him, and He is the One, the All-Seeing. He seeth all that He hath created and will create through His subtle vision, yet nothing seeth Him, neither before nor after, neither in heaven nor on earth, nor what is between them. Verily, there is no God but He, the One, the Glorious.

I testify on that Day, the Day of Independence, that He, glorified be He, since the meeting with His Essence was impossible for His creation, hath chosen His resplendent Essence, His abstract Being, His crystalline Manifestation, His sublime Reality, His exalted Entity, and hath made the meeting with It to be the meeting with Himself for all His creation. Yet all His servants have veiled themselves from That, and have confined Him to a mountain where none can see Him save one of His chosen ones. This is what God hath done for His creation, and this is what the creation hath withheld from the Cause of their Lord. What fire is more intense than this for all that hath been and will be created, when they act thus?

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the name of God, the Most Seeing, the Most Seeing!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no god, the Most Seeing, the Most Seeing! Verily, the Glory from God is upon the First One and upon those who resemble that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. I testify that the meeting with the Essence of God, exalted be His glory, is impossible due to the loftiness of His sanctity and the sublimity of His might. He hath chosen for this station the Sun of Truth and hath made the creation of that shadow in every Dispensation. When He created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and nurtured all things from the first innovation unto Muhammad, the Messenger of God, then the portion of all existence was to meet Muhammad over twenty-three years, and this was the meeting with God in the primary reality. Then when He ascended and the creation of the night was realized, the meeting with His guides became His meeting in secondary reflection.

Then when those guides ascended and the Cause reached unto the crimson pillar, the meeting became with him who speaketh on behalf of God and His Messenger and the witnesses of His Messenger with pure truth, wherein his own desires have no share. This then is the meeting with the Sun of Truth through infinite veils which none comprehendeth save God. Not all who claim this are truthful, for on the Day of Resurrection countless are those who make such claims, all of whom are, in the sight of God, pure nothingness. God loveth not to mention them, how much less to attribute their meeting through quaternary veils to His own Self. Thus, after the long night and the passing of the numbered term, God hath caused to shine upon all created things, past and future, through the dawning of the manifestation of His Self.

The portion of that creation is in the days of His manifestation, and when He setteth, none hath access to true knowledge save by holding fast unto those who hold fast to the guides of the Bayan and its ordinances, that ye may attain their meeting through reflection of reflection, if ye find them holding fast to the laws of their Lord’s Book and being God-fearing in their ways. Otherwise, be thou independent of all His creation through God, for the Cause returneth unto God even as it began. And God shall make His Cause manifest, and He shall cause His creation to know His meeting. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Bab 10: Amwat

And he hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the name of God, the Most Death-giving, the Most Death-giving!

There is no God but He, the Most Death-giving, the Most Death-giving! Say: God is Death above all possessors of death. None can escape from the dominion of His sovereign death, whether in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been the Death-giver, the Death-bestower, the Death-wielder.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Force and the Spiritual Kingdom, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and in what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. He is the One Who createth what He willeth through His command “Be!” and it is. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but He, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: He is the Subduer over His creation, the Manifest over His servants, and He is the Single One, the Inaccessible, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. Say: He is the One Who standeth over every soul, knowing what it hath earned and bearing witness to what it earneth. Verily, He is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. He is the One Whom all in the heavens and on earth and in what lieth between them glorify. There is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: He is the Truth, He giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him all shall return. Unto God belongeth all that He hath created and will create of everything, and all stand firm through His command.

Say: Praise be to God, Who, there is no God but He, the Lord of Kingdom and Dominion. Say: Praise be to God, Who, there is no God but He, the Lord of Might and Omnipotence. Say: Praise be to God, Who, there is no God but He, the Lord of Power and the Divine Realm. Say: Praise be to God, Who, there is no God but He, the Lord of Force and the Spiritual Kingdom. Say: Praise be to God, Who, there is no God but He, the Lord of Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. Say: Praise be to God, Who, there is no God but He, the Lord of Glory and Majesty. Say: Praise be to God, Who, there is no God but He, the Lord of Countenance and Beauty. Say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of countenance and perfection. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of power and action. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of might and justice.

And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of similitude and parables. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of stations and majesty. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of grandeur and independence. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of glory and magnificence. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of honor and invincibility. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of joy and gladness. And say: Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the One possessed of sovereignty and power.

Say: Verily God hath power to create all things, both before and after. His is the most exalted similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the Most High, the Best-Beloved. And unto God belongeth the most resplendent similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the Most Glorious, the Best-Beloved.

Say: Verily God shall grant you relief. Say: Glory be to God above what they describe. Say: Verily God shall deliver you from every sorrow. Is there any god besides God who can deliver you from your sorrow? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe. Say: Verily God created you and sustaineth you and causeth you to die and giveth you life. If He willeth He can make your lifespan the length of ages, and if He willeth but numbered years, and if He willeth but numbered hours, and if He willeth in less than the twinkling of an eye, and likewise in all that appeareth from His presence. Will ye not then be thankful?

Say: Verily God hath sent all the Messengers, every one of them, that ye should worship none but God and that ye should be believers in the signs of God. Say: Verily God hath sent down the Books in truth that ye should worship none but God and that ye should be among those who are certain of that which God hath revealed. Say: This is the essence of essences from all the Messengers and the essence of essences from all the Books. All of you bear witness to Him Whom God shall make manifest. In His grasp is all that hath been created and shall be created, and ye shall judge with truth from His presence.

Say: All things are in His grasp. He ordereth the affairs of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them as He pleaseth by His command. His is the most exalted similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the Most High, the Most Great.

The second in the second.

In the name of God, the Most Death-giving, the Most Death-giving!

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God; there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the heavenly realm, Thine is might and dominion, Thine is power and divinity, Thine is strength and glory, Thine is sovereignty and the human realm, Thine is honor and majesty, Thine is the countenance and beauty, Thine is the face and perfection, Thine are the symbols and parables, Thine is power and action, Thine is mercy and grace, Thine is authority and justice, Thine are the stations and grandeur, Thine is greatness and independence, Thine is glory and radiance, Thine is might and protection, Thine is power and exaltation, Thine is joy and gladness, Thine is sovereignty and dominion, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. Thou hast ever been sanctified through might and permanence, and Thou hast subdued Thy servants through death and evanescence.

Glorified art Thou! None besides Thee can cause death to anything, and none but Thee can give life to anything. No soul is taken except by Thy leave, and no spirit is severed from anything except by Thy command. Thou art the One Who causeth death, there is no God but Thee; Thou art the One Who giveth life, there is no God but Thee.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! How many Dispensations hast Thou manifested unto them through themselves, making them the Throne of Thy Revelation, causing them to die through Thy power and raising them unto Thee through Thy sovereignty. Then no mention remaineth of them, how much less of their religion, their people, their laws—though all their hearts are prostrate before Thee in submission, devoted, remembering, glorifying, supplicating that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is what Thou hast created and wilt create. Thou givest life and causeth death, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not. Within Thy grasp is the kingdom of all names. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily Thou hast ever been All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Wise.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! All things perish save Thee, and all things die except Thee. Therefore, O God, remember me through the Thrones of Thy Revelation when there remaineth no mention of me, my Book, and those created through me, just as Thou didst remember the Thrones of Thy Revelation from the beginning that hath no beginning in that Dispensation by Thy leave. For I witness with mine own eyes that before me there was no trace of my house of manifestation, and the house of manifestation after me—how, O my God, will be the state of those who were guided by me? By Thy might! Let none of them remain except that Thou cause them to enter into the Revelation of Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, for whosoever entereth into His Revelation may well enter into the subsequent Revelation, and whosoever entereth into that subsequent Revelation may well enter into the Revelation after that.

Therefore, O God, remember me through all the Thrones of Thy Revelation and the Dawning-Places of Thy concealment. Verily Thou hast ever been Living and diest not, Sovereign and passeth not away, Just and oppresseth not, King and changest not, and Single—nothing escapeth Thy grasp whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily Thou hast power over all things.

The third in the third.

In the name of God, the Most Death-giving, the Most Death-giving!

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all created things, Who hath manifested His dominion over all existence, Who hath established His sovereignty over all beings, Who hath shown forth His mighty power over all atoms, and Who hath revealed His compelling force over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He and all His creation bear witness that there is none other God but Him. He hath ever been alive and powerful, ever shall He be the One Who giveth life and death without measure or transition. He shall cause all things to die while He liveth through His own life, and He shall take all unto Himself while He remaineth the Life-Giver over His servants. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. He and all His creation bear witness that there is none other God but Him, and that the Seven Letters are His servant and His Word.

Say: Through Him God createth what He willeth in that Paradise, and through Him God provideth what He willeth in that Paradise, and through Him God ordaineth in that Paradise, and through Him God giveth life to what He willeth in that Paradise, and through Him God raiseth up what He willeth in that Paradise. His is the power and the might from before and after, then in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the Supremely Powerful, the Self-Subsisting.

The fourth in the fourth.

In the name of God, the Most Death-giving, the Most Death-giving!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Unapproachable. The glory from God be upon the First One and upon those who resemble that One wherein naught is seen save the One. I testify that death hath outward manifestations, which is to die to all that God loveth not, and this is thy highest station and most exalted degree. God causeth thee to die as He willeth through what He willeth. What thou hast heard concerning the death of all things is the death of the spirit of truth in thy heart, not the physical death of thy body. Recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest if thou desirest to be alive; otherwise thou must surely die, for when God maketh Himself known to thee through the spirit which He attacheth, and when thou hearest from Him that there is none other God but I, yet art not drawn to Him, then art thou dead. If the spirit of divinity were within thee, it would be drawn to its throne.

Consider then the stations of the Names, for the spirit of each Name in its degree may die to the spirit of the Name of Divinity yet not die to the spirit of the Name of Lordship. Similarly, thou mayest believe in Muhammad but not in Ali, or the reverse. For when thy heart believeth in the first to believe, it is attached to the spirit of Lordship, yet thou art dead to the spirit of Divinity since thou hast not believed in him who first believed in Him. Thus do the stations descend in their degrees, for the spirit of clay is bound by its limits, and when God desires to withdraw it from thee, He takes away the clay. And similarly, thou shalt ascend to a station where death hath no dominion. There shalt thou find repose in God, exalted be His glory, and abide in the perpetuity of God, glorified be His majesty. There lies the eternal paradise and the everlasting spirit. Yet look not upon this matter through thine own understanding, for it shall not profit thee.

Rather, in every Revelation, hold fast unto the Manifestation of that Revelation. At such time, canst thou find any profit in the house of a previous Manifestation? Even so, comprehend the house of the subsequent Manifestation, for whenever the Sun of Truth doth shine, it illumineth those who are guided by it among the followers of His religion. Thus when the Bayan shone forth, the inner essence of those who dwelt in the faith of the Vahid, not the Ahad, were guided by it and illumined by its light. The grace reached not those who remained in the Ahad, much less those who remained at the Primal Point. Complete salvation in this lieth, wouldst thou but perceive it, in entering thyself into every Revelation. For if thou enterest not into the Revelation of the Bayan, thou shalt not be illumined by the lights of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Similarly after this, be not veiled from that Cause, for all those who…

And if thou desirest to know about physical death, there is no destroyer save God, through means He hath ordained. If thou wishest the death of anyone in truth, then recite that Name, for God shall surely take his soul and cause him to die, for He hath power over all things.

Bab 11: Awdad

And he hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Loving, the Most Loving.

Say: God is more loving than any possessor of love. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can resist the power of His loving sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the All-Loving, the Most Loving, the Most Beloved. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom all in the heavens and earth and what lieth between them do glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the dominion and the kingdom, then the might and the omnipotence, then the power and the divine realm, then the strength and the celestial domain, then the sovereignty and the human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: Who besides God is able to raise up a single one of the Bayan, if ye be knowing? Do ye not behold how God raised up one from the Furqan? Thus doth God show you His signs—can ye not see? Had God not raised them up, would ye have found any way to be guided unto this path?

Even as God permitted not Muhammad to raise up a single one from the Gospel—who is able to raise them up save God? Say: God raised them up in the Furqan mysteriously, and none comprehendeth the knowledge thereof save God. Can ye not perceive? And before that, in all the heavenly Books. Say: Who raised them up? Say: God raiseth up all who are in the Bayan in that single One. Do ye not see? God shall soon raise up from Him Whom God shall make manifest whomsoever He willeth. Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing. Say: None besides Him Whom God shall make manifest can raise up a single soul from the grave of self, if ye be observers of God’s Cause. By what means were the Letters of the Bayan honored in God’s Book? Say: By God’s command, from the Point of the Bayan. Say: Thus do ye witness by God’s command from Him Whom God shall make manifest.

Say: Verily, He Whom God shall make manifest shall raise up one of the Bayan from whomsoever He wisheth among His chosen ones. Verily, He is the Munificent, the Bountiful, the Generous. This is from God’s grace upon them. Verily, He is the Bestower, the Kind. O people of the Bayan! Ye shall surely ask from Him Whom God shall make manifest and aid in this matter according to your ability. God shall raise up from the Manifestation of His Self one of Truth from among those who are His chosen ones and who stand firm in His Cause. Say: We have exalted unto Ourselves the greatest proof whereby ye derive the ways of the Furqan, yet ye perceive not, neither do ye return unto Us but little. Soon will He Whom God shall make manifest take from you the entire Bayan and all that is therein, and ordain for you what He willeth, and begin the creation of all things as He pleaseth by His command, while ye hear this yet return not unto Him, neither do ye remember.

Grieve Me not, O people of the Bayan, for your entire religion on that Day is to return unto Him, whether He be in the most exalted heights—and what saddeneth My heart to mention it. Return ye all unto God, for this is your return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, that ye may revive your religion by entering yourselves into the good-pleasure of your Lord, then to be sustained in another creation. For ye enter not into God’s Cause like those who were given the Book before you. Do these hear what ye hear? Likewise, after God’s manifestation, ye hear not what those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest hear, and who are assured in God’s religion from His presence.

And verily I beseech Him Whom God shall make manifest that He may beseech Him Who cometh after Him that the people of the Bayan, and after them unto a number which none save God can reckon, may preserve the Bayan in every manifestation which God shall begin, that all may thereby be among those who remember the Primal One. Say: God is more knowing than every possessor of knowledge. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His knowledge’s sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth. Verily He hath ever been the All-Knowing, the Knower, the Omniscient. Say: God is more powerful than every possessor of power. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His power’s sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Verily He hath ever been the All-Powerful, the Powerful, the Omnipotent. Say: God is more sovereign than every possessor of sovereignty.

None can withhold himself from the dominion of His sovereignty’s sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Verily He hath ever been the All-Sovereign, the Sovereign, the Supreme Sovereign. O ye Manifestations! Make mention of anyone from the Bayan who remaineth upon the earth, that through your grace he may be saved from its fire and be caused to enter the paradise of your Lord—a grace from your presence, a bounty inscribed in the Book. Verily ye are, by God’s leave, among the bountiful ones. Be ye ashamed, then, O people of the Bayan, that none should remain among you at the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest who would be constrained to make himself known unto Him Who shall appear after Him, even as I am constrained to make myself known unto the people of the Dispensation before Me. And though they had given promise unto Me, and their dominion and sovereignty are held in honor by them.

Therefore, fear ye God, then enter into the True Faith. Say: Verily those who are in the Bayan are supreme over all who are on earth. Say: All who dwell on earth bow down before those who are in the Bayan, and all who are in the Bayan bow down before Him Whom God shall make manifest. This is their glory, did they but know it. God shall soon cause all who are on earth to enter into the true Faith from His presence, and He shall cause them to appear apart from the Bayan through His grace. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, the Most Excellent. Say: If ye desire to behold the stations of fire among the nations, observe ye how each Manifestation after is more severe than what existed in the Manifestation before. Then seek ye refuge with Him Whom God hath created.

And if ye desire to behold the degrees of paradise in the creation of the Bayan, observe ye how some are raised above others, and for all are degrees from their Lord, and ye are made to swim in the waters of life through the love of God, and all endure through the love of God by a single command. If ye love Him Whom God shall make manifest, ye shall be abashed when He maketh Himself known to you, then ye shall be brought into His presence. Should any matter weigh heavily upon you, ask it of Him and He will lift your burden, then cause you to taste the sweet waters in your hearts that ye may be elevated through the love of God. Say: Your love for God is naught in the sight of God except that ye love Him Whom God shall make manifest, then whomsoever commandeth you by His leave. Thus is your love inscribed in the Book of God. Ye are the Most Glorious Tree from God that ye may love.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Loving, the Most Loving.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the omnipotence, Thine the power and the divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the majesty and beauty, Thine the countenance and perfection, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the force and effectiveness, Thine the likeness and similitudes, Thine the stations and glory, Thine the grandeur and independence, Thine the greatness and sublimity, Thine the honor and inaccessibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the dominion and authority, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy command and creation.

Therefore send Thy blessings upon him who observeth the One in the Bayan in all things general and particular, lest he should plunge himself into the sea of the Throne and enter into the fire and be veiled by duality. For Thou, O my God, art the Possessor of all things. Thou hast ordained all the paths of the Bayan one by one, and commanded everyone who hath not entered therein to observe the path of the One in all things, and Thou hast made all the mirrors of the One to be mirrors of the First, that thereby all who are in the Bayan may return unto the First One and behold none save the meaning of the One. Even so have I brought the Bayan into being that all therein may testify that there is no God but Thee, the Single, the One, the Eternal, the Alone, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Self-Sufficient, Who hath not begotten and was not begotten, and there is none like unto Him.

Fill then, O my God, with the love of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, for this is love of Thee, and then with love for whatsoever shall appear from Him, for this is love of Thy Cause. Even as Thou hast blessed me with love for the Point of the Bayan, and there is no doubt in me that this is Thy love, since created beings have no way to Thy love except through this. Praise be unto Thee for having blessed me with love for all that hath appeared from Him of the ways of all things, for this is love of Thy Cause through Thy love. Through Thy love and the love of Thy Cause have I become independent of all things, and through Thy bounty and the bounty of Thy Cause have I been exalted above all things.

Cause then, O my God, all who are in the Bayan to enter into the ocean of love for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest and His commandments, for this is a Paradise the like of which Thou hast not created, and into the love of Him Whom Thou shalt exalt and His words, for this is a Paradise the like of which Thou hast not created. Praise be unto Thee for Thy bounty unto me and unto all things, and unto Thee be the most exalted paradise and the most glorious chambers. Glory be unto Thee, there is no God but Thee. Glory be unto Thee, verily I am of them that love.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Loving, the Most Loving.

Praise be to God Who hath caused all His creation to taste the love of His Self and the love of His Essence, and hath made their submission like unto each other, and hath made the number of each one the number of the name of the Gates, that all who enter through the Gate may taste, in their prostration before God, the Lord of Lords, of the love of God and His bounty. And He hath made the ranks of the ten from the ranks of the Point unto the nineteen complete, and hath placed upon him who hath been distinguished in the knowledge of letters the numbers of the Point, each one the number of the letter Ha, and hath manifested from it His name, the Single, after taking the Vav, then degree by degree in the ranks of the ten until the rank of the Point reacheth the rank of the Ta. Then appear the forms of the nine in their limit upon the manifestation of the name of God, the Strong.

Blessed is he who shall recognize at every manifestation those exalted tens and those impregnable Gates, even though at the beginning of every manifestation all names belong to Him Who is manifest therein, in Whom naught is seen save God. But God, through the wonderful crafting of His wisdom and the length of the days of the years of the ten in one of the stations from the ranks of the Point to the tens, hath ordained at every manifestation that all souls may enter into that bounty, for this is the essence of love and the pure bounty for him whom God hath caused to stand, in every manifestation, in faith in Him Who is manifest therein, and in His love and His bounty, for that is from the love of the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting, and from the bounty of God, the Mighty, the Beloved.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Loving, the Most Loving.

And verily the Glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen except the First Unity. Then bear thou witness that the entire Bayan is the manifestation of the Lordship of the Sun of Truth and Its utterances to all things are from God, exalted be His majesty—that which was revealed unto Him and that which is possible from Him—for that is evident within its limits. Therefore testify that there exists nothing except that God, glorified be He, hath created within it love for His Self and affection for His Essence, and there exists nothing except that it claims to love God and cherish Him. However, God beareth not witness to anyone’s love and affection save those who love Him Whom God shall make manifest and His commandments, and whose devotion to Him is like unto the mountains of the earth, nay weightier than this.

And if thou hast comprehended this, then verily thou hast loved God; otherwise thou hast reckoned thyself to love God while God hath not attested to thy love. And verily the degrees of love have informed thee from the Point unto the letter Ta, wherein in those degrees is created the number of Ha for the Gate. Bear thou witness that the mystery of all things is the First Gate—through it hath God created what He hath created and through it shall God cause to return what returneth unto Him, glorified and exalted be He above what they describe.

Bab 12: Ashfaq

And he hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Compassionate.

There is no God but He, the Most Compassionate, the Most Compassionate. Say: God is more compassionate than any possessor of compassion. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can escape from the dominion of His compassionate sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is compassionate, merciful, and kind. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth in devotion whosoever is in the heavens and the earth. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Essence, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who perisheth not, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily God is more compassionate towards you than your own selves, if ye would but remember. Say: From the beginning of your lives unto their end, ye care not that ye should enter into the fire, and after your death ye find no rest.

But God, in His compassion towards you during your lives, would deliver you from your fire and cause you to enter a paradise whose breadth is as the breadth of heaven and earth, wherein ye shall receive whatsoever ye ask for through God’s bounty. Therefore believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, for this is the essence whereby all your deeds and your very beings shall be rectified, if ye but knew. Fear God, lest ye be veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest, for this concerneth your own selves and your deeds—will ye not be God-fearing? Consider those who were veiled from Muhammad, the Apostle of God: how throughout their lengthy existence they performed their works thinking they did well, while ye truly know that they were working for other than God. Likewise those who have entered the Bayan shall testify that ye work for other than God.

Therefore have mercy upon yourselves, O people of the Furqan, and by God’s compassion revealed in the Book, enter ye into the Most Great Paradise. Similarly on the Day of Resurrection, if ye believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest, those who do believe in Him shall testify that ye work for other than God. Work then for none but God by working for Him Whom God shall make manifest, that He may rectify your deeds and your beings, and exalt you above the earth. Say: The truly discerning are they who at the beginning of every Manifestation witness its return. On the day when God brought forth Jesus, son of Mary, and what was revealed to him, they perceived with the eye of their hearts that in the day of return they would return unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God. These are the fruits of God’s religion from His presence—do ye not see?

And on the day when God originated the religion of Islam through what He revealed unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God, His knowledge encompasseth that in your return unto the Proof of your Lord ye return not. Those who did return unto Him—these are the fruits of Islam. Thus hath God preserved them therein that ye might fear God and be guided by Him. And verily We now witness your return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, though ye know it not. Those who return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest—these are the fruits of that religion and the essences of that creation, and these are the inheritors, whether they be the highest or lowest among creation. Indeed, they shall be judged by their religion. Judge not on the Day of Resurrection by your testimonies, your wealth, or your knowledge, except that ye look to the Proof of your religion, then by it shall ye question concerning all, high and low.

Say: The lowly who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest—these are the highest of creation in God’s sight, and to this We are witnesses. And verily the highest, should they be veiled from Him Who created them, sustained them, causeth them to die and brings them to life, nothing of what they have acquired shall profit them—and We are cognizant of all things. Say: The likeness of that creation and those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest is as the essence of gardens. God taketh the essence of that creation through Him Whom God shall make manifest, then He causeth the leaves of the gardens to fall to earth, which benefit none save the animals—will ye not fear God? Do ye not see how We took the essences of those in Islam from you and made you as dead leaves from which none but beasts derive benefit?

Be ye then ashamed before God that ye make yourselves the sustenance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and not the sustenance of beasts and fire while ye perceive not. Verily, they who believed from among the followers of Jesus in Muhammad—these hath God made the sustenance of His Messenger, while all others became but sustenance for the beasts of the earth. Do ye not observe? Those who believed from Islam in Ali before Muhammad—these hath God made the sustenance of the Seven Letters, while all others became but sustenance for beasts. It behooveth not God to make them the sustenance of His paradise. Purify then your souls by fearing God on the day of His Manifestation, not through what ye observe in your religion, for on the Day of God’s Manifestation ye shall be tested while ye perceive it not. Verily those in Islam who have ascended in piety to the highest horizon have thereby passed judgment upon God their Lord whence they know not and perceive not.

Were they to realize what judgment they have passed, they would surely slay themselves before anyone could slay them by God’s leave, as recompense for what their hands have wrought, though they worship night and day and follow the command of His Proof. How then when they discover that they have judged God Whom they worshipped and pronounced against His Proof Whose command they followed? Is there in God’s knowledge any fire like unto this, if ye would but remember? Thus shall We seize you and burn you and turn your highest to your lowest, exposing you until the Day of Resurrection for your deeds, as recompense for the day when ye heard My mention yet did not prostrate. This is your exposure before God your Lord—how much more before His creation! O people of the Bayan, guard yourselves against this! Should ye hear of One Who hath appeared, while knowing neither His beginning nor His end, ye shall neither affirm nor deny, lest ye enter the fire while ye know not.

For that One might well be Him Whom God shall make manifest, Whom ye await night and day. Shield yourselves through your faith in Him, for none can better shield you from yourselves than yourselves, nor better guard you against yourselves than yourselves. Purify then your faith while reposing in the cradle of glory and guidance. And if in your hearts be aught less than this, God’s Cause will shield you. Make not yourselves lower than those who embraced Islam through Muhammad the Messenger of God while their hearts were less than this. Make your hearts like your outward selves and your outward selves like your inward selves. Conceal not in yourselves what God loveth not, and fear God, for on the Day of His Cause your inner selves shall be exposed while ye shall not escape. Yet in the days of God’s Manifestation ye conceal yourselves, and in the Mother Book until the Day of Resurrection ye are not mentioned in truth.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Compassionate.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the grandeur, Thine the power and the divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the glory and the majesty, Thine the beauty and the comeliness, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the likeness and similitudes, Thine the stations and the sublimity, Thine the greatness and independence, Thine the grandeur and transcendence, Thine the glory and the invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and might, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

How compassionate art Thou to Thy creation and how merciful to Thy servants, for Thou knowest the utter nothingness and the pure existence of Thine own Self, and Thou hast placed the signs of the essence of creation in the souls of the horizons and of creation, that there might be in them the spirit of life from those essences and the mystery of good-pleasure from those dawning-places. Glorified, glorified art Thou! How merciful, how compassionate, how kind, how generous, how bountiful, how loving, how gracious, how excellent art Thou in all whereupon the name of a thing can fall, by itself and through itself!

Glorified and exalted art Thou! O God, do Thou raise up from Thy presence Manifestations of mighty exaltation and Daysprings of holy invincibility, and cause all who are on earth to enter, through Thy direction, into Thy religion, and show unto them Thy compassion, Thy generosity, Thy mercy, Thy grace, Thy favor, Thy kindness, Thy gifts, Thy blessings, Thy bounties and Thy wonders, for whatsoever Thou willest hath been before all things and will be after all things, and whatsoever Thou willest not hath not been before and will not be thereafter.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest and upon the essences of those whom Thou choosest from the creation of the Bayan, for upon them revolve all who are in the Bayan from the first that Thou didst reveal until the time Thou shalt expose it. O God, do Thou ordain whatsoever He Whom God shall make manifest loveth in respect to their nearness, their knowledge, their perfection and their station, and whatsoever Thou hast given to Thy chosen ones of Thy lofty attributes and bestowed upon Thy martyrs of Thy well-pleasing names.

Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Sovereign, the Supreme, the Most Holy, Everlasting, Ever-Abiding, Invincible, Transcendent, Exalted. Thou hast taken neither consort nor offspring, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. All things have ever been within Thy grasp and in the right hand of Thy will. Thy compassion is more exalted than that any save Thee should reckon it, and Thy mercy more resplendent than that any besides Thee should comprehend its knowledge. I have witnessed from the dawning-places of Your love naught but Your compassion and affection, and were I to witness aught else, it would not be befitting of You. Glorified and exalted art Thou! You give life and cause death, then cause death and give life.

Verily You are the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. You create whatsoever You will by Your command. Verily, You have power over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Compassionate

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent things, Who hath prevailed in His dominion over all created things, Who hath manifested in His Revelation above all existing things, Who hath demonstrated His power above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who hath shown His compassion toward all that hath been and shall be created among all atoms. I testify, and all creation with me, that there is none other God but Him—a testimony purified from the doubts of allusions and cleansed from the turbidity of limitations. A testimony that filleth the pillars of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them with the subtleties of His unified manifestation, whereby everything speaketh of the glory of His eternal sovereignty and oneness, and whereby everything attaineth the summit of His generosity, the heights of His grace and His loving-kindness.

A testimony that is discerning, majestic, beauteous, magnificent, luminous, merciful, complete, perfect, great, mighty, knowing, powerful, pleasing, loving, noble, sovereign, ruling, transcendent—which surpasseth all testimonies in its primordiality and ultimateness and its inwardness, and ascendeth above all evidences in its pureness, its simplicity, its essence and its abstraction, until everything upon which the name of a thing hath fallen in the paradise of utterance is made to speak that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Sovereign.

He hath chosen for the throne of His manifestation and the seat of His concealment an essence that is His and an abstraction that is resplendent and a purity that is exalted and a simplicity that is impregnable and a reality that is magnificent. Then He revealed Himself to it through itself and cast into its identity the likeness of its own essence. Thus were His signs made manifest through it and His words illumined all that is in the kingdom of His earth and heaven. I testify, and all creation with me, that there is none other God but Him and that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant, His Glory, His Majesty, His Beauty, His Grandeur, His Light, His Mercy, His Words, His Names, His Might, His Knowledge, His Power, His Will, His Command, His Honor, His Bounty, His Dominion, His Loftiness, and whatsoever pertaineth unto His most holy names and sacred attributes, for that is the source of names and the first to be named in the world of creation.

The blessings of God rest upon Him and upon His Primal Proofs, and upon them that shall be numbered as the like thereof in the latter days, so long as the sun shineth forth and the stars pursue their courses, and so long as they that are in the night and in the day do come unto Him—until all reacheth unto the glory of Eternity, and the majesty of the Eternal, and the grandeur of the Divine Sovereignty, and the exaltation of Self-Subsistence, and the inaccessibility of the Belovedness, and whatsoever God hath reckoned in the Mother Book of the glories of Oneness, or of boundlessness, or of the outward, or of the inward, or of the first, or of the last—wherein all belongeth unto God, glorified be He, the Creator of creation, and the Fashioner of all things from naught, through the geometry of Oneness. Glorified and exalted be He above that which they attribute unto Him!

The fourth in the fourth

In the name of God, the Most Considerate, the Most Considerate!

Praise be to God, beside Whom there is no other God, the Most Considerate, the Most Considerate. And verily all glory be from God unto the Primal Unity and unto him who resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the Primal Unity. And furthermore, I bear witness that through the considerateness of God, exalted be His glory, is manifested the considerateness of the Point of the Bayan. Observe His considerateness, how He waited five years for those who followed the Qur’an to return unto God, the Lord of lords. His Cause reached all those within Islam through messengers and scriptures and whatever means were at His disposal. Yet when they returned not unto God, He was ashamed to make mention of it. Had the Primal One desired to bring forth the creation of the Bayan at once, who could have said why’ or wherefore’? But this was due to His considerateness toward the people of Muhammad, that they might return unto God during the years of the letter Ha.

Then He called them to witness what their hands had wrought after such considerateness. Yet the Tree of Truth confronteth creation only with grace, for were He to confront them with justice, none would merit either return or beginning. Therefore watch over thyself in the Revelation of Him Whom God shall make manifest, that thou mayest be among those who return to the Bayan, lest thou waste thy Cause on that Day. Should thy faith be made manifest in thy Book, this would be better for thee than worshipping God from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end. For through the best manifestations, perchance He Whom God shall make manifest will accept thee among the dwellers of the return of the Bayan. Yet in thy worship God will not testify in thy favor with truth, and thou shalt enter the fire with those who enter therein.

For the right of servants is to believe in God and His Proof and whatsoever hath appeared from Him of the wonders of His command and His prohibition, not thy persistence in what thou wert following. For this is of the nature of negation—seek refuge with God from it. For he hath denied what he was following and entered the fire, even as thou seest those who follow the Gospel and all other peoples. But recognize the Manifestation of God at each revelation and enter therein through God, prostrating thyself before God and the Master of that Manifestation. For this is among the attributes of the monotheists and the way of the perfected ones. And after attaining such honor say: ʿPraise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.’

Bab 13: Arfaq

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Gracious!

There is no God but He, the Most Gracious, the Most Gracious! Say: God is more gracious than any possessor of grace. None can withhold themselves from the dominion of His gracious sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been gracious, bestower of grace, and all-gracious.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all that are in the heavens and all that are on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just One Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed be He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted be He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Unto God belongeth the divinity of all that He hath created and will create, and God is the Divine One, the Divinity unto Whom all turn. Unto God belongeth the lordship of all that He hath created and will create, and God is the Lord of lords, the All-Nurturing. Say: God hath intended by this the signs of your hearts wherein naught is seen save God. Will ye not then love? Ye ascribe yourselves unto God and then ascend in His path. Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All shall return unto Him.

We have indeed heard what thou hast inscribed in the Book, and We shall surely deliver thee and those who believe in God, the Most High, the Most Great. Say: This Book is from God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting, unto all that He hath created and will create, that ye worship none but God and be possessors in the earth by His leave. Say: Praise be to God, to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. He hath taken unto Himself neither consort nor son, and He hath no partner in sovereignty, nor any protector on earth save those who, by His leave, magnify Him, by His leave glorify Him, by His leave exalt Him, by His leave beautify Him, by His leave render Him glorious, by His leave illuminate Him. There is no God but God, the Lord of the visible and invisible, the Lord of all worlds.

Indeed, thou hast asked thy Lord concerning one whom thy love for God hath overwhelmed—the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of the visible and invisible, the Lord of all worlds. By Him Whom God shall make manifest and by the Lord of all worlds, He hath indeed come unto thee, and were the veils to be lifted from all things at every moment, they would hear My mention, be drawn unto it, and would cry out in ecstasy, for that is the ultimate beginning and end for which they strive night and day. And when God causeth them to attain unto Him, behold, they seek for even more. Say: There was naught after God, and naught before God, and all stand firm by God’s command. And verily We have increased thy passion for God and shall enhance thy love, though whatsoever thou mayest traverse shall not attain unto thine own sign, how much less unto the sign of thy Lord! Say: Glorified be God above all they describe.

We have indeed favored thee again after the first time, which is better for thee than all thou hast wrought from the beginning that hath no beginning until now. Be thou therefore thankful, for We are indeed bountiful. And when thou reachest that point, say: From God, the Most High, the Most Great.

The splendor from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The glory from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The beauty from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The grandeur from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The light from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The mercy from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The names from God are upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time.

The glory from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The will from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The knowledge from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The power from God is upon the exponents of His Cause in every time, before time and after time. The good-pleasure from God is upon the exponents of His might in every time, before time and after time. The honor from God is upon the exponents of His might in every time, before time and after time. The sovereignty from God is upon the exponents of His might in every time, before time and after time.

The dominion from God is upon the exponents of His might in every time, before time and after time. The loftiness from God is upon the exponents of His might in every time, before time and after time. Fhe favor is from God upon the guides of His might at all times, before and after a time.

And verily the verses are from God upon the guides of His might at all times, before and after a time. And verily the words are from God upon the guides of His might at all times, before and after a time. I am, verily, God; there is no God but Me. O thou who riseth unto Me, I shall cause thee to enter the ocean of My names. O ye who are endued with loftiness, that ye may be thankful! I have made you to be the numbers that God hath witnessed, before and after, that there is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And if My servants do not exalt you, yet shall I know you and recompense you in the mansions of your paradise according to what ye ask of your Lord’s bounty. Do ye not observe those who are in the Bayan, how they ascend unto you and, by God’s leave, offer you their salutations? This is your recompense in the first life, and in the hereafter ye shall hearken unto the True One Who God shall make manifest. O Ali!

If people knew the measure of thy journey in the path of God, they would take the very dust whereon thou treadest unto God. But the people are, on that day, asleep. When God breatheth into them the spirit of life, then shall they know and perceive. Say: To him who hath believed in that land, know thou the measure of what is attributed to God and aid the Cause of God, for We are, of all things, knowing. Let nothing deter thee from the path of God, for We are witness to all things. And if anyone seeketh help, then from God’s exaltation of this unto thee is better than all that thy Lord God hath been worshipped throughout thy life from a beginning that hath no beginning. And deal kindly with those who are related to the name of the Other, for We are ever mindful. And whatsoever kindness ye show unto them, We shall surely increase it. Soon shall that land be like the land that is there, all ascending—nay, greater than that and more exalted than this.

We are, verily, powerful over all things. But draw not nigh unto what grieveth thee, and preserve thyself and then thy believing brethren. And verily what thou hast mentioned, O Ali, in the Book concerning the mention of thy Lord’s name, the Most High, the Most Great—yea, He is well-pleased, and We are well-pleased therewith. Deal thou kindly according to thy capacity and leave him not except by his leave, for this is God’s way concerning those who have believed in God and His signs, and those who are sincere in God’s religion. And verily the Truth is not devoid of two matters—they are believers in paradise. Say: Be ye steadfast and aid ye God’s Cause, and ye shall possess all that is on earth by God’s leave, if ye desire the first life. What is with God is better and more lasting, if ye would but reflect on your stations in God’s verses.

And say to those besides them who are in the fire: Sufficient unto you is what ye have, and ye shall die like those who were before you, then shall ye enter the fire of the hereafter. Woe unto you! We have created you and sustained you and caused you to die and brought you back to life, that ye should worship none but God. How then do ye worship other than God and perceive it not? God shall soon seize you and those who reject His command. Verily He is the All-Compelling, the All-Powerful, the Severe. Say: Do they hear mention of those who came before them save that they entered the fire and are remembered without right? Therefore have mercy upon yourselves and worship none but God, for ye were not created except in truth. How then do ye not fear?

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Kind, the Most Kind

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the omnipotence, Thine the power and the divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the majesty and the glory, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the strength and the action, Thine the mercy and the bounty, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the likeness and the examples, Thine the stations and the grandeur, Thine the greatness and independence, Thine the pride and the magnificence, Thine the might and invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and the gladness, Thine the sovereignty and the dominion, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining, the Sovereign, the Supreme, the Most Holy. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power hast Thou created all things and ordained them according to Thy decree. By Thy will hast Thou formed all things and fashioned them according to Thy design. O God, Thou shalt raise up one who shall judge after Thee among Thy creation, and shall exact retribution for Thy loved ones from Thine enemies, and shall inspire all Thy creation with this, lest any be veiled from Thy good-pleasure. Thou desirest naught but that all should enter Thy paradise and be delivered from Thy fire. How kind art Thou to Thy creation and how compassionate to Thy servants! Thou dost ever give life and cause to die, then cause to die and give life.

Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is powerful over all things. O God, do Thou aid him who ascendeth unto Thy loved ones by Thy leave, and who raiseth up Thy Cause by Thy might, and who desireth to exalt Thy Word by Thy wisdom. Verily Thou art powerful over all things, and Thou art cognizant of all things, and Thou art mighty, invincible, and powerful.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Kind, the Most Kind

Praise be unto God Who hath been exalted by His exaltation above all possible things, and hath been aided by His subjugating power above all existent beings, and hath been made manifest by His manifestation above all contingent things, and hath been elevated by His elevation above all atoms, and hath been empowered by His omnipotence above all existences, and hath been made inaccessible by His inaccessibility above them that are in the Kingdom of earth and the heavens, and hath been strengthened by His strength above all who are in the Kingdom of Names and Attributes.

Call Him, therefore, to witness, and let all His creation bear witness, that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. God hath chosen for Him Primal Names, and then caused them to enter into the ocean of endlessness, without number or limit. Wherefore He hath filled His heaven and His earth therewith, testifying that there is none other God but He, the One, the Omnipotent.

And this Point of the Bayan—God hath created through Him all the Letters, from the endless unto the endless, and all, by His command, from His presence, stand fast.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Compatible, the Most Compatible!

There is no God but Him, the Most Compatible, the Most Compatible! And verily the Glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity. Furthermore, I testify that whatsoever is designated by any name is the compatibility of God, glorified be His majesty, and its manifestation is from the compatibility of the Tree of Truth. God hath given thee a drop thereof, whereby thou shalt rise above those within thy religion and prevail over those outside it. When there is divine favor therein, thou mayest seek thereby wondrous glad tidings if thou wishest; otherwise be patient with the All-Mighty when thou witnessest… for thee from a beneficial command. Otherwise return unto God, for all return unto God. Guard thy path from those who comprehend not the knowledge of thy humility, lest thou witness sorrow. Display all thy victory and power regarding those who have ascended unto God if thou art able to find a way thereto.

Otherwise God will accomplish His purpose, perfect His light, and complete His decree. Verily there is no God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 14: Akli’a

And it hath four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Protecting, the Most Protecting!

There is no God but Him, the Most Protecting, the Most Protecting! Say: God is the Most Protecting above every protector. None in the heavens or earth or what lieth between them can withstand the sovereignty of His protection. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been an all-protecting protector. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate all in the heavens and earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all in the heavens and earth and what lieth between them stand in devotion. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the dominion and the kingdom, then the might and the power supreme, then the strength and the divine realm, then the force and the ruby realm, then the sovereignty and the human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. And exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and all that is between them.

There is none other God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God shall protect you from what is before you and what is behind you, and from your right hand and your left, and from above your heads and beneath your feet, and from every quarter whereunto ye might turn, through His angels of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them. Verily, He is the Guardian over all things.

Say: Who but God can watch over you by night and by day, and ordain the measure of all things in the Book? Will ye not then be thankful? Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Splendid, the All-Splendid, the Splendid One. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Majestic, the All-Majestic, the Majestic One. Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Beautiful, the All-Beautiful, the Beautiful One. Unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Grand, the All-Grand, the Grand One. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Luminous, the All-Luminous, the Luminous One.

Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Merciful, the All-Merciful, the Merciful One. Unto God belongeth the perfection of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Perfect, the All-Perfect, the Perfect One. Unto God belong the words of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Protecting, the All-Protecting, the Protector. Unto God belong the names of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Great, the All-Great, the Great One. Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Mighty, the All-Mighty, the Mighty One. Unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Knowing, the All-Knowing, the Knowing One.

Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Powerful, the Powerful One. Unto God belongeth the good-pleasure of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Pleased, the Well-Pleased, the Pleasing One. Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Loving, the All-Loving, the Beloved One. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Sovereign, the All-Sovereign, the Sovereign One. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Ruling, the All-Ruling, the Ruler. Unto God belongeth the transcendence of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Exalted, the All-Exalted, the Exalted One.

These are the verses of the Unity in your hearts and souls and minds and bodies, which ye shall ever perceive. O Ali! Verily I am God, there is no God but I, and all else is My creation. Say: O My creation! Worship ye Me! I created thee from a beginning that had no beginning, and I provided for thee, and caused thee to die, and gave thee life, until I revealed Myself unto thee. Verily, We have power over all things. And verily the fruit of thy being, from a beginning that hath no beginning even unto this time, is that thou hast believed in God and wert of them that are assured of His signs. Therefore hast thou worshipped thy Lord from a beginning that hath no beginning, and wert among the believers in all the worlds. Such as have not worshipped God their Lord from a beginning that hath no beginning—their works shall God bring to naught. Bear thou witness that there is no kinship between God and any soul; all before God are servants who are created by His command.

They who know God and are assured of His signs, these are the companions of paradise in the Book of God, and these are they that shall attain. Whether they possess what is on earth or possess nothing—this is the path of God for them that fear Him. And they who know not God and believe not in His signs, these are the companions of the fire, whether they possess aught or possess nothing—this is the path of God unto all peoples. And if thou wouldst know the companions of paradise—they are such as have known God and believed in the Point of the Bayan. These, after the death of their bodies, shall enter lofty chambers of paradise. They shall have whatsoever their souls desire, and God shall bestow more upon whomsoever He willeth of His servants; verily He is possessed of great bounty. He loveth that none be mentioned save them, yet all worship God thy Lord—some knowingly and consciously, and some unknowingly and unconsciously.

So cause thou to enter paradise them that love thee, for this is of God’s bounty unto them that love Him. Turn away from such as desire not to believe in God nor in His signs, for thy Lord is independent of all worlds. His mercy embraceth all things if they enter into the religion of the Bayan; otherwise they are by their own selves veiled from the good-pleasure of God. The best attribute in the sight of those whom people call Sufis is that they desire not to wrong anyone, though they themselves be far removed from the path of God. Yet this attribute is but as leaves of the Most Exalted Paradise. God loveth not that any should be saddened in His path, but rather that all should enter into His good-pleasure. Thy book was presented before God and We were watching. And verily the measure of what thou hast seen in the path—if thou hadst known thyself through Him Who hath manifested what beseemeth thee not—would reveal unto thee what would gladden thy heart.

But the matter hath been decreed, and God knoweth all that men do. Say: All act according to their way. If ye see good, say: This is from God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. And if ye see other than good, say: This was created by God’s command and is not attributed to God in any mighty Book. Grieve not over this, for if God should will, He would return it unto thee in such wise as befitteth the powerful. And as for what thou didst write in the book of Abu’l-Kaf and Kha, it harmeth not God, thy Lord, in any way, for We are indeed independent of all things. Rather, We desired that Our mercy should reach him inasmuch as he followed before, and We were gracious. Should the Book of thy Lord reach him, he hath indeed accepted it and placed it upon his eyes as in the Furqan, for there is naught but worshippeth God, thy Lord, and shall be among those who prostrate themselves.

We have sent all the Messengers, saying: “Worship none but God, my Lord and your Lord.” This is a straight path. We have revealed all the Books, and We are indeed cognizant of what We have revealed therein. We revealed therein no greater command than their belief in God, their Lord, and His signs. Yet most people remain veiled from that for which We sent the Messengers and revealed the Books.

On the Day of Resurrection each soul must needs appear according to the measure of its faith, the good that lieth hidden within them, and that which lieth concealed beneath. Grieve not at this, for We know whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. All call upon Us night and day, beseeching that the veil be lifted from their sight that they might receive their Lord’s Book, even though they walk throughout their lives. Yet since they comprehend not the knowledge revealed therein, they are not among the mindful ones.

If thou reach him, verily God thy Lord is the best of those who reach. And if thou be prevented therefrom, then God’s proof is complete against him, and God will show him His signs. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the All-Subtle.

By the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest! My heart desireth not that in God’s knowledge anything should remain inanimate beneath that Paradise, how much less that it should not be considered human in the Mother Book. Therefore place thy trust in God, thy Lord, the Self-Subsisting, the Eternal. Remember whatsoever strengtheneth thy heart, that there is no God but He, the Supreme, the Beloved. And remember those who love the Primal Point through their prior love, both men and women, for if God so willeth He shall guide all unto the path of certain truth.

As for what thou mentioned concerning the cloak, had it reached one bearing the name of thy Lord, the Supreme, the Eternal, it would have been better in the Mother Book. However, the matter resteth in God’s hands—He ordaineth what He willeth and confirmeth what He desireth. We have permitted him who possesseth the glory of the cloak to dispose of it until We issue a new command hereafter.

Concerning the name about whose meaning thou didst inquire: should it reach one bearing the name of thy Lord, the One, the Single, when he seeth goodness therein it shall reach him who guideth to the mention of thy Lord’s name, the Supreme Creator. As for what thou hast mentioned regarding the four Names, say: These are the guides of thy Lord in the Book. We have mentioned them before in thy Book, and We were witness over them. Say: He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. There is no God but He, the Most High, the Most Great. If thou remainest patient in the land of knowledge, there shall be revealed unto thee that which will calm thy heart. Verily, He is the All-Wise Doer. And if thou journeyest to thy homeland, protect thyself and those related to thee, that none may be saddened in the path of God, for this is God’s grace unto all worlds. And remember the First One there, as thou wert among those present before Him Whom thou didst mention.

Thus have We commanded thee to inquire from the Throne of Him Who bore the Point of the Bayan and was among the believers in God’s verses. And concerning what We had written before regarding the number of Ra and Ba, when it reaches thee from thy Lord, be thou among those who deliver it. Before that, We gave thee no permission, and it shall be sent to thee when God, thy Lord, willeth. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. And as for what thou didst send to God, thy Lord, of two delicate white ones, then of three beautiful crystals—We counsel thee not to be as thou wert in thy former days, that thou shouldst guard against what God hath created for those who believe in God and His signs. Say: Who hath forbidden save God unto His servants? O My servants, be ye thankful, for We have permitted you. And those among the learned who have defiled themselves through their piety—these have no portion of knowledge.

God hath seized them in their worldly life, and in the Hereafter they shall not be helped. By the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest! If God were to gather for Me the means of authority from His presence, I would not use anything unless it were unmatched upon the earth. Hath God created all He hath created for other than him who believeth in Him? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe! This is God’s path in that Paradise for those who are capable within themselves. And what I give them not, God shall give them the reward thereof if they love. And I do not forget the cloak of Ahmad which I had as guest one day when I was among those present. Say: If this be from the fear of God in the Furqan, do ye not read that verse? Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of God which He hath brought forth for His servants, and the good things of sustenance? That was what was revealed aforetime in the Furqan, if ye be discerning in your religion.

Though We had revealed mention of the Hereafter in that verse, yet were We knowing of this. Say: The end of every Manifestation is its beginning—will ye not be grateful? This is other than that end with which ye are promised after your death. And if ye have heard the tradition of Muhammad and Ali in the beginning of Islam, this was when it had not yet appeared with them, but when it appeared with Hasan, how do ye remember it? Then deduce! Say: This is the limit of piety in his worldly life, yet with God thy Lord he was not pious, for had he been pious he would have believed in God and His signs and would have been among the saved on the Day of Resurrection. Grieve not for them, for We see all the peoples upon the earth after Me, when thy Lord’s proof hath been completed against them, patient in their religion, like those who were given the Book aforetime. God will cause this Faith to prevail over all religions, for verily He hath ever been the Manifester, the Manifest, the Helper.

Say: Verily, the Truth on that Day is confined to those who have entered the Bayan and are assured of God and His signs. As to others, they possess no greater proof than their Book, their Prophet and their Imams. We have indeed set forth the measures thereof from Our presence, yet they possess naught of this save when they return unto God, thy Lord, and believe in what God hath revealed unto His Proof. Be patient, for the ultimate victory belongeth to those who fear God and to those who do good. And if thou seest one who maketh mention of the name of Ahmad in thy land, guide him to the path of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. And if thou perceivest in him an essence whereby he may be guided, well and good; otherwise remain silent, for if God had willed, He would have guided all the worlds.

Bab 15: Ar’iy

And it hath four stations. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Fostering, the Most Fostering.

There is no God but He, the Most Fostering, the Most Fostering. Say: God is more fostering than any fosterer. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them can escape from the dominion of His fostering sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the All-Fostering, the Supreme Fosterer, the Most Fostering. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All bow down before Him in adoration. Praise be to God, Whom all things in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them do glorify. Say: All stand in devotion before Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Sovereignty, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Realm of Light, then the Rule and the Human Kingdom.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily your Fosterer in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, if He willeth, will unite you in one cause, and if He willeth, will separate you, and God knoweth best how ye will, on the Day of Resurrection, rise up in the religion of God. Say: Verily We shall bring all who are in the Bayan to one cause wherein none shall differ, and verily We have power over all things. If We wish, We shall cause to descend upon the stations of what We have created these who discern the stations of God’s Cause and those who discern the stations of God’s Cause. Nay, these and those, if they believe in Him Whom God shall manifest on the Day of Resurrection, shall be delivered. O number of Ra and Ba, bear thou witness that there is no God but I, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting. I have created thee, sustained thee, caused thee to die, and brought thee to life.

And were I to will it, I would bring forth from thy heart that which would cause the hearts of the mystics to grow haughty. But thou hast not comprehended from thy Lord’s command that which is better than this. Say: All are standing by God’s command, for all this is that the servant might attain unto the depths of the Names, wherein all are turning unto God’s command. Thus have We brought thee to an exalted seat of glory wherein thou seest naught but the face of thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Great. Say: The believers ascend unto God that they may enter Paradise, then from the witnesses of Truth they ask concerning the measure of their faith, and they ascend that they may receive grace from the gates of guidance. There in the depths of glory do they speak. Blessed are they who traverse the ocean of Names, who receive from God’s witnesses, who receive from the seats of Command, and who ascend that they may enter the ocean of Names, beholding none save God.

Say: The Names are like unto mirrors wherein naught is seen but God. Even so do ye behold naught in mirrors save the sun. Indeed thy Lord God hath conveyed what is better than the limits of creation, for in this all witness the limit of creation, but in that ocean none is seen but God, and all turn unto Him through thy Lord’s Names. This is the greatest measure that God hath ordained for whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, that they may testify that there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Thus have all borne witness to that which God hath witnessed, and they have no remembrance save that wherewith God remembereth them. Therefore, O all things, call ye upon God, your Lord, and worship not idols besides God, for verily ye and these shall enter the fire. This is a day when every soul shall be called by their leader. Woe unto these and the leaders of the fire, for both shall enter the fire.

If thou desirest to know their station, look upon those who were in the days of Moses: when He came unto them with a sign, they were stirred by something concerning it. And after two thousand years and more, the extent of their faith is less than these, though they account themselves among those who remember the Truth. Nay, by thy Lord! Those who have heard My mention and believed not in God, the Most High, the Most Great—God hath testified concerning them that they have departed from their religion, even while they believe they are firm in their religion. Verily, none other than God can reveal His verses. When they beheld clear verses from One unlettered, who had not learned as they had learned, then according to their religion and what God had revealed in the Qur’an, they had no recourse but to say this was from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. They could not say ʿthis sufficeth us not.’ God hath denied them, and their words in the Qur’an beforetime.

Say: Ye read the Most Exalted Sign in the Chapter of the Spider. See how I have said ʿHe is God’ while they imagine they do well. And if God should manifest a sign like unto the rod of Moses, then all would believe. Say: God hath revealed greater than that, yet they remember not, nor do they know. Say: Were not the verses of the Qur’an greater than the nine signs of Moses and all the signs of Jesus, how then did God abrogate their religions and establish the true religion in the Qur’an? What aileth you that ye reason not, nor remember? These are verses whereof a single one would confound all the peoples of the world. And if ye be in doubt concerning this, then bring a single verse like unto it, if ye be truthful. Ye cannot, nor will ye be able. And by what God hath decreed in the Qur’an, ye have departed from your religion and cannot return. And if ye return, upon your faces shall be branded the mark of fire, even as ye witness in the new Islam. Nay, by thy Lord!

My heart is not pleased that ye should believe in Me or in My verses, for whoso associateth partners with God and His verses, it behooveth him not to enter Paradise, nor be among those who return. Endure ye in your fire even as those who were given the Book before you endured. Verily ye shall die and enter the fire, and ye shall not be helped. And We have made thee one of the witnesses of the Bayan. Therefore write down the number of all things from the paths of all things, for this is a glory from God unto the Day of Resurrection for them that are guided. But on the Day of Resurrection thou shalt defer to Him Whom God shall make manifest. And consume not that which God hath not permitted thee, like those who consume what they have been given of knowledge and wisdom without the permission of its owner, and they know not, nor do they remember. Say: Verily their likeness is baser than those who manifested faith in the days of Muhammad.

Behold then the remoteness of the former and the nearness of these, for the nearness of these is not the remoteness of the former. Thus are exposed all the calumniators who worship God, thy Lord, yet judge concerning Him while they know not. Say: If ye are able to speak and judge with truth, do so; otherwise, all that is on earth like unto you will profit you not. This profited those who were before you, yet they entered the fire, and ye too shall soon enter therein. Therefore have mercy on your own souls, for the abasement of this world is better than the fire of the next, if ye would but remember a little. Verily the believers, when it is the pleasure of thy Lord to raise up or cast down, find therein no abasement at all, for abasement lieth only in that which is contrary to thy Lord’s good-pleasure, if they but knew. And verily I have made mention of twenty-five pieces of gold. We have, in truth, been the One Who sent this Book, and We have bestowed it upon thee.

Take of it what thou willest, and forbear from what thou willest, for We are indeed the Munificent. Behold how in Islam they have seized My right and consumed without My leave. Say: All of them have consumed fire, and I shall not forgive them even to the extent of a single date-stone from the time God concealed Me until now. I have not forgiven any who have taken of My right. Say: By what permission do ye take of God’s right? Thus doth He show them their deeds as regrets against their own souls. They can neither return nor take back. And one in the land of Sad took of My wealth and built a mosque, and were We to appear over it, the very particles of its clay would be washed away by water from above it. Say: Who gave you permission for this? How do ye take of right and dispose of it unrightfully?

Say: My follower Kazim, to the extent that he walked to a freeman’s house, had not with him even a mithqal of silver or more, while they have taken and desired to build with clay and have laid waste the house wherein the name of thy Lord is remembered at morn and eventide. I have detailed the state of their greatest one before thee, that thou mayest comprehend the station of them all, and We were not heedless of that creation. We have witnesses in Our inward parts who judge by Our leave and who call upon none but God, and in Our outward parts We Ourselves shall assuredly judge between Our servants and shall judge them with truth, for We are witness over all things. Look not upon these verses except with the eye of grandeur, for We are indeed the All-Seeing. By a verse We have sent down aforetime, in every year seventy thousand circle round the House, and were all upon the earth to circle round, the command of God would sustain it.

Nay, it is greater still, but people know not the grandeur God hath ordained in His Cause, until when the means of God’s Cause appear, then they remember but little. Observe that on the day the verse of the Fifth was revealed, those who heard it perchance paid no heed, but thou shalt see on that day how many servants shall be enriched thereby, and how many servants shall give in the shadow of God’s Cause. This is the glory of God’s Cause, but the people know it not. Say: Each day a hundred and six times from God, the Self-Subsisting, the Guardian:

“Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, then upon those who are the channels of His Cause in glory and majesty.”

This is a remembrance from thy Lord unto the Day of Return.

The second of the second

In the Name of God, the Most Fostering, the Most Fostering.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, as doth all creation, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner. Thine is the dominion and the kingdom; Thine is the glory and the might; Thine is the power and the divinity; Thine is the strength and the ruby; Thine is the sovereignty and the humanity; Thine is the honor and the majesty; Thine is the countenance and the beauty; Thine is the face and the perfection; Thine is the likeness and the similitudes; Thine is the reality and the glorification; Thine is the power and the action; Thine is the mercy and the bounty; Thine is the authority and the justice; Thine is the might and the inaccessibility; Thine is the power and the exaltation; Thine is the joy and the rapture; Thine is the sovereignty and the omnipotence; Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or dost love from the kingdom of Thy command and Thy creation.

Thou hast ever been a God, One, Peerless, Eternal, Single, Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, All-Holy, Everlasting, Abiding, Omnipotent. Thou hast not taken unto Thyself a spouse nor a son, nor hast Thou any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast created all things for the manifestation of Thy Self, and whosoever entereth into the Bayan, Thy permission descendeth upon him according to the measure of Thy leave. Do Thou, O my God, cause all the dwellers of the earth to become inhabitants of the Paradise of Thy oneness in preparation for the Day of the dawning of Thy countenance, and in readiness for the Day of the rising of Thy singleness.

Verily, Thou hast ever given life and caused death, then caused death and given life, and verily Thou art the Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Whose rule passeth not away, the Just Who doth not transgress, the King Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, neither in the heavens nor on earth nor in that which lieth between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou hast ever been powerful over all things.

The third of the third

In the Name of God, the Most Fostering, the Most Fostering.

Praise be to God Who hath been exalted by His loftiness above all contingent beings, and hath been made supreme by His omnipotence above all existent things, and hath been made mighty by His power above all who are in the kingdom of earth and the heavens. I call Him to witness, and all His creation, that there is no God but He; His are the most beauteous names; all that are in the heavens and on earth and that which is between them glorify Him; there is no God but He, the One, the Sovereign.

Then I call Him to witness, and all His creation, that when God desired to make Himself known to His creation, He chose from the summit of contingent beings and the midst of existent things a jewel impregnable, an essence resplendent and pure, a camphor exalted and refined, a substance simple and subtle, and an entity most high. Then He manifested Himself unto it through itself, and lo, His signs appeared therefrom, and He filled thereby all the kingdom of His heaven and His earth, that there is no God but He; nothing is like unto Him, and He is the One, the Resplendent.

For the essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word whom God hath chosen for Himself. Then He chose for Him living and primal names. Then He manifested Himself unto them through them, unto all who are in the kingdom of His heaven and His earth, and lo, the creation of all things was filled with the manifestation of His oneness and the sublimity of His sanctification. And lo, God multiplied the One, the First, and the point of the One entered into the sea of infinity, and lo, all the ascents of those who ascend in numbers are but a reach for them, and likewise all that the enumerators desire to reckon of the number of the proofs of the Truth—there is no way for them. And day by day, forever, God multiplieth those numbers and exalteth them until He filleth the heavens and the earth and that which is between them, that all may testify that there is no God but the One, the All-Glorious.

The fourth of the fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Fostering, the Most Fostering.

Praise be to God! There is no God but He, the Most Sublime, the Most Sublime. And verily, the splendor is from God upon the One, the First, and upon whomsoever resembleth that One, wherein naught is seen save the One, the First.

And thereafter, bear witness that that Most Exalted Name and Most Resplendent Sign and Most Transcendent Glory is the knowledge of thy Lord, the Most High, and His teaching thee of His good pleasure in all that the name of a thing can be applied to in the hereafter and in this world. For knowledge, as it truly is, hath no glory save that thou make it knowledge of the good pleasure of thy Lord and the measures of His command and His prohibition. So make thy knowledge of God first, and then of what God hath manifested from the Point of the Bayan second, for this is the summit of grace and justice, and the heaven of sanctity and bounty.

And bear witness that the likeness of that creation is as the likeness of mirrors, and the likeness of the Point of the Bayan is as the likeness of the sun. Thou seest not in those mirrors save one sun, though thou beholdest white mirrors and yellow mirrors and green mirrors and red mirrors—these are from the conditions of God within the limit of the mirrors. But that which appeareth in them is one matter. Look not upon them save through that which hath been manifested unto them through them, for the Shepherd is the Seer, and the Seer is the Exalted One, and the Exalted One is the Abiding, and the Abiding is the First, and the First is the Last, and the Last is the Manifest, and the Manifest is the Hidden, and the Hidden is the Creator, and the Creator is the Provider, and the Provider is He Who causeth death, and He Who causeth death is He Who giveth life. There is no God but He; His are all the most beauteous names, from their beginning and their end, their outward and their inward. All things point to God, their Lord.

Say: O ye that creation! Know ye, then, the worth of the Days of Manifestation, for they are more precious than all things. And the likeness of those days is as the likeness of the twenty-three years from the days of Muhammad, the Messenger of God. When the Cause is exalted unto God, no one hath any way unto the Word of God. Say: Deprive not yourselves of your portion from the Word of your Lord, nor forget your share from the verses of your Lord, for those verses—none knoweth their interpretation save God and they that are firmly grounded in knowledge. And the people have no way to know them, so how can they be able to produce the like thereof? That is the power of God for all who are in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and that which is between them, but the people know not. And whatsoever name I have mentioned is in a Book, and God remembereth whomsoever remembereth Him, and He is the best of those who remember.

Bab 16: Aflaq

And it hath four stations. The first of the first:

In the name of God, the Cleaver, the Cleaver.

God! There is no God but He, the Cleaver, the Cleaver. Say: God is the Cleaver above every possessor of cleaving. None is able to withstand the sovereign power of His cleaving, neither in the heavens nor on earth nor in that which lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the Cleaver, the Splitter, the Divider.

Glory be unto Him before Whom all who are in the heavens and on earth and that which is between them do prostrate themselves. Say: All are prostrate before Him.

And praise be to God Whom all who are in the heavens and on earth and that which is between them do glorify. Say: All are obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He causeth to live and to die, then causeth to die and to live. He, verily, is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He, verily, hath power over all things.

Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God is the Creator of all things. Is there any god besides Him Who splitteth the grain and the date-stone? Say: Glorified be God! All stand ready at His bidding. Say: Who cleft the sea for Moses, if ye be of them that know? They will surely answer “God.” How then do ye not believe in Him Who hath sent down the verses? O thou Name! Bear thou witness that there is none other God but He, the Cleaver, the Most Great Cleaver. I have created all things by My command and all worship Me. Some will recognize Me on the Day of Resurrection and they are assured of My signs. These are the companions of Paradise and these are they who are guided. And some will not recognize Me on that Day though they worship Me through what I have ordained for them aforetime. Is there anything that knoweth not God, thy Lord, or is not among those that bow down before Him? Say: Glorified be God! All worship God their Lord and all bow down before Him.

And We have seen before Us the book which thou hast written, and We were knowing of it, and We were witness over all things, and We were beholding that whereunto thou callest Us. And what thou hast mentioned concerning him who desireth to help the Cause of God on the Day of Resurrection through a command exalted and glorious—say: Prepare thyself for the command of thy Lord, for when God’s appointed time cometh, verily, We shall be among those who remind. But before this is assured, make no mention of this, and mention that which will strengthen his heart and the hearts of the believers. Blessed is he and that which he hath purposed in the religion of God. Thus doth God bestow His grace upon whomsoever He willeth of His servants. Verily, He is the All-Bountiful, the All-Encompassing.

Say: That which hath occurred to thy heart is better than what thou hast done from the beginning of thy life until now. This will profit thee on the Day of Resurrection before God, the Lord of all worlds. Say: Verily, the matter is nearer than the twinkling of an eye, if ye would but ponder on your final return, and then remember the days of God. God shall give him in this first life that which shall content his heart. Verily He hath power over all things. Say: this one is of the hosts of God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say: this one is of the party of God, the Sovereign, the Well-Beloved. Say: this one is of those who answer the distressed, and they are assured of God’s command. Behold how all on earth call upon Me, and God hath made Me what ye knew aforetime in the Qur’an. Who is it that answereth the distressed when he calleth upon Him, and succoureth those who have believed in God and His signs, if not God? If ye but knew!

Say: verily God will answer you and aid you and deliver you and exalt you and ordain for you what He willeth—all by His command, and all are prostrate before Him. Say: verily God shall manifest whatsoever He willeth through the hands of His servants. Do ye not behold? Say: verily these verses are greater than the nine signs of Moses and the signs of Jesus, if ye would but remember. For thereby did God aforetime through Muhammad elevate what was revealed unto Moses and Jesus. Were it not greater than these two, how could He elevate them thereby and establish what He willeth through them? Do ye not see? Say: ye shall understand the Cause of God before there appeareth what shall come to pass through the Command. This is the essence of knowledge and wisdom, would ye but remember. At the time when the verse of pilgrimage was revealed, all on earth circled round its shadow. Yet despite the remoteness of creation, in every year seventy thousand souls circumambulate.

If ye understood the Cause of God before these numbers appeared circling the House, then are ye assured of God’s command. And verily thou didst ask God, thy Lord, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of all worlds, that God show thee the meeting with His Beauty. Dost thou not see how at this moment all in their appointed places worship Him? Is there any glory above this? And there appeareth but a single boundary from the boundaries of might, if ye would look to the essence of the Cause. All peoples through their Prophets turn unto God their Lord, and all turn unto Me. What aileth you that ye see not the Essence of Glory? God shall soon show thee the meeting with His Beauty in His Glory. Verily He hath power over all things. But thou seest not an atom with Us. We have taught thee, so ascend to the highest horizon that thou mayest witness all possessors of glory prostrate before God their Lord—some knowingly and some unknowingly.

Verily those who know—these are the companions of the Ridvan, and these are they who have attained. And they who know not—these are they who worship God, thy Lord, while veiled, and that which their hands have earned shall profit them not, and they shall enter the fire. Say: Were there any god besides God, the heavens and earth and all between them would have been corrupted. All stand firm by His command. They who are in heaven worship Me, and they who are on earth worship Me, and whatsoever lieth between them worshippeth Me, and there is nothing but glorifieth My remembrance and is numbered among the worshippers. Is there any god besides Me who createth this creation, or provideth for them, or causeth them to die, or giveth them life? Say: Glory be to God, the Lord of the worlds! And verily We made thee aforetime My Ridvan for them that know, that they might recite within thee My verses by night and by day, and be numbered among them that remember.

And We have made thee known that thou mightest be a sign of My proof unto all who understand, both free and bond. Ask all who are upon the earth. The Furqan is a Book which all who are in Islam acknowledge, and besides them are the dead who answer thee not. Yet all declare: This is a Book which was sent down aforetime unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God, wherein are clear signs for all mankind. Say: If ye be truthful in your words, who can produce the like of such a Book, reciting without doubt that He is Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of all worlds, if ye be among the believers in the religion of the Persians? Verily the Furqan was sent down from God, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting. If then He Who sent it down was none other than God—if ye be of them who were aforetime convinced of your faith—consider whether anyone […] testifieth not that there is no God but I, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting, from the lowliest of creation to the highest.

Thus have We cast Our words upon them and made them as nothing upon the earth, save those who have recognized Us, for they shall endure upon the earth. Were We to remove the veil from the eyes of all upon earth, they would behold that there is no God but I, and all would turn unto Me.

Read not these verses unto him in whom is not found the eye of truth, and guard them as thine own eyes from them that are veiled. For verily a single letter thereof is more precious than all that is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them, and We are independent of all things. And when thou didst ask of God, thy Lord, concerning the elixir of truth in the Book, We did answer thee aforetime. God, thy Lord, hath created all things, and all are His servants. God hath not made lawful unto anyone who believeth not in Him even so much as a grain of mustard seed of this elixir of truth in the Book, whereas He hath made lawful unto you all that ye possess according to what is ordained in the Book. Will ye not then be thankful? We have taught thee aforetime the mystery of speech, if thou be of them that are endued with insight. God will show thee that whereby thy heart shall find rest. He is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

And shouldst thou learn a thousand thousand times, or that which cannot be numbered, say: The bounty of God is complete, and we were powerless to comprehend it, but draw thou nigh only unto that which profiteth thee, for this is of God’s bounty to all the worlds. Know thou what God thy Lord hath previously brought forth through thy hands, for if God so willeth, He would assuredly deliver them from the fire. Verily He is the Ordainer, the Powerful, the Mighty.

Thou hast asked God thy Lord to grant thee power over mercury, which ye call ʿliving silver.’ Yea, We have power over all things. This is a sign of truth concerning minerals—touch them not except in truth, then put thy trust in God, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting. Say: None hath been granted knowledge of this living thing save the Point, as ye observe in the beginning of the matter. Thus take the sign of the Point and place it upon the living thing, and thou shalt find it submissive unto God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of all worlds. This is a mystery in the Mother Book among those who draw nigh. It behooveth not to reveal more than this, and verily We are the preservers of God’s Cause. Should thou take its essence, this is nearer—verily We are All-Knowing.

By the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest, if thou placest the mercury in a crystal vessel and setteth it upon a gentle fire, then addeth some of this essence unto it, thou shalt find it all become one piece, and when thou removest it, it shall be a mighty ingot. Say: Blessed be God, the Lord of the worlds! We have seen this from one who fashioned it—this is of God’s handiwork, the One, the Inaccessible. But I counsel thee not to attach thy heart to this, for the Cause of God transcendeth it. Guard thyself and thy believing brethren, for should this matter slip from thy grasp, thou mightest thereafter grieve and be debarred from the Book of thy Lord. Write that whereby thou mayest earn thy livelihood, for this is better for thee and for the believers.

Say: God hath provided for thee from the beginning of thy life until now, and will continue to provide hereafter, and all derive their sustenance from God’s bounty. And if this should be revealed through thy hands, it would not enrich thy believing brethren. Therefore hasten to that whereby God may enrich all through His bounty, and all on earth shall become possessors. This is nearer to righteousness in the estimation of those endowed with knowledge and those who believe in the signs of God. What shall profit thee in the sight of God is that thou shouldst encompass the knowledge of what hath been revealed from Him, and be of those who remember. Should God bring forth from pure substance that which thy Lord previously gave thee, and thou didst mention the remembrance of His name in the Book, then send unto God thy Lord something refined.

We have previously commanded thee to derive from every name whatsoever can be derived therefrom, then attribute it to God, the Lord of the worlds. We have desired to multiply the sources of all names as a bounty from Our presence—verily We are the Bountiful. We love to see the whole Bayan flow from thy pen. Therefore hasten in the Cause of thy Lord, for verily We are swift. We shall convey unto thee that which shall suffice thee, for unto Us belong the treasuries of the heavens and of the earth and all that is between them, and We are indeed cognizant of all things. Yet of all this there was naught before God that was befitting, though all imagine within themselves that what they possess belongeth unto God. It behooveth not that there should be in thy Lord’s dominion aught save that which hath no equal in thy sight. This is the decree of God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.

I beseech God to reveal the means thereof from His presence, for He is indeed the All-Bountiful, the All-Encompassing, the All-Knowing.

As to what thou hast mentioned regarding thy taking water from that tree without having been commanded beforehand—this profiteth thee not. Draw not nigh save unto that which benefiteth thee—a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. If thou art able to take water from the leaves which We indeed witnessed upon that land, growing from that which its inhabitants from those regions have not… this would be better for thee and nearer unto the worlds.

We know not upon what remembrance these people make mention, but it is a rustling tree with small leaves emerging from the earth without its tree having grown. When touched by yellowness its color changes, yet taking its water leaveth no trace therein. Those who engage in this craft have veiled themselves from it and from its effects, yet still they persist therein.

The essence of the matter is that thou shouldst be content with what God hath ordained for thee. And if thou desirest to see something, then create from what thou hast mentioned regarding half the amount, for this is nearer in the Book among the believers. Beyond this I know not what thou intendest, but God thy Lord will inform thee when He seeth it is best for thee. He is indeed the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

What I have written: Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not. This fleeing mercury will never remain stable upon that which God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting, hath created. Its life is by thy Lord’s command, and it hath no partner in sovereignty nor any protector on earth save by His leave. His is the creation and the command, in the past and in the future. There is no God but He, the Living, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.

As for what thou hast mentioned in thy poetry about seeing naught but God in everything—this indeed is from God’s command, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. However, in all these multiplicities naught can be seen save thy Lord’s command, and it is His creation. Speak not of it as the poet hath spoken, for this is not the path of the unitarians. In all mirrors thou seest naught but the sun, yet the sun doth not multiply—these are but reflections in mirrors, each according to its capacity do they indicate.

As to what thou hast mentioned regarding the name of thy Lord, the Supreme Protector, say: Verily, all who have made mention of Him and were among the assured ones shall make mention of Him. Blessed are they who have believed in God and His signs, for these are upon a straight path, while others are as dead, though they think themselves alive, yet they perceive not. As for those who harbor doubts about the religion of God and yet have not attained to certitude—God will forgive them, for they are sincere in their faith in God. Say: Is there any doubt about God? He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. He created you and all that you do.

And concerning what thou didst mention about those who have believed in God and His signs and who seek His good-pleasure desiring to come unto thee, yet are prevented from what thou writest during the day—grieve not their hearts, but rather confirm their hearts, spirits, souls and bodies upon the path of thy Lord, that they may give thanks in the days of their Lord. But thou shouldst give to each according to the measure of his understanding, for all have entered according to their stations, and they comprehend not the inmost mysteries within the outward appearances, each according to his rank. All belong to God and all are His servants. And We have given thee permission concerning what thou didst seek leave for in the Book. If God doth not manifest from thy grasp, grieve not, for the end belongeth to the patient ones. Let not the fire of thy love be quenched by what appeareth, nor depart from sincerity, for God will purify whom He willeth and will cause to depart whom He desireth.

He is the All-Knowing, the Inaccessible, the Mighty. As for what thy brother hath sewn, We were grateful, but his hands were larger than My grasp. If it be not amended another time, it would be better for Us, for We were clothed. There hath appeared before God what had reached thee before from the Book of thy Lord—this is of God’s grace unto the believers who attain to the presence of their Lord and are assured in the religion of God. Preserve thyself, then thy believing brethren, then what thou hast of the verses of the Mighty, the Inaccessible.

Bab 18: Aftaq

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Expansive, the Most Expansive.

There is no God but He, the Most Expansive, the Most Expansive. Say: God is more expansive than all who possess expansion. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can resist the power of His sovereign expansion. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the All-Expanding, the Opener, the Most Expansive. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are humbly devoted unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command, and verily He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and in what lieth between them.

There is none other God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: The creation of all created things, past and future, is in the hand of God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of all worlds. He it is Who hath created you and sustained you and causeth you to die and to live again. Is there any god besides God who could do these things unto you? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe. All that are in the heavens and on earth and in between them glorify Him, and all are His worshippers. Say: Praise be to God, unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and in what lieth between them. He enricheth whom He willeth through His bounty. Verily He was and is the All-Bountiful, the Most Bountiful, the Ever-Bountiful. And say: Praise be to God Who giveth in His dominion unto whomsoever He willeth among His servants. Verily He was and is the All-Knowing, the Knowing, the Omniscient.

Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Splendid, the Splendor-Making, the All-Splendid. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Majestic, the Majesty-Making, the All-Majestic. Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Beautiful, the Beauty-Making, the All-Beautiful. Unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Grand, the Grandeur-Making, the All-Grand. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Luminous, the Light-Giving, the All-Luminous. Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Merciful, the Mercy-Giving, the All-Merciful.

Unto God belong the words of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Wise, the Wisdom-Giving, the All-Wise. Unto God belong the names of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Mighty, the Might-Giving, the Almighty. Unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Powerful, the Power-Giving, the All-Powerful. Unto God belongeth the utterance of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Pleased, the Pleasure-Giving, the All-Pleased. Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Loving, the Love-Giving, the All-Loving. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Sovereign, the Sovereignty-Giving, the All-Sovereign.

Unto God belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Royal, the Kingdom-Giving, the All-Royal. Unto God belongeth the loftiness of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Exalted, the Exaltation-Giving, the All-Exalted. Unto God belongeth the bounty of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Bountiful, the Bounty-Giving, the All-Bountiful. Unto God belongeth the riches of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, and God is the Most Rich, the Wealth-Giving, the All-Rich. These verses should be recited each day in the number of the Unity (Vahid) with joy and fragrance from a wondrous and mighty Book. What thou hast written hath been displayed before God, and verily We were listening. Therefore, praise God for having guided thee to the path of certain truth. Verily God’s bounty, both before and after, hath been great upon thee.

The highest stations of the first life are the good-pleasure of thy Lord, and God hath caused thee to attain them—be thou of the thankful ones. Soon He will cause thee to attain, in the next life, unto the Most Glorious stations, as a bounty from His presence. Verily, He is the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

For those who have believed in God and His verses—their men, their women, and their offspring—He hath created after their death, in Paradise, bodies of living crimson ruby by thy Lord’s leave. When their spirits depart, they attach to these bodies by thy Lord’s permission, and in their stations with God are they sustained. Therein shall they have whatsoever their souls desire, and God increaseth His bounty unto whomsoever He willeth among His servants. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Therein are maidens for them like hidden pearls, and youths like treasured rubies of might. Therein are sweet fragrances which, by God’s leave, are presented before them. Therein are varieties of silk whose radiance gleams when they look upon it. Therein are elevated seats whereon they recline. Therein they have whatsoever they love, such as hath no equal nor likeness. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the Mighty, the Beloved.

This is what God hath prepared for those among you who believe and those who will believe thereafter. O number of separation increased by the third letter, bear thou witness that there is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. All things that bear the name of a thing are God’s creation and His possession, and all subsist by His command. On that Day, nothing on earth shall be lawful unto them save those who have entered the Bayan and are assured of God’s command. We have indeed revealed the verses of all things aforetime, yet all have taken their portion without God’s leave, and on that Day they shall neither return nor be seen by their Lord. All imagine they work for God, yet God beareth not witness that they work for aught but other than Him. God hath granted thee success in this—it is better for thee than all else, as it returneth unto God, if thou be of those who seek help.

How many gave the right of their Imam to one unto whom his own self was not lawful, and how many took when We had not made lawful unto them even so much as a whit! Those who gave and those who took—both have disobeyed their Lord, except they return unto God and repent. Therefore praise thou God, thy Lord, for having given thee of His kingdom what He willeth and taught thee the way of guidance that thou mightest attain unto what was foreordained in the Book. This is of God’s bounty unto thee and unto the God-fearing. Ponder thou upon all that is on earth, but that which God hath purified is that which hath been delivered from thy hands. Thus doth God purify whatsoever He willeth. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful. But thou shouldst be bountiful unto thyself and unto them that love thee, for the treasuries of thy Lord shall never be exhausted, and unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the latter end and in the former time.

Verily, in that Paradise it behooveth the servant to secure for himself, if he be able to find a way thereunto, whatsoever things have no equal therein. This is of God’s bounty unto the believers, that they may enjoy the favors of their Lord and be among the thankful in the days of God. But thou shouldst not draw nigh unto that which grieveth thee. Put thy trust in God, the Most High, the Most Great. And thou shouldst ask the meaning of what We have revealed unto thee from him whose name betokeneth the name of the Benevolent, the All-Subtle, for this is of God’s bounty unto that company, that he may acquaint them with the Command of their Lord and remind them of the favors of their Lord, and that he may recite unto them the measures of their Creator and give them glad tidings of that Paradise concerning which they ask of God’s bounty, and warn them against those whom they worship beyond God, while thinking they do well.

But verily both the follower and the followed are in the fire, and God will not recompense them nor accept any of their deeds. Thus does He render void the deeds of those who believe not in God and His signs. This is a day when every people shall be brought before God with their leader. These are the leaders of the fire, and whosoever follows them shall abide in the fire. And these, because they followed the martyrs of truth from God, shall abide forever in God’s good pleasure. Their proof against those on earth has been perfected from their Lord, and they speak with truth. Thus does God recompense those who believe in God and His signs, and are sincere in God’s religion. We have indeed favored thee before with Our remembrance, for We are ever remembering. The remembrance of thy Lord equals not all that is in the heavens and earth and what lies between them, and We are ever remembering in truth. All that thou hast witnessed in the Book is from thy Lord, and We are ever knowing of it.

God shall soon recompense thee in the life to come and the present life with a goodly recompense from Him, for He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful. We have indeed sent down aforetime this wisdom, and We are its Guardian. Had We not commanded thee thus, how couldst thou find a way to it? Say: All is from God, the Most High, the Most Great. But there returned not to God the essence of what was, all being given or taking by God’s leave. And perchance cannot be counted what benefit those derived from that Command, and all before God are believers. But there returned not to Me a single verse We had sent down in that path—perchance not equaling a thousand. Thus does God testify in truth, for He is the Best of witnesses. But apart from that path, God ordained naught in the Book. God shall return to His proof, for He has power over all things. But this is the essence of what they have taken and shall take, and have come and shall come.

This is from God’s grace upon thee—He has given thee from Him what He willeth, then permitted thee what thou hast found a way to. This shall benefit thee on the Day of Resurrection before thy Lord. We have not diminished aught of what We gave thee. Our remembrance equals not what is in the heavens and earth and what lies between them, as all creation is before thy Lord and all bow down to Him. And thou hast not possessed of those thousand seals save a numbered few, and what thou hast worn and what is below that are those who believe in God and His signs, disposing by permission. This is what returned to God thy Lord, and He shall enrich thee with a mighty enrichment as recompense for following God’s command. But witness that wealth was not anyone’s glory when thou seest countless wealthy ones on earth possessing countless things like unto themselves, all possessing without right.

And verily thy glory is in thy guidance and what God thy Lord hath enabled thee to fulfill of what thou wast commanded aforetime in the Book, and verily this is, in the estimation of God, a supreme triumph. We have desired for thee from Our presence whatsoever beseemeth thee, inasmuch as the gift of thy Lord is unlike the gift of anyone else in all the worlds. It behooveth thee to know that it hath no likeness in all creation. We have given thee manifest verses, the like of which cannot be found in the heavens or the earth or in aught that lieth between them. This is thy Lord’s gift unto the God-fearing, a bounty the like of which existeth not in the heavens, nor on earth, nor in aught between them, and all are powerless before it. Yet besides this, there appeareth from those who were created by God’s command that which, should He relate it to Himself, is of His grace, for verily He is the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

We have forbidden that there should appear in thy presence aught that would sadden thee or harm the believers. And if We desire a matter, We shall mention it in the Book and then command thee regarding it, for verily We are All-Knowing. Thou hast desired only the good-pleasure of God through these glad-tidings, both in the life to come and in this life, for verily We are bountiful. God hath ordained for thee in the Ridvan that which will solace thine eyes, and this is of God’s grace unto thee and unto those who have believed in God and His signs, and are God-fearing in His religion. We have guided thee to thy Lord’s proof from the fruits of Paradise, for verily We are watchful. Say: Praise be to God Who provideth for whomsoever He willeth from His presence; we are all thankful unto Him. Say: All receive their sustenance from God Who provideth for whomsoever He willeth from His presence, and all stand ready at His bidding.

That which thou hast sent with those fruits shall reach its destination by thy Lord’s leave, for He is truly the Guardian, the Protector. Praise be to God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of all the worlds.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Manifest, the Most Manifest

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the grandeur, Thine the power and the divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the majesty and the glory, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the likeness and similitude, Thine the station and sublimity, Thine the greatness and independence, Thine the awesomeness and grandeur, Thine the might and invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the dominion and power, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. All is Thine, O my God! Thy favors are more numerous than can be counted by those who number, and Thy blessings are too exalted for those who render thanks to encompass their praise.

Unto Thee be praise, praise that would fill Thy heavens and Thy earth and all that lies between them through Thy grace and generosity, and that would cause all things to attain the pinnacle of Thy love, nearness, and good-pleasure. Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Self-Subsisting, Unique, Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining, the Sovereign, the Supreme, the Most Holy, Eternal, Everlasting, Self-Dependent, Transcendent, Inaccessible, Most Exalted. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son. Thou hast ever been the One existing before all things, the Being after all things, the Creator above all things, the Essence with all things, yet hidden from all things. Thou givest life and causeth death, then causeth death and givest life. Verily Thou diest not. Thou art a King whose sovereignty perisheth not, a Justice that wrongeth not, a Power that changeth not, and a Unity from whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them.

Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Expansive, the Most Expansive!

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His transcendence above all contingent beings, hath elevated Himself in His loftiness above all existing things, hath made Himself inaccessible in His remoteness above all created things, hath shown forth His power above all atoms, and hath demonstrated His independence above all who dwell in the kingdom of names and attributes. He hath called Himself and all His creation to witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Sovereign. Then He called Himself and all His creation to witness to the One manifest in a line from Me which I have written—the First to be manifested at the Most Exalted Beginning. God hath filled His heaven and His earth with the testimony that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Glorified.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Expansive, the Most Expansive!

Praise be to God, there is none other God but Him, the Most Expansive, the Most Expansive! The glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whosoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen except the First Unity. Furthermore, I testify that the similitude of all names is as mirrors, and the similitude of what appeareth in them is as the sun reflected in the mirrors through the mirrors themselves. Therefore in all names none can be seen except God, whether they be the most exalted names or those beneath them, for their bearers are all, within their own limits, upon the height of greatness and the summit of loftiness. Call upon God, thy Lord, by all names, for all sources of radiance and manifestations of light are from God, the One, the All-Compelling. Therefore there is no independence save in God, no exaltation save in Him. None can join together in truth except God, and none can separate in truth except Him. His are the most beautiful names.

All that are in the heavens and on the earth and between them glorify Him. There is none other God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 19: Asbaq

And it hath four stages. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Precedent, the Most Precedent.

Say: God is more antecedent than every possessor of antecedence. None in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them can escape from the dominion of His sovereign antecedence. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been antecedent, pre-existent, and precedent. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. Praise be to God, before Whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them do glorify Him. Say: All are submissive unto Him.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His is the sovereignty and the kingdom, then the might and the dominion, then the power and the divine realm, then the strength and the celestial domain, then the dominion and the earthly realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who oppresseth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Glorified be He Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them through His command “Be,” and it is. Say: He is the Subduer over His creation, and He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: He is the Manifest over His servants, and He is the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. He is the One Who createth what He willeth through His command “Be,” and it is. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.

Say: He is the One Who standeth over every soul, knowing what it hath earned and witnessing what it earneth. Verily, He is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. Say: Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, if ye be knowing? They will surely say: God. Say: How then do ye not believe in Him upon Whom God sendeth down His verses? Say: Unto whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them, if ye be knowing? They will surely say: Unto God. How then do ye veil yourselves from Him Whom God hath made His Proof unto you in the days of God?

His is whatsoever dwelleth in the night and the day, and He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Splendid of the splendid, the Resplendent. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Majestic of the majestic, the Glorious. Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Beautiful of the beautiful, the Comely. Unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Grand of the grand, the Magnificent. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the Most Luminous of the luminous, the All-Enlightening, the Most Effulgent.

Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate, the Ever-Merciful. Unto God belongeth the words of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the All-Ruling, the Most Wise, the Judge Supreme. Unto God belongeth the names of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the Most Great, the All-Glorious, the Supreme. Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the All-Knowing, the Most Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Almighty. Unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the All-Knowing, the Omniscient, the All-Wise. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Most Mighty.

Unto God belongeth the good-pleasure of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the Well-Pleased, the All-Pleasing, the Most Pleasant. Unto God belongeth the nobility of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the Most Noble, the All-Ennobling, the Supreme. Unto God belongeth the invincibility of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the Impregnable, the All-Protecting, the Most Invincible. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the Sovereign, the All-Ruling, the Supreme. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the Lord, the All-Possessing, the Sovereign.

Unto God belongeth the praise of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is indeed the All-Praised, the Most Praiseworthy, the Ever-Praised.

Recite thou these verses, for verily in them lieth that which will tranquilize thy heart from thy Lord. There is no God but Him, the Most High, the Most Great. From the beginning of this Cause, which is the first Day of Resurrection, all shall be brought before God, thy Lord. Consider thou in the prayer from the mention of death unto resurrection eleven degrees; thus on the Day of Resurrection shall ye all be raised up. Say: The letter Ha is your root and the letter Vav your branch, wherein ye shall be raised up. We have indeed bestowed upon thee a temple in the form of Ha in thine outer form, then Vav in thine inner form. Thus do they begin in creation, and thus do all worship in an ancient creation. Say: This is the Most Great Name whereby all attain unto every good. Blessed are they who possess their temples from their Lord, and blessed are they who recite the verses of God in their temples.

Say: This year is the year of the Balance which We have established, yet all are veiled therefrom. Give praise then unto God for having recognized thy Lord and for being among those who are assured of the signs of God. Say: These verses are sent down in truth for those in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them—through them shall ye be guided. Say: Through them did God establish the religion of Muhammad aforetime, and verily they are greater than the verses of all the Prophets combined. For were they not greater, God would not have abrogated through them what was revealed beforehand unto Muhammad, the Messenger of God. Will ye not reflect? Verily, all who are on earth worship God, thy Lord, in ways they know not. Therefore have We rendered them and their deeds as dust, and We were witness unto all things.

Except for those who have believed in God and His verses in the Bayan—these have We mentioned and forgiven what their hands have wrought and set aright their condition, and We desire to admit them into a mighty paradise. This is thy Lord’s gift unto the God-fearing. Say: In the first life ye have a path of truth extended before you—all labor for aught beside God while ye labor for God. And in the latter life God hath created for you an abode in the highest heaven of moist and living pearls wherein ye shall dwell. Therein shall ye have whatsoever your souls desire, and God shall add unto you more. Verily there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

We have indeed perused thy letter and We were listening. Blessed are they who have believed in God and His signs and were among those possessed of certitude. For whoso hath guided thee unto this knowledge, this indeed is a mighty bounty. This is better in God’s sight than all that thou hast done before, and thus doth God reward the doers of good. And verily what We commanded thee before when thou wert among the God-fearing—We were indeed aware of it. And if no right of Mine was incumbent upon thee, thou art not obligated henceforth. Take from thy brother, for We were keeping account. We desire naught from anyone save truth, and We judge not even to the weight of an atom except with truth, though all are Ours and all stand ready at Our command. This is God’s path in the heavens and earth and all that lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And if it becomes incumbent upon thee henceforth, then reckon it thyself, for We were keeping account.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm, then the Glory and the Majesty, then the Countenance and the Beauty, then the Face and the Perfection, then the Might and the Action, then the Authority and the Justice, then the Likeness and the Similitudes, then the Stations and the Grandeur, then the Greatness and the Independence, then the Glory and the Inaccessibility, then the Power and the Transcendence, then the Joy and the Gladness, then the Sovereignty and the Omnipotence, then whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the Kingdom of Thy Command and creation. Thou hast ever been, existing before all things, bringing all things into being, and transcendent above all things.

Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Unique, Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, Protector, Holy, Everlasting, Independent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in what Thou hast created nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power hast Thou ordained all things and measured them with precise measure. By Thy sign hast Thou formed all things and fashioned them with perfect fashioning. Thou hast ever been supreme above all contingent beings, manifest above all existent things, inaccessible above all created things, exalted above all atoms, transcendent above all who dwell in the realms of earth and heaven, empowered over all things, and dominant over all that hath been and shall be created through His originating power.

Thou didst make Thyself known on the Day of Resurrection unto all Thy creation, whereby Thou didst distinguish among Thy creatures between those who recognized Thee and turned to Thee—upon whom Thou didst bestow Thy light, Thy good-pleasure, Thy love and Thy acceptance—and those who were veiled from Thee, whom Thou didst condemn to Thy fire and deprivation of Thy good-pleasure. How transcendent is Thy grace unto them that know Thee, and how glorious Thy bounty unto them that glorify Thee! The dwellers of Thy heaven and earth, and all that lies between them in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation, were created to worship Thee, to glorify Thee, to sanctify Thee, to magnify Thee and to extol Thee. Thou art exalted above all Thy creation and abiding after the extinction of Thy servants.

Therefore, O my God, send Thy blessings upon the Tree of Thy Oneness—its root, branch, twigs, leaves, and fruits, and all that is in it and upon it, and upon such of Thy servants and loved ones as have found rest beneath that Tree—in a measure befitting the loftiness of Thy sovereignty and the sublimity of Thy dwellers. Verily, Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily, Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Therefore, send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection through Thy might and exaltation, Thy sanctity and glory, Thy generosity and bounty. Verily, Thou art triumphant over all things, above all things, omnipotent over all things, and after all things. Thou art the First, and there is nothing before Thee; Thou art the Last, and there is nothing after Thee; Thou art the Manifest, and there is nothing above Thee; Thou art the Hidden, and there is nothing beyond Thee. Verily, Thou art the Living, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Precedent, the Most Precedent.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath triumphed in His triumph over all created things, Who hath manifested Himself in His manifestation above all existing things, Who hath raised Himself in His elevation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who hath demonstrated His power above all atoms. His creation beareth witness, and He Himself testifieth, that there is none other God but Him, the Single, the Bestower. This is a testimony purified from the allusions of signs and freed from the evidences of veils—a testimony resplendent, majestic, beauteous, magnificent, luminous, transcendent, mighty, powerful, manifest, hidden, sovereign, dominant, prevailing, well-pleasing, beloved, glorious, and preeminent.

It is a testimony that filleth the heavens to their confines and the earth with all that is therein and thereon, and whatever lieth between them, through what hath been ordained by their Lord: that there is none other God but Him, the Eternal Almighty, the Everlasting All-Powerful, the Perpetual All-Compelling, the Single All-Prevailing. His are the most beautiful names in their Primacy and their Finality, their Outwardness and their Inwardness, and the Most Exalted Similitudes in their Essence and their Abstraction, their Purity and their Luminosity. He hath chosen for Himself an impregnable Essence, a resplendent Abstraction, an exalted Reality, a subtle Luminosity and an ancient Purity. Then He revealed Himself unto it through it and cast into its essence the likeness of itself.

And lo, His signs appeared through it and filled the kingdom of His heaven and His earth, testifying that there is no God but Him and that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word, and that the Manifestations of the Living One are His primary guides. He revealed Himself unto it through it by infinite names, whereupon the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them were filled with the multiplicity of that Primal Unity and that Light shining forth from the Morn of Eternity, all proclaiming:

“God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. His are the names in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.”

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Precedent, the Most Precedent.

Praise be to God, beside Whom there is no other God, the Most Precedent, the Most Precedent. And verily all glory be from God unto the Primal Unity and unto him who resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the Primal Unity. I testify that God, exalted and glorified be He, precedeth all things without conjunction, connection, separation or disconnection. The likeness of God’s Revelation, glorified be His majesty, is as the sun, and the likeness of the darkened mirrors is as that creation—whosoever faceth the Sun of Truth, in him is reflected the likeness of its Revealer, each according to his capacity and station. And verily the difference among names proceedeth only from that which is named, though naught appeareth therein save God, the One, the Precedent, the Peerless, the Most High, the True.

Look thou unto those who have hastened unto the Ridvan. Verily among those from thy land who have been mentioned before Us are two whose ranks God hath elevated in the lofty heights and the stations of those near unto Him. Thus doth He bestow His favor upon whomsoever He willeth among His servants through precedence in entering the Ridvan and beholding the Maids of Heaven and the Daysprings of Manifestation in Paradise. Blessed are they and that which they have earned in their Lord’s path. And if they have not the means to support themselves, then surely provide for them from thy Lord, for verily We shall recompense thee. We shall assuredly reckon with thee, for they have been raised to a mighty seat of truth. It behooveth their Lord Who created them to provide for their affairs—verily He is the best Guardian and Trustee. However, this is only if they lack sufficient means; otherwise God their Lord hath provided for them, for verily He is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Vahid 10

Bab 1: Asmaq

And it hath four stations. The First in the First.

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most High.

Say: God is supreme above all who possess supremacy. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever lieth between them can escape from the dominion of His sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been supreme in His transcendent sovereignty. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them! Say: All are His worshippers. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and on earth and between them celebrate His glory! Say: All are submissive to Him.

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the Sovereign and the Kingdom, then the Might and the Dominion, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Dominion and the Human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the Supreme One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He is, verily, powerful over all things.

Blessed be He Who possesseth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted be He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them. There is none other God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God is the Creator of all things, and all are submissive to Him. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and all bow down before Him. Say: God giveth life and causeth death, and all stand firm by His command. Say: He is the Subduer over His creation, and He is the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Say: He is manifest above His creation, and He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.

He is the One Who createth what He willeth by His command “Be” and it is. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: He is the Subduer over His creation and the Manifest above His servants, and He is the Single, the Inaccessible, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: He is the One Who standeth over every soul, knowing what it hath earned and witnessing what it shall earn. Verily He is the Truth, the Knower of hidden things. And if thou shouldst ask all who are in the heavens and on earth and between them “Who created you and sustaineth you and causeth you to die and giveth you life?” all would say “God is the Creator of all things and we are all His worshippers.”

Say: How then do ye worship God in a way that profiteth you not but rather harmeth you, and ye know it not? Say: These are the verses of God, a proof from Him unto all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven and between them. Through them ye turn unto God, your Lord.

O thou who art numbered among those who withdraw! What thou hast written hath been spread before Us, and We have been attentive. Praise be to God, the Lord of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of all the worlds, for what God hath taught thee of guidance from His presence and made thee among the witnesses.

Say: O God! Thou art the Sovereign of sovereigns. Thou givest sovereignty to whom Thou willest and takest it from whom Thou willest. Thou enrichest whom Thou willest and makest poor whom Thou willest. Thou shalt aid whom Thou pleaseth and forsake whom Thou pleaseth, and Thou shalt exalt whom Thou pleaseth and abase whom Thou pleaseth. Within Thy grasp lieth the kingdom of all things. Thou createst what Thou willeth by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things. Thou causeth the night to pass into day and the day to pass into night. Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living, and Thou sustaineth whom Thou willeth without measure. No partner hast Thou in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou createst whom Thou willeth by Thy command. Verily, Thou dost encompass all things.

Behold on the Day of Resurrection how the people have veiled themselves from God, their Lord, while they perceive not. All worship God and strive for His good pleasure, yet God beareth not witness to their guidance. Their example is like unto those who were given the Book aforetime, yet they know not. We have granted them respite for a numbered period, that perchance they may be reminded of the signs of God.

Say: We have revealed aforetime in the Furqan that none other than God can reveal a verse. Perchance on the day they hear the verses of God they may be convinced that none other than God can reveal a verse. Thus there is no doubt that it hath been revealed from God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. For We have shown this path to mankind and have witnessed it through twelve hundred and seventy years. Thus doth God cast His decree upon them, yet they perceive not.

Behold how We have seized them by that which they profess. Say: Can your religion be established save through Muhammad, the Messenger of old, and that which God hath revealed through His verses? How then do ye not understand nor take heed? This is the proof whereby God hath established the religion of Islam, if ye but knew. All that ye see or say—God beareth not witness to your guidance. In the Furqan naught was adduced save verses, if ye would but ponder a little thereon.

If ye say this sufficeth not, then look ye to the word of God revealed aforetime in the Surih of the Spider, then believe in your former religion. This is the proof of God, if ye would perceive. And by conclusive rational proof, if anyone wished to enter the religion of Islam, ye could not adduce any evidence save this proof, if ye would perceive. For all that ye say returneth to this, and none who wisheth to enter your religion heareth aught except that he seeth a verse which all the worlds are powerless to produce. Thus hath the proof of thy Lord been completed against those who entered not aforetime into Islam and those who enter not afterwards into the Bayan, even should they become aware. And were the people of Islam to realize what their hands have wrought, they would be thunderstruck and would testify, for they all know from the beginning of their lives until their end that they might attain God’s good pleasure. But can His good pleasure be manifested except through His verses?

Will approval be manifested save through His signs? Say: What aileth you that ye act thus and perceive not? Ye have become veiled from the fruits of your deeds, and this is a day whereon ye shall be brought before God, your Lord. Verily We shall bring back in the number of Ha and Vav those who are in Islam, and We shall create them anew in a wondrous creation, and yet they know not, and death has been decreed until it reaches the Balance from among the degrees of the Day of Resurrection in the number of the letter Waw, but the people are veiled from the Cause of God. We have made thee a witness unto what hath been sent down from Our presence, that thou mayest be of them that know. When knowledge conformeth to what He desireth, that is knowledge and wisdom with God and then with those who are endowed with knowledge and who believe in God’s Cause. Otherwise it is not considered knowledge in the sight of God.

Will their principles, or logic, or meanings, or what is above or below these, profit them on the Day of Resurrection? Nay, these have veiled them from the path of God and caused them to enter the fire with those who enter therein.

Therefore, make thy knowledge that which hath been sent down from God, the Most High, the Most Great, the Lord of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them, the One, the Most Exalted, the All-Bountiful. This verily is thy glory in the life to come and in this first life, and then in all the worlds. And strengthen the hearts of them that dwell in the precincts of the Ridvan, for this is of God’s grace unto the doers of good. And do good unto those who remain after those who have ascended unto God, for this is of God’s bounty unto the beneficent ones who have met their Lord and who were certain of the signs of God.

Guard thyself, then thy believing brethren, from that which harmeth you, for verily We have been their protector. But if thou desirest to be among the teachers on a certain day, then travel by thy Lord’s leave and call the people unto the path of certain truth. Otherwise, be patient until God bringeth His command to pass. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. This is of God’s grace upon thee and upon those who desire to help the Cause of God and who turn with longing unto God, their Lord.

And verily We were witness to what thou hast calculated in the Book. That which belongeth to God reacheth His loved ones not in the manner ye reckon. We have indeed sent down Tablets; recite them unto their people and remind them of the days of thy Lord, for this is of His grace unto the God-fearing. And as for what thou hast asked of God, thy Lord, regarding a goodly progeny, should God so will, He will grant it unto thee. He is verily the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.

And when thou desirest to draw nigh, recite that verse from the Book, for this is a beautiful remembrance. Say: God is more beautiful than every possessor of beauty. None in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them can withhold himself from the sovereignty of His beauty. He createth what He willeth by His command. He, verily, is beautiful, the Source of beauty, the All-Beauteous.

And when thou knowest of a matter, safeguard the days that pass that thou mayest make its provision a gentle provision, for this is of God’s grace unto those who have believed in the Bayan and those who shall believe thereafter. Should ye recite this and preserve the days of its gestation, God will fashion what ye, when ye behold it, shall cause you to say:

“Glory be to God, the Possessor of Glory and Beauty! This is of God’s handiwork, the Supreme, the Transcendent.”

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most High.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine is might and omnipotence, Thine is power and divinity, Thine is strength and earthly dominion, Thine is glory and majesty, Thine is the countenance and beauty, Thine is the face and perfection, Thine is mercy and bounty, Thine is sovereignty and justice, Thine are the symbols and parables, Thine are the stations and grandeur, Thine is greatness and independence, Thine is guardianship and sublimity, Thine is might and invincibility, Thine is guardianship and transcendence, Thine is dominion and power, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. Thou wert before all things, and Thou art the Being after all things, and Thou art the Essence after all things, and Thou art the Creator of all things, and Thou art the Knower of all things.

From everlasting Thou hast been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, ever-living, all-compelling, sovereign, all-pervading, holy, everlasting, never-ending, transcendent, invincible, exalted. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. I shall magnify Thee, O my God, with great magnification, and I shall glorify Thee, O my God, with mighty glorification. Thou givest life and causeth death, then causeth death and givest life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third of the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most High.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath raised Himself in His elevation above all existing things, and hath made Himself invincible in His invincibility above all created things, and hath shown His power in His might above all atoms, and hath demonstrated His dominion in His sovereignty above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. His creation beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing. He hath chosen an impenetrable essence, a resplendent abstraction, a sublime being, a delicate camphor-like nature, and an exalted simplicity. Then He revealed Himself to it through it and cast into its reality the likeness of itself, whereupon His actions appeared through it and He filled His heaven and earth with it, testifying that there is no God but Him, the One, the Ancient. Verily the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word.

Through Him God hath manifested whatsoever He willeth of the paths of all things, for in His grasp is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. There is no God but Him, the One, the Supreme.

The Fourth of the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most High.

Praise be to God, there is no God but Him, the Most High, the Most High. And verily the glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen except the First One and He Who resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the Primal One. And furthermore, bear thou witness that God, the All-Glorious, hath revealed Himself unto His names through them, by them, and through them hath withheld Himself from them. Thus is the Manifest in them the Hidden before them, and the First in them the Last unto them. Liken them unto mirrors and that which is reflected unto the sun, even as there appeareth loftiness or precedence, or lowliness or distinction, or the likeness of these attributes and the shadows of those names from the evidences of the Bayan. This is what behooveth to be attributed unto God, the Mighty, the Most High.

And whatsoever is beneath this, even though it be through God, yet since it entereth not into the Bayan, it behooveth not to be attributed unto God, the Lord of Glory and Majesty. Therefore, the highest exaltation of every Revelation is made the lowest abasement of the Revelation that followeth it; nay, the paradise of the former Revelation is made the fire of the subsequent one. For whoso was in the former Revelation, should he not enter into the subsequent Revelation, his light is changed into fire. Likewise, whoso believeth not in Him Whom God shall make manifest on the day of His appearance, his light in the Bayan shall be changed into fire. Say: O people of the Bayan! Ye are they who on that day shall fear, for that is a day like unto this time when all do call upon Him, yet all remain veiled from Him, save those who know God and then turn unto Him through His names.

These are they who on the Day of Resurrection shall be secure; no grief shall touch them on that day, and they shall abide in the lofty chambers of their glory.

Bab 2: ArtaH

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Restful, the Most Restful.

There is no God but He, the Most Restful, the Most Restful. Say: God is more restful than every possessor of rest. None in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them can withstand the sovereignty of His rest. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been the All-Resting, the Most Restful, the Bestower of Rest. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All stand in devotion before Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been powerful over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. And exalted be He Who possesseth the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: In all names naught can be seen except God, and all testify that there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

Say: When something is created by God’s command, ye call upon Him, and when sustenance is bestowed by God’s command, ye call upon Him. Say: Verily, He Who created you is He Who sustaineth you. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. When death cometh upon a thing, ye call upon Him, and when life appeareth in a thing, ye call upon Him. Say: Verily, He Who causeth you to die is He Who giveth you life. Will ye not see? Before Him boweth down whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Protecting, the Best-Beloved. This is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. He is the One Who createth what He willeth through His command “Be” and it is. He is the One Who giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. Unto Him submit whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them.

Say: All shall return unto Him. Say: He standeth over every soul, knowing what it hath earned and bearing witness to what it acquireth. Verily He is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. Say: Through God’s grace and mercy ye shall enter the chambers of paradise. Say: God hath ordained in the Mother Book the measures of all things; all act according to His command. Say: God hath created the tree of negation and affirmation, and hath commanded you not to approach negation, as ye know, and to draw nigh unto God through the tree of affirmation, as ye call upon Him. Say: All that ye witness in truth ye shall exchange for that which is other than Him, then fear ye God. And what God witnesseth concerning those who have believed in God and His signs is better than what all the worlds witness. And there hath been spread before God the Book which was inscribed from thence, and We were indeed aware of it. And We were indeed listeners to what was inscribed from thence.

God shall soon exalt those who have believed in God and His signs and enrich them from His bounty. Verily He hath ever been bountiful and all-knowing. And through what I have mentioned, the mercy of God hath descended upon thy father. Thus doth God reward the believers who, when they hear the mention of God, are assured of His command. Say: Those who have heard My mention and who believe forthwith—upon them rest blessings from their Lord and mercy, and they are the guided ones. And those who hear the mention of God and believe not—these have been created for the fire and shall enter therein after their death, and therein shall they find no help. And the proof of thy Lord hath been completed against all who dwell in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them through five evidences which all comprehend. Say: The first is what God revealed aforetime in the Furqan (Qur’an), in which all believe.

Verily none but God can reveal a single verse, so when ye hear it, there remaineth no recourse in your religion except to say: “This is from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.” This sufficeth you according to what ye have acknowledged before in the Book of God, if ye be of those who are certain. Ponder what God hath revealed in the Surih of the Spider, if ye reflect upon the verses of God. The third proof is that these verses are greater than the verses of all the Prophets combined, for through these verses God hath exalted all that was revealed to the Prophets before Muhammad. Were they not greater, God would not establish this and abrogate what was revealed before, as ye in your religion do argue. The fourth proof is that God in the Qur’an only proves your powerlessness through the verses revealed therein. If there were aught else with God besides this, He would surely have used it as proof in the Book, if ye be of those who are certain of what God hath revealed.

All that ye say must establish what equateth with God’s proof, else God would not desire its mention. How is it that ye do not reflect? The fifth proof is one that ye comprehend through your own minds. When one desireth to enter the religion of Islam, do ye prove it to him through aught besides the verses of God? If ye say otherwise, then your own souls would belie you. Verily, whoso desireth to enter your religion heareth from you only what he seeth and whereby his heart is assured. How then do ye prove it to others while failing to prove it to yourselves through God’s verses? And if ye say God’s proof is not complete hereby, then according to your words there would be no proof in the Book for those who had not yet entered Islam. How is it that ye do not understand and see? Say: This is what God hath established for you aforetime in the Qur’an, in which ye all believe. But we have not argued what ye cannot comprehend through your minds nor encompass in knowledge.

Is there any god besides God who createth? Say: Glory be to God! All are created by His command and all worship Him. Say: God hath subdued the letters and revealed them in such wise that all are rendered powerless. Is there any power that equateth this? God sendeth down words that render all the worlds powerless, though all speak with these same letters. If all are powerless to produce verses like these, how much more their powerlessness to grasp their meaning or comprehend their stations or what God hath reckoned therein of seventy thousand meanings which ye cannot encompass in knowledge. This is God’s handiwork, if ye would but reflect a little. And verily we witnessed the Day of Resurrection when Truth was distinguished from falsehood according to what was ordained therein. Thy father had composed a book while We were in the most holy land, hearing the words therein, though this be that whereof the chosen servants of God speak not.

Yet God loveth him who seeketh to be purified from aught else save truth in like manner, if he be of them that know. And that which he knew and composed, were his knowledge to be revealed, would be inscribed as good in the sight of God in a mighty tablet. God created knowledge only that it might be acted upon, yet among men are those who utter words while remaining veiled from acting upon them. When one declareth “There is no God but God” and desireth to be among the doers, he must, if able, purify himself from all that leadeth not to God, negating negation through truth and affirming affirmation through truth, until naught remaineth of that which God’s knowledge encompasseth of negation save in distant extinction, and naught remaineth that is established for God or that leadeth to God except in mighty and glorious permanence.

And whoso composeth poetry concerning the First Unity, being on the Day of Resurrection among the assured ones, God shall give him two thousand degrees in Paradise of ruby wine wherein he shall ascend by God’s leave. Thus doth God reward the truthful. And whoso composeth poetry concerning the companions of the fire, He shall cause him to descend into the fire. Therefore say: O all things! Speak ye for God’s sake and speak not for aught else save God, except concerning that which God hath spoken of them and sent down His vengeance upon them, that ye may be delivered on the Day of Resurrection. Compose ye for Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection whatsoever ye are able, for verily all that ye imagine cannot attain unto an atom of His Cause, and ye are powerless to comprehend that which God hath ordained for Him. Glorified be He above all that the rememberers remember, and exalted be the Manifestation of His Self above all that the affirmers affirm.

Say: Verily the praise of all who are in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them is, in the sight of Him Whom God shall make manifest, as a drop compared to the seas of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, and We seek forgiveness for this. Indeed such praise beseemeth not him whom God hath chosen for Himself and made a mirror reflecting His glory unto all worlds. But your praise of Him is limited by what your hands have wrought and what ye continue to work. If on the day of His manifestation ye believe in Him and in what God revealeth unto Him—Say: Verily God hath angels in the highest Paradise who compose words in His praise, were but one of these words to be revealed unto all who are on earth, they would all at once fall swooning. Say: Who is able to praise God, his Lord, when all are His servants and all are devoutly obedient unto Him?

He it is before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them, and all seek to praise Him. He it is concerning Whom it hath been revealed in all the heavenly Books: Worship none but God, my Lord and your Lord, for this is a straight and certain path. And He it is Who hath sent forth all the Messengers, saying: Follow naught but what hath been revealed from God, and be ye of them that are assured of His signs. Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and all are subservient unto Him. Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Splendid, the All-Splendid, the Resplendent. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Majestic, the All-Majestic, the Glorious.

Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Beautiful, the All-Beautiful, the Beauteous. Unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Grand, the All-Grand, the Magnificent. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Luminous, the All-Luminous, the Light-Giving. Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Merciful, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate. Unto God belongeth the wisdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Wise, the All-Wise, the Judge. Unto God belong the names of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Great, the All-Great, the Supreme.

Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Mighty, the All-Mighty, the Powerful. Unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Knowing, the All-Knowing, the Omniscient. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Powerful, the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent. Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Loving, the All-Loving, the Beloved. Unto God belongeth the honor of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Honored, the All-Honored, the Noble. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Sovereign, the All-Sovereign, the Supreme.

Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Supreme, the All-Supreme, the King. Unto God belongeth the loftiness of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Exalted, the All-Exalted, the High. Unto God belongeth the victory of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Victorious, the All-Victorious, the Helper. Unto God belongeth the protection of the heavens and of the earth and of all that is between them, and God is the Most Protecting, the All-Protecting, the Guardian. Those who desire to possess the knowledge of inner mysteries in the essences should recite these verses, for this would be better for them in the sight of God and nearer than that for which they toil night and day. These are the verses of the One; God hath sent down in them the keys to all things, all according to what God hath ordained.

Verily the mercy of God is upon those who have believed in God and His signs, and those who shall believe thereafter.

Bab 3: Aswa

It hath four stages. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted!

There is no God but Him, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted! Say: God is more exalted than any who possess exaltation. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever lieth between them can withstand the sovereignty of His exalted dominion. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been the Exalted, the Most High, the Supreme.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him in adoration. Praise be to God, unto Whom offer praise all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All stand humbly before Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just One Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God hath indeed ascended His Cause, and all are equal in the sight of God, would ye but perceive it. Should the most exalted among creation turn unto God, such are the believers, and should the lowliest of creation turn unto God, such are the believers. And should the highest or lowest among creation be veiled from God, then God loveth not that they be mentioned.

Therefore fear God, O all things, from the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, for ye know not whether this is He Whom God shall make manifest. Nay, even should He make Himself known unto you after His manifestation, then would ye hear and know. Therefore have mercy upon yourselves, that ye transgress not the bounds of the Bayan, and grieve not any soul, that this may return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest while ye know not. Say: That which returneth unto Him returneth unto God, if ye be assured of God’s signs.

Say: He is the Subduer above you, the Manifest over you, the Mighty at your right hand, the Exalted at your left, the Transcendent above your heads, the Sovereign beneath your feet, and the Powerful from every direction that reacheth you. He guardeth you by night and by day through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Say: Through these seven Names mentioned in this verse shall ye be saved on the Day of Resurrection if ye seek shelter beneath the shadow of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Look ye unto the names of the Gospel, for verily whoso sought not shelter beneath the shadow of Muhammad, the names of God therein profited him not. Thus shall ye be tested on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. If ye believe in Him, then are ye guides unto God; else how can ye be names when ye give no tidings of Him Whom ye name? Say: Verily, naught in the heavens or on earth or between them can comprehend God, nor can His names comprehend Him. He is the Self-Sufficient, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted. God hath singled out certain of His servants who can recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest; thus do ye comprehend God and His names. Ye comprehend only these true Names in creation. Glorified be God above what they ascribe unto Him. God created His servants and all are submissive unto Him.

He is the One Whom nothing in the heavens or earth or between them can comprehend. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. If God’s power were the power of creation, how could ye not lift a command from yourselves or establish the like thereof among all names? All are His servants and all stand by His command. Say: All beautiful names belong to God, manifested only through Him Whom God shall make manifest. What ye comprehend of bounty is but an atom of the revelation of His bounty, and what ye comprehend of grace is but an atom of what God hath revealed of His grace. Similarly do ye deduce all names. Since God is the Self-Sufficient, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, God hath ordained for the Manifestation of His names Him Whom God shall make manifest. Ye bear witness to this mention, and through His evidences do ye comprehend all His beautiful names as revealed unto them through them by His command.

Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Glory—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Majesty—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Beauty—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Grandeur—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Light—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Mercy—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Supreme Glory—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Might—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Awe—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Power—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Strength—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Sovereignty—will ye not glorify Him? Say: God hath established Himself upon the Throne of Loftiness—will ye not glorify Him?

If ye suppose yourselves to be the thrones of God, then when He Whom God shall make manifest maketh Himself known unto you, ye shall recognize yourselves as the thrones of God in all His beautiful names as they are revealed unto you through you by your own selves, for this is what God hath attributed unto Himself, if ye be of them that love this.

Say: The All-Merciful hath established Himself upon the Throne. His is whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and in whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All stand, by His command, established. His are the most comely Names. They that are in the heavens and on the earth and in whatsoever lieth between them glorify Him. There is none other God but Him, the Help-in-Peril, the Self-Subsisting. The Sovereign is established upon the Throne. To Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth beneath the soil. God, there is no God but Him, the One, the Most Exalted. His are the most beautiful names in the kingdom on high unto the lowest depths.

The second in the second.

In the name of God, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine is the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine is the Power and the Divine Realm, Thine is the Strength and the Treasured Realm, Thine is the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, Thine is the Might and the Majesty, Thine is the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine is the Face and the Perfection, Thine is the Mercy and the Bounty, Thine is the Authority and the Justice, Thine is the Power and the Action, Thine is the Similitude and the Examples, Thine is the Station and the Glory, Thine is the Grandeur and the Supreme Greatness, Thine is the Awe and the Radiance, Thine is the Might and the Invincibility, Thine is the Power and the Transcendence, Thine is the Sovereignty and the Omnipotence, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Alone, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Encompassing, Most Holy, Everlasting. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son. Therefore, O my God, do Thou nurture all who are in the Bayan with the gems of knowledge and wisdom, not with that which shall profit or harm them on the Day of Resurrection. All jewels of knowledge and wisdom rest in His good-pleasure with His servant, and this can only be manifested through the good-pleasure of Him Whom He shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. When one knoweth himself, then doth he find the path to Thy good-pleasure, whether he be learned in all knowledge or knoweth naught. This is true in the day of Thy Manifestation, and in the days of Thy concealment Thy ways in the Bayan are manifest beyond count and Thy dawning-places in the Bayan are resplendent beyond concealment.

Protect, O my God, Thy loved ones from that which profiteth them not from the inventions of their learning, and nurture them through the delight of reciting Thy verses and beholding Thy words, and through observing Thy bounty and refraining from that which Thou hast forbidden, and through glorification at all times, for this is the best of deeds in Thy sight.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! How exalted is Thy grace and beneficence, how lofty Thy generosity and favor! Thou hast made the degrees of knowledge like unto the degrees of creation, and hast distinguished the people of Thy love with the knowledge of Thy love and good-pleasure and intimacy and glory. Preserve us, O God, from all this and elevate us through what Thou hast revealed in the Bayan during the days of Thy concealment. Send down, O God, upon my parents and those who love me, whether of the past or future, from a beginning that hath no beginning to an end that hath no end, that which befitteth the loftiness of Thy existence, the sublimity of Thy grace, the exaltation of Thy remembrance, the inaccessibility of Thy favors, Thy glory, and that which Thou art in Thy names and similitudes and manifestations and verses and words and evidences.

For verily Thou hast ever been and wilt ever be the One existing before all things, subsisting after all things, transcending all things, dwelling beneath all things, and abiding after the passing of all things. Thou givest life and causest death, then causest death and givest life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily Thou hast power over all things.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Sublime, the Most Sublime.

Praise be to God Who hath established Himself upon the throne of dominion and kingdom through the exaltation of the majesty of His oneness, then established Himself upon the throne of might and omnipotence through the exaltation of the beauty of His eternality, then established Himself upon the throne of power and divinity through the glory of the lights of His countenance, then established Himself upon the throne of strength and sublimity through the transcendence of the loftiness of His elevation, then established Himself upon the throne of sovereignty and human realm through the splendor of the radiance of His dominion. He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is no God but Him, eternally ancient in the eternity of eternities, and He hath ever been and will ever be eternally ancient, never ceasing and never ending.

He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that the Essence of the Seven Letters hath chosen Him for Himself and hath manifested unto Him with all created things the capacity of Him Whom He shall make manifest today and the exaltation of the path of those who elevate it, in glorification of the word of those who give it sovereignty, in support of the victory of those who render it triumphant, in magnification of the might of those who possess it, in manifestation of the revelation of those who reveal it, and in glorification of the majesty of those who preserve it from all that they would not desire for themselves. Blessed are they who make themselves proofs of God’s good-pleasure therein, for these are the dawning-places of God’s Cause and the daysprings of glory through whom God manifests His proof as He willeth. And He Whom God shall make manifest will appear on the Day of Resurrection with sovereignty and independence, with grandeur and majesty over all things.

From God and from all things upon Him and upon the proofs of His Cause be every glory, majesty, beauty, greatness, light, mercy, might, loftiness, power, grandeur, all-encompassing nature, knowledge, strength, love, sovereignty, nobility, dominion, kingdom, guidance, words, verses, and whatsoever befitteth God of His most excellent Names and most exalted Attributes. For whatsoever God hath willed for Him is all goodness, and if the servant doth not will for Him all goodness, how can he be a servant of God? O people of the Bayan! Guard yourselves lest ye be veiled from His Will in His Proof, for God hath willed for Him all goodness while ye will it not. Verily your destruction lieth in this and naught else, if ye but perceive it. Draw nigh unto God by willing for His Proof what God hath willed for Him, for your contentment and salvation lie in this, if ye but know it.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted. And verily the glory from God is upon the First One and upon whoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen except the First One. And furthermore, I bear witness that God, glorified be He, hath created human temples in such wise that they should be the thrones of the manifestation of God, and this represents man’s exaltation above all others of his kind. For if thou dost submit to Him Whom God shall make manifest and to His manifestations, then art thou a throne for God and His revelations. Otherwise, thou art like all other created things, at the level of inanimate objects, unworthy to be a throne for God, even though every thing in its own existence beareth some manifestation of its Lord. Yet the honor belongeth to man inasmuch as he comprehendeth this.

And verily the throne which God hath chosen for Himself is none other than Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all else are thrones for His revelations. Therefore, hasten to attain this grace, for herein lieth your glory and splendor, not in what ye possess.

They desire naught except what He desireth, and He desireth naught save what God, glorified and exalted be He above all description, desireth. Through His manifestation He hath been established upon all things, that all might testify that there is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, and that all things might proclaim that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Most Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

Bab 4: Asaf

His are four stations. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Grieving, the Most Grieving.

Say: God is more grieving than any who grieve. No sovereign can withstand the power of His grief, neither in the heavens nor on earth nor between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the All-Grieving, the Griever, the Grief-Stricken.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them make their submission. Say: All are submissive unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then Glory and Omnipotence, then Power and Divinity, then Might and Sovereignty, then Rule and the human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God hath ever been what He is, and no thing hath ever changed Him. All that ye behold in the Bayan—had ye heard from the heavenly Books of the past how the Primal Point attributed divine qualities to Himself, ye would likewise understand. Should He Whom God shall make manifest grieve, this is what God hath grieved. Will ye not then fear? Should He Whom God shall make manifest take vengeance, this is what God hath avenged. Will ye not then be apprehensive? O all things! From the beginning that hath no beginning until now, We have nurtured you in every manifestation that ye might be saved in the subsequent manifestation. Yet ye showed no shame and perceived not what We intended for you, but followed your own desires in that which profiteth you not, and on the Day of Resurrection ye shall enter the Fire.

We have traversed worlds innumerable, known to none save Us, until the First Creation; then from the First Creation until the day of Muhammad have We nurtured you in every Dispensation that ye might be saved. When We manifested Muhammad aforetime, We witnessed that every people stood within their bounds. We showed mercy unto you and commanded the Apostle in the religion of Islam that perchance ye might be saved in the latter day. The Apostle commanded you to make the religion of Islam victorious throughout the earth and whatsoever is thereon, and provided you with every means that ye might manifest what God had ordained for you.

When We manifested the Seven Letters, We were witness that ye fulfilled not what We had ordained in the Qur’an and commanded you, but slumbered in your night and sported in your day, remaining veiled from God’s command. Think ye that We provided you the means without right, or desired that ye should merely eat and sleep after hearing God’s command? How is it ye helped not your Faith to triumph over all on earth, nor left anyone in the Fire without delivering him, that all on earth might be united in one Faith from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting?

When that which ye were powerless to achieve had passed, God desired to cause you and them to enter the religion of the Bayan, that ye might attain unto His mercy. We nurtured you during the years of the Planting through the verses of the Qur’an that ye might be saved in the day of the subsequent Manifestation. We brought you therein five proofs whereby ye might attain certitude, that ye might be guided by these proofs in the subsequent Manifestation and traverse the path of God.

Say: First, God adduced no proof in the Qur’an save verses that rendered you powerless—will ye not understand? Second, none but God can reveal a single verse—will ye not reflect? Third, this Book sufficeth you before God—will ye not be certain? Fourth, these verses are greater than the verses of the previous Prophets—will ye not believe? Fifth, God’s proof hath been perfected unto all on earth, and should anyone desire to enter the religion of Islam through conclusive proofs from your own minds, he hath no way to deny after the Book—and ye all believe in these proofs.

We nurtured you thus that ye might be saved in the subsequent Manifestation. Yet when We manifested that whereof ye were promised, with all these proofs and evidences from Us whereby ye might all attain certitude, ye turned not unto what God desired and squandered your knowledge with what you fabricated from your principles, which are fit only as fodder for beasts, while calling yourselves pious and cautious. Though We toiled throughout Our life and learned the fundamentals of the knowledge of the Qur’an, We were among those who knew God’s good-pleasure. Woe unto you! God’s good-pleasure is manifest from His presence in clear verses, yet you trifle with your useless learning and imagine you are doing good in God’s sight. It behooveth all who dwell on earth to embrace the Islamic Faith, that on the Day of Our manifestation they may bow down before Us, even as they have bowed from the beginning of their lives unto their end.

We revealed Our Cause, whereupon kings and countless multitudes among the Muslims submitted. We severed Ourselves from the various sects and from the king who had believed in the Point of the Qur’an, yet remained veiled from the Letters of the One. We revealed Our Cause in five regions while all of you supplicated night and day for Our manifestation and professed belief in what was revealed in the Qur’an. We delivered the Book of the Qayyum in those regions and in the Holy Land whose people believed in the One of the Qur’an. When the number of the letter Ha was fulfilled, this was Our seat which God is not ashamed to mention, though you imagine yourselves to be doing good. Remember what transpired in the five regions and then in the Holy Land—yet how little do you remember! When We witnessed this, We were grieved and took vengeance upon you through Our Cause, for you are not believers in God’s sight. Can any vengeance equal this, if you but perceived it?

While you expect to be regarded as rightly guided and to receive His good-pleasure, God has testified that you act contrary to His good-pleasure. Would that you all had sensitive spirits; else God will surely raise up one who will make manifest in your souls the effects of that grief, and then you will remember. But you were not given the essence of knowledge, else at the time of the Cause you would either be blessed or tormented. For all who were slain in Islam were martyred on account of a single verse of the Qur’an. Yet when you recite the verses, having no grasp of their essence, you remain unmoved, though their impact be supreme. You exist at the level of minerals. How then can you enter into religion when their effects become manifest? Before their effects appear, you recite what none can count save God, yet remain unmoved, being fixed at the mineral level.

What fire could be fiercer for you than to behold the proof of your Lord, yet remain veiled from Him, pass judgment upon Him, while imagining you do good? We were indeed independent of all things. We were truly grieved on account of you and shall take vengeance upon you. Inscribe this in your ears, that on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, you may not remain veiled as you are now. They supplicate for His manifestation and call upon Him, yet when God makes Him manifest in truth, you neither turn towards Him nor remember Him as you turned towards that which was promised unto you. In truth has the letter Ha descended and the proofs of the All-Merciful have been established on earth, yet you neither remember nor understand. You should weep over your condition insofar as you are able, and show mercy to yourselves according to your capacity. For what We possess, and what those who have believed in truth possess—would that you could understand!

All that has appeared and shall appear—is it not from this Source, if you would but perceive it? Indeed, God has given you knowledge and wisdom that you might enter the gardens of truth at the time of understanding.

Say: Those who have believed in God and His signs speak with proof from the Book of their Lord and with insight concerning their return and abode, and they are assured of God and His signs. Say: They are weightier than all that is in the heavens and earth and what lies between them. Indeed, through them is sustained the creation of all things, and they are God’s proofs, and in God their Lord do they place their trust. These are they who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, and they are firm in the true religion. They see all that is on earth—should it not believe in Him—as less than a mosquito’s wing, and they speak and reason with might and guidance. And should all on earth believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, it would be dearer to their hearts than their own selves, and they behold their relationship to their Lord.

These are they whose motto from the beginning to the end of the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest is to swim in the good-pleasure of the Truth. They glorify God their Lord, the All-Merciful, by night and by day, and they never cease. Blessed are they and that which they acquire of God’s bounty. Should there remain but one person in the Bayan, God and the angels of the heavens and earth and all between them would surely proclaim: O people of the Bayan! Fear ye this One. And should all on earth believe in Him, God would surely send His blessings upon him and them.

Say: All peoples shall surely attain this supreme bounty from God in the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Then shall you all give thanks to God for having guided you to the path of truth, and become assured of God’s command.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Grieving, the Most Grieving.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and Divinity, Thine the Strength and Glory, Thine the Sovereignty and the mortal realm, Thine the Majesty and Grandeur, Thine the Beauty and Countenance, Thine the Face and Perfection, Thine the Mercy and Bounty, Thine the Authority and the justice, Thine the similitude and parables, Thine the station and majesty, Thine the glory and invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and dominion, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. My glory, O my God, lieth in my faith in Thee and in Thy signs, Thy veils and Thy guides, in beholding Thy words and taking delight in Thy verses.

For shouldst Thou make me like unto this, Thou wouldst cause me to perish, and if it appeareth not after my death, Thou wouldst cause me to enter into that from which there is no escape. Therefore, O my God, aid me through Thy love and Thy good-pleasure and Thy fear in private and in public, and strengthen me through Thy proof on the Day when every proof of all shall be cut off before Thee save those who have held fast to Thy proof, O Lord of Lords! That is the Day whereon Thou wilt manifest him whom Thou wilt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. Every possessor of proof shall be cut off from all things through Thy conclusive truth, but whoso holdeth fast to Thy proof on that Day shall have his proof exalted. Send down, O my God, upon all who are in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation that which shall enable all to attain unto Thy good-pleasure, and cause all to behold Thy signs and Thy evidence.

For verily Thou art He from Whose knowledge nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them, and nothing in the kingdom of command and creation or below them defeateth Thee. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining, Sovereign, All-Encompassing, Most Holy, Everlasting, Independent. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son. Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Grieving, the Most Grieving.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath raised Himself in His elevation above all existing things, and hath made Himself invincible in His invincibility above all created things, and hath shown His dominion in His sovereignty above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and hath demonstrated His triumph in His victory over all atoms. I testify, and all His creation doth testify, that there is none other God but He, the One, the All-Compelling. Then I testify, and all His creation doth testify, to that which He hath revealed of Himself unto Himself concerning all that He hath created and will create, through the signs of His power and the manifestations of His might and the evidences of His grandeur and the proofs of His unity and the tokens of His eternity, that all may recognize that there is none other God but He, the One, the All-Wise.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Grieving, the Most Grieving.

Praise be to God, there is none other God but He, the Most Grieving, the Most Grieving. And verily the splendor from God is upon the Primary Unity and upon such as resemble that Unity wherein naught is seen save the Primal Unity. Then bear thou witness that the sorrow of God is the sorrow of His Proof, for He, glorified and exalted be He, is far above being described by sorrow or being characterized by similitudes. And at the time of sorrow, the vengeance of God, glorified be His majesty, is made manifest. For the sorrow of God hath stations: the station of Command and the station of what followeth the Command. In the first is the portion of the rightly-guided sages and the accomplished divines, and in the second is the portion of them that dwell in the sea of limitations and abide beneath the shade of the tree of the finite. And after both these sorrows there appeareth that which causeth the veiled ones to tremble and the hearts of the believers to find peace.

However, for all things there is a term and a book, and when a thing reacheth its appointed time and its book, then its causes are made manifest. Thou art at the beginning of every Revelation; therefore hold fast unto the Proof, for if thou rely upon it, the circumstances that appear from its Revealer will not alter thee, even as the Proofs before relied upon His proof and set aright what they heard concerning the circumstances of change. For that is the pinnacle of the Cause and the pathway of glory at the beginning of every Revelation. And though God multiply the manifestations of every Revelation through His power, He shall lift from hearts whatsoever occurs to them. Verily God hath established His loved ones upon the path of truth through His proof and hath given them knowledge, wisdom, guidance, insight and exalted, transcendent qualities that they might traverse thereby the ocean of creation and attain unto what God hath ordained for them from His presence.

O number of the single in the land of Sad after the diminution of Dal! If thou art of them that are assured of what God hath sent down unto thee, then write with thine own hand, in the manner of this Book, the number of all things and convey it unto the worlds. Otherwise, by God, He is independent of thee and of all that hath been created or will be created, and all abide by His command.

Bab 5: Anqam

And it hath four ranks. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Vengeful, the Most Vengeful.

There is no God but He, the Most Vengeful, the Most Vengeful. Say: God is more vengeful than any possessor of vengeance. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape from the dominion of His vengeful sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the Avenger, the Vengeful, the Wrathful. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby-essence, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing, whether in the heavens or on earth or in what lies between them. He creates what He wills by His command. Verily, He has power over all things. Blessed is He to Whom belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and in what lies between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and in what lies between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting.

Verily, I am God; there is no God but Me, and all else is My creation. Say: O My creation, fear ye Me! I have made Myself known to all things on the Day of Resurrection. Those who have recognized Me through My signs—these are they who are rightly guided. And I have taken vengeance upon those who knew Me not through My signs though they worship Me night and day, supposing themselves to be in My good pleasure, while I bear them no witness of My pleasure. Thus doth God take vengeance upon all who are veiled. No vengeance in God’s knowledge is like unto this, if ye but knew. For the ultimate aim of all your deeds is My good pleasure, yet ye have veiled yourselves from this and earned My displeasure. Thus will God take vengeance upon you, for He is the Avenger, the Retributive, the Vengeful.

Say: This will not harm Me nor My chosen ones. But ye should be certain that God hath witnessed against you without His good pleasure. How then do ye judge by your knowledge when ye cannot prevail? Nay, when the effects of what God hath testified appear on earth, there shall remain none who have not been testified to by God in truth. Thus shall ye be tested on the Day of Resurrection. Consider: were God to manifest Him Whom He shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection over all who are on earth, they would know, and should He testify against anyone without right, the witnesses of His Cause would destroy them before being given leave. Thus should ye fear God whether He manifests this or not, and upon the dust ye shall bear witness to the truth though ye follow not His Cause, while all in that moment stand firm by His command.

When We looked upon the earth, We saw all nations deserving that We should make them among those against whom We take vengeance—those who in Islam believe in the Qur’an. Then when We looked among them, We saw none deserving Our vengeance save those who believe in the Imams of religion. And when We looked upon these and their words, We saw their religious authority centered in one on earth among their ulama who pride themselves on their certificates, and one in their worldly affairs on earth—the nine rulers, all of whom glory in his rule. We found none besides these two deserving Our vengeance. Were We to find their like among all on earth, We would requite them with crimson water like the dye of a vast ocean. Thus doth God love to take vengeance, for He is the Subduer, possessed of mighty strength. Thus doth God love to take vengeance, for He is Severe, possessed of mighty strength.

Therefore I shall address both of them: When ye saw the verses of God in the Bayan, how did ye endure after God had taught all who are in Islam that none but God can reveal verses? How then do ye not believe in your religion after ye have seen there is no way for you except to say this is from the paths of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting? And ye say “Suffice us not what God revealed in the Surah of the Spider to turn you back?” How then do ye not attain certitude in what ye have believed? And ye say God hath revealed to the Prophets numerous verses of unity which ye see in the Qur’an. Then observe through these verses how God abrogated what was revealed before of verses of unity through verses of the Qur’an. Had it not been greater in God’s sight and yours, how would God abrogate through it what was revealed before? Do ye not understand?

Do ye not see that what was adduced in the Qur’an regarding Muhammad’s appearance was only that it would render you powerless regarding the verses of the Qur’an? Do ye not perceive? And if anyone wished to enter your religion, have ye any proof besides the Book to show him? Say: Glory be to God above what ye say without knowledge! If ye say God’s proof was not complete for him, God would not punish one who entered not Islam. And if ye say it was complete and perfect for those who entered not the religion of Islam, how then do ye not enter in face of that proof in the Bayan? Let Me show the extent of your divines’ knowledge and those who follow you both, that ye may know yourselves. When Moses came with signs to Pharaoh, he was not content save to produce something in response. Look then at the extent of your faith, for it is less than Pharaoh’s veil, though ye reckon yourselves as doers of good. This is the extent of your religion.

And the extent of your worldly life is that when those whose hearts believe not in Muhammad saw verses that rendered all the worlds powerless, they built their worldly life by manifesting faith among the people. Yet the extent of your worldly life is less than these, though ye reckon yourselves as possessors. I have addressed you both that those beneath you may take account of themselves in their religion and worldly life, for they deserve not God’s mention—nay, nothing deserves mention in truth. But this is your possibility if ye love and fear God. Watch then for Him Whom God shall make manifest, for ye prostrate yourselves before God. Say: We all prostrate to Him. Say: We all are devoted to Him. Say: All fear His justice and hope for His grace, and all are suppliants before Him.

O people of the Bayan! Fear ye your own selves, for on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, your inner realities shall be exposed and ye shall remain in your remoteness just as nations before you remained, yet ye neither remember nor understand. Therefore have mercy upon your own selves and reflect upon all that hath been sent down unto you, that ye may follow the Truth even though ye may be sorely tried. This is but a drop from the ocean of God’s might, were ye to be conscious thereof. O all things that ye worship! Consider what your hands have wrought, how ye have dealt with God, your Lord, and with those who are His chosen ones, and then behold how the Almighty, the All-Compelling, doth restrain Himself after your hands have committed that which God is ashamed to mention. Will ye not fear? Yet in the Bayan ye grieve not one another, lest ye cause grief to Him Whom God shall make manifest among you while ye perceive it not.

Were it not for those who are well-pleasing unto Him, neither God’s might nor His power would be restrained. But God hath sent down seventy thousand seas of good-pleasure through those who have ascended unto Him with their hearts, their spirits, their souls, their possessions, both in their return and their fixed abode—these are they who have attained. I address the first and the last of the Vahid: Verily ye have known your Lord, and ye and those who follow you are the triumphant ones. Were all who are on earth to gather together in love for you two for the sake of God, He would create naught of fire.

Thus doth God send down the dawning-places of grace from His presence, that ye may be thankful. Say: They who take vengeance for Him Whom God shall make manifest against those who believe not in Him—these are the proofs of these Names. God loveth them with an exceeding love, inasmuch as they take vengeance in the religion of God, turn to God their Lord for proof, and show kindness and beneficence unto those who believe in God.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Vengeful, the Most Vengeful!

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Ruby, Thine the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, Thine the Glory and the Majesty, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Perfection, Thine the Likeness and the Similitudes, Thine the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine the Greatness and the Independence, Thine the Glory and the Invincibility, Thine the Power and the Exaltation, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, Thine the Sovereignty and the Detachment, Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and creation. Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Individual, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Encompassing, Most Holy, Everlasting, Eternal, Self-Dependent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son.

Thou hast ever been the Being before all things, the Entity above all things, the Essence with all things, the Creator beneath all things, and exalted with all things. Thou hast ever given life and caused death, then caused death and given life, and verily Thou art the Living Who dieth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Vengeful, the Most Vengeful!

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath elevated Himself in His loftiness above all existing things, Who hath made Himself invincible in His invincibility above all atoms, Who is powerful in His power above all beings, and mighty in His might above all who are in the kingdom of earth and heaven. I testify, and all His creation testify, that there is no God but Him. His are the most beautiful names. All that are in the heavens and earth and between them glorify Him. There is no God but Him, the Manifest One. Verily the Letters of the Seven are His servant and His Word. God hath revealed Himself unto him through His own Self, then revealed Himself through all His creation, and through him distinguished between those in the fire and the light by His decree. They who turn to God through him—these are the companions of Paradise and these are the triumphant ones.

They who turn to God without him—God will not accept aught of their deeds, and these are far removed from the path of God.

The Fourth in the Fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Vengeful, the Most Vengeful!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Vengeful, the Most Vengeful! Verily, the Glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity when naught can be seen in him save the First Unity. I testify that God, glorified be He, manifesteth His vengeance through His word “Nay,” beneath whose shadow the servant seeketh refuge, and His grace through His word “Yea,” beneath whose shadow all servants seek His good-pleasure. Verily God, glorified be He, in His Essence, hath no direct contact with what His creation hath contact with. If thou attainest unto the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, and takest vengeance on whosoever believeth not in Him, then will thy being be a proof of those most exalted Names. Blessed art thou and blessed is thy station with God, wherein God is pleased. The Manifestations of these Names neither raise up His Cause, nor reveal His power, nor proclaim His decree.

Verily God, glorified be He, is just in all His deeds. His omnipotence is pure justice and His dominion is the essence of grace, for through these two the servant is freed from all save His good-pleasure and entereth into the paradise of His obedience and His decree. Verily, God hath ever been independent of all His creation and self-sufficient above all His servants. Should He raise up a Manifestation of mercy, this is through His grace unto those who believe in Him, and should He cause to appear a Manifestation of power, this is through His mercy that He might cause to enter therein those who were not in His good-pleasure. Both of these are grace and mercy, existence and bounty. Glorified and exalted is He above what they describe.

O number of Ra and Ba! We have sent down a book unto him who was not there concerning the Name of Grief, and this is its sister which We have sent down unto thee. Therefore preserve them both as thine eyes and draw not nigh unto that which grieveth thee. Copy from the Book of Grief if thou hast not copied what We have mentioned its name in the Book, and convey it unto those who think they do good, that they might perchance attain unto God’s mercy on the Day of Resurrection through their return unto God their Lord and their seeking of forgiveness. And make mention of all the companions of guidance, one and all, from thy Lord, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 6: AHyaT

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the name of God, the All-Encompassing, the All-Encompassing!

There is no God but He, the All-Encompassing, the All-Encompassing! Say: God encompasseth above every possessor of encompassing power. None can escape from the dominion of His encompassing power, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the Encompasser, the All-Surrounding, the Most Encompassing. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, before Whom all in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them humble themselves. Say: All are devoted to Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the sovereignty and the Kingdom, then the might and the dominion, then the power and the realm divine, then the dominion and the world of being. He giveth life and causeth death, then strength and the ruby realm.

Then He causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Justice that wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He, verily, hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Nothing escapeth God’s knowledge, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever lieth between them. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed, the All-Wise.

Say: God hath indeed sent forth all the Messengers that ye should worship none but God, my Lord and your Lord, for this is the straight and certain path. Say: God hath revealed in the Books naught but the mention of truth from His presence. Speak ye naught but the truth, and be ye among those who are certain of God’s signs. O Manifestation of that Name! Bear thou witness that there is no God but Me, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. I have created thee and sustained thee and caused thee to die and brought thee to life that thou mightest believe in Me on the day of My manifestation and be among those who are certain of God’s signs. I have indeed made Myself known on the Day of Resurrection to all who dwell in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Those who have believed in God and His signs—these are they who are the believers.

And they who have turned away from the mention of thy Lord when they heard it have entered into the fire and they shall have no helpers. We have indeed sent down the Furqan aforetime that ye might be saved through what We have revealed therein. We have nurtured you through the years of planting that ye might be saved on the day of God’s manifestation. We have revealed aforetime in the Furqan that none but God is able to reveal a single verse, and ye have all borne witness to this from the first of what God hath revealed unto the first of what the Bayan hath revealed from His presence, and ye are all believers in this. How is it then, when ye hear Our clear verses, ye do not testify that this is from God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting? If ye believe in what God hath revealed aforetime, there is no way for you except that ye should say: He Who revealed the Furqan hath revealed the Bayan, and there is no God but God—all are worshippers of Him.

And if ye say “That proof sufficeth us not,” God hath aforetime revealed in the Surih of the Spider that which refuteth your words—unto what God hath revealed do ye return. Ponder ye then on what hath been revealed in the Furqan aforetime. God hath adduced no proof other than your powerlessness concerning what God hath revealed, even though ye all say “God hath not revealed this, nor were we witnesses thereof.” Consider the knowledge of those who claim “We are learned in God’s religion.” Were God to send down unto them a sign like unto Moses, they would all believe in that moment. Say: These signs are greater than the signs of all the Prophets combined, if ye be of them that are certain in your faith. Say: Were the verses of the Qur’an not greater, how would God abrogate through them what He had revealed aforetime unto all His Prophets? Why do ye not ponder what God hath revealed before, nor consider the Cause of God?

These are proofs that were revealed before in the Qur’an, and ye all believe in them. And indeed, there is a proof to which your minds bear witness, and by which ye were wont to prove. Were anyone to desire to enter Islam, would ye adduce any proof besides the verses of the Qur’an? Were ye to mention aught else, God’s Cause would not be established for him who desireth to enter—how then hath God’s proof been perfected for all the worlds? And if ye say it is established, then why do ye not establish for yourselves what ye establish for him who desireth to enter your religion? Why do ye not see? Verily We sent down the Qur’an, and verily We elevated it, for We have power over all things. And We raised up the Messengers, and those who were witnesses after Him, and those who were the gates of guidance, then the Prophets, the truthful ones, and the believers.

And thou, from the first moment thou didst hear God’s Cause, wert veiled from God’s good-pleasure, and God witnesseth naught from thee, not even if thou shouldst return unto God thy Lord and become of them that seek forgiveness. Have mercy on thine own soul, for the likeness of those who were given the Qur’an is as the likeness of those who were given the Gospel, and all are in a new creation. Observe how We have made the highest thereof the lowest, and the lowest thereof the highest, and all are veiled from God’s Cause. And verily that in which thou takest pride and whereof thou wert among the learned hath returned to its primal life, and the religion of God hath triumphed, then returned unto God, the Lord of all worlds. O thou Name, all thy religion returns to the sayings of your Imams, and the sayings of your Imams return to the words of your Prophet, to that which was revealed in the Furqan. There ye find your proofs.

We have taken all that was of your religion and have begun a new creation as We please through Our command ʿBe!’ and it is. Say: God shall not be questioned about what He doeth, but all shall be questioned about all things. The people possess not a mustard seed of that which profiteth them. When God hath raised up the supreme proof of their religion, do any of its parts remain for them? What aileth you that ye watch not over your souls nor ponder the Cause of God? Were all who are on earth to believe in your Qa’im, behold, all would become believers thereby. And should anyone be veiled from Him, then by his own self he entereth into the fire, and God is independent of all worlds.

Thou hast worshipped thy Lord from the beginning of thy life until now that He might be pleased with thee and testify that thou art among the believers. But how can We testify on thy behalf when thou hast not loved the Cause of God aforetime and wast not among those endowed with certitude? Say: All thy deeds are established by Our word Yea’, for We are the Speakers, and are nullified by Our word Nay’, for We are the Just Ones. We desire naught for thee save bounty, and this is of God’s grace unto thee, if thou art of those who perceive.

This is the Day of Resurrection wherein all are brought before Us and all shall be questioned concerning what they have earned. Free thyself from God’s fire, and then thy believing brethren. For verily, the likeness of My Revelation is as the Revelation of Muhammad, the Apostle of God. Dost thou hear any mention of the monks of those days? They were seized and entered into the fire wherein they find no help. Thus doth God testify concerning those who entered not into the true religion and who in the days of God were among the God-fearing. This is of God’s grace and mercy unto thee if thou art of those who perceive.

Thou shalt recite this Book unto whomsoever desireth to be guided unto God, thy Lord, by a way, for this is a mercy unto the worlds. If the sun of heaven is reflected in all mirrors, then all would derive proof therefrom. But if no mirror faceth it of itself until it setteth—this is the Cause of God if ye would remember. Say: On the Day of Resurrection all shall be tested save the guides of thy Lord, for they shall abide under the shadow of creation. By the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, all shall be tested in the day of His manifestation save Him and the guides of His Own Self.

Say: Ye call upon none besides God and His names. Were the veil to be removed from your insight, ye would all together, night and day, turn toward God your Lord. But ye worship God according to your own desires, therefore it profiteth you not though ye suppose ye do well. Say: Worship ye according to what hath been ordained for you in the Bayan if ye desire salvation on the Day of Resurrection.

Say: Should all who are on earth gather together to produce the like of a single verse We have revealed unto thee, they would be unable and powerless, even if they were all learned ones. Say: The extent of your learned ones’ knowledge is less than those who lived in the days of Moses, for when they heard the proof, they brought forth something, while you are like those who do nothing. Look at the extent of knowledge of those who were given the Furqan, where they themselves were lower than those who lived in two Dispensations before them, yet they deemed themselves learned. Nay, nay! They have not worshipped God as He deserves to be worshipped. Had they truly worshipped God, they would have turned to His proof. This is the extent of their knowledge after they have heard the verses of God, yet they testify from one who has no knowledge like that in which you take pride.

By the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest, that Manifestation is more wondrous than the Manifestation of Muhammad before, but people do not understand nor remember. What God revealed to Muhammad over twenty-three years, if God had wished, He could have revealed to him in two days and two nights. Say: If you desire, We shall surely reveal to you, for We are powerful over that. If it is not detailed in two days and two nights and written before Us by one who tires not, this is from God’s command, the Mighty, the Inaccessible. Is there any proof equal to this, if you would but remember? God manifested Muhammad among the Arabs, while I was raised among those who cannot speak Arabic words, so how do they utter verses? God sent him forth after forty years of his life had passed, as you all remember.

But God sent me forth after twenty-four years of my life had passed, and I completed My proof upon all who are on earth through the Book which We revealed in truth, but you are far removed from God’s command. We have revealed a thousand verses in six hours, while you are all together unable to comprehend them, let alone utter the like of this. Say: Glory be to God above what they describe! God has not given such grace except to the successors of Muhammad before. If you are claimants, then bring me a single prayer that you would sincerely offer to God, your Lord. You cannot, nor are you able. This is from God’s grace, which He specifies for whomsoever He wishes among His servants. Verily, there is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Look at what We have revealed regarding the jewels of knowledge, the essence of wisdom, the camphor of utterance, and the pure command, that you may be among those who comprehend God’s command.

Say: All these are guides in the paths of limitations, that you may return to God, your Lord. If you traverse the ocean of names, there is no God but God, neither before nor after, and all are His servants, and all worship Him. Was there anything before God by which I might make Him known to you? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe! Say: He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: God is the Creator of all things. Glorified and exalted is He above what they describe. Indeed, the First is His name, and the Last is His name, and the Manifest is His name, and the Hidden is His name, and all point to Him, that there is no God but Him, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 7: Amqat

And it has four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Wrathful, the Most Wrathful.

There is no God but Him, the Most Wrathful, the Most Wrathful. Say: God is more wrathful than any possessor of wrath. None can escape from the dominion of His wrath, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He creates what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been wrathful and vengeful. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and earth and between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and earth and between them make glorification. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Nature, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the Human Nature. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and earth and between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God hath created you and provided for you and caused you to die and brought you to life. Is there any god besides God who can do aught of this? Say: Glorified be God above what they mention. And God is not powerless over anything in the heavens or on earth or between them. And God is the All-Powerful, the Most High, the Great.

He aideth whom He willeth by His command. Verily He is the Ordainer, the Mighty, the Powerful. Say: O people of the Book! All of you enter into the religion of God through the remembrance of God. Do ye not observe those who are in the religion of Islam, how they all together, by night and by day, make mention of God and recite what was revealed in the Qur’an? Say: Verily they make mention of God to make mention of the Point of the Bayan, and verily they recite the Qur’an to recite what God hath revealed in the Bayan. Let not this veil you from the path of God, for on the Day of Truth you shall likewise be tested. Perchance ye judge in the name of Him Whom God shall make manifest while ye perceive not. All of you on the day of His manifestation call upon Him by the names of God and are devout and faithful to what God hath revealed in the Bayan. Then when He Whom God shall make manifest maketh Himself known unto you, ye turn unto those who have believed in Him.

Say: Their hearts are the dawning-places of the names of God, unto which ye turn day and night. And ye recite what God revealeth unto Him from His tongue, for this is greater than what ye recite from the Bayan, could ye but perceive it. Ye worship God not according to what He loveth but according to what ye love. Say: We verily love that all things should worship God in truth, and all do love this. Then no sorrow remaineth with God or with you, for He is your Desired One and God’s Desired One, your Goal and your Lord’s Goal, and all follow this path. Yea, God will renew for all of you what ye love to worship according to what hath been manifested before, and God loveth that ye should worship Him according to what shall be manifested hereafter. All peoples are like unto you if the veil be lifted from before their hearts’ faces.

Then all would worship according to what God hath revealed in the Bayan, for all desire to worship in truth, and were they to know their worship leadeth to other than God, they would not entertain it in their minds. And were they to know this, it would be because they think they do good, but God beareth witness that they do not good, and those endowed with knowledge bear witness as God hath borne witness. Otherwise, were the veil to be lifted from all things, the purpose of all would be to worship God and to walk in His good-pleasure. This is what God hath ordained in the Book, therefore what God hath ordained is your desire and what ye seek. This is what He hath willed in the Book. But ye worship according to past revelations in a way that profiteth you not and harmeth you. God, however, loveth that ye worship Him in what will profit you and admit you into paradise. This is of God’s grace unto all worlds.

All that hath occurred from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end—all think within themselves they act for God, but in every Revelation God beareth witness concerning those who act for God by those who have followed the Sun of Truth from His presence, while those who follow Him not remain in past revelations. Say: This is proof that they acted not for God, for had they acted for God they would not have turned aside in every Revelation from God’s command from the Sun of Truth. All are of God and all are by God and all are from God and all are unto God, and all desire to dwell in the love of God. Say: God’s purpose is your purpose and God’s desire is your desire, but ye seek Him through what God loved before rather than what He loveth for you hereafter. Thereby your proof before God your Lord becometh manifest. Fear ye God, then fear ye Him. For all, with the utmost of what they possess, desire to worship God their Lord and to walk in His good-pleasure.

Yet when they fail to recognize God their Lord in the succeeding Revelation, they remain veiled from Him, though they imagine themselves to be abiding in His good-pleasure. Say: Glory be to God! In every Revelation He reneweth the creation of all things by the command of God through the Primal Point, for which you wait expectantly. This is the Day when the fruits of the first creation appear in your return, and the first blossoms of the gardens of the latter creation in your beginning. These two mighty bounties shall you attain on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say: Let your religion be like unto your own selves—when your life draws to its close, how you desire to yield it up. Similarly, when your religion has reached its ordained term, let it be lifted up to God its Lord and be created anew in the latter creation. Blessed be God, the Lord of the worlds! Say: When crystal has passed its days, its luster fades.

Should God desire to restore its brilliance, He creates it anew by casting it into fire as water, then fashioning it by the hands of craftsmen—and excellent is such craftsmanship. Thus do you witness the measures of your transformation and final abode. Fear God in the fire of His Manifestation, for if you remain patient, you shall be created anew. This is of God’s bounty unto you, would that you might remember. Say: God knows what has been decreed for the Bayan, and none comprehends its knowledge save those endowed with the knowledge of the Letters, who truly understand. They have not been given all knowledge; they grasp My remembrance while remaining veiled from every matter. The term of the Qur’an was the number of “gharis”, then after the Bayan was revealed the number of “ha”’, but before this in the Books of David, Moses and Jesus, each had the number of “tin”. He ordains what He wishes and decrees what He wills.

Say: What God revealed in the Psalms and what was revealed thereafter was all that you might serve God according to what was revealed in the Bayan. But those given those Books remained veiled from what was revealed therein. Yet God shall be patient with you until the name of “Mustaghath” is completed in the Bayan. Strive to attain the highest possible station. Should God manifest His Cause before that time, we are all believers in Him and are all certain of Him. We shall look to the proof of our religion, and when we witness such verses revealed by God through the tongue of one possessed of knowledge and wisdom, we testify there is no God but Him. This is what God promised us before in the Bayan, and we all believe in it.

Never did we imagine that this would appear from any source but God, for we have witnessed our own powerlessness and the powerlessness of all on earth, and we have believed in our Lord, the All-Merciful, through what He revealed therein, for we are all powerless before it. We would never think to ask Him for verses other than these, as these are greater than all verses in our possession in a mighty Book. Were it not greater, how would God have abrogated what was revealed before and established this in truth? We all believe in this. We would never consider that this would not suffice us, for this is what our Lord, the All-Merciful, has forbidden us in the Bayan and before that in the Furqan. We have found sufficiency in God and His verses, and we all believe in Him. We shall not adduce any proof of His Manifestation other than the verses of God, for in the Furqan He adduced no proof but this, and in the Bayan, after the supreme conditions, God adduced no proof but these verses.

Therefore we are all certain of this, shall adduce these proofs, and shall remain silent regarding aught else. These are four proofs that have been established, made firm, ordained and magnified from God, the Exalted, the Great. And thus through clear evidence our minds and our proof have been made complete before all the worlds. Verily should all who are on earth desire to enter into the Bayan, with Us are naught but those verses, and their powerlessness before them. And all rely upon them to prove others, so how should we not rely upon them in the Manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest, to prove it to ourselves, after God hath commanded us to follow Him in truth? Glory be to God that ye should be among the veiled ones! This is the utterance of those who follow Him Whom God shall make manifest, and these are they who, through these supreme proofs, shall in truth prevail over all who dwell on earth.

And how can those who follow not Him Whom God shall make manifest through these supreme proofs claim to have followed God in the Bayan, and before that in the Furqan, when God hath proved in them both through none other than His clear verses, before which all creation standeth powerless, being unable to produce the like thereof? And verily the creation of verses is greater than these—such are the proofs of truth if ye would understand. Say: The verses of the Furqan are they who believed in Muhammad, the Messenger of God, and who on the Day of Truth believe in the Bayan. And the verses of the Bayan are the servants who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and are assured of what God hath revealed unto Him. Thus do ye comprehend in every Manifestation of God’s Cause, and ye shall witness that the creation of the later Manifestation is greater than that of the former. Thus do ye witness all things.

Say: What God revealeth in the first creation is for what He revealeth in the latter creation—ye all give thanks for everything in its measure. When ye were but a drop of seed, yet walked in human form upon the earth—likewise are ye in the degrees of your religion. Had ye not given thanks to God, your Lord, in the day of the seed-drop, how could ye attain unto the heights which God hath ordained for you? And we all give thanks unto God from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end, and we all worship our Lord, the All-Merciful. Say: Worship not except when ye are assured of God’s verses, and accept the truth from God, being in every Manifestation assured of what is revealed from God. And unto God belong all the most beautiful names, both before and after. There is no God but He, the Most High, the Most Great. And verily your God is the God of gods, there is no God but He, the Supreme, the Most High.

Recite ye then these verses, for they are the essence of what God hath revealed in the Bayan. All end in God’s command, their Lord, and all begin from God their Lord.

Bab 8: Alham

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the All-Inspiring, the All-Inspiring.

Say: God is the Supreme Inspirer above every possessor of inspiration. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His inspiring power, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath been All-Inspiring, Inspiring, Most Inspiring. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him in prostration. Praise be to God, Whom all in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the Human Kingdom.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God inspireth you with the paths of guidance. He is, in truth, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Yet ye follow not that which God inspireth you through the guides of His Cause. Perchance ye are veiled from the Will of God. Say: When God sent down the Furqan (Qur’an), this was what God inspired all His servants with, but those endowed with knowledge believed in what God revealed therein, while those not endowed with knowledge despaired of what God inspired them with and entered the fire wherein they shall not be helped.

Say: God verily inspireth every soul with its negation and affirmation, its fire and light, its good and evil, and what is ordained for it in its return and abode. Yet some follow the paths of truth while others, after recognizing the truth, become veiled from it. Say: He verily inspireth you with God’s Cause within yourselves, that all your religion is from God through what was revealed in the Furqan to Muhammad. Then ye return to speaking within yourselves about the Bayan:

“Just as we believed in the Furqan, how can we be patient and not believe?”

after God hath inspired you that none but God can produce a verse. How then do ye hear yet believe not? And God hath inspired you that these verses are greater than the verses of the Prophets, for were they not greater, God would not have abrogated through them what was revealed to them. Yet ye remain veiled from what He truthfully inspireth you with.

Then God inspireth you within yourselves that these verses suffice you just as what ye read in the Sura of the Spider, wherein ye attain certitude. Then God inspireth you with what was used as proof in the Furqan of your powerlessness—how they witness their own powerlessness yet distance themselves from God’s Cause. Then God inspireth you with proofs from your own minds which ye all comprehend. Were anyone to desire to enter your religion, ye are able to present proofs without verses and to manifest to whoever wishes to enter your religion by saying otherwise, for none who desireth to enter into your religion heareth from you save that ye establish proof by the verses of God. Ye say: “This sufficeth me not.” But if his proof be not from God upon him who hath not entered into Islam, what aileth you that ye follow not your own command within yourselves and then in the horizons? Ye suppose that ye do well.

Say: All, from the first that hath no beginning unto the last that hath no end, prostrate themselves before Him Whom God shall make manifest. How is it that ye prostrate yourselves day and night according to what the Point of the Bayan hath commanded you, yet when He Whom God shall make manifest appeareth, ye prostrate not before Him? O all things! Perform such deeds as shall profit you, lest ye enter into the Fire. Though ye prostrate yourselves before God from the beginning of your lives unto their end, this shall not benefit you on the Day of Resurrection unless ye prostrate yourselves but once before Him Whom God shall make manifest, for this single prostration would be better for you than all the prostrations ye have performed from the beginning of your lives unto their end. For this would be your salvation, while those would lead you to the Fire. Waste not your deeds, and strive for that which shall bring you deliverance.

Reflect upon the peoples who came before you, for ye shall be like unto them on the Day of Resurrection if ye fail to recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest. God shall make you like unto those peoples who receive no help on the Day of Resurrection and attain not unto salvation.

Verily, unto Him Whom God shall make manifest belongeth the splendor of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and all prostrate themselves before Him. Verily, unto Him Whom God shall make manifest belongeth the glory of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and all remember Him. Verily, unto Him Whom God shall make manifest belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and all bow down before Him. Verily, unto Him Whom God shall make manifest belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and all are humble before Him. Verily, He Whom God shall make manifest is the light of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and all stand before Him. Verily, unto Him Whom God shall make manifest belongeth the mercy of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and all are submissive before Him.

Verily, unto Him Whom God shall make manifest belongeth all that hath been created and shall be created of all things, and all are possessed through His command. Verily, whatsoever reacheth unto Him reacheth unto God—will ye not fear? And whatsoever reacheth not unto Him reacheth not unto God—will ye not be apprehensive?

Have mercy upon yourselves by not wasting your nights in the day of your veiling from Him Whom God shall make manifest. For if ye knew the truth from His presence, ye would believe. But in your veiling ye have no proof in the Book. Follow what God inspireth in you through His ambassadors and within your own selves, that perchance ye may attain salvation on the Day of God’s Manifestation. God is independent of you and of all things, while ye are in need of God, worshipping Him night and day, and ye are His servants.

the second in the second.

In the Name of God, the All-Inspiring, the All-Inspiring.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! I testify before Thee, and before all things, that Thou art God, that there is no God but Thee. Thou art One, without peer. Thine is the Kingdom and the dominion, then the might and grandeur, then the power and divinity, then the strength and sovereignty, then the realm and humanity, then honor and majesty, then beauty and comeliness, then glory and perfection, then strength and action, then likeness and similitude, then mercy and bounty, then authority and justice, then station and sublimity, then greatness and independence, then glory and exaltation, then might and abstraction, then power and elevation, then sovereignty and omnipotence, then whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the kingdom of Thy command and creation.

Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Independent, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Most Holy, Everlasting. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power Thou hast ordained the creation of all things and ordained it with perfect ordination. By Thy will Thou hast formed all things and formed it with perfect formation.

This is the night of independence, O my God. All things worship Thee through me while all are veiled from me. All turn to Thee through me while I am alone upon a solitary mountain, save that there is one from the First Unity before me. Glory be to Thee and exalted art Thou! How great is Thy justice toward that creation, whereby Thou hast separated me from them by Thy power, for Thou didst create each for meeting Thee in the countenance of Thy proof. When Thou didst prevent each from the fruit of their existence, this was Thy justice concerning them.

Glory be to Thee and exalted art Thou! Bestow upon them through Thy grace and open unto them the gates of Thy bounty and show them the meeting with Thy face, for Thy mercy hath encompassed all atoms and Thy gift hath surrounded all beings. Therefore, O God, send down Thy mercy upon the Tree of the Bayan, its root, branch, twigs, leaves, fruits, and all that is in it and upon it. Make all of these an impregnable tablet of paper and present it before Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, that He may accept the return of all who are in the Bayan through His grace and begin the creation of the other through His generosity, for all are poor before Thy bounty and slaves before Thy generosity.

Therefore, by Thy generosity, O my God, and Thy bounty, and by Thy munificence, O my Lord, and Thy grace, and by Thy benevolence, O my Beloved, and Thy favor, preserve Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection for all Thy party, that no sorrow may touch Him, and show Him every good that Thou hast encompassed in knowledge from all Thy creation. For Thou hast indeed encompassed all things in knowledge and Thy mercy hath embraced all things. Thou art independent of all Thy creation and self-sufficient from all Thy servants. All return unto Thy bounty and all begin from the gate of Thy generosity. There is no might nor power except through Thee. I began from Thee, O my God, and unto Thee shall I return. Verily all command is in Thy hands. Glorified art Thou! There is none other God but Thee, the King of kings, the Minister of ministers, the Judge of judges, the Teacher of teachers, and the Most Bountiful of the bountiful ones.

When Thou didst rear me in the station of bounty, then didst Thou manifest me in the degrees of glory through those proofs in the Gate. Therefore, by the right of those proofs with Thee, O my God, make all these prostrate themselves before Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, submissive before Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, humble before Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, mindful of Him Whom Thou shalt cause to rule, and thankful to Him Whom Thou shalt cause to possess us. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Divine, the Most Divine.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath elevated Himself in His elevation above all created things, Who hath made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all existing things, Who hath made Himself victorious in His victory above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who hath manifested Himself in His manifestation above all beings. He calleth Himself and all His creation to witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing. He hath chosen an impregnable essence from the summit of wealth, then hath He strengthened it with four kinds of sincere learned ones, living judges, submissive angels, and humble sovereigns. Then was established the number of the letter Ha in the Gate through those five kinds.

Upon one line thereof is written the name of the Sovereign, upon another line the name of the Minister, upon another line the name of the Judge, upon another line the name of the Teacher, and upon the highest line the name of the Wealthy One. Even thus hath God manifested His Gate through His most excellent names unto all who dwell in the kingdom of His heaven and earth, and hath chosen for it primary names, then caused them to enter into the sea of eternal infinity. Thus all through these stand by the command of God from His presence.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Divine, the Most Divine.

Praise be to God, there is none other God but Him, the Most Divine, the Most Divine. Verily the glory from God is upon the First Unity and upon whosoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity. And after me, I testify that the Divine inspiration of God shall never be cut off from any soul, whether it be through universal creation or through personal revelation, and the latter appeareth through the former. And verily in that Dispensation God hath manifested the Tree of Truth from the lineage of merchants, then hath He manifested His Cause through the learned ones and the judges and above them.

Therefore if thou desirest God to deliver thee on the Day of Resurrection in the Gate, make thy remembrance on the Day of Resurrection a remembrance in the Gate, and make thy remembrance five remembrances: First “O Wealthy One,” then “O Teacher,” then “O Judge,” then “O Minister,” then “O Sovereign.” For verily whoso entereth the Gate, God shall cause him to become victorious over all things through the proof of his Lord, even as thou seest in that Day one of the dwellers of that Glory, the dawning-places of those proofs, conquering all things through the signs of God. This then is the victory of truth through truth, and the divine inspirations from the Lord unto the servant. Hold fast, then, unto the form of the fivefold figure, the temple of humanity, whose outward aspect is the letter Ha and whose inward reality is the letter Vav; for this is verily the Greatest Name and the Most Exalted Symbol.

By it do all turn unto God, their Lord; by it do all proceed from God, their Lord; and by it do all return again unto God, their Lord.

In every circle and every form thou beholdest the remembrance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, and in the Day of His appearance do all things revert unto Him. Those that so return are of the true Temples and the circles of might; but those that return not have forfeited the fruit of their existence.

I verily seek refuge for all who are in the Bayan, that they may not squander the fruits of their being in the Day of the Manifestation of their Lord. O people of the Bayan! Fear ye that Day!

Bab 9: A’raf

And it hath four stages, the first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Renowned, the Most Renowned

No God is there but Him, the Most Renowned, the Most Renowned! Say: God is more renowned than any possessor of renown. None can escape from the dominion of His sovereign renown, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed, the All-Acquainted.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them stand in devotion. Say: All are devoted to Him.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Glory, then the Sovereignty and the Material Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belong the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belong whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God is known by all things, and nothing is known except through God, and all are His worshippers. Say: God is beloved by all things, and nothing is loved except through God, and all bow down before Him. Say: God is the Goal of all things, and nothing is sought except through God, and all act for His sake.

Say: The knowledge of all things is through God, inasmuch as He hath revealed Himself unto them. Will ye not see? All know God, their Lord, the Most Merciful, and all are devoted to Him. Say: All peoples know God through what their Prophet hath manifested unto them from God, and they know naught else save God. During every Revelation, when God wisheth to raise up what hath been revealed before, He judgeth you as those who know not the Truth, for what ye know appeareth in one Manifestation and is revealed in another Manifestation. Will ye not reflect? From the beginning that hath no beginning, what ye know is Him Whom God shall make manifest, unto the end that hath no end—ye know naught save God. Verily, the thrones of His Revelation in every Dispensation are called by the names of all peoples, who call upon their Prophet. God is well-pleased with all the thrones of His Revelation, both past and future, and He is well-pleased with those who, in the next Revelation, enter therein.

Were the veil to be lifted from your eyes, ye would know none save Him Whom God shall make manifest, yet on the day of His appearance, ye may not recognize Him even after He maketh Himself known unto you. O all things! After God maketh Himself known unto you through Him Whom God shall make manifest, ye shall know Him. For this is all that God hath commanded you in your religion, did ye but know. Your deeds shall be accepted, else God will judge you worthy of the fire, even though ye may have ascended to the highest degrees of piety. For God hath created all things solely to worship Him, but how can any thing worship Him before knowing Him? When He Whom God shall make manifest distinguisheth Himself for you, ye follow Him, for this is your worship of God, your Lord, if ye wish to bear witness. Say: That which ye have read in the Qur’an—“None shall enter Paradise unless the camel passeth through the eye of the needle”—consider what God intended thereby.

The eye of the needle is the Primal Point when all His servants recognize Him. When it hath grown great and become magnified before God through that which ye mention, and this in one Manifestation, then in another it must needs enter into the eye of the needle despite its loftiness and magnitude. Thus doth God teach you concerning the Primal Point, that ye may judge yourselves by the truth. Behold how Islam appeared through Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and how it grew great through all who magnified Islam. All of this must needs enter the eye of the needle if ye desire to enter Paradise and are assured thereof. For all such greatness must needs prostrate itself before the Primal Point. This is what God intended, not what ye imagine of your own accord. Likewise on the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, the Primal Point will have grown great through all that is in the Bayan.

All such greatness shall ye manifest before Him Whom God shall make manifest through your humility, then prostrate yourselves before God. If ye do this, ye shall enter Paradise. This is what God intended by the camel entering the eye of the needle. If on the day of God’s Manifestation ye see God as one Being and behold all who are in the Bayan in their great exaltation, then make the greatness of creation small before God, that ye may be able to prostrate yourselves before Him Whom God shall make manifest. Should He appear great unto you, then consider how in the Revelation of Muhammad, peace be upon Him, God hath exalted all books and peoples, then through Him created whatsoever He willed of another creation. Will ye not fear God? And if ye know not, then behold how in the Point of the Bayan God hath exalted all that was revealed aforetime, and through Him hath established whatsoever He desired in another creation.

Blessed be God, the Great Lord, Who hath created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them by His command. Verily, He is the Munificent, the Bountiful.

Say: Glorified be God, the Lord of dominion and sovereignty! Glorified be God, the Lord of might and grandeur! Glorified be God, the Lord of power and divinity! Glorified be God, the Lord of strength and ruby splendor! Glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and the human realm! Glorified be God, the Lord of glory and majesty! Glorified be God, the Lord of countenance and beauty! Glorified be God, the Lord of might and action! Glorified be God, the Lord of mercy and grace! Glorified be God, the Lord of dominion and justice! Glorified be God, the Lord of similitude and parables! Glorified be God, the Lord of stations and sublimity! Glorified be God, the Lord of grandeur and majesty! Glorified be God, the Lord of supremacy and independence! Glorified be God, the Lord of glory and inaccessibility! Glorified be God, the Lord of joy and gladness! Glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and power!

the second in the second:

In the name of God, the Most Renowned, the Most Renowned

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the dominion and sovereignty, Thine the might and grandeur, Thine the power and divinity, Thine the strength and ruby splendor, Thine the sovereignty and the human realm, Thine the glory and majesty, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the face and perfection, Thine the might and action, Thine the similitude and parables, Thine the stations and sublimity, Thine the grandeur and independence, Thine the glory and inaccessibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and might, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the kingdom of Thy command and creation. All are Thy servants and prostrate before Thee, submissive and humble before Thee, remembering and praising Thee, thanking and glorifying Thee, and exalting Thy sovereignty.

How exalted is Thy renown, whereby all things know Thee in their inmost hearts and outward beings, and call upon Thee! Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast revealed Thyself to all things through all things, so that nothing remains ignorant of Thee. Thou hast made Thyself known to Thyself through Thyself to all things, and thus all things have known Thee. Thou art the Renowned in the highest heavens, Thou art the Renowned in the lowest earth, and Thou art the Renowned One between them, in the hereafter and in the first life. Glorified art Thou, O my God! All are from Thee, belong to Thee, exist through Thee, and return unto Thee. There is none other God but Thee. How gracious art Thou in Thy creation, making known to them Thine eternal Self after having created them from primordial clay. By Thy might!

I have found none known, neither before nor after, none beloved, neither in heaven nor on earth, none described, neither in the kingdom of command nor of creation, none sought after, neither in the heights nor in the depths, and none worshipped besides Thee, neither in the highest kingdom nor in the lowest particle. Verily, on this Friday, the Day of Independence, all things shall surely know Thee, all things shall surely prostrate before Thee, all things shall surely glorify Thee, and all things shall surely praise Thee, when none existed beside me with Thee, for all had known Thee through Thy previous Manifestations, that they might worship Thee, worship Thee, while all are veiled from the appearance of Thy wondrous creation. I worship Thee through what Thou hast revealed to me of myself in the manifestation of Thy creation, for this is Thy good-pleasure in every Manifestation Thou dost reveal and every Dayspring Thou dost cause to shine. O God!

Do Thou send down upon the Tree of the Bayan, its root, branch, twigs, leaves, and fruits that which befitteth the loftiness of Thy sanctity, the sublimity of Thy glory, the elevation of Thy generosity, the inaccessibility of Thy bounty, and the transcendence of Thy grace. Make all things created in the Bayan, then cause all these to be present before Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest as a bonded servant possessing naught save what his Lord hath bestowed upon him, that they may thereby comprehend Thy favor in the manifestation of Thine hereafter. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the All-Compelling, the Sovereign, the Judge. All know Thee through Thy Manifestation, while in Thine essence Thou art unknowable. All describe Thee through Thy signs, while in Thy hiddenness Thou art indescribable. Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. I am of those who know Thee.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Known, the Most Known!

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His elevation above all contingent beings, risen in His ascension above all existing things, manifested in His revelation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and shown His power above all created things. I testify, and all His creation doth testify, that there is no God but He, the One, the All-Knowing. All who are in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them know Him, and all who are in the kingdoms of Command and Creation and what lieth beneath them glorify Him, that there is no God but He, the One, the All-Describing. Then I testify, and all His creation doth testify, that He, glorified be His praise, hath chosen for the repository of His knowledge, the throne of His description, the seat of His love, the loftiness of His worship, and the inaccessibility of His purpose, a sublime Essence, a radiant Camphor, an exalted Essence, an eternal Being, and a holy Pattern.

Then He revealed unto it through itself, and cast into its reality the image of itself. Thus were His signs and deeds manifested through it, and His revelations shone forth through what He had cast into it of His manifestations. He made it stand upon the station of His recognition throughout all the kingdoms of His command and creation. Then there remained naught in existence but it had recognized the Seven Letters as the Gate of God, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting. His verses were revealed unto him, and He chose for him from among the primary letters the most exalted ones. Then through these He created whatsoever He desired of infinite essential numbers. Thus were the heavens and earth and all that lieth between them filled with the testimony that there is none other God but Him. His is the creation and the command, both before and after. There is none other God but Him, the All-Protecting, the Known.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Known, the Most Known.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Known, the Most Known. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the First Unity.

I testify that none is known save God, exalted be His glory, and none is described save Him, mighty be His might, and none is loved save Him, extended be His extension, and none is sought save Him in His exaltation, and none is worshipped save Him in His most impregnable Book. Verily He, glorified and praised be He, in His Essence cannot be known, nor described, nor named, nor loved, nor sought. And inasmuch as He hath created all things for His recognition, every thing hath recognized itself in every manifestation through the very Throne of His manifestation.

Thus the Throne of His manifestation is that which addresseth thee in the Bayan, through which God hath desired to be known in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and through which He hath desired to be described in the kingdoms of loftiness and inaccessibility, and through which He hath desired to be loved in the summit of glory and inaccessibility, and through which He hath desired to be worshipped in the kingdom of transcendence and the apex of nearness, and through which He hath desired to be sought in all whereupon the name of a thing falleth, in glory and majesty.

Therefore on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, this is the Throne of His recognition, wherein He hath joined His remembrance to the remembrance of His own Self. No thing shall say “There is none other God but Him” unless it recognizeth him whom He hath commanded thus, and mentioneth the Letters of the Trinity before the Quaternary, then the Manifestations of His Command as ordained through creation. Thus doth God cause all His creation to recognize him who recognizeth none but Him. How many are those who are known in thy days, yet when God mentioneth them not, none thereafter remembereth them. And how many are the servants whom none knoweth, yet when God mentioneth them, all things know them.

If thou desirest thy heart to be among the manifestations of the name of “the Known,” then be thou among those known by Him Whom God shall make manifest; that is, be thou among the manifestations of His attribute of being known, the most known thereof, that thou mayest make thine essence mirrors of that Name, and the attribute of being known may be manifested unto thee, whereby all things shall know thee and all things shall mention thee. This is of God’s bounty, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting, and this is of God’s generosity, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Bab 10: AwSaf

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Descriptive, the Most Descriptive.

There is no God but Him, the Most Descriptive, the Most Descriptive! Say: God is more descriptive than every possessor of description. None can withhold from the sovereignty of His attributes, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the All-Describing, the Most Excellent, the Most Praiseworthy.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him.

And praise be to God, before Whom all in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them sing His glory. Say: All are His worshippers.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Might and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Exalted is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: All that ye describe is God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, then through His remembrance do ye make mention. This is how God hath described Himself, for were God not to describe Himself and reveal it in the Book, ye would not be able to describe Him. Say: All your descriptions return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest. Ye have described God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, else ye would be veiled from God’s command and His description.

All that ye ascend unto in describing God is the description of that which ye cannot comprehend. How could ye, when God hath described Himself? Say: Glorified and exalted is God above what those who describe Him ascribe unto Him. Say: The description of Him Whom God shall make manifest is the same whether ye utter it with your tongues or manifest it through your limbs. If on the Day of Resurrection ye address Him Whom God shall make manifest as ye would address your sovereign, ye shall all be saved and prosper. And if ye treat Him as ye treat others, ye shall all be saved.

Consider how one of you is content with how God dealeth with His servants through what He hath created by His command. How then do ye not show love and are not content with God, your Lord, as a servant whom He hath created? Therefore show love for God, then acquire every description in the Book of Him Whom God shall make manifest, even though God hath described Him as “There is no God but I, the Single, the Sovereign.” But ye acquire what ye describe of God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, according to what ye acquire and describe, but We have forbidden that any should write unto Him save upon delicate tablets like the scriptures of the Gospel, in the most excellent calligraphy with gold ink, if ye are able. Beyond this your glory before your Lord is not possible, and We command you, O all things, to describe Him Whom God shall make manifest according to your capacity, then return unto Him in truth.

Say: The tablets that are attributed to the Gospel are those verses which were revealed; those who were given the Furqan took them and adorned them, then those who were given the Bayan wrote upon them. This is the fruit of the Gospel and the Furqan which We have presented unto God, their Lord, in the Bayan, as on the day God created them when naught was recorded upon them. Say: All describe Him Whom God shall make manifest in their beginning and their end, their outward and their inward aspects, whence they know not and recognize not. Were they to recognize their Described One, they would not be veiled from Him. O all things! Be not veiled from your Described One. All upon the earth at that time describe Me as they describe God their Lord—and this is My seat upon the mountain—were they to recognize their Described One, how would they pursue such a course? Say: All that ye describe God with is the description of the Point, though ye comprehend not the description of God.

Consider ye on the day of His manifestation—that Primary Theophany—how all upon the earth describe Him as they describe God their Lord, the All-Merciful, and all worship Him. One who hath described God from the beginning of his life and said “Glory be to Him above what they describe”—perchance if he should behold Him, he would not magnify God in His presence, after having described Him with that whereby he glorified God from the beginning of his life until the time he beheld Him. Be ye assured that ye shall be tested regarding what ye describe, for on the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest ye shall be tried as on the day of Muhammad and the Point of the Bayan.

Him Whom ye describe from the beginning of your lives and glorify God through—perchance ye will judge Him for the glory of your religion while ye perceive not, even as they judged Muhammad aforetime and the Primal Point thereafter, after all had described Them with whatsoever praise of God they possessed and description wherewith God described Himself. Were ye to recognize your Described One, ye would not pursue such a course. Say: Your Described One is the Omnipotent, the Transcendent, Lord of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them, the One, the All-Glorious. Say: Your Described One is God Who created you and sustained you and causeth you to die and giveth you life. If ye refer your description to Him Whom God shall make manifest, then do ye describe God your Lord; otherwise your selves and your description are rendered void and ye possess naught, dwelling in the night of darkness and veils.

Then on the Day of Resurrection at the Dawning-Place of Manifestation, ascend before the presence of the Most High according to your capacity. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in the kingdom of earth and heaven. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in might and power. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in strength and divinity.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon the proofs of His Cause in force and sovereignty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon the proofs of His Cause in dominion and the human realm. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon the proofs of His Cause in glory and majesty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in sovereignty and dominion.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in authority and sovereignty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in countenance and beauty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in might and action. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in mercy and grace.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in authority and justice. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in similitude and parables. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in stations and glory. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in grandeur and independence.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon His proofs in pride and majesty. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in might and invincibility. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in truth, and upon His proofs in sovereignty and power. Glory be unto Thee, O God! O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection through all Thy most excellent names, through all Thy most exalted attributes, for verily Thou art the Lord of the Hereafter and of ancient times.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Descriptive, the Most Descriptive.

And verily from the glory of God upon you His most glorious, and from the majesty of God upon you His most majestic, then from the beauty of God upon you His most beautiful, then from the grandeur of God upon you His most grand, then from the light of God upon you His most luminous, then from the mercy of God upon you His most extensive, then from the words of God upon you His most perfect, then from the names of God upon you His most great, then from the might of God upon you His most mighty, then from the Will upon you His most conclusive, then from the knowledge of God upon you His most penetrating, then from the power of God upon you His most powerful, then from the utterance of God upon you His most pleasing, then from the questions upon you their most beloved, then from the nobility of God upon you His most noble, then from the sovereignty of God upon you His most enduring, then from the dominion of God upon you His most glorious, then from the bounty of God upon you His most ancient.

Ye have worshipped God openly upon the earth and have openly rejected negation upon the earth. How lofty is your station in the Bayan and how exalted your rank therein! Ye are the first and the last, the outward and the inward. Through you hath God manifested the wonders of His ways in the Bayan and elevated that which was revealed aforetime in the Exposition. Ye loved God at the first dawning of His Manifestation before the hearers, and ye turned unto God before the rising of His light before the knowers.

Ye have freed yourselves from worldly sorrows and have caused your beings to reach the summit of your hereafter. Your blessings are prepared before you, your celestial maidens are adorned at your right hand, your knowledge is purified at your left, your books are inscribed before you, and whatsoever ye love is present before your eyes. For you in Paradise is whatsoever ye love, for you in Paradise is whatsoever ye desire.

God hath ever blessed, and will continue to bless, your first and your last, and all between them of your outward and your inward, and all besides them. God shall raise up one who will exalt your remembrance and elevate your Cause, and bring to naught whosoever ariseth not in your service and seeketh to wax proud against you. Verily, nothing can frustrate Him, whether in the heavens or on the earth or all that lieth between them, and He hath ever been the Avenger, the Wrathful, the All-Compelling.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Descriptive, the Most Descriptive.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and raised Himself in His elevation above all existing things, and made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all created things, and manifested Himself in His manifestation above all atoms, and shown His dominion in His sovereignty over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. All His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Luminous. He hath chosen hidden essences as dawning-places of His light and rising-points of His manifestation, and hath caused them to attain their ultimate aim in their faces turned toward God their Lord, and in their approach unto God their Creator, and hath honored and ennobled them through the First Unity, and made them to be among the inheritors. This is of God’s bounty unto His loved ones; verily He is the Protector of the God-fearing.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Descriptive, the Most Descriptive.

Praise be to God, there is no God but He, the Most Descriptive, the Most Descriptive. And verily the splendor from God be upon the First Unity and upon whosoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity; and furthermore, bear thou witness that every attribute God hath ascribed unto Him Whom God shall make manifest—exalted be His mention—is true, and that thou, on the Day of His manifestation, may perchance deny Him the name of faith after having praised God through Him, both night and day. Thou shalt assuredly describe Him with the loftiness of glory and exaltation, and the sublimity of holiness and inaccessibility. And if thou art in doubt concerning this, then call to mind the Point of the Bayan, for all who dwell on earth in the day of His manifestation described Him as they describe God, their Lord.

Consider how that which was decreed concerning Him was decreed by the dwellers of the Furqan who had ascended to the summit of piety and caution to a degree beyond which they could not conceive. And thou likewise shalt be tested on the Day of God’s Manifestation. If thou dost not describe Him Whom thou hast worshipped from beginning to end with thy description of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then never approach censure of Him, for God hath aforetime revealed: Exalted is God far above that which the wrongdoers assert with great haughtiness. And what wrong could be greater than to censure Him Whom He hath described and made the Manifestation of His Self, and Whom all describe with the most exalted terms wherewith they describe God, their Lord? And thou, from the beginning of thy life unto its end, hast described Him with the most exalted terms thou couldst express.

Therefore watch over thyself, for on the Day of His Manifestation thou shalt withhold from Him the name of faith after having described Him from the beginning of thy life unto its end with the utmost sanctity and majesty. Watch over thyself lest thou be numbered among the veiled ones.

Bab 11: An’at

And He hath four stations. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Praiseworthy.

Say: God is more praiseworthy than any possessor of praise. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape from the dominion of His sovereign praise. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been the Praiser, the Praised, the All-Praising. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them. Say: All before Him are prostrate. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all in the heavens and on earth and between them. Say: All are His worshippers. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Ruby Essence, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God is the Creator of all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and unto Him shall all be raised up. Say: God causeth you to die, then giveth you life, and all are submissive unto Him […] with God. Say: Glory be to God and exalted is He above what they attribute. Height with God.

Say: Glorified be God, and exalted is He above what they ascribe to His divinity! Say: Glorified be God, and exalted is He above what they mention of His divinity! Say: Glorified be God, and exalted is He above what they describe of His divinity! Say: Glorified be God, and exalted is He above what they attribute!

Say: Your God is but one God. There is no God but He, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say: The number one, then one, God created from it. Will you not then attribute numbers to God? For all numbers are His creation, and all are devoutly obedient to Him.

Say: Were there any god besides Him, the order of the heavens and earth and what lies between them would be corrupted. Say: Glorified and exalted is He! All are His worshippers. His command encompasses the heavens and earth and what lies between them, nearer than the utterance “Be, and it is.” He is the One Who originates you in every Revelation and brings you forth from a single point. On the day of your return, how is it you do not return to it?

We originated you from Muhammad aforetime, so how is it you do not return to your origin? Say: The Essence of the Seven Letters is your origin and your end. On the Day of Resurrection you shall return just as you began. Had We not sent down the Bayan to you or ordained what was revealed therein, what would you possess?

Say: Glorified be God and exalted above what they describe! Likewise on the Day of Resurrection, you shall be as you began, with no path except that you return to Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say: The example of those is like what passes of your life—you comprehend the beginning of every Revelation, then preserve what God has ordained until its end.

Say: The Bayan is nigh unto becoming an essence and a mighty vessel. Thus do you make mention in every name among the names of God. And verily the Furqan was decreed the number of the Gharis. We waited the number of the Ha, then We raised it up. You shall believe in Him Whom God shall purify in the Ha on the Day of Resurrection.

That the fruits of your Bayan may appear before your Lord—otherwise after what you have is lifted, nothing of yours will God accept. Therefore have mercy on your souls and hasten in God’s Cause. Would those given the Gospel be accepted at their highest essence after God revealed the Furqan? Likewise do you comprehend at every Revelation what God has willed.

Say: What God willeth—there is no power except through God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say: What God willeth—there is no glory except through the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: What God willeth—there is no power except through God, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the seen and unseen, Lord of all worlds.

O all things! You comprehend your origin and your end, for what lies between them is fit if you judge with truth. Whoso recognizes the Point of the Bayan at that time, then Him Whom God shall make manifest—God will forgive what testifies against him between them. Verily there is no God but He, the Forgiving, the Sovereign, the Beloved.

But if you ascend to the horizon of piety in your beginning, it will not benefit you on the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest unless you ascend at your end according to what God has ordained from His presence. Say: If the glory of every community lies in their faith in God their Lord, how do you not glorify yourselves?

O people of the Bayan! Train your souls in such wise that if any trace remains from you after Him Whom God shall make manifest, your Maker may benefit, even as what appeared after that Day benefited the Creator of the followers of the Gospel, and the intoxication of the drinkers, that ye may be the best of peoples. Let every Bearer of a Revelation desire to manifest Himself unto you through His Revelation, for ye show patience with what ye possess. We shall manifest and descend in every Revelation while ye may neither manifest nor turn towards it. Say: The Bayan is partly from the tongue of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, partly from the tongue of him whom God hath chosen for Himself, and partly from the tongue of what God hath willed to mention. Ye all interpret everything within its limits, lest the stations of your Cause become too great for you and ye be unable to comprehend them.

Say: God hath not created any animal equal to that which correspondeth to the numerical value of Ba, Ra and Ha. Ye benefit from all that God hath created therein. Will ye not then give thanks to God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, and prostrate yourselves according to what He hath permitted you? Were God not to grant you permission, would ye be able to benefit therefrom? Indeed all this is from God and His bounty, but ye neither understand nor remember. Nay, God will be well-pleased on the Day of Resurrection with that animal, as it beareth the mention of His own Name—a bounty from His presence. Verily there is no God but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Say: He hath created in the sheep blessings from His presence which ye cannot count. Say: God will multiply what He hath ordained for it in every Revelation beyond what anyone in the worlds can reckon.

Say: That animal indeed worshippeth God its Lord, and glorifieth Him, sanctifieth Him, magnifieth Him, exalteth Him, and is among those who beseech God to bestow His grace upon it by making it the sustenance of the Thrones of Reality, or their clothing, or their carpet, or what they possess by God’s leave. Say: We have indeed bestowed Our grace upon you and given you possession of the most splendid of what God hath created from the word “Be.” Therefore be thankful and be among the thankful in the days of God. Whoso slayeth an animal in the path of God, God will create eleven like it as a bounty from His presence. Verily He hath power over all things. Say: All things shall remember God their Lord on the Day of Resurrection and shall thereby be among the glorious. Say: We have indeed mentioned all things and We were ever mindful of every creation of God, and all stand firm through God their Lord.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Praiseworthy.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the dominion and the kingdom, Thine the might and the grandeur, Thine the power and the divinity, Thine the strength and the sovereignty, Thine the dominion and the realm of creation, Thine the glory and the majesty, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the likeness and the similitudes, Thine the stations and the sublimity, Thine the glory and the invincibility, Thine the power and the transcendence, Thine the gladness and the joy, Thine the greatness and the independence, Thine the authority and the manifestation, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

O my God! Cause all who are in the Bayan to convey all the spirits they bear of all things unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, for verily all that shall be present on the Day of Resurrection before Him, and whatsoever is sent unto Him shall perfume it for the glory of the Cause from His presence. That is what beareth the spirit of that thing, all according to their degrees and stations before Thee. Should anyone bring forth a pen, that one beareth the spirit of the pen; should anyone bring forth paper, that one beareth the spirit of paper; should anyone bring forth ink, that one beareth the spirit of ink. All Thy creation preserveth what Thou hast created; there appeareth from each before Thee what hath been entrusted to it by Thy command. Thou gatherest all things in like manner.

By Thy glory! I seek refuge with Thee lest there should appear from anyone among the dwellers of the Bayan that which Thou lovest not to be mentioned, as all shall manifest according to what they bear of words and their meanings, of manifestations and what they contain, of inner significances and what they possess. Glory be to Thee! Present me on the Day of Resurrection before Him Whom Thou shalt manifest, and cause me to bear the spirit of all things which Thou lovest, for Thou presentest every soul before Thee, and whatsoever is below man through what man beareth and presenteth before Thee.

O God! Cause all Thy creation to bear the essences of Thy words and the most glorious of what Thou hast created in Thy kingdom, and preserve all Thy creation lest they present unto God, their Lord, that which Thou lovest not. Should every soul conduct itself with every other soul as it would wish for itself, perchance when it presents itself before God its Lord, it may not have acquired what God loveth, or when it presents itself it may not know God its Lord. But God knoweth it through what the Manifestation of Thyself knoweth it, for knowledge of Thee, O my God, appeareth not unto Thy creation except through what appeareth from the Manifestation of Thyself.

Glory be unto Thee, and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever given life and caused death, then caused death and given life. And verily, Thou art the Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Whose dominion passeth not away, the Just Who doth not transgress, the King Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, neither in the heavens nor on earth nor in that which lieth between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou hast ever been powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Praiseworthy.

Praise be to God Who has risen in His exaltation above all contingent things, Who has ascended in His elevation above all created beings, Who has become inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all atoms, Who has become dominant in His dominion above all existence, and Who has become manifest in His manifestation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. All His creation bears witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Praised.

He has chosen a sublime essence, an exalted camphor-like reality, a resplendent simplicity, a lofty abstraction, and a majestic form. Then He revealed Himself to it through itself, and established it in the station of His being known, His being praised, His being sought, His being loved, His being described, His being thanked, His being feared, His being desired, His being longed for, and His being beheld—for He is too exalted to be praised by any save Him. This is a gleaming veil adorned with various ornaments and a radiant light shining with the brilliance of glory and nobility. God has placed it between Himself and His creation so that through it may reach all that descends from God, and to it may return all that ascends from creation to God. O all things! Convey unto Him Whom God shall make manifest only what is worthy of God, for this is what reaches unto God. Then fear ye Him.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Praiseworthy.

I testify that there is no God but Him, the Most Praised, the Most Praised. The glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon what resembles it wherein naught is seen but the First Unity. And further, I bear witness that there is none praised but God—exalted be His glory, universal be His bounty, great be His grandeur, elevated be His station, and impregnable be His proof—for whatever praiseworthy attribute exists in anything, that is from God’s manifestation unto it. Therefore, according to the measure of its praised nature, it returns to the manifestation of what God has bestowed upon it from His revelation. And from the lowest dust it ascends until it reaches the Supreme Concourse.

I further testify that in that kingdom there is light and fire, truth and falsehood, negation and affirmation, mercy and vengeance, good-pleasure and that which is other than good-pleasure. Every good thing proceeds from Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, and everything other than good proceeds from those who do not prostrate before Him—though they are prostrating before Him through His previous Manifestation, for the Sun appearing in every Manifestation is one Sun. For example, if the people of the Bayan do not prostrate before Him, they are still prostrating before Him through the Point of Truth in the Bayan. And if there were none from among the people of the Bayan, but rather from among the followers of the Gospel, or the Torah, or the Psalms, or the Scriptures that were revealed to the Dawning-Places of Truth, all are prostrating before Him through His previous Manifestations.

But since they do not recognize their Manifestation, they do not prostrate before Him nor return unto Him. And were the veil to be lifted from their insight, there would not remain a soul upon the earth but shall fall prostrate before Him, for every soul worshippeth its Lord within itself, and this is the manifestation of that impenetrable Reality which God hath revealed aforetime, and that soul hath embraced His religion. Thus all things are His attributes, exalted and mighty is He. But if that time returneth unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, He will accept it; otherwise it shall remain within its own limits and shall not be worthy to return unto God its Lord, for if a thing be not pure it cannot return unto God. O all things! Purify your attributes from aught save the love of God and His good-pleasure, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may thereby return unto God, your Lord.

Bab 12: Azra’

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Fertile, the Most Fertile.

There is no God but He, the Most Fertile, the Most Fertile. Say: God is more fertile than all who possess fertility. None can withstand the power of His sovereign fertility, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily He hath ever been the Sower, the Planter, the Cultivator. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be unto God, before Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the Human realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily God shall sow in the earth as He willeth through His command. Do ye not behold? Think ye that ye are the sowers? Say: Glorified be God! We are indeed the Sowers.

Say: Look not upon anyone save as ye look upon your highest heights, for what hath been revealed concerning those who are the authorities among you and those who are the foremost in planting is one command—all abide by the command of God. Say: We have sown through Our verses in your hearts and spirits and souls and bodies. Not a letter have We sent down but We have created its fruit sublime in the most exalted paradise on the Day of Resurrection. We have power over all things. And from every letter that We have sent down below the most exalted paradise shall enter therein those who prostrate not before Us. O people of the Bayan! Ye are the fruits of your own selves. Waste not yourselves, but manifest all that ye perform in secret on the Day of Resurrection, if ye be sincere in your deeds. Say: God verily sendeth down from heaven blessed living waters whereby ye sow in the earth.

Say: The foremost temples are the dawning-places of all the heavens, and the foremost circles are the rising-points of all the earth. Ye behold in that crystal cup and its earth each one distinct from the other. The splendor of one cannot be compared with another, nor this with that. Thus doth God create your own creation and createth from your camphor essences earthly love wherein ye dwell. Say: Just as one who desireth to sow in the earth loveth to reap its fruits, so must ye sow in soil from which ye shall gather fruits and waste not your lives, for each one thereof is a mighty tree yielding every manner of fruit. Ye ask of God’s bounty for every good thing. Thus doth He teach you the cultivation of your return and abiding-place, that ye may, on the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God shall make manifest desireth to send down His verses upon your hearts, act with utmost love and manifest the fruits ye bear of God’s Cause as swiftly as ye are able.

For whatsoever He Whom God shall make manifest soweth in the lands of your love from the commandments of your Lord must needs yield fruit instantly—those trees which, when planted, bear fruit. Do ye not wish to witness this? Say: The verses of God are like unto living waters sent down from the heaven of Will upon the lands of your nearness—ye who in that moment recognize your Lord. So cleanse your lands through that which descendeth from the heaven of Lordship, then instantly manifest its fruits. Say: How would a bearer be constrained to pour his water upon land not of his kind? Thus do ye observe in the exaltation of the Cause. He Whom God shall make manifest would be constrained to send down His words unto you were ye not to adorn yourselves with what God hath ordained for Him from the exaltation of His Self.

O all things! Adorn ye yourselves with your most excellent ornaments for the time when God desireth to manifest Himself unto you through your own selves, that there is no God but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Then all who hear will declare: There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: Your likeness is as a goodly land wherein beautiful plants grow—how they rise up by their Lord’s command until they yield fruits which ye partake thereof. O all things! Ye are indeed the recipients of the deed of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and this is your glory if ye accept the Cause of God. So refine your souls to the utmost of your ability to become refined, for through your ornaments He would love to send down the water of His manifestation upon the hearts that have testified that there is no God but Him, the Help-in-Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Just as your women display to your men the love that God has created within them, likewise you should display the love of your hearts for Him Who will manifest Himself on the Day of Resurrection. Say: We have planted in all things that there is no God but Me, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, that they may respond to Us on the day of Our manifestation when We cause all things to know Our Self, that there is no God but Thee, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And verily this is He Whom God shall make manifest; we all believe in Him. O ye who possess hearts! Just as your plants adorn themselves for their mates on their first night, likewise should you adorn your hearts for Him Who wishes to manifest Himself unto you through yourselves, that there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. If after this you live in glory—well and good.

But if you manifest that which is unworthy before God, your Lord, He will not accept you nor send down verses unto you from His presence, whereupon you shall be among those who grieve. If one leaf draws near to a trace while another is prevented, how sorrowful is your domain yet you grieve not. These are they unto whom God has manifested Himself through themselves, and they are the bearers of God’s Cause. Verily God does not wish to manifest Himself unto you through yourselves while you veil yourselves from meeting Him, as in the first nights you fail to show the love of your essence. He teaches you the paths of truth from His presence that perchance on the Day of Resurrection you may walk in love as you walk in the love of your desires, and that you may preserve your hearts for God your Lord just as you preserve your leaves.

Verily We are the Manifester Who sends down the water of life from the heaven of Our manifestation unto the lands of your purity, that you may testify through what you receive of the water of life that there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner.

Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine is the Glory and the Might, Thine is the Power and the Divine Realm, Thine is the Strength and the Sapphire, Thine is the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, Thine is the Glory and the Majesty, Thine is the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine is the Face and the Perfection, Thine are the Similitudes and the Parables, Thine are the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine is the Strength and the Action, Thine is the Mercy and the Grace, Thine is the Authority and the Justice, Thine are the Similitudes and the Parables, Thine are the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine are the Proofs and the Bounties, Thine is the Glory and the Invincibility, Thine is the Power and the Exaltation, Thine is the Joy and the Gladness, Thine is the Sovereignty and the Omnipotence, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation.

Thou hast manifested Thyself unto the Primal Will through itself, by itself, and hast made it to stand over all things through Thy sovereignty over it and over all things. We testify that whatsoever is beneath these two is affected by its action, submissive to its command, humble before its word, obedient to its will, and tranquil in its presence. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been sovereign in might and majesty. Glorified art Thou! Thou hast ever been and wilt ever be. Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, self-sustaining, sovereign, all-compelling, holy, everlasting, eternal, self-dependent, transcendent, inaccessible, and exalted. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son.

O God! Create Thou for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest pure hearts which nothing shall touch save Thy love and good-pleasure, at such time as He willeth to adorn them with His presence. Verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone, without partner. O God! Cause Thou to reach from the summit of hearts unto the leaves of Thy paradise, that they may convey unto Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest the most excellent of what Thou hast created in the Bayan and the most splendid of what Thou hast brought forth in exposition. For within Thy grasp lie the kingdoms of creation and origination, and the realms of might and invention. Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the King Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command.

Verily Thou art powerful over all things.

O God! Choose Thou for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest from among the unity those who will answer when He saith unto them from Thy presence: “Am I not your Lord, your Creator, your King, and your Sovereign?” And they shall say: “Yea.” O God! Unite the beauty of their hearts and their forms, their first and their last, their outward and their inward, lest the sun of Thy love be veiled from any of the manifestations of Thy appearance and the dawning-places of Thy concealment. For on the Day of Resurrection, Thou hast ordained no lineage among Thy creatures. Whoso loveth Thee through the Manifestation of Thyself, such a one hast Thou chosen.

O God! Choose Thou for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest lofty manifestations, exalted, transcendent, mighty, and sovereign through Thy power over all things. Verily Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath raised Himself in His elevation above all existing things, Who hath made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all atoms, Who hath made Himself victorious in His victory above all created things, and Who hath made Himself powerful in His power above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. All His creation beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His are the most excellent names. All that are in the heavens and on the earth and between them glorify Him. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

He hath manifested Himself unto all that is in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. And verily His manifestation unto the kingdom of earth is like unto a sower, and with Him is a single water of life, when it descendeth every atom receiveth its portion according to its capacity and within its bounds. Look not at the mirrors, nor be veiled from their attributes, for what appears in them and what lies within them is the Primal Will, the Divine Countenance, the Face of Lordship, the Eternal Mark, and the Everlasting Sign whereby God hath established the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, and through which each one hath recognized that there is no God but Him, the Single One, the Sower

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Fertile, the Most Fertile!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Fertile, the Most Fertile! And verily the glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon them that resemble that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the First Unity.

Furthermore, We bear witness that We have taught thee in Our signs that all names in their rank and station are like the Most Great, Most Exalted Name. For if there were no manifestation of the Sower in the kingdom, from whom would the manifestation of sovereignty draw sustenance? And likewise with all the attributes between them which none can reckon save God, the Single One, the All-Knowing.

Therefore, behold no believing soul except with the eye of recognition as the throne for the manifestation of the Sun of Reality, mirrors of the dawning of the Divine Power, stars of Oneness, and lamps of Eternality. When thou art thus, call upon God by all His names, for unto Him belong all the most beautiful names in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them.

Perchance thou mayest enter a mighty city wherein there is but one Name of God, and this is the focus of God’s gaze and the repository of God’s bounty for those in that land. Thou shalt not recognize this until the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God shall make manifest will make Himself known. Then thou shalt say:

“Yea! Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. Thou hast manifested what Thou didst promise to all Thy creation, a grace from Thee, a existence from Thy presence. Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Generous; Thou art the Munificent, the Bountiful; Thou art the Gracious, the Kind; Thou art the Compassionate, the Near One; Thou art the Living, the Awesome.”

Bab 13: Azri’

And it hath four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Originating, the Most Originating!

There is no God but He, the Most Originating, the Most Originating! Say: God is mightier than any mighty one. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever lieth between them can resist the power of His sovereign might. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the Mighty, the Powerful, the Strong. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoted to Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death, and then causes to die and gives life.

Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the Sovereign Whose dominion passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Ruler Whose authority changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God createth you as He willeth by His command. Will ye not see? Is there any god besides God who is able to create you and sustain you and cause you to die and give you life? Will ye not consider? Say: Within the grasp of your Lord lieth the kingdom of your beginning and your end. On the Day of Resurrection ye shall be brought before God, your Lord. Say: How do ye wish to sow in the earth of clay if ye be not certain? Nothing would grow therein were ye not to sow. Thus do ye witness your own creation. Naught can be sown except in the earth from which its fruits appear. God showeth you His signs that ye may be thankful. Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them, and unto Him shall all return.

Say: Through a drop of water God createth the form of man and woman. How is it that ye preserve not what God hath created in that water? Preserve ye it even as ye preserve your own selves, that ye may thereby find guidance on the Day of Resurrection in the waters of your Lord’s mercy, that perchance when God manifesteth Himself unto you, ye may prostrate yourselves before God. Say: How do ye not sow except in good earth? Likewise, He Whom God shall make manifest desireth not to sow the words of your Lord except in hearts that have glorified their Lord. Therefore make the soil of your hearts and spirits and souls and bodies such that when the Command from God is planted therein, there may appear therefrom the fruits that have been ordained in the Book, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may find salvation in the Faith of God.

Say: This is the day of your presentation before God your Lord, inasmuch as ye are presented before Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say: How all letters proceed from the Point—likewise do ye all proceed from Him Whom God shall make manifest, then are ye brought forth in a new creation. Exalted be God, the Lord of sovereignty and dominion! Exalted be God, the Possessor of might and omnipotence! Exalted be God, the Lord of power and divinity! Exalted be God, the Possessor of strength and glory! Exalted be God, the Lord of dominion and humanity! Exalted be God, the Possessor of majesty and grandeur! Exalted be God, the Lord of beauty and grace! Exalted be God, the Possessor of the Face and perfection! Exalted be God, the Lord of might and action! Exalted be God, the Possessor of mercy and bounty! Exalted be God, the Lord of sovereignty and justice! Exalted is God, Possessor of similitudes and parables! Exalted is He, Lord of stations and grandeur!

Exalted is God, Possessor of majesty and independence! Exalted is He, Lord of glory and sublimity! Exalted is God, Possessor of might and invincibility! Exalted is He, Lord of sovereignty and power! Say: God hath created naught except for Him Whom He shall make manifest. Ye are all, every one of you, possessed of dominion through His permission. This is the dominion of your Lord, if ye but knew it. Say: On the day of His manifestation, were there none on earth but the people of the Bayan, and were they to believe in Him when they hear His verses, there would descend upon them from their Lord that which God hath in His possession; but should anyone fail to believe in Him, not even the weight of a mustard seed would be bestowed upon him unless he prostrateth himself before Him. Thus have We nurtured that creation, and verily We shall be witness over them on the Day of Resurrection, that We may inform them of their deeds in Our path, for verily We are cognizant of all things.

Yet ye shall not be questioned save about what ye have earned. On that Day, if ye believe in the Truth, God will make your deeds righteous from before—will ye not then be grateful? But if ye veil yourselves from God’s Cause, He will render void your souls and your deeds from a beginning that hath no beginning. Therefore fear God concerning this, that ye may be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Ye dwell in your homes, holding a Book in your hands, reading what is therein, yet ye perceive not that this is from God Who created you, sustaineth you, causeth you to die, and giveth you life. It hath been sent down by Him Whom God shall make manifest unto you, that ye might be guided by His appearance. Why do ye not understand a matter when ye read it, failing to be guided by the proofs contained therein? Thus do ye depart from your faith and enter into the fire through your heedlessness. O all things!

Have mercy upon yourselves by pondering with truth upon all that ye observe, rather than looking to him who bringeth it to you or conveyeth it unto you. Yea, look ye unto that which hath been revealed therein of conclusive proofs, that ye may thereby be saved on the Day of Resurrection. For by this doth God render your deeds void while ye perceive it not. When ye look upon the Book, were ye to be certain within yourselves, ye would present yourselves before Him Whom God shall make manifest and prostrate yourselves. But since your hearts have become remote from the remembrance of God, ye dwell in one matter while reciting the Book, yet fail to attain certitude thereby. Have mercy upon yourselves, for this is greater than what was revealed before unto you, even were it but a single line, if ye would but slightly perceive. For by this shall ye be saved on the Day of Resurrection, whereas by what ye possess ye shall not be saved, but rather shall be tried.

This is what God, your Lord, hath counseled you, that in all your affairs ye might understand and then reflect. Otherwise, were ye not to believe in the Book, ye would by your own selves depart from God’s religion. And God is independent of you and your faith, whereas ye are in need of God. Were God not to bear witness unto you through guidance and faith, ye would not be able to find tranquility. But if ye believe in the Book, then by your own selves shall ye enter Paradise. This is of God’s bounty unto you, if ye would follow with your minds what God inspires within you.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Originating, the Most Originating!

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine is the might and the power, Thine is the strength and the divinity, Thine is the force and sovereignty, Thine is the majesty and the glory, Thine is the countenance and the beauty, Thine is the face and the perfection, Thine is the mercy and the grace, Thine is the authority and the justice, Thine are the similitudes and examples, Thine are the stations and the grandeur, Thine is the greatness and independence, Thine is the pride and sublimity, Thine is the might and invincibility, Thine is the power and exaltation, Thine is the joy and gladness, Thine is the sovereignty and omnipotence, and whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been and none existed before Thee as creator or originator or bestower of mercy or giver of death or sustainer or quickener or benefactor. Sanctified are Thy names in their beginning and their end, their outward and their inward aspects. All Thy servants and worshippers glory in this before Thee and Thy creation, and take pride in it before Thee and Thy servants. For whoso worships Thee not shall find no peace with Thee or with Thy creation.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast originated all that Thou hast originated by Thy command, and brought into being all that Thou hast brought into being by Thy wisdom, and invented all that Thou hast invented by Thy oneness, and created all that Thou hast created by Thy decree, and established all that Thou hast established by Thy deeds. Nothing exists besides Thee except that it is affected by Thy creative power and brought into existence by Thy creation. Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, everlasting, sovereign, supreme, holy, perpetual, enduring. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned.

Thou givest life and death, then death and life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Originating, the Most Originating!

Praise be to God Who hath fashioned existent beings from naught through His will, and originated contingent things from nothing by His volition, and invented all that is created through His power, and brought into being the atoms by His decree, and produced all that is in the kingdom of earth and the heavens by His leave, and created all that is in the kingdom of beginnings and endings by His appointed time, and shaped all that He hath created and createth by His command in the heaven of essences and the earth of individualities through His Book.

I call Him to witness, and all His creation, that there is no God but He, the One, the Fashioner—a testimony that hath appeared from independence in the shadow of the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and hath been created from stability in the glory of Him Whom God shall exalt—a testimony rejoicing, glorified, beautified, magnified, well-pleased, enlightened, empowered, beloved, ennobled, dominant, sovereign, exalted; a testimony that is modal and essential, substantial and intrinsic, camphorated and spiritual, abstract and selfhood, modal and divine; a testimony that filleth the pillars of all things with sublime and lofty praise, and splendid and impregnable glory, for God Who hath created the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them by His command. There is no God but He, the Exalted, the Mighty.

Then I call Him to witness, and all His creation, that from the dawning-places of the lightning of His effulgence, and the rising-points of the manifestation of His essences, and the lamps of guidance of His clear proofs, and the keys of the glory of His wisdom and His demonstration, and the wellsprings of the majesty of His mercy and His bounties, there is a jewel impregnable and exalted, a substance most high, a camphor manifest, a form beautiful, and a glory and a wonder wondrous. Then He manifested Himself unto it through it, remained inaccessible to it, and cast into its identity the likeness of itself. And lo, His signs appeared therefrom, and the heavens and the earth and that which is between them were filled thereby with His manifestations. And lo, this is the origin of what God hath sent down unto all things, and the veil of what is raised up unto God from all things.

I call Him to witness, and all that He hath fashioned, that it is the essence of perspicuous verses before which all the worlds have been powerless to comprehend them or to produce their like; and that it consisteth of eloquent communings which all the worlds have fallen short of understanding or uttering; and that it is composed of inaccessible discourses which all essences have testified to their inability concerning them in the ocean of beginnings and ends; and that it is lofty forms and divine substances and lordly natures and pre-eternal splendors and divine effulgences, in comprehending which and the wonders of whose allusions the highest summits of substances and the most exalted natures of abstractions have been bewildered.

This is what shall endure from Him until the Day of Reckoning, and what hath shone and gleamed and flashed and dawned from His goodly conditions—who is able to reckon them or preserve them save God Who hath created them and sustained them and causeth them to die and giveth them life? Verily, His is the most exalted similitude in the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them. All abide by His command.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Creative, the Most Creative.

Praise be to God, there is no God but Him, the Most Creative, the Most Creative. And verily the Glory of God be upon the First One and upon those who resemble that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. I testify that the meaning of “dharr” (creation) is to bring into being, and the meaning of bringing into being is to originate, and the meaning of originating is to innovate, and the meaning of innovating is to produce—these are radiant manifestations declaring that there is no God but God, Who originates all things with independence and creates all things with independence. These are different names for one manifestation. For example, when He Whom God shall make manifest—exalted be His glory—reveals a command which had no existence before, then the meanings of invention and origination are attributed to it.

And that command appears through the Primal Will; to it is attributed the name of origination from Purpose, the name of creation from Destiny, the name of occurrence from Decree, the name of origination from Permission, the name of invention from Term, the name of creation from Time. Then at the Book, the creation of that thing is completed through its causes. These are mirrors reflecting that the one command in these seven conditions is one, and these are names manifested in the impregnable appearances in mirrors. Otherwise, glorified and exalted is He above what they describe.

Bab 14: A’zal

And it has four ranks. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Pre-eternal, the Pre-eternal.

God, there is no God but He, the Pre-eternal of Pre-eternals. Say: God is more pre-eternal than every possessor of pre-eternity. None in the heavens or the earth or what lies between them can withstand the dominion of His pre-eternal sovereignty. He creates what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been pre-eternally pre-eternal. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them do glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Reality, then the Strength and the Essence, then the Sovereignty and the Human Reality. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Justice that deviateth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or in the earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been powerful over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Kingdom and Dominion. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Might and Omnipotence. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Strength and Essence. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Power and Divine Reality. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Sovereignty and Human Reality. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Glory and Majesty. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Beauty and Comeliness. Sanctified is the Possessor of Countenance and Perfection. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Strength and Action. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Mercy and Grace. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Authority and Justice. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Dominion. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Kingdom and Sovereignty. Sanctified is God, the Possessor of Grandeur and Independence. Sanctified be God, the Possessor of similitudes and parables! Sanctified be God, the Lord of loftiness and glory! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of might and invincibility!

Sanctified be God, the Lord of power and exaltation! Sanctified be the Lord of joy and gladness! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of sovereignty and dominion! Sanctified be God, the Lord of victory and triumph! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of conquest and domination! Sanctified be God, the Lord of compulsion and omnipotence! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of grandeur and glory! Sanctified be God, the Lord of manifestation and appearance! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of subjugation and authority! Sanctified be God, the Lord of bounties and favors! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of wonders and grace! Sanctified be God, the Lord of might and radiance! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of majesty and magnificence! Sanctified be God, the Lord of generosity and benevolence! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of grace and favor! Sanctified be God, the Lord of providence and ascendancy! Sanctified be God, the Possessor of bounties and grandeur!

Sanctified be God, the Lord of might and glory! Sanctified be the Possessor of majesty and detachment! Sanctified be God, the Lord of signs and evidences!

He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. He giveth life and causeth death, and verily there is no God but Him, the All-Glorious, the Most High. Prostrate thyself before none save God, Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them by His command. Verily there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Glorious. He it is within Whose grasp lieth the kingdom of all things. There is no God but Him, the One, the All-Beautiful.

Say: God hath ever been, from time immemorial, and shall ever continue to be, from everlasting to everlasting. All are His worshippers. Say: Verily, the name nearest to God is the name of the Ancient. Through it do ye turn unto God, your Lord. Through it do ye possess all good. Through it will God bestow upon you the glory of His might—will ye not be illumined? Through it will He confer upon you the majesty of His Cause—will ye not be exalted? Through it will God bestow upon you the beauty of His countenance—will ye not be beautified? Through it will God bestow upon you the greatness of His Self—will ye not be magnified? Through it will God bestow upon you the light of His presence—will ye not be illuminated?

All this hath God attributed unto His Own Self, if ye would but truly witness. Otherwise, how could that which befitteth God be conveyed to His servants? All were created by His command, and all are His worshippers. The Fashioner of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them is nearer than that He should say to a thing “Be!” and it is.

Verily, I am God, there is no God but Me. I have been from all eternity, before and after, and all worship Me. I shall continue to be for all eternity, and all prostrate before Me. This is the path of God in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Glory on that Day belongeth unto God alone, the One, the Ancient of Days, unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, the One, the Most High, the All-Glorious. He it is within Whose grasp lieth the kingdom of all things. There is no God but Him, the One, the All-Glorious, the Most High. Say: God knoweth what is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them. Verily, there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing. Say: God hath power over all who dwell in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing.

Say: God hath power over all who dwell in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Powerful. Unto God belongeth all that He hath created and will create of all things, and God is the sovereign Lord, the Mighty, the Unassailable. His is all that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and He is the Most High, the Most Great. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Almighty, the All-Conquering, the Most Great. He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. He it is Who originateth the creation of all things by His command. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the Most High, the Most Great. Is there any god besides God who can send down a single verse?

Say: Glorified be God and exalted above what they describe. He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. Such is God, your Lord. His is the Creation and the Command. There is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the All-Compelling, the Best-Beloved. Say: As He pleaseth, He shall surely gather together His loved ones. Ye transgress in what hath been revealed in the Bayan. Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Splendid, the All-Glorious, the Most Resplendent. His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Ancient of the Ancient, the Most Ancient. Say: The Light that shineth from the Dayspring of eternity, by which all things are created—that is the light which hath shone upon those who believed in God before all things.

Thus doth God show you the realities of your knowledge through your own eyes, that ye may cease to utter your vain imaginings. Say: The Primal Point is the Sun of eternity, would that ye knew. That is the first that God chose for Himself, and by it are all things created. And that which shineth upon your forms is a light that hath shone from the Dayspring of eternity, by which ye all live. From a light that hath shone from the Dayspring of eternity—yet ye are as dead ones who know not. If ye would live, ye shall soon know and be convinced. This is what was withheld from him who asked about it, and this is a word from His presence. Verily, He is the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God will surely bless those who have believed in God and His signs, and they are guided by the light of God.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Pre-eternal, the Pre-eternal.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is none other God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, and Thine is the might and the sovereignty, and Thine is the might and the chrysolite; Thine is the dominion and the realm of humanity; Thine is the majesty and the glory; Thine is the countenance and the beauty; Thine is the face and the perfection; Thine is the reverence and exaltation; Thine is the might and deeds; Thine is the mercy and grace; Thine is the authority and justice; Thine is the grandeur and magnificence; Thine is the glory and invincibility; Thine is the power and transcendence; Thine is the joy and gladness; Thine is the sovereignty and dominion; Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou art the First, O my God, and there is naught before Thee; Thou art the Last, O my Beloved, and there is naught after Thee; Thou art the Manifest, O my Desire, and there is naught besides Thee; Thou art the Hidden, O my Worshipped One, and there is naught beyond Thee. Thou art the Eternal in the glory of eternity; Thou hast ever been eternal, everlasting, perpetual, and Thou shalt ever be eternal, everlasting, perpetual. Glorified art Thou, and exalted; sanctified are Thy names and transcendent are Thy likenesses. All things worship Thee in Thy true oneness and prostrate before Thee in Thy true uniqueness and sanctify Thee in Thy true eternal sovereignty and magnify Thee in Thy true supremacy and glorify Thee in Thy true omnipotence and exalt Thee in Thy true dominion and manifest Thy Cause in Thy true revelation. How lofty is Thy loftiness, wherein all that is exalted boweth down before Thee, and how resplendent is Thy transcendence, wherein all that is elevated worshippeth Thee!

I testify that every object of worship besides Thee is vain before Thee, and every object of desire other than Thee perisheth in Thy presence. Thou art the One worthy to be sought, and if any seek aught else, it is only because Thou hast so commanded. Thou art the One worthy to be worshipped in Thy majesty, and if anyone loveth aught, it is through Thy love. Glorified and exalted art Thou! I have sought none but Thee and worshipped none but Thee. Fill Thou the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them with the light that shineth from the morn of Thine eternity and the light of Thy pre-existence upon the temples of the dwellers of the paradise of Thy oneness and the inhabitants of the glorious gardens of Thy unity, and whatsoever Thou hast quickened from the kingdom of Thy Cause and the heaven of Thy lordship. Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, everlasting, self-subsisting, sovereign, all-powerful, holy, ever-abiding.

Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in Thy creation nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. All the Messengers are heralds of the kingdom of Thy oneness, and all the Books are derived from the sublimity of Thy holiness and Thine eternity. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Pre-eternal, the Pre-eternal.

Praise be to God Who hath been exalted by His loftiness above all contingent beings through the sovereignty of His pre-existence, and hath been raised above all existent things through the sovereign might of His ancientness, and hath been made inaccessible above all created things through the inaccessibility of His oneness, and hath been magnified above all atoms through His greatness and the sanctity of His divinity, and hath been made supreme above all who are in the kingdom of earth and the heavens through the supremacy of the omnipotent power of the sovereign might of His singleness, and hath been made mighty above all things through the might of the signs of His omnipotence, and hath been glorified above all things through the glorification of the manifestations of the majesty of His pre-existence.

I call Him to witness, then, and all His creation, that there is no God but He, One, Pre-Existent, Powerful, Peerless, Omnipotent, Eternal, Inaccessible, Everlasting, Exalted, Ever-Existing. He hath been exalted by His loftiness above all who prostrate themselves before His countenance, and hath been made resplendent by His sublimity upon the horizon of all who worship His Face.

And He hath chosen a jewel impregnable, an essence most high, a camphor subtle, a substance resplendent, and an entity pre-eternal. Then He manifested Himself unto it through it, and cast into its identity the likeness of its own self. His acts appeared therefrom, and His heaven and His earth were filled thereby, that there is no God but He, the One, the Ever-Existing.

And verily, the essence of the Seven Letters is the dawning-place of His pre-existence, the countenance of His ancientness, the sign of His peerlessness, the lamp of His oneness, and the manifestations of the glory of His singleness. Through Him He hath ordained the ways of all things by the most exalted paths of glory and loftiness, and the most sublime roads of majesty and elevation, that those who seek proof in all things may be certain that there is no God but He, the One, the Ever-Existing.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Pre-eternal, the Pre-eternal.

Praise be to God, there is no God but He, the Pre-Existent, the Pre-Existent. And verily, the splendor is from God upon the One, the First, and upon whomsoever resembleth that One, wherein naught is seen save the One, the First. And thereafter, bear witness that God—exalted and mighty is He—hath chosen for Himself two great attributes that befit none other than Him, nor can any of His creation be described thereby. The first is the quality of pre-existence (azaliyyah), and the second is the attribute of ancientness (qadamiyyah). And these are mentioned in expressions such as “the Pre-Existent of pre-existents,” “the Most Ancient of ancients,” “the God of gods,” “the Lord of lords,” “the Sovereign of sovereigns,” “the King of kings,” “the Knower of knowers,” “the Most Compelling of the compelling,” and similar inaccessible manifestations.

All these are not attributes that can be conjoined, for what God is described by in terms of pre-existence is other than what is described thereby in that which is below Him.

For thou sayest of the mirrors “sun,” and of the heaven “sun”—yet the name of “sun” which thou appliest to the mirrors is but a shadow in relation to the name thou appliest to the sun of heaven. And likewise, bear witness and take proof in all those names according to what I have announced unto thee from God, the One, the Supreme, the Most High. For what creation is described by in terms of pre-existence and ancientness—that is not like what God is described by in terms of pre-existence and ancientness, inasmuch as both of these are created within the rank of creation. And He—glory be unto Him—is more exalted and sanctified above His creation and the attributes of His creation, and is exalted above His servants and the conditions of His servants. For all that is below Him hath been clothed in the raiment of limitations and evanescence. How, then, can they deserve the mention of pre-existence and subsistence, and ancientness and splendor?

But when thou appliest to what I have announced unto thee—the sun of the mirrors—the name of the sun of heaven, then call upon God by that name, that perchance thereby, on the Day of Resurrection, thou mayest be numbered among the saved.

Bab 15: Akbar

It hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great.

There is no God but He, the Most Great, the Most Great. Say: God is greater than every possessor of greatness. None can resist the sovereign power of His grandeur, whether in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the All-Great, the Most Great, the Great. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them make mention. Say: All are submissive unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Dominion and the Human Kingdom. He causeth to live and causeth to die, then causeth to die and causeth to live.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily bounty in your knowledge is if ye but know. Say: Verily grace is in your guidance if ye but witness. For one to bring guidance to a single soul or save it on the Day of Resurrection is better than all that is on earth, if ye but know.

Say: Nay, by my Lord, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting! To save a single soul on the Day of Resurrection is better than bestowing upon it all that is on earth, for this one after death entereth Paradise, but if one guideth him not, he entereth the Fire and what was given him profiteth him not. Why do ye not witness the bounty of Truth in His guidance, nor render thanks even a little? Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. He upholdeth the creation of all things by His command. Verily He is the Strong, the Mighty, the Great. His is whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them, and He is the Most High, the Most Great. He giveth life and causeth death, and He hath power over all things.

And unto God belongeth the glory of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, and God is glory glorious glorious. And unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, and God is majesty majestic majestic. And unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Beauteous, the Beautifier, the Beautiful. And unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Great, the Magnifier, the Grand. And unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Luminous, the Illuminator, the Light-Giving.

And unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Merciful, the Merciful, the Compassionate. And unto God belong the words of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Perfect, the Perfecter, the Complete. And unto God belong the names of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Great, the Magnifier, the Great One. And unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Strengthener, the Mighty. And unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Knowing, the Knower, the Omniscient.

And unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Powerful, the Omnipotent. And unto God belongeth the strength of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Strong, the Strengthener, the Powerful.

Say: All the names ye behold in the Bayan after the One, these are from another One; ye shall understand one by one, that ye may not be veiled from the mystery of the One, and that on the Day of Resurrection ye may be saved through the First One in the presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest.

And unto God belong the questions of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Loving, the Lover, the Beloved. And unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Ruling, the Ruler, the Sovereign. And unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Possessing, the Possessor, the King. And unto God belongeth the loftiness of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Exalted, the Exalter, the High. And unto Him belongeth whatsoever dwelleth in the night and the day, and He is the Single One, the Subtle. And unto God belongeth that which is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Bountiful, the Beneficent, the Gracious.

And unto God belongeth the grace of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Gracious, the Gracious, the Beneficent. He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and He is the Preserver of all things. That is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. He it is Who createth what He willeth through His command “Be,” and it is. And unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God was possessed of mighty and true power. His is whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God encompasseth all things. Say: In whose hand is the dominion of all things? And verily unto Him shall all return. Say: In God’s hand, unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and verily unto Him shall all be raised up.

Say: He is the One Who standeth over every soul, knowing what it hath earned and witnessing what it earneth, and verily He is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen. Say: Ye are the dawning-places of your own hearts; ye know not, unless He Whom God shall make manifest informeth you by what name ye are guided, and then by what name you shall inform God, your Lord and the Lord of your ancient forebears, God your Lord and the Lord of your manifest brethren, God your Lord and the Lord of your manifest sisters, God your Lord and the Lord of your departed grandmothers, God your Lord and the Lord of your pure leaves, God your Lord and the Lord of your detached kinswomen. Say: All are from God; there is no God but He, the One, the All-Compelling. Say: God is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Most Great, the Most Mighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Compelling.

Say: In the disconnected letters there is a remembrance from God aforetime in the Furqan, through which you comprehend all good. Say: All the disconnected letters, when not counted as repeated, equal not the name of the Most Great in the Book of God, by which you magnify God, your Lord. And if you count their letters without counting the repetitions, they speak forth in the Mother Book:

“This is the straight path of ʿAli which We uphold; verily We are the Preservers of all things.”

Through it God enriches whomsoever He willeth of His servants; verily He hath power over all things. Through it God preserveth whomsoever He willeth of His servants; verily He hath power over all things. Through it God preserveth whomsoever He willeth of His servants; verily He is cognizant of all things. Through it God exalteth whomsoever He willeth of His servants; verily He encompasseth all things.

And unto God belongeth the power in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is a mighty, powerful Sovereign. Say: Verily God writeth as He willeth by His command; verily He hath power over all things. Say: God sendeth down from His presence whatsoever He willeth by His command, and God is the Subtle, the Inaccessible, the Exalted.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm, then the Glory and the Majesty, then the Power and the Perfection, then the Similitude and the Examples, then the Stations and the Grandeur, then the Authority and the Justice, then the Pride and the Revelation, then the Greatness and the Omnipotence, then the Might and the Inaccessibility, then the Power and the Transcendence, then the Joy and the Gladness, then whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the kingdom of Thy Command and creation.

Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Individual, Ever-living, Self-subsisting, Sovereign, Supreme, Holy, Everlasting, Eternal, Self-dependent, Transcendent, Inaccessible, inasmuch as Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and there hath been no partner for Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Thy way hath ever been, in every Dispensation, to raise up the house of Thy manifestation, then when the Book reacheth its appointed time, Thou dost begin another house and to establish all that Thou hast raised therein. Through this are made manifest the seats of Thy command and prohibition, and the dawning-places of Thy power and might in every Revelation. Otherwise, there would be no Manifest One in the manifestations except Thee, no Hidden One in the concealments save Thee, no Inaccessible One in the essences except Thee, and no Transcendent One in the abstractions but Thee.

O God! Do Thou create workers for the raising up of that House and the establishment of that House, for verily Thou hast ever been powerful over all things and inaccessible above all things. Thou hast ever been triumphant above all contingent beings, manifest above all existing things, inaccessible above all created things, and exalted above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Thou art transcendent above all atoms, mighty above all who dwell in the kingdoms of beginning and end, and sovereign over all things through the sovereign power of might and independence, and the dominion of power and majesty.

Never have Thy blessings been such that any of Thy creation could enumerate them, and Thy bounties too exalted for any of Thy servants to render adequate thanks. Thou dost ever cause to live and to die, then cause to die and to live. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily Thou art powerful over all things.

O God! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection with all that Thou possesseth through Thy power, might, glory, grandeur, sovereignty, eternity, self-subsistence, loftiness, perpetuity, signs and holiness. For verily nothing escapeth Thy knowledge, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them, and nothing in the kingdom of command or creation or below it can frustrate Thee. Verily Thou art All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Wise.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, raised Himself in His elevation above all existing things, made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all created things, manifested Himself in His manifestation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, magnified Himself in His magnificence above all atoms, raised Himself in His elevation above all evidences, and made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all signs. His creation beareth witness, and He Himself testifieth, that there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling.

He hath chosen an inaccessible essence, a glorious abstraction, an eternal reality, a divine archetype, and a pristine purity. Then He revealed Himself to it through it and cast into its identity the likeness of itself. Then His sign appeared through it and filled His heaven and His earth, testifying that there is no God but Him. He hath ordained, in the Bayan, the path of all things, and hath held, by His power, the creation of all things within the Book, and hath directed the affairs of all who dwell in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them through His manifestations in creation.

I render unto Him such praise as none among all created things hath ever rendered before Me, and I offer Him such thanksgiving as none among all existing things shall ever offer after Me—praise resplendent and gleaming, and thanksgiving manifest and radiant, whereby the pillars of all things are filled with the light of His glorification, and the essences of all things with the manifestations of His sanctification, and the realities of all things with the evidences of His exaltation, and the souls of all things with the expressions of His magnification, and the beings of all things with the mysteries of His unification—praise that none besides Him can encompass in knowledge, and none can reckon save Him. His is the creation and the command, both before and after, all abide by His bidding.

The Fourth in the Fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great!

Praise be to God, beside Whom there is none other God, the Most Great, the Most Great! And verily the Glory from God be upon the Primal Unity and upon whatsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught can be seen except the Primal Unity. I bear witness that grandeur and majesty befit none save God, exalted be His glory, and this is the mantle of His names’ loftiness and God’s might and the sublimity of His attributes. But thou, in the essence of unity and the pure abstraction and the pristine praise and the camphor of glorification, seest not in the station of pure manifestation the transcendent names, for His is the grandeur through His essence, and the majesty through His reality, and the exaltation through His eternity, and the inaccessibility through His antiquity, and the independence through His supremacy.

And whatsoever the creation comprehendeth of greatness that their hearts have known—how then can they present God’s grandeur and His majesty, and God’s glory and His sovereignty? Verily thy heart perceiveth that every great one boweth before Him because of His grandeur, and every mighty one is humbled before Him because of His majesty, and every wealthy one is made poor before Him because of His exalted grace, and every powerful one is brought low before Him because of His supreme inaccessibility, and every lofty one is enslaved to Him because of His supreme exaltation. When thou shalt attain unto the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest and shalt behold all who are on earth prostrating themselves before Him in their inmost hearts and outwardly, then less than a needle’s eye of God’s grandeur will have been manifested upon the forms of all contingent beings possible in the realm of creation. Otherwise, that which cannot be manifested—how could it be mentioned?

This is a mention of thy Lord’s grandeur and the majesty of thy Creator. God hath made Him Whom God shall make manifest—exalted and glorified be His remembrance, and elevated and sublime be His station—the repository of that grandeur and the treasury of that majesty and exaltation. If thou submittest to His grandeur, then thou hast fulfilled thy Lord’s grandeur, and if thou art humble before His majesty, then thou hast been illumined by thy Lord’s majesty. Otherwise, thou hast believed His grandeur to be imaginary and His majesty to be fanciful in thy knowledge but not in thy deeds, and neither thy knowledge nor thy deeds shall profit thee save that which profiteth thee on the Day of Resurrection before God, Who is before Him Whom God shall make manifest. And on the day of His manifestation, thou mayest deem thyself great and mighty in thine own estimation and words, but consider from the beginning of thy life unto its end to whom thou dost prostrate and to whom thou dost turn.

This is a sign which God hath revealed unto thee from Him Whom God shall make manifest, within thine own heart before His manifestation, and thou canst not wax proud before Him or be veiled from Him. For if thou art veiled from Him on the day of His manifestation, thou art prostrating to His previous Manifestation and submitting to the dawning of His mystery. Therefore, bring thy hidden state into harmony with thy visible state if thou desirest to benefit therefrom. Otherwise, He is independent of thee and of all the worlds.

Bab 16: Abdhakh

And it hath four stations. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted.

There is no God but He, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted. Say: God is more exalted than all who are exalted. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His exalted sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been supremely exalted, transcendently glorious. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him in worship. And praise be to God, Whom all in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them do glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth. He is powerful over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God is more exalted than all things, and all before Him are prostrate in worship. Say: God hath ever been transcendent in the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, and exalted in the kingdom of Command and Creation and what lieth beneath them. All are His servants and all are devoted to Him. Say: These are among the dwellers of the Psalms where descendeth the form which hath come down from heaven. They imagine they worship God their Lord, and they remember Him by night and by day, but God beareth witness that there is no God but He, and they are in four manifestations, and aforetime they were guided by God, but after God sent down the Books unto the Messengers, when they became veiled, they entered the fire and they shall not be helped except if they enter into the Bayan and then become certain of their Lord’s command. Verily We have ordained for them their religion, but on that Day they will not recognize Us, nor will they return unto God their Lord.

O people of the Bayan! Have mercy upon yourselves. Do not remain, after Him Whom God shall make manifest, in that which God hath given you aforetime, lest He bear witness against you without guidance and make you like unto those who were given the Book before you. Fear God, then, and unto Him shall ye return. Say: Verily your return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest is your return unto God your Lord. Ye desire to return unto God your Lord. Say: God is independent of all that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them, but ye are poor in your faith in God and His signs. What aileth you that ye fear not God? Say: Verily We shall purify you in every Manifestation, causing you to enter into God’s religion and bringing you out of that wherein ye were before. What aileth you that ye remember not?

Say: From the beginning that hath no beginning until now, We have been witness unto all things, but they await not the testimony of their Lord and act according to their own testimonies. Say: Your own testimonies will profit you not on the Day of Resurrection before Him Whom God shall make manifest, save what God testifieth concerning you. O people of the Bayan! Fear ye all together the Day when God desireth to take what is with you and give you what He pleaseth. This is the Day of Truth. Even as ye took before, so shall ye take, and even as ye return deposits one to another, so unto Him Whom God shall make manifest shall ye return what is with you. What is with you shall profit you not, even to the weight of a grain of mustard seed. Did their patience profit those who were given the Gospel, or those who were before them? What aileth you that ye remember not? And unto God belong the issues of all matters, both before and after.

There is no God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God hath ordained carnelian for you and made it an ornament in your hands whereby ye may attain unto all good. And if ye engrave upon it a verse from the Book of God, it will draw sustenance for you by the quickest means, whether ye labor on land or sea. Thus doth God bestow His grace upon you, His servants. O My servants, fear ye God! All belong to God and all shall return unto God their Lord. Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God giveth life and causeth to die, then causeth to die and giveth life, and verily unto God their Lord shall all return. Say: Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them? Say: God. How then are ye not thankful? And there is no God but God, the Lord of all worlds.

Unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them. All love God, their Lord, the Merciful, and all are submissive unto Him. He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and verily unto Him shall all return. Unto Him belong the keys of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Supreme Ruler, the Self-Subsisting. Is there any god beside God Who createth you, provideth for you, causeth you to die and bringeth you again to life? Say: Exalted is God above all that they mention beside Him!

He it is Who createth whatsoever He willeth by His command. All are His servants, and before Him do all stand submissive. Say: He is the Subduer, exalted above His creation; He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: He is the Manifest, uplifted over His servants; He is the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. In Him, therefore, let your trust be placed, O people, for He is your Lord, the Almighty Sovereign, that haply on the Day of Resurrection ye may be delivered.

Should ye put your trust in Him Whom God shall make manifest, then verily on that Day of Decision shall ye attain salvation; otherwise ye shall be unable to trust in God Himself. This is verily the Gate of God, if in truth it be Him Whom ye seek.

Unto Him belongeth whatsoever dwelleth by night or by day. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Whose hand holdeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them? All are His worshippers. Say: How is it that ye believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest, the Gate of Guidance? And if ye believe, how is it that ye are not assured? And if assured, how is it that ye render Him no aid? And if ye aid Him, how is it that ye guard not yourselves?

Yet His chosen ones ye prefer not, and though ye have been endowed with the bounty of God in the path of truth, ye turn aside therefrom—that He may exalt the word of the Most High over those who desire not to believe in God, their Lord, and may make manifest His supreme Word that perchance thereby they may become God-fearing.

Say: God ruleth supreme over all things, and all stand firm by His command. Say: God is the Subduer above all things, and all, in fear of Him, are filled with awe. Say: God is the Manifest above all things, and all, before the might of His sovereignty, tremble.

Say: He is the Subduer above you from before your faces, the Manifest behind you, the Lord over you on your left hand, the Exalted above your heads, the Uplifted beneath your feet, the Inaccessible from every side; that by His command He may turn you by night and by day. Yea, unto Him belong creation and command, before and after all things. There is no God but He, the Most High, the Most Great.

The second in the second

In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted.

Praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I testify, O my God, and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without peer. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Glory and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Might and the Sovereignty, Thine the Dominion and the earthly realm. Thine is Majesty and Grandeur, Thine the Countenance and Beauty, Thine the Face and Perfection, Thine the Likeness and the Similitudes, Thine are the stations and the Glories, Thine the Might and the Invincibility, Thine the Power and the Transcendence, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, Thine the Might and the Inaccessibility, Thine the Sovereignty and the Omnipotence, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Cause and Creation. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Peerless, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Most Holy, Everlasting, Independent.

Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in Thy creation, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power hast Thou created all things and ordained them according to Thy decree, and by Thy will hast Thou formed all things and shaped them according to Thy wisdom. Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for the manifestations of Thy Cause, the dawning-places of Thy bounty, the signs of Thy transcendent glory, and the evidences of Thy supreme majesty. Thou hast ever been the Subduer of the mighty, the Manifestor of power, the Ordainer of destiny, the Sovereign of sovereigns, the Vanquisher of the valiant, the Almighty over the proud, and the Compeller of all things. Thou hast ever been One, Single, Eternal, Peerless, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Most Holy, Everlasting, Independent. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son.

Thou hast ever been, O my God, the Creator of all things and their Sustainer, the One Who giveth death to all things and Who quickeneth them. Thou hast ever been established over every soul and witness unto all things. None save Thee can reckon the dwellers of the heaven of Thy Lordship, and none but Thee can witness the evidences of the earth of Thy unity. Thou didst begin this creation with the Primal Unity, then didst Thou begin the numbers of Unity with the Primal Unity, then didst Thou multiply the numbers with the first numbers. Glorified art Thou! All who have been illumined by the Sun of Thy oneness and the lights of the manifestation of Thy Countenance—Thou art the One Who existed before all things, the Hidden One of all things, the One Who was before all things, and the One Who shall be after all things.

Sanctified be Thy names and exalted be Thy likenesses. Thou hast ever been the Possessor of sovereignty and dominion, the Lord of kingdom and kingship, the Source of might and power, the Fountainhead of bounty and grace, the Origin of glory and loving-kindness. Glorified, exalted, and sanctified be all Thy names, elevated be all Thy examples, uplifted be all Thy signs, and magnified be all Thy tokens in whatsoever they contain and whereon they rest.

Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Therefore, O my God, by Thy transcendent glory, Thy supreme majesty, the loftiness of Thy station, and the inviolability of Thy sanctity, do Thou cause to be manifested on the Day of Resurrection, in such manner as Thou lovest and art pleased with, the essence of Thy transcendence, the reality of Thy supreme majesty, the identity of Thy exaltation, the being of Thy sanctity, and the substance of Thy glory. Verily, Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Inaccessible, the Impregnable; verily, Thou art the Munificent, the Exalted, the Most High; verily, Thou art the Generous, the Almighty, the Powerful; verily, Thou art the Most Kind, the All-Subduing, the Most Potent; verily, Thou art the Most Gracious, the Most Exalted, the Most High.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious.

Praise be unto Him Who hath been exalted by His exaltation above all created things, become inaccessible through His inaccessibility above all beings, become manifest through His manifestation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, come into being through His coming into being above all similitudes and allusions, and become enriched through His enrichment above all that exists in the kingdoms of might and signs. He and all His creation bear witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Most High.

He hath chosen His pure Essence, His absolute detachment, His pristine camphor-like quality, His pure simplicity, and His lofty detachment for the station of His manifestation, and made it stand at the level of the revelations of His might and education. Then He chose for it beloved names and immersed it in the shoreless ocean of eternity, whereupon the heavens and earth and all that lies between them were filled with the testimony that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Most High.

The recognition of His unity is bound to the recognition of His Gate, and the recognition of His Gate is bound to the recognition of the Primary Sources from His Proof, and the recognition of the Primary Sources from His Proof is bound to the recognition of what hath been revealed in the Bayan concerning the paths of all things. He hath appointed over this trustworthy witnesses, preserving guides, and chosen friends, and taught them what hath been revealed from His presence through what He cast upon them in His verses until the Day of His Manifestation.

O witnesses of the Bayan! Be ye ashamed before God Who created you, sustained you, causeth you to die, and giveth you life, that on the Day of Resurrection ye judge not Him Whom God shall make manifest. That covenant was taken from you in the Qur’an, yet ye followed it not and fulfilled it not, until ye passed judgment upon the number of M in A against Him Who created you, sustained you, and gave you life by His command aforetime in the Qur’an. Thus are ye tested on the Day of God’s Manifestation, would ye but understand. Had ye understood the proof of your religion, ye would not have judged your Lord God.

Lo, We showed you Our verses in the First Book and caused you to hear all that was in all the Tablets, but ye paid no heed and were not among those who perceive in their religion. Otherwise, as ye professed belief aforetime in the Qur’an, ye would believe thereafter in the Bayan, since all revelation is from God, the Supreme, the Exalted.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most High.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most High, the Most High. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First One and upon whosoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One.

And furthermore, I testify that simplicity is among the eternal, inaccessible attributes, like loftiness, and this is among the attributes of God, exalted be His glory, and among the examples of God, mighty be His might. If thou attainest unto the Day of Resurrection, then he who is clothed in the garment of simplicity is none other than Him Whom God shall make manifest, and he who is adorned with the robe of loftiness is none other than Him. That which can appear from the Unseen of Eternity in mention of the First One hath ever been and shall ever be that which appeareth from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Beyond God there is no end, and besides God there is no limit, and this is a veil between what descends from God unto all things and what ascends unto Him. Verily the path for creation other than this is blocked, and the way for the servants other than this is barred.

Hold fast unto it, for this is a path of truth which We uphold by permission, and all through God’s command do believe in it.

Bab 17: ADman

And it has four stages, the first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Guaranteeing, the Most Guaranteeing.

There is no God but He, the Most Guaranteeing, the Most Guaranteeing. Say: God is the Most Guaranteeing above all who possess guarantee. None can withhold himself from the Sovereign King of His guarantee, whether in the heavens or on the earth or what lies between them. He creates what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the Guarantor, the Guarantee-giver, the Guaranteeing. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and what lies between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all things in the heavens and on the earth and what lies between them do glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the Human Realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and a King Who passeth not away, and a Just One Who wrongeth not, and a Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or on the earth or what lies between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been powerful over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them. There is no God but He, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily God doth guarantee for you in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them through His grace—will ye not then be thankful?

If ye believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, He will assuredly cause you to enter Paradise—a promise binding upon Him in all the Books of Heaven. And who is more truthful in utterance than God, if ye be of them that are certain? Therefore shall ye guarantee for one another in all circumstances of grief, for verily ye shall receive two thousand times the recompense and attain unto oneness. Whoso guaranteeth for another with his own self or with anything, God will guarantee Paradise for him and the most glorious chambers—ye shall attain unto this bounty. Be not veiled from this bounty, for ye shall surely attain unto it. Therefore watch over your souls on the Day of Resurrection lest ye seek guarantee from Him Whom God shall make manifest while ye work for Him night and day, even as your hands have wrought in the Bayan while ye all work night and day. And should this occur, then hasten ye therein and guarantee more swiftly than the twinkling of an eye.

For verily this is from God’s command in the Book—ye shall surely understand it, though ye know not Him Whom God shall make manifest. And if you should stand surety for anyone in their time of sorrow, perchance you may attain unto His presence. This is from God’s grace unto all things, whereby He Whom God shall make manifest may dwell therein, all abiding beneath the shadow of His remembrance and all circling round about Him by night and by day. Seek not surety from anyone once you have recognized Him, and if you do seek it, then stand surety for Him in truth and follow God’s command. If you seek not surety, it is better for you in God’s Book. But since you know not one another, perchance you seek a guarantee for one who knows Him, that he may stand surety for a matter in God’s Book until the day when you shall be raised up unto your Lord.

For unto God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Supreme Surety, the Guarantor, the Trustee. And unto God belongs the riches of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God has power over all things.

Say: God indeed loves that in the Bayan you should all be as one soul, that perchance you may attain unto every bounty ordained by God. Say: You were all created from one soul; will you not then see? We created you from the Point of the Bayan by Our command “Be!” and it was. Therefore watch over one another and set right all your affairs. Should you find among you one who is sorrowful, remove his sorrow to the extent of your power. Should you find among you one who is poor, enrich him to the extent of your ability. Should you find among you one who is abased, exalt him to the extent of your power. Should you find among you one who is veiled, teach him to the extent of your ability. Should you find among you one who is single, arrange for him what God has ordained in the Book to the extent of your power. Should you find among you one who is ill, heal him to the extent of your power. Should you find among you one who has a complaint, comfort him to the extent of your power.

May God grant you the essence of the matter: acquire for others what you would acquire for yourselves. For you are all, every one of you, from a single tree, and until the Day of Resurrection you shall in truth bear witness that you are one from another. Look not upon others except as you look upon yourselves, that perchance in the Bayan you may live as brothers in your inmost hearts, and delight as brothers upon your thrones. This is from God’s grace upon you all, O all things, that you may arise at God’s command. And should you find among you one who lacks sustenance, provide for him in truth, in such wise that no sorrow may descend upon his heart, to the extent of your power. And should you find among you one who lacks clothing, bestow it upon him gloriously to the extent of your power. Look not unto yourselves and your possessions, but look unto God Who created you and gave you of His dominion what He ordained for you, that you may walk in the ways of His good-pleasure.

And should you find among you one who, while traveling, lacks the means for sustenance or transport, while ye have the ability to assist: ye must needs aid them with dignity and honor, for verily ye shall be tested in your days to come. God may descend upon you when ye know not. This is the day when He Whom God shall make manifest will appear amongst you—He Whom God hath associated with His own Self, that ye might exalt Him. Consider those who were given a portion of Our dominion—they offered neither steed nor precious gem in the path of their Lord. Such is the measure of your faith, though ye prostrate yourselves before Us night and day. We have seized you and all that ye possess and cast you into the fire, wherein ye shall find neither protector nor helper.

Glory be to Thee, O God! Thou wilt not cause even an atom’s weight of sorrow to touch Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, Thou hast power over all things. And shouldst Thou bestow aught upon Him, Thou wilt surely take vengeance on his behalf. Therefore, O God, make haste in this and in Thy retribution, for verily Thou hast power over all things. Let not Him Whom Thou hast chosen for Thyself from among all worlds be grieved on the Day of Resurrection, and let His heart be gladdened by that which Thou hast ordained for Him. Verily, Thou art the Best of ordainers.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Secure, the Most Secure

Glory be to Thee, O God, my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, and there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Sovereignty, Thine the Majesty and the Glory, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Perfection, Thine the Loftiness and the Grandeur, Thine the Similitudes and Examples, Thine the Glory and the Invincibility, Thine the Strength and Exaltation, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, Thine the Sovereignty and the Power, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation. All hath ever been within Thy grasp, and verily He Whom Thou shalt make manifest is invested with all things through His own Self, for Thy sovereignty over all things maketh Him their possessor, and Thy dominion over all things giveth Him power over them.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, self-sufficient, sovereign, all-pervading, holy, everlasting, sempiternal, dependent on none. Thou hast taken neither consort nor offspring, nor hath there been any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. All worship Thee according to the paths Thou hast established for them, and all prostrate themselves before Thee in accordance with the purposes Thou hast raised up for them. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Who can flee from Thy dominion or resist Thy will? Who can escape Thy grasp or be veiled from Thy Purpose? Nay, by Thy might! Thy sovereignty is manifest throughout all created things, and Thy will is supreme over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Thy dominion shines forth upon all beings, and Thy all-encompassing power envelops all who inhabit the realms of earth and heaven.

Thy grace is established over all atoms, and Thy self-sufficiency is proven to all who dwell in the kingdom of names and attributes. All that exists in the atmosphere of Thy heaven and earth prostrates before Thee, and all that dwells in the kingdom of Thy command and creation worships Thee. Everything, in its essence, causes lightning to flash when glorifying Thee, and lightning appears when sanctifying Thee. Water descends when declaring Thy unity, and snow fills the air and earth when proclaiming Thy greatness. Glorified and exalted art Thou! All Thy servants, all who bow before Thee, all who are content with Thee, all who remember Thee, all who thank Thee, and all who praise Thee. Thou dost ever cause to live and to die, then to die and to live.

Verily, Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just One Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest through Thy command. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Secure, the Most Secure.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath raised Himself in His elevation above all created things, Who hath made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all beings, Who hath empowered Himself in His power above all things, and Who hath raised Himself in His elevation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is none other God but Him, the Single One, the Guarantor. He hath appeared through the manifestations of His security for the dawning-places of His sanctification as He willeth, through what He willeth. His is the praise!

He hath blazed forth and risen up, hath shone and become inaccessible, hath appeared and manifested Himself, hath illumined and become illumined, hath flashed and become resplendent, hath risen and become exalted—praise that filleth the heavens with the sublimity of His sanctification, and the earth with the transcendence of His glorification, and what lieth between them with the manifestations of His mighty security. He hath chosen an impenetrable essence, a glorious abstraction, an eternal reality, a pure primordial nature, and a divine archetype. He hath revealed Himself to it through it, and cast into its reality the example of what He loveth from His presence. Thus there appeared from it the evidences of His might and power, the signs of His holiness and sanctity, the manifestations of His glory and majesty, the appearances of His light and radiance, and the revelations of His grace and bounty.

Therefore He thanketh Himself with such thanks as none of His creation hath seen, and praiseth Himself with such praise as none of His servants hath offered, for what He hath ordained of His security and approved for His equals—praise that nothing can equal, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them, and thanks that nothing can resemble, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them, and thanks that nothing can resemble in the realms of Command or of Creation, nor in whatsoever lieth beneath them. He filleth all things with the radiance of His being, and testifieth through all creation that there is no God but He, the One, the Bounteous.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Secure, the Most Secure!

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Secure, the Most Secure. And verily all glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One, wherein naught can be seen except that First One.

And now, I testify, O Thou Most Exalted Name and Most Resplendent Symbol, that God, glorified be He, hath created fire and light, and hath ordained for each of them its effect within its own limit. When thou attainest unto the days of the Manifestation of God, be thou for Him and among those who prove His truth, for through proving His truth is proven the unity of thy Lord and the glorification of thy Creator. Let not that which proceedeth from negation weaken thee, for it hath no permanence—weaker than denial and more fragile than a spider’s web. For when thou sayest “except the sun of heaven” there existeth no sun to oppose it; likewise when thou sayest “there is no god but God” there existeth no god besides God, and there is none before Him to oppose Him. And verily what thou seest of the conditions of negation are but weaker than this and more feeble than that.

I counsel thee with two counsels—if thou holdest fast to them, thou shalt triumph in thy Cause and prevail over whomsoever thou willest within thy dominion. First: be steadfast in manifesting thy affirmation and let not the negation of the deniers weaken thee, for it itself confirmeth thy affirmation. Second: verily that knowledge causeth all things to flow through their proper channels. Observe how the followers of the Gospel, through the means at their disposal, have triumphed in their cause, though without doubt they are not following the good-pleasure of God. And thou who art in the station of truth hast no path except to raise up the Cause of God through its proper means. If thou wouldst be like those who are not of thy Faith in employing the means, thou shalt triumph in thy Cause. Verily both truth and falsehood move through the means of that Kingdom, except that truth is true in its movement while falsehood deserveth naught and its movement is without right.

Hold fast to these two counsels and look not to imaginary hidden matters, for the Cause is manifest and the decree is evident.

God hath guided thee to the paths of truth in the Bayan—hold fast unto it, for all are upheld by God’s command.

Bab 18: A’mar

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Commanding, the Most Commanding!

Say: God commandeth above every possessor of command. None can withhold himself from the dominion of the Sovereign of his destiny, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the All-Commanding, the Commander, the Most Commanding. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: all are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: all are devoted to Him. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

Verily He is the Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Justice that wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and no thing in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever lieth between them can escape His grasp. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Best-Beloved. Say: Verily God commandeth whatsoever He willeth by His command “Be!” and it is. Say: God doeth what He willeth by His command. He shall not be asked of His doings, but all shall be asked of all things. Say: The Balance of Truth is the Command of God—ye are upholding the Command of God. O Ahmad!

We have indeed sent thee aforetime from Our presence as a guidance and glad-tidings to the God-fearing, and We have given thee a Command from Our presence—verily We have been commanding. And We have bestowed upon thee the gates which We have sent down in the Bayan as a grace from Our presence—verily We have been bountiful—that thou mayest convey unto all things the Command of thy Lord and be of them that bear witness concerning those who enter into the Faith of God. Observe thou those who imagine of themselves that they judge by authority from their Imams, how they manifest the Cause of God while they are behind three veils, attributing themselves unto God untruthfully, then commanding untruthfully. But thou art without any veil from God and in thy hands is the Book of thy Lord—how thou dost manifest the Cause of thy Lord throughout all worlds! Grieve not for those who are veiled from the path of their Lord, for they worship God according to what was revealed aforetime.

And thou shalt convey unto those who desire to enter into the Faith of God, for this is of the fruits of Paradise for the God-fearing. Upon everyone who followeth the Command of his Lord are spirit and fragrance from God in an impregnable Book, and upon him who followeth not is fire from God after thy Lord’s proof hath been completed against him. O all things! Ye await the Command of God. Say: Consider what was revealed unto Us aforetime, then afterwards, as a wondrous and impregnable remembrance. And verily what thou witnesseth in the Other Book—that is truth from God wherein there is no doubt. There hath never been any God besides God, the Lord of the worlds. Say: Is there any god besides God? Say: Glory be unto Him and exalted is He above what they mention. Say: Is there any god besides God? Say: Glory be unto Him and exalted is He above what they utter. Say: Is there any god besides God? Say: Glory be unto Him and exalted is He above what they speak.

Say: Is there any god besides God? Say: Glorified and exalted is He above what they describe! Say: All act by God and then by His command. Say: All are assured by God and then by His command. Say: All are strengthened by God and then by His command. Say: All glory in God and then in His command. Say: All are elevated by God and then by His command. Say: All are empowered by God and then by His command. And verily We have given thee what was aforementioned in the Book, and We were indeed cognizant of all things. Soon shall We bestow upon thee what thou lovest from God; verily We were thy Protector. Let none grieve thee in the path of God, and exalt the Cause of God amongst all the worlds. And what thou hast mentioned concerning the affirmation of exalted glory, We have accepted it as a remembrance from Our presence, for We were indeed mindful.

Therefore praise be to God, before and after, then in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, for We were thankful. And unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, then before and after, for We were bountiful. Say: Who is able to describe God, thy Lord? All are His servants and all worship Him. Say: Who is able to characterize God, thy Lord? All prostrate before Him. Say: Who is able to praise God, thy Lord? All were created by His command and all worship Him. Say: Verily God, my Lord, will bless me and those who have believed in God and His signs, and those who place their trust in God their Lord. Say: We all belong to God and unto Him shall we all return. Say: We all belong to God and in God, our Lord, the All-Merciful, do we place our trust. We have given thee the essence of knowledge in the Cause that people might be guided thereby.

The essence of the Cause is affirmation, then the essence of negation is prohibition—thus do ye reason and thus shall ye know. We have elevated in the Bayan that which ye detest and that which ye mention of names—but do ye understand the mystery of this, or are ye not among those who know? On the Day of Resurrection, it is incumbent upon Us that everything reach its highest ordained station. We have caused affirmation to enter an exalted Paradise, and the tradition is a degree before the Cause which We have elevated to the Cause, for We were capable of all things. And We have caused negation to enter the Fire, and what is detested is a degree beneath negation which We have caused to enter the Fire. Thus doth God cause all things on the Day of Resurrection to attain what He hath ordained for them, for He is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Therefore thou seest naught in existence save “There is no god but God.” If ye seek shelter in the shadow of negation, ye shall enter the Fire—this is what God hath forbidden you. Ye witness all the aspects of negation in the shadow of this. And if ye seek shelter in the shadow of affirmation, ye shall enter the Most Great Paradise. In all affairs ye behold them beneath this shadow, yet on the Day of Resurrection ye shall believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest. This indeed is the greatest command given unto you, unlike that which ye were wont to utter in the Qur’an. In this Cause ye amass what the camel can bear, while remaining veiled from that which God hath commanded you. God hath forbidden nothing more strongly than that ye should fail to follow Him Who believeth not in Him Whom God shall make manifest. Draw not nigh unto that which God hath forbidden.

Say: All that giveth joy to Him Whom God shall make manifest—that is the command of God in the Bayan and in the heavenly Books before it—ye shall follow it. And all that grieveth Him Whom God shall make manifest—from this ye shall guard yourselves in the Bayan and in all the heavenly Books. Say: Commands have their gradations, and prohibitions have their gradations—ye shall comprehend each within its bounds. He hath commanded you to perform pilgrimage to the House and to the House of the Point—this is command upon command, and ye shall follow what God hath commanded you. Then God hath permitted you the dwellings of the Living One, and what hath been ordained for you like unto the Point—these are among the gradations of His command, and ye shall understand each command within its bounds.

All this is after ye have the means and glory to accomplish it; otherwise God hath exempted you, except regarding the House and the House of the Point, for ye are believers in God for God’s sake, and are assured of the Primal Point for the sake of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Then the Manifestations of the Living One have appeared by God’s command from the Primal Point—such are your paths in the Bayan, and ye are assured of God’s command. And verily We shall grant you comprehensive understanding of the Cause from Our presence, that ye may magnify God’s command. We have indeed commanded everything, and from this ye shall draw evidence in every matter. Likewise have We forbidden, and ye shall behold the sublimity of the command. Set no bounds to God’s command, for His mercy hath encompassed all that is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

In all things ye shall look to God’s command, not to what deriveth from His creation, if ye desire salvation on the Day of Resurrection. At every Manifestation ye shall await God’s command, for the command of a previous Manifestation may become forbidden, and what was forbidden may become commanded. God doeth what He willeth. He shall not be asked of His doings, but all shall be asked of all things. Perchance on the Day of Truth’s appearance ye follow what ye were commanded, while God’s prohibition is within you and ye remember it not. And perchance ye remain veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest and from what ye are forbidden by Him, paying no heed to it—this is what God had forbidden you aforetime in the Qur’an. Ye shall take God’s command in its essence. This is the word of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all else is created by God’s command from His presence.

Observe then how in Islam all were created by God’s command from Muhammad’s presence—the first and the last, the outward and the inward, even the clay in the Sacred House, the Stone in the Corner and the Station—all were created by God’s Command from Muhammad, and all are guides to His Cause, if ye be of those who testify to the truth. And verily your taking the Black Stone as witness of your faith in God and His signs, while keeping distant from the gates of negation, shall profit you not except if on the Day of Resurrection ye testify to that which ye have witnessed. How many servants have declared themselves free from the gates of fire while they themselves sought the Stone’s witness to their faith in God and His signs, yet believed not in the Primal Point nor in what God revealed unto Him—how then can they believe in what God revealed aforetime?

O people of the Bayan! Your following God’s Cause shall profit you not except if ye follow Him Whom God shall make manifest. This is the Path of God if ye wish to be saved. O people of the Bayan! When ye behold in Him two matters, ye all witness each at its station, and likewise their shadows. Say not this is inferior to that, or this opposes that, for We desire not that anyone should differ concerning God’s Command and prohibition, as all were upon guidance and the path of certain truth. Say not this is our opinion, for this is beneath what God hath created in the Book, as ye know not. Rather say this is God’s Command and we have naught save by God’s leave; in Him do we trust and in God let the believers place their trust.

We commanded you not to apply your men’s knowledge to Our words, for this shall profit you not. Take ye the Book of God in truth and hear ye from the Tongue of God in truth, and preserve in truth all that hath been revealed from Our presence, for this is your provision until the Day of Resurrection whereon all on earth shall stand. Should the Sun be hidden, ye shall see naught of God’s Command except that ye judge by what ye have heard or what is in the Book. Whoso altereth a single letter is not permitted, and whoso changeth a command hath no power, save those who desire to sit upon the seat of truth, for they have been given leave in that, not in what God hath permitted of the laws of the Bayan and its ordinances and its gifts.

O ye rulers! Follow naught but God’s Command. Behold ye God’s Command, that perchance like the Day of Resurrection, God may command what He seeth best for you. Ye observe the loftiness of the Cause and strive for the exaltation of God’s remembrance, but this shall profit you not except if ye strive for the exaltation of His remembrance Whom God shall make manifest and the invincibility of His Cause. For this is God’s Command before and after, which ye await. For by your saying “yea” all that you possess and all that is against you shall be made right, and you shall enter Paradise; but by your silence or by saying “nay,” all that you possess and all that is against you shall be rendered void, and you shall enter the fire. This is your own selves—God hath created no fire greater than you, if you would but guard against your own selves. And God hath created no paradise greater than those who follow Him Whom God shall make manifest, for they in their own souls are assured from their Lord.

Therefore watch ye for the Cause of God in every Dispensation, for by this shall ye be tested. Perchance ye cling to the Cause of God from before, while ye remain veiled from His good-pleasure and His Cause anew. Worship ye God as He wisheth to be worshipped, and follow ye the Cause of God as He wisheth it to be followed. For otherwise your example is like one who worshippeth God and followeth His Cause according to what was revealed before, yet remaineth veiled from what is revealed afterwards, and for this reason becometh a negation, if ye would but remember. Therefore consider by whom is the Command a command—is it by other than the verses of God, if ye be of those who were before the Point of the Bayan and those who shall be before Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye would but reflect. Look ye unto the proof of your religion, then after that look ye unto command and negation.

And look ye unto the proof of Him Whom God shall make manifest—if ye are powerless before His verses, then at that moment ye follow God’s Cause anew and guard against His prohibition anew. And verily this hath been completed by thy Lord’s command. Return ye to the remembrance of the name of thy Lord that ye may write what is revealed from God, for this is the great attainment. And say to those who believe in God and His verses: all shall appear according to that for which they were created. Let not negation weaken you while ye remain firm in your affirmation, and be not veiled from the Cause of God, for God shall surely recompense as He willeth through what He hath created of means. Do ye not observe the nations upon the earth, how they possess what they possess of means? Yet they possess without right, while those who follow God’s Cause with truth exalt the Cause of God, then through the means God hath created they come to possess what ye ask of His bounty.

Know ye the value of the Days of Resurrection, for the sun hath never risen upon days like these, around which all other days and nights revolve. These are days wherein God hath made Himself known—ye were unable to know Him before. These are days wherein God hath lifted the veil from His countenance—ye are unable to comprehend this afterwards. Though ye cry out in your nights and days, and traverse the East and West of the earth, ye shall find no path to the Sun of Truth except that ye be commanded by the true witnesses in the Bayan. We have made thee a witness unto what thou hast borne of Our Cause and what was revealed in the Bayan—this is from God’s bounty unto thee until the Day when all shall return unto Him. Behold those who pride themselves on vain credentials from such as have no right to judge, while this is a Book from God wherein there is no doubt, a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

Follow none but Him and fix thy gaze on naught except Him, for this is the path of truth made certain. Not one among you who hath witnessed the Bayan but possesseth all that We have revealed, be it but a dot or a letter. This is God’s command, if ye be of them that testify to the truth. It is not permissible for you save that ye write words with the utmost excellence within your power. Waste not your books with marginal scribblings, but make all your books as light as ye are able. For all that was revealed in the Bayan is a delicate leaf to be delivered to Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye be of them that truly deliver. This is God’s trust in your hands, that ye may convey it to Him Whom God shall make manifest and follow what He commandeth you from God. Know ye the worth of these verses, for they are like unto the days of Muhammad aforetime. Were My revelation to cease henceforth, ye would find no way to reach Him.

All were created for the meeting with thy Lord—how precious is this on the Day of Resurrection, if ye but witness it! God created not the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, nor any thing, save for meeting with Me. Ye have confined Me to a single cord while supposing yourselves to act with sincerity. Nay, nay! Ye remain veiled from the very cause of your existence. How much more from His commands which are but parts of the knowledge of your Lord and the exaltation of His Word! Why do ye not recognize the Days of God? Do ye not consider those who have ascended unto God their Lord, each of whom regarded all that is on earth as but a weightless trifle? Ye are more precious than these and more penetrating in knowledge, so why do ye not reflect upon your own creation?

Their glory lay in what they attained from their Lord, making themselves words for the exaltation of their Creator’s Cause—and ye were all created for this, yet ye remain veiled from what God intended for you, supposing ye do good. This is a Day wherein ye supplicate Him in the number of the years. No command is more precious than this with God or with them who are endowed with knowledge. Were they who await Me to recognize Me, they would fall prostrate like unto you. Vaunt not yourselves, for We have lifted your veil and beheld you truly in what ye truly believe. This is of God’s bounty and mercy unto you, that ye might be thankful. We desired not to unveil others, yet were We to will it, We would unveil them, whereupon all would fall prostrate before Us. Know ye therefore the worth of your days and trifle not with them, as ye slumber, heedless of the loftiness of God’s Cause, and remain veiled from the exaltation of God’s Word.

Let not those who are veiled from your Lord’s Cause dishearten you. For verily, those who negate were created for the fire, and they proclaim this by their own selves. And verily those who affirm, having been created for paradise, appear as guides to truth through truth. How do these ones wrongfully proclaim their negation through their means, while ye, after God hath brought you clear signs and permitted you what He hath created by His command to affirm your Lord, neither rise up nor make proclamation? Therefore, ye shall manifest your truth and cause to perish those who uphold not your truth. For verily, affirmation is not established save through the negation of negation. Ye are all in “There is no God but God.” If ye cause not to perish those who believe not in God, ye cannot establish those who do believe in God. These are the companions of the fire, and those are the companions of paradise—both are in God’s grasp and prostrate themselves before Him by night and by day.

These by God’s command in the previous Manifestation, and those by God’s command in the subsequent Manifestation—and all prostrate themselves before Him. I shall assuredly inform thee of the key to the Cause in the Bayan, that thou mayest testify that there is no God but I, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. All the Command is for the exaltation of the Primal Point, and all that ye are commanded are aspects thereof. And all the prohibitions from which ye are forbidden constitute the extinction of negation in the presence of affirmation. Ye perceive by God’s command the mystery of all things. Otherwise, it would be equal unto God thy Lord whether His house be the Holy House, or the temple of Jesus, or the Sacred House, or the House of Inaccessibility—all are in His grasp and all prostrate before Him. However, in every Dispensation God exalteth the mention of His Proof by His command.

At this time ye are exalted through the Inaccessible, whereas formerly ye were glorified through the Sacred House, and before that through what was ordained by God. O all things! Ye shall all depart from every Dispensation save the Bayan, then enter truthfully into the Bayan. Then on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, ye shall enter into each of His Manifestations, then depart from every Manifestation. This is God’s command hereafter as it was before. We have neglected nothing in the Book, but have detailed all things in detail, and there is nothing wherein We have not clarified Our command and prohibition that ye behold in the Bayan. And if ye differ regarding a matter and find testimony for both sides in verses, ye shall act according to the latter, and if ye know not, then learn through one of them whereby God’s Cause is exalted, then be patient regarding the other. This is your balance from your Lord.

God desireth naught but to make His religion spacious for you, to cause you to enter into His mercy, and to show you what He hath ordained for you from His presence. Verily, there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Soon shall We detail the measures of all things in the Bayan, and We shall answer what thou hast mentioned in the Book. Verily, We were aforetime, and shall forever remain, the Answerer. That which ye were commanded in your religion aforetime, that ye should seek knowledge even if ye should journey unto China—this knowledge was for the good pleasure of your Lord, not what ye yourselves would fabricate. Consider then in your piety how ye strove aforetime to fulfill the commandments of your religion, that ye might discover the knowledge of God’s good pleasure in Our Cause.

Yet when the repository of His good pleasure was made manifest unto you, and verses were sent down so clear that all stand powerless before them—verses by which your former religion was established—ye cavil against God and are not ashamed. Ye reckon among yourselves that ye do good, yet ye harm none but yourselves, for verily We are independent of all things. If ye turn unto God and believe in all that was revealed in the Bayan, then shall ye be numbered among the believers; otherwise ye shall be like those who came before you, who have no worth before God. Fear ye then the day of your return, and remember the day of your beginning, for within Our grasp lie both your first and your last, and We have power over you.

Deliver thou this Book unto the leaders who hold themselves back, claiming they are learned, that they might return unto themselves on the Day of Resurrection and enter into the Faith. We shall teach thee five proofs, each a conclusive argument sufficient for all who seek evidence. Say: The first is that God proved His Cause in the Qur’an through verses alone, and ye are powerless before these verses just as they were. The second is that the verses of God suffice you beyond all ye desire, as ye have read aforetime in the Qur’an in the Surih of the Spider, if ye be of those who are certain of the Book and what God hath testified. The third is that these verses are greater than limited verses and what was revealed aforetime unto the Prophets, though ye love not to admit it. For were the verses of the Qur’an not greater, God would not have abrogated through them what was revealed before unto the Prophets before Muhammad.

Why do ye not then understand the greatness of God’s Cause, nor ponder His verses? The fourth is that ye have no proof in your religion today save the Qur’an whereby God established the Cause of Muhammad aforetime. How then do ye not follow on the Latter Day what ye followed before? Ye have no way to judge the Qur’an save that when ye see a verse ye say: “This is from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting,” for ye have read that none but God can reveal verses. So when ye see or hear them, by your own religion it is established that ye should say “This is from God” and thereby believe and be certain. The fifth is an elevated rational proof: if one desired to enter the religion of Islam, could ye prove it by aught besides the Qur’an? If ye say yea, ye have naught else, nor would one who wished to enter your religion hear from you aught else, for after your knowledge of him, neither you nor those who wish to enter can prove it.

And there is no evidence in what you say to complete God’s proof against those who did not enter Islam through the Qur’an; God’s proof is completed against those who did not enter the Bayan. And there is no way for you in your religion except that you say those who did not enter Islam, God’s proof was completed against them and they wrongfully did not enter. Likewise those given knowledge of the Bayan say regarding those who do not enter it. Say: If one were to ask Me about what was revealed while you were preserving it—indeed if We wish, We would recite the like of what was revealed, and would not preserve a letter of what I recited before, for I was not of the preservers. For one preserves verses to derive proof from them, while We, if We wish, can reveal at any time.

Similarly, We revealed before what We had not preserved, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall, as We wish, reveal unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, though He will not be among those who preserved what God revealed before, as He recites as He wishes from God. What is wrong with you that you do not remember and do not understand? Can the light of the sun be separated from its rays? Likewise, God’s verses cannot be separated from the Primal Point. Indeed, if We wish, We could reveal four thousand verses day and night—who could do that if you would but reflect a little within yourselves? And God created you and what you do. Soon you shall enter the Bayan and remember the days of the Point, then you shall be humbled. And soon the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest shall overtake you, and if you do not recognize Him as you failed to recognize Me, then you are truthful in your humility; otherwise God shall take vengeance upon you.

And what vengeance equals this proof of your Lord while you, who were created by God’s command from the previous Manifestation, dwell in the glory of your seats? Nay, by that Book which is truth, no vengeance equals this. You were all created for the meeting with God, and you all strive to earn God’s good pleasure in your lives. Yet you have created a barrier between yourselves and the meeting with God through what your hands have wrought, and between yourselves and God’s good pleasure through what you have patiently endured while being unaware. We show you only the likeness of a tree burning in fire, crying for help therein, and We answer you, but you do not hear God’s word. Likewise on the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, you consider yourselves pious in the Bayan, but with God no one loves to mention you. So fear God, then fear Him.

Say: Exalted is the Possessor of dominion and kingdom, exalted is the Possessor of might and power, exalted is God the Possessor of strength and divinity, exalted is God the Possessor of force and glory, exalted is God, Lord of sovereignty and the human realm! Exalted is God, Lord of might and glory! Exalted is He, Lord of countenance and beauty! Exalted is God, Lord of visage and perfection! Exalted is God, Lord of power and action! Exalted is God, Lord of mercy and grace! Exalted is God, Lord of dominion and justice! Exalted is God, Lord of likeness and similitudes! Exalted is God, Lord of stations and majesty! Exalted is God, Lord of grandeur and independence! Exalted is God, Lord of glory and radiance! Exalted is God, Lord of might and inaccessibility! Exalted is God, Lord of power and transcendence! Exalted is God, Lord of joy and gladness! Exalted is God, Lord of sovereignty and power!

Exalted is God above all that they attribute unto Him, before and after! All that is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them glorify Him, and all that is in the kingdom of command and creation and whatsoever is beneath them bow down before Him. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Guard thyself in the path and write not unto those whom thou desirest to guide save that which will profit them from the verses, for this is of God’s grace unto thee and unto the God-fearing.

Bab 19: Anha

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Forbidding, the Most Forbidding

God! There is no God but He, the Most Forbidding, the Most Forbidding. Say: God is the Most Forbidding above every possessor of forbidding. None is able to withstand the sovereign power of His prohibition, neither in the heavens nor on earth nor in that which lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the Forbidder, the Restrainer, the Interdicting.

Glory be unto Him before Whom all who are in the heavens and on earth and that which is between them do prostrate themselves. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be unto God, Whom doth glorify whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is none other God but He. His is the kingdom and the dominion, then might and power, then strength and divinity, then force and sovereignty, then dominion and the human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or in the earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is powerful over all things.

Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Verily, We shall cause the supreme one to refrain from following his own self, and We shall command the supreme one to follow thy self. We are witness unto this. Say: Do ye recognize the Command and then the Supreme One, or do ye not recognize them? Say: The Manifestations of the Command are they who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and who desire His good-pleasure. Say: The exponents of command are they who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and seek His good pleasure, while the exponents of prohibition are they who believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest and yet seek His good pleasure. These are servants in the Bayan who follow all the limits revealed therein, but inasmuch as they have not worshipped God through their following of Him Whom God shall make manifest, these are the exponents of prohibition in the sight of God. Draw not nigh unto them, and guard yourselves against them. O ye who forbid! Guard yourselves against your own selves.

Verily the exponents of command are servants who observe what is revealed in the Bayan and who in their inmost hearts are assured, believing in Him Whom God shall make manifest, burning away all veils, seeking the good pleasure of God from the Manifestation of His Self. These are the dawning-places of command—blessed are they and those who beseech God’s grace. At this moment ye understand not. Look ye in the Gospel at the exponents of command who believed in Muhammad beforehand, and besides them the exponents of prohibition, though they deemed themselves knowers of God’s command in the Gospel. Then after that, look ye in the Qur’an at the exponents of command who believed in ʿAli before Muhammad and who observe the Bayan, and besides them the exponents of prohibition. Ye witness your end in your beginning, that ye may perchance observe both. Say: In the Bayan are the exponents of the letter Ha in speech.

Say: Some verses are from God, some from the Primal Point, some from the witnesses of truth, some from the gates of guidance, and some from the witnesses of the Bayan—all these ye witness in their degrees. And some are from the tongue of all things which God hath revealed in truth—ye know all things within their limits. This is the arc of what descendeth and likewise what ascendeth, as ye witness in truth. Say: All this descendeth from a single Tree—God causeth to descend upon it as He pleaseth the exponents of His command and prohibition. Ye gaze toward your Lord. Consider whereby command is established and prohibition is established, that ye may not be veiled by them on the Day of Resurrection. For if God should will, He would make command into prohibition, even as ye now witness. All peoples in the days of their Prophet were following a command from God—how then doth God prohibit you in the later Manifestation from that command?

Thus doth God do what He willeth and decree what He desireth. Likewise regarding prohibition—perchance what He forbade you before, He commands you after. Ye gaze toward God’s command from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Say: He Who maketh fire to become light and light to become fire, maketh the lawful unlawful and the unlawful lawful. Verily He hath power over all things. Say: The creation of fire was not except by God’s command, and light likewise. And if God maketh the Most Great Cause to be the seat of this, then are their names transformed as ye gaze upon the beginning of the Cause. Moreover, the lawful and the forbidden are naught but at the bidding of God. Should God transform the Cause and establish this in remembrance of that, then ye shall possess what God hath decreed. If ye but perceive, all your tribulations rest in this. All peoples at the end of their Dispensation cling to what they possess, and all are light in their own religion.

But when God manifesteth His Cause, He maketh them as fire, inasmuch as they enter not into the subsequent Revelation. All profess to follow God’s command and all claim to worship Him, yet their love hath no divine authority; else would God’s proof be made manifest unto all things at every Revelation through truth, but ye remain veiled by your own desires.

Say: God is with you, hearing your secrets and your whispers, and We know what ye acquire. Fear ye God after your death, for if ye be believers ye shall assuredly enter Paradise and abide therein eternally. Therein shall ye find of all things that wherein lieth the beauty of all things—ye shall attain this most glorious bounty from God. Say: Were ye to behold the beauty thereof in the essence of love and the Cause, this would spring from the love of Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye be sincere in truth. Fear ye God after your death, for if ye be not believers ye shall enter the fire. Have mercy upon your own souls and be God-fearing. But if ye believe in what hath been revealed in the Bayan, ye shall enter Paradise after your death—this hath been promised by God in all the heavenly Books—if on the Day of Resurrection ye believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest.

And if ye comprehend not God’s Cause, ye shall enter Paradise after your death and therein shall ye live. And if ye desire your return, then convey your remembrance to Him Whom God shall make manifest, for He will cause you to return among those who are alive upon the earth and are assured of God’s Cause. Say: Devise not principles concerning what is commanded and what is forbidden, for this is among the greatest prohibitions of God in the Bayan, if ye be His worshippers. This will but increase your veiling from God, while ye know what God hath commanded you, both outwardly in the Book and inwardly in the verses.

Verily We have seen those who were scrupulous in their principles regarding their Lord’s commands and prohibitions, yet on the Day of Resurrection they turned not to their Lord with guidance and faith, but grew proud and pronounced judgment without divine authority—a thing none had permission for—and they knew it not. Say: God’s prohibition is upon their own selves, and God’s command concerning them is that they should efface themselves and obliterate their principles and return unto God in the Bayan, then be assured of God’s verses.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Forbidding, the Most Forbidding

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the dominion and the kingdom, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and the divinity, Thine the force and sovereignty, Thine the majesty and the beauty, Thine the countenance and perfection, Thine the likeness and similitudes, Thine the stations and glory, Thine the power and action, Thine the mercy and grace, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the awe and grandeur, Thine the greatness and independence, Thine the providence and manifestation, Thine the might and inaccessibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the grandeur and glory, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been a God unworship’d, a Lord unlord’d, a Known unknown, a Power unpowered, a Hearer unheard. When Thou didst desire to create that creation, Thou didst manifest the Manifestation of Thy Self. Through what was manifest of Thy Divinity in Him appeared the objects of worship, through the revelation of Thy Lordship in Him appeared the objects of lordship, through the manifestation of Thy knowledge in Him appeared the objects of knowledge, through the revelation of Thy power in Him appeared the objects of power, and through the manifestation of Thy hearing in Him appeared the objects of hearing.

Thou hast ever been God from all eternity, and Lord that never ceaseth to be, All-Knowing in every state, All-Powerful in all conditions, and Hearer of all that every thing calleth for in the kingdom of beginning and end. Changes alter Thee not, conditions transform Thee not, states shift Thee not, and transitions move Thee not. None in earth or heaven can flee from the kingdom of Thy sovereignty.

Therefore, O my God, educate all who are in the Bayan that they may place all things in their proper stations and dwelling-places, that thereby they may ascend and establish their knowledge in the seats of their glory, such that were they to possess but a piece of paper, they should place it in its proper place. For other than this would not be justice from Thee nor grace from Thy presence, as every thing possesseth a spirit connected to its owner. When it hath no beloved station, that thing becometh sorrowful in its owner’s presence.

Glorified and exalted art Thou, Who hast placed all things in their proper stations and commanded all Thy creation to place each thing in its proper place. How blessed is he whom Thou hast taught this knowledge regarding the stations of his worldly and otherworldly affairs, his highest and his lowest concerns. I have desired this, O my God, for Thy loved ones, and have desired for them inaccessibility in that whereby they educate themselves. Therefore, O my God, rear them unto the heights of inaccessibility and the summit of exaltation in every universal and particular matter, for God placeth naught save in its proper station.

Praise be to God Who ordaineth naught save in its proper place and revealeth no command except in its befitting station. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Unique, Self-Subsisting, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining, the All-Compelling Sovereign, the Most Holy, the Eternal, the Everlasting, the Self-Dependent. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in Thy creation, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Whose dominion passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Potentate Whose power changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The third in the third.

In the Name of God, the Most Forbidding, the Most Forbidding

Praise be to God, the Dawning One, the Effulgent, the Illuminating, the Radiant, the Separator, the Companion, the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Truth-Revealing, the Verifier, the Supreme, the Excelling, the Swift, the Foremost, the Exalted, the High, the Joining, the Uniting, the Rending, the Cleaving, the Creating, the Sustaining, the Bountiful, Who hath created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Single, the Most High. He hath forbidden all His creation from knowing aught but Him and hath commanded all things to know Him. And since none can know Him save through the recognition of the Manifestation of His Revelation and the Dawning-Place of His Concealment, He hath commanded all things to know the Letters of the Seven and hath forbidden recognition of aught else.

And since His recognition hath appeared in that kingdom through His primary names, He hath made them the Messengers of the Qur’an to those in the kingdoms of creation and origination. Then He chose from among that creation witnesses of might to establish the knowledge of God and His sanctification, and to forbid the following of desires and whatsoever is not pleasing unto Him. This is the path in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. O all things! Fear ye God, your Lord!

The fourth in the fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Forbidding, the Most Forbidding

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no God, the Most Forbidding, the Most Forbidding. And verily the glory from God is upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen except the First Unity. And furthermore, I testify that the essence of a thing in its reality is transformed by God’s command and prohibition, and that the recognition of God’s command cometh after the recognition of His Proof. For when the Proof establisheth his proof, then his command is God’s command and his prohibition is God’s prohibition. The Command of God appeareth from none save from its repository, and the repository of the Command hath ever been and shall ever be the Tree of Truth, its branches, its leaves, and its fruits. When they command something, that is from the Command, and when they forbid something, it is from a prohibition. And naught is seen therein save God, and these are mirrors that indicate naught but God.

So when God commands and forbids otherwise, and thou in every Revelation art tried by the commands of the past and its prohibitions, gain insight into what makes a command a command and a prohibition a prohibition, that perchance on the Day of the Manifestation of Truth thou mayest not be veiled by God’s former commands and prohibitions, and mayest be guided by the new commands and prohibitions. For this is what distinguishes the believer from others, else all claim to follow God’s command and prohibition, as thou seest throughout the earth. God hath forbidden naught like that which would grieve Him Whom God shall make manifest, and hath commanded naught like that which would gladden Him Whom God shall make manifest. Around these two do the spheres of command and prohibition, and their dawning-places, revolve. O all things! Ye are slain in the presence of the Sun, that perchance ye may reflect its radiance.

Vahid 11

Bab 1: AqsaT

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Equitable, the Most Equitable.

There is no God but He, the Most Equitable, the Most Equitable. Say: God is more equitable than every possessor of equity. None can escape from the dominion of His equity’s sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath been equitable, just, and righteous. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are humble before Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the Human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God will assuredly judge between you with justice on the Day of Resurrection, but on that Day ye shall not know. Say: All that shall be decreed concerning Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, on this Day of His manifestation, is God’s justice in truth, but ye are not content with what God hath decided. Reflect then on what the Point of the Furqan decreed in the days of His manifestation, how those who were given the Gospel did not accept what God had decreed in justice. And reflect on the days of God and what the Point of the Bayan decreed, how those who were given Islam did not believe in what God had decreed in justice through His Proof. Thus shall ye be tried on the Day of Resurrection. Say: Should anything fail to believe in Us, God shall not decree for it guidance or faith, and verily We have been the judge thereof.

But they who have veiled themselves from those who have been given Islam shall never be pleased with Us in the name of faith, even though they be pleased with what they have gained, in the manner of their gaining. And if they believe not in Us, they shall abide forever in the fire. This is God’s decree, and this His servants. On the Day of Resurrection, ye shall judge according to God’s decree, not according to the decree of His servants, if ye be of them that believe. If ye follow Him Whom God shall make manifest, then are ye believers in God’s decree; and if ye follow not the Word of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then are ye followers of the decree of those who follow other than God. Follow not these, but follow Him Whom God shall make manifest from your Lord, for this is the path of certain truth. Say: God judgeth you with good pleasure—this is God’s justice in the Book, if ye be of them that are assured of what God decreeth.

This Book is from God unto Him Whom God shall make manifest. There is no God but I, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. God shall soon make thee manifest in truth on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, He hath power over all things. Soon shalt thou see all that are on earth worshipping God, thy Lord, seeking thee by night and by day. And there is naught but doth glorify God, thy Lord, through thee, and shall be among them that bow down before thee. Yet soon shalt thou see all, in the day of thy manifestation, veiled from thy signs, save those whom God hath chosen for thyself. These are they who believe in thee and in thy signs from thee. Upon these rest blessings from God and mercy from their Lord, and these are they who are guided. Soon shall ye see all judging by thy command, yet when thou judgest with justice by a wondrous and mighty command, none follow save those who have known God and who believe in thee and in what God hath revealed unto thee.

Nothing behooveth thee save that whereby God, thy Lord, remembereth Himself. There is no God but I, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Yet if thou rememberest not thyself, and the evidences of thyself, and the things which God hath created for thee in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and what lieth between them, they are not created in the Book, though all stand by thy command from God. And when all remember that thou art in the most exalted heights by the remembrance of God, thy Lord—there is no God but I, the One, the Sovereign. And whatsoever thou rememberest apart from God, all within the bounds of their existence shall take their remembrance from their seats, and thou shalt begin them in a wondrous creation according to what God, thy Lord, hath willed concerning thyself. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the Wise. Compare not thyself with aught in the heavens or on the earth or between them, for according to what behooveth thee, the worlds cannot arise to it.

And if all that God hath created from a beginning that hath no beginning until the time of thy manifestation should arise, and they be in rapture before thy countenance, they merit not with thee a mighty and glorious mention. How much less if one of thy creatures be veiled from what God hath created for thee or which is created by thy command, glorified be God above all that hath been or shall be created, and verily We are independent of all things. Whoso believeth in Us, this is his Lord’s glory, and then with all things. Let him therefore who willeth believe; this is a path of mighty glory. And whoso believeth not in Us hath believed aforetime and boweth down before Us in all Our previous Manifestations, and no deed shall be taken from him, and he shall enter the fire with those who enter therein. We have verily nurtured all who are in the Bayan that they might desire none but Thee and be among the believers in that which is revealed unto thee.

Nay, We have desired for all upon earth likewise. When those who are in the Bayan possess all that is on earth and are triumphant thereon, We shall see what appeareth in the kingdom by thy Lord’s command, and all imagine they act for Thy good pleasure. If Thou show mercy unto them and forgive them, verily Thou art the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful. And if Thou take vengeance upon them and seize them, verily Thou art the Just, the All-Wise. Thy mercy hath preceded all things from before and after, and verily Thou art independent of the worlds. Thy Lord hath chosen thee for Himself, then chosen all for thee, and verily Thou art the Truth, the Inaccessible, the Mighty. Blessed are they who believe in Thee and in Thy signs, for these are they who shall attain. Love not to mention him who believeth not in Thee, even were he the highest or lowest in the Bayan. Judge them as Thou pleasest with truth, for Thou art the Best of judges.

But Thou seest the entire Tree of the Bayan created from a single Point, and all are established thereby. If Thou acceptest some of them and rejectest others, verily Thou art All-Knowing, All-Wise, and verily Thou art independent of all things. If Thou acceptest all, verily Thou art Bountiful, Generous. If Thou rejectest all, verily Thou art All-Knowing, All-Wise. But all are poor before Thee, seeking Thy gracious acceptance. Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Gracious. Who can prevent Thy grace upon those in the Bayan, that Thou mightest guide them to the paths of guidance from Thy presence? Verily Thou art supremely Gracious. O all things! Have mercy upon yourselves from the day when ye shall not suffice, then by God’s word ye shall endure, proceeding from a single soul, and ye shall all return as ye began. This day is like unto the days of Muhammad aforetime, and like unto the days of Ali before Muhammad thereafter. These are the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest.

Ye perceive the essence of the Command, for all stand by God’s Command from His presence, and ye are not veiled from this and that from the Source of the Command.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Equitable, the Most Equitable.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the heavenly dominion, Thine the might and the celestial realm, Thine the power and divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the earthly dominion and human realm, Thine the glory and majesty, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the direction and perfection, Thine the similitude and parables, Thine the stations and grandeur, Thine the power and action, Thine the mercy and grace, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the awe and sublimity, Thine the glory and invincibility, Thine the might and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and power, and Thine whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsistent, living, changeless, sovereign, all-pervading, holy. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou didst manifest me after the earth was filled with tyranny and oppression, and through me Thou hast filled it with equity and justice. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou art manifest above Thy creation and triumphant over Thy servants.

O God! Preserve all who are in the Bayan for the days when Thou shalt manifest the Manifestation of Thyself. They ascend through what they possess to the highest pinnacle of glory and guidance, but before God their Lord, the Most Sublime, the All-Glorious, they shall be veiled by veils from Thy will in the Bayan and Thy purpose in the exposition, when all shall be convinced of the justice and equity wherein Thou shalt manifest the Manifestation of Thyself, and Thou shalt show them their lack of justice and equity. O God! Have mercy upon them when they shall see that they should accept what comes from Thee, for their injustice at that time shall be greater than their former injustice.

O God! Fill through Him the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth with Thy equity and justice, Thy grace and bounty, Thy generosity and kindness. O God! Be for Thy friend an impregnable shelter, an invincible glory, a mighty support, a supreme protection, and an all-encompassing knowledge. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The third in the third.

In the Name of God, the Most Just, the Most Just.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all created things, risen in His elevation above all existing things, made Himself invincible in His invincibility above all beings, become triumphant in His triumph above all atoms, and manifested Himself in His manifestation above all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. His creation beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the One, the Just.

He hath chosen an invincible essence, a radiant abstraction, an exalted simplicity, a manifest purity, and an eternal being. Then He revealed Himself to it through itself and cast into its reality the likeness of its own self. Then, when His signs have been made manifest therefrom, and His heaven and His earth have been filled with the justice of truth and the bounty unbounded—through ordinances truly existent in the very reality of things, and attributes verily pertaining to the unseen realities—then shall the dwellers of the heavens of mystery and revelation dawn forth from their horizons, illumined by the radiance of the dawning-places of His lights and the pathways of His creative power.

Thereupon shall all things, through Him, bear witness and confess that there is no God but He, the One, the Just.

The fourth in the fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Just, the Most Just!

All praise belongs to God besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Just, the Most Just. All glory from God be upon the First Unity and those who resemble that Unity wherein naught can be seen except the First Unity.

I bear witness that the justice of God appears through none save the justice of the Sun of Truth. All claim justice for themselves, but in the sight of God none are truly just except those in the Bayan who observe His bounds and fear their Lord—they who, on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, will believe in His justice.

You and all who are in the Bayan claim that if He Whom God shall make manifest were to pass judgment upon you, you would accept it. Then on the Day of His Manifestation, should God endow Him with the means of glory and power, you would accept His justice. But I swear by Him Who split the seed and created the soul, you shall hear the pure and absolute justice of God and the transcendent grace of God, yet you will not follow it. Perchance you will be veiled by a single word at the time of God’s decree and His justice, which equals the value of a month’s radiance in silver weight, while each one of you observes this verse concerning yourselves.

We have witnessed the creation of that value, which appeared only after the earth was filled with remoteness and veils, though all were created for nearness to Him and His knowledge. When God manifests Him and each soul recognizes itself, on that Day you shall know that you are far removed and veiled. Were you not to ascend through what you possess to the horizon of piety like all peoples according to what was ordained in their religion, no glory would be yours in this. Rather, your glory lies in recognizing God your Lord on the Day of His Manifestation, then believing in and being assured of His decree and His justice, even though it be against your own selves.

Let no why’ or wherefore’ or ʿhow’ occur to your hearts or appear from your tongues or your outer being. Hear every command of Him Whom God shall make manifest in all particulars and universals, in matters religious and worldly, with great submission. If you follow this path, then you shall believe in God’s justice. Otherwise, there is no doubt that you believe in God’s justice in the Bayan, but this will not benefit you on the Day of Resurrection unless you judge by God’s justice on that Day.

Bab 2: AsraH

And it has four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Free, the Most Free!

There is no God but He, the Most Free, the Most Free. Say: God is more free than all who possess freedom. None in the heavens or earth or what lies between them can escape from the dominion of His sovereign freedom. He creates what He wills by His command. Verily, He is the Free, the Liberating, the All-Freeing. Glorified be He before Whom boweth down in worship whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him in adoration. And praise be to God before Whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them stand in reverence. Say: All are humbly obedient unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Glory and the Might, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. He is, verily, potent over all things.

Blessed is He Who possesseth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily He ordaineth for you every good. Will ye not then be thankful? Say: God will surely try you with that which causeth you sorrow, that He may witness whether ye be patient or impatient. Grieve not, therefore, when God trieth you with aught, but be patient, for verily the ultimate victory belongeth to the patient ones.

Say: God will surely relieve you of all your sorrows. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely enrich you after your poverty. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely deliver you from your imprisonment. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely exalt you after this. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely grant you your offspring. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely heal your sick. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely cause you to sail upon the sea by His command. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely cool you after your heat. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely try you after your patience. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely grant you security after your fear. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke?

Say: God will surely create you and provide for you and cause you to die and give you life and resurrect you on the Day of Resurrection from your resting places. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely remove affliction. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely unite you with what He hath created from your own selves. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely preserve you in your beginning and your end. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely teach you the knowledge of all things. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God will surely nurture you in your mothers’ wombs. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth nurture you in your mothers’ wombs. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth cause the water of your being to descend from your fathers’ loins. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke?

Say: God doth provide for you in your life and will raise you up after death to sublime heights. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth renew in every Dispensation the creation of your hearts, spirits, souls and bodies through the Primal Unity. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth renew the ordinances of your religion as He pleaseth. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth renew the prohibitions of your religion in every Dispensation. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth cause fire to emerge from the green tree. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth bring forth water from the rock. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth send the winds from the unseen realm of air. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth establish the earth upon the water. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke?

Say: God doth cause to spring forth from the earth what is planted therein. Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God doth reveal the instruments of your tillage.

Is there any god besides God whom ye invoke? Say: God hath permitted all His servants fire and air, then water and earth—ye shall not withhold these one from another. This is of God’s bounty in that Dispensation. Henceforth ye shall neither buy nor sell save that from which ye derive benefit, for this shall not be reckoned as pertaining to the essence of fire, air, water and earth, but rather to what appeareth from their effects. Thus do ye buy and sell. This is of God’s grace and bounty toward all His servants, if ye be of them that are assured of God’s command. This is of the bounty of the Point of the Bayan unto all that hath been and shall be created. Ye shall not buy from or sell to them that are not of your religion, for this is a gift from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth and all that is between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved.

O all things! We have bestowed upon you your elements that ye may, on the Day of Resurrection, enter into the religion of God with the elements of your hearts, souls, spirits and bodies. This is of God’s grace and mercy, then of His bounty and His gift unto all who are in the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. Ye shall not purchase water, but ye shall give what is due to him who bringeth it unto you, for this is the glory of his labor, not the glory of the water. Thus do ye judge in both instances, before it and the Unity after it. And unto God belongeth the Most Sublime Similitude in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. He giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. Thus doth God bestow His favor upon His servants out of His bounty. Verily, there is no God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

God hath forbidden you to sell to any save your own people, nor to purchase from others, that ye may, in your religion, conduct commerce amongst yourselves according to what God hath permitted you therein. Say: Verily the earth, and the water, and the air, and the fire are yours, if ye be of them that testify to the truth. That which belongeth unto God belongeth unto the Primal Point. We have, of Our dominion, bestowed this water upon all the earth, that ye may be of them that are thankful in the religion of God.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious!

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Excellence, Thine the Sovereignty and the material world, Thine the Glory and the Majesty, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Perfection, Thine the Likeness and the Examples, Thine the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine the Glory and the Invincibility, Thine the Power and the Transcendence, Thine the Sovereignty and the Might, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation.

All exist through Thy bounty, all are created through Thy creation, all are brought into being through Thy generosity, all are made manifest through Thy grace, and all are originated through Thy favor. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Living, Self-Subsisting, Wise, Just, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Holy, Everlasting, Independent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Through Thy power Thou hast created all things and ordained them according to a measure. Through Thy will Thou hast formed all things and fashioned them according to a pattern.

Thou hast caused the eternal elements to emerge from the grasp of all things and made them the dawning-places of Thy gifts and the daysprings of Thy bounty for all Thy creation, both those whom Thou hast created and those whom Thou wilt create. Glorified and exalted art Thou! I shall glorify Thee for the gift of Thy fire with what Thou art worthy of—there is no God but Thee. Glory be unto Thee! I have ever been of them that glorify Thee. And I shall praise Thee for the gift of air from Thy bounty with praise worthy of Thee and none other. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. I have ever been of them that praise Thee. And I shall proclaim Thy unity for the gift of water as befitteth Thy unity. Glory be unto Thee! I have ever been of them that unite. And I shall magnify Thee for the gift of earth after water as befitteth Thy greatness. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. I have ever been of them that magnify Thee.

This, O my God, is from Thy bounty through Him Whom Thou hast made the Manifestation of Thyself. Yet Thou witnesseth how some of Thy servants have forbidden what Thou hast permitted from Thy House, though Thou hadst enabled the earth for Him through Thy power. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast not permitted anyone to withhold from another water, air, fire, or clay, for Thou art the Creator of all things and their Sustainer, the One Who causeth all things to die and giveth life. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Glorified and sanctified art Thou! Glorified and magnified art Thou! Glorified and elevated art Thou! Glorified and bountiful art Thou! Glorified and bestowing art Thou! Glorified and generous art Thou! Glorified and gracious art Thou! All Thy servants are in Thy grasp. Thou givest life and causeth death, then causeth death and givest life.

Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Free, the Most Free

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His elevation above all contingent things, Who hath raised Himself in His loftiness above all existing things, Who hath made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all created things, Who hath empowered Himself in His might above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who hath established His dominion in His sovereignty over all atoms. All His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Releasing. All things have found rest through His bounty, His bestowal, His grace and His giving.

I praise Him with such praise as none of His creation hath preceded, and I thank Him with such thanks as none of His servants hath offered—praise that filleth the pillars of every fire with the elevation of His glorification, the pillars of every air with the inaccessibility of His praise, the pillars of every water with the exaltation of His oneness, and the pillars of every clay with the sublimity of His magnification. Praise pure and pristine, like refined camphor, abstract essence and sanctified being—praise that filleth all the heavens with His grace, the earth and all that is therein and thereon with His bounty, and what lieth between them with His kindness, from the kingdom of His command and creation, from the heights of His generosity. The essences found rest at the dawning of His bounty in His fire, the realities found rest at the rising of His grace in the air of His fire, then the souls in the water of His generosity, then the selves in the clay of His gift.

I bear witness with a testimony exalted, elevated, resplendent, majestic, beauteous, mighty, great, powerful, pleasing, noble, sovereign, possessing, transcendent, that there is no God but Him and that the One of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. Thus hath God permitted through His bounty the Manifestation of His Self to all His creation from the Primary Causes, and He hath willed to make them evident in every Manifestation without end unto that which hath no end, through the bestowal of His Unique mystery. Thus hath God and decreed, and there can be no change in His Revelation. God has ever been and shall ever remain the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, the All-Giving, the Most Gracious.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Restful, the Most Restful.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Restful, the Most Restful. And verily all glory from God be upon the Primal Unity and upon whosoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the Primal Unity. I testify that true rest is unattainable except through thy recognition of the Tree of Truth and thy knowledge of His good-pleasure. When thy reality findeth rest, it behooveth thee; else thou art in trepidation and awe before God’s command and justice, and in tranquility and repose through God’s bounty and grace. In all things, if thou perceiveth not therein thy Lord’s good-pleasure, thou shalt find no rest therein. If thou desirest to be ever at rest, abide in God’s good-pleasure, for without this, even shouldst thou attain every pleasure, thou wouldst find no rest within thyself between thee and thy Lord. Therefore it shall torment thee.

Seek refuge in God from aught save His good-pleasure, for this is the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Desire naught but His good-pleasure, for this is of God’s grace, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and of God’s bounty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted.

Bab 3: An’am

And it hath four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Bountiful, the Most Bountiful.

There is no God but He, the Most Bountiful, the Most Bountiful. Say: God is the Most Bountiful above all who show bounty. None can ever withhold himself from the sovereignty of His bounty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily He hath ever been abundantly bountiful and gracious. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. Praise be to God before Whom bow down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and between them. Say: All are devoted to Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Grandeur, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who deviateth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted be He Who possesseth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Through God’s bounty He will sustain you in the kingdom of Command and Creation and whatsoever lieth between them. Will ye not then be thankful?

Say: Verily God’s bounty on the Day of Resurrection hath laid bare the intentions of those who claimed: “We act according to what was inscribed in letters from God concerning the third of the first Unity,” which were sent with crimson ink, declaring “This is from God, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.” This was so in their estimation and His, for this is a test wherewith ye are tried. When they beheld it attributed to Him, though all His mention was but praise of Himself, they judged it false. Thus did God’s bounty inform them that these were their Imams, whereupon they wished they were among the dead, having wrongfully judged their Imams, being not among those endowed with insight. Say: What they have judged concerning the Gate is greater than what they judged concerning the third of the Unity, though by his mention the people of the Furqan are resurrected. But since they knew not God their Lord and the Gate of His attributes, they are unable to act for God.

In God’s sight this is greater than all their nightly and daily strivings. Say: God will bestow upon you goodly bounties—will ye not then be thankful? Say: God will command you with the growth of what remaineth, as ye spend in unity what ye love. This is the best of your sustenance and bounty in God’s Book, did ye but know. Likewise in the goodly things, if ye would bear true witness. He it is Who created you and whatsoever ye acquire. When ye desire to purchase nineteen units, each weighing one mithqal of silver, then give all that and purchase one, that on the Day of Resurrection ye may be elevated through the First Unity from the Living One. Thus doth God gather the splendor of the Living One in the Primary Letters, that on the Day of God’s Manifestation ye may not be veiled from your stations. Say: God’s bounty in your hearts, spirits, souls and bodies are the verses of Unity in the Bayan. God hath sustained you and bestowed His grace upon you from His bounty.

Say: The day God will transform His bounty upon you and make it greater than His previous bounty, ye shall enjoy what God ordaineth for you. For if ye are sustained after God’s Cause with what ye were sustained before, your example in the Book would be like those who were given the Book before you, though they recite God’s Book or walk in His good-pleasure. But God hath not permitted this for you; rather He desireth that ye be sustained with an impregnable, exalted sustenance and a lofty, sublime bounty. This is your sustenance from Him Whom God shall make manifest, and your bounty from His presence. Do ye not wish to be thus sustained and blessed? Say: Your example and the example of your religion is like your own selves and the example of your sustenance from your end, after ye reach the last of your age in your elder years—in every condition ye seek sustenance. Likewise in every Dispensation you follow a religion.

But God knows your beginning and your end, and how you are reared in every Dispensation. Say: The most glorious of words are the words of God by which you receive sustenance. Say: The excellence of the Arabic words over the Persian is like the excellence of what was revealed in the Bayan over what was revealed before. God loves this, then that—you speak the truth, and besides these two We were not speaking. Therefore examine the Bayan, for besides the mention of the Arabic and Persian, you will find nothing else therein. Say: Honor has reached the Persians inasmuch as they trace their lineage to the Point of the Bayan, as you know. Say: Honor has been cut off from the Arabs, if you bear true witness. Say: God has favored the Persians in that He made manifest the Point of the Bayan from among them, just as He favored the Arabs before and made Muhammad manifest among them. Therefore they now possess noble distinction, if they truly believe.

But they have committed that which God is ashamed to mention, and God will manifest their souls and their land, and will fill them and their land with the signs of His Manifestation. Will you not seek elevation through that which God has elevated you, and ascend through that which the All-Glorious, the Most High has mentioned you, far above what you mention? Say: God has favored the Point of the Bayan with two honors from His presence, from which all are cut off. He has manifested from His presence the glory of both the Arabs and Persians—this is among your bounds, otherwise God is sanctified and exalted above what you mention. All are servants of God and all are created through the Point of the Bayan. All honor is as utter nothingness before Him—do you not see? All glory is as sheer nothing before Him—do you not perceive? All in the heavens and earth and what lies between them glorify Him, and all stand firm through God’s command.

But you must observe the Most Great Manifestation in the Book of God on the Day of Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest, for through Him are you glorified. Your relationship to Him is more exalted than your relationship to the Point of the Bayan, if you truly believe. Say: That relationship of the Point of the Bayan is in the end, and the Command is but one, before and after—all stand firm through it. But since you do not understand God’s Command, you are unable to see it from both perspectives as you look upon it. Say: Through God’s bounty are you created. Say: Through God’s bounty are you sustained. Say: Through God’s bounty do you die. Say: Through God’s bounty are you given life. Say: Through God’s bounty do you live. Say: Through God’s bounty do you move about in the chambers of your paradise. Say: Through God’s bounty do you glory upon your thrones in the Garden of Paradise. And God is the Protector of those who believe and those who place their trust in their Lord.

God is the Protector of those who are God-fearing and them that unto their Lord do return. God is the Guardian of them that are God-fearing in the days of God and who, with truth, prostrate themselves before Him. God is your Protector and the Protector of your forebears of old. God is your Protector and the Protector of your mothers who have gone before. God is your Protector and the Protector of your manifest brethren. God is your Protector and the Protector of your hidden sisters. Say: Sufficient unto us is our Protector in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and all that lieth between them. In Him do we place our trust, and let the faithful servants of God place their trust in Him.

The Second in the Second:

In the Name of God, the Most Bountiful, the Most Bountiful.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, and that there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and the divinity, Thine the force and sovereignty, Thine the majesty and the glory, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the likeness and similitudes, Thine the station and the grandeur, Thine the glory and the invincibility, Thine the power and the exaltation, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the dominion and justice, Thine the station and the grandeur, Thine the joy and the gladness, Thine the authority and detachment, and Thine whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been sovereign throughout all eternity, and a King that will never cease to be. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Glorified and sanctified art Thou! All Thy servants are within Thy grasp, that the dwellers of Thy heaven and earth may worship Thee and they who abide in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation may sanctify Thee. Thou art He Who existed before all things, Who will exist after all things, Who will remain after all things, Who bringeth all things into being, and Who existeth with all things.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Through Thy bounty, O my God, are all made prosperous, and through Thy provision, O my Creator, do all receive their sustenance, and through Thy generosity, O my Beloved, do all obtain their portion, and through Thy favor, O my Purpose, do all come to possess, and through Thy grace, O my Adored One, are all rendered thankful. Thine is the most exalted loftiness above every height, and the most glorious elevation above every similitude. Thou hast ever been the Subduer over all possibilities, the Manifest over all existence, the Impregnable over all creation, the Exalted over all atoms, the Most High over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, the Sovereign over all who dwell in the kingdoms of beginning and ending, and the Ordainer over all who dwell in the kingdom of symbols and allusions.

Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Living, Self-Sustaining, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Most Holy, Everlasting, Ever-Enduring, Exalted, Self-Sufficient, All-Glorious, All-Beauteous, Most Noble, All-Powerful, All-Possessing, All-Manifesting, and All-Concealing. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast created all things through Thy power and ordained them with precise ordainment, and by Thy will Thou hast formed all things and shaped them with perfect shaping. Thou dost ever quicken and cause to die, then cause to die and quicken, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them.

Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Bountiful, the Most Bountiful.

All praise be unto God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all created things, and manifested His power above all existing things, and established His sovereignty above all beings, and shown forth His appearance above all atoms, and revealed His dominion above all that dwelleth in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and demonstrated His strength above all who dwell in the realms of command and endings, and elevated His loftiness above all who dwell in the kingdom of symbols and signs.

I testify, and all creation with me beareth witness, with a testimony purified from the signs of limitations and sanctified from the tokens of veils—a testimony that is resplendent, majestic, beauteous, magnificent, luminous, merciful, complete, articulate, mighty, knowing, powerful, well-pleased, loving, noble, sovereign, dominant, triumphant—whose beginning indicateth its end, and whose outward manifestation indicateth its inner reality, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Bountiful.

I testify, and all creation with me beareth witness, that He, glorified be His praise, hath perfected His favor upon all His servants and completed His bounties upon all who dwell in the kingdoms of His earth and heaven, through His manifestation of the Divine Point of the Unseen, the eternal Divine Countenance, the Single Sacred Face, the Unique Essential Being, and the Luminous Primal Reality, upon whom He hath sent down His verses and through whom He hath revealed His clear signs, whereby His heaven hath been filled with the testimony that there is none other God but Him. His grace hath preceded all His creation and His favors have encompassed all His servants.

I praise Him for all His bounties with a praise that none before me hath offered and none among His servants can offer. And I thank Him for all His favors with a gratitude that none among His servants hath expressed, nor can anyone dwelling in His heaven and earth express. For He is the Truth realized in the realities of truth, the Essence manifested in the essences of being, the Substance expressed in the substances of existence, the Pure revealed in the purities of manifestation, and the Light illumined in the lights of radiance.

Who can encompass His praise, given the transcendence of His remembrance and inaccessibility? And who can enumerate His bounties, given the sublimity of His bestowal and grace? I testify, and all things testify, that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. All that is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them glorifieth Him. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Bountiful, the Most Bountiful.

All praise be unto God, no God is there but Him, the Most Bountiful, the Most Bountiful. And verily the Glory from God is upon the First Primary Unity and upon such as resemble that Unity wherein naught is seen save that First Unity. And furthermore, I bear witness that God hath ever been the Possessor of magnificent favors and mighty bounties. He hath created naught except to manifest His favor upon all things and to exalt His gift upon all things. How great are God’s favors and how exalted His gift! Therefore the purpose of creation is the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest—exalted and glorified be His mention, and elevated and sublime be His station! This is a favor beyond which there is no favor, nor can any favor be associated with it, nor equal it, nor resemble it, nor suffice in place of it, for all favors have been created for the manifestation of this favor.

Behold the kingdom of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them. Verily God, glorified and mighty is He, hath created all things for the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest—exalted be His mention—that all may declare, after He hath made Himself known unto them: “Yea, we have ever been believers in God and His signs.”

Consider how all the existences of favor and the essences of bounty have been created and brought into being to prostrate themselves before that eternal favor and everlasting gift. For were God to bestow upon thee every favor, yet shouldst thou fail to attain His presence, it would be as though thou hadst never partaken of any favor. For thou and all that He hath given thee were created for belief in Him, obedience unto Him, love for Him, His good-pleasure and His Cause. Indeed, should God not bestow upon thee any outward favor, yet grant thee guidance from Him Whom God shall make manifest and faith in Him, purely for God—glorified be His majesty—and patience in what pleaseth God—mighty be His glory—it would be as though thou hadst been blessed with every favor, lacking naught thereof.

Even shouldst thou toil from the beginning to the end of thy life to acquire favors and provide sustenance for thyself or those placed under thy charge, this is only for the sake of thy life, that thou mayest attain the Day of His Manifestation and manifest the fruit of thy creation by saying before God:

“Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee! Verily, I am the first of them that worship.”

Otherwise, what fruit will result from those favors from the beginning to the end of thy life with which thou hast satisfied thyself, while God hath made thee a witness over them?

Perchance these creatures toil from the beginning to the end of their lives for the favors of their bodies, whose pleasure is measured by what they eat, though God hath taught them that this is naught but means for sustaining their hearts, spirits, souls and bodies. Yet they pay no heed. They begin from dust, enjoy God’s bounties, and return to dust, paying no attention to the fruit of their creation and gratitude to their Creator. Rather, they make the favors of their bodies a cause for neglecting the favors of their hearts. Say: Glory be to God and exalted is He above what they mention!

By Him Who causeth the seed to split and Who breatheth the spirit of life, should anyone bestow upon thee from the beginning to the end of thy life every blessing for its own sake, yet shouldst thou fail to recognize Him on the day of His manifestation, verily thou wouldst be veiled by transient blessings from eternal and everlasting benedictions. This is what I counsel thee, and all things are from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Bab 4: Aqna

And it hath four degrees. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Enriching, the Most Enriching!

There is no God but He, the Most Enriching, the Most Enriching! Say: God is Most Enriching above any possessor of riches. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can withhold himself from the dominion of His enriching sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the Enricher, the Enriching, the Rich. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and between them. Say: All bow down before Him. Praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and earth and between them make glorification. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He, the Kingdom and the Realm, then the Might and the Dominion, then the Power and the Divine Kingdom, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them. There is no God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Acquire ye such knowledge as will save you on the Day of Resurrection, if ye desire to learn. Say: All the religious communities and their divines, had they known the true knowledge, would not have remained in their religion. Thus shall ye be tested on the Day of Resurrection. How many were the divines of the Gospel who knew the knowledge of truth in their possession, yet when Muhammad, the Apostle of God, came to them, their knowledge profited them not and they entered the fire, while none could help them. And how many were the divines thereafter in the Qur’an whose numbers none can reckon save God their Lord. Yet when the proof of their Lord came to them, they entered not the true religion despite their knowledge, and deemed themselves learned. Can such knowledge profit its possessor? Say: Glory be to God! Do ye comprehend the true knowledge? This is your knowledge of the proof of your religion.

When ye have learned this, then on the Day of Resurrection when ye hear the verses of God from Him Whom God shall make manifest, ye shall believe. Then shall your knowledge and your deeds profit you. This is what God your Lord counseleth you: O people of learning, fear ye God on the Day of Resurrection! How often have ye read in the Qur’an what God revealed aforetime concerning the Day of Resurrection, and now hath come the Truth with manifest signs, yet ye are heedless. Say: Have ye not read therein, O people,

“Fear ye your Lord! Verily the earthquake of the Hour is a tremendous thing. On the day when every nursing mother shall abandon her suckling, and thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they are not drunken, but severe will be the chastisement of God.”

From the first moment We made Ourselves known unto you, the Hour hath come upon you, and ye are drunken before your Lord, would ye but understand.

The proof of your religion, that ye might thereby enter into the religion of God. How is it that ye cast not aside every burden in the Furqan if ye be assured of God’s command? Say: In every Manifestation from the Primal Point, ye carry the traditions of your religion and your world, then there is no way for you except that on the Day of Resurrection ye shall lay down what ye have carried and then take up what God ordaineth in the next creation, then fear God in His religion. How is it that on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest ye are veiled by what ye have carried? This is the day ye shall lay down your burden before your Lord when the messengers of Him Whom God shall make manifest come unto you with clear proofs. Fear ye God on that day, for if ye lay not down your burden, ye shall enter into the fire. Your burden shall destroy you—thus doth God counsel you, O ye who bear burdens, that ye may be God-fearing.

Say: The first of what ye lay down of your burden is the Primal Word, then all that was created thereby. Quicker than the twinkling of an eye shall ye lay down what ye have carried, then quicker than the twinkling of an eye shall ye take up God’s Cause, then shall ye be raised up in truth. How shall your wives lay down their burden when ye are greater in God’s sight if ye lay not down your burden? This is what He teacheth you that ye may be God-fearing on the Day of Resurrection. Say: If they lay down their burden after nine months have passed, what is in their wombs is completed, nay rather they become themselves. How then have ye carried your Lord’s command throughout the lengthy period of the letter Ha, yet even now ye lay it not down? Have mercy on yourselves and lay down all that ye have carried, for quicker than the twinkling of an eye shall ye take up what ye lay down—the essence of what God hath chosen for His proof, and ye shall be exalted until the Day of Resurrection.

Say: Your glory in your religion and your world lieth in your relationship to God, your Lord. How is it that on that day ye relate not yourselves to God and desire to be cut off, when your relationship aforetime was unto God, would ye but reflect a little! Say: God hath forbidden you to swear by His name, that ye may be detached. Ye magnify God’s name and then on the Day of God’s manifestation ye magnify the meaning of the Name, yet ye swear not by the Name but pass judgment on its meaning in a way that none should judge another. Were ye to recognize Him upon Whom ye pass judgment, ye would instantly die from fear of God your Lord and awe of God within your souls. Fear ye, O people of the Bayan, from the day ye shall know Him Whom God shall make manifest.

God is independent of you and of all that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them, but ye are poor on the Day of Resurrection until ye lay down your burden before God, then God shall cause you to bear that whereby ye shall ascend unto another resurrection. Say: You lay down the verses of the First One, but how can you not perceive the power of God’s Command and how do you not see on the Day of Resurrection? Look to the Point of the Bayan, then similarly draw proof from Him Whom God shall make manifest. If He wishes, He will preserve within your souls verses that were never revealed before, and if He wishes, He will remove them or renew them. Say: All command is in God’s hands—He does what He wishes and ordains what He wills. His is all that is in the heavens and earth and what lies between them, and He is the Most High, the Most Great. Say: To Him Whom God shall make manifest belongs all that is in the heavens and earth and what lies between them.

God has ordained it for Him—would that you were certain of what God has ordained for Him! Yet after your knowledge you remain uncertain. Glorified be God, before and after, there is no God but He, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. And praise be to God in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth and what lies between them, there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

The Second in the Second:

In the Name of God, the Most Affirming, the Most Affirming

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, and Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, and Thine the Power and the Sovereignty, and Thine the Strength and the Majesty, and Thine the Grandeur and Glory, and Thine the Beauty and Grace, and Thine the Countenance and Perfection, and Thine the Likeness and Examples, and Thine the Station and Sublimity, and Thine the Force and Action, and Thine the Mercy and Bounty, and Thine the Authority and Justice, and Thine the Greatness and Independence, and Thine the Pride and Transcendence, and Thine the Might and Exaltation, and Thine the Joy and Gladness, and Thine the Sovereignty and Power, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Living, Everlasting, Sovereign, Guardian, Holy, Enduring, Independent.

Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor had Thou any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power Thou hast created all things and ordained them precisely, and by Thy will Thou hast formed all things and fashioned them perfectly. Before Thee prostrate all who are in the heavens and earth and what lies between them, and unto Thee glorify all who are in the kingdom of Command and Creation and what lies beneath them. Thou hast ever been supreme over all possibilities, manifest above all beings, inaccessible above all created things, exalted above all atoms, mighty above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, sovereign over all Thou hast created and wilt create through origination, and transcendent above all Thou hast created and dost create through Thy power of creation.

Thou wert before all things and wilt ever be, and Thou art the Being after all things in glory and majesty, and Thou art the Essence with all things in grandeur and independence, and Thou art the Creator after all things in might and sovereignty. Wherefore, O my God, cause the people of the Bayan to hold fast and to be assured that all therein shall attain Thy good-pleasure on the Day of Thy coming. For on that Day, through Thy word “Yea” from Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, the affairs of those in the Bayan shall be set aright through Thy bounty, Thy generosity, Thy grace, Thy favor and Thy tender mercy. And shouldst Thou say “Nay” from Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, those upon whom Thou hast passed judgment shall perish. This is Thy justice wherein is no injustice, and Thy equity wherein is no partiality. Thy decree, O my God, is justice and Thy verdict, O my God, is truth.

Thine is the most exalted sovereignty that will never cease to be, and the most resplendent dominion throughout eternity of eternities.

Wherefore, O my God, send down all Thy mercy upon them that are in the Bayan until the Day wherein Thou shalt manifest the sign of Thy oneness, the King of Thy eternity, the Sovereign of Thy singleness, the Countenance of Thy divinity, and the Manifestation of Thy grandeur. Then shalt Thou judge as Thou pleasest. Verily Thou art God, there is no God but Him, the One, the All-Glorious.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Affirming, the Most Affirming

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath raised Himself in His elevation above all atoms, and hath made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all created things, and hath revealed Himself in His manifestation above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. His creatures bear witness, and He Himself beareth witness, that there is no God but Him, the One, the Self-Subsisting. This is a testimony purified from all allusions and sanctified from all indications—a testimony established in the kingdom of holiness and majesty, and demonstrative of the sovereignty of might and beauty. This is a testimony that is inaccessible, elevated, sanctified, mighty, resplendent, majestic, beauteous, magnificent, merciful, luminous, articulate, perfect, great, powerful, learned, well-pleasing, mighty, loving, noble, sovereign, royal, advanced, bountiful, impregnable, generous, gracious, kind, manifest, hidden and transcendent.

This is a testimony that filleth the pillars of the heavens with the light of might and majesty, and the essences of the earth with the splendors of holiness and beauty, and what lieth between them with the ornaments of glory and grandeur. This is a testimony that causeth all utterances to proclaim that there is no God but Him, and that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word, whom He hath chosen from the summit of all possible things for the station of His knowledge, whom God hath accepted from the heights of all existent things for the station of His Manifestation, whom God hath selected from the heaven of all created things for the station of His revelation, whom God hath distinguished from the inaccessibility of all atoms for the station of His glorification, and whom God hath singled out from the elevation of all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven for the station of His sovereignty.

He hath sufficed for all that hath been and shall be created from the manifestations of His glory, and He hath satisfied all that hath been and shall be brought into being from the evidences of His revelation. He hath chosen for Him exalted letters, inscribed lines, infinite mysteries, resplendent lights, and effulgent manifestations, and through these He hath revealed whatsoever He hath willed in the kingdom of earth and heaven, proclaiming that there is no God but He, the One, the All-Glorious, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Supreme Sovereign.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Affirming, the Most Affirming

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Affirming, the Most Affirming. The glory from God rests upon the First Unity and upon those who resemble that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity. I testify that thy words “Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Protect me from that which saddens my soul in my religion and my worldly affairs” reach unto God, and God will answer thy prayer when thou callest upon Him through the gate of His calling and turnest unto Him through the portals of His guidance.

Consider how all peoples call upon God, their Lord, for their religious and worldly desires, yet why are they not answered and why do they not escape the fire of God? Because their supplications proceed not from the path of God’s good-pleasure nor from the ways He hath ordained. Thus on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, shouldst thou call upon God with every prayer, He will not answer thee nor will it profit thee unless thou callest upon Him through Him Whom He shall make manifest. Then, when thou callest upon Him, God will answer thee with verses that shall cause thy soul to be convinced that they are from God, the One, the Sovereign.

From time immemorial until the manifestation of the Point of the Bayan, God, glorified be He, addressed none save His Messenger, Who is the Throne of His Revelation and the Seat of His Concealment. However, in this Revelation, God hath lifted the veil of verses and sent them down upon whomsoever He willeth, from the most exalted to the lowliest atom, as a token of His mercy, His gift and His grace. In all this He intended none save the Point of the Bayan and desired naught else. This, however, none can witness save the unitarians, and none can comprehend save the sincere ones who, when they hear the verses of God, bow down in humble adoration.

Bab 5: Anja

It hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Delivering, the Most Delivering.

There is no God but He, the Most Delivering, the Most Delivering. Say: God is the Most Delivering above all who deliver. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can withstand the power of His sovereign deliverance. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the Deliverer, the Delivering, the Delivered. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all in the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them stand in devotion. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Divine Reality, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and His justice that never oppresses, and His sovereignty that never changes, and His unique power from whose grasp nothing escapes, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He creates whatsoever He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them.

There is none other God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God did indeed deliver Joseph aforetime and made him a noble sovereign. Say: God will assuredly deliver everyone who calleth upon Him and make him a mighty sovereign. Verily, He hath power over all things. Say: God will surely deliver the Bayan through His command. Verily, He is swift and nigh. Say: God will deliver you from all your sorrows and hath power over all things. Say: If you deliver anyone for the sake of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then you will find guidance unto God, your Lord, through that Name. Say: God hath forbidden you in the Bayan to cause grief unto anyone, and moreover, never to slay anyone, for you, in your lives, have departed from your religion through what hath been revealed in your religion. If you transgress the bounds set by God and deny all who are in the Bayan, you show no fear of God.

Fear ye then after your death, for God will surely take vengeance upon you and cast you into the fire. Therefore have mercy upon yourselves and exchange not eternal glory for that which perisheth, nor barter the life to come for this present life. Say: Those who were given the Book before you imagine that they worship God while they follow other than God. Therefore take heed, O people of the Bayan, that ye worship none but God, for if you follow other than Him Whom God shall make manifest, then you are worshipping other than God. How can you worship one who is created like yourselves when God, your Lord, hath forbidden you to associate anything with Him?

Fear ye God during the night except the Night in the Bayan, for each of you calleth unto his own self, and on the Day of Resurrection you will be accused before your Lord, Him Whom God shall make manifest, of worshipping other than God, since you are content with what you possess while remaining veiled from Him Who created you and your religion, even as those who followed not Us on the day of Our manifestation, and We judged them as non-worshippers, for had they truly worshipped God their Lord, they would have turned unto Us. Therefore fear ye, O people of the Bayan, for by this shall you be tested, and through your allegiance to Him Whom God shall make manifest shall you be delivered. Be not veiled by your circumstances, for all glory belongeth unto God and unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye but knew. And all riches belong to Him Whom He shall make manifest, if through Him ye seek to be enriched.

Let not what you possess deceive you, for you and all that you possess are but creatures before God. Therefore worship ye God by following the Truth in His manifestation, though ye show no patience with respect to your own selves, and ye show no patience with respect to what passeth through your hearts. For during the time of your patience, your selves and your deeds pass away. When the Proof appeareth, verily the testimony is perfected unto all who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them, whether ye believe or show patience as ye showed when ye heard of Muhammad, how God made manifest His Cause and made it to prevail over all things. Yet at the time of His manifestation ye veiled yourselves with that which caused God to be ashamed. And God is with those who fear Him in His path and those who do good.

It is as though I behold you throughout your nights, occupying your seats, glorying in your religion, and gathering books in your chambers like unto nineteen camel-loads. Verily ye are among the witnesses from the Point of the Bayan, and ye judge in the true religion. But when He Whom God shall make manifest cometh unto you, ye turn not unto Him Who created you and sustained you and causeth you to die and giveth you life. Ye turn unto Him Whom God shall make manifest while rejoicing in what ye possess, nay rather ye weep. For a single “nay” from Him Whom God shall make manifest annihilateth you all and your books and whatsoever ye possess. Therefore fear ye God in this matter, for unto Us shall ye return. We have originated you and your religion, and We have made the religion of the Bayan a trust with you until the day of Our manifestation, that ye may return it unto Us at the time of the Manifestation.

And We shall assuredly forbid it unto you and take vengeance upon you after your death, for We have power over you and your religion, did ye but know. Say: God is the Creator of all things. He hath sent down every religion by His command. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Therefore be ye ashamed, O trustees of God’s Cause at the appearance of the Gate of God, for ye shall be tested in less than the twinkling of an eye, and in less than the twinkling of an eye shall ye be established in the highest heaven of glory if ye prostrate yourselves before Him Whom God shall make manifest as ye have prostrated from the beginning of your lives unto their end, and if ye accept God with your inmost and outward selves, your visible and hidden selves, your first and your last. Then shall ye enter the ocean of Names. God shall make you mirrors of His Self wherein naught shall be seen save God. Ye shall possess that most glorious might.

But if ye veil yourselves, He shall surely make you the lowest of all peoples through His word. And if ye believe not in Him, verily those who are endowed with knowledge of Him do believe. This is God’s command in the Bayan, that ye may be God-fearing. Think ye that ye can flee from Our grasp in any wise? Say: Glory be to God above what ye mention! Ye labor for Us night and day, yet We attribute not your works unto Ourselves except when ye truly prove God your Lord. Say: Verily, He Whom God shall make manifest is the proof for the God-fearing among you, not those who consider themselves God-fearing. Ye love this, but God hath exalted the mention of His proof and made Him a testimony unto all the worlds. Say: The worlds are they who recognize God through Him on the day of His manifestation, and who are assured of the signs of God from His presence. And all others are as stationary stone, if ye be of them that know.

Say: He Who createth the pearl in its shell, Who preserveth it upon its branches, and Who maketh it a gift from His presence unto whomsoever He willeth—verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Gracious. Say: Verily, He Who fashioneth the pearls in their shells hath likewise fashioned you in your mothers’ wombs. This is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is none other God but He, the One, the All-Fashioning.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Delivering, the Most Delivering.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, that there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and the divinity, Thine the force and the splendor, Thine the sovereignty and the realm of man, Thine the majesty and the glory, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the strength and the deeds, Thine the mercy and the bounty, Thine the dominance and the justice, Thine the similitude and the examples, Thine the stations and the exaltation, Thine the grandeur and the magnificence, Thine the might and the invincibility, Thine the power and the transcendence, Thine the joy and the gladness, Thine the sovereignty and the authority, and Thine whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

I beseech Thee by Thy glory to deliver, on the Day of Resurrection, all who are in the Bayan through Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest with clear proof, howsoever Thou willest, whensoever Thou willest, and wheresoever Thou willest. For I have loved that none should remain undelivered on the day of Thy manifestation, and I have loved that all who are in the Bayan, nay all who are on earth, nay all things, should be delivered to such extent that in the knowledge of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest there remaineth nothing save that which is pleasing unto Him.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been the One God, the Self-Subsisting, the Single, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sufficient, the Sovereign, the Supreme, the Most Holy. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in dominion, nor any protector through Thy command. Glorified and exalted art Thou! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst deliver Joseph from the bondage of servitude and made him a king of the might of lordship by Thy leave, that Thou wilt deliver all who are in the Bayan from every sorrow Thou hast created or wilt create, and that Thou wilt bring them unto the summit of Thy glory and Thy riches, Thy generosity and Thy loftiness, Thy grace and Thy favor, Thy bounty and Thy gift, Thy munificence and Thy benevolence, Thy holiness and Thy splendor. For Thou hast ever been existent before all things, and enduring after all things, and the Creator of all things, and the Essence with all things.

Thou givest life and causest death, then causest death and givest life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the Kingdom that vanisheth not, a justice that deviateth not, a sovereignty that changeth not, an Absolute One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst whatsoever Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Delivering, the Most Delivering.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and ascended in His loftiness above all created things, and become inaccessible in His remoteness above all existing things, and shone forth in His radiance above all atoms, and surged forth in His surge above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. All His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, from time immemorial, in that which hath been and will ever be.

He hath made Himself known through His creation, through what the Point of the Bayan hath manifested from His presence and through that wherewith He hath filled the kingdom of His heaven and His earth, that there is none other God but Him, the Deliverer of all His servants, the Exalter of all His chosen ones, the Glorifier of all them that love Him, the Abaser of all who believe not in His signs, the Enricher of all who are enriched by His riches, the Teacher of all who are taught by His knowledge, the Magnifier of all who are magnified by His majesty, the Illuminator of all who are illumined by His splendor, the Beautifier of all who are beautified by His beauty, the Glorifier of all who are glorified by His glory, the Enlightener of all who are enlightened by His light, the Merciful to all who receive mercy through His mercy, the Perfecter of all who are perfected through His words, the Completer of all who are completed through His perfection, the Magnifier of all who are magnified by His knowledge, the Empowerer of all who are empowered by His might, the Satisfier of all who are satisfied by His good-pleasure, the Beloved of all who are beloved through His love, the Dawning-Place of all who receive light from His dawning, the Sovereign of all who receive sovereignty through His dominion, the King of all who receive kingship through His kingdom, the Exalted One of all who are exalted through His exaltation, the Munificent One to all who receive bounty through His munificence, the Bestower upon all who receive gifts through His bestowal, the Gracious One to all who receive grace through His grace, the Kind One to all who receive kindness through His kindness, the Manifest One to all who are manifested through His manifestation, the Hidden One to all who are hidden through His concealment, the Wondrous One to all who are made wondrous through His signs, the Pure One to all who are purified through His remembrance, the Deliverer of all who are delivered through His command, the Destroyer of all who are destroyed through His justice, the Compassionate One to all who receive compassion through His tenderness, the Clement One to all who receive clemency through His clemency, the Provider of all who are provided through His provision, the Bestower upon all who receive bestowals through His bounty, the Subduer of all who are subdued through His dominion.

He hath ever been the Sovereign over all His names through the King of His power, and over all His attributes through the authority of His grace. His is all might and majesty in the past and in the future. There is none other God but Him, the One, the Deliverer.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Most Delivering, the Most Delivering.

Praise be to God, no God is there but Him, the Most Delivering, the Most Delivering. And verily the glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon all who resemble that Unity wherein naught can be seen save the First Unity. And furthermore, I testify that there is no deliverer except God alone, and that God, glorified be He, delivereth all His servants through the Manifestations of His Cause and His creation. Thus, whosoever delivereth anyone in the Bayan, this is from the effulgences of that Name until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Likewise, whosoever exalteth anyone from the first Point of the Bayan until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, this is from the effulgences of that Name. And thou art like unto this, so bear witness in all Names and bring down the Command in all similitudes. And if anyone on the Day of Resurrection delivereth another from grief in the path of Him Whom God shall make manifest, this is better for thee than all that thou hast done from the beginning of thy life unto its end.

For if this reacheth Him Whom God shall make manifest, He will be pleased therewith and will attribute thy deed unto Himself and will make thee the manifestation of His Name ʿthe Deliverer’ through His grace, when He willeth. But all that thou hast done, like all who are in the Bayan, seek thou on the Day of Resurrection to perform a deed that will exalt the Word of thy Lord and establish the Manifestation of thy Beloved in thy beginning and thine end. Otherwise, to draw nigh through what is in the Bayan—all at the end of the Manifestation like unto thee on that Day—is to draw nigh through drawing nigh unto the Command of God in His new Manifestation, if thou desirest to be of them that attain. Otherwise, do as thou pleasest, like those who were given the Book before thee, for thou shalt never succeed through thy knowledge on the Day of Resurrection unless thou workest for God in His new Manifestation as He willeth and commandeth thee. Verily, He is the All-Wise, the Subtle.

Bab 6: Asbab

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Causative, the Most Causative.

There is no God but He, the Most Causative, the Most Causative. Say: God is more causative than any possessor of causes. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape from the dominion of His Cause. Verily, He hath ever been the Causer of causes. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down in adoration unto Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Sovereignty, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Rule and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He Who possesseth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily God createth the cause and maketh it to be within His grasp, whomsoever He willeth of His servants. Will ye not then see? Say: Verily God causeth all things through His command. His is the creation and the command. There is none other God but He, the Most Great, the Most Exalted.

Say: Verily God maketh to flow for you the causes—the causes of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. Is there any god besides God who is able to create anything? Say: Glorified be God, exalted above what they mention. Say: Verily God is the Causer of every cause. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His command. He is indeed the Powerful, the Mighty, the Sovereign. Say: Verily God causeth the causes to flow without a cause and createth them anew even as He created them the first time. All are subservient unto Him, all worship Him. Say: Verily everything within its bounds is a cause for the creation of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, but ye do not perceive. Were it not for the ink whose splendor…[nothing would exist. How then do ye acquire what is ordained in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them?

And by this ye preserve the measures of your religion until the Day of Resurrection.] Say: Verily God loveth to make all that is on earth into one order, all ascending to the dawning-place of oneness and appearing from the horizon of oneness, that ye may on the Day of Resurrection believe in and be assured of Him Whom God shall make manifest. None hath been seen like unto Him in the heavens or on earth or in whatsoever lieth between them. Nothing can be likened unto Him, and verily He is the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. None hath been seen to resemble Him in the heavens or on earth or in whatsoever lieth between them. Nothing can be likened unto Him, and verily He is the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Glorified be God, the Lord of dominion and the kingdom, and glorified be God, the Lord of might and sovereignty, and glorified be God, the Lord of power and divinity, and glorified be God, the Lord of countenance and beauty, and glorified be God, the Lord of the face and perfection, and glorified be God, the Lord of might and action, and glorified be God, the Lord of mercy and bounty, and glorified be God, the Lord of authority and justice, and glorified be God, the Lord of similitude and examples, and glorified be God, the Lord of stations and majesty, and glorified be God, the Lord of grandeur and independence, and glorified be God, the Lord of glory and transcendence, and glorified be God, the Lord of might and inaccessibility, and glorified be God, the Lord of power and exaltation, and glorified be God, the Lord of joy and gladness, and glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and might, and glorified be God, the Lord of magnificent bounties, and glorified be God, the Lord of supreme examples, and glorified be God, the Lord of […] the eternal, and glorified be God, the Lord of noble stations, and glorified be God, the Lord of gracious stations, and glorified be God, the Lord of ancient dawning-places, and glorified be God, the Lord of glorious setting-places, and glorified be God, the Lord of the most high example.

He is the One Who created all things by His command. There is none other God but He, the Great, the Most Exalted, Who giveth life and causes death, and verily there is no God but Him, the One, the Majestic. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lies between them. There is no God but Him, the One, the Beautiful.

Say: Who created the Bayan, if ye but knew? Say: God is the Creator of every cause without a cause, if ye but observe in the Primal Will. Say: Verily God creates all things through a cause, if ye but observe in the creation of all things through the Primal Will. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: God gives life and causes death, and unto Him shall all return. Say: He is the Subduer over His creation, and He is the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Say: He is the Manifest over His servants, and He is the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Ye are like unto lions, raising your voices in the path of Him Whom God shall make manifest against those who believe not in your Lord and then in His proof, and ye stand firm like mountains. Say: God hath created you like unto lions that ye may cause all on earth to tremble in the path of Him Whom God shall make manifest, yet there ye prostrate yourselves like ants about to be seized.

There all majesty equals not what passes through a gnat’s wing, and We verily seek forgiveness for this with a mighty forgiveness. Say: There all grandeur equals not what passes through what passes from the passing of a gnat, and We verily seek God’s forgiveness for this with a mighty forgiveness.

Then before Him Whom God shall make manifest ye shall arise thus, and unto Him Whom He shall make manifest ye shall prostrate thus. But for others ye become as fearsome lions and swift runners. Thus doth God desire to train those who are in the Bayan, not like the sanctified ones who weep and make mention in their chambers night and day.

Say: If ye were truthful in your weeping and your mention, how is it that God hath manifested the One ye mention, yet ye weep not for Him? The year of Ha hath passed, while ye remain in your chambers, delighting in what ye possess. Fear ye God and enter into God’s religion with truth, and fear ye God and enter into God’s religion with sincerity.

God created you and whatsoever ye do. God provides for you and whatsoever ye possess. Can any besides God truly possess anything? Say: Glorified be God above what they describe. Every kingdom belongs to Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all are mindful of Him. He it is Who gives life and causes death, and unto Him shall all be turned.

His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Fearsome Lion.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Causative, the Most Causative.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I and all things bear witness that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the might of the Empyrean, Thine is the power and the realm of divinity, Thine is the strength and the precious ruby, Thine is the sovereignty and the human realm, Thine is the majesty and the glory, Thine is the countenance and the beauty, Thine is the face and the perfection, Thine is the might and the action, Thine is the similitude and all parables, Thine is the station and all grandeur, Thine is the mercy and the bounty, Thine is the dominion and justice, Thine is the awe and the radiance, Thine is the glory and the invincibility, Thine is the power and the exaltation, Thine is the sovereignty and the omnipotence, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, ever-living, all-sustaining, a sovereign, supreme, holy, everlasting, eternal, self-dependent, transcendent, and inaccessible. Thou hast never taken unto Thyself a consort nor a son, and there hath been no partner for Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power Thou hast created all things and ordained them according to a measure. By Thy will Thou hast fashioned all things and formed them according to a design. Thou hast ever created all causes through their means and hast ordained the measures of all things according to what is in them and upon them. I testify that Thou art the Cause of all causes, uncaused by any cause, and the Determiner of all destinies, undetermined by any destiny. For in every Dispensation, in the Manifestation of Thine Own Self, this mystery shineth forth and this remembrance beameth bright. Glorified and exalted art Thou!

Thine are the most excellent names from time immemorial unto time everlasting, and Thine are the most sublime examples in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. O my God! Do Thou regard the causes of all things for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, through what He hath created or shall create, by the sovereignty of Thy might, the dominion of Thy sanctity, the transcendence of Thine eternity, the power of Thy oneness, and the majesty of Thy glory. Thou art exalted above all through the sublimity of Thy Lordship and the supremacy of Thy sovereignty. For Thou art the Creator of all things without their thingness, and the Fashioner of their reality without limitation. How wondrous is Thy handiwork in the realm of Lordship, and how subtle Thy creation in the kingdom of sovereignty! Thou hast created the heavens without pillars upon the waters of praise, and Thou hast created all things as Thou didst please through Thy power.

Thou hast ever been supreme over all contingent beings, manifest above all existing things, mighty over all created things, exalted above all atoms, sanctified above all who dwell in the kingdom of earth and heaven, transcendent above all who inhabit the realm of names and attributes, and sovereign over all that Thou hast created and brought into being through the sublime letters. How great is Thy craftsmanship, O Lord of might and majesty! How subtle is Thy handiwork, O Lord of beauty and glory! Cause Thou a cause for us from the treasuries of Thy mystery, and ordain for us a destiny from the storehouses of Thy grace. For verily Thou knowest what is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and Thou dost overshadow by Thy power all who dwell in the kingdom of command and creation and whatsoever lieth beneath them. Thou givest life and death, then death and life.

Verily Thou wert existing before all things, and shalt exist after all things, and art supreme above all things, and art the Creator of all things, and art established over the reality of all things. Never shall Thy wonders cease to be, nor Thy bounties be numbered. Thou givest life and causeth death, then givest death and life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Causative, the Most Causative.

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and raised Himself in His elevation above all atoms, and sanctified Himself in His sanctity above all created things, and empowered Himself in His might above all existing things, and established His sovereignty in His dominion above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He beareth witness, and all His creation beareth witness, that there is no God but Him, the One, the Supreme Cause, and whensoever a thing desireth to be the cause of something, and the means of that thing be not within its power except through that lofty discourse and exalted verse, God shall cause the means of that thing to flow unto it and shall gladden its eyes with whatsoever it desireth of those means. Verily He, exalted and glorified be He, hath ever been powerful over all things, encompassing all things, elevated above all things, and sanctified beyond all things. Not an atom escapeth His knowledge.

He heareth those who call upon Him and answereth the prayers of those who turn unto Him through His most excellent names. Naught in all the kingdoms of Command and Creation and whatsoever lieth between them can frustrate Him. Through His power He hath ever held sovereignty over all atoms, and through His knowledge encompassed all that dwelleth in the kingdoms of earth and heaven.

Bear thou witness, after that Cause that is the Causer of causes and that Sovereign Who ruleth over all attributes, that God hath chosen for His Reality all things, and its essence is an impregnable substance, its abstraction sublime, its camphor resplendent, its pristine nature fresh, and its essential nature ethereal. Then did shine forth and beam and rise and spread abroad that which was manifested unto it through itself, whereupon the heaven and earth of all things were filled with the testimony that there is none other God but Him. He hath made the Point of the Bayan the cause of all things that have been and shall be created, and through Him hath He created the means of all things as He willeth and according to His desire.

Turn ye therefore unto Him through that Most Mighty, Most Ancient Cause, then unto the Sources of Primal Unity Most Exalted, then unto those who in that Night that is not night are guided and informed that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Most Supreme Cause

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Causative, the Most Causative.

Praise be to God, beside Whom there is none other God, the Most Supreme, Most Supreme Cause. And verily the Glory of God rest upon the First Unity and upon them that resemble that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity.

I testify that God, glorified be He, createth all things through a cause, and createth the cause through Himself. By the cause is meant the Primal Will, and by what is created through the cause is meant the conditions of that cause until the appearance of the end. When thou desirest something, look not to the means and the cause, but rather look to God Who created all things through the cause and created the cause without a cause. For this is the glory of unity and the sanctity of abstraction in the innermost sanctuary of the uniqueness of distinction and the essence of the uniqueness of praise. Yet be not veiled from the means, for God hath created all things and placed within them an effect. The dependence of all things upon all things is like the dependence of all things upon all things.

For example, if thou desirest to write and thou puttest in place of ink the elixir of red, thou wilt not achieve the effect thou desirest, and likewise if thou puttest ink in place of the red elixir, thou wilt not achieve the effect thou desirest. Verily God createth all things through their means, and He causeth all means to flow through their channels. When thou prayest to God for any need, look unto its means and seek to attract it through its means, for God will grant thee this, albeit through its means. Look not unto the means nor the cause, but rather unto the Causer of causes, Who operateth not through means but Who causeth the means to operate through their channels. For if thou shouldst seclude thyself in a place and pray to God for that which thou desirest—God indeed knoweth thy desire and is able to fulfill it for thee by inspiring in the heart of a servant to come unto thee and grant thy request. But God hath not made this the measure for His servants.

Rather, He hath given them knowledge and thought, and hath shown them the means to all things. Therefore seek all things through their means, and look unto none but God, for all means exist by God’s command. And invoke God in all things through all things, for ye know not the circumstances of your affairs. Perchance the means may appear unto you, yet God hath not perfected them, so trust not in means, for death is in God’s hands—He sendeth it down upon whomsoever He willeth, and from this ye are not secure.

Bab 8: A’qab

And it hath four stations. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Consequential, the Most Consequential.

There is no God but He, the Most Consequential, the Most Consequential. Say: God is more consequential than every consequential one possessed of consequences. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them can escape from the dominion of His consequential authority. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been consequential in His consequences.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorifieth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Sapphire, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily your Lord shall advance you and hold you back, shall manifest you and conceal you, and shall show you the consequences of what hath been sent down from His presence, that ye may be assured of God’s signs on the Day of Resurrection. That was the Night of Independence. We were indeed mindful of our Lord, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, Lord of all things, Lord of the seen and the unseen, Lord of the worlds.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and then upon the exponents of His Cause in the realm of sovereignty and dominion.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in might and grandeur.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in power and divinity.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in strength and glory.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in sovereignty and the human realm.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in honor and majesty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in countenance and beauty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in likeness and similitude.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in station and glory.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in strength and deed.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in mercy and bounty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in authority and justice.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in dominion and sovereignty.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in rule and authority.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in might and invincibility.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon the exponents of His Cause in power and exaltation.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Bestow Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon those who proclaim His Cause with joy and gladness.

Glory be unto Thee! Send down Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection, and upon those who proclaim His Cause with sovereignty and power.

That which hath been revealed from on high hath been presented before God, thy Lord, and verily We have been among those who hearken. Say: Praise be to God Who hath guided us in the Bayan unto the path of certain truth. This cannot be equaled by whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and all that lies between them. This, verily, is the supreme bounty.

That which thou hast mentioned concerning the letters of the Bismillah from aforetime in the Furqan—all have believed in them. Therefore make mention of Muhammad in the Point, then the witnesses of His Self, then the Most Glorious Leaf, then the Gates of the Quarters in the first Occultation, then the mention of thy Lord’s Name, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. We shall indeed give thee the Balance of Guidance that thou mayest be among the guided ones in the days of God.

The likeness of the Letters of the Unity is as the likeness of those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest before all others believe, and whosoever believeth in Him is a Letter of Truth, and they shall be remembered before their Lord for their precedence in faith. And that which thou hast mentioned concerning the Letters of the Living—after the Point they are all of the number of Unity. Naught can be seen in all of that save the Primal Unity, all standing firm by God’s command from His presence.

And concerning what thou hast mentioned about the Unity of the Bayan—there existed no manifest proof upon the earth during the manifestation of the Point besides these who all stood firm. Was there in the days of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, any proof besides Him? Say: Glory be to God above what they mention! Verily, all those whom Muhammad commanded to love and obey in His days were proofs from Muhammad, as He had mentioned them from God. Ye shall witness in the days of God hereafter even as was ordained aforetime.

Those who knew God, thy Lord, before all others who know—these are they whom God hath mentioned in the Book and commanded you to love. O all things! Ye shall surely love them. Among them are some who have fulfilled their love and some who wait, and all return unto God their Lord. When the Sun shineth forth, ye are commanded only to obey it. Thereafter ye shall witness what is ordained for you.

Should God wish, He would establish for you, and should He wish, He would command you through true witnesses from His presence. God ordaineth what He pleaseth and decreeth what He willeth. How many Messengers have We sent down from Our presence to the worlds, and how many servants have We mentioned with mighty and glorious mention! All are remembered within their bounds and all are praised in their stations of remembrance.

Blessed are they who follow the Seven Letters from Our presence and who believe in the mention of the All-Merciful. Know ye therefore the measure of what is mentioned in those days of your Lord, for this is of God’s bounty unto you, that ye might be thankful. God shall soon reveal unto His servants that which they cannot comprehend in knowledge, that they might give thanks in the days of their Lord. Say: The names of those who have believed in the Point are, in number, first equal to the number of the name of the Manifestation, and last equal to the number of the name of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Beloved. Ye shall in that Day be remembered through their love. Through that First Unity hath God created all numbers, as ye are guided by God’s guidance. The likeness of the First Unity is as mirrors facing the Sun of Heaven, and those that face after it do face thereby. All that thou seest in the Bayan are mirrors, for they believe in God and His signs.

Remember thou one who writeth God’s verses before Him, for that is what thou art commanded to love. Say: All such as these are mentioned in God’s Book. And verily what thou hast mentioned about the seat of the Gate, after God had raised him unto Himself—ye cannot comprehend it save on the Day of Resurrection. Those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest—that is His seat, as ye shall there behold. Set no limits to God’s Cause, for if God should choose infinite numbers, all are chosen by God’s command, and if He should choose praiseworthy numbers, all are chosen by God’s command, and if He should enumerate the Cause, they are chosen by God’s command. All guide unto thy Lord, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, and all are names of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Beloved.

The first ones hath God brought before Him by His command and made them know Himself, and when God said unto them: “Am I not your Lord and the Lord of all things?” they replied: “Yea, and by our Lord, the Merciful, we all believe in Thee and in Thy signs.” Glory be unto Thee, O God! There is no God but Thee. Thou hast sent down Thy verses upon Thy servant. We all believe in Thee and in Thy signs from him whom Thou hast chosen for Thy Cause. Behold how many Bismillahs We are revealing—for each letter a temple, nay, according to the number of letters of each one of them, all in the Book guiding unto the truth that there is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Consider how in the mention of the name of the name Majid, how God hath subjected under its shadow four hundred thousand numbers, and if it were not guiding unto God, the Lord of the worlds, were such numbers of temples to be under the shadow of the letters of any of God’s creation, how then should they be under the shadow of the name of thy Lord, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting? Were all on earth to gather under the shadow of the Point, it would encompass all that through His command. Set no limits to God’s Cause. Consider how many in Islam have taken shelter under Muhammad’s shadow. This is what a single point of the letters beareth. Ye look unto the loftiness of God’s Cause. Remember ye a pure leaf—they said she had believed in God and His signs among the first numbers, as she had believed in God and His signs when she said: “Yea, I am assured of God and His signs.” On the Day of Resurrection there shall be no ties of kinship between you—ye shall be judged by your faith.

Reflect ye on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest—those who believe in Him in the numbers of Unity, these are mentioned in God’s Book. Should He wish, He would make them the First Unity, and should He choose, He would select from among His friends the number of the Unity. Say: all stand ready at God’s bidding, and we all beseech God’s grace. Say: Glory be unto Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, then upon the numbers of the Living One in whom they believe, then upon those who follow these numbers, they who believe in God and His verses through His Proof. Verily the Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs and the believers are all alive in the presence of God, and they believe in that which God hath revealed in the Bayan. And verily, when God hath made Himself known unto thee, inquire not concerning those who are brought into being by His command, for they, by the bidding of God, do abide in their ordained stations.

And when the sun sets, behold those who judge by what was revealed in the Bayan, that ye may be guided. These are they who follow naught but the knowledge of truth, and in their testimony they do not speak vainly. They say not “This is what our souls perceive,” but rather “This is what was revealed in the Bayan.” God hath made our religion spacious for us and hath made clear to us the measure of all things. We are all His worshippers.

And concerning what thou didst mention about the Return, verily We are the Answerers. All the numbers of the Unity have returned through the manifestation of the Point, for all return unto It. That is the gathering place of all gatherings, and ye all bear witness to the Primal Unity, then ye are convinced of Its manifestations by His command. And concerning what thou didst mention about the praised numbers returning as one number—yea, God thy Lord shall cause them to return and shall raise them up. Yea, by thy Lord, the All-Protecting! This is like what Muhammad said aforetime: “Verily I am all the Prophets,” and then “all the Successors,” and what was mentioned from His presence. But ye look to the mystery of the Cause.

In every Revelation, when that which ye manifest appears greater in your eyes, therefore He Whom God shall make manifest will announce to you afterwards the names of what appeared before, if ye would but reflect. That future abode is greater than the first life, and its people are greater, if ye would bear witness to the truth. On the day when God raised up Muhammad, the people in their own eyes greatly magnified Jesus. Therefore He informed them of His mention of Himself, and likewise before Jesus in Moses, and thus do ye witness until the wondrous First Day.

The example of the Sun of Truth is like the sun in the heaven—were God to cause it to rise without limit, ye would still witness but one sun. Likewise its radiance, which is the Command of the Sun of Manifestation—in all dispensations ye witness one Command. However, Its manifestations differ, and ye magnify what appears in your own dispensation. Therefore, all that appears afterwards mentions to you the names of His Self that came before, that perchance ye may magnify the Cause of God.

If We willed, We would raise up all the Prophets from a single soul—verily We are powerful over that. And if We willed, We would raise up all the martyrs from a single soul—verily We are powerful over that. And if We willed, We would raise up all the believers from a single soul—verily We are powerful over that. Say: By what command do the Prophets stand? Then by what command do the Successors stand? Then by what command do the martyrs stand? Then by what command do the believers stand? Say: All stand by God’s command from the presence of the Sun of Truth, and these are the physical signs from God in Its grasp. Do ye not see?

And likewise in the shadow, if We willed, We would raise up all the letters of negation in one letter—ye would utterly destroy that letter. And if We willed, We would multiply that—ye would seek refuge with God your Lord. And the negation of every soul facing it—ye all witness within its bounds. The negation of whomsoever is upon the earth is in relation to him who opposeth him without right, as ye all within your bounds do witness. And verily, the negation of him who opposeth the Point of Truth is other than the negation of him who opposeth the numbers of the First Unity, if ye be of them that truly witness. And verily, the negation of those who have believed, each according to their degree—if there be in the East of the earth two weak women, one of whom hath believed in what was revealed in the Bayan and the other hath not believed in the verses of her Lord, then verily she is a negation in relation to herself, as ye all within your bounds do witness.

And perchance there may be a negation in relation to affirmative numbers, or an affirmation of one in relation to negative numbers, as ye all within your bounds do witness. And verily, the believers and others in every Dispensation—perchance one may believe in the Cause of his Lord through him whom God hath chosen, but all are possessed of human form upon the earth, and all are believers in what God hath ordained for them in their religion. Is there aught that doth not glorify God, its Lord? Say: Glory be to God, exalted be His majesty! All do glorify their Lord with praise, and all act for God, their Lord. Know ye that those who act in the First Manifestation, if they enter not into the Later Manifestation, God will render them and their deeds as dust. Say: O all things! Guard yourselves against this. And verily, what I have mentioned concerning the Gate of Guidance—all call unto God their Lord in the Bayan, and these are they who do good.

And verily, some are exalted above others in their guidance and their piety in the Book of God, and all shall attain until the Day of Resurrection. On that Day, if ye believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, these are they who shall receive a double reward, but if not, their deeds shall be rendered void before their Lord and they shall not be helped. And verily, what I have mentioned concerning the letters of “In the Name of God, the Most Luminous, the Most Luminous,” and concerning the numbers of the Unity, and concerning the numbers of the Living after the Point, and concerning those who have preceded in the Cause of their Lord—all are proofs of God that there is no God but Him, the One, the Sovereign. I have informed thee concerning the name of creation and what numberless multitudes take shelter beneath its shade—how then could numbers suffice for those who take shelter beneath the names of thy Lord, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting?

We commanded thee only to love the First Unity, then all who are in the Bayan as believers—love them in the religion of God and bear witness that they are guided by the guidance of the First One. These are they who have tasted in the holy gardens from the gardens of His verses before those who would taste, and for all are degrees with their Lord, and all are devoutly obedient unto Him. And verily, after the number of Unity, the numbers of thy Lord’s proofs cannot be counted, and God shall fill the whole earth with the numbers of the Bayan, for He is powerful over all things. Say: Weaken not yourselves in your religion, but be like mountains which none with wings can surmount due to your loftiness, for this is how ye shall be elevated on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, from the first year of the Bayan it was mentioned that ye shall reckon the fifth day of the first Jim of your month as the first of eternal years.

Then shall ye count each month, and thereafter ye shall decrease what exceeds, counting nineteen days in each month and nineteen months in each year, and in each cycle three hundred and sixty plus one—thus shall ye reckon. Be not guided by the rising of the moon, nor by what ye calculate by the sun. We have ordained for you that wherein ye differed, that ye may be grateful in God’s religion. Yet at the beginning of each month, facing the moon, ye shall say:

“Verily the glory from God be upon thee, O thou luminous Moon, in every time, and before time, and after time.”

And verily there hath been mentioned one whose name equateth in number the name of the beloved Qaim. Say: preserve this with thee, and if thou art able, manifest through it a trace in the world in the path of mentioning the name of thy Lord, the Other, against him who without right hath grown proud against Him. This is of God’s bounty unto thee and unto the God-fearing.

Fear ye God, your Lord, in your journey and your dwelling, then upon God, your Lord, shall ye rely. Then in God’s days, by night and by day, shall ye glorify Him. And verily this is like… a measure from the gardens when it taketh its essence becoming a measure of beloved perfume. Thus doth He show you the resurrection of a thousand in one, and above that like that, and below this like this, if ye bear true witness. And verily this is a tradition which ye mention: Whoso desireth to behold the countenance of Adam unto Muhammad, let him behold the countenance of Muhammad Mahdi, the true, the beloved. Likewise, whoso desireth to behold His countenance—every believer from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end—let him behold the countenance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, for the glory of all is in Him. Say: Glorified be God above that with a mighty glorification. Say: This is the Face of God and all else is His creation, and all are worshippers of Him.

Bab 9: Artab

And it hath four stations. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Ordaining of ordainers.

Say: God is more ordaining than any ordainer. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can withstand the power of the King, the Sovereign of His ordinance. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been the Ordainer, the Most Ordaining, the Supreme Ordainer. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoted to Him. God testifieth that there is no God but Him. All praise, majesty and dominion, then glory and grandeur, then power and divinity, then might and magnificence, then sovereignty and the human realm, are His.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, a King Who fadeth not, a Justice without limits, a Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Verily He shall send down from His presence the measure of all things by His command “Be,” and it is. God beareth witness that there is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

This Book containeth the grief of one who hath been raised unto God, his Lord, a remembrance from His presence. Verily there is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God will surely console thee with goodly consolation, for he hath attained unto the presence of his Lord and was a beauteous light. Say: This is from God’s grace upon him and upon those who have ascended unto God their Lord. Blessed are they and that which they shall attain from their Lord. They are now in Paradise, reclining upon their couches, having before them whatsoever their souls desire, and God increaseth for them from His presence. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Verily I am God, there is none other God but I, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious. I created thee, sustained thee, caused thee to die, loved thee, and made thee a sign for those who profess the unity of God.

Therefore abide thou in tranquility from God’s presence, and be patient in thy Lord’s path with beauteous patience, and cherish what hath been given thee from His presence, for this is a mighty remembrance. We have raised it to the highest horizon, We have mentioned it in the Garden of Refuge, We have made it the Primary Letters, and We have ordained for it what We willed in the Hereafter and the first life. This is from God’s grace upon him and upon thee and upon those who are related to you both, a bounty from His presence. Verily He is the Most High, the Most Great. The heavens are nigh to being rent asunder, the earth to being cleft, and the mountains to falling in ruins, by reason of what hath been decreed for those of old and those of latter times. Therefore be tranquil, O all things, then be patient, for they have attained unto the presence of their Lord and they rejoice in their stations in Paradise.

And when ye remember what hath been decreed for them, We shall surely give you double what hath been ordained for you—ye, O all things, shall attain unto this bounty. Say: Verily He Who created him before hath ordained his elevation. We were indeed submissive unto Him. We are all from God and we all begin from God. We are all for God and unto Him do we all return. Blessed is he whom God, thy Lord, hath joined, and she who is thy sister—both being of the letters, and the first of whom is inscribed in the Mother Book—let her find repose in God Who hath created her, for all find their rest in God. Let her be patient through God Who hath provided for her, for all are patient through God. Let her remember her Lord, for all are mindful of Him. Let her worship her Lord at all times, before all times and after all times, for God shall unite her with Him in the life to come, in the most exalted Paradise near the mighty throne.

God, thy Lord, shall grant thee that which shall gladden thy heart, for He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

Say: Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through dominion and the Kingdom. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through might and power. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through authority and divinity. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through strength and sublimity. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through sovereignty and the human realm. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through glory and majesty. Glory be to Thee, O God!

Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through countenance and beauty. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through the face and perfection. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through power and action. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through mercy and bounty. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through sovereignty and justice. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through similitude and parables. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through station and grandeur.

Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through dominion and sovereignty. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through authority and dominion. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through might and exaltation. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through gladness and joy. Glory be to Thee, O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Exponents of His Cause through sovereignty and power.

From the time when God first created all things until this moment, no such consolation hath been sent down from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Indeed, a single letter thereof is worth more than all that is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. And God is mighty, well-beloved.

Recite ye the verses of God by night and by day, for this is the supreme bounty. Look ye unto that which hath been sent down from God, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.

Verily in the Bayan is that through which ye shall find repose, and in the Bayan is that through which ye shall be glorified, and in the Bayan is that through which ye shall be adorned, and in the Bayan is that through which ye shall be magnified, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall gain knowledge, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall be illumined, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall be strengthened, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall gain dominion, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall gain sovereignty, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall gain wisdom, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall gain power, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall be purified, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall find relief, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall gain patience, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall glorify God, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall sanctify yourselves, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall offer praise, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall proclaim His unity, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall magnify Him, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall be freed from all sorrow, and in the Bayan is that whereby ye shall attain unto all good.

God hath sent down therein the detailed exposition of all things as a guidance and a reminder unto all the worlds. There is nothing that He hath created or will create but its mention and explanation hath been revealed therein in the most perfect manner that ye could desire, wherein ye may find full exposition. But they who have been given knowledge from God—these are they who understand; and they who have not been given knowledge from God—these are they who comprehend not the import of what We have revealed therein, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall not return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in truth.

Say: God hath created naught but that ye should worship Him and be assured of His signs. This is the essence of your knowledge in your beginning and your end, in all your conditions of negation and affirmation, if ye bear witness unto the truth. Say: All this shall God cause to return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. Do ye not, then, believe in the signs of God?

Give thanks, therefore, unto God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, for having guided you unto the true Faith wherein ye shall not differ. Ye have heard in the tradition how the Angel of Truth proclaimeth from God: “Verily, the truth is with your Qa’im,” and all hear that voice. He Who calleth you unto God—all know that He calleth unto God, the True One, and all hear His voice. Then through the shadow upon shadow in the shadow do ye seek guidance.

He loveth not that ye should be mentioned by them that believe not in God and His signs, and God will assuredly seize them by His command. Verily, He is the Subduer, the Mighty. His is all that is in the heavens and on earth and all that is between them, and He is the Most High, the Most Great. He it is Who created you and whatsoever ye do, and He it is Who nourished you in your mothers’ wombs, fashioning you according to His will as He pleaseth by His command. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. He it is Who fashioneth the pearls in their shells in the depths of the sea. Will ye not, then, believe in the signs of God? He it is Who hath made subject unto His command the sun and the moon and the stars. His, verily, is all creation and authority, both aforetime and hereafter. There is no God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

He it is Who sendeth down water from the heaven in such measure as He hath ordained, wherewith ye till the earth and from which ye drink. This is a bounty from God unto you, that ye might be thankful. He it is Who hath made the heaven to be above you and the earth beneath your feet, that ye might work for God, your Lord. He it is Who hath sent down the Book in truth, that ye might be guided by the signs of God. He it is Who showeth you His signs—will ye not then glorify Him? Say: Glorified be God, the Lord of dominion and kingdom! Glorified be God, the Lord of might and power! Glorified be God, the Lord of strength and divinity! Glorified be God, the Lord of force and majesty! Glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and the world of nature! Glorified be God, the Lord of glory and grandeur! Glorified be God, the Lord of countenance and beauty! Glorified be He, the Lord of face and perfection! Glorified be God, the Lord of similitude and example!

Glorified be God, the Lord of station and sublimity! Glorified be God, the Lord of greatness and independence! Glorified be God, the Lord of majesty and transcendence! Glorified be God, the Lord of might and inaccessibility! Glorified be God, the Lord of power and exaltation! Glorified be God, Who is the Lord of gladness and joy! Glorified be He, the Lord of authority and elevation! He it is before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Great, the Most High. He it is Whom all glorify who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the One, the Most Glorious. Unto God belongeth the splendor of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most resplendent of the resplendent. Unto God belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most grand of the grand.

Unto God belongeth the beauty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most beautiful of the beautiful. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most majestic of the majestic. Unto God belongeth the light of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most luminous of the luminous. Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most merciful of the merciful. Unto God belong the words of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most wise of the wise. Unto God belong the names of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the greatest of the great. Unto God belongeth the might of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the mightiest of the mighty.

Unto God belongeth the knowledge of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the most knowing of the knowing. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Almighty. Unto God belongeth the good-pleasure of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Well-Pleased, the All-Pleasing, the Most Pleasing. Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Loving, the Most Loving, the Best-Beloved. Unto God belongeth the honor of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Honorable, the All-Honoring, the Most Noble. Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Supreme Ruler, the Sovereign, the Most Powerful.

Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Lord of All, the Supreme Master, the King. Unto God belongeth the loftiness of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Exalted, the All-High, the Most High.

They who recite these verses by night and by day, God will surely grant them the good of the hereafter and of this world, from His presence. Verily, He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Excellent. These are verses of the number of Unity. When ye hear them with spirit and joy, ye shall acknowledge them, through them ye shall comprehend all glory, through them ye shall possess all good. This is of God’s grace unto them that are in the Bayan and are assured of God and His signs.

Unto Him submit whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All shall return unto Him. Before Him prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and all are turned unto God. Say: In His hand is the kingdom of all things, if ye but knew it. Say: In God’s hand, Who created the heavens and the earth by His command “Be!” and it is. God giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. He it is Who originateth the creation of all things. His is the most sublime similitude in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

Unto God belongeth the love of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are drawn by Him. Unto God belongeth the right hand of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: Through Him do they love, through God’s grace do they comprehend. Unto God belong the circles of might in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: Through them are all made mighty. Unto God belongeth the mercy of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: Through it shall all be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Unto God belongeth the grace of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: Through it do all give thanks. Unto God belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: Through it do ye appear upon the earth. Unto God belongeth the command of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them.

Say: All shall return unto God their Lord.

And whenever ye are grieved by aught, say:

“Sufficient unto us is God Who hath created us, and in God let the faithful put their trust.”

Then shall ye return with God’s blessing and grace, untouched by what could grieve you, and God shall be pleased with what pleaseth you from His presence. Verily, He hath power over all things. This is of God’s grace unto whosoever is in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Verily, He is knowing of all things. Say: Who initiated the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them, and Who will cause them to return? They will surely answer: God. Say: How then do ye fail to believe in Him upon Whom God hath sent down His verses? Say: Whoso is guided, is guided for his own sake, and whoso remaineth veiled, remaineth so to his own loss. And God is wholly independent of all the worlds.

Bab 10: AnZam

And it hath four stations. The first station of the first is:

In the Name of God, the Most Orderly, the Most Orderly.

There is no God but He, the Most Orderly, the Most Orderly. Say: God is more orderly than any possessor of order. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can escape the sovereignty of His command. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the Ordainer, the Orderly, the All-Perfect.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down in adoration unto Him. And praise be to God, unto Whom offer praise all who are in the heavens and who are on earth. Say: All stand obedient before Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Omnipotent, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Who created the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, if ye have knowledge? They will surely answer. Say: How then do ye not believe in Him upon Whom God hath sent down His verses? Say: Unto Whom belongeth all that is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them, if ye bear witness? They will surely answer: God. Say: How then do ye not attain certitude in Him upon Whom God hath sent down His verses? And how do ye seek to prevent what God hath ordained for Him from His presence?

Say: Ye know not your beginning nor your end, else ye would not have remained veiled in the days of God. Say: We have indeed originated you and your religion aforetime, but on that day ye knew it not. That is the Day of Resurrection, but ye fail to witness it. Say: Ye have no way in your religion except that when ye hear the verses of God ye should attain certitude through them by means of five proofs that were decreed aforetime in the Book and are with those endowed with knowledge. Will ye not then remember?

It hath been revealed in the Qur’an that none but God can bring forth a verse. How then do ye, after hearing and beholding these verses by God’s command, fail to attain certitude, though ye profess belief in that which God hath revealed aforetime. Were such utterance possible to any besides Him, wherefore in all the years from the revelation of the Qur’an until the year of deprivation have ye witnessed no sign from any soul? Say: Nay, by God! Who besides God could reveal a single verse? Yet ye remain veiled from that which God hath willed. Say: God proved His religion of Muhammad in the Qur’an only through your inability to produce verses like unto it, if ye be of the truthful. How is it ye bring not forth a verse, and after witnessing your own powerlessness, how is it ye believe not? Say: Should all who dwell on earth gather together to produce the like of a single verse We have sent down in this Book, they would fail and prove powerless, even were they the most learned among men.

Say: If ye doubt this, then bring forth a verse—yet ye cannot and are powerless, even were ye the most capable on earth. Thus doth God demonstrate your impotence and establish His verses in the Book for those endowed with knowledge who believe in God and His signs. Say: If ye claim one proof sufficeth not, how is it ye believe not in what God revealed aforetime in the Surih of the Spider? This was sent down by God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. “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.” If ye believed in this before, then upon hearing God’s verses ye would now believe in truth. Say: These verses are greater than the verses of all the Prophets combined. Were God’s verses in the Qur’an not greater, He would not have abrogated through them what was revealed to previous Prophets of their religion. Yet ye reflect not upon God’s verses nor wish to be guided.

Say: When one desires to enter your religion, how do ye prove it? Have ye any proof besides the Qur’an? Little do ye remember! When all that ye relate and claim that none who wishes to enter your religion shall be heard except he witness a manifest proof that renders all the world powerless—yet God’s proof is the Qur’an, before which all are powerless. Through it did God establish the religion of Islam before, and through it did He manifest the succession of those who were witnesses after the Messenger. Yet ye remain veiled from your beginning and your end. If ye say your proof through the Qur’an is incomplete for those who wish not to enter Islam, after it was perfected in the sight of God and those endowed with knowledge, how then will you, on that Day, fail to enter into the true religion through the Bayan? Say: We desire naught but to guide you, were you but believers in God’s signs.

Even as in your first life you were not among those endowed with knowledge who believed, after your death you shall surely witness that whereof you were warned. Fear ye God in the days of Truth, then be ye God-fearing. Verily, the example of the Truth is as the example of Muhammad’s appearance to those servants who were promised in the name of Ahmad. But when He came to them with clear proofs from their Lord, they remained expectant. Likewise were those who were promised Muhammad in the latter days, after God had sent down verses in truth, yet they await in vain. Say: This is the Day of Resurrection wherein you all shall be brought before God, your Lord, even as you turn away from your Lord’s proof. Some among you believe, while others believe not. From the beginning of your lives until their end you labored that God might be pleased with you, your Lord, that you might enter Paradise after death. But can His good-pleasure be manifested save through His Proof?

How then do you ponder upon your own creation while you observe night and day? Say: God is indeed independent of all that is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them, but ye are in need of God’s guidance. Unless God guide you, ye cannot guide yourselves. He who turns to the words of the true Imams—from him are ye veiled, though ye imagine yourselves sincere in your religion. Nay, by no means! Can one possessed of clear proof from his Lord, manifesting such verses as leave all worlds powerless, be compared to one who cannot produce the like thereof? Why do ye not reflect? Say: That which God revealed aforetime to Muhammad over twenty-three years—ye read it not in those days. Should God so will, He would reveal unto me in a day and night that which, if ye doubt, then come ye into God’s presence and bear witness. Say: Those who hear God’s verses on the first day are indeed tried.

Those who have believed in the Truth and were sincere for God’s sake—these are they who shall triumph with God. But those who heard God’s verses on the first day yet believed not in God’s Cause are like those beforetime who were given knowledge yet remained veiled from what God had revealed concerning their religion. We have explained their mention in their religion, for they cannot muster proofs of their faith unless they believe in God and His signs and are certain of the Truth. Thus have they no proof before their Lord save that they say: Glory be to Thee, O God! Forgive us and turn unto us, for Thou art the All-Forgiving, the Merciful. Thou art independent of all that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. They who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs—these are they upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy grace and whom Thou hast numbered among Thy guided servants.

Verily those who were veiled from meeting Thee on the Day of Resurrection, after what was revealed in the Furqan aforetime—these are they against whom Thy proof hath been completed. If Thou shouldst judge them with justice—verily Thou art the Most Just of the just. And if Thou shouldst forgive them through Thy grace—verily Thou art the Most Excellent of the excellent ones.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! Thou dost guide all who are in Islam unto the path of certain truth. Thou didst bring them forth aforetime through Thy command “Be!” and Thou wilt cause them to return unto Thee through Thy command. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Orderly of the Most Orderly

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Glory and the Might, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Sovereignty, Thine the Grandeur and the Majesty, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Similitudes, Thine the Stations and the Sublimity, Thine the Strength and the Action, Thine the Mercy and the Grace, Thine the Authority and the Justice, Thine the Greatness and the Independence, Thine the Pride and the Splendor, Thine the Might and the Invincibility, Thine the Power and the Exaltation, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been before all things, and wilt ever be after all things, and art the Creator of all things, and the Essence after all things. Not an atom escapeth Thy knowledge in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever lieth between them, nor is anything impossible for Thee in the Kingdom of Command or Creation or whatsoever lieth beneath them. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Powerful, Holy, Everlasting, Invincible, Transcendent, Exalted. Thou hast taken neither consort nor offspring, nor hast Thou any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Through Thy power Thou hast created all things and ordained them according to a measure. Through Thy will Thou hast fashioned all things and formed them according to a form.

Glory be unto Thee and exalted art Thou! Hallowed be all Thy names and exalted be Thy likenesses in all that pertaineth to them and is upon them. Thou dost ever give life and cause death, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever lieth between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.

Therefore, O God, send Thy blessings upon Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection with the signs of Thy power, with the Most Splendid of all Thy Splendors, the Most Majestic of all Thy majesty, the Most Beautiful of all Thy beauty, the Most Grand of all Thy grandeur, the Most Luminous of all Thy light, the Most Merciful of all Thy mercy, the Most Perfect of all Thy words, the Greatest of all Thy names, the Most Glorious of all Thy glory, the Most Potent of all Thy will, the Most Penetrating of all Thy knowledge, the Most Powerful of all Thy might, the Most Pleasing of all Thy utterance, the Most Noble of all Thy nobility, the Most Enduring of all Thy sovereignty, the Most Exalted of all Thy exaltation, the Most Generous of all Thy signs, and of all that Thou art in Thy names and attributes, that which befitteth the sublimity of Thy holiness, the elevation of Thy glory, the expansion of Thy mercy, the invincibility of Thy Word, and the joy of Thy creation.

Verily, Thou art the Munificent, the Kind, verily Thou art the Bestower, the Gracious.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Most Orderly of the Most Orderly

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His ascendancy above all contingent things, Who hath elevated Himself in His exaltation above all created things, Who hath made Himself invincible in His might above all existing things, Who hath manifested Himself in His revelation above all atoms, and Who hath demonstrated His power above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. All His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling.

He hath chosen an impregnable Essence, a resplendent Abstraction, a pristine Reality, an essential Camphor-like Nature, and an ornate Identity. Then He revealed Himself to it through it by itself and cast into its essence the likeness of its own being. Thus were His signs made manifest through it and His heavens and earth were filled thereby—verily there is none other God but Him, the One, the Luminous.

The creation of what He hath created hath returned by His command, and the creation of what He hath fashioned hath been originated by what He hath sent down in His Book. I praise Him with praise wherewith none of His creation hath praised Him, and I thank Him with thanks wherewith none of His servants hath thanked Him, for having made us recognize His Self on the day of His manifestation and guided us to His religion through the signs of His concealment.

Unto Him be praise—radiant praise shining forth from the horizon of sanctity and glory, and rising from the precincts of might and beauty—praise that filleth the heavens with the manifestations of His mercy and the earth with the wonders of His bounty, and all that lieth between them and beneath them, as befitteth the sublimity of His mighty glory and the exaltation of His august majesty, that all may testify that there is none other God but Him.

He hath sent down in the Bayan the measures of all things, verifying that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word, through whom He hath manifested whatsoever He hath willed of the paths of His Cause and the wonders of His remembrance, that all may testify that there is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Originating.

The Fourth in the Fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Orderly of the Most Orderly

Praise be to God, beside Whom there is none other God, the Most Orderly, the Most Orderly. And verily all glory from God be upon the Primal Unity and upon him who resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. And furthermore, I testify that God, glorified be He, hath ordained the ways of all things through the wondrous crafting of His wisdom and the ordering system of the kingdom of His power. Nothing is seen except that it, through its own essence, indicateth His transcendent oneness and exalted eternality. He hath ordained for all His creation wondrous systems in their transformation and formation, and none can reckon what He hath manifested of the systems of His wondrous creation and the crafting of His marvelous Command.

And thou, according to thy capacity in the balance of thy cause and the ordering of thy secret and manifest affairs in thy turning to God thy Lord, and what God hath manifested unto thee from His presence of the stations of His Cause and the manifestations of His grace—observe thou all things with the eye of truth. For in all existence there is but a single thread by which all are moved and stilled. This is the Command of God from the Manifestation of His Self in every Revelation, that thou shouldst not be veiled in a later Revelation by the former one, for that which is manifest in them is one Command from God, glorified be He.

Therefore, in every Revelation, He causeth the dwellers of the previous Revelation not to enter into the subsequent Revelation since it profiteth them not, and they are judged as being without truth. For the likeness of such creation is as mirrors, and the likeness of what appeareth in the Revelations is as the sun—were God to cause it to rise endlessly, it would still be one sun. Likewise, were God to manifest endlessly the Primary Manifestations from His presence, that which is manifest in them would be one Command.

Thus hath it been revealed in the tradition regarding the mention of the Proof:

“Whoso desireth to behold from Adam to the Seal, let him behold Him,”

for all stand by one Command, and that Command is with Him. Nay, the Command is more exalted and sublime in the view of one who looketh with the eye of unity, for such an observer seeth naught save the Face of God, and thus speaketh not of created limitations.

Similarly, perceive thou the shadow through the shadow, and seek assistance through God and His most beautiful Names, that thou mayest be, on the Day of Resurrection, among the believers. Remember thou God, thy Lord, in every moment, before every moment, and after every moment. And send thou blessings upon the guides of His Cause in every condition, before every condition, and after every condition.

Bab 11: Aktab

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Inscribed, the Most Inscribed.

There is no God but He, the Most Inscribed, the Most Inscribed. Say: God is more Inscribed than every possessor of Inscription. None in the heavens or the earth or what lieth between them can escape from the dominion of His supreme authority. He createth what He willeth by His Command. Verily, He hath ever been a Supreme Writer, writing supremely. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are humbly obedient unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the human realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God shall ordain the destinies of all things for you. Will ye not then be thankful? Say: That which the Tree of Truth writeth is that which God hath written for you. Will ye not then love to behold what God hath written? Say: That which He Whom God shall make manifest writeth is that which God, your Lord, writeth for you. Do ye not then believe with certainty in that which God had written for you before the creation of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them? Say: Yea, by our Lord, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting! We are believers in that which is written. There is no altering the command of God. This is what the Point of the Bayan hath written in His latter days, and verily we all believe in His beginning and His end.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a radiant portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection an illustrious portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a beauteous portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a mighty portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a luminous portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection an exalted portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a glorious portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection an impregnable portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God!

Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection an all-encompassing portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a well-pleasing portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection an authoritative portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a sovereign portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a gracious portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a transcendent portion. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Grant unto Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection a generous portion.

O ye who are the first-fruits of the Bayan! Ye should know that the training of your children is the greatest of your steps in your sight; for through this, on the Day of Resurrection, shall ye be exalted in the presence of your Lord. That which He Whom God shall make manifest writeth—this is the best of what all writers can write, nay, of what was written aforetime by all writers—according as it is ascribed unto His own Self, not according to that whereunto ye bear witness.

Say: God hath bestowed upon you knowledge and the art of writing; by these are ye ennobled, if ye write that which descendeth from His presence. Otherwise it is not meet for you to write from the Point from which God created you and traced your line, while ye are writing in the path of God. Whoso writeth a verse of the Bayan in the fairest script, well-pleasing, God shall cause him to enter Paradise of His bounty. Verily He is the All-Prevailing, the Best-Beloved.

Say: A Book from the Point of the First is not to be equalled by the books of all that are upon the earth. Ye should magnify the Book of God. If He Whom God shall make manifest write unto you, this is greater with God than that all who are upon the earth should write unto you. For all creation, in the sight of Him Whom God shall make manifest, is but a creation; and their writings are a creation in the presence of Him that wrote them. Be ye, then, of them that perceive in your Cause, and thereby come to know.

Were any one to possess all that is upon the earth and be given that he might possess a single line traced by Him Whom God shall make manifest, then would the one who came be the loser, and the one who received be uplifted—this is of the bounty of God, that perchance ye may know the worth of the words of God. Were this from the Tree of Truth, its station with God would be even such as this—how much more, when its station is His very Self! Will ye not, then, be assured of the measure of God? Be ye assured, and then before Me prostrate yourselves.

Train ye your children from their tender years in the wondrous beauty of your scripts, learned from them that write with the most inviolable glory and manifest the most excellent workmanship. Train them therein according to the truth of what ye are able to do; yet grieve them not, for they are drawn only by that whereby they are nurtured.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! Send blessings upon Him Who taught me the most mighty penmanship from Thee, through that knowledge of Thine which encompasseth all things. Verily Thou hast encompassed all things. Say: Until this time hath God not caused the Sun of Truth to shine upon a glory of script so ravishing as that which hath shone forth in this Revelation; there hath come from His presence a line of beloved majesty. This is of the bounty of God upon me, and upon them that look unto the words of God. Who hath power to originate the verses from His presence and write them by His leave? All are powerless before it. This is that wherewith my Lord hath singled me out of His bounty; verily His bounty hath ever been great upon me.

Therefore praise be to God in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Prevailing, the Self-Subsisting. And glory be to God in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

Say: God loveth the ordering of all things. In all things manifest ye the order of God. If, for example, there be upon your right hand a ring, set ye one upon your left; for this is of the order of God, whereby ye shall be ennobled. And if upon your right arm there be an amulet, and upon the left there be none, this is not of the order of God. Order, then, all your affairs according to that wherewith God hath encompassed you, then within your own selves love that which ye have witnessed. We have seen no house built save according to order, except that wherein We sojourned in the land of Dad.

Say: Likewise order your handwriting in your books, that ye may be drawn thereby. As your pen writeth in the beginning of your book, so write ye in the end thereof, that your script change not while ye walk in the justice of God. Guard your books, and write not therein that which God loveth not to behold—though ye fashion it like unto the ornament of the All-Glorious—and thus preserve yourselves.

Say: The measure of your handwriting—if ye love to be just—is this: were one to write a thousand alifs, there should be no change between one alif and another; then is that handwriting but justice in the Book of God. In like manner nurture ye your own selves in spirit and in fragrance.

The Second in the Second:

In the Name of God, the Most Inscribed, the Most Inscribed

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is none other God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Glory and the Might, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Ruby, Thine the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, Thine the Majesty and the Grandeur, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Perfection, Thine the Likeness and the Examples, Thine the Stations and the Exaltation, Thine is the Grandeur and Independence, and Thine the Majesty and Glory, and Thine the Might and Invincibility, and Thine the Power and Exaltation, and Thine the Joy and Gladness, and Thine the Sovereignty and Authority, and Thine the Kingdom and Dominion, and Thine the Rule and Sway, and Thine whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation.

Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Independent, Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Holy, Everlasting, Self-Dependent. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither companion nor son, nor had Thou any partner in what Thou didst create, nor any helper in what Thou didst fashion. By Thy power Thou didst create all things and ordain them according to Thy decree, and by Thy will Thou didst fashion all things and shape them according to Thy design. O God!

Make him whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection to be, of all the writings Thou lovest, the most splendid, the most exalted, the most beautiful, the most noble, the most glorious, the most luminous, the most perfect, the most complete, the most powerful, the most great, the most effectual, the most capable, the swiftest, the most beloved, the most honored, the most sovereign, the most royal, the most elevated, the most sublime, and the most impregnable of all that Thou hast created among the possessors of writing from among Thy servants and the Manifestations from among Thy chosen ones. O my God! Inspire, then, everyone who possesseth a cherished handwriting that none should withhold it lest anyone be veiled from Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest through a writing by which one turneth to Thee in the days of his youth, for that is of Thy grace upon him and upon all Thy creation.

For in the ocean of the Bayan is that most exalted Pearl, and Thy purpose in the Bayan is that most resplendent Jewel. All the dwellers of the sea are created, sustained, die and live through it, for this is the Throne of Thy Manifestation and the Seat of Thy Concealment. Through it Thou makest Thyself known to all things. Whoso knoweth Thee through it and turneth to Thee by it, such a one hath truly known Thee. Otherwise he hath squandered his existence and knowledge in Thy path by being veiled from Thy desire and love in the kingdom of Thy Command and Creation. O God! Do Thou educate all who are in the Bayan that they shall not purchase the verses, words, tablets, and writings of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, nor anything that pertaineth to Him, for that is most exalted and impregnable with Thee, as it pertaineth unto Thee. By Thy glory!

A single leaf containing His writing and mentioning His good-pleasure toward me is better in my sight than all that is on earth, and were I to possess the former I would give all to obtain the latter. O God! Do Thou teach all who are in the Bayan a way to attract His writing and possess His traces through what they devise in the kingdom by Thy leave, for on the day of His manifestation they know not. Perchance they may be drawn and possess through the means at their disposal, and that in every land there be appointed one who may convey the writings of all Thy creation to whomsoever He willeth, that thereby they might come to possess Thy writing on the Day of Resurrection and behold Thy words at the Hour, should they fall into their hands, that they may read and behold.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Inscribed, the Most Inscribed.

All praise be to God Who hath risen in His loftiness above all contingent things, Who hath elevated Himself in His exaltation above all created things, Who hath made Himself unapproachable in His inaccessibility above all existing things, Who hath manifested His power above all atoms, and Who hath asserted His dominion over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Book.

He hath made Himself known in every Manifestation from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will make Himself known unto the end that hath no end, through wondrous tokens from His presence and verses from His being, at which all the peoples of the world stand powerless, that all His servants might be assured that this is from God, the Mighty, the Beloved. For the handiwork of God is unlike the handiwork of His creation. He hath chosen an exalted Essence in that Manifestation and bestowed upon Him signs from His presence, any single one of which would render powerless all the peoples of the world. He hath given Him writing of surpassing attraction and beauty from His presence, whereby all sincere servants of God are drawn unto Him. This is of God’s grace unto the Point of the Bayan, after He had not shown aforetime unto the Point of the Furqan such transcendent handiwork, that all might know that there is none other God but Him. He doeth what He willeth by His command.

Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the Most Glorious.

The Fourth in the Fourth

In the Name of God, the Most Inscribed, the Most Inscribed.

All praise be to God, besides Whom there is none other God, the Most Great, the Most Great. All glory be from God unto the First Unity and unto him who resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity. I testify that God, glorified be He, hath ever been an unknowable Mystery. No vision can grasp Him, but He graspeth all vision. He is the One, the Most High, the All-Compelling.

He hath associated with Himself the writing of the Tree of Truth through the Primal Truth, then through those manifestations of divine authority nearest, and yet nearer. If thou shouldst attain the presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted and glorified be His mention, and obtain writing from His presence wherein lieth His good-pleasure with thee—even if thou shouldst traverse from East to West of the earth and offer all that is thereon in His path—this would be better than all thou hast done or shalt do. Indeed, all thy deeds from the beginning of thy life unto its end—nay, from the beginning that hath no beginning until such time as thou remainest alive—are for this purpose. Yet perchance when He Whom God shall make manifest giveth thee writing, thou wilt not love it nor take it. Marvel not at this, for Muhammad aforetime sent writing unto one who read it not, and I am loath to mention after this he who was forbidden in the Bayan.

The Point of the Bayan wrote unto one of those who wept night and day for His manifestation, yet when His writing fell into his hands, he neither read it nor took it. Thou shalt be tested on the Day of God’s Manifestation, so be mindful lest thou be veiled from God, thy Lord, and from His Book, after having been a seeker thereof throughout thy life. For on the Day of His Manifestation, He Whom God shall make manifest may write unto thee informing thee of the revelation of His own Self, yet thou, failing to comprehend by thine own insight, mayest hearken to the words of the people who are but confused rabble, and pay no heed to the Cause of God. Therefore be thou discerning, sharpen thy vision and purify thy sight, that when His writing reacheth thee, thou mayest accept it and place it upon thine eyes by virtue of its connection to Him, whether it be from Him directly or from another. For this is God’s command unto thee, that thou mayest not be among the perishing ones.

Bab 12: Adhhab

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the All-Proceeding, the All-Proceeding

There is no God but He, the All-Proceeding, the All-Proceeding. Say: God is swifter than any possessor of swiftness. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them can withstand the sovereignty of His advancing dominion. Verily, He is the Advancing, the All-Advancing, the Most Advancing. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them—say: all are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them—say: all are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but He. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Sublimity, then the Sovereignty and the Material realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He is powerful over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God hath created for you the camel and made it a sign for them that observe. It beareth what ye are unable to bear from land to land. God conveyeth through it whatsoever He willeth. Will ye not then be thankful? God hath created the mules which ye do ride, that they may bear what ye are unable to bear from land to land. Will ye not then be mindful of the signs of God? Say: God hath created for you the donkeys which ye do ride, that they may bear what ye are unable to bear from land to land. Say: God hath created for you the dromedaries which ye do ride, that ye may journey with them from land to land with greater speed than ye desire. Say: God hath created for you the cattle, the greatest and mightiest from which ye derive benefit. Say: God hath created for you the animals of diverse kinds beyond your reckoning. All these are signs from God that ye may attain unto certitude. God is your Lord and the Lord of all things.

He createth you and sustaineth you and causeth you to die and giveth you life and preserveth you in your ways from that which ye fear, through His angels of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. Will ye not then be certain of the signs of God? Say: The best that ye ride are your dromedaries, then your mules, then your donkeys. Through God’s grace and mercy ye journey from land to land, yet ye ascend not unto God your Lord from your earth. God hath prescribed in the Bayan that ye should all proceed from your dwellings unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, for ye were created to attain unto the presence of your Lord. Will ye not then turn toward God your Lord with guidance and truth? Say: Ye journey from land to land for that which God hath commanded you regarding your livelihood that ye may earn your sustenance.

How then do ye veil yourselves from Him Who created you and sustained you and caused you to die and gave you life and commanded you to follow the true religion, this being among the things commanded you? Fear ye God and be ye God-fearing, for ye shall all be tested on the Day of Resurrection. How many servants journey from that land to the slopes of that mountain once every week though they possess not the weight of a silver piece, nay less than that, yet they present not themselves before their Lord Who created them to lay before Him their needs. Thus are ye, O people of the Bayan, being tested. Say: God is in truth independent of all that is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. He desireth naught by this save what shall cause you to be saved. Otherwise We would not wish to permit them to appear before Us—how when they turn away from Us?

We desired to teach you your ways and that the weight of your faith equalleth not a silver piece for which ye go forth every week to trade, yet ye go not forth from your dwellings for God your Lord nor do ye earn His good-pleasure, except those who have believed in God their Lord and who place their trust in their Lord. Such as these, in their very dwelling places, have entered into the religion of God and God will guide them and protect them from those who wish them not well. Verily He hath power over all things. Say: All shall be rewarded according to what they have earned. Whoso earneth the weight of a mustard seed of good, God will reward him with a goodly reward, and whoso acquireth less than this, if He wisheth He will forgive him, and if He wisheth He will take vengeance upon him. He is, verily, vigilant over all things. Say: God will assuredly take vengeance throughout all lands upon those who judge by His command while they are veiled from the Command of God.

Should they return unto God, their Lord, they return not unto their land, and should they remain veiled, they are veiled upon their own land. Fear ye God, O people of the Bayan, on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, for verily ye shall, on the Day of Resurrection, prostrate yourselves before Him in truth. And should ye veil yourselves, veil not those who follow you, lest ye possess their fire after your death while ye know it not. This is of God’s bounty unto you, that perchance ye may, on the Day of Resurrection, enter into the religion of God. Say: God will verily preserve those who have believed in God and His signs, and who place their trust in their Lord. No grief shall touch them in the path of God, and they shall remain patient in the good-pleasure of God. They shall have from their Lord that which they remember night and day.

The Second in the Second:

In the Name of God, the All-Proceeding, the All-Proceeding

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Glory, Thine the Sovereignty and the earthly realm, Thine the Honor and the Majesty, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Face and the Perfection, Thine the Symbol and the Symbols, Thine the Stations and the Grandeur, Thine the Power and the Action, Thine the Mercy and the Grace, Thine the Authority and the Justice, Thine the Greatness and the Independence, Thine the Pride and the Splendor, Thine the Might and the Invincibility, Thine the Power and the Exaltation, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, Thine the Sovereignty and the Omnipotence, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

The sovereignty of Thy Cause hath ever proceeded from Thee, causing Thy loved ones to move from the stations of one command to another, and the King of the glory of Thy power guideth Thy guides from the places of Thy leave to the places of Thy leave. Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Living, the Supreme, the Sovereign, the All-Compelling, the Most Holy. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son. They circumambulate Thy House and the stations of the living Furqan by Thy leave, and all proceed by Thy command, yet they proceed not unto the Manifestation of Thy Self. Thou hast ordained in the Furqan commandments wherein is the proceeding of all who follow Thy commandments, yet they remain veiled from Thy countenance.

By Thy grandeur and sovereignty of Thy oneness, if Thou wert to manifest me upon the exalted height of Thy dominion and the loftiness of Thy divinity, I would bar all paths leading unto that place, for it beseemeth not these creatures to attain the presence of Thy Self, to present themselves before Thy Being, to proceed unto Thy Essence, or to appear before Thy Reality. But now Thou seest what Thou seest—the birds of desire seek Thy countenance, and those whom Thou hast not permitted, who behold not Thy proof with Thine eye, do likewise. Glorified art Thou and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been mighty throughout all eternity, and beloved throughout all eternity, past and future, dominant over all things in grandeur and independence, and self-subsisting over all things in might and transcendence.

O God! Do Thou cause all who are within the Bayan to be of such character that they would journey from the East of the earth to its West for the sake of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest. How much more then should they attain His presence, since Thou didst create them for this purpose and hast ordained no glory for them like unto this, for this is the ultimate means of their attaining unto Thy Revelation, their arrival at the Dayspring of Thy hiddenness, their establishment before Thy grandeur, their seeking refuge before Thy countenance, and their becoming independent through Thy Lordship. By Thy might! Never have I seen among those in Islam a fire like unto their being veiled from Thy proof and their remoteness from Thy presence. Sufficient unto them is this abasement in Thy sight and in their own, after their having known that they treat their Beloved in ways they would not wish for themselves. Glorified and exalted art Thou!

We have no glory except through Thee alone, there is no God but Thee, and no abasement except through our being veiled from Thee alone, there is no God but Thee.

O God! Do Thou make Thyself known on the Day of Resurrection through Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, and grant us certitude and faith at the moment we hear, lest we be counted among the veiled ones. For Thou art the Best of those who show grace, Thou art the Most Generous of the generous ones, Thou art the Most Bountiful of the bountiful ones, and Thou art the Most Kind of the kind ones.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the All-Proceeding, the All-Proceeding

All praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath ascended in His transcendence above all created things, Who hath become inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all existent things, Who hath manifested His dominion above all atoms, and Who hath revealed His sovereignty above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. His creation beareth witness, as He Himself doth testify, that there is no God but Him, the One, the Most Precious. He hath created all things that they might attain the presence of the Manifestation of His Self, appear before the Dayspring of His Mystery, and present themselves at the Source of His bounty in such wise as beseemeth His transcendent exaltation, His sublime inaccessibility, His exalted loftiness, His transcendent transcendence, and the elevation of His grandeur.

For were all on earth to exist in their highest possible state, and were the Manifestation of Reality to appear and be seated upon an unadorned surface, it would behoove all that are on earth to prostrate themselves instantly before Him, even as they prostrate themselves before God their Lord—and this would be their glory, did they but know it. For verily they and the prostrations that proceed from them are but creations before that Exalted and Transcendent One, that Inaccessible Being Who dwelleth in the horizon of the Divine Identity and the majesty of the Eternal, and what is beneath it. They believe at the time of His manifestation in His worthiness, so they are proofs and believers in the station of their creation and the sphere of their limitation. Otherwise, exalted be His station at His ascendancy—all who exist surely glorify His remembrance and prostrate before Him due to His lofty glory. And we are all prostrating before Him, and we are all devoted to Him.

Through this we shall glory above all the worlds and be exalted above all who exalt themselves.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the All-Proceeding, the All-Proceeding

Praise be to God, there is no God but He, the Most Golden, the Most Golden. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembles that First One wherein naught is seen save the First One. And then I bear witness that God hath ordained in going that it should be unto God the best abode and return, and in the path of His leave and His good-pleasure the best glory and retreat. Therefore go thou forth in the path of God, for thy sustenance resteth with God. If thou diest or grievest, then it is incumbent upon God thy Lord to grant thee the reward of both in such wise as will gladden thy heart after thy death or in thy life. But thou must be discerning in thy religion on the Day of the Manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest.

Perchance thou goest to the Sacred House and to the stations of the Living One even as thou hast witnessed in My Manifestation, yet none of this will profit thee after His Manifestation, for all that is exalted through its relation to Him, and verily He is more exalted and more glorious. Go thou unto Him with all thy being and detach thyself from all else in thy inmost heart and outwardly, for thou wast not created in vain. And before His Manifestation, go thou according to His ordinances as thou willest and when thou willest. Lift not thy feet save with the intention of God thy Lord, and ascend not to a height nor descend to a depth, and climb not to any spot nor enter any house of His love except with God’s good-pleasure and His command. Beware, beware lest after the Manifestation of God thou continuest in what was commanded before, for then thou wouldst be more asinine than any ass, since all that is exalted through its relation to Him Whom God shall make manifest.

How then canst thou, on the day of His Manifestation, pride thyself on what is honored through its relation to Him, yet fail to take pride in Him Whom God hath made the Manifestation of His Self? Be thou discerning in thy religion with true discernment, for thou art among those who shall be tested. And seek refuge with God thy Lord from whatsoever thou lovest not by believing in Him Whom God shall make manifest and in whosoever calleth thee to Him, even were they but a small child, for this is what shall profit thee and naught else beside it, if thou art among the discerning in thy cause.

Bab 13: Amdad

And it hath four stages. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Helping, the Most Helping.

There is no God but He, the Most Helping, the Most Helping. Say: God is the most helpful above every possessor of help. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His helping power, neither in the heavens nor on the earth nor what is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been a Helper, Helping, and Most Helpful. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate all who are in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All bow down in worship before Him. And praise be to God, Whom all who are in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them do glorify. Say: All stand obedient before Him. God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Glory and the Grandeur, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Might and the Precious Stone, then the Sovereignty and the human realm. He maketh to live and causeth to die, then causeth to die and maketh to live.

Verily He is the Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Justice that wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. He is, verily, potent over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and all that lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Supreme Ruler, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God will, verily, aid you in every Dispensation through the Manifestation of His own Self, if ye seek aid from God. Say: Verily, your aid in the Cause of your Lord is manifest, would ye but understand. Say: Your aid lieth in the inspiration of your Lord, would ye but know.

Let all examine within themselves how they seek aid from God, their Lord. Yet they comprehend not the workings of God’s command, nor do they seek His aid. Say: The aid of God in the day of Muhammad was that which was revealed in the Qur’an. They who embraced Islam were aided thereby. But they who remained bound to their scriptures received naught of their Lord’s aid, though they perceive it not. Fear ye God, O people of the Bayan, lest ye be veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, whereby the aid of the All-Merciful would be cut off from you while ye know it not. Say: His aid lieth in His words, through which ye are created and sustained, then caused to die and live again and be resurrected. Take ye His aid and preserve it as ye would your own eyes, for through it shall ye live until the Day of Resurrection.

Possess nothing except through truth and return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest after Him Whom God shall make manifest all that ye have received from Him Whom God shall make manifest, for this is the greatest command that God hath revealed from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end. We all believe in Him and we all firmly believe in what God shall manifest after what He manifesteth. He is our Beloved in the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of all that lieth between them. We live but for Him and we all bow down before Him. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. All that dwell in the heavens and on earth and all that lie between them glorify Him. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. All that dwell in the kingdoms of heaven and earth and all that lie between them are submissive unto Him. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign.

To receive a single verse from Him is better for you than all that you possess from the Covenant of Him Whom God shall make manifest, for on the Day of Resurrection after the Resurrection, thereby shall you attain salvation. We shall give you the key of knowledge that you may be guided thereby. When the Sun of Truth dawns, He doeth what He willeth by the leave of His Lord. This is what God hath done—will ye not rejoice? And He shall ordain what He pleaseth—this is what God hath ordained—do ye not believe with certitude? Behold your beginning, for it is from a single Temple, then your return shall be likewise, but ye do not understand. Your beginning and your end—God knoweth your secret and your manifest thoughts, and what ye do by night and by day. Say: The Sun of Truth shall arise countless times, for it is the Primal Sun of the Beginning, yet ye believe not in God’s Sun.

The Primal Sun of the Beginning is the Primal Sun of the Beginning, and it hath no beginning, even as it shall have no end though ye ascend unto infinity. Thus the beginning of you all, O ye Mirrors, is from a single Sun, and your return is unto a single Sun. Through it ye begin from God, your Lord, and unto God, your Lord, through it ye return. Believe in every Manifestation and the first to believe in Him and what He ordaineth, that ye may attain salvation in every Revelation. Say: God’s sustenance in that Day is from the Point of the Bayan. Those who have entered therein have indeed attained, but those who have veiled themselves and persisted in their ways have cut themselves off from the sustenance of the All-Merciful, and they know it not, though their souls are certain, yet they remember not.

Say: An hour of reflection is better for you than all the acts of worship ye perform throughout your lives, for that hour may deliver you on the Day of Resurrection, while your lifelong worship will profit you not if ye be veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Take ye the sustenance of the All-Merciful in the Bayan, then live thereby until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Then on that Day ye shall offer what ye have received unto God, then take ye the wondrous sustenance of the Beloved in what God revealeth unto you. Say not “How?” for this is the Day of Resurrection wherein ye shall attain salvation. Say: The greatest sustenance is to believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and then in what He uttereth from God—believe ye in this.

If ye comprehend this sustenance, ye shall comprehend all sustenance; otherwise, the sustenance of those before you will profit you not, even though ye be God-fearing, just as those who were given the Book before you were God-fearing, and though they derived sustenance from what they possessed, yet God permitted it not, nor have they any life to begin save the Fire, then unto it shall they return. O all things, from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end! Me alone do ye worship, then in the signs of God from your Lord do ye believe with certitude, then through His names do ye turn unto Him, then ye act according to what He hath ordained by night and by day. This is what profiteth you in every Revelation; therefore weary not yourselves, for verily the essence of your religion is but one word, would that ye believe in it with certitude. That is but one soul, would that ye be guided by it. That is the first one to believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest.

That is the first mention of the Will in its manifestation, yet ye believe not in it with certitude. Say: In every Revelation your likeness is as trees that have grown old. Do ye not look upon him who appeared in the Qur’an? A thousand two hundred and seventy-five years have passed over him, and before them the Book of Jesus for five hundred years, then Moses for five hundred years. Reflect a little, if ye be sincere in the religion of God, and bear witness that in every Revelation ye are like plants that spring forth from the earth. Ye should be kind to the companions of Him Whom God shall make manifest according to your capacity, for verily their likeness is as plants that spring forth from the earth—their growth is stronger than your trees. Do ye not reflect upon this and be guided thereby? If ye but knew, ye would cut down your trees and prostrate yourselves before that which springeth forth from the earth until it is raised therefrom.

This will save you on the Day of Resurrection and ye shall enter the Paradise of His good-pleasure. But ye and what ye possess will profit you not after the Day of Resurrection. Therefore watch for the Command of God, for verily it is nearer than the twinkling of an eye. When He cometh unto you with the truth, believe in Him. And if ye be engaged in prayer, break it off, for verily ye act for God’s sake. And verily what ye hear on the Day of Resurrection, ye shall be called to account for your deeds before Him Whom God shall make manifest. How then can ye be veiled by a single prayer from Him Who created you, sustained you, causeth you to die and giveth you life? If ye speak of your deeds, then verily ye possess nothing. And if ye say “yea,” yet if ye perform not every good deed, how then can your prayers or other deeds profit you after the Manifestation of God? Therefore fear God and place your trust in God, your Lord. Glorified be God, the Lord of dominion and kingdom!

Glorified be God, the Lord of might and power! Glorified be God, the Lord of strength and divinity! Glorified be God, the Lord of force and authority! Glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and the human realm! Glorified be God, the Lord of glory and majesty! Glorified be God, the Lord of beauty and countenance! Glorified be God, the Lord of face and perfection! Glorified be God, the Lord of might and action! Glorified be God, the Lord of similitude and example! Glorified be God, the Lord of station and exaltation! Glorified be God, the Lord of glory and inaccessibility! Glorified be God, the Lord of power and elevation! Glorified be God, the Lord of joy and gladness! Glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and might! Say: God hath created for you the water of the One, whereby ye comprehend the mystery of the One. Through this, the Name of Unity, ye shall know the First Unity. In it is your life, did ye but know, and in it is your tranquility, would ye but witness it.

He hath created for you living creatures and ordained their sustenance from His presence in the Book. Will ye not then be certain of what God hath ordained? Say: Verily God shall create you, sustain you, cause you to die, and give you life, and unto Him shall ye return. Say: Verily, I am nearer than all things, both before and after, and all are worshippers of Him, all prostrate themselves before Him, all are devoted to Him, all remember Him, and all are humble before Him. Say: Whatever thing ye desire, recite ye the verses corresponding to the number of that thing as ye attribute to its names. If ye love wealth, then recite ye the verse of wealth. If ye love exaltation, then recite ye the verse of exaltation. If ye love glory, then recite ye the verse of the Most Glorious. Likewise with all that ye love in your religion and your world, your beginning and your end. If ye love knowledge, then recite ye the verse of knowledge. If ye love might, then recite ye the verse of might.

But ye recite not because of your negligence. To recite one verse with spirit and fragrance is better for you than to recite a thousand verses without spirit and fragrance. Thus will God annihilate you on the Day of Resurrection through clear verses in all that ye love. Say: Verily, one of these verses is greater than the creation of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, but ye understand not the mystery of what hath been revealed therein, nor do ye witness it. Say: We have made all things in their numbers, then revealed for each one a verse that ye might derive sustenance through the numbers of all things. Say: All derive sustenance from God, and all stand firm through God’s command. Say: All these and those are sustained by the verses of thy Lord—these by what was revealed before and those by what was revealed after. All prostrate themselves before God their Lord according to what they have by their Lord’s command.

But ye witness the beginning of the Command, for none disobeyeth at each Manifestation, and ye shall enter into the novel manifestations of your Lord that ye may be saved in the Resurrections which none can reckon save God. Had He not brought you out of the first innovation, how could ye comprehend the novel Manifestation thereafter? Say: Glorified be God above what ye mention! Thus after the first innovation, He removeth you from the manifestations that were revealed from His presence aforetime and causeth you to enter into the manifestations that are revealed from His presence thereafter. This is from God’s grace upon you. O all things! Ye perceive the novel manifestations from Him Whom God shall make manifest, then the thrones of Reality in every manifestation.

Bab 14: AZlal

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Shadowing of the Most Shadowing.

There is no God but He, the Most Shadowing of the Most Shadowing. Say: God shadoweth above all possessors of shadow. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can withstand the sovereignty of His concealment. He creates whatsoever He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been an All-Concealing, All-Sheltering, All-Overshadowing Protector.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them stand in devotion. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just One Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command, by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God hath created all things by His command. His is the Creation and the Command, from before and from after. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. He is the One Who originateth what He willeth by His command, and unto Him shall all return. This is God, your Lord. His is the Creation and the Command. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Say: He is the Subduer over His creation and the Manifest One over His servants, and He is the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Observe ye therefore the Day when God shall descend in the shadows of the clouds with the angels round about Him. On that Day shall ye be brought before God your Lord.

Say: No vision can grasp God, but His grasp is over all vision. He is the All-Compelling, the Beloved. Say: He hath ever been as He was in every condition, never descending. Glorified and exalted is He above what they describe. Rather, this is a remembrance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye bear true witness. The Day when He shall descend upon you—that is the Day when God shall have descended in the shadows of the clouds, and those round about Him are they who stand firm by God’s command. These are they who glorify their Lord with praise by night and by day, and they are prostrate before Him.

Say: God hath attributed this to His Own Self, the might of the Manifestation of His Self, that ye may know the true measure of God on the Day of His Manifestation. He is the One Who hath made Himself known to you before the creation of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, yet ye recognize not Him Who created you and nourished you and caused you to die and brought you to life, though unto Him shall ye return. O thou who bearest that Name! We have taught thee aforetime that which was revealed in the Book, and verily We have been among those who teach. Write down that which hath been revealed from God, the Mighty, the Inaccessible, the Exalted. Verily that Name shall attain unto thee the number of Qaf and Nun from names of mighty exaltation. We have interpreted these on the Day of Resurrection that their thrones might receive from their Lord a goodly and well-pleasing recompense.

This is of God’s bounty unto those who have believed in God and His signs, and those who place their trust in God their Lord. We commanded thee aforetime only to preserve what was revealed from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Should a single letter escape thee, We shall assuredly call thee to account and question thee and make demands of thee on a mighty and exalted Day. Therefore watch over thyself from that day, for verily We are cognizant of all things. We shall not question thee concerning thy deeds, for verily We are self-sufficient, but We shall question thee concerning that which We revealed unto thee, as this is among God’s signs unto Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, that He might look upon them and recite them from His Lord and reward those who believe in them with an exalted recompense. We have commanded those who believe in God and His signs to send thee the equivalent of a gracious Lam.

Take thou the Vav for thyself, then present thyself before the mention of thy Lord’s name, the Bestower, the Great. Likewise unto the mention of thy Lord’s name, the Judge, the Gracious. Likewise unto the mention of thy Lord’s name, the Mighty, the Great. Thus when thou attainest unto something mighty and exalted from the Most Glorious Tree, a remembrance from God—verily He is the Most High, the Most Exalted—make no mention of that remembrance, but rather purchase noble gifts and send them to the Most Glorious horizon, a remembrance from thy Lord in the latter and former days. We have commanded the equivalent of Ya for whomsoever hath borne the first letter of Sin. Deliver thou unto her and convey greetings unto her from her Lord, and console her with goodly and mighty solace for what was taken from her.

Had We known that she would comprehend the knowledge of her Lord’s verses, We would have revealed unto her that which would give comfort to thy heart, and verily We have been mindful. After thou hast acquired the number of this, deliver the like thereof unto that number among those who are known in Islam, that they might remember on the Day of Resurrection and return unto themselves. Then its roots unto that number among those who have believed in God and His signs and were sincere in God’s religion. This is Our gift unto the believers—a single letter thereof equals not what is in the heavens and earth and what lieth between them. Verily We have been cognizant of the measure of Our verses, and verily none other hath comprehended their might nor can estimate the words of thy Lord, and We have been cognizant of all things.

The second in the second:

In the name of God, the Most Shadowing, the Most Shadowing!

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Kingdom of Heaven, Thine is the might and the dominion, Thine is the power and the divine realm, Thine is the strength and the chrysolite, Thine is the sovereignty and the human realm, Thine is the glory and the majesty, Thine is the countenance and the beauty, Thine is the face and the perfection, Thine is the exemplar and the examples, Thine is the station and the reverence, Thine is the grandeur and the independence, Thine is the awe and the manifestation, Thine is the glory and the inaccessibility, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love of the kingdom of Thy Cause and Thy creation. All abide beneath the shadow of Thy Lordship and prostrate themselves before the threshold of Thy oneness.

Glorified and exalted art Thou above being described by change or alteration, or being characterized by likeness or transformation. Sanctified are Thy names and exalted are Thy examples. There is nothing like unto Thee. Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, self-sustaining, sovereign, supreme, holy, everlasting, enduring. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou hast ordered the kingdom of Thy Cause and Thy creation through the signs of Thy mighty power and wisdom over all who dwell in the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth through the manifestations of Thy eternal glory.

Unto Thee be praise, praise that is exalted, inaccessible, and elevated, which no praise in Thy knowledge can equal, nor can any glorification in Thy Book compare with it—praise that filleth Thy heavens and Thy earth and whatsoever lieth between them of the kingdom of Thy Cause and Thy creation, through the exaltation of Thy Word and the inaccessibility of Thy gift. Praise whereby the shadows of the tree of Thy oneness are made manifest upon all created things, and the splendor of the tree of Thy unity overshadoweth all contingent beings, until there remaineth in Thy knowledge nothing that perceiveth not Thy mercy and dwelleth not beneath the shadow of the sovereignty of Thy loving-kindness.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been the Being before all things, the Essence above all things, the Creator of all things, and the Reality after all things. Thou givest life and causeth death, then causest death and givest life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the King Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Most Overshadowing, the Most Overshadowing.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all created things, ascended in His elevation above all existing things, become inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all beings, prevailed in His dominion over all atoms, and manifested His power over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Overshadowing. He hath chosen an exalted Essence, a glorious Abstraction, a camphor-like Reality, a lofty Simplicity, and an eternal Abstraction, then revealed Himself unto it through itself, and through itself He withdrew from it, and cast into its essence the likeness of itself.

Thus did its signs appear from it, and His heavenly kingdom and earth were filled thereby—that there is no God but Him, and that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. God chose for it from the letters of His life-giving nature its first ones, then caused them to enter the sea of endless finality. Thus were His heaven and earth filled—that there is no God but Him, the One, the Overshadowing.

the Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Overshadowing, the Most Overshadowing.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Shadowed of the Shadowed. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First One and upon whoever resembles that One wherein naught is seen except the First One.

I testify that God, glorified be He, has ever been and will ever be in one and the same state, and that all that has been witnessed in the Book of limited names and conjoined attributes—these are from the qualities of the Sun of Eternity, from the praises of the Primal Point, which God has attributed to Himself for the inaccessibility of His Word and the exaltation of His eternity. I testify that what I have witnessed does not necessitate conjunction—far exalted is God above this, with great exaltation! Rather, that which is attributed to the Tree of Truth, God has attributed unto His Self, wherein naught is seen save God, exalted be His glory. When thou attainest unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His loftiness, and it is revealed unto thee, then shalt thou witness with thine own eyes that which was revealed in the Book, whether all who dwell on earth bow down before Him on His right and His left, or whether it be revealed unto thee alone.

For at the moment of His solitude, all within their stations glorify their Lord with His praise and turn unto their Creator. This is what was formerly revealed concerning the angels who circle round Him. Be thou discerning in thy recognition, preserve thyself and that which God hath revealed unto thee from His Book, await the Command of God and its exaltation, and the Word of God and its invincibility. Verily, we are all supplicants of His grace.

Bab 15: Abna

And it hath four stages. The first among the first:

In the Name of God, the Supreme Builder, the Supreme Builder.

There is no God but He, the Supreme Builder, the Supreme Builder. Say: God is the Supreme Builder above all who are builders. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can withstand the power of the sovereign authority of His supremacy. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been a supreme Builder of supreme degree.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him. And praise be to God, Whom all within the heavens and earth and what lieth between them do glorify. Say: All are devoted unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the Kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God will verily build for you the edifices of your unity through that which He revealeth unto you through your own selves. Will ye not then be thankful? Say: He hath indeed built your religion for you through numbered words whereby ye profess your faith. Say ye: “Glory be to God,” then affirm your certainty in the Dawning-Places of the First. Then “Praise be to God,” then affirm your certainty in Him unto Whom the verses have been revealed. Then bear ye witness that there is no God but Him, then affirm your certainty in the Manifestations of Divine Unity with God. Say: All this is life through God’s command. Do ye not see? Say: God giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. Say: God createth you and provideth for you. Will ye not then be thankful unto your Lord? Say: Who hath created the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them? They will surely say: “God.” Say: How then will ye not believe in Him Who hath sent down the verses?

Say: God is the Creator of all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: God is the Sustainer of all things, and unto Him shall all be raised up. Say: God will cause you to die, then will He bring you back to life, and unto Him shall ye all be raised up. Such is God, your Lord. His is the creation and the command. There is no God but Him, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting. And unto God prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the Almighty, the Well-Beloved. And unto God prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Who hath created you, and unto Him shall ye return. Say: God createth you by His command. Will ye not then believe in the signs of God?

Say: In Whose grasp is the dominion of all things, and unto Him shall all be raised up. Say: God is the Creator of all things, Who determineth the measures of all things by His command, and Who sendeth down from His presence the remembrance of all things in a perspicuous Book. He is the Truth. There is no God but Him, and unto Him shall all be turned about. He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all return. He it is before Whom prostrateth whatsoever He hath created and createth, and we are all prostrate before Him.

Say: Exalted be God, the Lord of sovereignty and dominion! Exalted be God, the Possessor of might and grandeur! Exalted be God, the Lord of power and divinity! Exalted be God, the Lord of strength and glory! Exalted be God, the Lord of dominion and earthly power! Exalted be God, the Lord of glory and majesty! Exalted be God, the Lord of beauty and comeliness! Exalted be God, the Lord of the face and perfection! Exalted be God, the Lord of might and action! Exalted be God, the Lord of similitude and example! Exalted be God, the Lord of stations and sublimity! Exalted be God, the Lord of mercy and bounty! Exalted be God, the Lord of authority and justice! Exalted be God, the Lord of grandeur and independence! Exalted be God, the Lord of majesty and splendor! Exalted be God, the Lord of glory and invincibility! Exalted be God, the Lord of power and exaltation! Exalted be God, the Lord of joy and gladness! Exalted be God, the Lord of sovereignty and might!

Exalted be God, from before and after, there is no God but Him, the One, the Most High! And exalted is He in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the One, the Most Glorious. He it is in Whose grasp is the dominion of all things, and verily there is no God but Him, the One, the Sovereign. He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. He giveth life and causeth death, and unto Him shall all be turned about. He it is Who hath originated you by His command, and unto Him shall ye return. Say: Sufficient unto me is God, He Who hath fashioned me, and provided for me, and given me death, and restored me unto life. Such is my Lord; upon Him do I depend, and upon God let all His believing servants depend.

The Second in the Second:

In the Name of God, the Supreme Builder, the Supreme Builder.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner. Thine is the kingdom and the heavenly dominion, Thine the might and the celestial realm, Thine the power and the divine essence, Thine the strength and majesty, Thine the sovereignty and the earthly realm, Thine the glory and grandeur, Thine the countenance and perfection, Thine the visage and beauty, Thine the similitude and parables, Thine the stations and sublimity, Thine the glory and invincibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and authority, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, ever-living, all-sustaining, sovereign, all-pervading, holy, everlasting, dependent on none. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. All are Thy servants and within Thy grasp, that they may worship Thee in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. Thou art the First, and there is naught before Thee, and Thou art the Hidden, and there is naught beyond Thee. Thou hast ever been God from all eternity, and the Beloved from everlasting to everlasting. Thy existence precedes all beginning and Thy permanence outlasts all ending. Thou art the Being before all things, the Creator of all things, the Essence above all things, and the Existant after all things.

Thou dost ever cause to live and to die, then to die and to live, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the Supreme Builder, the Supreme Builder.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath elevated Himself in His loftiness above all created things, Who hath made Himself invincible in His might above all atoms, Who hath manifested His power above all existence, and Who hath revealed His appearance above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. All His creation doth testify that there is no God but Him.

He hath built the House of the Bayan with pure and pristine gems, with lofty and camphor-like pillars, with ramparts of loving-kindness, with dawning-places of glory, and with rising-points of splendor. It hath shone with the light of glory upon all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. He hath made the structure of this wondrous creation and this mighty, impregnable House from the first revelation of the Bayan unto all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Thus have all outpourings descended upon those who dwell in the kingdom of earth and heaven, these bounties are borne by the essences of realities, the spirits of the abstract, the souls of the ethereal, the beings of the pure, and the manifestations of the inaccessible.

The aid connects to all atoms, and each partakes of the water of life from its Lord according to what befits it from the dawning-places of His generosity and the rising-points of His grace, until houses are built with their doors, and seats are raised with their thrones, and all beings are filled, in their heavens and earth and whatsoever is therein and thereon, with wondrous remembrance of their Creator—for verily there is no God but Him, the One, the Builder.

He hath chosen a mighty essence, an exalted purity, a radiant being, a lofty abstraction, and an eternal reality. Then He revealed Himself to it through it and cast into its identity the likeness of itself. Thus His signs appeared through it and filled His heaven and earth. Verily, there is no God but Him, the Creator of all things through His sovereignty, the Provider of all things through His majesty, the One Who causes all things to die through His inaccessibility, and Who gives life to all things through His exaltation. He hath no partner in His Essence, no likeness in His attributes, no equal in His deeds, no peer in His names, and none like unto Him in His ways. All are His servants and in His grasp, glorifying Him with praise by night and day, and unto Him are they submissive.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the Supreme Builder, the Supreme Builder.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no God, the Supreme Builder, the Supreme Builder. And verily the Glory from God is upon the First One and upon whosoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. I testify that the glory of the House of clay is for the glory of the Divine House, and what thou seest of seventy thousand souls circumambulating that House in each cycle is because it resembleth the House of Reality and is related to God, its Lord, through a commemorative relationship. If the glorification of a house of clay that is attributed to God is such as this, how much more glorious must be the House of Oneness and the raising of those inaccessible edifices!

When thou recognizest Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, and buildest for Him clay—whether it be clay or above clay—and createst thine essence in such wise that thou associatest naught with God, then it behooveth thy heart to be guided by the names of His building and to abide beneath the shade of the names of His uniqueness. Blessed is he who buildeth houses for God! Consider how many mosques have been built wherein the wealth of God hath been spent, for wealth revolveth around itself—if it increaseth not, it decreaseth not. Verily, villages pass from one hand to another. When mosques are built in the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest so that creation may draw nigh unto Him, these are houses raised unto God. Otherwise, far be it that such buildings should ascend unto God or find shelter in His shade!

Therefore, occupy thyself with building the House of Unity and the seats of detachment, for these are more glorious than those houses in the sight of God, the King, the Exalted, the Glorious. Yet you should not remain veiled from those houses, for the elevation of those stations is not manifest to the people of limitation except through the elevation of those earthly houses. Therefore build them, and if you are able, construct them above the water with red rubies, or else with whatever means are available to you.

Bab 16: Atwab

And it hath four stages. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Repentant, the Most Repentant.

There is no God but He, the Most Repentant, the Most Repentant. Say: God is more repentant than any who turns in repentance. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can withhold himself from the dominion of the King of repentance. He creates what He wishes by His command. Verily He has ever been the Forgiver, the Acceptor of repentance, the Turner unto men. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate all who are in the heavens and on earth and between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom all in the heavens and earth and between them glorify. Say: All are devoted to Him. God bears witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Power, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Force and Authority, then the Rule and the human realm. He gives life and causes death, then causes death and gives life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dies not, and the King Who passes not away, and the Just Who wrongs not, and the Sovereign Who changes not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapes, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He creates what He wishes by His command. Verily He has power over all things. And blessed is He to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and earth and between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted is He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and earth and what lies between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Say: If you seek God’s forgiveness, He will forgive you, and if you turn unto Him in repentance, that is from God’s grace and mercy upon the worlds. Say: Verily all seek forgiveness by night and by day, and we all turn in repentance by night and by day. Say: God has sent down forgiveness in the Book for those who believe in the Bayan.

These shall dwell in the paradise of their Lord’s pleasure, and these shall rejoice therein. Say: God gives life and causes death, and verily unto Him shall all return. Say: God is the Creator of all things, and verily unto Him shall all be turned. He is the Truth, there is no God but He. He gives life and causes death, and verily unto Him shall all return. That is God, your Lord. His is the Creation and the Command. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. O bearer of that Name! We have given you tablets of mighty and impregnable glory to the number of Qaf and Nun, that you may preserve them as your own eyes, then convey them to those who transcribe the verses of your Lord, that they may preserve them in a mighty and glorious Book. Grieve not over anything in the path of your Lord, for all stand firm by God’s c ommand. Place thy trust in God, the Ever-Living, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Journey thou from truth to truth, and record the number of all things, and convey it unto those who think they do good. Draw not nigh unto that which grieveth thee, for verily We are independent of all things. We have commanded the number seven to write such numbers as before, then by God’s command to convey that through God’s bounty unto them, that they may fill the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them with the remembrance of their Lord, and be among the helpers in the days of God. Say: Draw not nigh unto that which grieveth you, and preserve yourselves through that which ye are able. Witness ye that negation is manifested through what is therein, and ye, through what is within you of affirmation, do affirm. Say: Ponder ye your affairs and be mindful of your ultimate return and abode, then place your trust in God, your Lord. Say: The sun hath risen and noon approacheth while all are sleeping.

That is the Day of Resurrection when all shall be brought before God their Lord—some knowing, others knowing not. Remember thou God, thy Lord, by night and by day, and contend not with anyone in all the worlds. Look not upon anyone save as God hath testified concerning him, for this is the certain truth. And if thou art able to be present there, then remember what cometh from God, the Most High, the Most Great. Verily the splendor of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the majesty of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the beauty of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the grandeur of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the light of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord.

Verily the mercy of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the words of God are upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the glory of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the sovereignty of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Verily the dominion of God is upon them who have believed in God and His signs and are assured of meeting their Lord. Recite thou, when thou art devoted in prayer, that which is revealed in that moment from God, that thy heart may be nourished by thy Lord’s provision and that thou mayest be among the protected ones. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Verily Thou art the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them.

Thou dost grant sovereignty to whomsoever Thou willest and dost withdraw it from whomsoever Thou willest; Thou dost exalt whomsoever Thou willest and abase whomsoever Thou willest; Thou dost render mighty whomsoever Thou willest and dost humble whomsoever Thou willest; Thou dost bestow victory upon whomsoever Thou willest and dost bring low whomsoever Thou willest; Thou dost enrich whomsoever Thou willest and dost make poor whomsoever Thou willest; Thou dost protect whomsoever Thou willest. Within Thy grasp is the Kingdom of all created things. Thou createst whatsoever Thou willest by Thy command; verily Thou art powerful over all things.

Thou dost cause the night to enter into the day and the day to enter into the night; Thou dost cause the moon and the stars to rise in the night and the sun to rise in the day; Thou dost hold up the heavens without pillars and dost maintain the air in the atmosphere of the heavens; Thou dost bring forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living; Thou dost provide sustenance to whomsoever Thou willest beyond what any of the sincere ones can reckon. Yet God hath not permitted anyone in the Book, when reading from the Book of his Lord, save that he should maintain a spirit from His presence and manifest composure. Is this not a bounty from God unto those who have believed in God and His signs, and who are certain of the meeting with their Lord? Therefore guard thyself against those who know not the truth yet count themselves among the righteous. Speak nothing but the truth that hath been revealed in the Book, for this is a path of certain truth.

Look upon no one except as they were on the day God created them, that thou mayest be among the mighty in the days of God. Deal kindly with those who have believed in God and His signs, for they are thy brethren in Paradise and are, in the sight of God, among the guided ones.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Ever-Relenting, the Ever-Relenting

O My God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Might and the Omnipotence, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and Glory, Thine the Sovereignty and the earthly realm, Thine the Grandeur and Majesty, Thine the Beauty and Radiance, Thine the Countenance and Perfection, Thine the Might and Action, Thine the Mercy and Bounty, Thine the Likeness and Examples, Thine the Stations and Sublimity, Thine the Glory and Invincibility, Thine the Power and Transcendence, Thine the Joy and Gladness, Thine the Sovereignty and Authority, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and Creation.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast ever been the One God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Ever-Living, All-Compelling, Sovereign, All-Protecting, Holy, Everlasting, Independent, Transcendent, Invincible, Most High. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power hast Thou ordained all things, and by Thy will hast Thou given form to all things. Thou hast ever been existent before all things, and the Cause of all things, and the Creator of all things.

Glorified and mighty art Thou! Glorified and majestic art Thou! Glorified and beauteous art Thou! Glorified and great art Thou! Glorified and luminous art Thou! Glorified and merciful art Thou! Glorified and perfect art Thou! Glorified and exalted art Thou! Glorified and mighty art Thou! Glorified and powerful art Thou! Glorified and well-pleased art Thou! Glorified and loving art Thou! Glorified and sovereign art Thou! Glorified and generous art Thou! O Creator of all things and Sustainer after all things!

All must worship Thee according to the truth of Thy oneness, and all must glorify Thee according to the truth of Thy singleness, and all must sanctify Thee according to the truth of Thy unity, and all must testify to Thy oneness according to the truth of Thy grandeur, and all must magnify Thee according to the truth of Thine eternity.

Is there anything, O my God, between which and Thee there is not Thy forgiveness? Does not everything bear witness unto itself that it must turn in repentance unto Thee? Nay, by Thy might! Verily, I seek Thy forgiveness for all that Thou hast created or wilt create, and I turn in repentance unto Thee for all that Thou hast brought into being or wilt bring into being, being assured that Thou hast ever been the Forgiver of those who dwell in Thy kingdom and the Acceptor of repentance of those who inhabit the dominion of Thy heaven and the earth of Thy will.

The existence of creation itself bears witness to what it deserves of forgiveness, and the essence of invention itself indicates what is befitting of the word of repentance. Therefore, glorified and exalted art Thou above how Thou hast named Thyself the All-Forgiving, for which Thou deservest praise such as none hath offered before and none shall offer hereafter. And I thank Thee for having named Thyself the Ever-Relenting with gratitude such as none hath expressed before and none shall express hereafter. For if Thou didst will to exercise Thy dominion and Thy power, who could stand before Thy justice and Thy equity?

Glorified and exalted art Thou! Glorified and sanctified art Thou! Thou dost ever cause to live and to die, then to die and to live, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third

In the Name of God, the Ever-Relenting, the Ever-Relenting

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and raised Himself in His elevation above all created things, and manifested His power above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and established His dominion above all atoms, and demonstrated His triumph above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and revealed His appearance above all that existeth in the kingdoms of beginnings and endings. He beareth witness, and all His creation, that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Ever-Relenting. Then He beareth witness, and all His creation, that the One of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. God hath sent down unto Him the Bayan and hath ordained therein the measures of all things with most excellent remembrance and exposition, and hath made it Paradise for those who walk in the chambers of the All-Merciful, and fire for those who follow not what hath been revealed therein with clear proof.

And God hath chosen for Him primary beloved names, then caused them to enter the primordial limitless ocean, whereupon the heavens were filled thereby with evidence of His Self, testifying that there is no God but Him, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth within the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the All-Forgiving, the Most Forgiving.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the All-Forgiving, the Most Forgiving. And verily all glory from God be upon the One and upon whosoever resembleth that One wherein naught can be seen save the Primal One. I bear witness that God, glorified be He, hath revealed Himself to all names through them, through a single revelation, even as the sun shineth upon all mirrors through a single effulgence. And verily I am abashed before the attribute of the All-Forgiving and the mark of the Ever-Relenting. For how, O my God, my Lord, my Master, my Ordainer, and my Creator, did God not name Himself by that Name, nor was that attribute revealed in the Book, except as a token of grace from His presence upon His servants, and as a manifestation from the horizon of His glory upon those who dwell in the kingdom of might and power.

Verily God loveth not that anyone should seek forgiveness from another, nor that anyone should turn in repentance unto another. Nay, He loveth not that such things should be attributed to the Manifestations of His unity. However, since He beholdeth every possessor of His remembrance and every bearer of His praise, He hath therefore revealed these two Most Great Names for those who love to seek forgiveness from God, their merciful Lord, both at eventide and at dawn. When thou art finished with thy journey, return unto God, thy Lord, but beware, beware of mentioning sorrow, for I have no need of gladness born of grief. And I counsel those who follow Me that they should not approach the fire, for therein are traces thereof. Be preserved through God, your merciful Lord, unless you wish to touch it, in which case pluck it with water lest you witness sorrow, for that is what God has counseled thee and all the believers.

Vahid 19

Bab 12: AHtam

And it hath four degrees. The first of the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Decisive, the Most Decisive.

There is no God but He, the Most Decisive, the Most Decisive. Say: God is Most Decisive above all who are decisive. None can withstand the sovereign power of His decisiveness, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He creates whatsoever He willeth by His command. Verily, He is the All-Decisive, the Decider, the Most Decisive.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lies between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. Praise be to God, Whom all things glorify in the heavens and on earth and what lies between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Sovereignty, then the Rule and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Justice that declineth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God will assuredly decree in the Book that those who believe in God and His verses in the Bayan shall enter Paradise, and that those who believe not in God and His verses on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest shall enter the fire. O Temple! Bear thou witness that there is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Nothing in the heavens or on earth or between them can frustrate thy Lord God. He createth what He willeth by His command “Be” and it is.

Think not that We are content to cause Our faithful companions to ascend unto Paradise after We had power to assist them. Far exalted is thy Lord God above such a thing, with supreme exaltation. Rather, when We created in the Qur’an, throughout long years of planting We called night and day that We might honor them with what they sought of Our grace. And We bear witness that servants have persisted in this and have been supplicating by night and day. We have favored them and honored them and answered their prayers and admitted them into the Ridvan, and they are now enjoying themselves in the highest Paradise. At the right hand of each one are a thousand youths like hidden pearls, and at the left hand of each one are a thousand houris like hidden crimson rubies. They dwell in mansions of ruby, clothed in silk embroidered with gold. Before them is whatever their souls desire, and God increases His bounty unto them. Verily, there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.

They rejoice in those who yearn for their stations, and they say:

“What of you and your life? Why do you not ascend unto us? Will you not die in the dust and perish? Why then do you not perform deeds that will cause your works to return unto God, your Lord, and remember you with an exalted remembrance? Verily, He is the Peerless, the Inaccessible, the Most High, the Sublime.”

And Mahdi recites in the Ridvan these verses, and We are hearing:

“Say: O God! Thou art the Support of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Thou givest guidance unto whom Thou willest, and exaltest whom Thou willest, and abaseth whom Thou willest, and aideth whom Thou willest, and forsaketh whom Thou willest, and strengtheneth whom Thou willest, and humbleth whom Thou willest, and impoverisheth whom Thou willest, and enricheth whom Thou willest. In Thy grasp is the dominion of all things. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.”

And his brother in Paradise says:

“Say: O God! Thou art the Nearness of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. Thou givest nearness unto whom Thou willest, and takest away nearness from whom Thou willest, and exaltest whom Thou willest, and abaseth whom Thou willest, and strengtheneth whom Thou willest, and humbleth whom Thou willest, and aideth whom Thou willest, and forsaketh whom Thou willest, and causeth to perish whom Thou willest, and impoverisheth whom Thou willest. In Thy grasp is the dominion of all things. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest.”

Behold how We created them from two drops of water and returned them to two handfuls of clay. We admitted them into Paradise and made their tongues speak. This is the reward of those who have returned to the Point of the Bayan, and these are they who are alive in the sight of God, they who are detached. Then look at those who have returned to the Tree of Negation—it is itself dead, and likewise those who have returned to it. Thus dost Thou cause to enter the fire whom Thou willest, and verily We are the Bountiful. By the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest! God will not give me through Him everything from a mighty, inaccessible, and exalted youth unless We love that We sacrifice them in the path of Him Whom God shall make manifest, that they may return unto God. Perchance God will cause one among them to speak, else all begin from a drop of water and return to a handful of dust. Therefore be thankful for those whom We have admitted into the Ridvan, and be not of the sorrowful.

For We will not answer the prayer of those who call upon Us, and this is of God’s bounty which none comprehend save the God-fearing. Consider how many servants in Islam call upon Us night and day, and recite the Prayer of the Covenant in the morning, yet We answer not their prayers and seize their souls while they yet yearn. Thus do We exact retribution from the guilty. Say: If ye be truthful in your prayers, this is the gathering-place—how is it that ye enter not the paradise? And if ye be liars in your claims, God hath placed in your hands proof of your falsehood. Otherwise, how could ye remain patient? If ye be truthful, why do ye wander to the right and to the left, and come from here and there? These are the prayers of your bodies, and these the words of your tongues. This testifieth that we are liars, and this testifieth that we are truthful.

Otherwise it would not be possible for God, your Lord, to manifest Himself, and what was decreed hath been decreed, while ye remain patient like the dead. Soon shall ye weep and implore until the next Resurrection, but ye shall find no way thereto. Know ye then the value of the days of God, and act with truth and sincerity. Say: O all things! Were ye to know what We know, ye would sob, then swoon, then die and be counted among the dead. And be not veiled from God, your Lord, for even the twinkling of an eye by being veiled from the Manifestation of His Self, while night and day ye prostrate yourselves. And as for the verses that were composed, We have indeed heard them. Say: Glory be to Him above all that hath been created and shall be created. All are His servants, and all within the bounds of existence do speak. Were all on earth to describe Him Whom God shall make manifest to the utmost of their ability, they would not comprehend an atom of His description.

How then could they describe Him Who created Him? One letter of what God describeth Himself through the tongue of the Manifestation of His Self is greater than all that any describer could describe. Yet We have decreed that whoso composeth poetry in praise of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and should it reach Him in the time of His manifestation, We shall build for him in Paradise two thousand mansions of crimson ruby. Thus do We reward those who praise the Manifestation of their Lord and are certain of Him. But for him who composeth poetry before His manifestation, no mansion shall be built, for should he attain unto His manifestation, he might not praise Him and might not be numbered among the believers. How many servants praised Me in the years of the Seedling in their books and poems and from their pulpits and seats, yet all were on that day veiled from My Self. How then could their praise benefit them, were they to reflect?

Say: Their likeness is as the likeness of those who described Muhammad, the Apostle of God, according to what Jesus had promised them in the Gospel, yet when He came to them, they said in return for their description: “Verily, Thou art not of the truthful ones.” Consider—had they not described Him, it would have been better for them than what they said in His presence without right. O all ye poets, fear ye God! O people of the Bayan, all of ye fear God! O ye who mount the pulpits, all of ye fear God! O ye who occupy the seats, all of ye fear God! For ye are all liars except those who compose poetry on the Day of God’s manifestation and then recite it truthfully in His presence. Nay, if ye compose verses about what hath been manifested, it shall benefit you in your own manifestation, but concerning Him Who shall be made manifest it shall not profit you except during His manifestation. And if ye compose poetry about Him Who hath appeared in truth, verily ye are composing it about Him Whom God shall make manifest in truth.

Consider those servants who are interpreters—they have interpreted the Qur’an while they have no certitude in Him Who revealed it. How much more so regarding verses that have been sent down from His presence! Such is the extent to which these people act without understanding.

And as for what thou hast asked concerning the elixir—We counsel thee and all seekers that if ye desire this, go forth in the path of God that He may grant thee His recompense, for He is the most excellent of rewarders. And if thou desirest to accomplish thy purpose thereby, verily God will fulfill thy purpose and the purpose of all His servants through means He hath created. From there do ye seek, whether thou knowest this or comprehendeth it not—ye shall be created from a drop of water and return to a handful of clay.

Yea, We shall give thee the most perfect elixir. This is what shall cause thee to endure among the worlds: When thou recognizest a Manifestation in His Manifestation, refer all thy deeds to Him. For if He mentioneth thee with His good-pleasure, thou shalt be remembered until the Day of Resurrection with glorious and beauteous remembrance. Thou wilt have manifested the fruit of that for which thou wast created and wilt be recorded in God’s Book among the righteous.

If thou art in the midst of that Manifestation, then establish the Cause of that Manifestation according to thy capacity. But watch over thyself at the time of the subsequent Manifestation, for all shall be tested then if thou art among the discerning ones. Thou mayest desire to establish the former Manifestation while veiling thyself from God thy Lord in the subsequent Manifestation, thinking thyself among those who establish the truth, when in fact by being veiled from the subsequent Manifestation thou art veiled from the former Manifestation, nay, from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end.

For all people are tested at the time of the subsequent Manifestation, when the followers of the former Manifestation desire to establish it but thereby exclude themselves. Consider those who accepted Islam—they all desired to establish the religion of Muhammad but were veiled from Muhammad in His subsequent appearance. Otherwise they would never have opposed Him themselves, much less opposed His followers. This pattern exists in all religions—they all desired to establish their religion but were veiled from God’s Manifestation, and thus entered into the fire wherein they shall not be helped.

O all things! Be watchful over yourselves at every Manifestation, for you affirm the first Manifestation while remaining veiled from the latter one. Your affirmation profits you nothing, and it would be better for you had you not affirmed at all. O all things! Fear ye God! This is what We have given thee of an elixir that hath no equal, after thou wast created from nothingness. Remember with the Ancient Remembrance unto the End that hath no end, and be not annihilated in manifestation if thou art among those who sail upon the sea of names. Should God bestow upon thee all the elixirs of the heavens and earth, they would not suffice thee, they would not suffice thee apart from that Elixir, for after that thou shalt surely die and be not remembered among the worlds. This is what We have bestowed upon thee of the elixir of existence as a bounty from Our presence, for verily We are the Bountiful.

And if thou desirest the elixir of earthly dwellers, take the flux, then work it for forty days with the refined solution, then complete it with acid, then place it in a china cup, then cook it on a low flame for three days, then remove it and say “This is from the creation of God, the Subtle, the Most Subtle, the Kind,” for this will manifest from it what the solar ones manifest, not what the lunar ones produce. But seek God’s help in this, for if thou shouldst possess this, thy body would be blinded and thou wouldst perish, yet thy heart would not live by what We have taught thee. Verily We are knowing of all things, and We are bountiful unto all.

Bab 13: Anma

And it hath four degrees. The First in the First:

In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted.

There is no God but He, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted. Say: God is more exalted than any possessor of exaltation. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His exalted sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the Exalted, the All-Exalting, the Most Exalted. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom all things in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them do glorify. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Realm of Yakut, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is powerful over all things. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And blessed is He to Whom belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God, verily, provideth sustenance unto all things as He willeth through His command. No God is there but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God, verily, causeth to develop whatsoever He createth in the wombs as He willeth. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: God, verily, createth man from subtle clay, then maketh him a drop of water, then causeth him to grow until He maketh him a being possessed of all-encompassing knowledge. Then doth He cause him to develop until He bringeth him to that which was ordained for him in the Book. Then doth He take him and cause him to return to a handful of clay, and causeth him to enter Paradise if he be of them that are assured of God and His signs, or beneath Paradise if he be of them that are veiled in the days of his Lord. Say: God hath perfected His proof unto all who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever is between them through that which He hath sent down from His presence. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Most Holy.

Say: God hath ever been All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Wise, and God will ever continue to be as He hath been. His knowledge hath encompassed all things, and He hath created from a beginning that hath no beginning whatsoever He hath created, and will create unto an end that hath no end whatsoever He createth through His command. He hath ever been powerful over all things. He hath sent forth His Messengers from His presence in numbers beyond the reckoning of any who would reckon, and hath sent down Books from His presence in measure beyond the comprehension of any who would comprehend. What thou hast written hath been set before God, and We are all aware of it. What thou hast mentioned concerning how people have differed regarding the appearance of their Lord—some believing, some disbelieving, and some remaining silent—say: There is no God but God in both cases. The believers abide beneath the shadow of affirmation.

These are the companions of Paradise, these are they who are mentioned in the presence of God. And others are gathered beneath the shadow of negation, and what they have earned shall profit them not, and they shall die and then enter the fire. And as for those who acknowledge but remain silent, they shall be gathered beneath the shadow of affirmation. God hath placed no station between negation and affirmation wherein ye may pause. The hesitant ones are standing behind the veils of negation. But should they desire to make manifest their belief, if they do so they will be counted among the rightly guided in the sight of God. When the truth becomes manifest to them, if they acknowledge it, these are they who are established in affirmation.

And if they become veiled, they have veiled themselves from the truth after having recognized it, and these are they whom nothing of their deeds shall profit, and He shall seize them in their lifetime by their own hands, then after their death for having become veiled. Verily He is mighty, the Lord of retribution. And in every Manifestation the proofs of affirmation endure while the proofs of those who deny are transient, and both (types) are the community of the Messenger, even as you witness today concerning the People of the Furqan. And what Muhammad spoke before, “My community shall not unite upon error,” referred only to those who affirm, otherwise you witness the error of those who deny. How many servants do not acknowledge the true Imams while all are under the shadow of Islam and are believers in what was revealed in the Furqan. But in that Dispensation when you say “We are believers in what God has revealed in the Bayan,” this suffices until you become among its witnesses.

When you enter through the gate of faith, these are they who stand upon the stations that God has ordained for them. Some journey upon the sea of Names where they know naught but God and His names, and they are assured through the remembrance of the All-Merciful. And some journey upon the sea of the First Creation, saying that what God has created in every Manifestation of His Self is like the sun—though it rises countless times it is one sun, and though it sets countless times it is one sun. We were outwardly believers in them, and what appeared through them was naught but the Cause of God, and all stand by the command of God.

And they cite what was revealed in the traditions from the Imams of the Faith: “Whosoever wishes to gaze upon the Primal Point, upon Muhammad the Messenger of God, let him gaze upon the promised Qa’im.” And at the time of His manifestation He did not say “Whosoever desires the Primal Point, let him look upon this one,” rather He said “Look upon Me and through Me to Muhammad the Messenger of God, if you be of those who know.” And thus did Muhammad the Messenger of God speak regarding the mention of the Prophets, that they were Him in the Furqan, if you be of those who know. And before the Primal Point was like the Primal Point—creation has no beginning and no end with God, all journey from infinity to infinity. And some have descended from that horizon—these are they who are given no portion of the knowledge of the Book and do not understand.

We need not mention them and their words, for all were created by God’s command through the Manifestation of His Self, and all stand by God’s command from Him. I have only mentioned those who believed in God and His verses. And what the speakers say—“Ask your Lord about what you were certain of in your religion in the Furqan before, if you were among those who had insight”—did you see Muhammad the Messenger of God or witness any sign except the Furqan as God’s proof to the worlds? If you were not certain that all are powerless before it, how did you enter the religion of Islam and become among those who know its laws?

And if you say “We heard other verses in which we were certain,” this is not a proof for you with God, and if it were a proof for you it would not be a proof for one who wishes to enter your religion, for if he sees no proof other than that proof from God to the worlds, then thou hast no recourse but to acknowledge that the Qur’an itself is God’s all-sufficient proof unto all the worlds. For His proof was not complete for those who entered Islam in those days, and had God’s proof not been perfected and completed for them in their acceptance thereof. This is among the misconceptions of those who, aforetime, were sightless in their Faith. And he who truly sees in his Faith hath no recourse, upon hearing a verse, but to believe in it and to proclaim: “Verily, I am the first of them that believe.” For God hath revealed in the Qur’an that none but God can reveal verses, and ye have witnessed this truth throughout twelve hundred and seventy years.

If ye be believers in God’s Word, after having heard and seen, how can ye show patience? And should ye say that nothing can render God powerless to reveal another verse, and that ye are assured of this, thy Lord God declareth:

“Yea, We have power over all things as We will, yet We send not the Messengers, nor do We grant them verses save as We please, not as ye desire.”

Read ye the Qur’an and witness how God rejected those who demanded other verses from Muhammad, and how He established the truth through what He revealed as a verse and reminder from Him unto all the worlds. Think not that these verses were not greater than the verses of the Prophets, for God taught you this aforetime in the Qur’an, that ye might be among those who are endued with insight in your Faith. Were the verses of the Qur’an not the greatest proof, how could they abrogate the verses of the former Prophets and what God had granted them of signs, such as the rod of Moses, of which ye know?

Reflect but a little on your former Faith, that ye may be enabled to traverse the Bridge on the Day of Resurrection. And if all on earth should believe in God, it would add nothing to God’s dominion, for God is independent of all things. Therefore believe in God and then in the Messengers through what God granteth them, not through what ye desire. For if God were to reveal according to your desires, none would remain on earth who had veiled himself from his Lord’s Cause. Ponder upon all the previous Dispensations and draw your lessons therefrom. According to your words, the Qur’an is Muhammad’s greatest proof from God, wherein ye all believe and are assured. Yet what God revealed unto Muhammad over twenty-three years, He is able, when He willeth, to reveal in two days and nights. How can ye comprehend this and be patient?

Verily, all who speak concerning thy Lord’s verses speak without truth, even as the desert Arabs spoke of the verses of the Qur’an, saying: “These are but tales of the ancients.” God exposed their falsehood and the futility of their souls, and established the truth, as ye now perceive. Verily those who believed not in Muhammad were all seized and entered the fire, and God exalted the religion of Islam as ye now witness. Say to those who declare “We shall surely bear witness without our principles concerning the verses”: From whence do ye comprehend your principles? After the appearance of Muhammad was proven by such evidence, do ye still seek proofs? And when God sent down such verses unto Muhammad, what had ye to say concerning them? What difference is there between then and now, if ye would but reflect? God hath revealed these verses from a soul untutored as ye are untutored, that ye might understand and perceive. Do they imagine this is a matter wherein they can exercise control?

If ye were able, why throughout one thousand two hundred and seventy years did ye not produce a single verse from the beginning of that Cause until now, save the objection that ye possessed not those verses of God whereon ye might reflect? Should all who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them gather together to produce the like of such verses, they would be powerless and incapable, even were We to raise them above the earth. This is the impotence of all created things, and this is the power of God, as ye shall come to know. Say: O God! Thou art the Knower of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Thou bestowest knowledge upon whom Thou willest, exaltest whom Thou willest, raisest up whom Thou willest, abasest whom Thou willest, strengthenest whom Thou willest, forsakest whom Thou willest, enrichest whom Thou willest, and impoverishest whom Thou willest. Within Thy grasp is the dominion of all things.

Thou createst what Thou willest, how Thou willest, by what means Thou willest, for what purpose Thou willest. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. Present these verses to all who are on earth, that they might produce the like thereof. And if thou art not among those who are certain, and if they all prove impotent, then believe thou in God Who created thee, sustained thee, caused thee to die and brought thee to life, and desired to guide thee in the Bayan through His grace—verily He is the most excellent of those who show favor. Think not this is but a verse, for verily it is life itself. Look to the Knower of the Bayan—for were all on earth to gather together to alter His knowledge concerning His religion, they would be unable. This is the impotence of all before the creative verses, even as they are powerless before the recorded verses.

And likewise shalt thou witness all the letters of the Bayan, for verily they are all life itself, and all are powerless before them. Yea, and I have desired that thou mightest gain insight into thy religion—this is what God loveth for thee and for all mankind. If thou gainest not insight, enter not into the Cause, for God loveth not to witness that in any of the believers. Rather thou shouldst seek proof through that whereby God, thy Lord, proved aforetime in the Furqan, for this is a straight path. Observe in the Furqan how God proved naught except through verses that rendered you powerless before them. Even as God provided proof, so must ye provide proof. And verily what God hath revealed of the signs of the Prophets or other than this, ye are not charged therewith. And if thou wishest, all this shall be made clear.

Look upon all the peoples upon the earth and inquire: Had those who were given the Torah from Jesus found what they found from Moses, how would they have persevered in their religion? And likewise before Moses, and likewise after Jesus. In every Revelation ye take as proof that which God revealeth from His presence and maketh as His testimony. And as for what thou hast mentioned concerning the station of the Point of the Bayan, We have mentioned to thee two mighty stations: The first, in the inmost of the inmost, wherein naught can be seen save all are rememberers unto Him; and in a station of the outmost of the outmost, that is the first that was created by God’s command “Be! and it is.” And the likeness thereof is as the likeness of the sun from the first that hath no first unto the last that hath no last—it hath ever been but one sun. Say: All are created by God’s Will.

In that station Muhammad is I, and I am He Whom God shall make manifest, and He Whom God shall make manifest is He Whom God shall make manifest thereafter. Ye shall not be veiled from the Thrones that He manifesteth from their exalted seats. For in Noah and Abraham, then Moses and Jesus, then Muhammad, there was naught but one Manifestation from God, the Lord of the worlds. And beyond these two stations are countless manifestations of that Tree which ye behold in the Bayan. He calleth from God that there is no God but I—this is the highest of stations in the Book from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And He calleth in another station that verily I am an atom, less than an atom—this is the lowest of stations in the Book. Say: Both are from one single Point, and between them are degrees beyond counting.

In the religion of God ye shall not differ, and ye shall look upon each degree within its bounds, that ye may comprehend all things and behold all with the eye of oneness, that ye may not differ. And as for what thou hast sent regarding the tablet of letters, We were indeed watching. The matter was not difficult for him who penned it, rather he desired to separate the first line with other lines, since what is derived from the first line is what was inscribed in the first line. Those who look therein and work within a protective circle need not separate the first line, and when they write what they desire, they extract the answer from the very question without omitting or adding a single letter, and they are grateful for what has been given to them. However, what was written did not encompass the knowledge of that circle, and what was extracted was only that of which we were certain, though not by itself, and We were indeed knowledgeable of it.

Then bear witness that the paths of the science of numerology are countless, each following their own method of writing and extracting, but not all have been given perfect knowledge of the letters, else they would never err. But God bestows His grace upon whomsoever He willeth; verily He is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Like what was given to Muhammad when he decreed years before and extracted what you now hear, thus pure knowledge corresponds to the reality of the matter as you observe in his words. These are his words from which you seek information, giving life to your Lord in both worlds, giving life to those who come after the deviators. And if ʿha’ is added to it, know that I have not concealed the essence of the secret, so multiply the very essence by its own number, for this is the name of the Axis of the Worlds. Take the essence before closing after joining, and include it among those who are included.

Verily God loves that in every Manifestation there should appear guides to the science of letters that prove the Manifestation of God in the subsequent Manifestation. This is what returns to God of their knowledge and deeds, and God will guide thereby whom He willeth; verily He is the Most Guiding of guides. We have detailed mention of this in that Tablet before, so seek information from there if thou desirest to be among the knowing ones. But make not this the proof of truth, for this exists with others as you witness, and how many servants walk in falsehood though they have been given something of that knowledge, or of alchemy, or of other sciences that you find wondrous or amazing. Yet they believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest in the next Resurrection through these matters, rather they are certain only of what God reveals from His presence.

Bab 14: AHwaz

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Possessing, the Most Possessing.

There is no God but He, the Most Possessing, the Most Possessing. Say: God is more possessing than any possessor. None in the heavens or the earth or what lies between them can withhold himself from the Sovereign King of His possessions. He creates what He willeth by His command; verily He was ever the All-Possessing, the Most Possessing, the All-Encompassing. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them. Say: All are prostrating unto Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and the earth and what lies between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifies that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, sapphire, and then sovereignty and the realm of earthly dominion.

He causeth to live and to die, then causeth to die and to live, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and a King Whose dominion passeth not away, and a Justice that declineth not, and a Sovereign Whose rule changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. Blessed is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily God will encompass all things as He pleaseth through what He pleaseth. He hath ever been All-Knowing, the Most Subtle. And since that night was like unto the first year, the witnesses of God were sorely tried.

Therefore, remind them on that night of what We have aforetime mentioned unto them, for verily We have been ever mindful, that ye may be reminded through your remembrance, and that in the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest ye may profit by your remembrance. Otherwise, how many servants have remembered aforetime the witnesses of God in their religion, yet their remembrance profited them not in the subsequent Revelation, and they persisted in their remembrance after their resurrection had come to pass, and they are until this moment persisting in their remembrance. Therefore fear ye God, for that remembrance will profit you not except ye understand it. Rise ye up on such a night as that, amidst their afflictions, with contentment and tranquility in your hearts, your spirits, your souls and your bodies, if ye be of them that are tranquil. Verily I am God, the Most Evident, the Most Evident. Recite ye that mighty verse according to the number of the name of the Most Evident therein.

Then observe your own souls that ye place them not in negation after ye have been reared in affirmation. Verily I am God, there is no God but I. From a beginning that hath no beginning all the most beautiful names have belonged to Me, and I am the Knower of all things. And verily I am God, there is no God, no God but I. Unto Me shall belong all the most sublime examples unto an end that hath no end, and verily We have power over them. And I shall verily bestow upon them from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end as a grace from Our presence, for verily We have ever been the Bestower of grace. And I shall assuredly curse from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end those who grieve the witnesses of Him Whom God shall make manifest and believe not in Him. The first is the good-pleasure of God, if ye desire to know, and the last is the fire from which ye are warned to beware.

Therefore observe your own souls that ye grieve not any one of the witnesses of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then grieve not any one who believeth not in Him, for this is the whole of your religion whereby ye shall be saved on the Day of Resurrection. And though ye should ascend in piety unto a horizon above which there is no horizon, it will profit you not on the Day of Resurrection, but if ye grieve no one, perchance ye shall not grieve for any of God’s servants, and thereby shall ye profit not in your religion, if ye but little perceive. And whosoever desireth to transgress the bounds of your religion, restrain him, O people of the Bayan, all of you together, with kindness and compassion, or else with justice and modesty, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye shall not be afflicted. Verily, those who were given the Furqan, who slew the Imams of Guidance in their days, grieve not until that Resurrection.

And likewise, in every Revelation, it endeth that the servants of God who transgress the bounds of God in their words and deeds. Therefore when ye are in the Day of God’s Manifestation, be not afflicted. Consider how many were created under the Furqan whom God had forbidden to slay a soul save for a soul, yet all of them acted thus. Or they prevented those who desired to transgress the bounds of their religion and restrained them by their might, so they departed not from their religion and disobeyed not their Lord. And ye shall not grieve until the next Resurrection in the Bayan. Therefore watch, O people of the Bayan, lest any among you transgress the bounds set by God, and if ye witness it, restrain him with modesty and propriety, for God, your Lord, loveth not any conduct unbecoming to the living for anyone in all the worlds.

And if ye prevent him not, that transgression will spread through another decree until ye are unable to protect yourselves on the Day of Resurrection, and ye shall enter the abode and receive no help. And ye shall witness transgression, whether complete or partial, and with all your strength and power prevent it and protect, lest anything return on the Day of Resurrection to Him Whom God shall make manifest or to any of His servants, that ye may thereby be saved. But be patient in your Cause, for ye shall not judge the subsequent Manifestation by the presence of the former Manifestation, for ye shall be tested at the time of the subsequent Manifestation. Perchance ye shall hear or witness servants who have been created in the subsequent Manifestation, and ye prevent them by the bounds of your religion, thinking ye are supporting your religion, while ye depart from your religion and perceive it not.

We have decreed this for you only that no grief may reach these souls, not that ye should prevent them in the subsequent Manifestation by what We have commanded you in that Manifestation. For if ye command their prevention and restraint, ye shall depart from your religion and shall never be helped. For this is among the bounds of your religion, not at the time of the subsequent Manifestation. Therefore ponder, then ponder, then ponder, then be patient, then be patient, then be patient.

Verily I am God, there is no God but Me. I have been from a beginning that hath no beginning, even as there is no perfection to My perfection. Verily I am God, there is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Perfect in My completion. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Complete in My completeness. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Complete in My completeness. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Great in My greatness. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Great in My greatness. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Trustworthy in My trust. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Trustworthy in My trust. Verily I am God!

There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Commanding in My command. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Commanding in My command. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been the Life-Giver in My life-giving. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain the Life-Giver in My life-giving. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Self-Subsisting in My self-subsistence. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Self-Subsisting in My self-subsistence. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been the Judge in My judgment. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain the Judge in My judgment.

Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Generous in My generosity. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Bountiful in My bounty. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Bountiful in My bounty. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. From the beginning that hath no beginning, I have been Great in My greatness. Verily I am God! There is no God but Me. Unto the end that hath no end, I shall ever remain Great in My greatness.

Bab 15: Afrash

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Outspread of the Outspread

There is no God but Him, the Most Outspread of the Outspread! Say: God spreads above all who spread. None in the heavens or the earth or whatsoever is between them can withstand the power of His sovereign spreading. He creates whatsoever He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath been the Spreader, the Outspreader, the All-Spreading.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, unto Whom offer praise all who are in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever lieth between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Beloved. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: We have spread out the earth whereon ye dwell, and likewise the realms of your hearts, your spirits, your souls and your bodies whereon ye rise to heights. And likewise have We spread out the realms of your detachment, your uniqueness, your unity and your sanctification—all from Us, and verily We are cognizant of all things.

And when that Day cometh, those who ascend unto God from the realm of your sanctification shall ascend, and that is the very shadow under which ye seek shelter. I have blessed them to the number of those who have borne witness to them. Verily We were the best of those who bless, according to the number set by the All-Merciful in the Book for those who are beloved. We have blessed them and We were the best of those who bless, according to the number of times ye have called upon Us. We have answered you, and verily We were powerful over all things.

Thus shall Our believing servants enter Paradise. Do ye not see how man desireth that animals be slaughtered so that wolves may eat them, that they may enter the highest chambers which God hath ordained as a bounty above all animals? We have permitted you to eat thereof, that ye may be thankful. God hath created Manifestations in the Divine Realm who yearn to ascend unto God their Lord, that they may enter the chambers of the throne of manifestation wherein they abide in the eternal life of God. These are the guides of God in the kingdom of creation and the names of God in the realm of command. Therefore make ye yourselves like unto them, if ye desire to dwell in Paradise and if ye be traversing the ocean of names. On that day ye shall say, “There is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting,” according to the number of the name of the All-Merciful, for thereby shall ye attain unto all good. And if ye traverse the ocean of creation, say: “O God!

Bless the guides to the throne of Thy manifestation in the Bayan, and take vengeance upon those who have veiled themselves from the guides to the manifestation of Thy Self, through Thy might and power. Verily, Thou art the best of the powerful.” But all this must be with spirit, tranquility, contentment and love. To recite once in this manner is better than to multiply recitations.

With spiritual exaltation and contentment shall ye recite. Behold how We have created servants from attracted drops of water, then returned them to a handful of noble clay, and cast their remembrance among them, and admitted them into the gardens of names, whereto all turn. How many invincible sovereigns have We created from the beginning that hath no beginning! How many mighty ministers have We created from the beginning that hath no beginning! How many exalted trustees have We created from the beginning that hath no beginning! How many manifest commanders have We created from the beginning that hath no beginning! How many ruling judges have We created from the beginning that hath no beginning in the chain of affirmation and negation! Then We seized them, admitting these into a sublime and holy paradise, and those into utter and remote annihilation. Thus shall We continue to create unto the end that hath no end.

We are above all the victorious ones, We are above all the manifest ones, We are above all the powerful ones, We are above all the triumphant ones, We are above all the ruling ones, and We are cognizant of all things. But glory belongeth to those who began from clay and returned to clay, and between these two states of clay attained the good-pleasure of God from the Manifestation of His Self. They shall endure through the endurance of God throughout the eternity of eternities. If in your lives ye witness no sorrow, ye shall die; and if ye witness every sorrow, ye shall die. But what profiteth you is to perform deeds that return unto God, your Lord.

None of your deeds return unto God save what returneth to the Manifestation of your Lord. This is what profiteth you. Reflect a little upon your beginning and your end, then understand. Ye cannot take anything out of the kingdom. Ye begin from a drop of water and return to a handful of clay. Ye possess not your lives. Then the earth ye cultivate remaineth for those who are living, and if they be guides to the Cause, they have no decline and they shall endure through the endurance of God. They multiply upon the earth and reproduce, but God shall surely raise up one who will chastise them and annihilate them from the face of the earth, until the day cometh when there shall not remain anyone upon the earth who doth not worship God, his Lord, openly among those who are manifest, inasmuch as they follow not the Manifestation of His Self openly among the believers.

Verily I am God; there is none other God but Me. From the eternity of eternities have I been God, the One worshipped; and unto the eternity of eternities shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the ancientness of all ancientness have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the ancientness of all ancientness shall I be God, the One worshipped. I have ever been and shall ever remain God, the One worshipped; I have ever been and shall ever remain God, the One worshipped. In the might of pre-eternity have I been God, the One worshipped; in the holiness of primordial pre-existence have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the holiness of primordial pre-existence shall I be God, the One worshipped.

In the everlastingness of all everlastingness have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the everlastingness of all everlastingness shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the perpetuity of pre-existence have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the perpetuity of pre-existence shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the pre-eternity of pre-eternity have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the pre-eternity of pre-eternity shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the majesty of everlastingness have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the majesty of everlastingness shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the perpetuity of all perpetuity have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the perpetuity of all perpetuity shall I be God, the One worshipped.

In the exaltation of abidingness have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the exaltation of abidingness shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the exaltation of life have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the exaltation of life shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the majesty of imperishability have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the majesty of imperishability shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the duration of all duration have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the duration of all duration shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the permanence of abiding have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the permanence of abiding shall I be God, the One worshipped. In the very life of life have I been God, the One worshipped; and in the very life of life shall I be God, the One worshipped.

These are verses that have been sent down from God, the Supreme, the Exalted. Whosoever desires to protect his child, let him write these verses upon an ornate tablet and place it with the one he wishes to protect. For as long as he lives, he shall be protected by the angels of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them, as all bear witness before God, the Powerful, the Glorious. Moreover, when ye become aware of conception, these verses shall not depart from the bearer until she delivers her burden. Then they shall not be separated from the child until God brings him to the fullness of his years. Thus shall ye be exalted. And if ye inscribe and place the first verse in gold, this is better for you than that which ye seek to protect. This befits none save him who is a king upon earth.

God hath permitted this to all His creation as a bounty from His presence, that ye may witness the generosity of God from His presence in the highest apex as in the lowest depth, and that ye may comprehend the grace of God in the Most Exalted as in the most lowly.

Verily, what thou hast penned unto God, thy Lord, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting, hath been presented before God, thy Lord, and We were aware of it. And what thou hast written, that Thou art the One, the Single, the Unique, the Exalted, the Independent, and what thou hast mentioned of the innumerable Most Beautiful Names—yea, We were manifest in the thrones of Our names through these names, yet in the station of the Essence, We were sanctified above all names. All turn to Us through Our names, and We were remembered through all Our names, yet in the exaltation of the Essence and the transcendence of attributes, We were above all that. We have made known to the creation of the Gardens of the Bayan a name from Our names, that they might, through all names, sanctify God, their Lord in all His Names. And these are the mirrors of the Name of Unity. We have made known the number and form of all things that they may testify that there is none other God but Us, the One, the Single.

How can these mirrors sanctify their Revealer when they stand in the station of Names within the Name of Unity? After this same manner ye know the degrees of your own essences in the loftiness of your names. And the fruit of all that We have called Ourself by all Names is that ye may not, in the Day of Our Manifestation, be veiled from your Revealer by your own selves. When ye behold yourselves as the manifestation of glory, let not your glory veil you from the glory of your Revealer, and see within yourselves naught save the glory of God. And should ye possess any perfection, let it not veil you from the perfection of the Point of the Bayan, nay, ye behold in your own selves no perfection save the perfection of God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting. And likewise from the loftiest name of sovereignty to the lowliest name of growth, and all the degrees between them which no reckoner can reckon.

And verily what ye possess is like unto the sun reflected in mirrors of names and attributes, and what He Whom God shall make manifest possesseth is like unto the sun that hath graciously accepted the shadows of your stations—how then do ye not show acceptance? And how can ye comprehend that which describeth the Essence in terms of the One? And likewise whatsoever is described by all names is the very Essence, if ye speak in terms of the names of the Essence. But verily We have created all names as mirrors in the kingdom that ye might turn unto Us. Therefore speak ye when ye lie down and when ye rise up:

“We believe in God, the One, the Single, the Alone, the Self-Subsisting, beside Whom there is no God, the All-Subduing, the Self-Subsisting,”

that on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest ye may not be veiled from Him Who appeareth in those mirrors of names.

And verily what thou hast mentioned, We were well aware of it. And what thou hast mentioned concerning God’s command that all should ask of Him whatsoever they desire, even to the salt they desire—yea, God hath permitted this, but ye know the stations of servitude. That sovereignty belongeth unto God, and all things within their bounds ye witness within their bounds. And what thou hast mentioned that God is the All-Bountiful, the Most Bountiful, the Bounteous—it behooveth not that the servant should ask of Him a thing insignificant. Yea, by the glory of Our Being, the All-Bountiful, the Glorious, it behooveth not that thou shouldst ask of God save all things, if thou be of them that are convinced.

How hast thou limited thyself to the number of the letter Nun? Thou hast indeed considered the means of the kingdom, for then wouldst thou be of the praised ones. But thou seest that sovereignty belongeth unto God, and all declare that unto God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, and they speak truly. They assign all that unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, and they entrust unto its Owner that which He hath created in His dominion, that all may be enriched by His bounty. Verily He is the All-Encompassing, the Subtle. But thou seest in that Day the veils of creation, and We were established upon it.

God will soon enrich thee through the means He hath created in the kingdom from His presence. Verily He is the All-Sufficient, the Self-Sufficient. Therefore recite thou the verse of power by night and by day according to the number of thy Lord’s name, the Powerful, the Powerful. And likewise in all that thou desirest, recite thou its verse, for We have sent down in the Book a bounty from Our presence for all the worlds.

Say: O God! Thou art the Power of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. Thou givest power unto whom Thou willest and withdrawest power from whom Thou willest. Thou exaltest whom Thou willest and abaseth whom Thou willest. Thou strengthenest whom Thou willest and humblest whom Thou willest. Thou aidest whom Thou willest and forsakest whom Thou willest. Within Thy grasp is the dominion of all things. Thou createst what Thou willest, how Thou willest, by what Thou willest, for what Thou willest. Verily Thou art the All-Powerful, the Most Powerful, the Powerful. By the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest! If thou continuest thus and receivest from all who are on earth, none shall oppose thee since all mirrors imagine that within them is the sun, but the sun is in thy mirror while they wander in their delusions. But those in the Bayan walk in the mountains of certitude.

And verily We have remembered what thou hast mentioned about thy mother and thy family and thy descendants. O God! Send down upon them all, both men and women, that which will please them, and cause them to enter, after their lives are complete, into the Paradise of Thy good-pleasure, for Thou art the best of those who show grace. All are equal before Thee, and in every verse from Thee they call upon Thee night and day, and verily Thou art the best of hearers. O God! Grant relief to all Thy male and female servants who believe, for Thou art the best of those who grant relief.

Bab 17: Afiy’

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Sheltering, the Most Sheltering.

There is no God but He, the Most Sheltering, the Most Sheltering. Say: God is more sheltering than any possessor of shelter. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His shelter’s sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the All-Sheltering, the Shelter-Giving, the Most Sheltering.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All bow down before Him in prostration. Praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him.

God testifieth that there is no God but Him. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things.

Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God createth all things by His command “Be” and it is. Do ye not see how God hath created shadows by the sun? They prostrate themselves before God their Lord on the right and on the left. And if God willed He would withhold them. Verily He hath power over all things. Say: The likeness of all things is as a shadow before His primal Will. Do ye not see? Say: Light hath no existence before the sun riseth. Even so, ye existed not before God made manifest the Sun of Truth in your religion. Therefore ponder from the beginning that hath no beginning, God hath created His creation: how they were powerless to accomplish any matter save through the Messengers whom God raised up. Then, by His command, did they act, and He revealed unto them the Books, through their own tongues, and manifested therein His power, that ye might believe and be assured.

Consider the creation of the Furqan (Qur’an): how many men and women were created therein from the first day God sent Muhammad until now, all acting by God’s command through Muhammad. All are like shadows before the sun, if ye would but see. When God desired to make Himself known, He manifested the Sun of Truth in the Bayan, whereupon ye came into being in another creation.

O all things! Were ye not like shadows before God caused it to rise, ye would not exist. Be ye assured, then be doubly assured, that ye were created as shadows after the rising of the sun. In like manner shall ye understand this on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Ye are all but reflections and shadows, save Him; through Him do ye exist. Thus doth He show you the creation of your essences, your realities, your selves, and your beings at the creation of the Primal Remembrance, that ye might remember.

After ye became shadows before the Sun of Truth, consider how ye conduct yourselves. Reflect upon those who followed Muhammad before, then Ali thereafter. The creation of shadows and reflections ye should thus reckon and follow, that on the other Resurrection ye may not conduct yourselves toward Him Whom God shall make manifest—the Sun of your existence—in any way unworthy of the Sun. Ye are all but reflections and shadows, would ye but know and see.

Such is the cause of your creation as God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, willeth. As ye are illumined by the light of the sun, so are ye guided by the guides of the Point of the Bayan. Know ye the station of God’s guides in every Dispensation, for their likeness is as rays proceeding from the sun, and by them are ye all guided.

Reflect upon those who have earned in the Bayan what they have earned: those who thereafter enter the Bayan are guided by their guidance, but those who enter not as they entered the Bayan—these shall enter the fire. Thus should ye understand the cause of your existence, for verily in the creation of your light and your fire are ye created by them. If ye believe, ye shall enter God’s religion through their guidance; but if ye are veiled from God’s Manifestation by what they entered into God’s religion, God shall create fire within your souls, and ye shall be created in negation through them.

Observe ye the numbers of the name of the All-Merciful in the Book, then seek ye knowledge about the rays of the sun—how ye are illumined thereby yet veiled therefrom. Were ye not rays of the Sun of Truth, ye would not be attracted by its rising, and ye understand each one from a land that mayhap some know not, neither can they deduce. Yet your essences are as rays that never separate from the Sun of Revelation. They who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest through their innate nature—these are they who shall attain. Reflect ye then upon the mirrors of their bodies, wherein ye have traversed what those before you traversed not, though ye were all created through them, whether ye believe in their guidance or deny what ye love not thereof, and what God hath revealed unto them from His presence ye comprehend not and follow not. All begin from a drop of water and return to a handful of clay, whether they be the monarch of the earth or the lowliest of creation.

Yet that wherein ye take pride hath not created Paradise after your death, and ye seek refuge in God lest ye enter the Fire if ye would but see. Do ye not observe that when the guides of God ascended in the path of God, they entered Paradise, and God revealed verses through their tongues while they rejoiced therein? Thus doth God cause those who believe to enter Paradise, if ye would but slightly perceive. And how those who were veiled from God their Lord have entered the Fire, and they are tormented therein—they die not and are afflicted until God willeth. Verily Paradise is created and the Fire is created in the Book of God, if ye would observe in every Revelation the negation and affirmation. If ye ascend in the path of God, then ye enter the Fire, just as these are the light of God and ye pride yourselves in them before God your Lord. Likewise these are the darkness of darkness—God hath not created guides like unto them, as they traverse the ultimate extinction in His path.

It behooveth that the mirrors of their bodies be encased in vessels of gold whereon are inscribed the verses of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting, then adorned within with crystal mirrors, not of glass, as a glory from God for them and you, when ye pride yourselves in this. Yet they rejoice in that they enter Paradise, and they regard not nor turn to such conditions. This is what these deserve in the Book, and We have not witnessed anyone manifest from God what they deserve, while they all worship Us night and day. O all things! In all conditions God’s good-pleasure in a thing is that which, in every Revelation, ye should love what God loveth, not what was ordained in past Manifestations while ye discern through your own selves. At the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, God’s good-pleasure is that in which ye believe and are certain, not that wherein ye follow all the limits of the Bayan.

How many followed what God had revealed in the Gospel at the appearance of Muhammad, yet it profited them not a whit. Had they followed at Muhammad’s appearance that which pleased Him, how God’s good-pleasure would have profited them each day in something, even as ye say that God is each day in a wondrous task. Similarly, at the time of the Revelation of the Point of the Qur’an, how many souls acted within the bounds set by the Point of the Qur’an, yet it profited them not, for they veiled themselves from the Point of the Bayan. Yet they act without discernment, for all that was revealed in the Qur’an was for His good-pleasure—and can God’s good-pleasure be manifested through aught but the good-pleasure of His Manifestation? Thus doth everything return to the good-pleasure of the Point of the Bayan, if ye be endowed with insight in the Qur’an.

Reflect upon the people of Islam: had Muhammad not been pleased with something therein, whether command or prohibition, how would ye then bear witness? Thus have all proceeded from a single Soul, would that ye would ponder but a little. God hath not ordained the religion of the Bayan except that ye should, on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, call upon Him through these same paths. Otherwise, should ye become veiled, your paths in the Bayan would profit you not, would that ye would but see.

Muhammad ordained aforetime in Islam that ye should say “There is no god but God” at the beginning of your religion, that perchance on the Day of the Point of the Bayan’s appearance ye would not enter into negation and would follow the path of divine names. Yet ye understood naught of that word, and it profited them not though they accepted it for one thousand two hundred and seventy years, comprehending nothing. If this be so regarding the first principle of your religion, how then do ye perceive its final aspects?

He commanded you to pray that ye might understand. Verily, what ye recite in prayer, ye recite before God, and ye should realize that He Who commanded you thus would love that what ye were commanded should return unto Him. Yet ye spoke not the words He commanded, though ye pray night and day. Ye are as dead ones who have understood nothing of the religion of Islam, nor think ye that ye shall understand hereafter.

Look ye in the Qur’an at the numbered verses: We have sent down the paths of your branches, yet ye have made your entire religion into matters of derivative laws which ye observe in the books of your divines. We sent down in the Qur’an that whereby ye might be saved on the Day of Resurrection, yet ye veiled yourselves from all that and held fast to verses We revealed concerning matters of your religion, and ye strove thereby and counted yourselves among the God-fearing. If ye thus reckon yourselves, We indeed doubt concerning you, and We shall surely show you through negation on the horizon of certitude that ye have not understood a single letter of the Qur’an, else ye would have been guided by Him Who revealed it. Ye are but dead ones, beginning from clay and unto clay returning.

The whole religion of the Bayan is that ye might recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest at the time of His appearance, and then recognize your Creator through His manifestation in the Bayan. Otherwise, your deeds by night and day profit you not, though every community acteth according to its own path, working day and night. How is it that ye judge them not according to the truth? Nay, if ye were to trace all the paths of the Bayan back to the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest and the exaltation of His Word, then would ye comprehend somewhat of what God hath revealed in the Bayan. Otherwise, ye do what profiteth you not, even as the peoples before you have done. Make all your religion none other than God on the day of His manifestation, that ye call upon none beside Him as having any right. And whosoever wisheth to call upon another besides Him, banish him, lest ye be veiled from your religion by your own sanctifications.

For all these things were originated for naught but to establish that Word, did ye but perceive it. We have sent forth the Messengers, revealed the Books, ordained the paths, and distinguished between the people, and We are cognizant of all things. Sell not thy religion for all that is on earth, if ye be truly religious. Look ye upon the glory of your religion, then judge thereby. Were He to appear before Muhammad, the Apostle of God, how would ye deal with God’s command from His Apostle to annihilate Him? This is the glory of your religion—how is it ye know not? Consider: the sovereignty of all on earth would not suffice in place of these two words:

“This is the glory of God and the glory of His Apostle.”

Yet perchance ye remain veiled by minor details from the bounds of your religion. Fear ye God and be ye God-fearing. For the religion of God hath ever been, in the sight of those created and yet to be created, more glorious than all else, and all glory is derived therefrom.

Look ye upon the speech of the peoples, for the most glorious among them are those who attribute themselves to a religion and act according to its bounds. Look ye upon the kings of the nations—their glory lies in saying “I am the king of that religion,” and thereby do they glory and rule as they rule. God hath ever loved the glory of His religion and those who follow His religion. How is it ye love not what God loveth? Say: All glory belongeth unto God, then unto the Point of the Bayan, then unto those who believe in it with certitude. Ye glory in comprehending some of the verses of God and thereby ye judge, yet how is it that on that Day, when He Who revealeth those verses can reveal four thousand verses in a day and night if He so wisheth, ye neither glory in Him nor take pride? And if your former glory in Islam were examined in light of the mystery of the Cause, were ye to consider it—Say: All peoples glory in their religion, could ye but see.

Nay, from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end, all glory in one Sun and take pride therein. Know ye then the value of the days of God and what ye are able to accomplish—to exalt the Word of God and to aid the Cause of God. For one verse from the verses of God is more glorious than all that is in the heavens and the earth and what is between them, did ye but know. We have indeed acquainted you thereby with one word from it, which all on earth could not equal nor suffice in place of. Know ye then the verses of God according to your capacity to know. And be not of those who comprehend naught when deducing from God’s signs, for verily their proofs are flimsier than a spider’s web, though they draw inferences from God’s signs aforetime and perceive it not. Say: O people of the Furqan! How do ye in this day deduce proofs concerning your religion? Is it through what ye possess of the Furqan?

Then bring forth another proof if ye be among those who deduce through aught else in your religion. When they are all struck dumb and possess no proof save that, and are unable to abandon their religion, think not that this proof can be equaled by any other proof, for by it were established the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and ye were aforetime indebted to it in the Furqan. This is the proof whereby the word “There is no God but God” hath been made manifest unto all worlds. This is the proof whereby the word “Muhammad is the Messenger of God” hath been established unto all worlds. This is the proof whereby was created the authority of those who were witnesses after Muhammad, the Messenger of God, if ye would but ponder a little. This is the proof whereby were created the primary mystical gates through your Qa’im aforetime, if ye would but reflect a little.

This is the proof whereby were created your religious obligations and traditions through your Messenger and your Imams, if ye would but observe a little. Say: O ye who in this day regard yourselves as witnesses from the Imams of the Faith, if ye be truthful in your claim! That proof attaineth three degrees, if ye be endowed with insight. When ye deduce from the words of the Imams of the Faith—who were created solely through the word of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, and whose prophethood was established only through the signs of God—how is it that ye are veiled from this proof in this day, and deduce from what was revealed in the three veils? None knoweth the interpretation of God’s signs save His God-fearing servants, and verily God’s signs are greater in their significance than what ye comprehend of their meaning.

Just as ye say regarding the Furqan that none knoweth its interpretation save God and those firm in knowledge, and ye interpret through the Imams of Guidance that which God hath made mighty in station, such that ye yourselves are unable to comprehend its meaning—how then do ye grieve for it and judge without right? I have shown patience from the time God first manifested me until now only to establish the station of that creation and to show them that they were not truthful aforetime. And what proof could be greater than this, that they should prophesy concerning one through whom God hath created all things and through whom all are created, in such a position while all act according to their own desires night and day, and they suppose they are doing good? God shall assuredly make manifest His Cause and show unto each one His power until they see with their own eyes and wish there were a way between them and the Manifestation of their Lord whereby their faith might be accepted.

O people of Islam! After one thousand two hundred and seventy years have passed, when one of our followers, whose name is mentioned by our name in your religion and within the bounds of your faith, pronounces judgment concerning your departure from your religion—because you follow conjecture rather than truth while supposing you do well—if this be your station before one of our followers, how must it be before Us or before God, your Lord and our Lord? Have mercy, therefore, upon your own selves and upon others. After God has manifested the sweet water of life like unto an ocean, you, in your intense thirst, perish not through your own ordinances, though perchance you die striving. Consider, then, the origin of your practice of individual judgment, for it stems from the words of the Leaders of Religion. And verily, the authority of those who are witnesses from God was not established save through the word of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, if you would but reflect.

God advanced no argument in the Qur’an for the manifestation of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, except through clear signs—how then do you veil yourselves from them? Think not that We are impoverished through you—glorified and exalted be He above what you imagine! Rather, We are independent of all things. But since God created you in Our love, We desired to save you from the fire, then have mercy upon yourselves! How many nations there are upon the earth, all of whom worship other than God while believing they worship God, their Lord! Therefore be ye certain, then fear God.

Vahid 18

Bab 17: Abr’

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the All-Healing, the All-Healing.

There is none other God but Him, the All-Healing, the All-Healing. Say: God is the All-Healing above every possessor of healing; none can withstand the King, the Sovereign, the dominion of Whose healing encompasseth all. No one, neither in the heavens nor on the earth nor in whatsoever lieth betwixt them, can escape His grasp. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been Healer, Creator, Pure. Glory be to Him unto Whom bow down in worship all that are in the heavens and all that are on the earth and all that are between them. Say: all are prostrate before Him. Praise be to God, to Whom belong the inhabitants of the heavens and the dwellers of the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: all are humble before Him.

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him. His is the sovereignty and the dominion; then the glory and the might; then the power and the realm of holiness; then the strength and the jewel-like splendour; then the authority and the world of mankind. He quickeneth and He causeth to die; then He causeth to die and He quickeneth; and verily He is the Living Who dieth not, the King Who perisheth not, the Just Who dealeth not unjustly, the Sovereign Whose rule altereth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing can slip away—neither in the heavens, nor on the earth, nor in whatsoever lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command; and He hath power over all things.

Exalted is He to Whom belong whatever is in the heavens and on the earth and between them. There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Blessed is He to Whom pertaineth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Prevailing, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God is the Creator of all things by His command, and unto Him shall all return.

And He hath created all things from two trees—each taking shelter beneath its shade. One is the Tree of Affirmation: all are in Paradise beneath its shadow, abiding therein by the good-pleasure of God. The other is the Tree of Negation: they that have sought refuge beneath its shade are of the companions of the Fire and shall not be aided. The first foundation of religion is that which ye utter: There is none other God but God. Yet, in every Revelation, that Word is established through that which God ordaineth for the proof thereof—if ye be of them that know the truth. Ponder, then, the creation of these two trees, and in God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, put your trust.

Both worship God, their Lord, and are of them that bow down before Him. The people of Affirmation worship Him as God loveth that they should worship; they prostrate themselves in obedience to His good-pleasure. The people of Fading worship God according to what He had decreed aforetime, yet worship they that which they themselves desire. Consider, at the appearance of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, that those who believed in Him and were sincere—these were created beneath the shade of the Tree of Affirmation, rejoicing in Paradise through the abiding of God. But those who veiled themselves were created in Negation—though in their former religion they had believed in what God revealed unto Jesus, son of Mary, and deemed themselves assured.

For the difference between the two is this: the former, in the first Manifestation, believe and account themselves doers of good; the latter, in the Manifestation of the later One, believe and are assured, and disavow the former, certain that they are not doers of good. Reflect from the First that hath no first unto the Last that hath no last; for all are journeying beneath these two trees. God is their Creator, their Sustainer, their Slayer and their Quickener. This is Paradise—ye bear witness—this is the good-pleasure of the Throne of the Revelation of God in every Dispensation, wherein, after your death, ye shall dwell in the chambers of Paradise. And that other is the Fire—ye bear witness—beneath the good-pleasure of the Throne of the Revelation of God in every Dispensation. Seek refuge, then, in God from him that believeth not in God. Behold the creation of fire and of light, and then meditate.

We have known all things in our selves that there is none other God but Him, the All-Prevailing, the Self-Subsisting. They that have known God and have testified to the proof of their Lord—these were created in light; these are the companions of Paradise; these are they that have triumphed. But they who were veiled from the signs of their Lord—what they have acquired shall not profit them, neither shall they be profited thereby. These are, in the Book of God, of the perishing: they begin from dust, and unto dust they return; and God, after their death, shall cause them to enter their fire, whereof they were wont to be afraid.

Say: Fear God, O ye who are all things, and then be ye of them that fear. Ye were not created that ye should begin from dust and return unto dust; nay, ye were created that ye might, within the span between them, attain unto the good-pleasure of Him Who created you, sustained you, caused you to die, and gave you life; unto Whom belong the ordering of your affairs. Your religion shall not profit you with God, your Lord, if ye know.

Verily those who are steadfast beneath the Tree of Affirmation—these are they that worship their Lord, and these shall inherit the earth. But those who take shelter beneath the Tree of Negation—these worship, apart from God, that which profiteth them not. Though they may profit for a time in this life according to that which God hath decreed, yet after death they shall find no justice for them in the Book of God—if they be of them that perceive. Seek ye, then, sufficiency in God; then in the Cause of God exalt yourselves.

Say: They who follow, apart from God, such as believe not at every Manifestation in Him that appeareth—follow them not. Ponder the case of them that were given the Psalms: they deemed, until that moment, that they worshipped God, yet the advent of Moses annulled them and bore witness against them that they were not believers. Likewise, they that were given the Torah worshipped God until God manifested Jesus from His presence: then were they tried. Those who believed in Him—these had worshipped God in their religion; these are the God-fearing. And those who believed not—these were patient until then. Likewise, the people of the Gospel worshipped God until God manifested Muhammad, the Messenger of God: then were they tempted. Those who believed in Him—these had worshipped God in the Gospel; these are the victorious. But those who veiled themselves entered the Fire, waiting until then.

And after the years decreed following the Revelation of Muhammad, God manifested the Point of the Bayan. Then were the people of the Qur’an tried. Those who believed in Him—these worshipped God in Islam; and those who were veiled were as their predecessors, save as God willeth to guide them and admit them into the religion of truth. And in like manner shall they who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest be tried by Him that appeareth after Him—unto the Last that hath no last. Thus do ye know; thus do ye testify from the First that hath no first.

Say: The likeness of the Revelation of God is as the sun: though it rise, beyond number, for all that can be numbered, it is one sun; and though it set, beyond number, for all that can be numbered, it is one sun—if ye look with truth upon the sun of the first. From the wondrous First that hath no first unto the Last that hath no last, in every Revelation are ye guided by the Throne of the Revelation of God, that ye may be saved. Say: Help yourselves by helping the Cause of God, if ye worship Him; otherwise shall ye die, and shall enter the Fire, and ye shall not be helped.

Say: The Proof of God, at the time of its appearing, hath been made complete for all who are in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them; yet little indeed do ye reflect. Say: By what argument were ye, aforetime, in Islam persuaded? Verily, in the Bayan we too were persuaded. If one of those who have been given the Gospel should desire to enter your Faith, would ye argue with him without the Qur’an? And other than this, whatever ye may utter, he who would enter cannot be assured by it, unless he behold, in Islam, no proof save that Proof which is from God—if ye be they that reason in truth. Yet they say:

“The Proof of God was not made complete for us in the Bayan through signs.”

How then do ye, by that same Proof, seek to convince him who would enter your Faith? And ye have not beheld Muhammad, the Messenger of God, nor have ye witnessed in all your lives any proof other than that Proof. How, then, do ye believe therein and are assured? And know ye that by that Proof alone shall not the Proof of God be made complete unto you hereafter, through those who shall enter into Islam—those who had not entered it before; nor will God chastise them after their death, but He will assuredly question them. Reflect, then, a little on what, in the proof of your Faith, is of old brought against others—haply by it ye may reason with your own selves, and then, on the Day of Resurrection, your own souls may be delivered.

Say: Those who were given the Books aforetime—the proof of God was completed and perfected upon them by Muhammad, the Messenger of God; and no path but the path of God shall be accepted in the Bayan—if ye know. Every later Revelation maketh proof by the evidences of the Revelation that preceded it, not by those who were before that Revelation, if ye but reflect. These are the signs of God for them that desire to be guided.

O God! Thou art the Knower of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. Bestow knowledge upon whom Thou wilt, and take it away from whom Thou wilt; exalt whom Thou wilt and abase whom Thou wilt; honour whom Thou wilt and humiliate whom Thou wilt; aid whom Thou wilt and forsake whom Thou wilt; enrich whom Thou wilt and impoverish whom Thou wilt. In Thy grasp is the dominion of all things: Thou createst what Thou wilt, how Thou wilt, by what Thou wilt, for what Thou wilt. Verily Thou art potent over whatsoever Thou willest.

Then consider the numbers of Thy Name, and the name of the Inaccessible, the Knowing, the All-Knowing. And We have mentioned in the Book that We were among them that watch. Praise be to God Who hath guided thee by His command from His presence; this is of the bounty of God unto thee and unto all believers. Make thou thyself of the witnesses of the Bayan, for this is the glory of God in the Book and unto all the worlds. Look not upon those who are veiled in the Book save as upon those who were veiled before you among the divines of every people—men who act within the bounds of their religion, yet are shut out from the path of God.

And thou hast been asked concerning him whose name is equal to the Name of thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Great, regarding the mention of the Name of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Is there any god beside God that revealeth anything? All arise by the command of God from His presence. Had the creation not been made ready for that Revelation, God would not have caused the Sun of Truth to appear. Whatever appeareth in every Revelation from the mirrors of the Names—by it do all make proof of God, their Lord. Thus have the grades been exalted, and have utterance been given from God, the All-Prevailing, the Most Exalted. Help ye God through him who willeth to help the Cause of God; verily this is glory unto all the worlds. God hath willed to aid you and to show you His power; verily He is powerful, potent, almighty.

Recount not unto him that is not assured, lest that which God loveth not reach him, nor any of the believers. Guard thine own soul, and then all the believing proofs of God. Meet thou the grades, and remember from thy Lord that which We have remembered. Comfort all the proofs of the believers, and do no deed that stirreth sedition—ye have no power to restrain it. Trust in God; then through God shall ye be able. Preserve the grades of God, that no sorrow touch them from them that know not the Cause of God, until God aid you thereby; verily He is the Help of the helpers.

O God! Thou art the Helper of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. Bestow victory upon whom Thou wilt, and take it away from whom Thou wilt; exalt whom Thou wilt and abase whom Thou wilt; honour whom Thou wilt and humble whom Thou wilt; aid whom Thou wilt and forsake whom Thou wilt; enrich whom Thou wilt and impoverish whom Thou wilt. In Thy grasp is the dominion of all things: Thou createst what Thou wilt, how Thou wilt, by what Thou wilt, for what Thou wilt. Verily Thou art potent over whatsoever Thou willest.

Train ye yourselves, and then your proofs, in the Days of God, that like those mirrors ye may reflect, and by your innate nature utter forth the manifestations of God. Say: Trust ye in God; for in the days wherein ye show not patience, God shall surely aid them that believe in God and His signs by their own hands, and He shall forsake them that are veiled from the Revelation of their Lord by their own hands; and God hath power over all things.

O God! Thou art the King of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them. Thou givest sovereignty to whom Thou wilt and takest it away from whom Thou wilt; Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt and abasest whom Thou wilt; Thou honourest whom Thou wilt and humblest whom Thou wilt; Thou aidest whom Thou wilt and forsakest whom Thou wilt; Thou enrichest whom Thou wilt and impoverishest whom Thou wilt. In Thy grasp is the dominion of all things: Thou createst what Thou wilt, how Thou wilt, by what Thou wilt, for what Thou wilt. Verily Thou art potent over whatsoever Thou willest.

Strengthen, then, the hearts of them that believe in God and His signs; drive them forth from the winds of their weakness; gladden them with the good-pleasure of God in their life and His Paradise after their death; warn them against whatsoever is beneath the good-pleasure of God in their life and against the Fire after their death, that perchance they may remember and reflect; that they may help themselves and cause the Cause of God to appear. Say: Be ye not dead after that God hath made you alive, while by night and by day ye worship. Do ye the deed that shall profit you with your Lord; obey God as your Lord loveth. All peoples obey according to their desire—how shall that profit them with their Lord, for what they have earned and what they earn? This is the victory of God in the Book: help ye by it, and ye shall, by God, be aided.

He is He Whom no eye can perceive, yet He perceiveth all eyes; He is the One, the Subtle. Nothing escapeth His knowledge, neither in the heavens nor on the earth nor in whatsoever lieth between them; He is the One, the All-Knowing. Nothing can frustrate Him, neither in the heavens nor on the earth nor in whatsoever lieth between them; He is the One, the All-Powerful. Watch, then, over the condition of them that are there, that no sorrow reach them—while thou art of them that have been sent down. For God hath servants who, in the Fire, remember Him, and in the Light, before their Lord, prostrate themselves. Through them doth God aid them that believe in God and His signs: they appear in pure light, and can neither enter the Fire nor be overcome.

And God hath angels: God created their inward being of light, and made upon their outward being the attributes of fire. They worship their Lord by night and by day. They that enter into the Fire aid, that they may deliver those who are therein, by the light wherewith their hearts were created. These seek none but God; they desire none but God; and though they are in the Fire, they endure not save that they help the weak upon earth—those whom God shall bestow with His most bounteous gifts, and who, after death, shall enter Paradise. This shall be in the days when light is hidden from the worlds; and when light appeareth, they shall take refuge beneath the shadow of God. By them ye are aided; by them ye are preserved. They manifest the Fire while within them they are of the Light; and they manifest the Light when God maketh them manifest. They intend none but God within their own selves. These are they whom God shall honour in the chambers of Paradise.

Vahid 19

Bab 8: Atqan

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect.

There is none other God but He, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect. Say: God is more perfect than any possessor of perfection. None can withstand the sovereignty of His perfection’s dominion, whether in the heavens or in the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath ever been perfect, perfecting, perfectible. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom boweth down in worship whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All are devoted unto Him. God testifieth that there is none other God but He. His is the kingdom and the dominion, then the might and the omnipotence, then the power and the divinity, then the strength and the sovereignty, then the dominion and the human realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or in the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, He hath power over all things. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth and of what lieth between them. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved. Say: God perfecteth His handiwork by His command, and verily He is, unto that, powerful and mighty.

Say: Among the perfections of the handiwork of the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting, is the establishment of the Cause of His Revelation in every Revelation through the Manifestation of His Self. When thou hast perfected this, then all are perfected through it. And unto God belong all first things, from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end, and verily He is, unto that, powerful and mighty. And unto God belong all last things, from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end, and verily He is, unto that, powerful and mighty. And unto God belong all that was, from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end, and verily He is, unto that, powerful and mighty. And unto God belong all that shall be, from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end, and verily He is, unto that, powerful and mighty.

Say: We have indeed perfected Our handiwork in the creation of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, then in all things—will ye not behold? We have perfected Our handiwork in all things through that which We have deposited therein as a sign from Our presence that there is none other God but I, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. God shall assuredly seize those who veil themselves from the Manifestation of His Self in His Revelation, for He is, in truth, mighty and powerful to do this. And God shall surely aid those who believe in Him in every Revelation and who acknowledge the Manifestation of His Self, for He is, in truth, mighty and powerful to do this. Say: Who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them by His command “Be,” and it is? Is there any god with God who creates aught? Say: Glorified and exalted is He above what they associate!

Those who join partners with God shall face a fire more intense than their association, both in the sight of God and in the sight of them who are endued with knowledge, and that which they are promised after their death for what they have earned in their lives—yet their lives would be greater were they but to perceive it. Do ye not see how We have caused Our God-fearing servants to enter Paradise by virtue of their having recognized Our Self and Our good-pleasure? These are they who, in their lives, delight in Our good-pleasure, and after their death shall inherit Paradise, wherein they shall abide forever. Do ye not see how We have caused to enter into the fire those who recognize not the Manifestation of Our Self in every Revelation and who are not assured of Our signs? Thus have We chastised them in their lives, and after their death they shall enter therein, and none shall help them. O all things! We are in truth independent of creating all things.

Rather, We created you that We might show you Our independence from you and Our power over you, that ye might thereby perceive, insofar as lies within your capacity, that which is from God. If ye believe in God, then shall ye be delivered from your unbelief, and if ye aid God, then shall ye deliver your own selves—for how can one who is other than Him manifest Him, and how can he who is powerless aid Him who hath not aided Him? Will ye then die in the days of God? Ye begin from a drop of water, then live but a little while, nor do ye aid yourselves by performing deeds that would exalt the mention of your names in the Book of God, though by this ye might attain to your portion of existence. Otherwise ye shall surely die. How many creatures have died before you—doth there remain any trace of them? Ye are like unto them, if ye would but remember. And how many creatures die leaving no trace, as ye know and are assured in your knowledge, though ye see it not.

Yea, your mention shall endure in the days of God when it is remembered, and thereby shall the mention of your own selves endure. O all nothingness! Do ye not desire to be remembered through the mention of the Ancient of Days? Then bestir yourselves in the days of your Lord and aid yourselves, that perchance ye may be mentioned in truth in the Book of God. Is there any god with God who originates aught?

Say: Glory be to God above what they mention! Is there any god with God who creates aught? Say: Glory be to God above what they mention! Is there any god with God who brings about aught? Say: Glory be to God above what they utter! Is there any god with God who generates aught? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe! Is there any god with God who begins aught? Say: Glory be to Him above what they attribute! Is there any god besides God who brings anything into being? Say: Glory be to God above what they mention! Is there any god besides God who creates anything? Say: Glory be to God above what they utter!

Is there any god besides God who fashions anything? Say: Glory be to God above what they describe! Is there any god besides God who initiates anything? Say: Glory be above what they attribute! There is no god but God; all are His worshippers. There is no god but God; all are prostrate before Him. There is no god but God; all are devoted to Him. There is no god but God; all bow down before Him. There is no god but God; all are submissive to Him. There is no god but God; all are humble before Him. He is the Creator of all things, and unto Him shall all return. Say: All that you desire that a sign should be manifested unto you from God—do you ask this from other than God? Say: All that you wish that a sign should be manifested unto you from God—from Him Whom God shall make manifest—do you seek this from other than Him Whom God shall make manifest?

God is dominant over His servants, and He is the All-Compelling, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. God is manifest above His servants, and He is the All-Manifesting, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. God is the Provider of all things, and verily there is no god but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. God causes all things to die, and verily there is no god but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. He is the Resurrector of all things, there is no god but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. There is nothing except through God and nothing except for God; all prostrate before God their Lord, and all stand firm through God their Lord. So whatever works you produce with your hands are from God’s creation, therefore perfect in them your own craftsmanship, for this is from the creation of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Let not what God creates through your hands of your crafts be wasted, except that you demonstrate in it the perfection of workmanship, whether in a great collective work or in a small individual task. For how can one who perfects his craft be certain of the perfection of God’s handiwork in himself? O people of crafts, all of you together must be God-fearing, that you may thereby be educated. O peoples of the earth, all crafts are countless things by which you all take delight and give thanks.

The Second in the Second

In the Name of God, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no god but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, then the Glory and the Majesty, then the Countenance and the Perfection, then the Likeness and the Similitudes, then the Stations and the Grandeur, then the Greatness and the Independence, then the Pride and the Revelation, then glory and grandeur, then might and exaltation, then power and ascendancy, then joy and gladness, then sovereignty and dominion, then whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation. O my God! Thy handiwork hath ever been perfect, complete, refined and masterful, and will forever continue to be refined, masterful, perfect and complete.

Thou didst create the heavens and perfect their creation through Thy power; Thou didst create the sun, the moon and the stars, and perfect their creation through Thy power; Thou didst create thunder and lightning, and cause water, snow and hail to descend from heaven through Thy will; Thou didst create the earth and the seas and perfect Thy creation therein through Thy might; Thou didst create that creation from a drop of water and perfect Thy creation therein, whereby Thou didst make it a complete human being; and Thou didst command Thy servants from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end to perfect whatsoever appeareth through their hands to the highest degree of perfection possible, for this is from the perfection of Thy handiwork, O Thou Lord of majesty, and from the consummate nature of Thy creation, O Thou the All-Compelling.

Therefore, O my God, do Thou nurture the creation of the Bayan that no created thing may be found therein save that which manifesteth the attribute of craftsmanship to the utmost perfection, and protect, O my God, through Thy might and power, whomsoever may be veiled thereby, for Thou hast desired thereby to make the earth flourish through the wondrous crafts wrought by the hands of Thy servants and the sublime handiwork of Thy creation. O my God! Cause all Thy creation to attain such heights in their crafts as the Letters of the Gospel did attain in manifesting the signs of Jesus, Son of Mary, Thy Spirit and Thy Word, and the evidences of His Self, like unto Thy parables and Thy will. For Thou hast fashioned that creation through the perfection of Thy handiwork, the consummation of Thy creation, the completion of Thy crafts, the fulfillment of Thy work, and the sovereignty of all the wonders of Thy wisdom.

Therefore, O my God, sharpen their vision regarding their crafts, elevate their sight concerning their innovations, make their hands gentle in what appeareth therefrom, and guide them to Thy religion in every Manifestation, for I have observed the various peoples of Thy creation upon the earth and have not witnessed any creation like unto the people of the Gospel in the perfection of their crafts and the wonder of their innovations. My heart hath grieved for them, O my God, for such as these ought not, through Thy bounty, to be content to be veiled from meeting Thee. Therefore, O my God, send forth one who will cause them to enter Thy religion, for they will follow in Thy path and be content with Thy way.

Send down upon them, O my God, that which will cause them to enter Thy religion and refine their crafts through Thy grace, and make all Thy servants like unto them in the refinement of their crafts and the wonder of their innovations, whereby they produce from stone crystal of the purest kind. How many crafts, O my God, do they produce in Thy kingdom that ought to appear before Thee! Therefore, O my God, bless them through Thy guidance, for Thou hast ever been, O my God, one God, Single, Eternal, Independent, Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Compelling, Holy, Everlasting, Eternal, Self-Dependent, Transcendent, Inaccessible, Exalted, All-Ruling, All-Possessing, All-Glorious, All-Powerful, Who hath taken unto Himself no consort nor son, and there is no partner with Thee in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned.

Thou hast created all things through Thy power and ordained them through Thy wisdom, and Thou hast fashioned all things through Thy wisdom and made them according to Thy decree. Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who passeth not away, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Mighty over what Thou willest.

The Third in the Third.

In the Name of God, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and hath ascended in His loftiness above all created things, and hath become inaccessible in His remoteness above all existing things, and hath exercised His sovereignty above all atoms, and hath manifested His power above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. His creation beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, the One, the Perfect.

He hath chosen for Himself an exalted Essence, resplendent Abstraction, sublime Simplicity, radiant Purity, glorious Identity, brilliant Manifestation, effulgent Luminosity, evident Clarity, majestic Grandeur, supreme Authority, mighty Dominion, and transcendent Sovereignty. Then He revealed Himself unto it through itself, and cast upon its reality the image of itself. Thus there appeared from it what was within it and upon it, and it filled the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them, testifying that there is none other God but Him, and that the Seven Letters and His Word are with Him.

God hath chosen for Himself primary Names corresponding to the essential numbers of all things, and through them the heavens and earth and what lieth between them have been filled, testifying that there is none other God but Him, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect.

There is none other God but Him, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect. And verily the glory from God be upon the First One and upon whosoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One. I testify that the Divine Essence is an inaccessible mystery that none save Him can know, and when thou desirest to know Him, know Him through His Manifestation in every Revelation, for no other way is possible in the contingent world. Consider His likeness as the sun and all creation as mirrors reflecting it. This is evidence of His perfection—thou desirest a perfect mirror showing Him all-knowing and learned, thou seest One all-knowing and learned, and likewise with all names. And limit not the names to any number, for they are endless, extending from infinity to infinity in all things.

And all that is realized in every Revelation are the manifestations of the Manifest One in that Revelation from the highest effulgence to the lowliest upbringing—for instance, look upon the earth: all must follow the religion of Muhammad. Thus you see in all that creation, from the name of sovereignty to the name of lowliness, both were created through the action of the Manifestations in that Revelation. This indicates His sovereignty and that indicates His lowliness. And if you are in the ocean of names, God is sanctified above all names and attributes, and if you are in the ocean of creation, Muhammad the Messenger of God commanded from the manifestation of sovereignty and lowliness and below them, for this is His very essence and that is His very essence. Do not let your understanding become imaginary in the air of your fancy.

Therefore, in every Revelation, when the Sun of Truth dawns with a decree concerning the inhabitants of the previous Revelation, rendering them as naught—for instance, you see now how many people of the Gospel call upon God by His names and recite the Gospel, their Lord’s Book, yet Muhammad the Messenger of God commanded their effacement. If they truly call upon God, how would God be pleased to efface one who calls upon Him? And if they recite God’s Book, how would God be pleased to efface one who recites His Book? This is because they knew God in their fancy and recited His Book in their imagination. Otherwise, had they truly called upon God, they would not have been veiled from Muhammad the Messenger of God and would have recited the Furqan, the Book of their Creator.

Therefore in every Revelation, the inhabitants of the previous Revelation are rendered as naught. O thou manifestation of perfection, perfect all thy craft and craftsmanship, and learn from that concerning the letters of the Gospel, such that thou mayest write from the Most Exalted Point what is possible therein of craftsmanship. I have given thee the part as an example that thou mayest know the whole from the part. Verily God hath cursed one who is capable of manifesting a craft in perfection yet manifests it imperfectly, and who loves for himself what he would purchase from another. How great is the Purchaser Who hath purchased that craft by His command and hath commanded His servants in the kingdom to purchase!

O temples of humanity! Perfect what ye are capable of in your crafts lest God curse you for aught of your crafts after ye worship Him. God curseth you only as He Who God shall make manifest curseth, for the Essence is an unknowable mystery. Perchance there may be presented before Him Whom God shall make manifest some imperfectly crafted object, and He will curse its maker—this is what God hath cursed. Therefore fear God, O all ye possessors of crafts! But He forgiveth those who are being trained until they reach perfection. For example, when a child desires to learn calligraphy until he perfects his writing, all that he writes is forgiven, and verily God will bestow His blessings upon him until he reaches perfection.

But when he attains the ability to write a single point, he will be held accountable:

“After thy writing was perfected, why hast thou not perfected thy craft, when thou wert empowered to do so?”

And if thou art unable to increase, then be content with less, for one beautiful beloved line is better than many lines that are not beautiful and beloved. And in this there is relief for the merchants and those who wish to make copies and desire haste therein. And in some cases ye are constrained—ye are pardoned for this. But God hath desired thereby to educate you in perfection. Otherwise it is equal before God whether thou makest that pen in the utmost perfection of craftsmanship or not. But if thou makest it with the utmost perfection, your souls will love it, and ye will have manifested the perfection of God’s handiwork in that thing, and ye will have brought that thing to the utmost possible excellence through the bounty of thy Lord.

And perchance that thing will one day be present before God, and He will be pleased with the one who made it. This is equal before Him, but ye are educated thereby until ye behold the day when all things on earth are brought to the utmost perfection through your own creation and the creation of what your hands produce. When the Dispensations have passed, ye shall behold Paradise with your own eyes in your life therein, wherein all things shall be without equal, peer, likeness, companion or similitude. And when ye engage in craftsmanship, recite: “Exalted above all craftsmen is the All-Crafting, the Most Artful One!” The creation of what ye fashion is perfected by your hands.

Bab 18: Abir’

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Powerful, the Most Powerful!

There is no God but He, the Most Powerful, the Most Powerful! Say: God is more powerful than every possessor of power. None can withstand the sovereignty of His power, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is the All-Powerful, the Most Powerful, the Ever-Powerful. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God, Whom glorify all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Celestial Beauty, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life.

And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who perisheth not, and the Just One Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He is powerful over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted is He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Say: Verily God shall utterly destroy those who believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest, and shall bring upon them a grievous destruction. Likewise those who enter not themselves into the Bayan, or who enter therein and cause grief to anyone without right. And God is watchful over all things.

Say: I have been strengthened by God, the One, the All-Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Glorious of the Most Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Resplendent, the Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Resplendent, the All-Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Joyous, the Most Joyous. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Glorious, the Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the All-Beauteous, the All-Beauteous. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the All-Magnificent, the All-Magnificent. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Excellent, the Most Excellent. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Luminous, the Most Luminous. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious.

Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Glorious, the Most Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the All-Magnificent, the Resplendent. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Glorious, the All-Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Joyous, the All-Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the All-Magnificent, the All-Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Most Luminous, the All-Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Glorious, the All-Glorious. Say: I have been strengthened by God, the Resplendent, the All-Glorious.

These are the keys of knowledge concerning the number of all things. Thus have We given you nineteen prayers, each of which multiplieth according to the number of the One and then according to all things. This is of God’s grace and mercy upon you, that ye may be thankful.

Say: Knowledge is naught but your knowledge of God, and then of His names and attributes. Besides this there is no knowledge with God, nor in the Book, nor with them who are endowed with knowledge, O ye who fear God! Say: This is your knowledge of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and then of them that believe in Him, both men and women, that ye may deal kindly with them and aid them in the path of God. This is what profiteth from your knowledge. Otherwise, how can the mere learning of words benefit you on the Day of Resurrection when ye are veiled from their fruits?

O ye who have striven in Islam and exalted yourselves above others, how is it that ye are not ashamed and do not reflect? Look ye upon the end of your strivings after seventy years, what fruit it hath yielded you, and what glory the believers have gained thereby. Watch over yourselves lest ye be veiled from the fruits of your knowledge, if ye be of them who are assured of God and His signs.

God commandeth you to acquire knowledge and guidance, that ye may believe, on the Day of Resurrection, in Him Whom God shall make manifest and in what God shall reveal. Yea, verily, your glory lieth in that which giveth you delight when ye recite the verses and prayers, and ye comprehend their meaning, if ye act according to them and exalt not yourselves above others. For the most learned among you in the knowledge of God is he who is most humble and submissive before men, if ye be of them who truly strive.

Say: The difference between these people and you is that ye learn words in Arabic while they do not learn them. Say: Ye and they are equal in respect to their fruits, if ye would but reflect upon the religion of God. How much have ye studied rhetoric and eloquence that ye might comprehend the eloquence and excellence of the verses! Say: Praise be to God, that ye have not understood the measure of a single letter, but when God revealeth a verse ye prostrate yourselves before Him. Then do ye recognize, in the presence of God, the supreme eloquence of His verses and the transcendence of His words. Say: Should all who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them gather together to reveal the like of one verse from the Book of God in eloquence, they would never be able, nor would they have the power, even should ye ponder this throughout your lives with all your knowledge.

Nay, your nature beareth witness to your powerlessness, and when it is purified for God’s sake, no sooner doth it hear the verses of God than it testifieth that there is no God but Him. These are verses sent down from the presence of the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting, even as the Primal Point spoke and bore witness. And they who are endowed with knowledge, when they heard the verses of God, testified with the knowledge of their hearts to the transcendence of God’s eloquence, the exaltation of His utterance, and the powerlessness of all things before it, and they are among those who believe and are assured.

Teach your children the science of grammar, then morphology, then the wisdom of the Bayan, then the science of letters, then talismans, if ye desire to attain unto the glory of knowledge. Say: The science of letters is the knowledge of the outward forms of words, and talismans are the science of their numerical values, from which cometh the science of calculation, if ye would learn aright. Say: The wisdom of the Bayan is that ye should learn the meaning of the words that were revealed in the Bayan, that ye may delight therein when ye recite them. Say: These sciences will profit you if ye believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest; otherwise they will not benefit you even to the extent of a mustard seed. Follow not what your predecessors have invented of your rhetoric, logic, principles, jurisprudence, astronomy, and mathematics, wherein ye spend the days of your lives. For none of these will profit you except to bar you from the remembrance of God.

What will profit you is to know God and to attain unto His good-pleasure, if ye be of them that fear Him. This holdeth true until the Day of Resurrection, and on the Day of Resurrection ye should make all your knowledge center on Him Whom God shall make manifest and His good-pleasure, for this is what will yield fruit from all knowledge, if ye be sincere therein.

Say: The sciences wherein ye take pride have been lifted from you, and ye have not been given permission to pursue them, for they profit you not with God and veil you from His remembrance on the Day of Resurrection, if ye do not witness these inventions before the Primal Point. Therefore ye are unable to believe in God and His verses, and ye cast yourselves into the fire thereby, and ye do not remember. Say: I have learned no knowledge save what He taught me from His presence—there is no God but I, and all else is My creation. Say: O My creation, worship ye Me! Say: I have made my knowledge to be of God and His good-pleasure, and this is My knowledge of what hath been vouchsafed unto Me from the good-pleasure of my Lord. O all things! By this shall ye be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Say: God hath prescribed that every soul should earn its own livelihood, each according to its capacity. This is through God’s grace and mercy, that ye may not grieve in pursuit of your sustenance.

Perchance there shall appear from your own means that which ye shall possess of God’s dominion. This hath not been prescribed for your women—God hath freed them for your sakes and their own. This is God’s favor unto them and unto you, that ye may be thankful. Yet God hath ordained that ye must earn what cometh to you in your days, that ye may provide. Blessed are they who seek their sustenance through what they earn in accordance with God’s Book—they write upon the fairest path. Blessed are they who derive their sustenance from the ways of their knowledge of what was revealed in the Bayan, and who are assured in the remembrance of God. Say: That which God chose for Muhammad aforetime, then for Ali before Muhammad thereafter, was commerce, through which ye shall be enriched and exalted. Glory be unto Thee, O God!

Send down the blessings of the heavens and earth and all between them upon those who engage in trade throughout the land while dealing justly in their commerce, who love for others what they love for themselves. O God! Exalt them, strengthen them, enrich them from Thy presence, preserve their souls and what Thou hast given them from the kingdom of Thy earth, and enable them to achieve their aims in their beginning and their end, as a grace from Thee. Verily, Thou hast power over all things. Say: Whoso tradeth in God’s path, God hath guaranteed to enrich him—and who is more truthful in speech than God? Therefore make your trade to be in God, for that is your trade with Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye trade in truth. Say: God hath ordained for those who study the science of the Bayan, while seeking none other than Him Whom God shall make manifest, that from every land the wealthy shall give unto them what they need to sustain themselves in their days.

God hath guaranteed to multiply what the wealthy give in their lifetime, then cause them to enter Paradise after their death, if ye observe these ones and assist them. Say: O people of knowledge! Fear God, for We have provided for you through those whom We have enriched, that ye may be mindful on the Day of Resurrection of what We gave you from Our dominion, then believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, and dispute not concerning what ye have learned, for ye tire yourselves in God’s path only to return to your dwellings while honored, earning through your knowledge. We have given you the means to earn from your knowledge, that ye may feel ashamed on the Day of Resurrection, then believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and dispute not. We witnessed in that Resurrection none but the seekers from Kazimayn who benefited from their deeds, while ye were all veiled by your desires.

Through their knowledge of the inner mysteries they sought the Truth and left their homes, whereupon God led them to the Manifestation of His Self and exalted their mention, as they believed in God and His signs among the worlds. Thus shall the special knowledge bear fruit in God’s path. Therefore watch over yourselves lest ye be veiled by the principles ye devise while remaining veiled from the fruits of what was revealed in the Bayan. Say: All knowledge is your knowledge of God, and this shall not be manifest unto you except that ye make your knowledge to be of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and this shall not be manifest unto you except that ye make your knowledge to be of the verses of God from His presence. Then shall ye comprehend all knowledge. Besides this are veils upon veils adorning you, if ye turn not unto the path of truth.

Say: God shall grant the reward of all things unto those learned ones who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and in His words, and who attain unto certitude. And verily God shall visit the punishment of all things upon those learned ones who believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest and in His words, and who attain not unto certitude. Therefore, O people of learning, have mercy upon yourselves, for if ye remain veiled ye shall bear the fire of all things, and what shall harm you shall be greater than what shall benefit you. Then shall ye attain unto all reward. Let not the conditions of your multiplicity veil you from the essence of knowledge and wisdom, for it is but one Word: “There is no God but God,” then His proof is Him Whom God shall make manifest—all are created by His command from God. God hath created no knowledge save that ye might comprehend this, and no knowledge hath appeared before except from this.

We have given you the essence of essences in your knowledge and wisdom that ye might be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Say: Nothing is devoid of the twenty-eight letters, were ye to reflect thereon. Say: The essence of these letters returneth unto the One—ye witness these nine between the knowing and the all-knowing. Say: Should God desire to make the letters into essences, lo, nine would be concealed within the one, and thereafter it would be made manifest in the Book that there is none other God but He, the All-Knowing, the Knower of all worlds. Say: The one doth verily terminate in a number which is yourselves, in very truth, even as ye bear witness in that which We have revealed concerning the number of eleven and ten. Your very temples attest this truth, both their outward form and your inner reality, would that ye observe that which We have sent down concerning these stations.

Behold how We have gathered all letters within those stations, that haply ye may, on the Day of Resurrection, after eleven years have passed, attain unto every excellence. We have indeed manifested Ourselves in all stations through the number of the letter Ha, and We have made the one to be Ha, and likewise the Alif to be Ha, that perchance ye may be reminded of the Cause of God. Thus doth God exalt whomsoever He willeth and abase whomsoever He willeth. He verily is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Most Exalted. Wherefore all existence is not devoid of those luminous stations, would that ye behold them with the eye of knowledge and reflect thereon. Say: It beginneth with the Name of Knowledge and endeth with the Name of Aversion. This is that which We have revealed in the Book, that haply ye may witness therein the mystery of all things and perceive the essence of all things.

Vahid 16

Bab 7: Ahza’

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In His Name, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted!

There is no God but He, the Most Exalted, the Most Exalted! Say: God is more exalted than any possessor of exaltation. None can withhold himself from the dominion of His exalted sovereignty, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath ever been the supreme Exalter, the most exalted One.

Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them. Say: All bow down before Him in adoration. And praise be to God before Whom all who are in the heavens and who are on the earth and what lieth between them stand in devotion. Say: All are humbly obedient unto Him.

God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His is the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Realm, then the Strength and the Celestial Domain, then the Sovereignty and the Human Kingdom. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. Verily, He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just One Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily, He hath power over all things.

Blessed is He to Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. Exalted is He to Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: God shall assuredly mock those who enter not the Bayan and who, if they do enter it, act not according to its prescribed limits. Say: What mockery can be greater than this, O people, that ye imagine ye worship God while God mocketh you for worshipping other than Him? If ye worship God, how is it that ye worship Us not in the Bayan? The companions of Him Whom God shall make manifest shall assuredly mock those who have been given the Bayan, seeing them at the height of their piety seeking God’s good pleasure while remaining veiled from God Who created them and from His good pleasure, yet thinking they do good.

Say: Every mockery that He Whom God shall make manifest displayeth, that is God’s mockery of you. O people, fear ye God’s mockery! And whoso mocketh a believing man or believing woman disobeyeth God his Lord, and must instantly seek God’s forgiveness ninety-five times, and if able must give nineteen mithqals of gold, or else of silver according to God’s Book’s limit, that ye may mock no one and grieve none. And whoso is unable is pardoned if he seeketh God’s forgiveness, for God is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

O people, all that hath been revealed in the Bayan is living, whether of light or fire. Think not there is death in them, for ye behold their life. And that which ye know not, ye are not charged as the First One. You know them not, but you can know those who follow them, and they guide not to other than God. And verily you see not the gates of fire in themselves but you shall see their like in those who transgress the bounds of God. Make not what was revealed in the Bayan as dead. Say: Verily it is alive like unto yourselves, nay rather your life is through what was revealed in the Bayan, if you would but reflect a little. Say: You know not the Primal Point nor the First Life, but you are certain that they are alive in the creation of the Bayan, beholding you and interceding for you with God if you elevate their stations to the utmost of your ability, and thereupon when you are able, attend in glory. Say: Verily such a one is fire, alive in the Book of God, but you know them not.

If you curse them they hear themselves and are tormented thereby. Say: On the Day of Resurrection one of fire and light shall be made manifest through Him Whom God shall make manifest on that Day through what God reveals and ordains as you shall see. Say: All that was revealed in the Bayan concerning the mention of the Name and the creation of the Bayan, if you would but reflect a little. And all that God hath revealed—these are they who in the Bayan are called fire and on the Day of Resurrection through Him Whom God shall make manifest they shall emerge. Likewise all that was revealed in the Bayan concerning the light—these are they who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest yet on the Day of His manifestation they give not thanks. Say: Verily the Bayan is alive and living, holding both paradise and fire, and both are established through it and both were believers in it.

But on the Day of Resurrection through Him Whom God shall make manifest, God will distinguish between them and show you all good if you appear among the proofs of faith, and show you all your curses upon those who believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest though they be counted among the believers. This is the proof of the Bayan if you would bear witness to the truth. And whosoever is veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest, though he ascend in piety to the highest horizon—that is the negation of the Bayan. You shall seek refuge with Him Whom God shall make manifest from such as these. But God hath drawn a veil over you in the Bayan, therefore lift not God’s veil over you before the Day of Resurrection while you enjoy the shelter of the veil and delight therein. Think not of yourselves save as paradise in your nights until the Day of Resurrection.

Then He Whom God shall make manifest will make you know His Self, and then through what He reveals from His presence you shall know. If He declares one who was not the highest in the Bayan to be fire, you shall be certain of it, for this is the Word of God in the Bayan if you be believers therein. And if He declares one who was not the lowest to be light, then hold fast to it and be certain, for this is the Word in the Bayan if you be believers therein. And before the Day of Resurrection cause not grief to another, nor lift your veil and remove your covering. Rather, conceal yourselves even as God hath concealed you, for among you is He Whom God shall make manifest, then the First Living One, then the Gates of God, though ye know it not. And if anyone in the Bayan should transgress the bounds of God, nineteen mithqals of gold shall be required of him as a penalty from God, that ye may not reject one another. Thus doth God unite you and gather you unto guidance and righteousness.

Fear ye God and reject not one another. For whosoever saith “There is no God but God” and “Verily the Bayan is a Book from God”—we were believers in what was revealed therein concerning Ali before Muhammad. When one dons the garment of the Bayan, reject him not. Should they transgress any of God’s bounds, say: “He hath disobeyed God his Lord,” but judge not that he hath departed from the Faith, for what establisheth your religion is what We have revealed in that verse, that ye may not grieve and may not reject one another.

O divines of the Bayan! Reject not one another in your questions, for God your Lord hath strictly forbidden this. Speak with modesty and write with modesty. If ye witness against anyone at a lower degree while placing yourselves at a higher degree, attract him with gracious words. For throughout your nights ye are magnified in God’s shelter and protection, but on the first Day of Resurrection ye shall be tested. Should ye err in your questions and God wish to pardon you, naught shall diminish from your merit. Believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, that He may correct all wherein ye err. But if ye err not even by a single letter in your words, yet should God wish to cast you into the fire and nullify your deeds, none could prevent it.

Should ye be veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest even to the extent of saying “yea,” ye will have grievously erred in all your questions. For all your questions branch from your faith in God your Lord, and by being veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest, your faith shall be lifted from you. Therefore watch over yourselves, for ye are heedless of the elements of your religion while remaining veiled from Him Who created you and your religion and your questions.

How many were the servants who, in the Gospel, were pious in their religion and advanced in their questions, seeking to please themselves in their temples by attaining the good pleasure of Jesus. Yet when Muhammad, the Apostle of God, came to them, they veiled themselves from Him Who created them and their religion, and caused themselves and their followers to enter [the fire] by not believing in Muhammad, the Apostle of God. Had they caught a whiff from Jesus’ successors they would have exalted themselves and boasted, yet when they found One Who was better in God’s sight than Jesus and Who could create the like of Jesus’ successors by His word, they imprisoned Him until God granted Him victory through His believing servants. And the like of this ye witness in the Bayan. Watch over your own selves, that ye walk not in the Bayan, in relation to Him Whom God shall make manifest, even as ye do now. Ye recognize Him not, and thus shall ye never attain unto aught of worth.

And take ye upon yourselves the charge that ye grieve no one, that ye may be rightly guided and dwell in peace. On the Day of Resurrection, in relation to Him Whom God shall make manifest, follow no paths save those of glory and love. Consider ye the Bayan, for verily We have barred against you the gates of your destruction on the Day of Resurrection, and have opened unto you the gates of your salvation on that Day, that ye may not through yourselves and your possessions devise falsehood, but rather hold fast unto God through His verses and aid the Cause of God.

If ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest for sovereignty, behold, there are countless kings upon the earth—how then could this divert you from the good-pleasure of your Lord? Reflect ye a little! And if ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest for riches, lo, there are numberless wealthy ones upon the earth—how then could this distract you from God, your Lord, and aught of His good-pleasure? Would that ye would reflect a little! And if ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest for armies, behold, there are countless hosts upon the earth—how then could this turn you away from God and His good-pleasure? Would that ye would reflect a little!

And if ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest, then verily the means of your enrichment lie within your grasp. With God there is naught save clear verses, if ye seek Him. Through these He confirmeth your religion and teacheth you His good-pleasure, if ye truly desire Him. And if ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest that He may grant you offspring, behold, the means thereof are in your right hand, and ye possess the keys thereof. And whatsoever ye desire from Him Whom God shall make manifest, apart from God, exists on earth with you. Therefore associate not anything with God, your Lord, by desiring from Him Whom God shall make manifest anything other than His Self and His good-pleasure, if ye wish to be truly unified. If ye have desired Him Whom God shall make manifest for aught save God, and have sanctified God in truth, yet have We not found you upon the earth to be among those who truly recognize His oneness.

Though ye love all things, behold, the causes thereof upon the earth exist solely for the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest. For He is in the hands of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. When He willeth, He shall cause Him to appear howsoever He pleaseth, with signs and clear tokens. Verily, there is none other God but He, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

If ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest as the inheritance of all the Prophets together, then what ye create by your hands upon the earth is higher than what was with the Prophets before. Therefore consider your affair, then ponder upon the truth. All the inheritance of the Prophets from the means they possessed are means which shall be gathered unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, be it but a pen, ink, and paper.

Ye look not to what the Prophets were, but rather to what is attributed to them. Therefore sharpen your vision, for the Prophets were created only from what God revealed unto them of verses. Thus all verses are with Him Whom God shall make manifest in a single verse, if ye would but reflect a little. Say: All the Prophets, the Successors, the Martyrs and the believers in the Bayan are in naught else, if ye but knew. God hath made naught besides the Bayan to be true. How then could the Prophets, the Successors, the Martyrs and those brought nigh be in any paradise save this? Therefore consider your affair, then remember.

This holdeth true until the Day of Him Whom He shall make manifest. On that Day, all who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest shall prostrate before Him. Should God wish, He would create through the command of Him Whom God shall make manifest countless Prophets, Successors, Martyrs and those brought nigh, if ye believe in Him and are certain. God is verily powerful and mighty over this.

But since ye are veiled on the Day of His manifestation, it behooveth you not to don those exalted mantles. Rather, the Command of God is nearer than all things, if ye seek it from Him Whom God shall make manifest, not in the atmosphere of your vain imaginings, for ye comprehend nothing. Though ye call upon God throughout your lives, ye hear not God’s call nor respond. This is evident in the Book. But if ye call upon God on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest and direct your supplication to Him Whom God shall make manifest, God will answer you more quickly than the twinkling of an eye with clear signs, whereby ye will be convinced that this is the Word of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

All who are on earth call upon God, their Lord, at all times, before and after, yet not one of their supplications is answered since they direct not their petitions to the Primal Point. And even if they were to reach the Primal Point more quickly than the twinkling of an eye, God would not answer them that they might hear. Say: God hath ever been Living, hearing the words of those who call upon Him, but the throne from which the answer must come is none other than Him Whom God shall make manifest, and before the Day of Resurrection ye hear not. And verily God prolongeth your night that He might cast you into the fire of remoteness, that ye might purify yourselves for the Day of nearness. Yet on the Day of nearness ye appear more remote than the night.

Ye follow all who lead you to the attainment of your desires, but follow not the Messenger of God among you who would guide you unto God, your Lord, and unto His good-pleasure, though ye have spent your entire lives professing love for God and seeking His good-pleasure. Thus doth God expose your falsity, that ye might recall this in the next life and bear true witness. Say: Assert not that a thousand souls are born and die each day, for ye cannot reckon this. Say: All whose seed is formed proceed from Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all whose spirit is taken return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest. This is your beginning from God and your return unto Him, did ye but reflect. Say: All things declare “I am from God” through Him Whom God shall make manifest as their beginning, and all things declare “I return unto God” through Him Whom God shall make manifest as their end.

Vahid 15

Bab 13: Aghyath

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Succourer, the Succouring!

There is no God but He, the Succourer, the Succouring! Say: God is the Supreme Succourer above all succourers. None in the heavens or on earth or between them can resist the dominion of His succouring sovereignty. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath been the Succourer, the Succouring, the All-Succouring. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves all who are in the heavens and who are on earth and between them. Say: All bow down in worship unto Him. And praise be to God, Whom all in the heavens and on earth and between them do glorify. Say: All stand in devotion unto Him. God beareth witness that there is no God but He. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divinity, then the Force and the Sublimity, then the Sovereignty and the Realm of Creation.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath power over all things. Exalted be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Supremely Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. Blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: God will succour you on the Day of Resurrection through Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye cry for succour unto God, your Lord, the All-Merciful.

Say: He is the Subduer above you, the Manifest over you, the Inaccessible at your right hand, the Exalted at your left, the Transcendent above your heads, the All-Powerful beneath your feet, and the Omnipotent on every side, Who turneth you by night and by day through His command. Verily He is powerful, mighty and all-compelling. Unto Him submit all who are in the heavens and on earth. Say: All who dwell on earth shall return unto God. Say: He is the Subduer, supreme over His creation, the Omnipotent, the Self-Subsisting. Say: He is manifest above His servants, and He is the Mighty, the Beloved. Say: Praise be to God, unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Say: All are His worshippers, all are within His grasp, and all are His servants. Say: Sovereignty belongeth unto God, Who is the Lord of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. He hath taken unto Himself neither consort nor offspring.

All in the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatsoever lieth between them glorify Him, and all in the realm of command and creation and whatsoever lieth beneath them bow down in adoration before Him. Magnify ye Him and extol Him with exceeding greatness. Recite ye this verse at noontide that ye may attain unto all good. Say: God hath revealed no name greater than this Name through which ye draw nigh unto God, your Lord. Say: If ye cry unto God for help, He will help you. God is the Supreme Succourer, the One to Whom all appeal for aid.

Unto Him belongeth the splendor of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Glorious, the Resplendent, the Most Beauteous. Unto God belongeth the majesty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Majestic, the Sublime, the August. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the glory of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Glorious, the Effulgent, the Most Beauteous. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the majesty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Majestic, the Sublime, the August.

Nothing whatsoever in the heavens or on earth or in whatsoever lieth between them can ever escape His knowledge. Verily, He hath knowledge of all things. Nothing whatsoever in the heavens or on earth or in whatsoever lieth between them can ever frustrate Him. Verily, He hath power over all things. Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God hath power over all things. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Inaccessible, the Supreme Ruler.

Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Glorious, the Resplendent, the Most Beauteous. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the grandeur of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Majestic, the Sublime, the August. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the beauty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is Beauty, the Source of Beauty, the Most Beautiful. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the greatness of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Great, the Source of Greatness, the Magnificent. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the mercy of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Merciful, the Source of Mercy, the Compassionate.

Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the Supreme Ruler, the Sovereign, the Almighty. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the power of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Mighty. Unto God, the King, the Sovereign, belongeth the inaccessibility of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Inaccessible, the Most Inaccessible. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of exaltation over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Exalter, the Most Exalted, the All-High. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of conquest over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Conqueror, the All-Conquering, the Most Powerful.

And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of manifestation over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Manifest One, the All-Manifesting, the Helper. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of triumph over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Triumphant, the All-Triumphing, the Most Victorious. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of perfection over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Perfect One, the All-Perfecting, the Most Complete. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of grandeur over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Great, the All-Compelling, the Most Mighty. And unto God belongeth the dominion of glory over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Glorious, the All-Glorious, the Mighty.

And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of knowledge over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Knowing, the Most Learned, the Omniscient. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of power over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the All-Powerful, the Most Potent, the Almighty. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of compulsion over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Compeller, the All-Compelling, the Most Great. And unto God belongeth the dominion of independence over the heavens and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Self-Sufficient, the Most Independent, the All-Sufficient. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of good-pleasure over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Well-Pleased, the Most Pleasing, the Most Content.

And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of guidance over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Guide, the All-Guiding, the Leader. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of love over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Loving, the Best Beloved, the Beloved. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of honor over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most Honorable, the All-Honoring, the Noble. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of opening over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Opener, the All-Opening, the Most Open. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of victory over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Victor, the All-Victorious, the Helper.

And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of loftiness over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Most High, the All-High, the Exalted. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of possession over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Owner, the All-Possessing, the King. And unto God belongeth the dominion and sovereignty of authority over the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and God is the Sovereign, the All-Authoritative, the Most Powerful.

And unto God belongeth all that He hath created and will create of all things, and verily He is the sovereign, the mighty, the inaccessible. Say: I have sought refuge in God, the One, the Succorer. Say: I have gained might through God, the One, the Succorer. Say: I have become manifest through God, the One, the Succorer. Say: I have been exalted through God, the One, the Succorer. Say: I have been glorified through God, the One, the Succorer, unto Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but Him, the One, the All-Compelling.

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Succorer, the Succorer.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without peer, Thine is the Kingdom and the celestial dominion, Thine the power and divine realm, Thine the might and heavenly realm, Thine the dominion and earthly realm, Thine is the glory and majesty, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the visage and perfection, Thine the strength and action, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the might and justice, Thine the parable and similes, Thine the stations and exaltation, Thine the grandeur and independence, Thine the glory and sovereignty, Thine the might and invincibility, Thine the power and transcendence, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the dominion and authority, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever existed before all contingent things, manifest above all beings, exalted above all creation, invincible above all atoms, transcendent above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, sovereign above all creation, mighty above all that Thou hast created or wilt create through signs and words. Thou hast ever been knowing of all things and powerful over all things. Nothing escapeth Thy knowledge and nothing defeateth Thy power.

All Thy servants are in Thy grasp, that all in the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth may worship Thee through the merit of Thy oneness, and all in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation may prostrate before Thee through the merit of Thy unity, that all atoms may magnify Thee through the exaltation of Thy self-subsistence, that all in the kingdoms of earth and heaven may glorify Thee through the sublimity of Thy grandeur, that they may be in awe of Thy might and flee unto Thee in fear, that they may be detached unto Thee through the transcendence of Thy singleness, that they may prostrate before Thee through the exaltation of Thine eternity, and cry for help unto Thee through the appeal to Thy succoring grace. Glory be unto Thee! Thou didst maintain the Furqan and its people for one thousand two hundred and seventy years, then didst Thou reveal the Bayan through Thy power.

O God, maintain it through the sovereignty of Thy oneness and the dominion of Thy unity until Thou shall present it unto Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, prostrate before Him. O God, send down upon Him, after Thou has caused to pass the number of Waw, whatsoever good Thou hast encompassed, and if Thou art able to raise Him to Thy most exalted names and most resplendent examples—the Name of Him Who is Invoked for Help—then that is of Thy grace, Thy generosity, Thy bounty, Thy favor and Thy kindness. And if Thou dost reveal the Cause from Thee sooner than this, then the Command is in Thy hands. Thou doest what Thou willest and ordainest what Thou desirest. Thou shalt not be questioned about what Thou doest, but all shall be questioned about everything. Thou hast ever existed before all things, and after all things, and as the Creator of all things, and the Essence after all things, and as the All-Knowing, the Invincible with all things.

Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Independent, Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Possessing, Holy, Everlasting, Self-Dependent, Transcendent, Inaccessible, Exalted, Supreme, All-Powerful, Manifest, Compelling, All-Glorious, Majestic, Most Great, Luminous, Self-Sufficient, All-Succoring, Most Great, Perfect, All-Conquering, Mighty, Noble, All-Knowing, Well-Pleased, Chosen, Honored, Most High, Gracious, Subduing. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast no partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. By Thy power Thou hast created all things and ordained them according to Thy decree. By Thy Will Thou hast formed all things and shaped them according to Thy wisdom. How exalted art Thou above Thy creation, how inaccessible above Thy servants, how powerful above Thy creatures, how compelling above all who dwell in the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth, and how succoring above all things! Glory be to Thee!

Exalted and sanctified are all Thy names, and elevated are Thy examples in all that they contain and represent. Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on earth or between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The Third in the Third:

In the Name of God, the All-Succoring, the All-Succoring!

Praise be to God Who hath exalted Himself in His exaltation above all contingent beings, Who hath made Himself inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all existing things, Who hath raised Himself in His elevation above all created things, Who hath empowered Himself in His power above all atoms, Who hath made Himself sovereign in His sovereignty above all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, Who hath made Himself victorious in His victory above all atoms, Who hath made Himself compelling in His compelling might above all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, Who hath made Himself mighty in His might above all contingent beings, Who hath made Himself majestic in His majesty above all who are in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and Who hath made Himself glorious in His glory above all existing things. Thus do all His creatures testify that there is none other God but Him, the Single One, the All-Succoring.

He hath chosen His inaccessible essence, His glorious abstraction, His lofty camphor-like nature, His manifest simplicity, and His magnificent appearance. Then He revealed Himself to it through it, and through it He became inaccessible from it, and that which is in its identity is the likeness of itself. Thus there appeared from it what was within it and upon it of holy signs, mighty manifestations, wondrous revelations, signs of His unity and tokens of His succoring nature, filling thereby the heavens and the earth and all that lieth between them, testifying that there is none other God but Him and that the One of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. He hath chosen for Himself primary, essential names, then immersed them in the limitless, eternal ocean, whereupon existence was filled from the kingdom of the unseen and then the empire of the visible, testifying that there is none other God but Him, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth in the Fourth:

In the Name of God, the All-Succoring, the All-Succoring!

Praise be to God, there is none other God but Him, the All-Succoring, the All-Succoring. And verily the Glory from God be upon the First Unity and upon whomsoever resembleth that Unity wherein naught is seen save the First Unity. And furthermore I testify that there is no Succourer save God, exalted be His glory, and no Helper, exalted be His majesty. And if thou art overtaken by a need or purpose, then recite two thousand and forty-one times “O God, the Helper!” For verily God will answer thee and will cause the angels of might and mercy to descend upon thee, that they may reveal unto thee what thou desirest of thy need and purpose, if thy desire be a purpose purely for God, exalted be His glory, and detached unto Him, exalted be His majesty.

For verily He, glorified be His praise, nothing escapeth His knowledge, whether in the heavens or on the earth or whatsoever is between them, nor is He frustrated by anything whether in the kingdom of Command or Creation or whatsoever is beneath them. When thou callest upon Him with pure devotion, He will answer thee more swiftly than the twinkling of an eye. Verily He is the All-Knowing, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Succouring, the All-Aiding, the All-Helping, the All-Bountiful, the All-Bestowing, the All-Gracious, the All-Conquering, the All-Subduing, the All-Victorious, the All-Protecting, the All-Restraining, the All-Defending, the All-Compelling, the All-Subjugating, the All-Potent, the All-Determining, the All-Powerful, the All-Mighty.

Vahid 19

Bab 7: A’thar

And it hath four degrees. The first in the first:

In the Name of God, the Most Effectual, the Most Effectual.

There is no God but He, the Most Effectual, the Most Effectual. Say: God is more effectual than all who possess effect. None can resist the sovereign power of His influence, whether in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth through His command. Verily He hath ever been the Most Effectual, the Most Effective, the Most Influential. Glorified be He before Whom prostrate themselves whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are prostrate before Him. And praise be to God before Whom bow down in devotion whosoever is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them. Say: All are devoutly obedient unto Him. God testifieth that there is no God but He. His are the Kingdom and the Dominion, then the Might and the Omnipotence, then the Power and the Divine Essence, then the Strength and the Ruby, then the Sovereignty and the Human Realm.

He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life. And verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not, and the King Who perisheth not, and the Just Who wrongeth not, and the Sovereign Who changeth not, and the Single One from Whose grasp escapeth nothing whether in the heavens or on earth or whatsoever is between them. He createth what He willeth by His command. Verily He hath ever been powerful over all things. And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved. And exalted be He unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them. There is no God but He, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: Verily God manifesteth the influence of what He hath created by His command, and there is no good but that it is attributed to the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting, and whatsoever is beneath that is created by God but not attributed unto Him. Through God ye shall be preserved from that which ye love. Say: God is the Creator of all things, and unto God do all return. Say: God is the Provider of all things, and verily unto Him do all turn. Say: God giveth life and causeth death, and all stand firm by His command. Say: God is my Lord and your Lord, therefore worship Him, for this is the straight and impregnable path. Say: He is manifest above His creation, and He is the All-Protecting, the Self-Subsisting.

There is nothing that can be mentioned by the name of anything else, and everything hath its effect—all grieve for all, all rejoice for all, and all benefit from the effect of all. But God hath created all things that their effects might be manifested in the path of His good-pleasure. Observe ye not in yourselves the effects of anything outside the path of His good-pleasure. Desire ye not to see them, but rather manifest the effects of all things according to what God hath created therein, that ye may be rewarded for what ye earn. Say: Verily God sendeth down in every aspect of His name nineteen verses, that ye may reflect upon the numbers of all things.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! Thou art the Effect. Verily, the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them are created to produce effects in all things. Thou withholdest effects from whatsoever Thou willest, and Thou raisest up whom Thou willest, and Thou sendest down what Thou willest, and Thou exaltest whom Thou willest, and Thou hidest from Thy glory whom Thou willest. Within Thy grasp lies the kingdom of all things. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Thou art the Effects of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. Thou givest to whom Thou willest the effects of the most exalted ones in the Book, and Thou givest less than the effects of the most exalted ones in the Book, and Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Say: God is the Supreme Trace above every one possessed of traces. None, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in whatsoever lieth between them, can withhold himself from the King, the Sovereign, in the might of His dominion. He hath ever been the Trace, the Traced, the Most Traced; and unto God belong the traces of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. God is the Trace, the Most Traced; and unto God pertaineth the subtlest trace. The heavens and the earth and all that is between them—God is the Trace, the Most Traced; and His is the kingship and the sovereignty over the traces of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them.

God is the Trace, the Traced, the All-Tracing; and unto God belongeth the preferring of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them—God, the Traced, the All-Tracing. Say again: God is the Supreme Trace above every one possessed of traces; none can resist the most subtle trace of His dominion, whether in the heavens or on the earth or in what lieth between them. Verily this is from Our presence; and verily God is the Trace, the Trace. Say: it is recorded in the Book, and He is none other God but Him—the Trace, the Trace. Say: it is recorded in the Book, and He is none other God but Him—the All-Tracing, the All-Tracing. Say: it is recorded in the Book, and He is none other God but Him—the Peerless, the All-Tracing; and unto God belongeth the wondrous traces of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them; and God is the Trace, the Most Traced.

Unto God belong the traces of all that He hath created and shall create of every thing; and God is the Trace, the All-Tracing, the Most Subtle. Glory be unto Thee, O God! Verily Thou art the Trace of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever is between them. Thou bestowest traces on whom Thou willest, in Thy good pleasure, and withholdest traces from whom Thou willest, in Thy fire; verily Thou hast been over all things a Watcher. Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily Thou art the Trace: the twofold traces do Thou create as Thou pleasest, and ordain as Thou willest; nor hast Thou allotted unto any, neither aforetime nor hereafter, aught save what Thou lovest from the traces of Thy good pleasure. Whoso is veiled, Thy proof hath been made complete against him; and verily Thou art the Supreme Trace above all worlds. Say: all that leaveth a trace is created by the command of God; and God created no thing, nor ordained within it any trace, save that ye might turn your gaze toward the exaltation of the First Point, ere He Whom God shall make manifest appeareth; then do ye turn away the traces of all things, in the very teeth of the inviolability of the Word of God.

Say: every tongue shall proclaim,

“We have no trace save through God; and God hath withheld us from the showing forth of our traces, except in the path of His good pleasure; and He hath forbidden us traces outside the path of His good pleasure.”

Thus hath He created us and bound us by the covenant. O ye that are endued with spirits! Every good is in the path that ye attain; and outside it nothing hath any trace. Ye are withheld from the straight path, even as We were made to be, according to that whereunto We were created.

If, by what ye have been created, ye seek to acquire for yourselves, know that God is the Overpowering above all things, and the Manifest above every trace of every thing; verily He hath been potent over all things. There is no One Who truly causeth effects but God—will ye then not believe in God and in His signs? There is none that can relieve but God—will ye then not call upon Him? Say: God will assuredly deliver you from every sorrow, and will send down upon you from His presence that whereby your hearts may be well-pleased; and God is indeed strong, powerful to do this. Say: sufficient for us is God, Who hath created us, sustained us, caused us to die, and given us life; this is our Lord—upon Him do we rely; and upon God must the faithful among His servants rely.

Say: God created no thing, nor measured for it any utterance, save for the exaltation of His remembrance and the inviolability of His Word; thus do ye apprehend and judge from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end. Say: praise be unto God, Who hath created all things by their relation unto Him, that they may be raised above whatsoever is beneath them; and in His own sight this is the glory of all things, written in the Book. If ye would set yourselves for Him Whom God shall make manifest, then cause the traces of good to appear in His path, and make no mention save of the Truth; otherwise, how can ye hope to acquire?

The Second in the Second.

In the Name of God, the Most Effectual, the Most Effectual.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and the divinity, Thine the force and the sovereignty, Thine the grandeur and the majesty, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the likeness and the similitudes, Thine the stations and the glory, Thine the power and the action, Thine the mercy and the grace, Thine the authority and the justice, Thine the greatness and the independence, Thine the pride and the splendor, Thine the might and the exaltation, Thine the power and the ascendancy, Thine the joy and the gladness, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been the Being before all things, the Essence after all things, the Creator of all things, and the Reality after all things. Sanctified are all Thy names and exalted are Thy examples in all that they contain and express. Thou hast ever been one God, single, eternal, self-subsisting, living, everlasting, sovereign, supreme, holy, enduring, eternal, self-dependent, transcendent, inaccessible, exalted, all-powerful. Thou hast taken neither consort nor offspring, nor hath there been any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast fashioned. Through Thy power Thou hast created all things and ordained them with precision, and through Thy will Thou hast formed all things and fashioned them with perfection. Thou hast ever been dominant over all contingent beings, manifest above all existing things, inaccessible above all created things, transcendent above all atoms, sovereign over all that is in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and mighty above all that Thou hast created and wilt create through signs and evidences.

Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who wrongeth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

The third in the third:

In the Name of God, the Most Effectual, the Most Effectual.

Praise be to God Who hath risen in His exaltation above all contingent beings, and ascended in His elevation above all existing things, and become inaccessible in His inaccessibility above all atoms, and manifested His power above all created things, and revealed His appearance above all that is in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, and demonstrated His dominion above all existing things, and established His sovereignty above whosoever is in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, so that all His creation testifieth that there is no God but Him, the One, the Most Luminous, and He hath chosen an exalted Essence and a radiant, transcendent reality then became manifest unto it through itself, and through itself withdrew from it, and cast into its identity the likeness of itself. Thus there appeared from it what was within and upon it, wherewith were filled the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them, testifying that there is no God but Him, and that the Essence of the Seven Letters is His servant and His Word. He chose for Himself primary, essential names, then immersed them in the sea of primary infinity, whereupon existence was filled from the kingdom of the unseen and the dominion of the visible, bearing witness that there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

The Fourth in the Fourth.

In the Name of God, the Most Effectual, the Most Effectual.

Praise be to God, besides Whom there is no other God, the Most Effecutal, the Most Effecutal. And verily the glory from God be upon the First One and upon whomsoever resembleth that One wherein naught is seen save the First One.

I testify that there is no influence in existence save God, exalted be His glory, and no administrator save Him, mighty be His might. Be not veiled from the trace of anything, for verily it was created by God’s command. God hath created naught but that it hath a trace. Look not upon anything and its trace with the eye of insignificance, for everything and its trace in its station is greater than all that is great, if thou regardest it with an elevated and discerning eye.

Behold the pen and its glory—what thing it is! Then look at its trace, for thousands upon thousands appear through its trace when thou writest. Thus must thou look upon all things. Be not veiled from its trace, for the trace of everything in its place is as the trace of the greater world. All subsist through God and all return unto God.

The trace of a thing appeareth not save through God’s good-pleasure. For if thou expendest that thing other than in God’s good-pleasure, it and its trace will surely curse thee, for God created it and its trace to be expended in the path of His good-pleasure toward His loved ones. Be not veiled from that thing, for the Truth and aught else is established thereby. And when He Whom God shall make manifest appeareth, be thou among those influenced by lofty, transcendent traces that appear in God’s path, for this verily is the great bounty.