BB00078: Tafsir hadith “shams allati tilka ash-shumus fi zuhuriha”

Part 1: “Let Vahid study and the original be given…”

Let Vahid study and the original be given to the scribe.

In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy.

All praise be to God, beside Whom there is no other God, the Mighty, the Beloved. Verily, the Glory from God, exalted be His mention, be upon Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His Cause, and upon whomsoever is created by His command, and naught shall be seen in him except what God hath caused to shine forth through His word that verily there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

To continue: I have received thy letter, and were it not for the essence contained therein, I would not have answered thee on this paper, nor at this moment with the most exalted words possible in all creation. How magnificent is the mention of Him about Whom thou hast inquired, and verily that is more exalted, mightier, more glorious, more unapproachable, and more holy than can be comprehended by hearts in their recognition, or spirits in their prostration before Him, or souls in their praise of Him, or bodies in their mention of His glory.

How great is thy question and how small is thine essence! Can the sun which is in the mirrors of His Manifestation in the Point of the Bayan be questioned about the sun of the ninth, before whose countenance those suns on the day of His Manifestation would prostrate themselves, were they true suns; otherwise they would not be worthy of its holy excellence and the exaltation of its mention? Were it not that thou art from the First Unity, I would have made for thee from the tradition: thou hast asked about God Who created thee, sustained thee, caused thee to die, and will resurrect thee in this form through the Point of the Bayan in that Manifestation, unique in existence.

Say: First, when thou desirest to bring His remembrance to thy mind, recite “Glorified be God, the Lord of dominion and the Kingdom” nineteen times, then “Glorified be God, the Lord of might and omnipotence” nineteen times, then “Glorified be God, the Lord of power and divinity” nineteen times, then “Glorified be God, the Lord of strength and majesty” nineteen times, then “Glorified be God, the Lord of sovereignty and the human realm” nineteen times.

Then rise from thy seat and say, standing: “Glory be unto Thee, O God, my God! Verily Thou art my Creator and the Creator of all things, Thou art my Provider and the Provider of all things, Thou art He Who causeth me to die and Who causeth all things to die, Thou art He Who giveth life to me and Who giveth life to all things, and Thou art He Who raiseth me up and Who raiseth up whomsoever Thou willest among Thy creatures. Thou hast created me that I might glorify Thee above all that hath glorified Thee or shall glorify Thee, and Thou hast provided for me that I might sanctify Thee above all that hath sanctified Thee or shall sanctify Thee, and Thou hast caused me to die that I might testify to Thy oneness above all that hath testified or shall testify to Thy oneness, and Thou hast given me life that I might magnify Thee above all that hath magnified Thee or shall magnify Thee, and Thou hast raised me up that I might exalt Thee above all that hath exalted Thee or shall exalt Thee.

I desire to make mention of the Manifestation of Thy Self on the Day of Resurrection, for Whose sake Thou didst create the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them. And now I seek leave, through Thy bounty, from Thy bounty, that Thou wouldst permit my heart to bring to mind the remembrance of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, and that Thou wouldst make me and all that is within me and upon me to be captivated by His love in such wise that I may find Him worthy of that whereof Thou art worthy, and sanctified above all that from which Thou art sanctified.

Should I find Him alone, I would surely prostrate myself before Him by virtue of His own merit, for that prostration would be unto Thee alone, there is no God but Thee. And should I find all who are on earth prostrating themselves before Him, this would not magnify His greatness in my heart, for were I to witness the like of all that is on earth multiplied to the number of all things, all prostrating themselves before Him when He declareth ʿVerily, I am God, there is no God but Me, and all else is My creation. Say: O My creation, prostrate ye before Me,’ this would be His right, and the creation of all things would not alter my glorification of Him and my exaltation of His greatness.”

That is the Paradise than which none like it hath been created in Thy knowledge. If anything should turn me away, I would not have been one who uniteth Thy Self according to Thy merit, nor a believer in Him according to His merit. By Thy glory, I take refuge in Thee from aught besides that Paradise, for besides this there is fire with Thee. Consume me not, O my God, with Thy fire, and make me to be among Thy servants who profess Thy unity.

Then persist in seven wherewith I answer thee from that wherein the demonstrative pronoun “that” at that time would surely prostrate itself before the demonstrative pronoun thereof, and the mention of “this” would be ashamed to fall upon the essential nature of His eternity. Glorified, glorified be He above that which befitteth His Self, and exalted be His most exalted exaltation above that which beseemeth His Essence.

I have written a gem in His remembrance, which is that He cannot be indicated by My indication nor by what was mentioned in the Bayan. Yea, by His glory, that Word with God is greater than the worship of all on earth, for the essence of all worship leadeth unto that. Therefore, as thou hast known God, know Him Whom God shall make manifest, for He is more glorious and more exalted than to be known without Him or to be indicated by the indication of His creation. Verily, I am the first servant who hath believed in Him and in His verses, and I have taken from the virgin gardens of the Paradise of His knowledge the gardens of His words.

Yea, by His glory, He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, all are upstanding by His command. How then shall I mention Him when all that is indicated is the mention of His creation? How then shall I describe Him when all description is the description of His servants and the mark of His friends? Know then to the extent possible in creation, for exalted and sublime is His remembrance, and forbidden and elevated is His power, and high and most high is His praise, and holy and most glorious are the manifestations of His majesty that cannot be mentioned by any mention. If I say He is One, that is a name among His names. If I say He is All-Glorious, the manifestation of that name is a name among His names.

If I say He is All-Holy, He is the One Who is manifested by that name and its like. If I say He is Mighty, every mighty one boweth down before the sublimity of His might. If I say He is the Beloved, every beloved one is consumed in the love of knowing Him and the majesty of His might. If I say He is the Supreme, He is the One by Whose proof one findeth proof on the day of His manifestation. God hath made Him supreme over all things by His command. If I say He is the Self-Subsisting, that is the manifestation of one among those who stand before the throne of His oneness.

Exalted, exalted be His remembrance! Then exalted, exalted be His glory! Then exalted, exalted be His attributes! Then exalted, exalted be His praise! Then exalted, exalted be His might! Then exalted, exalted be His sanctity! Then exalted, exalted be His majesty! Then exalted, exalted be His glorification! Then exalted, exalted be His love! Then exalted, exalted be His name! Then exalted, exalted be His tenderness! Then exalted, exalted be His light! Then exalted, exalted be His way! Then exalted, exalted be His eternity! Then exalted, exalted be His nearness! Then exalted, exalted be His splendor! Then exalted, exalted be His radiance! Then exalted, exalted be His loftiness! Then exalted, exalted be His good-pleasure! Then exalted, exalted be His likenesses! Then exalted, exalted be His grandeur!

Then exalted, exalted be His beauty! Then exalted, exalted be His deeds! Then exalted, exalted be His bounty! Then exalted, exalted be His justice! Then exalted, exalted be His similitude! Then exalted, exalted be His signs! Then exalted, exalted be His evidences! Then exalted, exalted be His words! Then exalted, exalted be His manifestations! Then exalted, exalted be His proofs! Then exalted, exalted be His conditions! Then exalted, exalted be His glances! Then exalted, exalted be His intimations! Then exalted, exalted be His greatness! Then exalted, exalted be His mercy! Then exalted, exalted be His Word! Then exalted, exalted be His sovereignty! Then exalted, exalted be His dominion! Then exalted, exalted be His Will! Then exalted, exalted be His Purpose!

Then exalted, exalted be His power! Then exalted, exalted be His decree! Then exalted, exalted be His sanction! Then exalted, exalted be His permission! Then exalted, exalted be His term! Then exalted, exalted be His Book! Then exalted, exalted be His knowledge! Then exalted, exalted be His forbearance! Then exalted, exalted be His wisdom! Then exalted, exalted be His equity! Then exalted, exalted be His grace! Then exalted, exalted be His hearing! Then exalted, exalted be His sight! Then exalted, exalted be His Tongue! Then exalted, exalted be His Tongue! Then exalted, exalted be His gift! Then exalted, exalted be His questions! Then exalted, exalted be His proofs! Then exalted, exalted be His lamps! Then exalted, exalted be His ordainments!

Then exalted, exalted be His Cause! Then exalted, exalted be His creation! Then exalted, exalted be His honor! Then exalted, exalted be His kingdom! Then exalted, exalted be His favor! Then exalted, exalted be His evidence! Then exalted, exalted be His seat! Then exalted, exalted be His seat! Then exalted, exalted be His temple! Then exalted, exalted be His Essence! Above any among men rising up at His bidding.

This is He Whom all things have known, though no thing can know Him. This is He through Whom all things subsist, though He subsisteth not save through whomsoever God willeth by His command. This is He unto Whom all things turn, though none turneth unto Him through any merit of his own save whomsoever God willeth—such is His grace unto him. If I were to impart unto thee knowledge, how wouldst thou discover the Manifestation of God’s Cause, exalted be His glory? And were I to bestow upon thee certitude regarding His truth, how would certainty be linked to the mention of His Self?

By Him Who is sanctified in His might and majesty, Who hath brought all things into being out of nothingness through His pattern: certitude itself is abashed to be certain of Him or to prostrate before Him, and evidence is ashamed to point to aught besides Him. Thou hast no power to recognize Him, nor canst thou find proof through aught besides Him. Know thou with absolute certitude and through an irrefutable command that He—exalted be His glory, mighty be His might, hallowed be His holiness, magnified be His grandeur, and glorified be His attributes—maketh all things to know His Self through His Self. Who then can know Him through aught else? Indeed, shouldst thou attain His day of Revelation and seek to know Him through the most learned of the Bayan, thou wouldst not know Him. And wert thou to behold Him standing firm in His Cause, and then ascribe unto Him the attribute of humanity, thou wouldst not have negated the letters of negation to affirm the Manifestation of Divine Unity.

Part 2: “Know thou that He, exalted be His mention…”

Know thou that He, exalted be His mention, causeth all things to know His Self. I am ashamed to say that all things know His Self in the same way that I have known all things through My verses, for all that thou findest of every created thing is created for Him. God is far exalted above being known through His creation; rather, creation is known through Him. He is the One through Whom, when the tongue of His eternal sanctity speaketh, He createth through a word whatsoever He willeth of prophet, saint, faithful one, or pure one. For all that hath been created are guides from His presence and ambassadors from His court—all have declared that there is no God but Him and have awaited Him Who would remind you of God’s countenance, for ye were not created save to attain His presence. He is the One Who createth all things by His command.

Beware, beware on the day of His manifestation lest thou be veiled by the Vahid of the Bayan, for that Vahid was created by Him. Beware, beware lest thou be veiled by words that were revealed in the Bayan, for they are His own words in the temple of His former manifestation—that Sun of Truth, Focus of Unity, Dayspring of Lordship, Essence of Divinity, and Being of Eternity. Were He to take His seat upon the dust, the very atoms of dust would proclaim: “This is the throne whereon the All-Merciful hath established Himself.” If dust should glory in being the site of His throne with such pride, how then should the possessors of intellect glory in the One God, the All-Compelling? And they inquire of God, the One, the All-Compelling.

Therefore witness with the eye of thy heart, and look not upon Him save with His eye, for whoso looketh upon Him with His eye shall perceive Him, else shall he remain veiled. If thou seekest God and His presence, seek Him and behold Him, but bear witness that beyond God there is no goal, and that the Essence of eternity shall never be seen, and that which can be seen and which should be attributed to God is that solitary Countenance and that eternal Face.

This I tell thee that thou mayest know the measure of His Revelation, that thou mayest not barter away or pursue aught else in the days of His manifestation: Know thou that if God were to make all that is on earth like unto the first to believe in Him, and were each to act in ways that would earn God’s good-pleasure through their own merit and not through any other means, and were there not to be found on earth any soul who awaiteth Him not, and were God to give thee dominion over all that is on earth, and wert thou to gather all souls and say unto them:

“I have acted from the beginning of my life unto its end that I might be assured that God is well-pleased with me,”

and wert thou to expend all that is on earth for this purpose—all would say that this is possible only from Him Whom God shall make manifest, or words that prove they are from God and which all on earth are powerless to produce, for these can appear only from Him.

Consider, then, after having possession of the whole earth and beholding all who dwell thereon seeking the love of God, how this would not suffice in place of God, for all that thou hast done was that God might be pleased with thee, and this thou canst not be assured of except on the Day of Resurrection through Him Whom God shall make manifest. This is the meaning of God’s words:

“Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth or in all that lieth between them but God, thy Lord, sufficeth. Verily, He is Powerful over all things.”

Having understood this, know thou the measure of His Revelation, for at the time of His appearance, if thou shouldst not spend even a mustard seed, thou wouldst still possess what thou hast done to earn God’s good-pleasure, for He Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, shall send down unto thee a verse wherein is contained His good-pleasure with thee, which is the ultimate fruit of thy deeds and the final purpose that returneth unto thee in thy life. Therefore bear thou witness that His Revelation hath no equal in glory, and whosoever believeth in Him, it is as though he hath believed in God throughout all the worlds of Command and Creation.

By Him Who causeth the seed to split and Who breatheth the spirit into all things! If I were certain that on the day of His manifestation thou wouldst not believe in Him, I would not now adjudge thee a believer, for thou wast created for naught else but Him. And were I to learn that any Christian would believe in Him, I would make him the apple of Mine eye, and would judge him in that Dispensation to be a believer without requiring any evidence, for that single soul, on the day of His manifestation, would, through believing in Him, have all his worlds transformed into light; whereas that believer, should he withhold his faith from Him on the day of His manifestation, would have all his worlds transformed into fire.

By the truth of His Own Self, than Whom there is none other before God who hath peer or likeness or equal or companion or similitude—none hath truly believed in the Bayan save he who believeth in Him even as he believed in the Qur’an with true faith, and none truly believed in the Bayan save he who believed therein, and likewise none truly believed in the Gospel save he who believed in the Qur’an. And on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, all who dwell on earth are equal in His sight. Whomsoever He maketh a Prophet hath been a Prophet from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end, for this is what God hath ordained.

And whomsoever He maketh a Friend hath been a Friend throughout all worlds, for this is what God hath ordained, inasmuch as the Will of God can only be manifested through His Will, and the Desire of God can only be revealed through His Desire. He, verily, is the All-Subduing, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Most High, the Most Sublime. Through acceptance of Him doth the servant become one of the letters of affirmation, and through rejection of Him doth the servant become one of the letters of negation. If thou believest in Him, whether thou knowest aught or knowest naught, it detracteth nothing from thy merit; but if thou remainest veiled from Him, though thou shouldst possess all knowledge, it profiteth thee not. Rather, acquire thou knowledge that on the day of His manifestation thou mayest be numbered among the names of His glory and mayest aid His Cause.

And methinks He will appear with such conclusive proof as hath established the religion of the Bayan in the sight of God, which proof is with Him and with those possessed of knowledge who have believed in His Self while all others remain veiled therefrom. Even as thou hast heard concerning the appearance of the Bayan, and as thou didst hear before concerning the appearance of the Furqan (Qur’an), therefore seek thou refuge in Him.

Verily His Day is the Last Day in relation to that First Life, and were it not for His Book, that Book would not have been revealed, and were it not for His Being, God would not have manifested Me. I am verily Him and He is verily Me. The analogy is that of the sun—if it should rise infinitely, it is still but one sun. And God hath created naught except for Him, as that is what reacheth unto God. Could there be anything God hath created that doth not return unto Him in a way He loveth and is pleased with?

Say: Glory be to God, far exalted is He above such things! Seek forgiveness of God, thy Lord, morning and evening, for what thou hast asked about God, thy Lord, concerning the manifestation of His Being. Other than this, I would not command thee to seek forgiveness or turn unto God in repentance. Say: God sufficeth as One Who is Powerful and Mighty. God sufficeth as One Who is Knowing and All-Informed. God sufficeth as One Who is Manifest and Helper. God sufficeth as One Who is Witness and Observer. God sufficeth as One Who is Exalted and All-Hearing. God sufficeth as One Who is Ruler and All-Wise. God sufficeth as One Who is Succourer and Helper. God sufficeth as One Who is Preserver and Guardian.

The number of letters of affirmation, with the doubled lam, perchance in the eighth year of His manifestation thou shalt attain unto the presence of God. If thou attainest not at first, thou shalt attain at last. But be thou assured that this Cause is greater than every great thing, and this Remembrance is mightier than every mighty thing. That which Jesus, son of Mary, promised hath been fulfilled after one thousand two hundred and seventy years unto the first manifestation of the Bayan, while they slumber, waiting.

And verily there cometh unto thee that about which thou didst ask concerning the loftiness of His remembrance and the exaltation of His Cause. And verily those in the Bayan read these words while they remain heedless of His manifestation and believe not in God Who created them through His previous manifestation, and they are sleeping. We all are assured of God and His signs. We all bow down before God. We all are humble before God. We all are worshippers of God. We all are submissive before God. We all are mindful of God. We all are patient before God. We all are thankful to God.

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Bear Thou witness that through this Book I have taken the covenant of the authority of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest from all things before the covenant of mine own authority. Sufficient art Thou and they who believe in Thy signs as witnesses unto me. Verily Thou art my Sufficiency. In Thee do I place my trust, and Thou art the Reckoner of all things.

O thou Letter! Take thou the covenant of His authority from all who profess belief, from all that thy knowledge encompasseth of what hath been written in His hand. Verily I have written the entire Bayan, and whoso writeth this professeth belief in Him before His manifestation. Therefore seek thou to learn from all from whom thou canst learn, that His remembrance may be established in the Book until the day of His manifestation. This, verily, is the transcendent, sublime glory and the excellent, lofty grace.