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CHAPTER SIX
THE COVENANT AND TESTAMENT OF
BAHA’U’LLAH
527. In His Name who shines forth from the Horizon of
Might!
Verily, the Tongue of the Ancient gives glad tidings to those who are
in the world concerning the appearance of the Greatest Name, and who takes His
Covenant among the nations.
Verily, He* is Myself; the Shining-Place of My Identity;
the East of My Cause; the Heaven of My Bounty; the Sea of My Will; the Lamp
of My Guidance; the Path of My Justice; the Standard of My Love.
The one who hath turned to Him who turned to My Face and is illumined
through the lights of My Beauty; hath acknowledge My Oneness and confessed My
Singleness.
The one who hath denied Him hath been deprived of the Salsibíl
of My Love, of the Kawthar of My Grace, the cup of My Mercy and the Wine
by which the sincere ones have been attracted and the monotheists have taken
flight in the air of My Compassion, which no one hath know except him whom I
have taught the matter revealed in My Hidden Tablet.
TABLET OF THE BRANCH
528. He is Eternal in His ‘Abhá Horizon!
Verily, the Cause of God hath come upon the Clouds of Utterances and
the polytheists are in this Day in great torment! Verily, the Hosts of
Revelation have descended with Banner of Inspiration from the Heaven of the
Tablet of the Name of God, the Powerful, the Mighty! At this time the
monotheists all rejoice in the victory of God and His Dominion, and the deniers
will then be in manifest perplexity.
O ye people! Do ye flee from the Mercy of God after It hath
encompassed the existent things created between the heavens and
F1 Bahá’u’lláh.
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earths? Beware lest ye prefer your own selves before the Mercy of God,
and deprive not yourselves thereof! Verily, whosoever turneth away therefrom
will be in great loss. Verily, Mercy is like unto Verses which has descended
from the one heaven, and from them the monotheists drink the choice Wine of
Life, whilst the polytheists drink from the fiery water; and when the Verses of
God are read unto them, the fire of hatred is enkindled within their breasts.
Thus have they preferred their own selves before the Mercy of God, and are of
those who are heedless.
Enter, O people, beneath the shelter of the Word! Then drink
therefrom the choice wine of Inner Significances and Utterances; for therein is
hidden the Kawthar of the Glorious One -- and it hath appeared from the
horizon of the Will of your Lord, the Merciful, with wonderful
lights.
529. Say: Verily, the Branch* of Command hath sprung forth from this Root which God hath firmly planted in the ground of the
Will, the Limb of which hath been elevated to a station which encompasses all
existence. Therefore, exalted be He for this Creation, the Lofty, the Blessed,
the Inaccessible, the Mighty!
O ye people! Draw nigh unto It, and taste the fruits of Its Knowledge
and Wisdom on the part of the Mighty, the Knowing One. Whosoever will not taste
thereof shall be deprived of the Bounty, even though he hath partaken of all
that is in the earth -- were ye of those who know.
Say: Verily, a Word hath gone forth in favor from the Most Great
Tablet and God hath adorned It with the Mantle of Himself, and made It Sovereign
over all in the earth and a Sign of His Grandeur and Omnipotence among the
creatures; in order that, through It, the people shall praise their Lord, the
Mighty, the Powerful, the Wise; and that, through It, they shall glorify their
Creator and sanctify the Self of God which standeth within all things. Verily,
this is naught but a Revelation on the part of the Wise, the Ancient
One!
Say: O people, praise ye God, for the Manifestation of It (the
Branch), for verily It is the Most Great Favor upon you and the Most Perfect
Blessing for you; and through Him (‘Abdu’l-Bahá’) every
mouldering bone is quickened. Whosoever turns to Him hath surely turned unto
God, and whosoever turneth away
F1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’.
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from Him hath turned away from My Beauty, denied My Proof, and is of
those who transgress. Verily, He is the Remembrance of God amongst you, and His
Trust within you, and His Manifestation unto you and His Appearance among the
servants who are nigh. Thus have I been commanded to convey to you the Message
of God, your Creator; and I have delivered to you that of which I was commanded.
Whereupon, thereto testifieth God, then His Angels, then His Messengers, and
then His Holy Servants.
Inhale the fragrances of the Ridván from His Roses and be not
of those who are deprived. Appreciate the Bounty of God upon you and be not
veiled therefrom -- and, verily, We have sent Him forth in the temple of man.
Thus praise ye the Lord, the Originator of whatsoever He willeth through His
wise and inviolable Command!
Verily, those who withhold themselves from the Shelter of the Branch
are indeed lost in the wilderness of perplexity; and are consumed by the heat of
self-desire, and are of those who perish.
530. Hasten, O people unto the Shelter of God, in order that He may
protect you from the heat of the Day whereon none shall find for himself any
refuge or shelter whatsoever except beneath the Shelter of His Name, the
Clement, the Forgiving! Clothe yourselves, O people, with the garment of
Assurance, in order that He may protect you from the dart of doubts and
superstitions, and that ye may be of those who are assured in those days wherein
none shall ever be assured and no one shall be firmly established in the Cause,
except by severing himself from all that is possessed by the people and turning
unto the Holy and Radiant Outlook.
O ye people! Do ye take unto yourselves the Jept (idol) as a helper
other than God, and do ye seek the Taghoot (idol) as a Lord besides your Lord
the Almighty, the Omnipotent? Forsake, O people, their mention, then hold the
Chalice of Life in the Name of your Lord, the Merciful. Verily, by God, the
existent world is quickened through a drop thereof, were ye of those who
know.
Say: In that Day there is no refuge for any one save the Command of
God, and no salvation for any soul but God. Verily, this is the truth and there
is naught after truth but manifest error.
531. Verily, God hath made it incumbent upon every soul to deliver His
Cause according to his ability. Thus hath the Command been recorded by the
Finger of Might and Power upon the Tablet of Majesty and Greatness.
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Whosoever quickens one soul in this Cause is like unto one who
quickeneth all the servants and the Lord shall bring him forth in the Day of
Resurrection into the Ridván of Oneness, adorned with the Mantle of
Himself, the Protector, the Mighty, the Generous! Thus will ye assist your Lord,
and naught else save this shall ever be mentioned in this Day before God, your
Lord, and the Lord of your forefathers.
As to thee, O servant, hearken unto the admonition given unto thee in
the Tablet; then seek the Grace of thy Lord at all times. Then spread the Tablet
among those who believe in God and in His Verses; so that they may follow that
which is contained therein, and be of those who are praiseworthy.
Say: O people, cause no corruption in the earth and dispute not with
men; for, verily, this is not worthy of those who have chosen in the shelter of
their Lord a station which shall indeed remain secure.
If ye find one athirst, give him to drink from the Chalice of Kawtha
and Tasneed; and if ye find one endowed with an attentive ear, read unto him the
Verses of God, the Mighty, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Unloose the tongue
with excellent utterance, then admonish the people if ye find them advancing
unto the sanctuary of God; otherwise abandon them unto themselves and forsake
them in the abyss of hell. Beware lest ye scatter the pearls of Inner
Significance before every barren, dumb one. Verily, the blind are deprived of
witnessing the Lights and are unable to distinguish between the stone and the
holy, precious pearl.
Verily, wert thou to read the most mighty, wonderful Verses to the
stone for a thousand years, will it understand, or will they take any effect
therein? No! by thy Lord, the Merciful, the Clement! If thou readest all the
Verses of God unto the deaf, will he hear a single letter? No! Verily, by the
Beauty, the Mighty, the Ancient!
Thus have We delivered unto thee some of the jewels of Wisdom and
Utterance, in order that thou mayest gaze unto the direction of thy Lord and be
severed from all the creatures. May the Spirit and Glory rest upon thee, and
upon those who dwell upon the plain of Holiness and who remain in the Cause of
their Lord in manifest steadfastness!
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KITÁB-I-´AHD
The Book of the Covenant
532. Although the Supreme Horizon is devoid of the vanities of the
world, yet in the Treasury of Trust and Resignation, We have placed a priceless
and unequalled inheritance for the heirs. We have not placed (therein) a
treasure, neither have we added to the pain.
533. By God! In wealth fear is concealed and peril is hidden. Behold
and then reflect upon that which the Merciful One hath revealed in the
Qur’án: “Woe unto every maligner and backbiter who heapeth
up riches and counteth them over.” There is no continuance in the riches
of this world. That which is subject to mortality and undergoeth a change hath
never been and is not worth regarding. But as is well-known, the purpose of
this Oppressed One in enduring these adversities and calamities, the revelation
of the Verses and the manifestation of the Proofs, hath been to quench the fire
of hatred and animosity, so that perchance the horizons of the minds of the
people of this world may shine with the light of concord and attain the real
tranquillity. The sun of this explanation is shining and arising from the
horizon of the Divine Tablet; all must look toward it.
534. O people of the world! I enjoin you to that which is the means
of the elevation of your station. Hold to the virtue of God and grasp the hem
of that which is just. Verily, I say, the tongue is for mentioning that which
is good; pollute it not with evil speech. God hath forgiven you that which is
past; hereafter you must all speak that which is befitting. Avoid execration,
reviling and that which is aggravating to man.
The station of man is high. A short while since, this exalted Word
was revealed from the Repository of the Pen of ‘Abhá: “This is a
great and blessed Day, but that which hath been hidden in man is and shall be
disclosed.” The station of man is great if he holds to Reality and Truth,
and if he be firm and steadfast in the Commands. The true man appeareth before
the Merciful One like unto the heavens; his sight and hearing are the sun and
moon; his bright and shining qualities are the stars; his station is the highest
one; his traces are the educators of existence. Every believer who hath found
the Perfume of the Garment in
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this Day and turneth with a pure heart toward the Supreme Horizon, he
is mentioned as one of the followers of Bahá upon the Red
Page.
Take the Chalice of My Favor in My Name; then drink from it to My
Remembrance, the Beloved, the New!
535. O people of the world! The Creed of God is for love and union;
make it not the cause of discord and disunion. In the sight of the men of
discernment and those who are holding to the Manifestation, that which is the
means of preservation and the cause of the ease and tranquillity of the servants
is revealed from the Supreme Pen; but the ignorant of the earth who are fostered
in ambition and lust are heedless of the matured Wisdom of the True Wise One and
are speaking and working in imaginations and fancies.
536. O saints of God and His faithful ones! Kings are the appearances
of power and the daysprings of the might and wealth of the True One. Pray in
their behalf, for the government of the earth is ordained to those souls; but
the hearts He hath appointed for Himself.
537. He hath forbidden dispute and strife with an absolute prohibition
in the Book (Kitáb-i-Aqdas). This is the command of God in this Greatest
Manifestation, and He hath preserved it from any order of annulment and hath
adorned it with the ornament of confirmation. Verily, He is the All-Knowing and
the All-Wise!
538. It is incumbent upon all to aid those souls who are the
day-spring of authority and the dawning-points of command, and who are adorned
with the ornaments of equity and justice. Blessings be upon the princes and
learned ones in Bahá. These are My Trusted ones amongst My servants;
these are the rising-points of My Commandments amongst My creatures. Upon them
be My Glory, My Mercy and My Grace which have surrounded all
existence!
539. It is revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas concerning this, that
which from the Horizons of its Words the Lights of the Divine Bounties gleam,
rise and are resplendent.
540. O My Branches! In this Existent Being the greatest strength and
the most perfect power is hidden and concealed; look towards It and gaze in the
direction of Its union and not at Its seeming differences. This is the
Testament of God that the
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Branches, Twigs, and Relations must each and every one look to the
Greatest Branch.* Reflect upon that which is revealed in My Book, the Aqdas: “When the Ocean of My Presence hath disappeared
and the Book of Origin is achieved to the end, turn your faces towards Him whom
God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Pre-Existent Root.” The
aim of this blessed verse hath been the Greatest Branch. We have likewise
elucidated the Command as a favor from before Us; and I am the Generous, the
All-Giving!
541. Verily, God hath ordained the station of the Greater Branch after
the station of the former. Verily, He is the Ordainer, the Wise. We have
surely chosen the Greater after the Greatest as a Command from the All-Knowing,
the Omniscient!
542. The love of the Branches is incumbent upon all, but God hath not
ordained to them any right over the property of the people.
543. O My Branches, My Twigs and My Relations! We enjoin you to the
virtue of God, to follow that which is just and benefiting, and that by which
your station will be exalted. Truly, I say, piety is the greatest commander for
the assistance of the Divine Religion, and the hosts that befit this Commander
have been and are good, pure, and pleasing qualities and deeds.
544. Say: O servants, make not the course of order to be the cause of
confusion, and make not the reason of union to be the occasion of discord! It
is hoped that the people of Bahá will look towards the blessed Word:
“Say, all are from the Presence of God”; and this exalted Word
resembles water for extinguishing the fire of hatred and animosity which is
deposited in all minds and hearts. The different creeds will attain the light
of real union through this simple Word. Verily, He sayeth the Truth and guideth
in the Path, and He is the Powerful, the Mighty, and the Wonderful!
545. Respect and regard for the Branches is incumbent upon all for the
honoring of the Religion and the exaltation of the Word; and this Command hath
been both previously and afterwards recorded and mentioned in the Books of God.
Blessed is he who attaineth to that which hath been commanded from the Presence
of the Command, the Pre-Existent!
F1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’.
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Respect is enjoined also for the ladies of the Household of God, and
the Twigs and Relations. I enjoin you to the service of the nations and to the
pacification of the world.
546. From the Kingdom of the Revelation of the Aim of the people of
the world, is revealed that which is the Cause of the Life of the world and the
Salvation of the nations. Hearken to the admonitions of the Supreme Pen with
the true (inner) ear. To this beareth witness My Book, the Mighty, the
Wonderful!
FROM KITAB-I-AQDAS
547. When the Ocean of My Presence hath disappeared and the Book of
Origin is achieved to the end, turn your faces towards Him* whom God hath
purposed, Who hath branched from this Pre-Existent Root.
O people of the world! If the Dove soareth from the Tree of Praise to
the extreme Concealment turn for what ye do not understand in the Book to the
Branch who is extended from this True Root.
548. He who claimeth a Cause (a Revelation) before the end of a full
thousand years, he is lying and false apostle. We ask God that He, verily, may
strengthen such a one to go back (to the Path); if he repenteth, verily, God is
the Forgiver.
F1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’.
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PART TWO
THE COVENANT OF GOD
549. Bring them together again, O Lord, by the Power of Thy Covenant,
and gather their dispersion by the Might of Thy Promise, and unite their hearts
by the dominion of Thy Love! Cause them to love one another so as to sacrifice
their spirits, expend their money and give up their desires for each
other’s sake!
O Lord, make to descend upon them quietness and tranquillity! Shower
upon them the clouds of Thy Mercy in full abundance, and make them to
characterize themselves with the characteristics of the spiritual!
O Lord, hold us firm in Thy noble command, and bestow upon us Thy
Gifts through Thy bounty, grace and beneficence!
Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Merciful, and the
Benevolent.
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