[102]

  THE significance and essential purpose underlying these words is to reveal and demonstrate unto the pure in heart and the sanctified in spirit that they Who are the Luminaries of truth and the Mirrors reflecting the light of divine Unity, in whatever age and cycle they are sent down from their invisible habitations of ancient glory unto this world, to educate the souls of men and endue with grace all created things, are invariably endowed with an all-compelling power, and invested with invincible sovereignty.  For these hidden Gems, these concealed and invisible Treasures, in themselves manifest and vindicate the reality of these holy words: "Verily God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth."

[104]

    To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress.  Far be it from His glory that human tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery.  He is and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men.  "No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile, the All-Perceiving."¹  No tie of direct intercourse can possibly bind Him to His creatures.  He standeth exalted beyond and above all separation and union, all proximity and remoteness.  No sign can indicate His presence or His absence; inasmuch as by a word of His command all that are in heaven and on earth have come to exist, and by His wish, which is the Primal Will itself, all have stepped out of utter nothingness into the realm of being, the world of the visible.

    Gracious God!  How could there be conceived any existing relationship or possible connection

x 1Qur'án 6:103. x

     The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying: "His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them all" hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.  These sanctified Mirrors, these Day-springs of ancient glory are one and all the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the

x 1Qur'án 3:28. x

     The traditions and sayings that bear direct reference to Our theme are divers and manifold; We have refrained from quoting them for the sake of brevity.  Nay, whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the revelation of that most great Light.  Methinks, but for the potency of that revelation, no being

     I swear by God, O esteemed and honoured friend!  Shouldst thou ponder these words in thine heart, thou wilt of a certainty find the doors of divine wisdom and infinite knowledge flung open before thy face.

     From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all things, in their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the names and attributes of God within them.  Each according to its capacity, indicateth, and is expressive of, the knowledge of God.  So potent and universal is this revelation, that it hath encompassed all things, visible and invisible.  Thus hath He revealed: "Hath aught else save Thee a power of revelation which is not possessed by Thee, that it could have manifested Thee?  Blind is the eye which doth not perceive Thee."  Likewise, hath the eternal King spoken: "No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived God within it, God before it, or God after it."  Also in the tradition of Kumayl it is written: "Behold, a light hath shone forth out of the Morn of eternity, and lo! its waves have penetrated the inmost reality of all men."  Man, the noblest and

     These attributes of God are not and have never been vouchsafed specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others.  Nay, all the Prophets of God, His well-favoured, His holy, and chosen

     Yea, inasmuch as the peoples of the world have failed to seek from the luminous and crystal Springs of divine knowledge the inner meaning of God's holy words, they therefore have languished, stricken and sore athirst, in the vale of idle fancy and waywardness.  They have strayed far from the fresh and thirst-subduing waters, and gathered round the salt that burneth bitterly.  Concerning them, the Dove of Eternity hath spoken: "And if they see the path of righteousness, they will not take it for their path; but if they see the path of error, for their path will they take it.  This, because they treated Our signs as lies, and were heedless of them."¹

     To this testifieth that which hath been witnessed in this wondrous and exalted Dispensation.  Myriads of holy verses have descended from the heaven of might and grace, yet no one hath turned thereunto, nor ceased to cling to those words of men, not one letter of which they that have spoken them comprehend.  For this reason the people have doubted incontestable truths, such as these, and caused themselves to be deprived of the Ridván of

x 1Qur'án 7:145. x

[113]

     Furthermore, by sovereignty is meant the all-encompassing, all-pervading power which is inherently exercised by the Qá'im whether or not He appear to the world clothed in the majesty of earthly dominion.  This is solely dependent upon the will and pleasure of the Qá'im Himself.  You will readily recognize that the terms sovereignty, wealth, life, death, judgment and resurrection, spoken of by the scriptures of old, are not what this generation hath conceived and vainly imagined.  Nay, by sovereignty is meant that sovereignty which in every dispensation resideth within, and is exercised by, the person of the Manifestation, the Day-star of Truth.  That sovereignty is the spiritual ascendancy which He exerciseth to the fullest degree over all that is in heaven and on earth, and which in due time revealeth itself to the world in

     For this reason did Muhammad cry out: "No Prophet of God hath suffered such harm as I have suffered."  And in the Qur'án are recorded all the calumnies and reproaches uttered against Him, as well as all the afflictions which He suffered.  Refer ye thereunto, that haply ye may be informed of that which hath befallen His Revelation.  So grievous was His plight, that for a time all ceased to hold intercourse with Him and His companions.  Whoever associated with Him fell a victim to the relentless cruelty of His enemies.

     We shall cite in this connection only one verse of that Book.  Shouldst thou observe it with a discerning eye, thou wilt, all the remaining days of thy life, lament and bewail the injury of Muhammad, that wronged and oppressed Messenger of God.  That verse was revealed at a time when Muhammad languished weary and sorrowful beneath the weight of the opposition of the people, and of their unceasing torture.  In the midst of His agony, the Voice of Gabriel, calling from the Sadratu'l-Muntahá, was heard saying: "But if their opposition

     Consider, how great is the change today!  Behold, how many are the Sovereigns who bow the knee before His name!  How numerous the nations and kingdoms who have sought the shelter of His shadow, who bear allegiance to His Faith, and pride themselves therein!  From the pulpit-top there ascendeth today the words of praise which, in utter lowliness, glorify His blessed name; and from the heights of minarets there resoundeth the call that summoneth the concourse of His people to adore Him.  Even those Kings of the earth who have refused to embrace His Faith and to put off the garment of unbelief, none the less confess and acknowledge the greatness and overpowering majesty of that Day-star of loving kindness.  Such is His earthly sovereignty, the evidences of which thou dost on every side behold.  This sovereignty

x 1 Qur'án 6:35. x

     The following is an evidence of the sovereignty exercised by Muhammad, the Day-star of Truth.  Hast thou not heard how with one single verse He hath sundered light from darkness, the righteous from the ungodly, and the believing from the infidel?  All the signs and allusions concerning the Day of Judgment, which thou hast heard, such as the raising of the dead, the Day of Reckoning, the Last Judgment, and others have been made manifest through the revelation of that verse.  These revealed words were a blessing to the righteous who on hearing them exclaimed: "O God our Lord, we have heard, and obeyed."  They were a curse to the people of iniquity who, on hearing them affirmed: "We have heard and rebelled."  Those

     This is the significance of the well-known words: "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together." ¹  Behold the ignorance and folly of those who, like the nations of old, are still expecting to witness the time when these beasts will feed together in one pasture!  Such is their low estate.  Methinks, never have their lips touched the cup of understanding, neither have their feet trodden the path of justice.  Besides, of what profit would it be to the world were such a thing to take place?  How well hath He spoken concerning them: "Hearts have they, with which they understand not, and eyes have they with which they see not!"²

     Consider how with this one verse which hath descended from the heaven of the Will of God, the world and all that is therein have been brought to a reckoning with Him.  Whosoever acknowledged His truth and turned unto Him, his good works outweighed his misdeeds, and all his sins were remitted and forgiven.  Thereby is the truth of these words concerning Him made manifest: "Swift is

x 1 Isaiah 65:25. 2Qur'án 7:178. x

     When the light of Qur'ánic Revelation was kindled within the chamber of Muhammad's holy heart, He passed upon the people the verdict of the Last Day, the verdict of resurrection, of judgment, of life, and of death.  Thereupon the standards of revolt were hoisted, and the doors of derision opened.  Thus hath He, the Spirit of God, recorded, as spoken by the infidels: "And if thou

     As the commentators of the Qur'án and they that follow the letter thereof misapprehended the inner meaning of the words of God and failed to grasp their essential purpose, they sought to demonstrate that, according to the rules of grammar, whenever the term "idhá" (meaning "if" or "when") precedeth the past tense, it invariably hath reference to the future.  Later, they were sore perplexed in attempting to explain those verses of the Book wherein that term did not actually occur.  Even as He hath revealed: "And there was a blast on the trumpet, — lo! it is the threatened Day!  And every soul is summoned to a reckoning, — with

x 1Qur'án 11:7. 2Qur'án 13:5. 3Qur'án 50:15. x

     Nay, by "trumpet" is meant the trumpet-call of Muhammad's Revelation, which was sounded in the heart of the universe, and by "resurrection" is meant His own rise to proclaim the Cause of God.

x 1Qur'án 50:20. x

     Gracious God!  How far have that people strayed from the way of God!  Although the Day of Resurrection was ushered in through the Revelation of Muhammad, although His light and tokens had encompassed the earth and all that is therein, yet that people derided Him, gave themselves up to those idols which the divines of that age, in their vain and idle fancy, had conceived, and deprived themselves of the light of heavenly grace and of the showers of divine mercy.  Yea, the abject beetle can never scent the fragrance of holiness, and the

x 1Qur'án 17:51. x

     Such things have come to pass in the days of every Manifestation of God.  Even as Jesus said: "Ye must be born again."¹  Again He saith: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."²  The purport of these words is that whosoever in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those that have attained unto "life" and "resurrection" and have entered into the "paradise" of the love of God.  And whosoever is not of them, is condemned to "death" and "deprivation," to the "fire" of unbelief, and to the "wrath" of God.  In all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the sentence of death, of fire, of blindness, of want of understanding and hearing, hath been pronounced against those whose lips have tasted not the ethereal cup of true knowledge, and whose hearts have been deprived of the grace of the holy Spirit in their day.

x 1 John 3:7. 2 John 3:5-6. x

     In another passage of the Gospel it is written: "And it came to pass that on a certain day the father of one of the disciples of Jesus had died.  That disciple reporting the death of his father unto Jesus, asked for leave to go and bury him.  Whereupon, Jesus, that Essence of Detachment, answered and said: "Let the dead bury their dead."²

     In like manner, two of the people of Kúfih went to 'Alí, the Commander of the Faithful.  One owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was to be the purchaser.  They had agreed that this transaction should be effected and the contract be written with the knowledge of 'Alí.  He, the exponent of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said: "Write thou: `A dead man hath bought from another dead man a house.  That house is bounded by four limits.  One extendeth toward the tomb, the other to the vault of the grave, the third to the Sirát, the fourth to either Paradise or hell.'"  Reflect, had these two souls been quickened by the trumpet-call of 'Alí, had they risen from the grave

x 1Qur'án 7:178. 2 Luke 9:60. x

     In every age and century, the purpose of the Prophets of God and their chosen ones hath been no other but to affirm the spiritual significance of the terms "life,""resurrection," and "judgment."  If one will ponder but for a while this utterance of 'Alí in his heart, one will surely discover all mysteries hidden in the terms "grave," "tomb," "Sirát," "paradise" and "hell."  But oh!  how strange and pitiful!  Behold, all the people are imprisoned within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath the nethermost depths of worldly desire!  Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true life is not the life of the flesh but the life of the spirit.  For the life of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the life of the spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude.  This life knoweth no death, and this existence is crowned by immortality.  Even as it hath been said: "He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come."

     Similarly, the records of all the scriptures bear witness to this lofty truth and this most exalted word.  Moreover, this verse of the Qur'án, revealed concerning Hamzih, the "Prince of Martyrs,"¹ and Abú-Jahl, is a luminous evidence and sure testimony of the truth of Our saying: "Shall the dead, whom We have quickened, and for whom We have ordained a light whereby he may walk among men, be like him, whose likeness is in the darkness, whence he will not come forth?"²  This verse descended from the heaven of the Primal Will at a time when Hamzih had already been invested with the sacred mantle of faith, and Abú-Jahl had waxed relentless in his opposition and unbelief.  From the Wellspring of omnipotence and the Source of eternal holiness, there came the judgment that conferred everlasting life upon Hamzih, and condemned Abú-Jahl to eternal damnation.  This was the signal that caused the fires of unbelief to glow with the hottest flame in the heart of the infidels, and provoked them openly to repudiate

x 1 Title of the uncle of Muhammad. 2Qur'án 6:122. x

     Thou dost witness today how, notwithstanding the radiant splendour of the Sun of divine knowledge, all the people, whether high or low, have clung to the ways of those abject manifestations of the Prince of Darkness.  They continually appeal to them for aid in unraveling the intricacies of their Faith, and, owing to lack of knowledge, they make such replies as can in no wise damage their fame and fortune.  It is evident that these souls, vile and miserable as the beetle itself, have had no portion of the musk-laden breeze of eternity, and have never entered the Ridván of heavenly delight.  How, therefore, can they impart unto others the imperishable fragrance of holiness?  Such is their way, and such will it remain for ever.  Only those will attain to the knowledge of the Word of God

     To resume: Our purpose in setting forth these truths hath been to demonstrate the sovereignty of Him Who is the King of kings.  Be fair: Is this sovereignty which, through the utterance of one Word, hath manifested such pervading influence, ascendancy, and awful majesty, is this sovereignty superior, or is the worldly dominion of these kings

     This is but one of the meanings of the spiritual sovereignty which We have set forth in accordance with the capacity and receptiveness of the people.  For He, the Mover of all beings, that glorified Countenance, is the source of such potencies as neither this wronged One can reveal, nor this unworthy people comprehend.  Immensely exalted is He above men's praise of His sovereignty; glorified is He beyond that which they attribute unto Him!

     And now, ponder this in thine heart: Were sovereignty to mean earthly sovereignty and worldly dominion, were it to imply the subjection and external allegiance of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth — whereby His loved ones should be exalted and be made to live in peace, and His enemies be abased and tormented — such form of sovereignty would not be true of God Himself, the Source of all dominion, Whose majesty and power all things testify.  For, dost thou not witness how the generality of mankind is under the sway of His enemies?  Have they not all turned away from the path of His good-pleasure?  Have they not done that which He hath forbidden, and left undone, nay repudiated and opposed, those things which He hath commanded?  Have not His friends ever been the victims of the tyranny of His foes?  All these things are more obvious than even the splendour of the noon-tide sun.

    Know, therefore, O questioning seeker, that earthly sovereignty is of no worth, nor will it ever be, in the eyes of God and His chosen Ones.  Moreover, if ascendency and dominion be interpreted to mean earthly supremacy and temporal power, how impossible will it be for thee to explain these

    Were the idle contention of these foolish and despicable souls to be true, they would have none other alternative than to reject all these holy utterances and heavenly allusions.  For no warrior could be found on earth more excellent and nearer to God than Husayn, son of 'Alí, so peerless and incomparable was he.  "There was none to equal or to match him in the world."  Yet, thou must have heard what befell him.  "God's malison on the head of the people of tyranny!"³

     Were the verse "And verily Our host shall conquer" to be literally interpreted, it is evident that it would in no wise be applicable to the chosen Ones of God and His hosts, inasmuch as Husayn, whose heroism was manifest as the sun, crushed and subjugated, quaffed at last the cup of martyrdom in Karbilá, the land of Taff.  Similarly, the

x 1Qur'án 37:173. 2Qur'án 9:33. 3Qur'án 11:18. x

     But the purpose of these verses is not what they have imagined.  Nay, the terms "ascendancy," "power," and  "authority" imply a totally different station and meaning.  For instance, consider the

     Furthermore, call to mind the shameful circumstances that have attended the martyrdom of Husayn.  Reflect upon his loneliness, how, to outer seeming, none could be found to aid him, none to take up his body and bury it.  And yet, behold how numerous, in this day, are those who from the uttermost corners of the earth don the garb of pilgrimage, seeking the site of his martyrdom, that there they may lay their heads upon the threshold

     Think not that because these things have come to pass after Husayn's martyrdom, therefore all this glory hath been of no profit unto him.  For that holy soul is immortal, liveth the life of God, and abideth within the retreats of celestial glory upon the Sadrih of heavenly reunion.  These Essences of being are the shining Exemplars of sacrifice.  They have offered, and will continue to offer up their lives, their substance, their souls, their spirit, their all, in the path of the Well-Beloved.  By them, no station, however exalted, could be more dearly cherished.  For lovers have no desire but the good-pleasure of their Beloved, and have no aim except reunion with Him.

     Should We wish to impart unto thee a glimmer of the mysteries of Husayn's martyrdom, and reveal unto thee the fruits thereof, these pages could never suffice, nor exhaust their meaning.  Our hope is that, God willing, the breeze of mercy may blow, and the divine Springtime clothe the tree of being with the robe of a new life; so that we may discover the mysteries of divine Wisdom, and,

     Thus Jesus, Son of Mary, whilst seated one day and speaking in the strain of the Holy Spirit, uttered words such as these: "O people!  My food is

     In like manner, it is related that on a certain day, one of the companions of Sádiq complained of his poverty before him.  Whereupon, Sádiq, that immortal beauty, made reply: "Verily thou art rich, and hast drunk the draught of wealth."  That poverty-stricken soul was perplexed at the words uttered by that luminous countenance, and said: "Where are my riches, I who stand in need of a single coin?"  Sádiq thereupon observed: "Dost thou not possess our love?"  He replied: "Yea, I possess it, O thou scion of the Prophet of God!"  And Sádiq asked him saying: "Exchangest thou this love for one thousand dinars?"  He answered: "Nay, never will I exchange it, though the world

     This poverty and these riches, this abasement and glory, this dominion, power, and the like, upon which the eyes and hearts of these vain and foolish souls are set, — all these things fade into utter nothingness in that Court!  Even as He hath said: "O men!  Ye are but paupers in need of God; but God is the Rich, the Self-Sufficing."¹  By `riches' therefore is meant independence of all else but God, and by `poverty' the lack of things that are of God.

     Similarly, call thou to mind the day when the Jews, who had surrounded Jesus, Son of Mary, were pressing Him to confess His claim of being the Messiah and Prophet of God, so that they might declare Him an infidel and sentence Him to death.  Then, they led Him away, He Who was the Day-star of the heaven of divine Revelation, unto Pilate and Caiaphas, who was the leading divine of that age.  The chief priests were all assembled in the palace, also a multitude of people who had gathered to witness His sufferings, to deride and injure Him.  Though they repeatedly questioned

x 1Qur'án 35:15. x

      It is also recorded in the Gospel according to St. Luke, that on a certain day Jesus passed by a Jew who was sick of the palsy, and lay upon a couch.  When the Jew saw Him, he recognized Him, and cried out for His help.  Jesus said unto him: "Arise from thy bed; thy sins are forgiven

     Thus with steadfast steps we may tread the Path of certitude, that perchance the breeze that bloweth from the meads of the good-pleasure of God may waft upon us the sweet savours of divine acceptance, and cause us, vanishing mortals that we are, to attain unto the Kingdom of everlasting glory.  Then wilt thou comprehend the inner meaning of sovereignty and the like, spoken of in the traditions

x 1 Cf. Luke 5:18-26. x

     When the Unseen, the Eternal, the divine Essence, caused the Day-star of Muhammad to rise above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils which the Jewish divines raised against Him was that after Moses no Prophet should be sent of God.  Yea, mention hath been made in the scriptures of a Soul Who must needs be made manifest and Who

x 1Qur'án 6:91. 2Qur'án 15:72. x

     Although the commentators of the Qur'án have related in divers manners the circumstances attending the revelation of this verse, yet thou shouldst endeavour to apprehend the purpose thereof.  He saith: How false is that which the Jews have imagined!  How can the hand of Him Who is the King in truth, Who caused the countenance of Moses to be made manifest, and conferred upon Him the robe of Prophethood — how can the hand of such a One be chained and fettered?  How can He be conceived as powerless to raise up yet another Messenger after Moses?  Behold the absurdity of

x 1Qur'án 5:64. 2Qur'án 48:10. x

     This people have repudiated all these verses, that unmistakably testify to the reality of "attainment unto the Divine Presence."  No theme hath been more emphatically asserted in the holy scriptures.  Notwithstanding, they have deprived themselves of this lofty and most exalted rank, this supreme and glorious station.  Some have contended that by "attainment unto the Divine Presence" is meant the  "Revelation" of God in the Day of Resurrection.  Should they assert that the "Revelation" of God signifieth a "Universal Revelation," it is clear and evident that such revelation already existeth in all things.  The truth of this We have already

x 1Qur'án 2:46. 2Qur'án 2:249. 3Qur'án 18:111. 4Qur'án 13:2. x

     And were they to maintain that by "divine Presence" is meant the "Specific Revelation of God," expressed by certain Súfís as the "Most Holy Outpouring," if this be in the Essence Itself, it is evident that it hath been eternally in the divine Knowledge.  Assuming the truth of this hypothesis, "attainment unto the divine Presence" is in this sense obviously possible to no one, inasmuch as this revelation is confined to the innermost Essence, unto which no man can attain.  "The way is barred, and all seeking rejected."  The minds of the favourites of heaven, however high they soar, can never attain this station, how much less the understanding of obscured and limited minds.

     And were they to say that by "divine Presence" is meant the "Secondary Revelation of God," interpreted as the "Holy Outpouring," this is admittedly applicable to the world of creation, that is,

     This is the meaning of the "Day of Resurrection," spoken of in all the scriptures, and announced unto all people.  Reflect, can a more precious, a mightier, and more glorious day than this be conceived, so that man should willingly forego its grace, and deprive himself of its bounties, which like unto vernal showers are raining from the heaven of mercy upon all mankind?  Having thus conclusively demonstrated that no day is greater than this Day, and no revelation more glorious than this Revelation, and having set forth all these weighty and infallible proofs which no understanding mind can question, and no man of learning

x 1 Qur'án 57:3. x

     Strive, therefore, O my brother, to grasp the meaning of "Resurrection," and cleanse thine ears from the idle sayings of these rejected people.  Shouldst thou step into the realm of complete detachment, thou wilt readily testify that no day is mightier than this Day, and that no resurrection more awful than this Resurrection can ever be conceived.  One righteous work performed in this Day, equalleth all the virtuous acts which for myriads of centuries men have practised — nay, We ask forgiveness of God for such a comparison!  For verily the reward which such a deed deserveth is immensely

x 1Qur'án 2:210. x

    Consider, how can he that faileth in the day of God's Revelation to attain unto the grace of the "Divine Presence" and to recognize His Manifestation, be justly called learned, though he may have spent aeons in the pursuit of knowledge, and acquired all the limited and material learning of men?  It is surely evident that he can in no wise be regarded as possessed of true knowledge.  Whereas,

     This station is also one of the signs of the Day of Revelation; even as it is said: "The abased amongst you, He shall exalt; and they that are exalted, He shall abase."  And likewise, He hath revealed in the Qur'án: "And We desire to show favour to those who were brought low in the land, and to make them spiritual leaders among men, and to make of them Our heirs."¹  It hath been witnessed in this day how many of the divines, owing to their rejection of the Truth, have fallen into, and abide within, the uttermost depths of ignorance, and whose names have been effaced from the scroll of the glorious and learned.  And how many of the ignorant who, by reason of their acceptance of the Faith, have soared aloft and attained the high summit of knowledge, and whose names have been inscribed by the Pen of Power upon the Tablet of divine Knowledge. Thus,

x 1Qur'án 28:5. x

     O my friend, were the bird of thy mind to explore the heavens of the Revelation of the Qur'án, were it to contemplate the realm of divine knowledge unfolded therein, thou wouldst assuredly find unnumbered doors of knowledge set open before thee.  Thou wouldst certainly recognize that all these things which have in this day hindered this people from attaining the shores of the ocean of eternal grace, the same things in the Muhammadan

x 1Qur'án13:41. x

     And it came to pass that on a certain day a number of the opponents of that peerless Beauty, those that had strayed far from God's imperishable Sanctuary, scornfully spoke these words unto Muhammad: "Verily, God hath entered into a covenant with us that we are not to credit an apostle until he present us a sacrifice which fire out of heaven shall devour."¹  The purport of this verse is that God hath covenanted with them that they should not believe in any messenger unless he work the miracle of Abel and Cain, that is, offer a sacrifice, and the fire from heaven consume it; even as they had heard it recounted in the story of Abel, which story is recorded in the scriptures.  To this, Muhammad, answering, said: "Already have Apostles before me come to you with sure testimonies, and with that of which ye speak.  Wherefore slew ye them?  Tell me, if ye are men

x 1Qur'án 3:183. x

     Ponder this in thine heart, that the sweet gales of divine knowledge, blowing from the meads of mercy, may waft upon thee the fragrance of the Beloved's utterance, and cause thy soul to attain the Ridván of understanding.  As the wayward of every age have failed to fathom the deeper import of these weighty and pregnant utterances, and imagined the answer of the Prophets of God to be irrelevant to the questions they asked them, they therefore have attributed ignorance and folly to those Essences of knowledge and understanding.

x 1Qur'án 3:182. x

     Likewise, Muhammad, in another verse, uttereth His protest against the people of that age.  He saith: "Although they had before prayed for victory over those who believed not, yet when there came unto them, He of Whom they had knowledge, they disbelieved in Him.  The curse of God on the infidels!"¹ Reflect how this verse also implieth that the people living in the days of Muhammad were the same people who in the days of the Prophets of old contended and fought in order to promote the Faith, and teach the Cause, of God.  And yet, how could the generations living at the time of Jesus and Moses, and those who lived in the days of Muhammad, be regarded as being actually one and the same people?  Moreover, those whom they had formerly known were Moses, the Revealer of the Pentateuch, and Jesus, the Author of the Gospel.  Notwithstanding, why did Muhammad say: "When He of Whom they had knowledge came unto them" — that is Jesus or Moses — "they disbelieved in Him?"  Was not Muhammad to outward seeming called by a different name?  Did He not come forth out of a different city?  Did He not speak a different language, and reveal a different Law?  How then can the truth of this

x 1Qur'án 2:89.

    Strive therefore to comprehend the meaning of "return" which hath been so explicitly revealed in the Qur'án itself, and which none hath as yet understood.  What sayest thou?  If thou sayest that Muhammad was the "return" of the Prophets of old, as is witnessed by this verse, His Companions must likewise be the "return" of the bygone Companions, even as the "return" of the former people is clearly attested by the text of the above-mentioned verses.  And if thou deniest this, thou hast surely repudiated the truth of the Qur'án, the surest testimony of God unto men.  In like manner, endeavour to grasp the significance of  "return," "revelation," and "resurrection," as witnessed in the days of the Manifestations of the divine Essence, that thou mayest behold with thine own eyes the "return" of the holy souls into sanctified and illumined bodies, and mayest wash away the dust of ignorance, and cleanse the darkened self with the waters of mercy flowing from the Source of divine Knowledge; that perchance thou mayest, through the power of God and the light of divine guidance, distinguish the Morn of everlasting

     Furthermore, it is evident to thee that the Bearers of the trust of God are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a new Cause and the Bearers of a new Message.  Inasmuch as these Birds of the Celestial Throne are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they therefore are regarded as one soul and the same person.  For they all drink from the one Cup of the love of God, and all partake of the fruit of the same Tree of Oneness.  These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station.  One is the station of pure abstraction and essential unity.  In this respect, if thou callest them all by one name, and dost ascribe to them the same attribute, thou hast not erred from the truth.  Even as He hath revealed: "No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers!"¹  For they one and all summon the people of the earth to acknowledge the Unity of God, and herald unto them the Kawthar of an infinite grace and bounty.  They are all invested with the robe of Prophethood, and honoured with the mantle of glory.  Thus hath

x 1Qur'án 2:285. x

     It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire.  If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring

x 1 Qur'án 54:50. x

     These same people, though wrapt in all these veils of limitation, and despite the restraint of such observances, as soon as they drank the immortal draught of faith, from the cup of certitude, at the hand of the Manifestation of the All-Glorious, were so transformed that they would renounce for His sake their kindred, their substance, their lives, their beliefs, yea, all else save God!  So overpowering was their yearning for God, so uplifting their transports of ecstatic delight, that the world and

x 1 Qur'án 43:22. x

     It is evident that nothing short of this mystic transformation could cause such spirit and behaviour, so utterly unlike their previous habits and manners, to be made manifest in the world of

     For instance, consider the substance of copper.  Were it to be protected in its own mine from becoming solidified, it would, within the space of seventy years, attain to the state of gold.  There are some, however, who maintain that copper itself is gold, which by becoming solidified is in a diseased condition, and hath not therefore reached its own state.

     Be that as it may, the real elixir will, in one instant, cause the substance of copper to attain the state of gold, and will traverse the seventy-year stages in a single moment.  Could this gold be called copper?  Could it be claimed that it hath not attained the state of gold, whilst the touch-stone is at hand to assay it and distinguish it from copper?

     Likewise, these souls, through the potency of the Divine Elixir, traverse, in the twinkling of an eye, the world of dust and advance into the realm of holiness; and with one step cover the earth of limitations and reach the domain of the Placeless.  It

     O brother, behold how the inner mysteries of "rebirth," of "return," and of "resurrection" have each, through these all-sufficing, these unanswerable, and conclusive utterances, been unveiled and unravelled before thine eyes.  God grant that through His gracious and invisible assistance, thou mayest divest thy body and soul of the old garment, and array thyself with the new and imperishable attire.

     Therefore, those who in every subsequent Dispensation preceded the rest of mankind in embracing the Faith of God, who quaffed the clear waters of knowledge at the hand of the divine Beauty, and attained the loftiest summits of faith

     Purge thy sight, therefore, from all earthly limitations, that thou mayest behold them all as the bearers of one Name, the exponents of one Cause, the manifestations of one Self, and the revealers of one Truth, and that thou mayest apprehend the mystic "return" of the Words of God as unfolded by these utterances.  Reflect for a while upon the behaviour of the companions of the Muhammadan Dispensation.  Consider how, through the reviving breath of Muhammad, they were cleansed from the defilements of earthly vanities, were delivered from selfish desires, and were detached from all else but Him.  Behold how they preceded all the

     From these statements therefore it hath been made evident and manifest that should a Soul in the "End that knoweth no end" be made manifest, and arise to proclaim and uphold a Cause which in "the Beginning that hath no beginning" another Soul had proclaimed and upheld, it can be truly declared of Him Who is the Last and of Him Who was the First that they are one and the same, inasmuch as both are the Exponents of one and the same Cause.  For this reason, hath the Point of the Bayán — may the life of all else but Him be His sacrifice! — likened the Manifestations of God unto the sun which, though it rise from the "Beginning that hath no beginning" until the "End that knoweth no end," is none the less the same sun.  Now, wert thou to say, that this sun is the former sun, thou speakest the truth; and if thou sayest that this sun is the "return" of that sun, thou also speakest the truth.  Likewise, from this statement it is made evident that the term "last" is applicable to the  "first," and the term "first" applicable to the "last;" inasmuch as both the "first" and the "last" have risen to proclaim one and the same Faith.

     Notwithstanding the obviousness of this theme, in the eyes of those that have quaffed the wine of

     The mystery of this theme hath, in this Dispensation, been a sore test unto all mankind.  Behold, how many are those who, clinging unto these words, have disbelieved Him Who is their true Revealer.  What, We ask, could this people presume the terms "first" and "last" — when referring to God — glorified be His Name! — to mean?  If they maintain that these terms bear reference to

     Even as in the "Beginning that hath no beginnings" the term "last" is truly applicable unto Him who is the Educator of the visible and of the invisible, in like manner, are the terms "first" and "last" applicable unto His Manifestations.  They are at the same time the Exponents of both the "first" and the "last." Whilst established upon the seat of the "first," they occupy the throne of the  "last."  Were a discerning eye to be found, it will readily perceive that the exponents of the "first" and the "last," of the "manifest" and the "hidden," of the "beginning" and the "seal" are none other than these holy Beings, these Essences of Detachment, these divine Souls.  And wert thou to soar in the holy realm of "God was alone, there was none else besides Him," thou wilt find in that Court all these names utterly non-existent and completely forgotten.  Then will thine eyes no longer be obscured by these veils, these terms, and allusions.  How ethereal and lofty is this station, unto which

     And, now, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of this saying of 'Alí, the Commander of the Faithful: "Piercing the veils of glory, unaided."  Among these "veils of glory" are the divines and doctors living in the days of the Manifestation of God, who, because of their want of discernment and their love and eagerness for leadership, have failed to submit to the Cause of God, nay, have even refused to incline their ears unto the divine Melody.  "They have thrust their fingers into their ears."¹  And the people also, utterly ignoring God and taking them for their masters, have placed themselves unreservedly under the authority of these pompous and hypocritical leaders, for they have no sight, no hearing, no heart, of their own to distinguish truth from falsehood.

     Notwithstanding the divinely-inspired admonitions of all the Prophets, the Saints, and Chosen ones of God, enjoining the people to see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears, they have disdainfully rejected their counsels and have blindly followed, and will continue to follow, the

x 1Qur'án 2:19. x

     It is clear and evident that whenever the Manifestations of Holiness were revealed, the divines of their day have hindered the people from attaining unto the way of truth.  To this testify the records of all the scriptures and heavenly books.  Not one Prophet of God was made manifest Who did not fall a victim to the relentless hate, to the denunciation,

x 1Qur'án 36:20. x