Chapter 5

Whenever the faithful hear the verses of this Book being recited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their hearts will be deeply touched by Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance for the love they cherish for God, the All-Praised. He is God, the All-Knowing, the Eternal. They are indeed the inmates of the all-highest Paradise wherein they will abide for ever. Verily they will see naught therein save that which hath proceeded from God, nothing that will lie beyond the compass of their understanding. There they will meet the believers in Paradise, who will address them with the words 'Peace, Peace' lingering on their lips...

O concourse of the faithful! Incline your ears to My Voice, proclaimed by this Remembrance of God. Verily God hath revealed unto Me that the Path of the Remembrance which is set forth by Me is, in very truth, the straight Path of God, and that whoever professeth any religion other than this upright Faith, will, when called to account on the Day of Judgement, discover that as recorded in the Book no benefit hath he reaped out of God's Religion...

Fear ye God, O concourse of kings, lest ye remain afar from Him Who is His Remembrance [the Bab], after the Truth hath come unto you with a Book and signs from God, as spoken through the wondrous tongue of Him Who is His Remembrance. Seek ye grace from God, for God hath ordained for you, after ye have believed in Him, a Garden the vastness of which is as the vastness of the whole of Paradise. Therein ye shall find naught save the gifts and favours which the Almighty hath graciously bestowed by virtue of this momentous Cause, as decreed in the Mother Book. _Chapter LXIII._

"O Spirit of God! Call Thou to mind the bounty which ..."

O Spirit of God! Call Thou to mind the bounty which I bestowed upon Thee when I conversed with Thee in the midmost heart of My Sanctuary and aided Thee through the potency of the Holy Spirit that Thou mightest, as the peerless Mouthpiece of God, proclaim unto men the commandments of God which lie enshrined within the divine Spirit.

Verily God hath inspired Thee with divine verses and wisdom while still a child and hath graciously deigned to bestow His favour upon the peoples of the world through the influence of Thy Most Great Name, for indeed men have not the least knowledge of the Book. _Chapter LXIII._

"O People of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in ..."

O People of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in God, the True One, are we to seek a Gate other than this exalted Being?...

When God created the Remembrance He presented Him to the assemblage of all created beings upon the altar of His Will. Thereupon the concourse of the angels bowed low in adoration to God, the Peerless, the Incomparable; while Satan waxed proud, refusing to submit to His Remembrance; hence he is identified in the Book of God as the arrogant one and the accursed.(43) _Chapter LXVII._

"God, besides Whom there is none other true God, saith: ..."

God, besides Whom there is none other true God, saith: Indeed, whoso visiteth the Remembrance of God after His passing, it is as though he hath attained the presence of the Lord, seated upon His mighty Throne. Verily this is the Way of God, the Most Exalted, which hath been irrevocably decreed in the Mother Book...

Say, O peoples of the world! Do ye dispute with Me about God by virtue of the names which ye and your fathers have adopted for Him at the promptings of the Evil One?(44) God hath indeed sent down this Book unto Me with truth that ye may be enabled to recognize the true names of God, inasmuch as ye have strayed in error far from the Truth. Verily We have taken a covenant from every created thing upon its coming into being concerning the Remembrance of God, and there shall be none to avert the binding command of God for the purification of mankind, as ordained in the Book which is written by the hand of the Bab. _Chapter LXVIII._

"The people, during the absence of the Bab, re-enacted ..."

The people, during the absence of the Bab, re-enacted the episode of the Calf by setting up a blaring figure which embodied animal features in human form(45) ...

Whenever the people ask Thee of the appointed Hour say: Verily the knowledge of it is only with My Lord,(46) Who is the Knower of the unseen. There is none other God but Him--He Who hath created you from a single soul,(47) and I have no control over what profiteth Me or harmeth Me, but as My Lord pleaseth.(48) Indeed God is Self-Sufficient and He, My Lord, standeth supreme over all things. _Chapter LXIX._

"Doth it seem strange to the people that We should have ..."

Doth it seem strange to the people that We should have revealed the Book to a man from among themselves in order to purge them and give them the good tidings that they shall be rewarded with a sure stance in the presence of their Lord? He indeed beareth witness unto all things...

When the verses of this Book are recited to the infidels they say: 'Give us a book like the Qur'an and make changes in the verses.' Say: 'God hath not given Me that I should change them at My pleasure.' I follow only what is revealed unto Me. Verily, I shall fear My Lord on the Day of Separation, whose advent He hath, in very truth, irrevocably ordained.(49) _Chapter LXXI._

"O Peoples of the earth! Verily the true God calleth ..."

O Peoples of the earth! Verily the true God calleth saying: He Who is the Remembrance is indeed the sovereign Truth from God, and naught remaineth beyond truth but error,(50) and naught is there beyond error save fire, irrevocably ordained...

O Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Point to Thy truthful breast through the power of truth and exclaim: I swear by the One true God, herein lieth the vicegerency of God; I am indeed the One Who is regarded as the Best Reward(51) and I am indeed He Who is the Most Excellent Abode. _Chapter LXXII._

"O ye concourse of the believers! Utter not words of ..."

O ye concourse of the believers! Utter not words of denial against Me once the Truth is made manifest, for indeed the mandate of the Bab hath befittingly been proclaimed unto you in the Qur'an aforetime. I swear by your Lord, this Book is verily the same Qur'an which was sent down in the past. _Chapter LXXXI._

"O Thou cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the ..."

O Thou cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the melodies of this mystic Bird warbling in the loftiest heights of heaven. The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me to proclaim: Verily, verily, I am God, He besides Whom there is none other God. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.

O My servants! Seek ye earnestly this highest reward, as I have indeed created for the Remembrance of God gardens which remain inscrutable to anyone save Myself, and naught therein hath been made lawful unto anyone except those whose lives have been sacrificed in His Path. Hence beseech ye God, the Most Exalted, that He may grant you this meritorious reward, and He is in truth the Most High, the Most Great. Had it been Our wish, We would have brought all men into one fold round Our Remembrance, yet they will not cease to differ,(52) unless God accomplish what He willeth through the power of truth. In the estimation of the Remembrance this commandment hath, in very truth, been irrevocably ordained...

God hath indeed chosen Thee to warn the people, to guide the believers aright and to elucidate the secrets of the Book. _Chapter LXXXV._

"Should it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel, ..."

Should it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel, through the agency of but one letter of Our Revelation, the world and all that is therein to recognize, in less than the twinkling of an eye, the truth of Our Cause....

Truly other apostles have been laughed to scorn before Thee,(53) and Thou art none other but the Servant of God, sustained by the power of Truth. Ere long We shall prolong the days of such as have rejected the Truth by reason of that which their hands have wrought,(54) and verily God will not deal unjustly with anyone, even to the extent of a speck on a date-stone. _Chapter LXXXVII._

"O ye peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, ..."

O ye peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, the True One, the testimony shown forth by His Remembrance is like unto a sun which the hand of the merciful Lord hath raised high in the midmost heart of the heaven, wherefrom it shineth in the plenitude of its meridian splendour...

With each and every Prophet Whom We have sent down in the past, We have established a separate Covenant concerning the Remembrance of God and His Day. Manifest, in the realm of glory and through the power of truth, are the Remembrance of God and His Day before the eyes of the angels that circle His mercy-seat. _Chapter XCI._

"O Hour of the Dawn! Ere the resplendent glory of the ..."

O Hour of the Dawn! Ere the resplendent glory of the divine Luminary sheddeth its radiance from the Dayspring of this Gate, call thou to mind that the appointed Day of God will indeed be at hand in less than the twinkling of an eye. Thus hath the decree of God been issued in the Mother Book. _Chapter XCIV._

"O Concourse of the faithful! Verily the object of each ..."

O Concourse of the faithful! Verily the object of each and every sign revealed by God in the Scriptures or in the world at large or in the hearts of men is but to make them fully realize that this Remembrance is indeed the True One from God. Verily God is cognizant of all things through the power of eternal Truth...

O ye that circle the throne of glory! Hearken unto My Call which is raised from the midst of the Burning Bush, 'Verily I am God and there is none other God but Me. Hence worship Me, and for the sake of Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance, offer ye prayers, purged from the insinuations of the people, for verily your Lord, the One true God, is none other than the Sovereign Truth. Indeed such as invoke others besides Him are deservedly numbered among the inmates of the fire, while He Who is the Remembrance of God verily abideth, firm and undeviating, on the Path of Truth amidst the Burning Bush.'...

O peoples of the earth! Inflict not upon the Most Great Remembrance what the Umayyads cruelly inflicted upon Husayn in the Holy Land. By the righteousness of God, the True One, He is indeed the Eternal Truth, and unto Him God, verily, is a witness. _Chapter XVII._

"God had, in truth, proposed Our Mission unto the ..."

God had, in truth, proposed Our Mission unto the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were afraid thereof. However, Man, this 'Ali, Who is none other but the Great Remembrance of God, undertook to bear it. Hence God, the All-Encompassing, hath referred to Him in His Preserved Book as the 'Wronged One', and by reason of His being undistinguished before the eyes of men, He hath, according to the judgement of the Book, been entitled 'the Unknown'...(55)

Erelong We will, in very truth, torment such as waged war against Husayn [Imam Husayn], in the Land of the Euphrates, with the most afflictive torment, and the most dire and exemplary punishment....

God knoweth well the heart of Husayn, the heat of His burning thirst and His long-suffering for the sake of God, the Incomparable, the Ancient of Days; and unto Him God is verily a witness. _Chapter XII._

"Hearken unto the Voice of Thy Lord calling from ..."

Hearken unto the Voice of Thy Lord calling from Mount Sinai, 'Verily there is no God but Him, and I am the Most Exalted One Who hath been veiled in the Mother Book according to the dispensations of Providence.' _Chapter XIX._

"This Book which We have sent down is indeed abounding ..."

This Book which We have sent down is indeed abounding in blessings(56) and beareth witness to the Truth, so that the people may realize that the conclusive Proof of God in favour of His Remembrance is similar to the one wherewith Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, was invested, and verily great is the Cause as ordained in the Mother Book. _Chapter LXVI._

"This Remembrance is indeed the glorious Remnant of ..."

This Remembrance is indeed the glorious Remnant of the Light of God, and He will be best for you,(57) if ye in very truth remain faithful to God, the Most Exalted...

We have in truth sent Thee forth unto all men, by the leave of God, invested with Our signs and reinforced by Our unsurpassed sovereignty. He is indeed the appointed Bearer of the Trust of God...

O Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Persevere steadfastly as Thou art bidden and let not the faithless amongst men nor their utterances grieve Thee, since Thy Lord shall, by the righteousness of God, the Most Great, pass judgement upon them on the Day of Resurrection, and surely God witnesseth all things. _Chapter LXXXIV._

"This Religion is indeed, in the sight of God, the essence ..."

This Religion is indeed, in the sight of God, the essence of the Faith of Muhammad; haste ye then to attain the celestial Paradise and the all-highest Garden of His good-pleasure in the presence of the One True God, could ye but be patient and thankful before the evidences of the signs of God. _Chapter XLVIII._

"O My servants! This is God's appointed Day which the ..."

O My servants! This is God's appointed Day which the merciful Lord hath promised you in His Book; wherefore, in very truth, glorify ye abundantly the name of God while treading the Path of the Most Great Remembrance...

Verily God hath granted leave to His Remembrance to say whatsoever He willeth in whatever manner He pleaseth. Indeed whatsoever He chooseth is none other than what is chosen by Us. The Lord, in truth, witnesseth all things. _Chapter LXXXVII._

"Indeed We conversed with Moses by the leave of God ..."

Indeed We conversed with Moses by the leave of God from the midst of the Burning Bush in the Sinai and revealed an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy Light upon the Mystic Mount and its dwellers, whereupon the Mount shook to its foundations and was crushed into dust...

O peoples of the earth! I swear by your Lord! Ye shall act as former generations have acted. Warn ye, then, yourselves of the terrible, the most grievous vengeance of God. For God is, verily, potent over all things. _Chapter LIII._

"O Qurratu'l-'Ayn! I recognize in Thee none other ..."

O Qurratu'l-'Ayn! I recognize in Thee none other except the 'Great Announcement'--the Announcement voiced by the Concourse on high. By this name, I bear witness, they that circle the Throne of Glory have ever known Thee.

O concourse of the believers! Do ye harbour any doubt as to that whereunto the Remembrance of God doth summon you? By the righteousness of the One true God, He is none other than the sovereign Truth Who hath been made manifest through the power of Truth. Are ye in doubt concerning the Bab? Verily He is the One Who holdeth, by Our leave, the kingdoms of earth and heaven in His grasp, and the Lord is in truth fully aware of what ye are doing...

Indeed I am but a man like unto you. However, God bestoweth upon Me whatever favours He willeth as He pleaseth, and that which your Lord hath decreed in the Mother Book is unbounded. _Chapter LXXXVIII._

"God, of a truth, revealed unto Me in the sacred house of ..."

God, of a truth, revealed unto Me in the sacred house of the Ka'bah, 'Verily, I am God, no God is there but Me. I have singled Thee out for Myself and have chosen Thee as the Remembrance. Indeed, whosoever beareth allegiance unto Thee by walking in the way of the Bab, for him the recompense of the next world hath surely been prescribed...' It is ordained in the Book that upon the realization of the Cause of the Remembrance, the Most Great Event will have come to pass according to the dispensation of Providence, and God, truly, is potent over all things. _Chapter LXXIX._

"O Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Say: Verily I am the One Who is ..."

O Qurratu'l-'Ayn! Say: Verily I am the One Who is hailed in the Mother Book as the 'Great Announcement'. Say: The people have grievously differed over Me, whereas in truth there is no difference between Me and the Bab; and God, the Eternal Truth, is sufficient witness. _Chapter LXXVII._

"I Am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence ..."

I am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence hath reared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of God hath lit within its niche and caused to shine with deathless splendour. I am the Flame of that supernal Light that glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot, and lay concealed in the midst of the Burning Bush. _Chapter XCIV._

"As a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings ..."

As a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings unto every Prophet concerning the Cause of Our Remembrance, and verily God is supreme over all the peoples of the world. _Chapter LXXXIII._

3: EXCERPTS FROM THE PERSIAN BAYAN

"It is better to guide one soul than to possess all ..."

It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of God's tender mercy, whereas possession of earthly things will cease at the time of death. The path to guidance is one of love and compassion, not of force and coercion. This hath been God's method in the past, and shall continue to be in the future! He causeth him whom He pleaseth to enter the shadow of His Mercy. Verily, He is the Supreme Protector, the All-Generous.

There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God's Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness. II, 16.(58)

"Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead ..."

Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth the one True God. Shouldst thou worship Him because of fear, this would be unseemly in the sanctified Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an act by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy gaze should be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship Him while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make God's creation a partner with Him, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is desired by men.

Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before God. That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or hope of paradise.

Although when true worship is offered, the worshipper is delivered from the fire, and entereth the paradise of God's good-pleasure, yet such should not be the motive of his act. However, God's favour and grace ever flow in accordance with the exigencies of His inscrutable wisdom.

The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God. VII, 19.

"The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth ..."

The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they would not have believed, and thus they were not told!

When the Apostle of God [Muhammad] appeared, He did not announce unto the unbelievers that the Resurrection had come, for they could not bear the news. That Day is indeed an infinitely mighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree proclaimeth from eternity unto eternity, 'Verily, I am God. No God is there but Me'. Yet those who are veiled believe that He is one like unto them, and they refuse even to call Him a believer, although such a title in the realm of His heavenly Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the most insignificant follower of His previous Dispensation. Thus, had the people in the days of the Apostle of God regarded Him at least as a believer of their time how would they have debarred Him, for seven years while He was in the mountain, from access to His Holy House [Ka'bah]? Likewise in this Dispensation of the Point of the Bayan, if the people had not refused to concede the name believer unto Him, how could they have incarcerated Him on this mountain, without realizing that the quintessence of belief oweth its existence to a word from Him? Their hearts are deprived of the power of true insight, and thus they cannot see, while those endowed with the eyes of the spirit circle like moths round the Light of Truth until they are consumed. It is for this reason that the Day of Resurrection is said to be the greatest of all days, yet it is like unto any other day. VIII, 9.

"There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in ..."

There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey God's commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have known God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed. On the Day of Resurrection God will, in truth, judge all men, and we all verily plead for His grace. V, 19.

"God loveth those who are pure. Naught in the Bayan and ..."

God loveth those who are pure. Naught in the Bayan and in the sight of God is more loved than purity and immaculate cleanliness....

God desireth not to see, in the Dispensation of the Bayan, any soul deprived of joy and radiance. He indeed desireth that under all conditions, all may be adorned with such purity, both inwardly and outwardly, that no repugnance may be caused even to themselves, how much less unto others. V, 14.

"Likewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the ..."

Likewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the Bayan. There are people who every night until morning busy themselves with the worship of God, and even at present when the Day-Star of Truth is nearing its zenith in the heaven of its Revelation, they have not yet left their prayer-rugs. If any one of them ever heard the wondrous verses of God recited unto him, he would exclaim: 'Why dost thou keep me back from offering my prayers?' O thou who are wrapt in veils! If thou makest mention of God, wherefore sufferest thou thyself to be shut out from Him Who hath kindled the light of worship in thy heart? If He had not previously revealed the injunction: 'Verily, make ye mention of God'(59), what would have prompted thee to offer devotion unto God, and whereunto wouldst thou turn in prayer?