Chapter 15

105 It is not Our purpose in addressing to thee these words to lighten the burden of Our woe, or to induce thee to intercede for Us with anyone. Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds! We have set forth the whole matter before thee, that perchance thou might realize what thou hast done, might desist from inflicting on others the hurt thou hast inflicted on Us, and might be of them that have truly repented to God, Who created thee and created all things, and might act with discernment in the future. Better is this for thee than all thou dost possess, than thy ministry whose days are numbered.

106 Beware lest thou be led to connive at injustice. Set thy heart firmly upon justice, and alter not the Cause of God, and be of them whose eyes are directed towards the things that have been revealed in His Book. Follow not, under any condition, the promptings of thine evil desires. Keep thou the law of God, thy Lord, the Beneficent, the Ancient of Days. Thou shalt most certainly return to dust, and shalt perish like all the things in which thou takest delight. This is what the Tongue of truth and glory hath spoken.

107 Rememberest thou not God's warning uttered in times past, that thou mayest be of them that heed His warning? He said, and He, verily, speaketh the truth: "From it (earth) have We created you, and unto it will We return you, and out of it will We bring you forth a second time."(108) This is what God ordained unto all them that dwell on earth, be they high or low. It behoveth not, therefore, him who was created from dust, who will return unto it, and will again be brought forth out of it, to swell with pride before God, and before His loved ones, to proudly scorn them, and be filled with disdainful arrogance. Nay, rather it behoveth thee and those like thee to submit yourselves to them Who are the Manifestations of the unity of God, and to defer humbly to the faithful, who have forsaken their all for the sake of God, and have detached themselves from the things which engross men's attention, and lead them astray from the path of God, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Thus do We send down upon you that which shall profit you and profit them that have placed their whole trust and confidence in their Lord.

108 O ye divines of the City! We came to you with the truth, whilst ye were heedless of it. Methinks ye are as dead, wrapt in the coverings of your own selves. Ye sought not Our presence, when so to do would have been better for you than all your doings. Know ye that the Sun of vicegerency hath dawned in all truth, and yet ye have turned away therefrom. The Moon of guidance hath risen high in the midmost heaven, and yet ye remain veiled therefrom. The Star of divine bounty hath shone forth above the horizon of eternal holiness, and yet ye have strayed far therefrom.

109 Know ye, that had your leaders, to whom ye owe allegiance, and on whom ye pride yourselves, and whom ye mention by day and by night, and from whose traces ye seek guidance--had they lived in these days, they would have circled around Me, and would not have separated themselves from Me, whether at eventide or at morn. Ye, however, did not turn your faces towards My face, for even less than a moment, and waxed proud, and were careless of this Wronged One, Who hath been so afflicted by men that they dealt with Him as they pleased. Ye failed to inquire about My condition, nor did ye inform yourselves of the things which befell Me. Thereby have ye withheld from yourselves the winds of holiness, and the breezes of bounty, that blow from this luminous and perspicuous Spot.

110 Methinks ye have clung to outward things, and forgotten the inner things, and say that which ye do not. Ye are lovers of names, and appear to have given yourselves up to them. For this reason make ye mention of the names of your leaders. And should anyone like them, or superior unto them, come unto you, ye would flee him. Through their names ye have exalted yourselves, and have secured your positions, and live and prosper. And were your leaders to reappear, ye would not renounce your leadership, nor would ye turn in their direction, nor set your faces towards them.

111 We found you, as We found most men, worshipping names which they mention during the days of their life, and with which they occupy themselves. No sooner do the Bearers of these names appear, however, than they repudiate them, and turn upon their heels. Thus have We found you, and thus have We reckoned up your actions and borne witness to all your doings in this day. Know ye that God will not, in this day, accept your thoughts, nor your remembrance of Him, nor your turning towards Him, nor your devotions, nor your vigilance, unless ye be made new in the estimation of this Servant, could ye but perceive it.

112 By God! The Tree of vicegerency hath been planted, the Point of knowledge hath been made plain, and the sovereignty of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, hath been established. Fear ye the Lord. Follow not the promptings of your evil desires, but keep the law of God all your days. Renew the rules of the ways ye follow, that ye may be led by the light of guidance and may hasten in the path of the True One.

113 O ye wise men of the City and philosophers of the world! Beware lest human learning and wisdom cause you to wax proud before God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Know ye that true wisdom is to fear God, to know Him, and to recognize His Manifestations. This wisdom, however, can be attained only by those who detach themselves from the world, and who walk in the ways of the good pleasure of their Lord. Are ye possessed of greater wisdom than the one who contrived a moon which would rise from one well and set in another, and whose light was visible at a distance of three leagues?(109) God, verily, blotted out every trace of his works and returned him unto dust, as ye have already heard or are now informed.

114 How many the sages and philosophers who equalled or surpassed him in learning and wisdom! And how vast the number of those who equalled or surpassed yourselves! Some of them believed in God, while others disbelieved and joined partners with Him. The latter were at last cast into the Fire, there to take up their abode, while the former returned unto the mercy of their Lord, therein to abide. For God doth not ask you of your sciences, but of your faith and of your conduct. Are ye greater in wisdom than the One Who brought you into being, Who fashioned the heavens and all that they contain, the earth and all that dwell upon it? Gracious God! True wisdom is His. All creation and its empire are His. He bestoweth His wisdom upon whomsoever He chooseth amongst men, and withholdeth it from whomsoever He desireth. He, in truth, is the Bestower and the Withholder, and He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the All-Wise.

115 O ye learned of the world! Ye failed to seek Our presence, that ye might hearken unto the sweet melodies of the Spirit and perceive that which God in His bounty hath pleased to bestow upon Me. Verily, this grace hath now escaped you, did ye but know. Had ye sought Our presence, We would have imparted unto you a knowledge that would have rendered you independent of all else. But this ye failed to do, and thus hath the decree of God been fulfilled. Now have I been forbidden to disclose it, since We stand accused of sorcery, if ye perceive Our meaning. The same words were uttered by the deniers of old, men whom death hath long since overtaken and who now dwell in the fire bewailing their plight. The deniers of this day shall likewise meet their doom. Such is the irrevocable decree of Him Who is the All-Powerful, the Self-Sufficient.

116 I counsel you, in the end, not to overstep the bounds of God, nor to heed the ways and habits of men, for these can neither "fatten nor appease your hunger". Fix, rather, your gaze upon the precepts of God. Whosoever desireth, let him accept this counsel as a path leading unto his Lord, and whosoever desireth, let him return to his own idle imaginings. My Lord, verily, is independent above all who are in the heavens and on the earth, and above all that they say and do.

117 I close with these words uttered by God, exalted be His glory: "Say not to everyone who meeteth you with a greeting, 'Thou art not a believer'."(110)

118 Peace be upon you, O concourse of the faithful, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION

Wherever possible, translations made by Shoghi Effendi have been incorporated in the present volume. These passages account for approximately one third of the text. The committees and individuals appointed to prepare the translations faced the challenge of rendering the balance of the Text in a manner at once faithful to the meaning of the original and consistent with the exalted English style established by the Guardian for the translation of Baha'u'llah's matchless utterance.

In the translation of the Lawh-i-Sultan the translators benefited from consulting the earlier, pioneering translation of the English orientalist E. G. Browne as it appeared in 'Abdu'l-Baha's _A Traveller's Narrative_, first published by Cambridge University Press in 1891.

KEY TO PASSAGES TRANSLATED BY SHOGHI EFFENDI

Abbreviation of Sources ESW Baha'u'llah. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1988. GPB Shoghi Effendi. God Passes By. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1974. GWB Baha'u'llah. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1976. KI Baha'u'llah. The Kitab-i-Iqan. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1994. HW Baha'u'llah. The Hidden Words. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1994. (PHW are from the Persian Hidden Words.) PDC Shoghi Effendi. The Promised Day Is Come. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, rev. ed., 1996. WOB Shoghi Effendi. The World Order of Baha'u'llah: Selected Letters. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1991.

PARAGRAPH PASSAGE SOURCE

Suriy-i-Haykal

6-7 "While engulfed in GPB 101-102 tribulations ... of them that perceive." 8 "The day is WOB 109-110 approaching when God ... the Self-Subsisting." 34 "Erelong shall God WOB 110 draw forth ... how vehement is His might" 42 "Beware lest ye ESW 25 shed the blood ... if ye do but understand." 44 "Naught is seen in WOB 109 My temple ... could be seen but God." 47 "the fertilizing WOB 169, PDC ¶112 winds ... whether seen or unseen!" 50 "The Holy Spirit WOB 109 Itself ... of them that comprehend" 66 "Within the WOB 109 treasury of Our Wisdom ... the All-Wise." 75 "It is in Our WOB 107 power, should We wish it, to enable ... futureages." 88 "Great is the PDC ¶271 blessedness ... the Almighty, the All-Wise." 89 "O ye the PDC ¶208 dawning-places ... and unto others." 89 "Ye are even as a PDC ¶208 spring ... it fruits, will be corrupted." 96 "Had the Primal WOB 138 Point ... with each other in My Days."

Pope Pius IX (Lawh-i-Pap)

102 "O Pope!... the PDC ¶71 Almighty, the Unrestrained." 102 "He, verily, hath PDC ¶71 again come ... hath been illumined." 203 "Dwellest thou in PDC ¶71 palaces ... towards the Kingdom." 105 "Arise in the name PDC ¶71 of thy Lord ...peoples of all faiths." 106 "Call thou to PDC ¶72 remembrance ... away from His light." 108 "Consider those PDC ¶72 who opposed ... disputed with Him." 108 "None save a very PDC ¶72 few ... eventide and at dawn." 109 "Read ye the PDC ¶256 Evangel ... concourse of learned men!" 111 "The fragrances of PDC ¶256 the ... fast hold of guidance." 112 "The Word which PDC ¶73 the Son ... of the righteous!" 113 "This is the day PDC ¶73 ... Kingdom is fulfilled!" 114 "My body longeth PDC ¶73 ... from its transgressions." 115 "The people of the PDC ¶247 Qur'an ... clouds wept over Us." 116 "And if they cast WOB 108 ... the Gracious, the All-Powerful!" 118 "O Supreme Pontiff PDC ¶74 ... the book of creation." 120 "Should the PDC ¶74 inebriation ... Revealer of all power." 126 "Verily, the day PDC ¶74 of ingathering ... the All-Compelling." 127 "Say: O concourse PDC ¶261 of Christians ... turn ye unto Him." 127 "The Beloved One PDC ¶261 ... heedless of My Revelation" 128 "O people of the PDC ¶261 Gospel! ... everlasting life." 129 "We behold you ... PDC ¶261 Direct yourselves towards Him." 129 "Verily, He said PDC ¶261 ... quickeners of mankind."

Napoleon III (Lawh-i-Napulyun II)

131-5 "O King of Paris! ESW 46-49 ... near access to God to flow." 136-9 "Say: O concourse ESW 49-52 of monks ... wrapped in a thick veil!" 140 "More grievous ... ESW 52 kingdoms of earth and heaven." 141 "Upon Our arrival GPB 206 ... token of God's grace." 142-43 "As My ESW 52-53 tribulations multiplied ... poor and the desolate." 143 "Abandon thy PDC ¶70 palaces ... them that turn unto Him." 143 "Shouldst thou PDC ¶70 desire ... All-Knowing, the All-Wise." 144 "Arise thou ... ESW 53 Lord of strength and of might." 145 "Adorn the body ESW 53-54 ... peoples of the earth." 146 "Doth it behove ESW 54 you ... shining and resplendent Seat." 147 "Shed not the ESW 54 blood ... abode of the transgressors!" 148 "God hath GWB CLVIII prescribed ... influence his hearers." 149 "Deal not ESW 54-55 treacherously ... the Most Generous." 150-51 "O people of Baha ESW 55 ... created of a sorry germ." 152 "Regard ye the ESW 55-56 world ... such as create dissension." 154 "He Who is your GWB CVII Lord ... among God's blessed ones." 156 "Meditate on the ESW 56 world ... this sublime Vision."

Czar Alexander II (Lawh-i-Malik-i-Rus)

158 "O Czar of Russia PDC ¶75 ... barter away this sublime station." 159-60 "Beware lest thy PDC ¶75-76 sovereignty ... sword of the oppressor." 162-3 "Again I say ... PDC ¶77-78 the Mighty, the Glorified." 164 "Some lamented ... PDC ¶78 Evangel were adorned." 170 "Blessed be the PDC ¶78 king ... the All-Powerful, the Almighty."

Queen Victoria (Lawh-i-Malikih)

171-3 "O Queen in London PDC ¶79-81 ... the Ruler, the All-Wise." 173 "And if any one of ESW 61-62 them ... of the blissful." 174-6 "O ye the elected GWB CXX ... all else naught but error." 176-7 "Each time that ESW 63-64 Most Mighty ... what I say." 178-82 "O ye rulers ... GWB CXIX naught but manifest justice." 185 "Turn thou unto PDC ¶82 God ... heavens and of the earth."

Nasiri'd-Din Shah (Lawh-i-Sultan)

192-95 "O King! I was but PDC ¶97-99 a man ... derived from the Name of God!" 217 "A just king is PDC ¶182 the shadow ... that hath surpassed the worlds." 221 "Would that the PDC ¶110 world-adorning wish ... for Me or against Me." 225 "O ye that are PHW #24 foolish ... the paths of perdition." 226 "O ye seeming fair PHW #25 ... immeasurable is the difference!" 227 "O essence of PHW #28 desire! ... unto the hosts of holiness." 228 "O bondslave of PHW #30 the world! ... returned whence it came." 230 "O King of the PDC ¶100 age! ... a sufficient witness unto Me." 231 "The religious KI 247-48 doctors ... and unto them shall it return." 231 "When the Standard KI 238 of Truth ... shall curse it." 232 "Those doctors who GPB 143 have indeed drunk of the cup of renunciation" 242 "Each nation hath KI 5 plotted darkly ... invalidate the truth." 242 "No Messenger KI 5 cometh unto them but they laugh Him to scorn." 244 "But if their KI 109-10 opposition be grievous ... a ladder into heaven" 249 "O would that thou PDC ¶101 wouldst ... knowledge of the Book." 249 "But for the PDC ¶101 repudiation ... no God is there but He!" 258 "By Him Who is the ESW 17 Truth! ... lighteth earth and heaven." 265 "I have seen, O PDC ¶102 Shah ... nor ear heard." 265-6 "How numerous the PDC ¶102 tribulations ... in the path of My Lord!" 267 "According to what GPB 186 they say ... metropolis of the owl" 268 "By God! Though PDC ¶102 weariness ... such as commune with Him." 273 "But for the ESW 94 tribulations ... the Lord of the worlds." 276 "Thus have We PDC ¶113 built the Temple ... Be and it is."

Suriy-i-Ra'is

1 "Hearken, O chief WOB 178 ... the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting." 2 "Thou hast, O WOB 178 Chief, committed that ... evident loss!" 5 "The day is PDC ¶152 approaching ... in sore distress." 11 "the loved ones of GPB 179 God ... on the first night without food." 12 "The people GPB 179 surrounded the house ... wept over Us" 12 "We perceived that GPB 179-180 the weeping ... such as ponder." 13 "unheard of in GPB 180 bygone centuries ... the power of His might" 13 "King and Beloved GPB 136-137 of Martyrs" 14 "Say: This Youth GPB 181 hath departed ... the power of truth" 18 "Had Muhammad ... WOB 105-106 privileged to behold Thy face!" 21 "Ere long will God PDC ¶185 ... the Almighty, the Beneficent"

Lawh-i-Ra'is

6 "From the GPB 187 foundation of the world ... nor heard of." 7 "Soon will He PDC ¶153 seize you ... none to help or succour you." 9 "Several times PDC ¶153 calamities ... the Pen of My command." 25-26 "There is a matter PDC ¶111 ... may be made known unto you."

Lawh-i-Fu'ad

13 "Soon will We PDC ¶156 dismiss ... the All-Compelling."

Suriy-i-Muluk

2 "O kings of the PDC ¶41 earth! ... the All-Powerful, the All-Wise." 2-3 "Fear God, O PDC ¶41 concourse ... and be not of the heedless." 4 "My face hath come PDC ¶41 forth ... could ye but know it." 6 "Arise, then, ... PDC ¶41 may be revealed unto you." 6 "Beware lest ye PDC ¶41 hinder ... can be quickened." 7-14 "Lay not aside the PDC ¶42-46 fear ... the right course." 15 "O kings of PDC ¶64 Christendom! ... the entire creation." 20-23 "Twenty years have GWB CXVI passed ... turn his face towards Thee." 24-30 "Call Thou to GWB LXV remembrance ... Himself a witness." 36 "Know ye that the GWB LXV world ... all things hath testified." 37-47 "Fear God, ye GWB LXVI inhabitants ... the path of resignation." 53-54 "The day is GWB LXVI approaching ... of the past or of the future." 58-72 "Hearken, O King GWB CXIV ... abide and rule therein." 74 "They expelled Us GPB 161 ... on earth can compare" 74 "the place which GPB 161 none entereth ... authority of the sovereign" 75 "Neither My family GPB 161 ... that freezing weather." 78-83 "I swear by God, O GWB CXIV King! ... the Lord of all worlds!" 84-107 "Dost thou imagine GWB CXIII ... trust and confidence in their Lord." 108 "O ye divines of PDC ¶224 the City! ... than all your doings." 109-111 "Know ye, that had PDC ¶224 your leaders ... turn upon their heels." 111 "Know ye that God PDC ¶224 will not ... could ye but perceive it."

FOOTNOTES

2 Mirza Yahya.

3 Ustad Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Salmani. See God Passes By, pp. 166-168, for an account of the events referred to by Baha'u'llah in this and following paragraphs.

7 The Bab.

11 A small rock situated low in the eastern corner of the Kaaba.

12 Peter.

13 cf. Matthew 5:29; Mark 9:47.

15 The Crimean War (1853-1856).

17 The Sultan of Turkey.

18 cf. Qur'an 77:20; 32:8.

20 'Akka.

21 Mecca.

22 The Suriy-i-Muluk.

23 The Sultan of Turkey.

24 Muhammad.

25 cf. Qur'an 17:78.

26 Tihran.

52 Baghdad.

55 Mecca.

62 Adrianople.

66 Muhammad Shah.

69 Anis.

70 Adrianople.

71 Mirza 'Ali-Akbar-i-Naraqi.

81 'Ali Pasha.

82 Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz.

84 The Bab.

89 Jesus.

94 Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz.

95 Adrianople.

99 The Bab.

100 Imam Husayn.

101 The Muslims.

105 Nasiri'd-Din Shah.

107 Baghdad.

ENDNOTES

1 cf. Qur'an 2:30-34; 38:71-75.

4 The word _Haykal_ (Temple) is composed in Arabic of the four letters _Ha'_, _Ya'_, _Kaf_ and _Lam_ (HYKL). Its first letter is taken to symbolize the word _Huviyyah_ (Essence of Divinity); its second letter the word _Qadir_ (Almighty), of which _Ya'_ is the third letter; its third letter the word _Karim_ (All-Bountiful); and its fourth letter the word _Fadl_ (Grace), of which _Lam_ is the third letter.

5 cf. Qur'an 21:30; 24:45; 25:54.

6 That is, the letter "E". In all such instances in the Writings where the letters "B" and "E" are mentioned, the Arabic letters are _Kaf_ and _Nun_, the two consonants of the Arabic word _Kun_, which is the imperative meaning "Be".