Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah Part 7

O people of Justice! Be as brilliant as the light, and as splendid as the fire that blazed in the Burning Bush. The brightness of the fire of your love will no doubt fuse and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth, whilst the fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result in strife and ruin. We beseech G.o.d that He may shield His creatures from the evil designs of His enemies. He verily hath power over all things.

All praise be to the one true G.o.d-exalted be His glory-inasmuch as He hath, through the Pen of the Most High, unlocked the doors of men's hearts. Every verse which this Pen hath revealed is a bright and shining portal that discloseth the glories of a saintly and pious life, of pure and stainless deeds. The summons and the message which We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true liberty.

The whole earth is illuminated with the resplendent glory of G.o.d's Revelation. In the year sixty He Who heralded the light of Divine Guidance-may all creation be a sacrifice unto Him-arose to announce a fresh revelation of the Divine Spirit, and was followed, twenty years later, by Him through Whose coming the world was made the recipient of this promised glory, this wondrous favor. Behold how the generality of mankind hath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto G.o.d's most exalted Word-the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men....

Incline your hearts, O people of G.o.d, unto the counsels of your true, your incomparable Friend. The Word of G.o.d may be likened unto a sapling, whose roots have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is inc.u.mbent upon you to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified and holy words, so that its root may become firmly fixed and its branches may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond.

O ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that marketh the preeminent character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that We have, on the one hand, blotted out from the pages of G.o.d's holy Book whatsoever hath been the cause of strife, of malice and mischief amongst the children of men, and have, on the other, laid down the essential prerequisites of concord, of understanding, of complete and enduring unity. Well is it with them that keep My statutes.

Time and again have We admonished Our beloved ones to avoid, nay to flee from, anything whatsoever from which the odor of mischief can be detected.

The world is in great turmoil, and the minds of its people are in a state of utter confusion. We entreat the Almighty that He may graciously illuminate them with the glory of His Justice, and enable them to discover that which will be profitable unto them at all times and under all conditions. He, verily is the All-Possessing, the Most High.

XLIV: LAY NOT ASIDE THE FEAR OF G.o.d, O YE THE...

Lay not aside the fear of G.o.d, O ye the learned of the world, and judge fairly the Cause of this unlettered One to Whom all the Books of G.o.d, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, have testified. ...Will not the dread of Divine displeasure, the fear of Him Who hath no peer or equal, arouse you?

He Whom the world hath wronged hath, at no time, a.s.sociated with you, hath never studied your writings, nor partic.i.p.ated in any of your disputations.

The garb He weareth, His flowing locks, His headdress, attest the truth of His words. How long will ye persist in your injustice? Witness the habitation in which He, Who is the incarnation of justice, hath been forced to dwell. Open your eyes, and, beholding His plight, meditate diligently upon that which your hands have wrought, that haply ye may not be deprived of the light of His Divine utterance, nor remain bereft of your share of the ocean of His knowledge.

Certain ones among both commoners and n.o.bles have objected that this wronged One is neither a member of the ecclesiastical order nor a descendant of the Prophet. Say: O ye that claim to be just! Reflect a little while, and ye shall recognize how infinitely exalted is His present state above the station ye claim He should possess. The Will of the Almighty hath decreed that out of a house wholly devoid of all that the divines, the doctors, the sages, and scholars commonly possess His Cause should proceed and be made manifest.

The Breathings of the Divine Spirit awoke Him, and bade Him arise and proclaim His Revelation. No sooner was He roused from His slumber than He lifted up His voice and summoned the whole of mankind unto G.o.d, the Lord of all worlds. We have been moved to reveal these words in consideration of the weakness and frailty of men; otherwise, the Cause We have proclaimed is such as no pen can ever describe, nor any mind conceive its greatness. To this beareth witness He with Whom is the Mother Book.

XLV: THE ANCIENT BEAUTY HATH CONSENTED TO BE...

The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compa.s.sionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of G.o.d, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with G.o.d have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!

XLVI: I SORROW NOT FOR THE BURDEN OF MY IMPRISONMENT....

I sorrow not for the burden of My imprisonment. Neither do I grieve over My abas.e.m.e.nt, or the tribulation I suffer at the hands of Mine enemies. By My life! They are My glory, a glory wherewith G.o.d hath adorned His own Self. Would that ye know it!

The shame I was made to bear hath uncovered the glory with which the whole of creation had been invested, and through the cruelties I have endured, the Day Star of Justice hath manifested itself, and shed its splendor upon men.

My sorrows are for those who have involved themselves in their corrupt pa.s.sions, and claim to be a.s.sociated with the Faith of G.o.d, the Gracious, the All-Praised.

It behoveth the people of Baha to die to the world and all that is therein, to be so detached from all earthly things that the inmates of Paradise may inhale from their garment the sweet smelling savor of sanct.i.ty, that all the peoples of the earth may recognize in their faces the brightness of the All-Merciful, and that through them may be spread abroad the signs and tokens of G.o.d, the Almighty, the All-Wise. They that have tarnished the fair name of the Cause of G.o.d, by following the things of the flesh-these are in palpable error!

XLVII: O JEWS! IF YE BE INTENT ON CRUCIFYING ONCE...

O Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of G.o.d, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you. Deal with Me as ye wish, for I have vowed to lay down My life in the path of G.o.d. I will fear no one, though the powers of earth and heaven be leagued against Me. Followers of the Gospel! If ye cherish the desire to slay Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, seize Me and put an end to My life, for I am He, and My Self is His Self. Do unto Me as ye like, for the deepest longing of Mine heart is to attain the presence of My Best-Beloved in His Kingdom of Glory. Such is the Divine decree, if ye know it.

Followers of Mu?ammad! If it be your wish to riddle with your shafts the breast of Him Who hath caused His Book the Bayan to be sent down unto you, lay hands on Me and persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved, the revelation of His own Self, though My name be not His name. I have come in the shadows of the clouds of glory, and am invested by G.o.d with invincible sovereignty. He, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I, verily, antic.i.p.ate from you the treatment ye have accorded unto Him that came before Me. To this all things, verily, witness, if ye be of those who hearken. O people of the Bayan! If ye have resolved to shed the blood of Him Whose coming the Bab hath proclaimed, Whose advent Mu?ammad hath prophesied, and Whose Revelation Jesus Christ Himself hath announced, behold Me standing, ready and defenseless, before you. Deal with Me after your own desires.

XLVIII: G.o.d IS MY WITNESS! HAD IT NOT BEEN IN...

G.o.d is my witness! Had it not been in conflict with that which the Tablets of G.o.d have decreed, I would have gladly kissed the hands of whosoever attempted to shed my blood in the path of the Well-Beloved. I would, moreover, have bestowed upon him a share of such worldly goods as G.o.d had allowed me to possess, even though he who perpetrated this act would have provoked the wrath of the Almighty, incurred His malediction, and deserved to be tormented throughout the eternity of G.o.d, the All-Possessing, the Equitable, the All-Wise.

XLIX: KNOW VERILY THAT WHENEVER THIS YOUTH...

Know verily that whenever this Youth turneth His eyes towards His own self, he findeth it the most insignificant of all creation. When He contemplates, however, the bright effulgences He hath been empowered to manifest, lo, that self is transfigured before Him into a sovereign Potency permeating the essence of all things visible and invisible. Glory be to Him Who, through the power of truth, hath sent down the Manifestation of His own Self and entrusted Him with His message unto all mankind.

L: SHAKE OFF, O HEEDLESS ONES, THE SLUMBER OF...

Shake off, O heedless ones, the slumber of negligence, that ye may behold the radiance which His glory hath spread through the world. How foolish are those who murmur against the premature birth of His light. O ye who are inly blind! Whether too soon or too late, the evidences of His effulgent glory are now actually manifest. It behoveth you to ascertain whether or not such a light hath appeared. It is neither within your power nor mine to set the time at which it should be made manifest. G.o.d's inscrutable Wisdom hath fixed its hour beforehand. Be content, O people, with that which G.o.d hath desired for you and predestined unto you.... O my ill-wishers! The Day Star of eternal Guidance beareth me witness: Had it been in my power, I would have, under no circ.u.mstances, consented to distinguish myself amongst men, for the Name I bear utterly disdaineth to a.s.sociate itself with this generation whose tongues are sullied and whose hearts are false. And whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still, lo, the voice of the Holy Ghost, standing on my right hand, aroused me, and the Supreme Spirit appeared before my face, and Gabriel overshadowed me, and the Spirit of Glory stirred within my bosom, bidding me arise and break my silence. If your hearing be purged and your ears be attentive, ye will a.s.suredly perceive that every limb of my body, nay all the atoms of my being, proclaim and bear witness to this call: "G.o.d, besides Whom is none other G.o.d, and He, Whose beauty is now manifest, is the reflection of His glory unto all that are in heaven and on earth."

LI: O PEOPLE! I SWEAR BY THE ONE TRUE G.o.d! THIS...

O people! I swear by the one true G.o.d! This is the Ocean out of which all seas have proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return. Through His potency the Trees of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to G.o.d's creatures in each of the worlds whose number G.o.d, alone, in His all-encompa.s.sing Knowledge, can reckon.

This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen-a Pen moved by His directing Finger-His Finger itself sustained by the power of G.o.d's Truth.