Selections From the Writings of the Bab Part 15

O Ye who are invested with the Bayan! Be ye watchful on the Day of Resurrection, for on that Day ye will firmly believe in the Vahid of the Bayan, though this, even as your past religion which proved of no avail, can in no wise benefit you, unless ye embrace the Cause of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest and believe in that which He ordaineth. Therefore take ye good heed lest ye shut yourselves out from Him Who is the Fountain-head of all Messengers and Scriptures, while ye hold fast to parts of the teachings which have emanated from these sources. XVII, 15.

"Consider how at the time of the appearance of every ..."

Consider how at the time of the appearance of every Revelation, those who open their hearts to the Author of that Revelation recognize the Truth, while the hearts of those who fail to apprehend the Truth are straitened by reason of their shutting themselves out from Him. However, openness of heart is bestowed by G.o.d upon both parties alike. G.o.d desireth not to straiten the heart of anyone, be it even an ant, how much less the heart of a superior creature, except when he suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, for G.o.d is the Creator of all things.

Wert thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping him to embrace the Cause of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, thine inmost being would be filled with the inspirations of that august Name. It devolveth upon you, therefore, to perform this task in the Days of Resurrection, inasmuch as most people are helpless, and wert thou to open their hearts and dispel their doubts, they would gain admittance into the Faith of G.o.d. Therefore, manifest thou this attribute to the utmost of thine ability in the days of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest. For indeed if thou dost open the heart of a person for His sake, better will it be for thee than every virtuous deed; since deeds are secondary to faith in Him and cert.i.tude in His Reality. XVII, 15.

"Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, ..."

Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, then hold fast to the proofs which attest the truth. If ye fail to discover truth in a person's words, make them not the object of contention, inasmuch as ye have been forbidden in the Bayan to enter into idle disputation and controversy, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may not engage in argumentation, and dispute with Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest. XVII, 16.

"On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom G.o.d will ..."

On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom G.o.d will make manifest cometh unto you, invested with conclusive proofs, ye shall hold His Cause as being devoid of truth, whereas G.o.d hath apprised you in the Bayan that no similarity existeth between the Cause of Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest and the cause of others. How can anyone besides G.o.d reveal a verse such as to overwhelm all mankind? Say, great is G.o.d! Who else but Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest can spontaneously recite verses which proceed from His Lord-a feat that no mortal man can ever hope to accomplish?

Truth can in no wise be confounded with aught else except itself; would that ye might ponder His proof. Nor can error be confused with Truth, if ye do but reflect upon the testimony of G.o.d, the True One.

How great hath been the number of those who have falsely laid claim to a cause within Islam, and ye followed in their footsteps without having witnessed a single proof. What evidence can ye then produce in the presence of your Lord, if ye do but meditate a while?

Take ye good heed in your night(72) lest ye be a cause of sadness to any soul, whether ye be able to discover proofs in him or not, that haply on the Day of Resurrection ye may not grieve Him within Whose grasp lieth every proof. And when ye do not discern G.o.d's testimony in a person, he will verily fail in manifesting the power of Truth; and G.o.d is sufficient to deal with him. Indeed on no account should ye sadden any person; surely G.o.d will put him to the proof and bring him to account. It behooveth you to cling to the testimony of your own Faith and to observe the ordinances laid down in the Bayan.

You are like unto the man who layeth out an orchard and planteth all kinds of fruit trees therein. When the time is at hand for him, the lord, to come, ye will have taken possession of the orchard in his name, and when he doth come in person, ye will shut him out from it.

Verily We planted the Tree of the Qur'an and provided its Orchard with all kinds of fruit, whereof ye all have been partaking. Then when We came to take over that which We had planted, ye pretended not to know Him Who is the Lord thereof.

Be ye not a cause of grief unto Us, nor withhold Us from this Orchard which belongeth unto Us, though independent are We of all that ye possess.

Moreover, unto none of you shall We make this property lawful, were it even to the extent of a mustard seed. Verily, the Reckoner are We.

We have planted the Garden of the Bayan in the name of Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest, and have granted you permission to live therein until the time of His manifestation; then from the moment the Cause of Him Whom G.o.d will make manifest is inaugurated, We forbid you all the things ye hold as your own, unless ye may, by the leave of your Lord, be able to regain possession thereof. XVIII, 3.

"O Ye unto whom the Bayan is given! Be ye vigilant lest ..."

O Ye unto whom the Bayan is given! Be ye vigilant lest in the days of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, while ye consider yourselves as seeking G.o.d's pleasure, in reality ye persist in that which would only displease Him, even as did those who lived in the days of the Primal Point, to whom it never occurred that they were seeking things which ran counter to that which G.o.d had purposed. They shut themselves out as by a veil from G.o.d and failed to observe that which He had desired for them to perform as true believers. They pondered not upon such people as lived in the days of Mu?ammad, who believed likewise that they were seeking the good-pleasure of G.o.d, while they had actually cut themselves off therefrom, once they had failed to secure the good-pleasure of Mu?ammad. Nevertheless they comprehended not.

O ye who are invested with the Bayan! Regard not yourselves as being like unto the people to whom the Qur'an or the Gospel or other Scriptures of old were given, since at the time of His manifestation ye shall stray farther from G.o.d than did they. If ye happen to shut yourselves out it would never cross your minds that ye were shut out from Him. It behooveth you to consider how the people unto whom the Qur'an was given were debarred from the Truth, for indeed ye will act in a like manner, thinking that ye are doers of good. If ye perceive the degree of your deprivation of G.o.d, ye will wish to have perished from the face of the earth and to have sunk into oblivion. The day will come when ye will earnestly desire to know that which would meet with the good-pleasure of G.o.d but, alas, ye shall find no path unto Him. Ye, even as camels that wander aimlessly, will not find a pasture wherein ye may gather and unite upon a Cause in which ye can a.s.suredly believe. At that time G.o.d shall cause the Sun of Truth to shine forth and the oceans of His bounty and grace to surge, while ye will have chosen droplets of water as the object of your desire, and will have deprived yourselves of the plenteous waters in His oceans.

If ye entertain any doubts in this matter consider the people unto whom the Gospel was given. Having no access to the apostles of Jesus, they sought the pleasure of the Lord in their churches, hoping to learn that which would be acceptable unto G.o.d, but they found therein no path unto Him. Then when G.o.d manifested Mu?ammad as His Messenger and as the Repository of His good-pleasure, they neglected to quicken their souls from the Fountain of living waters which streamed forth from the presence of their Lord and continued to rove distraught upon the earth seeking a mere droplet of water and believing that they were doing righteous deeds.

They behaved as the people unto whom the Qur'an was given are now behaving.

O ye who are invested with the Bayan! Ye can act similarly. Take ye heed, therefore, lest ye deprive yourselves of attaining the presence of Him Who is the Manifestation of G.o.d, notwithstanding that ye have been day and night praying to behold His countenance; and be ye careful lest ye be deterred from attaining unto the ocean of His good-pleasure, when perplexed and to no avail ye roam the earth in search of a drop of water.

Say, the testimony of G.o.d hath been fulfilled in the Bayan, and through its revelation the grace of G.o.d hath attained its highest consummation for all mankind. Let no one among you say that G.o.d hath withheld the outpouring of His bounty unto you, for a.s.suredly G.o.d's mercy unto those to whom the Bayan is given hath been fulfilled and completed until the Day of Resurrection. Would that ye might believe in the signs of G.o.d. XVI, 13.

"Verily G.o.d hath caused the people of the Bayan to be ..."

Verily G.o.d hath caused the people of the Bayan to be called into being through the power of Him unto Whom the Bayan was revealed, in preparation for the Day when they will return to their Lord.

Indeed those who will bear allegiance unto Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest are the ones who have grasped the meaning of that which hath been revealed in the Bayan; they are indeed the sincere ones, while those who turn away from Him at the time of His appearance will have utterly failed to comprehend a single letter of the Bayan, even though they profess belief and a.s.surance in whatever is revealed in it or observe its precepts.

Say, every favourable and praiseworthy designation in the Bayan is but an allusion to those who recognize Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, and who believe with certainty in G.o.d and in His holy Writings, while every unfavourable designation therein is meant to refer to such as repudiate Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest, though they may act uprightly within the bounds laid down in the Bayan. Say, if ye embrace the truth on the Day of Resurrection, G.o.d will a.s.suredly pardon you for your night(73) and will grant you forgiveness.

As to those who have faithfully observed the ordinances in the Bayan from the inception of its revelation until the Day when Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest will appear, these are indeed the companions of the paradise of His good-pleasure who will be glorified in the presence of G.o.d and will dwell in the pavilions of His celestial Garden. Yet, within less than a tiny fraction of an instant from the moment G.o.d will have revealed Him Who is the Manifestation of His Own Self, the entire company of the followers of the Bayan shall be put to proof. XVII, 1.

"Since thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of G.o.d ..."

Since thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of G.o.d in the past, it behooveth thee to follow His true religion hereafter, inasmuch as every religion proceedeth from G.o.d, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

He Who hath revealed the Qur'an unto Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, ordaining in the Faith of Islam that which was pleasing unto Him, hath likewise revealed the Bayan, in the manner ye have been promised, unto Him Who is your Qa'im,(74) your Guide, your Mihdi,(75) your Lord, Him Whom ye acclaim as the manifestation of G.o.d's most excellent t.i.tles. Verily the equivalent of that which G.o.d revealed unto Mu?ammad during twenty-three years, hath been revealed unto Me within the s.p.a.ce of two days and two nights. However, as ordained by G.o.d, no distinction is to be drawn between the two. He, in truth, hath power over all things.

I swear by the life of Him Whom G.o.d shall make manifest! My Revelation is indeed far more bewildering than that of Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d, if thou dost but pause to reflect upon the days of G.o.d. Behold, how strange that a person brought up amongst the people of Persia should be empowered by G.o.d to proclaim such irrefutable utterances as to silence every man of learning, and be enabled to spontaneously reveal verses far more rapidly than anyone could possibly set down in writing. Verily, no G.o.d is there but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. XVI, 18.

"As to those who have debarred themselves from the ..."

As to those who have debarred themselves from the Revelation of G.o.d, they have indeed failed to understand the significance of a single letter of the Qur'an, nor have they obtained the slightest notion of the Faith of Islam, otherwise they would not have turned away from G.o.d, Who hath brought them into being, Who hath nurtured them, hath caused them to die and hath proffered life unto them, by clinging to parts of their religion, thinking that they are doing righteous work for the sake of G.o.d.

How numerous the verses which have been revealed concerning the grievous tests ye shall experience on the Day of Judgement, yet it appeareth that ye have never perused them; and how vast the number of revealed traditions regarding the trials which will overtake you on the Day of Our Return, and yet ye seem never to have set your eyes upon them.

Ye spend all your days contriving forms and rules for the principles of your Faith, while that which profiteth you in all this is to comprehend the good-pleasure of your Lord and unitedly to become well-acquainted with His supreme Purpose.

G.o.d hath made His Own Self known unto you, but ye have failed to recognize Him; and the thing which will, on the Day of Judgement, turn you aside from G.o.d is the specious character of your deeds. Throughout your lives ye follow your religion in order to attract the good-pleasure of G.o.d, yet on the Last Day ye shut yourselves out from G.o.d and turn away from Him Who is your Promised One. XVII, 2.