Selections From the Writings of the Bab Part 3

"All praise be to G.o.d Who hath, through the ..."

All praise be to G.o.d Who hath, through the power of Truth, sent down this Book unto His servant, that it may serve as a s.h.i.+ning light for all mankind... Verily this is none other than the sovereign Truth; it is the Path which G.o.d hath laid out for all that are in heaven and on earth. Let him then who will, take for himself the right path unto his Lord. Verily this is the true Faith of G.o.d, and sufficient witness are G.o.d and such as are endowed with the knowledge of the Book. This is indeed the eternal Truth which G.o.d, the Ancient of Days, hath revealed unto His omnipotent Word-He Who hath been raised up from the midst of the Burning Bush. This is the Mystery which hath been hidden from all that are in heaven and on earth, and in this wondrous Revelation it hath, in very truth, been set forth in the Mother Book by the hand of G.o.d, the Exalted...

O concourse of kings and of the sons of kings! Lay aside, one and all, your dominion which belongeth unto G.o.d...

Let not thy sovereignty deceive thee, O _Sh_ah, for 'every soul shall taste of death,'(9) and this, in very truth, hath been written down as a decree of G.o.d. _Chapter I._

"O King of Islam! Aid thou, with the truth, after having ..."

O King of Islam! Aid thou, with the truth, after having aided the Book, Him Who is Our Most Great Remembrance, for G.o.d hath, in very truth, destined for thee, and for such as circle round thee, on the Day of Judgement, a responsible position in His Path. I swear by G.o.d, O _Sh_ah!

If thou showest enmity unto Him Who is His Remembrance, G.o.d will, on the Day of Resurrection, condemn thee, before the kings, unto h.e.l.l-fire, and thou shalt not, in very truth, find on that Day any helper except G.o.d, the Exalted. Purge thou, O _Sh_ah, the Sacred Land [?ihran] from such as have repudiated the Book, ere the day whereon the Remembrance of G.o.d cometh, terribly and of a sudden, with His potent Cause, by the leave of G.o.d, the Most High. G.o.d, verily, hath prescribed to thee to submit unto Him Who is His Remembrance, and unto His Cause, and to subdue, with the truth and by His leave, the countries, for in this world thou hast been mercifully invested with sovereignty, and wilt, in the next, dwell, nigh unto the Seat of Holiness, with the inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure...

By G.o.d! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well; and if ye deny G.o.d and His signs, We, in very truth, having G.o.d, can well dispense with all creatures and all earthly dominion. _Chapter I._

"Be thou content with the commandment of G.o.d, the ..."

Be thou content with the commandment of G.o.d, the True One, inasmuch as sovereignty, as recorded in the Mother Book by the hand of G.o.d, is surely invested in Him Who is His Remembrance...

O Minister of the _Sh_ah! Fear thou G.o.d, besides Whom there is none other G.o.d but Him, the Sovereign Truth, the Just, and lay aside thy dominion, for We, by the leave of G.o.d, the All-Wise, inherit the earth and all who are upon it,(10) and He shall rightfully be a witness unto thee and unto the _Sh_ah. Were ye to obey the Remembrance of G.o.d with absolute sincerity, We guarantee, by the leave of G.o.d, that on the Day of Resurrection, a vast dominion shall be yours in His eternal Paradise.

Vain indeed is your dominion, for G.o.d hath set aside earthly possessions for such as have denied Him; for unto Him Who is your Lord shall be the most excellent abode, He Who is, in truth, the Ancient of Days....

O concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste the verses sent down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of India, and beyond them, with power and with truth, to lands in both the East and the West.... And know that if ye aid G.o.d, He will, on the Day of Resurrection, graciously aid you, upon the Bridge, through Him Who is His Most Great Remembrance...

O people of the earth! Whoso obeyeth the Remembrance of G.o.d and His Book hath in truth obeyed G.o.d and His chosen ones and he will, in the life to come, be reckoned in the presence of G.o.d among the inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure. _Chapter I._

"Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony ..."

Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony for Our message unto you. Can ye produce a single letter to match these verses? Bring forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of those who can discern the one true G.o.d. I solemnly affirm before G.o.d, should all men and spirits combine to compose the like of one chapter of this Book, they would surely fail, even though they were to a.s.sist one another.(11)

O concourse of divines! Fear G.o.d from this day onwards in the views ye advance, for He Who is Our Remembrance in your midst, and Who cometh from Us, is, in very truth, the Judge and Witness. Turn away from that which ye lay hold of, and which the Book of G.o.d, the True One, hath not sanctioned, for on the Day of Resurrection ye shall, upon the Bridge, be, in very truth, held answerable for the position ye occupied.... And unto you We have sent down this Book which truly none can mistake...

O concourse of the people of the Book! Fear ye G.o.d and pride not yourselves in your learning. Follow ye the Book which His Remembrance hath revealed in praise of G.o.d, the True One. He Who is the Eternal Truth beareth me witness, whoso followeth this Book hath indeed followed all the past Scriptures which have been sent down from heaven by G.o.d, the Sovereign Truth. Verily, He is well informed of what ye do... Such as are the true followers of Islam would say: 'O Lord our G.o.d! We have hearkened to the call of Thy Remembrance and obeyed Him. Forgive us our sins. Thou art, verily, the Eternal Truth, and unto Thee, our infallible Retreat, must we all return.'(12) _Chapter II._

"As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of ..."

As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of G.o.d, for them We have prepared, as justly decreed by G.o.d, a sore torment. And He, G.o.d, is the Mighty, the Wise.

We have, of a truth, sent down this divinely-inspired Book unto Our Servant... Ask ye then Him Who is Our Remembrance of its interpretation, inasmuch as He, as divinely-ordained and through the grace of G.o.d, is invested with the knowledge of its verses...

O children of men! If ye believe in the one True G.o.d, follow Me, this Most Great Remembrance of G.o.d sent forth by your Lord, that He may graciously forgive you your sins. Verily He is forgiving and compa.s.sionate toward the concourse of the faithful. We, of a truth, choose the Messengers through the potency of Our Word, and We exalt Their offspring, some over others, through the Great Remembrance of G.o.d as decreed in the Book and concealed therein...

Some of the people of the city have declared: 'We are the helpers of G.o.d', but when this Remembrance came suddenly upon them, they turned aside from helping Us. Verily G.o.d is My Lord and your true Lord, therefore wors.h.i.+p Him, while this Path from 'Ali [the Bab] is none but the straight Path(13) in the estimation of your Lord. _Chapter III._

"Unto every people We have sent down the Book in ..."

Unto every people We have sent down the Book in their own language.(14) This Book We have, verily, revealed in the language of Our Remembrance and it is in truth a wondrous language. He is, verily, the eternal Truth come from G.o.d, and according to the divine judgement given in the Mother Book, He is the most distinguished among the writers of Arabic and most eloquent in His utterance. He is in truth the Supreme Talisman and is endowed with supernatural powers, as set forth in the Mother Book...

O people of the city! Ye have disbelieved your Lord. If ye are truly faithful to Mu?ammad, the Apostle of G.o.d and the Seal of the Prophets, and if ye follow His Book, the Qur'an, which is free from error, then here is the like of it-this Book, which We have, in truth and by the leave of G.o.d, sent down unto Our Servant. If ye fail to believe in Him, then your faith in Mu?ammad and His Book which was revealed in the past will indeed be treated as false in the estimation of G.o.d. If ye deny Him, the fact of your having denied Mu?ammad and His Book will, in very truth and with absolute certainty, become evident unto yourselves. _Chapter IV._

"Fear ye G.o.d and breathe not a word concerning His ..."

Fear ye G.o.d and breathe not a word concerning His Most Great Remembrance other than what hath been ordained by G.o.d, inasmuch as We have established a separate covenant regarding Him with every Prophet and His followers.

Indeed, We have not sent any Messenger without this binding covenant and We do not, of a truth, pa.s.s judgement upon anything except after the covenant of Him Who is the Supreme Gate hath been established. Ere long the veil shall be lifted from your eyes at the appointed time. Ye shall then behold the sublime Remembrance of G.o.d, unclouded and vivid. _Chapter V._

"Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people ..."

Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people of the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be a.s.sailed by the pangs of death(15) they shall, upon the plain of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of Mercy and His Remembrance were near. Thereupon they shall exclaim: 'Would that we had followed the path of the Bab! Would that we had sought refuge only with Him, and not with men of perversity and error! For verily the Remembrance of G.o.d appeared before us,(16) behind us, and on all sides, yet we were, in very truth, shut out as by a veil from Him.' _Chapter VII._

"Do not say, 'How can He speak of G.o.d while in truth ..."

Do not say, 'How can He speak of G.o.d while in truth His age is no more than twenty-five?' Give ye ear unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: I am verily a servant of G.o.d. I have been made the Bearer of irrefutable proofs from the presence of Him Who is the long-expected Remnant of G.o.d. Here is My Book before your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the presence of G.o.d in the Mother Book. G.o.d hath indeed made Me blessed, wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe prayer and fort.i.tude so long as I shall live on earth amongst you.