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CXXV: O My brother! When a true seeker determineth… |
O My brother! When a true seeker determineth
to take the step of search in the path leading
unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must,
before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of
the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the
obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the
allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He
must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the
abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and
sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water
and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments.
He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant
of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that
love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel
him away from the truth. Even as thou dost witness
in this Day how most of the people, because of such
love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have
strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine
mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the
wilderness of oblivion and error.
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That seeker must, at all times, put his trust in
God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, must
detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave
unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never
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seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away
from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and
vain-glory, must cling unto patience and resignation,
observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For the
tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a
deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body,
whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart
and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a
time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century.
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That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as
grievous error, and keep himself aloof from its dominion,
inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light
of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. He
should be content with little, and be freed from all
inordinate desire. He should treasure the companionship
of them that have renounced the world, and regard
avoidance of boastful and worldly people a
precious benefit. At the dawn of every day he should
commune with God, and, with all his soul, persevere
in the quest of his Beloved. He should consume
every wayward thought with the flame of His loving
mention, and, with the swiftness of lightning, pass
by all else save Him. He should succor the dispossessed,
and never withhold his favor from the destitute.
He should show kindness to animals, how much
more unto his fellow-man, to him who is endowed
with the power of utterance. He should not hesitate
to offer up his life for his Beloved, nor allow the censure
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of the people to turn him away from the Truth.
He should not wish for others that which he doth not
wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth
not fulfil. With all his heart he should avoid fellowship
with evil-doers, and pray for the remission of
their sins. He should forgive the sinful, and never
despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own
end shall be. How often hath a sinner attained, at
the hour of death, to the essence of faith, and, quaffing
the immortal draught, hath taken his flight unto
the Concourse on high! And how often hath a devout
believer, at the hour of his soul’s ascension, been so
changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!
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These are among the attributes of the exalted, and
constitute the hall-mark of the spiritually-minded.
They have already been mentioned in connection
with the requirements of the wayfarers that tread
the path of Positive Knowledge. When the detached
wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled these essential
conditions, then and only then can he be called
a true seeker. Whensoever he hath fulfilled the conditions
implied in the verse: “Whoso maketh efforts
for Us,” he shall enjoy the blessings conferred by
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the words: “In Our Ways shall We assuredly guide
him.”
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Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving,
of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid
love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the
seeker’s heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness
is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be
dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated,
and the lights of knowledge and certitude
envelop his being. At that hour will the Mystic Herald,
bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine
forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn,
and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will
awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the
slumber of heedlessness. Then will the manifold
favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting
Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker
that he will find himself endowed with a new eye,
a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will
contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and
will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing
with the eye of God, he will perceive within every
atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute
certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries
of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an
everlasting Manifestation.
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I swear by God! Were he that treadeth the path of
guidance and seeketh to scale the heights of righteousness
to attain unto this glorious and exalted station,
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he would inhale, at a distance of a thousand
leagues, the fragrance of God, and would perceive the
resplendent morn of a Divine guidance rising above
the Day Spring of all things. Each and every thing,
however small, would be to him a revelation, leading
him to his Beloved, the Object of his quest. So
great shall be the discernment of this seeker that he
will discriminate between truth and falsehood, even
as he doth distinguish the sun from shadow. If in the
uttermost corners of the East the sweet savors of God
be wafted, he will assuredly recognize and inhale their
fragrance, even though he be dwelling in the uttermost
ends of the West. He will, likewise, clearly distinguish
all the signs of God—His wondrous utterances,
His great works, and mighty deeds—from the
doings, the words and ways of men, even as the jeweler
who knoweth the gem from the stone, or the
man who distinguisheth the spring from autumn,
and heat from cold. When the channel of the human
soul is cleansed of all worldly and impeding attachments,
it will unfailingly perceive the breath of the
Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led
by its perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude.
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Therein he will discern the wonders of His ancient
Wisdom, and will perceive all the hidden teachings
from the rustling leaves of the Tree that flourisheth
in that City. With both his inner and outer ear, he
will hear from its dust the hymns of glory and praise
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ascending unto the Lord of Lords, and with his inner
eye will he discover the mysteries of “return” and
“revival.”
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How unspeakably glorious are the signs, the tokens,
the revelations, and splendors which He, Who is the
King of Names and Attributes, hath destined for
that City! The attainment unto this City quencheth
thirst without water, and kindleth the love of God
without fire. Within every blade of grass are enshrined
the mysteries of an inscrutable Wisdom, and
upon every rose-bush a myriad nightingales pour out,
in blissful rapture, their melody. Its wondrous tulips
unfold the mystery of the undying Fire in the Burning
Bush, and its sweet savors of holiness breathe the
perfume of the Messianic Spirit. It bestoweth wealth
without gold, and conferreth immortality without
death. In each one of its leaves ineffable delights are
treasured, and within every chamber unnumbered
mysteries lie hidden.
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They that valiantly labor in quest of God, will,
when once they have renounced all else but Him, be
so attached and wedded unto that City, that a moment’s
separation from it would to them be unthinkable.
They will hearken unto infallible proofs from
the Hyacinth of that assembly, and will receive the
surest testimonies from the beauty of its Rose, and
the melody of its Nightingale. Once in about a thousand
years shall this City be renewed and readorned….
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That City is none other than the Word of God
revealed in every age and dispensation. In the days
of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus,
the Gospel; in the days of Muḥammad, the Messenger
of God, the Qur’án; in this day, the Bayán; and in
the Dispensation of Him Whom God will make
manifest, His own Book—the Book unto which all
the Books of former Dispensations must needs be referred,
the Book that standeth amongst them all
transcendent and supreme.
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