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TAJALLÍYÁT (Effulgences) 45 46 47 |
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GOD testifieth that there is none other God but
Him and that He Who hath appeared is the
Hidden Mystery, the Treasured Symbol, the Most
Great Book for all peoples, and the Heaven
of bounty for the whole world. He is the Most Mighty
Sign amongst men and the Dayspring of the most august
attributes in the realm of creation. Through Him hath
appeared that which had been hidden from time immemorial
and been veiled from the eyes of men. He is the
One Whose Manifestation was announced by the heavenly
Scriptures, in former times and more recently. Whoso
acknowledgeth belief in Him and in His signs and testimonies
hath in truth acknowledged that which the Tongue
of Grandeur uttered ere the creation of earth and heaven
and the revelation of the Kingdom of Names. Through
Him the ocean of knowledge hath surged amidst mankind
and the river of divine wisdom hath gushed out at the
behest of God, the Lord of Days.
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Well is it with the man of discernment who hath recognized
and perceived the Truth, and the one possessed of a
hearing ear who hath hearkened unto His sweet Voice, and
the hand that hath received His Book with such resolve as
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is born of God, the Lord of this world and of the next, and
the earnest wayfarer who hath hastened unto His glorious
Horizon, and the one endued with strength whom neither
the overpowering might of the rulers, nor the tumult
raised by the leaders of religion hath been able to shake.
And woe betide him who hath rejected the grace of God
and His bounty, and hath denied His tender mercy and
authority; such a man is indeed reckoned with those who
have throughout eternity repudiated the testimony of God
and His proof.
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Great is the blessedness of him who hath in this Day cast
away the things current amongst men and hath clung unto
that which is ordained by God, the Lord of Names and the
Fashioner of all created things, He Who is come from the
heaven of eternity through the power of the Most Great
Name, invested with so invincible an authority that all the
powers of the earth are unable to withstand Him. Unto this
beareth witness the Mother Book, calling from the Most
Sublime Station.
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O ‘Alí-Akbar!
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We have repeatedly heard thy voice and
have responded to thee with that which the praise of all
mankind can never rival; from which the sincere ones
inhale the sweet savours of the sayings of the All-Merciful,
and His true lovers perceive the fragrance of heavenly reunion,
and the sore athirst discover the murmuring of the
water that is life indeed. Blessed the man who hath attained
thereto and hath recognized that which is at this moment
being diffused from the Pen of God, the Help in Peril, the
Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
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We testify that thou hast set thy face towards God and
travelled far until thou didst attain His presence and gavest
ear unto the Voice of this Wronged One, Who hath been
cast into prison through the misdeeds of those who have
disbelieved in the signs and testimonies of God and have
denied this heavenly grace through which the whole world
hath been made to shine. Blessed thy face, for it hath
turned unto Him, and thine ear, for it hath heard His Voice,
and thy tongue, for it hath celebrated the praise of God, the
Lord of lords. We pray God to graciously aid thee to become
a standard for the promotion of His Cause and to
enable thee to draw nigh unto Him at all times and under all
conditions.
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The chosen ones of God and His loved ones in that land
are remembered by Us, and We give them the joyful tidings
of that which hath been sent down in their honour
from the Kingdom of the utterance of their Lord, the
sovereign Ruler of the Day of Reckoning. Make mention
of Me to them and illumine them with the resplendent
glory of Mine utterance. Verily thy Lord is the Gracious,
the Bountiful.
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O thou who dost magnify My praise! Give ear unto that
which the people of tyranny ascribe unto Me in My days.
Some of them say: ‘He hath laid claim to divinity’; others
say: ‘He hath devised a lie against God’; still others say:
‘He is come to foment sedition’. Base and wretched are
they. Lo! They are, in truth, enslaved to idle imaginings.
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The first Tajallí
which hath dawned from the Day-Star of Truth is the
knowledge of God—exalted be His glory. And the knowledge
of the King of everlasting days can in no wise be
attained save by recognizing Him Who is the Bearer of the
Most Great Name. He is, in truth, the Speaker on Sinai
Who is now seated upon the throne of Revelation. He is
the Hidden Mystery and the Treasured Symbol. All the
former and latter Books of God are adorned with His
praise and extol His glory. Through Him the standard of
knowledge hath been planted in the world and the ensign
of the oneness of God hath been unfurled amidst all peoples.
Attainment unto the Divine Presence can be realized solely
by attaining His presence. Through His potency everything
that hath, from time immemorial, been veiled and
hidden, is now revealed. He is made manifest through the
power of Truth and hath uttered a Word whereby all that
are in the heavens and on the earth have been dumbfounded,
except those whom the Almighty was pleased to
exempt. True belief in God and recognition of Him cannot
be complete save by acceptance of that which He hath
revealed and by observance of whatsoever hath been
decreed by Him and set down in the Book by the Pen of
Glory.
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They that immerse themselves in the ocean of His utterances
should at all times have the utmost regard for the
divinely-revealed ordinances and prohibitions. Indeed His
ordinances constitute the mightiest stronghold for the
protection of the world and the safeguarding of its peoples—a light upon those who acknowledge and recognize the
truth, and a fire unto such as turn away and deny.
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The second Tajallí
is to remain steadfast in the Cause of God—exalted be His
glory—and to be unswerving in His love. And this can in
no wise be attained except through full recognition of
Him; and full recognition cannot be obtained save by faith
in the blessed words: ‘He doeth whatsoever He willeth.’
Whoso tenaciously cleaveth unto this sublime word and
drinketh deep from the living waters of utterance which are
inherent therein, will be imbued with such a constancy that
all the books of the world will be powerless to deter him
from the Mother Book. O how glorious is this sublime
station, this exalted rank, this ultimate purpose!
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O ‘Alí-Akbar! Consider how abject is the state of the
disbelievers. They all give utterance to the words: ‘Verily
He is to be praised in His deeds and is to be obeyed in His
behest.’ Nevertheless if We reveal aught which, even to
the extent of a needle’s eye, runneth counter to their
selfish ways and desires, they will disdainfully reject it. Say,
none can ever fathom the manifold exigencies of God’s
consummate wisdom. In truth, were He to pronounce the
earth to be heaven, no one hath the right to question His
authority. This is that whereunto the Point of the Bayán
hath testified in all that was sent down unto Him with truth
at the behest of God, He Who hath caused the Dawn to
break.
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The third Tajallí
is concerning arts, crafts and sciences. Knowledge is as
wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition
is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such
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sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the
peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words
and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of scientists
and craftsmen on the peoples of the world. Unto this
beareth witness the Mother Book on the day of His return.
Happy are those possessed of a hearing ear. In truth, knowledge
is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory,
of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto
him. Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in this
Most Great Prison.
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The fourth Tajallí
is concerning Divinity, Godhead and the like. Were a
man of insight to direct his gaze towards the blessed, the
manifest Lote-Tree and its fruits, he would be so enriched
thereby as to be independent of aught else and to acknowledge
his belief in that which the Speaker on Sinai hath
uttered from the throne of Revelation.
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Say: O people, if ye judge fairly and equitably, ye will
testify to the truth of whatsoever hath streamed forth from
the Most Exalted Pen. If ye be of the people of the Bayán,
the Persian Bayán will guide you aright and will prove a
sufficient testimony unto you; and if ye be of the people of
the Qur’án, ponder ye upon the Revelation on Sinai and
the Voice from the Bush which came unto the Son of
‘Imrán [Moses].
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Gracious God! It was intended that at the time of the
manifestation of the One true God the faculty of recognizing
Him would have been developed and matured and
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would have reached its culmination. However, it is now
clearly demonstrated that in the disbelievers this faculty
hath remained undeveloped and hath, indeed, degenerated.
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O ‘Alí! That which they accepted from the Bush they
now refuse to accept from Him Who is the Tree of the
world of existence. Say, O people of the Bayán, speak not
according to the dictates of passion and selfish desire. Most
of the peoples of the earth attest the truth of the blessed
Word which hath come forth from the Bush.
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By the righteousness of God! But for the anthem of
praise voiced by Him Who heralded the divine Revelation,
this Wronged One would never have breathed a word
which might have struck terror into the hearts of the
ignorant and caused them to perish. Dwelling on the
glorification of Him Whom God shall make manifest—exalted be His Manifestation—the Báb in the beginning of
the Bayán saith: ‘He is the One Who shall proclaim under
all conditions, “Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there
but Me, the Lord of all created things. In truth all others
except Me are My creatures. O, My creatures! Me alone
do ye worship.”’ Likewise in another instance He, magnifying
the Name of Him Who shall be made manifest, saith:
‘I would be the first to adore Him.’ Now it behoveth one
to reflect upon the significance of the ‘Adorer’ and the
‘Adored One’, that perchance the people of the earth may
partake of a dewdrop from the ocean of divine knowledge
and may be enabled to perceive the greatness of this
Revelation. Verily, He hath appeared and hath unloosed
His tongue to proclaim the Truth. Well is it with him who
doth acknowledge and recognize the truth, and woe betide
the froward and the wayward.
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O kindreds of the earth! Incline your ears unto the
Voice from the divine Lote-Tree which overshadoweth
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the world and be not of the people of tyranny on earth—men who have repudiated the Manifestation of God and
His invincible authority and have renounced His favours—they in truth are reckoned with the contemptible in the
Book of God, the Lord of all mankind.
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Ustád ‘Alí-Akbar, one of the staunch believers in Yazd. He designed the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Ishqábád and his design was approved by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Ustád ‘Alí-Akbar offered up his life as a martyr in Yazd in 1903.
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| 2. |
Arabic.
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