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EXTRACTS FROM ANOTHER EPISTLE TO MUḤAMMAD SHÁH 18 |
He is the One Who on the Day of Severing shall pass
judgement through the power of Truth; indeed no God is
there besides Him, the Peerless, the All-Compelling, the
Exalted. He is the One Who holdeth within His grasp the
kingdom of all created things; there is none other God but
Him, the Single, the Incomparable, the Ever-Abiding, the
Inaccessible, the Most Great.
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At this moment I testify unto God, even as He testified
unto Himself before the creation of all things: Verily
there is no God save Him, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.
And I bear witness unto whatsoever He hath fashioned or
will fashion, even as He Himself, in the majesty of His
glory, hath borne witness: No God is there but Him, the
Peerless, the Self-Subsisting, the Most Wondrous.
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In God, Who is the Lord of all created things, have I
placed My whole trust. There is no God but Him, the
Peerless, the Most Exalted. Unto Him have I resigned
Myself and into His hands have I committed all My affairs.
No God is there besides Him, the supreme Ruler, the
resplendent Truth. Indeed all-sufficient is He for Me; independently
of all things doth He suffice, while nothing in
the heavens or in the earth but Him sufficeth. He, in very
truth, is the Self-Subsisting, the Most Severe.
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Thou pridest thyself in the things thou dost possess, yet
no believer in God and in His signs, nor any righteous man
would ever deign to regard them. This mortal life is like
unto the carcass of a dog, around which none would gather,
nor would any partake thereof, except those who gainsay
the life hereafter. Verily it is incumbent upon thee to
become a true believer in God, the All-Possessing, the
Almighty, and to turn away from the one who guideth
thee into the torment of hell-fire.
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By the righteousness of Him Who hath called thee into
being and unto Whom ere long thou shalt return, if thou
remainest, at the moment of death, a disbeliever in the
signs of thy Lord thou shalt surely enter the gates of hell,
and none of the deeds thy hands have wrought will profit
thee, nor shalt thou find a patron nor anyone to plead for
thee. Fear thou God and pride not thyself on thine earthly
possessions, inasmuch as what God doth possess is better
for them that tread the path of righteousness.
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Verily in this Day all that dwell on earth are the servants
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of God. As to those who truly believe in God and are well
assured in the signs revealed by Him, perchance He will
graciously forgive them the things their hands have committed,
and will grant them admission into the precincts
of His mercy. He, in truth, is the Ever-Forgiving, the
Compassionate. But the verdict of divine chastisement is
pronounced against those who have turned away disdainfully
from Me and have repudiated the conclusive
proofs and the unerring Book with which God hath invested
Me, and on the Day of Severing they shall find no
protector or helper.
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I swear by Him Who createth all beings and unto Whom
all shall return, if anyone at the hour of death beareth
hatred towards Me or disputeth the clear tokens wherewith
I have been invested, then naught but afflictive torment shall
be his lot. On that day no ransom will be accepted, nor will
any intercession be permitted, unless God so please. Verily
He is the All-Compelling, the All-Glorious; and no God
is there other than Him, the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty,
the Most Severe.
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From the first day that I cautioned thee not to wax
proud before God until the present time, four years have
elapsed, and during this space naught have I witnessed,
either from thee or from thy soldiers, except dire oppression
and disdainful arrogance. Methinks thou dost imagine that
I wish to gain some paltry substance from this earthly life.
Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord! In the estimation
of them that have fixed their eyes upon the merciful Lord,
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the riches of the world and its trappings are worth as much
as the eye of a dead body, nay even less. Far from His
glory be what they associate with Him!… I seek patience
only in God. Verily He is the best protector and the best
helper. No refuge do I seek save God. Verily He is the
guardian and the best supporter…
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I swear by the glory of God, My Lord, the Most Exalted,
the Most Great, He assuredly, as is divinely ordained, will
make His Cause shine resplendent, while there will be no
helper for the unjust. If thou hast any scheme, produce thy
scheme. Indeed every revelation of authority proceedeth
from God. In Him do I trust and unto Him do I turn.
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Hast thou heard anyone of old passing a judgement similar
to the one thou didst contrive or like unto that whereto
thou didst give thine assent? Woe then unto the oppressors!
Both thine intentions and the manner in which thou dealest
with the people clearly demonstrate thine infidelity
towards God, hence He hath ordained a severe chastisement
for thee. Verily I seek patience only in God, and Him do I
regard as the goal of My desire. This signifieth that I have
the undoubted Truth on My side.
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If thou art not apprehensive that the truth might be
revealed and the works of the ungodly be brought to
naught, why summonest thou not the divines of the land,
and then summon Me, so that I may confound them forthwith,
even as those disbelievers whom I have previously
confounded? This is My sure testimony unto thee and unto
them, if they speak the truth. Summon thou all of them.
Should they then be able to utter words like unto this, thou
wouldst know that their cause is worthy of attention. Nay,
by the righteousness of My Lord! They are bereft of power,
nor are they endued with perception. They professed faith
in the past without understanding its significance, then
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later they repudiated the Truth; for they are devoid of
discernment.
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How great the blessedness that would await Me, wert
thou to pass a verdict such as this; and what immense joy
would be Mine, shouldst thou agree to do this! This is a
bounty which God hath reserved for them that enjoy near
access to His court. Give then thy leave and wait no longer.
In truth, mighty is thy Lord, the Avenger.
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Were the veil to be removed from thine eye thou
wouldst crawl unto Me on thy breast, even through the
snow, from fear of the chastisement of God which is swift
and near at hand. By the righteousness of Him Who hath
created thee, wert thou to be acquainted with that which
hath transpired during thy reign, thou wouldst wish not to
have issued from thy father’s loins, but rather to have passed
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into oblivion. However, that which God, thy Lord, had
ordained hath presently come to pass, and woe betide the
oppressors in this day.
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Methinks thou hast not perused the unerring Book. If
thou art satisfied with thine own way and dost not wish
to follow the Truth, then to Me be My way and to thee
thine. If thou aidest Me not, why dost thou seek to abase
Me? Verily, God is the hearer of the suppliant, and in Him
all things find their highest consummation, both in this
world and in the world to come.
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1. | The numerical value of the letters of the word Ḥin is 68. The year 1268 A.H. (1851–1852 A.D.) is the year preceding the birth of the Bahá’í Revelation. [ Back To Reference] |