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Holy Kitab I Aqdas
Texts 1-19
Texts 20-38
Texts 39-57
Texts 58-76
Texts 77-95
Texts 96-114
Texts 115-133
Texts 134-152
Texts 153-171
Texts 172-190
Holy Kitab I Iqan
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9
Section 10
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9
Prayers & Meditations by Bahaullah
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9
Section 10
Section 11
Section 12
Section 13
Section 14
Section 15
Section 16
Section 17
Section 18
Section 19
Section 20
Section 21
Section 22
Section 23
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Holy Kitab I
Aqdas: Texts
134-152 |
134
Be watchful lest the concerns and preoccupations of this world
prevent you from observing that which hath been enjoined upon
you by Him Who is the Mighty, the Faithful. Be ye the
embodiments of such steadfastness amidst mankind that ye will
not be kept back from God by the doubts of those who disbelieved
in Him when He manifested Himself, invested with a mighty
sovereignty. Take heed lest ye be prevented by aught that hath
been recorded in the Book from hearkening unto this, the Living
Book, Who proclaimeth the truth: "Verily, there is no God but
Me, the Most Excellent, the All-Praised." Look ye with the eye
of equity upon Him Who hath descended from the heaven of Divine
will and power, and be not of those who act unjustly.
135
Call then to mind these words which have streamed forth, in
tribute to this Revelation, from the Pen of Him Who was My
Herald, and consider what the hands of the oppressors have
wrought throughout My days. Truly they are numbered with the
lost. He said: "Should ye attain the presence of Him Whom We
shall make manifest, beseech ye God, in His bounty, to grant
that He might deign to seat Himself upon your couches, for that
act in itself would confer upon you matchless and surpassing
honour. Should He drink a cup of water in your homes, this would
be of greater consequence for you than your proffering unto
every soul, nay unto every created thing, the water of its very
life. Know this, O ye My servants!"
136
Such are the words with which My Forerunner hath extolled My
Being, could ye but understand. Whoso reflecteth upon these
verses, and realizeth what hidden pearls have been enshrined
within them, will, by the righteousness of God, perceive the
fragrance of the All-Merciful wafting from the direction of this
Prison and will, with his whole heart, hasten unto Him with such
ardent longing that the hosts of earth and heaven would be
powerless to deter him. Say: This is a Revelation around which
every proof and testimony doth circle. Thus hath it been sent
down by your Lord, the God of Mercy, if ye be of them that judge
aright. Say: This is the very soul of all Scriptures which hath
been breathed into the Pen of the Most High, causing all created
beings to be dumbfounded, save only those who have been
enraptured by the gentle breezes of My loving-kindness and the
sweet savours of My bounties which have pervaded the whole of
creation.
137
O people of the &Bayan! Fear ye the Most Merciful and consider
what He hath revealed in another passage. He said: "The Qiblih
is indeed He Whom God will make manifest; whenever He moveth, it
moveth, until He shall come to rest." Thus was it set down by
the Supreme Ordainer when He desired to make mention of this
Most Great Beauty. Meditate on this, O people, and be not of
them that wander distraught in the wilderness of error. If ye
reject Him at the bidding of your idle fancies, where then is
the Qiblih to which ye will turn, O assemblage of the heedless?
Ponder ye this verse, and judge equitably before God, that haply
ye may glean the pearls of mysteries from the ocean that surgeth
in My Name, the All-Glorious, the Most High.
138
Let none, in this Day, hold fast to aught save that which hath
been manifested in this Revelation. Such is the decree of God,
aforetime and hereafter--a decree wherewith the Scriptures of
the Messengers of old have been adorned. Such is the admonition
of the Lord, aforetime and hereafter--an admonition wherewith
the preamble to the Book of Life hath been embellished, did ye
but perceive it. Such is the commandment of the Lord, aforetime
and hereafter; beware lest ye choose instead the part of
ignominy and abasement. Naught shall avail you in this Day but
God, nor is there any refuge to flee to save Him, the
Omniscient, the All-Wise. Whoso hath known Me hath known the
Goal of all desire, and whoso hath turned unto Me hath turned
unto the Object of all adoration. Thus hath it been set forth in
the Book, and thus hath it been decreed by God, the Lord of all
worlds. To read but one of the verses of My Revelation is better
than to peruse the Scriptures of both the former and latter
generations. This is the Utterance of the All-Merciful, would
that ye had ears to hear! Say: This is the essence of knowledge,
did ye but understand.
139
And now consider what hath been revealed in yet another passage,
that perchance ye may forsake your own concepts and set your
faces towards God, the Lord of being. He (The &Bab) hath said:
"It is unlawful to enter into marriage save with a believer in
the &Bayan. Should only one party to a marriage embrace this
Cause, his or her possessions will become unlawful to the other,
until such time as the latter hath converted. This law, however,
will only take effect after the exaltation of the Cause of Him
Whom We shall manifest in truth, or of that which hath already
been made manifest in justice. Ere this, ye are at liberty to
enter into wedlock as ye wish, that haply by this means ye may
exalt the Cause of God." Thus hath the Nightingale sung with
sweet melody upon the celestial bough, in praise of its Lord,
the All-Merciful. Well is it with them that hearken.
140
O people of the &Bayan, I adjure you by your Lord, the God of
mercy, to look with the eye of fairness upon this utterance
which hath been sent down through the power of truth, and not to
be of those who see the testimony of God yet reject and deny it.
They, in truth, are of those who will assuredly perish. The
Point of the &Bayan hath explicitly made mention in this verse
of the exaltation of My Cause before His own Cause; unto this
will testify every just and understanding mind. As ye can
readily witness in this day, its exaltation is such as none can
deny save those whose eyes are drunken in this mortal life and
whom a humiliating chastisement awaiteth in the life to come.
141
Say: By the righteousness of God! I, verily, am His (The &Bab's)
Best-Beloved; and at this moment He listeneth to these verses
descending from the Heaven of Revelation and bewaileth the
wrongs ye have committed in these days. Fear God, and join not
with the aggressor. Say: O people, should ye choose to
disbelieve in Him, (&Baha'u'llah) refrain at least from rising
up against Him. By God! Sufficient are the hosts of tyranny that
are leagued against Him!
142
Verily, He (The &Bab) revealed certain laws so that, in this
Dispensation, the Pen of the Most High might have no need to
move in aught but the glorification of His own transcendent
Station and His most effulgent Beauty. Since, however, We have
wished to evidence Our bounty unto you, We have, through the
power of truth, set forth these laws with clarity and mitigated
what We desire you to observe. He, verily, is the Munificent,
the Generous.
143
He (The &Bab) hath previously made known unto you that which
would be uttered by this Dayspring of Divine wisdom. He said,
and He speaketh the truth: "He (&Baha'u'llah) is the One Who
will under all conditions proclaim: `Verily, there is none other
God besides Me, the One, the Incomparable, the Omniscient, the
All-Informed.'" This is a station which God hath assigned
exclusively to this sublime, this unique and wondrous
Revelation. This is a token of His bounteous favour, if ye be of
them who comprehend, and a sign of His irresistible decree. This
is His Most Great Name, His Most Exalted Word, and the Dayspring
of His Most Excellent Titles, if ye could understand. Nay more,
through Him every Fountainhead, every Dawning-place of Divine
guidance is made manifest. Reflect, O people, on that which hath
been sent down in truth; ponder thereon, and be not of the
transgressors.
144
Consort with all religions with amity and concord, that they may
inhale from you the sweet fragrance of God. Beware lest amidst
men the flame of foolish ignorance overpower you. All things
proceed from God and unto Him they return. He is the source of
all things and in Him all things are ended.
145
Take heed that ye enter no house in the absence of its owner,
except with his permission. Comport yourselves with propriety
under all conditions, and be not numbered with the wayward.
146
It hath been enjoined upon you to purify your means of
sustenance and other such things through payment of &Zakat. Thus
hath it been prescribed in this exalted Tablet by Him Who is the
Revealer of verses. We shall, if it be God's will and purpose,
set forth erelong the measure of its assessment. He, verily,
expoundeth whatsoever He desireth by virtue of His own
knowledge, and He, of a truth, is Omniscient and All-Wise.
147
It is unlawful to beg, and it is forbidden to give to him who
beggeth. All have been enjoined to earn a living, and as for
those who are incapable of doing so, it is incumbent on the
Deputies of God and on the wealthy to make adequate provision
for them. Keep ye the statutes and commandments of God; nay,
guard them as ye would your very eyes, and be not of those who
suffer grievous loss.
148
Ye have been forbidden in the Book of God to engage in
contention and conflict, to strike another, or to commit similar
acts whereby hearts and souls may be saddened. A fine of
nineteen &mithqals of gold had formerly been prescribed by Him
Who is the Lord of all mankind for anyone who was the cause of
sadness to another; in this Dispensation, however, He hath
absolved you thereof and exhorteth you to show forth
righteousness and piety. Such is the commandment which He hath
enjoined upon you in this resplendent Tablet. Wish not for
others what ye wish not for yourselves; fear God, and be not of
the prideful. Ye are all created out of water, and unto dust
shall ye return. Reflect upon the end that awaiteth you, and
walk not in the ways of the oppressor. Give ear unto the verses
of God which He Who is the sacred Lote-Tree reciteth unto you.
They are assuredly the infallible balance, established by God,
the Lord of this world and the next. Through them the soul of
man is caused to wing its flight towards the Dayspring of
Revelation, and the heart of every true believer is suffused
with light. Such are the laws which God hath enjoined upon you,
such His commandments prescribed unto you in His Holy Tablet;
obey them with joy and gladness, for this is best for you, did
ye but know.
149
Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. Whoso
faileth to recite them hath not been faithful to the Covenant of
God and His Testament, and whoso turneth away from these holy
verses in this Day is of those who throughout eternity have
turned away from God. Fear ye God, O My servants, one and all.
Pride not yourselves on much reading of the verses or on a
multitude of pious acts by night and day; for were a man to read
a single verse with joy and radiance it would be better for him
than to read with lassitude all the Holy Books of God, the Help
in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Read ye the sacred verses in such
measure that ye be not overcome by languor and despondency. Lay
not upon your souls that which will weary them and weigh them
down, but rather what will lighten and uplift them, so that they
may soar on the wings of the Divine verses towards the
Dawning-place of His manifest signs; this will draw you nearer
to God, did ye but comprehend.
150
Teach your children the verses revealed from the heaven of
majesty and power, so that, in most melodious tones, they may
recite the Tablets of the All-Merciful in the alcoves within the
&Mashriqu'l-Adhkars. Whoever hath been transported by the
rapture born of adoration for My Name, the Most Compassionate,
will recite the verses of God in such wise as to captivate the
hearts of those yet wrapped in slumber. Well is it with him who
hath quaffed the Mystic Wine of everlasting life from the
utterance of his merciful Lord in My Name--a Name through which
every lofty and majestic mountain hath been reduced to dust.
151
Ye have been enjoined to renew the furnishings of your homes
after the passing of each nineteen years; thus hath it been
ordained by One Who is Omniscient and All-Perceiving. He,
verily, is desirous of refinement, both for you yourselves and
for all that ye possess; lay not aside the fear of God and be
not of the negligent. Whoso findeth that his means are
insufficient to this purpose hath been excused by God, the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bounteous.
152
Wash your feet once every day in summer, and once every three
days during winter. |
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