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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 39-57 |
39
The peoples of the world are fast asleep. Were they to wake from
their slumber, they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise. They would cast away everything they
possess, be it all the treasures of the earth, that their Lord
may remember them to the extent of addressing to them but one
word. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who holdeth the
knowledge of things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of
creation hath not seen, and which is revealed to none except His
own Self, the omnipotent Protector of all worlds. So bewildered
are they in the drunkenness of their evil desires, that they are
powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose voice
calleth aloud from every direction: "There is none other God but
Me, the Mighty, the All-Wise."
40
Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are
yours, tomorrow others will possess them. Thus warneth you He
Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say: Can ye claim that
what ye own is lasting or secure? Nay! By Myself, the
All-Merciful, ye cannot, if ye be of them who judge fairly. The
days of your life flee away as a breath of wind, and all your
pomp and glory shall be folded up as were the pomp and glory of
those gone before you. Reflect, O people! What hath become of
your bygone days, your lost centuries? Happy the days that have
been consecrated to the remembrance of God, and blessed the
hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the
All-Wise. By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the
wealth of the rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will
endure. All will perish, at a word from Him. He, verily, is the
All-Powerful, the All-Compelling, the Almighty. What advantage
is there in the earthly things which men possess? That which
shall profit them, they have utterly neglected. Erelong, they
will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to
obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord,
the Almighty, the All-Praised. Did they but know it, they would
renounce their all, that their names may be mentioned before His
throne. They, verily, are accounted among the dead.
41
Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud, and
who hath been debarred thereby from recognizing My Name, the
Self-Subsisting; who, when he heareth the tread of sandals
following behind him, waxeth greater in his own esteem than
Nimrod. Say: O rejected one! Where now is his abode? By God, it
is the nethermost fire. Say: O concourse of divines! Hear ye not
the shrill voice of My Most Exalted Pen? See ye not this Sun
that shineth in refulgent splendour above the All-Glorious
Horizon? For how long will ye worship the idols of your evil
passions? Forsake your vain imaginings, and turn yourselves unto
God, your Everlasting Lord.
42
Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of
Signs. None hath the right to dispose of them without leave from
Him Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation. After Him, this
authority shall pass to the &Aghsan, and after them to the House
of Justice--should it be established in the world by then--that
they may use these endowments for the benefit of the Places
which have been exalted in this Cause, and for whatsoever hath
been enjoined upon them by Him Who is the God of might and
power. Otherwise, the endowments shall revert to the people of &Baha
who speak not except by His leave and judge not save in
accordance with what God hath decreed in this Tablet--lo, they
are the champions of victory betwixt heaven and earth--that they
may use them in the manner that hath been laid down in the Book
by God, the Mighty, the Bountiful.
43
Lament not in your hours of trial, neither rejoice therein; seek
ye the Middle Way which is the remembrance of Me in your
afflictions and reflection over that which may befall you in
future. Thus informeth you He Who is the Omniscient, He Who is
aware.
44
Shave not your heads; God hath adorned them with hair, and in
this there are signs from the Lord of creation to those who
reflect upon the requirements of nature. He, verily, is the God
of strength and wisdom. Notwithstanding, it is not seemly to let
the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears. Thus hath it been
decreed by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds.
45
Exile and imprisonment are decreed for the thief, and, on the
third offence, place ye a mark upon his brow so that, thus
identified, he may not be accepted in the cities of God and His
countries. Beware lest, through compassion, ye neglect to carry
out the statutes of the religion of God; do that which hath been
bidden you by Him Who is compassionate and merciful. We school
you with the rod of wisdom and laws, like unto the father who
educateth his son, and this for naught but the protection of
your own selves and the elevation of your stations. By My life,
were ye to discover what We have desired for you in revealing
Our holy laws, ye would offer up your very souls for this
sacred, this mighty, and most exalted Faith.
46
Whoso wisheth to make use of vessels of silver and gold is at
liberty to do so. Take heed lest, when partaking of food, ye
plunge your hands into the contents of bowls and platters. Adopt
ye such usages as are most in keeping with refinement. He,
verily, desireth to see in you the manners of the inmates of
Paradise in His mighty and most sublime Kingdom. Hold ye fast
unto refinement under all conditions, that your eyes may be
preserved from beholding what is repugnant both to your own
selves and to the dwellers of Paradise. Should anyone depart
therefrom, his deed shall at that moment be rendered vain; yet
should he have good reason, God will excuse him. He, in truth,
is the Gracious, the Most Bountiful.
47
He Who is the Dawning-place of God's Cause hath no partner in
the Most Great Infallibility. He it is Who, in the kingdom of
creation, is the Manifestation of "He doeth whatsoever He
willeth". God hath reserved this distinction unto His own Self,
and ordained for none a share in so sublime and transcendent a
station. This is the Decree of God, concealed ere now within the
veil of impenetrable mystery. We have disclosed it in this
Revelation, and have thereby rent asunder the veils of such as
have failed to recognize that which the Book of God set forth
and who were numbered with the heedless.
48
Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son
and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that
hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet. He that putteth away
that which is commanded unto him, the Trustees are then to take
from him that which is required for their instruction if he be
wealthy and, if not, the matter devolveth upon the House of
Justice. Verily have We made it a shelter for the poor and
needy. He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is
as though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My
glory, My loving-kindness, My mercy, that have compassed the
world.
49
God hath imposed a fine on every adulterer and adulteress, to be
paid to the House of Justice: nine &mithqals of gold, to be
doubled if they should repeat the offence. Such is the penalty
which He Who is the Lord of Names hath assigned them in this
world; and in the world to come He hath ordained for them a
humiliating torment. Should anyone be afflicted by a sin, it
behoveth him to repent thereof and return unto his Lord. He,
verily, granteth forgiveness unto whomsoever He willeth, and
none may question that which it pleaseth Him to ordain. He is,
in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Almighty, the All-Praised.
50
Beware lest ye be hindered by the veils of glory from partaking
of the crystal waters of this living Fountain. Seize ye the
chalice of salvation at this dawntide in the name of Him Who
causeth the day to break, and drink your fill in praise of Him
Who is the All-Glorious, the Incomparable.
51
We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and singing.
Take heed, however, lest listening thereto should cause you to
overstep the bounds of propriety and dignity. Let your joy be
the joy born of My Most Great Name, a Name that bringeth rapture
to the heart, and filleth with ecstasy the minds of all who have
drawn nigh unto God. We, verily, have made music as a ladder for
your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm
on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion.
Truly, We are loath to see you numbered with the foolish.
52
We have decreed that a third part of all fines shall go to the
Seat of Justice, and We admonish its men to observe pure
justice, that they may expend what is thus accumulated for such
purposes as have been enjoined upon them by Him Who is the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise. O ye Men of Justice! Be ye, in the
realm of God, shepherds unto His sheep and guard them from the
ravening wolves that have appeared in disguise, even as ye would
guard your own sons. Thus exhorteth you the Counsellor, the
Faithful.
53
Should differences arise amongst you over any matter, refer it
to God while the Sun still shineth above the horizon of this
Heaven and, when it hath set, refer ye to whatsoever hath been
sent down by Him. This, verily, is sufficient unto the peoples
of the world. Say: Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people,
when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My
utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a
wisdom, and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to
all but God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We
behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will
arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the
Concourse on high and a company of Our favoured angels.
54
O peoples of the earth! God, the Eternal Truth, is My witness
that streams of fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from
the rocks through the sweetness of the words uttered by your
Lord, the Unconstrained; and still ye slumber. Cast away that
which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond
all created things. Thus biddeth you the Lord of creation, the
movement of Whose Pen hath revolutionized the soul of mankind.
55
Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious, is
calling? Think ye that ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your
Lord, the Lord of all names, commandeth you? Nay, by My life!
Did ye but know it, ye would renounce the world, and would
hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of the
Well-Beloved. Your spirits would be so transported by His Word
as to throw into commotion the Greater World--how much more this
small and petty one! Thus have the showers of My bounty been
poured down from the heaven of My loving-kindness, as a token of
My grace, that ye may be of the thankful.
56
The penalties for wounding or striking a person depend upon the
severity of the injury; for each degree the Lord of Judgement
hath prescribed a certain indemnity. He is, in truth, the
Ordainer, the Mighty, the Most Exalted. We shall, if it be Our
Will, set forth these payments in their just degrees--this is a
promise on Our part, and He, verily, is the Keeper of His
pledge, the Knower of all things.
57
Verily, it is enjoined upon you to offer a feast, once in every
month, though only water be served; for God hath purposed to
bind hearts together, albeit through both earthly and heavenly
means. |
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