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======the hidden words of baha'u'llah======

by **[[person:baha-u-llah|Baha'u'llah]]**

=====part I====

====preamble====

<html><div style="text-align:center;">
                        <b>HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES</b>
</html>

This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the
tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have
taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity,
as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto
the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the
realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.

====1====

O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and
radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and
everlasting.

====2====

O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice;
turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may
confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not
through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not
through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it
behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My
loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

====3====

O SON OF MAN! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of
My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have
engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.

====4====

O SON OF MAN! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do
thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit
of life.

====5====

O SON OF BEING! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My
love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.

====6====

O SON OF BEING! Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home, reunion with
Me. Enter therein and tarry not. This is that which hath been destined for
thee in Our kingdom above and Our exalted dominion.

====7====

O SON OF MAN! If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou
seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and
I may eternally live in thee.

====8====

O SON OF SPIRIT! There is no peace for thee save by renouncing thyself and
turning unto Me; for it behooveth thee to glory in My name, not in thine
own; to put thy trust in Me and not in thyself, since I desire to be loved
alone and above all that is.

====9====

O SON OF BEING! My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein is safe
and secure, and he that turneth away shall surely stray and perish.

====10====

O SON OF UTTERANCE! Thou art My stronghold; enter therein that thou mayest
abide in safety. My love is in thee, know it, that thou mayest find Me
near unto thee.

====11====

O SON OF BEING! Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou from it
thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and
have bountifully shed My favor upon thee.

====12====

O SON OF BEING! With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers
of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of
My light. Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is
perfect and My command is binding. Question it not, nor have a doubt
thereof.

====13====

O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to
poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the
essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment
from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost
thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou
mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

====14====

O SON OF MAN! Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not;
wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall
never be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory
and My glory fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be
outworn. Abide then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the
realm of glory.

====15====

O SON OF UTTERANCE! Turn thy face unto Mine and renounce all save Me; for
My sovereignty endureth and My dominion perisheth not. If thou seekest
another than Me, yea, if thou searchest the universe for evermore, thy
quest will be in vain.

====16====

O SON OF LIGHT! Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of
the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it.

====17====

O SON OF MAN! Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none
but Me can ever suffice thee.

====18====

O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be
content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which
profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself.

====19====

O SON OF THE WONDROUS VISION! I have breathed within thee a breath of My
own Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and
sought a beloved other than Me?

====20====

O SON OF SPIRIT! My claim on thee is great, it cannot be forgotten. My
grace to thee is plenteous, it cannot be veiled. My love has made in thee
its home, it cannot be concealed. My light is manifest to thee, it cannot
be obscured.

====21====

O SON OF MAN! Upon the tree of effulgent glory I have hung for thee the
choicest fruits, wherefore hast thou turned away and contented thyself
with that which is less good? Return then unto that which is better for
thee in the realm on high.

====22====

O SON OF SPIRIT! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself.
Rise then unto that for which thou wast created.

====23====

O SON OF THE SUPREME! To the eternal I call thee, yet thou dost seek that
which perisheth. What hath made thee turn away from Our desire and seek
thine own?

====24====

O SON OF MAN! Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth
thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of
might and power.

====25====

O SON OF SPIRIT! Vaunt not thyself over the poor, for I lead him on his
way and behold thee in thy evil plight and confound thee for evermore.

====26====

O SON OF BEING! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself
with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.

====27====

O SON OF MAN! Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a
sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be,
and to this I bear witness.

====28====

O SON OF SPIRIT! Know thou of a truth: He that biddeth men be just and
himself committeth iniquity is not of Me, even though he bear My name.

====29====

O SON OF BEING! Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have
ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not. This is My
command unto thee, do thou observe it.

====30====

O SON OF MAN! Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for
his face is My face; be then abashed before Me.

====31====

O SON OF BEING! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to
a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be
called to give account for thy deeds.

====32====

O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee.
Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor.
Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?

====33====

O SON OF SPIRIT! With the joyful tidings of light I hail thee: rejoice! To
the court of holiness I summon thee; abide therein that thou mayest live
in peace for evermore.

====34====

O SON OF SPIRIT! The spirit of holiness beareth unto thee the joyful
tidings of reunion; wherefore dost thou grieve? The spirit of power
confirmeth thee in His cause; why dost thou veil thyself? The light of His
countenance doth lead thee; how canst thou go astray?

====35====

O SON OF MAN! Sorrow not save that thou art far from Us. Rejoice not save
that thou art drawing near and returning unto Us.

====36====

O SON OF MAN! Rejoice in the gladness of thine heart, that thou mayest be
worthy to meet Me and to mirror forth My beauty.

====37====

O SON OF MAN! Divest not thyself of My beauteous robe, and forfeit not thy
portion from My wondrous fountain, lest thou shouldst thirst for evermore.

====38====

O SON OF BEING! Walk in My statutes for love of Me and deny thyself that
which thou desirest if thou seekest My pleasure.

====39====

O SON OF MAN! Neglect not My commandments if thou lovest My beauty, and
forget not My counsels if thou wouldst attain My good pleasure.

====40====

O SON OF MAN! Wert thou to speed through the immensity of space and
traverse the expanse of heaven, yet thou wouldst find no rest save in
submission to Our command and humbleness before Our Face.

====41====

O SON OF MAN! Magnify My cause that I may reveal unto thee the mysteries
of My greatness and shine upon thee with the light of eternity.

====42====

O SON OF MAN! Humble thyself before Me, that I may graciously visit thee.
Arise for the triumph of My cause, that while yet on earth thou mayest
obtain the victory.

====43====

O SON OF BEING! Make mention of Me on My earth, that in My heaven I may
remember thee, thus shall Mine eyes and thine be solaced.

====44====

O SON OF THE THRONE! Thy hearing is My hearing, hear thou therewith. Thy
sight is My sight, do thou see therewith, that in thine inmost soul thou
mayest testify unto My exalted sanctity, and I within Myself may bear
witness unto an exalted station for thee.

====45====

O SON OF BEING! Seek a martyr's death in My path, content with My pleasure
and thankful for that which I ordain, that thou mayest repose with Me
beneath the canopy of majesty behind the tabernacle of glory.

====46====

O SON OF MAN! Ponder and reflect. Is it thy wish to die upon thy bed, or
to shed thy life-blood on the dust, a martyr in My path, and so become the
manifestation of My command and the revealer of My light in the highest
paradise? Judge thou aright, O servant!

====47====

O SON OF MAN! By My beauty! To tinge thy hair with thy blood is greater in
My sight than the creation of the universe and the light of both worlds.
Strive then to attain this, O servant!

====48====

O SON OF MAN! For everything there is a sign. The sign of love is
fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.

====49====

O SON OF MAN! The true lover yearneth for tribulation even as doth the
rebel for forgiveness and the sinful for mercy.

====50====

O SON OF MAN! If adversity befall thee not in My path, how canst thou walk
in the ways of them that are content with My pleasure? If trials afflict
thee not in thy longing to meet Me, how wilt thou attain the light in thy
love for My beauty?

====51====

O SON OF MAN! My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and
vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy. Hasten thereunto that thou
mayest become an eternal light and an immortal spirit. This is My command
unto thee, do thou observe it.

====52====

O SON OF MAN! Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should
abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no
more.

====53====

O SON OF BEING! If poverty overtake thee, be not sad; for in time the Lord
of wealth shall visit thee. Fear not abasement, for glory shall one day
rest on thee.

====54====

O SON OF BEING! If thine heart be set upon this eternal, imperishable
dominion, and this ancient, everlasting life, forsake this mortal and
fleeting sovereignty.

====55==== 

O SON OF BEING! Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test
the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.

====56====

O SON OF MAN! Thou dost wish for gold and I desire thy freedom from it.
Thou thinkest thyself rich in its possession, and I recognize thy wealth
in thy sanctity therefrom. By My life! This is My knowledge, and that is
thy fancy; how can My way accord with thine?

====57====

O SON OF MAN! Bestow My wealth upon My poor, that in heaven thou mayest
draw from stores of unfading splendor and treasures of imperishable glory.
But by My life! To offer up thy soul is a more glorious thing couldst thou
but see with Mine eye.

====58====

O SON OF MAN! The temple of being is My throne; cleanse it of all things,
that there I may be established and there I may abide.

====59====

O SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy
spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation.

====60====

O SON OF MAN! Put thy hand into My bosom, that I may rise above thee,
radiant and resplendent.

====61====

O SON OF MAN! Ascend unto My heaven, that thou mayest obtain the joy of
reunion, and from the chalice of imperishable glory quaff the peerless
wine.

====62====

O SON OF MAN! Many a day hath passed over thee whilst thou hast busied
thyself with thy fancies and idle imaginings. How long art thou to slumber
on thy bed? Lift up thy head from slumber, for the Sun hath risen to the
zenith, haply it may shine upon thee with the light of beauty.

====63====

O SON OF MAN! The light hath shone on thee from the horizon of the sacred
Mount and the spirit of enlightenment hath breathed in the Sinai of thy
heart. Wherefore, free thyself from the veils of idle fancies and enter
into My court, that thou mayest be fit for everlasting life and worthy to
meet Me. Thus may death not come upon thee, neither weariness nor trouble.

====64====

O SON OF MAN! My eternity is My creation, I have created it for thee. Make
it the garment of thy temple. My unity is My handiwork; I have wrought it
for thee; clothe thyself therewith, that thou mayest be to all eternity
the revelation of My everlasting being.

====65====

O SON OF MAN! My majesty is My gift to thee, and My grandeur the token of
My mercy unto thee. That which beseemeth Me none shall understand, nor can
anyone recount. Verily, I have preserved it in My hidden storehouses and
in the treasuries of My command, as a sign of My loving-kindness unto My
servants and My mercy unto My people.

====66====

O CHILDREN OF THE DIVINE AND INVISIBLE ESSENCE! Ye shall be hindered from
loving Me and souls shall be perturbed as they make mention of Me. For
minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me.

====67====

O SON OF BEAUTY! By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and by My
beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and
have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with
thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My
voice.

====68====

O CHILDREN OF MEN! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?
That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in
your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one
same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with
the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that
from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness
and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to
you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the
fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

====69====

O YE SONS OF SPIRIT! Ye are My treasury, for in you I have treasured the
pearls of My mysteries and the gems of My knowledge. Guard them from the
strangers amidst My servants and from the ungodly amongst My people.

====70====

O SON OF HIM THAT STOOD BY HIS OWN ENTITY IN THE KINGDOM OF HIS SELF! Know
thou, that I have wafted unto thee all the fragrances of holiness, have
fully revealed to thee My word, have perfected through thee My bounty and
have desired for thee that which I have desired for My Self. Be then
content with My pleasure and thankful unto Me.

====71====

O SON OF MAN! Write all that We have revealed unto thee with the ink of
light upon the tablet of thy spirit. Should this not be in thy power, then
make thine ink of the essence of thy heart. If this thou canst not do,
then write with that crimson ink that hath been shed in My path. Sweeter
indeed is this to Me than all else, that its light may endure for ever.

=====part II====

====preamble II====

<html><div style="text-align:center;">
            <b>In the Name of the Lord of Utterance, The Mighty.</b>
</html>

====1====

O YE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MINDS TO KNOW AND EARS TO HEAR! The first call of
the Beloved is this: O mystic nightingale! Abide not but in the
rose-garden of the spirit. O messenger of the Solomon of love! Seek thou
no shelter except in the Sheba of the well-beloved, and O immortal
phoenix! dwell not save on the mount of faithfulness. Therein is thy
habitation, if on the wings of thy soul thou soarest to the realm of the
infinite and seekest to attain thy goal.

====2====

O SON OF SPIRIT! The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of
the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient
dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned
towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine
presence. Alas! How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have
turned away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far
from the most effulgent horizon.

====3====

O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love,
and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold.
Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with
the ungodly.

====4====

O SON OF JUSTICE! Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved?
and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart's desire? To the true
lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His breast is void of
patience and his heart hath no peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to
hasten to the abode of his beloved.

====5====

O SON OF DUST! Verily I say unto thee: Of all men the most negligent is he
that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother. Say,
O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.

====6====

O SON OF EARTH! Know, verily, the heart wherein the least remnant of envy
yet lingers, shall never attain My everlasting dominion, nor inhale the
sweet savors of holiness breathing from My kingdom of sanctity.

====7====

O SON OF LOVE! Thou art but one step away from the glorious heights above
and from the celestial tree of love. Take thou one pace and with the next
advance into the immortal realm and enter the pavilion of eternity. Give
ear then to that which hath been revealed by the pen of glory.

====8====

O SON OF GLORY! Be swift in the path of holiness, and enter the heaven of
communion with Me. Cleanse thy heart with the burnish of the spirit, and
hasten to the court of the Most High.

====9====

O FLEETING SHADOW! Pass beyond the baser stages of doubt and rise to the
exalted heights of certainty. Open the eye of truth, that thou mayest
behold the veilless Beauty and exclaim: Hallowed be the Lord, the most
excellent of all creators!

====10====

O SON OF DESIRE! Give ear unto this: Never shall mortal eye recognize the
everlasting Beauty, nor the lifeless heart delight in aught but in the
withered bloom. For like seeketh like, and taketh pleasure in the company
of its kind.

====11====

O SON OF DUST! Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold My beauty; stop
thine ears, that thou mayest hearken unto the sweet melody of My voice;
empty thyself of all learning, that thou mayest partake of My knowledge;
and sanctify thyself from riches, that thou mayest obtain a lasting share
from the ocean of My eternal wealth. Blind thine eyes, that is, to all
save My beauty; stop thine ears to all save My word; empty thyself of all
learning save the knowledge of Me; that with a clear vision, a pure heart
and an attentive ear thou mayest enter the court of My holiness.

====12====

O MAN OF TWO VISIONS! Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the
world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty
of the Beloved.

====13====

O MY CHILDREN! I fear lest, bereft of the melody of the dove of heaven, ye
will sink back to the shades of utter loss, and, never having gazed upon
the beauty of the rose, return to water and clay.

====14====

O FRIENDS! Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die,
and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust.

====15====

O SON OF SPIRIT! The time cometh, when the nightingale of holiness will no
longer unfold the inner mysteries and ye will all be bereft of the
celestial melody and of the voice from on high.

====16====

O ESSENCE OF NEGLIGENCE! Myriads of mystic tongues find utterance in one
speech, and myriads of hidden mysteries are revealed in a single melody;
yet, alas, there is no ear to hear, nor heart to understand.

====17====

O COMRADES! The gates that open on the Placeless stand wide and the
habitation of the loved one is adorned with the lovers' blood, yet all but
a few remain bereft of this celestial city, and even of these few, none
but the smallest handful hath been found with a pure heart and sanctified
spirit.

====18====

O YE DWELLERS IN THE HIGHEST PARADISE! Proclaim unto the children of
assurance that within the realms of holiness, nigh unto the celestial
paradise, a new garden hath appeared, round which circle the denizens of
the realm on high and the immortal dwellers of the exalted paradise.
Strive, then, that ye may attain that station, that ye may unravel the
mysteries of love from its wind-flowers and learn the secret of divine and
consummate wisdom from its eternal fruits. Solaced are the eyes of them
that enter and abide therein!

====19====

O MY FRIENDS! Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those
hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence
beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the
all-glorious paradise? Awe-struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these
three most holy words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never
desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with
lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but
sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and
those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident
unto all of you.

====20====

In the eighth of the most holy lines, in the fifth Tablet of Paradise, He
saith: O YE THAT ARE LYING AS DEAD ON THE COUCH OF HEEDLESSNESS! Ages have
passed and your precious lives are well-nigh ended, yet not a single
breath of purity hath reached Our court of holiness from you. Though
immersed in the ocean of misbelief, yet with your lips ye profess the one
true faith of God. Him whom I abhor ye have loved, and of My foe ye have
made a friend. Notwithstanding, ye walk on My earth complacent and
self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and everything
within it shunneth you. Were ye but to open your eyes, ye would, in truth,
prefer a myriad griefs unto this joy, and would count death itself better
than this life.

====21====

O MOVING FORM OF DUST! I desire communion with thee, but thou wouldst put
no trust in Me. The sword of thy rebellion hath felled the tree of thy
hope. At all times I am near unto thee, but thou art ever far from Me.
Imperishable glory I have chosen for thee, yet boundless shame thou hast
chosen for thyself. While there is yet time, return, and lose not thy
chance.

====22====

O SON OF DESIRE! The learned and the wise have for long years striven and
failed to attain the presence of the All-Glorious; they have spent their
lives in search of Him, yet did not behold the beauty of His countenance.
Thou without the least effort didst attain thy goal, and without search
hast obtained the object of thy quest. Yet, notwithstanding, thou didst
remain so wrapt in the veil of self, that thine eyes beheld not the beauty
of the Beloved, nor did thy hand touch the hem of His robe. Ye that have
eyes, behold and wonder.

====23====

O DWELLERS IN THE CITY OF LOVE! Mortal blasts have beset the everlasting
candle, and the beauty of the celestial Youth is veiled in the darkness of
dust. The chief of the monarchs of love is wronged by the people of
tyranny and the dove of holiness lies prisoned in the talons of owls. The
dwellers in the pavilion of glory and the celestial concourse bewail and
lament, while ye repose in the realm of negligence, and esteem yourselves
as of the true friends. How vain are your imaginings!

====24====

O YE THAT ARE FOOLISH, YET HAVE A NAME TO BE WISE! Wherefore do ye wear
the guise of shepherds, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon
My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which,
though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city
astray into the paths of perdition.

====25====

O YE SEEMING FAIR YET INWARDLY FOUL! Ye are like clear but bitter water,
which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when tested by the
divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sun beam falls alike upon
the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in reflection even as doth the
star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the difference!

====26====

O MY FRIEND IN WORD! Ponder awhile. Hast thou ever heard that friend and
foe should abide in one heart? Cast out then the stranger, that the Friend
may enter His home.

====27====

O SON OF DUST! All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee,
except the human heart, which I have made the habitation of My beauty and
glory; yet thou didst give My home and dwelling to another than Me; and
whenever the manifestation of My holiness sought His own abode, a stranger
found He there, and, homeless, hastened unto the sanctuary of the Beloved.
Notwithstanding I have concealed thy secret and desired not thy shame.

====28====

O ESSENCE OF DESIRE! At many a dawn have I turned from the realms of the
Placeless unto thine abode, and found thee on the bed of ease busied with
others than Myself. Thereupon, even as the flash of the spirit, I returned
to the realms of celestial glory and breathed it not in My retreats above
unto the hosts of holiness.

====29====

O SON OF BOUNTY! Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the clay of My
command I made thee to appear, and have ordained for thy training every
atom in existence and the essence of all created things. Thus, ere thou
didst issue from thy mother's womb, I destined for thee two founts of
gleaming milk, eyes to watch over thee, and hearts to love thee. Out of My
loving-kindness, 'neath the shade of My mercy I nurtured thee, and guarded
thee by the essence of My grace and favor. And My purpose in all this was
that thou mightest attain My everlasting dominion and become worthy of My
invisible bestowals. And yet heedless thou didst remain, and when fully
grown, thou didst neglect all My bounties and occupied thyself with thine
idle imaginings, in such wise that thou didst become wholly forgetful,
and, turning away from the portals of the Friend didst abide within the
courts of My enemy.

====30====

O BOND SLAVE OF THE WORLD! Many a dawn hath the breeze of My
loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the bed of
heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing then thy plight it returned whence it
came.

====31====

O SON OF EARTH! Wouldst thou have Me, seek none other than Me; and wouldst
thou gaze upon My beauty, close thine eyes to the world and all that is
therein; for My will and the will of another than Me, even as fire and
water, cannot dwell together in one heart.

====32====

O BEFRIENDED STRANGER! The candle of thine heart is lighted by the hand of
My power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and passion. The
healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love
thy treasure and cherish it even as thy very sight and life.

====33====

O MY BROTHER! Hearken to the delightsome words of My honeyed tongue, and
quaff the stream of mystic holiness from My sugar-shedding lips. Sow the
seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of thy heart, and water them
with the water of certitude, that the hyacinths of My knowledge and wisdom
may spring up fresh and green in the sacred city of thy heart.

====34====

O DWELLERS OF MY PARADISE! With the hands of loving-kindness I have
planted in the holy garden of paradise the young tree of your love and
friendship, and have watered it with the goodly showers of My tender
grace; now that the hour of its fruiting is come, strive that it may be
protected, and be not consumed with the flame of desire and passion.

====35====

O MY FRIENDS! Quench ye the lamp of error, and kindle within your hearts
the everlasting torch of divine guidance. For ere long the assayers of
mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored, accept naught but
purest virtue and deeds of stainless holiness.

====36====

O SON OF DUST! The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a
hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he
findeth a seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his
heart until he gazeth upon the beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the
seeds of wisdom and knowledge in the pure soil of the heart, and keep them
hidden, till the hyacinths of divine wisdom spring from the heart and not
from mire and clay.

====37====

In the first line of the Tablet it is recorded and written, and within the
sanctuary of the tabernacle of God is hidden: O MY SERVANT! Abandon not
for that which perisheth an everlasting dominion, and cast not away
celestial sovereignty for a worldly desire. This is the river of
everlasting life that hath flowed from the well-spring of the pen of the
merciful; well is it with them that drink!

====38====

O SON OF SPIRIT! Burst thy cage asunder, and even as the phoenix of love
soar into the firmament of holiness. Renounce thyself and, filled with the
spirit of mercy, abide in the realm of celestial sanctity.

====39====

O OFFSPRING OF DUST! Be not content with the ease of a passing day, and
deprive not thyself of everlasting rest. Barter not the garden of eternal
delight for the dust-heap of a mortal world. Up from thy prison ascend
unto the glorious meads above, and from thy mortal cage wing thy flight
unto the paradise of the Placeless.

====40====

O MY SERVANT! Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy
soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee
no more.

====41====

O SON OF MY HANDMAID! Didst thou behold immortal sovereignty, thou wouldst
strive to pass from this fleeting world. But to conceal the one from thee
and to reveal the other is a mystery which none but the pure in heart can
comprehend.

====42====

O MY SERVANT! Purge thy heart from malice and, innocent of envy, enter the
divine court of holiness.

====43====

O MY FRIENDS! Walk ye in the ways of the good pleasure of the Friend, and
know that His pleasure is in the pleasure of His creatures. That is: no
man should enter the house of his friend save at his friend's pleasure,
nor lay hands upon his treasures nor prefer his own will to his friend's,
and in no wise seek an advantage over him. Ponder this, ye that have
insight!

====44====

O COMPANION OF MY THRONE! Hear no evil, and see no evil, abase not
thyself, neither sigh and weep. Speak no evil, that thou mayest not hear
it spoken unto thee, and magnify not the faults of others that thine own
faults may not appear great; and wish not the abasement of anyone, that
thine own abasement be not exposed. Live then the days of thy life, that
are less than a fleeting moment, with thy mind stainless, thy heart
unsullied, thy thoughts pure, and thy nature sanctified, so that, free and
content, thou mayest put away this mortal frame, and repair unto the
mystic paradise and abide in the eternal kingdom for evermore.

====45====

ALAS! ALAS! O LOVERS OF WORLDLY DESIRE! Even as the swiftness of lightning
ye have passed by the Beloved One, and have set your hearts on satanic
fancies. Ye bow the knee before your vain imagining, and call it truth. Ye
turn your eyes towards the thorn, and name it a flower. Not a pure breath
have ye breathed, nor hath the breeze of detachment been wafted from the
meadows of your hearts. Ye have cast to the winds the loving counsels of
the Beloved and have effaced them utterly from the tablet of your hearts,
and even as the beasts of the field, ye move and have your being within
the pastures of desire and passion.

====46====

O BRETHREN IN THE PATH! Wherefore have ye neglected the mention of the
Loved One, and kept remote from His holy presence? The essence of beauty
is within the peerless pavilion, set upon the throne of glory, whilst ye
busy yourselves with idle contentions. The sweet savors of holiness are
breathing and the breath of bounty is wafted, yet ye are all sorely
afflicted and deprived thereof. Alas for you and for them that walk in
your ways and follow in your footsteps!

====47====

O CHILDREN OF DESIRE! Put away the garment of vainglory, and divest
yourselves of the attire of haughtiness.

====48====

In the third of the most holy lines writ and recorded in the Ruby Tablet
by the pen of the unseen this is revealed: O BRETHREN! Be forbearing one
with another and set not your affections on things below. Pride not
yourselves in your glory, and be not ashamed of abasement. By My beauty! I
have created all things from dust, and to dust will I return them again.

====49====

O CHILDREN OF DUST! Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor,
lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them
of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine;
well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.

====50====

O QUINTESSENCE OF PASSION! Put away all covetousness and seek contentment;
for the covetous hath ever been deprived, and the contented hath ever been
loved and praised.

====51====

O SON OF MY HANDMAID! Be not troubled in poverty nor confident in riches,
for poverty is followed by riches, and riches are followed by poverty. Yet
to be poor in all save God is a wondrous gift, belittle not the value
thereof, for in the end it will make thee rich in God, and thus thou shalt
know the meaning of the utterance, "In truth ye are the poor," and the
holy words, "God is the all-possessing," shall even as the true morn break
forth gloriously resplendent upon the horizon of the lover's heart, and
abide secure on the throne of wealth.

====52====

O CHILDREN OF NEGLIGENCE AND PASSION! Ye have suffered My enemy to enter
My house and have cast out My friend, for ye have enshrined the love of
another than Me in your hearts. Give ear to the sayings of the Friend and
turn towards His paradise. Worldly friends, seeking their own good, appear
to love one the other, whereas the true Friend hath loved and doth love
you for your own sakes; indeed He hath suffered for your guidance
countless afflictions. Be not disloyal to such a Friend, nay rather hasten
unto Him. Such is the daystar of the word of truth and faithfulness, that
hath dawned above the horizon of the pen of the Lord of all names. Open
your ears that ye may hearken unto the word of God, the Help in peril, the
Self-existent.

====53====

O YE THAT PRIDE YOURSELVES ON MORTAL RICHES! Know ye in truth that wealth
is a mighty barrier between the seeker and his desire, the lover and his
beloved. The rich, but for a few, shall in no wise attain the court of His
presence nor enter the city of content and resignation. Well is it then
with him, who, being rich, is not hindered by his riches from the eternal
kingdom, nor deprived by them of imperishable dominion. By the Most Great
Name! The splendor of such a wealthy man shall illuminate the dwellers of
heaven even as the sun enlightens the people of the earth!

====54====

O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My
trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.

====55====

O SON OF PASSION! Cleanse thyself from the defilement of riches and in
perfect peace advance into the realm of poverty; that from the well-spring
of detachment thou mayest quaff the wine of immortal life.

====56====

O MY SON! The company of the ungodly increaseth sorrow, whilst fellowship
with the righteous cleanseth the rust from off the heart. He that seeketh
to commune with God, let him betake himself to the companionship of His
loved ones; and he that desireth to hearken unto the word of God, let him
give ear to the words of His chosen ones.

====57====

O SON OF DUST! Beware! Walk not with the ungodly and seek not fellowship
with him, for such companionship turneth the radiance of the heart into
infernal fire.

====58====

O SON OF MY HANDMAID! Wouldst thou seek the grace of the Holy Spirit,
enter into fellowship with the righteous, for he hath drunk the cup of
eternal life at the hands of the immortal Cup-bearer and even as the true
morn doth quicken and illumine the hearts of the dead.

====59====

O HEEDLESS ONES! Think not the secrets of hearts are hidden, nay, know ye
of a certainty that in clear characters they are engraved and are openly
manifest in the holy Presence.

====60====

O FRIENDS! Verily I say, whatsoever ye have concealed within your hearts
is to Us open and manifest as the day; but that it is hidden is of Our
grace and favor, and not of your deserving.

====61====

O SON OF MAN! A dewdrop out of the fathomless ocean of My mercy I have
shed upon the peoples of the world, yet found none turn thereunto,
inasmuch as every one hath turned away from the celestial wine of unity
unto the foul dregs of impurity, and, content with mortal cup, hath put
away the chalice of immortal beauty. Vile is that wherewith he is
contented.

====62====

O SON OF DUST! Turn not away thine eyes from the matchless wine of the
immortal Beloved, and open them not to foul and mortal dregs. Take from
the hands of the divine Cup-bearer the chalice of immortal life, that all
wisdom may be thine, and that thou mayest hearken unto the mystic voice
calling from the realm of the invisible. Cry aloud, ye that are of low
aim! Wherefore have ye turned away from My holy and immortal wine unto
evanescent water?

====63====

O YE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD! Know, verily, that an unforeseen calamity
followeth you, and grievous retribution awaiteth you. Think not that which
ye have committed hath been effaced in My sight. By My beauty! All your
doings hath My pen graven with open characters upon tablets of chrysolite.

====64====

O OPPRESSORS ON EARTH! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have
pledged Myself not to forgive any man's injustice. This is My covenant
which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed with
My seal.

====65====

O REBELLIOUS ONES! My forbearance hath emboldened you and My
long-suffering hath made you negligent, in such wise that ye have spurred
on the fiery charger of passion into perilous ways that lead unto
destruction. Have ye thought Me heedless or that I was unaware?

====66====

O EMIGRANTS! The tongue I have designed for the mention of Me, defile it
not with detraction. If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own
faults and not the faults of My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you
knoweth his own self better than he knoweth others.

====67====

O CHILDREN OF FANCY! Know, verily, that while the radiant dawn breaketh
above the horizon of eternal holiness, the satanic secrets and deeds done
in the gloom of night shall be laid bare and manifest before the peoples
of the world.

====68====

O WEED THAT SPRINGETH OUT OF DUST! Wherefore have not these soiled hands
of thine touched first thine own garment, and why with thine heart defiled
with desire and passion dost thou seek to commune with Me and to enter My
sacred realm? Far, far are ye from that which ye desire.

====69====

O CHILDREN OF ADAM! Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend unto the
heaven of celestial glory. Strive that your deeds may be cleansed from the
dust of self and hypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory; for ere
long the assayers of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored
One, accept naught but absolute virtue and deeds of stainless purity. This
is the daystar of wisdom and of divine mystery that hath shone above the
horizon of the divine will. Blessed are they that turn thereunto.

====70====

O SON OF WORLDLINESS! Pleasant is the realm of being, wert thou to attain
thereto; glorious is the domain of eternity, shouldst thou pass beyond the
world of mortality; sweet is the holy ecstasy if thou drinkest of the
mystic chalice from the hands of the celestial Youth. Shouldst thou attain
this station, thou wouldst be freed from destruction and death, from toil
and sin.

====71====

O MY FRIENDS! Call ye to mind that covenant ye have entered into with Me
upon Mount Paran, situate within the hallowed precincts of Zaman. I have
taken to witness the concourse on high and the dwellers in the city of
eternity, yet now none do I find faithful unto the covenant. Of a
certainty pride and rebellion have effaced it from the hearts, in such
wise that no trace thereof remaineth. Yet knowing this, I waited and
disclosed it not.

====72====

O MY SERVANT! Thou art even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the
darkness of its sheath and its value hidden from the artificer's
knowledge. Wherefore come forth from the sheath of self and desire that
thy worth may be made resplendent and manifest unto all the world.

====73====

O MY FRIEND! Thou art the daystar of the heavens of My holiness, let not
the defilement of the world eclipse thy splendor. Rend asunder the veil of
heedlessness, that from behind the clouds thou mayest emerge resplendent
and array all things with the apparel of life.

====74====

O CHILDREN OF VAINGLORY! For a fleeting sovereignty ye have abandoned My
imperishable dominion, and have adorned yourselves with the gay livery of
the world and made of it your boast. By My beauty! All will I gather
beneath the one-colored covering of the dust and efface all these diverse
colors save them that choose My own, and that is purging from every color.

====75====

O CHILDREN OF NEGLIGENCE! Set not your affections on mortal sovereignty
and rejoice not therein. Ye are even as the unwary bird that with full
confidence warbleth upon the bough; till of a sudden the fowler Death
throws it upon the dust, and the melody, the form and the color are gone,
leaving not a trace. Wherefore take heed, O bondslaves of desire!

====76====

O SON OF MY HANDMAID! Guidance hath ever been given by words, and now it
is given by deeds. Every one must show forth deeds that are pure and holy,
for words are the property of all alike, whereas such deeds as these
belong only to Our loved ones. Strive then with heart and soul to
distinguish yourselves by your deeds. In this wise We counsel you in this
holy and resplendent tablet.

====77====

O SON OF JUSTICE! In the night-season the beauty of the immortal Being
hath repaired from the emerald height of fidelity unto the
Sadratu'l-Muntaha, and wept with such a weeping that the concourse on high
and the dwellers of the realms above wailed at His lamenting. Whereupon
there was asked, Why the wailing and weeping? He made reply: As bidden I
waited expectant upon the hill of faithfulness, yet inhaled not from them
that dwell on earth the fragrance of fidelity. Then summoned to return I
beheld, and lo! certain doves of holiness were sore tried within the claws
of the dogs of earth. Thereupon the Maid of heaven hastened forth unveiled
and resplendent from Her mystic mansion, and asked of their names, and all
were told but one. And when urged, the first letter thereof was uttered,
whereupon the dwellers of the celestial chambers rushed forth out of their
habitation of glory. And whilst the second letter was pronounced they fell
down, one and all, upon the dust. At that moment a voice was heard from
the inmost shrine: "Thus far and no farther." Verily We bear witness to
that which they have done and now are doing.

====78====

O SON OF MY HANDMAID! Quaff from the tongue of the merciful the stream of
divine mystery, and behold from the dayspring of divine utterance the
unveiled splendor of the daystar of wisdom. Sow the seeds of My divine
wisdom in the pure soil of the heart, and water them with the waters of
certitude, that the hyacinths of knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh
and green from the holy city of the heart.

====79====

O SON OF DESIRE! How long wilt thou soar in the realms of desire? Wings
have I bestowed upon thee, that thou mayest fly to the realms of mystic
holiness and not the regions of satanic fancy. The comb, too, have I given
thee that thou mayest dress My raven locks, and not lacerate My throat.

====80====

O MY SERVANTS! Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth goodly
and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom.
Thus it is incumbent on every one to engage in crafts and professions, for
therein lies the secret of wealth, O men of understanding! For results
depend upon means, and the grace of God shall be all-sufficient unto you.
Trees that yield no fruit have been and will ever be for the fire.

====81====

O MY SERVANT! The basest of men are they that yield no fruit on earth.
Such men are verily counted as among the dead, nay better are the dead in
the sight of God than those idle and worthless souls.

====82====

O MY SERVANT! The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their
calling and spend upon themselves and upon their kindred for the love of
God, the Lord of all worlds. The mystic and wondrous Bride, hidden ere
this beneath the veiling of utterance, hath now, by the grace of God and
His divine favor, been made manifest even as the resplendent light shed by
the beauty of the Beloved. I bear witness, O friends! that the favor is
complete, the argument fulfilled, the proof manifest and the evidence
established. Let it now be seen what your endeavors in the path of
detachment will reveal. In this wise hath the divine favor been fully
vouchsafed unto you and unto them that are in heaven and on earth. All
praise to God, the Lord of all Worlds.

---- dataentry works ----
type            : book
author_pages    : person:baha-u-llah
year            : 1857
syear           : 3857
description     :
related_pages   : human life
topic_tags      : spirituality, knowledge, humanity
----
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