The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER ONE 8 страница
31. Methinks, but for the potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. 32. How resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop! 33. To a supreme degree is this true of man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such distinction. 34. For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled or surpassed. 35. All these names and attributes are applicable to him, even as He hath said: “Man is My mystery, and I am his mystery.” 36. Manifold are the verses that have been repeatedly revealed in all the heavenly Books and the holy Scriptures, expressive of this most subtle and lofty theme. 37. Even as He hath revealed: “We will surely show them Our signs in the world and within themselves.” 38. Again He saith: “And also in your own selves: will ye not then behold the signs of God?” 39. And yet again He revealeth: “And be ye not like those who forget God, and whom He hath therefore caused to forget their own selves.” 40. In this connection, He Who is the eternal King —may the souls of all that dwell within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him— hath spoken: “He hath known God who hath known himself.” The Book of Certitude CHAPTER TWO Divisions 41-70 2ND CERTITUDE 41. I swear by God, O esteemed and honored friend! 42. Shouldst thou ponder these words in thine heart, thou wilt of a certainty find the doors of divine wisdom and infinite knowledge flung open before thy face. 43. From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all things, in their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the names and attributes of God within them. 44. Each according to its capacity, indicateth, and is expressive of, the knowledge of God. So potent and universal is this revelation, that it hath encompassed all things, visible and invisible. 45. Thus hath He revealed: “Hath aught else save Thee a power of revelation which is not possessed by Thee, that it could have manifested Thee? 46. Blind is the eye which doth not perceive Thee.” 47. Likewise, hath the eternal King spoken: “No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived God within it, God before it, or God after it.” 48. Also in the tradition of Kumayl it is written: “Behold, a light hath shone forth out of the Morn of eternity, and lo! its waves have penetrated the inmost reality of all men.” 49. Man, the noblest and most perfect of all created things, excelleth them all in the intensity of this revelation, and is a fuller expression of its glory. 50. And of all men, the most accomplished, the most distinguished and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth. 51. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations live by the operation of their Will, and move and have their being through the outpourings of their grace. 52. “But for Thee, I would have not created the heavens.” 53. Nay, all in their holy presence fade into utter nothingness, and are a thing forgotten. 54. Human tongue can never befittingly sing their praise, and human speech can never unfold their mystery. 55. These Tabernacles of holiness, these primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. 56. By the revelation of these gems of divine virtue all the names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty and grace, are made manifest. 57. These attributes of God are not and have never been vouchsafed specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. 58. Nay, all the Prophets of God, His well-favored, His holy, and chosen Messengers, are, without exception, the bearers of His names, and the embodiments of His attributes. 59. They only differ in the intensity of their revelation, and the comparative potency of their light. 60. Even as He hath revealed: “Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others.” 61. It hath therefore become manifest and evident that within the tabernacles of these Prophets and chosen Ones of God the light of His infinite names and exalted attributes hath been reflected, even though the light of some of these attributes may or may not be outwardly revealed from these luminous Temples to the eyes of men. 62. That a certain attribute of God hath not been outwardly manifested by these Essences of Detachment doth in no wise imply that they Who are the Daysprings of God’s attributes and the Treasuries of His holy names did not actually possess it. 63. Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these beauteous Visages have, each and every one of them, been endowed with all the attributes of God, such as sovereignty, dominion, and the like, even though to outward seeming they be shorn of all earthly majesty. 64. To every discerning eye this is evident and manifest; it requireth neither proof nor evidence. 65. Yea, inasmuch as the peoples of the world have failed to seek from the luminous and crystal Springs of divine knowledge the inner meaning of God’s holy words, they therefore have languished, stricken and sore athirst, in the vale of idle fancy and waywardness. 66. They have strayed far from the fresh and thirst-subduing waters, and gathered round the salt that burneth bitterly. 67. Concerning them, the Dove of Eternity hath spoken: “And if they see the path of righteousness, they will not take it for their path; but if they see the path of error, for their path will they take it. This, because they treated Our signs as lies, and were heedless of them.” 68. To this testifieth that which hath been witnessed in this wondrous and exalted Dispensation. 69. Myriads of holy verses have descended from the heaven of might and grace, yet no one hath turned thereunto, nor ceased to cling to those words of men, not one letter of which they that have spoken them comprehend. 70. For this reason the people have doubted incontestable truths, such as these, and caused themselves to be deprived of the Ridván of divine knowledge, and the eternal meads of celestial wisdom. The Book of Certitude CHAPTER THREE Divisions 71-105 2ND CERTITUDE 71. And now, to resume Our argument concerning the question: 72. Why is it that the sovereignty of the Qá’im, affirmed in the text of recorded traditions, and handed down by the shining stars of the Muhammadan Dispensation, hath not in the least been made manifest? 73. Nay, the contrary hath come to pass. Have not His disciples and companions been afflicted of men? 74. Are they not still the victims of the fierce opposition of their enemies? 75. Are they not today leading the life of abased and impotent mortals? 76. Yea, the sovereignty attributed to the Qá’im and spoken of in the scriptures is a reality, the truth of which none can doubt. 77. This sovereignty, however, is not the sovereignty which the minds of men have falsely imagined. 78. Moreover, the Prophets of old, each and every one, whenever announcing to the people of their day the advent of the coming Revelation, have invariably and specifically referred to that sovereignty with which the promised Manifestation must needs be invested. 79. This is attested by the records of the scriptures of the past. 80. This sovereignty hath not been solely and exclusively attributed to the Qá’im. 81. Nay rather, the attribute of sovereignty and all other names and attributes of God have been and will ever be vouchsafed unto all the Manifestations of God, before and after Him, inasmuch as these Manifestations, as it hath already been explained, are the Embodiments of the attributes of God, the Invisible, and the Revealers of the divine mysteries. 82. Furthermore, by sovereignty is meant the all-encompassing, all-pervading power which is inherently exercised by the Qá’im whether or not He appear to the world clothed in the majesty of earthly dominion. 83. This is solely dependent upon the will and pleasure of the Qá’im Himself. 84. You will readily recognize that the terms sovereignty, wealth, life, death, judgment and resurrection, spoken of by the scriptures of old, are not what this generation hath conceived and vainly imagined. 85. Nay, by sovereignty is meant that sovereignty which in every dispensation resideth within, and is exercised by, the person of the Manifestation, the Daystar of Truth. 86. That sovereignty is the spiritual ascendancy which He exerciseth to the fullest degree over all that is in heaven and on earth, and which in due time revealeth itself to the world in direct proportion to its capacity and spiritual receptiveness, even as the sovereignty of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, is today apparent and manifest amongst the people. 87. You are well aware of what befell His Faith in the early days of His dispensation. 88. What woeful sufferings did the hand of the infidel and erring, the divines of that age and their associates, inflict upon that spiritual Essence, that most pure and holy Being! 89. How abundant the thorns and briars which they have strewn over His path! 90. It is evident that wretched generation, in their wicked and satanic fancy, regarded every injury to that immortal Being as a means to the attainment of an abiding felicity; inasmuch as the recognized divines of that age, such as ‘Abdu’lláh-i-Ubayy, ‘Abú-‘Ámir, the hermit, Ka‘b-Ibn-i-Ashraf, and Nadr-Ibn-i-Hárith, all treated Him as an impostor, and pronounced Him a lunatic and a calumniator. 91. Such sore accusations they brought against Him that in recounting them God forbiddeth the ink to flow, Our pen to move, or the page to bear them. 92. These malicious imputations provoked the people to arise and torment Him. 93. And how fierce that torment if the divines of the age be its chief instigators, if they denounce Him to their followers, cast Him out from their midst, and declare Him a miscreant! 94. Hath not the same befallen this Servant, and been witnessed by all? 95. For this reason did Muhammad cry out: “No Prophet of God hath suffered such harm as I have suffered.” 96. And in the Qur’án are recorded all the calumnies and reproaches uttered against Him, as well as all the afflictions which He suffered. 97. Refer ye thereunto, that haply ye may be informed of that which hath befallen His Revelation. 98. So grievous was His plight, that for a time all ceased to hold intercourse with Him and His companions. 99. Whoever associated with Him fell a victim to the relentless cruelty of His enemies. 100. We shall cite in this connection only one verse of that Book. 101. Shouldst thou observe it with a discerning eye, thou wilt, all the remaining days of thy life, lament and bewail the injury of Muhammad, that wronged and oppressed Messenger of God. 102. That verse was revealed at a time when Muhammad languished weary and sorrowful beneath the weight of the opposition of the people, and of their unceasing torture. 103. In the midst of His agony, the Voice of Gabriel, calling from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá, was heard saying: 104. “But if their opposition be grievous to Thee —if Thou canst, seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven.” 105. The implication of this utterance is that His case had no remedy, that they would not withhold their hands from Him unless He should hide Himself beneath the depths of the earth, or take His flight unto heaven. The Book of Certitude CHAPTER FOUR Divisions 106-135 2ND CERTITUDE 106. Consider, how great is the change today! 107. Behold, how many are the Sovereigns who bow the knee before His name! 108. How numerous the nations and kingdoms who have sought the shelter of His shadow, who bear allegiance to His Faith, and pride themselves therein! 109. From the pulpit-top there ascendeth today the words of praise which, in utter lowliness, glorify His blessed name; and from the heights of minarets there resoundeth the call that summoneth the concourse of His people to adore Him. 110. Even those Kings of the earth who have refused to embrace His Faith and to put off the garment of unbelief, nonetheless confess and acknowledge the greatness and overpowering majesty of that Daystar of loving-kindness. 111. Such is His earthly sovereignty, the evidences of which thou dost on every side behold. 112. This sovereignty must needs be revealed and established either in the lifetime of every Manifestation of God or after His ascension unto His true habitation in the realms above. 113. What thou dost witness today is but a confirmation of this truth. 114. That spiritual ascendancy, however, which is primarily intended, resideth within, and revolveth around Them from eternity even unto eternity. 115. It can never for a moment be divorced from Them. 116. Its dominion hath encompassed all that is in heaven and on earth. 117. The following is an evidence of the sovereignty exercised by Muhammad, the Daystar of Truth. 118. Hast thou not heard how with one single verse He hath sundered light from darkness, the righteous from the ungodly, and the believing from the infidel? 119. All the signs and allusions concerning the Day of Judgment, which thou hast heard, such as the raising of the dead, the Day of Reckoning, the Last Judgment, and others have been made manifest through the revelation of that verse. 120. These revealed words were a blessing to the righteous who on hearing them exclaimed: “O God our Lord, we have heard, and obeyed.” 121. They were a curse to the people of iniquity who, on hearing them, affirmed: “We have heard and rebelled.” 122. Those words, sharp as the sword of God, have separated the faithful from the infidel, and severed father from son. 123. Thou hast surely witnessed how they that have confessed their faith in Him and they that rejected Him have warred against each other, and sought one another’s property. 124. How many fathers have turned away from their sons; how many lovers have shunned their beloved! 125. So mercilessly trenchant was this wondrous sword of God that it cleft asunder every relationship! 126. On the other hand, consider the welding power of His Word. 127. Observe, how those in whose midst the Satan of self had for years sown the seeds of malice and hate became so fused and blended through their allegiance to this wondrous and transcendent Revelation that it seemed as if they had sprung from the same loins. 128. Such is the binding force of the Word of God, which uniteth the hearts of them that have renounced all else but Him, who have believed in His signs, and quaffed from the Hand of glory the Kawthar of God’s holy grace. 129. Furthermore, how numerous are those peoples of divers beliefs, of conflicting creeds, and opposing temperaments, who, through the reviving fragrance of the Divine springtime, breathing from the Ridván of God, have been arrayed with the new robe of divine Unity, and have drunk from the cup of His singleness! 130. This is the significance of the well-known words: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together.” 131 Behold the ignorance and folly of those who, like the nations of old, are still expecting to witness the time when these beasts will feed together in one pasture! 132. Such is their low estate. 133. Methinks, never have their lips touched the cup of understanding, neither have their feet trodden the path of justice. 134. Besides, of what profit would it be to the world were such a thing to take place? 135. How well hath He spoken concerning them: “Hearts have they, with which they understand not, and eyes have they with which they see not!” The Book of Certitude CHAPTER FIVE Divisions 136-165 2ND CERTITUDE 136. Consider how with this one verse which hath descended from the heaven of the Will of God, the world and all that is therein have been brought to a reckoning with Him. 137. Whosoever acknowledged His truth and turned unto Him, his good works outweighed his misdeeds, and all his sins were remitted and forgiven. 138. Thereby is the truth of these words concerning Him made manifest: “Swift is He in reckoning.” 139. Thus God turneth iniquity into righteousness, were ye to explore the realms of divine knowledge, and fathom the mysteries of His wisdom. 140. In like manner, whosoever partook of the cup of love, obtained his portion of the ocean of eternal grace and of the showers of everlasting mercy, and entered into the life of faith—the heavenly and everlasting life. 141. But he that turned away from that cup was condemned to eternal death. 142. By the terms “life” and “death,” spoken of in the scriptures, is intended the life of faith and the death of unbelief. 143. The generality of the people, owing to their failure to grasp the meaning of these words, rejected and despised the person of the Manifestation, deprived themselves of the light of His divine guidance, and refused to follow the example of that immortal Beauty. 144. When the light of Qur’ánic Revelation was kindled within the chamber of Muhammad’s holy heart, He passed upon the people the verdict of the Last Day, the verdict of resurrection, of judgment, of life, and of death. 145. Thereupon the standards of revolt were hoisted, and the doors of derision opened. 146. Thus hath He, the Spirit of God, recorded, as spoken by the infidels: 147. “And if thou shouldst say, ‘After death ye shall surely be raised again,’ the infidels will certainly exclaim, ‘This is nothing but manifest sorcery.’” 148. Again He speaketh: “If ever thou dost marvel, marvelous surely is their saying, ‘What! When we have become dust, shall we be restored in a new creation?’” 149. Thus, in another passage, He wrathfully exclaimeth: “Are We wearied out with the first creation? 150. Yet are they in doubt with regard to a new creation!” 151. As the commentators of the Qur’án and they that follow the letter thereof misapprehended the inner meaning of the words of God and failed to grasp their essential purpose, 152. they sought to demonstrate that, according to the rules of grammar, whenever the term “idhá” (meaning “if” or “when”) precedeth the past tense, it invariably hath reference to the future. 153. Later, they were sore perplexed in attempting to explain those verses of the Book wherein that term did not actually occur. 154. Even as He hath revealed: “And there was a blast on the trumpet—lo! it is the threatened Day! 155. And every soul is summoned to a reckoning—with him an impeller and a witness.” 156. In explaining this and similar verses, they have in some cases argued that the term “idhá” is implied. 157. In other instances, they have idly contended that whereas the Day of Judgment is inevitable, it hath therefore been referred to as an event not of the future but of the past. 158. How vain their sophistry! 159. How grievous their blindness! 160. They refuse to recognize the trumpet-blast which so explicitly in this text was sounded through the revelation of Muhammad.
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