The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER ONE 4 страница
360. From time immemorial such hath been the way of God amidst His creatures, and to this testify the records of the sacred books. 361. And likewise, reflect upon the revealed verse concerning the “Qiblih.” [the center of Mecca] 362. When Muhammad, the Sun of Prophethood, had fled from the dayspring of Bathá unto Yathrib, He continued to turn His face, while praying, unto Jerusalem, the holy city, until the time when the Jews began to utter unseemly words against Him—words which if mentioned would ill befit these pages and would weary the reader. 363. Muhammad strongly resented these words. 364. Whilst, wrapt in meditation and wonder, He was gazing toward heaven, He heard the kindly Voice of Gabriel, saying: 365. “We behold Thee from above, turning Thy face to heaven; but We will have Thee turn to a Qiblih which shall please Thee.” 366. On a subsequent day, when the Prophet, together with His companions, was offering the noontide prayer, and had already performed two of the prescribed Rak‘ats, the Voice of Gabriel was heard again: 367. “Turn Thou Thy face towards the sacred Mosque.” 368. In the midst of that same prayer, Muhammad suddenly turned His face away from Jerusalem and faced the Ka‘bih. 369. Whereupon, a profound dismay seized suddenly the companions of the Prophet. 370. Their faith was shaken severely. 371. So great was their alarm, that many of them, discontinuing their prayer, apostatized their faith. 372. Verily, God caused not this turmoil but to test and prove His servants. 373. Otherwise, He, the ideal King, could easily have left the Qiblih unchanged, and could have caused Jerusalem to remain the Point of Adoration unto His Dispensation, thereby withholding not from that holy city the distinction of acceptance which had been conferred upon it. 374. None of the many Prophets sent down, since Moses was made manifest, as Messengers of the Word of God, such as David, Jesus, and others among the more exalted Manifestations who have appeared during the intervening period between the Revelations of Moses and Muhammad, ever altered the law of the Qiblih. 375. These Messengers of the Lord of creation have, one and all, directed their peoples to turn unto the same direction. 376. In the eyes of God, the ideal King, all the places of the earth are one and the same, excepting that place which, in the days of His Manifestations, He doth appoint for a particular purpose. 377. Even as He hath revealed: “The East and West are God’s: therefore whichever way ye turn, there is the face of God.” 378. Notwithstanding the truth of these facts, why should the Qiblih have been changed, thus casting such dismay amongst the people, causing the companions of the Prophet to waver, and throwing so great a confusion into their midst? 379. Yea, such things as throw consternation into the hearts of all men come to pass only that each soul may be tested by the touchstone of God, that the true may be known and distinguished from the false. 380. Thus hath He revealed after the breach amongst the people: “We did not appoint that which Thou wouldst have to be the Qiblih, but that We might know him who followeth the Apostle from him who turneth on his heels.” “Affrighted asses fleeing from a lion.” The Book of Certitude CHAPTER THIRTEEN Divisions 381-420 1ST CERTITUDE 381. Were you to ponder, but for a while, these utterances in your heart, you would surely find the portals of understanding unlocked before your face, and would behold all knowledge and the mysteries thereof unveiled before your eyes. 382. Such things take place only that the souls of men may develop and be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire. 383. Otherwise, that ideal King hath, throughout eternity, been in His Essence independent of the comprehension of all beings, and will continue, forever, in His own Being to be exalted above the adoration of every soul. 384. A single breeze of His affluence doth suffice to adorn all mankind with the robe of wealth; and one drop out of the ocean of His bountiful grace is enough to confer upon all beings the glory of everlasting life. 385. But inasmuch as the divine Purpose hath decreed that the true should be known from the false, and the sun from the shadow, He hath, therefore, in every season sent down upon mankind the showers of tests from His realm of glory. 386. Were men to meditate upon the lives of the Prophets of old, so easily would they come to know and understand the ways of these Prophets that they would cease to be veiled by such deeds and words as are contrary to their own worldly desires, and thus consume every intervening veil with the fire burning in the Bush of divine knowledge, and abide secure upon the throne of peace and certitude. 387. For instance, consider Moses, son of ‘Imrán, one of the exalted Prophets and Author of a divinely revealed Book. 388. Whilst passing, one day, through the market, in His early days, ere His ministry was proclaimed, He saw two men engaged in fighting. 389. One of them asked the help of Moses against his opponent. 390. Whereupon, Moses intervened and slew him. 391. To this testifieth the record of the sacred Book. 392. Should the details be cited, they will lengthen and interrupt the course of the argument. 393. The report of this incident spread throughout the city, and Moses was full of fear, as is witnessed by the text of the Book. 394. And when the warning: “O Moses! of a truth, the chiefs take counsel to slay Thee” reached His ears, He went forth from the city, and sojourned in Midian in the service of Shoeb. 395. While returning, Moses entered the holy vale, situate in the wilderness of Sinai, and there beheld the vision of the King of glory from the “Tree that belongeth neither to the East nor to the West.” 396. There He heard the soul-stirring Voice of the Spirit speaking from out of the kindled Fire, bidding Him to shed upon Pharaonic souls the light of divine guidance; so that, liberating them from the shadows of the valley of self and desire, He might enable them to attain the meads of heavenly delight, and delivering them, through the Salsabíl of renunciation, from the bewilderment of remoteness, [He might] cause them to enter the peaceful city of the divine presence. 397. When Moses came unto Pharaoh and delivered unto him, as bidden by God, the divine Message, Pharaoh spoke insultingly saying: “Art thou not he that committed murder, and became an infidel?” 398. Thus recounted the Lord of majesty as having been said by Pharaoh unto Moses: “What a deed is that which Thou hast done! Thou art one of the ungrateful. 399. He said: ‘I did it indeed, and I was one of those who erred. 400. And I fled from you when I feared you, but My Lord hath given Me wisdom, and hath made Me one of His Apostles.’” 401. And now ponder in thy heart the commotion which God stirreth up. 402. Reflect upon the strange and manifold trials with which He doth test His servants. 403. Consider how He hath suddenly chosen from among His servants, and entrusted with the exalted mission of divine guidance Him Who was known as guilty of homicide, Who, Himself, had acknowledged His cruelty, and Who for well-nigh 30 years had, in the eyes of the world, been reared in the home of Pharaoh and been nourished at his table. 404. Was not God, the omnipotent King, able to withhold the hand of Moses from murder, so that manslaughter should not be attributed unto Him, causing bewilderment and aversion among the people? 405. Likewise, reflect upon the state and condition of Mary. So deep was the perplexity of that most beauteous visage, so grievous her case, that she bitterly regretted she had ever been born. 406. To this beareth witness the text of the sacred verse wherein it is mentioned that after Mary had given birth to Jesus, she bemoaned her plight and cried out: 407. “O would that I had died ere this, and been a thing forgotten, forgotten quite!” 408. I swear by God! Such lamenting consumeth the heart and shaketh the being. 409. Such consternation of soul, such despondency, could have been caused by no other than the censure of the enemy and the cavilings of the infidel and perverse. 410. Reflect, what answer could Mary have given to the people around her? 411. How could she claim that a Babe Whose father was unknown had been conceived of the Holy Ghost? 412. Therefore did Mary, that veiled and immortal Visage, take up her Child and return unto her home. 413. No sooner had the eyes of the people fallen upon her than they raised their voice saying: “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of wickedness, nor unchaste thy mother.” 414. And now, meditate upon this most great convulsion, this grievous test. 415. Notwithstanding all these things, God conferred upon that essence of the Spirit, Who was known amongst the people as fatherless, the glory of Prophethood, and made Him His testimony unto all that are in heaven and on earth. 416. Behold how contrary are the ways of the Manifestations of God, as ordained by the King of creation, to the ways and desires of men! 417. As thou comest to comprehend the essence of these divine mysteries, thou wilt grasp the purpose of God, the divine Charmer, the Best-Beloved. 418. Thou wilt regard the words and the deeds of that almighty Sovereign as one and the same; in such wise that whatsoever thou dost behold in His deeds, the same wilt thou find in His sayings, and whatsoever thou dost read in His sayings, that wilt thou recognize in His deeds. 419. Thus it is that outwardly such deeds and words are the fire of vengeance unto the wicked, and inwardly the waters of mercy unto the righteous. 420. Were the eye of the heart to open, it would surely perceive that the words revealed from the heaven of the will of God are at one with, and the same as, the deeds that have emanated from the Kingdom of divine power. The Book of Certitude CHAPTER FOURTEEN Divisions 421-450 1ST CERTITUDE 421. And now, take heed, O brother! 422. If such things be revealed in this Dispensation, and such incidents come to pass, at the present time, what would the people do? 423. I swear by Him Who is the true Educator of mankind and the Revealer of the Word of God that the people would instantly and unquestionably pronounce Him an infidel and would sentence Him to death. 424. How far are they from hearkening unto the voice that declareth: 425. Lo! a Jesus hath appeared out of the breath of the Holy Ghost, and a Moses summoned to a divinely appointed task! 426. Were a myriad voices to be raised, no ear would listen if We said that upon a fatherless Child hath been conferred the mission of Prophethood, or that a murderer hath brought from the flame of the Burning Bush the message of “Verily, verily, I am God!” 427. If the eye of justice be opened, it will readily recognize, in the light of that which hath been mentioned, that He, Who is the Cause and ultimate Purpose of all these things, is made manifest in this day. 428. Though similar events have not occurred in this Dispensation, yet the people still cling to such vain imaginings as are cherished by the reprobate. 429. How grievous the charges brought against Him! 430. How severe the persecutions inflicted upon Him —charges and persecutions the like of which men have neither seen nor heard! 431. Great God! When the stream of utterance reached this stage, We beheld, and lo! 432. the sweet savors of God were being wafted from the dayspring of Revelation, and the morning breeze was blowing out of the Sheba of the Eternal. 433. Its tidings rejoiced anew the heart, and imparted immeasurable gladness to the soul. 434. It made all things new, and brought unnumbered and inestimable gifts from the unknowable Friend. 435. The robe of human praise can never hope to match Its noble stature, and Its shining figure the mantle of utterance can never fit. 436. Without word It unfoldeth the inner mysteries, and without speech It revealeth the secrets of the divine sayings. 437. It teacheth lamentation and moaning to the nightingales warbling upon the bough of remoteness and bereavement, instructeth them in the art of love’s ways, and showeth them the secret of heart-surrender. 438. To the flowers of the Ridván of heavenly reunion It revealeth the endearments of the impassioned lover, and unveileth the charm of the fair. 439. Upon the anemones of the garden of love It bestoweth the mysteries of truth, and within the breasts of lovers It entrusteth the symbols of the innermost subtleties. 440. At this hour, so liberal is the outpouring of Its grace that the holy Spirit itself is envious! 441. It hath imparted to the drop the waves of the sea, and endowed the mote with the splendor of the sun. 442. So great are the overflowings of Its bounty that the foulest beetle hath sought the perfume of the musk, and the bat the light of the sun. 443. It hath quickened the dead with the breath of life, and caused them to speed out of the sepulchers of their mortal bodies. 444. It hath established the ignorant upon the seats of learning, and elevated the oppressor to the throne of justice. 445. The universe is pregnant with these manifold bounties, awaiting the hour when the effects of Its unseen gifts will be made manifest in this world, when the languishing and sore athirst will attain the living Kawthar of their Well-Beloved, 446. and the erring wanderer, lost in the wilds of remoteness and nothingness, will enter the tabernacle of life, and attain reunion with his heart’s desire. 447. In the soil of whose heart will these holy seeds germinate? 448. From the garden of whose soul will the blossoms of the invisible realities spring forth? 449. Verily, I say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love, burning in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming waters of holy utterance can never quench its flame. 450. Oceans can never allay this Leviathan’s burning thirst, and this Phoenix of the undying fire can abide nowhere save in the glow of the visage of the Well-Beloved. The Book of Certitude CHAPTER FIFTEEN Divisions 451-490 1ST CERTITUDE 451. Therefore, O brother! kindle with the oil of wisdom the lamp of the spirit within the innermost chamber of thy heart, and guard it with the globe of understanding, that the breath of the infidel may extinguish not its flame nor dim its brightness. 452. Thus have We illuminated the heavens of utterance with the splendors of the Sun of divine wisdom and understanding, that thy heart may find peace, that thou mayest be of those who, on the wings of certitude, have soared unto the heaven of the love of their Lord, the All-Merciful. 453. And now, concerning His words: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” 454. By these words it is meant that when the sun of the heavenly teachings hath been eclipsed, the stars of the divinely established laws have fallen, and the moon of true knowledge—the educator of mankind—hath been obscured; 455. when the standards of guidance and felicity have been reversed, and the morn of truth and righteousness hath sunk in night, then shall the sign of the Son of man appear in heaven. 456. By “heaven” is meant the visible heaven, inasmuch as when the hour draweth nigh on which the Daystar of the heaven of justice shall be made manifest, and the Ark of divine guidance shall sail upon the sea of glory, 457. a star will appear in the heaven, heralding unto its people the advent of that most great light. 458. In like manner, in the invisible heaven a star shall be made manifest who, unto the peoples of the earth, shall act as a harbinger of the break of that true and exalted Morn. 459. These twofold signs, in the visible and the invisible heaven, have announced the Revelation of each of the Prophets of God, as is commonly believed. 460. Among the Prophets was Abraham, the Friend of God. 461. Ere He manifested Himself, Nimrod dreamed a dream. 462. Thereupon, he summoned the soothsayers, who informed him of the rise of a star in the heaven. 463. Likewise, there appeared a herald who announced throughout the land the coming of Abraham. 464. After Him came Moses, He Who held converse with God. 465. The soothsayers of His time warned Pharaoh in these terms: “ 466. A star hath risen in the heaven, and lo! it foreshadoweth the conception of a Child Who holdeth your fate and the fate of your people in His hand.” 467. In like manner, there appeared a sage who, in the darkness of the night, brought tidings of joy unto the people of Israel, imparting consolation to their souls, and assurance to their hearts. 468. To this testify the records of the sacred books. 469. Were the details to be mentioned, this epistle would swell into a book. 470. Moreover, it is not Our wish to relate the stories of the days that are past. 471. God is Our witness that what We even now mention is due solely to Our tender affection for thee, 472. that haply the poor of the earth may attain the shores of the sea of wealth, the ignorant be led unto the ocean of divine knowledge, and they that thirst for understanding partake of the Salsabíl of divine wisdom. 473. Otherwise, this servant regardeth the consideration of such records a grave mistake and a grievous transgression. 474. In like manner, when the hour of the Revelation of Jesus drew nigh, a few of the Magi, aware that the star of Jesus had appeared in heaven, sought and followed it, till they came unto the city which was the seat of the Kingdom of Herod. 475. The sway of his sovereignty in those days embraced the whole of that land. 476. These Magi said: “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east and are come to worship Him!” 477. When they had searched, they found out that in Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, the Child had been born. 478. This was the sign that was manifested in the visible heaven. 479. As to the sign in the invisible heaven—the heaven of divine knowledge and understanding— it was Yahyá, son of Zachariah, who gave unto the people the tidings of the Manifestation of Jesus. 480. Even as He hath revealed: “God announceth Yahyá to thee, who shall bear witness unto the Word from God, and a great one and chaste.” 481. By the term “Word” is meant Jesus, Whose coming Yahyá foretold. 482. Moreover, in the heavenly Scriptures it is written: 483. “John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 484. By John is meant Yahyá. 485. Likewise, ere the beauty of Muhammad was unveiled, the signs of the visible heaven were made manifest. 486. As to the signs of the invisible heaven, there appeared four men who successively announced unto the people the joyful tidings of the rise of that divine Luminary. 487. Rúz-bih, later named Salmán, was honored by being in their service. 488. As the end of one of these approached, he would send Rúz-bih unto the other, until the fourth who, feeling his death to be nigh, addressed Rúz-bih saying:
Дата добавления: 2019-02-13; просмотров: 200; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!