The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Divisions 1081-1115
EPISTLE TO THE SON OF THE WOLF
1081.
Would that His Majesty the Sháh of Persia
—may God perpetuate his sovereignty—
would inquire from the Consuls of the honored Persian Government who have been in this country, that he might become acquainted with the activities and behavior of this Wronged One.
1082.
Briefly, they have incited a great many such as Akhtar and others,
and are busying themselves in spreading calumnies.
1083.
It is clear and evident that they will surround with their swords of hatred and their shafts of enmity the one whom they know to be an outcast among men and to have been banished from one country to another.
1084.
This is not the first time that such iniquity hath been perpetrated,
nor the first goblet that hath been dashed to the ground,
nor the first veil that hath been rent in twain in the path of God,
the Lord of the worlds.
1085.
This Wronged One, however, remained calm and silent in the Most Great Prison,
busying Himself with His own affairs, and completely detached from all else but God.
1086.
Iniquity waxed so grievous that the pens of the world are powerless to record it.
1087.
In this connection it is necessary to mention the following occurrence,
that haply men may take fast hold of the cord of justice and truthfulness.
1088.
Hájí Sheik Muhammad ‘Alí—upon him be the glory of God, the Ever-Abiding—
was a merchant of high repute, well-known unto most of the inhabitants of the Great City (Constantinople).
1089.
Not long ago, when the Persian Embassy in Constantinople was secretly engaged in stirring up mischief, it was noticed that this believing and sincere soul was greatly distressed.
1090.
Finally, one night he threw himself into the sea,
yet was rescued by some passers-by who chanced to come upon him at that moment.
1091.
His act was widely commented upon and given varied interpretations by different people.
1092.
Following this, one night he repaired to a mosque,
and, as reported by the guardian of that place, kept vigil the whole night,
and was occupied until the morning
in offering, ardently and with tearful eyes, his prayers and supplications.
1093.
Upon hearing him suddenly cease his devotions, the guardian went to him,
and found that he had already surrendered his soul.
1094.
An empty bottle was found by his side, indicating that he had poisoned himself.
1095.
Briefly, the guardian, while greatly astonished, broke the news to the people.
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It was found out that he had left two testaments.
1096.
In the first he recognized and confessed the unity of God,
that His Exalted Being had neither peer nor equal,
and that His Essence was exalted above all praise, all glorification and description.
1097.
He also testified to the Revelation of the Prophets and the holy ones,
and recognized what had been written down in the Books of God, the Lord of all men.
1098.
On another page, in which he had set down a prayer, he wrote these words in conclusion:
“This servant and the loved ones of God are perplexed.
1099.
On the one hand the Pen of the Most High
hath forbidden all men to engage in sedition, contention, or conflict,
and on the other that same Pen hath sent down these most sublime words:
1100.
‘Should anyone, in the presence of the Manifestation,
discover an evil intention on the part of any soul, [the Manifestation, or another otherwise]
he must not oppose him, yet must leave him to God.’
1101.
Considering that on the one hand this binding command is clear and firmly established,
and that on the other hand calumnies, beyond human strength to bear or endure, have been uttered, therefore this servant hath chosen to commit this most grievous sin.
1102.
I turn suppliantly unto the ocean of God’s bounty and the heaven of Divine mercy,
and hope that He will blot out with the pen of His grace and bounty the misdeeds of this servant.
1103.
Though my transgressions be manifold, and unnumbered my evildoings,
yet do I cleave tenaciously to the cord of His bounty, and cling unto the hem of His generosity.
1104.
God is witness, and they that are nigh unto His Threshold know full well,
that this servant could not bear to hear the tales related by the perfidious.
I, therefore, have committed this act.
1105.
If He chastise me, He verily is to be praised for what He doeth;
and if He forgive me, His behest shall be obeyed.”
1106.
Ponder, now, O Sheik, the influence of the word of God,
that haply thou mayest turn from the left hand of idle fancy unto the right hand of certitude.
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1107.
This Wronged One hath never acted hypocritically towards any one, in the Cause of God,
and hath loudly proclaimed the Word of God before the face of His creatures.
1108.
Let him who wisheth turn thereunto, and let him who wisheth turn aside.
1109.
If these things, however, that are so clear, so manifest and indubitable, be denied,
what else can be deemed acceptable and worthy of credence in the estimation of men of insight?
1110.
We beseech God—blessed and glorified be He—
to forgive the aforementioned person (Hájí Sheik Muhammad-‘Alí),
and change his evil deeds into good ones.
He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous.
1111.
Such things have appeared in this Revelation that there is no recourse for either the exponents of science and knowledge or the manifestations of justice and equity other than to recognize them.
1112.
It is incumbent upon thee, in this day, to arise with celestial power and dissipate, with the aid of knowledge, the doubts of the peoples of the world, so that all men may be sanctified, and direct their steps towards the Most Great Ocean and cleave fast unto that which God hath purposed.
1113.
Every one who hath turned aside from Me hath clung to his own idle words,
and therewith voiced his objections to Him Who is the Truth.
1114.
Gracious God!
Such references as have been made to Divinity and Godhead by the holy ones and chosen ones of God have been made a cause for denial and repudiation.
1115.
The Imám Sádiq hath said:
“Servitude is a substance, the essence of which is Divinity.”
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