The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER ONE 18 страница
1280. It is evident unto thee that the Birds of Heaven and Doves of Eternity speak a twofold language. 1281. One language, the outward language, is devoid of allusions, is unconcealed and unveiled; that it may be a guiding lamp and a beaconing light whereby wayfarers may attain the heights of holiness, and seekers may advance into the realm of eternal reunion. 1282. Such are the unveiled traditions and the evident verses already mentioned. 1283. The other language is veiled and concealed, so that whatever lieth hidden in the heart of the malevolent may be made manifest and their innermost being be disclosed. 1284. Thus hath Sádiq, son of Muhammad, spoken: “God verily will test them and sift them.” 1285. This is the divine standard, this is the Touchstone of God, wherewith He proveth His servants. 1286. None apprehendeth the meaning of these utterances except them whose hearts are assured, whose souls have found favor with God, and whose minds are detached from all else but Him. 1287. In such utterances, the literal meaning, as generally understood by the people, is not what hath been intended. 1288. Thus it is recorded: “Every knowledge hath 70 meanings, of which one only is known amongst the people. 1289. And when the Qá’im shall arise, He shall reveal unto men all that which remaineth.” 1290. He also saith: “We speak one word, and by it we intend 1 and 70 meanings; each one of these meanings we can explain.” 1291. These things We mention only that the people may not be dismayed because of certain traditions and utterances, which have not yet been literally fulfilled, that they may rather attribute their perplexity to their own lack of understanding, and not to the nonfulfillment of the promises in the traditions, inasmuch as the meaning intended by the Imáms of the Faith is not known by this people, as evidenced by the traditions themselves. 1292. The people, therefore, must not allow such utterances to deprive them of the divine bounties, but should rather seek enlightenment from them who are the recognized Expounders thereof, so that the hidden mysteries may be unraveled, and be made manifest unto them. 1293. We perceive none, however, amongst the people of the earth who, sincerely yearning for the Truth, seeketh the guidance of the divine Manifestations concerning the abstruse matters of his Faith. 1294. All are dwellers in the land of oblivion, and all are followers of the people of wickedness and rebellion. 1295. God will verily do unto them that which they themselves are doing, and will forget them even as they have ignored His Presence in His day. 1296. Such is His decree unto those that have denied Him, and such will it be unto them that have rejected His signs. 1297. We conclude Our argument with His words—exalted is He— “And whoso shall withdraw from the remembrance of the Merciful, We will chain a Satan unto him, and he shall be his fast companion.” 1298. “And whoso turneth away from My remembrance, truly his shall be a life of misery.” 1299. Thus hath it been revealed aforetime, were ye to comprehend. Revealed by the “Bá’” and the “Há’.” 1300. Peace be upon him that inclineth his ear unto the melody of the Mystic Bird calling from the Sadratu-Muntah Glorified be our Lord, the Most High! Translated by S. Effendi Notations of the text give reference to verses of the Holy Koran. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER ONE Division 1-30 THE MOST HOLY 1. In the name of Him who is the supreme ruler over all that hath been and all that is to be 2. The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. 3. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. 4. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. 5. These twin duties are inseparable. 6. Neither is acceptable without the other. 7. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration. 8. They whom God hath endued with insight will readily recognize that the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples. 9. He that turneth away from them is accounted among the abject and foolish. 10. We, verily, have commanded you to refuse the dictates of your evil passions and corrupt desires, and not to transgress the bounds which the Pen of the Most High hath fixed, for these are the breath of life unto all created things. 11. The seas of Divine wisdom and Divine utterance have risen under the breath of the breeze of the All-Merciful. 12. Hasten to drink your fill, O men of understanding! 13. They that have violated the Covenant of God by breaking His commandments, and have turned back on their heels, these have erred grievously in the sight of God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. 14. O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures. 15. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation. 16. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, 17. that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness. 18. Say: From My laws the sweet-smelling savour of My garment can be smelled, and by their aid the standards of Victory will be planted upon the highest peaks. 19. The Tongue of My power hath, from the heaven of My omnipotent glory, addressed to My creation these words: 20. "Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty." 21. Happy is the lover that hath inhaled the divine fragrance of his Best-Beloved from these words, laden with the perfume of a grace which no tongue can describe. 22. By My life! He who hath drunk the choice wine of fairness from the hands of My bountiful favour will circle around My commandments that shine above the Dayspring of My creation. 23. Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. 24. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. 25. To this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath revealed. 26. Meditate upon this, O men of insight! 27. We have enjoined obligatory prayer upon you, with nine rak'ahs, [Praises to God] to be offered at noon and in the morning and the evening unto God, the Revealer of Verses. 28. We have relieved you of a greater number, as a command in the Book of God. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the Omnipotent, the Unrestrained. 29. When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye towards the Court of My Most Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot that God hath made the Centre round which circle the Concourse on High, and which He hath decreed to be the Point of Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of Eternity, and the Source of Command unto all that are in heaven and on earth; 30. and when the Sun of Truth and Utterance shall set, turn your faces towards the Spot that We have ordained for you. He, verily, is Almighty and Omniscient. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER TWO Division 31-60 THE MOST HOLY 31. Everything that is hath come to be through His irresistible decree. 32. Whenever My laws appear like the sun in the heaven of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all, though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every religion to be cleft asunder. 33. He doeth what He pleaseth. He chooseth, and none may question His choice. 34. Whatsoever He, the Well-Beloved, ordaineth, the same is, verily, beloved. 35. To this He Who is the Lord of all creation beareth Me witness. 36. Whoso hath inhaled the sweet fragrance of the All-Merciful, and recognized the Source of this utterance, will welcome with his own eyes the shafts of the enemy, that he may establish the truth of the laws of God amongst men. 37. Well is it with him that hath turned thereunto, and apprehended the meaning of His decisive decree. 38. We have set forth the details of obligatory prayer in another Tablet. 39. Blessed is he who observeth that whereunto he hath been bidden by Him Who ruleth over all mankind. 40. In the Prayer for the Dead six specific passages have been sent down by God, the Revealer of Verses. 41. Let one who is able to read recite that which hath been revealed to precede these passages; and as for him who is unable, God hath relieved him of this requirement. He, of a truth, is the Mighty, the Pardoner. 42. Hair doth not invalidate your prayer, nor aught from which the spirit hath departed, such as bones and the like. 43. Ye are free to wear the fur of the sable as ye would that of the beaver, the squirrel, and other animals; the prohibition of its use hath stemmed, not from the Qur'án, but from the misconceptions of the divines. He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing. 44. We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. 45. He hath exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous. 46. God hath granted you leave to prostrate yourselves on any surface that is clean, for We have removed in this regard the limitation that had been laid down in the Book; 47. God, indeed, hath knowledge of that whereof ye know naught. 48. Let him that findeth no water for ablution repeat five times the words "In the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure [Holy?]", and then proceed to his devotions. 49. Such is the command of the Lord of all worlds. 50. In regions where the days and nights grow long, let times of prayer be gauged by clocks and other instruments that mark the passage of the hours. He, verily, is the Expounder, the Wise. 51. We have absolved you from the requirement of performing the Prayer of the Signs. 52. On the appearance of fearful natural events call ye to mind the might and majesty of your Lord, He Who heareth and seeth all, and say "Dominion is God's, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation". 53. It hath been ordained that obligatory prayer is to be performed by each of you individually. 54. Save in the Prayer for the Dead, the practice of congregational prayer hath been annulled. He, of a truth, is the Ordainer, the All-Wise. 55. God hath exempted women who are in their courses from obligatory prayer and fasting. 56. Let them, instead, after performance of their ablutions, give praise unto God, repeating 95 times between the noon of one day and the next 57. "Glorified be God, the Lord of Splendour and Beauty". 58. Thus hath it been decreed in the Book, if ye be of them that comprehend. 59. When travelling, if ye should stop and rest in some safe spot, perform ye -- men and women alike -- a single prostration in place of each unsaid Obligatory Prayer, and while prostrating say "Glorified be God, the Lord of Might and Majesty, of Grace and Bounty". 60. Whoso is unable to do this, let him say only "Glorified be God"; this shall assuredly suffice him. He is, of a truth, the all-sufficing, the ever-abiding, the forgiving, compassionate God. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER THREE Division 61-85 THE MOST HOLY 61. Upon completing your prostrations, seat yourselves cross-legged -- men and women alike -- and 18 times repeat 62. "Glorified be God, the Lord of the kingdoms of earth and heaven". 63. Thus doth the Lord make plain the ways of truth and guidance, ways that lead to one way, which is this Straight Path. 64. Render thanks unto God for this most gracious favour; offer praise unto Him for this bounty that hath encompassed the heavens and the earth; extol Him for this mercy that hath pervaded all creation. 65. Say: God hath made My hidden love the key to the Treasure; would that ye might perceive it! 66. But for the key, the Treasure would to all eternity have remained concealed; would that ye might believe it! 67. Say: This is the Source of Revelation, the Dawning-place of Splendour, Whose brightness hath illumined the horizons of the world. 68. Would that ye might understand! 69. This is, verily, that fixed Decree through which every irrevocable decree hath been established. 70. O Pen of the Most High! Say: O people of the world! We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. 71. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning and the end. 72. Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. 73. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Há, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months. 74. It behoveth the people of Bahá, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, 75. and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name; 76. and when they end -- these days of giving that precede the season of restraint -- let them enter upon the Fast. 77. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the Lord of all mankind. 78. The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous. 79. These are the ordinances of God that have been set down in the Books and Tablets by His Most Exalted Pen. 80. Hold ye fast unto His statutes and commandments, and be not of those who, following their idle fancies and vain imaginings, have clung to the standards fixed by their own selves, and cast behind their backs the standards laid down by God. 81. Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the Book. 82. It hath been ordained that every believer in God, the Lord of Judgement, shall, each day, having washed his hands and then his face, seat himself and, turning unto God, repeat "Alláh-u-Abhá" 95 [9?] times. 83. Such was the decree of the Maker of the Heavens when, with majesty and power, He established Himself upon the thrones of His Names. 84. Perform ye, likewise, ablutions for the Obligatory Prayer; this is the command of God, the Incomparable, the Unrestrained. 85. Ye have been forbidden to commit murder or adultery, or to engage in backbiting or calumny; shun ye, then, what hath been prohibited in the holy Books and Tablets. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER FOUR Division 86-120 THE MOST HOLY 86. We have divided inheritance into seven categories: 87. to the children, We have allotted nine parts comprising 540 shares; to the wife, eight parts comprising 480 shares; 88. to the father, seven parts comprising 420 shares; to the mother, six parts comprising 360 shares; 89. to the brothers, five parts or 300 shares; to the sisters, four parts or 240 shares; and to the teachers, three parts or 180 shares. 90. Such was the ordinance of My Forerunner, He Who extolleth My Name in the night season and at the break of day. 90. When We heard the clamour of the children as yet unborn, We doubled their share and decreased those of the rest. 91. He, of a truth, hath power to ordain whatsoever He desireth, and He doeth as He pleaseth by virtue of His sovereign might. 92. Should the deceased leave no offspring, their share shall revert to the House of Justice, to be expended by the Trustees of the All-Merciful on the orphaned and widowed, 93. and on whatsoever will bring benefit to the generality of the people, that all may give thanks unto their Lord, the All-Gracious, the Pardoner. 94. Should the deceased leave offspring, but none of the other categories of heirs that have been specified in the Book, they shall receive two thirds of the inheritance and the remaining third shall revert to the House of Justice. 95. Such is the command which hath been given, in majesty and glory, by Him Who is the All-Possessing, the Most High. 96. If the deceased should leave none of the specified heirs, but have among his relatives nephews and nieces, whether on his brother's or his sister's side, two thirds of the inheritance shall pass to them; or, lacking these, to his uncles and aunts on both his father's and his mother's side, and after them to their sons and daughters. 97. The remaining third of the inheritance shall, in any case, revert to the Seat of Justice. 98. Thus hath it been laid down in the Book by Him Who ruleth over all men. 99. Should the deceased be survived by none of those whose names have been recorded by the Pen of the Most High, his estate shall, in its entirety, revert to the aforementioned Seat that it may be expended on that which is prescribed by God. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the Omnipotent. 100. We have assigned the residence and personal clothing of the deceased to the male, not female, offspring, nor to the other heirs. He, verily, is the Generous, the All-Bountiful. 101. Should the son of the deceased have passed away in the days of his father and have left children, they will inherit their father's share, as prescribed in the Book of God. 102. Divide ye their share amongst them with perfect justice. 103. Thus have the billows of the Ocean of Utterance surged, casting forth the pearls of the laws decreed by the Lord of all mankind. 104. If the deceased should leave children who are under age, their share of the inheritance must be entrusted to a reliable individual, or to a company, that it may be invested on their behalf in trade and business until they come of age. 105. The trustee should be assigned a due share of the profit that hath accrued to it from being thus employed. 106. Division of the estate should take place only after the Huqúqu'lláh hath been paid, and any debts have been settled, the expenses of the funeral and burial defrayed, and such provision made that the deceased may be carried to his resting-place with dignity and honour.
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