The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER ONE 19 страница
107. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is Lord of the beginning and the end. 108. Say: This is that hidden knowledge which shall never change, since its beginning is with nine, the symbol that betokeneth the concealed and manifest, the inviolable and unapproachably exalted Name. 109. As for what We have appropriated to the children, this is a bounty conferred on them by God, that they may render thanks unto their Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful. 110. These, verily, are the Laws of God; 111. transgress them not at the prompting of your base and selfish desires. 112. Observe ye the injunctions laid upon you by Him Who is the Dawning-place of Utterance. 113. The sincere among His servants will regard the precepts set forth by God as the Water of Life to the followers of every faith, and the Lamp of wisdom and loving providence to all the denizens of earth and heaven. 114. The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of Justice be established wherein shall gather counsellors to the number of Bahá, and should it exceed this number it doth not matter. 115. They should consider themselves as entering the Court of the presence of God, the Exalted, the Most High, and as beholding Him Who is the Unseen. 116. It behoveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among men and to regard themselves as the guardians appointed of God for all that dwell on earth. 117. It is incumbent upon them to take counsel together and to have regard for the interests of the servants of God, for His sake, even as they regard their own interests, and to choose that which is meet and seemly. 118. Thus hath the Lord your God commanded you. 119. Beware lest ye put away that which is clearly revealed in His Tablet. 120. Fear God, O ye that perceive. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER FOUR Division 121-160 THE MOST HOLY 121. O people of the world! Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions. 122. Make them as perfect as is possible in the world of being, and adorn them with that which befitteth them, not with images and effigies. 123. Then, with radiance and joy, celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most Compassionate. 124. Verily, by His remembrance the eye is cheered and the heart is filled with light. 125. The Lord hath ordained that those that are able shall make pilgrimage to the sacred House, and from this He hath exempted women as a mercy on His part. He, of a truth, is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. 126. O people of Bahá! It is incumbent upon each one of you to engage in some occupation -- such as a craft, a trade or the like. 127. We have exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one true God. 128. Reflect, O people, on the grace and blessings of your Lord, and yield Him thanks at eventide and dawn. 129. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth, yet occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others. 130. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon hath shone the day-star of wisdom and utterance. 131. The most despised of men in the sight of God are they who sit and beg. 132. Hold ye fast unto the cord of means and place your trust in God, the Provider of all means. 133. The kissing of hands hath been forbidden in the Book. 134. This practice is prohibited by God, the Lord of glory and command. 135. To none is it permitted to seek absolution from another soul; let repentance be between yourselves and God. He, verily, is the Pardoner, the Bounteous, the Gracious, the One Who absolveth the repentant. 136. O ye servants of the Merciful One! Arise to serve the Cause of God, in such wise that the cares and sorrows caused by them that have disbelieved in the Dayspring of the Signs of God may not afflict you. 137. At the time when the Promise was fulfilled and the Promised One made manifest, differences have appeared amongst the kindreds of the earth and each people hath followed its own fancy and idle imaginings. 138. Amongst the people is he who seateth himself amid the sandals by the door whilst coveting in his heart the seat of honour. 139. Say: What manner of man art thou, O vain and heedless one, ye whom wouldst appear as other than thou art? 140. And among the people is he who layeth claim to inner knowledge, and still deeper knowledge concealed within this knowledge. 141. Say: Thou speakest false! By God! What thou dost possess is naught but husks which We have left to thee as bones are left to dogs. 142. By the righteousness of the one true God! Were anyone to wash the feet of all mankind, and were he to worship God in the forests, valleys, and mountains, upon high hills and lofty peaks, to leave no rock or tree, no clod of earth, yet was a witness to his worship 143. -- yet, should the fragrance of My good pleasure not be inhaled from him, his works would never be acceptable unto God. 144. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Lord of all. 145. How many a man hath secluded himself in the climes of India, denied himself the things that God hath decreed as lawful, imposed upon himself austerities and mortifications, and hath not been remembered by God, the Revealer of Verses. 146. Make not your deeds as snares wherewith to entrap the object of your aspiration, and deprive not yourselves of this Ultimate Objective for which have ever yearned all such as have drawn nigh unto God. 147. Say: The very life of all [ ] deeds is My good pleasure, and all things depend upon Mine acceptance. 148. Read ye the Tablets that ye may know what hath been purposed in the Books of God, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Bounteous. 149. He who attaineth to My love hath title to a throne of gold, to sit thereon in honour over all the world; he who is deprived thereof, though he sit upon the dust, that dust would seek refuge with God, the Lord of all Religions. 150. Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a lying impostor. 151. We pray God that He may graciously assist him to retract and repudiate such claim. 152. Should he repent, God will, no doubt, forgive him. 153. If, however, he persisteth in his error, God will, assuredly, send down somebody who will deal mercilessly with him. 154. Terrible, indeed, is God in punishing! 155. Whosoever interpreteth this verse otherwise than its obvious meaning is deprived of the Spirit of God and of His mercy which encompasseth all created things. 156. Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies. 157. Nay, rather, follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Wise. 158. Erelong shall clamorous voices be raised in most lands. 159. Shun them, O My people, and follow not the iniquitous and evil-hearted. 160. This is that of which We gave you forewarning when We were dwelling in 'Iráq, then later while in the Land of Mystery, and now from this Resplendent Spot. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER FIVE Division 161-195 THE MOST HOLY 161. Be not dismayed, O peoples of the world, when the day-star of My beauty is set, and the heaven of My tabernacle is concealed from your eyes. 162. Arise to further My Cause, and to exalt My Word amongst men. 163. We are with you at all times, and shall strengthen you through the power of truth. 164. We are truly almighty. 165. Whoso hath recognized Me will arise and serve Me with such determination that the powers of earth and heaven shall be unable to defeat his purpose. 166. The peoples of the world are fast asleep. 167. Were they to wake from their slumber, they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. 168. They would cast away everything they possess, be it all the treasures of the earth, that their Lord may remember them to the extent of addressing to them but one word. 169. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who holdeth the knowledge of things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of creation hath not seen, and which is revealed to none except His own Self, the omnipotent Protector of all worlds. 170. So bewildered are they in the drunkenness of their evil desires, that they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose voice calleth aloud from every direction: "There is none other God exceptt Me, the Mighty, the All-Wise." 171. Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are yours, tomorrow others will possess them. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. 172. Say: Can ye claim that what ye own is lasting or secure? Nay! 173. By Myself, the All-Merciful, ye cannot, if ye be of them who judge fairly. 174. The days of your life flee away as a breath of wind, and all your pomp and glory shall be folded up as were the pomp and glory of those gone before you. 175. Reflect, O people! What hath become of your bygone days, your lost centuries? 176. Happy the days that have been consecrated to the remembrance of God, and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the All-Wise. 177. By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the wealth of the rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will endure. 178. All will perish, at a word from Him. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the All-Compelling, the Almighty. 179. What advantage is there in the earthly things which men possess? 180. That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected. 181. Erelong, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised. 182. Did they but know it, they would renounce their all, that their names may be mentioned before His throne. 183. They, verily, are accounted among the dead. 184. Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud, and who hath been debarred thereby from recognizing My Name, the Self-Subsisting; who, when he heareth the tread of sandals following behind him, waxeth greater in his own esteem than Nimrod. 185. Say: O rejected one! Where now is his abode? By God, it is the nethermost fire. 186. Say: O concourse of divines! Hear ye not the shrill voice of My Most Exalted Pen? 187. See ye not this Sun that shineth in refulgent splendour above the All-Glorious Horizon? 188. For how long will ye worship the idols of your evil passions? 189. Forsake your vain imaginings, and turn yourselves unto God, your Everlasting Lord. 190. Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of Signs. 191. None hath the right to dispose of them without leave from Him Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation. 192. After Him, this authority shall pass to the Aghsán, and after them to the House of Justice -- should it be established in the world by then -- 193. that they may use these endowments for the benefit of the Places which have been exalted in this Cause, and for whatsoever hath been enjoined upon them by Him Who is the God of might and power. 194. Otherwise, the endowments shall revert to the people of Bahá who speak not except by His leave and judge not save in accordance with what God hath decreed in this Tablet -- lo, they are the champions of victory betwixt heaven and earth -- 195. that they may use them in the manner that hath been laid down in the Book by God, the Mighty, the Bountiful. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER SIX Division 196-225 THE MOST HOLY 196. Lament not in your hours of trial, neither rejoice therein; 197. seek ye the Middle Way which is the remembrance of Me in your afflictions and reflection over that which may befall you in future. Thus informeth you He Who is the Omniscient, He Who is aware. 197. Shave not your heads; God hath adorned them with hair, and in this there are signs from the Lord of creation to those who reflect upon the requirements of nature. He, verily, is the God of strength and wisdom. 198. Notwithstanding, it is not seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds. 199. Exile and imprisonment are decreed for the thief, 200. and, on the third offence, place ye a mark upon his brow so that, thus identified, he may not be accepted in the cities of God and His countries. 201. Beware lest, through compassion, ye neglect to carry out the statutes of the religion of God; 202. do that which hath been bidden you by Him Who is compassionate and merciful. 203. We school you with the rod of wisdom and laws, like unto the father who educateth his son, and this for naught but the protection of your own selves and the elevation of your stations. 204. By My life, were ye to discover what We have desired for you in revealing Our holy laws, ye would offer up your very souls for this sacred, this mighty, and most exalted Faith. 205. Whoso wisheth to make use of vessels of silver and gold is at liberty to do so. 206. Take heed lest, when partaking of food, ye plunge your hands into the contents of bowls and platters. 207. Adopt ye such usages as are most in keeping with refinement. 208. He, verily, desireth to see in you the manners of the inmates of Paradise in His mighty and most sublime Kingdom. 209. Hold ye fast unto refinement under all conditions, that your eyes may be preserved from beholding what is repugnant both to your own selves and to the dwellers of Paradise. 210. Should anyone depart therefrom, his deed shall at that moment be rendered vain; yet should he have good reason, God will excuse him. He, in truth, is the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. 211. He Who is the Dawning-place of God's Cause hath no partner in the Most Great Infallibility. 212. He it is Who, in the kingdom of creation, is the Manifestation of "He doeth whatsoever He willeth". 213. God hath reserved this distinction unto His own Self, and ordained for none a share in so sublime and transcendent a station. 214. This is the Decree of God, concealed ere now within the veil of impenetrable mystery. 215. We have disclosed it in this Revelation, and have thereby rent asunder the veils of such as have failed to recognize that which the Book of God set forth, and who were therefore numbered with the heedless. 216. Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet. 217. He that putteth away that which is commanded unto him, the Trustees are then to take from him that which is required for their instruction if he be wealthy and, if not, the matter devolveth upon the House of Justice. 218. Verily have We made it a shelter for the poor and needy. 219. He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My glory, My loving-kindness, My mercy, that have compassed the world. 220. God hath imposed a fine on every adulterer and adulteress, to be paid to the House of Justice: nine mithqáls of gold, to be doubled if they should repeat the offence. 221. Such is the penalty which He Who is the Lord of Names hath assigned them in this world; and in the world to come He hath ordained for them a humiliating torment. 222. Should anyone be afflicted by a sin, it behoveth him to repent thereof and return unto his Lord. 223. He, verily, granteth forgiveness unto whomsoever He willeth, and none may question that which it pleaseth Him to ordain. He is, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Almighty, the All-Praised. 224. Beware lest ye be hindered by the veils of glory from partaking of the crystal waters of this living Fountain. 225. Seize ye the chalice of salvation at this dawntide in the name of Him Who causeth the day to break, and drink your fill in praise of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Incomparable. The Book of the Most Holy CHAPTER SEVEN Division 226-250 THE MOST HOLY 226. We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and singing. 227. Take heed, however, lest listening thereto should cause you to overstep the bounds of propriety and dignity. 228. Let your joy be the joy born of My Most Great Name, a Name that bringeth rapture to the heart, and filleth with ecstasy the minds of all who have drawn nigh unto God. 229. We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion. 230. Truly, We are loath to see you numbered with the foolish. 231. We have decreed that a third part of all fines shall go to the Seat of Justice, and We admonish its men to observe pure justice, that they may expend what is thus accumulated for such purposes as have been enjoined upon them by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. 232. O ye Men of Justice! Be ye, in the realm of God, shepherds unto His sheep and guard them from the ravening wolves that have appeared in disguise, even as ye would guard your own sons. Thus exhorteth you the Counsellor, the Faithful. 233. Should differences arise amongst you over any matter, refer it to God while the Sun still shineth above the horizon of this Heaven and, when it hath set, refer ye to whatsoever hath been sent down by Him. 234. This, verily, is sufficient unto the peoples of the world. 235. Say: Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My utterance is stilled. 236. In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. 237. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favoured angels. 238. O peoples of the earth! God, the Eternal Truth, is My witness that streams of fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from the rocks through the sweetness of the words uttered by your Lord, the Unconstrained; and still ye slumber. 239. Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond all created things. 240. Thus biddeth you the Lord of creation, the movement of Whose Pen hath revolutionized the soul of mankind. 241. Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious, is calling? 242. Think ye that ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your Lord, the Lord of all names, commandeth you? 243. Nay, by My life! Did ye but know it, ye would renounce the world, and would hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of the Well-Beloved. 244. Your spirits would be so transported by His Word as to throw into commotion the Greater World -- how much more this small and petty one! 245.
Дата добавления: 2019-02-12; просмотров: 173; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!