The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER SIX
Divisions 166-200
EPISTLE TO THE SON OF THE WOLF
166.
This Day, O Sheik, hath never been, nor is it now,
the Day whereon man-made arts and sciences can be regarded as a true standard for men,
167.
since it hath been recognized that He Who was wholly unversed in any of them
hath ascended the throne of purest gold,
and occupied the seat of honor in the council of knowledge,
whilst the acknowledged exponent and repository of these arts and sciences remained utterly deprived.
168.
By “arts and sciences” is meant those which begin with words and end with words.
169.
Such arts and sciences, however, as are productive of good results, and bring forth their fruit,
and are conducive to the well-being and tranquility of men have been,
and will remain, acceptable before God.
170.
Wert thou to give ear to My voice, thou wouldst cast away all thy possessions,
and wouldst set thy face towards the Spot wherein the ocean of wisdom and of utterance hath surged,
and the sweet savors of the loving-kindness of thy Lord, the Compassionate, have wafted.
171.
We deem it advisable, in this connection, to recount briefly some past events,
that perchance they may be the means of vindicating the cause of equity and justice.
172.
At the time when His Majesty the Sháh,
(may God, his Lord, the Most Merciful, aid him through His strengthening grace)
was planning a journey to Isfahán,
this Wronged [One] [Brother], having obtained his permission,
visited the holy and luminous resting-places of the Imáms, may the blessings of God be upon them!
173.
Upon Our return, We proceeded to Lavásán
on account of the excessive heat prevailing in the capital.
174.
Following Our departure, there occurred the attempt upon the life of His Majesty,
may God, exalted and glorified be He, assist him.
175.
Those days were troublous days, and the fires of hatred burned high.
Many were arrested, among them this Wronged One.
176.
By the righteousness of God!
We were in no wise connected with that evil deed,
and Our innocence was indisputably established by the tribunals.
177.
Nevertheless, they apprehended Us,
and from Níyávarán, which was then the residence of His Majesty,
conducted Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the dungeon of Tihrán.
178.
A brutal man, accompanying Us on horseback, snatched off Our hat,
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whilst We were being hurried along by a troop of executioners and officials.
179.
We were consigned for four months to a place foul beyond comparison.
180.
As to the dungeon in which this Wronged One and others similarly wronged were confined,
a dark and narrow pit were preferable.
181.
Upon Our arrival We were first conducted along a pitch-black corridor,
from whence We descended three steep flights of stairs to the place of confinement assigned to Us.
182.
The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness,
and Our fellow prisoners numbered nearly a 150 souls: thieves, assassins and highwaymen.
183.
Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered.
184.
No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell.
185.
Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie on.
186.
God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place!
187.
Day and night, while confined in that dungeon,
We meditated upon the deeds, the condition, and the conduct of the Bábís,
wondering what could have led a people so high-minded, so noble, and of such intelligence,
to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act against the person of His Majesty.
188.
This Wronged One, thereupon, decided to arise, after His release from prison,
and undertake, with the utmost vigor, the task of regenerating this people.
189.
One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on every side:
190.
“Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thee and by Thy Pen.
191.
Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee,
neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety.
192.
Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth—
men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name,
wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him.”
193.
And when this Wronged One went forth out of His prison, We journeyed,
in pursuance of the order of His Majesty the Sháh (may God, exalted be He, protect him) to ‘Iráq,
escorted by officers in the service of the esteemed and honored governments of Persia and Russia.
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194.
After Our arrival, We revealed, as a copious rain,
by the aid of God and His Divine Grace and mercy, Our verses,
and sent them to various parts of the world.
195.
We exhorted all men, and particularly this people,
through Our wise counsels and loving admonitions,
and forbade them to engage in sedition, quarrels, disputes and conflict.
196.
As a result of this, and by the grace of God,
waywardness and folly were changed into piety and understanding,
and weapons converted into instruments of peace.
197.
During the days I lay in the prison of Tihrán,
tho the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me little sleep,
still in those infrequent moments of slumber
I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast,
even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain.
198.
Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire.
199.
At such moments My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear.
200.
We shall herewith cite a few passages from Tablets specifically revealed to this people,
so that all may know of a certainty that this Wronged One hath acted
in a manner which hath been pleasing and acceptable unto men endued with insight,
and unto such as are the exponents of justice and equity:
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