The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER SIXTY TWO 5 страница
312.
and hence when they found not that which their vain imaginings and their false and wicked minds had conceived, they hoisted the banners of discord and the standards of sedition and kindled the flame of war.
313.
God, however, quenched it through the power of His might,
as thou seest again in this day with these infidels and evil-doers.
314.
At this hour, when the sweet savours of attraction have wafted over Me from the everlasting city, when transports of yearning have seized Me from the land of splendours at the dawning of the Daystar of the worlds above the horizon of 'Iráq, and the sweet melodies of Hijáz have brought to Mine ears the mysteries of separation,
315.
I have purposed to relate unto thine eminence a portion of that which the Mystic Dove hath warbled in the midmost heart of Paradise as to the true meaning of life and death, though the task be impossible.
316.
For were I to interpret these words for thee as it hath been inscribed in the Guarded Tablets, all the books and pages of the world could not contain it, nor could the souls of men bear its weight.
317.
I shall nonetheless mention that which beseemeth this day and age, that it might serve as a guidance unto whosoever desireth to gain admittance into the retreats of glory in the realms above,
318.
to hearken unto the melodies of the spirit intoned by this divine and mystic bird,
and to be numbered with those who have severed themselves from all save God
and who in this day rejoice in the presence of their Lord.
319.
Know then that "life" has a twofold meaning.
320.
The first pertaineth to the appearance of man in an elemental body,
and is as manifest to thine eminence and to others as the midday sun.
321.
This life cometh to an end with physical death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality.
322.
That life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge;
323.
that is to say, the servant's recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause.
324.
This is that blessed and everlasting life that perisheth not:
whosoever is quickened thereby shall never die, but will endure as long as His Lord and Creator will endure.
325.
The first life, which pertaineth to the elemental body, will come to an end,
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as hath been revealed by God:
"Every soul shall taste of death."[42]
326.
But the second life, which ariseth from the knowledge of God, knoweth no death, as hath been revealed aforetime:
"Him will We surely quicken to a blessed life."[43]
327.
And in another passage concerning the martyrs:
"Nay, they are alive and sustained by their Lord."[44]
328.
And from the Traditions:
"He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come."[45]
329.
Numerous examples of similar words are to be found in the Books of God and of the Embodiments of His justice.
330.
For the sake of brevity, however, We have contented Ourself with the above passages.
Tablet of the Gems of Divine Mysteries CHAPTER TWELVE
Divisons 331-365
GEMS OF DIVINE MYSTERIES
331.
O My brother!
Forsake thine own desires, turn thy face unto thy Lord, and walk not in the footsteps of those who have taken their corrupt inclinations for their god, that perchance thou mayest find shelter in the heart of existence, beneath the redeeming shadow of Him Who traineth all names and attributes.
332.
For they who turn away from their Lord in this day are in truth accounted amongst the dead,
though to outward seeming they may walk upon the earth,
amongst the deaf, though they may hear,
and amongst the blind, though they may see,
333.
as hath been clearly stated by Him Who is the Lord of the Day of Reckoning:
"Hearts have they with which they understand not,
and eyes have they with which they see not."[46]
334.
They walk the edge of a treacherous bank and tread the brink of a fiery abyss.[47]
335.
They partake not of the billows of this surging and treasure-laden Ocean,
yet disport themselves with their own idle words.
336.
In this connection We will relate unto thee that which was revealed of old concerning "life",
that perchance it may turn thee away from the promptings of self,
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deliver thee from the narrow confines of thy prison in this gloomy plane,
and aid thee to become of them that are guided aright in the darkness of this world.
337.
He saith, and He, verily, speaketh the truth:
"Shall the dead whom We have quickened, and for whom We have ordained a light whereby he may walk amongst men, be like him whose likeness is in the darkness, whence he will not come forth?"[48]
338.
This verse was revealed with respect to Hamzih and Abú-Jahl,
the former of whom was a believer whilst the latter disbelieved.
339.
Most of the pagan leaders mocked and derided it, were agitated, and clamoured:
"How did Hamzih die? And how was he restored to his former life?"
340.
Were ye to examine carefully the verses of God,
ye would find many such statements recorded in the Book.
341.
Would that pure and stainless hearts could be found,
that I might impart unto them a sprinkling from the oceans of knowledge which My Lord hath bestowed upon Me, so that they may soar in the heavens even as they walk upon the earth and speed over the waters even as they course the land, and that they may take up their souls in their hands and lay them down in the path of their Creator.
343.
Howbeit, leave hath not been granted to divulge this mighty secret.
344.
Indeed, it hath been from everlasting a mystery enshrined within the treasuries of His power
and a secret concealed within the repositories of His might,
lest His faithful servants forsake their own lives
in the hope of attaining this most great station in the realms of eternity.
345.
Nor shall they who wander in this oppressive darkness ever attain unto it.
346.
O My brother!
At every juncture We have restated Our theme,
that all that hath been recorded in these verses may, by the leave of God,
be made clear unto thee, and that thou mayest become independent
of those who are plunged in the darkness of ego and who tread the valley of arrogance and pride,
and be of them that move within the paradise of everlasting life.
347.
Say: O people!
The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the heavenly paradise
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and bestoweth life in every direction.
348.
How can ye fail to perceive and recognize it?
It will in truth aid thee to grasp all this well-assured Soul hath disclosed unto thee of the essence of the divine mysteries.
349.
The Dove of holiness warbleth in the heaven of immortality
and urge thee to array thyself with a new vesture, wrought of steel,
to shield thee from the shafts of doubt concealed in the allusions of men, saying:
350.
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
351.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
352.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again."[49]
353.
Wing then thy flight unto this divine Tree and partake of its fruits.
354.
Gather up that which hath fallen therefrom and guard it faithfully.
355.
Medidate then upon the utterance of one of the Prophets as He intimated to the souls of men, through veiled allusions and hidden symbols, the glad-tidings of the One Who was to come after Him, that thou mayest know of a certainty that their words are inscrutable to all save those who are endued with an understanding heart.
356.
He saith:
"His eyes were as a flame of fire", and "brass-like were His feet",
and "out of His mouth goeth a two-edged sword".[50]
357.
How could these words be literally interpreted?
Were anyone to appear with all these signs, he would assuredly not be human.
358.
And how could any soul seek his company?
Nay, should he appear in one city,
even the inhabitants of the next would flee from him, nor would any soul dare approach him!
359.
Yet, shouldst thou reflect upon these statements, thou wouldst find them to be of such surpassing eloquence and clarity as to mark the loftiest heights of utterance and the epitome of wisdom.
360.
Methinks it is from them that the suns of eloquence have appeared
and the stars of clarity have dawned forth and shone resplendent.
361.
Behold, then, the foolish ones of bygone times
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and those who, in this day, await the advent of such a being!
362.
Nor would they ever bear allegiance unto him except that he appear in the aforementioned form.
363.
And as such a being will never appear, so too will they never believe.
364.
Such indeed is the measure of the understanding of these perverse and ungodly souls!
365.
How could those who fail to understand the most evident of the evident and the most manifest of the manifest ever apprehend the abstruse realities of the divine precepts and the essence of the mysteries of His everlasting wisdom?
Tablet of the Gems of Divine Mysteries CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Divisons 366-385
GEMS OF DIVINE MYSTERIES
366.
I shall now briefly explain the true meaning of this utterance,
that thou mayest discover its hidden mysteries and be of them that perceive.
367.
Examine then and judge aright that which We shall reveal unto thee,
that haply thou mayest be accounted in the sight of God amongst those who are fair-minded in these matters.
368.
Know then that He who uttered these words in the realms of glory meant to describe the attributes of the One Who is to come in such veiled and enigmatic terms as to elude the understanding of the people of error.
369.
Now, when He saith:
"His eyes were as a flame of fire",
He alludeth but to the keenness of sight and acuteness of vision of the Promised One,
Who with His eyes burneth away every veil and covering,
maketh known the eternal mysteries in the contingent world,
and distinguisheth the faces that are obscured with the dust of hell
from those that shine with the light of paradise.[51]
370.
Were His eyes not made of the blazing fire of God,
how could He consume every veil and burn away all that the people possess?
371.
How could He behold the signs of God in the Kingdom of His names and in the world of creation?
372.
How could He see all things with the all-perceiving eye of God?
373.
Thus have we conferred upon Him a penetrating vision in this day.
374.
Would that ye believe in the verses of God!
For, indeed, what fire is fiercer than this flame that shineth in the Sinai of His eyes,
whereby He consumeth all that hath veiled the peoples of the world?
375.
Immeasurably exalted shall God remain above all that hath been revealed in His unerring Tablets concerning the mysteries of the beginning and the end until that day when the Crier will cry out, the day whereon we shall all return unto Him.
376.
As to the words "brass-like were His feet",
by this is meant His constancy upon hearing the call of God that commandeth Him:
"Be thou steadfast as thou hast been bidden."[52]
377.
He shall so persevere in the Cause of God, and evince such firmness in the path of His might,
that even if all the powers of earth and heaven were to deny Him,
He would not waver in the proclamation of His Cause,
nor flee from His command in the promulgation of His Laws.
378.
Nay rather, He will stand as firm as the highest mountains and the loftiest peaks.
379.
He will remain immovable in His obedience to God
and steadfast in revealing His Cause and proclaiming His Word.
380.
No obstacle will hinder Him, nor will the censure of the froward deter Him
or the repudiation of the infidels cause Him to waver.
381.
All the hatred, the rejection, the iniquity, and the unbelief that He witnesseth serve but to strengthen His love for God, to augment the yearning of His heart, to heighten the exultation of His soul, and to fill His breast with passionate devotion.
382.
Hast thou ever seen in this world brass stronger, or blade sharper,
or mountain more unyielding than this?
383.
He shall verily stand upon His feet to confront all the inhabitants of the earth, and will fear no one, notwithstanding that which, as thou well knowest, the people are wont to commit.
384.
Glory be to God, Who hath established Him and called Him forth!
385.
Potent is God to do what He pleaseth.
He, in truth, is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Tablet of the Gems of Divine Mysteries CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Divisons 386-415
GEMS OF DIVINE MYSTERIES
386.
And further He saith: "Out of his mouth goeth a two-edged sword."
387.
Know thou that since the sword is an instrument that divideth and cleaveth asunder,
and since there proceedeth from the mouth of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God
that which separateth the believer from the infidel and the lover from the beloved,
this term hath been so employed,
and apart from this dividing and separating no other meaning is intended.
388.
Thus, when He Who is the Primal Point and the eternal Sun desireth, by the will of God,
to gather together all creation, to raise them up from the graves of their own selves,
and to divide them one from another,
He shall pronounce but one verse from Him,
and this verse will distinguish truth from error from this day unto the Day of Resurrection.
389.
What sword is sharper than this heavenly sword, what blade more trenchant than this incorruptible steel that severeth every tie and separateth thereby the believer from the infidel, father from son, brother from sister, and lover from beloved?[53]
390.
For whoso believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him is a true believer and whoso turneth away is an infidel, and such an irrevocable separation occurreth between them that they will cease to consort and associate with each other in this world.
391.
And so it is between father and son, for should the son believe and the father deny,
they will be severed and forever dissociated from each other.
392.
Nay rather, thou witnesseth how the son slayeth the father and the father the son.
393.
Consider in the same light all that We have explained and related unto thee.
394.
Wert thou to behold all things with the eye of discernment,
thou wouldst indeed see that this divine sword doth cleave asunder generations.
395.
Would that ye could understand it!
396.
All this is by virtue of the word of separation that is manifested on the Day of Judgement and Separation, were the people to take heed in the days of their Lord.
397.
Nay, couldst thou but sharpen thy sight and refine thy heart,
thou wouldst witness that all the material swords which in every day and age have slain the infidels and waged war against the impious proceed from this divine and invisible sword.
398.
Open thine eyes, that thou mayest behold all that We have revealed to thee and attain unto that which none other hath attained.
399.
We verily exclaim:
"Praise be to God, He Who is the Lord of the Day of Reckoning!"[54]
400.
Yea, inasmuch as these people have failed to acquire true knowledge from its source and wellspring, and from the ocean of fresh and soft-flowing waters that stream, by the will of God, through hearts that are pure and stainless,
they have been veiled from that which God hath intended by those words and allusions
and have remained confined within the prison of their own selves.
401.
We render thanks unto God for that which He hath bestowed upon us of His grace.
402.
He it is Who hath caused us to be assured of the truth of His Faith
- a Faith which the combined forces of earth and heaven are powerless to resist.
403.
He it is Who hath enabled us to acknowledge Him in the day of His presence,
to testify unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in the latter Resurrection,
and to be among them that have believed in Him ere His appearance,
that His favour may be made complete unto us and unto all mankind.
404.
Yet hear, O My brother,
My complaint against them that claim to be associated with God
and with the Manifestations of His knowledge,
and yet they follow their personal corrupt inclinations,
consume the substance of their neighbour,
are given to wine,
405.
commit murder,
defraud and slander each other,
hurl calumnies against God,
and are wont to speak falsely.
406.
The people attribute all these deeds unto Us,
whilst their perpetrators remain shameless before God.
407.
They cast aside that which He hath enjoined upon them and commit that which He hath forbidden.
408.
Yet it behoveth the people of truth that the signs of humility should shine upon their faces,
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