The Book of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf CHAPTER ONE 10 страница
and to make them spiritual leaders among men, and to make of them Our heirs.” The Book of Certitude CHAPTER FOURTEEN Divisions 411-445 2ND CERTITUDE 411. It hath been witnessed in this day how many of the divines, owing to their rejection of the Truth, have fallen into, and abide within, the uttermost depths of ignorance, and whose names have been effaced from the scroll of the glorious and learned. 412. And how many of the ignorant who, by reason of their acceptance of the Faith, have soared aloft and attained the high summit of knowledge, and whose names have been inscribed by the Pen of Power upon the Tablet of divine Knowledge. 413. Thus, “What He pleaseth will God abrogate or confirm: for with Him is the Source of Revelation.” 414. Therefore, it hath been said: “To seek evidence, when the Proof hath been established is but an unseemly act, and to be busied with the pursuit of knowledge when the Object of all learning hath been attained is truly blameworthy.” 415. Say O people of the earth! Behold this flamelike Youth that speedeth across the limitless profound of the Spirit, heralding unto you the tidings: “Lo: the Lamp of God is shining,” 416. and summoning you to heed His Cause which, though hidden beneath the veils of ancient splendor, shineth in the land of ‘Iráq above the dayspring of eternal holiness. 417. O my friend, were the bird of thy mind to explore the heavens of the Revelation of the Qur’án, were it to contemplate the realm of divine knowledge unfolded therein, thou wouldst assuredly find unnumbered doors of knowledge set open before thee. 418. Thou wouldst certainly recognize that all these things which have in this day hindered this people from attaining the shores of the ocean of eternal grace, the same things in the Muhammadan Dispensation prevented the people of that age from recognizing that divine Luminary, and from testifying to His truth. 419. Thou wilt also apprehend the mysteries of “return” and “revelation,” and wilt securely abide within the loftiest chambers of certitude and assurance. 420. And it came to pass that on a certain day a number of the opponents of that peerless Beauty, those that had strayed far from God’s imperishable Sanctuary, scornfully spoke these words unto Muhammad: 421. “Verily, God hath entered into a covenant with us that we are not to credit an apostle until he present us a sacrifice which fire out of heaven shall devour.” 422. The purport of this verse is that God hath covenanted with them that they should not believe in any messenger unless he work the miracle of Abel and Cain, 423. that is, offer a sacrifice, and the fire from heaven consume it; even as they had heard it recounted in the story of Abel, which story is recorded in the scriptures. 424. To this, Muhammad, answering, said: “Already have Apostles before me come to you with sure testimonies, and with that of which ye speak. 425. Wherefore slew ye them? Tell me, if ye are men of truth.” 426. And now, be fair; How could those people living in the days of Muhammad have existed, thousands of years before, in the age of Adam or other Prophets? 427. Why should Muhammad, that Essence of truthfulness, have charged the people of His day with the murder of Abel or other Prophets? 428. Thou hast none other alternative except to regard Muhammad as an impostor or a fool —which God forbid!— or to maintain that those people of wickedness were the selfsame people who in every age opposed and caviled at the Prophets and Messengers of God, till they finally caused them all to suffer martyrdom. 429. Ponder this in thine heart, that the sweet gales of divine knowledge, blowing from the meads of mercy, may waft upon thee the fragrance of the Beloved’s utterance, and cause thy soul to attain the Ridván of understanding. 430. As the wayward of every age have failed to fathom the deeper import of these weighty and pregnant utterances, and imagined the answer of the Prophets of God to be irrelevant to the questions they asked them, they therefore have attributed ignorance and folly to those Essences of knowledge and understanding. 431. Likewise, Muhammad, in another verse, uttereth His protest against the people of that age. 432. He saith: “Although they had before prayed for victory over those who believed not, yet when there came unto them, He of Whom they had knowledge, they disbelieved in Him. 433. The curse of God on the infidels!” 434. Reflect how this verse also implieth that the people living in the days of Muhammad were the same people who in the days of the Prophets of old contended and fought in order to promote the Faith, and teach the Cause, of God. 435. And yet, how could the generations living at the time of Jesus and Moses, and those who lived in the days of Muhammad, be regarded as being actually one and the same people? 436. Moreover, those whom they had formerly known were Moses, the Revealer of the Pentateuch, and Jesus, the Author of the Gospel. 437. Notwithstanding, why did Muhammad say: “When He of Whom they had knowledge came unto them”—that is Jesus or Moses— “they disbelieved in Him”? 438. Was not Muhammad to outward seeming called by a different name? 439. Did He not come forth out of a different city? 440. Did He not speak a different language, and reveal a different Law? 441. How then can the truth of this verse be established, and its meaning be made clear? 442. Strive therefore to comprehend the meaning of “return” which hath been so explicitly revealed in the Qur’án itself, and which none hath as yet understood. What sayest thou? 443. If thou sayest that Muhammad was the 'return' of the Prophets of old, as is witnessed by this verse, His Companions must likewise be the 'return' of the bygone Companions, even as the 'return' of the former people is clearly attested by the text of the above-mentioned verses. 444. And if thou deniest this, thou hast surely repudiated the truth of the Qur’án, the surest testimony of God unto men. 445. In like manner, endeavor to grasp the significance of “return,” “revelation,” and “resurrection,” as witnessed in the days of the Manifestations of the divine Essence, that thou mayest behold with thine own eyes the “return” of the holy souls into sanctified and illumined bodies, and mayest wash away the dust of ignorance, and cleanse the darkened self with the waters of mercy flowing from the Source of divine Knowledge; that perchance thou mayest, through the power of God and the light of divine guidance, distinguish the Morn of everlasting splendor from the darksome night of error. The Book of Certitude CHAPTER FIFTEEN Divisions 446-470 2ND CERTITUDE 446. Furthermore, it is evident to thee that the bearers of the trust of God are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the exponents of a new Cause and the bearers of a new message. 447. Inasmuch as these Birds of the Celestial Throne are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they therefore are regarded as one soul and the same person. 448. For they all drink from the one Cup of the love of God, and all partake of the fruit of the same Tree of Oneness. 449. These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station. 450. One is the station of pure abstraction and essential unity. 451. In this respect, if thou callest them all by one name, and dost ascribe to them the same attribute, thou hast not erred from the truth. 452. Even as He hath revealed: “No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers!” 453. For they one and all summon the people of the earth to acknowledge the Unity of God, and herald unto them the Kawthar of an infinite grace and bounty. 454. They are all invested with the robe of Prophethood, and honored with the mantle of glory. 455. Thus hath Muhammad, the Point of the Qur’án, revealed: “I am all the Prophets.” 456. Likewise, He saith: “I am the first Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus.” 457. Similar statements have been made by ‘Alí. 458. Sayings such as this, which indicate the essential unity of those Exponents of Oneness, have also emanated from the Channels of God’s immortal utterance, and the Treasuries of the gems of divine knowledge, and have been recorded in the scriptures. 459. These Visages are the recipients of the Divine Command, and the daysprings of His Revelation. 460. This Revelation is exalted above the veils of plurality and the exigencies of number. 461. Thus He saith: “Our Cause is but one.” 462. Inasmuch as the Cause is one and the same, the Exponents thereof also must needs be one and the same. 463. Likewise, the Imáms of the Muhammadan Faith, those lamps of certitude, have said: “Muhammad is our first, Muhammad our last, Muhammad our all.” 464. It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire. 465. If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith. 466. Such is the unity of those Essences of being, those Luminaries of infinite and immeasurable splendor. Wherefore, should one of these Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: 467. “I am the return of all the Prophets,” He verily speaketh the truth. 468. In like manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact, the truth of which is firmly established. 469. Inasmuch as the return of the Prophets of God, as attested by verses and traditions, hath been conclusively demonstrated, the return of their chosen ones also is therefore definitely proven. 470. This return is too manifest in itself to require any evidence or proof. The Book of Certitude CHAPTER SIXTEEN Divisions 471-495 2ND CERTITUDE 471. For instance, consider that among the Prophets was Noah. 472. When He was invested with the robe of Prophethood, and was moved by the Spirit of God to arise and proclaim His Cause, whoever believed in Him and acknowledged His Faith was endowed with the grace of a new life. 473. Of him it could be truly said that he was reborn and revived, inasmuch as previous to his belief in God and his acceptance of His Manifestation, he had set his affections on the things of the world, such as attachment to earthly goods, to wife, children, food, drink, and the like, so much so that in the daytime and in the night-season his one concern had been to amass riches and procure for himself the means of enjoyment and pleasure. 474. Aside from these things, before his partaking of the reviving waters of faith, he had been so wedded to the traditions of his forefathers, and so passionately devoted to the observance of their customs and laws, that he would have preferred to suffer death rather than violate one letter of those superstitious forms and manners current amongst his people. 475. Even as the people have cried: “Verily we found our fathers with a faith, and verily, in their footsteps we follow.” 476. These same people, though wrapt in all these veils of limitation, and despite the restraint of such observances, as soon as they drank the immortal draft of faith, from the cup of certitude, at the hand of the Manifestation of the All-Glorious, were so transformed that they would renounce for His sake their kindred, their substance, their lives, their beliefs, yea, all else save God! 477. So overpowering was their yearning for God, so uplifting their transports of ecstatic delight, that the world and all that is therein faded before their eyes into nothingness. 478. Have not this people exemplified the mysteries of “rebirth” and “return”? 479. Hath it not been witnessed that these same people, ere they were endued with the new and wondrous grace of God, sought through innumerable devices to ensure the protection of their lives against destruction? 480. Would not a thorn fill them with terror, and the sight of a fox put them to flight? 481. But once having been honored with God’s supreme distinction, and having been vouchsafed His bountiful grace, they would, if they were able, have freely offered up ten thousand lives in His path! 482. Nay, their blessed souls, contemptuous of the cage of their bodies, would yearn for deliverance. 483. A single warrior of that host would face and fight a multitude! 484. And yet, how could they, but for the transformation wrought in their lives, be capable of manifesting such deeds which are contrary to the ways of men and incompatible with their worldly desires? 485. It is evident that nothing short of this mystic transformation could cause such spirit and behavior, so utterly unlike their previous habits and manners, to be made manifest in the world of being. 486. For their agitation was turned into peace, their doubt into certitude, their timidity into courage. 487. Such is the potency of the Divine Elixir, which, swift as the twinkling of an eye, transmuteth the souls of men! 488. For instance, consider the substance of copper. Were it to be protected in its own mine from becoming solidified, it would, within the space of 70 years, attain to the state of gold. [metaphors?] 489. There are some, however, who maintain that copper itself is gold, which by becoming solidified is in a diseased condition, and hath not therefore reached its own state. 490. Be that as it may, the real elixir will, in one instant, cause the substance of copper to attain the state of gold, and will traverse the 70-year stages in a single moment. 491. Could this gold be called copper? 492. Could it be claimed that it hath not attained the state of gold, whilst the touchstone is at hand to assay it and distinguish it from copper? 493. Likewise, these souls, through the potency of the Divine Elixir, traverse, in the twinkling of an eye, the world of dust and advance into the realm of holiness; and with one step cover the earth of limitations and reach the domain of the Placeless. 494. It behooveth thee to exert thine utmost to attain unto this Elixir which, in one fleeting breath, causeth the west of ignorance to reach the east of knowledge, illuminates the darkness of night with the resplendence of the morn, guideth the wanderer in the wilderness of doubt to the wellspring of the Divine Presence and Fount of certitude, and conferreth upon mortal souls the honor of acceptance into the Ridván of immortality. 495. Now, could this gold be thought to be copper, these people could likewise be thought to be the same as before they were endowed with faith. The Book of Certitude CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Divisions 496-525 2ND CERTITUDE 496. O brother, behold how the inner mysteries of “rebirth,” of “return,” and of “resurrection” have each, through these all-sufficing, these unanswerable, and conclusive utterances, been unveiled and unraveled before thine eyes. 497. God grant that through His gracious and invisible assistance, thou mayest divest thy body and soul of the old garment, and array thyself with the new and imperishable attire. 498. Therefore, those who in every subsequent Dispensation preceded the rest of mankind in embracing the Faith of God, who quaffed the clear waters of knowledge at the hand of the divine Beauty, and attained the loftiest summits of faith and certitude, these can be regarded, in name, in reality, in deeds, in words, and in rank, as the “return” of those who in a former Dispensation had achieved similar distinctions. 499. For whatsoever the people of a former Dispensation have manifested, the same hath been shown by the people of this latter generation. 500. Consider the rose: whether it blossometh in the East or in the West, it is nonetheless a rose. 501. For what mattereth in this respect is not the outward shape and form of the rose, but rather the smell and fragrance which it doth impart. 502. Purge thy sight, therefore, from all earthly limitations, that thou mayest behold them all as the bearers of one Name, the exponents of one Cause, the manifestations of one Self, and the revealers of one Truth, and that thou mayest apprehend the mystic “return” of the Words of God as unfolded by these utterances. 503. Reflect for a while upon the behavior of the companions of the Muhammadan Dispensation. 504. Consider how, through the reviving breath of Muhammad, they were cleansed from the defilements of earthly vanities, were delivered from selfish desires, and were detached from all else but Him. 505. Behold how they preceded all the peoples of the earth in attaining unto His holy Presence—the Presence of God Himself—how they renounced the world and all that is therein, and sacrificed freely and joyously their lives at the feet of that Manifestation of the All-Glorious. 506. And now, observe the “return” of the selfsame determination, the selfsame constancy and renunciation, manifested by the companions of the Point of the Bayán. 507. Thou hast witnessed how these companions have, through the wonders of the grace of the Lord of Lords, hoisted the standards of sublime renunciation upon the inaccessible heights of glory. 508. These Lights have proceeded from but one Source, and these fruits are the fruits of one Tree. 509. Thou canst discern neither difference nor distinction among them. 510. All this is by the grace of God! 511. On whom He will, He bestoweth His grace. 512. Please God, that we avoid the land of denial, and advance into the ocean of acceptance, so that we may perceive, with an eye purged from all conflicting elements, the worlds of unity and diversity, of variation and oneness, of limitation and detachment, and wing our flight unto the highest and innermost sanctuary of the inner meaning of the Word of God. 513. From these statements therefore it hath been made evident and manifest that should a Soul in the “End that knoweth no end” be made manifest, and arise to proclaim and uphold a Cause which in “the Beginning that hath no beginning” another Soul had proclaimed and upheld, 514. it can be truly declared of Him Who is the Last and of Him Who was the First that they are one and the same, inasmuch as both are the Exponents of one and the same Cause. 515. For this reason, hath the Point of the Bayán (the Bab) —may the life of all else but Him be His sacrifice!— likened the Manifestations of God unto the sun 516. which, though it rise from the “Beginning that hath no beginning” until the “End that knoweth no end,” is nonetheless the same sun. 517. Now, wert thou to say that this sun is the former sun, thou speakest the truth; and if thou sayest that this sun is the “return” of that sun, thou also speakest the truth. 518. Likewise, from this statement it is made evident that the term “last” is applicable to the “first,” and the term “first” applicable to the “last”; inasmuch as both the “first” and the “last” have risen to proclaim one and the same Faith.
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