Concerning the questions of Manakji Limji Hataria 3 страница
Verily My Lord knoweth what is in My soul, and verily He is witness unto what I say.
151.
The just king is the shadow of God in the earth;
all should take refuge under the shadow of his justice and rest in the shade of his favour.
152.
This is not the place for personalities,
or censures directed specially against some apart from others;
for the shadow tells of him who casteth the shadow.
153.
God (glorious is His mention) hath called Himself the Lord of the worlds Quran 1:1
for that He hath nurtured and doth nurture all;
exalted is His favour which hath preceded contingent beings and His mercy which hath preceded the worlds.
154.
This is sufficiently clear, that, whether right or wrong according to the imagination of the people,
this community have accepted as true and adopted the religion for which they are notorious,
and that on this account they have foregone what they had, seeking after what is with God.
155.
And this same renunciation of life in the way of love for the Merciful God is a faithful witness
and makes eloquent attest unto that whereunto they lay claim.
156.
Hath it ever been beheld that a reasonable man renounced his life without proof or evidence of the truth of that for which he died?
157.
And if it be said, `This people are mad,'
this too is very improbable, for it is not a thing confined to one or two persons,
yet rather have a great multitude of every class, inebriated with the Kawthar of divine wisdom,
hastened with heart and soul to the place of martyrdom in the way of the Friend.
158.
If these persons, who for God have foregone all save Him,
and who have poured forth life and wealth in His way, can be belied,
then by what proof and evidence shall the truth of that which others assert
concerning that wherein they are be established in the presence of the King?
159.
"The late Haji Siyyid Muhammad
(may God exalt his station and overwhelm him in the depth of the ocean of His mercy and forgiveness), although he was of the most learned of the doctors of the age and the most pious and austere of his contemporaries,
and although the splendour of his worth was of such a degree that the tongues of all creatures spoke in praise and eulogy of him and confidently asserted his asceticism and godliness,
160.
did nevertheless in the war against the Russians [he happened to] forego much good
and turn back after a little contest, although he himself had decreed a holy war,
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and had set out from his native country with conspicuous ensign in support of the Faith.
161.
O would that the covering might be withdrawn,
and that what is hidden from men's eyes might appear!
162.
"Yet as to this religious group, it is 20 years and more
that they have been tormented by day and by night with the fierceness of the Royal anger,
and that they have been cast each one into a different land
by the blasts of the tempests of the King's wrath.
163.
How many children have been left fatherless!
164.
How many fathers have become childless!
165.
How many mothers have not dared, through fear and dread,
to mourn over their slaughtered children!
166.
Many were the servants of God who at eve were in the utmost wealth and opulence,
and at dawn were beheld in the extreme of poverty and abasement!
167.
There is no land but hath been dyed with their blood
and no air whereunto their groanings have not arisen.
168.
And during these few years the arrows of affliction have rained down
without intermission from the clouds of fate.
169.
Yet, notwithstanding all these visitations and afflictions,
the fire of divine love is in such fashion kindled in their hearts that,
were they all to be hewn in pieces,
they would not forswear the love of the Beloved of all the dwellers upon earth;
170.
nay rather with their whole souls do they yearn and hope
for what may befall them in the way of God.
Tablet of the Letter to the Kings CHAPTER SEVEN
Divisions 171-200
Tablet to the Shah of Iran
LETTER TO THE KINGS
171.
"O King!
The gales of the mercy of the Merciful One have converted these servants
and drawn them to the region of the Divine [Unification]
172.
--`The witness of the faithful lover is in his sleeve' --
but some of the doctors [K: outward or formal doctors] of Persia have troubled the most luminous heart of the King of the Age with regard to those who are admitted into the Sanctuary of the Merciful One and those who make for the Kaaba of Wisdom.
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173.
O would that the world-ordering judgment of the King might decide that this Servant should meet those doctors in that age and, in the presence of His Majesty the King, adduce arguments and proofs!
174.
This Servant is ready, and hopeth of God that such a conference may be brought about,
so that the truth of the matter may become evident and apparent before His Majesty the King.
175.
And afterwards the decision is in thy hand,
and I am ready to confront the throne of thy sovereignty;
then give judgment for Me or against Me.
176.
The Merciful Lord saith in the Furqan, which is the enduring proof amidst the host of existences,
`Desire death, then, if ye be sincere.' Quran 2:88, 62:6
177.
He hath declared the desiring of death to be the proof of sincerity;
and it will be apparent in the mirror of the King's luminous mind which party it is
that hath this day foregone life in the way of Him Who is adored by the dwellers upon earth.
178.
Had the doctrinal books of this people, composed in proof of that wherein they are,
been written with the blood which has been shed in His way (exalted is He),
books innumerable would assuredly have been apparent and visible amongst mankind.
179.
"How, then, can one repudiate this people, whose words and deeds are consistent,
and accept those persons who neither have foregone nor will forego one atom
of the consideration which they enjoy in the way of God the Sovereign?
180.
"Some of the doctors of Persia who have denounced this Servant have never either met or seen Him, nor [even] become cognizant of His intent:
nevertheless they said what they desired and do what they will.
181.
Every statement requires proof,
and is not established merely by assertion or by outward gear of asceticism.
182.
"A translation of some passages from the contents of the Hidden Book of Fatimih
[the wife of the Bab] (upon her be the blessings of God)
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which are appropriate to this place will now be submitted in the Persian language,
in order that some things now concealed may be revealed before the royal Presence.
183.
Those addressed in these utterances in the above-mentioned book (`the Hidden Words')
are those people who are outwardly notable for science and piety,
yet who are inwardly subservient to their passions and lust.
184.
He says:
(the following 'Hidden Words' are taken from S. Effendi's translation)
O Ye that are foolish, yet have a name to be wise!
185.
Wherefore do ye wear the guise of shepherds,
when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My flock?
186.
Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city astray into the paths of perdition.
187.
"So likewise He saith:
O Ye seeming fair, yet inwardly foul!
188.
Ye are like clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure
yet of which, when tested by the divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted.
189.
Yea, the sun beam falls alike upon the dust and the mirror,
yet differ they in reflection even as doth the star from the earth:
nay, immeasurable is the difference!
190.
So likewise He saith:
O Essence of desire!
191.
At many a dawn have I turned from the realms of the Placeless unto thine abode,
and found thee on the bed of ease busied with others than Myself.
192.
Thereupon, even as the flash of the spirit, I returned to the realms of celestial glory
and breathed it not in My retreats above unto the hosts of holiness.
193.
`So likewise He saith:
O bond slave of the world!
194.
Many a dawn hath the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted over thee
and found thee upon the bed of heedlessness fast asleep.
195.
Bewailing then thy plight it returned whence it came.
Finis.
196.
"In the presence of the King's justice, therefore,
the statement of an adversary ought not to be accepted as sufficient.
197.
And in the Furqan, which distinguisheth between truth and falsehood, He says,
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`O ye who believe, if there come unto you a sinner with a message, then discriminate,
lest you fall upon a people in ignorance and on the morrow repent of what ye have done.'
Quran 49:6
198.
And it hath come down in holy tradition,
`Credit not the calumniator.' [defamer]
199.
The matter hath been misapprehended by certain doctors,
neither have they seen this Servant.
But those persons who have met Him testify that this Servant hath not
spoken contrary to that which God hath ordained in the Book, and recite this blessed verse:
200.
He saith (exalted is He)
`Do ye disavow Us for aught save that We believe in God,
and what hath been sent down unto Us, and what was sent down before?' Quran 5:64
(S. Effendi's translation)
Tablet of the Letter to the Kings CHAPTER EIGHT
Divisions 201-230
Tablet to the Shah of Iran
LETTER TO THE KINGS
201.
O King of the age!
The eyes of these refugees are turned towards and fixed upon the mercy of the Most Merciful.
202.
No doubt is there whatever that these tribulations will be followed by the outpourings of a supreme mercy, and these dire adversities be succeeded by an overflowing prosperity.
203.
We fain would hope, however,
that His Majesty the Shah will himself examine these matters, and bring hope to the hearts.
204.
That which We have submitted to thy Majesty is indeed for thine highest good.
And God, verily, is a sufficient witness unto Me.
(Browne's translation resumes)
205.
"Glory be to Thee, O God!
O God, I bear witness that the heart of the King is between the fingers of Thy power:
206.
if Thou pleasest, turn it, O God, in the direction of mercy and kindliness:
verily Thou art the Exalted, the Potent, the Beneficent:
there is no God but Thee, the Mighty from whom help is sought.
207.
"Concerning the qualifications of the doctors, He saith:
`Yet amongst the lawyers he who guardeth himself, observeth his religion,
opposeth his lust, and obeyeth the command of his Lord
--it is incumbent on the people to follow him' unto the end.
208.
And if the King of the age will regard this utterance,
which proceeded from the tongue of the recipient of divine inspiration,
he will observe that those characterized by the qualities transmitted in the aforementioned tradition
are rarer than the philosopher's stone.
209.
Therefore the claim of every person pretending to science neither hath been nor is heard.
210.
"So likewise in describing the lawyers of the latter time He says:
`The lawyers of that time are the most evil of lawyers under the shadow of heaven:
from them cometh forth mischief, and unto them it returneth.' "
211.
And if any person deny these traditions, the establishing thereof is incumbent on this Servant;
yet since Our object is brevity
therefore the detail of the [Islamic] authorities hath not been submitted.
212.
"Those doctors who have indeed drunk of the cup of renunciation
never interfered with this Servant, even as the late Shiekh Murtaza
(may God exalt his station and cause him to dwell under the shadow of the domes of His grace)
used to show Us affection during the days of Our sojourn in Iraq,
and used not to speak concerning this matter otherwise than God hath permitted.
213.
We ask God to help all
unto that which He loveth and approveth.
214.
"Now all people have shut their eyes to all these matters, and are bent on the persecution of this sect; so that should it be demanded of certain persons, who (after God's grace) rest in the shadow of the King's clemency and enjoy unbounded blessings,
215.
`In return for the King's favour what service have ye wrought?
Have ye by wise policy added any country to his countries?
216.
Or have ye applied yourselves to aught which would cause the comfort of the people,
the prosperity of the kingdom, and the continuance of fair fame for the state?',
217.
they have no reply save this, that, falsely or truly,
they designate a number of persons in the presence of the King by the name of Babis,
and forthwith engage in slaughter and plunder;
even as in Tabriz and elsewhere they sold certain ones, and received much wealth;
and this was never represented before the presence of the King.
218.
All these things have occurred because of this,
that they have found these poor people without a helper.
219.
They have foregone matters of moment, and have fallen upon these poor unfortunates.
220.
"Many sects and diverse tribes rest tranquil in the shadow of the King,
and of these sects one is this people.
221.
Were it not best that the lofty endeavour and magnanimity
of those who surround the King should be so witnessed:
that they should be scheming for all factions to come under the King's shadow,
and that they should govern amidst all with justice?
222.
To put in force the ordinances of God is unmixed justice, and with this all are satisfied;
nay, the ordinances of God ever have been and will be
the instrument and means for the protection of His creatures,
as He saith (exalted is He)
`And in retaliation ye have life, O people of understanding.' Quran 2:175
223.
Yet it is far from the justice of His Majesty the King that, for the fault of one person,
a number of persons should become the objects of the scourges of wrath.
224.
God (glorious is His mention) saith:
`No person shall bear the burden of another.' Quran 6:164, 17:16, 35:19, 39:9, 53:39
225.
And this is sufficiently evident, that in every community there have been and will be learned and ignorant, wise and foolish, sinful and pious.
226.
And to commit abominable actions is far from the wise man,
for the wise man either seeketh the world or abandoneth it.
227.
If he abandoneth it, assuredly he will not regard aught save God, and, apart from this,
the fear of God will withhold him from committing forbidden and culpable actions.
228.
And if he seeketh the world, he will assuredly not commit deeds which will cause and induce
the aversion of God's servants, and produce horror in those who are in all lands;
yet rather will he practice such deeds as will cause the adhesion of mankind.
229.
So it hath been demonstrated that detestable actions have been and will be
wrought only by ignorant persons.
230.
We ask God to keep His servants from regarding aught but Him,
and to bring them near to Him:
verily He is potent over all things.
Tablet of the Letter to the Kings CHAPTER NINE
Divisions 231-265
Tablet to the Shah of Iran
THE LETTER TO THE KINGS
231.
"Glory be to Thee, O God!
O My God, Thou hearest My groaning,
and seest My state and My distress and My affliction,
and knowest what is in My soul.
232.
If My cry be sincerely for Thy sake,
then draw thereby the hearts of Thy creatures unto the horizon of theheaven of Thy recognition,
and turn the King unto the right hand of the throne of Thy Name the Merciful;
233.
then bestow on him, O My God,
the blessing which hath descended from the heaven of Thy favour and the clouds of Thy mercy,
that he may sever himself from that which he hath and turn toward the region of Thy bounties.
234.
O Lord,
help him to support the oppressed amongst Thy servants,
and to raise up Thy Word amidst Thy people;
then aid him with the hosts of the unseen and the seen,
235.
that he may subdue cities in Thy Name and rule over all who are upon the earth
by Thy power and authority, O Thou in Whose hand is the Kingdom of creation:
and verily Thou art He who ruleth at the beginning and in the end:
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