Divine unity: beyond number, toward a life of oneness

O my God! How can I stand before Thee knowing the contingent nature of my being? And how can I not praise Thee when my heart findeth no rest except in Thy remembrance and praise? So here am I on this day bearing witness that Thou art God, the Single, the One, the Subsisting, the Unique, the Eternal, the Ever-Living, Whom no description can describe and no attribute can qualify, and Whom nothing can know through anything else, for the rule of knowing between two things is forbidden and the word of conjunction after separation is cut off.

Thus do We announce unto you from the signs of the unity of God and from that which you were bidden so that you may declare the Oneness of God, your Creator, with your inner and outer tongues in such wise that His signs appear in all your limbs and you may be counted among them who acknowledge His Unity.

Does not love include sacrifice and service and meekness? Is not the magic word oneness synonymous with unity and peace? And the blazing flame of truth, is it not fed by love and peace?

This is the essence of unity - that ye should behold the True One alone as all-prevailing over all things and manifest in the mirrors of all created things. Know ye all things to be sustained by Him and drawing their essence from Him. This is the meaning of unity and the purpose thereof. … Unity is to know the One as One and to consider Him sanctified above numbers, not to regard two as one.

And what is meant by true unity is that God hath no likeness or similitude. All bear witness that He was and is sanctified above peers and likenesses, and exalted above that which the hearts of servants have comprehended.

He, in truth, hath, throughout eternity, been one in His Essence, one in His attributes, one in His works. Any and every comparison is applicable only to His creatures, and all conceptions of association are conceptions that belong solely to those that serve Him. Immeasurably exalted is His Essence above the descriptions of His creatures. … Shall, then, the thing that was born by virtue of the word which His Pen hath revealed, and which the finger of His Will hath directed, be regarded as partner with Him, or an embodiment of His Self? Far be it from His glory that human pen or tongue should hint at His mystery, or that human heart conceive His Essence.

That which the aforesaid persons have mentioned concerning the stations of Divine Unity will conduce in no small measure to idleness and vain imaginings. These mortal men have evidently set aside the differences of station and have come to regard themselves as God, while God is immeasurably exalted above all things.

Fix your gaze upon this blessed, firm and goodly Word, which is as a torrential rain for the meadows of the All-Merciful's utterance, and drink thereof. You will not see or find the exalted Truth with the eyes of creation. Turn your eyes from all else that you may attain to His presence and meeting.

My God, my God! Deliver souls from vain imaginings, that they may not suppose Thy lights to set, or Thy sun to decline, or Thy reality to descend, or Thy being to ascend. For Thou art sanctified above all such attributes and holy beyond all such mention.

Question: What is the meaning of the Trinity and of its three Persons?

Answer: The reality of the Divinity is sanctified and exalted beyond the comprehension of all created things, can in no wise be imagined by mortal mind and understanding, and transcends all human conception. That reality admits of no division, for division and multiplicity are among the characteristics of created and hence contingent things, and not accidents impinging upon the Necessary Being.

We testify that He is One in His Essence, One in His Attributes. He hath none to equal Him in the whole universe, nor any partner in all creation.

If conceptual existence - which is encompassed and falls under conception and perception - in terms of its reality abstracted from relations and connections is an identity sanctified from multiplicities in the oneness of the Essence, what then of the Simple Universal Reality which encompasses realities and perceptions and is sanctified above imaginations and indications, nay, above every description and attribute, being the essence of Oneness and the simplicity of Unity, for it is a Divine Reality abstracted from every attribute, sign, and indication. Could multiplicity, plurality, or distinction be conceived therein from the viewpoint of the perfections of the Essence, its relationship to attributes, and its all-comprehensiveness of divine and lordly names which necessitate the existence of contingent beings? God forbid!

Those pre-eminent Sufis who founded the doctrine of the "unity of existence" never intended by this term the universally predicated existence which is conceived by the mind. For such an existence is but an accident among others occurring in association with the realities of things. That is to say, these realities are the substance, whereas that existence which is conceived by the mind, the universally predicated existence, is but an accident associated with them.

Whosoever claimeth to unify the Essence through his own essence by unifying the Essence itself - his unification is void, the aspects of his abstraction are compound, and the stations of his uniqueness are limited. For all that is other than the Essence was created only through the manifestations of limitation from the six directions and the appearances that indicate them.

And know thou that the Ancient Being's outer reality is His very inner reality, and His essence is His very being. He hath ever been, and no thing had existence, and now too He is as He was in eternity, and no thing hath existence at His level. Whatsoever can be termed a thing, apart from the Essence of God, is His creation. His Essence is known to none, for knowledge requireth existence and association, and all else hath no existence at His level, much less requiring association. None hath known God save His holy Essence, and none hath unified God save His holy Essence.

Through the witnessing of the heart and the describing of the servants, no description knoweth aught save its own identity, and no name pointeth save from the station of its own "I-ness." Nothing hath known God, for He is as He ever was -- there was nothing with Him; and now God is as He was, and there is no mention of anything with Him. Glory be to Him: none knoweth how He is save He Himself.

Therefore do all describe Thee with that which they know not of Thee, and were they to know Thee, they would not describe Thee. Hence, O my God, do they proclaim Thy unity, for Thou hast ever been while naught else existed, and Thou wilt ever be even as Thou wert in the eternity of eternities.

Arise with zeal and stand firm in service to His Cause, that perchance the helpless servants may not be afflicted with the vain imaginings of the past. They were worshippers of idle fancies yet counted themselves among the most learned of mankind. They were adorers of idols yet deemed themselves to be believers. Until now the true meaning of Divine Unity hath not been made manifest. Were the Most Exalted Pen to unveil but a little thereof, all would testify to their own misbelief. However, the Name "the Concealer" hath not withdrawn the hem of grace, and the Name "the All-Bountiful" hath not permitted justice to reach this station.

By God's life! Were the station of true unity to be mentioned, all would be struck unconscious, save a few.

Unique glorification, sanctified above limitation and the knowledge of created things, befitteth the court of might of that Eternal One, Who hath been and shall forever be ensconced within His own most holy and exalted sanctuary, and Who, from time immemorial unto time everlasting, shall remain upon the seat and throne of His independence and grandeur.

Praise be to God, Who, by the exaltation of His Essence, hath ascended to a height before which all things fall away; and Who, by the grandeur of His Being, hath been enthroned upon the Seat of Oneness, before whose Countenance all bow the head -- He is the solitary God, the Eternal, the One, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Single, the Unrivalled; Who hath taken unto Himself neither consort nor son, nor hath He any partner in might, nor protector out of abasement.

His first mercy in the world of contingent being was the casting forth of the blessed Word of Divine Unity. Praise be to God, then thanks be to Him, then glory be to Him and bounty, for He hath favored us with the Word of Unity, and hath made us know the sanctity of His Being, and hath taught us the transcendence of His Essence above all likenesses and comparisons.

Blessed is the one who hath turned unto Him and attained unto true divine unity, which is the station wherein the Ancient Being is sanctified from all else save Him and His Essence is purified from all things.

Although it transcends our realization, its lights, bestowals, traces and virtues have become manifest in the realities of the Prophets, even as the sun becomes resplendent in various mirrors. These holy realities are as reflectors, and the reality of Divinity is as the sun, which, although it is reflected from the mirrors, and its virtues and perfections become resplendent therein, does not stoop from its own station of majesty and glory and seek abode in the mirrors; it remains in its heaven of sanctity. … This is the unity of God; this is oneness -- unity of Divinity, holy above ascent or descent, embodiment, comprehension or idealization -- divine unity. The Prophets are its mirrors; its lights are revealed through Them; its virtues become resplendent in Them, but the Sun of Reality never descends from its own highest point and station.

It hath ever been evident that all these divergences of utterance are attributable to differences of station. Thus, viewed from the standpoint of their oneness and sublime detachment, the attributes of Godhead, Divinity, Supreme Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been and are applicable to those Essences of being, inasmuch as they all abide on the throne of divine Revelation, and are established upon the seat of divine Concealment.

I testify, O Thou Who art the Lord of the whole creation, and the Desire of whosoever hath sought Thee, that, amidst Thy creatures, They resemble the sun which no matter how often it riseth and setteth is still the one and the same sun. Whoso maketh any distinction between any of Them hath truly failed to attain the ultimate purpose, and to reach the highest goal, and hath been deprived of the mysteries of unity and of the lights of sanctity and oneness.

Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to make any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or to discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed their Revelation. This indeed is the true meaning of Divine Unity, if ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth.

They should establish beyond a shadow of doubt that by "Unity of God" is meant that the Manifestations of God Who inaugurate each Dispensation are to be regarded as one soul, unique and peerless, and all others, whether high or low, are, without exception, to be regarded as servants, utterly submissive before the Dawning-Place of God's Revelation. Even as the Commander of the Faithful, the Imam 'Ali, has stated: "I am but a servant of the servants of Muhammad."

The Holy Ones -- may the blessings of God be upon them -- were created through the potency of His Word, and after Him they were the most learned and the most distinguished among the people and abide in the utmost station of servitude. The divine Essence, sanctified from every comparison and likeness, is established in the Prophet, and God's inmost Reality, exalted above any peer or partner, is manifest in Him. This is the station of true unity and of veritable singleness.

Then after this, Thou didst create by Thy will and manifest all beings by Thy wisdom, and didst send unto them Messengers from Thy presence and reveal unto them Books from Thy side, and didst manifest Thyself unto the chosen ones among Thy Messengers through the lights of Thy mighty Self-Subsistence, and didst raise them to the heights of Thy glorious Divinity, such that Thou didst make them the Dawning-Places of Thy oneness and the Manifestations of Thy Self-Sufficiency and the Daysprings of Thy Identity and the repositories of Thy eternal wisdom.

Then bear witness that It hath ever been one in Its essence, one in Its attributes, and one in Its deeds, and apart from this no verdict of absolute unity can be established for It, nor can the sanctification of Its essence from similitude and limitation be confirmed, if ye would understand.

Truth is like the Light which is always the same. The souls of Believers are as mirrors which reflect the Light. Truth is like the light of a candle which does not vary, yet the candlestick which holds it may change.

The dawn is the same, the rising of the Sun is the same, and the Source of all splendour is the same. Yet its effect is of two kinds: "And we send down of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the faithful: But it shall only add to the ruin of the wicked."[Q17:82] The glory of God rest upon thee.

Know thou that at the time of Manifestation, all names are on one plane. Whoso ascendeth unto God, all Our beautiful names apply to him, but whoso standeth still on the path shall never be mentioned before God. Thus have We sent down the command in all the Tablets, wert thou to be informed thereof.

He is that Word which hath been called by all names, appearing at every moment in a wondrous form, and in a certain station. He it is Who, between heaven and earth, proclaimed the blessed word "The Beloved of the Worlds hath appeared!", and He was that Cry whose mention was recorded aforetime in the Books.

All the most excellent Names belong to the Will, while the depth of His Essence is sanctified above any Name or praise, the purity (kafur ) of His indivisible unity (sadhij) is exalted above any glory or loftiness, and the substance of His transcendence is glorified above any height or sublimity. He is the First, yet not defined by it, and He is the Last, but not described by it. He is the Seen, and not praised by it, and He is Hidden, and not recognized by it.

Say: God hath created no letter but He hath created thereby a male or female. Say: God createth no male but He createth for it of itself a female. Say: God createth no female but He createth of itself a male by God's living command. Say: God sendeth down no single thing but He createth of itself a pair unto God, the Lord of the worlds, and God createth no pair but He createth of itself a single thing unto God, the Lord of the worlds. Thus doth God ordain the measures of all things in the Book.

The knowledge of that station is not made clear in its reality except after recognition of the Ancient One made manifest in the rank of the Will, the recognition of the manifest pre-eternity in the station of the First Remembrance, and the recognition of perpetuity, then the recognition of eternity, then the recognition of time. Therefore it was indicated by His evidences that the mention of pre-existence and pre-eternity are applied according to the different stations, ranks and conditions.

When applied to the knowledge of the Essence, it is the Essence itself without mention of the Names and Attributes.

The Truth hath ever been, and will ever be, and likewise creation, except that the latter is preceded by causation. In this case the principle of unity is established and realized.

Through Thee have I known Thee - there is no God but Thee. Through Thee have I found Thee - there is no God but Thee. Through Thee have I been guided to Thee - there is no God but Thee. Through Thee have I drawn near unto Thee alone - there is no God but Thee. Through Thee have I ascended to what lieth with Thee alone - there is no God but Thee. Through Thee have I become independent of all save Thee alone - there is no God but Thee.

… I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast ever been and wilt ever be. At no time can there be separated from Thee what befitteth Thy creation or beseemeth Thy handiwork. Thy dominion in Thy kingdom and the manifestations of Thy creation in Thy dominion have ever existed and will ever endure. Were I to say at any time that Thou art Thou and hadst no creation, I would negate my knowledge of Thy power and certainty of Thy Lordship.

The signs of the sovereignty of Thy mercy have ever been realized from Thee, and the manifestations of the wonders of the dominion of Thy oneness have ever existed through Thy creation.

I recognize, O my God, that whenever something is related to Thee, the decree of the Will is applicable to it, and whenever it is related to itself, the decree of Purpose is established in it. When this duality is realized the decree of predestination is manifested.

From it unto it did it shine forth, and through it did it stammer, and unto it through it did it submit, and through it was duality completed and identity created, and the Will was mentioned through the mention of primordial, original geometry. Thus it is neither of primordial eternity nor of ultimate perpetuity, but rather it shineth forth from the Sun of Oneness, gleaming from the glory of the Impenetrable, enduring through the endurance of the Supreme Identity.

Yet in reality these three are one.

In philosophical terms: motion, mover and moved; cause, effect and affected; creation, creator and created; knowledge, teacher and taught; grace, bestower and recipient.

We, of the Orient, distinguish between the wholly transcendent Primal Deity, in the Christian sense God the Father, and the Logos (Gospel of St. John, chapt. 1, verses 1 and 2), in the Christian sense God the Son, also called Demiurge (in the sense of the Greek philosophers), also called the Primal Will by His Holiness the Bab and designated by the Sufis (religious brotherhood) by the name of tawhid = oneness.

Say: O people! What relationship can there be between the Imagined and the Self-Subsisting, and what similarity between creation and the Creator, when they were created by the stroke of His Pen, and this effect itself is sanctified, holy and exempt from all else? And passing beyond this station, consider in the station of signs that the sun is one of the divine signs. Can one consider it in the same station as darkness? Nay, by His very Self, the Truth! None would speak thus save he whose heart is straitened and whose vision is dimmed.

… Unity is to behold the revelation of Truth in all signs, not to consider creation as Truth.

Yet others, assisted by the grace of the everlasting Friend, consume these veils with the fire of His love and step into the meads of ancient glory. That is, forsaking the wilderness of the "unity of existence", they attain unto the ultimate abode of the "true appearance of the Divine Unity". So clearly will they witness in this stage God's all-encompassing mercy that in every created thing, both in the world and in the souls of men, they will behold Him Who hath been interpreted as the Holy Outpouring.

35 After passing through the Valley of Knowledge, which is the last station of limitation, the wayfarer cometh to the FIRST STATION OF UNITY and drinketh from the cup of oneness, and gazeth upon the manifestations of singleness. In this station he pierceth the veils of plurality, fleeth the realms of the flesh, and ascendeth unto the heaven of unity. With the ear of God he heareth; with the eye of God he beholdeth the mysteries of divine creation.

As for the exposition, it is that thou shouldst worship the All-Merciful according to the limit of the exposition concerning the creation of man, without reference to multiplicity or differentiation, but rather in the aspect of unity -- and this is the garden of oneness: he who is within it has not gone out, and he who is without it has not entered.

If thy gaze be upon the depths of the sea of Oneness, then be the praise of God, besides Whom there is no God, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, alone - for God hath raised it above opposites and peers as a good pleasure for those who desire God and His face in the Garden of Eden, those who set up no other god with God and who come to Him on the Day of Resurrection alone.

In one of the Persian tablets He says, exalted be His glory and sublime be His praise: The purpose of Divine Unity is not to consider two as one, rather its purpose is to consider the One as sanctified above all, for He is not associated with His creation nor is He known through any other than Himself. And one should observe the lights of His manifestations in all things, that is, to see all things sustained by Him and dependent upon Him. This is the station wherein He says "God was, and there was nothing else besides Him." He has ever been, in the heights of inaccessibility and in the summit of exaltation, sanctified above all things and ever shall be.

The meaning of unity has been explained by the Ancient Beauty - may my spirit and being be sacrificed for His steadfast loved ones - in the Tablet to Salman and in the Book of Certitude and other divine Tablets with clearest exposition.

It is clear and evident that, in this Dispensation wherein the banner of utterance hath been raised aloft and the candle of discernment hath been lit, there is no Lord but the Exalted One. He it is Who is one in His essence and one in His attributes, single in the kingdom of names and peerless in the realm of actions.

O you who gaze upon the Most Luminous Beauty and who hold fast to the Most Pure Hem and who cling to the Sure Handle with the clinging of one who supplicates, who is detached, who implores the Most Great Sublime One - know that the Most Great Luminary and the Most Ancient Light, when it rises and shines forth from the East of the world upon all peoples, has two rising places, two dawning places, two horizons and two setting places: an outward, material, concrete horizon in the external world, and an inward, heart-centered, spiritual, knowledge-based, consciously-experienced horizon in the mind.

O thou who art attracted by the fragrances of God! Verily the Lord Who manifested Himself upon the Mount with the power of Revelation has caused two seas to flow - the sea of darkness and the sea of light. They meet together - one sweet, palatable, cool and refreshing to drink, the other salty and bitter, nay putrid and mirage-like. And He has placed between them a barrier and boundary that they may not mix or mingle.

Consider with the eye of reality. The aim of life is reality, and reality is one. Reality does not accept multiplicity.

This is the essence of the teachings, and an established, self-evident fact.

Everything is interlinked. A link cannot be broken without affecting that natural order. Everything that happens is in conformity with this order and is based on consummate wisdom.

Praise be to Him Who caused the tongue of existence to speak forth His praise and attributes, and made the tongues of all created things in the realm of the Kingdom utter His glorification, and manifested the conditions of the Divine Realm in the world of nature, whereby the hearts of the mystics acquired the lights of knowledge from the Dawning-Place of the Clear Light.

This is the Day wherein names are not mentioned, for He Who hath appeared with truth speaks naught but of God, as the Point of the Bayan informed, saying: "Verily He is the One Who speaks in all things: 'I am God, there is none other God but Me, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.'"

All created things have borne witness to His singleness, and all beings to His oneness.

All things have borne witness to Thy oneness and singleness, and to Thy greatness and sovereignty, and to Thy power and might.

By Thy glory, O my God, whenever I have sought other than Thee, I found it naught, and whenever I desired other than Thee, I witnessed it not. And whenever I descend from the most exalted heights to the lowest depths of earth, I find nothing except signs of Thy oneness, tokens of Thy singleness, intimations of Thy lordship, and evidences of Thy self-subsistence, to such extent that were Thou to remove Thy signs from existence, nothing would remain in Thy kingdom and no letter would be witnessed in Thy realm.

By Thy might, O my God! Thy favors have attained such heights that no point can be seen in Thy kingdom but that from it have been detailed the mysteries of the wisdom of the sovereignty of Thy Lordship, and no speck of dust can be found but that it testifies of itself, by itself, to Thy unity through that which hath shone upon it from the effulgences of the lights of Thy oneness. And since such is the condition of Thy creation, how can anyone attain unto Thee or describe Thy beauty?

However, when I heard that the binding command had been issued from His Excellency--may God perpetuate his glory--to your honor to interpret what I had composed in Arabic regarding the specific Muhammadan Prophethood--may God's blessings be upon it--I began this address so that you might spread these pages before His Excellency--may God perpetuate his favor--and explain to him in the best possible manner at the station of exposition, in accordance with His exalted Word: "In all things there is a sign pointing to the fact that He is One."

The atoms have spoken even as the Revealer of Verses spoke when He came with clear proofs such as none in the heavens and earth could bring forth the like thereof.

Say: O people! By God the Truth! The signs of God shine forth amidst the signs of men as the sun shineth forth between the heavens and the earth. Beware lest ye compare them with aught else.

Praise be to God Who created and brought forth a comprehensive, perfect, all-encompassing Point, possessing and containing all universal meanings in the world of existence, wherein all realities, effects and ordinances are integrated and included through simplicity and unity, calling to oneness in all affairs in the realm of being.

Say: Your God is but one God. There is no God but He, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. Say: The number one, then one, God created from it. Will you not then attribute numbers to God? For all numbers are His creation, and all are devoutly obedient to Him.

… For when thou sayest "except the sun of heaven" there existeth no sun to oppose it; likewise when thou sayest "there is no god but God" there existeth no god besides God, and there is none before Him to oppose Him. And verily what thou seest of the conditions of negation are but weaker than this and more feeble than that.

Praise be to the One Who is worthy and deserving, Who has sanctified the world through the word "No" and guided it to the city of "Except," Who has adorned the foreheads of the believers with the seal of the blessed words "There is no God but God."

Praise be to the Beloved Who, through the word "no [God is there]", caused all the manifestations of negation to perish, and through the blessed word "except [God]" guided the manifestations of affirmation to the station of immortality. the ungodly have ever been deprived of the Most Great Scene and forbidden from the Most Pure Fountain.

Say not "ah" - nay, rather say "There is no God but God." Verily, ye must negate negation and then affirm affirmation. This is the foundation of religion, would ye but reflect.

Manifest then, O my God, the station of this supplication; exalt, O my God, him who calleth upon Thee with this praise; and honour, O my God, whoso annihilateth Negation according to this decree in the very act of effacement. For whoso is unable to efface Negation by aught but these words -- this is the most exalted of paths for affirming Thy unity: the negation of negation from the court of Thy holiness, from the seat of Thy might, from the sovereignty of Thy self-subsistence and the kingship of Thy Lordship.

This is the foundation of religion: in the beginning glorify God, in the end praise God, outwardly profess the unity of God, and inwardly magnify God. And in this Day, so long as the sun shineth, the whole of religion is "There is no God but God," outwardly and inwardly, first and last, then Muhammad is the Apostle of God, then the Imams and the Holy Leaf are God's proofs, then the Gates are the Manifestations of magnification.

And verily religion is established upon four pillars: the unity of God [al-tawhid], the reality of prophethood [al-nubuwwa], the succession of authority [al-walaya], and the community of followers [al-shi'a]: four gates, the first of which cannot be sound without the last. All of these are the Face of God which perisheth not, and it is the love of the Family of God, which is none other than the love of God Himself, Who is the Hidden Treasure.

There is no greater nobility in the perfection of good qualities and virtuous attributes, for that is the station of the effect of the deed. The station of the essence of the servant is what I have indicated to thee in the series of seven, which flows in a series of eight from the world of Command to the world of Creation. All the worlds are confined to these eight, for the first determination of the first Kaf is the station of Muhammadhood, which is the Garden of Eternity wherein through manifestation it entered and has not emerged, and whereunto He hath never entered from without. Then verily that Paradise is the portion of the Family of God, who are the Imams of Justice, and no one among creation hath any share therein.

The Command hath descended from the primal causes in all things until it reached the station of letters. In that station God made the name of the letter of unity and its mystery His Word, corresponding to the higher realm. Those possessed of understanding know not what is there except through what is here. God, through His subtle handiwork, hath joined the letter Vav with Ha, as no specification can be seen in the letters themselves, and it is closest to the Source.

The Second Station: The Ha in the rank of meanings is a pillar of Unity and the place of Will, and it is the first speaker in the sea of contingency with mention of the All-Merciful - there is no God but God, the Powerful, the Supreme. That is the station of Divine Love, True Guardianship, Secondary Eternity, and Universal Lordship manifest in the secret of the elevated Ali, peace be upon him.

When thou art illumined by the gleaming rays of the Sun of Utterance in the first sphere, manifest from pre-existence - not the pre-existence that is manifest through pre-existence - and when thou art enlightened by the effulgences that have shone forth from the light of the Morn of the pre-existence of meanings in the second sphere, then know thou the Command of God in the station of the Vav in the five stations: the Vav of the Gates, of the Imams, of the Pillars, of the Deputy, and of the Beloved, even as We have taught thee concerning the manifestation of the meaning of the surging ocean of Oneness after Unity.

Then, when thou returnest and completeth the journey of descent and desirest to ascend unto God, the Loving Lord, make the first the last: let the portion of thy body be "Glory be to Thee, O God!"; of thy soul, "Praise be to God!"; of thy intellect, "There is no God but God!"; and of thy heart, "God is the Greatest!" Look not upon these manifestations with the gaze of difference, for such is not the path of the people of reality and the retreat of return.

When He desired to make Himself known unto His servants and to manifest the signs of His power to all who are in His heaven and on His earth, He removed the veil from the beauty of His concealment and lifted the covering from the essence of His majesty, that thereby His manifest Name might be distinguished from His hidden Name, and His first Name might be differentiated from His last Name, that the word might be fulfilled in the unseen and the visible, in the hidden and the manifest, that He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and that He is cognizant of all things.

He was first in the unseen and last in the visible realm, that the word might be fulfilled that He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and that He encompasseth all things.

Know thou furthermore that each letter of these sacred words hath two aspects - one turning toward the inner meaning and one toward the outer.

The letters of multiplicity within it only tell of its station of unity. There is no ruling regarding the meanings of its words except through the evidence of its reality.

Expressed mathematically, God is the great One. - Religion is the zero, or the zeroes, which only gain significance and value through the One connected with them! Take the number 100 or 1,000 or 100,000 or more, what are the zeroes without the One which precedes them?

The High Religions are several zeroes preceded by the great One, the Godhead. The lower religions have only one or two zeroes after the great One.

O namesake of 'Abdu'l-Baha! If thou seekest the essence of numbers, lay hold of the hem of the True One, for all numbers are powerless and wanting, but the True One is effective, mighty and penetrating.

Praise be to God, Who causeth the oceans of light to surge with divine, fiery waters; Who stirreth up the letters of manifestation through the Point of the Divine Cloud of Unity; Who unfoldeth the mountain of the unseen from the heaven of manifestation - the essence of hiddenness and the countenance of eternity; and Who causeth the Point of Lordship to revolve in the most glorious and eternal manner - that all may testify that verily He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, and that He is indeed the Single, the One, the Eternal, Who begetteth not nor is begotten, and there is none like unto Him, and He is God, the Supreme, the Compelling.

And verily, most men, in the plane of reality, behold not the Real; for were they upon the pure Straight Path wherein no trace of association is mentioned, it would be otherwise. For the speaker hath not beheld God; hence his deed -- and even his own self -- worketh not for God in utter purity, nor doth he set in motion the intention of drawing nigh unto Him. This is the creed of the Christians -- exalted is God above what they allege -- inasmuch as they have said: "God is the third of three."

Since the affirmation of affirmation is contingent upon affirming the Manifestation of Affirmation, it is for this reason that the mention of prophethood has become conjoined with the mention of divine unity. For whosoever fails to acknowledge the second will remain veiled from the first.

Therefore in every Dispensation, the Exponents of God have hastened to exalt and elevate His Throne, and have striven to establish and glorify the Seat of His transcendent Oneness, so that through this means the Sun of the Divine Unity might shine upon the mirrors of all created things, making them ready to receive the Word of Unity in the next Resurrection.

God hath created Joseph and his brethren from the Blessed Tree of Unity, and people know not from their expressions the mystery of what was inscribed with God, the Truth, in the Mother Book, around the Fire.

… Say: God is my Lord and your Lord in truth. He hath appointed me as a witness to this Greatest Word in truth. I am but a man like unto you. God bestoweth His favor upon me as He willeth, with what He willeth.

When thou hast unified thy Lord in the station of the Essence through negating names and attributes, through effacing signs and obliterating tokens and forgetting all existence, then hast thou comprehended thine essence to the extent it can bear of grace. Therein doth the land of camphor shine with the light of its Lord, and the swelling sea with the remembrance of its Creator, and the Tree of Sinai with the praise of its Revealer, and the leaves of manifestation with the conditions of their Originator.

Recognize no essential relationship between them, for God hath created for everything the names of all things. Therefore hath God ordained that in the instant when there is no essential relationship between them, nor conceptual substantiality, nor existential reality - yet those who gaze upon the forms of limitation know not the stations of the All-Merciful's manifestation of all through all.

Therefore, be conscious of God and flee unto His presence from the mention of anything other than His Essence in the station of His worship. This is difficult for the sincere ones except for whom God wills, for He is the Generous, the Bestower.

Say: All are from God and unto Him shall all return. Say: We all believe in God and His signs. Say: We all are certain of God and His words. Say: We all are worshippers of God. Say: We all are prostrate before God.

I bear witness, O my God, that on this day of the month of fasting, which Thou hast honored and wherein Thou didst reveal the Qur'an as guidance, and which Thou hast distinguished and made a guidance for all the worlds and a remembrance for the humble - even as Thou didst testify to Thine own Self before all things, in a manner none knoweth save Thee alone, there is no God but Thee - Thou hast made the paths of the monotheists lead to the station of Thy creation, and the ultimate portion of the mystics to the glory of Thy oneness, that all created things might receive their share of wisdom from the Word of Creation at every moment, neither lacking anything nor missing aught in less than the instant of the manifestation of Thy creative Will.

As for his state of anger, it was due to God's manifestation to him, whereby his inner and outer being were drawn to God at the station of His manifestation. In this station, his identity and overwhelming power tell of none save God alone. Thus he attributed the unseen to God alone, metaphorically indicating that his knowledge of the unseen is God's knowledge, and there is no account save of God. None knoweth the unseen save God, for in the disclosure of His world within the realm of Divine Unity He abideth in the station of His pure Oneness and absolute Cloud, whereof there is no mention of His Self save through the Sign of God alone.

Verily, the hearing of but one melody from the melodies of thy Lord would enrapture all the worlds, were they to incline their ears thereto with a hearing pure and wondrous. And were the names to purify themselves from the limitations of creation, they would all become the Most Great Name, wert thou of them that know; for the Beauty of the Ancient of Days hath, in these days—holy, mighty, and inaccessible—shed His splendor upon all things through all the names.

Dost thou reckon him as one among the servants? Nay, by the Lord of all existence! Through him have all tribes been seized with earthquakes, the pillars of tyranny have trembled, and the countenance of victory hath shone forth from the horizon of power. Can names attain unto him? Nay, by their Lord! He hath ascended unto a station beyond all mention.

The Supreme Pen hath, in the prison of 'Akka, turned towards the loved ones in the land of Kha, that is, those souls who have been adorned with the new raiment, who are turned towards the horizon of oneness, and who revolve, through their essential, original motion, around the Will of God.

The essence of the matter and the pure intention in explaining this Most Great Sign and Most Great Evidence is that God concealeth all that He hath created and will create in the ocean of names, such that they see naught in the countenance of Him Whom God shall make manifest save the manifestation of God, exalted be He, and they make themselves among His kingly names that they might be able to aid Him at the time of His manifestation and be a glory unto Him in their turning unto Him and a splendor unto Him in their aid.

I shall glorify Thee, praise Thee, proclaim Thy unity, magnify Thee, extol Thee, sanctify Thee, exalt Thee, and elevate Thee, and I shall testify before Thee as I hope to testify on the Day of Resurrection before the Point, the Manifestation of Thy Divinity, that there is none other God but Thee, alone with no partner.

I bear witness that there is no God but Thee, as Thou hast testified to Thine own Self, without any of Thy creation comprehending its knowledge. And I bear witness to Muhammad and his successors - Thy blessings be upon them - according to what Thou hast ordained for them in the knowledge of the unseen with Thee.

I bear witness before God and what is in His knowledge that there is no God but Him, alone with no partner. His is the Kingdom and Command, there is no God but Him, the Great, the Exalted.

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, and the angels and they who are endowed with knowledge, standing firm on justice, proclaim that there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise. Thy letter hath reached that Mountain, and I bear witness to that which God in His knowledge hath testified, that there is none other God but Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Most Exalted, the Most Great, the Lord of Glory and Bounty.

His is what He hath created and what He shall create in the heavens and the earth, and all act according to His command. He it is Who giveth life and causeth death. He giveth life through His grace as He willeth. Say: All are in dread of His might. He is God, there is no God but Him, the Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Living, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Bear thou witness that there is no God but Him, the King, the All-Praised. He it is Who hath sent down the Book in truth wherein there is no doubt. Say: All are submissive unto Him.

"There is no God but God" -- as many as all that He hath willed and will will; "There is no God but God" -- as many as all that hath gone forth and will go forth; "There is no God but God" -- as many as all that He hath determined and will determine; "There is no God but God" -- as many as all that He hath formed and will form; "There is no God but God" -- as many as all that He hath verified and will verify; "There is no God but God" -- as many as all that He hath found and will find; "There is no God but God" -- from the first that hath no first, as many as every number; "There is no God but God" -- unto the last that hath no last, as many as every sun of truth that hath risen or shall rise.

Thou hast ever been triumphant over all created things, manifest unto all contingent beings, powerful over all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, exalted above all beings, inaccessible above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, sovereign over all things, and supreme over all creation with power and independence.

Thou shalt surely grant companionship unto whomsoever Thou willest, and withdraw companionship from whomsoever Thou willest. Thou shalt exalt whomsoever Thou willest and abase whomsoever Thou willest. Thou shalt honor whomsoever Thou willest and humble whomsoever Thou willest. Thou shalt assist whomsoever Thou willest and forsake whomsoever Thou willest. Thou shalt enrich whomsoever Thou willest and impoverish whomsoever Thou willest.

And do Thou establish this Tree by Thy power which hath sustained the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and send down upon it at every moment the water of Thy mercy from the places of Thy manifestation, that it may bring forth at all times the fruits of Thy sanctification, the gardens of Thy glorification, and whatsoever beseemeth the loftiness of Thy praise, the sublimity of Thy holiness, the elevation of Thy oneness, the inaccessibility of Thy magnification, and the joy of Thy uniqueness.

My God beareth witness how that Branch from the branches of the tree of Thy love hath unified Thee through what Thou hast created in his essence of the truth of Thy unity, through his heart, spirit, soul, body and form.

Say: O people! By God, I have come to you from the direction of the Throne with a message from God, the Powerful, the Most High, the Great, and in my hand is a proof from God, your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of old. Weigh it with the true balance of whatsoever proofs ye possess from the Prophets and Messengers. If ye find it to be the truth from God, beware lest ye dispute concerning it or render your deeds vain, and be not of the idolaters.

Look not upon the proofs, for all these are established by what God hath revealed in the Book, and naught can establish the Book save that which would render all on earth powerless, as they are unable to produce the like thereof. When the Cause hath reached unto God, look not upon your proofs, for all this hath been revealed by God.

Know then, O questioner, since these are days of grief, I answer thee from behind veils, naked, that thy heart may grieve as thou hast grieved me in thy letter. For thou desired naught but to test me, and showed no great concern before my face. Thou remained as thou art, and we became as we are.

Say: O people! None may test God his Lord, the Lord of the heavens and earth; rather doth God test whomsoever He willeth of His servants. He, verily, is the Ruler over whatsoever He pleaseth.

Say: O servants of God! He hath come with the knowledge of "He doeth what He willeth." Should He prefer an atom to the sun, or a drop to the ocean, all must accept it, for none knoweth the requirements of divine wisdom.

Although divine decree is irrevocable and outwardly may not accord with the desire of God's servants, in truth it is, to those possessed of insight, dearer than life itself. God's purpose in creation hath been bounty and grace. Assuredly He hath willed the good of all. Whatsoever may come to pass, be it tribulation or hardship, or ease and comfort, all transpireth according to the requirements of His consummate wisdom.

Praised be God! Praised be God! God's will prevails, His purpose penetrates. We are all as nothing; all that exists is Him. The reins of awareness are in His hand, and the cord of knowledge is in the grasp of His power. What are we? Who are we? We are but manifestations of ignorance and embodiments of forgetfulness.

This is the day of the manifestation of true divine unity. Blessed is the soul that hath recognized and laid hold on the hem of Him besides Whom there is none other God. In past ages and centuries this blessed word hath issued from the tongues of people, yet they remained heedless of its meaning and reality.

The people of the past never attained the fragrance of unity, much less its station. Each day they would ascribe a partner unto God, and yet deemed themselves to be believers in His unity. … After twelve hundred years of supplication, yearning, searching and hope, they martyred the Pride of the World and Lord of Nations with the most grievous torment. True unity is to turn unto the horizon of the one Manifestation; to exceed this is accounted as misbelief in the Book of God.

Beware, O people, lest ye be veiled from Him around Whose command unity itself doth circle, and be ye of the God-fearing. … How many there are who glorify and unify Him throughout all days and nights, yet are among the most heedless of servants, for they recognize not Him Whom they unify at morn and eventide. And how many a believer in divine unity is today a misbeliever before God, though he perceiveth it not within himself and is numbered among the idolaters.

Say: O ignorant ones! O heedless ones! O oppressors! Your deeds and words on the day of reckoning deprived you of God's Most Great Name and the ocean of the All-Merciful's mercy. The oneness of God, exalted be His glory, is not established save through the Manifestation of His Self, the Dawning-Place of His Cause, the Dayspring of His Revelation, and His Representative among creation.

Today the Sun of Divine Unity is shining, and whosoever turneth unto Him and beholdeth Him as the One dominating, prevailing over, and encompassing all things, he shall be reckoned before the Divine Throne as one of the people of unity, while for others there hath been and shall be no portion.

Whosoever ascribeth partnership or similarity to the Lord of Batha (may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake), such a one is deprived of the light of true divine unity.

Written by the Finger of God, say: This is the Hidden One, and whoso affirmeth aught beside Him hath indeed joined partners with God, and thus hath the matter been decreed.

O My loved ones there! Cast aside vain imaginings and their manifestations, idols and their likes, and conjectures and their sources. Thus have We revealed the Cause and sent down that which hath attracted the hearts of those who are nigh unto God.

O concourse of loved ones! Can any among you cast behind him all names and set aside all that the people possess, turning unto the Kaaba of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy?

Praise be to the Lord of all desire, Who is worthy and deserving, Who hath distinguished between the ungodly and the believers through the blessed word "There is none other God but God." This blessed word is the decisive utterance.

And the peace that shines forth from the Supreme Paradise and the Most Exalted Heaven be upon him and his family and companions who broke the covenant and pledge of the idols and cast away their ordinances and pulled up the tent-pegs of the pavilions of misbelief and raised the pavilion of divine unity among the world despite those nations who clung to the ropes of vain imaginings, turning away from God, the Lord of all beings.

Say: By God, all names have been transformed, the wailing of all things hath been raised up, and every soul hath been shaken, except those who have been quickened by the breathings of the All-Glorious that have wafted from the direction of your Lord, the All-Merciful, and awakened them from slumber and purified them from the defilement of the idolaters.

O son of him who turned to My most exalted horizon! The world hath become pregnant through this oppression, and soon shall its signs appear. The heedlessness of the servants hath reached such a state that were God to seize them all and spare but a few, those few would again rise up in sedition, except whom God willeth.

Indeed, how eloquent, profound, firm and sound is the way the Lord of all worlds relates in the Qur'an the stories of those who came before, showing that triumph belongs to the mighty Divine Power. The tribes of 'Ad and Thamud, with all their might, power and courage, were defeated and destroyed before the Divine Power. The obstinate Nimrod, with all his greatness and power, what could he do against the Cause of God? His Majesty Pharaoh, with all his glory, strength, power, civilization and mighty sovereignty, what advantage did he gain in resisting the Divine Power?

He, exalted be His mention, said: "And upon the other are two rivers in the lands of the West" -- that is, he who refused, grew proud, turned away and retreated, frowned and denied, drew back on his heels, led his two companions astray, and whose face was covered with the dust of fire, known as the Calf, who burned in the lowest fires with the flames of remoteness.

Indeed, God bestowed upon him the grace of approaching the two rivers which branched from the Most Great Sea, flowing in the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Ancient, the two Most Exalted Names and the two adorned inscriptions which gave glad tidings to the nations of the manifestation of the Ancient Beauty, the Primal Point, and awakened the people to the rising of the Most Great Luminary from the horizon of guidance, calling out with the most elevated call and crying in the wilderness of eternity:

"The Kingdom of God has drawn nigh, and the time has come for contingent being to lay down its burden, for the garments of existence to be renewed, for the new creation to be gathered in the new cycle, for the standards of truth to be raised upon the hills of might and power, for the hosts of the unseen to come from the heaven of Command, for the angels of light to descend, and for the darkness concealed in the depths of hearts to be dispelled."

Say: O people! Purify your vision and turn towards the Dayspring of lights. The Day hath come whereof God's messengers and prophets gave you tidings. Read ye what hath been sent down in the Tablets from God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Say: O people of the earth! Fear ye the All-Merciful, and oppose not Him through Whom the sincere ones have soared unto the Kingdom of Meeting, and the pure in heart unto the heaven of nearness and reunion.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou hearest my lamentation in this Prison and knowest that I have summoned the servants only to the court of Thy mercy and favors, and have commanded them only what Thou hast commanded in the kingdom of Thy decree and the dominion of Thy judgment.

Say: This servant feareth no one, even should all the kings of the earth and all who are behind them rise up against Him, for We desire for Ourselves naught save what God desired for Us before the creation of the heavens and earth. He who desireth God will desire naught else besides Him and will fear none other than Him.

The Supreme Pen hath testified that there is none other God but Him, and that He is the One Who hath revealed Himself unto all things through His most beautiful names on the Day wherein the horizon of Divine Unity was illumined by the Sun of His Name, the All-Subduing Lord of all creation.

Thus hath the Most Exalted Pen spoken, and the Dove of Utterance warbled upon the branch of knowledge that there is none other God but Him, the One Who, through His word, hath power over all things, the Mighty, the All-Wise.

I testify that through Thee the breezes of the All-Merciful have wafted through all contingent beings, and the Most Exalted Pen hath stirred amongst all religions, and the ocean of knowledge hath surged, and upon it hath sailed the Ark of the All-Merciful, through this Name at whose appearance the Concourse on High rejoiced and the idol that disbelieved in God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, lamented."

He that riseth at one time and falleth at another is not worthy to draw nigh unto this Fire, for by it all things are consumed save him from whom emanateth the fragrance of the love of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bountiful.

If a soul is confirmed in hearkening unto this one word, there has not been and is not any danger for him. All atoms bear witness to his faith, certitude and steadfastness in the path of God, the Lord of the worlds.

Praise and its essence befitteth that Beloved One Who, through His perfect power, uttered a Word whereby was made manifest all that had been mentioned in the divine Books concerning the Resurrection and its signs, and its conditions such as the Bridge, the Balance, the Trump, the Call, the gathering and dispersal.

Praise be to God Who has manifested the Light and through it illumined the world of inner meanings and expression, and Who has revealed the Fire and through it shone forth upon Moses on the Mount of mystic knowledge. … There is none other God but Him. He has ever been in the heights of power and majesty, and in the summit of might and grandeur.

He is the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Most Glorious

Exalted be He Who hath revealed His Hidden Beauty with such lights as have encompassed the heavens and the earth, and hath caused every thing to voice the praise of the Dawning-Place of His Command when He came from the heaven of majesty with manifest sovereignty.

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Blessed is He Who hath spoken amidst the world and caused those near unto Him to speak forth in remembrance of His Most Great Name. He, verily, is the Omnipotent over whatsoever He willeth. There is none other God but Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

How can I consent that Mine eyes, alone, gaze upon this emblem, and that no heart except Mine heart recognize it? By My Beauty, which is the same as Thy Beauty! My wish is to hide Thee from Mine own eyes: how much more from the eyes of men!"

God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, and He Who hath come with the truth is verily the Ocean of My knowledge, the Heaven of My wisdom, and the Sun of My loving-kindness.

This is a day wherein grace hath encompassed all religions, and the Divine Lott Tree hath called out from the Most Exalted Horizon: 'Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing.'

This is the Day wherein the gates of grace, glory and bounty have been opened wide, and that which was hidden and treasured in the Book hath been revealed by command of God, the Lord of all men.

Say: Is there doubt about God, or about this Manifestation Who hath appeared with the truth with clear evidence, or about that which hath been revealed unto Him of the verses of your Lord, the All-Merciful?

O handmaiden of God! The fragrances of divine revelation have perfumed the realms of earth and heaven, and the effulgences of the Light of Manifestation have illumined the world.

These are the verses of God which have been sent down in truth from the heaven of exalted glory and which call the people to the recognition of His Self, the Most High, the Supreme, the All-Knowing.

The Sun of the Divine Countenance shines forth from the horizon of will, yet most turn away. The verses of the Lord descend at every moment from the heaven of merciful purpose, yet most of mankind remain veiled and remote therefrom.

And how swift is this Fisher, who catches His prey before releasing the arrow - nay, in every instant brings a world of fishers into His net! With a single hair He has ensnared hundreds of thousands of necks, and with one glance from His eyelashes has wounded countless hearts.

O Muhammad! Hearken to the call of the Single, the One! He called thee aforetime with a call whereby the believers took flight, the ungodly were thunderstruck, and the sincere hastened to the dawning-place of thy Lord's Most Exalted Beauty, and then the near ones to a station wherefrom all mention and names were cut off.

We verily behold the Kingdom - it speaketh and saith: "O people of the Realm of Might! By God, the King of Kings hath come with a sovereignty that hath encompassed all who are in existence.

O 'Ali-Haydar, praise be to God that thou hast turned unto Him and acknowledged the oneness of God, exalted be His glory. Blessed are they who attain unto this most exalted and glorious station. This is the station of true divine unity and spiritual oneness.

Thus hath the matter been decreed, but the people are in a mighty veil. And verily His remembrance hath appeared in the temple of the Youth. Blessed be God, the Best of creators!

Say: O people of the Bayan! Hear ye My call at the time when the Bird of Oneness hath soared into the atmosphere of holy and luminous sanctity, then detached itself from all who are in the heavens and on earth.

The Throne hath appeared and there hath sat upon it the Temple of God, Lord of the unseen and the seen. And at the first moment of His sitting, He shed His effulgence upon all things through all names.

Verily He is the One calling in the atmosphere, manifest from His most exalted horizon, and speaking forth that "I am God, the Lord of all names and Creator of the heavens."

Today the very essence of proof crieth out amidst all creation, and the reality of testimony calleth, with most exalted utterance, all who dwell on earth to the shores of the sea of oneness.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, and He Who speaketh is indeed the One through Whom the standards of divine unity were raised above all other standards and through Whom appeared the commandments of God, the Lord of the worlds.

O Ali! Bear thou witness in thyself, even as God did testify before the creation of the heavens and before all things appeared in the vestures of being, that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who hath appeared from the horizon of the Unseen is verily the Sovereign of existence in both the unseen and visible realms.

Glorified be He Who created all things by His command and ordained the measures of every matter in a Preserved Tablet of might, and established therein the laws of the Cause through the tongue of the Messengers aforetime - and this is a known truth - and commanded them in the Book with that which would draw them near to a most praiseworthy sanctuary of holiness, and forbade them from all that would veil them from the beauty of God, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.

Praise be to God that thou hast attained and hast been illumined with the lights of the Word of Divine Unity.

In the Name of Him Who is mentioned in the Tablets!

Verily the clouds pour down rain, and the verses descend, and the light hastens before the Face, yet the people perceive not.

We beseech Him to raise up those possessed of acute hearing and keen sight who may, through witnessing, observing and hearkening, attain, and may enlighten the people on behalf of God, glorified be His majesty, so that all may gain access to the ocean of utterance and remain not deprived of the horizon of manifestation.

By Thine aloneness the Sun of Oneness shone, and by Thy banishment the land of Unity was adorned. Be patient, O Thou Exile of the worlds.

Thus do We cast down the verses of the Spirit and spread the carpet of grace over all who dwell in the kingdom.

O Ocean of Oneness! Be thou gladdened within thyself, for upon thee hath settled the Ocean of Joy - and this is indeed a great bounty.

The station of absolute self-surrender transcendeth, and will ever remain exalted above, every other station.

It behoveth thee to consecrate thyself to the Will of God. Whatsoever hath been revealed in His Tablets is but a reflection of His Will. So complete must be thy consecration, that every trace of worldly desire will be washed from thine heart. This is the meaning of true unity.

Naught is seen therein save the mystery of Divine Unity and pure Oneness. We beseech God to open the eyes of all humanity that they may recognize Him and bear witness that there is none other God but Him.

Shield us, then, O my God, from the mischief of Thine enemies, and assist us to help Thy Faith, and to protect Thy Cause, and to celebrate Thy glory. Thou art, verily, He Who from everlasting hath inhabited the inaccessible heights of His unity, and will continue to remain the same for ever and ever.

O my God! Thou art He Whose mercy hath preceded all things, Whose grace hath encompassed all, Whose proof hath been perfected, Whose evidence hath been completed, Whose sovereignty hath appeared, Whose power hath become manifest, Who hath perfected for Thy servants Thy manifest Faith, Who hath extended Thy straight Path, and made manifest Thy righteous Way.

O my God and my Lord! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst adorn the Night Journey and didst open the gate of Divine Unity to all servants, that Thou mayest cause to descend from the heaven of Thy grace upon those who love Thee the rain of Thy mercy.

O God! How subtle is the flow of Thy love in hearts drawn to the fragrances of Thy holiness, and how sweet is beholding the signs of Thy oneness in realities informed by the outpouring of Thy mercy, and how delectable is the sweet water from the Kawthar of Thy knowledge springing from hearts stirred by the breezes of the gardens of servitude unto Thee. O Lord! Thou hast created nothing more wondrous in all creation than this, nor ordained any station in existence greater than this. O Lord! Servitude is wonderful to behold, and bondage is before the eyes of the discerning, and evanescence at the gate of Thy oneness is the ultimate hope of the stars in the heaven of lights, and effacement is the final goal of the possessors of mysteries.

By Thy mighty sovereignty! If Thou shouldst raise me to the highest horizon of glory and seat me upon the throne of grandeur, and make my face shine with the light of beauty, and cause the waves of the sea of perfection to surge around me, and perfect upon me all blessings, O my exalted Lord, and support me with all the hosts of the Concourse on High, and raise the banner of my being upon the loftiest peaks of grandeur, and ordain for me every good thing Thou hast created in the kingdom of creation - none of these would equal even a tenth part of a particle of servitude at Thy exalted threshold and bondage before Thy sublime presence.

For this is the comfort of my spirit, the joy of my heart, the healing of my illness, the cooling of my burning, the quenching of my thirst, the light of my countenance, the solace of my eyes, the whiteness of my face, the perfume of my nostrils, the sweetness of my taste, the peace of my heart, and the tranquility of my soul. Therefore, O my God, confirm me in this station, for which I yearn for drops from the overflowing of its surging crimson sea, and long to inhale its fragrances that have perfumed the horizons. Verily Thou art the Generous, the Exalted. 'Abdu'l-Baha

O Lord! This is a servant who has turned with his whole being to Thy glorious Kingdom, who has detached himself from all else but Thee, who has been set ablaze by the fire kindled in the Tree of Thy mercy, who has been drawn by the sweet-scented breaths wafting from the gardens of Thy oneness, who has held fast to Thy sure handle and clung to the hem of the robe of grandeur. O Lord! Make him a banner among the people, a radiant lamp in the kingdom of creation, a tongue speaking Thy remembrance, O Lord of the hereafter and this world, a herald calling out Thy name in the assemblies of the wise, a guide to Thy path among humanity, and a promoter of Thy religion, O Lord of the highest heavens. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the All-Giving.

I ask Thee, O my God, by Thy Power, Might and Dominion which have encompassed all who are in Thy heaven and earth--to point out to Thy servants Thy straight pathway, that they may acknowledge Thy Oneness and singleness with a certainty that shall not be clouded by the imaginations of doubters, nor veiled by the conjectures of straying wanderers.

My God, my God! My tongue beareth witness to Thy unity and singleness, to Thy might and sovereignty, to Thy power and dominion, and that Thou art God and there is none other God but Thee.

O Lord! Purify their hearts, illumine their sight, and expand their breasts through the light of Your oneness and the mysteries of Your uniqueness, so that they may worship You alone, alone - You have no partner, no peer, no likeness, and no minister - just as You have said, and Your word is truth in Your perspicuous Book: "Everyone in the heavens and earth comes to the All-Merciful as a servant."

Strengthen Thy sincere servants to walk in the pathways of Thy good-pleasure and to tread the ways that lead to Thy contentment, to plunge into the ocean of Thy oneness and to draw from the river of Thy sanctity, to enter the paradise of Thy uniqueness and to speak forth Thy remembrance and praise, to become intoxicated with the wine of Thy knowledge and to gather the fruits from the garden of Thy bounty.

O my Lord! These are Thy loved ones who have held fast to the cord of Thy oneness and clung to the hem of Thy singleness.

O fragrant flower of the divine garden of love! At this time when the Sun of the heaven of sanctification is shining with utmost brilliance from the horizon of the Most Glorious Beauty - He alone with no partner in His Essence, attributes, names, deeds, effusions and manifestations, and none like Him in the loftiness of His proof, the exaltation of His sovereignty, His mighty signs and His clear evidences, for He alone is the Beloved of the mystics, the Goal of the sincere ones, the Object of worship of the believers, the Refuge of the believers, the Shelter of the steadfast and firm ones, the Adored One of those who have attained, and the Promised One in all the tablets revealed to the Prophets and Messengers - immerse yourself in the ocean of oneness, ascend to the heaven of detachment, abide eternally in the paradise of divine unity, and turn toward the Most Glorious Kingdom.

And glory be upon you and upon those with you and upon those who have testified to that which God hath testified: that there is none other God but Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

O divine friends! Having adorned the food of glory and submission with the spices of unity and sanctification, enter into the verdant, joyous shallow waters of the Beloved Lord, veiled with the veil of light.

There is no God but Him, the Single, the Most Exalted, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. … Blessed is he who hath opened his lips in praise of his Lord in these days wherein all things have proclaimed that there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Generous.

We testify that there is none other God but Him, in acknowledgment of His oneness and confession of His singleness. There is none other God but Him, the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

We beseech God to illumine all with the light of true unity and sanctify them from all else besides Him.

Blessed is the soul that hath attained unto true unity and become detached and free from all else but God.

O Muhammad qabl-i-Hasan! Fix thy gaze upon this blessed Word, which is even as the Most Great Luminary for the world of vision: "Make mention of Me on My earth, and I will make mention of thee in My heaven."

They have sacrificed their spirits and bodies and limbs, all in the path of His Cause. After reading and understanding it, and experiencing joy and attraction, it was taken to the Presence and presented in its entirety before the countenance of the Lord of mankind, and these verses were revealed from the Creator of names and attributes.

Say: O people of the earth! Hearken unto the call of God from the divine Lote-Tree in this sacred and luminous Valley, that there is none other God but Him, and that 'Ali-before-Nabil is the Sovereign of existence, all are His servants and all shall return unto Him.

The Sinai hath smiled in this Revelation whereby the standards of idolatry were lowered and the banners of divine unity were raised by the command of God, the Lord of all existence.

Blessed is he who hath drawn nigh and perceived the fragrance of the Garment and testified to that whereunto God did testify before the creation of the heavens and earth that there is none other God but Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

We have heard thy call and have remembered thee in this Tablet which proclaimeth throughout the world that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

If in this divine springtime of the Most Great Cycle the birds of holiness do not sing the most wondrous Merciful melodies upon the branches of oneness, how can they find rest?

Yet that sign of oneness grew more firmly established day by day, while all those vain tracings were erased and disappeared.

Under the shade of the all-embracing Word of unity, which is among the signs of divine power, thou shalt attain to every desire, and through thy steadfast adherence to the mighty Law of God, thou shalt achieve every goal.

Through them was raised the standard of divine unity upon the heights, and the fragrance of the garment was wafted amongst the peoples.

The Face of the Beloved is unveiled and the Countenance of the Praised One is manifest and visible, so that the mirrors of contingent being may ascend from the unseen realm of existence to the divine holy world, and after the removal of the veils of majesty they may become strong and resplendent from the pure Beauty of the Eternal, that they may rejoice in the manifest Word and make mention of the all-embracing Word, so that the seas and waves may be reminded by your remembrance, that they may be seated upon the crimson carpet and rest upon white cushions, for this is the sweetness of existence and divine joy and heavenly gift, and peace be upon you.

O divine friends and true companions! The Ancient Beauty and the Most Great Name has shone forth from the horizon of the world with radiant lights upon the realities of existence from the realm of the unseen and the visible, illuminating the dark and gloomy world with divine manifestations, making it bright and luminous.

May eternal bounty become universal, and may witnessed unity culminate in existential uniqueness, and may the fruit of essential unity become manifest and evident.

This is why in every age the Sun of Truth shines forth and from the dawning-place of the horizons bestows the light of unity, so that the human world becomes the dawning-place of divine lights, and limited and restricted realities become temples of oneness, and the world of existence puts on a new garment.

O thou who hast turned to the Abha kingdom!

At this time when the effulgence of that Self-Subsisting Sun [Baha'u'llah] hath from the unseen aspect of existence cast its rays across the earth and heaven and irradiated the farthest horizons with its dawning lights of primal unity, such souls as have sought shelter beneath His all embracing Word should themselves become as resplendent stars.

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Praise be to God, the lights of oneness are shining and the mysteries of divine unity are manifest and evident.

O thou who art attracted to the glorious Beauty of the Lord of Grandeur!

The Light of Truth shineth radiantly in the lamp of Divine Unity and in the niche of Oneness.

O ye who have turned towards God! O ye who are accepted at the Divine Threshold! Enter beneath the shade of the Word of Unity and drink of the wine of detachment. The lights of sanctification from the horizon of divine uniqueness have shed their radiance upon the dawning-places of the hearts of those friends. The darkness hath vanished, the dwelling-place of the heart hath been illumined, ears have been opened and eyes made seeing. Faces have become radiant and the veil of imagination hath been burned away. The sign of unity hath shone forth and the mysteries of divine uniqueness have become manifest.

The effulgence of God's splendrous mercy hath enveloped the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and the whole world is bathed in its shining glory... The day will soon come when the light of Divine unity will have so permeated the East and the West that no man dare any longer ignore it.

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Praise be to Him Who hath appeared and shone forth, Who hath dawned from the daysprings of unity and gleamed, shimmered, flashed and sparkled in the horizon of divine unity, Who hath overflowed and bestowed upon holy realities that derive tidings from God their Lord through the verses of the glorious cycle in this new age.

O ye dwellers in the realms of the mystic letters in the clouds of heaven! Hearken unto the warbling of the Bird of Servitude [seated upon the crimson throne], even as the Dove of Eternity doth trill upon the Throne of the Divine Realm with verses of splendor, and the Bird of Eternity singeth upon the Seat of Majesty at the White Point, and the Maid of Beauty standeth revealed in chambers of ruby to the right of the Tree of Divine Decree, and the Light of the Mystic Dove gleameth in the chambers of the Divine Essence with ornaments of glory, and the Peacock of Glory hath cried out in the heaven of Divinity with the sighs of the Dove of the Cause in the Garden of Light, and the Raven of the Divine Identity warbleth in the thicket of rapture with songs of ecstasy, and the Phoenix of the Fire of Love speaketh in the Valley of Attraction with the hidden mystery upon the Isle of Verdure, and the Nightingale of Unity twittereth upon the branches of the Divine Tree in the Garden of Beauty with the most hidden of secrets upon yellow leaves, and the Hoopoe of Eternity crieth out upon the twigs of the Lote-Tree of Glory in the thicket of exaltation with the mystery of fidelity, that verily there is no God but Him and that the Primal Point is His servant and His beauty, and that the guides of the Living One are the letters of His Cause, all working by His command.

Praise, sanctified from reality and metaphor, befits the Self-Sufficient Lord Who, through His Most Exalted Word, has bestowed infinite love between the hearts and souls of His friends and established spiritual unity. No blessing has been or is greater than this blessing. Every knowledgeable one bears witness and every informed one testifies.

I bear witness that there is none other God but Him. He hath distinguished between the worlds through His Most Great Name, and made those who have turned to the horizon of Revelation to become the dawning-places of love and concord and the daysprings of mercy and unity.

These are they who have mounted the cloud of love and speed through the atmosphere of the spirit. These are they for whom the word of immortality hath been fulfilled, and who abide forever in the heaven of holiness. They pay no heed to aught else but hasten to do good deeds and walk the paths of truth.

Glorified is He Who sends down verses for people who act with justice, who walk upon the straight path and hasten unto good deeds, who speak pure truth amongst the servants and perform what is right.

God willing, thou shalt at all times be enabled to make mention of God, exalted be His glory, and to serve His Cause. This is a Day wherein the assayers of divine unity distinguish and differentiate between the pure and that which is otherwise.

I testify that the ocean of Thy bounty surgeth throughout existence, and the signs of Thy manifestation have encompassed both the unseen and the seen. I beseech Thee by Thy Most Exalted Word, through whose appearance all things have acknowledged Thy unity and singleness, and by the pearls of the ocean of Thy generosity and the dawning lights of the Orb of Thy bestowal, to aid Thy loved ones to be steadfast in Thy love and to arise to serve Thee.

We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, by Him through Whom mysteries were revealed and fruits brought forth, and through Whom the light of unity shone forth amongst the servants, to preserve His Majesty the Sultan from the evil of enemies.

… Peace be upon thee and upon those whose hearts God hath illumined with the light of His unity and caused them to hold fast to the cord of His grace that hath encompassed all who are in the heavens and on earth.

Praise be to God, the fragrance of confession to the word of unity was wafted therefrom. Today it behooveth all to beseech God, exalted be His glory, to protect the community of the merciful and to guard those who believe in His unity, through the hosts of the seen and the unseen, from the evil of the ungodly.

Now the beloved of God must rise from the horizon of oneness in such wise that all who dwell on earth become intoxicated from the wine of unity, become immersed in the sea of oneness, and partake of the fruits from the garden of detachment.

This connection and attachment and unity and harmony are among the special characteristics of this Most Great Cycle, wherein the Sun of Truth from the Dayspring of Oneness hath shed the lights of unity upon the temples of detachment, and the Most Great Sea hath bestowed upon the shores of contingent beings the luminous pearls of unity and detachment.

O Lord! Leave them not to themselves, but make them as one servant, and one light, and one name, that they may exemplify oneness in Thy land. O Lord! Make known to them that which appeareth from their unity in Thy countries and realms, and draw them nigh unto the ocean of Thy good-pleasure, then cause them to enter the depths of the sea of Thy oneness, and illumine them with the lights of detachment in Thy days.

O Lord, cause our souls to depend upon the signs of Thy Oneness, our hearts to be dilated with the Bounties of Thy Singleness, so that we may become united as are ripples on a waving sea; become harmonized as are the rays which shine forth from a brilliant light; so that our thoughts, opinions and feelings become as one reality from which the spirit of accord may be diffused throughout all regions.

Say: Today ye must all be occupied with the remembrance of the sovereign of eternity and hold fast to the cord of unity. Unity is like unto an architect, and is as a door leading to the divine commandments and laws, while discord is the destroyer thereof.

Until now they have not found true unity and have not comprehended the station of the Day of God. They cling to vain imaginings, return to vain imaginings, and are oriented towards vain imaginings. Praise and gratitude be to Him that thou hast attained and beheld the Most Exalted Horizon, and been honored to hear that for which ears were created. Strive that perchance thou mayest, with joy and fragrance, illumine the people of the world with the effulgent rays of the Sun of true unity.

Thou hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion and its ordinances: Know thou that first and foremost in religion is the knowledge (ma'rifat) of God. This attaineth its consummation in the recognition of His divine unity (tawhid), which in turn reacheth its fulfilment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted Sanctuary, the Seat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified from all attributes. And know thou that in this world of being the knowledge of God can never be attained save through the knowledge of Him Who is the Dayspring of divine Reality.

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By belief in the unity of God it is not meant that two are to be seen as one: this is the essence of godlessness and of joining partners with God. Nay, by belief in the unity of God is meant that God is to be considered in every respect to be one and sanctified above all names and comparisons; and that all else save Him have been raised up by Him and have their being through His command.

Catalogue reference: BH01043 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Two stations can be observed in the Divine Unity (tawhid): Existential Oneness (tawhid-i-wujudi), and this is that [station] wherein they negate everything with a 'no' and affirm the Absolute Reality. This means that they do not acknowledge the existence of anything other than the Absolute Reality, in the sense that all things, when placed next to the manifestation and remembrance of It, have been and will continue to be absolute nothingness (fana-yi mahd).... [The second station in Divine Unity,] Manifestational Oneness (tawhid-i shuhudi), is that [station] where the signs of the Primal Divine Unity, the manifestations of Eternity, and the effulgences of the light of Singleness can be observed in all things.

Catalogue reference: BH00409 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

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