Victory through words, deeds, and reconciliation

The triumph of a single pure deed is, in the sight of God, greater than the victory of an army that striveth in the path of God, for the shedding of blood is not beloved, and in this Most Great Revelation, victory hath been ordained through word and utterance.

Beware lest ye shed the blood of anyone. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the citadels of men's hearts. We have abolished the law to wage holy war against each other.

O people of the earth!

The first Glad-Tidings which the Mother Book hath, in this Most Great Revelation, imparted unto all the peoples of the world is that the law of holy war hath been blotted out from the Book.

Say: O people! Shed not blood, for it hath been forbidden unto you in the Book from the presence of the Mighty, the Wise. Say: God hath sent Me for harmony and unity. Fear God, O people of the earth, and be not of the wrongdoers.

Know thou that We have annulled the rule of the sword, as an aid to Our Cause, and substituted for it the power born of the utterance of men. Thus have We irrevocably decreed, by virtue of Our grace.

As to your asking God to grant you that whereby people wage war against each other, that you might thereby aid your Lord - hear thou that We have lifted the decree of the sword and spear, and have ordained victory through utterance, through that which proceeds from the tongue.

Today victory is through remembrance and utterance, not through sword and spear. Weapons have been transformed into means of peace, discord into concord, and war into peace.

O Sword of God! Necks have grown long with hypocrisy, but God has forbidden the rule of the sword and ordained in its place loving-kindness and glory.

Despite this decisive and firm Word, it is observed that some still remain in doubt and misgiving, and through their personal delusions are engaged in interpreting the word of victory. Say: What aileth you that ye comprehend not and perceive not? Verily have We counseled all to show kindness, compassion and care. Well is it with him who hath attained unto My purpose, and woe unto the heedless. It would seem they place their own will before the Will of God, or regard what hath been sent down from the Kingdom of Utterance as jest, or God forbid, see the Truth as powerless and weak.

Today is the day of assistance, and assistance has never been and is not by the sword, for in this most great Manifestation all have been forbidden from corruption, contention and warfare.

The decree of holy war and strife hath been erased from the Book by the finger of divine power.

On the first day when the Ancient Beauty was seated upon the Most Great Throne in the garden named Ridvan, the tongue of grandeur spoke three verses: First, that the sword is abolished in this Revelation; second, that before the completion of a thousand years, whosoever makes a claim is false, and the year is a complete year - interpretation and explanation of this verse are forbidden; and third, that God, exalted be His glory, at that moment shed the radiance of all His names upon all things.

In the past, during the time of the Apostle of God - may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake - the ordinance of holy war was revealed, and in this Most Great, Most Mighty Manifestation that ordinance hath been lifted. He shall not be asked of His doings. Verily He is the Commander, the Questioner, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

God has made jihad one of the branches of religion, and it is like prayer when God and His chosen ones call for justice. Indeed, He sent Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, with five swords, three of which shall not be sheathed until war lays down its burdens. And war shall not lay down its burdens until the sun rises from the west. When the sun rises from the west, on that day no soul shall benefit from its faith if it had not believed before or earned good through its faith.

Question: Can you provide an account of Tahirih's deliverance from Qazvin, her arrival in Tihran, her departure for Badasht, and the events that transpired there?

Answer: In brief, what happened is the following. Those were the early days of the Cause and no one was informed of the divine teachings. All followed the law of the Qur'an and regarded warfare, retribution, and retaliation as permissible.

This Wronged One observed that every year warfare and conflict would arise between the Babi and Shi'ih parties, with many slain on both sides.

All know that previously, every year witnessed strife and conflict, with many souls slain on both sides - one year in Tabarsi, another in Zanjan, another in Nayriz. But after this Wronged One's departure to Iraq, by permission of His Majesty the Sultan, We forbade all from corruption and strife. If thou deniest this, the world beareth witness, though certain slanderers and deniers have concealed the good deeds of the Most Exalted Pen and spoken and continue to speak according to their desires. But by the life of God! Baha speaketh not from desire, but rather uttereth that which draweth mankind unto the Most Sublime Horizon.

The Seal of the Prophets commanded that in three days seven hundred souls be put to death, and 'Ali and Zubayr beheaded them. And were all those who were slain as mentioned in the Qur'an to be recorded, all would be seized with wonderment. Consider in the Bayanic Dispensation how many souls were consigned to perdition. In every city they killed and were killed.

… But this Wronged One, by God's command, hath removed these things and strictly forbidden them in His Books, His Scriptures and His Tablets.

That was why those holy ones were commanded to defend themselves.

This was the basis of warfare in Islam - that whenever they defended themselves, they defeated their opponents.

When and where it was necessary, God told Moses to conquer his enemies who came up to destroy him and the Israelites. Christ lived only three years of His ministry, but as He came to prepare the world for the coming of God, He lived until His mission was accomplished. He had only twelve apostles, and about seventy followers in all who believed in Him at that time, but Mohammed had thousands, and as they had only to hear him to be induced to believe, the surrounding nations threatened to destroy him and his people; so he was compelled to fight to save himself and his followers from destruction.

At the time of Muhammad, He sanctioned war for the preservation of the lives of His followers. … He commanded His followers to carry the Religion of God by the sword. When a man is about to take poison, it is right to dash the cup from his hand even with extreme violence. It will inflict injury but at the same time save his life. There must be a law to prevent the wolves , from destroying the lambs at such a period of religious history. That is why the Shepherd sanctioned such vigorous protection for the sheep.

No Divine Messenger ever encouraged strife, or suggested that the sword be used in promulgating his teachings. When followers of Christ or Mahomet have resorted to this means of spreading their faith, imagining that they were justified by the words of their Master, they have mistaken the symbols of his teaching for its reality and have done that which he had, in fact, forbidden.

A faith born of sword thrusts could hardly be relied upon, and would for any trifling cause revert to error and unbelief.

The law of Jihad has ever been a veritable firebrand with which the Ulemas of Islam have threatened the world from time to time. … Once this law was promulgated by the Sheik-ol-Islam, the power of restraining the religious fury of the Moslems was entirely out of his hand. Even if he desired he could not bring down the floodgate of fanaticism, till it had spent its fury and force.

Today 'Abdu'l-Baha told amazing stories regarding the World War and the proclamation of jihad by the Muslims, and He remarked, 'If the Covenant-breakers had not frustrated My efforts, I would have assembled some of the Muslim and the Christian chiefs and exhorted them to disallow internal conflict [in the nation]. However, the violators of the Covenant resisted and blocked Me.'

The term religious war is a misnomer, because there can be no war where there is religion. All we have is a hollow sham, a pretense.

To one who spoke of the people's desire to possess the land, and of the strong under-current of rebellion on the part of the labouring classes, Abdu'l-Baha said: "Fighting, and the employment of force, even for the right cause, will not bring about good results.

Sedition hath never been pleasing unto God, nor were the acts committed in the past by certain foolish ones acceptable in His sight. Know ye that to be killed in the path of His good pleasure is better for you than to kill.

They had no fear. They never knew when they were in their homes, at what moment ten or twenty persons armed with swords would arrive. They had no fear.

"In the beginning of the Cause they used to defend themselves. One of them would overcome twenty or thirty. Then when they understood the Teachings, they no longer defended themselves."

We forbade the servants from warfare and contention, yet some committed that which We prohibited and transgressed the bounds set by God. But God hath pardoned whom He willeth, for He is powerful over all things.

By God! Victory lieth in expression, not in sword and spear, and thus have We revealed in all the Tablets, yet the people perceived it not and were among the corrupt. And thereby was shed the blood of those a single soul of whom is, in the sight of thy Lord, better than these oppressors, for they claim to believe yet slay its Establisher and Confirmer.

Since in this Most Great Cycle the lesser jihad of physical warfare is forbidden and condemned, therefore the doors of spiritual conquests are opened from every direction.

Praise be to God, there is no need for sword or spear, for the piercing blade or the strength of men's arms.

And yet again in another connection: "Beware lest ye shed the blood of any one. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the citadels of men's hearts. We have abolished the law to wage holy war against each other.

Yea, in this Cause the sword is the divine fragrances. That sword killed, this one gives life; that one destroyed, this one builds; that one caused chaos, this one brings order. Great is the difference between that sword and this sword. But "God doeth whatsoever He willeth" and decrees as He desireth. At that time, such was required; now, this is what is needed. That sword conquered fortresses of stone and iron; this sword conquers fortresses and hearts. That sword spoke of divine wrath; this sword speaks of God's infinite mercy. That sword was the cause of separation and division; this sword is the cause of unity and harmony.