Knowledge and recognition of God

First and foremost among these favors, which the Almighty hath conferred upon man, is the gift of understanding. His purpose in conferring such a gift is none other except to enable His creature to know and recognize the one true God—exalted be His glory.

… He hath, indeed, partaken of this highest gift of God who hath recognized His Manifestation in this Day.

He who attaineth to My love hath title to a throne of gold, to sit thereon in honour over all the world; he who is deprived thereof, though he sit upon the dust, that dust would seek refuge with God, the Lord of all Religions.

… We have decreed, O people, that the highest and last end of all learning be the recognition of Him Who is the Object of all knowledge; and yet, behold how ye have allowed your learning to shut you out, as by a veil, from Him Who is the Dayspring of this Light, through Whom every hidden thing hath been revealed.

Blessed the ear that hath heard and the tongue that hath borne witness and the eye that hath seen and recognized the Lord Himself, in His great glory and majesty, invested with grandeur and dominion. Blessed are they that have attained His presence. Blessed the man who hath sought enlightenment from the Daystar of My Word.

Whatever, therefore, He saith unto you is wholly for the sake of God, that haply the peoples of the earth may cleanse their hearts from the stain of evil desire, may rend its veil asunder, and attain unto the knowledge of the one true God—the most exalted station to which any man can aspire.

The root of all principles and the cornerstone of all foundations hath ever been, and shall remain, the recognition of God.

… His very Being, even as the sun, is distinct from all else beside Him. The whole duty of man is to recognize Him; once this hath been achieved, then whatsoever He may please to ordain is binding and in full accordance with the requirements of divine wisdom.

Behold, the Ocean of true knowledge hath appeared and the Day-Star of wisdom shineth resplendent. Incline your ears to the Voice of the Eternal Lord of Utterance and purge yourselves from whatsoever is deemed unseemly, that ye may become worthy to gain admittance into the court of your Creator.

That life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant's recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is that blessed and everlasting life that perisheth not: whosoever is quickened thereby shall never die, but will endure as long as His Lord and Creator will endure.

Say: True knowledge is the knowledge of My Self. Whoso attaineth unto it hath attained unto God, and whoso denieth it is of them that have denied the verses of the All-Merciful.

Those who believe in God, who cherish His love, and who have attained certitude, enjoy that blessed life which we call life eternal; but those who are veiled from God, though they be endowed with life, yet they live in darkness and their life in comparison with that of the believers is non-existence.

Say: The essence of knowledge in these days is the knowledge of God and the Manifestation of His Self. Whoso hath attained unto these twain hath attained unto all good, and whoso hath turned away from them shall not be mentioned before God nor be counted. This is of the knowledge that changeth not throughout the eternity of God, while all else changeth according to His Will and His Command.

But they are heedless of the cause of attaining this loftiness, the appearance of these virtues and the creator of this progress, success and prosperity. Alas, they are present at the table of bounty but unaware of the Host; they observe the extraordinary motion but are negligent of the Mover; they are in this verdant garden and flourishing paradise with utmost joy, delight and expansion but unconscious of the Gardener.

A person who is not aware of the Knowledge of God is dead. A soul out of touch with the Kingdom of God is dead. A soul who does not receive a portion of the immeasurable Mercy of God is dead."

The Love of God, the Beauty of God is everywhere and exists for man if he will but rise to spiritual heights, open his spiritual vision, and behold it.

In thy letter thou didst seek the knowledge of thy Lord. By My life! It is My love, and We shall show it to be present with thee through the wondrous favors of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Great. This is the essence of knowledge, wert thou of them that comprehend.

I have called all people to the love of God, for first divine knowledge is essential, since the fruit of human existence is knowledge. If the light of knowledge shines in the human world, every good thing will be attained and the lights of love will shine. In every heart the lamp of the knowledge of God will be lit, advancing through all degrees of existence and illumining hearts.

As to the heaven of this world, it is the knowledge of God and the Love of Him and the Highest characteristics that man can possibly have, because everything reaches Paradise when it attains perfection--for example, an orange when it attains maturity and complete ripeness, we say it has attained perfection or paradise. Look at man when he attains maturity, we can say materially he has attained paradise, for perfection means paradise. When man attains the Knowledge of God and abides in His Shadow, he will then be endowed with all the good qualities of mankind and we can say he has reached paradise.

Now the queens of the world turn in remembrance of God to temples, churches and mosques, and engage in mention and prayer with the utmost humility and submissiveness; nevertheless they are deprived of the fragrance of the garment of His Revelation and forbidden from the shore of the sea of nearness and reunion.

The True One, exalted be His glory, hath created all mankind for His knowledge, and hath adorned all with the ornament of understanding and wisdom, that none might be deprived of the living waters which are the recognition of the All-Merciful.

Until the Ancient Beauty appears with the Most Great Name, strive that ye may attain through His grace to the fruit of creation, and that fruit is the knowledge of the Beloved.

Ages have passed and centuries completed, yet they have not yet comprehended from whence they came, whither they go, and for what purpose they have come.

I swear by the Sun of the horizon of proof that handmaidens who today have attained unto the recognition of God, exalted be His glory, are and have been superior and more exalted in the sight of God than the men of the earth, be they divines or others.

Know that there are two kinds of knowledge: the knowledge of the essence of a thing and the knowledge of its attributes. The essence of each thing is known only through its attributes; otherwise, that essence is unknown and unfathomed.

There is and has been no doubt that recognition of the unknowable and exalted Essence is impossible except through recognition of the Dawning Places of His Revelation and the Daysprings of His Cause, for that sacred Essence has ever been and will forever be sanctified above manifestation, appearance, mention, recognition, description and praise.

The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying: "His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them all" hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.

Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him -- a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation, as mentioned in the well-known sacred tradition.

23 And if, confirmed by the Creator, the lover escapeth the claws of the eagle of love, he will enter the REALM OF KNOWLEDGE and come out of doubt into certitude, and turn from the darkness of wayward desire to the guiding light of the fear of God. His inner eye will open and he will privily converse with his Beloved; he will unlock the gates of truth and supplication and shut the doors of idle fancy.

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.

Whosoever claimeth to know Him is an infidel, by the testimony of his own self which is contingent and temporal. And whosoever claimeth to unify Him is a polytheist, by the testimony of his own self, for association with Him is impossible, and it is impossible to attribute names and descriptions to His Essence.

Know thou that there is no difference in the knowledge of God, glorified be He, and that its highest degree for the people of love is to know Him through Him, that is, through His Manifestation of Himself by Himself, even as the Fourth Imam (peace be upon him) hath said: "I have known Thee through Thee, and Thou didst guide me unto Thee and called me unto Thee, and were it not for Thee, I would not have known what Thou art."

Man's highest station, however, is attained through faith in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of what hath been revealed by Him, and not through learning; inasmuch as in every nation there are learned men who are versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through wealth; for it is similarly evident that among the various classes in every nation there are those possessed of riches. Likewise are other transitory things.

True knowledge, therefore, is the knowledge of God, and this is none other than the recognition of His Manifestation in each Dispensation.

The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High. The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest.

This indeed is the innermost mystery, for recognition hath two ranks, as hath been established among the people of divine knowledge. If it be through the recognition of the Essence by the Essence itself, this is recognition in its reality and perfection, as the Imam, peace be upon him, hath indicated in numerous stations of recognition. … And among these is what Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him, hath said in his prayer to Abu Hamza al-Thumali: "Through Thee have I known Thee, and Thou hast guided me unto Thyself and called me unto Thee, and were it not for Thee, I would not have known who Thou art."

The Manifestations of God inform us of the bounties of the unseen world; they are reflections of the sun of reality. The divine reality is sanctified above human understanding.

Whatever enters our understanding is a form in the world of imagination: it has a mental rather than a real existence. It is circumscribed. But a human person has a true reality, which encompasses other realities.

The concept of divinity, which is one of our intellectual constructs, is nothing more than an insubstantial concept: it is not the divine reality. The divine reality is encompassing, it is not encompassed; it has a true existence, not an intellectual one.

In truth, knowledge of multiplicities holds no nobility in the station of the Essence; rather it is polytheism according to the people of glory, for in the station of knowledge of the Essence, every mention of anything is invalid and indeed indicates polytheism and imperfection.

The nobility among the people of the Bayan and glory in the station of existences and entities is pure simplicity in the station of the manifestation of the Essence.

As to the essence of the question and the reality of the matter, the divine meeting is an assured and inevitable truth set forth in the sacred Scriptures and Tablets of the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting. This is the sealed nectar whose seal is musk, and for this let the aspirants aspire. For the Universal Reality and the Divine Essence has manifestation in all ranks, stations and conditions, as it encompasses all stations, radiating clear proof and brilliant evidence in every entity, and He encompasses all things.

Knowledge comes only through the effects of the Names and Attributes, which are manifest signs of the Essence, and through witnessing the conditions of Truth in the realities of created things. For human reality, in its essence, is a known sign that speaks in praise of its Creator, reveals the mysteries of its Originator, and expounds the profound wisdom deposited therein.

Furthermore, knowledge is of two kinds: One knowledge relates to the Divine Essence - it is essential divine knowledge, identical with the Essence, not distinct from it, for in that station there is pure unity, and the Essence comprises all names and attributes. That essential divine knowledge is incomprehensible.

There is no way to know Him except through what He has revealed to creation through creation, by extending to them from nothing according to their capacity to receive, and rewarding them according to His all-encompassing knowledge of them.

The purpose of God - exalted be His glory - in creating, at the primal stage, hath been and continueth to be the knowledge of Him.

Question: What are the limitations imposed upon the powers of the Manifestations of God and, in particular, upon their knowledge?

Answer: Knowledge is of two kinds: existential knowledge and formal knowledge--that is, intuitive knowledge and conceptual knowledge.

The knowledge that people generally have of things consists in conceptualization and observation, that is, either the object is conceived through the rational faculty, or through its observation a form is produced in the mirror of the heart. The scope of this knowledge is quite limited, as it is conditioned upon acquisition and attainment.

Know thou that pure knowledge is that which relates to naught save the knowledge of God, exalted be His mention. This is God's nature which He created in the servant that he might thereby prove his servitude to God, his Lord, as Ali, peace be upon him, indicated in the letters of the word 'servant' ('abd): the 'ayn being knowledge of God, the ba' being separation from creation, and the dal being nearness to the Creator without how or indication.

When thou worshippest God, thy Lord, upon that path, thou shalt taste the sweetness of His remembrance and know the station of His recognition -- that even as He is, none knoweth Him, nor worshippeth Him, nor uniteth Him, nor loveth Him save He Himself. For His Essence cutteth off contingent beings from worship and knowledge; His Being forbiddeth existent things from narration and expression. The servant worshippeth Him through that whereby He hath manifested Himself unto him; and this, in truth, is the utmost effusion of the All-Merciful within the realm of possibility -- an effusion that pointeth only unto the All-Merciful.

The whole world hath been created for the knowledge of God, and His knowledge is dependent upon the knowledge of the Manifestation of His Self and the Dawning-Place of His Revelation, inasmuch as that sanctified Being hath ever been, and will forever remain, sanctified from appearance and emergence, and exalted above ascent and descent.

But the question may be asked: How shall we know God? We know Him by His attributes. We know Him by His signs. We know Him by His names. We know not what the reality of the sun is, but we know the sun by the ray, by the heat, by its efficacy and penetration. We recognize the sun by its bounty and effulgence, but as to what constitutes the reality of the solar energy, that is unknowable to us.

He hath deposited within every soul that whereby it may know its Lord, and without this His proof unto His creatures would not be complete, nor His evidence perfected before all worlds. He hath made the knowledge of His Self to be through His Self and through that which proceedeth from His presence, and not through aught else, whereunto testify all created things and, beyond them, all the Sacred Scriptures and Books that have been sent down from His hallowed, inaccessible and glorious dominion.

None besides God is cognizant of God's Cause. Were it not for the consideration of the people's sedition and thy harm, assuredly would the command be given that thou shouldst turn toward the holy court and become apprised of matters which none else hath known.

Apart from these considerations, the purpose of creation hath ever been the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of Him hath ever been and shall ever be dependent upon the recognition of the Manifestation of His own Self, as is recorded in all the pages of the Bayan. And He Who is the Essence of the All-Merciful hath made all that is ordained in the Bayan conditional upon His appearance and recognition. He Himself sufficeth as a witness. This station hath been sanctified from all limitations, allusions and restrictions, for this is the station of "Know God through God" and through what proceedeth from Him, not through what hath been created between the heavens and earth.

In most passages it hath been mentioned that the people of the Furqan were not well trained. God willing, may the people of the Bayan be so trained that they may not remain veiled from the Source and Fountainhead of the Cause, either through verbal allusions or without them. Now ponder this utterance, that ye may enter the pure ocean of God without allusion, in such wise that ye may regard all as non-existent save him who hath entered beneath the shadow of his Lord.

Now consider the firm ordinances of the Furqan, among which is the mention of the "Seal", in His exalted words "but He is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets." Consider also the words of the Letters and the Gates concerning the appearance of the Qa'im. Yet at the time of His wondrous manifestation all these sayings were set aside by a single word, as thou thyself bearest witness that the Prophet hath been from the beginning that hath no beginning and will continue unto the end that hath no end, as mentioned in the words of the Exalted One - may the life of all else be a sacrifice unto Him.

How tenaciously did the people of the Furqan cling to these ordinances, yet remained deprived of their essence! This servant himself wrote numerous treatises on these matters, that perchance the people might rend asunder the veils and recognize the Lord of Names and Attributes. In brief, at the time of manifestation nothing profiteth or hindereth, as hath been mentioned, for the Sovereign of Manifestation is known through His own Self. Were it otherwise, and were He to be known through words and allusions, the verdict of non-existence, negation and hellfire would not have been passed upon the people of the Furqan and those veiled therefrom, notwithstanding these healing utterances.

He is God, exalted be His glory, the Most Great, the All-Powerful

Praise be to God Who sent forth the Messengers and revealed the Books for the guidance of His servants and His creation, and made known to them His path, and taught them His knowledge, and caused them to hear His call which is realized only through the call of His chosen ones, and showed them the horizon of His Manifestation, and made them speak His praise among His creatures, until Prophethood and Messengership were sealed by Him through Whom the heaven was cleft asunder and the moon was split and every hidden secret was revealed - He Who was named Muhammad in the Kingdom of utterance and by God's most beautiful names in the hearts of the Daysprings of divine knowledge. The blessings and peace of God, the Lord of all beings, be upon Him and upon His family and companions through whom were established the decree of the beginning and the return, and the mystery of going and coming back, and what was inscribed by the Supreme Pen in the Scriptures and the Book. These are servants whom the tempests of hatred did not move and the storms of hardship did not prevent. They arose to promote the Cause with such steadfastness as made the feet of the ungodly slip and the hearts of the deniers quake and the foundation of every heedless doubter shake.

And then, your letter arrived conveying news of the well-being of that spiritual friend and family with perfect eloquence and complete fluency. Praise be to God! Verily He preserveth whom He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth for whom He willeth.

Regarding what you wrote about the dervishes of the venerable Shaykh, the matter is exactly as you have written. You too should in all circumstances show forth love, for between the venerable Shaykh and our Master, His Holiness the Most Great Branch - may my spirit be a sacrifice for the dust of His footsteps - there exists friendship and love. The metaphorical is a bridge to the real. God willing, they shall be illumined by the light of reality and attain the station of "extinguish the lamp for the morn has dawned." When a person of insight enters the path of spiritual wayfaring, after purifying and sanctifying the soul from all that God loveth not, multiple paths appear and he traverses them. This is why they have said "The paths to God are as numerous as the breaths of created things." However, if through God's grace the eye is blessed with the light of truth, it will be observed that the Truth is one, the Path is one, and the Cause is one. This is the station of unity that makes the limbs of the ungodly tremble and the root of heedlessness quake.

This servant and you must beseech God, exalted be His glory, not to deprive any soul of the ocean of His mercy and to illumine the eyes of all hearts with the light of recognition. He is the All-Powerful and in His grasp are grandeur and authority.

As for the properties of the honorable Nawwab, upon him be 966 [Baha'u'llah], he and a group of acquaintances are exerting their utmost efforts, as they have done before, and God willing they shall triumph and prevail according to the meaning of "the party of God shall be victorious." That is, they shall obtain and deliver your rights. At present, according to the writing of the honorable Nawwab, upon him be 966 [Baha'u'llah], the power of attorney has not reached them. The honored master, the venerable Sabri Efendi, upon him be 966 [Baha'u'llah], is present there. Whatever manner they deem advisable, let them write a power of attorney with the seal of the religious authorities and send it. Here too we shall add several seals to it and send it. Indeed, the honorable Nawwab is most diligent in service. The inheritance of the wife of the venerable Khalil, upon him be 966 [Baha'u'llah], was with one of the divines; he went and made his claim. We beseech God to bless those souls who exert as much effort in accomplishing others' affairs as their own with His special favors and with that which will profit them in the next world and in this. Verily, He has power over all things.

Convey my greetings to the gentlemen and friends. Furthermore, a needle case from Khurasan has been sent specifically for the honored friend, the venerable 'Ali-Akbar, upon him be 966 [Baha'u'llah]. Yesterday, which was the 13th of Dhi'l-Qa'dih the Sacred, it arrived here from the great city and is now being sent so that it may reach him. Some saffron has also been sent from here specifically for the venerable 'Ali-Akbar. Since he and his venerable and blessed late father, upon him be from all 9 [Baha] the Most Glorious, had a liking for it, therefore ten dirhams have been sent specifically for him; let it be delivered. Your gift, namely the dried curd, arrived and was well received. God willing, may you be blessed with its reward. I send greetings to the light of my eyes, 'Inayatu'llah, may God preserve him, together with his mother and sister. God willing, may they remain safe and protected under the shadow of God's favor, exalted be His glory. Peace be upon you and the mercy of God and His blessings.

The servant, On the 13th of the month of Dhi'l-Qa'dih the Sacred, year 1300

May the honored brother, Aqa Lutfu'llah, God willing, be preserved and gladdened by the wondrous infinite favors. The trouble which this servant has imposed upon him - God willing, he will exert effort and strive to accomplish and complete it with the utmost joy and delight. The reward and recompense for this rests with God, exalted be His glory. Peace and glory be upon him.

When He desired to adorn the realm of recognition, He created the intellect. It is the administrator and minister in that realm.

When thou art present before the Countenance, behold God with the eye of thy heart. Then shalt thou witness His grandeur and His sovereignty, and become acquainted, according to thy capacity, with the Dawning-Place of mysteries. Verily thy Lord is the Expounder, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Be not as the fish that, though in water, asketh about it.

In this station thou shalt see no proof save the Self of the Friend and seek no evidence save the beauty of the Beloved. Thou shalt regard His Manifestation as proof of His existence and His dawning as evidence of His Self.

Say: Knowledge, in the realm of contingency, is the known thing itself, and in the Divine Essence none knoweth it save Him.

Verily He seeth not through any eye save His own, nor can He be known except through Himself.

O thou maid-servant of God! No one hath any way to the Reality of Deity except through the Instrumentality of the Manifestation. To suppose so is a theory and not a fact.

That which man conceives with his own mind he comprehends. That which he can comprehend is not God. That conception of God which a man has is but a phantasm, an image, an imagination, an illusion. There is no connection between such a conception and the Supreme Being.

The first two are created, but the third one is ancient, since it pertains to divine knowledge, and has its beginning in the knowledge of God, which is eternal."

There has never been any doubt that the creation of the world was for the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of that Hidden Essence is not attained except through knowledge of the Dawning-Place of His verses and the Dayspring of His evidences.

Say: O concourse of unbelievers! Were ye to reflect upon the perpetuity of the Kingdom and the dominion, ye would not claim knowledge of the unseen, for ye have turned away from Him through Whom the unseen is known and through Whom His signs have shone forth from the horizon of power.

None except God, exalted be His glory, is truly cognizant of all things. True knowledge hath ever been, and shall always be, specially reserved unto Him. He is the All-Knowing, He is the All-Wise.

By God's life! He cannot be known save through Him, nor can the birds of the hearts of the people of creation soar unto the heaven of His knowledge.

Joy be unto thee, O servant, in that thou hast ascended unto the Sadratu'l-Muntaha and attained the ultimate goal, which is none other than the recognition of God in the Manifestation of His Self, Who hath come yet again.

Innate knowledge is reserved unto God alone - that is, the Ancient Beauty, the Most Great Name, Who hath no partner in this.

No rational understanding in relation to God and divine matters can be derived from the Holy Book, because the five senses, and even more our human judgment, deceive us. We can indeed recognize God with our reason, but only from the Holy Writings, the revealed Word of God, the only source of certain knowledge.

We confess that we do not know the essence of electricity and ether, but we know it by its effect of light, heat, magnetism and attraction. These evident and undeniable effects lead us to the conclusion that there must be a cause of the function and nature of which we are entirely unaware.

For whenever I commune with Thee with a sign of nearness, a sign of power distances me and makes me as a thing forgotten. And whenever the sun of Thy love shines from the right horizon and I call upon Thee with the essence of everything from every deep valley, in that very moment it sets from the loftiness of Thine essence, unto which nothing can attain, as though it had never risen in any state.

And His knowledge is not realized except through knowledge of the Dayspring of Revelation, the Dawning-Place of His Manifestation, the Source of His Cause, and the Manifestation of His Self, through Whom appeared His power, His might, His grace, His sovereignty, His greatness, His loftiness and His authority.

Praise be to God Who is one in His Essence with His Essence, Who is sanctified in His Self by His Self, Who is holy in His Being for His Being, and Who testifieth that there is none other God but Him. Eyes apprehend Him not, but He apprehendeth all eyes, and He is the All-Subtle, the All-Informed.

The water of life is flowing and coursing from the Pen that sends down verses, and from its flowing those who seek the right hand of the All-Merciful hear this word: Whosoever desires to know the Truth in this Revelation must look upon it with His eye, not with the eye of created things, for He has been and shall ever be known by His own Self, and all else through Him.

Know, O brother - may God have mercy upon thee - that I counsel thee, before commencing the explanation, with counsels which, if thou accept from me, will make attainment easy for thee; otherwise, the matter will be difficult for thee, and there is no path to knowledge except through knowing these counsels:

First, thou must purify thy heart from every principle thou hast received from thy scholars, for they have drawn from turbid springs flowing one into another, some rejecting others.

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Therefore, divine wisdom requires that the Eternal Truth describe Himself to creation so that creation may know its Creator and contingent beings may reach their ultimate purpose through His eternal outpouring. This description is created, incomparable to any description, and an identity to which nothing can be likened. This description is the reality of the servant - whoever knows it knows his Lord, as indicated by the Imam: 'I knew Thee through Thee, Thou guided me to Thee and called me to Thee.

Again, in the contingent world there is poverty; hence there must be wealth for there to be poverty in the world. In the contingent world there is ignorance; hence there must be knowledge for there to be ignorance. If there were no knowledge, neither could there be ignorance; for ignorance is the non-existence of knowledge, and if there were no existence, non-existence could not be.

Consider man as a tree: its fruit hath been and ever shall be the knowledge of God, and its leaves and branches are goodly deeds and spiritual qualities.

And verily thou, say: In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. And after beginning with My blessed Name, give glad tidings to all created things and proclaim between earth and heaven that whosoever desireth to ask a question may present it to the Manifestation of ancient glory - an answer will descend from the heaven of grace.

Does He not know what He has created when He is the All-Knowing of the essence of all things? How could He not know about His creation's innovative origination?

The All-Glorious hath named it the House of His Oneness - whoso entereth it knoweth God to the extent possible in the realm of contingent being, that He is the Truth, there is no God but Him, there is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

They have grasped the firm cord of "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" and have held fast to the hem of the exception "My earth and My heaven contain Me not."

O my beloved! After ascending to the heavens of inner meanings, the wayfarers attain to three stations, meaning that the manifest Sun shines and becomes revealed in the mirrors of existing things according to these three ranks, although some consider the ranks of determinations to be five and have named them the five presences.

Then when he observed all contingent realities to be evanescent and non-existent in the manifestations of the Sun of the heaven of sanctity, he turned toward the Most Great Scene and said "I have turned my face toward Him Who created the heavens and earth, inclining unto Him, and I am not of those who join partners with God."

O thou servant of the True One! Sulphur is the fire of the love of God, and mercury is the quicksilver of the ocean of the knowledge of God.

The light of the intellect enables us to understand and realize all that exists, but it is only the Divine Light that can give us sight for the invisible things, and which enables us to see truths that will only be visible to the world thousands of years hence.

Say: God is more knowing than anyone possessed of knowledge. He createth knowledge as He willeth in all things, and with Him is the knowledge of the heavens and of the earth and the knowledge of all the worlds.

This knowledge is explained breast to breast, and heart to heart they entrust it. That is, it is a secret - they are secret-keepers who give their lives but not the secret.

And concerning the All-Glorious soul attired with vestures of light, standing on top of the stairs, He is the Abha Beauty and from Him the grace of heavenly guidance hath shone upon thy heart.

The great Masters and Teachers so purified their minds by the love of God and of men that they became like polished mirrors, reflecting faithfully the Glory of God.

I swear by the Sun of the horizon of grace that none of the peoples of the world hath been or is aware of their own best interests, for knowledge hath ever resided and shall continue to reside with the true Knower. He, verily, is the One Who knoweth what is with them, and what profiteth and preserveth them, while they know not. It behooveth everyone to say: "Thou art the Knower of what is within me, and I know not what is within Thy Self, and Thou art, in truth, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."

O Tabib! The True Physician speaketh: Strive ye to protect humankind from the disease of ignorance and heedlessness through the power of the Lord of Destiny, and heal them through this supreme remedy which is the recognition of the Lord of all peoples.

There is no doubt that all powers are impotent save the power of the love of God which pulsates, and all wings are broken save the wing of the knowledge of God which is connected to the power of the Kingdom.

Yea, this fruit is the knowing God and love for God, and reliance upon God and is the virtue with which the reality of man is adorned, and it is the perfections which are the great gift for the child of Adam (i.e., mankind) in this first creation.

"The object of God's teaching to man is that man may know himself in order to comprehend the greatness of God.

O Dhabih! The heart hath been created for the recognition of the Lord of Lords. Defile it not with the love of any other, and at all times strive with utmost effort to preserve this exalted and sublime essence, lest it be veiled by veils or barred by glory from the Lord of Attributes....

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In these days, in one of the wondrous Tablets, this blessed word hath dawned from the Dayspring of the Will of the King of Oneness - the water of life hath flowed from the Pen that revealeth the verses, and from its murmuring this word is heard: "Whoso desireth to know the truth must see it with his own eyes, not through the eyes of others."

We have commanded thee to drink at all times that thou mayest find thyself each day in a different condition, and that in every moment there may be opened before thy heart's face a door of the doors of knowledge.

O Ali, thou didst seek deliverance from the ocean of wonderment, yet this station was besought of God, glorified be His majesty, by the Seal of the Prophets in His words "Lord, increase my wonderment in Thee."

But those who do not follow closely these things will not be convinced by proofs such as these. This then is not a final proof.

Miracles are likewise convincing to a limited number only. For instance, a Buddhist would not be convinced by the miracles of Moses which are proofs only so far as the orthodox Jews are concerned, because they love Moses.

O seeker of the True One! If thou wishest divine knowledge and recognition, purify thy heart from all beside God, be wholly attracted to the ideal, beloved One; search for and choose Him and apply thyself to rational and authoritative arguments. For arguments are a guide to the path and by this the heart will be turned unto the Sun of Truth.

The soul can prove the Existence of God through its intellectual powers, but the true perception of God is through the spiritual eye of the soul. This Knowledge transcends mere mental proof; it is spiritual Sight; it is Vision.

His Holiness Baha'u'llah says in one of his Tablets:- if you drink all the seas of the earth there must be no sign of wetness on your lips, they must be parched with more thirst. You must be always thirsty for the water of realities and significances. The more the circle of your information is widened, the greater must become your search. Through this man will become perfect, but a soul whose cup is filled with a few drops will never become perfect.

The candle of thine heart is lighted by the hand of My power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and passion. The healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love thy treasure and cherish it even as thy very sight and life.

And also He saith: "O essence of desire! At many a dawn have I turned from the realms of the Placeless unto thine abode, and found thee on the bed of ease busied with others than Myself. Thereupon, even as the flash of the spirit, I returned to the realms of celestial glory, and breathed it not in My retreats above unto the hosts of holiness."

Therefore, in every Revelation, when the Sun of Truth dawns with a decree concerning the inhabitants of the previous Revelation, rendering them as naught - for instance, you see now how many people of the Gospel call upon God by His names and recite the Gospel, their Lord's Book, yet Muhammad the Messenger of God commanded their effacement. If they truly call upon God, how would God be pleased to efface one who calls upon Him? And if they recite God's Book, how would God be pleased to efface one who recites His Book? This is because they knew God in their fancy and recited His Book in their imagination.

The beginning of all utterance is the worship of God, and this followeth upon His recognition. Sanctified must be the eye if it is to truly recognize Him, and sanctified must be the tongue if it is to befittingly utter His praise.

True remembrance is to make mention of the Lord, the All-Praised, and forget aught else beside Him.

The ear is not that piece of flesh at which thou gazest - open the hidden eye that thou mayest behold the fire of God, and hearken with the ear of the spirit that thou mayest hear the sweet voice of the Beloved.

18 This station is that of the true standard of knowledge and the final end of tests and trials. Nor is it needed, in this realm, to seek after knowledge, for He hath said concerning the guidance of wayfarers on this plane, "Fear ye God; God will teach you", and again, "Knowledge is a light which God casteth into the heart of whomsoever He willeth."

Beware, beware lest thou make the Cause of thy Lord dependent upon the acceptance of others or the approval of any among created things, for all else besides Him is created by His command and brought into being by His Will. He created them even as He created thyself, and there is no difference today between thee and any other save those whom God hath aided through His Cause and made to recognize the Manifestation of His Self.

Place yourself in the presence of the All-Merciful, then speak with fairness. I am indeed a faithful counselor unto you. The matters you mentioned and established as signs of the truth of truth have ever been and shall forever be rejected in the sight of God. It would be better if you were to recite, purely for the sake of the All-Merciful, some verses of the Qur'an and ponder their meanings. Perchance on this Day, which is the King of Days, you may not remain deprived of the choice wine of recognition and bereft of the Kawthar of revelation and inspiration.

Unless one recognize God and love Him, his cry shall not be heard by God in this Day. This is of the essence of His Faith, did ye but know it.

We made knowledge for the recognition of the Known One, yet when He appeared in truth, the learned and the mystics turned away, save whom God willed, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.

Likewise, ask thou of God that the magnet of His love should draw unto thee the knowledge of Him. Once a soul becometh holy in all things, purified, sanctified, the gates of the knowledge of God will open wide before his eyes.

This Most Great Revelation encompasseth all things and is not encompassed. Now hath the Light of Light shone forth and that which was hidden is revealed in this Unfurled Scroll. Thereafter neither lamp, nor moon, nor sun shall profit thee.

O Hussein in Sad, He is the Mighty! It hath been known to that honored one that the purpose of creation hath ever been and shall ever be the knowledge of God, and this knowledge dependeth upon the recognition of His servants who perceive the Truth through their own vision and heart and nature, for imitation sufficeth not, whether in acceptance or rejection. If thou attainest unto this most glorious and most exalted station, thou shalt reach the Greatest Perspective, which is the station of steadfastness after striving in God.

Shouldst thou ponder that which We have imparted unto thee purely for thy Lord's sake, God will surely open before thy heart's face the gate of true knowledge, and the breaths of utterance will so attract thee that thou wilt become detached from all possibility, turning unto God, the Lord of what was and what shall be.

It is clear and evident to every person of insight that the purpose of the creation of beings has been and ever shall be the knowledge of God. It is manifest and certain that this knowledge cannot be perfected through imagination, nor completed through conjecture and words, for in the realm of words all differing sects are partners.

Know thou that he who believed in the Spirit at the beginning of His Cause was a fisherman who caught fish in the sea. But when the Word shone forth upon him from the horizon of the Divine Will, he turned with his whole being to the Mighty, the Wise. Therefore did the mysteries of wisdom and utterance flow from his mouth.

He is the One Who cannot be known through aught else - all are His servants and all act by His command.

Knowledge is love. Study, listen to exhortations, think, try to understand the wisdom and greatness of God. The soil must be fertilized before the seed can be sown.

In this day, whosoever hath turned his face toward the Most Exalted Horizon and beheld the Sun of Truth which shineth forth therefrom, he verily is reckoned among those possessed of vision in this most transcendent Scene. Otherwise, even should he possess a hundred thousand eyes, he would still be accounted blind in the presence of God and so recorded in His Holy Tablet.

Beseech God - exalted be His glory - at all times that He may grant thee success to remain not veiled by the world and whatsoever is therein from His recognition.

Know thou in what place thou dost find thyself, morning and evening, in the vicinity of thy Lord's mercy, the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful. God willing, may your bewilderment also be in the knowledge of God.

All the nations of the world who believe in God are divided onto two classes; the agnostics and the true believers. The agnostics are those who do not believe in revelation, and the religious nations are those who do believe in revelation.

Know God through God, not through aught else, for all else was created by His Word, if you be of those who know.

Here am I, here am I, O Thou Who wast promised in the Tablets! Yea, yea, O Thou Who hast borne all hardships for the deliverance of the worlds!' Write, O servant: In one moment---purely for the Face of the All-Merciful---ponder thou, detached from all beside Him, and consider: if thou remain heedless of this Most Great Manifestation, whose radiance hath encompassed all the world and the nations thereof, to what wilt thou cleave, and by what proof and argument wilt thou establish the truth for thine own self?

The Kawthar of life is flowing in the world and the Sun of knowledge has appeared and risen from the horizon of divine bestowal, and the Ocean of vision is manifest and evident through perfect grace. Yet the seeker is missing and the thirsty one deprived, for he knows not the way to the Ocean and has not recognized nor knows the Guide.

We created hearts for My love, and eyes to behold the signs of My power, and tongues to make mention of My beauteous praise.

And how many are the souls who deemed themselves ignorant, yet today have attained to the highest horizon of knowledge, inasmuch as the purpose of knowledge hath ever been and still is the recognition of God.

The eye was created for the Most Great Vision and the heart for the Kawthar of the recognition of the All-Merciful Spirit.

The ignorant ones pursue houris and palaces, but the mystics yearn for the presence of the All-Forgiving Lord.

Know thou God by God and by that which proceedeth from Him, for all else beside Him is created by His command and brought into being by His Will. He cannot be known through aught else; rather, all else is known through Him, and He is wise over all things.

O friends of God! Every soul today who desires to drink from the chalice of divine knowledge and attain the light of certitude must first purify their heart with the water of the utterance of Him Who is the Aim of all worlds.

The Sun of grace is shining, the Ocean of bounty is manifest, the Heaven of generosity is raised up. Man is bewildered at what has prevented the heedless people. The straight and upright path is manifest and evident like the light of the sun, yet despite this, the people are seen to be afflicted and lost in the rocky wilderness of self and desire.

The essence of knowledge is the knowledge of God. Whosoever attaineth unto this is accounted among the learned in the presence of the Truth, and whosoever remaineth deprived thereof is reckoned among the most ignorant of people, even though he might be the repository of all knowledge.

Whosoever desireth to know God and His Self must needs purify his ear from every utterance, mention, and expression, and from every word that hath been spoken, and must gaze upon God with a perceiving eye, a pure heart, a hearing ear, and an attracted soul, that he may know his Lord through what appeareth from Him and not through what is with the people.

Verily, true knowledge is bound up with the knowledge of My Self, and all sciences are dependent upon My leave. He who hath not beheld Me with Mine eye knoweth Me not, nor will anything profit him even should he lay hold of the knowledge of the first and the last ones.

O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! Hearken unto My verses and ponder that which hath appeared from Me and say: O people of the Bayan! By God, the heaven of knowledge hath appeared with shining suns.

O Ahmad! Know thou that God hath created every soul for the recognition of the Manifestation of His Self, and this verily is the purpose revealed in all the Tablets. Yet when He appeared, all turned away save those who held fast to the Sure Handle and detached themselves from the deluded ones. Remember thou the time when Muhammad, the Apostle of God, appeared from the horizon of Hijaz - the divines opposed Him and denied the signs of God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

How many a servant who laid claim to knowledge and wisdom was hindered when the All-Merciful appeared, and how many an unlearned one drank from the ocean of knowledge through My Name, the All-Subduing over all who are in the heavens and on earth.

Yet when the veil was rent asunder they denied God, save those who beheld the Manifestation with their own eyes.

How many a learned one has stood at the gate, and how many an ignorant one has rent asunder the veils and entered the House through My Name, the Mighty, the Wise. Verily he is among the people of knowledge in the presence of the All-Knowing.

But you were not content with what We ordained for you, and remained veiled from God, your Lord, to such extent that you failed to recognize Him even after you were with Him for years and months.

Mulla 'Ali of Kand, who carried volumes of books and for years acquired sciences and arts which, in his own estimation, others were incapable and powerless to acquire, did not attain to the recognition of God, glorified be His majesty, and remained fixed and established in his own error.

These various peoples and numerous communities who are in error - it is their own essence that veils them and their own blindness. Otherwise, the horizons are bright and the radiance encompasses all created things.

The people of metaphor have imagined and described the Divine Reality in such a way that it must be completely forgotten. Their conception is pure imagination. But the holy souls have thoughts about the Divine Reality that are entirely in accordance with reason. It is a hidden secret and a guarded mystery.

I ask God that thine inner sight may be illumined so that thou mayest discover the hidden mysteries of the Kingdom of God. If thou become so , thou wilt be an evident light and a divine angel in the celestial dominion; then it dependeth on the divine confirmation, according to thy perseverance.

Shouldst thou desire to become my pupil thou must acquire the Mysteries of God and attain to the Knowledges and Sciences of the Kingdom--for they are the cause of the life of the world and the salvation of humanity.

You must endeavor to understand the mysteries of God, attain the ideal knowledge and arrive at the station of vision, acquiring directly from the Sun of Reality and receiving a destined portion from the ancient bestowal of God.

Faith must be through recognition, through insight, through guidance, through the diffusion of divine fragrances, through the dawning of lights.

Truth is not like a pool of water which you can dip up, a cupful at a time, until it is exhausted. Truth is illimitable; Truth is boundless. Get to that station where the world of Truth is open to you. Be as a running stream fed from an Infinite Reservoir. Come into a station where you do not need to ask questions; where questions will solve themselves in your own soul; where you are fed more and more from the Reservoir Itself. Then you will not need to ask. Come into a spiritual station where you can see the Truth for yourself.

One must not look at oneis self, for the more he does this, the more he sees his faults and feels guilty and useless. But when he looks at God, he feels God is near to him, and feels Godis power, Greatness, Bounty and Love. If we look at ourselves, we see only our weakness.

The true divine is he who hath attained unto My recognition, heard My call, and arisen to serve My mighty Cause.

Divinity is the effulgence of the Sun of Reality, the manifestation of spiritual virtues and ideal powers. The intellectual proofs of Divinity are based upon observation and evidence which constitute decisive argument, logically proving the reality of Divinity, the effulgence of mercy, the certainty of inspiration and immortality of the spirit. This is, in reality, the science of Divinity.

Question: Those who do good works, who are well-wishers of all mankind, who have a praiseworthy character, who show forth love and kindness to all people, who care for the poor, and who work for universal peace--what need do they have of the divine teachings, with which they believe they can well afford to dispense? What is the condition of such people?

Answer: Know that such ways, words and deeds are to be lauded and approved, and they redound to the glory of the human world. But these actions alone are not sufficient: they are a body of the greatest beauty, but without a spirit. No, that which leads to everlasting life, eternal honour, universal enlightenment, and true success and salvation is, first and foremost, the knowledge of God.

The source of all knowledge hath been and still is this blessed Word, for the purpose of knowledge, in its primary degree, is to withhold men from error and cause them to attain unto guidance, and in its secondary degree, all that which profiteth mankind.

Thy letter hath been received, and at its head were written these words: "In the affairs of this world and the next I am bewildered." The Most Exalted Pen declareth: The matter of the world to come hath been, and shall ever be, to turn unto God---glorified be His majesty---to know Him, and to remain steadfast in His Cause.

The honor of man is through the attainment of the knowledge of God; his happiness is from the love of God; his joy is in the glad tidings of God; his greatness is dependent upon his servitude to God.

If any man were to meditate on that which the Scriptures, sent down from the heaven of God's holy Will, have revealed, he would readily recognize that their purpose is that all men shall be regarded as one soul, so that the seal bearing the words 'The Kingdom shall be God's' may be stamped on every heart, and the light of Divine bounty, of grace, and mercy may envelop all mankind.

Blessed be thy temple in that thou hast chosen for it the robe of servitude unto God, the True One. By the life of God! Thou hast chosen what God hath chosen for thee. He who recognizeth it and knoweth its station will hold fast unto it, will arise to serve the Cause, and will speak that which will draw mankind nigh unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

A true philosopher would never deny God nor His evidences, rather would he acknowledge His glory and overpowering majesty which overshadow all created things.

… Say: The beginning of Wisdom and the origin thereof is to acknowledge whatsoever God hath clearly set forth, for through its potency the foundation of statesmanship, which is a shield for the preservation of the body of mankind, hath been firmly established.

From this, the discerning one perceiveth that divine knowledge hath had and shall have no end. Within it lie concealed the pearls of utterance of all the worlds, yet its form hath not increased; through it flow the rivers of meaning, yet not an atom of it hath diminished."

The first Tajalli which hath dawned from the Daystar of Truth is the knowledge of God--exalted be His glory. And the knowledge of the King of everlasting days can in no wise be attained save by recognizing Him Who is the Bearer of the Most Great Name. … Attainment unto the Divine Presence can be realized solely by attaining His presence.

There can be no doubt that all things were created in their primal reality for the knowledge of God. He that hath attained this station hath attained unto all good -- a station so exalted that were its greatness to be fully revealed, all the pens in the realm of possibility and all the pages of creation would not suffice to exhaust its description.

… In sum: the spirit of the heart is the knowledge of God; its adornment is the confession that He doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth; its robe is the fear of God; and its perfection is steadfastness.

Know thou that God, exalted be He, hath power over all things and is mighty over all things. No person of understanding can deny His all-compelling power and His mighty, prevailing strength.

The earth will be filled with knowledge and learning, with the realities and mysteries of creation, and with the knowledge of God.

Now, in this glorious age, which is the century of Baha'u'llah, consider how far knowledge and learning have progressed, how fully the mysteries of creation have been unveiled, and how many great undertakings have been embarked upon and are multiplying day by day!

Thou hast guided this evanescent ant to the pavilion of Thy knowledge and given her shelter beneath the shade of the tabernacle of Thy majesty.

Why is man so heedless? Because he does not know God. If they knew God, surely each would cherish the other. If they had spiritual feelings, they would raise the banner of the Most Great Peace. If they heard the counsels of the Prophets, surely they would have justice.

The supreme cause of creation has been the knowledge of God. Whosoever today has attained the fragrance of the merciful Robe and reached that original homeland - which is the station of recognizing the Dawning Place of divine commands and the Dayspring of heavenly revelation - has attained and will attain unto all good.

Well is it with that fearless warrior, who armed with the power of true Knowledge, hastens unto the field, disperses the armies of ignorance, and scatters the hosts of error, who holds aloft the Standard of Divine Guidance, and sounds the Clarion of Victory. By the righteousness of the Lord! He hath achieved a glorious triumph and obtained the true victory.

Ye are the exponents of this love and are enraptured by the beauty of the Lord of Oneness. When your hearts are wholly attracted to the one true God you will acquire divine knowledge, will become attentive to the proofs and testimonies and will commit to memory the glad-tidings concerning the Manifestation of the Beauty of the All-Merciful, as mentioned in the heavenly Scriptures. Then ye shall behold how wondrous are His confirmations and how gracious is His assistance.

The fourth principle he inculcated was that all humanity is in the estimation of God equal; all are the servant of God; all are beneath the mercy of God. God has created all, God provideth for all, God nurtures all, God protects all, God is kind to all; - why should we be unkind? God gives provision; why should we suspend that provision? God loves all his servants; why should we be inimical? God is at peace with everybody; why should we be warring? God has created us for love and amity and not for strife and enmity.

Consider man as the heaven wherein the sun and moon are his pure and goodly deeds, and the stars his spiritual qualities. God willing, may all the friends of Truth be adorned with this most mighty and holy ornament. Today the ocean of awareness surgeth and the sun of knowledge shineth forth.

O thou true friend! Read, in the school of God, the lessons of the spirit, and learn from loveis Teacher the innermost truths. Seek out the secrets of Heaven, and tell of the overflowing grace and favor of God.

O thou who art attracted by the fragrant breaths of loving-kindness!

Discover thou the mystery of God, and the secret of the All-Merciful, in the mirror of truth and the sea of servitude, and behold thou the world-enkindling ray of eminence and salvation in the dawning-place of thraldom and humility at the threshold of Almighty God.

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Thou shouldst speak forth, wax eloquent, divulge the hidden secrets, share the Word of God, inaugurate a school of the Kingdom and give instruction in heavenly Books, ignite a shining lamp and burn down the veils of the imaginings of the ignorant.

Man must comprehend the oneness of Divinity. He must come to know and acknowledge the precepts of God and realize for a certainty that the ethical development of humanity is dependent upon religion. He must get rid of all defects and seek the attainment of heavenly virtues in order that he may prove to be the image and likeness of God.

The greatest bounty of God to man is knowledge, and man's distinction from animals is through reason. So if religious beliefs contradict science and reason, they are assuredly ignorance.

I created all things for the knowledge of the Lord of Names. Yet when the veil was lifted and the lights of the Countenance shone forth from the Supreme Horizon, they opposed and turned away from Him, save those who drank the pure wine of inspiration from the utterance of God, the Almighty, the All-Compelling, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

In any case, this is not the day for Israelites to occupy themselves with Voltaire's doubts or Darwin's skepticism and uncertainty. Rather, in this illumined age and divine century they must pursue the acquisition of divine truths and meanings, discover divine mysteries, raise the anthem of sanctification and glorification, worship the One True God, proclaim the oneness of humanity, and promote universal brotherhood.

Blessed is the servant who hath attained unto the knowledge of God in His days and hath arisen to serve His inevitable Cause.

No man can obtain everlasting life, unless he embraceth the truth of this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation.

Aid these souls to acquire the sciences that demonstrate the appearance of Thy Beauty in the realm of creation, and teach them the mysteries that were in the unseen world of contingent being.

In brief, it means that all knowledge is divine knowledge, meaning realities must be known for knowledge to be realized - until something is encompassed, the encompasser cannot encompass it. And all creation manifests signs of God's might and power. In this light, one cannot consider people as ignorant while counting oneself as learned, for knowledge of truth is divine knowledge - knowledge is identical with what is known.

Reality is the love of God, reality is the knowledge of God, reality is the second birth, reality is receiving the breaths of the Holy Spirit, reality is the oneness of humanity, reality is fellowship between people, reality is friendship, reality is justice, reality is equality between people.

In the beginning God, through His Love, created man. Man is the highest product of His Love, and the purpose of man's existence is to reflect this Love of God in his soul.

Praise be to the Lord of Bounty and the Sovereign of existence, Who is worthy and deserving, for in the sending of Messengers and the revelation of Books, His purpose in the primal degree hath been none other than the knowledge of His sacred Being and the unity of hearts and souls.

Bear thou witness that We have desired for thee and those around thee naught except that ye should detach yourselves unto God, ascend unto Him and put your trust in Him, in such wise that the veils of limitations prevent you not from beholding the lights of the morn from the dayspring of the Divine Unity, that worldly affairs occupy you not from entering the sanctuary of the Divine Essence, and that allusions hinder you not from reaching the ocean of Names and Attributes.

Blessed is the servant who hath recognized and arisen to serve the Cause of God, and woe unto them that hesitate!

Your lofty aspirations, exalted virtues and search after truth are among your distinctive qualities, and proof of this is your translation of the Tablets of Baha'u'llah, in which you preceded all others.

And if you strive, hasten to His lane, and if you sing, warble in the branches of His knowledge, and if you burn, blaze in the fire of His love, and if you grow, find repose through the grace of His Divine Unity.

Give thanks to God that your deeds are accepted and praised at the Divine Threshold, and strive with heart and soul to become signs of the love of God and standards of the knowledge of God.

Q. Is it right to address prayer to a Manifestation of God?

A. It is as difficult for the human mind to understand the Essence of God as for the watch to understand its maker, but through the Manifestations it becomes easier to understand His Spirit and therefore to draw near it. Otherwise, we must form for ourselves a mental conception of God, which may be a false one. The only test of its truth lies in the influence this conception has upon our lives; if it makes us kind and loving in our relations with our fellow-men, we may know it is a true one.

Q. [What is the spiritual life?]

A. Characterize thyself with the characteristics of God, and thou shalt know the spiritual life!

If truth be rejected, it is a mistake for which we must be sorry—not a sin; and the mercy of God transcends all human error. That to accept the laws and message of Baha''o'llah was the quickest way, but that everything done in sincerity and with a loving heart was accepted, and that the mercy of God covers all.

Praise be to God who hath made knowledge a lamp and wisdom a light, and hath linked it to godliness through His word "Fear God: God will teach you", whereby He hath made clear the proof and revealed the path. Through it the dove of utterance warbleth upon the branch of divine knowledge - verily there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Bestower.

Say: Hearken unto My call and cast beneath thy feet what thou hast known and learned, then ascend unto God with manifest detachment. Knowledge is indeed praiseworthy if thou dost thereby aid thy Lord. Loose thy tongue in utterance to remember thy Lord, the Most Merciful, then be thou enkindled with this Fire which was ignited from the Tree of the Cause.

O servant of God! When the heart is illumined with the lights of divine knowledge, wherever thou dwellest thou shalt abide beneath His mercy.

The ultimate purpose has been and is the recognition of God. Whosoever has attained unto this and acted according to His commandments has attained unto all good.

We will understand the value of this gift when we act according to the counsels and admonitions of the Blessed Beauty, for guidance is knowledge and wisdom, and the fruits of knowledge are harvested only when one implements what one has learned through understanding.

For heavenly souls acquire the power of insight and eventually reach a station where they perceive the realities of things.

O thou maidservant of God! The physical life is sustained by respiration, eating of food and drinking of water; but the spiritual life consists of the mentioning of the True One, the Love of God, the explanation of the Knowledge of God and attraction to the Beauty of Abha.

O servant of God! The power of culture can traverse a hundred thousand leagues in but a moment and discover the sovereignty of God's dominion.

Through insight man attains to faith and wisdom, and becomes capable of discovering verities. Insight is all important, and, praise be to God, you are endowed therewith. Because of this, you are in the estimation of Christ as those who see. You see with the inner eye the signs of God; you comprehend the realities of heaven, for you are believing and confident; you have attained unto the knowledge of God.

Moreover, there are sciences and arts not taught in college, and these are divine knowledge, the knowledge of God, proofs and evidences, the sacred texts of divine books, the science of teaching the Faith, and heavenly knowledge. I hope that the students will acquire these as well.

The point is this, that in the way of the discovery of a certain place, such great endeavors and efforts are displayed; so many souls make themselves sacrifices for it; so many troubles and hardships are endured; nevertheless no one thinks to discover the Kingdom of ABHA.

Salvation - heaven - is the conscious realisation of God in this life, which is gained by love, kindness, and good deeds.

Every learned one who today has attained the divine fragrances of these days is as the eye for the temple of the world. Trusting in the All-Merciful, he must engage in teaching the Cause with the utmost joy and delight. This is the deed that will accompany him through all worlds.

Even as in the past, a king along with a group of princes and ministers attained to the faith and were adorned with the recognition of God through the deed of one person who remained faithful to his covenant.

The truly learned one is he whose knowledge prevents him from all that My good-pleasure and His good-pleasure abhorreth, and the mature one is he who hath attained unto the dawning-place of My knowledge; and apart from this none is mature, even though he may live for [many] years.

This is the foundation of the belief of the people of Baha (may my life be offered up for them): "His Holiness, the Exalted One (the Bab), is the Manifestation of the Unity and Oneness of God and the Forerunner of the Ancient Beauty. His Holiness the Abha Beauty (may my life be a sacrifice for His steadfast friends) is the Supreme Manifestation of God and the Dayspring of His Most Divine Essence. All others are servants unto Him and do His bidding."

This is the true meaning of being well informed. This is the true meaning of discernment. This is the significance of the attribute of perception and learning. If thou hast knowledge of all things but remaineth ignorant of Him of what use or advantage would it be to thee? But when thou knowest of Him then shalt thou attain true knowledge of all things and shalt perceive the realities of all things with insight and discernment.

Vision is a magnet for the gate of knowledge, awareness and wisdom. Understanding cometh from the sight of the eye. Blessed is the soul that hath recognized the straight path and held fast unto it.

He is

O Maryam! Jesus the Spirit has ascended to the placeless realm. The cage of existence is emptied of the praised Bird. The ancient Nightingale has flown to the wilderness of nothingness, and the divine Songbird has burst into song upon the holy Tree. The pavilion of glory is rent asunder and the royal falcon has taken wing from the branch of delight. The lofty heavens have settled upon the dark earth and cries have risen from anguished hearts. Sweet water has turned to blood and the precincts of the exalted Paradise have become mingled with blood.

Yea, the luminous breasts of the friends are worthy of the shaft of the divine decree, and the necks of the lovers are eager for the noose of endless afflictions. Wherever there is an arrow, the breasts of dear ones it pierceth; and wherever there is grief, the hearts of companions it consumeth. The lover's eyes must be wet, whereat the Beloved may coyly flash an amorous glance. If the lover crieth out a hundred words of grief, the Beloved but turneth more away. If thou desirest the sherbet of reunion, sacrifice thy body on the plane of nothingness; and if thou seekest the wine of surpassing Beauty, set foot in the vale of privation.

O Maryam! Give up sorrow to happiness, and dispel all grief from the cup of joy. If thou desirest to set foot on the path of search, be patient. Scratch not thy Dear One's cheek and let loose not thy tears. Rather be composed. Clothe thyself with the garment of resignation, and quaff from the pure wine of contentment. Sell this world for a dirham and let thy heart be captive to the divine decree and thy soul tied to destiny.

Open the eye of admonition and remain chaste and faithful to the Friend that soon we may knock on the door of the hallowed Presence and enter the court of eternal communion, that we may hearken to Hijazi melodies coming from the `Iraqi harp and become united with our Best Beloved, that we may speak together of the ineffable mysteries and behold what eyes cannot bear to see, that we may set the temple of the spirit to dancing with the music of light and prepare the banquet of joy in the sacred precinct of life, that we may seize the chalice of beauty from the effulgent cupbearer and drain the peerless wine in remembrance of the face of the All-Glorious.

Cleanse thine eyes from tears, sweep sorrow from the chamber of thy heart, set thy mind free from worry, and sing out with the sweetest of melodies. If one should bear a sword into the Beloved's house, Let us bare our necks and leave the decree to God.

The acceptance of truth hath never been contingent upon conditions - its cause and reason have been His grace alone.

Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup that is life indeed. It bestoweth joy, and is the bearer of gladness. It conferreth the gift of everlasting life. As to those that have tasted of the fruit of man's earthly existence, which is the recognition of the one true God, exalted be His glory, their life hereafter is such as We are unable to describe.

I swear by the Sun of the horizon of sanctity! Should a soul quaff from the cup of knowledge the crystal waters of the love of the All-Merciful, never would he be moved by the wrong of the oppressor and the onslaught of the tyrant even to sadness, how much less to fear and consternation!

O My loved ones! Look not today to your own selves but rather to the Self of God, if ye be of them that comprehend.

We have turned from the eloquent tongue to the luminous tongue that all might understand what hath flowed from the Supreme Pen. O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! The first commandment hath been and is the knowledge of God, and after that steadfastness in His Cause. This steadfastness is not attained except through knowledge. Blessed is the soul that hath drunk from the Kawthar of the Merciful's utterance and attained unto that which was the purpose of creation. The knowledge of God, in its primary station and first rank, is bound up with and dependent upon the blessed word "He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth."

Well is it with thee for having recognized thy Lord before the recognition of all created things. Strive therefore within thyself to increase in thy recognition and to remain steadfast therein, for this is greater than the creation of the heavens and earth, and none shall remain steadfast therein save the sincere ones.

His inspiration is continual, because his heart is attached to the Spring of All; his happiness is eternal, because it comes from God; his rejoicing is perpetual, because it is based upon the eternal rock of the knowledge of God, his beatitude is never-failing, because it is emanated from the virtues of the world of humanity.

Put aside the world in the name of thy Lord and take with the hands of power My perspicuous Book. Neither their books nor their sciences and arts will profit the people except through turning to this Most Great Ocean which surgeth through this manifest Name.

Say: O people! Open the eye of God which is deposited within you and with that deposited sign, contemplate His Cause that perchance ye may attain to its source and fountainhead.

If thou attainest intimacy with God, thou wilt pass beyond the transient kingdom and find thy dwelling in the realm of rest, and thou wilt no longer see sorrow nor reckon grief.

The essence is the knowledge of God and love of God. Whosoever attaineth unto this station, by the life of God, death shall not grieve him, nor shall armies prevent him, nor shall earthly conditions sadden him, nor shall ranks frighten him.

The remembrance of God, like the waters of mercy, floweth from the source of grace, yet few are they that seek it. By the life of God! If in truth a soul should attain unto a single drop thereof, he hath attained unto all good. Strive ye, that perchance ye may be enabled to preserve the pearls of divine knowledge.

The purpose of the creation of the world and the fashioning of Adam hath been the knowledge of the True One, exalted be His glory. This knowledge is in itself the eternal elixir and shall ever remain so. Whoso attaineth unto it hath attained unto everlasting life.

God willing, he will be nourished from the breast of the love of God and will grow and develop in the cradle of the knowledge of God.

Thank thou God for that He hath caused thee to taste the sweetness of His love at thy earliest childhood.

Today the first requirement is the recognition of God, and then steadfastness in His Cause, for the treacherous and the thieves have been and are lying in ambush.

For knowledge is My love, and all else is but the whisperings of Satan. Thus have We imparted unto thee from the essence of knowledge, that thou mayest be possessed of true learning.

The beginning of the Cause is the recognition of God, exalted be His glory, and its end is steadfastness in His love.

That which is the cause of everlasting life in humankind and that which is permanent and lasting is the knowledge of God, the love of God, faith, certitude, steadfastness and constancy.

The Master: "Very good, my daughter; in Persian it says more clearly - Awe in the face of God is the beginning of all wisdom! Thus all understanding of the mysteries of human suffering must be based on and preceded by unconditioned (absolute) awe for God the Creator!

I testify that there is no Paradise except in knowing Thee and in Thy good-pleasure, and naught else that Thou hast not loved. And after Thou didst make Thyself known to all Thy creation, the first to enter the paradise of Thy knowledge were the Exponents of Thy Cause and Thy creation, until the creation of that Manifestation endeth at the Day of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest.

Through Thee, O my God, I have known Thee, that there is no God but Thee. Through Thee I have professed Thy unity, O my God, that there is no God but Thee. Through Thee I have sanctified Thee, O my God, that there is no God but Thee. Through Thee I have found Thee, O my God, that there is no God but Thee.

… Thou shalt never be known through other than Thyself, nor described by aught save Thyself, nor characterized by any but Thee, nor worshipped through any manifestation of Thy dominion, nor praised by any sign of Thy kingdom.

So glory be unto You, O my God! All that You have commanded Your creation to know You by You, not by Your creation. For when Your creation desires to know You through the traces of what You have created - those essences of those traces - the Manifestation of Your Self from before declares that You now desire to bring down all that was exalted before under the shadow of knowing You. For other than You is known through You, so how could You be known through other than You?

Then unveil to me, O my God, the mystery of Thy Sustaining Power by which all things subsist, that I may become aware of the reality of the Divine Seat flowing upon the levels and stations, encompassing all created realities, receiving from the Ancient Outpouring and benefiting from the gifts of the Most Great Name.

Man standeth bewildered before the greatness of His grace, bounty and mercy. We beseech Him to perfect our imperfect deeds, actions and words, and to adorn them with the ornament of acceptance.

O my God! Thy servant's shame is to be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and his glory is to know Thee.

In the name of our Lord, the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Most High, the Most Glorious

Praise be to God Who is single in His command and unique in His judgment, Who hath sent down from the heaven of oneness the decree of wisdom and made it the foundation of this edifice which the hands of the power of the All-Merciful have built in the contingent world. Exalted is God, the Revealer of religions, through Whose word all that is and all that hath been were created. Blessed is he who hath recognized this glorious edifice which hath been mentioned in the Qur'an as the Great Announcement and in the Book of Names as the Straight Path. There is no Book but that this Most Exalted Remembrance and this Most Great Gift have been mentioned therein, having been designated by all names by the tongue of God, the Lord of the throne and of the dust, the Sovereign of the hereafter and of the former times.

I beseech Thee, O Sovereign of all beings and Educator of all existing things, by the Revealer of verses through Whom all doubts and allusions were erased, to assist Thy chosen ones, Thy loved ones, and Thy friends to triumph in Thy Cause and to arise to serve Thee. O Lord! Withhold not the letters of Thy Book from the ocean of Thy knowledge, nor the leaves of Thy trees from the blowing of the breezes of Thy bounty. O Lord! Draw them through Thy Most Exalted Word to Thy most sublime horizon and enable them in such wise that the opposition of every opposer will not deter them, nor will the tyranny of any oppressor frighten them. O Lord! Sanctify their hearts from the mention of aught else but Thee, their souls from turning to anyone other than Thee, and their tongues from praising aught besides Thee. Purify them, O my God, through Thy generosity and bounty, and cleanse them from all that is not pleasing unto Thee. Verily, Thou art the Powerful over what Thou willest, and within Thy grasp is the kingdom of creation. Thou doest what Thou pleasest and ordainest what Thou desirest. Verily, Thou art the All-Wise Judge.

O Lord! Thou knowest that I desire to make mention of one of Thy loved ones who hath drunk the choice wine of Thy utterance, turned toward Thy horizon, responded to Thy call, and directed his face toward Thy countenance, though one such as I is not worthy to make mention of him who hath clung to the hem of Thy generosity and drunk from the ocean of Thy knowledge. But Thou knowest, O Beloved of the world and Desire of the nations, that by my mention of him I intend only to bring him the glad-tidings of Thy loving-kindness and bounty. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

Deprive not Thy servants from the ocean of recognition, and withhold them not from the lights of the countenance of Thy Revelation.

Before the revelations of Thine invisible spirit summon me to be present, Thou Who art my Origin and my Highest Wish, and unto the essence of the fragrance of Thy beauty, which Thou wilt manifest, cause me to return, O Thou Who art my God!

I beseech Thee, by the praise wherewith Thou praisest Thyself and the glory wherewith Thou glorifiest Thine own Essence, to grant that we may be numbered among them that have recognized Thee and acknowledged Thy sovereignty in Thy days.

O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, Whose beauty is my sanctuary, Whose habitation is my goal, Whose praise is my hope, Whose providence is my companion, Whose love is the cause of my being, Whose mention is my solace, Whose nearness is my desire, Whose presence is my dearest wish and highest aspiration, I entreat Thee not to withhold from me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy servants.

I have heard that Thou hast declared that if today anyone should but once sincerely say "Show me," from the Kingdom of Utterance he would hear "Look and thou shalt see Me."

Whatever I say and seek belongs to the realm of human perception and falls under the dominion of the human world. How can the results of thought reach the divine heights, and how can the spider of vain imaginings weave its web of conjecture and understanding upon the canopy of sanctity?

I beseech Thee by the sighs which they whose souls pant after Thee have uttered in their remoteness from Thy court, and by the cries of such of Thy lovers as bemoan their separation from Thee, to nourish me with the wine of Thy knowledge and the living waters of Thy love and pleasure.

Keep safe Thy servants and Thy handmaidens, O my Lord, from the darts of idle fancy and vain imaginings, and give them from the hands of Thy grace a draught of the soft-flowing waters of Thy knowledge.

Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God, inasmuch as Thou hast inclined mine ear to Thy voice, and called me to Thyself, and opened mine eyes to gaze on Thy beauty, and illumined my heart with Thy knowledge, and sanctified my breast from the doubts of the infidels in Thy days.

I implore Thee, O thou Who art the Beloved of the worlds and the Desire of all that have recognized Thee, by Thy name, through which Thou stirrest up whom Thou willest and drawest toward Thee whom Thou pleasest, to open the eyes of all that are dear to Thee, that haply they may not be veiled from Thee as the peoples of the earth are, but may outwardly perceive the signs and tokens of Thy power, and inwardly apprehend the things Thou didst ordain for them in the realms of Thy glory.

I beseech Thee by Thy power and Thy sovereignty and Thy greatness and Thy favors to illumine the world with the light of Thy knowledge, that in all things may be seen the signs of Thy craftsmanship and the mysteries of Thy power and the lights of Thy recognition.

For Thou, O my God, hast ordained no glory except in the knowledge of Thy Book and no light except in the recognition of Thy verses.

I testify that Thou hast created no soul except for the knowledge of Thyself, and whoso hath attained unto this hath attained unto all good that Thou hast ordained in the tablets of Thy decree and the pages of Thy destiny.

There is no God but Thee. Verily Thou art my Beloved in this world and in the next, and Thou art the Object of desire of them that have recognized Thee.

Having drunk the sweet waters of mystic knowledge from the cup of utterance, say:

Praise be to Thee, O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of all existence, for having honored me with Thy mention and adorned me with the ornament of Thy Most Exalted Pen, from which the mysteries have been revealed in the beginning and the end.

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Whosoever hath recognized Thee will turn to none save Thee, and will seek from Thee naught else except Thyself. Thou art the sole Desire of the heart of him whose thoughts are fixed on Thee, and the highest Aspiration of whosoever is wholly devoted unto Thee.

I testify that I know not what profiteth me. The reins of knowledge are in Thy grasp. Thou art verily the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Say: Praise be to Thee, O my God, for having given me to drink from the Kawthar of Thy knowledge, for having made me recognize the Dawning-Place of Thy verses, for having guided me to Thy path, and for having cast upon me Thy Most Exalted Word.

When thou findest the fragrance of My utterance and drinkest the choice wine of My knowledge, say: My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having illumined my heart with the light of Thy knowledge and enabled me to acknowledge that which Thou hast sent down in Thy Book.

I testify that Thou hast created me, and nourished me, and brought me up, and fed me, and sustained me, that I may recognize Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs, and the Revealer of Thy clear tokens.

My Most Exalted Pen beareth witness to thy turning toward Me, thy devotion, thy presence, thy attentiveness, and thy entry through a gate that hath been opened unto all who are in the heavens and on earth.

O Lord! Deprive not Thy servants of the fragrances of Thy grace in Thy days. Then make them to know the Manifestation of Thy Cause and the Seat of Thy sovereignty.

O my Lord! Thou art the One through Whom the oceans of knowledge surged and the fragrances of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, were wafted.

I beseech Thee, O Lord of all beings and Cleaver of the dawn, deny him not the wonders of Thy knowledge nor deprive him from the sanctuary of Thy holiness and the Kaaba of Thy unity.

We beseech Thee by the Mystery that lay hidden within Thy knowledge, and by the Pearl that remained concealed within the shell of Thy decree and destiny, to ordain for those who have heard Thy call and responded to that which Thou hast prescribed for the sincere ones among Thy creatures--those whom neither the might of the world could dismay nor the power of the nations enfeeble, who hastened with their hearts to the horizon of Thy Revelation and attained unto that which the Tongue of Thy grandeur had uttered on the Mount--that which Thou hast ordained for them.

Remove from sight every veil, uncover from all faces every covering, illuminate the minds' insight with every light, and expand all breasts with the holy fragrances of Thy sanctity, O Thou Mighty, All-Forgiving One - until insight penetrates the veils drawn over inner mysteries, eyes witness the lights of secrets, hearts are quickened by gentle breezes from Thy holy gardens, and souls are revived by fragrances wafting from the gardens of Thy grace.

O my Lord! Cause to gush forth from the rock of existence the waters of Thy knowledge and recognition, that all may know Thee as Thou art, though this be greater than all that is great.

I beseech Thee by the light of Thy countenance and the fire of the Tree of Thy Command to ordain for me that which shall profit me in every world of Thy worlds. Verily Thou knowest what profiteth me and what I have, and I know not what Thou hast.

O my Lord! Give me to drink from the Kawthar which Thou hast made specially for those of Thy servants who are near unto Thee, that there may flow from my heart the rivers of Thy knowledge.

Then send down upon my heart that which will cause to flow from it the Salsabil of Thy remembrance and knowledge, that I may understand what Thou hast revealed in Thy Tablets.

They were passionate and ardent for Thee - admit them to the gathering of reunion and make them aware of the mysteries of the realm of secrets. Grant them flight in the endless world and make them abide forever in the Kingdom of Mysteries, in the gathering of the revelation of lights.

Recite the Obligatory Prayer and supplications as much as thou art able, so that day by day thou mayest attain to increased firmness and steadfastness and find greater joy and gladness. Thus the circle of divine knowledge will grow wider, and the fire of the love of God will burn brighter within thee.

Then teach me, O my God, from the wonders of Thy knowledge that which will make me independent of all knowledge but Thine. Then cause to descend upon my heart from the clouds of Thy mercy that which will cause to grow therefrom the ears of Thy wisdom and the fruits of the sanctity of Thy knowledge, that I may become enriched above all who are in the heavens and the earth through the wonders of Thy riches and the jewels of Thy grace and bestowal, for verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Single, the All-Glorious, the Help in Peril.

When thou hast taken the choice-sealed wine from the hand of My bounty and drunk thereof in My Name, say:

"My God, my God! I testify that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to hearken unto Thy call and to stand before Thy throne.

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Say: O my God! Aid me in Thy remembrance and Thy praise and in serving Thy Cause in Thy kingdom. I beseech Thee not to withhold from me the breezes of Thy revelation and the fragrances of Thine inspiration.

O my Lord! I am the ignorant one, and with Thee is the ocean of knowledge. Teach me through Thy grace that which shall profit me in all the worlds of Thy worlds, and assist me to remember Thee throughout all nights and days.

Among them are those who know Thee and make mention of Thee, and those who make mention of Thee yet know not Thy sovereignty and power, even though, O my God, they may cling to one of Thy names.

He hath called into being His creatures, that they may know Him, Who is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful.

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The source of all learning ('ulum) is the knowledge (irfan) of God, exalted be His Glory, and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His Divine Manifestation.

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The beginning of all things is the knowledge (irfan) of God, and the end of all things is strict observance of whatsoever hath been sent down from the empyrean of the Divine Will that pervadeth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth.

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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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The beginning of all knowledge ('ilm) is the recognition ('irfan) of God. He who hath attained unto it hath attained unto all knowledge ('ulum).... Knowledge ('ilm) is the mirror of Oneness (ahadiyyah) within which is imprinted the known effulgences (tajalliyatu'l-'ilmiyyih) by the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

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We beseech God that He may graciously vouchsafe His grace unto all men, and enable them to attain the knowledge of Him and of themselves.

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Among the people are those who have turned away and disputed with proof, and those who have quaffed the choice wine of certitude in His Name, the Guardian over all worlds. They have lost, those who have turned to the croaking of the raven, turning away from hearkening to what the Dove hath warbled upon the branches of the Tree of Eternity - that there is none other God but Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

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'O man', said he, 'you have understood aright. But why is it that "he who has recognized himself enters into the Good", as it was said in God's speech?' I answered, 'It is because the Father of all consists of Light and Life, and from him Man has sprung.' 'You are right', said he 'If then, being made of Life and Light, you learn to know that you are made of them, you will go back into Life and Light.' Thus spoke Poimandres.

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For it is the height of evil not to know God; but to be capable of knowing God, and to wish and hope to know him, is the road which leads straight to the Good; and it is an easy road to travel. Everywhere God will come to meet you, everywhere he will appear to you, at places and times at which you look not for it, in your waking hours and in your sleep, when you are journeying by water and by land, in the night-time and in the day-time, when you are speaking and when you are silent; for there is nothing which is not God.

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For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

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No man can "obtain everlasting life" in the full sense of the term, except through acknowledging the Manifestations of God, in this age, Baha'u'llah. If he doesn't do it in this world he will have a chance to progress in the next one.

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Know thou for a certainty that whoso disbelieveth in God (lan tajid 'indihi al-diyanat; i.e. "whoso hath not religiosity") is neither trustworthy (al-imanat) nor truthful (al-sidq). This, indeed, is the truth, the undoubted truth. He that acteth treacherously towards God will, also, act treacherously towards his king. Nothing whatever can deter such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him from betraying his neighbor, nothing can induce him to walk uprightly. GWB#114 p232-233; SLH.5#060 cf. "...those are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of a God. Promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist. The taking away of God, though but even in thought, dissolves all..." John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration. Alternate: "Those who deny the existence of the Deity are not to be tolerated at all. Promises, covenant and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon or sanctity for an atheist." also cf. Today, whosoever hath turned unto the most exalted horizon and attained unto the recognition of God, exalted be His glory, he verily was and is truthful.

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...unless we practice the Teachings we cannot possibly expect the Faith to grow, because the fundamental purpose of all religions - including our own - is to bring man nearer to God, and to change his character, which is of the utmost importance. Too much emphasis is often laid on the social and economic aspects of the Teachings; but the moral aspect cannot be overemphasized.

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