Manifestation of God as tree of life; sadratu'l-muntaha
Editorial introduction
The Lote Tree beyond which there is no passing stands in the Qur’án at the boundary of a journey, near the Garden of Refuge; Bahá’u’lláh takes the same name and makes the Tree speak. From its leaves comes the summons that there is no God but God, from its branches the warbling of the Dove, and in its fire the voice Moses heard in the Bush that was not consumed. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains the image directly: the Tree of Life is the Word of God and His universal Manifestation, the root that does not itself bear fruit but feeds the branches that do. Its shade falls over East and West alike. Its fruit is everlasting life, its leaves, like those in John’s Revelation, are for the healing of nations, and the men and women who grow from it are themselves addressed as branches and leaves, called to stay green in every season. The journey continues through the other names the Manifestation bears, the divine physician and the educator, the gardener who plants, the pen that writes and the sun that lights every mirror.
This Tree of Life has cast its shadow over East and West, and through the boundless grace of the Ancient Lord, it is hoped that He will bestow upon all peoples the utmost fellowship and connection with each other beneath this blessed Tree, making them as one sea and one paradise and as stars in a single firmament, that all may move and circle like luminous orbs in this infinite space and through attractive forces preserve one another.
The Holy Tree (Sadrat) is, in a sense, the Manifestation of the One True God, exalted be He. The Blessed Tree in the land of Za'faran refereth to the land which is flourishing, blessed, holy and all-perfumed, where that Tree hath been planted.
We must strive with complete determination to raise the blessed and goodly Word - which sometimes appears in human form, at times in the form of light, once in the image of the Tree, and another time in the likeness of the Sun - from earth to heaven, that people may be freed from the clay of idle fancies and vain imaginings and attain to what God has willed.
That branch of the blessed tree must be green and fresh and moist and fruitful in spring and summer and autumn and winter - that is, in all seasons - so that it may become clear and evident that through the grace of the Abha Beauty it exists in an eternal spring, nay rather, in a springtime that has no autumn to follow.
The Tree of Life spoken of in this account refers to none other than the Manifestation of God in the human form, through whom God manifests His life-giving Spirit in the form of words, and whosoever partakes of the fruits of this Tree shall indeed attain everlasting life, in accordance with His Command.
In the Gospel it is said "I am the Vine, the Father, the Husbandman." Mohammed said that god is as a tree. Baha'u'llah said that He was a Divine Lote Tree. In the time of Moses God appeared to Moses as a Bush of Fire, but was not consumed. The meaning of this, is that all Prophets have likened the Cause of god unto a tree. Baha'u'llah said that He was the Lote Tree and the teachers and prophets the Branches and the believers, the leaves.
Baha'u'llah is the root, I am the Branch. The root of the tree does not bear fruit. The fruit is found upon the branches.
Now, praise be to God, through divine bounty and bestowal, the fire of Moses, the light of guidance, has appeared in the Tree of Truth of the Abha Beauty, and all the friends have acquired illumination from that shining moon.
O dear Musa!
His Holiness Moses heard the call of the Merciful Lord from the kindled fire in the green tree. Praise be to God that thou hast heard the call of the Revealer of Sinai from the luminous flame in the blessed human tree. Although the Caller was one and the same, that call was raised from tree and stone and clay, while this call was raised from the Most Great and Glorious Manifestation.
Verily Sinai hath been graced to behold its Speaker, the Burning Bush to know its Herald, and the Vineyard of God to see its Beloved.
O thou who gazest toward the horizon of the Revelation! Hearken unto that which the Speaker of the Mount uttereth, Who was promised in the Books of God and mentioned by the tongues of the Messengers.
Praise be to God that while Moses the Interlocutor beheld the Face of Guidance without beginning from the fire of the Tree that was neither of the East nor of the West and was guided, as He said "I perceive guidance at the fire," these companions have become illumined and guided by the light of the divine Lote Tree and the manifestation of the Essence of the Eternal.
O thou who art attracted by the love of God! Give a hundred thanks to God that thou hast walked the path of guidance by the lights of the fire of the Blessed Tree in the Sinai of the Divine Tree, and hast drunk the wine of bounty from the hand of the Cup-Bearer of favor.
And We testify that thou didst attain unto the Station and didst hear what the Blessed Tree spoke forth from the Sinai of divine knowledge.
O branch extended, proceeding and raised from the Blessed Tree which was raised up in truth on the Sinai of Manifestation, the Spot of Light, the right-hand Valley, the Paran of the All-Merciful, the wilderness of Tur!
O graceful branch of the Tree of Sinai! Blessed art thou to have sprung from this Sacred Tree and to have branched out from this Blessed Sadrih.
O you who are enkindled with the divine kindled fire! The Tree of Paradise and the Lote-Tree of the Uttermost Boundary was planted in the blessed spot of the Sacred Valley, raised its stature upon the peak of Mount Sinai, blossomed forth in the Valley of Tuva, perfumed the horizons with holy fragrances, and the divine kindled fire blazed forth in this Tree that is neither of the East nor West.
That is a blessed tree and an exalted word, whose light would well-nigh shine forth even though no fire touched it. That is the Tree of Truth which would well-nigh manifest itself before being summoned.
For verily this Tree is holy, celestial, divine, heavenly, almighty, godly, paradisiacal - it is not its own creator, rather it is the Realized Being manifesting through its revelations. It is neither of the East nor of the West, neither oriental nor occidental, neither of heaven nor of earth, but rather it is the Essence of essences through its manifestations.
Say, this of a certainty is the Garden of Repose, the loftiest Point of adoration, the Tree beyond which there is no passing, the blessed Lote-Tree, the Most Mighty Sign, the most beauteous Countenance and the most comely Face.
...
Upon thee, O Tree of Blessedness, Lote-Tree of the Furthermost Boundary, Garden of Refuge, Most Glorious Horizon and Most Exalted Station at the distance of two bow-lengths or closer!
O denizens of the everlasting Realm! Let your ears be attentive to the stirrings of this restless and agitated hair, as it moveth upon the Sinai of Fire, within the precincts of Light, this celestial Seat of divine Revelation.
Say: By God! The Fire hath returned in the Tree and speaketh forth: 'I am, verily, God, the Mighty, the Exalted, the Well-Beloved.'
Verily the Light calleth aloud and the Fire proclaimeth: Blessed be the ear that hath heard and hath attained unto that which God hath desired in His glorious and wondrous Day.
Hearken unto what is revealed unto thee from this Tree upon this blessed spot from this Divine Fire, that verily there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.
The Light hath shone forth and the Fire hath called out from the Divine Lote-Tree: "The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Possessor of all that was and shall be."
Praise be to God Who hath adorned the Mount with His Interlocutor, and the Tree with its Planter, and the Fire with its Kindler, and hath revealed that which was hidden in knowledge and inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen in the Scriptures and Tablets.
Today the Mount is in communion with Him Who conversed with it, and the Tree beyond which there is no passing is ablaze in the luminous spot.
The lights of revelation have encompassed the world, and He Who conversed on Sinai is singing upon the Divine Lote-Tree with most wondrous melodies.
Thou hast beheld the divine Fire kindled in the Tree that is neither of the East nor of the West, and heard the soul-stirring Call of God from the luminous Flame in the human Tree.
By God! The Lote Tree of the Far Boundary hath been stirred by the breezes of the revelation of Him Who is the Lord of Names, and the remembrance of the Most Remote Mosque hath been raised up through this Remembrance whereby all things have proclaimed: The sovereignty belongeth unto God, the Lord of all worlds.
O servant who art mentioned in this inscribed Tablet! Know thou that We created the Sidrat'ul-Muntaha in the crimson hill beyond the crimson sea of grandeur, and raised it to such a station that were all who are in the heavens and on earth to seek shelter beneath one of its leaves, they would be preserved from the heat of self and passion, inasmuch as We shed upon it a light from the lights of this Sun which hath dawned in truth - thus hath the matter been decreed, if thou be of them that know.
O loved ones of God among the Arabs! Hearken to the summons of God issuing from this Tree which hath been raised up through the power of truth, every leaf of which proclaimeth within all things: Verily, I am God; there is no God but Him, the Most Holy, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful! Hasten, O people, unto the Tree of God, and seek shelter beneath its shadow. By the righteousness of the one true God! Were ye to search the reaches of earth and heaven, ye would find no refuge save beneath the shade of this Tree, a Tree which overshadoweth all mankind and through whose branches waft such divine breezes as will quicken every mouldering bone.
Verily the Divine Lote-Tree hath been planted by the hand of this Most Great Remembrance in a Paradise that was hidden from the eyes of the ungodly. It hath been raised up through this Name, as We watered it from the Water of Life which flowed from a luminous and holy Finger. And verily it encompasseth all who are in the heavens and the earth, were ye to know this.
Then give thanks unto my Lord, the Great, for this wondrous favor. This is a day wherein grace hath encompassed all religions, and the Divine Lott Tree hath called out from the Most Exalted Horizon: 'Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing.'
And when thou dost praise the Divine Lote-Tree, we too are beneath its shade and encompassed by endless favors.
Glory be to Him who hath brought the East and West under the shadow of the Blessed Tree, the root of which is firmly fixed in the earth and the branches of which reach unto the Supreme Concourse!
O thou holy leaf of the tree of blessedness!
The divine Lote tree hath been raised in the midmost heart of paradise and hath, through the mercy of the Lord now grown and spread wide its branches to encompass east and west.
O people! Take shelter beneath the Lote-Tree of holiness. Verily it hath been among you for numbered years, and ye have known it according to your measure and capacity. Whoso denieth it is assuredly in grievous loss.
How many souls rushed forth into the deadly wilderness and were consumed by the heat of deprivation, never tasting a drop of the wine of reunion from the hand of the Cup-bearer of attainment, while you, through the favor of the Most Glorious Beloved, have entered beneath the sheltering shade of the Tree of the Uttermost End.
Strive thou that the heedlessness and forgetfulness of the peoples of the worlds may not prevent thee from the direction of the All-Merciful, and that thou mayest ever dwell, in spirit and fragrance, beneath the shade of the divine Lote-Tree, in rest and in peace.
Remove thyself from all that thy desires command thee and draw nigh unto the Divine Lote-Tree. By God! When thou enterest beneath its shade and turnest with thy whole being unto it, thou shalt hear from each of its leaves: "Rejoice, O peoples of creation, for your Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted, hath come, His countenance luminous between the heavens and the earth!
Say:
O my God, my Adored One, my Desire! With utter helplessness I beseech Thee and pray fervently unto Thee to protect me from the mischief of the ungodly, and to deprive me not of the shelter of the divine Lote-Tree and of the shrill voice of the Pen of the Most High.
If thou dost long for illumination from the Kingdom adorn thy countenance with beauty of the All-Merciful and if thou desirest consolation for thy soul and Tranquillity in thy conscience seek repose beneath the Sadratu'l-Muntaha.
Set your faces toward the Most Distant Station - verily it is the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, if ye be of the assured ones.
Turn with radiant faces unto the Ultimate Tree from whose rustling is heard "Glory and Greatness belong unto God, the Mighty, the Great!"
He summoneth you unto that which draweth you nigh unto the most exalted horizon - the Station wherein the Tree of the Uttermost Boundary proclaimeth: There is none other God but Me, the Peerless, the All-Informed.
Leave the mention of these, then ascend unto the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, that thou mayest hear the most sweet melodies in the Paradise of refuge, and sanctify thyself from base allusions, and attain unto the ultimate goal.
They have traversed the Lote Tree of the utmost realm of love at the beginning of their journey and have perceived the ultimate goal of divine knowledge from the Tree of Paradise.
Verily they are the Tree beyond which there is no passing, and whatsoever is created from them are its fruits, would ye but know.
How high is the testimony of the Sadratu'l-Muntaha for its leaf; how exalted the witness of the Tree of Life unto its fruit!
O fragrances of the earth and its mysteries, and leaves of the Divine Tree and its fruits! Blessed are ye, for ye have chosen for yourselves, beneath the shadow of your Lord's tender mercy, a station most exalted and a position most gracious.
The Divine Lote-Tree desires to send unto thee a fruit from among Its fruits, and a leaf from among Its leaves, and a remembrance from among Its remembrances, that It may draw thee closer, in all conditions, to God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.
O My fruit! Verily the Divine Lote-Tree desireth to raise thee up through its sovereignty, and draw thee nigh through its bounty and its hosts, and cause thee to hear its sweetest call and the shrill voice of its Most Exalted Pen.
Blessed art thou for having drunk of My cup and soared in My atmosphere and tasted of the fruits of this Divine Tree which hath been raised up in truth and speaketh forth that there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Beautiful.
And verily, thou art of the fruits of the Ultimate Tree which was planted by the hand of the Most Glorious.
Say: The Tree of Sinai hath been raised up in the holy wilderness and hath yielded the fruits of divine companionship.
Thus hath the human one revealed the fruits of utterance from this Tree which hath been raised up in truth by God, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
Today the Blessed Tree of Baha, which hath been planted by the hand of the Lord of Names in the Most Exalted Paradise, uttereth this most sublime Word: "O peoples of the earth! The Lord of Heaven hath come with manifest sovereignty."
God hath testified in His Books and Scriptures unto Him Who hath come with the Truth, with a Name through which the world was illumined and the faces of the nations were darkened, save those who held fast to the Sure Handle and turned toward the All-Highest Horizon - the Station wherein the Divine Lote-Tree doth speak: "There is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting."
O My handmaiden! Bear thou witness unto that which God hath testified concerning His Own Self by His Own Self, before the creation of His names and attributes: that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who hath come with the truth is indeed the Ultimate Tree, the Most Exalted Horizon, and the Primal Word.
Say: O people of the earth! Hearken unto the call of God from the divine Lote-Tree in this sacred and luminous Valley, that there is none other God but Him, and that 'Ali-before-Nabil is the Sovereign of existence, all are His servants and all shall return unto Him.
O Muhammad-Qabli-Mustafa! Hearken unto the call from the crimson horizon, wherewith the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing doth speak: Verily, there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the Powerful.
O Hasan! Hear the Call of God, the Lord of the hidden and manifest, from the green Tree upraised in the blessed, luminous land.
O Ahmad-i-'Ali, hear the Call from the Divine Lote-Tree, planted by the hands of grace in the Most Exalted Paradise.
But because this Unlettered One is clinging to the Divine Lote-Tree I can read without any knowledge and without being taught writing I write.
This is a Book from the Wronged One to him who hath turned towards the Crimson Tree that he might hearken unto its most sweet call in remembrance of God, the Lord of the worlds.
The Remembrance of God from the Divine Lote-Tree hath been witnessed at the right hand of the Throne. Blessed is the one who draweth nigh unto it, who is nourished by its fruits, and who taketh for himself beneath its shade a station that is faithful to the truth.
He is the Caller from the Divine Lote-Tree, the One mentioned in the heart of Glory, and established upon the throne of faithfulness amidst all peoples.
The Divine Lote-Tree crieth out amidst all beings and summoneth all unto God, the Lord of the worlds.
O servant! Hearken unto that which is revealed unto thee from the uttermost Tree upon the luminous spot.
The Divine Lote-Tree calls out: The Kingdom belongeth unto God, Lord of what was and what shall be.
Blessed is he who hath attained unto the Salsabil of the utterance of the All-Merciful in these days wherein the Divine Lote-Tree hath proclaimed: The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Lord of all worlds.
O Ali! Today the Tree of Utterance, which hath been planted by the hand of grace in the highest Paradise, speaketh forth this most sublime Word: "O peoples of the earth! The Lord of all names hath come, the Sovereign!
Say: Turn ye, O people, to the Supreme Horizon, the station wherein the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing doth speak.
This is the Day whereon the Divine Lote-Tree calleth out and the Rock crieth aloud through this Great Name. Be ye as leaves when the winds of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of the Covenant, blow.
The shrill voice of the Most Exalted Pen and the rustling of the Lote-Tree of the Uttermost Boundary are raised up.
This is the day wherein the rustling of the Sadratu'l-Muntaha was raised and the Cock of the Throne crowed, when the Tongue of Grandeur proclaimed: The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Peerless, the All-Informed.
Thereupon the tongue of grandeur and glory hath spoken forth at the Sadratu'l-Muntaha, addressing all who are in earth and heaven: "By My glory and My beauty!
O my leaf and O my handmaiden! Today it befitteth the leaves of the Divine Lote-Tree to make mention and offer praise unto God, exalted be His glory. Each of the leaves of the Ultimate Lote-Tree is engaged in a different remembrance and uttereth a different praise.
She warbleth upon the twigs of the Divine Lote-Tree and giveth glad tidings unto them that are nigh and unto the sincere ones.
O servant!
We have caused thee to hear the melodies of the Dove which warbleth at all times upon the twigs of the Divine Lote-Tree.
Thus have We sent down unto thee that which the Dove hath warbled upon the twigs of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, whereby all things are drawn, that thou mayest render thanks unto thy Lord and say, turning unto the Desired One: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of existence!
O servant! Detach thyself from self and desire, and incline with the ear of thine inmost heart unto that which the Dove warbleth upon the twigs of the Divine Lote-Tree, that thou mayest be among those who have heard the verses of their Lord, the Most Great, from the direction wherein was established the Most Great Name and wherein He shed His radiance upon all who are in the heavens and the earth and beneath the soil.
O My handmaiden! Hearken unto My call, then detach thyself from all else besides Me, then drink from the cup of My praise from the fingers of My mercy and grandeur, then raise thy right hand in My Most Great Name and rend asunder therewith the veils of the handmaidens through My sovereignty and majesty and power and might, then hearken unto other melodies from the Divine Lote-Tree which hath been planted by the hand of Baha in the Garden of Refuge, and every leaf thereof speaketh that which attracteth the hearts of the Concourse on High.
When thou hearest the cooing of the Dove and knowest that which the Divine Lote-Tree hath uttered, make mention of thy Lord amidst the concourse of creation, that they may haply turn toward this luminous horizon.
Hearken thou to the Call from the Divine Lote-Tree, that it may draw thee to a station wherein thou shalt testify with thy heart and tongue that there is no God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
Verily the Divine Lote-Tree desires to make mention of one of its fruits, and to gladden it with its loving-kindness and grace, and to remind it of that which hath been inscribed upon its leaves by the Most Exalted Pen of God, the King, unto Whom belongeth the kingdom of heaven and the realm of names.
Thus has the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing spoken, as a grace from its presence upon you, that ye may hear and be of those who are firmly rooted.
Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having strengthened me and brought me into Thy presence and shown me and caused me to hear the rustling of the Sadratu'l-Muntaha in this most exalted Station.
Blessed be thy brother and thou, and they who have hastened with their hearts unto the Divine Lote-Tree which speaks forth in the kingdom of creation that which it spoke before creation itself: "Verily there is none other God but I, the Truth, the Mighty, the Wondrous."
O My loved ones in My lands! Hearken unto My call which hath been raised from the Divine Lote-Tree that speaketh amidst the world and announceth unto all this momentous News.
Thou hast attained unto the days of God and heard that which was raised from the Ultimate Tree which speaketh amongst mankind and calleth all unto God, the Lord of the worlds.
At all times doth the Divine Lote-Tree call out betwixt earth and heaven and summon all to the straight path of God.
Some heard and acted upon it, attaining unto it, while others clung to the vain imaginings and idle fancies of men and were thus deprived and shut out from the ultimate goal, the most exalted horizon and the furthermost Lote-Tree.
The Divine Lote-Tree hath been stirred by the movement of the verses of Him Who is the Lord of all creation, yet most of the people remain heedless.
We have sent down the verses and manifested the clear proofs, and the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree hath been raised in the Kingdom of creation, yet the people hear not.
Say: The Tree hath been raised up in truth, and the birds of the hearts of them that know cannot attain unto its heights save whom thy Lord willeth. Verily He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful. Blessed is he who hath heard its rustling and the warbling of the birds that circle round it.
All the peoples of the world were awaiting the promised days mentioned in the divine Books, yet when the blessed Tree appeared, adorned with the choice fruits of wisdom and utterance, all drew their swords intending to cut it down, save whom God willed.
And verily it is the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing. Blessed is he who dwelleth beneath its shade; he is indeed of those who have attained. Then doth the Tree lament what hath befallen it from the heedless ones, when the people stone it with the rocks of idle fancies and vain imaginings.
Fear ye God, and slay not Him through Whose remembrance the Dove warbleth upon the branches of the Uttermost Tree with most wondrous melodies.
I beseech Thee, O God, by the Tree which Thou hast planted at Thy affirmation and watered with the blood of Thy loved ones, to cause that Tree, its branches, leaves and fruits to grow until it reacheth that which is befitting at Thy creation and returneth to that which is worthy of the court of Thy glory and majesty.
Strive ye that ye may quaff from the living waters and behold yourselves abiding and enduring beneath the shade of the Divine Lote-Tree in the kingdom of earth and heaven.
Hold thou fast in all conditions to the Divine Lote Tree, for verily it calleth out and remembereth thee at this moment with that which shall endure as long as the names of God, the Lord of all worlds, shall endure.
Cling fast unto this divine Lote-Tree from which God hath graciously caused thee to spring forth.
Ye are the leaves of the Tree of My Cause; hold fast unto it through My Name whereby faces have shone and eyes have been consoled.
Verily the Divine Lote-Tree calleth out to its branches and counseleth them to remain supremely steadfast in this Cause whereby the limbs of all names have quaked.
The Glory shining forth from the Divine Lote-Tree be upon its branches and upon all who are firm and steadfast.
Blessed is the condition of the leaf that hath clung fast to the Divine Lote-Tree in such wise that the blasts of trials and tests severed her not therefrom.
Verily it is a leaf from the leaves of My Sadratu'l-Muntaha, moving by the movement of the will and purpose of God, and it is an eternal, fresh fruit which neither winds nor tempests can alter.
Fear not if this Branch be severed from the earth of the mortal realm that its leaves will fall - nay, the leaves will persist, for this Branch will grow after being cut from the earth and will rise until it overshadows the horizons, and its leaves will reach the highest heights and will yield perfumed fruits to all regions.
Although that tree hath outwardly been cut down in the path of the Ancient Beauty, praise be to God that it hath left behind a young tree, green and fresh, as a remembrance.
And say: Upon you be glory, upon you be mercy and praise, upon you be grace and bounty, O exalted Branch from the Tree of Eternity and fresh, verdant Twig from the Lote-Tree of the Uttermost Boundary!
Verily, the exalted leaf hath heard the call of the divine Lote-Tree and hath taken her flight unto it.
A remembrance from this servant to her who believed, was then guided, and returned to her homeland of nearness in the presence of her Lord, the Most Exalted; who heard the call of her Lord from the Divine Lote Tree and was attracted by the holy melodies in the Most Glorious Horizon.
May your relatives, God willing, dwell and rest beneath the Sadratu'l-Muntaha. One Sadrah is manifest and visible at the ultimate station, and one Sadrah is without end - glorified be He Who created them both and planted them and made them manifest and preserved them.
And it is hoped that its grafting will be taken from the divine Lote-Tree and the Tree of detachment and will form a connection.
"The tree must have roots in order to yield fruit. The trees of the forests of Asia have yielded no fruit for thousands of years, except the blessed Trees of the Divine Manifestations, for each one of these Trees hath so developed and flourished that it hath trained and nourished the whole earth with fruits and yields."
If you see an unharmonious movement or hear an unreasonable word, you must look to the root of the Blessed Tree, not its leaves, for the Tree is firm and growing and in the utmost freshness and verdancy, and ere long will bear delicious fruit and cast its shadow upon the horizons.
Such supreme qualities befit one like thee, for thou art related to this Blessed Tree whose root is firm and whose branch extends into heaven.
And may the light shining from the Most Glorious Horizon encompass and surround the Ultimate Lote-Tree, the Tree firm in root, lofty in branch, continuous in flower, perpetual in fruit, and its family and leaves and fruits.
The Lote-Tree of certitude brings forth delicate fruits, and the good and pure earth yields flowers and fragrant herbs.
O branch of the Blessed Tree! Your letter was noted and a sweet fragrance was inhaled therefrom.
I hope that this wondrous branch may become one of those holy souls and spiritual temples, for it has grown from the Blessed Tree and is therefore most worthy of this great distinction.
O noble and verdant branch of the Blessed Tree! The response to your letters will, God willing, be sent in the next post. Night and day we are engaged in supplication and entreaty at the Sacred Threshold, that that branch of the Divine Lote-Tree and the leaves and fragrances of the Most Great Rose-garden may at all times be stirred by the holy breaths of the Kingdom and be kept fresh and verdant through the bounty of the rain-clouds of the grace of the Lord of existence.
O branch sprung from the Blessed Tree! Upon thee be the glory of God, His light and His radiance. May He illumine thy face with the splendor of the All-Merciful in the heart of contingent being. Verily, He is powerful over all things.
O noble branch from the Blessed Tree!
The melodies of the dove of the garden of remembrance, which appeared upon the branches of the gardens of certitude, reached the ears of the yearning ones.
O subtle branch! Give thanks to the Manifest Beauty and the Great News that you are among the branches of the Lote-Tree of the uttermost boundary, and under the shadow of the favor of the Most Glorious Beauty.
O leaf stirred by the breezes of God's love! Give thanks unto God for having caused thee to grow from the Tree that hath been raised up in the midst of Paradise and whose branches have stretched forth until they encompassed all horizons.
O leaf of the Divine Lote-Tree! Be thankful that thou hast sprung from Me and art attributed unto Me.
Fly rather, in holy meads and chant thy melodies upon the branches of the Lote Tree beyond which there is no passing.
Rather, become nameless and traceless in the sea of being content with God, and in the desert of divine love hasten forth lost and bewildered, so that you may find your head and refuge in the divine Kingdom, and make your nest and dwelling in the highest branches of the Lote-Tree of the utmost boundary, and attain the desire of your heart and the comfort of your soul.
I swear by the Most Great Name that if a deaf and mute person rises to praise the Truth, he will speak with an eloquent and articulate tongue and, like the nightingale of the garden of divine knowledge, will warble melodies in diverse modes upon the branches and twigs of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing.
O Thou forgiving God! Enable this hand-reared bird to find nest and shelter in the Divine Lote Tree (Sidratu'l-Muntaha) and allow this destitute one to find home and refuge within Thy sanctuary.
O God! Dispel my grief with the lights of Thy most joyful tidings and the signs which made the leaves of Sadratu'l-Muntaha to be stirred up.
O my God and my Hope! Thou knowest my secret and my public self, my hidden and manifest being, and art aware of the extent of my love and the intensity of my devotion to the branch of Thy divine Lote-Tree, the twigs of Thy Tree of Oneness, and the offshoot of Thy Tree of mercifulness.
O my God! This is a fresh, verdant, graceful and flourishing branch growing from the Tree of Thy divine unity and the Lote-Tree of Thy oneness.
… O God! Send Thy blessings upon the Tree of Unity and its branches, twigs, leaves, roots, offshoots, conditions and fruits.
This is Your meek servant whose neck is bound by the chain of servitude to Your exalted threshold and bondage to Your lofty presence, and who has come to You in humility and submissiveness, with a broken heart, turning toward Your merciful Kingdom, deriving the fire of guidance from Your unique Tree whose root is firm and whose branch extends into heaven.
Glorified art Thou, O God of Names and Creator of heaven! I beseech Thee by the leaves of the Divine Lote-Tree, and by its fruits, branches, boughs and rustling, that Thou change the fire of separation from Thy loved ones into the light of reunion with Thee, and their remoteness into nearness unto Thee. Verily, Thou art the Ancient One, possessed of great bounty. There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Generous.
I beseech Thee by Thy light which hath shone forth upon the world, and by the fire of Thy Lote-Tree whereby the hearts of the nations have been set ablaze, and by the lights of Thy Manifestation and the Call raised upon Thy Mount, to aid Thy servants to turn toward the lights of Thy countenance.
O Lord! Thou beholdest me turning away from all else save Thee and advancing toward Thy most exalted horizon, the Station wherein was raised the rustling of the Sadratu'l-Muntaha.
We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to ordain for thee that which will exalt thee through His Name amongst His servants, and to write down for thee the reward of him who circumambulated the Sadratu'l-Muntaha in the Most Exalted Paradise.
I beseech Thee by the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree and the lights of Thy Throne, O Lord of all beings, to make me one of those who have sacrificed their souls and all they possessed in Thy path.
I beseech Thee by the Tree which Thou hast raised up by Thy command amongst Thy servants, and by the Light which hath shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of Thy bounty, to rain down upon me from the clouds of Thy grace the showers of Thy gifts.
O Lord! This is a branch among Thy branches and a fruit among the fruits of the Divine Lote-Tree amidst humanity.
Counsel thyself, and then the souls of men, to hold fast unto the Tree of Paradise at the time when the breezes of hatred blow from near and far.
You must be so enkindled by the fire of the Sacred Tree that its effects become manifest and evident in the world.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
The Sadratu'l-Muntaha: Literally 'the furthermost Lote-Tree', translated by Shoghi Effendi as 'the Tree beyond which there is no passing'. This is used as a symbol in Islam, for example in the accounts of Muhammad's Night Journey, to mark the point in the heavens beyond which neither men nor angels can pass in their approach to God, and thus to delimit the bounds of divine knowledge as revealed to mankind. Hence it is often used in the Baha'i Writings to designate the Manifestation of God Himself. KA n128
For thought and discussion