The mission of the Manifestation: educating hearts and renewing the world

Let Me tell you that you may know: I have come so that in this world full of corruption, where the door of tranquility has been utterly shut to all beings through the oppression of the oppressors and the treachery of the treacherous, I may, by God's might and power, establish such justice, protection, trustworthiness and religion throughout all regions--manifest and resplendent--that if one of those maidens secluded behind veils, whose radiant beauty would count the sun itself as but a mote, and who in all aspects of grace and beauty would have no peer or likeness, were to emerge from behind the veil adorned with the most precious jewels and ornaments beyond the reckoning of the wise, and travel alone, unaccompanied and unhindered, from the East of creation to the West of invention, wandering through every land and journeying through every clime, such would be the trustworthiness, religiousness, justice, and fairness, and such the absence of treachery, baseness, tyranny and inequity, that no hand of aggression or greed would stretch forth toward the hem of her wealth, nor would any lustful or iniquitous eye turn to gaze upon her sanctified beauty, until she returns to her dwelling and homeland with an unsullied heart and a radiant countenance." Then He said: "By God's power, I shall transform the world in this way and shall open this most great door unto the face of all peoples."

… The Fifth Treasure: When the Ancient Beauty opened the gate of joy and glad-tidings to the face of the people of creation, He spoke this supreme word: "I have come to this world to extract essences. If there exists an atom of essence in a stone behind the seven seas, I will not cease until I have extracted that essence from it."

The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind to truthfulness and sincerity, to piety and trustworthiness, to resignation and submissiveness to the Will of God, to forbearance and kindliness, to uprightness and wisdom. His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds.

He hath had no purpose except to quench the fire of hatred and animosity which blazeth in the hearts of the peoples.

The purpose of this Most Great Revelation and this Mighty Announcement, which all divine Books and Scriptures have extolled, has been to forbid conflict, strife, and the shedding of blood. Our intention is that through the living waters that flow from the Most Exalted Pen by night and by day, We might cleanse the hearts of the peoples of the world from rancor and hatred, that perchance through the power of the Manifest Sovereign this grievous affliction might be lifted.

O honoured lady! For a single purpose were the Prophets, each and all, sent down to earth; for this was Christ made manifest, for this did Baha'u'llah raise up the call of the Lord: that the world of man should become the world of God, this nether realm the Kingdom, this darkness light, this satanic wickedness all the virtues of heaven -- and unity, fellowship and love be won for the whole human race, that the organic unity should reappear and the bases of discord be destroyed and life everlasting and grace everlasting become the harvest of mankind.

We say that the purpose underlying the advent of the Kingdom is the edification of the souls of men, the progress of the world of humanity, the manifestation of the love of God, the establishment of fellowship and unity amongst all peoples, the appearance of divine perfections, and the realization of the glory of the human race. This is the purpose of the advent of the Kingdom, and this is its result.

I wish you to become heralds of happiness, because happiness is the cause of progress and development. The Appearance of the Manifestations is to being happiness; that all may reach this great aim of life.

He created the servants with perfect power, sent Messengers, revealed Books, that all might find the path of truth and sincerity, love and faithfulness, and live in this world by these fruits which are in truth the fruits of the soul.

We have come to educate the servants and improve the lands.

He hath appeared for the reformation of the world, and counseleth all with that which will manifest man's station in creation.

The world and its peoples bear witness that this Wronged One hath desired naught save the exaltation of the Word and the advancement of existence.

He has come with the truth to adorn the world with mercy and tranquility, but most of the people do not understand.

He hath not uttered a word except that word hath been as the greatest elixir for mankind, and its purpose hath been the salvation of humanity and their comfort, glory and exaltation.

He hath come for the reformation of the world and the life of nations.

O concourse of men! He Who was promised in the Books of God hath come, He Whose remembrance was treasured in the hearts of the Messengers. He hath come to reform the world and refine the nations.

He hath come for the reformation of the world, but the people are unaware.

O Jabbar! The meaning of this name is manifest and evident today, for the Countenance of the Desired One hath appeared for the reformation of the world, yet most are veiled and deprived thereof.

Say: He hath come for the reformation of the world, but the peoples have turned away from Him save those whom God, the Lord of the Return, hath willed.

God hath manifested Me for the reformation of the world.

Say: Throughout His entire life this Wronged One hath been in the hands of His enemies, and hath had and hath no purpose except the reformation of the world and the edification of its peoples.

He hath come for the life of the world and the reformation of the nations, yet they have risen against Him with such tyranny as hath caused the Concourse on High to lament and those who circle round the Throne at eventide and at dawn to weep.

The Blessed Perfection hath appeared for the sole purpose of the unification and solidarity of the people of the world, so that all of them may enter under the shade of one tree, sing one melody in one rose-garden and adorn the universe with love and oneness.

Baha'u'llah came for this purpose. He has made the three religions one. He has uplifted the standard of the oneness of faith and the honour of humanity in the centre of the world. Today we must gather round it, and try with heart and soul to bring about the union of mankind.

In the Orient there were great differences among races and peoples. They hated each other, and there was no association among them. Various and divergent sects were hostile, irreconcilable. The different races were in constant war and conflict. About sixty years ago Baha'u'llah appeared upon the eastern horizon. He caused love and unity to become manifest among these antagonistic peoples. He united them with the bond of love; their former hatred and animosity passed away; love and unity reigned instead.

Consider how the Prophets Who have been sent, the great souls who have appeared and the sages who have arisen in the world have exhorted mankind to unity and love. This has been the essence of their mission and teaching. This has been the goal of their guidance and message. The Prophets, saints, seers and philosophers have sacrificed their lives in order to establish these principles and teachings amongst men.

All the divine messengers have come to this earth as specialists of the law of love. They came to teach a divine love to the children of men; they came to minister a divine healing between the nations; they came to cement in one the hearts of men and to bring humanity into a state of unity and concord.

The messengers of God have not come with the sword of war and division but with the olive branch of peace and union. Their mission is to bind and not to break, to heal and not to wound, to educate mankind and not to add to their ignorance, to pull them out of darkness and illumine them with the light of Knowledge.

For this all the Divine Messengers became manifest-to teach the Heavenly Wisdom. This Heavenly Wisdom is eternal peace, universal reconciliation, and unending rest for man.

Ninthly: He must be the Establisher of Universal Civilization; the Unifier of religions, the standard-bearer of universal Peace and the embodiment of all the highest and noblest virtues of the world of humanity.

God made manifest the true Shepherd to gather together all the sheep, and that kind Shepherd was Baha'u'llah who united the scattered flocks and brought harmony among diverse parties.

The divine Prophets are the true physicians and the Holy Manifestations of God are the divine healers. They treat the world of being. If the world of being is weak, they give it strength. If it is withered, they make it fresh and verdant.

Through the Divine Gardener, under the shadow of God's mercy, certain souls are trained and educated. He changes unfruitful trees into fruitful ones; dried trees into fresh trees; and under his direction every kind of useful tree is planted, while many and fragrant flowers grow.

The prophets are sent to educate this innate quality in humanity. They are like gardeners who sow the grain which afterward springs up in a thousand forms of advancement. The prophets are therefore the first educators of the world, the head masters of the world.

The mission of the Prophets, the revelation of the Holy Books, the manifestation of the heavenly Teachers and the purpose of divine philosophy all center in the training of the human realities so that they may become clear and pure as mirrors and reflect the light and love of the Sun of Reality.

Every aware soul beareth witness that this Wronged One hath summoned the people to the most exalted horizon and commanded them to that which profiteth them. The purpose is that all hearts might be illumined with the lights of true divine unity and that the saplings of the knowledge of God - exalted be His glory - might be planted by the hands of will in pure and goodly soil.

All the Prophets and Messengers were sent by the Lord of the worlds so that, through the endeavors of those holy souls, the suns of spiritual virtues might shine forth from the horizons of human temples.

The True One, exalted be His glory, created the world and its peoples through His Most Exalted Word. Thereafter He sent forth the Prophets, the Chosen Ones and the Messengers for the sole purpose of education, that they might adorn all with the attributes of the All-Merciful and enable them to attain the highest station of human existence.

Therefore, the Lord God, out of pure grace and bounty, sent forth the Messengers and revealed the Books, so that through divine education the human world might be saved from nature's corruption and the darkness of ignorance, and attain spiritual perfections, conscientious sensibilities, and spiritual virtues, becoming the source of divine inspirations.

The purpose of the appearance of the Promised Beauty was that human souls be educated and become manifestations of divine perfections.

The holy Manifestations of God come into the world to dispel the darkness of the animal, or physical, nature of man, to purify him from his imperfections in order that his heavenly and spiritual nature may become quickened, his divine qualities awakened, his perfections visible, his potential powers revealed and all the virtues of the world of humanity latent within him may come to life. These holy Manifestations of God are the Educators and Trainers of the world of existence, the Teachers of the world of humanity.

God has purposed that the darkness of the world of nature shall be dispelled and the imperfect attributes of the natal self be effaced in the effulgent reflection of the Sun of Truth. The mission of the Prophets of God has been to train the souls of humanity and free them from the thralldom of natural instincts and physical tendencies.

The divine Manifestations are sent and manifested to train the souls of men in such wise that the divine qualities may overcome and the heavenly light shine universally--that the virtues of humanity may be distinguished from their vises through the confirmation of the Spirit, and their spiritual qualities become manifest.

The aim of the Prophets of God who were endued with Celestial power has ever been to deliver the people from the slavery of bestial passions and illumine them with the light of God; in other words: to deliver them from the animal Kingdom and cause them to attain to the height of the perfection of the Kingdom of humanity. Some of the characteristics of the human beings are perversity, forwardness, disobedience, tyranny, cruelty, rapacity, depravity, wickedness, treason, self-interest, heedlessness from God and pollution with lust and carnal desires. The holy, divine Manifestations come with glorious potency to deliver the people from this dark well and suffer them to ascend to the apex of the Lord of Mercy, and bestow upon them faith, attraction with the Fragrances of God, the Knowledge of God, the discovery of the realities of things, the understanding of truths and significances, trustfulness, piety, loyalty, forgiveness, charitableness, chastity and purity.

The Holy Divine Manifestations have appeared in this world to instruct mankind in the school of morality and to readjust their ethical relations. For without faith and sanctification the moral fiber of the children of men will not be improved.

Therefore God sends Divine Messengers and reveals holy doctrines and causes divine teachings to be spread abroad, that the spirit of man may be educated, to the end that by Divine inspiration the grace of God may be made to appear in the essential nature of man.

For this is the coming of the Messengers of God: that man may be educated, that his latent perfections may be brought forth and made manifest, that his spiritual and heavenly estate may be realised.

All the Messengers of God have been sent for the one purpose of educating the souls of men so that they may progress from their undeveloped condition to the attainment of that state where it is known and understood that "Blessed is the One who is the Best Creator." This is the mystery of the Messengers-the original divine proof.

The Prophets of God are the first Educators. They bestow universal education upon man and cause him to rise from the lowest levels of savagery to the highest pinnacles of spiritual development.

All the Prophets were sent for the purpose of education. In brief, education is the cause of life, education is the cause of salvation, education is the cause of exalted stations.

The purpose of the appearance of the Manifestations of God is the training of the people. That is the only result of Their mission, the real outcome.

All the philosophers have come with the intention of teaching man to acquire virtues. All the prophets who have come have come to endow man with acquired virtues...

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They come to educate and illuminate mankind, to bestow spiritual susceptibilities, to quicken inner perceptions and thereby adorn the reality of man -- the human temple -- with divine graces. Through Them man may become the point of the emanations of God and the recipient of heavenly bounties.

The prophets of God have been sent to educate humanity. Christ appeared that mankind might be so trained that in human hearts the image and likeness of God might become manifest, and the utmost of human perfection be attained.

O Christendom! Did not Christ have to live a pure, perfect earthly life as an eternally shining example to his deluded contemporaries; did not He, the great Master, have to refresh and teach again the Revelation, the guidance of God, and imbue with the laws and ordinances of the All-Highest a generation gone astray, blind and deaf?

All the prophets of God have come for the purpose of bestowing upon men the heavenly bounties, in order that through the breaths of the Holy Spirit man might be resuscitated and thus become the noblest of creatures.

But the divine Prophets would say: "We wish to make you truly human. You were in darkness, we wished you to become illumined. You were dead, we wished you to become alive. You were earthly, we wished you to become heavenly."

The appearance of the holy manifestations is for the purpose of causing the heavenly table to descend. This table means the divine virtues and characteristics, and is the means of strengthening the spirit and life.

This is why the divine messengers come to the rescue -- to care for the reality, that man's thoughts may unfold and his aims become realized, that he many inherit a new field of progress, for the spiritual side should be cared for as much as the corporeal; the help that comes is through the resuscitating breath of the Holy Spirit.

These holy Manifestations of God establish eternal institutions for humanity in all worlds, even in this dusty realm, but alas that human souls do not appreciate their worth.

And when GOD has found the existent beings in need of spiritual instructions, He has sent unto them teachers and prophets to enable them to reach the highest stages of perfection. It is not possible for anyone to reach the highest perfection unless he is submitted to prophethood, because the strength of man is impotent without being under the strength of GOD's inspiration.

On the one hand, each of these great teachers had to meet a problem peculiar to himself-that of guiding and satisfying his contemporaries and associates; and, on the other, the condition of the world's advancement in general-the state of communication between different parts of the world-was such that the teachings of each were confined to the people of that region to which they came and for whom they were especially adapted.

He hath sent forth His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His creatures the Straight Path.

… God is My witness that this Wronged One hath had no purpose except to convey the Word of God.

God, the True One, testifieth and the Revealers of His names and attributes bear witness that Our sole purpose in raising the Call and in proclaiming His sublime Word is that the ear of the entire creation may, through the living waters of divine utterance, be purged from lying tales and become attuned to the holy, the glorious and exalted Word which hath issued forth from the repository of the knowledge of the Maker of the Heavens and the Creator of Names.

He it is Who sent forth the Messengers to exalt His Word, to manifest His commandments, to establish His laws, and revealed unto them the Books for the guidance of His servants and creation, until it culminated in the Book that distinguished between truth and falsehood, which was named the Furqan in the kingdom of utterance, and was made an enduring testimony for all who dwell in the realm of possibility.

Know ye that the Exalted One hath in truth sent forth the Messengers to bid men to righteousness and piety, to forbid them from transgression and wickedness, and to give them glad tidings of the meeting with God on the Day when light shall shine forth from a seat of transcendent glory.

In another station We interpret Nun as the Prophethood of the Beloved, meaning that God addressed him as Prophet that he might inform the people of that which would guide them to the path of right guidance and prevent them from tyranny and corruption.

He hath sent forth the Messengers as bearers of glad-tidings and warners, that they might give the people tidings of a holy and resplendent Paradise."

Concerning the Messengers, who are the proofs of God and the lamps of divine commandments, He has said: "The Messenger's duty is but to convey the Message." Consider the Prophets: each one carried out that which they were commanded with utmost joy and fragrance.

My sole purpose hath been to hand down unto men that which I was bidden to deliver by God, the Gracious, the Incomparable, that it may detach them from all that pertaineth to this world, and cause them to attain such heights as neither the ungodly can conceive, nor the froward imagine.

And since the gate of attainment was closed and people were debarred from knowledge of the hidden treasure, He chose pure essences and holy souls and sent them from the higher realm to the kingdom of creation, that they might guide all and lead them to the straight path.

He has sent forth the Messengers and made them the lamps of His Cause among His servants and the emblems of His remembrance in His kingdom. Whoso turns unto them hath turned unto God, the Lord of all worlds.

And I bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, is His servant whom He selected from the midst of the eternity of action for His station of authority, chose him from the heights of grace for His station of love, and selected him as the sign of His Self for His station of knowledge, unique without peer or likeness in the worlds of creation.

And prayers and peace be upon the best of those who walked upon the earth, through whom the sun of truth shone forth and the horizon of servitude was illumined, and whom He sent with truth to the people to guide them to His straight path, and upon his family and companions who truly clung to his holy and luminous robe.

He is God - exalted be His station, the Grandeur and the Power!

Praise be sanctified above all manifestations of contingent beings and conditions of created things, befitting the Court of the Intended One Who, through one exalted blessed Word, brought the world from nothingness into being, and through the wonders of His bounty and generosity adorned it above all other things with the crown of distinction, and guided it to the holy carpet of nearness to His presence. And from among humanity He sent forth certain souls who were sanctified from the conditions, veils, allusions and indications of creation, dispatching them with the royal seal of "I am the Truth" and sending them to guide mankind. And all these holy souls who were the manifestations of divine knowledge and dawning-places of heavenly wisdom were afflicted with countless trials. And this holy, blessed, and exalted chain ended with the Seal of the Prophets and King of the Chosen Ones, through whom the gate of heaven was opened and the Nightingale of Eternity sang upon the branches of the Divine Lote-Tree that which the Tongue of Grandeur had spoken before the existence of all things: Verily there is no God but Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. I pray and send peace upon Him and upon those whom God made the Dawning-Places of His Cause, the Rising-Points of His Names, the Manifestations of His Signs, the Recipients of His Revelation, the Sources of His Clear Proofs, and the Settings of His penetrating Wisdom - those servants who were adorned with the ornament of divine authority and were honored among creation with pure servitude to the face of God, the Lord of all beings.

Glory be unto Thee, O Answerer of the prayers of the supplicants and Guide of bewildered souls! I beseech Thee by Thy Prophets, the Messengers, and the near-stationed angels to assist Thy servants to recognize the Dawning-Places of Thy Revelation and the Rising-Points of Thy Inspiration. Verily Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest and in Thy grasp are the reins of all things. There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Thereafter, your letter which was the cause of joy and gladness arrived and the fragrances of love were inhaled from it. God willing, you will be occupied with the remembrance of the Lord of all beings throughout all nights and days. Praise be to God that through the favors of the True One, exalted be His glory, you have attained to that which is today the cause and means of salvation. This station is great in the sight of God. God willing, you will be assisted to preserve it. Verily He giveth to whomsoever He willeth whatsoever He willeth and withholdeth from whomsoever He desireth whatsoever He desireth. This evanescent servant beseecheth the True One, exalted be His glory, to make you successful in all matters and to assign you an abode in the shade of the Tree of His loving-kindness. Verily He is the Generous, the Bountiful. Praise be unto Him for He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.

Furthermore, after perusing your august letter, it was at one time presented and He said: "God willing, may they be assisted to perform good deeds and manifest spiritual qualities that are pleasing to Him. We counsel him with wisdom and kindness. In no matter should they depart from wisdom, and they must ever be attentive to it." End quote. Praise be to God, you have come under the glances of His favor. God willing, you will, in the name of the Beloved of the worlds, keep this station protected from the eyes of the treacherous. And concerning what you wrote about steadfastness and certitude - this station deserves thanks and praise. The Almighty Truth is witness and testifier that this servant has always sought and continues to seek lofty stations of steadfastness for the friends and masters. He is the Generous, He is the Merciful, He is the All-Knowing, He is the Answerer, He is the Watchful. We have placed our trust in Him in all conditions and circumstances and have committed all affairs unto Him. Verily He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. The Glory be upon you and upon those who have held fast to the Sure Handle and have acknowledged the unity of God, the Lord of all worlds. And praise be to God, the Goal of the mystics and the Object of worship of all who are in the heavens and the earth.

The servant In the sacred month of Dhi'l-Hijjih 1298

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The Primal Point, namely the Herald of the Most Great Beauty, gave the people glad tidings that they might purify and prepare their hearts. Before His mission was complete, the divines of Persia pronounced the sentence of His death and martyred Him. Thereafter the Most Great Luminary rent asunder the veil, and through His Revelation the worlds of Command and Creation were perfected and established.

Now Baha'u'llah has come and renewed that original foundation. He has again manifested those divine teachings of the time of Christ and those virtues of the human world.

Through Their advent the world of existence is renewed, a new cycle is inaugurated, a new religion is revealed, souls are quickened to a new life, and East and West are flooded with light. These Souls are the universal Manifestations of God and have been sent forth to the entire world and the generality of mankind.

It was to manifest this light that Baha'u'llah was born, and came into the world. He taught Eternal Truth to men, and shed the rays of Divine Light in all lands.

God sent His Prophets into the world to teach and enlighten man, to explain to him the mystery of the Power of the Holy Spirit, to enable him to reflect the light, and so in his turn, to be the source of guidance to others.

When Christ appeared, certain blessed souls followed His example. They were with their Master, ever watching and observing His conduct, movements and thoughts. They witnessed the persecutions which were heaped upon Him and were informed of all the events appertaining to that marvelous life -- recipients of His kindness and favors. After the ascension of Christ they hastened to various regions of the world, scattering broadcast the teachings and instructions which He had given them.

Ere we depart, we shall appoint unto each of the eighteen souls his special mission, and shall send them forth to accomplish their task. We shall instruct them to teach the Word of God and to quicken the souls of men.

The fields and flowers of the Spiritual Realm are pointed out to us by the Manifestations who walk amid their glories. It remains for the soul of man to follow them in these paths of eternal life, through the exercise of its own human will.

The holy divine Manifestations have come to teach men how to develop their will-powers, so that the souls may be united together and put in practice those principles which will be conducive to the prosperity of the world of humanity.

The Prophets and chosen ones have not appeared so that people will worship them and shower them with praise and laudation. They have sustained all their trials so that they may guide and educate people.

These are idle fancies because those holy Beings knew well that the dominion of God existed when there was no trace of them and that it shall continue to exist when no trace of them remains. Thus fame or oblivion, honor or degradation are one and the same to those Gems of existence. Indeed, their ultimate desire is selfless devotion to the one true God and absolute nothingness in His court. Their only motive has been the education of blessed souls and sanctified beings who are the foundation of divine education and promoters of the most great guidance and the supreme favor.

People think he came in order that they might believe in him as the word of God or the son of God. He came, they say, to redeem us through his blood. Christ was not seeking after fame. Christ came so that he may educate the world of humanity, illumine the realm of morality. He sacrificed his life for the realization of this fact. This is reality.

He hath desired naught for Himself, but rather desired to draw all nigh unto the praiseworthy station.

By God! In My actions I desired naught save to draw people nigh unto God, the Peerless, the All-Knowing. We wished for them naught save what would profit them in this world and the next.

He hath sent forth the Messengers out of love for His servants and creation, and as a bounty and favor unto them, that He might draw them nigh unto Him and guide them to the court of His glory and acquaint them with that which profiteth them in every world of His worlds.

I testify that Thou hast desired for them naught save that which draweth them nigh unto Thee and acquainteth them with what shall profit them in every world of Thy worlds.

Say: He, verily, is the One Who speaketh the truth and commandeth the people to that which profiteth them in this world and the next, yet most of the people know not.

We came for the guidance of the servants and to draw them nigh unto God, the One, the All-Informed.

The Glory (Baha) hath come unto you to purify you from vain desire and draw you nigh unto God, the Lord of the first and the last.

The prophets and the messengers have come in order to guide mankind to the straight path of the True One. Their aim has been no other than the education of the people, so that at the time of death they may depart to the Supreme Friend, with perfect sanctification, purification, and severance.

How could they (the Manifestations) teach and guide others in the way if they themselves did not undergo every species of suffering to which other human beings are subjected?

And besides security and inherent purpose, one who has no intention to educate and advance humankind and does not sacrifice their life in God's path - how can such a one raise a nation from the depths of abasement to the heights of glory and happiness?

In this station they occupy themselves with the education of mankind. They have, as a result, to bear the enmity, persecution and calumny of the people.

The prophets of God endured all hardships, all ordeals, and all difficulties, sacrificed self and forfeited their lives, in order that man might rescue himself from the darkness of such defects and reach the highest plane of attainment.

The holy, divine Manifestations have been sent and have under[gone] manifold sufferings, persecutions and trials in order that the world of humanity might be freed from the captivity of nature.

The purpose of bearing these calamities and trials, and enduring all manner of pain and tribulation, was the education of human souls and their acquiring divine characteristics, and the progress of humanity in the sublime degrees of the most great gifts - so that this lifeless body of contingent beings might be quickened by the life-giving breaths of the All-Merciful, and the brilliant lights of divine perfections might dispel the darkness of human limitations; that the dark night of ignorant morals, thoughts and manners might end and the luminous morn of bounty, grace and divine compassion might dawn; that this furnace of corruption might become a garden of sanctification, and this thorny wilderness of abasement and rejection might be transformed into a rose garden of glory and favor; that this pit of deficiency and ignorance might become the mansion of knowledge and excellence, and this bitter salt sea of ignorance might be changed into the sweet waters of wisdom.

We have accepted tribulations for the salvation of the world, yet the peoples remain wrapped in a thick veil.

Consider the favor of God - though He is wronged and imprisoned in the Most Great Prison amidst the peoples, at every moment He guides all who are in the world to the most exalted horizon. And anyone who has the slightest perception will surely know that there has been no purpose except the guidance of creation and no aim except the manifestation of the Cause of Truth.

I am a herald of the Kingdom and a banner of peace and tranquility. … Souls were educated under the shadow of the Word of God who, by hundreds and thousands, strove to spread eternal life, turned toward the Kingdom of God, sacrificed their lives in the field of martyrdom, and finally I chose this prison for myself, meaning I was content to be imprisoned and become the cause of spreading divine love and the unity and oneness of the human world.

But day and night he was engaged in the resuscitation of the people of the world with the Breathes of the Holy Spirit. in this manner he worked ceaselessly. In this way he instructed every one.

I give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the power of speech to the mute and knowledge to the ignorant. I raise the dead, I deliver those who are in darkness and guide them into the realm of Light. I make the poor rich and the weak powerful. I satisfy the hungry ones with the Bread of life and allay the thirst of the thirsty ones with the pure Water of Immortality. This is my work.

Thus doth command thee the Sovereign of creation through Whom the servants were troubled and the lands were shaken, and the hearts of them that are detached were gladdened.

Say: Verily it is the most great temple among the nations, which speaketh the truth and summoneth mankind unto a station illumined with the lights of the countenance.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou knowest that my sole aim in revealing Thy Cause hath been to reveal Thee and not my self, and to manifest Thy glory rather than my glory. In Thy path, and to attain Thy pleasure, I have scorned rest, joy, delight. At all times and under all conditions my gaze hath been fixed on Thy precepts, and mine eyes bent upon the things Thou hast bidden me observe in Thy Tablets. I have wakened every morning to the light of Thy praise and Thy remembrance, and reached every evening inhaling the fragrances of Thy mercy.

And when the entire creation was stirred up, and the whole earth was convulsed, and the sweet savors of Thy name, the All-Praised, had almost ceased to breathe over Thy realms, and the winds of Thy mercy had well-nigh been stilled throughout Thy dominions, Thou didst, through the power of Thy might, raise me up among Thy servants, and bid me to show forth Thy sovereignty amidst Thy people. Thereupon I arose before all Thy creatures, strengthened by Thy help and Thy power, and summoned all the multitudes unto Thee, and announced unto all Thy servants Thy favors and Thy gifts, and invited them to turn towards this Ocean, every drop of the waters of which crieth out, proclaiming unto all that are in heaven and on earth that He is, in truth, the Fountain of all life, and the Quickener of the entire creation, and the Object of the adoration of all worlds, and the Best-Beloved of every understanding heart, and the Desire of all them that are nigh unto Thee. Though the fierce winds of the hatred of the wicked doers blew and beat on this Lamp, He was, at no time, in His love for Thy beauty, hindered from shedding the fragrance of His light. As the transgressions committed against Thee waxed greater and greater, my eagerness to reveal Thy Cause correspondingly increased, and as the tribulations deepened -- and to this Thy glory beareth me witness -- a fuller measure of Thy sovereignty and of Thy power was vouchsafed by me unto Thy creatures.

And finally, I was cast by the transgressors into the prison-city of 'Akka, and my kindred were made captives in Baghdad. The power of Thy might beareth me witness, O my God! Every trouble that hath touched me in Thy path hath added to my joy and increased my gladness. I swear by Thee, O Thou Who art the King of Kings! None of the kings of the earth hath power to hinder me from remembering Thee or from extolling Thy virtues. Were they to be leagued -- as they have been leagued -- against me, and to brandish their sharpest swords and most afflictive spears against me, I would not hesitate to magnify Thy name before all them that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth. Nay rather, I would cry out and say: "This, O my Beloved, is my face which I have offered up for Thy face, and this is my spirit which I have sacrificed for Thy spirit, and this is my blood that seetheth in my veins, in its longing to be shed for love of Thee and in Thy path."

Though -- as Thou beholdest me, O my God -- I be dwelling in a place within whose walls no voice can be heard except the sound of the echo, though all the gates of ease and comfort be shut against us, and thick darkness appear to have compassed us on every side, yet my soul hath been so inflamed by its love for Thee, that nothing whatsoever can either quench the fire of its love or abate the consuming flame of its desire. Lifting up its voice, it crieth aloud amidst Thy servants, and calleth them, at all times and under all conditions, unto Thee.

I beseech Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to open the eyes of Thy servants, that they may behold Thee shining above the horizon of Thy majesty and glory, and that they may not be hindered by the croaking of the raven from hearkening to the voice of the Dove of Thy sublime oneness, nor be prevented by the corrupt waters from partaking of the pure wine of Thy bounty and the everlasting streams of Thy gifts.

Gather them, then, together around this Divine Law, the covenant of which Thou hast established with all Thy Prophets and Thy Messengers, and Whose ordinances Thou hast written down in Thy Tablets and Thy Scriptures. Raise them up, moreover, to such heights as will enable them to perceive Thy Call.

Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious.

Thou art He, O my God, Who hath raised me up at Thy behest, and bidden me to occupy Thy seat, and to summon all men to the court of Thy mercy. It is Thou Who hast commanded me to tell out the things Thou didst destine for them in the Tablet of Thy decree and didst inscribe with the pen of Thy Revelation, and Who hast enjoined on me the duty of kindling the fire of Thy love in the hearts of Thy servants, and of drawing all the peoples of the earth nearer to the habitation of Thy throne.

We came to give life to the world and revealed that which unlocks the treasures, yet the people remain in doubt and dissension.

Say: He hath come for the life of the world.

He, verily, is the Beloved Who hath come to give life to the worlds."