Moses: the hesitant speaker and the power to liberate

O believer in God! Despite His speech impediment, His Holiness Moses was enabled to deliver decisive utterance and interpret the Book. Though slow of speech, He became the One Who conversed with God.

His Holiness Moses had a stammering speech and asked [God], 'I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. Grant me [the aid of] Aaron, my brother.' And His wish was granted. However, Pharaoh spoke mockingly to Him, 'You are a murderer and claim to be a Prophet?!' Behold now that in America, after 3000 years, they raise temples in the name of Moses. … Where is Pharaoh now to behold the majesty of Moses?

Moses was for a long time a shepherd in the wilderness. To outward seeming He was a man Who had been reared in the bosom of tyranny, had become reputed among men as a murderer, had taken up the shepherd's staff, and was fiercely hated and reviled by Pharaoh's government and people. It was such a man Who freed a great people from the fetters of captivity and persuaded them to leave Egypt and settle in the Holy Land.

His highness, Moses, was apparently a shepherd, but through the Divine Power, he overcame Pharaoh and his armies.

Many people crossed the desert of Sinai but it was Moses who heard the voice of God because the divine Manifestations have a spiritual power peculiar to themselves.

How greatly did the Son of 'Imran supplicate and implore in this wilderness, wherein is situated the Sinai of divine knowledge, that he might attain the presence of the All-Merciful, until at last he heard that which is recorded in detail in the Holy Books.

O thou who art guided by the divine kindled Fire! When Moses came from the Midian of longing to the Sinai of radiance, he was blessed with supreme guidance through a gleam of light and flame of manifestation in the Tree of Sinai, and he said "Verily I perceive a fire wherein I find guidance."

O thou who hast borrowed the light of guidance! His Holiness Moses, the Speaker with God, beheld the emanation of the light of the Divine Identity from the kindled fire in the green tree, and heard the call, saying "Verily I perceive guidance in the fire" and "Lo, I perceive a fire!"

O dear Musa!

His Holiness Moses heard the call of the Merciful Lord from the kindled fire in the green tree.

O ye who have acquired the fire of the love of God! When His Holiness Moses (peace be upon Him) hastened to the Valley of Ayman, He beheld the flame of Sinai and witnessed the radiance of light. He acquired the fire of the love of God from the Blessed Tree, while others were deprived of this bounty and distant from this grace.

This fire hath ever been and shall ever remain the reality of light. This fire guided the Son of Imran to the highest horizon and enabled him to hearken unto the Voice.

Its rustling was raised up and it spoke that which guided Moses unto God, the Lord of the unseen and the seen.

When He heard the Call from the Center of Fire and was seized by the rapture of the Almighty, He covered His face in fear, unable to look upon it, and fell unconscious from the Call of the Lord for eighty-one thousand eternal years. Then the grace of His Lord drew nigh unto Him, and the fragrance of reunion wafted over Him. When He recovered, He said: "Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who hast brought me to life through the sweetness of Thy Call and hast raised me again through the spirit of Thy utterance, O Lord of all names!" Then He arose and stood before the Lord for nine thousand thousand years, humble and submissive, praising, mentioning, and glorifying in the inner depths of mystery.

O thou who art illumined by the Greater Sun of Guidance! His Holiness Moses beheld a blazing Fire from the verdant Tree and heard a Voice. He fell unconscious and became the confidant of the celestial Herald and Angel. He brought forth the manifest serpent and drew forth the white hand from the mighty bosom.

One effulgence appeared on Mount Sinai and His Holiness Moses was sent forth with the manifest serpent. Its light shone upon the heights and depths of Mount Seir.

O Ibrahim! Verily the Friend remembereth thee from this station, when He was set ablaze with the fire of the love of God which was revealed by a spark thereof unto Moses, son of Imran, on the Mount of utterance.

Moses, for love of His bright mien, to Meaning's Tur would run; And Jesus of the soul lived once again by His heart-cheering breath begun.

When Moses cast off the sandals of allusion and detached himself unto God, then did God call unto him from the holy Tree amidst the flames of fire: "O Moses! Verily, I am God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." "Cast down thy staff!" He cast it down and lo! by God's command it became a serpent that sought to devour all in the heavens and earth. Thus was it decreed for him in holy Paran, that perchance the people might be mindful in the days of their Lord. Then did the Hand of Power emerge from the Bosom of Knowledge, whereupon the light shone forth and illumined all who dwell in the dominion of command and creation, would ye but understand.

"Go forth, O Moses, with My proof unto Pharaoh and his chiefs, remind them of the lights of divine unity, and give them glad tidings of the paradise of immortality, that they may incline toward the direction of the Throne. Say: This is My path, walk ye therein, O ye who stand still!"

No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth. Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you and enter thus the tabernacle which, according to the dispensations of Providence, hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayan.

The essence of these words is this: they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly -- their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way. Then will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories of the sun of divine knowledge and understanding, and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite and unseen, inasmuch as man can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom, can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine nearness and favor, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets.

Consider the past. How many, both high and low, have, at all times, yearningly awaited the advent of the Manifestations of God in the sanctified persons of His chosen Ones. How often have they expected His coming, how frequently have they prayed that the breeze of divine mercy might blow, and the promised Beauty step forth from behind the veil of concealment, and be made manifest to all the world. And whensoever the portals of grace did open, and the clouds of divine bounty did rain upon mankind, and the light of the Unseen did shine above the horizon of celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned away from His face -- the face of God Himself. Refer ye, to verify this truth, to that which hath been recorded in every sacred Book.

Ponder for a moment, and reflect upon that which hath been the cause of such denial on the part of those who have searched with such earnestness and longing. Their attack hath been more fierce than tongue or pen can describe. Not one single Manifestation of Holiness hath appeared but He was afflicted by the denials, the repudiation, and the vehement opposition of the people around Him. Thus it hath been revealed: "O the misery of men! No Messenger cometh unto them but they laugh Him to scorn." Again He saith: "Each nation hath plotted darkly against their Messenger to lay violent hold on Him, and disputed with vain words to invalidate the truth."

In like manner, those words that have streamed forth from the source of power and descended from the heaven of glory are innumerable and beyond the ordinary comprehension of man. To them that are possessed of true understanding and insight the Surah of Hud surely sufficeth. Ponder a while those holy words in your heart, and, with utter detachment, strive to grasp their meaning. Examine the wondrous behavior of the Prophets, and recall the defamations and denials uttered by the children of negation and falsehood, perchance you may cause the bird of the human heart to wing its flight away from the abodes of heedlessness and doubt unto the nest of faith and certainty, and drink deep from the pure waters of ancient wisdom, and partake of the fruit of the tree of divine knowledge. Such is the share of the pure in heart of the bread that hath descended from the realms of eternity and holiness.

Shouldst thou acquaint thyself with the indignities heaped upon the Prophets of God, and apprehend the true causes of the objections voiced by their oppressors, thou wilt surely appreciate the significance of their position. Moreover, the more closely thou observest the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be thy faith in the Cause of God. Accordingly, a brief mention will be made in this Tablet of divers accounts relative to the Prophets of God, that they may demonstrate the truth that throughout all ages and centuries the Manifestations of power and glory have been subjected to such heinous cruelties that no pen dare describe them. Perchance this may enable a few to cease to be perturbed by the clamor and protestations of the divines and the foolish of this age, and cause them to strengthen their confidence and certainty.

Among the Prophets was Noah. For nine hundred and fifty years He prayerfully exhorted His people and summoned them to the haven of security and peace. None, however, heeded His call. Each day they inflicted on His blessed person such pain and suffering that no one believed He could survive. How frequently they denied Him, how malevolently they hinted their suspicion against Him! Thus it hath been revealed: "And as often as a company of His people passed by Him, they derided Him. To them He said: 'Though ye scoff at us now, we will scoff at you hereafter even as ye scoff at us. In the end ye shall know.'" Long afterward, He several times promised victory to His companions and fixed the hour thereof. But when the hour struck, the divine promise was not fulfilled. This caused a few among the small number of His followers to turn away from Him, and to this testify the records of the best-known books. These you must certainly have perused; if not, undoubtedly you will. Finally, as stated in books and traditions, there remained with Him only forty or seventy-two of His followers. At last from the depth of His being He cried aloud: "Lord! Leave not upon the land a single dweller from among the unbelievers."

And now, consider and reflect a moment upon the waywardness of this people. What could have been the reason for such denial and avoidance on their part? What could have induced them to refuse to put off the garment of denial, and to adorn themselves with the robe of acceptance? Moreover, what could have caused the nonfulfillment of the divine promise which led the seekers to reject that which they had accepted? Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the truth that from time immemorial even unto eternity the Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, His servants, so that light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from thorns. Even as He hath revealed: "Do men think when they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?"

And after Noah the light of the countenance of Hud shone forth above the horizon of creation. For well-nigh seven hundred years, according to the sayings of men, He exhorted the people to turn their faces and draw nearer unto the Ridvan of the divine presence. What showers of afflictions rained upon Him, until at last His adjurations bore the fruit of increased rebelliousness, and His assiduous endeavors resulted in the willful blindness of His people. "And their unbelief shall only increase for the unbelievers their own perdition."

And after Him there appeared from the Ridvan of the Eternal, the Invisible, the holy person of Salih, Who again summoned the people to the river of everlasting life. For over a hundred years He admonished them to hold fast unto the commandments of God and eschew that which is forbidden. His admonitions, however, yielded no fruit, and His pleading proved of no avail. Several times He retired and lived in seclusion. All this, although that eternal Beauty was summoning the people to no other than the city of God. Even as it is revealed: "And unto the tribe of Thamud We sent their brother Salih. 'O my people,' said He, 'Worship God, ye have none other God beside Him....' They made reply: 'O Salih, our hopes were fixed on thee until now; forbiddest thou us to worship that which our fathers worshipped? Truly we misdoubt that whereunto thou callest us as suspicious.'" All this proved fruitless, until at last there went up a great cry, and all fell into utter perdition.

Later, the beauty of the countenance of the Friend of God appeared from behind the veil, and another standard of divine guidance was hoisted. He invited the people of the earth to the light of righteousness. The more passionately He exhorted them, the fiercer waxed the envy and waywardness of the people, except those who wholly detached themselves from all save God, and ascended on the wings of certainty to the station which God hath exalted beyond the comprehension of men. It is well known what a host of enemies besieged Him, until at last the fires of envy and rebellion were kindled against Him. And after the episode of the fire came to pass, He, the lamp of God amongst men, was, as recorded in all books and chronicles, expelled from His city.

And when His day was ended, there came the turn of Moses. Armed with the rod of celestial dominion, adorned with the white hand of divine knowledge, and proceeding from the Paran of the love of God, and wielding the serpent of power and everlasting majesty, He shone forth from the Sinai of light upon the world. He summoned all the peoples and kindreds of the earth to the kingdom of eternity, and invited them to partake of the fruit of the tree of faithfulness. Surely you are aware of the fierce opposition of Pharaoh and his people, and of the stones of idle fancy which the hands of infidels cast upon that blessed Tree. So much so that Pharaoh and his people finally arose and exerted their utmost endeavor to extinguish with the waters of falsehood and denial the fire of that sacred Tree, oblivious of the truth that no earthly water can quench the flame of divine wisdom, nor mortal blasts extinguish the lamp of everlasting dominion. Nay, rather, such water cannot but intensify the burning of the flame, and such blasts cannot but ensure the preservation of the lamp, were ye to observe with the eye of discernment, and walk in the way of God's holy will and pleasure. How well hath a believer of the kindred of Pharaoh, whose story is recounted by the All-Glorious in His Book revealed unto His beloved One, observed: "And a man of the family of Pharaoh who was a believer and concealed his faith said: 'Will ye slay a man because he saith my Lord is God, when He hath already come to you with signs from your Lord? If he be a liar, on him will be his lie, but if he be a man of truth, part of what he threateneth will fall upon you. In truth God guideth not him who is a transgressor, a liar.'" Finally, so great was their iniquity that this selfsame believer was put to a shameful death. "The curse of God be upon the people of tyranny."

And now, ponder upon these things. What could have caused such contention and conflict? Why is it that the advent of every true Manifestation of God hath been accompanied by such strife and tumult, by such tyranny and upheaval? This notwithstanding the fact that all the Prophets of God, whenever made manifest unto the peoples of the world, have invariably foretold the coming of yet another Prophet after them, and have established such signs as would herald the advent of the future Dispensation. To this the records of all sacred books bear witness. Why then is it that despite the expectation of men in their quest of the Manifestations of Holiness, and in spite of the signs recorded in the sacred books, such acts of violence, of oppression and cruelty, should have been perpetrated in every age and cycle against all the Prophets and chosen Ones of God? Even as He hath revealed: "As oft as an Apostle cometh unto you with that which your souls desire not, ye swell with pride, accusing some of being impostors and slaying others."

Reflect, what could have been the motive for such deeds? What could have prompted such behavior towards the Revealers of the beauty of the All-Glorious? Whatever in days gone by hath been the cause of the denial and opposition of those people hath now led to the perversity of the people of this age. To maintain that the testimony of Providence was incomplete, that it hath therefore been the cause of the denial of the people, is but open blasphemy. How far from the grace of the All-Bountiful and from His loving providence and tender mercies it is to single out a soul from amongst all men for the guidance of His creatures, and, on one hand, to withhold from Him the full measure of His divine testimony, and, on the other, inflict severe retribution on His people for having turned away from His chosen One! Nay, the manifold bounties of the Lord of all beings have, at all times, through the Manifestations of His divine Essence, encompassed the earth and all that dwell therein. Not for a moment hath His grace been withheld, nor have the showers of His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon mankind. Consequently, such behavior can be attributed to naught save the petty-mindedness of such souls as tread the valley of arrogance and pride, are lost in the wilds of remoteness, walk in the ways of their idle fancy, and follow the dictates of the leaders of their faith. Their chief concern is mere opposition; their sole desire is to ignore the truth. Unto every discerning observer it is evident and manifest that had these people in the days of each of the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth sanctified their eyes, their ears, and their hearts from whatever they had seen, heard, and felt, they surely would not have been deprived of beholding the beauty of God, nor strayed far from the habitations of glory. But having weighed the testimony of God by the standard of their own knowledge, gleaned from the teachings of the leaders of their faith, and found it at variance with their limited understanding, they arose to perpetrate such unseemly acts.

Leaders of religion, in every age, have hindered their people from attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as they held the reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of leadership, others through want of knowledge and understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation of the people. By their sanction and authority, every Prophet of God hath drunk from the chalice of sacrifice, and winged His flight unto the heights of glory. What unspeakable cruelties they that have occupied the seats of authority and learning have inflicted upon the true Monarchs of the world, those Gems of divine virtue! Content with a transitory dominion, they have deprived themselves of an everlasting sovereignty. Thus, their eyes beheld not the light of the countenance of the Well-Beloved, nor did their ears hearken unto the sweet melodies of the Bird of Desire. For this reason, in all sacred books mention hath been made of the divines of every age. Thus He saith: "O people of the Book! Why disbelieve the signs of God to which ye yourselves have been witnesses?" And also He saith: "O people of the Book! Why clothe ye the truth with falsehood? Why wittingly hide the truth?" Again, He saith: "Say, O people of the Book! Why repel believers from the way of God?" It is evident that by the "people of the Book," who have repelled their fellowmen from the straight path of God, is meant none other than the divines of that age, whose names and character have been revealed in the sacred books, and alluded to in the verses and traditions recorded therein, were ye to observe with the eye of God.

With fixed and steady gaze, born of the unerring eye of God, scan for a while the horizon of divine knowledge, and contemplate those words of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now beneath the veil of glory and treasured within the tabernacle of His grace, may be made manifest unto you. The denials and protestations of these leaders of religion have, in the main, been due to their lack of knowledge and understanding. Those words uttered by the Revealers of the beauty of the one true God, setting forth the signs that should herald the advent of the Manifestation to come, they never understood nor fathomed. Hence they raised the standard of revolt, and stirred up mischief and sedition. It is obvious and manifest that the true meaning of the utterances of the Birds of Eternity is revealed to none except those that manifest the Eternal Being, and the melodies of the Nightingale of Holiness can reach no ear save that of the denizens of the everlasting realm. The Copt of tyranny can never partake of the cup touched by the lips of the Sept of justice, and the Pharaoh of unbelief can never hope to recognize the hand of the Moses of truth. Even as He saith: "None knoweth the meaning thereof except God and them that are well-grounded in knowledge." And yet, they have sought the interpretation of the Book from those that are wrapt in veils, and have refused to seek enlightenment from the fountainhead of knowledge.

And when the days of Moses were ended, and the light of Jesus, shining forth from the dayspring of the Spirit, encompassed the world, all the people of Israel arose in protest against Him. They clamored that He Whose advent the Bible had foretold must needs promulgate and fulfill the laws of Moses, whereas this youthful Nazarene, who laid claim to the station of the divine Messiah, had annulled the law of divorce and of the sabbath day -- the most weighty of all the laws of Moses. Moreover, what of the signs of the Manifestation yet to come? These people of Israel are even unto the present day still expecting that Manifestation which the Bible hath foretold! How many Manifestations of Holiness, how many Revealers of the light everlasting, have appeared since the time of Moses, and yet Israel, wrapt in the densest veils of satanic fancy and false imaginings, is still expectant that the idol of her own handiwork will appear with such signs as she herself hath conceived! Thus hath God laid hold of them for their sins, hath extinguished in them the spirit of faith, and tormented them with the flames of the nethermost fire. And this for no other reason except that Israel refused to apprehend the meaning of such words as have been revealed in the Bible concerning the signs of the coming Revelation. As she never grasped their true significance, and, to outward seeming, such events never came to pass, she, therefore, remained deprived of recognizing the beauty of Jesus and of beholding the face of God. And they still await His coming! From time immemorial even unto this day, all the kindreds and peoples of the earth have clung to such fanciful and unseemly thoughts, and thus have deprived themselves of the clear waters streaming from the springs of purity and holiness.

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He sent forth Moses with the rod of Command and the white hand of knowledge. All people arose to oppose Him, yet this only increased the loss of the wrongdoers.

And among them was Moses, whom God assisted with the rod of His Command and honored with nine verses from the Bayan. He said: "O people! These are the signs of God which ye behold. Fear ye God and be guided by His guidance."

O Elias! Behold and remember when We sent forth Him Who conversed with God with clear signs; the people turned away from Him until We helped Him through a command from Us. Verily thy Lord is the Helper of the Messengers. His rod prevailed over the swords of Pharaoh and his chiefs.

Then after him We sent forth Him Who conversed with God (Moses) with clear signs and made him a proof unto all in the heavens and earth. We sent him to Pharaoh and his chiefs. … We commanded him to depart with the Children of Israel, and when he departed, Pharaoh and his hosts pursued them from behind to seize them unjustly. We drowned them and delivered those who believed in God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

O Moses! We chose the Interlocutor aforetime and sent him to Pharaoh and his chiefs with nine clear signs, and I am verily the Sender, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing, the Ancient. Among these was the staff of Command whereby We parted the sea and delivered those who believed, and drowned the idolaters.

Then look before Him at Moses when He came with His Lord's signs, and the people turned away from Him on that day and denied God's Cause after its manifestation and committed that which caused the clouds to cry out.

His Holiness Moses conveyed the Word of God to the Pharaoh of his time, and in the early days a strong party secretly supported him.

You must be very moderate. Consider the taste of the public. This is the best policy. Moderation, moderation. You must speak and write in such a manner as not to offend anyone. The Lord addressed Moses and Aaron saying: When you go to Pharaoh, speak in a moderate, sweet language.

Moses with but one staff struck the kingdom of creation - weakness took no hold of him and laxity found no way, for the very soul of his soul was gladdened and rejoiced by the light of the divine presence.

Anyone who closely examines the facts of generally accepted history, revealing the hidden truths of previous eras, will be assured that Moses, peace be upon him, drew the children of Israel from abasement, humiliation, captivity and hopelessness, and taught them with immense strength until they attained to the apex of glory and distinction. He smoothed their path to the greatest happiness.

Moses delivered that people from degradation and led them to the Holy Land. He so educated Israel that they rose from the depths of degradation to the heights of glory, to such a degree that they became renowned among the nations of the world. They advanced in the sciences, they advanced in civilization, they advanced in the crafts, they advanced in philosophy.

The Israelites were in Egypt, in the utmost ignorance and degradation, and their condition was so low as to cause everyone to weep over his lot. In the meantime GOD sent Moses to deliver them from their lowly condition, and to enable them to attain the highest spiritual light, instruction, civilization, etc., that was possible in that day and age.

For example, Moses was a universal Teacher. He trained and disciplined the people of Israel, enabled them to rescue themselves from the lowest abyss of despair and ignorance and caused them to attain an advanced degree of knowledge and development.

Moses came at a time when Egypt was dark and ignorance had encompassed it, when souls were in the utmost degree of savagery. Moses was a divine teacher. He taught the divine verses, educated the Israelite people, delivered them from ignorance and abasement, and brought them to the highest degree of glory.

Consider the Israelites - before the appearance of Moses, they were in a bad condition and were under the sway of the people of Pharaoh, that is, in great darkness and ignorance. Then God sent Moses unto them who called them out of that darkness and guided them into the Light of God, and disclosed His mysteries and diffused the knowledge of God among them and revealed unto them the wisdom of God, till at last that despised and ignorant nation of Israelites, who were blind and dead to the Truth and had paid no attention to the revelation of God, were entirely changed.

His Holiness Moses, peace be upon Him, nobly educated the people of Israel. After they had been abject before Pharaoh, He made Israel mighty. They were poor, He made them wealthy. They were ignorant, He made them learned. They were cowardly, He made them courageous. They were lowly and wandering, He gave them organization. They progressed so much that they became renowned throughout all regions.

The essence of the matter is this: When His Holiness Moses the Great delivered Israel from ancient Egypt and brought them to the Holy Land, through the power of God's law, the force of God's Kingdom, the breaths of prophetic revelation, and the education of the pure ones, Israel ascended from the depths of abasement to the heights of glory in both worlds.

The Jews were in the lowest condition of ignorance, and captives under Pharaoh when Moses appeared and raised them to a high state of civilization. Thus was the reign of Solomon brought about and science and art were made known to mankind. Even Greek philosophers became students of Solomon's teaching. Thus was Moses proved to be a Prophet.

Among the revelators of the law of God was Moses. When He appeared, all the contemporaneous nations rejected Him. Notwithstanding this, single and alone He promulgated the divine teachings and liberated a nation from the lowest condition of degradation and bondage. The people of Israel were ignorant, lowly, debased in morals -- a race of slaves under burdensome oppression. Moses led them out of captivity and brought them to the Holy Land.

Therefore there remains no shadow of a doubt that His Holiness Moses was the first Educator of mankind. Unique, single, with no assistance, no support, no aid and notwithstanding a stammering tongue, he caused the rise of such a lowly, degraded nation to the apogee of spiritual attainment and wisdom. This shows that he was unquestionably confirmed by the divine Holy-Spirit, because from every standpoint this is unparalleled. … From these instances we comprehend that His Holiness Moses was inspired by the spiritual power; because mere man would be unable to reform a nation like unto that of Israelites, delivering millions of people from the claws of defects and ignorance and causing them to fly upward toward the realms of light and the Effulgence of God!

Moses was the teacher of God; He gave the teachings of holiness and educated the Israelites. He raised up the people from their degradation and caused them to be highly honoured. He taught them Sciences and Arts, trained them in civilization and increased their human virtues.

Moses was neither a philosopher nor a scientist. Outwardly he was but a simple shepherd, but he was able to instruct and develop a whole nation which had been in a state of demoralization; but which through his influence reached a very enlightened civilization.

Yesterday, incidentally, I was writing to a philosopher who maintained that the Prophets are barriers to progress, and I proved his error. I wrote him about the truth of His Holiness Moses. Consider how lofty is His sovereignty!

Conversely, consider the case of Pharaoh. There is no sign of him, no name of him, no trace of him. The little name that remains of him is because he was a contemporary of His Holiness Moses. Otherwise, pharaohs were many.

Moses, the Prophet, (after His death) had more than a million followers; but as they were not pure, the Cause of Moses only extended to Syria. All were not of the same mind and devotion and were not confirmed to do any great work. The Israelites alone had some development for a time, but the followers of Jesus Christ, as they were united together and had the same ideas and were cut from every worldly thing, they succeeded in spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Now, this reproach and rebuke was in reality addressed to the children of Israel, who, on account of their rebellion against the commandments of God, were made to dwell for a long period in the barren desert beyond the Jordan until the time of Joshua. This reproach and rebuke appeared to be addressed to Moses and Aaron, but in reality it was directed to the people of Israel.

And when His Holiness Moses was in the wilderness and had no prison or place of confinement, He said: tooth for tooth and eye for eye, according to the exigency of that time. But is this possible now? Nay, it is not possible today to enforce each of the ten penalties of death found in the Torah; indeed, people are now engaged in inquiry and discussion concerning a single matter, namely the abolition of the execution of the murderer.

We have indeed read the letter which thou didst send down by God's leave, and We have learned of the mention of the name of Abraham and then of him who sent down the oil. Say: God will recompense the doers of good.

And verily what was said regarding Moses in the Qur'an is the truth, and in like manner God, thy Lord, doth teach His servants who are possessed of certitude.

As He says in the Torah, speaking directly to Moses without veil, addressing him and in certain instances calling him Lord and created things as lordly ones.

According to your vain belief, Moses was false and guilty against Abraham - what guilt was manifest that you cast Him into the fire?

Now hath that cycle hath returned, that mystery been unveiled, and all the sanctified essences of the Kingdom on high, the inmates of the Concourse supreme, the cherubim, the bearers of the Throne, and the angels nigh unto God, have been thunderstruck by the revelation of this wondrous Cause and, in the lowest earth, have passed into nothingness. Likewise all the realities of the Prophets and Messengers---one of whom was Moses, son of ‘Imran---have died upon the Sinai of this mighty Cause through the disclosure of this exalted mystery.

Verily We desire to give unto him who is named Elias the choice sealed wine through My Self-Subsisting Name, and We desire what Moses asked of God, the Lord of all worlds. Verily We have aided the children of Abraham in this Most Great Revelation and guided them to My Straight Path and assisted them to know Me and caused them to hear what Moses heard on the Mount of Recognition, and I am the Generous Giver.

And follow the example of His Holiness Moses who, when He heard the call from the Burning Bush of Sinai, arose with all His soul to guide mankind.