Rejection, opposition and persecution

The third is those who have heard the Message of the Kingdom but have not accepted it. The fourth is those who have not yet heard of this Revelation.

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.

… 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.

Say: O people! Reflect upon that which befell Him Who came with the name of 'Ali in truth and appeared with a radiance manifest to all the worlds. The divines rose up against Him with such opposition as severed from it all likeness and similitude, and God is witness to this. They advanced arguments based on words which they attributed to the verses of the Furqan, then objected thereby to Him Who created them by His command, being utterly unaware of this and remaining steadfast in their opposition.

Among them were those who clung to the notion that what al-Baqir had related concerning the signs of the Manifestation had not appeared, and likewise what as-Sadiq had uttered they had not witnessed. Thereby did they deprive themselves of all good and stood at the brink of the pit of idolatry, bereft of truth. And among them were those who said: "It hath been established with us through multiple transmission, as set forth by the Imams of religion and the Four Gates, that the Qa'im will not be born but is living and will appear when God wisheth and willeth. But he who hath appeared was born, and we shall not believe in him even if he should bring forth every sign or manifest a matter that would render all worlds impotent."

He Who came upon clouds of light saith: O people! Fear God and dispute not concerning the signs of God after their revelation, nor follow every sinful misbeliever. Purify your ears from all that ye have heard, that ye may hearken unto that which is revealed unto Me from the sublime heaven of mighty glory. Look not unto that which is with you, but look with the Most Great Vision, for this is better for you, did ye but know. O people! The sun hath risen from its setting place; therefore shall no soul's faith profit it. Fear God and be God-fearing in His religion. O people! Were ye not promised in all the Tablets the Day of God? Lo, it hath appeared in truth, and therein hath the Ancient Beauty been established upon a mighty throne of glory. After His manifestation, nothing shall profit you, even should ye cling to all the Manifestations, and this is a truth like unto the existence of God, were ye discerning in the matter.

Had they but fixed their gaze upon the testimony of God itself, had they refused to follow in the footsteps of the abject and foolish among their leaders and divines, they would doubtless have attained to the repository of guidance and the treasury of virtue, and quaffed from the crystal waters of life eternal in the city of the All-Merciful, in the garden of the All-Glorious, and within the inner reality of His paradise.

… But as they failed to recognize the accents of God and the divine mysteries and holy allusions enshrined in that which flowed from the tongue of Muhammad, and as they neglected to examine the matter in their own hearts, and followed instead those priests of error who have hindered the progress of the people in past dispensations and who will continue to do so in future cycles, they were thus veiled from the divine purpose, failed to quaff from the celestial streams, and deprived themselves of the presence of God, the Manifestation of His Essence, and the Dayspring of His eternity.

Thou hast known how grievously the Prophets of God, His Messengers and Chosen Ones, have been afflicted. Meditate a while on the motive and reason which have been responsible for such a persecution. At no time, in no Dispensation, have the Prophets of God escaped the blasphemy of their enemies, the cruelty of their oppressors, the denunciation of the learned of their age, who appeared in the guise of uprightness and piety.

None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian -- by God, such are their vain imaginings, and the decree hath been known in the Mother Book.

How many houses were raised for My remembrance and adorned with My name, yet when I revealed Myself they barred Me from them - thus did their wretchedness overcome them, and today they are among the most lost. They spent what none can reckon save God to exalt My remembrance, yet when I came to them they denied God, the Lord of the worlds.

The blindness of vain desire hath prevented the people from beholding, and they cannot distinguish between the wolf and Joseph. They have regarded the essence of justice as the substance of tyranny, and light they have deemed darkness.

O thou who gazest toward the Most Exalted Horizon! Until the people become aware of the falsehoods of the past, they will not bear witness to the truth of this manifest Day. And even should they acknowledge it, it would be merely through imitation.

By the life of God! This Most Great Revelation hath ever been, and continueth to be, independent of the acceptance or rejection of the peoples.

Among the people are those who have turned towards Him and those who have turned away, those who have hesitated and those who have hastened, those who have responded and those who have chosen silence for themselves, and those who have taken vain imaginings as their god instead of God.

That which is beloved in this day is steadfastness in the love of God, for the manifestations of Satan have appeared with the utmost craftiness - at times preventing people from their Source in the name of the inner meaning, and at times holding back weak souls from the path of divine oneness in the name of the outer meaning.

And certain souls have become the cause of the waste of God's Cause while counting themselves among the mighty ones. Humiliation shall soon overtake them from every direction unless they repent and return unto God, the Lord of all the worlds.

We have enjoined steadfastness upon all people; nevertheless, some of the companions, upon merely witnessing reprehensible deeds from those who have attributed themselves to the Truth, have withdrawn from the Truth, exalted and mighty be He, and have remained deprived of the pure, flowing waters of the days of God.

It is for this reason that, in every age, when a new Manifestation hath appeared and a fresh revelation of God’s transcendent power was vouchsafed unto men, they that misbelieved in Him, deluded by the appearance of the peerless and everlasting Beauty in the garb of mortal men, have failed to recognize Him. They have erred from His path and eschewed His company—the company of Him Who is the Symbol of nearness to God. They have even arisen to decimate the ranks of the faithful and to exterminate such as believed in Him.

The days passed until they culminated in the Sovereign of Days, and the Beauty of Ali appeared in truth from the dawning-place of His hidden Name. He said: "O people! I have come unto you from the Orient of the Cause with a clear proof and a manifest evidence from God, the Mighty, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. O people! Deny not the signs of God, and be not of those who showed pride before the Ancient Beauty and were among the deniers." Thereupon the divines rose up against Him with swords of rejection and hatred, and forbade the people from drawing nigh unto the holy and blessed shore. Each day they seized upon a verse from the Book and a tradition from those who had passed away before, whereby they sought to prove their rejection of God and the Manifestation of His Self. Thus did they corrupt and cause the people to become corrupt, following their own desires. Thus do We recount what they did, that those who believed in those days might become aware thereof, and that it might serve as a reminder to those who are to come.

Until the servants in all lands rejected Him, save a numbered few. When He witnessed the Cause in such state, He counseled those who had believed in Tablets of glory inscribed, saying: "O people! Do not act as did those who associated partners with God, who warred against My Self, who denied My signs and rejected My compelling, mighty, and manifest proof. Should anyone come unto you, be not veiled by the First One, nor by the Mirrors, nor by all that hath been created between the heavens and the earth. Beware lest ye divide the word of God, the Mighty, the Beloved. By God! He is verily My Self, My Glory, My Grandeur, and My Sovereignty, and in the Bayan there is mention of Him and proof of Him, would ye but be certain. O people! Deal not with Him as the followers of the Furqan dealt with My wronged Self.

O people! When ye hear mention of Him while in your prostration or bowing down or circumambulating the House, cease from what ye are doing and hasten unto Him, for on that Day the deeds of creation shall not be accepted save by His leave and the recognition of His exalted, mighty, and praiseworthy Self. By God! All deeds have been fulfilled through the Word that hath flowed from His Self-Subsisting Pen, and We created all things for His sake and gave glad tidings of His appearance in all the Tablets and in a preserved Tablet." And He delivered unto the servants what He desired until they rose up against Him and slew Him with such injustice that all things wept over Him, and the Holy Spirit wailed and lamented, and the hearts of them who glorify the praise of God whilst circumambulating the Throne, cried out. How I wish the world and all that is therein had never been created, and that this wrong had never appeared - a wrong by which God lamented upon the throne of grandeur and the garments of forbearance were rent asunder in all that was and will be! Would that I had never been born of my mother, or having been born, had never been suckled, or having been suckled, had never grown to maturity, that I might not have heard what befell His sacred, pure, exalted, mighty and beloved Beauty!

O concourse of divines! When My verses were sent down, and My clear tokens were revealed, We found you behind the veils. This, verily, is a strange thing. Ye glory in My Name, yet ye recognized Me not at the time your Lord, the All-Merciful, appeared amongst you with proof and testimony. We have rent the veils asunder. Beware lest ye shut out the people by yet another veil. Pluck asunder the chains of vain imaginings, in the name of the Lord of all men, and be not of the deceitful.

By "divines" in these passages is meant those souls who have prevented people from the shore of the Divine Unity. Otherwise, the learned one who acts upon his knowledge and the just sage are as the spirit to the body of the world.

How many were the divines who, at the appearance of the Lord of Names, arose in opposition, and how many were those whom people counted as ignorant, who in the days of God attained unto the ultimate station of man, which is the station of the knowledge of God. Although in this Most Great Revelation many of the divines have been honored with recognition of the Lord of Eternity, yet most were seen to be opposed and in denial.

Hearken in the Persian tongue: God, exalted be His glory, through His name the All-Knowing, brought forth the divines of the earth from the realm of nothingness into the court of existence, that all might be guides to His path and dawning-places of His proof.

The deeds of the high priests have caused the people to be estranged from Almighty God. Instead of evincing self-denial they have given themselves up to inordinate desires and strayed far from the path of the Lord God. They have grievously erred, yet fondly imagine themselves to be treading the right Path.

The source and origin of tyranny have been the divines. Through the sentences pronounced by these haughty and wayward souls the rulers of the earth have wrought that which ye have heard.…

The Jewish divines pronounced sentence for the crucifixion of the Spirit (Christ), and the divines of the idolaters, the Torah and the Gospel for the murder of the Lord of all beings in the land of Sad.

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

The pagan priests and the Jewish and Christian divines, have committed the very things which the divines of the age, in this Dispensation, have committed, and are still committing. Nay, these have displayed a more grievous cruelty and a fiercer malice. Every atom beareth witness unto that which I say.

Among the people are those who said: ‘He hath repudiated the divines.’ Say: ‘Yea, by My Lord! I, in very truth, was the One Who abolished the idols!’

Arise in the Cause, say: O concourse of divines! Be silent that ye may hear that which hath been sent down from the heaven of utterance from your Lord, the All-Merciful. This is better for you, as testify they who are endowed with insight.

"O ye that are foolish, yet have a name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city astray into the paths of perdition."

… Those divines, however, who are truly adorned with the ornament of knowledge and of a goodly character are, verily, as a head to the body of the world, and as eyes to the nations. The guidance of men hath, at all times, been, and is, dependent upon such blessed souls.

You mentioned a new sedition, but no new matter has arisen or become manifest. From the first day we attained to the knowledge of God, we have fixed our gaze upon this holy and eternal Manifestation, counting all lesser divine manifestations as non-existent before Him.

… Would that you were content with mere rejection! Nay, by His All-Merciful Self, rather you spend your nights and days plotting to shed His pure and holy blood, as was clearly shown by the deception you practiced in that land.

He it is, in truth, Who is the Lord of the worlds and the Object of the desire of every searching soul. Were ye to open your eyes, ye would verily behold the Manifestations of "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" worshipping under His shadow. Yet ye have done to Him what even the people of the Qur'an dared not do to Myself, nor the Jews to Christ. Alas, alas! My heart is consumed with anguish and My soul groaneth at what hath befallen My Beloved at the hands of the infidels. Woe unto you for your faithlessness, O concourse of oppressors!

O people of the world! The harm inflicted upon the Ancient Beauty and the Most Great Name came not from the princes and ministers, for whatsoever they committed was due to lack of awareness. I swear by the Sun of Truth which shineth from the horizon of the prison, were they to become adorned with the ornament of awareness to even less than a mustard seed's weight, they would become detached and freed from what they possess and would turn with acceptance toward that which is with God.

The world is another world, and the Cause another Cause.

We beseech God not to deprive the people of Baha from the Crimson Ark. The idolaters have appeared with a new scheme, and vain imaginings have gained fresh currency, and for suspicions a lofty station hath been assigned. May God grant justice and fairness. Again, like unto the Shi'ih sect, they wander in the wilderness of idle fancies and delusions.

O Hakim! Upon thee be My glory! The doubters and transgressors have forbidden the servants from reciting the dawn prayer whose preface is adorned with this Most Exalted Name. With utmost clarity hath been mentioned that which causeth the hearts of the ungodly and the opposers to be consumed, for He saith that the Most Great Name is present and mentioned therein. Nevertheless, they have deprived the people of the outpourings of the True Bestower that lie hidden in those remembrances.

Consider, moreover, how God's limitless power hath appeared and been made manifest in this divine Dispensation. In the past, those who were shut out as by a veil would impute folly and impotence to the divine Manifestations. One would say: "Ye follow none other but a man enchanted"; another would cry: "He deviseth a lie about God, or there is a jinn in him"; and yet others would speak the words "And when they see thee, they do but take thee as the subject of their railleries. 'What! Is this he whom God hath sent as an Apostle?'"

There was a time when another governor arose against us in hostility, and took sides with the government commission. This governor induced someone to send secretly a document containing strange allegations against us to the royal court, which then returned the document and called for an inquiry. The Governor and the delegation subsequently wrote a harshly worded report, evincing great enmity and hatred towards us. However, this servant dismissed the Governor and the delegation. Such was the degree of our influence, as is known to friend and stranger alike.

O ye the cherished loved ones of Abdu'l-Baha! It is a long time now since my inward ear hath heard any sweet melodies out of certain regions, or my heart been gladdened; and this despite the fact that ye are ever present in my thoughts and standing clearly visible before my sight. Filled to overflowing is the goblet of my heart with the wine of the love I bear you, and my yearning to set eyes upon you streameth like the spirit through my arteries and veins. From this it is clear how great is my affliction. At this time and throughout this tempest of calamities now tossing its waves to high heaven, cruel and incessant darts are being hurled against me from every point of the compass, and at every moment, here in the Holy Land, terrifying news is received, and every day bringeth its quota of horror.

The Centre of Sedition had imagined that it needed but his arrogant rebellion to bring down the Covenant and Testament in ruins; it needed but this, so he thought, to turn the righteous away from the Holy Will. Wherefore he sent out far and wide his leaflets of doubt, devising many a secret scheme. Now he would cry out that God's edifice had been subverted and His divine commands annulled, and that accordingly, the Covenant and Testament was abolished. Again he would set himself to sighing and groaning that he was being held a prisoner and was kept hungry and thirsty day and night. Another day he would raise an uproar, saying that the oneness of God had been denied, since another Manifestation had been proclaimed, prior to the expiration of a thousand years.

When he saw that his calumnies had no effect, he gradually formed a plan to incite a disturbance. He began stirring up mischief, and went knocking at every door. He started making false accusations to the officials of the Government. He approached some of the foreigners, made himself their intimate, and together with them prepared a document and presented it to the Seat of the Sultanate, bringing consternation to the authorities. Among the many slanderous charges was this, that this hapless one had raised up a standard of revolt, a flag bearing the words Ya Baha'u'l-Abha; that I had paraded this throughout the countryside, to every city, town and village, and even among the desert tribes, and had summoned all the inhabitants to unite under this flag.

O my Lord, verily I seek refuge with Thee from the very thought of such an act, which is contrary to all the commandments of Baha'u'llah, and which would indeed be a mighty wrong that none but a grievous sinner would ever perpetrate. For Thou hast made it incumbent upon us to obey the rulers and kings.

Another of his slanders was that the Shrine on Mount Carmel was a fortress that I had built strong and impregnable -- this when the building under construction compriseth six rooms -- and that I had named it Medina the Resplendent, while I had named the Holy Tomb at Bahji Mecca the Glorified. Yet another of his calumnies was that I had established an independent sovereignty, and that -- God forbid! God forbid! God forbid! -- I had summoned all the believers to join me in this massive wrongdoing. How dire, O my Lord, is his slander!

Yet again, he claimeth that since the Holy Shrine hath become a point visited by pilgrims from all over the world, great damage will accrue to this Government and people. He, the Centre of Sedition, averreth that he himself hath had no hand in all these matters, that he is a Sunni of the Sunnites and a devoted follower of Abu-Bakr and Umar, and regardeth Baha'u'llah as only a pious man and a mystic; all these things, he saith, were set afoot by this wronged one.

To be brief, a Commission of Investigation was appointed by the Sultan, may the glory of his reign endure. The Commission journeyed hither and immediately upon arrival betook themselves to the house of one of the accusers. They then summoned the group who, working with my brother, had prepared the accusatory document and asked them whether it was true. The group explained the contents of the document, stated that everything they had reported therein was nothing but the truth, and added further accusations. Thus they functioned at one and the same time as plaintiffs, witnesses, and judge.

The Commission hath now returned to the seat of the Caliphate, and reports of a most frightful nature are coming in daily from that city. However, praised be God, Abdu'l-Baha remaineth composed and unperturbed. To none do I bear ill will because of this defamation. I have made all my affairs conditioned upon His irresistible Will and I am waiting, indeed in perfect happiness, to offer my life and prepared for whatever dire affliction may be in store. Praise be to God, the loving believers also accept and remain submissive to God's Will, content with it, radiantly acquiescent, offering thanks.

The Centre of Sedition hath imagined that once the blood of this wronged one is spilled out, once I have been cast away on the wide desert sands or drowned in the Mediterranean Sea -- nameless, gone without trace, with none to tell of me -- then would he at last have a field where he could urge his steed ahead, and with his mallet of lies and doubts, hit hard at the polo ball of his ambitions, and carry off the prize.

Far from it! For even if the sweet musk-scent of faithfulness should pass, and leave no trace behind, who would be drawn by the stench of perfidy? And even if some gazelle of heaven were to be ripped apart by dogs and wolves, who would go running to seek out a ravening wolf? Even should the day of the Mystic Nightingale draw to its close, who would ever lend his ear to the raven's croak, or the cawing of the crow? What an empty supposition is his! What a foolish presumption! 'Their works are like the vapour in a desert which the thirsty dreameth to be water, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth nothing.'

O ye loved ones of God! Be ye firm of foot, and fixed of heart, and through the power of the Blessed Beauty's help, stand ye committed to your purpose. Serve ye the Cause of God. Face ye all nations of the world with the constancy and the endurance of the people of Baha, that all men may be astounded and ask how this could be, that your hearts are as well-springs of confidence and faith, and as mines so rich in the love of God. Be ye so, that ye shall neither fail nor falter on account of these tragedies in the Holy Land; let not these dread events make you despondent. And if all the believers be put to the sword, and only one be left, let that one cry out in the name of the Lord and tell the joyous tidings; let that one rise up and confront all the peoples of the earth.

Gaze ye not upon the dire happenings at this Illumined Spot. The Holy Land is in danger at all times, and here, the tide of calamities is ever at the flood; for this upraised call hath now been heard around the world, and the fame of it hath gone forth to the ends of the earth. It is because of this that foes, both from within and from without, have turned themselves with subtlety and craft to spreading slander. It is clear that such a place as this would be exposed to danger, for there is no defender here, none to arise and take our side in the face of calumny: here are only a few souls that are homeless, hapless, held captive in this stronghold. No champion have they; there is none to succour them, none to ward off the arrows of lies, the darts of defamation that are hurled against them: none except God.

It behoveth you to ponder on all those well-beloved ones who hastened to the holy field of sacrifice, those precious souls who offered up their lives. Bear ye in mind what streams of sacred blood were poured away, how many a righteous heart was commingled with its gore, how many a breast was the target of tyranny's spear, how many a chaste body was ripped to shreds. How then could it be right for us even to think of saving ourselves! To curry favour with stranger or kin, and make a show of compromise! Should we not, rather, take the pathway of the righteous, and follow in the footsteps of those great ones gone before?

These few brief days shall pass away, this present life shall vanish from our sight; the roses of this world shall be fresh and fair no more, the garden of this earth's triumphs and delights shall droop and fade. The spring season of life shall turn into the autumn of death, the bright joy of palace halls give way to moonless dark within the tomb. And therefore is none of this worth loving at all, and to this the wise will not anchor his heart.

He who hath knowledge and power will rather seek out the glory of heaven, and spiritual distinction, and the life that dieth not. And such a one longeth to approach the sacred Threshold of God; for in the tavern of this swiftly-passing world the man of God will not lie drunken, nor will he even for a moment take his ease, nor stain himself with any fondness for this earthly life.

Nay rather, the friends are stars in the high heavens of guidance, celestial bodies in the skies of divine grace, who with all their powers put the dark to flight. They break down the foundations of malevolence and hate. They cherish but one desire for the world and all its peoples: well-being and peace. By them, the ramparts of warfare and aggression are battered down. They have truthfulness and honest dealing and friendship for their goal, and kindness even toward a vicious foe; until at last they change this prison of treachery, the world, into a mansion of utmost trust, and turn this gaol-house of hatred and malevolence and spite, into God's Paradise.

O ye loving friends! Strive ye with heart and soul to make this world the mirror-image of the Kingdom, that this nether world may teem with the blessings of the world of God, that the voices of the Company on high may be raised in acclamation, and signs and tokens of the bounties and bestowals of Baha'u'llah may encompass all the earth.

Jinab-i-Amin hath expressed the greatest admiration for you honoured men and enlightened women, naming and commending you each by each, telling at length of the firmness and constancy ye all have shown, saying that, God be praised, in all Persia the men and women are standing together, straight, strong, unmoveable -- a mighty edifice solidly raised up; and that ye are engaged with love and joy in spreading abroad the sweet savours of the Lord.

These were tidings of great joy, especially as they have reached me in these days of extreme peril. For the dearest wish of this wronged one is that the friends be spiritual of heart and illumined of mind, and once this grace is granted me, calamity, however afflictive, is but bounty pouring down upon me, like copious rain.

O God, my God! Thou seest me plunged in an ocean of anguish, held fast to the fires of tyranny, and weeping in the darkness of the night. Sleepless I toss and turn upon my bed, mine eyes straining to behold the morning light of faithfulness and trust. I agonize even as a fish, its inward parts afire as it leapeth about in terror upon the sand, yet I ever look for Thy bestowals to appear from every side.

O God, my God! Make thou the believers in other lands to partake of Thine abounding grace, deliver Thou, by Thine unfailing help and bounty, whoso among Thy loved ones in the farthermost climes sigheth over the bitter cruelty of his foe. O Lord, they are the captives of Thy love, the prisoners taken by Thy troops. They are the birds that fly in the heavens of Thy guidance, the whales that swim in the ocean of Thy bestowals, the stars that sparkle on the horizon of Thy gifts. They are the defenders of the fortress of Thy law. They are the banners of Thy remembrance amongst men. They are the deep wells of Thy divine compassion, the fountains of Thy favours, the well-springs of Thy grace.

Keep them ever in safety beneath Thine all-protecting eye. Assist them to exalt Thy Word; make Thou their hearts to be constant in Thy love; strengthen Thou their backs that they may serve Thee well; in servitude, strengthen Thou their powers.

Spread Thou through them Thy sweet savours far and wide; expound through them Thy Holy Writ; make known through them Thine Utterance; fulfil through them Thy Words; through them pour out Thy mercy.

Thou art verily the Mighty, the Powerful. Thou art verily the Clement, the Compassionate.

There is in this place a certain man named Yasin, an examining magistrate, who for some ten or fifteen years hath held that office here. I showed him the utmost respect and consideration, and out of mere generosity bestowed upon him abundant gifts. Indeed, on one occasion, when he complained of delay in the payment of his salary and stipend, assistance for his livelihood was given him for three successive months. Then one day he came before this servant and said: "Send several of your supporters to the barracks, that they may quarrel and come to blows with the supporters of your brother, Mirza Muhammad-'Ali. Thereupon I shall place the followers of Mirza Muhammad-'Ali under interrogation as culprits and accused persons, and shall imprison them." I perceived that, despite all the consideration shown him, he was devising such intrigues and whisperings that strife and bloodshed might arise between the two sides, and that thereafter he might interrogate both parties and reap great advantage.

The members of the Investigation Commission made secret inquiries from strangers and relatives, but they did not ask anyone impartial. All their investigations were through the assistance of the honored brother and they completed their mission according to his instructions and departed.

Once there was an official who in order to intimidate me to bribe him came one morning and said: 'I shall write inflammatory letters and throw them into the window into your house; then shall [I] send the police to search and seize these documents and thus you will be convicted.'

In every city, both in Iran and in these Ottoman domains, numerous spies have been appointed, and these spies speak whatever the ruler and oppressor desire. There is absolutely no truth in their words. The dust of falsehood has concealed the face of truthfulness.

Some Iranians reported that Taqizadeh was saying the Baha'is are infatuated with despotism and are enemies of liberty and constitutional government. Despite this, I did not say a word. I returned to the East and then after the American journey came back to Europe. Many Iranians came to me saying that Taqizadeh was insisting greatly and through various schemes wanted to prove in the public eye that you are an enemy of constitutionalism and supporter of despotism.

Multiple copies of that book have been sent to Iran, as they have sent it everywhere. Obtain a copy of that book and collectively write a response to those calumnies with utmost eloquence in simple language. This is the work that needs to be done, for it yields results and these matters are of importance and cause nearness to the Court of Divine Unity.

For when Gobineau was in Iran, the Iranian government would immediately execute anyone suspected of being a Babi. No Babi dared utter a single word.

They have taken some of 'Abdu'l-Baha's phrases, mixed them with corrupted statements, and distributed them, hoping by this means and this plot to bring dishonor upon this servant.

Indeed they have manifested such deceit as hath never been heard of before. Now with the utmost craftiness and guile they profess love to each of the friends of God while subtly mentioning certain matters that perchance may hold back the people of God from the Most Exalted Horizon. Their honey concealeth poison, and their protestations of love mask hidden hatred...

In brief, they send forth strange and wondrous writings, publishing certain wondrous verses either in their own name or in the name of the Point of the Bayan - may the souls of all else be sacrificed for His sake - or in other names.

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

[This is only a summary of the words of Abdul Baha and was written from memory and should only be so given out. The substance is here, but the talk was more explicit and covered several other points, such as the life of Mohammed Ali, his constant intrigues to kill or have Abdul Baha put out of the way, which is far from a Bahai life, even if he was in the right. The results in the world contrast the works of Mohammed Ali and Abdul Baha.]

Regarding what is written in this treatise about His Majesty the Ottoman Sultan - whatever is written about the Ottomans, completely remove it, for this Sultan is not now engaged in persecution.

However, the reports that arrived each contradicted the other regarding some of the oppressions inflicted, and from the Most Exalted Pen there flowed and was revealed that which corresponded to what they had mentioned, the signs and fruits of which have appeared and shall appear every day.

Whatever action the ministers of the Sultan took against Us, after having become acquainted with its contents, cannot be regarded as unjustifiable. The acts they committed before its perusal, however, can have no justification.

Likewise did We desire in Iraq to meet with the divines of Persia. When they heard of it, they fled and said: "This is naught but a manifest sorcerer." These are words that issued forth from the mouths of their like before, and these people objected to them for what they said, yet today they speak the same words and understand not.

As He exhorted the people to do away with strife and discord, so I wish to explain to you the principal reason of the unrest among nations. The chief cause is the misrepresentation of religion by the religious leaders and teachers. They teach their followers to believe that their own form of religion is the only one pleasing to God, and that followers of any other persuasion are condemned by the All-Loving Father and deprived of His Mercy and Grace.

Though this person hath until now published several treatises in opposition to the Center of the Covenant, this servant hath not penned a single word concerning him. But as in these days some calumnious pages from him have reached these shores and been examined, were silence to be maintained, perchance some of the ignorant might believe these falsehoods and fall into grievous trial.

Then know that your namesake has slandered me, and for this God hath seized him by His command, for He is the most severe of avengers. … He hath spoken before the people concerning me that which he hath spoken, out of spite against God, the Protector, the Mighty, the Powerful.

Alas, poor souls, the knowledge they have is not based on truth, the foundation of their belief is not the teaching of Baha'u'llah! There is, assuredly, a certain amount of truth in what they have been told, but for the most part their information has been inaccurate.

The great majority of the doctors set themselves to repudiate Him, decreeing slaughter and destruction, and they induced Ḥusayn Khán Ajúdán-báshí, who was the governor of Fárs, to inflict a beating on the Báb’s missionaries, that is on Mullá Ṣádiq Muqaddas; then, having burnt his moustaches and beard together with those of Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí of Barfurúsh and Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar of Ardistán, they put halters on all the three and led them round the streets and bazaars.

Now since the doctors of Persia have no administrative capacity, they thought that violence and interference would cause extinction and silence and lead to suppression and oblivion; whereas interference in matters of conscience causes stability and firmness and attracts the attention of men's sight and souls; which fact has received experimental proof many times and often.

In Qazvin, Haji Mulla Taqi launched an attack from the pulpit and condemned those two resplendent stars, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i and Siyyid Kazim-i-Rashti. He cursed and reviled them vehemently, saying: "This affair of the Bab, which is unmitigated error, is a hellish fire that has blazed forth from the grave of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim."

… No one would associate with her, and all her relatives--even her husband and two sons--showed the greatest enmity and would oppress and revile her.

The acting governor of Amul succeeded in effecting Our release from captivity. Through an opening in the wall that he ordered his men to make, he enabled Us to leave that room, and conducted Us to his house. No sooner were the inhabitants informed of this act than they arose against Us, besieged the governor's residence, pelted Us with stones, and hurled in Our face the foulest invectives.

Now I shall inform thee that thou hast followed a rebellious satan in whom God hath not placed an atom's weight of mercy, and who hath apostatized from his religion by decreeing, after the first decree, a distant imprisonment.

Hast thou heard of anyone before who imprisoned one of the descendants of God's Messenger in the walls of a city whose people were ignorant and who denied the authority of the Imams who act by God's command?

How numerous the oppressors before thee who have arisen to quench the light of God, and how many the impious who murdered and pillaged until the hearts and souls of men groaned by reason of their cruelty! The sun of justice hath been obscured, inasmuch as the embodiment of tyranny hath been stablished upon the throne of hatred, and yet the people understand not.

When they expelled Us from thy city, they placed Us in such conveyances as the people use to carry baggage and the like. Such was the treatment We received at their hands, shouldst thou wish to know the truth. Thus were We sent away, and thus were We brought to the city which they regard as the abode of rebels. Upon our arrival, We could find no house in which to dwell, and perforce resided in a place where none would enter save the most indigent stranger.

The Hand of Power then parted the veil of grandeur, whence the Beauty of the All-Glorious emerged with supreme sovereignty. When He Who is the Self of God, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful, purposed to pass through the gate, the Most Great Spirit made its final proclamation: "By God! The Well-Beloved of the worlds hath departed from His House by reason of what the hands of the oppressors have wrought."

In brief, this most great Luminary appeared suddenly above the horizon of Persia, and all the people of that land, whether ministers, divines, or the general populace, rose against Him with the fiercest animosity, claiming that He was bent upon annihilating and extinguishing their religion, laws, nation, and empire, even as had been said of Christ. Yet Baha'u'llah, alone and single-handed, withstood them all without faltering in the slightest.

The Governor hesitated to have this sentence carried out for fear of a revolution. The priests met together in the Mosque, before which was the place of execution. All the people of the town gathered in crowds outside the Mosque. The carpenters brought their saws and hammers, the butchers came with their knives, the bricklayers and builders shouldered their spades: all these men, incited by the frenzied Mullas, were eager to share in the honor of killing Him. Inside the Mosque were assembled the doctors of religion.

"I was a child, nine years old. In the thick of those calamities, when the enemy attacked, they stoned our house and it had filled up with stones. We had nobody to help us. There was only my mother, my sister, and Aqa Mirza Muhammad-Quli. To protect us, my mother took us away from the Shimiran Gate to the Sangilaj quarter, where in the back lanes she found a house. In that house she watched over us and forbade us ever to set foot on the street. But one day the problem of how to get food became so urgent that my mother said to me: 'Can you go to your aunt's house? Tell her to find a few krans for us, no matter how.'

"Our aunt lived in the Takyih of Haji Rajab-'Ali near the house of Mirza Hasan Kajdamagh. I went there. She tried everywhere and finally managed to collect five krans, which she tied up in the corner of a handkerchief and gave me.

"On my way back through the Takyih, the son of Mirza Hasan recognized me. Immediately he called out, 'This one is a Babi!' and the boys ran after me. The house of Mulla Ja'far of Astarabad was not far away, and I reached it and went into the entry. The son of Mulla Ja'far saw me but he did not put me out. Neither did he rout the boys.

"I stayed there till it was dark. When I left the place, the boys came after me again, shouting and throwing stones, following me until I got close to the store of Aqa Muhammad Hasan Sanduqdar. The children did not come on any farther after that. When I reached home, exhausted and terrified, I fell to the ground. My mother asked, 'What ails you?' I could not tell her. I simply fell down. My mother took the handkerchief with the money and put me to bed and I slept."

Later He added, "There was a time in Tihran when we had every means of comfort and luxury, and then in a single day they pillaged our house and robbed us of everything. Living became so hard for us that there came a day when my mother took a little flour and shook it into my hand instead of bread, and I ate it like that."

At present and for fifty years the Baha'is in Persia and most regions have been under severe restrictions and the threat of sword and spear. Thousands of souls have given their lives in the arena of sacrifice and have fallen as victims under the swords of oppression and cruelty. Thousands of esteemed families have been uprooted and destroyed. Thousands of children have been made fatherless. Thousands of fathers have been bereft of their sons. Thousands of mothers have wept and lamented for their boys who have been beheaded.

In hardly any time at all, he provoked agitation and great confusion there, and when at last he found himself in trouble, and saw the likelihood of being in danger in that region, he abandoned the faithful friends and left. In the guise of a dervish, he escaped to Gilan, Mazindaran, and Kirmanshah, leaving all those helpless souls to be massacred. He bolted, fled, and vanished in retreat.

About a thousand people from Yazd fled to the wilderness and desert, and some perished from severe thirst in the mountains and plains. All properties were plundered and looted, and tyranny and injustice so utterly destroyed the foundation of these oppressed ones that the families, dependents and children of those innocent martyrs spent several days in basements, weeping, burning with grief and trembling, hungry and thirsty. They could not even ask for water, and no one showed mercy except to inflict wounds.

I replied, "In Germany, I received his letter. He wrote about the opposition of the Jews of Hamadan, who are in concert with Muslims and Christians against the Baha'is, not accepting them in businesses or allowing them in the public baths or schools."

About thirty or forty years ago, in the province of ..., the Muslims assaulted the Jewish colony and began a wholesale slaughter, and only those Jews who, narrowly escaping, could get to the mosque to confess were saved. The rest were subjected to wholesale murder.

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

I found the Jews very crestfallen today, because on slight excuses the government has exiled eight of their prominent leaders. The new rigorous laws of the naturalization wear heavily on them.

When in Akka, the government arrested seventy Orthodox Christians to pay the poll tax, but since they were poor they were unable to and thus were imprisoned.

Concerning the prejudice of the Europeans, He said: "When the retinue arrived at Naples, the port of Italy, those people imagined that we were Turks and increased their restrictions. It was for this reason that I sent Shoghi Effendi, Mirza Munir, and Khusraw back."

O Mihraban! The Zoroastrian friends are heavenly souls who have received their portion and share of tribulations, sedition and tests in Yazd and its surroundings. They have endured injuries, heard reproaches, witnessed persecution and encountered a thousand forms of hardship. Assuredly, they have an abundant portion from this cup of bounty and a praiseworthy share of this wine of faithfulness. Through God's grace and favor, remain hopeful. May your soul be joyous.

God hath heard the lamentations of His loved ones who were wronged though they wronged not, and were seized though they seized not, in most lands including Zawra and Hadba and Fayha and Egypt and the Land of Mystery and from the Great City and Alexandria and Mansuriyyih.

Some of the Persians followed Him. For this they suffered the most grievous difficulties and severe ordeals. They withstood the tests with wonderful power and sublime heroism. Thousands were cast into prison, punished, persecuted and martyred. Their homes were pillaged and destroyed, their possessions confiscated. They sacrificed their lives most willingly and remained unshaken in their faith to the very end.

I counsel you, O concourse, that ye utter not a word that would stir up strife among the people, and that ye set apart from yourselves all who forge lies -- one and all. Verily, the Balance of Truth is in Thy hands: raise not a sedition in that land. And if any one of you know that the people desire to wrong him in aught, it is incumbent upon him either to emigrate by God's leave, or to hide himself from all men, one and all.

O man! Thou hast committed in God's days deeds which no man of knowledge would commit. What right hast thou to harm Our weak followers?

Removing Ourself from their midst, We took up residence in another house, that perchance the flame of envy might be quenched in Our brother's breast, and that he might be guided aright. We neither opposed him, nor saw him again thereafter, but remained in Our home, placing Our hopes in the bounty of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. When, however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he seized the pen of calumny and wrote unto the servants of God, attributing what he had himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged Beauty. His purpose was none other than to inspire mischief amongst God's servants, and to instil hatred into the hearts of those who had believed in God, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving.

By the life of God, he intended to martyr this Wronged One. Through pure grace and bounty I departed from among those souls.

'I am well aware,' he gently insinuated, 'of the nature and influence of your activities, and am firmly convinced that were it not for the support and assistance which you have been extending to Mulla Husayn and his companions, neither he nor his band of inexperienced students would have been capable of resisting for seven months the forces of the imperial government. … I have been unable to obtain any evidence whereby I could establish your complicity in this affair.

Sultan Abdu'l-'Aziz banished Us to this country in the greatest abasement, and since his object was to destroy Us and humble Us, whenever the means of glory and ease presented themselves, We did not reject them.

"He is a Babi," was the answer.

"God forbid!" cried the man from Shushtar. "I know him well. Khajih Muhammad-'Ali is a God-fearing Muslim, a Shi'ih, a devout follower of the Imam 'Ali." With this he gave the farrash a sum of money and Salman was freed.

… Finally, however, things came to such a pass that the Imam-Jum'ih himself sent him away, telling him: "I can protect you no longer. You are in grave danger. The best thing for you is to leave here, and go on a journey."

Perhaps, God willing, it will affect hearts and the helpless will remain protected and preserved from the cruelty and oppression of the oppressors.

And if that land and region becomes restrictive for you, and the attacks of fierce wolves and predatory beasts continue one after another, and rest and comfort are lost, move to Ishqabad - but only if you desire this move.

Regarding Yazd, you had written that praise be to God, in those regions there is generally security, comfort and ease, and the Rawdih-khwans have been silenced and make no protests in mosques and from pulpits.

Its enemies, therefore, from all the kindreds and peoples of the world, are growing aggressive, malevolent, envious and bitterly hostile.

O thou who speaketh in My name and uttereth My praise! The sheep of God are surrounded by wolves, having had and having no guardian or protector save God. Your honor must act with the utmost wisdom and hold fast to that which is needful in this day. First, in towns and cities where the fire of sedition is ablaze, it is not permissible to turn in that direction.

As for those souls whom the might of princes and oppression of divines hath prevented from drawing nigh and associating, leave them to themselves.

Blessed is he who hath turned to the Countenance, and woe unto the heedless.Today, whosoever has attained recognition and stands firm in the Cause - even if wisdom requires their physical absence - verily the reward of attaining His presence shall flow from the Most Exalted Pen concerning them. Whatever hardships they have borne in the path of Truth have not been, and shall never be, in vain.

The darkness of oppression has encompassed the world, and until this oppression ceases, neither kings nor subjects, neither rulers nor others shall find rest. Each day brings new hardship and fresh corruption, as you have seen and heard.

Thou hast sought permission for a visit. In these days, the Holy Land is in turmoil by reason of the calumnies spread by the slandering liars. For certain strangers from amongst the non-believers have published some books, filled them with countless calumnies, and distributed them in these regions. 'Abdu'l-Baha is therefore in dire peril due to attacks from within and from without. Such are the enemies of the Faith on the outside, and such the violators of the Covenant on the inside. It is thus evident what commotion hath arisen. Yet, praise be to God, through the unfailing grace of the Blessed Beauty, I have remained firm in my position, have bared my breast to the darts of malice hurled by every oppressor, and am awaiting the onslaught of tribulations from every side, that, wholly detached, I may hasten to the shelter of His transcendent mercy.

The corrupt ones turned the Caucasus into an abode of sedition. There was neither coming nor going, no courier in transit. With all the calamities that had befallen, this situation was added - and how it continues!

For nearly thirty years, God, exalted be His glory, has forbidden all from engaging in corruption, contention and conflict. How many afflictions have befallen His loved ones, yet none has protested. Nevertheless, they have not yet desisted and are constantly engaged in oppression. The source of this oppression has been and will be the clergy.

This servant submits that the promise and offering of worldly riches to secure the release of the prisoners is not permitted in these days. On two occasions this evanescent servant heard two statements from the Tongue of Grandeur. One day He said: "O servant in attendance! The people of God must today remember this blessed verse which was previously revealed to the Seal of the Prophets, may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for His sake." His exalted Word: "Our Lord! Pour forth upon us patience, make firm our steps, and help us against the unbelieving people."

However, that beloved one must exercise great discretion, that is, regarding the companions in the land of Ta, for if it spreads in that land there is danger of harm to the prisoners and others.

Another matter that must be considered is that copies of the Tablets sent, as well as the letter specifically dispatched to the maternal uncle, should not go to Iran, for the oppressors of the world secretly harass the oppressed. They know and recognize the divines of Iran.

In any case, during these days it is possible that in other places too they may seek information through such tricks and deceptions. The friends must not believe every claimant and should not trust every newcomer until gradually what is hidden in hearts becomes manifest. "Deliberation is from the All-Merciful and haste is from Satan." Through patience and deliberation, people's conditions become known.

The people of God must be true assayers, distinguishing the pure from the impure among men. If today in any place the clamor of the ungodly is raised, it has been and will be the cause of harm to the Tree.

The Prime Minister Mirza 'Ali-Asghar Khan had embraced the Faith, but when it became public, he withdrew. The reason is: when the friends see that someone prominent has become a Baha'i, they spread the news, which causes complications for the new convert and results in the authorities, the 'ulama and the people arising against him.

For example, if meetings of five hundred people were to be arranged, the people would rise up in tumult and great problems would result.

This is a matter of the utmost significance. If the erection of the House of Worship in a public place would arouse the hostility of evildoers, then the meeting must, in every locality, be held in some hidden place.

Never converse with the mullas, and likewise do not speak with prejudiced people, as it has no effect but rather causes mischief.

Teaching in this land is in no wise permitted, for a certain faithless and evil-whispering soul hath spread numerous calumnies amongst the people. He hath even claimed that agents have been sent to various parts for the express purpose of teaching, whereas such an intention hath never been entertained, nor do individuals exist to be dispatched in such a manner.

Dost thou not witness, O Pen, what a clamour the hypocrites have raised throughout the land, and what a tumult the wicked and ungodly have provoked? And this notwithstanding that thou didst reveal but an infinitesimal glimmer of the mysteries of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious.

It is incumbent, nay obligatory, upon that honored one and the other friends to protect the weak servants from the claws of his hatred, lest they be afflicted as were the previous party.

Every day from the clouds of the tyrannical ones' glory rain down calamities. The rights of the people have been entirely lost.

The deed of one ignorant one has caused all corruption to be attributed to this Wronged One by its perpetrators.

We are oppressed among Our enemies - be ye as We are. By God the Truth, the cry of the oppressed is more beloved before God than the worship of most people, were ye to know.

Say: Aid your Lord through wisdom and utterance, and follow not the ways of the oppressors who shed blood and consume the substance of men wrongfully. We bear witness that they are among the treacherous ones in the Book of God, the Lord of the mighty throne.

Some petitions arrived from various places - it was observed that they had considered corruption as assistance and deemed the injury of God's servants as beloved. This is naught but due to the friends' lack of awareness. I swear by the sun of the horizon of utterance that if today any soul is content with the injury of another, it is as though he were content with injury to the Self of Truth.

During this period, this Wronged One clung to goodly exhortations and sufficient, healing counsels until it became evident and manifest to all that God hath appeared for the revelation of the treasures deposited within human souls.

And yet whenever there was any slight evidence of progress and advancement, those concealed behind the veils would sally forth and utter calumnies more wounding than the sword. They cling unto misleading and reprehensible words and suffer themselves to be deprived of the ocean of verses revealed by God.

O people of God! The Most Exalted Pen has ever been moved to make mention of you. Beseech ye God that there may appear from you that which befitteth His days. Today the mightiest sword in the world hath been and remaineth the fear of God. O My loved ones! Aid your Lord, the All-Merciful, through deeds and goodly character.

Proclaim what hath been prescribed unto thee in this Tablet, though all the peoples arise and oppose thee. Thy Lord is, verily, the All-Compelling, the Unfailing Protector.

If you witness oppressive behavior from the ignorant masses, do not take offense or wish them shame, for they know not and are unaware of how in every age the oppressors have wronged the friends of God, and how the ignorant have persecuted His holy ones. Thus they commit injustice and perpetrate cruelty. The owls assault the falcon and pluck its wings without cause, asking "Why do you remember that realm, or the palace and arm of that sovereign?" Its only crime is that it is a falcon - just as Joseph's only crime was his beauty.

Your burden is great. Bear it as this most tender, most delicate, most compassionate, gracious, wondrous and luminous Heart hath borne above it. For you must, with wisdom, as hath been enjoined in all the Tablets, purify the people from their personal imaginings and their unseemly behavior through penetrating counsels and divine wisdom, and draw them to the most holy court.

O kind friend! Though enmity may arise from every direction, its occurrence is neither strange nor surprising. But what is most strange and remote indeed is that despite non-resistance and the utmost kindliness, there persists, contrarily, continuing hostility from the claimants.

Look at me: I am so feeble, yet I have had the strength given me to come amongst you: a poor servant of God, who has been enabled to give you this message!

Great is the multitude who will rise up to oppose you, who will oppress you, heap blame upon you, rejoice at your misfortunes, account you people to be shunned, and visit injury upon you; yet shall your heavenly Father confer upon you such spiritual illumination that ye shall become even as the rays of the sun which, as they chase away the sombre clouds, break forth to flood the surface of the earth with light.

Thou hast written that they have expelled thee from the church and thy friends are manifesting aversion toward thee. This is the beginning of thy trials. There are greater trials than these.

Glory be to God! Despite such insolence, we have no complaint against him, yet he complains. Still, pray for him and seek healing for him. I harbor no ill-feeling toward him and will not take offense, but will pray for him. Mirza Muhammad-'Ali has told him and others that after the passing of such-and-such person, the Cause will devolve upon him. Therefore that statement was written for thee to convey to Mirza Husayn. Consider whether such words could ever issue from the mouth of any thoughtless person in the world, let alone from a person of such wisdom and understanding. No, by God!

If all the world should combine to overthrow the Covenant, it could not succeed. 'Abdu'l-Baha loves all no matter how they turn away from Him. Whether they love or hate Him, go or come, He never changes in His love for them. The Blessed Perfection has left nothing undone. What He ordained can never be set aside.

There was a person inside who called me. when I entered he said: 'Two years ago I came to you and exclaimed that you are the chief of all the infidels. Now I want to tell you that you are not an Arch-infidel.--'

Then the Master laughed and said: 'In either case he has not understood.

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

Among these missionaries was a woman who always exhibited great displeasure whenever she saw me. One day I chanced to meet her in a merchant's shop when a certain Jewish Bahai happened to be there. I said to her, "You are very much displeased with me, but do you know how much I love you?"

The people of God suffered themselves to be killed rather than kill. During the events that came to pass, they were the embodiments of utter meekness and even interceded on behalf of the murderers before the governor. Yet the envy and hatred of the heedless only increased; this bountiful grace held no value in their eyes and brought forth no fruit or result. But on account of the meekness of the people of God and their lack of any aid or helper, he who is the possessor of armaments arose to redress the wrongs. Absolute meekness yieldeth many a result and beareth many a fruit.

However, in view of the weakness of some, forbearance is necessary, for if ones like you were to object, it would cause the fire of hatred to be kindled. I truly say that patience and overlooking are necessary in certain matters.

Oppression and hatred have reached such a state that description and interpretation fall short of mentioning it. Forbearance hath become the cause of severity, and kindness hath led to wrath. They deny every righteous deed and make every easy thing difficult.

In truth, this ephemeral one is astonished at what could be the cause of their agitation and the reason for their lack of assurance, when in the Ottoman domains this community was subjected to killing and all manner of tribulation, yet they held fast to beautiful patience. In no way was any corruption manifest nor any opposition seen. The world is bewildered as to what cause and reason they have arisen in opposition, objection, oppression and transgression.

That which hath appeared at the Most Exalted Threshold hath no parallel. Never was it imagined that treachery and falsehood and calumnies would appear in the world to such an extent. In any case, they acted according to the decree of their guide - surely you know who their guide is. We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to assist the treacherous ones to trustworthiness, the liars to truthfulness, and the calumniators to justice and fairness.

Now it is observed that excellent souls have arisen against the Lord of Names merely for selfish desire and have set about to waste the Cause of God. Beseech God that He may guide them and prevent them from this great injustice.

Even if the entire world should rise up to harm this Wronged One, He hath not and will not collaborate with the corrupt.

As to the mention ye made of the martyred one---Ruhi, upon whom be my life offered up, and upon whom be the most glorious of all glories: after these words were laid before Him, this blessed utterance proceeded from the Mouth of the divine Will: "O My Afnan! Upon thee be My glory. The son of the wolf hath torn My lamb asunder, the oppressor hath hamstrung My she-camel, and the serpent hath opened wide its mouth and swallowed its master. The cause of that wronged one's martyrdom was his refusal to consent unto corruption."

O cup overflowing with the love of God! Two letters from you arrived one after another, but there hasn't yet been a chance to read them properly. They will be read in the next couple of days and a reply sent. Now in the middle of the night, in the darkness, it occurred to me to write you a letter and pour out my lamentations. For 'Abdu'l-Baha's sense constantly perceives fragrances from all directions. Although sweet fragrances reach from Khorasan, the divine breaths are not spreading with the intensity that they should, or as 'Abdu'l-Baha desires, even though the Blessed Beauty (may my spirit be sacrificed for His loved ones) had a special regard for the friends in Khorasan and distinguished them in His gracious sight. We had hoped that from that East a life-giving breeze would reach the Western clime, and in the blessed days it was close to happening.

In any case, what occurred to me in the middle of the night was this: that your honor should, secretly not openly, without ceremony or fame, with perfect wisdom, constantly travel throughout that region and territory from place to place. In each city stay two or three days, meeting the friends privately, encouraging and urging them forward, bringing them to a state of warmth and enthusiasm, conveying news of this love, giving glad tidings of divine favors, making souls detached, turning hearts toward the Abha Kingdom, guiding them to spread the divine fragrances, and directing them to conduct and behavior in accordance with the divine teachings. Let all know that today is the day of deeds not words, the time for action not sighs and cries.

The friends of God in every city must become known for their divine qualities, for their calmness and dignity, patience, kindness, sincerity and truthfulness, goodwill toward all people, pure intentions toward all God's creation, obedience to royal command, and their attraction, enthusiasm, rapture, joy, longing and burning passion. If they are accused of unbelief, if lies are attributed to God, if they say "Did he invent a garden?", if when seeing you they mock, saying "These are confused dreams - nay, he has fabricated it - nay, he is just a poet", if they say "He is surely possessed", if they pronounce you unbelievers and attribute misbelief to you - it does not matter.

All these events cause the exaltation of God's Word and spread of divine fragrances, on condition that afterwards they admit and acknowledge that in the deeds, words and conduct of these people there can be absolutely no criticism, for they are embodied good for humanity and celestial beings among people. After this testimony let them say "But what use is it when they have abandoned religion?" This saying is very acceptable and beloved and this is how it should be. For if they praise the religion, path and way, it proves the friends are like strangers, of the same state, thoughts and beliefs as the ignorant, and deprived of the gift of this divine age and cycle of the All-Merciful. They must certainly be different in terms of religion, path and way.

My God, my God! I press my brow to this dusty earth in humility before You and supplication at Your threshold, that You may assist Your servant Furughi to reach the summit of servitude to You, to shine forth through remembrance of none but You, to guide Your creatures, encourage Your loved ones, and urge Your chosen ones to submission and humility among Your creation, to be enkindled with the fire of Your love, to be moved by breezes from Your gardens, to drink from the stream of Your fountains, to stroll in Your groves, to arise in Your worship, to speak Your proof, establish Your evidence and demonstration, and manifest Your power and dominion. Lord, strengthen him, support him, and perpetuate him in Your Kingdom. Aid him with the hosts of Your inspiration and the armies of Your holy angels. Verily You are the Helper, the Supporter, the Generous, the Merciful.

Thou hast been shielded from the most great terror and hast succeeded in drawing nigh unto the Most Great Bounty at a time when all men were prevented from recognizing the eternal King by the interposition of the veils of outward glory, namely the divines of this day.

Fear thou God, but not the priest.

Give to the executioner thy head, but not thy heart.

Let thine abode be under the stone, but seek not the shelter of the cleric.

Indeed, they have prominently cited this verse in all their tracts. Consider carefully, however, the judgement they have pronounced against this single-handed and lonely servant! Within their epistles they allude to mine alleged claims to Godhead, to Lordship, and to partnership with the Blessed Beauty, and then they write this verse both upon the covers of these epistles and within their pages.

He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!

Such hath been the perversity of men and their transgressions, so grievous have been the trials that have afflicted the Prophets of God and their chosen ones, that all mankind deserveth to be tormented and to perish. God's hidden and most loving providence, however, hath, through both visible and invisible agencies, protected and will continue to protect it from the penalty of its wickedness.

O ye wronged captives! The divines in that land have put forth the hand of aggression and have surpassed in cruelty the Pharaohs who executed their victims upon the stake, and the people of Nimrod, Thamúd, and 'Ad. They have closed the eye of justice, and with the darts of tyranny have pierced the hearts of the oppressed.

Although what hath come to pass hath outwardly been most bitter and unpalatable, yet inwardly, since it hath occurred in the path of God, it is most sweet. Erelong shall the opposers be seen in manifest loss and remorse, and those who have turned toward God shall be observed in the utmost glory and dignity. This is irrevocably decreed with thy Lord.

Say: O servants! Hearken unto the counsels of this Prisoner, which He imparteth purely for the sake of God. Fear not for your lives in the path of the Beloved, and be not dismayed by the manifestations of oppression and tyranny. By the Most Great Luminary! None of the peoples of the earth hath or shall have dominion over those who are assured of God, save over their outward bodies, and they have not and shall never have authority in the realms of the spirit.

And now, O thou honoured man who hath hearkened unto the Great Announcement, rise up to serve the Cause of God with the resistless power of the Abha Kingdom and the breaths that blow from the spirit of the Company on high. Grieve thou not over what the Pharisees, and the purveyors of false rumours among writers for the press, are saying of Baha. Call thou to mind the days of Christ, and the afflictions heaped upon Him by the people, and all the torments and tribulations inflicted upon His disciples. Since ye are lovers of the Abha Beauty, ye also must, for His love's sake, incur the peoples' blame, and all that befell those of a former age must likewise befall you. Then will the faces of the chosen be alight with the splendours of the Kingdom of God, and will shine down the ages, yea, down all the cycles of time, while the deniers shall remain in their manifest loss. It will be even as was said by the Lord Christ: they shall persecute you for My name's sake.

Remind them of these words and say unto them: 'Verily did the Pharisees rise up against Messiah, despite the bright beauty of His face and all His comeliness, and they cried out that He was not Messiah [Masih] but a monster [Masikh], because He had claimed to be Almighty God, the sovereign Lord of all, and told them, 'I am God's Son, and verily in the inmost being of His only Son, His mighty Ward, clearly revealed with all His attributes, all His perfections, standeth the Father.' This, they said, was open blasphemy and slander against the Lord according to the clear and irrefutable texts of the Old Testament. Therefore they passed the sentence upon Him, decreeing that His blood be shed, and they hanged Him on the cross, where He cried out, 'O My beloved Lord, how long wilt Thou abandon Me to them? Lift Me up unto Thee, shelter Me close to Thee, make Me a dwelling by Thy throne of glory. Verily art Thou the Answerer of prayers, and Thou art the Clement, the Merciful. O My Lord! Verily this world with all its vastness can no longer contain Me, and I love this cross, out of love for Thy beauty, and yearning for Thy realm on high, and because of this fire, fanned by the gusts of Thy holiness, aflame within My heart. Help me, O Lord, to ascend unto Thee, sustain Me that I may reach unto Thy sacred Threshold, O My loving Lord! Verily Thou art the Merciful, the Possessor of great bounty! Verily Thou art the Generous! Verily Thou art the Compassionate! Verily Thou art the All-Knowing! There is none other God save Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful!'

Never would the Pharisees have been emboldened to calumniate Him and charge Him with that grievous sin, but for their ignorance of the inner core of mysteries and the fact that they paid no heed to His splendors and regarded not His proofs. Else would they have acknowledged His words, and borne witness to the verses He revealed, confessed the truth of His utterances, sought shelter under the protective shadow of His banner, learned of His signs and tokens, and rejoiced in His blissful tidings.

The people of the Qur'an have risen against Us, and tormented Us with such a torment that the Holy Spirit lamented, and the thunder roared out, and the clouds wept over Us. Among the faithless is he who hath imagined that calamities can deter Baha from fulfilling that which God, the Creator of all things, hath purposed.

And the amazing thing is this, that the most effective means whereby this light of truth is safeguarded and protected is the onslaught of the enemies, grievous ordeals and manifold hardships. The globe of this lamp is the tempestuous winds and the safety of this ship lieth in the violence of tumultuous waves.

They have been made targets for the darts and spears of the curses, accusations and reviling that the rebellious and the wicked hurled at them, and have been persecuted and ill-treated by their opponents among the people of the world.

Convey this: You have done all you could to shed our blood, and you imagine you can uproot the Blessed Tree. Never, never! This Blessed Tree is firmly established with roots that no axe can cut down, even if all the kings of the world should arise with all their might.

Indeed, the attacks and the obstructiveness of the ignorant but cause the Word of God to be exalted, and spread His signs and tokens far and wide. Were it not for this opposition by the disdainful, this obduracy of the slanderers, this shouting from the pulpits, this crying and wailing of great and small alike, these accusations of unbelief levelled by the ignorant, this uproar from the foolish -- how could news of the advent of the Primal Point and the bright dawning of the Day-Star of Baha ever have reached to east and west?

All the friends of God in their own time became exposed before the world, but that exposure was not shame - it was eternal glory. That ill repute was not disgrace - it was everlasting triumph.

But after I leave, some people may arise in opposition, heaping persecutions upon you in their bitterness, and in the newspapers there may be articles published against the Cause. Rest ye in the assurance of firmness. Be well poised and serene, remembering that this is only as the harmless twittering of sparrows and that it will soon pass away. If such things do not happen, the fame of the Cause will not become widespread, and the summons of God will not be heard.

What did it profit thee, and such as are like thee, to slay, year after year, so many of the oppressed, and to inflict upon them manifold afflictions, when they have increased a hundredfold, and ye find yourselves in complete bewilderment, knowing not how to relieve your minds of this oppressive thought....

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Today the utterance is speaking, and the stations of the lovers are, in God's sight, above the stations of all the people of the visible world. Attraction and fervor have appeared from the lovers in the City of Detachment. Glory be to God! the ungodly cling to oppression, knowing and believing it to be the means of extinguishing the Light. Yet they are heedless of the fact that the Hand of Divine Power will transform it into oil and thereby increase the brightness of the Lamp.

One of their misgivings is that the true One has always been oppressed and wronged. What has this to do with the matter? Yes, initially the Cause of God has always been denied but with utmost divine aid and assistance the Lord has ever been the protector and savior of the righteous.

O people of Baha! Ye are the temples of the Cause. Let no one destroy you through the hands of tyranny and vainglory.

The enemies of Christ were the Jews, the Pharisees; but the enemies of Baha'u'llah were rulers who could command armies and bring hundreds of thousands of soldiers into the arena of operation. These kings represented some fifty million people, all of whom under their influence and domination were opposed to Baha'u'llah. Therefore, in effect Baha'u'llah, singly and alone, virtually withstood fifty million enemies. Yet these great numbers, instead of being able to dominate Him, could not withstand His wonderful personality and the power and influence of His heavenly Cause.

I enquired if in future the prophets of God will meet with the same opposition as those offered to Baha'u'llah, Mohamed and Christ, he replied, "No, the world will be so trained that no one will harm even his own enemy."

Up until now, we have not learnt the nature of our crime. There has been no enquiry. But neither wrongdoing nor acts contrary to the laws have ever been witnessed from us.

If it be supposed that our crime is that of being Babis, this was known from the start, and the Ottoman government officials were aware that we were Babis. It was not something that was kept concealed.

Your excellency will have heard that, before those sixteen years, this sect did not endure oppression, but took revenge. I forbade all (to do so), so that they were put to death in every land, yet opposed no one. It is now sixteen years that, although members of this sect have been killed, they have not shown opposition, despite the fact that they are stronger than before and are greater in numbers in every part of Iran. Nevertheless, whatever oppression has befallen them, they have remained and remain silent and patient, and are the most oppressed of the people of the earth.

Now, once again, we are being exiled from Adrianople without the knowledge of where we are destined and without any reason, and all our possessions were disposed of. If the Turkish government does not welcome us any more, and as we are not of this country, let us be free to go to a country of another power. It is to the sovereigns of Europe who like to help the oppressed that we plead, supplicating them to release us from this bondage.

'For what reason,' we heard him loudly remonstrating, 'have these miserable wretches chosen to treat so disrespectfully a guest whose hands are tied and who has not been given the chance to defend himself? What is their justification for having demanded that he be immediately put to death? What evidence have they with which to support their contention? If they be sincere in their claims to be devotedly attached to Islam and to be the guardians of its interests, let them betake themselves to the fort of Shaykh Tabarsi and there demonstrate their capacity to defend the Faith of which they profess to be the champions.'

The aforementioned Khwajeh is not a believer, but he has shown much consideration to the friends in this land and during the commotion that occurred in this land he stood firm. Since he is among the notables of the city and has now become the Russian consul, he has rendered assistance without dissimulation and shows the utmost affection. Sometimes he is present during the revelation of verses and listens with complete humility and submissiveness.

Although he committed the greatest mistake of his life when he ordered the martyrdom of the Bab and the friends, yet as [we] always remember the ability of even our worst enemy and never overlook justice, therefore we acknowledge the public services of this able man. After the martyrdom of the Bab he himself confessed that he has made two errors in his life. One the death of the Bab; the other the appointment of a poor Prince to the governor-generalship of one of the Provinces of Persia, for he swallowed up the government taxes.

Consider: if in previous incidents retribution had been enacted upon those few ignorant clergy, this time the Imam-Jum'ih and his assistants would not have committed such savagery, bloodthirstiness, ferocity and oppression.

When it was written to the despots that Aqa Siyyid Yahya the mujtahid was made a target of officers' bullets in Sirjan, the murderers must be avenged. And Mirza Fadlu'llah Nuri proclaimed rejection, cursing and condemnation, and spoke disrespectfully of the Primal Point and the Blessed Beauty Baha'u'llah, posting announcements on walls - he must be disciplined. And in Sangsar they stoned the friends - they must be threatened. And Mirza Hasan the mujtahid in Tabriz issued a fatwa to shed the blood of the friends - he must be punished.

In these days truthfulness and sincerity are sorely afflicted in the clutches of falsehood, and justice is tormented by the scourge of injustice. The smoke of corruption hath enveloped the whole world in such wise that naught can be seen in any direction save regiments of soldiers and nothing is heard from any land but the clashing of swords.

Though the Messenger raised with his soul the melody 'The righteous are God's, and the wicked are mine,' they martyred His sons without any guilt. It is not known whether the properties were infidel or their owner. If by the assumption of those idolatrous souls the owner was an infidel, for what reason did they plunder the properties? All things bear witness to their falsehood, their hypocrisy, their infidelity, and their idolatry.

When the weapons are in cowards' hands, no man's life and property are safe, and thieves only grow the stronger. When, in the same way, a far-from-perfect priesthood acquire control of affairs, they come down like a massive curtain between the people and the light of Faith.

Glory be to God! What heedlessness and ignorance is this, and what foolishness and disobedience, that the realm of Iran has always been deprived of every blessing due to the prejudice of the traditional clergy.

Whenever a just government intended good and established reforms and order, ignorant leaders opposed and argued against it, preventing the improvement of beneficial matters.

The Persian and Turkish governments arose against His Cause, and the result is that both these governments have been disintegrated and broken. Had they been attentive to His commands and received His admonitions, they would have been protected.

Were anyone to tell them: "The World Reformer is come", they would answer and say: "Indeed it is proven that He is a fomenter of discord!", and this notwithstanding that they have never associated with Him, and have perceived that He did not seek, for one moment, to protect Himself. At all times He was at the mercy of the wicked doers. At one time they cast Him into prison, at another they banished Him, and at yet another hurried Him from land to land.

For example, consider this very matter: For thirty years the respected government in Azerbaijan protected the oppressed ones, and had it not been for this protection, the people would not have left a single one of God's loved ones alive. Such resolution, justice and magnanimity must not be forgotten, for in the time of the late Shah, when the people found but a small opportunity in Yazd, they engaged in such severe oppression, and had they found opportunity elsewhere, they would certainly have killed all.

O faithful servant of the Ancient Beauty!

The summary of events is that the Commission of Investigation made most thorough inquiries and investigations, but what the enemies - who are the harmful and deceitful companions of Mirza Muhammad Ali - said was according to his instructions.

… Consider that for thirty-six years we have been confined in this prison, withdrawn in a corner occupied with our own affairs, showing utmost sincerity toward the sublime government according to the emphatic instructions of the Blessed Beauty, and perfect love toward all peoples - no error, no sin - yet despite this what calumnies arise!

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For forty years, despite all afflictions, trials and sorrows, they have labored to reform morals and moderate conduct. Justice demands acknowledgment that from the time of their arrival in Iraq until now, though they became the object of wrath and chastisement and fell victim to persecution and punishment, they committed no wrong and uttered no complaint.

Consider how, in Persia, in order to extinguish the Lamp of God, the nation and the government once arose with the utmost might. They hoisted the banner of tyranny and aggression; they uprooted thousands of Baha'i households; they made thousands of blessed souls the targets of darts and spears. At the very least, they tore twenty thousand persons limb from limb; they plundered and pillaged; they caused fathers to mourn their sons, rendered sons fatherless, and left children and women helpless and desolate. … Yet all this tyranny and injustice, inflicted by those pitiless oppressors, neither checked nor uprooted nor suppressed the Cause.

Baha'u'llah appeared in a country which was the center of prejudice. In that country were many different communities, religions, sects and denominations. All the animosities of past centuries existed among them.

It is daybreak, and from the rising-point of the invisible realms of God, the light of unity is dawning; and streaming and beating down from the hidden world of the Kingdom of oneness there cometh a flood of abounding grace. Glad tidings of the Kingdom are sounding from every side, and wafting in from every direction are the first morning signs of the exalting of God's Word and the upraising of His Cause. The word of unity is spreading, the verses of oneness are being sung, the sea of God's bestowals is tossing high its waves, and in plunging cataracts His blessings are pouring down.

The confirmations of Him Who is the Ever-Forgiving have wrapped every clime in light, the armies of the Company on high are rushing forward to do battle at the side of the friends of the Lord and carry the day, the fame of the Ancient Beauty -- may my life be offered up for His loved ones -- resoundeth from pole to pole and word of the Holy Cause hath spread to east and west.

All these things bring joy to the heart, and yet Abdu'l-Baha is sunk deep in an ocean of grief, and pain and anguish have so affected my limbs and members that utter weakness hath overtaken my whole body. Note ye that when, singly and alone, with none to second me, I upraised the call of God around the world, the peoples thereof rose up to oppose, to dispute, to deny. On one side, it is clear how the religionists of the past have mounted their attack at all points; again, there cometh word of the lying mockers and the extreme limits to which they are going to pull out the Divine Tree by the roots. What malicious and slanderous charges they bring against the Ancient Beauty, what pamphlets filled with wicked and depraved allegations they are busily writing and spreading against the Most Great Name! And now, in deepest secrecy, they are straining every nerve to deal this Faith a fearsome blow.

Again have the prideful devised all manner of plots and schemes to completely disable the Cause of God and to erase the name of Abdu'l-Baha from the Book of Life.

And now, added to all these tribulations, these miseries, these enemy attacks, there hath arisen a dust cloud of ill will amongst the believers themselves. This in spite of the fact that the Cause of the Ancient Beauty is the very essence of love, the very channel of oneness, existing only that all may become the waves of one sea, and bright stars of the same endless sky, and pearls within the shell of singleness, and gleaming jewels quarried from the mines of unity; that they may become servants one to another, adore one another, bless one another, praise one another; that each one may loose his tongue and extol the rest without exception, each one voice his gratitude to all the rest; that all should lift up their eyes to the horizon of glory, and remember that they are linked to the Holy Threshold; that they should see nothing but good in one another, hear nothing but praise of one another, and speak no word of one another save only to praise.

There are indeed certain ones who tread this way of righteousness, and God be thanked, these are strengthened and supported by heavenly power in every land. But others have not arisen as they ought to this gloried and exalted station, and this doth lay upon the heart of 'Abdu'lâ€'Baha a heavy burden of grief, of inconceivable grief. For no tempest more perilous than this could ever assail the Cause of God, nor could anything else so diminish the influence of His Word.

It behooveth all the beloved of God to become as one, to gather together under the protection of a single flag, to stand for a uniform body of opinion, to follow one and the same pathway, to hold fast to a single resolve. Let them forget their divergent theories and put aside their conflicting views since, God be praised, our purpose is one, our goal is one. We are the servants of one Threshold, we all draw our nourishment from the same one Source, we all are gathered in the shade of the same high Tabernacle, we all are sheltered under the one celestial Tree.

O beloved of the Lord! If any soul speak ill of an absent one, the only result will clearly be this: he will dampen the zeal of the friends and tend to make them indifferent. For backbiting is divisive, it is the leading cause among the friends of a disposition to withdraw. If any individual should speak ill of one who is absent, it is incumbent on his hearers, in a spiritual and friendly manner, to stop him, and say in effect: would this detraction serve any useful purpose? Would it please the Blessed Beauty, contribute to the lasting honour of the friends, promote the holy Faith, support the Covenant, or be of any possible benefit to any soul? No, never! On the contrary, it would make the dust to settle so thickly on the heart that the ears would hear no more, and the eyes would no longer behold the light of truth.

If, however, a person setteth about speaking well of another, opening his lips to praise another, he will touch an answering chord in his hearers and they will be stirred up by the breathings of God. Their hearts and souls will rejoice to know that, God be thanked, here is a soul in the Faith who is a focus of human perfections, a very embodiment of the bounties of the Lord, one whose tongue is eloquent, and whose face shineth, in whatever gathering he may be, one who hath victory upon his brow, and who is a being sustained by the sweet savours of God.

Now which is the better way? I swear this by the beauty of the Lord: whensoever I hear good of the friends, my heart filleth up with joy; but whensoever I find even a hint that they are on bad terms one with another, I am overwhelmed by grief. Such is the condition of Abdu'l-Baha. Then judge from this where your duty lieth.

God be praised, wherever we turn, the Ancient Beauty hath opened wide the gates of grace, and hath in unmistakable words announced glad tidings of victory through the Lord's sustaining help. Through love hath He carried off the hearts of the believers, and He hath entrusted their triumph to the armies of the Concourse on high.

Now amidst all the peoples of the world must the beloved arise, with a heart even as the day-star, a strong inward urge, a shining brow, a musk-scented breath, a tongue speaking ever of God, an exposition crystal-clear, a high resolve, a power born of heaven, a spiritual character, a confirmation nothing short of the divine. Let them one and all become as a splendour on the horizon of heaven, and in the skies of the world a dazzling star. Let them be fruitful trees in the celestial bowers, sweet-scented blooms in the divine gardens; let them be verses of perfection on the page of the universe, words of oneness in the Book of Life. This is the first age, and the early beginnings of the dispensation of the Most Great Light, wherefore, within this century, virtues must be acquired, goodly qualities must be perfected within this span of time. In these very days the Abha Paradise must pitch its pavilions on the plains of the world. The lights of reality must now be revealed, and the secrets of God's bestowals must now be made known, and now must the olden grace shine forth and this world change into the pleasure-ground of heaven, the garden of God. And out of pure hearts, and through heavenly bounties, all the perfections, qualities and attributes of the divine must now be made manifest.

At all times doth Abdu'l-Baha supplicate and with tears entreat the Almighty at the sacred Threshold, and crieth out:

"O Thou kind Lord! We are servants of Thy Threshold, taking shelter at Thy holy Door. We seek no refuge save only this strong pillar, turn nowhere for a haven but unto Thy safekeeping. Protect us, bless us, support us, make us such that we shall love but Thy good pleasure, utter only Thy praise, follow only the pathway of truth, that we may become rich enough to dispense with all save Thee, and receive our gifts from the sea of Thy beneficence, that we may ever strive to exalt Thy Cause and to spread Thy sweet savours far and wide, that we may become oblivious of self and occupied only with Thee, and disown all else and be caught up in Thee.

"O Thou Provider, O Thou Forgiver! Grant us Thy grace and loving-kindness, Thy gifts and Thy bestowals, and sustain us, that we may attain our goal. Thou art the Powerful, the Able, the Knower, the Seer; and verily Thou art the Generous, and verily Thou art the All-Merciful, and verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, He to Whom repentance is due, He Who forgiveth even the most grievous of sins."

But alas, a snake will not become a friend, and an owl will not become a royal falcon perched on the arm of the king. You strove for reconciliation, but a hypocrite will not become sincere, and savagery will not become civilization.

A person animated by religious enmity subjects us to harsh treatments and persecutions. By doing this he thinks he is serving his religion, that our sufferings will be the passport leading him to eternal felicity. To such people we are most thankful, because though misguided in their zeal, they consider it their religious and not personal bounden duty to harm and vilify us.

For by God, thou shalt find their turning away from this Servant - who was naught to them but an affectionate brother and a noble companion after He came to them with the proof of God and a straight testimony - then convey Our greetings to thy wife and give her glad tidings of the mercy of God and His holy and resplendent good-pleasure.

Be thou a friend to those who love the Beloved One and an enemy to those who oppose Him.

… Those who have taken partners with God this day are in manifest error. Shun them and put thy trust in God.

Indeed, the gathering of the worst mischief-makers and fiercest calumniators of the Blessed Beauty in such a significant location, their incessant efforts by every means to bring ruin to the Cause of God, and their resorting to all manner of whisperings and machinations posed a grave danger to the Cause and provoked grievous malice against the loved ones of God. They had firmly pledged, one and all, to throw this land into turmoil.

O noble branch of the Blessed Tree! The winds of opposition have surrounded the Lamp of the Covenant, and the waves of violation and corruption have cast the Ark of Salvation into the whirlpool of the faithless ones' enmity. The whirlwind of rebellion circles round the Tree of the Covenant, and this servant stands alone and solitary, facing the onslaught of all with perfect steadfastness. The East is at war, the West contends, the South disputes, the North shows enmity. There are a hundred thousand Ibn-i-Sa'ds and Sinans with sword and spear and lance and arrow, and thousands of stubborn Abu-Jahls and denying Abu-Lahabs kindling the fire of hatred. The strangers act thus and the familiar ones likewise.

Despite this, praise be to God, the candle of God's Cause is bright and radiant and the melody of God's Word has conquered the world. The morn of guidance spreads its light from the Supreme Horizon, and every steadfast one receives victory from the Abha Kingdom. The fame of God's greatness has stirred the East, and the holy fragrances have perfumed the West. The horizon of truth has become radiant as the moon with the light of the Covenant, and the realm of possibility has become the dawning-place of the effulgences of the Lord's bounty and favor.

However, 'Abdu'l-Baha is in great peril, residing in a place surrounded by a hundred thousand severe threats. Therefore, your honor must arise with perfect strength and steadfastness and gather together the Afnans of the Divine Lote-Tree - that is, make them of one heart and mind - and become united and in agreement with the Hands of the Cause of God, so that the Universal House of Justice may be formed to the extent possible and when necessary the contents of the Will and Testament be implemented. For the honored Afnans of the Sacred Tree must arise in the front rank to preserve and protect the mighty fortress of God's Cause, and succeed in whatever befits this bestowed station.

How great, how very great is the Cause! How very fierce the onslaught of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Ere long shall the clamor of the multitude throughout Africa, throughout America, the cry of the European and of the Turk, the groaning of India and China, be heard from far and near. One and all, they shall arise with all their power to resist His Cause. Then shall the knights of the Lord, assisted by His grace from on high, strengthened by faith, aided by the power of understanding, and reinforced by the legions of the Covenant, arise and make manifest the truth of the verse: "Behold the confusion that hath befallen the tribes of the defeated!"

Many glad-tidings have arrived from all directions, but they cannot be revealed, for the unfaithful friends would immediately try to extinguish them and attempt to disperse that gathering. Therefore, briefly, the glad-tidings are given that the Cause has become most glorious and its greatness has become evident. Soon it will create a wondrous ferment.

And the Glory be upon you.

O Salman! Hearken unto My call from the direction of My prison, then inform the people of what hath befallen Me at the hands of Mine enemies.

It behooveth not them that are endued with justice to engage in contention with the loved ones of God and the seekers of the divine sanctuary who, for the love of God, have quaffed the cup of tribulation.

The Lote-Tree beyond Which there is no passing crieth out, by reason of the cruelty of the divines. It shouteth aloud, and bewaileth itself....

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I swear by the righteousness of the One true God! The Pen is unable to move by reason of that which hath befallen its Lord, and it weepeth sore, and so do I weep, and likewise weepeth the eye of Him Who is the Essence of Grandeur behind the Tabernacle of Names while seated on the Throne of His glorious Name.

Every morning I arose from My bed, I discovered the hosts of countless afflictions massed behind My door; and every night when I lay down, lo! My heart was torn with agony at what it had suffered from the fiendish cruelty of its foes. With every piece of bread the Ancient Beauty breaketh is coupled the assault of a fresh affliction, and with every drop He drinketh is mixed the bitterness of the most woeful of trials. He is preceded in every step He taketh by an army of unforeseen calamities, while in His rear follow legions of agonizing sorrows.

At this present hour the Ancient King hath purposed to take leave of this wayward people. Yet none knoweth whether, even after His departure, this Essence of God's mercy will be spared the sting of these venomous serpents, as was clearly witnessed after His first banishment.

O Rasul! Canst thou perceive the plight of this wronged and banished Soul Who findeth Himself sore tried by two contending peoples, and Who hath neither the pity of His foes nor the compassion of His friends?

At such an hour do I have you in mind and heart.

When I imagine the weight of chains upon thy frail neck floods of tears come to mine eyes. When I imagine the stocks that fetter thy feet my sorrow swells within me. And when I think of that dark and stygian gloom in which thou hast been bound a cry of anguish rises from my heart.

Thou didst lament the onslaught of the enemy and hast good reason to do so. These oppressors are like bloodthirsty wolves that attack a flock of sheep but it is our hope that the Unseen hand will aid the friends and the sharp claws of these oppressors will be rendered impotent.

He regarded these oppressed ones as mere beasts, and due to his hatred and enmity, affairs became difficult from every direction. However, by God's grace and favor, his tyranny returned upon himself, and he departed this land humiliated and defeated. Yet some traces of his evil deeds still remain.

Although after prolonged days of separation the period of reunion also passed briefly, yet thanks must be offered that in these times, despite the multitude of enemies and the opposition of the people of tyranny and wickedness and the paucity of helpers and the attacks of the wicked, He made possible the means of meeting beneath the Tree and made His loved ones happy with this bounty.

As for the matter of the lifting of the hands of oppression from your home and residence, this caused happiness, and "verily Our hosts, they surely are the victors" was fulfilled.

O my God! Thou seest and knowest that the oppressors have wronged Thy loved ones who have turned toward the Dayspring of Thy Revelation, the Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration and the Source of Thy Cause, and have driven them, together with their children and their women, from their homeland - though they had manifested naught except that which Thou didst command them through Thy Most Exalted Pen.

Praise be unto thee, O Lord my God, I beseech Thee by Thy decisive Holy Utterance whereby the root of doubt and misgivings hath been eradicated and the glory of Thy name, the Almighty, the Bountiful, hath shone forth, to protect every child that hath been admitted beneath the shade of Thy loving-kindness, and to have mercy, O my God, on those babes whom the people have banished from their homes while [sic] were still at their mothers' breasts, for no other reason than the love they have cherished for Thee.

Were their oppressors to be asked: "Wherefore have ye oppressed them and held them in bondage in Baghdad and elsewhere? What injustice have they committed? Whom have they betrayed? Whose blood have they spilled, and whose property have they plundered?" they would know not what to answer.

Thou seest, O my God, how the wrongs committed by such of Thy creatures as have turned their backs to Thee have come in between Him in Whom Thy Godhead is manifest and Thy servants.

O God, my God! Thou beholdest Thy servants who are sincere towards all humanity, even their enemies, and who, with pure hearts and sanctified breasts, serve the entire human race. They are in grave danger from the darts and arrows that rain down upon them and from the pointed spears and unsheathed swords that are drawn against them. O my Lord! They have fallen victim to oppression at the hands of the enemies, and are sore tried within the claws of the ravening wolves and ferocious dogs from among the evil-doers.

They have suffered in Thy path what no man before them hath suffered. To this bear witness they who abide around Thy throne, and the dwellers of the earth, and the Concourse on high.

… Such of Thy servants as dwell in Thy land and have transgressed against Thee have assailed them, and banished them from Thy cities, and made them captives, and delivered them into the hands of workers of iniquity among Thy people and the perverse amidst the wicked doers in Thy realm.

How, then, can such a man be fearful of the combination of the kings to injure him in Thy Cause? No, no, I swear by Thyself, O Thou Who art the King of kings! Such is my love for Thee that I can fear no one, though the powers of all the worlds be arrayed against me.

Grieve not, O House of God, if the veil of thy sanctity be rent asunder by the infidels. God hath, in the world of creation, adorned thee with the jewel of His remembrance. Such an ornament no man can, at any time, profane.

And when, as bidden by Thee, I arose and called out, by Thy leave, all Thy creatures, the wayward among Thy servants opposed me. Some turned away from me, others disowned my claim, a few hesitated, while others were sore perplexed, notwithstanding that Thy testimony was set forth before the followers of all religions, and Thy proof demonstrated unto all the peoples of the earth, and the signs of Thy might so powerfully manifested as to encompass the entire creation.

Thou dost consider, therefore, O my God, how they have transgressed against Thy Cause, and beholdest what their hands have wrought in Thy days. They have so grievously wronged me that the Lote-Tree of Thy Revelation moaneth, and the inmates of the Tabernacle of Thy majesty and the dwellers of the cities of Thy names lament. I know not, O my God, for what reason they have risen up to oppress me, and by what proof they have turned aside from Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs.

He is the One for Whose sake Thou (the Bab) hast yielded Thy life, and hast consented to be touched by the manifold ills of the world that He may manifest Himself, and summoned all mankind in His name. As soon as He came down, however, from the heaven of majesty and power, Thy servants stretched out against Him the hands of cruelty and sedition, and caused Him to be afflicted with such troubles that the scrolls of the world are insufficient to contain a full recital of them.

Thou beholdest, O my God, how bewildered in their drunkenness are Thy servants who have turned back from Thy beauty and caviled at what hath been sent down from the right hand of the throne of Thy majesty.

And when I turn to my left, I hear the clamor of the wicked doers who have disbelieved in Thee and in Thy signs, and persistently striven to put out the light of Thy lamp which sheddeth the radiance of Thine own Self over all that are in Thy heaven and all that are on Thy earth.

Render them, moreover, victorious over all those who have so rebelled in Thy land, and dishonored Thy name, and disbelieved in Thy signs, and broken Thy Covenant, and cast behind their backs Thy laws, and have to such an extent risen up against Thee, that they carried into captivity Thy kindred, and flung the Manifestation of Thy Self into prison, and immured Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thine Essence in the most desolate of cities.

Thou seest how Thy righteous servants have fallen into the hands of the wicked doers, who have disbelieved in Thy name, the Unconstrained, and denied Thy majesty, and Thine unrestrained authority, and Thy strength, and Thy sovereign might.

Thou dost consider, O my Lord, how Thy dear ones are sore pressed by Thine enemies, and hearest from all sides their sighing by reason of what hath befallen them in Thy path. Thou knowest, O my Lord, that their one desire was to seek Thy face, and that the sole Object of their adoration was Thee. They who wronged them had no other purpose except to turn them away from Thee, and to extinguish the fire which Thou hadst kindled with the hands of Thine almighty power.

My God, my God! I testify that Thou didst create the princes and ministers to champion Thy Cause and exalt Thy Word, yet they have aided Thine enemies. I beseech Thee by Thy Cause that hath encompassed existence and by Thy Name through which Thou hast subdued the seen and the unseen, to adorn the people of the earth with the light of Thy justice and to illumine their hearts with the radiance of Thy knowledge.

Some caviled at me, and determined to hurt me and slay me. Others drank to the full of the wine of Thy grace, and hastened towards the habitation of Thy throne.

O my God and my Master! Thou seest me among Thy creatures who have rebelled and transgressed against Thee. Every time I invite them unto the ocean of Thy knowledge, their repudiation of Thy Cause increaseth and their rejection of the Dawning-Place of Thy Will waxeth greater.

Send down, then, upon me, out of the clouds of Thy generosity, what will purge out from me the remembrance of any one except Thee, and make me able to turn unto Him Who is the Object of the adoration of all mankind, against Whom have been arrayed the stirrers of sedition, who have broken Thy covenant, and disbelieved in Thee and in Thy signs.

Endue them, then, with such constancy that they will arise to proclaim Thy Cause, and will call on Thy name, before all that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, in such wise that the Pharaohic cruelties inflicted by the oppressors among Thy servants will not succeed in keeping them back from Thee.

Thou art well aware, O my Lord, that I hear the howling of the wolves which appear in Thy servants' clothing. Keep safe, therefore, Thy loved ones from their mischief, and enable them to cling steadfastly to whatsoever hath been manifested by Thee in this Revelation, which no other Revelation within Thy knowledge hath excelled.

O my Lord! Behold Thou Thy lovers in Thy lands, who have trembled at the onslaught of Thine enemies. I beseech Thee, by the light of Thy Countenance and the fire of Thy love, so to attract them by Thine utterance that they may not be affected by Thine enemies, and by the estrangement of the learned amongst Thy creatures who pretend to knowledge without any clear proof from Thee, or testimony on Thy part.

These have so vehemently rent the veils asunder that the dwellers of the cities of self have wept, and fear and trembling seized the people of envy and wickedness who, adorning their heads and their bodies with the emblems of knowledge, have proudly rejected Thee and turned away from Thy beauty.

They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds of Thy grace.

Weak women have become champions in the field and have won precedence over the religious leaders of this age. These women have attained, while those leaders have been disappointed. This is naught but through Thy grace and bounties, for Thou choosest through Thy mercy whomsoever Thou willest.

So great is their waywardness that when meeting Thy loved ones, they shake their heads in derision of Thy Cause and say: "Where is your Lord Whom ye mention in the daytime and in the night season? Where is He to be found Whom ye call your Sovereign, to Whom ye summon all men to turn?"

Having accomplished what Thou hadst decreed, and delivered the thing Thou hadst written down, the wicked doers among Thy people would, then, compass me about and would do with me in Thy path as would please them.

Thou seest, O my God, how Thy loved ones have been encompassed by the rebellious amongst Thy creatures and the wicked amidst Thy people. No land remaineth but the lamentation of Thy lovers and the wailing of Thy chosen ones were lifted up therein.

Wherefore I have been subjected to such adversities that my tongue hath been hindered from extolling Thee and from magnifying Thy glory.

I lay asleep on my couch, O my God, when lo, the gentle winds of Thy grace and Thy loving-kindness passed over me, and wakened me through the power of Thy sovereignty and Thy gifts, and bade me arise before Thy servants, and speak forth Thy praise, and glorify Thy work. Thereupon most of Thy people reviled me.

How many of Thy loved ones, O my God, are hastening across the Syrian wilderness, yearning for Thy beauty, yet are prevented from attaining the court of Thy transcendent oneness through the deeds wrought by the hands of Thine enemies who have disbelieved in Thee and Thy sovereignty.

I ask Thee, O Lord of all being and King of the seen and unseen, by Thy power, Thy majesty and Thy sovereignty, to grant that my name may be recorded by Thy pen of glory among Thy devoted ones, them whom the scrolls of the sinful hindered not from turning to the light of Thy countenance, O prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God!

Send down upon them what shall wholly detach them from aught else except Thee, and make them able to soar in the atmosphere of Thy nearness, in such wise that neither the ascendancy of the oppressor nor the suggestions of them that have disbelieved in Thy most august and most mighty Self shall be capable of keeping them back from Thee.

Remember My days during thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote prison. And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee.

The infidels have arisen in tyranny on every hand: Where is the compelling power of Thine ordaining pen, O Conqueror of the worlds?

From the beginning of the world until the present time each 'Manifestation' sent from God has been opposed by an embodiment of the 'Powers of Darkness'. This dark power has always endeavoured to extinguish the light. Tyranny has ever sought to overcome justice. Ignorance has persistently tried to trample knowledge underfoot. This has, from the earliest ages, been the method of the material world.

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So they signified to the governor of Fars, Husayn Khan, If thou desirest the extinction of this fire, or seekest a firm stopper for this rent and disruption, an' immediate cure and decisive remedy is to kill the Bab. And the Bab has assembled a great host and mediates a rising.

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The great majority of the doctors set themselves to repudiate Him, decreeing slaughter and destruction, and they induced Husayn Khan Ajudan-bashi, who was the governor of Fars, to inflict a beating on the Bab's missionaries, that is on Mulla Sadiq Muq'addas; then, having burnt his moustaches and beard together with those of Mirza Muhammad-'Ali of Barfurush and Mulla 'Ali-Akbar of Ardistan, they put halters on all the three and led them round the streets and bazaars.

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The Blessed Perfection was a prisoner twenty-five years. During all this time He was subjected to the indignities and revilement of the people. He was persecuted, mocked and put in chains. In Persia His properties were pillaged and His possessions confiscated. First, there was banishment from Persia to Baghdad, then to Constantinople, then to Adrianople, finally from Rumelia to the prison fortress of 'Akka.

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The throat Thou didst accustom to the touch of silk Thou hast, in the end, clasped with strong chains, and the body Thou didst ease with brocades and velvets Thou hast at last subjected to the abasement of a dungeon. Thy decree hath shackled Me with unnumbered fetters, and cast about My neck chains that none can sunder. A number of years have passed during which afflictions have, like showers of mercy, rained upon Me....

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it should, out of prudence, be kept hidden and concealed, lest it foment hostility among the people of sedition.

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The days of tests are now come. Oceans of dissension and tribulation are surging, and the Banners of Doubt are, in every nook and corner, occupied in stirring up mischief and in leading men to perdition.

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This day the powers of all the leaders of religion are directed towards the dispersion of the congregation of the All-Merciful, and the shattering of the Divine Edifice. The hosts of the world, whether material, cultural or political are from every side launching their assault, for the Cause is great, very great. Its greatness is, in this day, clear and manifest to men's eyes. It is therefore incumbent upon all who have come within the shade of the protecting wing of God's gracious providence to evince, by His divine and merciful assistance, such conspicuous steadfastness and firmness as will arrest the gaze and astound the minds of all.

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This Cause, as every Divine Cause, cannot be effectively established unless it encounters and valiantly triumphs over the forces of opposition with which it is assailed. The history of the Faith is in itself a sufficient proof of that. Trials and persecutions have always been, and will continue to be, the lot of the chosen ones of God. But these they should consider as blessing in disguise, as through them their faith will be quickened, purified and strengthened. Baha'u'llah compared such afflictive trials to the oil which feeds the lamp of the Cause of God.

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That the Cause of God should, in the days to come, witness many a challenging hour and pass through critical stages in preparation for the glories of its promised ascendancy in the new world has been, time and again, undeniably affirmed by our departed Master, and is abundantly proved to us all by its heroic past and turbulent history. And yet, if it is the lot of the chosen ones of God, the people of Baha, to face adversity and suffer tribulation before achieving ultimate victory, are we to believe that whatever befalls us is divinely ordained, and in no wise the result of our faint-heartedness and negligence?

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...the valiant warriors struggling in the name and for the Cause of Baha'u'llah must, of necessity, encounter stiff resistance, and suffer many a setback. Their own instincts, no less than the fury of conservative forces, the opposition of vested interests, and the objections of a corrupt and pleasure-seeking generation, must be reckoned with, resolutely resisted, and completely overcome. As their defensive measures for the impending struggle are organized and extended, storms of abuse and ridicule, and campaigns of condemnation and misrepresentation, may be unloosed against them.

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How can the beginnings of a world upheaval, unleashing forces that are so gravely deranging the social, the religious, the political, and the economic equilibrium of organized society, throwing into chaos and confusion political systems, racial doctrines, social conceptions, cultural standards, religious associations, and trade relationships -- how can such agitations, on a scale so vast, so unprecedented, fail to produce any repercussions on the institutions of a Faith of such tender age whose teachings have a direct and vital bearing on each of these spheres of human life and conduct? Little wonder, therefore, if they who are holding aloft the banner of so pervasive a Faith, so challenging a Cause, find themselves affected by the impact of these world-shaking forces. Little wonder if they find that in the midst of this whirlpool of contending passions their freedom has been curtailed, their tenets contemned, their institutions assaulted, their motives maligned, their authority jeopardized, their claim rejected.

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...undeterred by the clamor which the exponents of religious orthodoxy are sure to raise, or by the restrictive measures which political leaders may impose; undismayed by the smallness of their numbers and the multitude of their potential adversaries; armed with the efficacious weapons their own hands have slowly and laboriously forged in anticipation of this glorious and inevitable encounter with the organized forces of superstition, of corruption and of unbelief; placing their whole trust in the matchless potency of Baha'u'llah's teachings, in the all-conquering power of His might and the infallibility of His glorious and oft-repeated promises, let them press forward...

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Peoples, nations, adherents of divers faiths, will jointly and successively arise to shatter its unity, to sap its force, and to degrade its holy name. They will assail not only the spirit which it inculcates, but the administration which is the channel, the instrument, the embodiment of that spirit. For as the authority with which Baha'u'llah has invested the future Baha'i Commonwealth becomes more and more apparent, the fiercer shall be the challenge which from every quarter will be thrown at the verities it enshrines.

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We feel strongly that, whatever method is chosen to inform the friends, the time has come for them to clearly grasp the inevitability of the critical contests which lie ahead, give you their full support in repelling with confidence and determination "the darts" which will be levelled against them by "their present enemies, as well as those whom Providence will, through His mysterious dispensations, raise up, from within or from without," and aid and enable the Faith of God to scale loftier heights, win more signal triumphs, and traverse more vital stages in its predestined course to complete victory and world-wide ascendancy.

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Whatever may befall this infant Faith of God in future decades or in succeeding centuries, whatever the sorrows, dangers and tribulations which the next stage in its world-wide development may engender, from whatever quarter the assaults to be launched by its present or future adversaries may be unleashed against it, however great the reverses and setbacks it may suffer, we, who have been privileged to apprehend, to the degree our finite minds can fathom, the significance of these marvelous phenomena associated with its rise and establishment, can harbor no doubt that what it has already achieved in the first hundred years of its life provides sufficient guarantee that it will continue to forge ahead, capturing loftier heights, tearing down every obstacle, opening up new horizons and winning still mightier victories until its glorious mission, stretching into the dim ranges of time that lie ahead, is totally fulfilled.

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