presence [liqa'] of Manifestation of God is presence of God
Editorial introduction
To enter the presence of God, Bahá’u’lláh writes, is to open the eye of justice and know the Truth by the Truth with a pure heart. The Báb explains that no one encounters the Essence itself, so every scriptural promise of meeting the Lord points to the Sun of Reality that rises on the Day of Resurrection, and he bears witness that to meet Him is to meet God. The encounter then becomes intimate: a gate thrown open, a voice heard at the door of the prison in ‘Akká, a single hour in that presence worth more than sovereignty over heaven and earth. Those forbidden to come are promised the reward of the meeting they longed for, and a grieving son hears that his mother, who attained that court, lives on. Philip’s plea to be shown the Father, and the answer that turns him back to the one before him, keeps the question alive in another tongue. From here the way leads into the Manifestation as mediator and sole route to knowing God, and into prayer for nearness and reunion.
Enter into the presence of God - and that is the station wherein thou openest the eye of justice, seeing neither right nor left, and with the gaze of fairness and a pure heart thou knowest the Truth by the Truth. In whatever station thou attainest unto this bounty, it is as though thou standest in the presence of God.
O thou who art assured in God! The foundation of meeting God is belief in the divine verses...for physical nearness hath no significance. Rather, nearness is identical with faith and certitude, and purity of intention and assurance are identical with nearness.
Grieve not at separation, for We have brought thee into the presence of the Throne while thou wert heedless thereof.
O Lord! Ordain for every soul who turns toward Thee that which Thou hast ordained for those who have attained Thy presence, visited Thy Beauty, and heard Thy verses after ears were forbidden from hearing them.
For there is no doubt that the encounter with the very Essence is impossible; rather, in the primordial reality, what is intended is the meeting with the Sun of Reality, and thereafter, in the mode of semblance, with those who point unto it -- the Names of God, exalted and glorified -- together with the guides unto the Point upon the day of its Manifestation.
… Know thou that the Presentation is not unto the Essence of Eternity, for nothing can reach unto It. Rather, the Presentation is the presentation unto the Tree of Truth on the Day of Resurrection, which is the presentation unto God in the Primal Reality.
Despite these explicit statements, clear texts, and inherited traditions, the peoples have differed on this question. Some have said that vision is impossible, citing the blessed verse: "No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things." Others have said that to wholly deny vision would necessitate denial of Qur'anic texts and disprove the infallibility of the Prophets, for to ask for that which is impossible is categorically impermissible for an infallible Prophet. Moses the Interlocutor--peace be upon Him--asked for vision, saying: "O my Lord! Show me Thyself that I may look upon Thee."
All have been created for the meeting with God, and all have been and are allotted this most exalted station.
By God! To stand but once in His presence is better than sovereignty over the heavens and earth.
I bear witness, O my God, that to meet Him is to meet Thee, for Thou canst not be comprehended in Thine Essence nor seen in Thy Reality, and there existeth not in Thy creation any mirror Thou mightest choose for Thine Essence wherein naught can be seen save Thee and which pointeth to none other than Thee.
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy
Glorified art Thou, O my God, and all praise be unto Thee! There is none other God but Thee. Thou givest life and causest death, then causest death and givest life. Verily, Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not. In Thy right hand is all good, and in Thy grasp is all command. Thou createst what Thou willest, how Thou willest. None can resist Thy will, and none can thwart Thy purpose. Thou doest what Thou pleasest and ordainest what Thou desirest. Thou art not to be questioned about what Thou doest, while all besides Thee shall be questioned about all things, for all else is created by Thee and in Thy grasp, and none hath anything save by Thy leave, and nothing existeth save through Thy bounty.
How can I praise Thee, O my God, with this tongue before Thee, when verily I am powerless to praise Thee in the manner I should die in creating Thy praise, knowing that Thou hast not revealed that word except for what Thou didst intend therein of the praise of the Manifestation of Thy Divinity in the Point which Thou hast originated, and the Manifestation of Thy Divinity in the Letter Sin which Thou hast revealed unto it, then to manifest Thy knowledge in the Letter Mim which Thou hast made the manifestation of Thy knowledge in the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth, where nothing of Thy knowledge can set, neither in the heavens nor on earth nor what lieth between them. Whoso encompasseth the knowledge of Thy praise hath known all things, and whoso faileth to encompass the knowledge of the Manifestations of Thy praise knoweth nothing.
And unto Thee belong all conditions in every condition. If I knew Thee on that Day and praised Thee with true praise through the essence of my being and the reality of my identity and the essence of my self - that would be from Thee and unto Thee, Thy nearness from Thee, and returneth unto Thee. And verily I am assured of this while I live. But how can I praise Thee, O my God, after Thou hast taken me unto Thee, when on that Day my hearing heareth not the verses of Thy might from the Manifestation of Thy Countenance, nor doth my sight behold the glances of Thy face from the lights of Thy glory, nor doth my heart witness the place of Thy knowledge in the repository of Thy will? I have no way to praise Thee, O my God, except that Thou assist me with what Thou teachest me in every condition through the wonders of Thy Lordship, and attract me through the holy fragrances of Thy unity, and come between me and that which veils me from praising Thee through the manifestations of the glory of Thy oneness.
For whoso desireth to praise Thee as befitteth praising Thee must transcend all else in the exaltation of the Essence and unite Thee in that Most Exalted Station above all names and similitudes. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee, the Lord of the worlds. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Beloved. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee, the Overseer, the Self-Subsisting. Thine is the creation and the command. I am certain of this: that wert Thou to give me dominion over all that is in the heavens and earth and what lieth between them, I would not withhold anything from the Manifestation of the Point, nor the Letter Sin, nor the Letter Mim, for verily Thou hast ever been beyond the comprehension of all things, and whoso desireth to comprehend Thee shall never comprehend Thee except in the Point, the Manifestation of Thy revelation, or what Thou hast created from its light from the Letters of the Living with Thee.
Verily, were I to declare unto Thee, "Unto Thee belongeth the creation," yet withhold from Thee whatsoever beareth the name of a thing, and deny to whom Thou purifiest on the Day of Resurrection -- after the manner in which the Point hath already made manifest the clear and evident signs -- how could I be true in my word? And if I follow not His command, how shall I confirm unto Thee that the Cause is Thine, that there, indeed, are the treasuries of Thy behest, and that every mention of praise proceedeth in like wise? For unto Thee belongeth whatsoever is in the highest heavens and the lowest earth, and whatsoever is in this world and in the world to come.
I seek refuge in Thee and in all Thy names and attributes, and in the holy Temples manifested in Thy First and Single Name, then in all the Manifestations of Thy names, lest I attribute unto Thee dominion and praise while denying these unto Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, or unto any kingdom or thing that shall be gathered beneath the shadow of Thy praise, for such would be the utterance of one whose deeds belie his words. By Thy glory! I seek protection in Thee from praising Thee while perceiving among the manifestations of Thy praise any equal, likeness, or peer. If I be sincere in my praise of Thee, then glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! I have known Thee inasmuch as Thou canst not be known except through Thyself, and I have praised Thee inasmuch as Thou canst not be praised except through Thyself, and I have sanctified Thee inasmuch as Thou canst not be sanctified except through Thyself, and I have become certain that there is no way for creation unto Thee except through the Manifestation of Thy revelation, for all that the sincere ones ascend thereby springeth from that Tree and returneth unto it, even though it be a Tree that hath been raised above its own identity wherein naught is seen except Thee, and it speaketh from Thy presence that which all Thy creation is powerless to utter.
Without doubt this is the Manifestation of Thy Self from the kingdom on high to the lowest atom. If I praise Thee, it is through what Thou hast taught me of Thy praise, else who is capable of praising Thee? I have thus come to know that when all things are called to declare that there is no God but God, this is from the sign which Thou hast deposited therein from Thyself. By Thy glory! I shall indeed reject all who love Him not, even were they the nearest of my near ones, and I shall accept all who love Him, even were they the remotest of my remote ones, for through Him Thy word "There is no God but Thee" hath been spread abroad. Were it not for Him, who would unite with Thee, or praise Thee, or sanctify Thee, or glorify Thee, or exalt Thee, or magnify Thee?
I beseech Thee, O my God, by that Tree which Thou hast raised in the heaven of Lordship, and watered with the water of the Alif of Oneness, and nurtured with the evidences of the glory of Thy Singleness, and made to be the station of Thy Self in creation and the manifestation of Thy power in invention, wherein Thou hast magnified and elevated and glorified and exalted it to a station known by none save Thee, that I shall, O my God, surely praise Thee by rejecting all that the Manifestation of Thy praise rejecteth - not merely by saying "Glory be to God above all they describe," but with my heart and spirit and soul and body and possessions and all that pertaineth to His Cause. I praise Thee through my acknowledgment of the Manifestations of Thy praise, distinct from those who wish not to praise Thee even though their tongues may utter praise.
I testify that there is no God but Thee: whosoever hath known the Point, then the S and the M, and followed the ordinances which Thou hast sent down upon the Point, hath indeed praised Thee, and that one shall continue to praise Thee until the Day when that Point shall return as Thou pleaseth. Thus, if one praiseth Thee through it, one hath indeed praised Thee from before; otherwise one shall perish and all that one hath acquired shall be as though one had never praised Thee in any way, just as Thou didst cause to perish on that Day all who had praised Thee from the first day Thou didst send Muhammad - Thy blessings be upon Him and His family - unto the Day when Thou didst manifest Me. Whosoever hath glorified Thee through Me hath verily glorified Thee through Him aforetime.
And in the sight of God nothing is seen save this, my longing for the exaltation of Thy praise, my passion for the revelation of Thy sanctification, and my yearning for the elevation of Thy glorification. Such is the Most Exalted Height in all that hath been witnessed of Thy praise or shall be witnessed of Thy sanctification. Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. All have glorified Thee, yet all are veiled from the letters of Thy praise. Nay, the Tree of Negation and all within it were not content with their veiling and have grown proud against these letters, as Thou Thyself hast witnessed.
Indeed, they have committed with their hands, regarding a letter of Thy praise, that which no one possessed of a heart can comprehend. Their hearts are harder than stone. By Thy glory, I shall surely disavow such hearts and commune with Thee at that time, that Thou mayest raise up the Tree of Thy praise to its true exaltation from Thy presence and preserve it from that from which Thou hast purified it through Thy glory [which] Thou hast placed above all glory, and Thy majesty which Thou hast placed above all majesty, and Thy beauty which Thou hast placed above all beauty, and Thy grandeur which Thou hast placed above all grandeur, and Thy light which Thou hast placed above all light, and Thy mercy which Thou hast placed above all mercy, and Thy words which Thou hast placed above all words, and Thy perfections which Thou hast placed above all perfections, and Thy names which Thou hast placed above all names, and Thy might which Thou hast placed above all might, and Thy will which Thou hast placed above all will, and Thy knowledge which Thou hast placed above all power, and Thy utterance which Thou hast placed above all utterance, and Thy questions which Thou hast placed above all questions, and Thy nobility which Thou hast placed above all nobility, and Thy sovereignty by whose hands Thou hast subdued every sovereignty and placed it above all sovereignty, and by Thy kingdom with which Thou hast possessed every kingdom and placed it above all kingdom, and the exaltation which Thou hast placed above all exaltation and loftiness, and whatsoever Thou hast numbered of Thy most beautiful names which none save Thee can encompass - that Thou mayest preserve the letters of Thy praise from that which would grieve their hearts, their spirits, their souls and their bodies, in their sleep or their wakefulness, their beginning or their end, their outward or their inward state, or whatsoever pertaineth to their origin or their ultimate end.
For Thou, O my God, art the Upholder of all things through Thy power, the Strengthener of the letters of Thy praise through Thy might, the Preserver of these sacred temples through Thy sovereignty, and the Exalter of these essential manifestations through Thy self-subsistence. None besides Thee hath power over this, for Thou art the One with power over whatsoever Thou willest, hast ever been and wilt ever be, and art mighty over whatsoever Thou desirest at all times.
Glorified art Thou, O God! Even as Thou hast answered Thy praise which hath appeared from my limbs in like manner as my tongue hath spoken, I shall surely love Thy glorification likewise, then Thy oneness likewise, then Thy magnification likewise, then love for all Thy names and attributes in like manner.
For the Tree of the Point is one tree which Thou didst plant aforetime when Thou didst reveal unto it the Qur'an, and it was at that time alone with none beside it, and now when a thousand two hundred and seventy-five years shall have revolved, behold how that Tree hath grown mighty, and how its branches and leaves and fruits have filled the heavens and earth and all that lieth between them, and how the tree of negation that would not prostrate itself before it on the day of its manifestation hath been brought to naught beneath its shade.
Glorified art Thou! This is of Thy supreme handiwork, this is of Thy all-sufficient and perfect providence, how Thou didst nurture that Tree until it reached its full maturity and perfection. Then didst Thou take from it a pure essence which is the very essence of its origin when it was first planted, and upon it didst Thou send down the Bayan. Glorified art Thou! How great, how majestic, how beautiful, how mighty and how sanctified hast Thou made it in those numbered days, when Thou didst number its branches and leaves and fruits, and it ascended to a station no tree before it had attained, for before five years had passed, blood was shed in its path by souls the like of whom existed not on earth - without its permission, but through the attraction of their hearts, the detachment of their bodies, the certitude of their breasts, the loftiness of their examples, and the potency of their deeds.
Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. How magnificent are Thy favors unto it, how glorious Thy bounties upon it, how great Thy manifestations within it and upon it, how mighty the lights of Thy wondrous oneness to its right and to its left, and how exalted it is in a might than which there is none mightier, wherein the letters of Thy unity and the manifestations of Thy sanctity were content that their spirits should ascend unto Thee to establish Thy remembrance and to make known to every soul that verily it is the truth from God, there is no doubt in it, a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
Glorified art Thou, O God! Thine is the creation and Thine the command, and there is no power except through Thee. If this be its station in its first five years, how shall it be when that Tree hath reached its full maturity and perfection in all that is within it and of it? Make it, O my God, wholly a blessed garden for Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest on the Day of Resurrection, for verily He is I and I am He. Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. There is no mention for me or for Him save through Thy mention of Thyself. Preserve, O my God, through that Tree, what lieth before it and behind it, to its right and to its left, above its head and beneath its feet, and whatsoever Thou hast caused to descend upon it from the heights of Thy bounty and the heaven of Thy grace, for before the tree of its own self was planted, that garden was from Thee, before its manifestation, that its heart might find rest therein.
O my God! Cause the Letters of the Living, before all other letters, to be present before it, that they may convey what they are commanded from the sources of Thy Command and the wellsprings of Thy creation, and that their hearts may be made firm in His Cause, and bring all who are upon the Tree of the Bayan into His presence with such submissiveness as Thou hast created naught above it of humility, with such lowliness as Thou hast created naught above it of abasement, and with such prostration upon the secret of their inmost beings, and with words of truth in His praise upon the manifestation of their essential realities. Destroy, O my God, by Thy power and might and grandeur and strength and sovereignty, the tree of negation until nothing returneth unto it therefrom, and preserve it, O my God, from that tree by all Thy protection, and bring it to naught in such wise that it shall find no existence at the dawning of Thy Lordship, with all its branches and leaves and fruits, that thereby the eyes of Thine enemy and of those who desire not to prostrate themselves before Him may be consoled, and create in all things a love for Him.
O God! Grant unto her mercy, modesty, awe, compassion, and honor in Thy presence. Make, O Lord, the entire tree to be hers, that there may be manifested from it the fruits which God hath created therein for him through whom God hath willed to reveal what He desireth. For, by Thy glory, I have not desired that there should be upon that tree any branch, leaf, or fruit that would not prostrate before Him on the day of His manifestation, nor glorify Thee in a manner befitting the loftiness of His revelation and the sublimity of His concealment. And if, O my God, I should witness any branch, leaf, or fruit that doth not prostrate before Him on the day of His manifestation, then sever it, O God, from that tree, for it is not of me, nor doth it return unto me.
Preserve, O God, for Thyself those who have believed in me in this creation, that they may believe in me in my return, that their faith may not perish, nor the knowledge of its possessor, for Thou hast power over all things. On that day, how many servants do I see who believed in Muhammad beforetime yet believe not in me on that day. There is no doubt that they believed not beforetime, but merely uttered words by which their lives were preserved and they attained their desires, yet they return not to Thy Cause. For at that time all negation will be transformed into affirmation, and darkness into light.
Cause Thou, O God, the earth and all who are upon it to witness none save those who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs and have followed the Letters of the First from Thy presence. Verily, Thou hast power over all things. Then turn unto him who is established upon the throne of his glory and settled upon the seat of his sovereignty. Look not upon him as being in clay, but rather in the exaltation of the Throne before God. He seeth whosoever appeareth before him and answereth everyone who greeteth him.
Say: May the most glorious, most resplendent Glory and the most impregnable, most luminous Light be upon thee, O Primal Tree, Most Exalted Seat, Garden of Refuge, Lote-Tree of the Uttermost Boundary, Supreme Horizon, Most Great Pavilion, and Most High Station at the distance of two bow-lengths or closer. I bear witness before God and those in His presence that through thee His greatest signs were sent down and His mightiest evidences were manifested, and all that was ordained in the Last and the First was created. How can I mention aught of thy praise or recite before thee aught of thy circumstances, or how can the knowledge of my heart encompass what hath befallen thee, whereby my spirit, my soul, and my destiny have melted away?
No command is there save from God, and no decree save in the hand of God. When I behold thy station with God, and how God hath set thee above all the Manifestations of His Names -- so that none beginneth without thee, and naught returneth unto Him save through thee -- and when I see how thou hast ascended, through that which thou hast borne in the path of God, unto the loftiest of stations, in the world to come and in this world, my soul is moved to desire that I might attain that which God hath ordained for thee, and that I might be brought down upon that wherewith thou hast triumphed. Yet this is a thing which none can reach save by My hand, except whomsoever God willeth; for all beseech of the bounty of God that He may ordain for them to be slain in His path, but none attaineth unto this save him for whom God hath so decreed from His presence, and upon whom He hath caused His decree to be executed by His irrevocable command. How exalted, then, is such honour in the sight of God, and how glorious such a bestowal in the Book of God!
Therefore grieve not for thy calamity, O Beloved of my heart, amid the depths of names and attributes; and how unassailable is thy affliction, O Purpose of my being, within the kingdoms of earth and heaven! It hath surpassed every calamity and risen above every woe, as though it had been lifted unto a station wherefrom all likenesses are cut off, and had ascended unto an horizon whereat the doors are shut. For this is a thing that entereth not into the heart of any one -- that the King of creation should be dealt with even as thou hast been dealt with, O Light of Bahá. Yet since God hath made thee a Manifestation beyond compare, sanctified above resemblance, exalted beyond peer, inaccessible to companion, and raised above similitudes, it befitteth not one such as thou that thy calamity should have an equal, or thy affliction a likeness, or that what hath befallen thee should have a counterpart, or that what is decreed should have an equivalent.
It is, indeed, so magnified, so mighty, so purified, and so exalted, that every heart hath been confounded before it, even as it soared in its glorification; and every spirit hath been saddened thereby, even as it rose in its praise; and every soul hath humbled itself at its remembrance, despite the loftiness of its confession of unity; and from every eye tears have flowed, notwithstanding the greatness of what God hath ordained therein of magnifying Him.
O God! You are witness to what has been witnessed and You know what has been known. Therefore, O God, send down all Your most resplendent glory, Your most sublime majesty, Your most beautiful beauty, Your most magnificent grandeur, Your most brilliant light, Your most expansive mercy, Your most perfect words, Your most great names, Your most mighty power, Your most prevailing will, Your most penetrating knowledge, Your most far-reaching might, Your most pleasing utterance, Your most beloved and most impregnable questions, Your most noble honor, Your most enduring sovereignty, Your most glorious dominion, Your most exalted justice, and all that You have attributed to Yourself or love to attribute - for which there is no equal in Your knowledge - upon the Tree of the Bayan, its root, branch, twigs, fruits and leaves, in recompense for what has grieved it in Your path, or for any soul that has been slain for its sake seeking Your good-pleasure, or any heart that has been pierced in submission to its Educator. For verily, You are at all times engaged in a wondrous work, creating whatsoever You willest through Your command, and You are mighty and powerful.
O God! Exalt the station of Your glory and shower upon those hearts, spirits, souls and bodies the manifestations of Your will and the wonders of Your favoring grace. Gather together, O God, all that has been created through it under its shade on the Day when all things shall be brought before You on the Day of Resurrection, through Your power from which nothing can escape and Your might which nothing can frustrate. Create at all times, O God, through the sublimity of Your power and the exaltation of Your sovereignty, every good thing within Your knowledge for the spiritual Tree, its root, branch, twigs and fruits, and whatsoever pertains to its ultimate destiny and abode. Bring it and all that is within it and upon it into Your presence on the Day of Resurrection that it may bow down before Thee and worship Thee alone, apart from all things.
O my God, send down upon the Tree of Negation--its root, branch, boughs, leaves and fruits--the most severe of all chastisements, the most grievous of all vengeance, the greatest of all hardships, and whatsoever punishment Thou willest to visit upon those who worship Thee not, or to destroy those who bow not down before Thee. Send down that which riseth at the dawning of Thy wrath, that which emerges at the manifestation of Thy might, and that which appeareth at the revelation of Thy power upon those who have not raised up the tree of their existence before Thee, nor manifested that for which they were created through faith in Thee and Thy signs before Thy presence, and through following the Letters of the Unity from Thy presence. Verily, Thou art the most severe in punishment and the most grievous in chastisement.
Nay, by Thy might! There is no helper for him whom Thou forsakest, no glory for him whom Thou abasest, no perpetuity for him whom Thou causest to perish, no thing for him whom Thou destroyest, and no remembrance for him whom Thou bringest to naught. Such is the recompense of those who believe not in Me, nor in the signs of God which God hath sent down unto Me in the life to come and in this life. Whoso desireth God and that which is with Him, let him arise to fulfill what God hath established in the Bayan through His command concerning the conditions of His good-pleasure and the wonders of His beneficence. And whoso desireth not, let him destroy his own soul through his refusal to follow that which hath been sent down from his Lord. No punishment more severe than this existeth with God.
Such is God's command, both before and after. God doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He desireth. He shall not be asked of His doings, whilst all shall be asked of all things.
And whoso visiteth God through God's witnessing of His own Self unto Himself hath entered the Gate of Grandeur, and hath been a visitor of the Lord of Might upon the dust -- without knowing even a trace of likeness, nor a letter of similitude, nor a name of delineation, nor a description of division. For God hath ever been, and there was nothing with Him; and description belonged only to that which doth not indicate itself by itself, and attribution is valid only for that which doth not know itself by itself.
And all that ye have witnessed of the meeting with God - that is the manifestation of His Self. Do ye not, then, believe with certainty in the Cause of God?
He is God, there is no God but Him, from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end, and all are promised to attain His presence. And this indeed is the meeting with the Manifestation of His Self, yet the servants remain veiled.
And naught shall enrich you save the day of meeting Me, and this indeed is the meeting with the Manifestation of My Self, yet few among you perceive and comprehend this.
The Ever-Living who dieth not, the All-Holy who passeth not away, the Self-Subsisting who changeth not, and the All-Beloved who altereth not hath ordained that all contingent beings should progress in such wise that on the Day when Him Whom God shall make manifest raises and exalts His Cause from the Most Hidden Mystery, and declares "Verily I am God, there is no God but Me," all shall be drawn unto Him and shall not be veiled by other conditions, but shall be guided by manifest signs whereof all are incapable.
Thou hast revealed Thyself to all things through the countenance of Thy origination and presence of Thine invention, that those who are perplexed might be confounded by the revelations of the signs of the depths of the ocean of Thy oneness, and those who are radiant might shine forth through the breaths of the signs of the surging sea of Thy mercy.
To continue: O Sayyah of Truth -- upon thee be the Kingdom Absolute -- and upon whomsoever He hath sheltered within His precinct through His word of truth, "As is meet, seek thou after Me." He hath spoken in thy regard that He hath entered thy precinct, forasmuch as thou didst abide in His service. That which I inscribed at the head of My Book -- by a secret for this measure and no more -- hath descended for all the God-fearing.
Then I desired to mollify them so that they may not think I am a heretic, teaching them the incarnation of God in the flesh, therefore, I continued my talk:- "Verily when Moses drunk the wine of the Love of God and heard the voice of the Lord and was submerged in the sea of abstraction - he forgot the world and all therein and saw himself in the "Abode of Paradise" and as the "Abode of Paradise" is the station of divine transfiguration, and visitation, therefore he cried out:- "O Lord! Let me behold Thy Face."
Notwithstanding these clear texts the Shiites do not believe in the "meeting with God"; but they say in the end of the time so many extraordinary events will transpire that there will remain not a single soul without believing in God. The Sunnites have this tradition: 'Ye shall behold your Lord as you see the moon or the fourteenth night of month.' They believe that the 'meeting of God' is possible, but only in the day of resurrection.
It is said: " O people, you will meet God in the Flesh, you will visit him."
Say: Whoso turneth away from Me hath turned away from God from all eternity, and whoso gazeth upon Me hath gazed upon God, the Generous, the Forgiving.
Whoso holdeth fast unto Him hath held fast unto God, and whoso turneth unto Him hath turned unto the Most Sublime Horizon, and whoso turneth away from Him hath turned away from God, the Lord of all worlds.
And He Who speaketh with truth is verily the Ocean of My Will and the Heaven of My Purpose and the Rain of My Grace and the Sun of My Loving-kindness and the Repository of My Revelation and the Dayspring of My Inspiration and the Dawning-Place of My Cause and the Treasury of My Knowledge and the Source of My Salsabil and the Fountain of My Kawthar.
Whoso hath known Him hath known Me and whoso hath denied Him hath denied Me from time immemorial.
Whoso turneth unto Him hath turned unto My Face and beheld My Beauty and drunk the choice wine of My favor and the living waters of My loving-kindness.
Verily he who hath turned unto Him hath turned unto My direction and appeared before My throne and heard My call and responded to My utterance and followed My commandments and attained My presence and drunk the choice wine of My favors and the Kawthar of My bounties and tasted the sweetness of My remembrance and My words and reached the ultimate goal in My Kingdom and My dominion.
Say: This is the Face through which all faces have turned toward the Worshipped One, and the realities of all contingent beings have proclaimed: There is none other God but He, the Forgiving, the Merciful.
God beareth witness that there is none other God but Him, and He Who hath appeared with the truth is indeed the Sovereign of verses and their Dawning-Place.
This is the Day of Meeting, for God hath appeared unveiled and manifest.
He is the One Who is manifest without veil or covering.
That which was hidden from time immemorial hath been revealed, and that which was treasured in God's knowledge, the Lord of lords, hath appeared, and that which was promised in the Books of God, the Master of necks, hath come to pass.
The first Word that appeared from the Dawning-place of utterance of the Lord of Oneness was "Thou shalt not see Me," but now He saith "Behold and thou shalt see Me."
O thou who gazest, gaze and thou shalt behold Me. Verily he who hath turned unto Me is of them who have seen Me.
Behold ye the countenance of God, the Lord of all worlds! He hath appeared from the most exalted horizon after the passing away of all things.
All things speak, and behind them the Dawning-Place of Names proclaimeth between earth and heaven: "By God! The Hidden hath appeared and the Treasured One hath been revealed. Beware lest ye deprive yourselves of meeting with God, the Mighty, the Wise."
O thou who art immersed in the ocean of mystic knowledge of the All-Glorious Beauty! In His most noble Temple He unveiled His countenance and lifted all veils, and with a face like unto the sun He became manifest in the gathering of revelation, illumining all horizons with the lights of His beauty.
The veil on the countenance of Baha hath been rent asunder, blessed are those who are attracted.
O thou who gazest upon the Countenance! We have raised up the Cause with a sovereignty that hath conquered the world and have revealed that which lay hidden before the faces of the nations.
He says, exalted be His glory and majesty:
"O Muhammad-Qabli-Ali! God created the world for the purpose of turning to My countenance, standing before My gate, gazing toward My horizon, and speaking My beautiful praise. Yet when the Supreme Luminary illumined the horizon of the world, the nations turned away, save whom God, the Lord of the worlds, willed.
All things have been created for the meeting with God, yet when He appeared, every idolator and infidel denied Him, save those whom God preserved through His grace and aided to turn towards the Self-Sufficient, the Most High.
All the world besought from God the meeting with the Manifestation of His Most Beautiful Names and Most Exalted Attributes, yet when the Sun of Truth shed its radiance, all turned away save whom God willed.
Some did not recognize the days of the Spirit, and some, through their own heedlessness, remained veiled from the knowledge and presence of the Beloved even after recognizing the days of God.
How many an ascetic hath remained remote from attaining His presence, and how many hath deprived himself of drinking the wine of reunion.
Woe unto him who hath deprived himself of the presence of God in this Revelation!
Whosoever hath attained His presence on this Day, he is of the people of Baha in the Book of God, the Lord of the Final End. And whoso hath turned away, he is accounted among the people of error in the Scriptures and Tablets.
Whoso turns to Him has attained unto the Day of God and His presence, and whoso turns away is accounted among the deprived ones.
Say: Open your eyes, O people of learning, to behold the Beauty, for verily it hath dawned from the horizon of glory and none opposeth it save every idolatrous doubter.
How excellent is the state of that soul who today has not been prevented by the veils of the people of the world from the Most Great Ocean and the recognition of the Pre-existent Lord, and whom transient means have not deprived of everlasting bounties. With perfect certitude and assurance they have turned toward the Beloved of all creation and become vocal in His praise.
Say: O people of the earth, hearken unto the divine call on this luminous Day, and meditate upon His Cause, and with the ear of your innate nature hear that which hath been sent down from the heaven of His Will, that haply ye may attain unto your goal and be blessed with His presence.
The Call of God is raised from the direction of Akka, saying: "Blessed is he who hath turned unto God and hath hearkened with both outer and inner ear to His divine call." Such souls are the people of the Most Great Vista and the partakers of the Most Pure Wine - especially those who, in these days when the darkness of vain imaginings hath seized most of mankind, have not been hindered from turning toward the Court of Oneness.
Whoso visiteth what hath been sent down from the direction of the Throne in this Tablet and findeth himself in doubt concerning the meeting with his Lord - he is of them that have turned away from God, the Cleaver of the dawn.
In them is that which will make men independent of all who are in the heavens and on earth, and will convey unto them the messages of God, and give them the glad-tidings of their meeting with the Self of God Who standeth over all created things, and warn them of the Day whereon all shall return unto God in a holy and gracious station.
This is the Day wherein the Call hath been raised from the prison of 'Akka, and hath given the glad-tidings unto all peoples of the presence of God, the Lord of Lords.
I swear by the Sun of Revelation that hath risen above the horizon of the prison that, at a time when sorrows had encompassed Us from all directions and trials and tribulations were pouring down like torrential rain, We summoned the peoples of the earth to the Most Exalted Horizon with all Our power and might.
Arise to make mention and say: O people! The Day hath come and the call hath been raised betwixt earth and heaven. The Lord of Names hath come with manifest sovereignty.
Hearken unto the Call from the Alif standing between the two Vav's! Verily, there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.
By God's life! Moses heard from it "Verily, there is none other God but I, the Mighty, the All-Wise," and Abraham hastened with his heart unto it and cried, "Yea, yea, O Beloved of them that know!" And the Friend ascended and soared on the wings of understanding to the Kingdom of the All-Merciful, the station wherein he beheld My greatest signs and heard My sweetest call.
You have approached and attained the presence and heard what Moses heard from the Blessed Tree.
O thou who hast attained to the supreme bounty! On the Day of Meeting, on the Day of Manifestation, thou didst attain the honor of presence before Him Who was revealed on Sinai, and didst drink from the pure cup whose mixture was of camphor.
O ye servants of the Blessed Perfection!
In the Day of the Manifestation, you have caught the lights from the Manifestor on the Mount of Sinai and beheld the splendor of the Ray of Truth.
O My leaves and My handmaidens! Today the divine breeze is passing by and the Spirit of God is in motion and manifestation. All things, with utmost joy and excitement, are delighted by the appearance of Him Who conversed on Sinai.
This is a Day wherein the divine Hill hath attained the presence of God and the call hath been raised from all things: The Spot hath been adorned through the advent of the Lord of all beings.
I am seeing through the horizon of knowledge:
O people of the earth! We desired the garden, and when We established Ourselves therein upon the throne, We heard it cry out and say: "O thrones of the world, rejoice ye, for the Beauty of the Ancient One hath been established upon me.
Consider with justice, O my God - that justice which Thou hast enjoined upon Thy servants - can any one of them that love Thee behold a city and not see Thee rising resplendent above its horizon? Can any soul enter a garden and not perceive Thee seated upon the throne of Thy majesty and glory?
And that wheresoever thou turnest thy gaze, thou mayest behold the beauty and majesty of that peerless Beloved.
The gate of the presence hath been opened before all who dwell in creation.
The gate of attainment unto His presence hath been opened before all who dwell on earth and in heaven, and the nightingales of utterance have warbled upon the branches.
The gate of meeting hath been opened and the Dayspring of Names proclaimeth: Enter ye with illumined hearts, O people of insight!
The matter which takes precedence over all things and the cause which transcends all causes hath been recorded in the Book by the Most Bountiful Pen as being the station of meeting with God. All those who have drawn nigh, the sincere ones, the pure ones and the chosen ones have longed for this most holy, most exalted and most glorious station.
O friend! You have sought to attain My presence, and you are justified in this, for all have been created for this purpose.
Night and day all people would beseech and supplicate with utmost humility and imploration the Self-Sufficient, the Exalted, yearning and hoping to attain the presence of the Manifestation of the divine Revelation and the Dawning-Place of the heavenly inspiration.
By God! He who is drawn to the verses of his Lord will, out of his longing for God, the Mighty, the Praised One, abandon all creation.
At all times must man pass beyond all created things and, turning his gaze toward God, his gracious Lord, hasten to the dwelling-place of the Beloved.
By God! To hear but one melody from the mouth of God is better than all that hath been treasured in the heavens and earth, and thy entry into the Spot of God is better for thee than whatsoever hath been created on earth - and God is witness unto this.
And concerning what you wrote about turning toward the Most Great Prison and seeking permission, it was submitted, and this most exalted Word was revealed from the Supreme Pen, exalted be His grandeur: "God hath ever loved to meet with His friends in the outward realm, for the divine meeting is mentioned in all heavenly Books, and the true purpose of creation in its primal reality hath been the meeting with God, exalted be His glory.
As to permission for the aforementioned one and two others, there hath never been any doubt that this Revelation hath loved and continues to love the presence of the friends, and seeketh for them the bounty of nearness and meeting, and the feast of revelation and witnessing.
However, "We would not exchange meeting you for anything else." Would that you were present and saw and heard and knew, and we saw and heard and found. If only the preventing circumstances by divine decree were removed and meeting became possible.
As for thy desire to attain His presence and meet Him - this Wronged One hath ever yearned for the companionship of His friends, but the heedless have intervened between Us and you.
Regarding your intention to turn towards the Most Holy Court, it was presented, and He said: "It is most evident and clear that those who drink from the cups of recognition ever seek and yearn for the presence of the All-Merciful, for in truth He is the Cause of creation, the reason for existence, the Ultimate Goal and the Most Remote Mosque. However, as the decree of wisdom has descended from the heaven of the Divine Unity, all friends must observe it and act according to its requirements.
The Friend hath come for the sake of meeting, and this matter hath been recorded as the greatest of deeds in the divine Books, yet due to wisdom it hath been forbidden.
Say: The Command is in His hands - He writeth for whomsoever He willeth the recompense of attaining His presence, for He is the One Who commandeth, the All-Wise. Ask thou God to ordain for thee the reward of what thou didst desire in His path, for in such days as these it behooveth no one to turn toward the precincts of the Throne.
This is a Book We have sent down in truth for whosoever has turned to the One, the All-Informed. O thou who hast turned! Verily thou didst desire to attain Our presence, but the people prevented thee from reaching Us. And thou didst seek forgiveness - We forgave thee as a grace from Our presence, and verily We are the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Say: O my God and my Lord! I have desired the waters of Thy presence and the wine of reunion with Thee, and to enter beneath the shade of the Tree of Thy oneness, and to stand before the Dayspring of Thy Cause and the Manifestation of Thy signs, yet have I been prevented therefrom by reason of what the hands of the oppressors among Thy creatures and the rebellious ones among Thy people have wrought.
O Most Holy, Most Glorious!
Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having blessed Thy servant whom Thou didst honor with Thy presence and caused to hear Thy verses. … Thus was he prevented from attaining Thy presence.
He verily recordeth for whomsoever desireth the reward of attaining His presence. He is, in truth, the Ruler over whatsoever He willeth.
He is indeed the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous. He hath forgiven thee as a token of His grace and hath written down for thee, by His Most Exalted Pen, the reward of attaining His presence, that thou mayest rejoice and be among the thankful ones.
O my Lord! I have turned to Thee with my whole being and I beseech Thee by Thy Self to ordain for me the reward of one who hath attained Thy presence, been honored to meet Thee, and drunk the choice wine of life from the ocean of reunion with Thee.
I beseech Thee to ordain for me the reward of meeting Thee, whereof Thou didst give glad tidings through the tongues of Thy chosen ones in Thy Books, Thy Scriptures and Thy Tablets.
Then write down for me, O my God, by Thy Most Exalted Pen, the reward of attaining Thy presence and what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones.
Remember when thou wert present before the Countenance and the Wronged One turned toward thee from this manifest horizon.
Thou didst enter the precincts of the Throne by permission of thy Lord.
O Abdullah! Thou wert mentioned before the Wronged One and present before His face, as the Mother of the Bayan doth testify from the most exalted station. The Pen hath borne witness to thy presence before the countenance of the Ancient King.
Thou art witnessed in the Most Great Scene and mentioned in the Most Holy Court of the Lord of Eternity. This is among the great bounties of thy Lord.
Praise be to God that thou didst attain unto the presence of One upon whom the glance of divine favor hath ever been focused.
Thou art the first one to attain the divine presence in His Most Great Prison.
Thou art He Who didst hasten unto God until thou didst enter the prison and attain the presence of the Countenance and didst hear the call of the Wronged One when He was speaking: Verily, there is none other God but Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
Remember those days when you were present before His face in the Most Great Prison, when you heard the Call of God and beheld the Most Exalted Horizon with your outward eye.
We bear witness that thou hast turned toward the Most Sublime Horizon and entered the Prison, and attained the presence of the Wronged One in this exalted Station.
O Muhammad! The One and Only remembers thee from His Praiseworthy Station, and calls out between earth and heaven: "Verily I am the All-Powerful, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting!" Thy letter hath arrived and was presented by the servant in attendance as the Lord of Destiny was walking in the Most Great Scene - this mansion which was built aforetime for the establishment of God's throne, the Almighty, the Mighty, the Loving.
O Ali! Give thanks to God for having enabled thee to attain the presence of thy Lord, the All-Forgiving, at His Throne, and to drink the choice wine of revelation from the cup of the utterance of the All-Merciful when the Tongue of Grandeur proclaimed: "There is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the Generous." Thou hast been honored to attain the presence of the Self-Subsisting when He appeared with His Name "the Wronged One" in this mighty prison.
A mention from His presence unto him who has turned to the Most Great Prison by God's leave, the Lord of antiquity, and attained to that Spot round which circle the Concourse on High and the dwellers of the cities of names, and heard the call of the Tree which speaks at all times: "There is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Bestower."
O thou who art present before the Countenance! We bear witness that thou didst hear the Call from the Supreme Horizon and didst turn unto it and attain unto the presence of the Wronged One and didst hear the shrill voice of His Pen and didst behold the horizon of His Revelation and didst gain that which was recorded in His Books and Scriptures and Tablets.
Thy father and thy brother came into the presence of the Countenance on a certain night, and heard the call of God, the Lord of the worlds, and arrived at an hour when the Tongue of Grandeur was speaking forth perspicuous verses and when all atoms were proclaiming: The dominion belongeth unto God, the Goal of all mystic knowers.
And We bear witness that thou, O My Afnan and Leaf of My Divine Lote-Tree, didst leave thy homeland seeking the Most Exalted Homeland until thou didst arrive in Paradise and heard the call of the Most Glorious God and beheld the horizon of Revelation, a bounty from the One Who conversed on Sinai.
I bear witness that thou didst depart from thy dwelling, advancing toward the Ultimate Goal and the Most Exalted Summit, and didst traverse land and sea until thou didst enter the Most Exalted Paradise and didst attain the presence of God, the Lord of the first and the last.
Thou didst migrate in My path until thou didst attain My presence, and didst hear My call, and wert blessed with My meeting, the Mighty, the Wondrous.
O Pen! Make mention of him who hath turned unto thee and attained unto the hearing of thy shrill voice and attained unto thy presence and stood before thy face - he who hath been named Mihdi in the Book of God, the Lord of the worlds.
O Abdullah! Praise the Countenance of the Intended One, for through His bounty thou hast attained unto the Most Great Sea and time after time hast been honored to attain the presence of the Lord of Eternity.
He testifies that you have turned to the Most Exalted Horizon and have attained the Kawthar of the presence time and again.
We bear witness that thou didst visit the Most Great Scene and didst believe in God, the Lord of destiny, and didst drink the most pure wine from the hand of the bounty of thy Lord, the All-Informed.
Thou didst arrive at the shore of the Most Great Ocean and didst hear the call of the Lord of Eternity, and didst enter through a door that was opened unto the faces of all who are in the heavens and the earth. Blessed art thou for having drunk, from the hands of bounty, the Kawthar of the divine encounter, and for having attained that which was recorded in the Books of the Prophets and Messengers.
They who turned with permission are they who attained the presence of God and drank from the Kawthar of reunion from the hands of the bounty of their Lord, the Generous.
A mention from Us to one who turned to God and attained the presence when the Dayspring of the Cause appeared with a sovereignty that encompassed all created things, and who drank the choice wine of reunion when the Sun of the Beauty of his Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower, dawned from the horizon of grace.
We bear witness that he attained the presence of God in His days and appeared before the Throne and heard His call when every stubborn misbeliever turned away.
Thou art among those souls who have attained unto His presence and reached this Most Great Cause, which hath been the purpose of the creation of all beings.
Praise be to God that through God's infinite bounty and His eternal, all-embracing mercy you have attained both unto the visitation of the House and the Lord of the House.
Praise be to the Beloved of the worlds, that thou hast attained unto the presence of the Dawning-Place of His Cause and the Manifestation of His grace, and hast been clothed with the robe of forgiveness from the hand of divine bounty.
Thou hast attained unto the presence and hast drunk the choice wine of reunion from the hand of bounty and bestowal.
I have presented myself before the Gate and heard the Call from the Supreme Horizon and attained unto that which the near ones have attained.
Blessed art thou, O servant, in that thou hast attained the presence of God and drunk the cup of inner meanings from the hand of utterance in this Paradise which God hath sanctified from allusions and limitations.
And among them were those who rejoiced, whose scales were heavy, whose commerce prospered, who were given their book in their right hand, whose faces were illumined, whose mouths smiled, whose hearts soared with joy at meeting their Lord and with longing to behold the beauty of their Creator, who enjoyed the blessings and drank from the spring of life, and whose eyes were brightened by beholding the manifest light shining from the dawn of certitude.
Blessed is he who has found himself in My presence, attained to My favor, and drunk from the choice wine of My bounty which has been sealed from time immemorial and concealed from the eyes of My servants and My creation.
Blessed art thou for having attained the presence and good-pleasure of God and for swimming in the ocean of contentment by the command of thy Ancient Lord.
Praise be to God that thou hast drunk from the ocean of attainment and achieved the presence of the Manifestation of Glory and Majesty.
Blessed be the face that hath turned unto the Face, and joy be to him who hath advanced toward the Most Exalted Horizon, and delight be to him who hath drunk of My Sealed Wine.
Blessed is the eye that has attained the presence of the Speaker and been honored by the traces of His Pen.
Blessed art thou for having attained unto the Kawthar of My utterance in My days and for having acknowledged that which My Tongue hath acknowledged in the kingdom of My wondrous expression.
Joy to those who have attained to witnessing and meeting, and woe to the deniers."
Verily he who hath attained unto the lights of the Countenance is among those who have attained the presence of God upon His throne - to this do honored servants bear witness.
We testify that thou didst seek to attain the presence before the countenance of the Wronged One, to hearken unto His call and to stand before His gate.
Through Him have shone forth the faces of those who have turned towards My luminous Countenance which gleams above all who are in earth and heaven.
I swear by the Sun of the dawn of inner meanings that nothing that is hidden or manifest can equal even one of those souls.
O what joy for those who draw nigh unto them and hear their melody and attain to their knowledge! And peace be upon you.
This, verily, is a noble station. Bear thou witness unto that whereunto God hath testified, then act according to that which thou hast been bidden by One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
O Ismi al-Asdaq! Render thanks for that We called thee to appear before the Divine Presence, caused thee to hear and to behold the effulgences of the countenance of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the Incomparable, the One, the Great; and sent thee back that thou mightest remind the people of that which thou didst behold and know, and summon them unto the Most Great Steadfastness, lest their feet slip by reason of the clamour of every sinful pretender.
O you who are steadfast in the Covenant and firm in the Testament! Give thanks to the Mighty, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting Lord that from the beginning of the Cause you drank of the sealed wine and heard with your heart and soul the life-giving call of the Primal Point, His Holiness the Exalted One (may my spirit and being be sacrificed for Him), and responded with heart and soul "Yea, verily" to the call of "Am I not?" from the Abha Beauty (may my spirit be a sacrifice for His loved ones), and threaded the pearl of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord of Creation, cleansed your heart from all save the Friend, attained the presence of God, and were honored to hear His address openly.
From early youth you were assisted and confirmed, and in all occasions and circumstances you stood firm. And now too you remain firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament like an iron foundation, dwelling beneath the shade of the Tree of Life and protected in the impregnable fortress of the Covenant.
This is the most great gift and this is the supreme bounty. This is divine favor and this is heavenly mercy. Praise be to God, you have been and will continue to be the recipient of the favors of the Ancient Beauty from all directions.
And upon the people of Baha be the Glory.
O faithful, supplicating, pure, good, steadfast, and successful leaf! Praise the Ancient Beauty and the Most Great Name that in the days of God you attained the presence of the Beloved of the horizons and the Purpose of the essence of existence among the people of concord.
Offer a hundred thousand thanks that in the Days of God thou hast attained the honor of presence and appeared at the Divine Threshold, and wert successful in beholding the Beauty of the Most Glorious - may my spirit be a sacrifice for His loved ones.
You heard the words and hearkened to the divine address and became intoxicated from the overflowing cup brimming with the wine of meeting, dripping with the sweetness of union.
Thou who art the fruit of that tree and the memorial of that aged elder - praise be to God that for many years thou wert honored to attain the presence of the Beauty of the Lord and wert blessed to hearken unto the Word of grace and wert accepted at the Divine Threshold and art firm in God's Covenant and Testament.
Thank God that in such a cycle ye have stepped into the plane of existence, attained the glory of the Lord of the Kingdom, obtained light from the Sun of Truth and were ushered in under the shadow of the Tree of Life in the paradise of joy.
Your honored father attained the presence of the Day-Star of the horizons in Iraq. This is the greatest of all bounties - for whosoever in the Day of Manifestation attains His presence is the recipient of favors, encompassed by forgiveness and pardon, the object of grace, and sheltered in the stronghold of protection.
O daughter of Muhammad-Taqi! Praise be to God that your father turned towards the Most Exalted Horizon and attained unto service, attainment of His presence, listening and witnessing.
And We make mention of your mother who attained the presence and drank the choice wine of reunion from God, the Exalted, the Great.
O steadfast servant of God! Although the pain of losing thine affectionate mother is great and the bereavement of her companions, friends, and relatives is a severe affliction wearing away the body and consuming the soul, nevertheless, since that goodly leaf from the beginning of the appearance of the First Dawn, when the lights of oneness encompassed all created things, was guided by the light of guidance, followed in the way of the leaves of Tree of Eternity, was enkindled with the flame of God's love, was consumed with the fire of anguish on account of her separation from the Beloved of the worlds, was blessed with the honor of meeting Him, and was present at the court of holiness--therefore, this death is eternal life and this extinction is everlasting existence.
Give praise unto God that she ascended while she was firm and steadfast.
Say: Verily he who has died from among you has been raised unto God and God is witness to this. By God! He has returned to the Primal Point in a mighty and impregnable station.
That thirsty fish has found its way to the sea of reunion, and that sugar-breaking parrot has attained to honey and repeated sweetness. That burning-hearted lover has attained to the radiant-faced Beloved, and that noble friend has received the portion of meeting the heart-attracting Loved One.
Though attainment to the divine presence may not be possible in this transient world, in the eternal world the spiritual state of success and prosperity is assured.
Although the grace of attainment was not achieved in the nearest horizon, God willing, thou shalt attain in the Most Glorious Kingdom and succeed in receiving the effusions from the cloud of the station of "Then he drew nigh and came down till he was at the distance of two bows' length or even nearer."
Ere long, when thou dost wing thy flight to this most exalted Horizon and attainest the presence of the divine Grandeur, thou shalt witness the bounties of the Beauty of Grandeur.
Thou didst ordain for them the attainment of the divine presence in the kingdom of the unseen - a realm sanctified above the comprehension of the people of wisdom - and didst make them brilliant stars in the heaven of sanctity and lofty trees in the garden of divine unity.
We shall, through God's might and power, His grace and bounty, be delivered from this supreme separation and soar to the vicinity of thy Lord's greatest mercy in His most glorious Kingdom and sublime Companion, attaining the station of witnessing and meeting in the realm of immortality.
O thou who speaketh in remembrance of God! Although outwardly thou art wandering bewildered in the wilderness of separation and the valley of deprivation, give thanks that thou art present and visible in the hearts of the lovers of the Face of the Beloved.
When the believers gather in a meeting and are engaged in the mention of God my heart is there, my spirit is there, although my body may be a thousand miles away...
...it matters not what name each calls himself - The Great Work is One. Christ is ever in the world of existence. He has never disappeared out of it... Rest assured that Christ is present. The Spiritual beauty we see around us today is from the breathings of Christ.
He smiled and said:- 'These cities are not on earth; they are in heaven'. I became, then very happy and exclaimed: 'you are a heavenly personage! Let us go to Baha'u'llah!' While he was engaged in a wonderful, divine conversation with the Blessed Perfection in the new language I was so overjoyed that I awoke.
You must be very thankful to God for He brought you to this Holy Land to visit the Blessed Tomb, and to sit down with Me in absolute love and amity.
"When I pray I turn My thoughts and My face to the Blessed Perfection."
Concerning the point of adoration about which you wrote, by the decisive text of God, the point of adoration of the Concourse on High and the Sacred Threshold of the Divine Grandeur - may my spirit, my being, and my essence be a sacrifice for its dust - is established, and to turn to any place other than that Holy Threshold is not permitted. Beware, beware lest thou turn unto any other! And the point of adoration for this servant is that sanctified and holy Station. By My life! Verily it is My Most Remote Sanctuary, My Ultimate Paradise, My Loftiest Garden, and My Most Exalted Goal.
Turn to the hidden world and seek assistance and support from the presence of God.
Now become thou a seeker of His presence, that thou mayest witness Him in the Kingdom of the Unseen and give glad tidings and good news to the world.
O handmaiden of God! In the presence of the Light of Lights, in the Kingdom of Mysteries, thou art accepted by the Beauty of the Lord, the Unseen of all worlds, the Hidden Universe, and art the manifestation of boundless grace and favor.
O maid-servant of God! Verily, the Lord of Hosts calleth thee from the absence of existence (or non-existence) and sayeth: "Come, O My maid-servant, to My Kingdom! Come, O My attracted one, unto My Great Paradise! Come, O My maid-servant, unto My Sublime Heaven! Come, O My attracted one, unto the place of My Glorious Throne."
Perchance I may find shelter at Thy Divine Threshold, go to the adored Sanctuary of Thy Divine Essence, walk in the way of Thy guidance and swim in the ocean of Thy Love.
I beseech Thee to ordain for me presence before Thy throne and to enable me to stand at the door of Thy mercy, which hath been opened unto all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth.
Their sole desire was to attain unto Thy presence, to enter the garden of Thy beauty, to arrive at the sanctuary of reunion with Thee, to prostrate themselves before the gate of Thy mercy, and to bow down before Thy countenance.
Then inscribe for them from the Most Exalted Pen that which will vouchsafe unto them Thy presence and the visitation of Thy Beauty.
I beseech Thee, therefore, O My God, to grant her the honour of beholding Thy Beauty, and vouchsafe unto her the gift of Thy Presence.
I beseech Thee, by the waves of the ocean of Thy oneness from which Thy mention and praise can be heard, to open before the faces of those who seek Thee the gates of meeting with Thee.
Then make me to be among those who turned unto Thee until they attained unto presence before Thy throne and were blessed with the Kawthar of Thy meeting and the Tasnim of reunion with Thee.
I call upon Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst raise up the heavens upon the thread of Thine eternity and didst elevate the pavilions of the Cause upon the throne of the glory of Thine oneness, that Thou mayest send down upon those who have mentioned Thy Most Exalted Name and who have followed the path of Thy love in the realm below, and then raise them up, O my God, unto the stations of holiness in Thy presence, that they may dwell in Thy habitations and drink from the cup of Thy good-pleasure.
I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst manifest Thy beauty, perfect Thy Cause, strengthen Thy proof, and make known and declare Thy attributes, that Thou mayest cause Thy servants to ascend unto the station wherein Thy friend gazeth from the throne of Thy glory and the seat of Thy majesty.
O my Lord! Suffer him to abide in a blessed abode and cause him to enter into a retreat of faithfulness and favor him to everlastingly dwell in the heavenly paradise, the precinct of meeting in the shelter of Thy great mercy!
We beseech God that He may draw thee nigh unto Him and cause thee to enter the holy presence and give thee to drink of the choice wine of His wondrous and glorious utterance.
For thought and discussion