Gathering and preserving the sacred writings

Although much of what was revealed hath been lost and effaced due to lack of time and the rebellion of the people of hatred, strive to obtain that which exists, that thou mayest testify with complete certitude that all that hath been and will be mentioned hath flowed from the Ancient Pen.

Well nigh a hundred volumes of luminous verses and perspicuous words have already been sent down from the heaven of the will of Him Who is the Revealer of signs, and are available unto all.

All divine Tablets have the status of one book, like the Qur'an - although it has multiple chapters, it is one book. Say: All are from God. All are the Preserved Tablet and the Unfurled Scroll. Therefore, mention of any holy soul in any one of them suffices.

The horizon of the Sun of Identity, the mystery of truth, will be exceedingly sweet. It cannot remain hidden by dark clouds. Understand this metaphor. The divine tablets are published, meaning they are renowned before everyone. They cannot remain folded up and concealed. Comprehend this explicit statement.

Abdul Baha:

The teachings of Baha'u'llah are not yet evident, not yet made known, not all accumulated. For instance, there are teachings in the Book of Akdas, but they are not all there. There are the Tablet of Bishara, etc., but all these do not contain all the teachings of Baha'u'llah. They are scattered, but they will be gathered together. Then it will become evident how important are the teachings of Baha'u'llah.

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As for the matter of writing down and collecting the wondrous tokens and extraordinary marvels which have been witnessed from the Ancient Beauty by those endowed with sight: to prohibit this would become a cause of the cooling and discouragement of hearts. Therefore, no objection should be raised to it...

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These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst enjoin Thy servants to observe the fast. With it Thou didst adorn the preamble of the Book of Thy Laws revealed unto Thy creatures, and didst deck forth the Repositories of Thy commandments in the sight of all who are in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth. Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee, Whose knowledge embraceth all created things. Thou hast, also, assigned unto every soul a portion of this virtue in accordance with the Tablet of Thy decree and the Scriptures of Thine irrevocable judgment. Every leaf of these Books and Scriptures Thou hast, moreover, alloted to each one of the peoples and kindreds of the earth.

For Thine ardent lovers Thou hast, according to Thy decree, reserved, at each daybreak, the cup of Thy remembrance, O Thou Who art the Ruler of rulers! These are they who have been so inebriated with the wine of Thy manifold wisdom that they forsake their couches in their longing to celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy virtues, and flee from sleep in their eagerness to approach Thy presence and partake of Thy bounty. Their eyes have, at all times, been bent upon the Day-Spring of Thy loving-kindness, and their faces set towards the Fountain-Head of Thine inspiration. Rain down, then, upon us and upon them from the clouds of Thy mercy what beseemeth the heaven of Thy bounteousness and grace.

Lauded be Thy name, O my God! This is the hour when Thou hast unlocked the doors of Thy bounty before the faces of Thy creatures, and opened wide the portals of Thy tender mercy unto all the dwellers of Thine earth. I beseech Thee, by all them whose blood was shed in Thy path, who, in their yearning over Thee, rid themselves from all attachment to any of Thy creatures, and who were so carried away by the sweet savors of Thine inspiration that every single member of their bodies intoned Thy praise and vibrated to Thy remembrance, not to withhold from us the things Thou hast irrevocably ordained in this Revelation -- a Revelation the potency of which hath caused every tree to cry out what the Burning Bush had aforetime proclaimed unto Moses, Who conversed with Thee, a Revelation that hath enabled every least pebble to resound again with Thy praise, as the stones glorified Thee in the days of Muhammad, Thy Friend.

These are the ones, O my God, whom Thou hast graciously enabled to have fellowship with Thee and to commune with Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself. The winds of Thy will have scattered them abroad until Thou didst gather them together beneath Thy shadow, and didst cause them to enter into the precincts of Thy court. Now that Thou hast made them to abide under the shade of the canopy of Thy mercy, do Thou assist them to attain what must befit so august a station. Suffer them not, O my Lord, to be numbered with them who, though enjoying near access to Thee, have been kept back from recognizing Thy face, and who, though meeting with Thee, are deprived of Thy presence.

These are Thy servants, O my Lord, who have entered with Thee in this, the Most Great Prison, who have kept the fast within its walls according to what Thou hadst commanded them in the Tablets of Thy decree and the Books of Thy behest. Send down, therefore, upon them what will thoroughly purge them of all Thou abhorrest, that they may be wholly devoted to Thee, and may detach themselves entirely from all except Thyself.

Rain down, then, upon us, O my God, that which beseemeth Thy grace and befitteth Thy bounty. Enable us, then, O my God, to live in remembrance of Thee and to die in love of Thee, and supply us with the gift of Thy presence in Thy worlds hereafter -- worlds which are inscrutable to all except Thee. Thou art our Lord and the Lord of all worlds, and the God of all that are in heaven and all that are on earth.

Thou beholdest, O my God, what hath befallen Thy dear ones in Thy days. Thy glory beareth me witness! The voice of the lamentation of Thy chosen ones hath been lifted up throughout Thy realm. Some were ensnared by the infidels in Thy land, and were hindered by them from having near access to Thee and from attaining the court of Thy glory. Others were able to approach Thee, but were kept back from beholding Thy face. Still others were permitted, in their eagerness to look upon Thee, to enter the precincts of Thy court, but they allowed the veils of the imaginations of Thy creatures and the wrongs inflicted by the oppressors among Thy people to come in between them and Thee.

This is the hour, O my Lord, which Thou hast caused to excel every other hour, and hast related it to the choicest among Thy creatures. I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Self and by them, to ordain in the course of this year what shall exalt Thy loved ones. Do Thou, moreover, decree within this year what will enable the Day-Star of Thy power to shine brightly above the horizon of Thy glory, and to illuminate, by Thy sovereign might, the whole world.

Render Thy Cause victorious, O my Lord, and abase Thou Thine enemies. Write down, then, for us the good of this life and of the life to come. Thou art the Truth, Who knoweth the secret things. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

Pure souls should gather divine verses pertaining to every situation and, with wisdom and appropriateness, convey them in a spirit of joy and fragrance - for instance, verses concerning character, as well as those revealed regarding deeds and words and the prohibition of corruption, contention and conflict, and likewise keep in mind verses for other occasions, reciting them when necessary, that perchance the heedless may become aware and comprehend their purpose.

"The teachers must be taught such utterances as will cause the nearness, attraction and enkindlement of souls. In the revealed Tablets, whatever they desire has been sent down. Regarding detachment, mighty verses have been revealed, and likewise concerning God-consciousness, attention and migration. Concerning each virtue and attribute, that which has been revealed would, if imparted, attract beings to the highest summit and ultimate goal. You should strive to gather these so all may attain that which causes the elevation of being and the exaltation of souls. We beseech God, blessed and exalted is He, to assist you in all conditions to attract hearts.

We beseech God to aid one of His loved ones to compile all that hath flowed from the Supreme Pen in various stations concerning the absence of conflict, contention and corruption, as well as counsels, consummate wisdom, and the unity and concord of the servants. Verily He is the Helper, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Great.

Likewise the mention of those souls who in this Most Great Revelation, with perfect attraction and enthusiasm, with longing and yearning, have sought the station of sacrifice and have offered up their lives in the path of the love of the Beloved of the worlds - these matters are acceptable and praiseworthy before God.

A people will assuredly appear who will eagerly seek out and preserve every single letter thereof, and arrange it into the most perfect order. … And that incomparable Order, first and foremost, is that the verses of God should be arranged according to their themes [shu'un]: divine verses, prayers, and so forth, each with respect to their theme. For example, that which was revealed on the theme of the love of God and the love of the people amongst each other should all be placed under the category of love; that which was revealed concerning detachment under the category of detachment; concerning righteousness under the category of righteousness; concerning truthfulness under the category of truthfulness; and likewise concerning trustworthiness and piety.

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It is the concern of the True One to reveal, and the concern of men to spread what hath been revealed. He will, verily, promulgate His Cause by the hands of His scattering and well-favoured angels. Spiritual souls will assuredly emerge from behind the veil of Divine protection who will gather together the tokens and Verses of God and put them into the most excellent order. This is His sure and irrevocable decree.

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