Proclamation: hearing a call addressed to the world

Say: O People of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you: that we shall worship none but Him, and that we shall not associate any partners with Him in His worship, and that we shall not take each other as lords besides God. Verily He is the One God, there is nothing like unto Him, and God is the Witness over all things.

Arise with wisdom and utterance and say: O peoples of the religions! By God, the Day has appeared which was adorned by its mention in the Books of God, the Lord of the worlds. Say: Cast aside the dawning-places of idle fancies and take what you have been commanded by the Strong, the Ancient.

Today all things proclaim "The Truth hath come!" Blessed is the soul that hath attained to hearing the Call.

The Lamp of God calleth out between you saying: "Unto Me, unto Me, O My people and My servants! By My life, I have manifested Myself unto you and I am the Mighty, the Bountiful.

The All-Bountiful has come, saying: "To Me, to Me, O people of understanding!" The All-Merciful has come, saying: "Hasten, hasten, O followers of the religions!" The All-Forgiving has appeared with truth, saying: "Come, come, O people of the Furqan and O people of the Bayan!"

Hasten to success, O companions! Hasten to prosperity, O people of understanding! Hasten to the heavenly table! Hasten to the divine gift! Hasten to celestial guidance! Hasten to the heavenly manifestations! Hasten to the promised bounty! Hasten to the anticipated presence! Hasten to the praiseworthy station! Hasten to eternal life! Hasten to the divine creation! Hasten to the cup brimming with divine outpourings! Hasten to hear the cooing of the dove in the gardens! Hasten to the roaring of the lions in the thickets!

Good news! Good news! The doors of the Kingdom of God are open!

Good news! Good news! Armies of Angels are descending from Heaven!

Good news! Good news! The Sun of Truth is rising!

Good news! Good news! Heavenly food is being sent from above!

Good news! Good news! The Trumpet is sounding!

Good news! Good news! The Banner of the Great Peace is floating far and wide!

Good news! Good news! The Light of the Lamp of the Oneness of Humanity is shining bright!

Good news! Good news! The fire of the Love of God is blazing!

Good news! Good news! The Holy Spirit is being outpoured!

Good news! Good news! For Everlasting Life is here!

O Ye that sleep, Awake! O ye heedless ones, Learn wisdom! O Blind, receive your sight! O Deaf, Hear! O Dumb, Speak! O Dead, Arise!

Be Happy! Be Happy! Be full of Joy!

This is the day of the Proclamation of the Bab! It is the Festival of the Forerunner of the Blessed Beauty (Baha'u'llah). It is the day of the dawning of the Morning of Guidance.

Consequently arise with the greatest confidence of the heart and summon the people to the Kingdom of God and proclaim:-

Glad-tiding! Glad-tiding! The Morn of Guidance hath dawned!

Glad-tiding! Glad-tiding! The Sun of Reality hath shone forth!

Glad-tiding! Glad-tiding! The Breeze of the Rose-garden of God hath wafted.

Glad-tiding! Glad-tiding! A new Grace hath appeared in the world of humanity.

Glad-tiding! Glad-tiding! The ideal of the solidarity of the human race hath pitched its Tent upon the apex of the world.

Glad-tiding! Glad-tiding! The Flag of Peace and Salvation hath been unfurled in this century, waving over the East and the West!

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O ancient servants of the Supreme Lord of the celestial sphere! The lamp of God is lit and the rays of the Sun of Heaven illuminate the rose garden and flower beds. The call of the angel is loud, and the joyous tidings full of enthusiasm give life to every noble one and pauper. The bestowals of the Kind Friend are manifest, and the outpourings of the spring clouds are jewel-bearing. The sea of knowledge and understanding is casting forth pearls, and the fire of the world of heart and soul has flames reaching to the skirts of heaven.

O people of God! The Call is raised high, the Cause is manifest, the Light is shining forth, the precincts of Sinai are adorned and illumined by the Speaker, the great festival is established, the attraction of the Word hath seized all who are in the realm of possibilities, the signs of the Supreme Pen are apparent from all directions.

O loved ones of God among the Arabs! Hearken to the summons of God issuing from this Tree which hath been raised up through the power of truth, every leaf of which proclaimeth within all things: Verily, I am God; there is no God but Him, the Most Holy, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful! Hasten, O people, unto the Tree of God, and seek shelter beneath its shadow.

O Muhammad-Sadiq! Say: By God, the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree hath been raised, and the lights of the Countenance have shone forth from the supreme horizon. Blessed is he who hath witnessed and seen, and woe unto every heedless and veiled one. O peoples of the earth! All the signs have appeared, and the Lord of Names calleth aloud amongst mankind, yet most of the people understand not.

Today the effulgences of the rays of the Sun of Truth have appeared and become manifest from behind the Blessed Tree in the form of this Most Exalted Word upon the white and goodly earth: "The Day of the Call hath come, yet the people hear not. The horizon of utterance hath been illumined with the light of proof, yet most of the people perceive not. What they possess hath prevented them from that which is with God. Verily they understand not."

That which was hidden hath appeared and that which was treasured hath spoken, and the Divine Lote-Tree hath called out: The Day of God, the Sovereign, the Peerless, the All-Informed, hath come. O peoples of the earth, fear God and follow not your desires. Follow Him Who calleth you unto the Straight Path.

We were glorifying God and all things were glorifying with Us. We sat and heard from the rustling of the trees: "By God! The Chosen One has come and the Intended One has appeared - He Who was mentioned in God's Books, recorded in His Scriptures, and promised in the Mother Book."

On this day the Herald hath called out from every direction: "The King is come, and sovereignty belongeth unto God, the Mighty, the All-Praised." Verily the Ocean hath testified to the truth, and the Sun proclaimeth: "He Who was hidden within God's knowledge, the Lord of the heavens and earth, hath come."

The atoms have testified to the Revealer of verses that there is none other God besides Him, the Mighty, the Bestower. The Balance hath appeared and verily it speaketh throughout the world and summoneth the peoples unto God, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.

Say: This is the Day whereon the Treasure hath been unveiled and that which lay hidden from time immemorial hath appeared.

O people! Fear ye the All-Merciful, and deny not Him Who hath come from the heaven of utterance with clear proof and testimony.

Do ye not hide the precious jewels of the Kingdom under the earth. This day is the day of revelation! This Manifestation is the manifestation of knowledge and understanding'.

O servants! The light hath appeared, the Sun hath risen, the Book hath been revealed, the proof is resplendent, and the Kingdom of Utterance is manifest at the midmost heart of contingent being. Yet the people remain heedless and in denial. … Today the Straight Path is manifest and calleth out, guiding all to the supreme horizon. The Balance uttereth "The All-Merciful is come," and the Herald between earth and heaven proclaimeth this most exalted Word: "The Desired One is come with a sovereignty before which the sovereignty of the world and the might of the nations cannot stand.

The Day of God hath come, and the Balance hath been set up, and the Trumpet hath been blown, and the Lord of Revelation hath spoken; yet the people are in strange doubt.

This is the Day of God, and the Speaker of the Bayan hath mounted the pulpit of glory in the City of Love, crying aloud: O people of God! The Day is come, yet the people are in grievous stupor.

This is the Day whereon the Mother Book and the Preserved Tablet cry out before the Face, speaking and saying: "My Lord hath manifested Me - rejoice, O concourse of the chosen ones!"

The Book calleth aloud: The All-Bestowing hath come, and sovereignty belongeth unto God, the Lord of the Final Return! The tongue of the All-Merciful in the Kingdom of Utterance proclaimeth with loudest voice: That which was promised in the Books of God, the Lord of Creation, hath been made manifest!

The Most Great, Most Holy, Most Glorious! The Spirit bears witness: The Light has come, and sovereignty belongs to God, the Mighty, the All-Wise. The Bayan bears witness: The All-Merciful has come with a clear proof. The Beloved bears witness: By God! This indeed is the Best-Beloved. Blessed is he who turns to Him.

Verily the Torah cries out saying: "He Who revealed Me has come with His mighty signs. Turn unto Him, O concourse of Jews!" The Gospel exclaims: "He has come from heaven, He through Whose mention God, the Lord of the seen and unseen, adorned His Book." And the Qur'an calls humanity unto the Truth Who was promised by the Most Exalted Pen in a preserved tablet.

This is the Day whereon mankind hath arisen before God, the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting. This is the Day whereof God informed and gave glad tidings unto His servants through His word: "Lead forth the people from darkness into light and remind them of the days of God."

This is the Day whereon all men have arisen before the Lord of the worlds. This is the Day which the Qur'an had foretold from the presence of the All-Merciful. The Kingdom on that Day is God's, though most of the people remain heedless.

O People of the Book! This is the Day of Return, and the Truth calleth out with its loudest voice, summoning all to the straight path.

This is the Day which all the Prophets and chosen ones have heralded, and all peoples have besought and yearned for the presence of God, exalted be His glory.

O Ali, upon thee be the everlasting splendor of God! This is the Day which all divine Books have been adorned with its mention. Blessed is the soul whom neither doubts nor allusions of the heedless ones prevented from the direction of divine unity. Today the Supreme Paradise crieth out with the most exalted call "The All-Merciful hath come!" and the gates of the most exalted Paradise and the supreme Heaven are opened wide. Blessed is he who hath advanced and entered therein, and woe unto every remote denier.

The heaven hath been cleft asunder, and the Lord of Names hath come with manifest sovereignty. The earth hath been rent, and that which lay concealed within it hath appeared by command of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

Soon shall the heaven be cleft asunder and the Youth shall come upon the crimson Buraq, and the matter shall be determined by One mighty and powerful. Then shalt thou find the idolaters fleeing to the right and to the left. Say: Today there is no escape for anyone save he who has detached himself from all who are in the heavens and the earth and has taken shelter beneath a shade that hath been extended from all eternity.

Say: O peoples of all religions! Fear ye the All-Merciful, and oppose not Him before Whom, when He appeared, the Concourse on High and the dwellers of Paradise bowed down morning and evening.

O peoples of all religions! Hearken unto the Call of the All-Merciful. Verily it hath been raised in truth from this Spot which hath been named the Most Great Prison in a Preserved Tablet.

Today the Kingdom of Utterance proclaimeth before the faces of all religions, without any concealment or disguise, saying: "O people! Fear God, then turn unto the horizon wherefrom the Sun hath shone forth and the Light hath appeared, and wherein was inscribed by the Supreme Pen that which was recorded in the Books of God, the Lord of existence. Beware lest ye deprive yourselves of the Lamp of Salvation, which calleth out with the most exalted call and summoneth all unto God, the Lord of the mighty Throne.

He hath appeared with the truth and hath manifested whatsoever He desired, and hath called all to the supreme horizon.

This is the Day when the Ancient Beauty hath appeared without veil or covering, and the Most Great Name is manifest without any concealment. The door of His grace hath been opened before the faces of His loved ones, and His favors have encompassed all.

This is the Day of Revelation, and the Ancient Beauty calls out to the peoples of the world from the Dawning-Place of the Most Great Name, and summons them to the Source of Divine Revelation and the Dayspring of Grace, which is the Truth Itself.

O followers of Zoroaster! Hearken unto the Call from the direction of 'Akka. Verily, it is raised in truth from God, the Goal of them that are nigh.

O Parsee friends! Give thanks to the Divine Unity that in this spiritual age you have entered beneath the shade of the Tree of Paradise and have heard with your spiritual ears the Call of God's Covenant and become intoxicated from the cup of favor of the Divine Unity.

O beloved of the Lord in London! Know ye assuredly that He who had departed from your midst is come again. Verily He hath fulfilled His promise and manifested His Cause. He passeth amongst you at all times, and yet ye heed Him not.

Then make mention of those who were in the land of Sin (China) and give them glad tidings of the favors of their Lord, the Forgiving, the Merciful. The glory be upon thee and upon them and upon those who have stood firm in this Cause whereby the lands were shaken, the servants were confounded, and the faces of the false ones were darkened.

Say: O concourse of merchants! The Chosen One hath come with grandeur and power. By what proof have ye turned away from the Intended One? Hath this world prevented you from the Lord of Names, and have ye been withheld by following every heedless sinner? Cast away what ye possess and take what ye have been commanded by One mighty and powerful.

Today the One Who is the Purpose of all who are in earth and heaven and the King of the Kingdom of Names speaks these sublime words: O My handmaidens and My leaves! Hearken with the ear of the spirit to the call of the Blessed Tree and grasp firmly its most pure and luminous hem, that perchance ye may attain to that which hath been recorded and inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen in the Crimson Book.

All the women of the world have been created specifically for the recognition of the Intended One, and yet most of them remain heedless and veiled from this station.

Say: O women of the earth! Deprive not yourselves, and keep not distant from a Law which hath trickled down from the clouds of grace.

Say: O women of the earth! Hearken unto that which the Spirit imparteth unto you.

"Say: O people of the Book! Do ye not disavow us only because we believe in God and in His signs?" "Will ye slay a man because he saith my Lord is God?" "Nor did they torment them but for their faith in God, the Mighty, the Praised."

Be not disheartened by such objections and injuries, for they are proof of acceptance at the threshold of the Forgiving Lord. Say: "O People of the Book! Do you resent us only because we believe in God and what has been revealed to us...?"

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This is the Day wherein the Call of God has been raised from the direction of the Most Great Prison, calling out to the nations that there is no God but Me, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting.

The Pen testifieth in the Most Great Prison and calleth out amongst the nations: "The Kingdom is God's, the Lord of eternity!" Yet the people understand not.

Say: O people, by His Name the Self-Subsisting, He calleth out with the most exalted call from the horizon of the prison and summoneth the entire creation unto God, the Lord of the beginning and the end.

The Wronged One calleth aloud from the Most Great Prison and summoneth all to God, the Lord of eternity, yet most of the peoples remain heedless.

His remembrance from the Wronged One is unto all who are in the world, that He may draw them nigh unto God when He came with manifest sovereignty and revealed that which was hidden in the Books of old and treasured in the hearts of the Messengers.

We summoned all, without veil or barrier, unto God, the Lord of the worlds. We stood before all faces, speaking that which would draw them nigh unto the Most Great Ocean which surgeth by My Name, the All-Compelling over all who are in the heavens and earth.

In the earliest days We arose, with no veil or covering, before the faces of the followers of all religions and proclaimed the Cause of God. We opened wide the gates of utterance to all the peoples of possibility.

We address all created things with the most exalted call: Awaken ye to the call of your Lord Who hath come with power and sovereignty!

… Know thou, moreover, that We have written Tablets for the followers of the Magian Faith and have therein adorned the Law. Blessed is he who remembereth them with joy and fragrance. And We have revealed therein the essence of what was concealed in their Books of symbols and allusions.

The day-star of words, dawning above the horizon of the utterance of Him Who is the Lord of all names and attributes, hath, at this most blessed of hours, shone forth in all truth with the splendours of the light of God. The spirit of understanding, flowing from the Pen of the All-Glorious, hath, by virtue of His grace, been conferred upon all created things. The mystery of all mysteries, emerging from behind the veils of concealment, hath, in very truth, been revealed to the righteous, as bidden by God, the Almighty, the Unconstrained.

God, the Most Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Most Great, addresseth the holy Beings created through the Primal Word that proceeded from His mouth, and beyond them the Concourse on high, and beyond them those whom He hath sanctified above the comprehension of all who are on earth and in heaven and whom He hath raised up through His hidden and inscrutable Will, saying: "Rejoice in your very souls, for the most auspicious time hath come; and the Hour hath struck round which revolve all the other hours foretold in the Tablets of God, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Merciful; and the hidden Morn hath broken forth, in this treasured Name, from the dayspring of divinity, shedding its radiance upon all that hath been and all that shall be." Blessed be the Lord of all bounty, the source of this supernal grace!

The promised Day of God is come! He Who is the Manifestation of the Adored One hath been established upon the throne of His name, the All-Loving, and the sun of His bounty hath cast its rays upon the seeing and seen alike. Wherefore renounce ye, O denizens of the realms of limitation, that which ye possess, adorn your temples with His glorious vesture, and behold with untainted vision Him Who is the luminous Beauty of God seated upon the throne of glory in His transcendent, His almighty and all-subduing sovereignty. All praise be to the Best-Beloved, Who hath revealed His hidden beauty with such manifest authority!

All days have attained their consummation in this most august of days, and all hours in this noblest of hours, and the Unseen hath willed to confer every grace upon the inmates of earth and heaven, to establish, before all who are in the kingdoms of revelation and creation, the Manifestation of God and His loftiness, and the sovereignty of God and His grandeur, that His favour might be made complete unto His servants and His bounty fulfilled unto His creation. And yet, when once He appeared, the eyes of all who had awaited Him were dazzled, save for those whom His might had protected and from whose sight He had lifted all worldly veils. Blessed, then, be He Who hath been made manifest through the power of truth in this wondrous, this shining vesture!

And when the appointed hour of His Revelation struck on this promised Day, the veils of destiny were rent asunder and the divine decree was fulfilled with the departure of the Luminary of the heaven of eternity from the city of Baghdad. This came to pass by reason of what the hands of the malicious had wrought against this Light -- a Light that hath outshone every other in its sacred and wondrous splendour. Blessed, then, be He Who hath sent down these twin Revelations through His most great, His most mighty sovereignty!

At the advent of this Manifestation the realities of all created things were filled with joy, and all seized the cup of ecstasy with the hands of longing and rapture and drank thereof the choicest wine for love of this Beauty -- a Beauty that hath appeared through the power of truth, arrayed with the ornament of God, the Sovereign, the Just, the All-Wise. Blessed, then, be He Who, through this Revelation, hath attracted the hearts of the well-favoured of the Lord!

Say: This is the Day for which the Pen of the Most High hath ordained no peer, and whose like the denizens of the Concourse on high and the realities of the Prophets and Messengers of God have never attained. Blessed, then, be He Who hath made manifest this hallowed and sacred, this mighty and wondrous Day!

This is the Day whereon the pillars of the Throne trembled in their yearning for God to establish Himself thereon, the Day whereon the foundations of the most lofty Seat were stirred into motion. Blessed, then, be God, the Source of this rapture that hath seized the entire creation!

This is the Day whereon the Sun of Beauty dawned above the horizon of the countenance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great, and the clouds of bounty rained down, and the trees of Paradise yielded such fruits as God hath apportioned to them that turn unto Him with radiant hearts in this Dispensation. Blessed, then, be God, Who hath ordained this surpassing grace!

This is the Day whereon the spirits departed from their bodies in their eagerness to behold the unveiled countenance of the Ancient Beauty. Blessed, then, be the One Who hath manifested this mighty Day!

This is the Day whereon the Most Great Spirit was embodied in the most comely of forms, and, proceeding from the Realm on high, approached the Scene of transcendent glory with such radiance as to delight the Maid of Heaven, until she paused, suspended in the air before Our presence, with such an adorning as to seize with longing the hearts of the Messengers of God. Blessed, then, be God, Who hath created this noble angel!

Thereupon the inmates of Paradise, and beyond them the inhabitants of the retreats of holiness and the realms of communion, and beyond them they that dwell within the habitations of heaven and they that abide beneath the tabernacle of concealment, stepped forth one and all from their lofty mansions, and, conversing in hushed tones, apprised one another of that which had come to pass upon the earth. It was as though the Ancient King had revealed Himself unto Himself, and then, with undisputed sovereignty, unto His servants and His creatures in the realm of creation. Blessed, then, be God, Who bringeth forth whatsoever He pleaseth through the potency of His all-compelling command!

Then the Most Great Spirit raised a call that resounded through the entire creation, saying: "Solaced be your eyes, O ye inhabitants of earth and heaven, O ye manifestations of the divine names and attributes, and O ye who are immersed beneath the oceans of grandeur that lie beyond the worlds of intimation and allusion! This is the Day whereon God Himself, the Most Exalted, the Most High, through His own sacred and glorious Self, beareth round unto every soul, high and low alike, the cup of nearness and reunion." Blessed, then, be God, Who hath revealed Himself in all His manifold grace on this greatest of all days!

This is the Day whereon the most grievous veil was torn asunder and the Scene of transcendent purity was made manifest; the Day whereon the face of God smiled with the joy of reunion, and the gates of His presence were flung open to the embodiments of His beauty and majesty and to them that had pierced the veils of glory through the power born of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise; the Day whereon all things visible and invisible cried out: "Hallowed be the Lord, the most excellent of all creators!"

Whereupon the Most Great Spirit was summoned to silence, and the rapture of God seized the inhabitants of the cities of eternity, the inmates of the crimson chambers, and the dwellers of the kingdom of names. One and all they descended from their habitations until they stood betwixt earth and heaven, with utmost humility and submissiveness, before His Countenance. Blessed, then, be God, Who hath made manifest this resistless, this all-glorious and transcendent Cause!

Then were their voices lifted up in praise and exultation on this glorious Day, a Day whose radiance deriveth not from the sun and its rays but from the effulgent light of the Countenance of God, the King, the Exalted, the All-Bountiful. Blessed, then, be He Who hath caused it to appear through the power of truth and Who hath resurrected therein the souls of all humankind!

And then another herald called out from the Scene of transcendent glory: "By God! This is the Day whereon the veils of contention were torn asunder, and the breezes of unity were wafted, and the Lord of creation appeared, invested with manifest sovereignty and riding upon the clouds of grandeur on this, His promised Day." Blessed, then, be God, Who hath descended in truth from the heaven of sublime holiness!

This is the Day whereon fire and water were joined together as one, and the veils were removed from the face of all mysteries, inasmuch as the Beauty of the Unconstrained came forth arrayed in the raiment of His own Self, the Help in Peril, the Almighty, the Incomparable. All glory be to this Day whose advent hath cheered the eyes of the well-favoured of God!

When that joy born of God had taken hold of all else besides Him, the Most Great Spirit called out once more, proclaiming: "O ye dwellers of the kingdoms of earth and heaven! O ye denizens of the realms of revelation and creation! Blessed are your ears, for they have hearkened unto the verses of nearness and reunion. Hear now the tidings of remoteness and separation, for the Luminary of the world hath purposed to depart from the land of 'Iraq, in accordance with the firm covenant that hath been set forth in the Scriptures of God, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."

At this announcement the dwellers of earth and heaven were filled with dismay. Such was their weeping and wailing that they fell prostrate upon the dust, consumed with sorrow. How strange that grievous and sore-trying separation! All things visible and invisible were bewildered by this call. Such was their plight that the letter "B" became oblivious of the letter "E", and the lovers forsook the face of their Beloved, the Almighty, the All-Praised. How woeful was that manifest and irrevocable decree!

When matters came to such a pass, the Ancient Beauty bestirred Himself, and all things were inwardly and outwardly set in motion. Then He arose, and through His arising the Most Great Resurrection was ushered in betwixt earth and heaven. Whereupon the Spirit called out once again, before His presence: "O Israfil! By the righteousness of God, thou wert created for this day. Wherefore, sound thy trumpet to proclaim the advent of this Manifestation, that every mouldering bone may be quickened thereby!" As bidden, the angel sounded his trumpet, causing all who dwell in heaven and on earth to swoon away. Then he sounded his trumpet anew; they arose and, fixing their gaze upon this glorious Vision, cried out: "Hallowed be the Lord, the most excellent of all creators!"

The Ancient Beauty stepped forth, while the Kingdom of Revelation preceded Him and the Heaven of divine Inspiration followed in His wake. On His right strode the Realm of Command, and on His left marched the hosts of the well-favoured ones. All glory be to this manifest and wondrous Cause!

And when He reached the courtyard of the House, the concourse of the realm of holiness prostrated themselves at His feet, and the foundations of the House trembled in their separation from God, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Most Exalted. The inhabitants of every city cried out, and the hearts of them that circle round God were sorely shaken. How grievous that separation which caused the very pillars of the world to crumble!

Upon hearing the lamentations of the inhabitants of the realm of dust, the Beauty of the All-Beloved lingered a moment, and the Eye of majesty wept sore at their weeping. Indeed, the sighs of His loved ones caused His heart to swell with such grief that none in the heavens or on the earth could bear its weight.

He proceeded until He reached the concealing veil, and there at His feet He beheld a child that had removed itself from its mother's breast. And this infant clung to the hem of His robe so earnestly and besought Him in such piteous tones to stay, that the dust of sorrow shrouded the face of every perceiving soul and the winds of anguish blew upon the entire creation. How heavy the burden of grief that clouded the countenance of the sincere! Were it not for the protection of God, the seven heavens would at that moment have been cleft asunder, and the earth would have swallowed up all that dwell upon it, and every lofty peak would have been reduced to dust.

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."

He then wept within Himself with such a weeping that the dwellers of earth and heaven, and those suspended in the air before Him, and those circling round the Countenance of grandeur, wept with Him. And He spoke unto them, saying: "Know ye that in such a departure on the very Day of Our Appearance there are signs and tokens for them that understand. Haply, by reason of Our departure on this most sublime and wondrous Day, the peoples of earth and heaven may emerge from behind the veils of self and passion; draw nigh unto God, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious; and become detached from whatsoever He hath created or ordained in this world. This is that which God had purposed for them as a bounty from His presence. He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous." Blessed, then, be God, the source of this most manifest, this most exalted bestowal!

The King of Eternity went forth, flanked by the hosts of the seen and the unseen, with His gaze fixed upon the court of the divine decree. Before Him arose the sighs of His lovers, whilst behind Him could be heard the lamentations of them that yearn after Him. When He reached the banks of the river, He parted from His loved ones, and it was as though the very souls of those devoted servants had parted from their bodies. But He exhorted them to patience and fortitude, and summoned them to the fear of God, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Unconstrained. And then, crossing the river, He entered the Garden of Ridvan, wherein He ascended the throne of His wondrous sovereignty. Blessed, then, be the All-Bountiful, the Source of this all-encompassing grace!

Once seated on His throne, the Ancient Beauty shed the splendour of His name, the Self-Subsisting, upon all things, so as to fulfil that which had been recorded by the Supreme Pen at the bidding of God, the Most Exalted, the Most High. Then He cast the light of His name, the All-Possessing, upon all things seen and unseen; and of His name, the Most Manifest, upon all that is mentioned and all that is concealed; and of His name, the Most Great, upon the embodiments of eternity and all other peoples; and of His name, the All-Knowing, upon the exponents of the names of God. Well is it with the one who hath turned towards that which He hath revealed through His unfailing grace on this most august Day. How glorious was His assumption of that seat of majesty, through which the hearts of them that enjoy near access to Him were assured, and the souls of them that have recognized Him drew nigh, and the faces of them that have turned towards Him were illumined, and the spirits of them that have fixed their gaze upon Him were sanctified, and the eyes of the Concourse on high were cheered, and the tongues of all things, visible and invisible, were unloosed in praise of God, the Sovereign Lord, the Mighty, the Gracious! Sweet indeed was that heavenly fragrance through which the musk of hidden meanings was scattered throughout the worlds!

The Ancient Beauty's ascent upon His throne took place at the very moment the people arose to offer the afternoon prayer unto God, the Almighty, the Beauteous. Even in this there are signs for those who are well assured, evidences for them that discern, and allusions for such as have been endued with insight. The Beauty of the All-Merciful tarried in the Garden of Ridvan for twelve days, during which the hosts of the Concourse on high, the well-favoured angels of God, and the souls of His Messengers circled day and night round the Tabernacle of grandeur and the Pavilion of inviolable sanctity, guarding and protecting the people of God from the hosts of the Evil One. Blessed, then, be God, Who manifested this incomparable, this glorious station!

During every moment of those days, the inmates of the chambers of Paradise descended from on high, bearing chalices brimming over with the living waters of revelation and cups overflowing with the choice wine of holiness, which they proffered unto the dwellers of the pavilion of glory and the inmates of the tabernacle of resplendent majesty. Blessed, then, be God for this most exalted, this all-encompassing grace! And when the appointed time of tarrying was fulfilled and the decree of departure was received, the Beauty of the All-Merciful arose and went out from the Ridvan Garden riding upon the finest stallion. Blessed, then, be the All-Glorious, Who appeared in the world of creation with a sovereignty that transcendeth the heavens and the earth!

As He departed, a cry of sorrow ascended from the garden, and its trees, and leaves, and fruits, and walls, and air, and ground, and pavilion, while the dwellers of the deserts and the wilderness, and even the very dunes and the dust of the earth, rejoiced at His approach.

Thus did the Beauty of the All-Glorious establish Himself upon the lofty heights of eternity, inasmuch as His gaze was fixed upon the decree which the Finger of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, had inscribed upon the blessed and snow-white Tablet. And thus do We relate unto you the account of the day of Our Manifestation and the circumstances of Our banishment by reason of the machinations of such seditious souls as had disbelieved in and joined partners with God, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Most Bountiful.

At the time when the Cause of Him Who is the Day-Star of the heights of glory was being proclaimed, the essences of existence were, from the kingdom of the seen and the unseen, listening and exclaiming, "Well done, O people of God, well done!"

This is not the day of silence! It is the day of the Proclamation of the Kingdom!