By what proof did you believe before, Bahá’u’lláh asks the divines, and by what evidence do you now turn away? The question is addressed to those whose learning should have prepared them to recognise truth, and it exposes how the same learning, joined to status and inherited expectation, can become the thickest of veils. He tells them to judge with justice, to keep their faces turned toward the poor, to look at the signs with new eyes, and to remember that for centuries they prayed for the Promised One’s advent and then pronounced judgment against Him when He came. The language is fierce and belongs to particular confrontations; it is not a licence for contempt toward scholars or communities. Jesus’ rebuke of leaders who tithed mint and cumin while neglecting judgment, mercy and faith [1] makes a comparable demand on anyone who holds authority over others. The questions reach past formal leadership to each of us: whether our standards of evidence are consistent, whether we welcome correction, and whether knowledge enlarges our responsibility. From here the path leads to the proclamation addressed to Muslims, to the Christian clergy, to kings and rulers, and to the peoples of the world.
Say: O concourse of divines! Judge with justice amongst My servants. Beware lest anything prevent you from turning toward the poor. Look not to the right, but to the manifest truth. We are with you in all conditions. We hear what issueth from your mouths and behold what ye do. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Turn away your eyes from the left; be ye of them on the right hand who judge with pure justice for the sake of God. These, verily, are of the sincere ones.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290-05 [1873-Jun], to Mulla Muhammad Qa'ini (Nabil-i-Akbar) -- BH00564)
02
O servant of God! Say: O high priests! The Hand of Omnipotence is stretched forth from behind the clouds; behold ye it with new eyes. The tokens of His majesty and greatness are unveiled; gaze ye on them with pure eyes.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Dustan-i-Yazdani, ca. 1289-1290? -- BH01353)
03
Say: Be fair, O concourse of divines! By what proof did ye believe aforetime, and by what evidence do ye now turn away from this hidden Name?
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1300-03-15 [1883-Jan-24], to Muhammad -- BH06381)
04
O concourse of divines! By what proof did ye believe in My previous Manifestations yet deny this Manifestation at Whose appearance all things have cried out: "The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing"? Do ye imagine that ye are the beneficent? Nay, rather ye are among the most lost!
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290-04 [1873-May], to Jinab-i-Mirza Abu'l-Hasan akh Jamal -- BH02870)
05
Say: O concourse of divines! Ye are the veils of the earth and its doubts - to this testifies He with Whom is the perspicuous Book. Were ye to be fair, by what proof did ye believe in Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and by what evidence did ye turn away from Him Who came to you with that which is with the All-Knowing? Fear God and be not of the wrongdoers.
Say: O concourse of divines! Where is your praise and glorification, and where is your postponement and hastening regarding the Manifestation of God and His proof? Fear God and follow not your idle fancies; rather follow Him Who hath come to you with a manifest light. Say: O heedless ones! Why did the idol-worshipping divines turn away when Muhammad, the Apostle of God, appeared, and by what proof did the Jews deny when the Spirit came, and by what evidence did the tyrants and pharaohs turn away from God, the Lord of the worlds?
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1301-12-29 [1884-Oct-20], to Siyyid Mihdi Dahaji et al -- BH00059)
07
Say: O concourse of divines! Fear ye God and follow not your idle fancies. Follow that which ye have been commanded in a mighty Tablet. Reflect upon the former ages and upon the deeds of those who turned away from the Truth and disputed His signs, until they pronounced judgment against the Prophets and Messengers. They cast the command of God behind their backs and seized upon that which they were forbidden in His perspicuous Book.
O concourse of divines! Fear ye God, and deny not Him Who hath come from the heaven of grace and bounty with verses that all the treasures of earth cannot equal. To this beareth witness the Mother Book from its most exalted station. Be fair in your judgment by God, and follow not idle fancies and vain imaginings.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304 ? [1886-1887], to Baha'is of the Caucasus -- BH00558)
09
Say: Observe! Observe! O concourse of divines, and be not of the wrongdoers. Judge with fairness and be not of those who behold the signs yet deny them - these indeed are the transgressors.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304-08-14 [1887-May-8], to Mulla Ali Asghar Qaini -- BH05864)
10
Say: O concourse of divines! Be fair in the Cause of God and His sovereignty, and follow not fancies and idle imaginings. Behold what hath been inscribed by the Most Exalted Pen upon the Tablet of existence. God hath come with manifest sovereignty. Cast away what ye possess and take what ye have been given from God, the Mighty, the Loving.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304-01-14 [1886-Oct-13], to Aqa Siyyid Mirza Abadih -- BH05093)
11
O concourse of divines in Persia! Be fair concerning that which hath appeared with truth and be not of the oppressors.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1307 ? [1889-1890], to Yusuf -- BH05256)
12
Take hold of the reins of the Cause by My Most Great Name and say: O concourse of divines! Fear God and bar not those who were created by God's binding Word, by which the books of the world were detailed, if ye but knew. Beware lest the conditions of learning withhold you from the Known One.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1300-03-29 [1883-Feb-7], to Mulla 'Ali Khan -- BH03126)
13
The books of the world profit you not this day save through this Book which speaketh before the faces of the nations by the leave of an All-Knowing Commander. Thus have We sent down the verses and expounded them in truth and dispatched them unto thee, that thou mayest be endowed with insight into this momentous announcement.
(Bahá’u’lláh, to Aqa Mirza Ashraf et al -- BH00441)
14
Say: O concourse of divines! Still your pens, for by God the Most Exalted Pen speaketh in truth and moveth across the Tablet by the command of One powerful and all-knowing. Efface what ye possess of sciences and allusions, for lo, the Tree of the Uttermost End calleth between earth and heaven, and in each word that proceedeth from its mouth are treasured the sciences of the first and the last.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Mulla Imamvirdi -- BH02635)
15
Say: O concourse of divines! Cast aside that which ye imagine. He Who is Known hath come with His Name, the Self-Subsisting. Beware lest ye perpetrate what your likes have perpetrated in the days of God, your Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.
O concourse of divines! Cast aside what ye possess of idle fancies, then turn with your hearts toward the Most Exalted Horizon - the Station from which hath shone forth the Sun of Knowledge from One mighty and powerful.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1301-03 [1883-Dec], to Mulla Muhammad Husayn -- BH06424)
17
Say: O company of the learned! Why have ye turned away from the Dayspring of divine knowledge after having been promised it in the Tablets of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed? By My life! They are worshippers of vain imaginings, save him who hath held fast to My Name, the Self-Subsisting, Who hath come with a mighty sovereignty.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290-05 [1873-Jun], to Mirza Abdu'l-Rahim Ghafari -- BH03652)
18
Say: O concourse of divines! Cast aside what ye possess. By God! The Most Exalted Pen has been raised and announces to all the appearance of the Known One, to Whom ye turned morning and evening.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1300 ? [1882-1883], to Aqa Shaykh Abbas -- BH01742)
19
Say: O concourse of divines! Fear ye God and follow not your idle fancies. The Promise hath come and the Promised One calleth aloud before all faces.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1307 ? [1889-1890], to Hadi son of Ridar-Ruh -- BH02239)
20
Say: O concourse of divines! Where is the phrase "may God hasten His advent" and where are your supplications and prayers for His appearance and manifestation? Be fair, O people, and be not of the wrongdoers. Ye have pronounced judgment against Him through Whose name your stations were exalted and your ordinances encompassed all and your commands were executed.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1306-03 [1888-Nov], to Muhammad Hasan son of Mulla Mihdi -- BH05492)
21
They would enter mosques and temples to make mention of God and to recite what He had revealed unto His Beloved and Chosen One. Yet when the horizon of the world was illumined and there shone forth from it the Sun of His Most Great Name - through which the Cause of every Prophet was established and the Mission of every Messenger was fulfilled - they turned away from Him, denied Him, cast His Cause behind their backs, broke His Covenant, and perpetrated that which caused the atoms to lament and the Maids of Heaven to swoon in their chambers.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1299-02-09 [1881-Dec-31], to Mirza Ali Muhammad Yazdi (Varqa) et al -- BH00013)
22
Say: O high priests! The Possessor of the world is come. His Way is unlike other ways, and His words are unlike other words. Hearken ye unto them and come towards Him. This is the Day of Victory, and no one hath ever witnessed or will again witness its like.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1305-01-25 [1887-Oct-13], to Siavakhsh -- BH04665)
23
O concourse of divines! Fear God in your opinions from this your day, for the Remembrance among you from Us is in truth a judge and witness. Turn away from that which ye take from other than God's Book of truth, for ye shall in truth be questioned at your station on the path on the Day of Resurrection.
(The Báb, Qayyumu'l-Asma' (Commentary on the Surah of Joseph), 1260-05 [1844-May] -- BB00002)
24
Say: O concourse of divines! Hold your pens, for by God the Supreme Pen moveth upon the Tablet of Destiny.
Say: O concourse of divines! Cast aside what is in your hearts and breasts, and take what ye are bidden by God, the Sovereign of sovereigns.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1303-12 [1886-Aug], to Mulla Muhammad Rida -- BH04249)
26
O concourse of divines! Pride not yourselves on your conjectures and idle fancies, nor on your riches and wealth. Choose for yourselves that which shall endure in the kingdom of your Lord, the Most High, the Mighty, the Great. This is a matter that your power and might cannot weaken, nor your imaginings affect. Fear God and be among the discerning ones.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1291-03 [1874-Apr], to Jinab-i-Mulla Muhammad Rida -- BH01801)
27
Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud, and who hath been debarred thereby from recognizing My Name, the Self-Subsisting; who, when he heareth the tread of sandals following behind him, waxeth greater in his own esteem than Nimrod. … Say: O concourse of divines! Hear ye not the shrill voice of My Most Exalted Pen? See ye not this Sun that shineth in refulgent splendour above the All-Glorious Horizon? For how long will ye worship the idols of your evil passions? Forsake your vain imaginings, and turn yourselves unto God, your Everlasting Lord.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), 1290-05-15 [1873-Jul-11] -- BH00001)
28
O concourse of divines! By God, Paradise lamenteth because of your tyranny, and the chosen ones because of what hath befallen Us at the hands of your followers, who have clung to you without clear proof or evidence. Behold, then remember what ye have done aforetime to God's friends and chosen ones, through whom the horizon of the world was illumined and the ocean of knowledge surged amongst the nations, and through whom the banners of unity were hoisted upon the hills.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1302 ? [1884-1885], to Muhammad Hashim et al -- BH00098)
29
O concourse of divines! Fling away idle fancies and imaginings, and turn, then, towards the Horizon of Certitude. I swear by God! All that ye possess will profit you not, neither all the treasures of the earth, nor the leadership ye have usurped. Fear God, and be not of the lost ones.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1298-06-03 [1881-May-3], to Mulla Qanbar -- BH04977)
30
Say: O concourse of divines! The Creator of the heavens and the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Names hath come. Fear ye God and be not of the heedless. This is the Day wherein the Herald proclaimeth: "The Kingdom belongeth to God, the Almighty, the All-Praised."
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304-04-25 [1887-Jan-21], to Ibrahim -- BH01199)
31
O ye divines of the City! We came to you with the truth, whilst ye were heedless of it. Methinks ye are as dead, wrapt in the coverings of your own selves. Ye sought not Our presence, when so to do would have been better for you than all your doings. Know ye that the Sun of vicegerency hath dawned in all truth, and yet ye have turned away therefrom.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Muluk (Surih to the Kings) -- BH00021)
32
Say: O concourse of divines! Cast aside what ye possess of veils and allusions. Hearken unto that which the Supreme Pen calleth you to in this wondrous Day. Through your injustice the Concourse on High hath lamented, as have the denizens of Paradise and those who have proclaimed there is no God but He, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1298 ? [1880-1881], to Siyyid Mihdi Dahaji et al -- BH00576)
33
O concourse of divines! Because of you the people were abased, and the banner of Islam was hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted. Every time a man of discernment hath sought to hold fast unto that which would exalt Islam, ye raised a clamour, and thereby was he deterred from achieving his purpose, while the land remained fallen in clear ruin.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Burhan (= Lawh-i-Raqsha?), 1296 ? [1878-1879], to Shaykh Muhammad Baqir of Isfahan (The Wolf) et al -- BH00336)
34
Thus speaks He, blessed and exalted be He: "O concourse of divines! Not one among you at the dawn of the Manifestation attained to faith. You all, along with your ignorant followers, engaged in cursing and denouncing. Throughout ages and centuries, you imagined yourselves to be commemorating God and following His commandments. Yet when the dawn of hope appeared and the blessed Tree sprouted forth, you arose with swords of hatred to cut it down and issued decrees for the shedding of His most pure blood. … Now set aside your ignorant prejudices and speak with justice and fairness. The horizon of the world is illumined and adorned with the lights of the manifestation of Him Who conversed with Moses. Behold Him with His own eyes.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1303-04-01 [1886-Jan-7], to Shaykh Muhammad Arab et al -- BH00016)
35
Say: O concourse of divines! Fear ye the Lord of Names. He hath come with the truth with a sovereignty that hath conquered all who are in the heavens and earth. Through your oppression the Apostle hath lamented in the Most Exalted Paradise, and the Spirit in the Supreme Kingdom, and the Wronged One in this noble station.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1299 ? [1881-1882], to Haji Siyyid Muhammad Taqi -- BH04047)
36
O concourse of divines! Fear ye God, and follow not idle fancies and vain imaginings.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1300-11 [1883-Sep], to Abu'l-Qasim -- BH07313)
37
Say: O concourse of divines! Die in your wrath. The Lord of Names hath come with clear sovereignty. He it is Who hath appeared and manifested before the faces of the world that which He desired in such wise that neither the might of kings nor of rulers could withhold Him.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1303-05-26 [1886-Mar-2], to Mulla Ali Muhammad son of Tahir -- BH05045)
38
O Rustam! This day the signs of bounty are made manifest: He turneth the mote into a sun, and, through the radiance of the effulgent splendours of the Most Great Name, He maketh the drop to become an ocean. Say: O ye [Zoroastrian] high priests, in My Name ye are accounted noble; yet in fleeing from Me ye have shown yourselves to be high priests of demons. Had ye been high priests of the Merciful One, ye would have been with Him, and would have known Him.
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290?, to Rustam -- BH02979)
39
We make mention of Mulla Muhammad-Rida. O Muhammad-Rida! The luminary of favor hath turned toward thee from the horizon of the heaven of the Most Exalted Pen and shone forth upon thee. Rejoice, then, and be thou of the thankful. Say: O concourse of divines! Die in your wrath. The Hour hath come while ye slept; the Cry hath been raised while ye remained heedless. Say: The breeze of God passed over you while ye were as dead. Say: Lift up your heads! The Sun shineth from the horizon of the heaven of Revelation, would that ye might perceive, would that ye might behold.
Say: O concourse of divines! By God, He Who was promised in God's Books hath come, and He Who was hidden in the knowledge of your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, hath been made manifest. Cast aside what ye possess and take hold of that which ye have been bidden by God, the Lord of all worlds. Do ye deny Him to Whom the Tongue of Grandeur bore witness in former ages? Fear God and follow not your idle fancies. Follow ye Him Who hath come to you with a perspicuous Book.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1298-09 [1881-Jul], to Mulla Sadiq -- BH00385)
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
41
O concourse of divines! Ye shall not henceforth behold yourselves possessed of any power, inasmuch as We have seized it from you and destined it for such as have believed in God, the One, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Unconstrained.