BB00045: Tafsir-i-Hadithi Abu Lubaydi Makhzumi (Commentary on the disconnected letters)

Part 1: “Praise be to God Who made the ornament…”

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Praise be to God Who made the ornament of creation the mysteries of origination which were designated before they were willed, decreed after they were ordained, permitted when they were appointed, and made firm. Through them emerged the highest abstractions of the vanguard, and through them shone forth the most exalted essences of the dawning lights. They became manifest and magnificent, then ascended and drew near, then illumined and radiated, filling the horizons with their light. Then when they spoke and caused to speak, and came with their signs and manifested their evidences, and completed their signs and bestowed their bounties, through them were made known the realities of the people of certitude and the inner secrets of the people of hypocrisy, until the confident ones ascended and the humble ones were exalted, the seekers were guided and the wayfarers among the people of faithfulness became God-fearing, while the deniers transgressed and the oppressors fabricated, the fearful ones grew arrogant and the hypocrites among the people of discord became pious.

Then when they melted and moved, persisted and swelled, inhaled and became straight, the letter Kaf revolved and connected to the letter Nun. Thereupon it swooned from the majesty of its Lord and prostrated before the grandeur of its Creator, and spoke in praise of its Originator and submitted to the countenance of its Lord, and turned repentant for what its hands had wrought before the face of its Fashioner, and repented and sought forgiveness, saying:

“Glory be to Him Who originated the Kaf through Himself for Himself, then created the Nun for Himself through Himself, and split between them as their essences required a splitting. When His decree settled upon the reality of the Throne, it quaked; when His command was raised to heaven, it stood firm; when His Name descended to earth, it humbled itself; and when His verses were recited upon the mountains, they crumbled, and when His verses were recited to the trees, they bore fruit; when His words were recited to hearts, they trembled; when His lights were manifested to minds, they were consummated.”

Glorified be His oneness! Through Him the night grew dark—but what night! Then by His leave it began to depart, and the brilliant day illumined, and the morning breathed, and the sun settled at its zenith, and by Him it shone forth and radiated. The moon rose full on the night of conjunction, opposite the sun, and by Him it was illumined and by the sun it was brightened.

Glorified be He by Whose utterance the birds of hearts warbled upon the branch of the Sinaitic Tree in the atmosphere of heaven, then drew near; and by Him the Peacock of the divine cloud sang in the heaven of justice, then approached. Glory be to God for the melodies that warbled, spoke and were spoken! The light of His manifestation was established upon the throne of praise, and in it His spirit breathed.

Praise be to God that the Point appeared and illumined, then circled and gave light, then spoke and revolved, then settled and arose, then bore and bestowed, then separated and intertwined, then distinguished and borrowed, then was confused like fishes upon that earth and breathed deeply, then cried out and sobbed, then grew mighty and swooned, then rose up and ascended, crying with its loudest voice in the midst of the air that its lamentation might be heard by those in the kingdoms of command and creation:

“Is there any who can rival Me with a greater sign? The heart did not falsify what it saw, and indeed He is in the highest horizon, and speaks not from desire, but was taught by one mighty in power. Will ye then dispute with Him concerning what He beholdeth, And charge Him with what ye have fabricated—by al-Lat and al-ʿUzza—After the ordinance of My begetting was cast unto Him? Indeed He beheld of the signs of His Lord the Greatest.”

Yet they fabricated lies and said: “Your companion hath strayed and gone astray,” Though they were powerless to produce another sign. And he wrought upon that earth what it pleased them not that a woman should do therein. Thus, by what He hath sworn, He attained unto that which Pharaoh never attained aforetime; And he extinguished—yet he was mighty.

Then after the second mention, the other, they denied and opposed; Then they turned away and withdrew. And indeed a thing aided him—man, transgressing.

Say: There is no reckoning for him save repentance unto thy Lord, Or that he enter into the worship of Satan, despite faith and guidance. And thy Lord—there is no escape for him from the Fire. He deemed himself self-sufficient; And that which he denied came to pass, According to the measure of two bows’ length or nearer. And the men of faith did not turn aside at his denial and his howling.

Say: Verily one woman among them established the truth by her signs And nullified the works of the idolaters in a third of the Book—fair indeed. Say: Ye invoke naught but names of your own devising, After the truth had come unto you in the former tidings. Say: The unbelief of the desert Arabs of ignorance, when weighed in the balance, Is greater than their faith—For they brought forth mighty odes. How then do ye disbelieve and yet bring not forth a primordial sign?

Say: Ye do not determine—unto God belong the End and the Beginning. And the chastisement is assured for him who denied and turned away. And God sent down from heaven, for him who shunneth desires, Then followeth guidance, is made firm, and is rightly directed.

And verily on that night a Book was sent down from the Presence of the Living. Say: Indeed one was questioned concerning the ordinance of al-Mim Sad in another surah.

And this was his Book, which was sent down, and by which he was guided.

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most Great.

O thou upon whom the Remembrance hath been sent down! Bestow a gracious reply upon him whose breast was widened, Yet who was confounded in the Remembrance—For this is the station of the questioner And the utmost hope of hope For the clarification of that which issued from the Most Great Gate And the Most Ancient Veil, Which spoke with truth, brought forth wisdom, and delivered the decisive word.

Thus did he respond unto Abu Lubayd al-Makhzumi concerning that which he poured forth regarding the saying of God—blessed and exalted be He—Alif. Lam. Mim. God—there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting. And he clarified somewhat of that which was asked of him from the knowledge of the well-known, until he said:

“The Qaʾim—may the blessings of God be upon him—shall arise at its conclusion, the Mim Sad.” And he enjoined him thereafter to refrain from divulgence, to keep it concealed.

And at this hour perhaps the crier hath cried, And the time hath come to extinguish the lamp—For the morning hath dawned, and the fires of the beacons call: Come unto prayer! Come unto salvation!

And now I recall the tradition. Abu Ja’far—peace be upon him—said:

“O Abu Lubayd! In the disjointed letters of the Qur’an there is a comprehensive knowledge. Verily God—blessed and exalted be He—sent down Alif Lam Mim, that Book; Then Muhammad—may God bless him—stood forth until his light appeared and his word was made firm. He was born on a day after a thousand seven hundred and three years had passed.”

Then he said:

“And its exposition is in the Book of God through the disjointed letters—When thou numberest them without repetition. And there is not a single disjointed letter whose term expires But that, at its expiration, a Qaʾim from among the Banu Hashim shall arise.”

Then he said:

“Alif is one, Lam is thirty, Mim is forty, and Sad is ninety—thus making one hundred and sixty-one. Then was the beginning of Husayn ibn Ali’s emergence. When Alif Lam Mim Allah’ reached its term, the Qa’im of the Abbasid line arose at Alif Lam Mim Sad’, and our Qa’im shall arise at its completion with Alif Lam Mim Ra.’ This then is the promise—keep it concealed.”

And the compiler of Bihar said: “What occurs to the mind in resolving this tradition, which is among the complex traditions and hidden mysteries, is that he clearly indicated that the disconnected letters at the openings of the suras point to the manifestation of the sovereignty of the people of truth and the people of falsehood. The Prophet derived from the numerical values of the letters’ full names, without repetition as they are pronounced when recited, Alif Lam Mim counting as nine without repeating what occurs in five suras. When counted thus it becomes one hundred and three letters, corresponding to the date of the Prophet’s birth, which was when one hundred and three years had passed from the seventh millennium from Adam’s creation, as indicated by his words ʿand its explanation.”’

He mentioned thereafter what he mentioned, and in truth he did not explain the tradition nor what had transpired of the days. Rather, the intended meaning of the tradition is the corresponding manifestation, which he did not notice, for the day Muhammad the Messenger of God arose corresponds to those letters, and it is the truth that from the day the Messenger of God arose by His command until the day the Remnant of God—may God’s blessings be upon him—arose by His covenant was three hundred and thirteen years from the day of his birth until the day of the Qa’im’s arising by His covenant.

And verily the tradition in its outward meaning indicates that from the beginning of the numerical value of Alif-Lam-Mim until the completion of the numerical value of Alif-Lam-Mim-Sad, with the inclusion of part of the numerical value of Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra, emerges the decree of the day on which the Messenger of God arose and the day on which the Remnant of God will arise to fulfill His Cause. The intent is not the day of the appearance of the Leader himself, but rather the day of his arising with the Imamate just as the Messenger of God arose, as the tradition speaks concerning the decree of the arising of the Messenger of God. And since the decree of the Day of the Arising of the Qa’im was related to Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra, that is, to part of its numerical value, all aspects become clear, whether from the beginning of the tradition concerning the day of his birth or the day of his arising by God’s decree. And according to this interpretation it is easy to understand, and this is what is meant in the outward decree. And verily the interpretations of the learned are all outside the outward decree because they do not correspond except to that station which I have pronounced.

As for the allusion to the mystery of the tradition and the emergence of the decree according to what the people desire, God knoweth its decree. And I mention to thee a beautiful remembrance: whatsoever God willeth, is, and whatsoever He willeth not, is not. And there is no power nor strength except in God, the Exalted, the Great. O thou who art alive with the water of life! Look with the gaze of the Beginning at what thou hast asked concerning the path of wisdom, and be assured that the letters of the Qur’an have stations that none among creation can encompass, and of them are those that none among the servants can encompass, even as God hath revealed in the Qur’an, addressing His Beloved: “Thou knewest not what the Book was, nor what the faith.”

And of them are those which God, should He please, revealeth to whomsoever He willeth among His servants, and these in that station are the Words of God to the Imams of Justice and the Most Great Weight. And of them are those wherein everything is numbered, yet none knoweth them save those well-grounded in knowledge, servants who desire naught except through God’s Will and decree naught except through God’s Purpose. And of them are those which all know according to their stations and the manifestations of their Creator as God hath ordained for them in the knowledge of destiny. And I, through what God hath taught me at this time, mention to thee that which was proclaimed in the Trump in the time before that Day and illumined the darkness from the horizon of manifestation in the time after that Day. For this let the strivers strive. Verily God hath revealed in the Qur’an concerning His Own Self, that thou mightest understand when thou beholdest the mystery of Reality within thine own self.

In regard to the ordinance concerning the disconnected letters in the Qur’an, it is like unto the joined letters. There is no altering of the words of God. Rather, when one whom God has taught the mystery of Truth desires to deduce all rulings from the first letter before the Ba, he is empowered to do so. For when people became distant from the mystery of Glory, they were unable to witness the lights of Glory. Therefore they speak concerning the beginning and the end in a way that mocks those of prayer and discourse before the Glory.

And thou, O trusted one, knowest that a specific day was set for the appearance of the Remnant of God, to fulfill what was declared by the illustrious Imams. And that time is indeed the truth in reality, for one who considers it through progressive revelation cannot make any ruling. And that which was revealed in the traditions concerning the ruling of known signs and appointed days refers to that verse of the Qur’an:

“God doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth: with Him is the Mother of the Book.”

As confirmed by those traditions which I shall now recite to thee by God’s leave: Among them, from Al-Fadl who said: “I asked Abu Ja’far if there was a set time for this matter. He replied: ʿThe time-setters lie! The time-setters lie! The time-setters lie!”’ And from Mundhir al-Jawad from Abu Abdullah who said: “The time-setters lie. We set no time in the past nor shall we set any time in the future.” And from him saying: “O Mahram, the time-setters lie, the hasty ones perish, and the submissive ones remain, and to us shall they return.”

And from Abu Hamza al-Thumali who said: “I said to Abu Ja’far that Ali used to speak of tribulation until the seventieth year, and he would say that after tribulation comes ease. But the seventieth year has passed and we have seen no ease.” Abu Ja’far replied: “O Thabit, verily God had set this matter for the seventieth year, but when Husayn was killed, God’s wrath intensified against the people of earth, so He delayed it to the one hundred and fortieth year. We told you this but you broadcast the tradition and uncovered the veil of mystery, so God delayed it and set no time for it thereafter. ʿGod doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth: with Him is the Mother of the Book.”’

When thou art illumined by the lights of these words from those established upon the throne of Names and Attributes, then know the intent of what the discerning one was taught. Through these letters were the numbered days which the people knew and by which they sought evidence in their books, interpreting what was realized in the Manifestation and traditions in ways not heeded by the people of inner meaning, as spoken of by Al-Majlisi in his book. May God grant that some—and verily He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Appreciative—and as some scholars have explained regarding the correspondence of letters and what has been decreed of days through the alphabetical letters from the names of the extended letters with their essence and signs.

In truth, when I consider the outward meaning of the tradition as interpreted by the divines, it corresponds in no wise, nor can any judgment be derived therefrom concerning what has transpired. Indeed, all that they have written stems from that which they comprehend not, and their interpretations are far from the mark. Better would it have been had they confessed their ignorance than to have written and interpreted that of which they know not and perceive not.

As regards the outward meaning of this tradition and its correspondence with what has come to pass in former days, I behold naught save that which I have uttered, and in this I bear no blame. And concerning what remains in the interpretation of this matter, I see no benefit in its mention, either for thee or for mankind, even as the Lord of men and jinn hath declared:

“Were We to grant you all that ye desire, it would be worse for you.”

Yet doth the learned one act according to his knowledge. Think not that I have mentioned all that thou seekest with clear measure, but I do make reference through the mystery of these letters according to what I have learned from the Book of God, hoping for the mention of deliverance, if God doth not efface what I have known.

And this was the first day of Muhammad, the Messenger of God—may God bless him—at the moment when “Alif Lam Mim. That Book, wherein there is no doubt, a guidance unto the God-fearing” was revealed, even as the tradition of Abu Ja’far concerning Abu Lubayd al-Makhzumi hath plainly declared. And verily the Days of God were decreed for the Imams of truth and of misguidance until the day whereon those days were fulfilled, in accordance with that which the Imam promised in His ordinance; nor were they brought to their consummation save by the utterance of the Mim. And when the days that followed those letters were completed, perchance God, by His grace, would grant deliverance unto His servants—just as God sent down, after those seven disjointed letters which constitute its form, even as they were sent down in the Qur’an: Alif Lam Mim, Alif Lam Mim Sad, Alif Lam Ra, Alif Lam Ra, Alif Lam Ra, Alif Lam Mim Ra. That blessed verse hath been revealed: “The command of God hath come; seek ye not to hasten it. Glorified be He and exalted above all that they associate with Him.”

Part 2: “This is confirmed by the tradition related…”

This is confirmed by the tradition related by Hisham ibn Salim from Ja’far to his companions from Abu Abdu’llah who, when asked about God’s words “The Command of God will come to pass, so seek ye not to hasten it,” said: “When God informs the Prophet of something to occur at an appointed time, this is the meaning of His words The Command of God will come to pass, so seek ye not to hasten it’ until that time arrives.” And he said: “When God announces that something will come to pass, it is as though it had already occurred.” And what I have understood of the meaning of the word “Alif Lam Mim” is that which I have mentioned to thee.

Know thou that by this decree did the Shaykh (may God’s mercy be upon him) give tidings in his words when asked about this matter, saying: “Ye shall know of it after a time.” And among the signs which must needs occur and which cannot be stayed, as revealed in the tradition, are the Yamani and the Sufyani and the Call and the slaying of the Pure Soul and the sinking of the earth at Bayda and the red death which is the sword and the white death which is the plague and the lunar eclipse for five [days] and the solar eclipse for fifteen [days] the like of which hath not been seen since Adam descended to earth; and at that time shall the work of the conjecturers be rendered null and the reckoning of the astrologers shall fall, and thereat shall all behold a form in the garments of the sun. Alas! Alas! Abu ʿAbdu’llah—upon him be peace—said: “This Cause shall not come to pass until two-thirds of mankind have passed away.” It was said unto him: “And when two-thirds of the people have passed away, what then shall remain?” He—upon him be peace—replied: “Are ye not content that ye should be of the remaining third?”

O thou who inquireth with precision! Look with the eye of certitude and abandon the paths of investigation, for verily signs prevent those who would attain from reaching unto true certitude. Turn thou unto God in this wise and cast aside what lieth to thy right and thy left. And when thou arrivest there, pause and consider within thyself what al-Sadiq hath mentioned in the tradition of the Name, which is among the perplexing reports and hidden mysteries. For what appeareth in the horizons shall be fulfilled even as Ali hath mentioned regarding the souls, and the servants shall not attain unto what God hath ordained for them except after two thirds of mankind perish in their souls and two thirds of the signs in the horizons. When the inner decree of the three Names which God created for the need of creation unto them is nullified, the Hidden Treasure shall appear and the Light of the Unseen shall come, whereby the decree of the three shall be fulfilled in the horizons and souls—and this is the Name which indicateth naught but God and can speak of none but God and dwelleth in naught save through God. Glorified be God, its Creator, above what they describe!

O thou who asketh! Verily God intendeth by “people” a trial from which none shall escape save whom God willeth, where Abu Abdullah hath said: “This matter shall not come to pass until nine tenths of mankind perish.” And verily time hath returned as it was in the beginning. God hath in every age been a just balance through the truth of His Words, and He nullifieth falsehood through His signs, though the idolaters be averse. Today hath every possessor of power manifested his power and every possessor of knowledge his proof. One saith the Friday prayer is obligatory and proveth it through the Book of God and the Tradition and the consensus of the learned and the perfect signs of the souls and horizons, believing thus and seeing the truth within himself like unto the sun at mid-day. Another saith that prayer is forbidden until certain conditions are fulfilled, proving it through the same consensus and traditions and signs and tokens as did the first, seeing the truth within himself just as the other saw it.

Thus is it with all fundamental principles and derivative particulars, each proving through the Book of God and traditions and consensus and signs of the souls and horizons. Whither then canst thou go today, and wherefrom canst thou learn, and whereby canst thou be certain, and whereupon canst thou act? There is no refuge for whoso desireth religion except to grasp the firm handle of the Most Great Handle which shall never break.

Today thou beholdest how every vainglorious one hath raised himself through his vanity, and every powerful one through his power, and every one possessed of might through his might, when he uttereth from the judgment of vain imaginings the vain imaginings which have appeared from the morn of eternity and warbled upon the Primal Tree. Even as Sa’sa’ah hath informed concerning the Day of His manifestation in his treasured sermon, and likewise in his utterance wherein he saith—and his word is the truth: “O people! Verily those who lay claim to the Imamate, though they be not worthy of it, are many.” Until he saith: “By my life, were what is in their hands to melt away at the Reckoning, and were the promise to draw nigh, and the term to expire, and were the star with a tail to appear from the East, and were the luminous moon to dawn upon you—when this cometh to pass, then turn ye unto repentance and know that if ye follow him who ariseth from the East, ye shall be guided to the path of the Messenger.

Then shall ye be healed of blindness and deafness, and be delivered from the burden of seeking and oppression, and cast off the galling yoke from your necks. God casteth out none save him who denieth, and committeth oppression and tyranny, and taketh what is not his. Those who act unjustly shall soon know what fate awaiteth them.”

And I have no doubt that, in this Day, there remaineth for the Remnant of God no appointed gate established by explicit designation, even as hath been plainly declared by that august and inviolable Epistle, issued from that sanctified, lofty One unto ʿAli ibn Muhammad al-Samari:

“May God magnify the recompense of thy brethren concerning thee; for thou shalt depart this life within six days. Therefore set thine affairs in order, and appoint no one to assume any station after thy passing. For the Complete Occultation hath now come to pass; and there shall be no appearance save by the leave of God—exalted be His mention—after the lapse of a long period, the hardening of hearts, and the filling of the earth with injustice. And there shall arise among my followers those who shall claim direct vision; but whoso maketh such a claim before the emergence of the Sufyani and the Cry is a lying impostor.”

There is no power nor might save in God, the Most High, the Most Great.

And thus did Ali ibn Muhammad al-Saymari declare—and his word is the truth—that God will accomplish His purpose. Therefore, after the removal of veils and allusions and words, look to God’s decree concerning what God’s Proof commanded in the hidden letter at the end of his words, and what the bearer of His Cause uttered in the esoteric letter with the most radiant proofs and brilliant signs, such that it is not hidden from those who are detached and those who are preserved from the lights of this rising Sun. And verily I know that the likeness of one who ariseth from the household of Muhammad before the rising of the Qa’im is as a fledgling that flieth from its nest before its wings are fully grown, whereupon children take it to play with.

And I know with certainty that Islam began as something strange and will return to being strange as it began, so blessed are the strangers. And I know that today some people curse others while some people praise others. How excellent was it said: “Each claims connection with Layla, but Layla acknowledges them not.” When tears flow from eyes, it becometh clear who truly weepeth and who feigneth tears. And verily in those pitch-dark nights of gloom and hellish darkness, God’s Cause is vaster than what lieth between heaven and earth.

The verses of God’s religion are not hidden from anyone today, for the proofs of His Faith, through His grace, are resplendent, and the evidences from Him are conclusive, and the verses in His Book are firm. By the Lord of heaven and earth, this Sun at its zenith in this pavillion unto which no pilgrimage is made [demonstrates that] God has chosen for the preservation of His religion and the mysteries of His law a servant who has not studied with anyone. God has granted him through His grace and honored him with what is promised in the Qur’an for His God-fearing servants: “Fear God and God will teach you,” and His exalted words: “Fear God and He will give you a criterion [to judge between right and wrong]” and has expanded his breast in ways He has not expanded the breast of any of the followers of Ali before him.

For it has been established before certain men that the Balance of Utterance for humanity—which desired to weigh the Standard and know the measure of man through what the All-Merciful has taught regarding the laws of expression—in six hours produced a thousand verses of intimate prayers that have bewildered the understanding of the monotheists possessed of insight, confounded in their subtleties the thoughts of the eloquent ones possessed of vision, and broken the back of those possessed of pens.

What proof could be greater than this power, and what bounty could be greater than this gift? Due to the majesty of their inner meanings, none has been able to comprehend even some of their verses, as al-Sadiq has stated in the Misbah that “there is no station for the servant greater than reaching the spirit of intimate prayer.”

I adjure thee, O thou seeker of the might of the attributes and the light of the names: hast thou ever heard from any of the ancients, throughout the chain of the flock, of a scroll, or a supplication, or a power, brought forth by innate disposition, like unto this communion? Or art thou today possessed of such a proof? Be just, for the sake of God; for verily I perceive thee to be among the people of knowledge, if thou follow not thy passion. The learned, when they would compose a phrase for reflection, would ponder, then falter; and when at last they would write, the words they produced, when set beside these utterances, were but like the saying of a child who exclaimeth in Persian, bah bah. Such was their condition in the allusions of human speech—how much more so in the supplications of the Lord! Far, far removed is the thought of those who harbour evil imaginings of God concerning what they know.

And now I recall that tradition concerning the interpretation of Alif Lam Mim, that it might stand as a proof unto the believers. In the exposition of the Imam—peace be upon him—it is said: the meaning of Alif Lam Mim is that this Book which I have sent down, and the disjointed letters of which Alif Lam Mim is one, are in your own tongue and from among the letters of your alphabet. Bring forth the like thereof, if ye be truthful. Yet they claim that these verses are but an easy utterance. Nay, by thy Lord! He hath sealed judgment against them. We have placed between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter a veil concealed. And had I possessed that which ye seek to hasten, the matter would already have been decided; but God guideth not the people of injustice.

O my Lord! Unto Thee I complain of my sorrow and my grief. I know not from whence the people demand of me a proof. If I had abrogated a former ordinance, or enjoined a command which God had not previously revealed in the Qur’an, or enjoined a command which God had already revealed therein, then would it be incumbent upon me to bring them a proof. Yet I am but affirming that which the people already possessed of religion. Whoso addeth a letter or removeth a letter hath indeed disbelieved in the religion of God; and verily I am quit of the idolaters.

O God! Thou verily knowest that Thou hast bestowed upon me this grace, and that I have spoken to the people according to the ordinance of Thy Book; and I desire, by means of this grace, to establish that upright religion against those who disbelieve in the names of Thy proofs and Thy chosen ones. This is a matter upon which we give judgment for all mankind; yet I know not by which ordinance the hatred of the deniers hath arisen, that they flee and imagine themselves rightly guided.

O God! Thou verily knowest that whosoever hath laid claim to the ordinance of wilayah or its like, or to revelation in its likeness, or to an explicitly designated deputyship, or to a Qur’an like unto that which Thou didst send down upon Muhammad, Thy Messenger—may God bless him and his family—or to revelation in its likeness, hath in that very hour committed unbelief. And I have neither said, nor do I say, aught save that I am a servant who hath believed in God and His signs, and I am not of the idolaters.

I have no doubt that were one to apprehend the truth of my affair, he would love me, show me mercy, and affirm me. Yet be mindful of God; and if one strive with thee that thou shouldst turn away from the command of God, obey him not, but speak unto him a gracious word. That which hath occurred in thy heart concerning the ordinance of wilayah and the affairs of prophethood shall be weighed by the Balance, and by that which God willeth from this Day forward—if only the greater part of mankind were not among those who turn away.

Say: the dissolution of the faction of the Shaykhis—those who submitted their affair to no one whom they might affirm and follow—though he was of the doers of good. And as for that which thou hast asked—how shall I commit an act, by what ordinance am I commanded, and according to what ordinance shall I follow?—then weigh whatsoever thou desirest by the Balance of justice, and follow the fairest of utterances, if thou art possessed of sound knowledge.

Yet I counsel thee that thou neglect not the condition of mankind, nor dispute with those whom God hath described in the Mother Book: among them are those who deny while their souls are certain, in injustice; among them are those who follow their passions and reckon themselves guided; and among them are those concerning whom God hath revealed judgment. And when the hypocrites come unto thee and say, “We bear witness that thou art the Messenger of God,” God beareth witness that the hypocrites are liars.

And when people come unto thee disputing with thee concerning the signs of God, say: Bring forth a just proof, that I may confound you thereby. Otherwise, ye are not of the people of that verse. And if thou bringest a proof, turn away from them and speak unto them a weighty word. And if any swear that I intended the religion of God, say: They said before, “We intended naught but good,” and God revealed concerning them that they are liars.

Then upon thee be the peace of God, so long as a star shineth, so long as the birds of the cloud sing, so long as the sun riseth and the moon giveth light, so long as a station is restored and illumination endureth. No one, apart from his Lord, bringeth honour upon himself; and if a man were to behold the truth, it would be grievous to him and a shame among his peers. How then could God—glorified be He—fail to manifest honour, He Who is possessed of power, greatness, and bounty? God is Most Great! I seek refuge in God from His wrath; glorified be God above all that they associate with Him.

Were any soul to behold the secret of what I witness in that station, he would surely be thunderstruck by its majesty, and would cry:

“Had We sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, thou wouldst have seen it humbled, cleft asunder from the fear of God.”

Such similitudes We set forth for mankind, that haply they may reflect.

When thou hast come to know the sanctity of questioning in the presence of Majesty, then know that the supplicant hath an obligation: first, to know his Lord; then His attributes; then His names; then himself; then his request; then that which is for him and against him. When thou hast known these stations, thou art sincere in supplication, and upon God resteth the certainty of response, for He faileth not in His promise.

And were I to set forth these matters in their reality, according to that which God hath manifested unto me in their abodes, the sea of possibility and the worlds themselves would be exhausted before a single letter thereof could appear. God—glorified be He—speaketh not unto me without measure, though here I stand in an ocean of sorrow and a life of deprivation. Therefore I let drip from that gate whatsoever He willeth to overflow from me, that it may suffice as a remnant until the Day of Return, and that all who enter the land of the heart may remember me. I seek assistance from God through the Pen of creation; and God, verily, doth not fail in His promise….