BB00157: Reply to Mulla Ja’far-i-Shubbar

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

Praise be to God Who hath testified of His own Self that there is none other God but He, the Most High, the Most Great. O my God! I bear witness before Thee in this Book, even as Thou lovest for Thyself from all the people of creation, that Thou art God, the Single, the One, the Self-Subsisting, the Unique, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. Thou hast ever been what Thou art; no thing can know Thee, for things are brought into being through creation out of nothingness, and those who exist cannot attain unto the knowledge of that Most Holy One, for Thou canst not be described save by Thyself, nor be known through Thy creation. No proof in all contingent being exists for Thy Self, for proof is an attribute of creation in origination, and such was not in the nature of the path nor of evidence, since the path is the decree of separation and proof is the station of conjunction, these being attributes of creation.

I cannot describe Thy Self nor reckon Thy praise nor venture upon Thy glorification, for all these are but the geometry of servants and words in existence. Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! Whosoever speaketh of Thee, verily he but pointeth to Thy creation and reacheth naught save through the portion Thou hast ordained, for such words are Thy creation and cannot indicate Thee in any wise nor express aught save Thy power. How then can creation prove through its effects, and contingent beings through their signs? Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee!

The letter “Ha” hath returned to the station of names, and the letter “Waw” hath been concealed in turning toward the presence of majesty. Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! This is the decree of essentiality in the atoms, and whosoever saith concerning the accidental letters in the verses “Thou art Thou,” verily the decree concerning him is as that which he hath ventured upon Thee in the first letter.

Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! O my God! My knowledge of Thy Being hath prevented me from description before Thy face, and the witness of my innermost heart to the created nature of all that Thy knowledge encompasseth hath forbidden me from proof, for creation shall ever know naught save their own portion and shall comprehend naught save the stations of their own beings. Thou, O my God, art far more glorious and greater than that I should say concerning Thee “Thou art He” or “He is Thou.” Lord of creation! There is none other God but Thee. Glory be unto Thee and exalted art Thou above what they who liken Thee to Thy signs declare, with an exaltation surpassingly great!

I bear witness, O my God, before Thee concerning Thy chosen ones as Thou lovest and art well-pleased, and I bear witness that the most noble of them in Thy knowledge and the first of them in Thy Book is Muhammad—Thy blessings be upon him and his family—whom Thou didst create unique among his kind, free from likeness, and didst make him the station of Thy Self in every respect, purified from similarity and comparison. I bear witness that he fulfilled what Thou didst desire in Thy creation. Therefore, O God, reward him with the description of Thy Self as Thou art worthy and deserving, for none else can describe any of his station, for verily he, even as he is, indicateth naught save the ultimate manifestation of Thy revelation in the plane of creation, and through this all know Thy unity and the atoms testify to Thy sanctity.

Glory be unto Thee and exalted art Thou! His Reality is far above indication in utterance and His Being is beyond conjunction with contingent existence. Therefore, O God, bless him as Thou art Thou. Thou hast ever been Thou. None knoweth how Thou art save Thee. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.

And I bear witness for the successors of Thy Beloved what I have witnessed concerning him before Thy face, save for the letter which Thou didst specially ordain for him alone among Thy chosen ones. And I beseech Thee, O God, to send Thy peace upon them through all Thy attributes and the signs of Thy power and the manifestations of Thy Will which Thou art their Originator. Thou hast ever been verily the All-Bountiful, the All-Wise.

And I bear witness concerning myself, O my God, whatsoever Thy knowledge hath encompassed aforetime and Thy Book shall reckon hereafter. I desire naught save what Thou desirest, and were aught else to proceed from me it would not be in denial of Thy Lordship nor in rejection of Thy Oneness, but rather my desires would have overcome me according to Thy decree, that in my lands might be manifested the countenance of Thy pardon and mercy, and that through my disobedience servants might commune with Thee in Thy name of Forgiveness. There is no doubt that I was as nothing, and even now I know not whether my station was aught before Thee. And by Thy mighty truth, besides which there is no God, were Thou to punish me with all Thy power as recompense for my recognition of Thy unity, I would deserve such, for Thou art praised in Thy judgment and Thou art the Most High, the Great.

O God! Thou knowest that numerous letters have come to me from those who love Thee, and I desired not to answer any of Thy creatures, having relegated the matter to those closest to Thy Book. But as this is Thy month, and as the servants have divided in their books the ruling of response, and as grief has come upon me for what the hands of men have wrought, I commune with Thee with my tongue thus before Thee. Thou dost witness that among them is a letter from Thy guided servant Ja’far the Elder, and Thou knowest the purpose he intended in Thy pure religion. Therefore inspire, O God, what Thou lovest for Thy sake, for Thou art the Generous, the Wise.

O God! Thou knowest the ruling of dissimulation in the days of concealment, as mentioned by Thy proof speaking with justice, Muhammad ibn ʿAli, peace be upon them both, who said—and his word is truth—that “these teachings of yours cause men’s hearts to recoil; who accepts them, give him more, and who denies them, leave him be. There must needs be a trial wherein close companions will fall away, until he who splits a hair in two will fall, until none remain save us and our followers.”

O God! Thou dost witness in the day of Thy Guardian’s concealment unto Thy days a period wherein appeared teachings from which hearts recoiled—the hearts of men—and these teachings of mine over which the heavens and earth have wept. And Thou, my God, in Thy subtle wisdom, had concealed dissimulation in a ruling that people from the beginning of the concealment until now followed, namely the mention of the testimony of guardianship before Thee. But when it appeared with a more perfect name and more eloquent word, the people denied Thy ruling and became as those who denied Thy oneness. I feel neither sorrow nor grief, for the servants are Thy servants and Hell has its portion through Thy justice.

I ask not of Thee, my God, Thy ruling for those who denied Thy covenant in this false world, for it has no permanence. Therefore do, O God, unto those who acted contrary to the ruling of Thy Book what Thou art worthy and deserving of, for Thou art possessed of severe punishment and mighty retribution. Were they to know with the knowledge of certainty, they would see the fire in their souls as absolute truth. Therefore recompense, O God, all Thy servants who act according to what their hands have earned in Thy path, for Thou art not unjust to Thy servants.

My God! Thou knowest I have not studied the science of eloquence from any creature, but Thou hast inspired me when and how Thou wished with what Thou wished concerning what Thou wished. And this ruling corresponds to the tradition of the people and their principles, save what I have taken regarding the ruling of Thy good pleasure in their books. There is no doubt that a verse corresponding to the people establishes proof for all upon the earth. Therefore reform, O God, the condition of Thy servants and guide them through the exaltation of Thy Word, and protect them from Thy words through which appear the rancor of the hypocrites. Thou knowest, my God, that I have entrusted the matter to Thee just as the beginning in every affair was from Thee, and I have cast the covenant just as the covenant was from Thee.

Thou art One, no partner hast Thou, and verily, O my God, Thou bearest witness that I have not penned a single letter, nor uttered any wisdom, nor engaged in any matter except by Thy leave and the decree of Thy Book. This hath been true of those who came before and shall likewise be true of those who come after. How great is my sorrow for that which hath flowed from my pen, for none hath recognized its right nor hath any soul perceived its wisdom.

O God! I pour out my grief and lamentation unto Thee, and I entrust all my verses as a deposit from Thee until the Day when I shall meet Thee while Thou art well-pleased with me. Verily, Thou art witness over all things. O God! All hope is cut off save from Thy grace, and in all things I am independent of all else through my knowledge of Thy power. Thou doest what Thou willest as Thou willest. None can reverse Thy will or alter Thy word, and there is no forgiveness for those who associate partners with Thy Self and deny Thy verses. Thou bestowest upon whom Thou willest whatsoever Thou willest of trials and hardships, and Thou withholdest from whom Thou willest as Thou willest what Thou willest.

Thou art not to be questioned about what Thou doest, but they shall be questioned. Here am I, seeking Thy forgiveness for all that Thou abhorrest in Thy Book, and I turn unto Thee in repentance. There is no refuge for anyone save unto Thee, and none can intercede except by Thy leave. Therefore do I cast myself and my covenant unto Thee. Do with me as befitteth Thee, for Thou art the Lord of grace and bounty, of might and utterance. There is no power nor strength save in God, the Exalted, the Great. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.