BB00226: Answer to Siyyid Ahmad-i-Aqazadih

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

Praise be to God Who hath sent down the Book upon whomsoever He willeth among His servants, that He may raise them up on the Day of Reckoning. I bear witness before God, from my station amidst these mountains, that there is no God but Him, alone without partner, even as His Essence hath testified to His Essence in the loftiness of His Being. The attributes of essential realities cannot describe Him, nor can the praise of contingent beings reach the Dayspring of His Divine Unity, nor can the light of created things attain unto the Beauty of His Oneness. Glorified and exalted is He! None knoweth how He is save Him, nor where He is save Him, nor what He is save Him, the Mighty, the Ancient of Days.

I bear witness unto Muhammad, His servant, who is detached from all things and sanctified above any likeness to humankind. God hath not placed within his being aught save the sign of His unity, such that none can comprehend his knowledge save Him. He is indeed the Ancient, the Most High.

I bear witness unto the Manifestation of His beloved Self that which none can testify to save God, and none can comprehend His knowledge save Him. He is indeed the Munificent, the Bestower.

I bear witness unto my own grievous sins and great transgressions, which are encompassed by God’s knowledge. My mention in utterance does not benefit the visible realm, for these sins in the station of signs are good deeds for the people of glory, and these transgressions in the station of tokens are manifestations for the people of wrath. For my mention is the unity of the Lord—all sin; and my confession of sin is all grace. This is from God’s bounty—He bestoweth His mercy upon whomsoever He willeth. He is indeed the Munificent, the All-Giving.

Thereafter, all thy letters have reached me and I have understood what thou didst intend in thy words. I beseech God to enable thee to attain the summit of His good-pleasure. He is indeed the Munificent, the Most High.

As for what thou didst ask regarding the interpretation of His exalted words “When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: ʿThis is my Lord”’—it hath infinite meanings which no tablet of possibility nor pen of exposition can contain. However, I shall indicate a trace of wisdom: In every Manifestation, the name “Lord” is truly applicable. The most exalted and greatest of meanings is God’s revelation unto thee through thee, such that whenever thou turnest toward Him in consciousness, thou sayest “God is my Lord.” When thou considerest the realm of contingent being, thou sayest He is too exalted to be known through aught else or approached by any of His creatures, for instruments point only to their like, and contingent being exists in the realm of creation. The pure, unmixed Essence and the most holy, unadulterated Camphor cannot be approached by anyone, for vision comprehendeth Him not, and He is the All-Subtle, the All-Informed. Therein thou findest the decree of eternity.

If thou seekest the essential meaning, it is the unity of worship in the station of the sun, the unity of deeds in the station of the moon, and the unity of attributes in the station of the star—for these return to the station of the unity of the Essence through the negation of all else. This is the meaning of His exalted words regarding the beginning and the return.

Verily, in the station of inner meaning, this verse possesseth a subtle and delicate significance. The “star” is the first pillar of the Name al-Basít; the “moon” its second pillar; and the “sun” its third. All this hath been set forth for the time when these should appear. Yet, in the station of limitation wherein I speak unto them, I make mention of their manifestations only in relation to that Hidden and Treasured Name, whereunto the chosen ones turn their faces unto God—exalted be His remembrance—even as He, blessed and glorified, hath said: “I have turned my face unto God…” and the like.

Thus, according to that profound meaning and that subtle mystery, thou shalt discern that from the time of Adam until the time of Muhammad—may the blessings of God be upon Him—mankind were in the rank of the manifestation of “There is no god but He,” which is the rank of the body, and this is the station of the “star.” And when it set, the “moon” of prophethood arose, which is the station of the intellect. And when it, in turn, waned, the “sun” rose, which is the station of authority [wilayat] and of the soul. And when it was veiled, there appeared the Name of the Invisibles, and it filled the pillars of existence, that the Lordship of the Eternal—standing beyond the bounds of negation and of assimilation—might be made manifest. And this is the secret of the “three” within the appearance of the “four.”

And I know that thy purpose, in seeking the interpretation of this verse, was none other than to attain the recognition of the Bearer of the Cause. Yet I say: in the station of the “star,” certain people said, “This is the Educator of creation”; and in like manner, in the station of the “moon,” they said, “This is the Educator of mankind…”

Today the people of understanding say what the people of truth said before. Soon after the setting of the sun they will say what God has ordained for them, and each shall have their portion of what God has decreed. Know thou the truth of these allusions and conceal them except from those worthy, for we are God’s and unto Him do we return. Be assured that the Lord of Lords is the Holy Essence, exalted be His mention, and that the name “Lord” for all else is but shadows and similitudes, just as God, mighty and glorious is He, has said: “Satan made him forget to remember his Lord.” Undoubtedly in that instance the intended meaning was not the Lord of creation but rather the lord of the prison. All that I have indicated to you regarding the mention of the Lord follows this pattern and is established by this evidence. I beseech God, my Glorious Master, at the time of return to the path.

You asked about the ruling concerning the bat, for it is a bird that Jesus created by God’s leave, and therefore does not emerge in daytime for fear of other birds. There is no explicit ruling about this in the traditions, yet the bird is pure because it was created by God’s leave as manifested in Jesus. For in relation to God’s pure leave, which is the station of divine action, it is as nothing, mentioned only as a shadow compared to this Greatest Kingdom. Therefore it fears for itself, and God made manifest this fear in it to distinguish between pure creation and creation manifested through the agency of His servants. This is a sealed decree from the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

As for your seeking permission to visit the tomb of Husayn, God granted you permission a thousand thousand years before your existence. Attain to this greatest bounty, for a single soul upon that earth is greater in my sight than the dominion of the first and the last, for there lies the nearness to the court of the Divine Presence and the manifestation of the Tree of Sinai. Seize this opportunity, O thou soul that art well-pleased! For this world has no permanence, and the Hereafter is indeed the true life, did people but know.

As for what you asked regarding subsidiary religious matters, inquire about what you need from the people of remembrance. I shall, God willing, elaborate on some matters that people need. Refer to that Book, for it is a promise that shall not prove false.

Regarding what you asked about the ruling for your pure sister in the Holy Land, I had previously granted her permission to depart, and no trials shall befall her there. She is, in my sight, a goodly leaf whose heart has been purified from the defilement of limitations for her Lord. God’s mercy be upon one who recognizes her worth and causes her not the slightest harm, for today she is an honor to her kindred and nobility to those who obey her in God’s decree. Ask God to grant her petition and bestow His bounty upon us. Verily He is the Generous, the Bestower.

Glorified be God, thy Lord, the Lord of Might, above what they attribute to Him. Peace be upon the Messengers. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.