BB00303: Reply to six questions

He is God, the One Who is Great, the Single, the Unique

Praise be to God, Who hath known His Own Self by His Self, and Who is sanctified above the description of aught else save Himself. He hath ever been pure Truth with no creation beside Him, a Sovereign of grace with no command except from Him, a King of justice with no decree save His decree, and a Monarch all-bountiful with no generosity except from His presence. Whoso hath recognized the bounds of his nothingness and stood firm upon the carpet of nearness to his Holy Beloved hath attained unto the central point of his existence and reached the ultimate degrees of his manifestation’s circle. God created all beings for this alone, and there is no glory save in knowledge of Him, no ignorance save in heedlessness of Him. Sufficient is thy Lord’s knowledge of all things, and action according to His commands, and steadfastness beneath the sheltering shade of His sovereignty. He is the best of judges, the most just, the most generous and munificent.

O my God! How can I praise the garments of the countenance of Thy Ancient Being, which in its pure, pristine essence cutteth off all essences from the bounds of knowledge and separateth all abstract realities from mention in speech? Glorified and exalted art Thou! I can but acknowledge my utter powerlessness and declare: There is no God but Thee! Glory be unto Thee! I am among those who remember Thee, who give thanks, who praise, who supplicate, who know Thee, who seek Thee, who yearn for Thee, and who proclaim Thy unity.

I beseech Thee by Thy bounty to send Thy blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and their cherubic followers who bore witness to the truth and who tremble in awe of Him. I testify before Thee, O Thou from Whose knowledge nothing is hidden, neither in the heavens nor on earth, that there cometh one who believeth in Thee and in Thy signs and in what Thou didst reveal in the Qur’an to Muhammad, Thy beloved, and in what Thou hast ordained regarding the grace of the Imams of religion, the pillars of unity, and the dawning-places of certitude, and what Thou lovest for the people of Thy Cause and what pleaseth Thee from the people of creation. Sufficient art Thou as witness over me and the believers, and sufficient is Thy grace and bounty for the wounds that have pierced my heart. Then Thy help and Thy might shall come to those who have unjustly grown proud against the unitarians among Thy servants and who have wronged people without right according to Thy Book.

O God! Thou art witness over me and over the souls of all creation. Judge between me and them with truth, for Thou art the Truth. Thou art God, the Great, the Manifest, the Almighty, the All-Sufficient, the Compelling, Best of Judges and Swiftest of Reckoners. I beseech Thee, O God, by Thy Most Beautiful Names, to bestow upon the King of the Age and the nobles of the Sultan’s realm that which Thou lovest and art pleased with. Verily, Thou art God, the Strong, the Mighty.

I testify before Thee, O God, O my Beloved, that there hath come down to me a book from someone asking questions and seeking answers in the language of discourse. O God! Inspire him with what Thou hast ordained for him regarding the principles of origin and the ultimate ends.

Answer to the first question: … Nay—by God! The Book of God itself denieth them, for He—exalted be His remembrance—hath said:

“Do they who commit evil deeds imagine that they shall outstrip Us? Evil is that which they judge!”

And God is ever dominant in His Cause. They have not wronged Us; rather have they wronged their own selves. Where now is Adam, and Noah, and then Abraham and Moses? All, unto God, shall return.

By my life! If the authorities desired anything, their will could not be resisted, but since they knew that this world is transient, and God willed that Abraham should face what was ordained in His knowledge, they bore with patience under persecution so that all people might be tested and truth be distinguished from falsehood, and all might be among those who submit. By My life, this is indeed the path which all must traverse.

Whosoever grieves at My tribulation and follows God’s commandments shall attain to that which those near to God have attained. And whosoever rejoices at My plight, the fire of his own joy shall suffice him. God shall soon question all concerning what they have earned. This is a decree of truth—let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve. Verily God is independent of all worlds.

And now I seek forgiveness of God, my Lord, for whatsoever His knowledge encompasses outside the paths of His love. And I conclude my praise of Him with what was revealed in the Qur’an—and His Word is the truth for those who understand the utterance in man:

“Glorified be thy Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they attribute (unto Him). And peace be unto those sent (to warn). And praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.”