BB00020: Bayan-i-Arabi (Arabic Bayan)
The first Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most High
Verily I am God, no God is there but Me, and aught except Me is but My creation. Say, worship Me then, O ye, My creatures.
I have called Thee into being, have nurtured Thee, protected Thee, loved Thee, raised Thee up and have graciously chosen Thee to be the manifestation of Mine Own Self, that Thou mayest recite My verses as ordained by Me, and may summon whomsoever I have created unto My Religion which is none other than this glorious and exalted Path. I have fashioned all created things for Thy sake, and I have, by virtue of My Will, set Thee sovereign Ruler over all mankind.
Moreover, I have decreed that whoso embraceth My religion shall believe in My unity, and I have linked this belief with remembrance of Thee, and after Thee the remembrance of such as Thou hast, by My leave, caused to be the “Letters of the Living,” and of whatever hath been revealed from My religion in the Bayan. This, indeed, is what will enable the sincere among My servants to gain admittance into the celestial Paradise. Verily, the sun is but a token from My presence so that the true believers among My servants may discern in its rising the dawning of every Dispensation. In truth I have created Thee through Thyself, then at My Own behest I have fashioned all things through the creative power of Thy Word. We are All-Powerful. I have appointed Thee to be the Beginning and the End, the Seen and the Hidden. Verily We are the All-Knowing.
No one hath been or will ever be invested with prophethood other than Thee, nor hath any sacred Book been or will be revealed unto anyone except Thee. Such is the decree ordained by Him Who is the All-Encompassing, the Best-Beloved.
The Bayan is in truth Our conclusive proof for all created things, and all the peoples of the world are powerless before the revelation of its verses. It enshrineth the sum total of all the Scriptures, whether of the past or of the future, even as Thou art the Repository of all Our proofs in this Day. We cause whomsover We desire to be admitted into the gardens of our most holy, most sublime Paradise. Thus is divine revelation inaugurated in each Dispensation at Our behest. We are truly the supreme Ruler. Indeed no religion shall We ever inaugurate unless it be renewed in the days to come. This is a promise We solemnly have made. Verily We are supreme over all things.
We have made the gates of that religion to be the number of all things, like the number of the year—for each day a gate, that all things may enter the Most Exalted Paradise, and that in every number there may be one in remembrance of a letter from the Primary Letters, for God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, Lord of all things, Lord of the seen and unseen, Lord of the worlds.
In the First Gate, We have set forth that to which God Himself hath testified: that there is no God but He, the Lord of all things, and that all besides Him are His creation and all are His worshippers. Verily the Essence of the Seven Letters is the Gate of God for all who are in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth and what lieth between them—all are guided by God’s signs from His presence. Then in every gate is the remembrance of a Name of Truth from Our presence, and the remembrance of one of the Letters of the Living, as they have returned to the primal life—Muhammad the Apostle of God and those who are witnesses from God’s presence, then the Gates of Guidance, created in the latter creation according to God’s promise in the Furqan, until the number of the Unity appears in the First Unity, a bounty from Our presence—verily We are the Bestowers.
This is the First Unity of the Numbered Unity. We make mention of it in the month of Baha. We began that creation through it and We shall return all through it, a promise binding upon Us—verily We are powerful over all things.
And verily I have counted the numbers through that One, for after this they cannot be counted, and before it the letters of the One were not complete in the first verse. And they presented themselves through the nearness of their hearts before Us, and naught can be seen therein save the One without number. Thus doth God make clear the measures of all things in the Book, that the people may be thankful in the days of their Lord.
The pure essence of this Unity is that God, exalted and glorified be He, hath ever existed and will continue to exist in the heights of His pre-existence and the sublimity of His eternality. Creation likewise hath ever existed and will continue to exist in its realm of contingency. In every age God, glorified and exalted be He, hath ordained and will continue to ordain a Book and Testimony for creation.
And in the year 1270 after the advent of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, He established the Bayan as the Book and the Letters of the Seven as the Testimony, and fixed the gates of religion at nineteen unities. In the first Unity He decreed the unity of Being, Attributes, Actions and Worship, and made Him Whom God shall make manifest and the Letters of the Living the gateway thereto, and before His appearance established the Letters of the Seven together with His letters which had precedence in unity. This Unity is identical with the Unity of the Qur’an in its outer and inner meaning, in its beginning and end.
The subsequent Testimony is identical with the previous Testimony, which is the Furqan. The difference is that over one thousand two hundred and seventy years the words have progressed along with their spirits, and in every Revelation the decree of the hereafter is established in relation to the previous Revelation. Even as, in this Manifestation, at the station of the Greatest Magnification, naught more exalted hath appeared than him who is the last Name of the All-Wise—the very Essence of the Seven Letters. By the number of eight Wahids the Mirror of God hath been established upon His seat, and, by reason of the vehemence of the fire of love, no soul hath had power to draw nigh unto them. The sign of the Sun of Oneness hath been fulfilled in the oneness of the decree.
Whoso reciteth the verse, “God beareth witness that there is no God but He, the All-Mighty, the Well-Beloved. His are the Most Beautiful Names. All that are in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them hymn His praise. There is no God but He, the Living, the All-Dominant, the Self-Subsisting,” and thereafter saith, “O God, bless the Essence of the Seven Letters, then the Letters of the Living, in might and majesty,” hath thereby brought faith unto this One.
The Second Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy.
O Letter of Ra and Ba! Bear thou witness that there is no God but Me. In the first gate of the Second Unity it hath been revealed: Know thou the power of thy Lord in the verses, then bear witness to an endless remembrance in all things, then to the powerlessness of men to comprehend what hath been revealed in the Bayan, for through it is established whatsoever thou desirest.
Then, in the second: none hath encompassed the knowledge of the Bay in save Thee, in Thy latter days—and then those who bear witness to what I intend therein; these, verily, are the victors.
Then, in the third: I have permitted no one to interpret aught save according to that which I Myself have interpreted; for all good reverteth unto Me, and—beneath that—unto the Letters of Negation. This is the knowledge of the Bayan, if ye but know. Thereafter is good remembered unto the utmost limit of the particles in the knowledge of the God-fearing; and beneath that good, at the furthest limit of the particles, by that whereunto thou dost testify concerning those below the sincere. Recite, then, the First Verse, if ye are able. And all of this is after this manner, if ye but understand. All this is the Most Holy Name at the end of the Return, if ye do but bear witness. This is He Whom God shall make manifest—ye, if God willeth, shall assuredly believe.
Then, in the fourth: “We have left out nothing from the Book”—if ye indeed believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest.
In the fifth, what was revealed in the Bayan is that no letter exists but that it hath a spirit. Through knowledge of separation ye grieve, and through knowledge of nearness ye rejoice. If ye read the negation, ye cause them to perish—this beareth fruit with God, if ye but comprehend. And if ye recite the affirmation, ye establish it—this beareth fruit with God, if ye but understand. Verily the first is the Essence, unto which ye draw nigh by God’s leave. All letters return unto these twain, if ye but perceive. Say not “There is no God but God” while failing to behold the Throne of the Light of Affirmation. This God hath taken from you, and this is God’s good-pleasure for them that draw nigh.
In the sixth, We have revealed no mention of good in the Bayan save for Him Whom We shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection through My verses, that ye may aid Him. And no mention without good save for him who boweth not down before Him, that ye may make him of those who prostrate themselves. And likewise did We reveal the Qur’an aforetime, but ye remained veiled from My purpose. This is what night and day revolved around for eight ones, and by this ye unified yourselves in worship, yet remained veiled from its mystery after it had been fulfilled. This is the Balance of Guidance in the Bayan, in which ye believe until the time when the Sun of Glory, Him Whom God shall make manifest, doth shine forth. If ye act according to it, ye shall believe and abide forever in the good-pleasure of God; otherwise ye shall perish.
In the seventh, the Day of Resurrection, as ye understand it, from the first rising of the Sun of Glory until its setting, is better in God’s Book than all the nights, if ye but comprehend. God hath created naught save for that Day when all strive for the meeting with God and His good-pleasure. On the Day of Resurrection this shall be outwardly realized, so observe, for We are waiting. Work ye for God’s sake, for verily noon approacheth though ye recognize not that Day. For him whose meeting is My very meeting, be not content with what one soul would be content with for another. Remember ye the last letter, then act according to your limit.
In the eighth, I have ordained death upon all things at My manifestation save for My love and what I begin of My Cause, for that shall benefit you and deliver you from the fire unto the light—that most exalted horizon, if ye but comprehend. This is death in life, and it is truth wherein there is no doubt. And the death of the body is like unto this death—if ye but comprehend them both in life.
In the ninth, verily the letter Sin is the grave wherein all who believe in Him shall be raised on the Day of Resurrection. Say: This is truth wherein there is no doubt, and verily through what the Point speaketh is he raised—this is from the decree of the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
In the tenth, what the servant is asked about Him Who shall be made manifest—this is what is asked in the grave, if ye answer truthfully. This is the word of the King from God, if ye are certain of God’s signs. These are the verses of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Then from the shadow of the ninth like unto the shadow of the tenth shall ye deduce.
In the eleventh, verily the resurrection is like unto the grave—a truth whereby God raiseth whom He willeth from among the living souls of His creation through what the Manifestation of His Self decreeth. Thus shall ye be raised on the Day of Resurrection through what Him Whom God shall make manifest doth speak.
In the twelfth, the mention of the Bridge is truth, and ye shall pass over it. This is the command of Him Whom God shall make manifest, if ye act according to it on the Day of His Manifestation. Say: All before waited for My day, but when I appeared with that whereby their religion was established, they all stood before the Bridge—this is their silence in truth, if ye but comprehend.
In the thirteenth, the mention of the Balance—this is the Self of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Truth turneth with Him as the shadow turneth with the sun. Then after the setting, ye shall be weighed by the Bayan and the witnesses.
The fourteenth concerns the reckoning which is like the balance of truth. All that was revealed in the Bayan is that whereby God will reckon with men. O My servants, fear ye Me.
In the fifteenth: Verily the Book is truth. This is the Word of God from My tongue, if ye be of them that are assured.
In the sixteenth: Paradise is the love of God and His good-pleasure. This is truth beyond which there is no equal. Verily We shall abide therein forever. Whatsoever is attributed to Me in Paradise is that which is attributed to Him Whom God shall make manifest. Will ye not then enter? And verily the fire, before it is transformed into light, is the fire of God—that is, Him Whom God shall make manifest before He maketh Himself known unto you. Ye shall enter into the fire of love, and this is truth beyond compare. If ye enter therein, then shall ye attain unto all good.
The seventeenth concerns the mention of the fire. I love not the mention of him who believeth not in Him Whom God shall make manifest. Such is he who believed not aforetime. Whatsoever is attributed unto him is attributed unto the fire. O My servants, beware ye!
The eighteenth: The Hour—ye shall be assured of it through what God hath explained in His Word, if God so willeth.
The nineteenth: That which God hath revealed in the Bayan is a garden of glory unto Him Whom We shall make manifest, that ye may believe in His signs.
The Third Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy
Verily I am God, there is no God but Me. And all else, should it be guided by My guidance, is like unto mirrors wherein is reflected the sun of My countenance. Such is My creation. Say: O My creation, fear ye Me.
The first [gate] of the third Vahid concerneth that of which ye are assured. Whatsoever is mentioned by any name belongeth unto Me, and what ye possess is what I possess. Say: O My creation, in the next Manifestation, give Me possession of My kingdom.
The second: That which I utter is truth, whereby I create whatsoever I will. If it be truth, it is truth, and if it be less than truth, it is less. Such is what We utter, for all negation and affirmation have been brought into being and made manifest by what We utter. Say: O My servants, fear ye Me.
The third: When We make thee manifest on the Day of Resurrection through what We sent aforetime, We shall remove what was revealed before, when thou givest leave, and verily We were patient.
The fourth: That which is revealed unto thee in thy latter days is greater than what We revealed unto thee in thy former days. Be thou of the thankful. And verily the excellence of what We have revealed unto thee over what We revealed unto thee before is as the excellence of the Qur’an over the Gospel—such was the excellence of Muhammad over Jesus. Say: O My servants, await ye My latter Manifestation.
The fifth: The tombs of the Vahid shall be raised up when thou givest leave in the day of My Manifestation, for by My word were they raised up before. O My servants, unto Me shall ye return.
The sixth: Whatsoever is mentioned by any name besides God is His creation, and there is no third between them. Say: Verily I am the Truth, and all else besides Me hath been created by Me and for Me. O My servants, ye shall comprehend My latter Manifestation.
The seventh: My creation shall not comprehend Me to behold Me, and all mention of meeting Me that I have revealed—that is thy meeting Me in thy latter and former days. Say: This is the greatest of paradises, if ye comprehend after having known. Say: Ye behold nothing in My paradise unless ye perceive therein My good-pleasure. O My lovers, ye shall behold Him Whom We shall make manifest in truth.
The eighth: All that We have created of all things in the Bayan—ye shall behold it directed towards Him.
Then the ninth, concerning what hath been revealed in the Bayan regarding the Temples: ye shall recite this verse:
“We bear witness that there is no God but Him, the All-Merciful, the Lord of the mighty Throne. God, there is no God but Him, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. God, there is no God save Him, the Sovereign, the Almighty, the All-Subduing, the Manifest, the Single, the Inaccessible. His are the most excellent names. All that are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them praise Him. Say: Glory be to God above what ye attribute unto Him. God, there is no God but Him, the Truth, the All-Knowing, the Ever-Standing, the All-Powerful. His are the most excellent names. All that are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them bow down before Him, and He is the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.”
Then the tenth, concerning what is therein: ye shall recite this verse when ye find fragrance and delight, otherwise ye shall remain silent and reflect:
“God beareth witness that there is no God but Him. His are creation and command. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and verily He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not. Within His grasp is the dominion of all things. He createth what He pleaseth by His command. He, verily, hath power over all things.”
Then the eleventh, concerning what hath been revealed therein in the first verse: “In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy.” Ye shall look to the Letters of the Unity.
Then the twelfth, concerning what is therein regarding the Point: ye shall comprehend the first Letter. He Whom God shall make manifest—the Letters of the Living are before Him as mirrors before the sun. In like manner shall ye deduce this in all names and attributes. This is the essence of the Bayan, mentioning itself from its Lord as ye make mention of it:
“Verily I am God, there is no God but I, God, the Manifest, the Sovereign. Say: All besides Me are My creation; all worship Me. Say: God, God is my Lord, and ye, O all things, shall associate none with God, your Lord, nor shall ye call upon any besides God, your Lord, the All-Merciful.”
Then the thirteenth: Ask not concerning My first ones nor My last ones except by a Book, and learn ye each one in your paths that ye may be well-mannered.
Then the fourteenth: Preserve ye all that hath been revealed in the Bayan like embroidered pieces on separate tablets. Write not what would alter its embroidery, then preserve it in the highest binding. And whoso possesseth a letter less than befitteth its glory, his deed is veiled, so be not of them that are veiled.
Then the fifteenth: If ye believe in Him Whom We shall manifest on the Day of Resurrection, then verily ye have believed in Me and My signs in all worlds. Otherwise seek ye His forgiveness and be of them that turn unto Him.
Then the sixteenth: Act ye only according to what We have revealed unto you and command not save by it. Say: Verily it is the sun that maketh you and your traces mirrors wherein ye behold what ye love when ye face the truth.
Then the seventeenth: Write not My verses except in the finest script that ye are capable of, and if anyone possesseth a letter less than the most excellent script, his deed is nullified, save for children while they are learning.
Then the eighteenth: For him who would produce the words of God, say: Take for thyself in the most attractive script, then bestow upon whom thou willest, for that is a just and firm balance.
Then the nineteenth: O My servants! Spend from My kingdom concerning what hath been revealed unto Me according to your ability. And if ye find one whose beautiful script is worth the earth and all that is thereon, then go ye unto him that he may write My Name, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. And all that ye are commanded regarding the most excellent script is only that ye may reckon with the spirits of the letters—these are your descendants. Therefore unite ye between the two excellences, then give thanks unto Me.
The Fourth Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy.
Verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Most Great, the Most Great. I have created thee and ordained for thee two stations. This is My station wherein none shall be seen save Me, and from this thou dost speak on My behalf, that verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Lord of all worlds. And through this thou dost seek My shelter, praise Me, proclaim My unity, worship Me, and art numbered among those who bow down before Me. This is the first unity of the fourth.
Then in the second, say: What returneth unto me returneth unto God, my Lord, and what returneth not unto me shall not return unto God. Then unto Him in all matters do ye return.
Then in the third: I will not worship as thou dost worship Me through inception, for that is the essence of thy beginning in thy end and thy beginning, when thou wast transformed in thy mother’s womb. Had it not been transformed as it was transformed, thou wouldst not have been certain of My inception. Verily thou art one; I have created for thee no equal, no peer, no likeness, no companion, and no similitude. Thus do I create what I will, and verily I am the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing.
Then in the fourth: I have created the essence of all things in the temple of man, and have made every possessor of a temple a bond-servant to Him Whom We shall make manifest. Say: I am nearer to you than your own selves. O My servants, unto your Lord do ye turn your gaze.
Then in the fifth: All circles are signs of My servitude; verily they worship none but Me. Say: Both ye and them, unto Him Whom We shall make manifest do ye turn your gaze. He is your Beloved One, Whom ye all seek by night and by day.
Then the sixth: I am not to be questioned about what I do, but all shall be questioned about My unity and Him Whom We shall make manifest. And I have made Him Whom We shall make manifest after that Manifestation. Say: If ye question Him about what He doeth, then how can ye claim to believe in Me? Verily He will question you about all things, and ye shall answer naught save with truth.
Then the seventh: All begin through Me through thee, and all through thee return unto Me.
Then the eighth: All are created and sustained by thy verses and what hath been sent down from thy presence, then they die and are brought to life.
Then the ninth: Whosoever ariseth from the Bayan with the dominion of that Manifestation of My power—say: O God, make me to be among the most powerful of the powerful ones. And thy name and thy deeds shall be recorded that I may recompense thee in My return according to the best of what thou wert among the workers. And ye shall make preparation for the Day of Manifestation in such wise that the Truth be not saddened, and We have commanded all believers to act accordingly.
Then the tenth: Learn ye naught save what hath been revealed in the Bayan or what proceedeth therefrom of the knowledge of letters and what brancheth forth from the practice of the Bayan. Say: O My servants, be ye refined and create not innovations, then make things easy upon yourselves and be not artificial.
Then the eleventh: Transgress not the bounds of the Bayan lest ye be saddened, and sadden not any soul, for this is the greatest bound, that ye may not sadden Him Whom We shall make manifest. And whoso transgresseth, no guidance shall be adjudged for him, and guidance cometh not save from Him Whom We shall make manifest with guidance. Say: O ye people of guidance, by My guidance are ye guided.
Then the twelfth: O My servants, cause the regions of the earth and whatsoever is therein to descend into the first unity that ye may dispose thereof.
Then the thirteenth: O My servants, raise ye the seats of unity above what ye are able.
Then the fourteenth: O My servants, if ye seek refuge in these regions ye shall be secure among the people and they shall have no power over you. This is that ye may seek refuge on the Day of Resurrection with Him Who will be raised from the midst of His resting-place, not as ye seek refuge with them on that Day, while ye commit what causeth the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them to be cleft asunder when ye hear it—how is it that ye comprehend not?
Then the fifteenth—do not refuse anyone who seeks protection with God and then with the Letters of the Living during the Manifestation in the Hereafter and before that in this life, you shall judge. And likewise if someone seeks protection with another, if he were to be killed in His path it would be better in God’s sight than to turn him away. O My servants, grant protection!
Then the sixteenth—O My servants, you shall ascend to My House—that is the House of Him Whom God shall make manifest. That is My House, so do not purchase what surrounds it except according to what you are able to raise up.
Then the seventeenth—What surrounds the House and Mosque belongs to God, so do not sell it. And let all of you establish within your dominion whatever you are able to make of your affairs. Then those who engage in trade may write what they wish. And verily the Sacred Mosque is where Him Whom God shall make manifest is born—that is where I was born. Say: The seat of Ahmad My Remembrance—enter therein and pray there. And do not proceed to My House or the seats except when you possess what will prevent you from being grieved on the way. And whoever is able to enter unto Me or unto the House, let him not be excused from that. You shall enter unto Him Whom We shall make manifest and then unto the House of God your Lord, and humble yourselves before Him and prostrate.
Then the eighteenth—If you pause at what you love of pilgrimage to My House, you shall give to the Manifestations of the One in their privacy four mithqals of gold if they follow you with utmost love. And We have exempted those who are unable, and those who possess, and those who serve, and those who follow or are afflicted, that they might be grateful. This is so you may know the Lord of the House and then enter through the gate of the House. That is He Who teaches you the inner knowledge of the outer manifest—that is Me in the Hereafter. O My servants, know Me! This is so you may ascend unto Him Whom We shall make manifest if it be Him, then you shall ascend to His House. So how is it you do not ascend unto His Person while all ascend to My House from before, yet they remain veiled from Him Who made the House a House?
Then the nineteenth—Were it not for the grief of women, I would forbid them from ascending due to the difficulties of the way, except for those who dwell in the land of the House. For they may enter the House at night if they wish, then sit in privacy with the Manifestations of the One and remember their Lord Who created them, then return to their dwellings. And they should observe love for their husbands and children and horses, and not approach what causes grief. For they were created for themselves and then for their children, so they should not choose journeys. They should recite and be grateful to God for what He exempts. And God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. O Manifestations of the One in the Alif and Ba, do not ask about any soul for it knows its decree. Then prostrate before Him Who made you guardians of the House. And verily I enter the House while you know not, so treat well all who enter My House that you might recognize Me.
The Fifth Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy.
By God, verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Most Ancient of the Most Ancient. I have sent down in the First Gate of the Fifth Fifth that you shall raise the Mosque, the seat where I was born, according to what you are able.
Second—You shall, by My leave, raise Living Mosques and the number of lamps therein as you wish to count.
Third—We have made the year nineteen months that you might follow the path of the One.
Then the fourth: You are known by My Names, and We have made you a Baha’i. Say: O My creation, seek ye Me alone and be not named after Muhammad (peace be upon him), ʿAli, Fatimih, then the Two Husayns, then Mahdi and Hadi. We have assigned a name to each letter of thy name. Say: All belong to Me, and verily I belong to God, my Lord, and there is no God but God—He Who is the Sovereign of all worlds, the Best-Beloved of all worlds, the Lord of all worlds, the Goal of all worlds, the Object of worship of all worlds, the Desire of all worlds, your God and your King, then your Lord and your Monarch, then your Sovereign and your Master, then the One described by all worlds.
Then the fifth: Take from those who have not entered the Bayan what belongeth unto them, then if they believe, return it not except in the land wherein ye dwell, if ye are able.
Then the sixth: Should a land be opened in the Bayan, there shall be taken from it what hath no equal for him who hath commanded it, and it shall be preserved if it changeth not in the hands of those who trade. None shall trade on My behalf from his glory, and he shall take his right from every thousand that is bought and sold—one hundred—as a bounty from Us to Him Whom We shall make manifest in truth, and verily We are the Reckoners. Then shall be taken thereof the letter Ha’ and preserved for the Primary Letters with the trustees. Then shall be taken the Vav for the martyrs. Then shall be married thereby in the Bayan those who have not the means. Then shall the King dispose of it as he pleaseth. Then shall he give every rightful one his right from his hosts, and if aught remaineth it shall be spent on the elevated places or given to all the believers. This is nearest in the Book of God, so that if there be a soul in any land, something shall be given unto him as a bounty from God. Verily He is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous.
Then the seventh: All that entereth into the Faith and whatsoever the believers possess apart from them is purified the moment they possess it, as a bounty upon thee when thou tradest with thy brethren and then with all peoples. Say: When anything is attributed to one who hath believed in the Bayan, it is purified in that instant. O My servants, be ye thankful and purchase what ye love from every land, that ye may possess the subtle thing.
Then the eighth: Ye shall read the Bayan, then from that Ocean shall ye draw, and decrease not from nineteen verses. And if ye cannot learn, then say:
“God, God is my Lord, and I associate nothing with God, my Lord”
if it harmeth thee not on the Day of My Return from anyone. For if thou art among the truthful in thy words—yet this will not profit thee if thou hearest mention of My Manifestation and then art among those who sit still.
Then the ninth: Remember Me through the letters of all things by that whereby thou rememberest Me from My Name, even if thou art among those who are mindful of what passeth through thy heart from a name.
Then the tenth: I have bestowed upon thee the Temples and the Circles, and have favored thee thereby. Say: All the Bayan is therein for you to write in such wise as ye are able to read.
Then the eleventh: Five times shall ye magnify over the newborn child, standing, and after each time ye shall recite nineteen times: “We all believe in God,” then “We all are certain in God,” then “We all begin in God,” then “We all return to God,” then “We all are content in God.” Then six times over the deceased, and ye shall recite nineteen times: “We all worship God,” then after ye have magnified God in the first: “We all prostrate before God,” then “We all are devoted to God,” then “We all work for God,” then “We all are sincere toward God,” then “We all praise God.” And ye shall bury in crystal or polished stone that ye may dwell in peace, and place a ring upon the right hand inscribed with the verse ordained that ye may find solace. Say: Man writeth for God whatsoever is in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Knowing, the Mighty, the Invincible. Say: Man is commanded by what hath been sent down in a mighty Book, and to God belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and God is the All-Knowing, the Mighty, the Invincible.
Then the twelfth: Ye shall bury with the dead some dust from the first and the last.
Then the thirteenth: Ye shall write a testament to Him Whom We shall make manifest; this is what ye write unto God if ye be of them that are certain.
Then the fourteenth: The name of God purifieth you when ye recite “God is Most Pure” sixty-six times, then the Point and what shineth forth from it of the verses of God, then His words if ye be certain in them, then who entereth into the religion, then what changeth his essence, then fire and air and water and earth, then the sun when it drieth. O My servants, be ye thankful!
Then the fifteenth: The water of life is pure; ye are created by it. Keep your bodies clean thereby that ye may find delight.
Then the sixteenth: All things that have no equal belong to God; these are for Him Whom God shall make manifest from all things according to the number of Unity. O My servants, deliver ye unto Him and when the sun setteth, possess ye your souls from Me, then return ye on the day of My manifestation.
Then the seventeenth: Ye shall recite ninety-nine times each day “God is Most Great.” Then fear ye Me.
Then the eighteenth: Permission is granted for trade and commerce to all My servants when they know there is mutual consent between them, then those who trade not desiring credit, then diminishing the time.
In the nineteenth: ye reckon the mithqal as nineteen nakhuds of gold and silver. The first grade of Kingship is set at ten thousand dinars, and the second at one thousand dinars. If any should diminish these amounts, let them not fall below the measure of a nakhud. Ye may not dispose of your possessions below this amount. He who reduceth it hath no claim, nor he whose wealth hath not reached the measure of five hundred and forty mithqals over the course of a year. This is a bounty from Us, that ye may be thankful.
Furthermore, when ye find wealth that exceedeth the limits prescribed in the Bayan, ye shall pay five hundred dinars for each mithqal of gold and fifty dinars for each mithqal of silver, that perchance on the Day of My Manifestation He may assist the Cause of His Lord and not be compelled to take even a qirat without right. In such case the tax is doubled, if ye be among the God-fearing.
Let none be asked concerning his Book, lest any soul be grieved, for they know not that they give not because they account themselves sufficient. Rather, I have commanded that ye encompass every soul from the moment of birth until death regarding all possessions in their Baha, that ye may be numbered among the thankful. What I have permitted is solely the right of Him Whom God shall make manifest. I have permitted it to His servants that they may show shame before Him and not judge Him nor grieve Him. Beyond this is My right and the right of My Names wherein none is seen save Me. O My creation! Pray ye unto the Letters of the First.
The Sixth Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy
Verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Help in Peril, the Help in Peril. I have sent down the Bayan and made it a proof from Us unto all the worlds. Therein is that which hath no equal—these are the verses of God, say: all are powerless before them. Therein is that which hath no peer—this is that whereunto ye call. Therein is that which hath no likeness—this is that wherein We are the Interpreters. This is the Alif between the two Ba’s—ye shall comprehend it through the Gate. Therein is that which hath no companion—this is the essence of knowledge and wisdom wherewith ye shall respond. Therein is that which hath no similitude—this is what the Persians speak of, and ye shall be arranged in the Unity.
Write not that which is hidden except ye observe in the verses the number of Him Who is Invoked in Prayer (Mustaghath). From the first number are ye permitted, O My servants, to write with precision. I have permitted that with every soul there be a thousand verses of what he desireth, that he may take delight therein when he reciteth them, if he be of the vigilant. Say: Verily the verse is thirty letters, if ye would calculate in the Arabic tongue. Reckon ye according to the number of Mim, then write in the most excellent manner and preserve it. This is the first Unity wherein ye dwell through God.
Then the second: in every land build ye a free house, and make delicate all your lands and all things in the most excellent manner ye are able, lest Mine eye witness aught displeasing. O My servants, fear ye God! This is nearer than all things, if ye but knew.
Then the third: none shall dwell in the land of Khams save My God-fearing servants.
Then the fourth: submit ye unto God and say “Allah-u-Akbar”, then respond “Allah-u-A’zam”, then individually “Allah-u-Abha”, and who respondeth “Allah-u-Ajmal”, then fear ye Me.
Then the fifth: verily water is pure, purifying, and purified; in the cup ye witness the decree of the sea.
Then the sixth: efface ye all that ye have written and replace it with the Bayan and what ye compose under its shadow.
Seventh: You shall join the letter Ba’ to the letter Alif according to what We have revealed in the Book. Then fear ye Me. Say: In cities the amount is ninety-five mithqals of gold, while in villages it is the same amount in silver, descending to nineteen mithqals when the number of the Vahid is reached, if mutual satisfaction exists between them. Then from detachment be ye detached, and through elevation be ye elevated. Let each of them pay the dowry, and let all say: “We are all content for God’s sake.” God hath made all the gems of the earth the dowry of her whom He created for Him Whom He shall make manifest. This is of God’s bounty unto Him, that ye may be of the thankful.
Eighth: Ye shall not derive proofs save through the verses, for whoso deriveth not proof through them hath no knowledge. Mention no miracle besides them, that ye may believe in Me at the time of My manifestation in that very moment, and that ye may recite this and keep it before your eyes, that ye may not be veiled on the day of My manifestation.
Ninth: Ye shall wear silk garments on festive nights, and if possible wear nothing else. And ye shall fashion from gold and silver the means whereby ye secretly maintain your lives. And when ye find not these things in any matter, be not grieved, for verily I, your Lord, shall come unto you in your latter days when ye believe in Me and My verses.
Tenth: Ye shall wear upon your hands carnelian rings which ye shall engrave, that ye may thereby testify that He Whom We shall make manifest is the Truth wherein there is no doubt, and all are created by Him and unto Him. Say: God is Truth, and whatsoever is other than God is creation, and all are worshippers of Him.
Eleventh: Say: O Muhammad, my teacher, strike me not before five years have passed over me, even for a moment, for my heart is tender and delicate. After that educate me, but exceed not the bounds of discretion. If thou desirest to strike, exceed not five blows, and strike not upon the flesh unless there be a veil between. If thou transgressest, thy wife is forbidden to thee for nineteen days. And if thou forgettest and hast no spouse, then give nineteen mithqals of gold for what thou hast struck, if thou desirest to be of the believers. Strike only very lightly, and let the children remain seated upon a throne or chair or seat, for this shall not be counted against their years.
Permit them what makes them happy, and teach them the Shikastih script, for God loveth this and hath made it the gate of His Own Self among scripts, that ye may write in such wise as to captivate your hearts from its intoxication and make you as water unto Him Whom We shall make manifest when your eyes behold Him and draw you as We were writers. I have joined thee with one who shall inherit, lest the throne of thy Lord be saddened in His childhood, and all be not grieved thereby. Say: Had I witnessed, I would have cut off from thee what I granted thee of My dominion. O My servants, fear ye Me!
Twelfth: Draw not nigh unto the letters Ta and Qaf, and if thou art constrained, then wait for one year that ye may become endeared through the Vahid. Otherwise, permission is granted to both, and both are permitted, when they desire to return, nineteen times after a month hath passed, that ye may not enter beneath the shadow of gates other than the Truth.
Thirteenth: Make not the gates of the House of the Point more than ninety-five, nor the gates of the Houses of the Letters more than five. O My servants, from this derive ye all knowledge.
Then the fourteenth: Ye are the Greatest Day of God, the number of all things. Say:
“God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.”
And if ye be in spirit, conclude with the mention of Power. Then on a night from God’s bounties, nineteen is the number before you, that ye may count up to the number of Him Who is Invoked for Help. Permission is granted unto him who is able, and be not grieved if ye are unable, for with God upon the Throne it was one. Say: Give thanks unto Me. Say: That is the Day of the Point, then the number of the Living One, then the months of the Living One—ye ascend in the ocean of creation.
Then the fifteenth: Ye shall all arise when ye hear mention of Him Whom We shall make manifest by the name of the Qa’im. Then observe ye the difference between the Qa’im and the Qayyum. Then in the year Nine ye shall attain unto all good.
Then the sixteenth: Travel not except for God’s sake and if ye are able, save at the time of the manifestation of the Truth, for then it is incumbent upon you to journey unto Him, for verily ye were created for this, even if ye must go on foot. No obligation resteth upon you save the visitation of the House, then the seat of the Point if ye are able, then the seats of the Letters of the Living and the mosques if ye can. And if ye desire to trade, extend not your journey on land beyond two years nor on sea beyond five years. And whoso exceedeth this shall give to his companion two hundred and twelve mithqals of gold if able, or of silver.
And take your companion with you that ye may not grieve in the Bayan. And whoso causeth another harm in travel, even by a footstep, or entereth another’s house without permission, or desireth to expel him from his house without permission, or seeketh him from his house without right—his wife is forbidden unto him for nineteen months. And if anyone transgresseth God’s command in this, the witnesses of the Bayan shall take from him ninety-five mithqals of gold. And whoso desireth to cause harm to another, it is incumbent upon him who knoweth and is able, even if it be for part of the year, to be present and prevent him. And whoso faileth to be present when able, his wife is forbidden unto him for nineteen days, and is not lawful unto him until he spendeth nineteen mithqals of gold if able, or of silver. This is that no soul may be wronged in the Bayan. And whoso raiseth his voice without right hath departed from the bounds of humanity. O My servants, fear ye God!
Then the seventeenth: That which issueth from animals, be not concerned about it save that ye desire to be gentle.
Then the eighteenth: It is forbidden unto you in your religion to look at each other’s writings except for one who is permitted or is known to consent, that ye may be modest and well-mannered.
Then the nineteenth: It is obligatory upon you in your religion to answer those who speak to you with words indicating yes or no, and likewise in your letters when someone writeth to another, it is obligatory upon him to write his answer after it if able, or after another’s. And whoso receiveth a letter or loseth it when able to deliver it to someone but delivereth it not, is not considered by God among the worshippers.
The Seventh Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy.
I am He, God! There is no God but Me, the Most Just, the Most Just. Say: You shall preserve the Bayan and all your books after the number fixed by God’s Name hath expired for him who is able, and after the number of the letters Ra’ and Ba’ for him who is not able, that ye may comprehend the matters of the hereafter. If the second is better, well and good; otherwise the first is better for him. And if ye find not similar handwriting, change it not. And after changing the original, expend it or cast it into fresh water that ye may be grateful. This is part of what is ordained first.
Then concerning the second, work ye for God, your Lord. In all that ye do, if ye act with sincerity for Him Whom We shall make manifest, ye are working for God; otherwise, even if ye perform all good deeds, ye are in the fire and are not of God, even though ye may intend it for God.
Then the third: your religion, when ye are able, ye shall return to it, and in each single Book ye shall write proofs of Him Whom We shall make manifest, some to others, that ye may act according to what ye write on the day of His manifestation.
Then the fourth: ye shall dedicate one month in every year to the Name of God, that ye may answer Him on the day of the manifestation of Truth, and naught shall proceed from your mouths save one Name, and if ye forget and speak otherwise, there is no blame on you. Say: All are from God and all guide unto God.
Then the fifth: when God is made manifest, if anyone attends Him, his deeds are cut off save what He commandeth. O My servants, fear ye God! For were He to make all on earth prophets, they would be prophets in God’s sight, but He will not make manifest save whom He willeth, and God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Then the sixth: carry ye not implements of war among yourselves, and wear not what would frighten children, that ye may not cause grief to Him Whom We shall make manifest in truth.
Then the seventh: when ye attain unto Him Whom We shall make manifest, ye shall ask of God’s bounty that He may graciously establish His sovereignty over your hearts, for that is not impossible nor unattainable. That He should drink a cup of water in your presence is greater than that every soul should drink of the water of His existence, nay, than all things, O My servants, could ye but understand.
Then the eighth: in each month ye shall fill one unity with the mention of your Lord God’s Most Great Name in the finest handwriting, and if ye cannot do it yourselves, have it done for you, that ye may believe in the Primary Unity on the day of God’s manifestation and then multiply it.
Then the ninth: whoso is raised up in this religion from among the kings shall build a house for God with ninety-five doors, and before it one with ninety doors for Him Whom We shall make manifest, that the very clay thereof may testify that dominion belongeth unto God, if he testifieth through his deeds to the extent that the clay testifieth from his presence. O My servants, fear ye God!
Then the tenth: protect ye your children with an amulet of glory wherein is recorded God’s Name to the number of Mustaghath, that ye may be saved thereby on the Day of Resurrection.
Then the eleventh: ye shall study and deliver discourses from the pulpit in days of joy and sorrow. Then fear ye Me.
Then the twelfth: if ye know Him Whom We shall make manifest, make not your deeds vain by associating partners with God while ye know not.
Then the thirteenth: if ye possess nineteen verses by Him Whom We shall make manifest, it is better for you than all excellence, if ye know the value of God’s verses. God hath created naught more precious than this, could ye but perceive the mystery of the Cause.
Then the fourteenth: it is forbidden in your religion to repent before anyone save Him Whom We shall make manifest or one who hath His permission, but ye may seek forgiveness of God, your Lord, the Sovereign, then turn ye unto Him in repentance.
Then the fifteenth: Ye shall prostrate yourselves at the gate of the City of Him Whom God shall make manifest, even as was revealed aforetime, that ye may fear Me. If ye fear not…
Then the sixteenth: It hath been decreed for the sovereign at the time of the Manifestation that he shall transcribe that which is revealed by the Point, and present it unto the divines, that their impotence may be made manifest unto all who dwell on earth. And he shall not suffer to remain in his dominion any who believe not in Him, even as was revealed in the Bayan, save those who engage in commerce in his realm. Say: O My servants, fear ye Me!
Then the seventeenth: Ye shall recite these verses on Friday, facing the sun, that on the Day of Resurrection, before the True Sun, ye may declare:
“All glory be unto God upon thee, O thou rising Sun! Bear thou witness unto that whereunto God hath testified concerning His Own Self, that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Best-Beloved.”
Then the eighteenth: Whoso imprisoneth another, his wives are forbidden unto him, and should he approach them, he must pay nineteen mithqals of gold for each month. And should union occur, the witnesses must banish him, and no profession of faith shall be accepted from him. O My servants, fear ye Me! And whoso deliberately causeth grief to another soul must pay nineteen mithqals of gold as blood money if he is able, otherwise of silver, unless permission is granted. And whoso forgetteth, let him seek God’s forgiveness nineteen times. Say: O My servants, fear ye Me!
Then the nineteenth: All prayers are abrogated for you save nineteen rak’ahs from noon unto noon, performed one by one with standing, devotion and sitting, that on the Day of Resurrection ye may stand, then prostrate, then show devotion and sit before God. And in your hearts shall be a sign from the letters of the Unity, a sign from God your Lord, that thereby ye may be saved. Then fear Me and prostrate yourselves before God.
The Eighth Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy
Verily I am God! There is none other God but Me, the Most Manifest, the Most Manifest. Behold what We have revealed in the Book, whereof We are witness. Verily every deed We manifest is greater before God than all that ye glorify. Say: It is as the sun that cannot be compared with the stars. O My servants, fear ye Him! This is the first unity.
Then the second: Say: When ye are able, procure nineteen leaves of supreme paper and the number of the Unity in carnelian rings for yourselves, if ye are able to count them. Say: None shall inherit from the deceased save his father and mother and offspring and wife and brother and sister and he who taught him, after that which he hath set aside from his wealth for his honor after his death. And when ye hear of the death of a soul for God’s sake, be present but rise not from your seats.
Then the third: On the Day of Resurrection, when ye hear the decree “All things shall perish save the Face of thy Lord, the Possessor of Sovereignty and Power,” ye shall present yourselves before God and before the Living One, then seek forgiveness from God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, then turn unto God in repentance. And if ye are unable, then ask of God’s bounty in your writings. And if ye see the word “pardon” from God, it is better than all bounty, if ye but knew.
Then the fourth: Of all the good ye enumerate, the highest is for Him Whom We shall make manifest, then the lowest for him who believeth in Him, then the middle for him who guideth unto the Point. Ye shall look unto the Letters of the Truth.
Then fifthly: When ye are able, ye shall, on the Day of His Manifestation, present unto the Letters of Unity one-third diamond, four (perhaps) and six emeralds and six rubies, with the Command, and shall make the glory of each like unto the glory of the First One, that ye may be assured in God.
Then sixthly: Ye shall ever cleanse your bodies every fourth day from all that ye are able, and shall look into mirrors by night and by day, that ye may be thankful.
Then seventhly: Women shall pray in their robes, and there is no harm in the appearance of their hair and bodies before their husbands while they pray. And ye shall trim the hair of your faces for piety, and adorn your bodies with what ye love, that ye may be thankful in the days of God. Say: The Qiblih is He Whom We make manifest; whensoever He moveth, it moveth, until He shall come to rest. Then from before, even as from after, ye shall know. Say: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the face of God. Ye are gazing toward God.
Then eighthly: Whoso attaineth the Day of Resurrection shall write down what he earneth of good and less than that, that ye may know until the next Resurrection.
Then ninthly: Whoso is raised among a people, it is permitted for them to look upon and speak to one another, men to women and women to men. O My servants, fear ye God! Then be ye God-fearing. And beyond that, concerning what may arise between them, say: More than twenty-eight words ye shall fear, except ye cannot dispense therewith.
Then tenthly: Ye shall cleanse your mouths with toothpicks and dental floss after ye have finished your meals, then lie down. Then wash your faces and hands to the wrist if ye desire to pray. Then dry your faces and hands with a towel, and in the house of cleanliness preserve what every wind might smell with a towel, that ye may not experience what ye do not love. And perform ablutions at the seat of unity with fragrant water like rosewater, that ye may enter the presence of God on the Day of Resurrection with rosewater and perfume. And if your scent doth not change your deeds, and if ye recite the Bismillah five times, it shall suffice you for your ablutions when ye cannot find water, or it is difficult for you to obtain it, that ye may be thankful.
Say: In every Manifestation the essence of fire is changed into light, and your deeds are unveiled from yourselves as ye gaze toward the Point of Command. And ye are pardoned for what ye experience in dreams, and that which, by yourselves, ye bring forth from yourselves. But ye shall know the value of that water, for it is the cause of the creation of a soul that worshippeth God. Ye shall preserve it in a place of honor, that ye may aid the Cause of God through the fruits of your souls. And when ye find that water, ye shall perform ablutions by your own choice, then prostrate yourselves and shall say nineteen times: “Glory be unto Thee, O God!
There is no God but Thee! Glory be unto Thee! I have been of them that glorify.” And if there is a change in the water after ye have performed ablutions, it is excused from you, and likewise if ye wash your head and belly and hands and feet while ye praise God during the act. And for women, when they find blood, there is no prayer or fast incumbent upon them, except that they shall perform ablutions and glorify God ninety-five times from sunset to sunset, saying: “Glory be unto God, the Lord of Splendor and Beauty!” And ye and they, during journeys, after ye have alighted and rested, shall prostrate once in place of each prayer, then glorify God therein, then sit at the seat of unity and glorify God eighteen times, then arise—all this that ye may be thankful in the religion of God.
In the eleventh: Ye shall wash your dead if possible five times with pure water, then shroud them in five pieces of silk or cotton after placing the ring upon their finger—a gift from God to the living—that perchance ye may believe in Him Whom We shall manifest on the Day of Resurrection. In extreme heat ye shall wash your dead as ye would wish for yourselves, by the hands of the pious among you; in cold with warm water; and between these as ye would wish for yourselves. Then rose water or the like over the entire body of the deceased if possible. Then with utmost tranquility and love shall ye turn the body. Every nineteen days ye shall visit your dead, or more frequently each day if convenient for you. When possible, for nineteen days and nights let none be distant from the grave, that they may recite the verses of God while ye keep a lamp lit thereat.
In the twelfth: I have witnessed at the time of the Martyrdom all grief, but grieve not, for verily all things glorify Me through thee. Those who have earned, had they known what they earned for thee and against thee, they would return and seek forgiveness. Say: Whosoever dwelleth in that land and its surroundings for a year or years, if he hath completed twenty-nine years of age, must visit the place of Martyrdom to offer one rak’ah of prayer. Whoso is unable, let him seclude himself in his house for nineteen days, sincerely devoted to God his Lord. And whoso is not within that boundary is exempted by My grace. Indeed, who among all on earth can prevent that ye, O servants of God, should fear Him?
In the thirteenth: Ye shall magnify the Point ninety-five times in its beginning and its ending during its prayer. And ye shall all pray once, but ye shall aim to do so individually.
In the fourteenth: If ye learn the Bayan, then recite from its verses by day and by night as ye desire. Otherwise, remember God seven hundred times if ye are in spirit; if not, then as ye are refreshed.
In the fifteenth: It is incumbent upon every soul to preserve of himself through union with God between them after eleven years have passed. Whoso is able but does not unite, his deeds are rendered void. If one of them prevents the other from fruit, choose until He appears. No union is lawful except in the Bayan. If one enters from outside, what the other possesses becomes forbidden except if that one returns after He Whom We shall manifest raises the matter in truth, or what has appeared in justice. Before that, unite that perchance ye may thereby exalt the Cause of God.
In the sixteenth: This is from God’s justice: from every splendor of one hundred mithqals of gold, twenty mithqals of the splendor of all things belong to God when a year has passed and it has not diminished from its original amount. Submit it to Him Whom We shall manifest, that He may give each Letter of the Unity one mithqal, except the First Unity who shall receive two mithqals. If accepted, it manifests in those who appear in their lifetime, and after their passing returns to their descendants if they have any; if not, then what is ordained by God shall all act accordingly—this for one who possesses of himself and has excess beyond his needs. And after death all that he owns shall be calculated, then commanded with justice every year it is accepted from him except at the time of the Manifestation, for then ye shall not delay.
The seventeenth: When the value of gold and silver of any person reaches the number of the letters and the two Ha’s, one-sixth thereof is due to God. Those who possess only the number belonging to God are exempt, so that the poor may receive from their Lord. And those who are in distress, or borrow, or guarantee, or are prevented from earning, or are in need while traveling—they themselves shall act with kindness. Say: The nearest are their descendants, and what is incumbent upon them is their affair, then their close relatives. O ye who are wealthy! Ye are trustees from God, therefore look to what belongs to God, then to the poor from your Lord, that ye may enrich them.
Begging in the marketplaces is not lawful, and whosoever begs, giving to him is forbidden. It is incumbent upon all to work, and those who cannot—O ye manifestations of wealth—ye shall reach out to them from Me. It is obligatory upon you to learn what pertains to your religion lest anyone be distressed. O My servants, fear ye Me! And of that, the number belonging to God from both [gold and silver] is for God when completed each year, and above that when it equals that amount, it belongs to the Point in its beginning and end, and ye who are between them, unto the nineteen who are foremost in obedience to them both. When commanded, each one shall give the number of Ha according to his means to his close relatives, and they shall give of themselves to themselves, if they be of the assured ones.
The eighteenth: Ye shall fast during the month of ʿAla in each year for God. Before men and women complete eleven years from the time of conception, if they desire, they may fast until noon, and after reaching forty-two years they are exempt. Between these ages ye shall fast from sunrise to sunset that perchance on the Day of Manifestation ye may not enter the gates of fire. If ye are able, ye may add before sunrise and after sunset. During it ye shall believe in Him Whom We shall manifest, and ye shall not judge Him, neither shall ye eat, nor drink, nor approach [your spouses]. Then shall ye delight in the verses of God, and ye shall not change your utterance while ye recite.
The nineteenth: When ye hear mention of the Point, ye shall send blessings upon Him and upon the Letters of the Living that perchance on the Day of Manifestation ye may be guided by them. When mention is repeated, once sufficeth you. On the eve and day of Friday ye shall say:
“Glory be to Thee, O God! Send blessings upon the Essence of the Seven Letters and the Letters of Truth, with glory and majesty,”
that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may be assured through what ye say. Not like today when ye send blessings upon Muhammad and the Letters of the Living while ye are veiled from their manifestation in their latter days. Were ye not to send blessings upon them and not to sadden them, they would be pleased with you, but ye are not ashamed and ye do what ye do. Whosoever sends blessings upon Him Whom We shall manifest, God will send blessings upon him a thousand times, and likewise if ye send blessings upon the Letters of the Living.
The Ninth Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy.
Verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Most Sovereign, the Most Sovereign. Mine is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and unto Me shall all things return in their beginning and their end. Say: the glory of every land belongeth unto Him Whom We shall make manifest. On the Day of His manifestation ye shall all return unto Him, even if it be against your own selves. And if ye persist, We shall make for you a fire. O My servants, fear ye Me!
The palaces of kings are His, and should anyone pray therein, he must give unto the poor a weight of silver. And ye, O witnesses of the Bayan, shall give permission at sunset for those who would dwell therein at that time or on that day. Say: In the assemblies of glory ye shall leave space for nineteen souls, that ye may not precede them on the Day of Manifestation. This if there be room, otherwise one shall suffice, that ye may thereby be saved on the Day of Manifestation.
Ye rise not on such a day at My mention while ye judge Me and are not ashamed. This is the first.
Then in the second: O ye physicians, fear God and heal with the gifts and bounties which God hath created, and visit ye the sick. O My servants! And should anyone possess handwriting without its equal, let him write a thousand verses and make a testament thereof, for We are ever watchful over him.
Then the third: For God from every king a house several times for himself shall write before him that which indicateth, should the sign of his Lord appear and he assist Him not, that he should fear God with all that lieth within his power. And should he assist Him, God will cause every good to reach him. Say: Thou wert created for this, and thou must needs pass away, so leave thy remembrance until the Day of Resurrection among the worlds.
Then the fourth: When in your innermost hearts ye take delight in the remembrance of God, know that your delight in what He Whom We shall make manifest will utter is greater in God’s sight than that wherein ye now take pleasure. His verses have already been exalted in your hearts before His manifestation through My tongue. Say: O all things, fear ye Him!
Then the fifth: It is prescribed for every soul to serve the Point for nineteen days during His manifestation, and this is lifted from you when He pardons. Say: This is the best of deeds, if ye be of them that comprehend.
Then the sixth: Ye shall not precede any group wherein the Point will be made manifest, if they be believers. Say: These are better than all who are on earth, and had God known any better than them in faith, He would have made Him manifest from among them. Ye shall submit to His father and His mother and those who are with Him, and those of His near kindred who believe in Him, that ye may attain unto this before He maketh it manifest, and after that ye shall come to know and understand. Upon thee, O Baha’u’llah, and upon thy kindred be the remembrance of God and the praise of all things at all times, before all times and after all times.
Then the seventh: Ye shall beware of those who are not of Mine, and ye shall neither sell nor buy that which God loveth not, for He hath forbidden it unto you, nor shall ye use it. Ye shall, in this Faith, keep far from all that ye abhor.
Then the eighth: Ye shall not possess, sell, buy or use medicines and intoxicants and what is above them, save in the manner ye would wish to prepare them.
Ninth: You do not pray in congregation, but you attend the mosques and, seated upon chairs, make mention of what God loves and give exhortation—except for the prayer for the dead, wherein you pray together while maintaining individual intention. Make a chamber in your homes your place of worship, though it is better that you attend the mosques, that perchance on the Day of God’s Manifestation you may hasten to the Cause of God.
Tenth: You should, if possible, possess all the writings of the Point, and if they are printed, sustenance will descend upon their possessor like rain. Say: O My servants, this is the best of all commerce, if you believe in Him Whom We shall make manifest.
Tenth [sic]: Purify yourselves from association with the letters of the Most High, lest you enter into their realities. Be vigilant not to be counted among them. It is better for one to speak only good, but you must look to what God has revealed, and what has been revealed to me until now, then the Alif and the Ba from a soul, then afterward whatever equals the number of all things, if God should will you to witness it.
Eleventh: You shall neither buy nor sell the elements of the earth.
Twelfth: Let not your prayers be invalidated by animal hair nor by that into which the spirit has not been breathed. You shall give thanks in the religion of God.
Thirteenth: Never tear up a book.
Fourteenth: After nineteen years have elapsed, renew all your possessions if you are able.
Fifteenth: Write the mention of the Bayan upon all your crafts, that perchance you may be God-fearing at the manifestation of its reality. Make no unjust mention of religion in the presence of the Primal Tree.
Sixteenth: Never strike anyone.
Seventeenth: You shall host nineteen people for nineteen days, even if you can only offer them water. If you cannot manage nineteen, then reach whatever number you can up to nineteen.
Eighteenth: You shall not tear your garments nor beat your bodies when someone among you dies, never, never.
Nineteenth: When you clean fish from the sea or river, say “In the Name of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting,” then eat whatever has scales upon it.
The Tenth Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy
Verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Most Perfect, the Most Perfect. In the Tenth Unity I have revealed: Bear witness that there is no God but Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
First: Fear not the dog or other animals, and if their wet hair touches you, cleanse yourselves if you wish to be clean.
Second: God has permitted those who have believed in the Bayan, both men and women, to look upon each other if they wish, provided they do not witness in their gazing what God does not love in their looking. God desires to create between you and them that whereby you may love one another in the Paradise of His good pleasure.
Thirdly: As to what ye shall inherit from God’s dominion: That which We have apportioned among you shall ye divide, that ye may, on the Day of God’s Manifestation, enter into that which We have willed concerning its numbers. Ye shall believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and be assured of His verses. Say: Your offspring shall inherit of the Book of Ta according as ye divide justly among them. Say: God hath prescribed for them the number of abhorrence, that they may be thankful. Say: God hath prescribed for your wives from the Book of Ha the number of Ta and Fa, which ye shall divide justly among them. Say: God hath prescribed in the Book from the Book of Za for your father the number of Ta and Kaf, concerning which ye shall judge according to what God hath prescribed for you.
Say: Your mothers shall inherit from the Book of Waw the exalted number in the Book, which ye shall apportion as God hath ordained. That which God hath prescribed for your brothers is the number of Shin from the Book of Ha, which ye shall fulfill as God hath prescribed. That which God hath prescribed for your sisters is the number of Ra and Mim from the Book of Dal, which ye shall apportion justly as God hath prescribed for them. And that which God hath prescribed for those who teach you the knowledge of the Bayan is from the Book of Jim the number of Qaf and Fa, which ye shall justly apportion among them. Say: God hath divided your inheritance according to the degrees of quarters after a third, as ordained in the Letters, these degrees being before quarters and thirds.
This is from the hidden knowledge in God’s Book that shall neither change nor alter, as ye behold in your temples. Then on the Day of Resurrection, when God shall manifest to all the Letters the number of Ha through Him Whom God shall make manifest, ye shall believe and be assured.
Say: The fourth is the essence of religion in your beginning and return: that ye believe in God, beside Whom there is no other God, then in Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection in your return, then in what God shall reveal unto Him from the Book, then in Him Whom God made manifest by the name of Ali before Muhammad through what God revealed in the Bayan, whereof all are powerless. If ye attain unto your return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, then shall ye comprehend your beginning.
Say: The fifth is that all things unto which the name of thing can be applied have been made lawful and pure in themselves, save for those who believe not in the Bayan and that which ye are forbidden in the Book. This is what ye are charged with; it changeth not in its essence, and ye shall be questioned concerning what God your Lord hath commanded you. Therefore shun all that ye abhor.
Say: The sixth is that God hath forbidden you in the Bayan to cause hurt, even to the extent of striking a hand upon a shoulder. O servants of God! Be ye God-fearing! When ye desire to dispute with proofs and arguments, write your proofs with utmost courtesy, then speak with perfect propriety, for ye shall meet your Lord God on the Day of Resurrection even as ye shall meet Him Whom God shall make manifest and him who is a Gate unto Him for all the worlds. Perchance ye shall not meet your Lord God and shall perform deeds that grieve God your Lord by grieving Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye neither perceive nor remember.
Say: The seventh is that each soul among you shall present to Him Whom God shall make manifest a crystal of precious and sublime perfume from the Point of the Bayan, then prostrate yourselves before God with your own hands, not through the hands of others, except ye be unable.
Say: The eighth is that ye shall not prostrate except upon crystal containing particles of the first and last earth, as a remembrance from God in the Book, that ye may witness naught that is not beloved.
In the ninth, let every soul possess crystal vessels of excellent quality, according to the number of the unity (nineteen), insofar as possible; and if one is able but does not possess them, it is prescribed that he should spend nineteen mithqals of gold—a limit set in the Book of God—that ye may be God-fearing.
In the tenth, let not widowers remain without remarrying more than ninety days after their wives are taken, and let not widows remain without remarrying more than ninety-five days after their husbands are taken—a limit set in the Book of God—that ye may be God-fearing and bear witness that sovereignty belongeth unto God and all shall return unto Him. Should they tarry beyond what God hath prescribed for them, when they are able and have the means, they must pay ninety-five mithqals of gold for men and ninety-five mithqals of gold for women, if they are able; if not, they are exempt. God desireth naught for anyone save love and good-pleasure, that ye may give thanks in the Paradise of the Bayan.
In the eleventh, those who compose books should write at the beginning thereof “There is no God but God” and at the end “There is no testimony except that of ʿAli before Muhammad,” that ye may recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest through similar expressions and be guided by Him.
In the twelfth, your children are not bound by the ordinances concerning your death before the spirit is breathed into them; and after it is breathed, if they are born alive, ye must observe the ordinances of life concerning them. If they are born dead, ye are relieved of your ordinances and prayers for them, and neither their fathers nor mothers should approach them lest they grieve, unless there be none other—a mercy and favor from God in the Book, that ye may be patient in the days of God.
In the thirteenth, permission is granted in the Bayan that ye may organize yourselves one by one by choosing for yourselves the number of the Living One, that on the Day of Resurrection ye may thus present yourselves before your Lord. Say: The Point is the sign of the Primal Tree, and the Letters of the Living are the signs of the First Living One. Be vigilant regarding this matter, that on the Day of Resurrection ye may not be veiled from Him Whom God shall make manifest and the First Living One. For if He Whom God shall make manifest should appear in the station of the Point or the Living One, verily He is the Truth from God about which there is no doubt, and we all believe in Him.
In the fourteenth, God hath prescribed for your fathers and mothers to provide for you from your creation until nineteen full years, and for you to provide for them until the end of their lives if they are not able, and for them to provide for you if they are able, even though ye may not be able while on earth. This is if all remain within the bounds of their religion. And if any one of them should turn aside, ye shall forgive them. And whosoever turneth aside from the bounds of God in this matter must pay nineteen mithqals of gold each year in the path of God—a limit set in the Book of God—that ye may be God-fearing.
Let the fifteenth be that you shall not ride upon cattle nor load them with anything, if you believe in God and His verses. Neither shall you drink the milk of donkeys, nor place burdens upon them or any other animal beyond its capacity—that which God has prescribed unto you that you may be God-fearing. Ride not upon any animal except with bridle and stirrup, and mount not that which you cannot control, for God has strictly forbidden this unto you. Break not eggs upon anything whereby their contents would be wasted before cooking—this is what God has made as sustenance for the Primal Point in the days of Resurrection from His presence that you may be thankful. As for blood that appears in eggs, you are pardoned from this and it is pure, though you should not eat it lest you witness that which is detestable.
Board not a ship except according to your means, and dispute not therein nor quarrel, but proceed with utmost joy and fragrance one with another. It is prescribed for those in authority on ships to give precedence over themselves to those who are passengers when the ship is in distress, while you remain seated. Make your place of cleansing in a location where none who enters would fear, and as you do in privies, so do in other places. Observe your cleanliness on ships only to the extent you are able. Those beyond the sea are exempted from what God has prescribed regarding obligatory travel if they cannot travel by land. They are permitted to appoint representatives to perform pilgrimage on their behalf and convey to them what they spend from their place to where they would return, if they are able; otherwise they are pardoned, as are their deeds.
Let the sixteenth be that it is prescribed for every monarch to set aside each year one hundred and forty mithqals of gold, and for the Grand Vizier two hundred and ninety mithqals, to be stored for Him Whom God shall make manifest and delivered into His hands at the time of His appearance. When they grieve their Lord’s Manifestation in that Resurrection, these are they who shall succeed them in their stations in the Bayan as recompense for what they earned before in truth. O people! If you believe not in Him Whom God shall make manifest, grieve Him not, for in that Resurrection, had these believed in the Primal Point, none in the Bayan would have been grieved, and all would have proceeded unto the next Resurrection with joy and fragrance.
But they veiled themselves until they possessed what God loves not in the Bayan, and you likewise distance not yourselves from your Lord’s mercy. If you deliver not unto Him Whom God shall make manifest what God has prescribed in the Book, grieve Him not, and doubt not concerning Him when you hear. Make yourselves judges between Him and those given the Bayan by presenting His verses to those given the Bayan. If you witness your own powerlessness and theirs, then believe; and if you witness neither your powerlessness nor theirs, then grieve Him not. Though He may reveal a judgment in that Resurrection to demonstrate the truth to all on earth, yet all return to and judge by the laws of their religion and world.
But they reveal not in matters establishing their religion any judgment that would testify to their powerlessness before their Lord’s verses, glorifying themselves through that judgment, toiling night and day, causing themselves and their deeds to perish while thinking they do good. O people of the Bayan, be not veiled as were they.
The seventeenth: O possessors of authority! Command those who follow you not to take anyone’s garments or possessions. If they do take them, their wives are forbidden to them for nineteen days, and if they have conjugal relations, they must pay nineteen mithqals of gold according to the Book of God, to be given to the Witnesses of the Bayan, who shall return it to those whose garments or possessions were taken, that you may be God-fearing. Command your followers never to oppose anyone, that on the Day of Resurrection you may not oppose the companions of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Command in every land that houses, markets and places be organized, with each type distinguished in its own place from others, such that no two types are mixed except in their proper place, and each type being in one place with the most beloved organization. Command that each type be in its own inn, for that is closer to benefit and righteousness, if you but knew.
The eighteenth: Command not that a hair’s breadth be taken from anyone or diminished after God has perfected his outward creation, as commanded in God’s Book, that you may not cause anyone grief. Whosoever takes anything from another’s body, or changes its color even slightly, or changes his garments, or seeks to humiliate him—God has forbidden his wives to him for nineteen months in the Book of God, and he must pay ninety-five units of gold as ordained by God’s laws, that you may be God-fearing. Neither command, nor do, nor be pleased with oppressing anyone even to the weight of a mustard seed, if you believe in God and His verses. If you do not believe in God and His verses, then at least conduct yourselves in a way that will not deprive you of your lives, for before your creation you were but a drop of water after clay in God’s sight, and you shall return to a handful of clay.
Therefore be ashamed and desire not for others what you would not desire for yourselves, while you manage the highest affairs of your lives. Waste not anyone’s creation after God has perfected it for the sake of glory or wealth of numbered days, for both shall be cut off from you, and after death you shall enter the fire, wishing you had never been created or caused grief to any soul. If you would but understand during your lives, you would wish—if you but knew a little.
The ninteteenth: God has commanded no command nor revealed any prohibition except for the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest. When He opposes you with a command or prohibition, you shall observe God’s glory and cut yourselves off from both.
The eleventh Vahid
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy
Verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Most Firm, the Most Firm. I have sent down the measures of all things in the number of the letter Ya of the Unity, that you may be thankful. Say: In the first of the eleventh Unity after ten you witness that if you swear by God and then by Him Whom God shall make manifest, and you are truthful between yourselves and God, no obligation falls upon you regarding what you swore about if they return it to you; but if they withhold it, they must pay nineteen mithqals of gold as ordained in God’s Book, that you may be God-fearing. But if you swear between yourselves and God your Lord, and are untruthful, you must pay nineteen mithqals of gold from God’s Book if what you swore about is returned to you, as ordained in God’s Book, that you may not swear falsely.
Say: The second is that every monarch shall select from among the inhabitants of his realm the number of the letters Kaf and Ha from among those learned ones who must needs be the dawning-places of the letters in the Book of God, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection they may believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and be assured of Him, and may uphold the religion of God, and these shall be known unto all the people within the bounds of his realm, that perchance they may succor the weak among the people and show mercy unto them, and may not be veiled between themselves and God their Lord from the bounds of their religion.
Say: The third is that whoso mocketh a believer, whether man or woman, shall be bound to pay the number of the Unity in gold, then in silver, then to utter the words of repentance ninety-five times, that ye may perchance fear God and mock not. Let him return it unto the one whom he mocked if he is able, and if he is not able, the gold and silver shall be remitted, but the repentance shall still be binding upon him, and if he hath no tongue and mocketh by signs, let him choose one who shall seek forgiveness on his behalf. O My servants! Fear ye God!
Say: The fourth is that verily the Bayan and all who are therein are living, whether they be of its light or of its fire. Ye shall reckon them as living until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then shall ye be empowered, then shall ye be informed, then shall ye be confirmed. Say: Verily the fire is he who is veiled from the bounds of what hath been revealed in the Bayan, and the light is he who observeth the bounds of God. This pertaineth to the essence of the Bayan, not to the religion into which they have entered. O all things! Fear ye God!
Say: The fifth is that whoso entereth into the Bayan, ye shall not reject him in his religion, and if ye do reject him, nineteen mithqals of gold shall be binding upon you if ye attain unto what ye rejected as a bound in the Book of God, that perchance ye may reject no one in the Bayan. And if ye witness against anyone that which God hath not permitted him in the Bayan, such a one hath indeed disobeyed God his Lord, yet hath not departed from the root of his religion, and according to the measure of his being veiled, the fire shall reach him. Ye shall inform these with gracious and beauteous words and remind them.
Say: The sixth is that whoso awaiteth the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest without the knowledge of God and His good-pleasure, seeking instead his own knowledge and good-pleasure—such as these have not understood a single letter of the Bayan and were not among the believers in the sight of God. And ye shall deliver the Book of all things unto every soul, even if it be but one, for from the first originality it is a remembrance from God unto all the worlds, and ye shall seek forgiveness of God, besides Whom there is no God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting, then shall ye turn unto Him in repentance.
Say: The seventh is that ye are forbidden in the Bayan to possess more than the number of Unity in books, and if ye do possess more, nineteen mithqals of gold shall be binding upon you as a bound in the Book of God, that ye may perchance fear. Say: The first is the Bayan itself, then such living sciences as have been brought forth in the Bayan which are binding upon you in your religion, such as grammar and syntax and letters and their numerical values, and whatsoever ye produce in the religion of God that is upon the paths of order shall ye set in order. But produce naught save the gems of knowledge and wisdom, and be ye veiled from their ornaments. All this is so that naught shall be present before Him Whom God shall make manifest save the Bayan itself and what hath been brought forth in the Bayan from the number of the Living Ones from among those who have attained unto the summit of knowledge and piety and who were sincere in the religion of God.
Say: The eighth: Do not separate between the letters unless you gather them in delicate vessels or in a delicate cloth. And whatsoever you guard against beyond this—while you, all the letters, are making upon elevated seats—you should watch over their spirits that perchance you may benefit from their spirits in the highest heaven and be veiled from those beneath. And gather unto yourselves the spirits that pertain thereunto that you may not be divided by that which causes you grief, save by that which you accept and are thankful for. And whoever possesses a letter, it is incumbent upon him to preserve it in a station of mighty belovedness. And if it be in the chamber of servants, then upon each one it is incumbent to preserve what is theirs of every written letter, whether they place them in one location or in different seats. God hath permitted this unto you that perchance you may not find difficulty in this matter.
Say: The ninth: Do not sit in seats of glory except around them, and if you sit, nineteen mithqals of gold are incumbent upon you unless you make amends. And upon whoever compels you to make amends, there is incumbent upon him what is prescribed in the Book of God, that perchance you may not transgress the bounds of your conduct. And He hath permitted you in your homes when your family sits with you, for verily you cannot sit around the chambers except that you sit together in one place with love. And in seats of sorrow, it hath been lifted from you that perchance you may grieve for the friends of God. And if anyone visits another, it is incumbent upon him to honor him with mighty honor and to give him place himself and those who are around him. And if they be veiled, then upon all of them together it is incumbent to say:
“Verily, we ask forgiveness of God, unto Whom belong the most beautiful names, for all things, and verily we all turn repentant unto Him.”
Say: The tenth: It is permitted in the Bayan that all that is revealed therein be in Arabic for those who are able to understand, and if anyone interprets it in Persian, this is permitted in the Book for those who comprehend not the words of the Bayan. And interpret not except with truth, and render not the Persian into Arabic except with truth. And you should all possess together the beloved Arabic Bayan and the Persian Bayan for those who are unable to comprehend what God hath revealed. And you should preserve what hath been revealed in the presence of the martyrs as you would preserve your own eyes, then convey it unto Him Whom God shall make manifest. And it is permitted unto you to make from the books of the Vahid that third as revealed into one, then all in Arabic, then all in Persian—a remembrance from God that perchance you may encompass with knowledge all that God hath revealed in the Book in its outward meaning, then act according to it.
Then the eleventh: Advance not yourselves before Him Whom God shall make manifest nor the First Living One, whether they appear among the highest or lowest of creation, for verily they are exalted in the sight of God. And whoever advances himself before them, there is incumbent upon him from the Book of God nineteen mithqals of gold as a limit prescribed in the Book of God that perchance you may be God-fearing.
The twelfth: O ye creation, ye are guides to God’s Cause. Whatever ye witness against anyone concerning anything that ye are able to respond to, ye shall respond, for God will surely respond to them according to what He hath commanded you. When ye learn of someone’s request, it is prescribed for you to fulfill it. And if ye withhold, ye shall seek God’s forgiveness nineteen times. And if ye withhold from seeking forgiveness, nineteen mithqals of gold are binding upon you as a limit in God’s Book, that ye may watch over yourselves. And that ye may respond to every soul that seeketh answers in your religion, and fulfill for them the ordinances of your Faith—a bounty from God unto them, that ye may manifest yourselves as the expressions of how God answereth His servants.
The thirteenth: Should a king be raised up under the Bayan, it is prescribed for him to possess for himself what he placeth upon his head, wherein shall be ninety-five in number, for which there shall be no equal, nor likeness, nor peer, nor mate, nor similitude, and which shall not exceed the number of the letter Ha in the manifestations of His names—a glory from God unto him until the Day of Resurrection. On that Day, all that was fashioned in this regard in the Bayan shall be sacrificed at the feet of Him Whom God shall make manifest, then shall ye prostrate yourselves before God. If ye pride yourselves in this, O possessors of dominion—yet God, verily, is independent of all worlds.
The fourteenth: Ye shall divide from the beginning of your night to the end of your day into five portions. Then at each portion ye shall make the call to prayer, beginning with the first of the night. Then in the first, nineteen times “There is no God but God,” then the number of the Vahid “God is Most Self-Sufficient” shall ye say. Then in the second, nineteen times “There is no God but God,” then the number of the Vahid “God is Most Knowing” shall ye say. Then in the third, nineteen times “There is no God but God,” then the number of the Vahid “God is Most Wise” shall ye say. Then in the fourth, nineteen times “There is no God but God,” then the number of the Vahid “God is Most Sovereign” shall ye say.
Then in the fifth, nineteen times “There is no God but God,” then the number of the Vahid “God is Most Powerful” shall ye say. And it is prescribed for you to make the call to prayer in a place where those around you can hear it. And if any soul is cut off from the sound, it becometh binding upon him to reach a place where he can hear the call to prayer. Every day and night nineteen mithqals of the finest white sugar, that ye may watch over yourselves and not be veiled from the remembrance of God. And whosoever is asleep, nothing is incumbent upon him. And if one is not asleep, let him be in a place where he can hear the sound.
And it is not required of you to leave your chambers to hear the sound, rather your knowledge that the muezzin’s call reacheth your homes sufficeth you in God’s Book. And if it is difficult for the muezzin, let him say once: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, and that He Whom God shall make manifest is the Truth from God; all are created by His command from Him, and we all believe in what God hath revealed unto Him.” This is from God’s bounty unto them in their days of cold and when they are unable to prolong [the call].
The fifteenth: If ye forget any matter in your prayer, ye shall fulfill what hath been prescribed for you, not all your deeds. And likewise in other than your prayer, ye shall not turn to the parts before or after it, but shall observe and fulfill exactly what hath been prescribed. It is prescribed for those who have been given the Bayan to record the knowledge of themselves concerning every king on earth, and his daughter, and his book, and the extent of his kingdom, and the number of his army, and the glory of what he possesseth and what he shall possess for which there is no equal, for the Day when all shall be brought before God their Lord.
The sixteenth: Slay not any soul, nor inflict injury upon anyone forever, if ye believe in God and His signs. Whoso commandeth this or performeth it, or hath power to prevent it and doth not, or is content therewith, upon him is incumbent from the Book of God eleven thousand mithqals of gold to be paid to the heirs of the one slain. He shall be forbidden all intimate companionship for nineteen years, and it is evident in the Book of God that his essence was created without the love of God and His good-pleasure. He shall enter the fire after his death and God will never forgive him. However, should he follow these ordinances, that which was decreed for him shall be lightened.
Fear ye God, then continue to fear Him. Should anyone slay another without intent, nothing shall be upon him save that he satisfy the heirs of the one slain, and he shall be forgiven of them and shall be accounted before God his Lord among those who seek forgiveness. This is like unto a decree that falleth upon a soul. Fear ye God, O all souls, then continue to fear Him. As to those who were slain in the Land of Sad, if they believed in God and His signs, their heirs may claim blood money for those slain according to what was formerly decreed, that ye may fear God in His religion, and thereafter draw not nigh unto it.
The seventeenth: Whoso ordereth that anyone be expelled from his home, or city, or village, or from the dominion of his sovereign—he shall be forbidden it for nineteen months and nineteen mithqals of gold shall be incumbent upon him, to be paid to the one expelled, as decreed in the Book of God, that ye may fear.
The eighteenth: Whoso drinketh that which depriveth him of his faculties, upon him shall be incumbent from the Book of God ninety-five mithqals of gold. Never treat your sick with intoxicants, if ye believe in God and His signs.
The nineteenth: Should anyone write a single letter concerning Him Whom God shall make manifest, or contrary to what hath been revealed in the Bayan before His manifestation, there shall be incumbent upon him from the Book of God nineteen mithqals of gold. God hath not permitted anyone to take this from him, nor to question him about it. And whoso questioneth him about this prescribed amount shall have incumbent upon himself the like thereof for having asked when God had not permitted him to ask. Therefore fear ye God, that ye write not a single letter concerning Him Whom God shall make manifest, nor contrary to the limits God hath revealed before the manifestation of the Truth. Judge not after the Manifestation as before the Manifestation, thinking ye do well. If ye write not for the Truth, then write not anything against the Truth. This is what God hath counseled you, that ye may fear. If ye aid not Him Whom God shall make manifest through what ye write for Him, then grieve not over what is written against Him. Fear ye God with true fear, that ye may be among those who shall be saved on the Day of Resurrection before God.