BB00027: Tafsir-i-Haykali’d-Din

Part 1: “This portion relates to the commentary…”

This portion relates to the commentary on the first verse of the new ordinances which were revealed in the Haykal, but the Haykal was lost and its copy was also lost. God will surely accomplish His Cause and perfect His Light, for God has power over all things.

In the Name of God, the All-Knowing, Lord of the worlds.

Praise be to God, the All-Knowing, Lord of the worlds. Indeed, splendor proceeds from God, the One, the Primal, and from that which resembles that Oneness wherein naught can be seen save the Primal One.

I testify on this day, the first day of the responding month of the eternal year, which is mentioned as the Day of Beauty, that God, exalted be His glory, has ever existed from a beginning that had no beginning—there being no ancient before His ancientness and no first before His firstness—and will forever exist unto an end that has no end, ever ancient, there being no end to His lastness. He has existed from a beginning that had no beginning through the essence of His Being, and will exist unto an end that has no end through the essence of His eternity. His are all the most beautiful names, from their first to their last, their outward to their inward aspects, and the most exalted similitudes in their entirety, from their simple to their complex forms, their essence and their abstraction. His bounty was manifest in the beginning of beginnings and will remain the very essence of His bounty unto the end of ends.

Neither slumber nor geometry nor change nor alteration nor transformation can overtake Him. He has ever existed in the glory of His Essence, sanctified above all creation past and future, and exalted beyond all that He has brought and will bring into being. Whatsoever His creation comprehends is itself His creation by His command, and whatsoever His servants understand is His handiwork which He has originated out of nothing through His creative act. He has ever been sanctified from being associated with anything, or existing from anything, or in anything, or through anything, or upon anything, for all things have come into being through His Will, and He is their Originator through His Lordship, not from anything, but by Himself and for Himself. Whatever is recited in His praise of the Most Beautiful Names, whatever is acclaimed in His laudation of the loftiest similitudes—all this is but that every creature may know, and every servant be assured, that He is hallowed above them all and sanctified beyond their very essences. For the knowledge wherewith He is described is itself a creation which He hath created, and by it He createth; it is a knowledge He hath established through His holy Command. How, then, shall He be described by that which is His handiwork?

And the power wherewith all from the First—unto whom no first can be ascribed—to the Last—unto whom no last can be imputed—extol Him, is but a power He hath brought forth through His Will; and that Will He originated, out of no thing, by His own Self, that His creatures might declare Him far exalted above it. How, then, shall He be known by aught save Himself?

Yea, though the matter be considered in the very substance of Names or the simple realities of Attributes, even as We have made thee to know, how could He be known apart from them? I bear witness that God—exalted is He—hath ever been, and shall forever remain, free from all that He hath created and will create, lifted above all that He hath brought forth and will bring forth. All beneath Him are His creatures; whatsoever is other than He is impoverished before Him in the very fact of its existence. How, then, could the One who is the Source of being be measured by what lieth but under the shadow of its own contingent existence?

Glorified, glorified is He! Exalted, immeasurably exalted be His majesty! He shall never be beheld in His Essence, nor shall places encompass Him. Hearts cannot comprehend Him, nor can anything that exists in creation or that can perish in invention. That is but His creation in His dominion and evidence that, exalted and glorified is He, He cannot be known through it, for this has been created by His command while He is independent of His command, and how far above that which He creates and will create by His command! And whatever the signs mention in His glorification, sanctification, exaltation and unity—these are but verses created by His command in the hearts of those who prostrate, sanctify, exalt and unify, that they may be guided thereby to what is possible in contingent existence of His glorification, sanctification, exaltation and unity.

Otherwise, the glorification, sanctification, exaltation and unity worthy of the Essence cannot possibly appear in contingent existence. Indeed, none can comprehend it save the inaccessible, eternal Essence and the transcendent, most pure One. Forever has He been sanctified beyond the sanctification of what He has created and will create, glorified beyond the glorification of what He has brought into being and will bring into being, exalted beyond the praise of what He has created and will create, hallowed beyond the unity of what He has created and will create.

Glory be unto Thee, O God! Neither I nor anything else, from a beginning that had no beginning, has known Thee, nor can I or anything else know Thee, unto an end that has no end. Glory be unto Thee! I am among those who recognize that the knowledge of God, exalted and glorified is He, is impossible in its primary essence—how much more so in what has perished or will perish through it—by its testimony in the Book. I bear witness to this from a beginning that has no beginning throughout all its manifestations, and am certain of it unto an end that has no end throughout all its concealments. And since knowledge is impossible, how can creation find a way to anything less? For other conditions come after the perishing of knowledge and its realization.

Exalted is God far above this with great exaltation, and glorified is God beyond this with mighty glorification! When thou art certain of what I have taught thee of the dawning-places of the mention of the First and the daysprings of the breezes of the morn of eternity, then bear witness that everything wherewith God thy Lord is described—that is a description God has brought into being, and everything denied of God of attributes unworthy to be mentioned of God—these are brought into being by what God has brought into being. God has forever been unknown through either of these, for both were created in His dominion by His command.

Lo! The guides of insight have been permitted by God to describe Him with these, and He loves not that creation describe Him with other than these. Yet this is from the limitations of creation, not from what is worthy of the inaccessible, transcendent Essence. Otherwise, were either of these closer to His Essence, then remoteness from the other would necessarily be attributed. Glory be unto Him, glory be unto Him, beyond all that He has created and will create! Let all prostrate to Him as far as possible in creation, let all sanctify Him as far as possible in invention, let all exalt Him as far as possible in origination, let all unify Him as far as possible in bringing into being. When He created the beginning that had no beginning, this was like His creation of what He will create unto the end that has no end—all are in His grasp that He may be remote from what is possible therein. He is independent of them and of what is possible therein, while they are in need of Him, glorifying His praise, sanctifying through His tribute, exalting through His sanctification, and unifying through His exaltation.

Glory be unto Him, glory be unto Him! Know that creation hath no beginning and no end, lest thou shouldst imagine a cessation in God’s bounty or a pause in His creation. The First, which hath no beginning in contingent existence, was a potential wherein God created all things through His Primal Will, and fashioned a single temple in the image of man. And all that is possible unto the Last that hath no end shall be created after the pattern of what was created, and let not thy knowledge be bounded by thinking that God’s power could be elevated above something and not descend upon it, for this is impossible with God, the Self-Sufficient, the Powerful. Rather, all that can be manifested from God hath been manifested and will be manifested. Therefore be thou tranquil, content, detached and assured, for whatsoever can be brought into being by God shall be brought into being, and none can prevent it, and God is powerful over it and knoweth it.

When thou hast understood this, thou wilt be certain that creation hath no beginning whereby thou mightest reckon from its inception, and preserve this as one of the bounds of thy religion. In every Revelation all things are renewed and created anew. This is the beginning of the reckoning, for the First that hath no beginning hath ended at the Primal Point in every Revelation, ending until it ended at Muhammad. And what thou hast seen in the reckoning of the second after the tenth, and what hath passed of the years from the manifestation of the Primal Point to the manifestation of the Bayan—this is of the bounds of that kingdom.

God desireth not that anyone should preserve the reckoning of that kingdom save from Manifestation to Manifestation, even as thou thyself had no knowledge before the appearance of the Primal Point, nor knowledge of its reckoning. Likewise from after the appearance of the Primal Point to the Point of the Bayan. Therefore bear witness to this and make the beginning of thy reckoning from the manifestation of the Point of the Bayan, and limit not the duration of that creation by a fixed bound of twelve thousand years or a thousand or above that or below that, but rather reckon it from the First that hath no first, for this is more steadfast before God’s power and more beloved before God and before those who are endowed with knowledge from Him.

When thou hast understood this, bear witness that God hath created the creation of all that is in the Bayan through its Point, and this is the meaning of the true saying “God created all things through the Primal Will and created the Primal Will by itself,” for this is manifest where God revealed Himself to the Point of the Bayan through itself, by itself, of itself, and caused it to speak verses which are its proof from its Lord apart from aught else. Then He created through it all who are in the Bayan. Thus in every Revelation the creation of all things is renewed, therefore ascend at every Revelation.

When thou hast understood this and art assured of it, then look upon the Temple of Religion [Haykali’d-Din]. The first that God revealed in that Religion by His own tongue, which all His creation is powerless to match, is this holy verse:

“God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the King, Possessor of the kingdoms.”

In the First Gate He hath ordained mention of His Self that there is no God but Him, to Him belong the most excellent names. All that are in the heavens and the earth and what lieth between them glorify Him, and all in the kingdoms of Command and Creation and what lieth beneath them prostrate before Him—all are His servants and all bow down before Him. Verily, were I to desire to expound, in the tongue of knowledge and wisdom, that which God hath sent down in the tongue of His very Identity, the oceans of all that He hath created and will yet create would be powerless to set forth even a single letter thereof. For the station of every utterance is according to the capacity of its speaker. Who can measure the power of God, that he may know the measure of His Word? And who can ascend to the throne of God’s Essence, that he may comprehend the station of His Word?

Glorified, glorified be He with the most exalted glorification! I testify that God’s Word is His utterance, and God’s utterance is His Command, and all things stand through His Command. Behold then the loftiness of His Word, how it is the cause of the creation of all that hath been and shall be created, and the sustenance of all things. Even as thou art certain that there is no God but Him in essence, know thou that His Word hath no equal, and therefore all else is powerless before it. For His Word, glorified be His name, hath lordship and dominion over all utterance. Therefore do the mountains of essence bow down and humble themselves at the mention of God and His Word.

Whoso heareth the Word of God and is not enkindled with the love of God in his heart and soul, how can he be considered alive in the life of hearts? Thus doth the sincere believer, upon hearing the Word of God, turn instinctively toward God and humble himself at His mention. This is among the signs of the dwellers of the paradise of life, the eternal garden of delight. And whoso possesseth not this glorious attribute is not counted, in the sight of God and those endowed with knowledge, among the inhabitants of the paradise of truth.

Therefore did Ali, in the days of the Qur’an, upon hearing the Surih “Read!” from Muhammad, the Messenger of God, become wholly attracted unto Him, beholding naught else but His Cause. Likewise in the Bayan, when the first to believe in the Point of the Bayan heard the verses of the First Book, he was wholly attracted and humbled himself at the mention of his Lord’s name. Such hath ever been God’s way from a beginning that hath no beginning to an end that hath no end. Know then, even as thou knowest, the true reality of the Word of God; for, by God! it is more precious, more exalted, more inviolable, more uplifted, more auspicious, more holy, and more sublime than that the essences of thought among the men of insight should encompass its measure, or that the most hidden subtleties of perception, though borne by the keepers of lamps and of vision, should attain unto it. And just as thou hast believed that none can grasp His inmost Essence nor know Him as becometh His station, so likewise recognize the Word of God and its rank; for all that He hath created and will create are powerless to comprehend its worth or to reach the summit of its estate.

Be thou assured that by it is the whole of religion brought into being—from the first mention of the Primal Will unto the ultimate mention of the atom. This is the very essence of causes and the lamps of majesty, in the sanctity of pre-eternity and the might of consummation. Wherefore, if thou apprehendest aught—according to what is possible within the realm of possibility—of the praise due to the Word of God and of its station, then deem that verse most abundant in bounty, and call to witness the emergence of unalloyed knowledge and the very quintessence of power. For in that single verse hath God—glorified and exalted be He—sent down all the concerns of religion, from its beginning to its end, from its outward form to its inward truth.

Oh, how I yearn to behold those who shall appear at the close of the Manifestation of the Bayan, and who shall draw forth from that verse the lamps of knowledge and exposition, in a manner newly-arisen therein: the inner recesses of thought shall be quickened, and the simple gazes ennobled. And all this shall be according to the measure of their being, the bounds of their knowledge, and the limits of their deeds. Otherwise, the Word of God is assuredly worthy of what is higher, more exalted, more inviolable, more sublime, and more hallowed than that it should be comprehended by any save God—or by the Sun of His Manifestation—or by whomsoever He willeth among the dawnings of His knowledge and the pure essences of His Cause.

Therefore behold with thine inmost being the creation of that most impregnable Sign, wherein God hath testified concerning Himself, not that which His creation hath testified. For the testimony of creation existeth only through what the Truth testifieth. He hath desired the uniqueness of His testimony in the heights of eternity, and hath been content with His Own testimony concerning Himself, independent of the mention of aught else, to manifest its evanescence and establish His power.

Part 2: “Thou shalt surely recognize the significance of this…”

Thou shalt surely recognize the significance of this, and if thou shouldst attain unto Him Whom God shall make manifest and witness His divine testimony concerning Himself, the testimony of all creation shall not weaken thy faith in Him, for thou shalt behold with thine own eyes the Dayspring of that testimony rising from a seat that is none other than His Own.

And one who writeth through the verses of God, even with such a Manifestation, hath become independent of mentioning the testimonies of what hath been and shall be created through the Light, and hath testified to that which God, exalted be His glory, hath testified, being independent of the testimony of all else besides God, to such extent that He hath not even mentioned His Own Self which is the First of creation, and hath been content with what God alone hath testified.

For this is an honor beyond the comprehension of creation, as God hath created it upon an essence that regardeth not its own essence despite its loftiness, and is content with what God hath testified concerning Himself—that there is none other God but Him—without seeking the testimony of His Own Self or any of creation thereto.

This is God’s bounty in the essence of the Will, and God’s grace in the reality of the Eternal Sun. Then, after thy recognition of this divine subtlety and lordly mystery, God hath sent down worship according to what was, not what will be, that this might be made clear unto thee.

This is what God hath testified from a beginning that hath no beginning in every Manifestation, that thou mayest not be veiled by what God testified in a previous Manifestation, for the veiling of creation hath been naught but through God’s Manifestations in every Dispensation, since whatsoever hath emerged from the invisible realm of creation and appeared from the womb of invention can only be veiled by itself.

This is the mystery of what God hath revealed concerning the past tense, not the future tense. Then God hath explained, after testifying to His unity, through the negation of negation from all Manifestations and the affirmation of the Manifestation in the Bayan, for all that hath appeared is lifted in negation and what is in the Bayan is established in affirmation. This is a form of interpretation concerning negation and affirmation until the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest.

If thou desirest to establish unity in the essence of Manifestation—and what is hidden with God is otherwise—thou must not separate from the station of affirmation save the Sun of Truth alone, for these mirrors point to God alone and call all unto God, that there is none other God but God, alone, alone.

His is the dominion and His is the praise. He giveth life and causeth death, then causeth death and giveth life, and He is the Ever-Living Who dieth not. In His hand is all good and He hath power over all things.

And God, glorified be He, hath indicated in this, after negation and through affirmation of the Unseen, a reference to the first one who hath pointed to God in the Bayan, for He is a mirror wherein naught is seen except the Sun of the name of God, such that He hath no will of His own save the Will of God. And God hath expounded concerning this through mention of the First One in geometric figures, which is that single Alif, then the form of Lam being three, then the intensified letter being three, then the Alif after it being one—these eight being the complete number. When joined with eleven, the number of Ha’ and Vav, the number of the One is seen, or that One whom God hath made the letters of His unity, wherein naught is seen save the Sun of God’s Manifestation and His revelation. This is their exalted station, wherein naught existeth in them save the sublimity of the mention of their Revealer and the example of His revelation. Therefore hath God chosen them in every Manifestation from a beginning that hath no beginning, and will continue to choose them unto an end that hath no end, howsoever He hath willed or willeth.

Verily the Name of Identity is the Most Great Name and the most noble of examples with God, glorified be His praise. He will mention, when God willeth, in the repository of His remembrance, that it is the form of the human temple and culminateth in the sea of names unto nineteen temples, and it is not possible that it should increase or decrease. And in that station there is no station for its mention and exposition. All this attesteth that there is no God but Him, and that whereby God uniteth Himself with His Own Self cannot be comprehended by His creation, and that which creation can comprehend is what hath been created in their hearts through the signs of their Creator.

The matter in this verse is inferred, for the creation of what hath been created and what shall be created emanateth only from two matters: either they exist in God’s good-pleasure, which is under the shadow of affirmation, or they exist not in His good-pleasure, which is under the shadow of negation. God hath distinguished the mention of the name of sovereignty from among His names, for if that Name were to appear in the Bayan and all kings were to be subjugated under its shadow, then there would remain none upon the earth save through the affirmation that the King whom God manifesteth is sovereign over His Own sovereignty, and the angels are subjugated unto Him. Then all upon the earth enter into the Bayan—this is the ultimate bounty of God and His generosity unto those upon the earth.

Though the name of sovereignty among all His names is the most glorious, yet I testify that the name which indicateth God’s sovereignty is the name of Him Who possesseth all things through God’s empowerment in truth, else how could it be the name of God? And this is what is specific to Him Whom God shall make manifest, or to one who indicateth naught save God in his origin and end. And I testify that God hath ever been and will ever be a bountiful Sovereign. Thus are all names mentioned through God’s worthiness, glorified be His praise. But when each name appeareth in its mirror, then it indicateth its Revealer, and thus becometh His name, else it would not be among the Most Beautiful Names.

Thus on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, were He to be sovereign, all kings would be in His grasp, and naught would be seen in His being save Him, such that He would be the Sovereign, not His Self, and were His Self to exist, it would be through His Will, not His Self. Therefore that Name must needs be the Name of God, glorified be His praise.

But thou must watch over thyself, for if thou shouldst recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest and be attracted by His name of sovereignty rather than His Self alone—though it be His name as thou seest with thine own eyes in thy lifetime—Yet be thou a true monotheist: be wholly attracted unto Him and detached from aught else; then wilt thou behold all the creative Names prostrating themselves before His face, and those beneath them likewise in adoration. Otherwise, thou hast not affirmed the oneness of God, thy Lord, nor brought thyself beneath the shadow of the affirmation of that verse, and art not counted among the the believers of His unity in the sight of God, glorified be His praise. Therefore take refuge in God, and be not veiled from the path of unity which befitteth none save God. All else besides God is His creation.

Verily, the nobility of man lieth in pure unity with God through his essential nature, without the accidents of the realm of dominion or the encumbrances of the kingdom. For to the degree thou enterest into negation, thou art veiled from the spirit of affirmation. Therefore take refuge in God and seek His aid, that thou mayest ever abide beneath the shadow of affirmation, and let not negation alter thee. For God, glorified be His praise, hath created no greater paradise than the paradise of affirmation. Similarly, perceive thou the shadow and take refuge in God lest thou be tried thereby. For all this pertains to thy life while thou livest and after thy ascension, even as when thou wert alive before thy Lord.

Be thou assured that the lamp of unity in the Point of the Bayan is the horizon wherein God hath borne witness unto Himself by Himself. Nothing higher is possible in creation, nor can its like be realized in invention. Verily, the unity attributed to the second temple is veiled in its duality, for its unity within its own limits was revealed unto it by God through the first temple. From it proceeded the First secretly and from the First proceeded the Last openly, for were there no duality, His primary unity would not be manifest, though He is one in the lamp of His Essence, the purity of His Being, the richness of His Identity, and the splendor of His Self. Similarly doth this continue until the degrees of unity end with every soul that hath been and shall be created.

Observe in the Bayan how all who unite God do so through the Primal Point, and this is by virtue of what God hath testified concerning Himself through His manifestation of the Primal Will unto it, through it, by its very Self. Thus doth the beginning of all the degrees of Divine Unity proceed from that First Lamp. And let thy return be after the selfsame manner, if thou wouldst abide forever in the Ridvan of thy oneness; for how many indeed begin their course from the Tree of Unity. Yet on the Day of Return they return not unto it. Behold with thine own eyes how many a people began with Muhammad, yet on the day of their return they worshipped not the Point of the Bayan.

Watch, then, for this; for all thy matter hangeth upon it. If thou dost attain unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, thou hast indeed attained thy beginning; but if not, then will the Theophany of God and His singleness be veiled from the very countenance of thine own being. Be thou one whose origin is from God and whose return is unto God—journeying from God unto God, and abiding beneath the shadow of God. For this is the perfection of bounty in the Ridvan, and the fullness of grace in the gardens of Paradise. I desire naught save the Ridvan of Unity and the gardens of Singleness. For whatsoever the creatures apprehend of Ridvan and of the gardens is according to their measure and their love.

We have answered none but God; we have desired none but Him; nor do we desire aught else beside Him. And if we have granted leave to whomsoever would and responded unto him, we have willed it for God’s sake—exalted be He. This is the attribute of the unitarians and the token of the deniers of all else save God.

The whole matter is thine if thou be of those who traverse that horizon. Seek not the good-pleasure of any beloved nor his approval; for thou canst not know where the Manifestation of God will appear after His setting. Shouldst thou tread that most resplendent path and that most exalted way, haply thou wilt attain unto Him Whom God shall make manifest. And if thou attain not, then impute not unto Him aught unworthy of God and of Him Who is the Manifestation of His own Self.

How many mysteries have shone forth within that verse which no thought can encompass! And how many hidden realities have been concealed and made most subtle, whose radiant visages it is not meet that the veil should be lifted from them. Verily, unto every thing is an appointed term and a Book from God, the All-Subduing, the All-Bountiful.

Then after the journey of the monotheists upon the sea of Names and Attributes, God hath sent down a sign for the elucidation of that sign and a Countenance for the elevation of that Word, which is the Word of God, glorified be His praise, ordaining in the First Gate the mention of His Own Self:

“There is no God but Him, unto Him belong the sovereign Names.”

And God hath specially chosen the mention of what He hath ordained, for all things are created by God’s decree. And verily, decree with the first letter bearing kasra is a name among the Names of the One in the Names of Power. This hath been sent down to establish what hath been ordained and to execute that which His knowledge hath encompassed.

Then He hath mentioned the First Gate, meaning thereby the First Creation—the eternal, simple, divine, camphorated, lordly, essential, eternal, abstract, unified, essential, single Sun of Reality and the Manifestation of the Self-Subsisting, the Face of Glorification, the Being of Divinity, and the Embodiment of Sanctity—the first that God hath testified that there is no God but Him. For all those who would establish the word “There is no God but God” are in the sea of Names, and He Whom God shall make manifest or God’s creation are in the sea of creation, even though all created things journey in the sea of Names. Therefore all see naught but God, begin from none but God, worship none but God, dwell through none but God, trust in none but God, and return to none but God. They depend on none but God, journeying from a beginning that hath no beginning unto God, and ascending to an end that hath no end unto God. They have no destination or terminus, for God’s revelation in every Manifestation hath no limit or end.

And God hath chosen from among His names the sovereign Names, for on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, the kings of the Bayan shall be His most glorious names, were they to be informed of Him Whom they represent. And were but one of them to aid Him, he would fill the whole earth with God’s Cause. Therefore He hath sufficed with its mention rather than other names, though every name in its unity hath its sovereignty, yet the sovereign of an atom is not the sovereign of a pearl. Wherefore He hath chosen, from among His Names, the Names of Sovereignty; for beneath their shadow are made manifest the Names that rank below them. This is a mode of interpretation and exposition, a ray from the lamps of knowledge and elucidation. And—according to what is true with God, the King, the All-Glorious—when the manifestation of the King, Possessor of the two dominions, is realized, the sovereign Names alone are befitting unto Him; wherefore God hath made mention thereof.

Verily, exalted be He, God watcheth over the concerns of His Names; He granteth unto every possessor of a right his due, according to the measure of the worthiness of his very being. Should one assign to the Sovereign aught but the Names of sovereignty, he acteth not aright, for he gazeth without the eye of unity; then doth he cling to the outward of the Names and look not upon the Names of Manifest Splendour or of Might save as he regardeth those beneath them. Such a gaze pertaineth to bounty and grace; but justice is what God hath ordained—that every genus be mentioned with its genus: the Name of Knowledge with knowledge, Power with power, Authority with authority, Withholding with withholding, Splendour with splendour, Might with might, Perfection with perfection, Exaltation with exaltation, Holiness with holiness, Good-pleasure with good-pleasure—and so on unto the furthest degrees of the Names and Attributes.

And He hath made mention—after the mention of the Most Glorious of Names within His dominion—that wheresoever it is sent down, all that are in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever lieth between them do celebrate His praise. All that is in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them prostrate themselves before Him, and all within the kingdoms of Command and Creation and whatsoever is below them bow down before Him—all are His servants and all are prostrate before Him. God hath singled out glorification from among all forms of praise, for it is the most glorious, most majestic, most mighty, most exalted and most impregnable in the ultimate expression of praise—a remembrance at the Dawning-Place of Glory. For none besides God is worthy of glorification, and this is what beseemeth God, exalted be His glory. “Subhanallah” benefiteth me, meaning that God is sanctified above the praise of all that hath been or will be created. When thou gazest upon the ocean of names and movest within it, and when thou traversest the ocean of creation, the meaning of that mighty word with God is that He Whom God shall make manifest is sanctified above the praise of all that hath been or will be created—how much more above the praise of all things!

Part 3: “God hath mentioned that all in the heavens…”

God hath mentioned that all in the heavens and earth glorify Him, and this hath two aspects: First, that the essential reality of all things, by virtue of their very existence, hath been created by the Will of God and testifieth to His sanctification, His transcendence, His glorification, His exaltation, His might, His power, His grandeur, His magnificence, His praise, His glory, and His unity. This hath flowed from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end, for every soul that believeth in Him and every prophet that followeth Him glorifieth God, its Lord. This is one aspect of what is outwardly manifest in the Manifestations according to what is true with God in the kingdom of names and attributes.

But regarding the lamp and the essence which is beloved of God and sought after by His names—that whereby He is glorified in every Revelation and praised through the Manifestation of His Self in every appearance—for example, in the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, when but one soul recognizeth Him and that soul glorifieth God through Him, then the essence of all in the heavens and earth and whatsoever lieth between them is that one soul. Should that unity be separated and that oneness be divided, that is the truth whereby truth is realized with God. No truth have I known like unto it, for all besides that one soul are veiled from the spirit of glorification and cut off from the essence of sanctification.

Be thou therefore with that one soul if thou desirest to be among them that glorify Him, for that is the one whom God shall separate through truth—and truth is with Him, in Him, through Him, from Him, and unto Him. There is no power except in God. What God willeth comes to pass and what He willeth not comes not to pass. This is what God hath willed to separate, as thou witnesseth at the beginning of every Revelation and seeth at the end of that Revelation how God hath manifested His Will therein and His power thereunto.

For seven years none were with Muhammad, the Apostle of God, save Ali, and now thou seest how that unity hath multiplied until none can reckon their numbers save God. Similarly, take thou example in every Revelation. Verily God is powerful over whatsoever He willeth, triumphant over His servants in whatsoever He desireth, and predominant over whatsoever He ordaineth in His Cause. None can repel His command and none can reverse His judgment. Thus it behoveth that all that is upon the earth be as a lofty sign; and that which hath not yet appeared—know thou that the matter proceedeth neither from the love of the creatures nor from any supposed desert in the Divine Will. Mua¸¥ammad is, in truth, exalted above that creation.

And ye shall, on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, behold the Bayan uplifted and its provisions withheld. Yet be thou with God as thou wouldst be with Him Whom God shall make manifest, whether all creation be with thee, or whether He stand alone. For the quintessence of whatsoever is in the heavens, on the earth, and between them lieth in thy celebration of the praise of thy Lord—take thou good heed.

Then God, glorified and exalted be He, after mention of glorification, hath made mention that all who dwell in the kingdoms of command and creation and whatsoever is beneath them bow down before Him. And this is like what I have taught thee concerning glorification—all from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end bow down before God with their essential realities, their beings, their essence, their substances, their first and their last, their outer and their inner aspects, their truths, their identities and their individual selves. For every soul in their religion boweth down before its Lord and followeth a Prophet from God their Creator, and this is its prostration before God and its submissiveness to the Sun of Truth, the Essence of God and His Being, the Mirrors of God and His Identity.

However this pertaineth to the essential outpouring of Manifestation in the creation of what was and what shall be. But according to what is truth with God, thy prostration in every Manifestation of God before the Sun of Truth—this is the prostration of all who are in the kingdoms of command and creation and whatsoever is beneath them, even if thou art alone. For the Truth is with thee, and it behoveth God to multiply that one and elaborate that beauty, even as We have taught thee and caused thee to witness in glorification.

And after glorification, that which is the sign of servitude is prostration, and this in every dispensation hath its own way. In the dispensation of the Furqan (Qur’an), one prostrateth with seven members upon the earth, while according to what was revealed in the Bayan, one boweth one’s head to the right side at the mention of God and mention of the Sun of Truth, then to the left likewise with mention of the Bayan and mention of the Names of God.

For that is the most delicate of submissions and the purest of devotions unto God, exalted be He; and the servant should not overstep the bounds of calm, of decorum, of attraction and of being attracted. God hath ever loved courtesy for those in the Bayan, for such is the attribute of the unitarians and the token of those who affirm His singleness.

Thereafter God hath declared that all are His servants and that all prostrate themselves before Him. He hath made this word plain: that everything to which the name “thing” may be applied—from the First, for which there is no first, unto the Last, for which there is no last—is owned by God, exalted be He. And He hath singled out the mention of “servants” that all may perceive and be assured that God created all things for man. If, then, man be the servant of God and His possession, whatsoever is beneath man is thereby affirmed in its servitude and possession before God—glorified be He. This is as I have made thee to know concerning praise and prostration: from the First without first to the Last without last, all are God’s possession—by the conferment of His all-sustaining knowledge and the decree of His sanctity.

Yet the measure of this possessorship is made manifest only as the Sun of Reality taketh possession, in every theophany, from out that dominion. For example: on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, if but one soul should reveal unto Him pure and unalloyed servitude, then, in the sight of God, that one is as all the servants—until God Himself decree and make manifest the servitude of all who are upon the earth unto Him. Prior to that decree, that single one is, verily, as the sum of all servants.

Be fair, then, for God’s sake: hast thou found a servant wholly dedicated to God, manifesting unto Him the truest servitude? From the path that hath no first and no last until that moment, the Sun of Reality hath taken possession only in the merest measure of God’s right—which, in the Furqan, hath been ordained as the ordinance of the Fifth. And this is after the Return unto God, when there is a descent unto the creatures and every possessor of a right receiveth his due. This pertaineth to the obligations of God’s bounds, not to the manifestation of the servitude of the Self of God unto its Lord.

And when the aeon is fulfilled, and every tongue hath hearkened unto “There is none other God but He” from that eternal Tree—then are the Dawning-Places of religion exalted unto God; for they were, in very truth, the servants of God within the summit of holiness and the precinct of intimacy. They have manifested servitude unto God, their Lord. Be thou therefore a servant, for this is the greatest path of God, glorified be He. For this reason did God distinguish Muhammad by servitude before Messengership. And Ali said, concerning the meaning of servitude, that the ʿayn is knowledge of God, the ba’ is separation from creation, and the dal is nearness to the Creator without how. And when thou makest thy knowledge to be of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and thy separation to be from whoso believeth not in Him—for this is thy separation from creation and thy drawing nigh unto Him and His names—this then is thy nearness to the Creator without how or indication. For there is no way for creation unto God or unto His names save through Him Whom God shall make manifest and then His guides. This is all knowledge and wisdom, so hold thou fast unto it.

God, glorified be He, hath then made mention, after mentioning all His servants, that all are prostrate before Him. This is the ultimate degree of servitude. What is meant by prostration in that station is worship, that is, all are worshippers of Him. And what is meant by worship is obedience in religion, that is, all are obedient unto Him. And obedience is as I have taught thee concerning glorification, prostration and servitude: that thou shouldst see, from the primary perspective, all things as obedient and submissive unto Him, in such wise that nothing deviateth from His will, as all things are moved by the angels of God, then man; and man is moved by the Prophets of God and the Daysprings of His Cause. There is no soul but that it obeyeth a Prophet from God, and this is obedience unto God, glorified be He.

And since what is manifest in all the Prophets is one manifestation, then on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, all are obedient unto Him and worshippers of God through Him. Verily, the truth in His obedience is in who knoweth Him and obeyeth Him, and the one prostrate before God is he who prostrateth before God through Him, and the worshipper of God is he who worshippeth through Him. Thus if one soul obeyeth Him Whom God shall make manifest, this is considered by God as all, until God distinguisheth it. But God hath loved and doth love that every soul that is upon the earth should obey Him Whom God shall make manifest, and be at ease, and be devoted, and glorify God through Him, and prostrate before Him, and worship Him with pure essence and sincere identity, and what behooveth God to manifest of the essence of servitude.

The essence of the matter and the pure intention in explaining this Most Great Sign and Most Great Evidence is that God concealeth all that He hath created and will create in the ocean of names, such that they see naught in the countenance of Him Whom God shall make manifest save the manifestation of God, exalted be He, and they make themselves among His kingly names that they might be able to aid Him at the time of His manifestation and be a glory unto Him in their turning unto Him and a splendor unto Him in their aid. This is their honor from their Lord; otherwise all begin from clay and return unto clay. But thou canst not journey in the ocean of names except thou take shelter in the shade of the Tree of Sinai in every manifestation, in such wise that thou seest naught therein save God and hast no name for Him save that thou speakest naught concerning Him. How many are the Manifestations of the Names whom none knoweth save God! These are they who will naught save what He Whom God shall make manifest willeth. They are rarer than the splendor of the Red Elixir and the jewelled essence.

But those others—who would determine the matter of the appointed term according to their own desire—do so by reason of their ignorance of His Will; and were there in them even a measure of that reality, they would be unfit to be counted among the Names of God or as guides unto the Sun of Reality. That is their veil from the station of Name and the attribute of Action. Rather, the Name is that which hath no will of its own except through the will of its Named One. Thus when thou findest among the guides of Him Whom God shall make manifest one like this, who desireth naught for himself by himself except through His Self, this one’s essence is a Name of God, exalted be His glory—that is, mirrors of the Sun of Truth in its glory, and his reality is that of a servant prostrating before God, the Glorified, loving and obedient to the Throne of God’s Manifestation in its glory.

This is the nobility of this servant and his glory from God, the Glorified. Thou shouldst associate with him, for he will remind thee of God, the Exalted, and strengthen thee through the revelation of God, the Most High. This one is a believer in the Book of God, more glorious is his power than every powerful one.

Think not that everyone who claimeth the station of Name is like this, nor that all who claim servitude to the Sun of Truth resemble this. For God knoweth best His creation and seeth most clearly His servants. Verily, thy very recognition of and obedience to Him Whom God shall make manifest is the highest degree of thy paradise, and thy very veiling from Him Whom God shall make manifest and His authority is the lowest veil of thy fire. See no paradise above that paradise, nor any shade after that shade.

The fruit of that verse is that all upon the earth should make themselves servants of God, the Glorified, and possessors through God’s granting of possession, exalted be His glory, for the Day when He Whom God shall make manifest shall say:

“God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the King, Possessor of possessors.”

Every possessor of anything, from the pearl to the atom, taketh shade in the shadow of His Name, the King. And the Name of the King seeth itself as naught but numbers save He is One, Who indicateth the unity of the Eternal Essence, wherein nothing is seen except God, glorified be He.

And if, from among the sovereigns of the people of the Bayan, there should be made manifest such a fruit for Him Whom God shall make manifest—men who look not upon Him save as God, their Lord and their King, and who are assured of what the Essence of God deserveth, apart from the contingencies of lordship and rule—then hath the meaning of that verse appeared, borne fruit, and returned unto its Possessor. Otherwise, their words are but speech: they render not His right, nor do they apprehend what God intended by “the fruit.”

And every sovereign, each day, reciteth the First Verse sixty and six times, longing to succour Him Whom God shall make manifest to the utmost of his power. May God cause his dominion over his own self to endure, and may God Himself aid Him from His own presence on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. For then doth the Cause begin with God, even as He willeth.

Moreover, that verse—and after it the verse concerning Him Whom God shall make manifest—in the Ocean of the Names hath not been set forth by any within the Temple of religion. Thus may ye perceive, in the lamps of the Names and the most glorious embroidery, that this verily is the supreme bounty.

Part 2

In the Name of God, the Eternal, the Possessor of the two dominions. Praise be to God, the Ever-Abiding, Lord of endless eternities.

Verily, the effulgence is from God upon the First One, and upon whomsoever resembleth that First, in such wise that naught is beheld therein save the First One. Thereafter, bear thou witness that on this Day of Perfection—the second day of the month of Jalal, in the everlasting year—God hath sent down within the Temple of Religion, after the Verse of Divine Unity, the Verse of the Sun of Reality in the ocean of creation.

And if I desired to confine but a single letter thereof, the ocean of all that hath been created and will be created, from the First without first unto the Last without last, would not suffice to contain it. Yet I shall allude unto a subtle indication and a veiled intent—knowledge of which, when translated into action according to God’s good-pleasure in that verse, beareth fruit.

I shall begin with the mention of the Word of God—exalted be His glory—then proceed to its exposition. And do not, by any means, disdain the mention of the Word of God, for it is the Cause before all causes. There is no power save in God. God Himself beareth witness that there is none other God but He—the King, Possessor of the two dominions.

He hath ordained in the Second Gate the mention of Him Who appeared in that Manifestation, and then of Him Who shall appear in the next Manifestation, that He is His servant and His proof, and all are created by God’s command from Him. Seek not from God an explanation of that holy verse and established evidence, but rather bear witness with the essence of thy being, the purity of thy reality, the camphor of thy soul, and the abstraction of thine identity, that God, glorified be He, hath ever been independent of what He hath created and will create, self-sufficient above what He hath brought into being and will bring into being.

He created not the Sun of Truth that any benefit might return unto Him, or that He might find companionship therewith before its creation, or that His power might be made manifest thereby, for the power of the Essence is the Essence itself, which none but Him can comprehend. The power by which He createth the Sun of Truth is His calling it into being through itself, by itself, and it is its reality wherein He hath manifested Himself to it through its innermost essence. Had He not sent the Messengers and revealed the Books, would aught have diminished from His dominion? And after sending them, was aught added unto His sovereignty?

Rather, He created the Sun of Truth solely through His bounty and pure generosity, that it might derive strength from God its Creator and glory from God its Originator. When He created it through the Tongue of God by itself—for example, when God revealed to Muhammad, the Messenger of God, that there is no God but Him—He manifested unto him that he should speak from God, saying:

“Verily We have sent thee as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner, one who summoneth unto God by His leave, and as a luminous lamp.”

Through this Word was the Sun of Truth created, such that from the beginning that hath no beginning it hath been the Throne of God’s manifestation, and unto the end that hath no end it shall be the Seat of God’s revelation.

Thus have I shown thee how that Reality is wrought by Himself for His own Self—albeit He hath no “how”; for whatsoever possesseth a “how” must needs be fashioned by the Will. And verily, the being of the Divine Will is the Sun of Reality: its hidden mystery is the ocean of the Names and Attributes, and its outward splendour the Kingdom of Command and Manifestations. Naught descendeth from God save through it, and naught ascendeth unto God, forevermore, save by it. This is the Cause of causes—pre-existent and everlasting—from the First of the first unto the Last of the last, unceasing, unaltered.

Ponder its sign in the sun of the firmament: though God cause it to rise without end, it is but one sun; and though He cause it to set without end, it remaineth the one sun. Every Name of goodness is mentioned beneath its shadow and created for its sake; and whatsoever is beneath it of praiseworthy mention is brought forth by it.

Yet be not veiled from its inmost self, neither ascribe unto it what is unbefitting. In its descriptions it is remembered as the Sun of Reality, the Dawning of Pre-Eternity, the Orientation of all orientations, the Onticity of Everlastingness, the Ipseity of Absolute Oneness. And in certain invocations and portrayals it is commemorated as the Essence of God and His Ipseity, the Self of God and His He-ness, the Face of God and His Countenance, the Hearing of God and the Eye of His might, the Tongue of God and the Hands of His power—and the like of such evocative expressions and veiled allusions. All these are tokens whereby proof is established that dominion taketh its rise from the King and returneth unto the King.

These, one and all, are honorific ascriptions, even as God aforetime ascribed to Himself the clay of the Sacred House and named it the House of His Essence—though exalted is He above the ascriptions of the creatures, whether to their pearl or to their mote, and sanctified from the confines of place, be it the loftiest height or the lowliest depth. Yet through this connection He createth the reality of that House and distinguisheth it. Similarly, through such transcendent attributes and exalted descriptions, He createth the Sun of Truth and distinguisheth it through its relationship to God, its Lord. For God is exalted above being known through any but Himself or being described by other than His Own Self—glorified, glorified be He with sublime glorification.

God hath mentioned in the Second Gate concerning the faith of all in each Dispensation in the Manifestation of His Self. Were anyone to contemplate this religion, he would surely witness every religion that God hath created and will create from a beginning that hath no beginning unto an end that hath no end. Behold then the all-encompassing nature of this verse and the extension of God’s power therein, where God, glorified be He, hath through His utterance made manifest all who have appeared from a beginning that hath no beginning, and hath revealed all in the Point of the Bayan. Then the mention extendeth to Him Whom God shall make manifest, referring thereby to Him Whom God shall make manifest, and what is mentioned between them is the creation of the Bayan, as it is created through the Will. In this verse there is no station for what is created by the Will; rather, it is the station of its mention and its abstraction, its transcendence and uniqueness from all else. Verily, He Who hath appeared is identical with Him Who shall appear, and He Who shall appear is identical with He Who hath appeared, just as the sun that rose yesterday is identical with the sun that shall rise tomorrow.

Therefore, all the Prophets from a beginning that hath no beginning find their existence in Him Whom God shall make manifest, and all who shall appear unto an end that hath no end derive their reality from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Thus in the ocean of names, if thou hast comprehended and aided it, thou shalt see naught but God, for these are mirrors wherein naught is seen save God. And if thou comprehendest in this verse the station of its sun-like nature, it is as though thou hast comprehended all the Prophets who have appeared in existence and all who shall appear in possibility, for what is manifest in all the Prophets is one single manifestation from God, glorified be He.

God hath testified to the servitude of Who hath appeared and Who shall appear as His servant, and the verse hath been made unique in mentioning this uniqueness, as it speaketh not of them as His servants and His proof, for both are one single soul. God hath distinguished among all created attributes that of servitude, for pure servitude hath appeared therein and not in aught else, and if it appeareth in others it is like the sun in mirrors which cannot be compared to the sun in the heavens. The ʿAyn is His knowledge of God, the Ba is His glory from God, and the Dal is His perpetuity from the Essence of God, for this reality is the essence of the glory of God after His knowledge and before His perpetuity.

Then God distinguished after the mention of His servitude the mention of His being the Proof, wherein the Ha is life, the Jim is bounty, and the Ta is the addressing “Thou.” God hath explained through the mention of the Proof every good name that hath been and shall be created in contingent existence, and the meaning of the Proof is the one who exerciseth authority by God’s authority over all things, for God, glorified be He, hath bestowed upon the Sun of Truth that through Him and through it His authority is manifested over all His creation, and there is no distinction between Him and God—His Manifestation—save that He is His servant, His Proof, His tokens, His testimony, His testimonies, and His Balance. By this verse are the people of the Bayan distinguished from those that came before; for in every Dispensation the word hath been: “There is none other God but God.”

Yet in every Dispensation, the Cause is made manifest through that second verse which is the station of the mention of the First, the Light shining forth from the Morn of Eternity and the Glory that has ever dawned. Then observe in all the world what God hath explained in His saying “and all are created by God’s command from Him.” For He created His own Self, as hath been made clear to thee that it is from God, exalted be He, by Himself and for Himself, not through any intermediary other than Himself. And after Himself, all are created from Him—meaning that through what He uttereth from God’s presence, as He willeth, from the potentiality of possibility to the atom of existence.

For all the ways of religion have appeared from Him, and were He not to explain, nothing would appear, and were He not to will to explain a command or prohibition, that thing would not be created. Thus all the paths of religion are from Him for the establishment of that verse, and that verse is for the establishment of the first verse in the ocean of names. And that verse is the station of its outward manifestation while the first verse is the station of its inward reality wherein naught is seen save God, its Lord. And God hath mentioned the mention of all things so that nothing might escape from being an effect in relation to the causation of the Will, from the highest pearl to the lowest atom. This is the station of God’s power over all things through His essential knowledge and the dominion of God’s proof over all things through His essential substance.

Therefore observe that God createth all things through the Will, and that all besides God are His creation, created by His deed. And the first mention of the deed is in the appearance of the Will unto whatsoever God willeth to manifest. And it hath ended in that Manifestation with the One Knowledge, the One Lamp which ought neither to increase nor decrease. And even if all creation in the world of names would suffice unto God through the first verse, yet since creation existeth within the bounds of creatureliness, God hath therefore sent down another verse for the exaltation, independence, inaccessibility, radiance, glory and might of the first verse, and such like lofty attributes and exalted descriptions. By Him Who created Paradise and seeth the breath of life, Who is single in might and unique in grandeur and exalted in loftiness—wert thou to witness all upon earth traversing the ocean of names, each one would make thee the first verse and thou wouldst be content therewith apart from aught else, for that verse of Him Whom God shall make manifest sufficeth His own Self above all souls while no soul sufficeth apart from His Self.

But when thou didst witness the dwellers of that most glorious horizon to be rarer than red sulphur and scarcer than the appearance of the adorned essence which was created in its essential reality without any maker fashioning it, thou wert content with the first verse for all creation in their knowledge, deeds, origin and source. Yet when thou didst witness the powerlessness of all before that, the other verse was sent down for those in the ocean of creation. Then if thou hadst witnessed all on earth believing in it and walking in God and in the Manifestation of His Self, no third verse would have been sent down after it, and it would have sufficed, for with God this is the same as with the Manifestation of His Self.

Yet when I beheld that the people were voyaging upon the oceans of limitations and veils, and that their hearts found no tranquility in the oneness of God nor in faith in the Manifestation of His own Self, nor tasted delight in that divine Garden and heavenly Paradise—I thereupon expounded the first verse by means of the second, and then the second by the second, even as God willed, until the number of the One was perfected by the One, and the number of Baha was consummated within the One—this, that creation might not be drawn into the depths of their own affairs but rather return to their Source and Ultimate End. All verses that have been revealed in every Dispensation after the Two Verses are for their exaltation, majesty, invincibility, sublimity, and glory, and whatsoever lofty attributes may be mentioned in their praise and whatsoever exalted descriptions may be offered in their honor. And thus it continues endlessly—all that appears in that religion is for the establishment of the Second Verse in that Gate, which in turn is for the establishment of the First Verse, for God, the Protector, the Exalted.

When it has been established through divine verses, heavenly manifestations, eternal revelations, signs of unity, and expressions of oneness that first comes the word “There is no God but God” followed by mention of the Manifestation of God’s Revelation, these Two Witnesses are the essence and foundation of religion. Were God to give ownership of all that is on earth to anyone, He would not accept from them save these Two Words. Therefore, observe their glory, though this is only to the extent possible in the contingent realm. Otherwise, were God to transmute all that is possible in the realm of contingency into the red elixir, He would not accept from anyone an alternative to the Other Word that “Ali ibn Abdullah is His servant and proof.”

I seek God’s forgiveness for such limitation, for the glory of that Word with God is greater, but this is only according to the measure of what is possible in contingency, where I have drawn this metaphor. Otherwise, God, my God and the God of all things, bears witness that all things were created through it. How then could the glory of the effect be equated with the Cause? Exalted is God far above this with supreme exaltation, and glorified is He above this with transcendent glorification.