-- provisional translation by Nima Rafiei
He is the Eternal!
Lo, We made this epistle to be the attainment of Our
presence for such as have turned unto God in these days, wherein the nations
have been made to tremble. Whosoever gazeth upon that which hath been sent down
from the Throne of glory in this Tablet and findeth himself in doubt as to
whether he hath attained the presence of his Lord, he is of them who have
turned away from God, the One Who causeth the dawn to break.
O ye birds of the most exalted paradise! Give ear unto the
call of the Beloved in these days wherein the feet of men have slipped. The
Concourse on high have rejoiced by reason of your acceptance of this Cause, and
the voice of the denizens of the cities of eternity hath been raised aloud in
grief and lamentation by virtue of your remoteness from Him and your burning
thirst, notwithstanding your nearness to the Ocean of His presence!
O how glorious is this blissful joy, this bitter anguish!
Methinks both have embraced in the Day of God, the Powerful, the Almighty, and
the Omnipotent! The hearts of the infidels have been set ablaze by that which
We have revealed aforetime, and still they plot against Me day and night!
Blessed are ye for having entered the city and attained unto
that which hath been ordained by your Lord, the Mighty, and the Bestower. It
behooveth you to show forth from your countenances utmost joy and bliss that
all may discern in you the tokens of resignation and submission. Thus hath it
been decreed by the pen of Glory; verily, your Lord is the Most Merciful, the
Knower of the unseen and the seen.
O men of insight! Ye are beneath the shadow of My loving
kindness and the canopy of My mercy, thus is the gaze of God fixed upon you.
Blessed are ye and whosoever loveth you and turneth unto you wholly for the
sake of God, the Almighty, the All-Compelling. God and such as have circled
round the Throne bear witness that ye have attained unto His presence, circumambulated
the Kaaba [1] of His command, and beheld His countenance.
Potent is He over whatsoever He willeth. No God is there but
Him, the Mighty, the Munificent! By My life! We have granted that which ye have
desired, and We are with you at all times. The glory of Him Who is the Almighty
and the Helper rest upon you!
(Published in ‘Lights of Irfan’, vol. 18)
[1] Kaaba is a reference to the point of adoration, where
worship is directed. In Islám, the Kaaba is identified as the city of Mecca,
the spot constructed by the prophet Abraham, which had later been used to house
pagan idols.