O my God! Thou beholdest the Lord of all mankind confined in His Most Great Prison, calling aloud Thy Name, gazing upon Thy face, proclaiming that which hath enraptured the denizens of Thy kingdoms of revelation and of creation. O my God! I behold Mine own Self captive in the hands of Thy servants, yet the light of Thy sovereignty and the revelations of Thine invincible power shine resplendent from His face, enabling all to know of a certainty that Thou art God, and that there is none other God but Thee. Neither can the power of the powerful frustrate Thee, nor the ascendancy of the rulers prevail against Thee. Thou doest whatsoever Thou willest by virtue of Thy sovereignty which encompasseth all created things, and ordainest that which Thou pleasest through the potency of Thy behest which pervadeth the entire creation. (Baha'u'llah: Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Page: 233)
O friend! The
Best-Beloved is calling thee from His Most Great Prison and exhorteth
thee to observe that which Mine exalted Pen hath revealed in My Most Holy
Book that thou mayest hold fast unto it with such resolve and power as
is born of Me; and I verily am the Ordainer, the All-Wise.
(Baha'u'llah: Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Page: 264)
The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!
"We deem it advisable, in this connection, to recount
briefly some past events, that perchance they may be the means of vindicating
the cause of equity and justice. At the time when His Majesty the
Shah, may God, his Lord, the Most Merciful, aid him through His strengthening
grace, was planning a journey to Isfahan, this Wronged One, having obtained
his permission, visited the holy and luminous resting-places of the Imams,
may the blessings of God be upon them! Upon Our return, We proceeded
to Lavasan on account of the excessive heat prevailing in the capital.
Following Our departure, there occurred the attempt upon the life of His
Majesty, may God, exalted and glorified be He, assist him. Those
days were troublous days, and the fires of hatred burned high. Many
were arrested, among them this Wronged One. By the righteousness
of God! We were in no wise connected with that evil deed, and Our
innocence was indisputably established by the tribunals. Nevertheless,
they apprehended Us, and from Niyavaran, which was then the residence of
His Majesty, conducted Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare
feet, to the dungeon [known as the Siyah-Chal]
of Tihran. A brutal man, accompanying
Us on horseback, snatched off Our hat, whilst We were being hurried along
by a troop of executioners and officials. We were consigned for
four months to a place foul beyond comparison.
As to the dungeon in which this Wronged One and others similarly wronged
were confined, a dark and narrow pit were preferable. Upon Our arrival
We were first conducted along a pitch-black corridor, from whence We descended
three steep flights of stairs to the place of confinement assigned to Us.
The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered
nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins and highwaymen.
Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered.
No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell.
Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie on. God
alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place!
Day and night, while confined
in that dungeon, We meditated upon the deeds, the condition, and the conduct
of the Babis, wondering what could have led a people so high-minded, so
noble, and of such intelligence, to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous
act against the person of His Majesty. This Wronged One, thereupon,
decided to arise, after His release from prison, and undertake, with the
utmost vigor, the task of regenerating this people.
One night, in a dream, these
exalted words were heard on every side: "Verily, We shall render
Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that
which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety.
Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth - men who will aid
Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the
hearts of such as have recognized Him."
And when this Wronged One went
forth out of His prison, We journeyed, in pursuance of the order of His
Majesty the Shah - may God, exalted be He, protect him - to Iraq, escorted
by officers in the service of the esteemed and honored governments of Persia
and Russia. After Our arrival, We revealed, as a copious rain, by
the aid of God and His Divine Grace and mercy, Our verses, and sent them
to various parts of the world. We exhorted all men, and particularly
this people, through Our wise counsels and loving admonitions, and forbade
them to engage in sedition, quarrels, disputes and conflict. As a
result of this, and by the grace of God, waywardness and folly were changed
into piety and understanding, and weapons converted into instruments of
peace.
During
the days I lay in the prison of Tihran, though the galling weight of the
chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in
those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from
the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth
itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every
limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire. At such moments
My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear."
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Pages:
20-22)
"My God, My Master, My Desire!... Thou hast
created this atom of dust through the consummate power of Thy might, and
nurtured Him with Thine hands which none can chain up.... Thou hast destined
for Him trials and tribulations which no tongue can describe, nor any of
Thy Tablets adequately recount. The throat
Thou didst accustom to the touch of silk Thou hast, in the end, clasped
with strong chains, and the body Thou didst ease with brocades and velvets
Thou hast at last subjected to the abasement of a dungeon. Thy decree
hath shackled Me with unnumbered fetters, and cast about My neck chains
that none can sunder. A number of years have passed during
which afflictions have, like showers of mercy, rained upon Me....
How many the nights during which the weight of chains
and fetters allowed Me no rest, and how numerous the days during which
peace and tranquillity were denied Me, by reason of that wherewith the
hands and tongues of men have afflicted Me! Both bread and water which
Thou hast, through Thy all-embracing mercy, allowed unto the beasts of
the field, they have, for a time, forbidden unto this servant, and the
things they refused to inflict upon such as have seceded from Thy Cause,
the same have they suffered to be inflicted upon Me, until, finally, Thy
decree was irrevocably fixed, and Thy behest summoned this servant to depart
out of Persia, accompanied by a number of frail-bodied men and children
of tender age, at this time when the cold is so intense that one cannot
even speak, and ice and snow so abundant that it is impossible to move."
(Shoghi Effendi: God Passes By, Page: 109)
That which hath touched this Wronged One is beyond compare or equal. We have borne it all with the utmost willingness and resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be exalted. While confined in the prison of the Land of Mim (Mazindaran) We were one day delivered into the hands of the divines. Thou canst well imagine what befell Us. Shouldst thou at sometime happen to visit the dungeon of His Majesty the Shah, ask the director and chief jailer to show thee those two chains, one of which is known as Qara-Guhar, and the other as Salasil. I swear by the Day-Star of Justice that for four months this Wronged One was tormented and chained by one or the other of them. "My grief exceedeth all the woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of Job are but a part of My sorrows!"
Thereupon, a Voice was raised from the direction of Hijaz, calling aloud and saying: "Great is thy blessedness, O Akka, in that God hath made thee the dayspring of His Most Sweet Voice, and the dawn of His most mighty signs. Happy art thou in that the Throne of Justice hath been established upon thee, and the Day-Star of God's loving-kindness and bounty hath shone forth above thy horizon. Well is it with every fair-minded person that hath judged fairly Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance, and woe betide him that hath erred and doubted."
O King! I was but a man
like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious
were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been.
This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing.
And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this
there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding
to flow. The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools
I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest
be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely. This is
but a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised,
have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous winds are blowing?
Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all Names and Attributes! They move
it as they list. The evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is the
Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons hath reached Me, and caused
Me to speak His praise amidst all people. I was indeed as one dead
when His behest was uttered. The hand of the
will of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me.
Can any one speak forth of his own accord
that for which all men, both high and low, will protest against him?
Nay, by Him Who taught the Pen the eternal mysteries, save him whom the
grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, hath strengthened. The Pen of
the Most High addresseth Me saying: Fear not. Relate unto His Majesty
the Shah that which befell thee. His heart, verily, is between the
fingers of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, that haply the sun of justice and
bounty may shine forth above the horizon of his heart. Thus hath the decree
been irrevocably fixed by Him Who is the All-Wise.
Look upon this Youth, O King,
with the eyes of justice; judge thou, then, with truth concerning what
hath befallen Him. Of a verity, God hath made thee His shadow amongst
men, and the sign of His power unto all that dwell on earth. Judge
thou between Us and them that have wronged Us without proof and without
an enlightening Book. They that surround thee love thee for their own sakes,
whereas this Youth loveth thee for thine own sake, and hath had no desire
except to draw thee nigh unto the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward
the right-hand of justice. Thy Lord beareth witness unto that which I declare.
O King! Wert thou to incline
thine ear unto the shrill of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the Dove
of Eternity which, on the branches of the Lote-Tree beyond which there
is no passing, uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all names and Creator
of earth and heaven, thou wouldst attain unto a station from which thou
wouldst behold in the world of being naught save the effulgence of the
Adored One, and wouldst regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible
of thy possessions, abandoning it to whosoever might desire it, and setting
thy face toward the Horizon aglow with the light of His countenance.
Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the burden of dominion save
for the purpose of helping thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High.
Then would the Concourse on high bless thee. O how excellent is this
most sublime station, couldst thou ascend thereunto through the power of
a sovereignty recognized as derived from the Name of God!...
O King of the age! The
eyes of these refugees are turned towards and fixed upon the mercy of the
Most Merciful. No doubt is there whatever that these tribulations will
be followed by the outpourings of a supreme mercy, and these dire adversities
be succeeded by an overflowing prosperity. We fain would hope, however,
that His Majesty the Shah will himself examine these matters, and bring
hope to the hearts. That which We have submitted to thy Majesty is
indeed for thine highest good. And God, verily, is a sufficient witness
unto Me....
O would that thou wouldst permit
Me, O Shah, to send unto thee that which would cheer the eyes, and tranquillize
the souls, and persuade every fair-minded person that with Him is the knowledge
of the Book... But for the repudiation of the foolish and the connivance
of the divines, I would have uttered a discourse that would have thrilled
and carried away the hearts unto a realm from the murmur of whose winds
can be heard: `No God is there but He!'...
I have
seen, O Shah, in the path of God what eye hath not seen nor ear heard...
How numerous the tribulations which have rained, and will soon rain, upon
Me! I advance with My face set towards Him Who is the Almighty, the
All-Bounteous, whilst behind Me glideth the serpent. Mine eyes have rained
down tears until My bed is drenched. I sorrow not for Myself, however.
By God! Mine head yearneth for the spear out of love for its Lord.
I never passed a tree, but Mine heart addressed it saying: `O would
that thou wert cut down in My name, and My body crucified upon thee, in
the path of My Lord!'... By God! Though weariness lay Me low, and
hunger consume Me, and the bare rock be My bed, and My fellows the beasts
of the field, I will not complain, but will endure patiently as those endued
with constancy and firmness have endured patiently, through the power of
God, the Eternal King and Creator of the nations, and will render thanks
unto God under all conditions. We pray
that, out of His bounty -- exalted be He -- He may release, through this
imprisonment, the necks of men from chains and fetters, and cause them
to turn, with sincere faces, towards His Face, Who is the Mighty, the Bounteous.
Ready is He to answer whosoever calleth upon Him, and nigh is He unto such
as commune with Him.
. . . Whosoever, O my Lord, is impatient in the tribulations befalling him in Thy path, hath not drunk of the cup of Thy love nor tasted of the sweetness of Thy remembrance. I implore Thee, by Him Who is the King of all names and their Sovereign, Who is the Revealer of all attributes and their Creator, and by them who have soared aloft and drawn nigh unto Thee and winged their flight into the atmosphere of Thy presence, and have endured the galling of chains for Thy sake, to grant that all Thy people may be graciously aided to recognize Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine own Self, Who, because He summoned mankind unto Thee, hath been exiled and cast into prison.
The tenderness of Thy mercy, O my Lord, surpasseth the fury of Thy wrath, and Thy loving-kindness exceedeth Thy hot displeasure, and Thy grace excelleth Thy justice. Hold Thou, through Thy wondrous favors and mercies, the hands of Thy creatures, and suffer them not to be separated from the grace which Thou hast ordained as the means whereby they can recognize Thee. The glory of Thy might beareth me witness! Were such a thing to happen, every soul would be sore shaken, every man endued with understanding would be bewildered, and every possessor of knowledge would be dumbfounded, except those who have been succored through the hands of Thy Cause, and have been made the recipients of the revelations of Thy grace and of the tokens of Thy favors.
I swear by Thy might, O my God! Wert Thou to regard Thy servants according to their deserts in Thy days, they would assuredly merit naught except Thy chastisement and torment. Thou art, however, the One Who is of great bounteousness, Whose grace is immense. Look not down upon them, O my God, with the glance of Thy justice, but rather with the eyes of Thy tender compassions and mercies. Do, then, with them according to what beseemeth Thy generosity and bountiful favor. Potent art Thou to do whatsoever may please Thee. Incomparable art Thou. No God is there beside Thee, the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, the Ruler of this world and of the world to come. Thou art the God of Bounty, the Ever-Forgiving, the Great Giver, the Most Generous.
Do Thou bless, O Lord my God, the One through Whom the mysteries of Thine omnipotence have been disclosed, through Whom the revelations of Thy divinity have been glorified, through Whom the goodly pearls of Thy knowledge and wisdom have been uncovered, through Whom Thy signs and tokens have been noised abroad, through Whom Thy word hath been set forth with clearness, through Whom the light of Thy countenance hath shone forth and the power of Thy sovereignty been established. Bless Thou all those also who, wholly for Thy sake, have turned towards Thee. Send down, moreover, upon Him and them such of Thy wondrous mercies as may well beseem Thy highness. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Self-Subsisting.
Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spirit (Jesus), Who when He came, the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take heed, then, ye men of understanding heart! Thou, in truth, art one of the suns of the heaven of His names. Guard thyself, lest darkness spread its veils over thee, and fold thee away from His light... Consider those who opposed the Son (Jesus), when He came unto them with sovereignty and power. How many the Pharisees who were waiting to behold Him, and were lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the fragrance of His coming was wafted over them, and His beauty was unveiled, they turned aside from Him and disputed with Him... None save a very few, who were destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards His face. And yet, today, every man endowed with power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself on His Name! In like manner, consider how numerous, in these days, are the monks who, in My Name, have secluded themselves in their churches, and who, when the appointed time was fulfilled, and We unveiled Our beauty, knew Us not, though they call upon Me at eventide and at dawn....
The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest. It hath been sent down in the form of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in His most great majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, O concourse of the righteous... This is the day whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High, saying: `Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!...' My body longeth for the cross, and Mine head waiteth the thrust of the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful, that the world may be purged from its transgressions....
O Supreme Pontiff! Incline thine ear unto that which the Fashioner of mouldering bones counselleth thee, as voiced by Him Who is His Most Great Name. Sell all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and expend them in the path of God, Who causeth the night to return upon the day, and the day to return upon the night. Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and emerge from thy habitation, with thy face set towards the Kingdom, and, detached from the world, then speak forth the praises of thy Lord betwixt earth and heaven. Thus hath bidden thee He Who is the Possessor of Names, on the part of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Exhort thou the kings and say: `Deal equitably with men. Beware lest ye transgress the bounds fixed in the Book.' This indeed becometh thee. Beware lest thou appropriate unto thyself the things of the world and the riches thereof. Leave them unto such as desire them, and cleave unto that which hath been enjoined upon thee by Him Who is the Lord of creation. Should any one offer thee all the treasures of the earth, refuse to even glance upon them. Be as thy Lord hath been. Thus hath the Tongue of Revelation spoken that which God hath made the ornament of the book of creation... Should the inebriation of the wine of My verses seize thee, and thou determinest to present thyself before the throne of thy Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, make My love thy vesture and thy shield remembrance of Me, and thy provision reliance upon God, the Revealer of all power... Verily, the day of ingathering is come, and all things have been separated from each other. He hath stored away that which He chose in the vessels of justice, and cast into fire that which befitteth it. Thus hath it been decreed by your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving, in this promised Day. He, verily, ordaineth what He pleaseth. There is none other God save He, the Almighty, the All-Compelling. (Baha'u'llah: Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 83-86)
The Breath hath been wafted, and the Breeze hath blown, and from Zion hath appeared that which was hidden, and from Jerusalem is heard the Voice of God, the One, the Incomparable, the Omniscient.
Lend an ear unto the song of David. He saith: `Who will bring me into the Strong City?' The Strong City is Akka, which hath been named the Most Great Prison, and which possesseth a fortress and mighty ramparts... Peruse that which Isaiah hath spoken in His Book. He saith: `Get thee up into the high mountain, O Zion, that bringest good tidings; lift up thy voice with strength, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: "Behold your God! Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him."' This Day all the signs have appeared. A great City hath descended from heaven, and Zion trembleth and exulteth with joy at the Revelation of God, for it hath heard the Voice of God on every side.
O concourse of Christians! We have, on a previous occasion, revealed Ourself unto you, and ye recognized Me not. This is yet another occasion vouchsafed unto you. This is the Day of God; turn ye unto Him... The Beloved One loveth not that ye be consumed with the fire of your desires. Were ye to be shut out as by a veil from Him, this would be for no other reason than your own waywardness and ignorance. Ye make mention of Me, and know Me not. Ye call upon Me, and are heedless of My Revelation.... O people of the Gospel! They who were not in the Kingdom have now entered it, whilst We behold you, in this day, tarrying at the gate. Rend the veils asunder by the power of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, and enter, then, in My name My Kingdom. Thus biddeth you He Who desireth for you everlasting life... We behold you, O children of the Kingdom, in darkness. This, verily, beseemeth you not. Are ye, in the face of the Light, fearful because of your deeds? Direct yourselves towards Him... Verily, He (Jesus) said: `Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.' In this day, however, We say: `Come ye after Me, that We may make you to become quickeners of mankind.' (Baha'u'llah: Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 89-91)
"A heavy chain," Abdu'l-Baha Himself has testified, "was placed about His neck by which He was chained to five other Babis; these fetters were locked together by strong, very heavy, bolts and screws. His clothes were torn to pieces, also His headdress. In this terrible condition He was kept for four months." For three days and three nights, He was denied all manner of food and drink. Sleep was impossible to Him. The place was chill and damp, filthy, fever-stricken, infested with vermin, and filled with a noisome stench. Animated by a relentless hatred His enemies went even so far as to intercept and poison His food, in the hope of obtaining the favor of the mother of their sovereign, His most implacable foe -- an attempt which, though it impaired His health for years to come, failed to achieve its purpose. "Abdu'l-Baha," Dr. J. E. Esslemont records in his book, "tells how, one day, He was allowed to enter the prison yard to see His beloved Father, where He came out for His daily exercise. Baha'u'llah was terribly altered, so ill He could hardly walk, His hair and beard unkempt, His neck galled and swollen from the pressure of a heavy steel collar, His body bent by the weight of His chains."
Great is thy blessedness, O Akka, in that God hath made thee the dayspring of His Most Sweet Voice, and the dawn of His most mighty signs. Happy art thou in that the Throne of Justice hath been established upon thee, and the Day-Star of God's loving-kindness and bounty hath shone forth above thy horizon. Well is it with every fair-minded person that hath judged fairly Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance, and woe betide him that hath erred and doubted."(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 79)
Click here to witness the Modern-day persecution of the Baha'is in Iran.
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