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 Bábís, 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 _Sh_áh—may God, exalted be He,
protect him—to ‘Iráq, 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 Ṭihrán, 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.
We shall herewith cite a few passages from Tablets specifically revealed
to this people, so that every one may know of a certainty that this
Wronged One hath acted in a manner which hath been pleasing and acceptable
unto men endued with insight, and unto such as are the exponents of
justice and equity:
"O ye friends of God in His cities and His loved ones in His lands! This
Wronged One enjoineth on you honesty and piety. Blessed the city that
shineth by their light. Through them man is exalted, and the door of
security is unlocked before the face of all creation. Happy the man that
cleaveth fast unto them, and recognizeth their virtue, and woe betide him
that denieth their station."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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