Selections From the Writings of the BábBab, ʻAli Muhammad Shirazi
Religion
Selections From the Writings of the Báb
Bab, ʻAli Muhammad Shirazi
Babism; Bahai Faith
The evidences which the people demanded from the Apostle of God through
their idle fancy have mostly been rejected in the Qur’án, even as in the
Súrih of the Children of Israel [Súrih XVII] it hath been revealed: ‘And
they say, by no means will we believe on thee till thou cause a fountain
to gush forth for us from the earth; or till thou have a garden of palm
trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to spring forth from the midst
thereof in abundance; or thou cause the heaven to fall down upon us, as
thou hast given out, in pieces; or thou bring God and the angels to vouch
for thee; or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend to heaven nor will
we believe in thine ascension, till thou send down to us a book which we
may read. Say, Praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?’
Now be fair! The Arabs uttered such words, and now, prompted by thy
desire, thou dost demand yet other things? What is the difference between
thee and them? If thou dost ponder a while, it will be evident that it is
incumbent upon a lowly servant to acquiesce to whatever proof God hath
appointed, and not to follow his own idle fancy. If the wishes of the
people were to be gratified not a single disbeliever would remain on
earth. For once the Apostle of God had fulfilled the wishes of the people
they would unhesitatingly have embraced His Faith. May God save thee,
shouldst thou seek any evidence according to thy selfish desire; rather it
behooveth thee to uphold the unfailing proof which God hath appointed. The
object of thy belief in God is but to secure His good-pleasure. How then
dost thou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing which hath been and is
contrary to His good-pleasure?
“Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God, ...”
Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God, enrich thyself in
God by dispensing with all else besides Him, and recite this prayer:
Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens
or in the earth or in whatever lieth between them but God, thy Lord,
sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the
Omnipotent.
Regard not the all-sufficing power of God as an idle fancy. It is that
genuine faith which thou cherishest for the Manifestation of God in every
Dispensation. It is such faith which sufficeth above all the things that
exist on the earth, whereas no created thing on earth besides faith would
suffice thee. If thou art not a believer, the Tree of divine Truth would
condemn thee to extinction. If thou art a believer, thy faith shall be
sufficient for thee above all things that exist on earth, even though thou
possess nothing.
“It is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of ...”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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