30 The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of Justice be
established wherein shall gather counsellors to the number of Bahá, and
should it exceed this number it doth not matter. They should consider
themselves as entering the Court of the presence of God, the Exalted, the
Most High, and as beholding Him Who is the Unseen. It behoveth them to be
the trusted ones of the Merciful among men and to regard themselves as the
guardians appointed of God for all that dwell on earth. It is incumbent
upon them to take counsel together and to have regard for the interests of
the servants of God, for His sake, even as they regard their own
interests, and to choose that which is meet and seemly. Thus hath the Lord
your God commanded you. Beware lest ye put away that which is clearly
revealed in His Tablet. Fear God, O ye that perceive.
31 O people of the world! Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands
in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions. Make them as perfect
as is possible in the world of being, and adorn them with that which
befitteth them, not with images and effigies. Then, with radiance and joy,
celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most Compassionate. Verily,
by His remembrance the eye is cheered and the heart is filled with light.
32 The Lord hath ordained that those of you who are able shall make
pilgrimage to the sacred House, and from this He hath exempted women as a
mercy on His part. He, of a truth, is the All-Bountiful, the Most
Generous.
33 O people of Bahá! It is incumbent upon each one of you to engage in
some occupation—such as a craft, a trade or the like. We have exalted your
engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one true God.
Reflect, O people, on the grace and blessings of your Lord, and yield Him
thanks at eventide and dawn. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth,
but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others. Thus hath it
been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon hath shone the day-star of
wisdom and utterance. The most despised of men in the sight of God are
they who sit and beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of means and place your
trust in God, the Provider of all means.
34 The kissing of hands hath been forbidden in the Book. This practice is
prohibited by God, the Lord of glory and command. To none is it permitted
to seek absolution from another soul; let repentance be between yourselves
and God. He, verily, is the Pardoner, the Bounteous, the Gracious, the One
Who absolveth the repentant.
35 O ye servants of the Merciful One! Arise to serve the Cause of God, in
such wise that the cares and sorrows caused by them that have disbelieved
in the Dayspring of the Signs of God may not afflict you. At the time when
the Promise was fulfilled and the Promised One made manifest, differences
have appeared amongst the kindreds of the earth and each people hath
followed its own fancy and idle imaginings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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