41 Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud, and who
hath been debarred thereby from recognizing My Name, the Self-Subsisting;
who, when he heareth the tread of sandals following behind him, waxeth
greater in his own esteem than Nimrod. Say: O rejected one! Where now is
his abode? By God, it is the nethermost fire. Say: O concourse of divines!
Hear ye not the shrill voice of My Most Exalted Pen? See ye not this Sun
that shineth in refulgent splendour above the All-Glorious Horizon? For
how long will ye worship the idols of your evil passions? Forsake your
vain imaginings, and turn yourselves unto God, your Everlasting Lord.
42 Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of Signs.
None hath the right to dispose of them without leave from Him Who is the
Dawning-place of Revelation. After Him, this authority shall pass to the
Ag̱ẖsán, and after them to the House of Justice—should it be established
in the world by then—that they may use these endowments for the benefit of
the Places which have been exalted in this Cause, and for whatsoever hath
been enjoined upon them by Him Who is the God of might and power.
Otherwise, the endowments shall revert to the people of Bahá who speak not
except by His leave and judge not save in accordance with what God hath
decreed in this Tablet—lo, they are the champions of victory betwixt
heaven and earth—that they may use them in the manner that hath been laid
down in the Book by God, the Mighty, the Bountiful.
43 Lament not in your hours of trial, neither rejoice therein; seek ye the
Middle Way which is the remembrance of Me in your afflictions and
reflection over that which may befall you in future. Thus informeth you He
Who is the Omniscient, He Who is aware.
44 Shave not your heads; God hath adorned them with hair, and in this
there are signs from the Lord of creation to those who reflect upon the
requirements of nature. He, verily, is the God of strength and wisdom.
Notwithstanding, it is not seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of
the ears. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds.
45 Exile and imprisonment are decreed for the thief, and, on the third
offence, place ye a mark upon his brow so that, thus identified, he may
not be accepted in the cities of God and His countries. Beware lest,
through compassion, ye neglect to carry out the statutes of the religion
of God; do that which hath been bidden you by Him Who is compassionate and
merciful. We school you with the rod of wisdom and laws, like unto the
father who educateth his son, and this for naught but the protection of
your own selves and the elevation of your stations. By My life, were ye to
discover what We have desired for you in revealing Our holy laws, ye would
offer up your very souls for this sacred, this mighty, and most exalted
Faith.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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