Concealment and Revelation

S. ah. í f i y - i - Shat. t. í yy ih (Book of the Ri ver )

61

it many will go astray and others will be guided. Render thanks unto God that thou hast become the recipient of this All-Encompassing Word, this celestial melody and heavenly song. Had I found a word more conclusive, I would have divulged it. There is no greater counsel than this word. Preserve it if thou desirest to find a path to the Lord of the Mighty Throne. It is because of the love this servant holdeth for thee that this answer hath been written. Otherwise, I have no inclination to set forth any topic or write a single letter thereon. God is a sufficient witness unto Me, and a protector for thee. Wherefore, rise up with legs of iron and set forth upon this path which We have rolled out upon the snow-white earth of the spirit. With eyes of consuming flame gaze upon its pillars and its stature, and with ruby ears hearken unto what hath appeared therefrom in regard to thy question. With palms of gold and fingers of power seize what is in and upon it, and with a swordlike tongue sing and chant in ringing tones, clap and drum, that there is no God but Him, that ‘Alí Muh. ammad is the Essence of God and His eternal Being, and Muh. ammad ‘Alí is the Mine of the Cause of God and His everlasting Self, that the Living Countenance is the Repository of God’s authority and His self-subsisting Identity, and the Letters of the Living are the first to have believed in God and His verses. We all, verily, cleave unto them. This is the Word by which truth shall be distinguished from falsehood until the Day when the Hour shall strike, when all shall present themselves before God and abide by His command. Glory be upon those who believe in Him on the day of His meeting and who observe what He hath decreed.