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