Having sent forth Mullá ‘Alí on his mission, the Báb
summoned to His presence the remaining Letters of the Living, and to each
severally He gave a special command and appointed a special task. He addressed
to them these parting words:
“O My beloved friends! You are the bearers of the name of
God in this Day. You have been chosen as the repositories of His mystery. It
behoves each one of you to manifest the attributes of God, and to exemplify by
your deeds and words the signs of His righteousness, His power and glory. The
very members of your body must bear witness to the loftiness of your purpose,
the integrity of your life, the reality of your faith, and the exalted
character of your devotion. For verily I say, this is the Day spoken of by God
in His Book: [the Qur’an] ‘On that day will We set a seal upon their mouths yet
shall their hands speak unto Us, and their feet shall bear witness to that
which they shall have done.’ Ponder the words of Jesus addressed to His
disciples, as He sent them forth to propagate the Cause of God. In words such
as these, He bade them arise and fulfil their mission: ‘Ye are even as the fire
which in the darkness of the night has been kindled upon the mountain-top. Let
your light shine before the eyes of men. Such must be the purity of your
character and the degree of your renunciation, that the people of the earth may
through you recognise and be drawn closer to the heavenly Father who is the
Source of purity and grace. For none has seen the Father who is in heaven. You
who are His spiritual children must by your deeds exemplify His virtues, and
witness to His glory. You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost
its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? Such must be the degree of your
detachment, that into whatever city you enter to proclaim and teach the Cause
of God, you should in no wise expect either meat or reward from its people.
Nay, when you depart out of that city, you should shake the dust from off your
feet. As you have entered it pure and undefiled, so must you depart from that
city. For verily I say, the heavenly Father is ever with you and keeps watch
over you. If you be faithful to Him, He will assuredly deliver into your hands
all the treasures of the earth, and will exalt you above all the rulers and
kings of the world.’
“O My Letters! Verily I say, immensely exalted is this Day
above the days of the Apostles of old. Nay, immeasurable is the difference! You
are the witnesses of the Dawn of the promised Day of God. You are the partakers
of the mystic chalice of His Revelation. Gird up the loins of endeavour, and be
mindful of the words of God as revealed in His Book: [the Qur’an] ‘Lo, the Lord
thy God is come, and with Him is the company of His angels arrayed before Him!’
Purge your hearts of worldly desires, and let angelic virtues be your adorning.
Strive that by your deeds you may bear witness to the truth of these words of
God, and beware lest, by ‘turning back,’ He may ‘change you for another
people,’ who ‘shall not be your like,’ and who shall take from you the Kingdom
of God. The days when idle worship was deemed sufficient are ended. The time is
come when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of stainless purity,
can ascend to the throne of the Most High and be acceptable unto Him. ‘The good
word riseth up unto Him, and the righteous deed will cause it to be exalted
before Him.’ You are the lowly, of whom God has thus spoken in His Book: [the
Qur’an] “And We desire to show favour to those who were brought low in the
land, and to make them spiritual leaders among men, and to make them Our
heirs.’ You have been called to this station; you will attain to it, only if
you arise to trample beneath your feet every earthly desire, and endeavour to
become those ‘honoured servants of His who speak not till He hath spoken, and
who do His bidding.’ You are the first Letters that have been generated from
the Primal Point, [One of the Báb’s titles] the first Springs that have welled
out from the Source of this Revelation. Beseech the Lord your God to grant that
no earthly entanglements, no worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits, may
tarnish the purity, or embitter the sweetness, of that grace which flows through
you. I am preparing you for the advent of a mighty Day. Exert your utmost
endeavour that, in the world to come, I, who am now instructing you, may,
before the mercy-seat of God, rejoice in your deeds and glory in your
achievements. The secret of the Day that is to come is now concealed. It can
neither be divulged nor estimated. The newly born babe of that Day excels the
wisest and most venerable men of this time, and the lowliest and most unlearned
of that period shall surpass in understanding the most erudite and accomplished
divines of this age. Scatter throughout the length and breadth of this land,
and, with steadfast feet and sanctified hearts, prepare the way for His coming.
Heed not your weaknesses and frailty; fix your gaze upon the invincible power
of the Lord, your God, the Almighty. Has He not, in past days, caused Abraham,
in spite of His seeming helplessness, to triumph over the forces of Nimrod? Has
He not enabled Moses, whose staff was His only companion, to vanquish Pharaoh
and his hosts? Has He not established the ascendancy of Jesus, poor and lowly
as He was in the eyes of men, over the combined forces of the Jewish people?
Has He not subjected the barbarous and militant tribes of Arabia to the holy
and transforming discipline of Muhammad, His Prophet? Arise in His name, put
your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory.’
- Nabil (‘The
Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)
