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Baha\'u\'llah - Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

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by Baha'u'llah




Edition 1, (June 23, 2005)





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CONTENTS


Baha'i Terms of Use
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf






EPISTLE TO THE SON OF THE WOLF


_In the name of God, the One, the Incomparable, the All-Powerful,
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise._


Praise be to God, the Eternal that perisheth not, the Everlasting that
declineth not, the Self-Subsisting that altereth not. He it is Who is
transcendent in His sovereignty, Who is manifest through His signs, and is
hidden through His mysteries. He it is at Whose bidding the standard of
the Most Exalted Word hath been lifted up in the world of creation, and
the banner of "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" raised amidst all peoples.
He it is Who hath revealed His Cause for the guidance of His creatures,
and sent down His verses to demonstrate His Proof and His Testimony, and
embellished the preface of the Book of Man with the ornament of utterance
through His saying: "The God of Mercy hath taught the Qur'an, hath created
man, and taught him articulate speech." No God is there but Him, the One,
the Peerless, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Beneficent.

The light that is shed from the heaven of bounty, and the benediction that
shineth from the dawning-place of the will of God, the Lord of the Kingdom
of Names, rest upon Him Who is the Supreme Mediator, the Most Exalted Pen,
Him Whom God hath made the Dawning-Place of His most excellent names and
the Dayspring of His most exalted attributes. Through Him the light of
unity hath shone forth above the horizon of the world, and the law of
oneness hath been revealed amidst the nations, who, with radiant faces,
have turned towards the Supreme Horizon, and acknowledged that which the
Tongue of Utterance hath spoken in the kingdom of His knowledge: "Earth
and heaven, glory and dominion, are God's, the Omnipotent, the Almighty,
the Lord of grace abounding!"

Give ear, O distinguished divine, unto the voice of this Wronged One. He
verily, counselleth thee for the sake of God, and exhorteth thee unto that
which will cause thee to draw nigh unto Him under all conditions. He, in
truth, is the All-Possessing, the Exalted. Know thou that the ear of man
hath been created that it may hearken unto the Divine Voice on this Day
that hath been mentioned in all the Books, Scriptures, and Tablets. Purify
thou, first, thy soul with the waters of renunciation, and adorn thine
head with the crown of the fear of God, and thy temple with the ornament
of reliance upon Him. Arise, then, and, with thy face set towards the Most
Great House, the Spot round which, as decreed by the Eternal King, all
that dwell on earth must circle, recite:

"O God, my God, and my Desire, and my Adored One, and my Master, and my
Mainstay, and my utmost Hope, and my supreme Aspiration! Thou seest me
turning towards Thee, holding fast unto the cord of Thy bounty, clinging
to the hem of Thy generosity, acknowledging the sanctity of Thy Self and
the purity of Thine Essence, and testifying to Thy unity and Thy oneness.
I bear witness that Thou art the One, the Single, the Incomparable, the
Ever-Abiding. Thou didst not take unto Thyself a partner in Thy dominion,
nor didst Thou choose a peer for Thyself upon earth. All created things
have borne witness unto that which the Tongue of Thy grandeur hath
testified ere their creation. Verily Thou art God; there is none other God
but Thee! From everlasting Thou wast sanctified from the mention of Thy
servants, and exalted above the description of Thy creatures. Thou
beholdest, O Lord, the ignorant seeking the ocean of Thy knowledge, the
sore athirst the living waters of Thine utterance, the abased the
tabernacle of Thy glory, the poor the treasury of Thy riches, the
suppliant the dawning-place of Thy wisdom, the weak the source of Thy
strength, the wretched the heaven of Thy bounty, the dumb the kingdom of
Thy mention.

"I testify, O my God, and my King, that Thou hast created me to remember
Thee, to glorify Thee, and to aid Thy Cause. And yet, I have aided Thine
enemies, who have broken Thy Covenant, who have cast away Thy Book,
disbelieved in Thee, and repudiated Thy signs. Alas, alas, for my
waywardness, and my shame, and my sinfulness, and my wrong-doing that have
withheld me from the depths of the ocean of Thy unity and from fathoming
the sea of Thy mercy. Wherefore, alas, alas! and again alas, alas! for my
wretchedness and the grievousness of my transgressions! Thou didst call me
into being, O my God, to exalt Thy Word, and to manifest Thy Cause. My
heedlessness, however, hath deterred me and compassed me about, in such
wise that I have arisen to blot out Thy signs, and to shed the blood of
Thy loved ones, and of the dawning-places of Thy signs, and of the
daysprings of Thy revelation, and of the repositories of Thy mysteries.

"O Lord, my Lord! and again, O Lord, my Lord! and yet again, O Lord, my
Lord! I bear witness that by reason of mine iniquity the fruits of the
tree of Thy justice have fallen, and through the fire of my rebelliousness
the hearts of such of Thy creatures as enjoy near access to Thee were
consumed, and the souls of the sincere among Thy servants have melted. O
wretched, wretched that I am! O the cruelties, the glaring cruelties, I
inflicted! Woe is me, woe is me, for my remoteness from Thee, and for my
waywardness, and mine ignorance, and my baseness, and my repudiation of
Thee, and my protests against Thee! How many the days during which Thou
didst bid Thy servants and Thy loved ones to protect me, whilst I
commanded them to harm Thee and to harm them that Thou didst trust! And
how numerous the nights during which Thou didst graciously remember me,
and didst show me Thy path, whilst I turned away from Thee and from Thy
signs! By Thy glory! O Thou Who art the Hope of such as have acknowledged
Thy unity, and the Desire of the hearts of them that are rid of all
attachment to any save Thee! I find no succorer except Thee, nor king, nor
refuge, nor haven besides Thyself. Alas, alas! My turning away from Thee
hath burnt up the veil of mine integrity, and my denial of Thee hath rent
asunder the covering cast over mine honor. O would that I were beneath the
depths of the earth, so that my evil deeds would remain unknown to Thy
servants! Thou seest the sinner, O my Lord, who hath turned towards the
dawning-place of Thy forgiveness and Thy bounty, and the mountain of
iniquity that hath sought the heaven of Thy mercy and pardon. Alas, alas!
My mighty sins have prevented me from approaching the court of Thy mercy,
and my monstrous deeds have caused me to stray far from the sanctuary of
Thy presence. Indeed, I am he that hath failed in duty towards Thee, and
hath broken Thy Covenant and Thy Testament, and committed that which hath
made the dwellers of the cities of Thy justice, and the dawning-places of
Thy grace in Thy realms, to lament. I testify, O my God, that I have put
away Thy commandments, and clung to the dictates of my passions, and have
cast away the statutes of Thy Book, and seized the book of mine own
desire. O misery, misery! As mine iniquities waxed greater and greater,
Thy forbearance towards me augmented, and as the fire of my rebelliousness
grew fiercer, the more did Thy forgiveness and Thy grace seek to smother
up its flame. By the power of Thy might! O Thou Who art the desire of the
world and the Best-Beloved of the nations! Thy long-suffering hath puffed
me up, and Thy patience hath emboldened me. Thou beholdest, O my God, the
tears that my shame hath caused to flow, and the sighs which my
heedlessness hath led me to utter. I swear by the greatness of Thy
majesty! I can find for myself no habitation save beneath the shadow of
the court of Thy bounty, nor any refuge except under the canopy of Thy
mercy. Thou seest me in the midst of a sea of despair and of hopelessness,
after Thou didst cause me to hear Thy words "Despair not." By Thy power!
My sore injustice hath severed the cord of my hope, and my rebellion hath
darkened my face before the throne of Thy justice. Thou beholdest, O my
God, him who is as one dead fallen at the door of Thy favor, ashamed to
seek from the hand of Thy loving-kindness the living waters of Thy pardon.
Thou hast given me a tongue wherewith to remember and praise Thee, and yet
it uttereth that which hath caused the souls of such of Thy chosen ones as
are nigh unto Thee to melt, and the hearts of the sincere amongst the
dwellers of the habitations of holiness to be consumed. Thou hast given me
eyes to witness Thy signs, and to behold Thy verses, and to contemplate
the revelations of Thine handiwork, but I have rejected Thy will, and have
committed what hath caused the faithful among Thy creatures and the
detached amidst Thy servants to groan. Thou hast given me ears that I may
incline them unto Thy praise and Thy celebration, and unto that which Thou
didst send down from the heaven of Thy bounty and the firmament of Thy
will. And yet, alas, alas, I have forsaken Thy Cause, and have commanded
Thy servants to blaspheme against Thy trusted ones and Thy loved ones, and
have acted, before the throne of Thy justice, in such wise that those that
have recognized Thy unity and are wholly devoted to Thee among the
dwellers of Thy realm mourned with a sore lamentation. I know not, O my
God, which among my evildoings to mention before the billowing ocean of
Thy favor, nor which of my trespasses to declare when face to face with
the splendors of the suns of Thy goodly gifts and bounties.

"I beseech Thee, this very moment, by the mysteries of Thy Book, and by
the things hid in Thy knowledge, and by the pearls that lie concealed
within the shells of the ocean of Thy mercy, to reckon me among such as
Thou didst mention in Thy Book and describe in Thy Tablets. Hast Thou
decreed for me, O my God, any joy after this tribulation, or any relief to
succeed this affliction, or any ease to follow this trouble? Alas, alas!
Thou hast ordained that every pulpit be set apart for Thy mention, and for
the glorification of Thy Word, and the revelation of Thy Cause, but I have
ascended it to proclaim the violation of Thy Covenant, and have spoken
unto Thy servants such words as have caused the dwellers of the
Tabernacles of Thy majesty and the denizens of the Cities of Thy wisdom to
lament. How often hast Thou sent down the food of Thine utterance out of
the heaven of Thy bounty, and I denied it; and how numerous the occasions
on which Thou hast summoned me to the soft flowing waters of Thy mercy,
and I have chosen to turn away therefrom, by reason of my having followed
my own wish and desire! By Thy glory! I know not for which sin to beg Thy
forgiveness and implore Thy pardon, nor from which of mine iniquities to
turn aside unto the Court of Thy bounteousness and the Sanctuary of Thy
favor. Such are my sins and trespasses that no man can number them, nor
pen describe them. I implore Thee, O Thou that turnest darkness into
light, and revealest Thy mysteries on the Sinai of Thy Revelation, to aid
me, at all times, to put my trust in Thee, and to commit mine affairs unto
Thy care. Make me, then, O my God, content with that which the finger of
Thy decree hath traced, and the pen of Thy ordinance hath written. Potent
art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all
that are in heaven and on earth. No God is there but Thee, the
All-knowing, the All-Wise."

O _Sh_ay_kh_! Know thou that neither the calumnies which men may utter,
nor their denials, nor any cavils they may raise, can harm him that hath
clung to the cord of the grace, and seized the hem of the mercy, of the
Lord of creation. By God! He, the Glory of God (Baha), hath spoken not
from mere impulse. He that hath given Him a voice is He that hath given a
voice unto all things, that they may praise and glorify Him. There is none
other God but Him, the One, the Incomparable, the Lord of strength, the
Unconditioned.

They whose sight is keen, whose ears are retentive, whose hearts are
enlightened, and whose breasts are dilated, recognize both truth and
falsehood, and distinguish the one from the other. Recite thou this prayer
that hath flowed from the tongue of this Wronged One, and ponder thereon
with a heart rid of all attachment, and with ears that are pure and
sanctified, be attentive to its meaning, that haply thou mayest inhale the
breath of detachment and have pity upon thyself and upon others:

"My God, the Object of my adoration, the Goal of my desire, the
All-Bountiful, the Most Compassionate! All life is of Thee, and all power
lieth within the grasp of Thine omnipotence. Whosoever Thou exaltest is
raised above the angels, and attaineth the station: 'Verily, We uplifted
him to a place on high!'; and whosoever Thou dost abase is made lower than
dust, nay, less than nothing. O Divine Providence! Though wicked, sinful,
and intemperate, we still seek from Thee a 'seat of truth,' and long to
behold the countenance of the Omnipotent King. It is Thine to command, and
all sovereignty belongeth to Thee, and the realm of might boweth before
Thy behest. Everything Thou doest is pure justice, nay, the very essence
of grace. One gleam from the splendors of Thy Name, the All-Merciful,
sufficeth to banish and blot out every trace of sinfulness from the world,
and a single breath from the breezes of the Day of Thy Revelation is
enough to adorn all mankind with a fresh attire. Vouchsafe Thy strength, O
Almighty One, unto Thy weak creatures, and quicken them who are as dead,
that haply they may find Thee, and may be led unto the ocean of Thy
guidance, and may remain steadfast in Thy Cause. Should the fragrance of
Thy praise be shed abroad by any of the divers tongues of the world, out
of the East or out of the West, it would, verily, be prized and greatly
cherished. If such tongues, however, be deprived of that fragrance, they
assuredly would be unworthy of any mention, in word or yet in thought. We
beg of Thee, O Providence, to show Thy way unto all men, and to guide them
aright. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful, the
All-Knowing, the All-Seeing."

We beseech God to aid thee to be just and fair-minded, and to acquaint
thee with the things that were hidden from the eyes of men. He, in truth,
is the Mighty, the Unconstrained. We ask thee to reflect upon that which
hath been revealed, and to be fair and just in thy speech, that perchance
the splendors of the daystar of truthfulness and sincerity may shine
forth, and may deliver thee from the darkness of ignorance, and illumine
the world with the light of knowledge. This Wronged One hath frequented no
school, neither hath He attended the controversies of the learned. By My
life! Not of Mine own volition have I revealed Myself, but God, of His own
choosing, hath manifested Me. In the Tablet, addressed to His Majesty the
_Sh_ah--may God, blessed and glorified be He, assist him--these words have
streamed from the tongue of this Wronged One:

"O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the
breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the
knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One
Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between
earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears
of every man of understanding to flow. The learning current amongst men I
studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt,
that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely.
This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous winds
are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all Names and Attributes! They
move it as they list. The evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is the
Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons hath reached Me, and caused Me to
speak His praise amidst all people. I was indeed as one dead when His
behest was uttered. The hand of the will of thy Lord, the Compassionate,
the Merciful, transformed Me."

Now is the moment in which to cleanse thyself with the waters of
detachment that have flowed out from the Supreme Pen, and to ponder,
wholly for the sake of God, those things which, time and again, have been
sent down or manifested, and then to strive, as much as lieth in thee, to
quench, through the power of wisdom and the force of thy utterance, the
fire of enmity and hatred which smouldereth in the hearts of the peoples
of the world. The Divine Messengers have been sent down, and their Books
were revealed, for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of God, and of
furthering unity and fellowship amongst men. But now behold, how they have
made the Law of God a cause and pretext for perversity and hatred. How
pitiful, how regrettable, that most men are cleaving fast to, and have
busied themselves with, the things they possess, and are unaware of, and
shut out as by a veil from, the things God possesseth!

Say: "O God, my God! Attire mine head with the crown of justice, and my
temple with the ornament of equity. Thou, verily, art the Possessor of all
gifts and bounties."

Justice and equity are twin Guardians that watch over men. From them are
revealed such blessed and perspicuous words as are the cause of the
well-being of the world and the protection of the nations.

These words have streamed from the pen of this Wronged One in one of His
Tablets: "The purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, hath been
to bring forth the Mystic Gems out of the mine of man--they Who are the
Dawning-Places of His Cause and the Repositories of the pearls of His
knowledge; for, God Himself, glorified be He, is the Unseen, the One
concealed and hidden from the eyes of men. Consider what the Merciful hath
revealed in the Qur'an: No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all
vision, and He is the Subtile, the All-Informed!"

That the divers communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of
religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of
animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God
and His Religion. These principles and laws, these firmly-established and
mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source, and are rays of one Light.
That they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying
requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.

Gird up the loins of your endeavor, O people of Baha, that haply the
tumult of religious dissension and strife that agitateth the peoples of
the earth may be stilled, that every trace of it may be completely
obliterated. For the love of God, and them that serve Him, arise to aid
this sublime and momentous Revelation. Religious fanaticism and hatred are
a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine
power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction.
Consider the war that hath involved the two Nations, how both sides have
renounced their possessions and their lives. How many the villages that
were completely wiped out!

The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the
fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another
with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He Who
is the Daystar of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of
unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. The One true God, He Who
knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the truth of these words.

Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime
station, the station that can insure the protection and security of all
mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the
monarch of all aspirations. So long, however, as the thick clouds of
oppression, which obscure the daystar of justice, remain undispelled, it
would be difficult for the glory of this station to be unveiled to men's
eyes. These thick clouds are the exponents of idle fancies and vain
imaginings, who are none other but the divines of Persia. At one time We
spoke in the language of the lawgiver; at another in that of the
truth-seeker and the mystic, and yet Our supreme purpose and highest wish
hath always been to disclose the glory and sublimity of this station. God,
verily, is a sufficient witness!

Consort with all men, O people of Baha, in a spirit of friendliness and
fellowship. If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of
which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost
kindliness and goodwill. If it be accepted, if it fulfill its purpose,
your object is attained. If anyone should refuse it, leave him unto
himself, and beseech God to guide him. Beware lest ye deal unkindly with
him. A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the
bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the
fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding.

By "divines" in the passage cited above is meant those men who outwardly
attire themselves with the raiment of knowledge, but who inwardly are
deprived therefrom. In this connection, We quote from the Tablet addressed
to His Majesty the _Sh_ah, certain passages from the "Hidden Words" which
were revealed by the Abha Pen under the name of the "Book of Fatimih," the
blessings of God be upon her!

"O ye that are foolish, yet have a name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear
the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent
upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and
which, though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My
city astray into the paths of perdition."

And likewise He saith: "O ye seeming fair yet inwardly foul! Ye are like
clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of
which, when tested by the Divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the
sunbeam falls alike upon the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in
reflection even as doth the star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the
difference!"

And also He saith: "O essence of desire! At many a dawn have I turned from
the realms of the Placeless unto thine abode, and found thee on the bed of
ease busied with others than Myself. Thereupon, even as the flash of the
spirit, I returned to the realms of celest and breathed it not in My
retreats above unto the hosts of holiness."

And again He saith: "O bond slave of the world! Many a dawn hath the
breeze of My loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the bed
of heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing then thy plight it returned whence
it came."

Those divines, however, who are truly adorned with the ornament of
knowledge and of a goodly character are, verily, as a head to the body of
the world, and as eyes to the nations. The guidance of men hath, at all
times, been, and is, dependent upon such blessed souls. We beseech God to
graciously aid them to do His will and pleasure. He, in truth, is the Lord
of all men, the Lord of this world and of the next.

O _Sh_ay_kh_! We have learned that thou hast turned away from Us, and
protested against Us, in such wise that thou hast bidden the people to
curse Me, and decreed that the blood of the servants of God be shed. God
requite him who said: "Willingly will I obey the judge who hath so
strangely decreed that my blood be spilt at Hill and at Haram!" Verily I
say: Whatever befalleth in the path of God is the beloved of the soul and
the desire of the heart. Deadly poison in His path is pure honey, and
every tribulation a draught of crystal water. In the Tablet to His Majesty
the _Sh_ah it is written: "By Him Who is the Truth! I fear no tribulation
in His path, nor any affliction in My love for Him. Verily God hath made
adversity as a morning dew upon His green pasture, and a wick for His lamp
which lighteth earth and heaven."

Set thine heart towards Him Who is the Kaaba of God, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting, and raise thou thine hands with such firm conviction
as shall cause the hands of all created things to be lifted up towards the
heaven of the grace of God, the Lord of all worlds. Turn, then, thy face
towards Him in such wise that the faces of all beings will turn in the
direction of His shining and luminous Horizon, and say: "Thou seest me, O
my Lord, with my face turned towards the heaven of Thy bounty and the
ocean of Thy favor, withdrawn from all else beside Thee. I ask of Thee, by
the splendors of the Sun of Thy revelation on Sinai, and the effulgences
of the Orb of Thy grace which shineth from the horizon of Thy Name, the
Ever-Forgiving, to grant me Thy pardon and to have mercy upon me. Write
down, then, for me with Thy pen of glory that which will exalt me through
Thy Name in the world of creation. Aid me, O my Lord, to set myself
towards Thee, and to hearken unto the voice of Thy loved ones, whom the
powers of the earth have failed to weaken, and the dominion of the nations
has been powerless to withhold from Thee, and who, advancing towards Thee,
have said: 'God is our Lord, the Lord of all who are in heaven and all who
are on earth!'"

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