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CXXVIII: Say: Doth it beseem a man while claiming
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Say: Doth it beseem a man while claiming to be a follower of his Lord, the All-Merciful, he
should yet in his heart do the very deeds of the Evil
One? Nay, it ill beseemeth him, and to this He Who
is the Beauty of the All-Glorious will bear Me witness.
Would that ye could comprehend it! |
2 |
Cleanse from your hearts the love of worldly
things, from your tongues every remembrance except
His remembrance, from your entire being whatsoever
may deter you from beholding His face, or may
tempt you to follow the promptings of your evil and
corrupt inclinations. Let God be your fear, O people,
and be ye of them that tread the path of righteousness. |
3 |
Say: Should your conduct, O people, contradict
your professions, how think ye, then, to be able to
distinguish yourselves from them who, though professing
their faith in the Lord their God, have, as
soon as He came unto them in the cloud of holiness,
refused to acknowledge Him, and repudiated His
truth? Disencumber yourselves of all attachment to
this world and the vanities thereof. Beware that ye
approach them not, inasmuch as they prompt you
to walk after your own lusts and covetous desires,
and hinder you from entering the straight and glorious
Path. |
4 |
Know ye that by "the world" is meant your unawareness
of Him Who is your Maker, and your absorption
in aught else but Him. The "life to come,"
on the other hand, signifieth the things that give you
a safe approach to God, the All-Glorious, the Incomparable.
Whatsoever deterreth you, in this Day, from
loving God is nothing but the world. Flee it, that ye
may be numbered with the blest. Should a man wish
to adorn himself with the ornaments of the earth, to
wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it can
bestow, no harm can befall him, if he alloweth nothing
whatever to intervene between him and God, for
God hath ordained every good thing, whether created
in the heavens or in the earth, for such of His servants
as truly believe in Him. Eat ye, O people, of
the good things which God hath allowed you, and deprive
not yourselves from His wondrous bounties.
Render thanks and praise unto Him, and be of them
that are truly thankful. |
5 |
O thou that hast fled thy home and sought the
presence of God! Proclaim unto men the Message of
thy Lord, that it may haply deter them from following
the promptings of their evil and corrupt desires,
and bring them to the remembrance of God, the
Most Exalted, the Most Great. Say: Fear God, O people,
and refrain from shedding the blood of any one.
Contend not with your neighbor, and be ye of them
that do good. Beware that ye commit no disorders
on the earth after it hath been well ordered, and follow
not the footsteps of them that are gone astray. |
6 |
Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of
his Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own self,
that his speech may attract the hearts of them that
hear him. Unless he teacheth his own self, the words
of his mouth will not influence the heart of the
seeker. Take heed, O people, lest ye be of them that
give good counsel to others but forget to follow it
themselves. The words of such as these, and beyond
the words the realities of all things, and beyond these
realities the angels that are nigh unto God, bring
against them the accusation of falsehood. |
7 |
Should such a man ever succeed in influencing any
one, this success should be attributed not to him, but
rather to the influence of the words of God, as decreed
by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
In the sight of God he is regarded as a lamp that imparteth
its light, and yet is all the while being consumed
within itself. |
8 |
Say: Commit not, O people, that which will bring
shame upon you or dishonor the Cause of God in the
eyes of men, and be not of the mischief-makers. Approach
not the things which your minds condemn.
Eschew all manner of wickedness, for such things are
forbidden unto you in the Book which none touch
except such as God hath cleansed from every taint
of guilt, and numbered among the purified. |
9 |
Be fair to yourselves and to others, that the evidences
of justice may be revealed, through your
deeds, among Our faithful servants. Beware lest ye
encroach upon the substance of your neighbor. Prove
yourselves worthy of his trust and confidence in you,
and withhold not from the poor the gifts which the
grace of God hath bestowed upon you. He, verily,
shall recompense the charitable, and doubly repay
them for what they have bestowed. No God is there
but Him. All creation and its empire are His. He bestoweth
His gifts on whom He will, and from whom
He will He withholdeth them. He is the Great Giver,
the Most Generous, the Benevolent. |
10 |
Say: Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá,
for God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of
proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most
meritorious of all deeds. Such a deed is acceptable
only when he that teacheth the Cause is already a
firm believer in God, the Supreme Protector, the
Gracious, the Almighty. He hath, moreover, ordained
that His Cause be taught through the power of men's
utterance, and not through resort to violence. Thus
hath His ordinance been sent down from the Kingdom
of Him Who is the Most Exalted, the All-Wise.
Beware lest ye contend with any one, nay, strive to
make him aware of the truth with kindly manner
and most convincing exhortation. If your hearer respond,
he will have responded to his own behoof, and
if not, turn ye away from him, and set your faces
towards God's sacred Court, the seat of resplendent
holiness. |
11 |
Dispute not with any one concerning the things of
this world and its affairs, for God hath abandoned
them to such as have set their affection upon them.
Out of the whole world He hath chosen for Himself
the hearts of men ñ hearts which the hosts of revelation
and of utterance can subdue. Thus hath it been
ordained by the Fingers of Bahá, upon the Tablet
of God's irrevocable decree, by the behest of Him
Who is the Supreme Ordainer, the All-Knowing. |
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