An historical analysis of critical transformations

APPENDIX II
LETTER FROM MUHAMMAD ‘ALI BAD‘U’LLAH

TO THE SOCIETY OF BEHAISTS

By the Name of the Lord the most Glorious and Mighty.
Oh you members of the Committee formed in the Name of the Ever-

lasting Father, and who are straining your efforts in spreading the light

of His Word and who are enlightened by the light of His Truth and Wisdom;

we greet you by the Name of our Lord who has manifested Himself for the

promotion of the world and has submitted Himself to all sufferings and

adversities for the salvation of mankind. We pray that His care and provi-

dence should be always with you so that in all circumstances you may be

regarded by the eyes of His providence, which will keep you faithful to

His word, and be helped by the hosts of His high Kingdom so that you should

direct people to Him. We are in receipt of your esteemed letter which

showed your faithfulness and submissiveness to the commandments of the

Everlasting Father who has no other purpose in giving the True religion

and strong proofs, and in enduring adversities and afflictions than the

quenching the fires of hatred existing amongst mankind; as He has expressed

this fact in the greatest utterances of His Sacred Tablets.
Know well that your letters have given great consolation to our

sorrowful hearts, for when we read them we have been greatly animated and a

thrill of delight entered our frames for they were penned by the pen of

true sincerity and enlightened by the light of the Comprehensive Word.

Our supplications to God are that He should continue His gifts

upon you and inspire you with what may dispel doubts and enlighten the hearts,

so that through your efforts people might draw near to their creator and do

His will. We are glad to know that you have formed a council in the name of

Beha according to the commandments of our Lord, and that you have legally

organized it. We wish you all success and ask the merciful Lord to strengthen

you in this undertaking and to make the name of this organization to be a

light for directing the people to Him. No doubt that every committee which

is formed by the name of the Great Lord for no other purpose than serving and

exalting His Word, that committee will be strengthened by the hosts of His

great wonders and kept firm by the strength of His sublime Kingdom, for God

has commanded His beloved to abide in His service and has promised to

strengthen and confirm them. The light must be spread out and the good odour

must be diffused and no one can prevent them. You must not mind being few

or armless. Persevere in promulgating the Word and put your trust in God

the Most Glorious.

It was descended from the Sacred Kingdom in the Sacred Books,—

“Oh son of Justice, be ye good shepherds to the sheep of God in His Kingdom’

guard them from the wolves which disguise themselves as much as ye would

guard your own children: thus are ye advised by the faithful adviser.”

We pray God to make the expression of this Word true of you, by making you

as horizons of the light of justice among mankind and as guards of the weak

so that all should submit to His Will.

You say that you have sought for some texts from the sublime

Pen and that your instructor, Dr. Kheiralla, wrote to Abbas Effendi several

times, asking for these, but was not answered and was only told to follow

the commands of the Greatest branch and to do this without investigation.

No doubt the sacred texts were descended to direct the people in the straight

path and to refine their manners and if their promulgation should be stopped

the intended results for which the texts descended will not take place.

Therefore all must spread the odours of the texts so that the world should

be directed and enlightened. The wise man ought, when seeing a thirsty man,

to give him the pure water of lice, and when seeing a hungry man to feed him

with the victuals of Knowledge and Truth, for man cannot be promoted except

by being given to drink from the spring of wisdom, thus enlightening them by

the light of the Word and refining their actions.

No wise man will follow another without investigation for man

was created to knowledge and is given the eyes of understanding to use every-

thing by them. If we cannot see the rose and witness its coloring how can

we judge that it is a fine flower which diffuses a sweet odour. Thus we

cannot come to a knowledge of the Father without consideration and without

looking into the traces of the might and the wondrous wisdom. Such great

truths should not be adopted by traditions. The function of the instructor

is to guide and show the traces and dissolve the mysteries so that the

understanding of the neophyte should be enlightened and he be able to under-

stand the utterances of God.

All the confusions existing at present have resulted from follow-

ing others without confirmation or investigation. Verily he who meditates

on the traces of the Lord and weighs everything by the scale of understanding

cannot follow vain superstitions, but will rather rid himself of them and

thus keep firm in serving the most merciful Father. Those who follow (or

act) without consideration are by no means enlightened by the light of know-

ledge through which the learned are discriminated from the ignorant and the

perfect from the imperfect. This cannot but be admitted by the mind with

which the Almighty God has endowed man so that he should discriminate between

the things.

No doubt that every building which is laid upon firm foundation

will continue, while that which is not upon firm foundation will fall. Thus,

following others by the help of mind and thought is praisable and endurable

whilst to submit to others by tradition is not durable for it is done without

consideration and he who embraces its dogma without investigation cannot hold

fast to it nor keep in one way, but follows every voice he hears. He cannot

benefit himself or others.
You say that the rays of the Eternal Sun have dispelled your

darkness, and that peace has spread amongst you after violent storms. By

these expressions you have given us great consolation. Our Lord has told

us of this in His Sacred Books: “The Servant is come to quicken the worlds

and to unite all the inhabitants of the earth. What God wisheth shall con-

quer by the Will of God, and thou shalt see the earth as the garden of El

Abha: thus has the Sublime pen inscribed on the Sacred Tablet.” In all

circumstances we praise God that He has given us insight and submissiveness

to His utterances and that our feet did not slip under the violent storms

and awful distresses and we hope to keep steadfast till the end of our days,

and to bear patiently all adversities for the sake of God, for submissiveness

to His command and for the promulgation of His Word.

You have expressed your sympathy toward us for the adversities

and trials surrounding us and we do not-cease praising God for this feeling

we find in you and we pray for the continuance of this true bond which is

resulted from the submissiveness to His Word, and to make everyone of us a

help to the other, so that through our union the lights of wisdom and know-

ledge should be spread among mankind and the pure water of truth be given to

the neophytes.
Oh ye children of the Kingdom we pray and supplicate to God that

He shall strengthen, help and succor you in spreading His high and Holy

Word with faithfulness and fervency and that nothing should thwart your

efforts and to make your names as spirits of life to the creatures, and to

direct through your efforts and sincere attentions the pure hearts to the

everlasting gifts. We shall await your kind letters explaining all that

takes place in your country and in your committee and we shall, by the help

of God, not fail to write you always. Those who live under the shade of

the comprehensive word present you their respects and they cannot express

how rejoiced they were in reading your letters. They pray to the Great God

for the continuance of this grace and wish you all success in spreading

His Word.

Be sure we always yearn towards you and pray for you so that

through you the darkness of superstitions shall be dispelled and the rays

of the true light should prevail in your country.

The Spirit, the Glory, the Salaam and the peace be upon you

and upon those who initiate you in promulgating the truth and promoting

the Holy Word.

Acre. Syria. March 31st 1901

(Signed) Mohammed Ali and Badi Allah