O ye friends of God and maid-servants of the Merciful! His honor Ameen[180] hath mentioned you with the highest praise and commendation, saying that, thank God, the believers in all parts of the cities and towns are the manifestations of bounties and the dawning-places of justice and equity; are mindful, obedient, kind-hearted and steadfast; are engaged in reading the verses and occupied with spreading the signs; are in the utmost ecstasy and exhilaration and intoxicated with the pure wine; are active in praising and adoring the Most Great Name and intimate in paying homage to the Holy Threshold; are living in accord with the divine teachings and exhortations and are in every way endowed with all human excellences and attributes; that they are in the utmos unity and agreement and in great zeal and enthusiasm; are kind to every soul and treat all the communities with exceeding joy and fragrance; that they have sympathy even for the enemies and are faithful friends even to the unjust; that to the outsiders they are as relatives and to the strangers they are a swift-healing antidote instead of a poisonous sting; are the servants of the world of humanity and manifestors of the attributes of the Merciful One! Blessed are they for this testimony, which is expressive of the beauty of their characters and the merit of their virtues! Truly, I say, his honor Ameen is the well-wisher of all. In the day of the Manifestation he was the Ameen (Faithful) of the Blessed perfection[181] and in the days of the Covenant[182] he is the confidant of this yearning one. Therefore, his testimony is heard and accepted and his evidence is praised and beloved.
O ye beloved of God! According to what is heard, some of the ulemas of the Sheite sect (Persian moslem mullas), as well as some leaders of the Shekhei school, are engaged constantly in instigating revolts and have arisen against the government with enmity and opposition, confusing the affairs of the state more than before.
Praise be to God![183] What is this heedlessness and ignorance and what is this antagonism and insubordination! Verily, the Persian empire hath been at all times deprived of every bounty on account of the encroaching influence of the ritualistic mullas! Whenever that just government conceived a good intention to introduce reforms and amelioration of conditions, these ignorant leaders raised vehement opposition, protested severely and prevented the introduction of measures which would better conditions and spread culture and progress. One must be just. The intention of His Imperial Majesty is higher and purer than all the other leaders and chiefs, for the sole desire of the throne is the peace and security of the inhabitants and the cultivation and betterment of the conditions of the empire. But alas! they do not give a moment’s rest to the kind Padeshah, in order that he may voluntarily and of his own accord inaugurate reforms as much as may be warranted by circumstances.
However, the inhabitants of Persia are not the only ones who are afflicted with this ignorance and blindness. The people of the imperial Ottoman government are also in a state of the utmost ignorance and blindness. Diversity of opinions and ignorance of factions do not allow one breath of tranquility to the imperial government, in order that it may adjust internal conditions and rectify foreign relations. Yet, under all these conditions, His Imperial Majesty the Padeshah f the Ottomans is intelligently directing the affairs. The proof and testimony of this assertion is the protection afforded these exiled ones (in Acca) from the rebellious despotism of the enemies. If authority were in the people’s hands or in other hands than those of the government, the conspiracies and seditions of inside and outside enemies would have scattered even the ashes of this imprisoned one to the winds. But the forebearance, intelligence, foresight, far-reaching wisdom and discernment of His Imperial Majesty the Padeshah of the Ottomans have so far protected these exiled ones, notwithstanding the attacks of the calumniators and the party of the slanderers. We are of those who pray for these two just kings and are grateful to these two equitable sovereigns.
Praise be unto God! One of the imputations of the enemies is this: That—we seek refuge in God—we deny the validity and truth of the Sun of Guidance, the Lamp of the Supreme Concourse, the messenger of the Almighty, His Highness Mohammed Mostafa—upon Him be greeting and praise!—and that—God forbid! —we have written books in His refutation. Woe unto those who have arisen to spread this great falsehood and calumny! However, all the friends of God who are informed of the mysteries know that this exiled and imprisoned one would readily sacrifice his life at the dust of the Prophet’s feet. Furthermore, the Blessed Perfection-may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones—in the book of Ighan, hath established with invincible proofs and clear arguments the prophethood of His Highness the Messenger—may my life be a sacrifice to Him!—and also His Highness the Supreme (the Bab) hath invoked Him (Mohammed) in many supplications. Notwithstanding all these evidences, the unjust ones are crying out and secretly spreading the falsehood that we—God forbid!—are His deniers and the unfaithful friends (nakzeen) acknowledge these erroneous imputations. Praise be to God! If we deny the messengers and prophets of God, what have we to say for ourselves? Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily this is a great calumny!
To be brief, the aim is this: Though the interference of the ignorant and fanatical leaders the country of Persia is in a state of decadence, although the pure intention of His Imperial Majesty the crowned Shah is for progress. However, ye who are the well-wishers of the government and are sincere, obedient and kind toward it, be ye engaged always in service. Should any one of you enter into the service (or employment) of the government, he must live and act with the utmost truthfulness, righteousness, chastity, uprightness, purity, sanctity, justice and equity. But if—I seek refuge in God—any one betray the least of trusts or neglect and be remiss in the performance of duties which are intrusted to him, or by oppression takes one penny of extortion from the subjects, or seeks after his own personal, selfish aims and ends in the attainment of his own interests, he shall undoubtedly remain deprived of the outpourings of His Highness the Almighty! Beware! Beware! lest ye fall short in that which ye are commanded in this Tablet!
“O thou who art sweet tongued!...”
O thou who art sweet tongued!