Súriy-i-Mulúk (Surih of the Kings)

He is the Almighty.

1 This is a Book from this servant, who has been named Husayn in the Kingdom of Names, to all the kings of the earth collectively, so that they may look upon it with an eye of compassion and delve into its contents to discover the mysteries of destiny and be among those who know. And perhaps they will detach themselves from what they possess and turn towards the sanctified realms, drawing nearer to God, the Almighty, the Beautiful.

O Kings of the Earth!

2 O kings of the earth! Hearken to the call of God from this fruit-bearing, exalted tree which has sprung up on the soil of the crimson dune, the wilderness of the Holy Land, and proclaim that there is no god but Him, the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the Wise. This is the spot which God has blessed for its visitors, and from it the call of God is heard from the lofty, sacred Lote-Tree. Fear God, O assembly of kings, and do not deprive yourselves of this greatest bounty. Cast aside what you hold in your hands, and cling to the handle of God, the Most High, the Supreme. Turn your hearts towards the countenance of God, then abandon what your desires have commanded you to do, and be not among the losers.

The Story of Ali

3 O servant, recount to them the story of Ali, who came to them with the truth and a book of honor and wisdom. He held the proof of God, His evidence, and noble signs in his hands. You, O kings, did not remember the remembrance of God in His days, nor were you guided by the lights that appeared and shone from the horizon of an illuminating sky. You did not investigate His affair after what had happened. That would have been better for you than what the sun shines upon if you were among the knowledgeable.

4 You were in heedlessness of this until the scholars of the foreigners issued a fatwa against him and killed him unjustly, these wrongdoers. His soul ascended to God, and the eyes of the inhabitants of paradise wept for this injustice, followed by the angels of the near ones. Beware, do not neglect as you have neglected before. Return to God, your creator, and be not among the heedless.

5 Say, the sun of guardianship has risen, and the point of knowledge and wisdom has been distinguished. The proof of God, the Almighty, the Wise, has appeared. Say, the moon of eternity has shone in the pole of the sky, and from it, the people of the high assembly have been illuminated. The face has appeared from behind the veils, and from it, all in the heavens and the earths have been illuminated. Yet you, O kings, have not turned towards Him after what you were created for.

6 Follow my word, then listen to it with your hearts, and be not among those who turn away. Your pride is not in your sovereignty but in your nearness to God and your following of His command in what was revealed on the guarded Tablets. Even if one of you ruled the entire earth and all that is on it - its seas, lands, mountains, and plains - it would not benefit him in the sight of God if you were among the knowledgeable.

7 Know that the honor of a servant is in his proximity to God, and nothing else will benefit him, even if he rules over all creation. Say, the breezes of God have blown upon you from the direction of paradise, and you are heedless of it and were among the heedless. Guidance has come to you from God, yet you have not been guided by it and were among those who turn away.

8 The lamp of God has been lit in the niche of the command, yet you have not been enlightened by it, nor have you approached it, and you were on the bed of heedlessness among those who are asleep. Thus, stand up with the leg of uprightness, make up for what you have missed, then turn towards the holy court on the shore of a great sea so that the pearls of knowledge and wisdom, which God has stored in the luminous chest, may appear to you. This is the best advice for you, so make it a merchandise for yourselves that you may be among the guided.

9 Beware, do not deprive your hearts of the breath of God, by which the hearts of those who turn towards Him live. Listen to what we have advised you in this Tablet, so that God may hear of you and open the doors of mercy upon your faces. Indeed, He is the Merciful, the Compassionate. Fear God, O kings, and do not transgress the limits of God. Then follow what you have been commanded in the Book, and be not among the transgressors.

The Path of Justice for Kings

10 Beware, do not wrong anyone, even to the extent of a mustard seed, and follow the path of justice, for it is a straight path. Then, reconcile among yourselves and reduce your armies, so that your expenses decrease, and you may be among those at ease. If you resolve your differences among yourselves, you will not need large armies, except to the extent necessary to protect your lands and kingdoms. Fear God, and do not be extravagant in anything, and be not among the extravagant.

11 We know that you increase your expenses every day and impose them on the subjects, and this is beyond their capacity, and indeed, this is a great injustice. Be just, O kings, among the people, and be manifestations of justice on the earth. This befits you and is appropriate for your status if you are among the fair. Beware, do not wrong those who have migrated to you and sought refuge under your protection. Fear God, and be among the God-fearing.

12 Do not be reassured by your power, your armies, and your treasures, but be reassured by God, your creator. Then seek help from Him in your affairs, for victory comes only from Him. He gives victory to whom He wills with the armies of the heavens and the earths. Then know that the poor are the trusts of God among you. Beware, do not betray His trusts, do not wrong them, and be not among the treacherous.

13 You will be asked about His trust on the day when the balance of justice is set up, and every possessor of rights is given his due, and all actions of every rich and poor are weighed. If you do not heed what we have advised you in this Book with a clear, expressive language, you will be seized by a punishment from all sides, and God will come to you with His justice, and then you will not be able to stand against Him and will be among the incapable. Have mercy on yourselves and the souls of the servants, then judge among them with what God has decreed in the impregnable Tablet of Holiness, in which the measures of all things were determined, detailed for everything, and a reminder for His assured servants.

14 Then perceive our matter and discern in what has been revealed to us, then judge between us and our enemies with justice, and be among the just. If you do not prevent the oppressor from his oppression and do not secure the rights of the oppressed, with what then will you take pride among the servants and be among the proud? Is your pride in eating and drinking, gathering ornaments in your treasuries, or adorning yourselves with red and yellow stones or precious white pearls? If pride were in these perishable things, then the earth should take pride over you, for it provides and spends all that upon you from the Determiner, the Powerful. God has decreed all that in its belly and brings forth for you from His grace. Therefore, look at your condition and what you take pride in if you are among those who see.

15 By He in Whose hand is the dominion of all possibilities, your pride should be only in following the ways of God within yourselves and not abandoning the judgments of God among you, left unheeded, and be among the guided.

O Kings of Christianity!

16 O kings of Christianity, have you not heard what the Spirit has spoken, that ‘I am going and will come’? So when He came in shades of clouds, why did you not draw near to Him to rejoice in meeting Him and be among the successful? Elsewhere it says, ‘When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you.’ Yet, when He came to you with the truth, why did you not turn towards Him, and instead, you were preoccupied with your own amusements, among the playful?

17 You did not welcome Him, nor did you present yourselves before Him to hear the verses of God from His tongue and to witness the wisdom of God, the Almighty, the Wise. Thus, the breezes of God were withheld from your hearts, and the fragrances of God from your spirits, and you remained in the valley of desires, among those deeply immersed. By God, you and what you possess will perish, and you will be returned to God and questioned about what you have earned during your days, in the gathering place where all creation is assembled.

18 Have you not heard what is mentioned in the Gospel, that those who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, meaning they emerged from the power of God? This establishes that it is possible in creation for one who is truly from God, the Omnipotent, the All-Knowing, the Wise, to appear. So, how then, when you heard Our command, did you not seek clarification from Us, to distinguish the truth from falsehood, to understand what We were upon, and to recognize what befell Us from a people of loss and degradation?

O Ambassador of the King of Paris

19 O ambassador of the King of Paris, have you forgotten the decree of the Word and its manifestations, as inscribed in the Gospel attributed to John, and neglected what the Spirit has enjoined upon you regarding the manifestations of the Word, being among the heedless? If this is not the case, how then did you agree with the ambassador of the Persians regarding Our affair, leading to what has befallen Us, which has scorched the livers of the knowing, caused tears to flow on the cheeks of the inhabitants of eternity, and made the hearts of the near ones cry out? You did this without inquiring into Our matter to be among those who see clearly after what behooved you to examine this affair, to be aware of what has come upon Us, to judge with justice, and to be among the just.

20 Your days will pass, your ambassadorship will perish, and all that you have will come to an end. You will be questioned about what your hands have earned in the presence of a great Sovereign. How many ambassadors before you have walked the earth, who were greater in status, higher in position, and wealthier than you, yet they returned to dust, leaving no name or trace on the face of the earth, then they were in great regret. Among them were those who transgressed against God, followed their desires, and walked in the paths of tyranny and indecency. And among them were those who followed the signs of God, judged justly because they were preceded by guidance from God, and were among those who entered the mercy of their Lord.

21 I advise you and those like you: beware of doing to anyone what you have done to Us. Do not follow the footsteps of Satan within yourselves, and be not among the wrongdoers. Take from the world only as much as is sufficient, leave what is excessive, then be fair in matters, do not deviate from the rule of justice, and be among the just.

O Kings!

22 O kings, twenty years have passed, and in each day thereof, we have faced a new affliction. We have endured what no one before us has endured, if you are among those who listen. Wherein they killed us, shed our blood, seized our wealth, violated our sanctity, and you have heard most of it yet did not prevent it. It behooved you to stop the oppressor from his oppression and to judge among the people with justice, so that your justice would be apparent to all creation. Indeed, God has entrusted you with the reins of creation, to rule among them with truth and to secure the rights of the oppressed from these oppressors. If you do not act according to what you have been commanded in the Book of God, your names will not be mentioned with justice in His presence, and indeed, this is a great loss.

23 Do you follow your own laws and abandon the decree of God, the Most High, the Exalted, the Capable, the All-Powerful? Leave what you have and take what God has commanded you, then seek grace from Him, for this is the straight path. Then turn to us, who have been touched by adversity and hardship, and do not neglect us for even a moment. Then judge between us and our enemies with justice, for this is clearly the better way.

24 Thus, we relate to you our stories and what has been decreed upon us, so that you may unveil the adversity we face. Let whoever wishes uncover it, and whoever does not, indeed, my Lord is the best of helpers and supporters.

O Servant! (Baha’u’llah)

25 O servant, remind the servants of what We have revealed to you, and fear not anyone, nor be among the doubters. For God will surely elevate His cause, and His proof will rise between the heavens and the earth. Rely in all matters upon your Lord, turn towards Him, and then disregard the deniers. Take God, your Lord, as your helper and supporter. We have written upon Ourselves to aid you in sovereignty and the elevation of Our cause, even if none of the sovereigns turn towards you.

26 Then remember the time when you entered the city, and the agents of the Sultan thought you would not know their origins and would be among the ignorant. Say, “By my Lord, I know not a letter except what God has taught me in His generosity, and we acknowledge this and are among those who admit it.” Say, “If your origins are from yourselves, we will never follow them, for so I have been commanded by the All-Wise, the All-Aware. So it was before, and so it shall be thereafter, by the power and strength of God. Indeed, this is a path of truth and straightness.”

27 If it is from God, then bring forth your proof if you are among the truthful. Say, “We have affirmed all that they have suspected and done to you in a book in which not a letter of the deeds of the doers will be omitted.”

O Agents!

28 Say, O agents, it behooves you to follow the principles of God within yourselves and to abandon your own principles, and thus be among the guided. This is better for you than what you currently hold, if you are among those who know. If you do not follow God in His command, your deeds will not be accepted, even to the amount of a speck or a thin strand. You will find what you have earned in the false life, and you will be recompensed for what you did therein, and indeed, this is a certain truth.

29 How many servants have acted as you have and were greater than you, yet they all returned to dust, and what was decreed for them was executed. If you are contemplating the command of God, you will follow them and enter a house where you will find neither a helper nor a friend for yourselves. You will be questioned about what you did in your days, how you neglected the command of God, and how you were arrogant towards His friends, after what they brought to you with clear truth. And you consulted among yourselves about their affair, followed your own judgment, and abandoned the judgment of God, the Guardian, the Capable.

30 Say, do you follow your own principles and put aside the principles of God, casting them behind your backs? Indeed, this is an injustice to yourselves and to the servants, if only you were among those who know. Say, if your principles are just, how do you follow what your desires incline towards and abandon what opposes your selves? How can you then be among the rulers? Was it among your principles to punish those who came to you with your command, to let them down, and to harm them every day, when they did not disobey you for even a moment? Everyone in Iraq and beyond, every knowledgeable person, can testify to this.

31 O agents, be fair to yourselves: for what crime did you expel us, and for what guilt did you expel us after we sought your protection and you did not grant it? By God, this is a great injustice that cannot be compared with any injustice on earth, and God is a witness to what I say. Have I ever opposed your command or the governors who ruled in Iraq? Ask about them to be enlightened about us and to be among the knowledgeable. Has anyone complained about us, or has anyone heard from us anything other than what God has revealed in the Book? Bring it forth so we may acknowledge your actions and be among those who concede.

32 If you are to treat us according to your principles, then you ought to respect us and honor those who heard your command and followed what appeared from you. Then pay the debts we incurred in Iraq and spent in this path. Listen to our demands and all that has befallen us, and judge justly as you would judge yourselves. You would not be pleased for us what you would not be pleased for yourselves, and be among the benefactors. By God, you have not treated us with your principles or with the principles of any people but according to what your selves and desires inclined you towards, O assembly of the averters and the arrogant.

O Bird of Holiness!

33 Say, O Bird of Holiness, fly in the expanse of intimacy and then remind the servants of what We showed you in the depths of eternity, behind the Mountain of Might. And fear not anyone; place your trust in God, the Almighty, the Beautiful. Indeed, We shall protect you from those who wronged you without any clear proof from God or an enlightening scripture.

34 Swear by God, O assembly of the heedless, we did not come to you to cause corruption in your land, nor to be among the corrupters. Rather, we came to follow the command of the Sultan, to elevate your status, to teach you wisdom, and to remind you of what you have forgotten in His true words. So remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers. And you have not heard the melodies of the Spirit, but have heard differently from our enemies, who speak only to satisfy their desires, and Satan has adorned their deeds for them, and they are among the fabricators.

35 Have you not heard what was revealed in the clear Book of Glory, that if a wicked person brings you news, verify it, so why have you discarded God’s judgment and followed the paths of the corrupt? We have heard that among the fabricators are those who said that this servant engaged in usury in Iraq and gathered ornaments for himself. Say, how do you judge without knowledge and fabricate against the servants, thinking the thoughts of devils?

36 How could this be, after God forbade it to His servants in the guarded Book that was revealed to Muhammad, the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets, and made it an enduring proof from Him, a guidance, and a remembrance for the worlds? This is one of the issues wherein we have differed from the scholars of Persia, and we have forbidden the servants from it by the judgment of the Book, and God is a witness to what I say. I do not absolve myself; indeed, the self is inclined to evil, but we present the truth to you so that you may be aware of it and be among the God-fearing.

37 Beware of listening to those whose words reek of malice and hypocrisy. Do not turn to these people, and be among those who renounce. Know that the world, its adornment, and its allure will perish, and sovereignty will remain with God, the King, the Guardian, the Almighty, the Capable. Your days will pass, and all that you are occupied with and boast about to people will end. The angels of the command will attend you at the place where the foundations of creation tremble, and the skins of the wrongdoers shudder. You will be questioned about what you have earned in the false life and will be recompensed for what you have done. This is from the day that will come to you and the Hour which cannot be averted, testified by a tongue of truthful knowledge.

O Assembly of the City!

38 O assembly of the city, fear God and do not cause corruption on the earth, and do not follow Satan. Then follow the truth in these few days. Your days will pass just as those before you have passed, and you will return to dust as your forefathers have returned, being among those who return. Then know that we fear none but God alone, and my trust is in Him alone, and my clinging is only to Him. We desire only what He has willed for us, and indeed, this is the desired outcome if you are among those who know. I have devoted my soul and body to God, Lord of the worlds. Whoever knows God will not know anything less, and whoever fears God will not fear anyone else, even if all those on earth were to gather against him. And we say nothing but what we have been commanded, and we follow only the truth with the help of God and His strength, and indeed, He rewards the truthful.

39 Then, O servant, remember what you saw in the city when you arrived, so that its memory remains on the earth and serves as a reminder for the believers. When we arrived in the city, we found its leaders like children who gather around clay to play with it. We found none among them mature enough to teach what God had taught me and to impart unto them words of impregnable wisdom. Therefore, we wept for them with the eyes of the secret, lamenting their indulgence in what they were forbidden and their obliviousness to their purpose of creation. This is what we witnessed in the city, and we have recorded it in the Book as a reminder for them and others.

40 Say, if you seek the world and its adornment, it would have been better for you to seek it in the days when you were in your mothers’ wombs. For in those days, you approached the world and distanced from it if you are among those who understand. But when you were born and reached maturity, you distanced from the world and drew nearer to dust. So why are you eager to gather ornaments for yourselves after the time has passed and the opportunity has gone? Wake up, O assembly of the heedless. Listen to what this servant advises you for the sake of God, seeking nothing from you, content with what God has decreed, and be among the contented.

41 O people, most of your days have passed, and only a few remain. So abandon what you have taken for yourselves and take hold of God’s commands with strength, so that you may reach what God has willed for you and be among the rightly guided. Do not rejoice in what you have been given of the earth’s adornment, and do not rely on it. Rely instead on the remembrance of God, the Most High, the Great. God will destroy what you have; fear God and do not forget God’s covenant within yourselves, and do not be among those who are veiled.

42 Beware of being arrogant towards God and His beloved ones, then lower your wings to the believers who believe in God and His signs, and whose hearts testify to His unity and tongues to His singularity, and who speak only after His permission. Thus, we advise you with justice and remind you of the truth, that you may be among those who remember. Do not impose on others what you cannot bear yourselves, and do not be pleased for others what you would not be pleased for yourselves. This is the best advice if you are among those who listen.

43 Then respect the scholars among you who act according to their knowledge, follow the limits set by God, and judge according to what God has decreed in the Book. Know that they are the lamps of guidance between the heavens and the earth. Those who do not regard the scholars among them with any status or value have altered God’s favor upon themselves. Wait then until God changes your condition, for nothing escapes His knowledge; He knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and He is knowledgeable of everything.

44 Do not rejoice in what you have done or will do, or in what you have imposed on us, for by doing so, your status will not increase if you look at your actions with certainty. Likewise, nothing will decrease from us; rather, God will increase our reward for our patience in tribulations, and He increases the reward of the patient. Know that tribulations and trials have always been entrusted to God’s chosen ones and His beloved, then to His servants who are not distracted by trade or sale from the remembrance of God and do not precede Him in speech, and they are among those who act upon His command. Thus, God’s tradition has always been and will continue to be. Blessed are the patient who endure hardship and adversity and do not despair of anything, and who follow the paths of patience.

45 What befell us was not the first calamity in Islam, nor was this the first plot against God’s beloved ones by these schemers. What happened to us was similar to what happened to Husayn before us. When the messengers from the schemers, whose hearts were filled with malice and hatred, sought him out from the city, and when he came to them with his family, they rose against him with what was in their hearts until they killed him, his sons, his brothers, and took his family as captives. Thus, it was decreed before, and God is a witness to what I say. None of his descendants remained, neither small nor great, except he who was named Ali al-Awsat and was known as Zain al-Abidin.

46 Look, O assembly of the heedless, at how the fire of love for God burned in Husayn’s heart before, if you are among those who perceive. This fire grew until longing and yearning took hold of him, and the pull of the Almighty led him to the station where he devoted his soul, his self, and all he had and was with to God, Lord of the worlds. By God, this station is sweeter than the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, for the lover wants nothing but his beloved, the seeker his sought, the friend his friend, and their longing for the meeting is like the body’s longing for the soul, or even more, if you are among those who know.

47 Say, then, the fire ignited in my heart, and it wants to sacrifice itself for Husayn, just as Husayn sacrificed himself in hope of this exalted and great station. This is the station of the servant’s annihilation in himself and his survival by God, the Almighty, the Most High, the Great. If I were to reveal to you the secrets that God has placed in this station, you would sacrifice yourselves in the path of God and detach yourselves from your wealth and all you have to reach this noble and exalted station. But God has placed veils over your hearts and coverings over your eyes, so you do not recognize the secrets of God and are not among those who see.

48 Say, the longing of the sincere for the vicinity of God is like the infant’s longing for its mother’s breast, or even more, if you are among those who know. Or like the thirsty for the stream of care, or the sinner for forgiveness. Thus, we explain to you the mysteries of the matter and cast upon you what suffices you from what you are preoccupied with, that you may turn to the side of holiness in this pleasure, and be among those who enter. By God, whoever enters it will not leave, and whoever turns to it will not turn his face away from it, even if he is struck by the swords of the deniers and the polytheists. Thus, we have cast upon you what was decreed for Husayn, and we ask God to decree for us as He decreed for him, for He is Generous and Noble.

49 By God, the fragrances of holiness have wafted from His action upon the worlds, and God’s argument has been completed, and His proof has appeared to all creation. God then raised a people who avenged him, killed his enemies, and wept for him every morning and evening. Say, God has decreed in the Book to seize the wrongdoers for their wrongs and to cut off the path of the corrupt. Know that actions like these have an impact in sovereignty, and no one will recognize it except for those whose eyes God has opened and whose hearts He has unveiled, making them among the rightly guided. God will raise a people who will remember our days and all that befell us and seek our right from those who wronged us without any clear crime or sin, and behind them, God will stand, witnessing what they do and seizing them for their sin, for He is the most severe of avengers.

50 Thus, we relate to you from the stories of the truth and cast upon you what God decreed before, that you may repent to Him within yourselves, return to Him, and be among those who return. And you become aware of your actions, wake up from your sleep and heedlessness, and catch up with what you have missed, and be among the benefactors. Whoever wishes, let him accept my word, and whoever wishes, let him turn away, and my duty is only to remind you of what you have neglected in the command of God, that you may be among those who remember. Then listen to my word, return to God, and repent to Him so that God may have mercy on you by His grace, forgive your sins, and overlook your wrongdoings. His mercy precedes His wrath, and His favor encompasses everyone who has entered the garment of existence, from the first to the last.

O Assembly of Agents!

51 O assembly of agents, did you think within yourselves that we came to you to take what you possess of the world’s ornaments and its pleasures? No, by the One in whose hand is my soul, rather it is for you to know that we do not oppose the Sultan in his command, and we are not among the disobedient. Know and be certain that all the treasures of the earth, of gold and silver, and all the precious jewels upon it, are in the sight of God, His allies, and His beloved, nothing more than a handful of clay. For everything on it will perish, and the sovereignty will remain with God, the Almighty, the Beautiful. What perishes will not benefit us or you if you are among those who think.

52 By God, we do not lie in speech, and we speak only what we have been commanded, and this book itself testifies to that if you are among those who remember what is mentioned in it. Do not follow your desires or what Satan has cast into your souls. Follow the command of God in both your outward and inward actions, and do not be among the heedless. This is better for you than everything you have gathered in your homes and seek every morning and evening. The world will perish, and what you rejoice in your hearts and boast about among all creation will also perish.

53 Purify the mirror of your hearts from the world and what is in it, so that the lights of God’s manifestation may be imprinted in it. This will suffice you from all but God and bring you into the pleasure of God, the Generous, the All-Knowing, the Wise. We have cast upon you what will benefit you in religion and the world and guide you to the paths of salvation if you are among those who turn towards it.

O Sultan!

54 O Sultan, listen to the words of one who speaks the truth and seeks no reward from you for what Allah has granted you, and who is on a straight and just balance. He calls you to Allah, your Lord, and guides you to the paths of righteousness and prosperity, so that you may be among the successful. Beware, O King, of gathering around you those agents who follow only their desires, abandoning their trusts and engaging in clear betrayal. Show kindness to your subjects as Allah has shown kindness to you, and do not leave their affairs in the hands of these treacherous agents. Fear Allah and be among the righteous.

55 Gather around you agents who exude the scent of faith and justice, consult with them in matters, and choose the best actions. Be among those who do good. Know and be certain that those who lack religion also lack honesty and trustworthiness; indeed, this is a certain truth. Whoever betrays Allah will also betray the ruler and will not refrain from anything, nor will they act piously in matters concerning the people, for they are not among the righteous. Ensure that you do not relinquish control of your affairs to others and do not become complacent; be not among the heedless.

56 Those whose hearts are inclined towards others besides you should be treated with caution; do not trust them with your affairs or the affairs of the Muslims. Do not appoint the wolf as the shepherd of Allah’s sheep and do not leave His lovers under the control of His haters. Those who betray Allah in His command cannot be trusted with honesty or piety. Avoid them and be vigilant, lest their plots and harm affect you. Turn away from them and then turn to Allah, your Lord, the Mighty and Noble. Those who are for Allah, He is for them; those who rely on Him, He indeed protects them from all harm and from the deceit of contemptible schemers.

57 If you listen to my words and heed my advice, Allah will elevate you to a position where the hands of all on earth cannot reach you. O King, follow the laws of Allah in your own self and your domains, and do not follow the ways of the oppressors. Take control of your command and investigate all matters yourself; do not neglect anything, for there is great good in this. Be thankful to Allah, your Lord, for choosing you among His creation and making you a ruler of the Muslims. Recognize the wonders of His generosity and kindness, and thank Him at all times. Your gratitude to your Lord is manifested in your love for His beloved, in protecting His servants from these traitors, ensuring that no one oppresses them, and in implementing Allah’s law among them so that you are firmly established in His command.

58 If you administer justice among your subjects like flowing rivers, Allah will support you with the armies of the unseen and the visible and strengthen you in your command. There is no deity but Him; to Him belongs the command and the creation, and to Him returns the work of the sincere. Do not be content with your treasures; rely on the bounty of Allah, your Lord, and trust in Him for your affairs, being among those who rely on Him. Seek help from Allah, then be independent with His wealth, for He owns the treasures of the heavens and the earth, giving to whom He wills and withholding from whom He wills. There is no deity but Him, the Rich, the Praiseworthy. Everyone is needy at the door of His mercy, weak in the face of His power, and everyone seeks from His bounty.

59 Do not neglect matters; treat your servants justly and spend on them according to their needs, not according to what they hoard and use for adornment. Be fair to them equally, so that none of them is in need or hoarding, for this is clear justice. Do not place the honorable under the control of the ignoble, nor the superior under the inferior, as we have witnessed in the city. When we entered the city, we found some in abundance and others in clear poverty and humiliation, which is not fitting for your kingdom or appropriate for your status. Listen to my advice, then be just among the people so that Allah may elevate your name with justice among the worlds.

60 Beware of favoring these agents and oppressing the people. Fear the outcry of the poor and the righteous at dawn and be to them as a compassionate ruler, for they are your treasure on earth. It befits you to protect your treasure from these thieves. Investigate their affairs and conditions every year, indeed every month, and be not among the heedless. Set up the scale of Allah before your eyes, place yourself as if you see Him, then weigh your actions by it every day, indeed every moment. Hold yourself accountable before you are held accountable on the day when no one’s foot will remain firm for fear of Allah, and the hearts of the heedless will tremble. It befits the ruler to be like the sun, nourishing everything, giving everyone their due right, not from himself but by what has been decreed by an Almighty, Capable One. His mercy should be like the clouds, bestowing upon the servants as the clouds shower mercy’s rain on every land by the command of an Omniscient Arranger.

61 Beware of being reassured by anyone in your matter, and no one should be to you like yourself. Thus, we elucidate to you words of wisdom and cast upon you what turns you from the left of injustice to the right of justice and guides you to a bright, near shore. All this is from the practices of the kings who preceded you in the kingdom and who were just among the people and followed the straight paths of justice. You are the shadow of Allah on earth, so do what befits this exalted and great status. If you deviate from what we have cast upon you and taught you, you will depart from this noble and exalted status.

62 Return to Allah with your heart, then purify it from the world and its adornments, and do not let the love of others enter it. For if you let in the love of others, the lights of Allah’s manifestation will not shine upon it, for Allah has not given anyone two hearts. Since He has made it one, you should not let two loves enter it. So, hold on to the love of Allah and turn away from the love of others, that Allah may immerse you in the ocean of His Oneness and make you among the monotheists. By Allah, my purpose in what we have cast upon you is only to purify you from perishable things and immerse you in the dominion of the eternal, so that you may be among the rulers by Allah’s permission.

63 For indeed, God has not given any individual two hearts within their body, and this is a fact revealed in an ancient scripture. Given that God has created the heart singularly, it is proper for your eminence to not allow two loves to reside within it. Hence, cling to the love of God and disregard the love of all else, that God may immerse you in the profound depths of His Unique Essence, making you amongst those who affirm His Oneness. Truly, by God, my sole purpose in all that I have conveyed to you is but to purify you from the ephemeral things and to usher you into the realm of the everlasting, that you may be therein, by God’s will, among the rulers.

64 Have you heard, O King, of what has befallen us at the hands of your deputies and what they have perpetrated against us, or are you amongst the oblivious? If you have heard and are aware, then why did you not forbid them from their deeds, and how could you approve of actions from those who responded to your command and obeyed you, actions that no sovereign would tolerate for his subjects? And if you are uninformed, this ignorance is even more alarming, especially if you consider yourself among the God-fearing. Therefore, I remind you to become cognizant of the wrongs these tyrants have inflicted upon us.

65 Be aware that we came to you by your command, entering your city with manifest honor, and yet they expelled us from it with a disgrace unparalleled on Earth, should you be among those who are informed. They banished us to a city reserved only for those who defied your orders and were disobedient. This occurred despite us not having disobeyed you in the least; as soon as we heard your command, we complied and were among the obedient. They showed no regard for the rights of God over us, nor for His judgment, nor for what was revealed to the prophets and messengers. They showed no mercy towards us, treating us in ways unheard of between Muslims, or even between believers and non-believers. God is a witness to what I say and is All-Knowing.

66 When they expelled us from your city, they transported us on camels used by people to carry their burdens and sins – such was their treatment of us, if your eminence is to be informed. They took us to the town of the disobedient, as they claimed. Upon arrival, we found no home to dwell in, thus we settled in a place where only those in dire need and strangers would enter. We stayed there for a limited number of days, suffering due to the constriction of space. Therefore, we rented houses abandoned by their occupants due to their extreme cold, left empty by those who vacated them. No one would reside in these houses except during summer, yet in the winter we dwelled therein. Neither my family nor those with me had adequate clothing to protect them from the severe cold.

67 Oh, if only these deputies had treated us according to the principles they held among themselves. By God, they did not treat us according to God’s judgment, nor the principles they claim to uphold, nor the norms established among people, nor even the customs of the widows of the land when a traveler visits them. Such was the treatment we received from these people, which I have recounted to you in a language of impregnable truth. All this befell me after I had complied with their command, never deviating from their ruling, for their ruling is ultimately linked to your presence. Thus, we responded to their commands and were among those who answered.

68 It seems they have forgotten God’s commandment to themselves, His true word: ‘Lower your wing [in humility] to the believers.’ It appears they sought nothing but their own comfort, indifferent to the cries of the impoverished or the pleas of the oppressed. They presumed in their hearts that they were made of light and others of dirt – a terrible assumption indeed. We are all created from a contemptible fluid.

69 O King, by God, my intention is not to complain about them in your presence. Rather, I complain of my anguish and sorrow to God, who created us and them, and who is a witness and guardian over us and them. Rather, I wish to remind them of their deeds, that perhaps they will not do to others as they have done to us, and perhaps they will be among those who take heed. Our tribulations, our distress, and the severe conditions that have surrounded us from all sides will pass, as will their ease and comfort in which they have been. This is a truth that none in the world can deny. Our tranquility will end on this dust in humiliation, and their sitting on the throne of honor, and God will judge between us and them, for He is the best of judges. We thank God for all that has befallen us, and we remain patient in what has been and will be decreed, and upon Him, I rely and to Him, I entrust my affairs. He will surely reward the patient and those who rely on Him. To Him belongs the command and creation; He honors whom He wills and humiliates whom He wills, and He is not to be questioned about what He wills. Indeed, He is the Mighty, the Capable.

70 Hear, O Sultan, what we have cast upon your presence, then prevent the oppressors from their oppression, and sever their hands from the heads of the Muslims. By God, what has befallen us is such that the pen weeps in its recording, and ears of the monotheists cannot bear to hear. Our plight has reached a point where even our enemies’ eyes wept for us, and beyond them, every discerning eye. After directing ourselves to your presence and instructing the people to enter under your protection, to be a fortress for the monotheists, have I opposed you, O Sultan, in anything, disobeyed you in any matter, or with your ministers who governed Iraq by your permission? No, by the Lord of the Worlds, we have not disobeyed you or them in the slightest, nor will I disobey you henceforth, God willing and desiring, even if greater than what has befallen us should occur. We call upon you by night and day, every morning and evening, that God may grant you success in obeying Him, in enacting His judgment, and protect you from the forces of demons. Therefore, do as you wish and as befits your eminence and is appropriate for your sovereignty, and do not forget God’s judgment in all that you intend or wish to do, and say, ‘Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.’

O Ambassador of the Persians In the City!

71 O ambassador of the Persians in the city, you presumed that the matter was in my hands or that the command of God could be altered by my imprisonment and humiliation, or by my loss and annihilation. How wretched is the thought you have conceived in your mind, and you are among those who assume. Indeed, there is no god but He; His command becomes manifest, His proof ascends, He confirms what He wills and elevates it to a station beyond the reach of your hands and those who turn away. Do you think that you can incapacitate Him in anything, prevent His decree and dominion, or that anyone in the heavens and the earth can stand against His command? By His true self, nothing can incapacitate Him from what He has created. So, abandon your assumptions, for assumption avails not against the truth at all, and be among those who turn back to God who created you, provided for you, and made you the ambassador of the Muslims.

72 Then know that He created everyone in the heavens and the earth by the word of His command, and what was created by His decree, how can it stand with Him? So exalted is God above what you assume, O assembly of the haters. If this matter is true from God, no one can prevent it. And if it is not from Him, your scholars and those who follow their desires and turn away are sufficient. Have you not heard what the believer of the family of Pharaoh said before and what God narrated about him to His Prophet, whom He chose among His creation and sent as a mercy to the worlds? He said, and his saying is the truth: “Do you kill a man because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah,’ and he has come to you with clear signs, and if he is lying, then upon him is his lie, and if he is truthful, some of what he promises you will befall you.” This is what God revealed to His beloved in His wise book. And you have not heard God’s command and decree, nor have you heeded the advice revealed in the book, and you have been among the heedless.

73 How many servants have you killed in all the months and years, and how much injustice have you committed in your days that the eye of innovation has not seen, and no historian can recount? How many infants have remained without a mother and father, and how many fathers have had their sons killed by your injustice, O assembly of the wrongdoers? How many sisters have wailed at the separation of their brothers, and how many women have been left without a husband and supporter? You have ascended in oppression to a level where you killed the one whose face never turned away from the face of the Almighty, the Great God. Would that you had killed him as people kill each other, but you killed him in a manner that human eyes have never seen, and for which the heavens wept and the hearts of those near [to God] agonized.

74 Was he not the son of your Prophet, and was his kinship to the Prophet not well known among you? Then how did you do to him what none of the predecessors did? By God, the existence has not witnessed the likes of you killing the son of your Prophet and then rejoicing on your thrones and being among the joyful. And you curse those who came before and did the same as you did, yet you are heedless of yourselves. Then be just to yourself; those whom you curse and revile, did they do anything other than what you did? They killed the son of their Prophet, just as you killed the son of your Prophet, and what happened from you happened from them. So, what is the difference between you, O assembly of the corrupt?

75 When you killed him, one of his loved ones rose for retribution, and no one knew him, and his affair was hidden from every living soul, and what was decreed happened. So, you should not blame anyone for that, but blame yourselves for what you did if you are among the just. Has anyone on earth done what you have done? By the Lord of the worlds, no. All kings and sultans honor the offspring of their prophet and messenger if you are among the witnesses. And you have done what no one else has done and committed what has set the hearts of the knowers ablaze. And yet, you have not become aware in yourselves and have not felt your deeds, until you rose against us without any clear crime or sin.

76 Do you not fear God who created you, fashioned you, brought your strength to its peak, and made you among the Muslims? How long will you not become aware in yourselves, not understand in your beings, and not rise from your sleep and heedlessness, and not be among the aware? And you, think in yourself with all that you have done and acted; have you been able to extinguish the fire of God or put out the lights of His Theophany that have illuminated the people of the seas of permanence and attracted the hearts of the monotheists? Have you not heard that the hand of God is above your hands, and His decree is above your planning, and that He is the Compeller over His servants and the Victor over His affair, doing what He wills and not being questioned about what He wills, and He rules what He desires and He is the Powerful, the Capable?

77 If you are certain of that, why do you not cease your deeds and not be among those who are at rest? And every day you renew your oppression, as you rose against me in those days when my soul had not entered into these matters, and I was not contrary to you or opposed to your command until you made me a prisoner in this distant land. But know and be certain that this will not change the command of God and His ways, as it did not change before from all that your hands and the hands of the polytheists have earned. Then know, O assembly of the Persians, that if you kill me, someone will rise for God in my place, and this is from the way of God that has passed before, and you will find no change or alteration in His way. Do you wish to extinguish the light of God on His earth? God refuses but to complete His light, even though you dislike it in yourselves and be among the haters.

78 And you, O ambassador, think in yourself for less than a moment, then be fair in your own cause; with what crime did you accuse us before these deputies, following your desire, turning away from the truth, and being among the fabricators? After that, you never lived with me, nor did I live with you, nor did you see me except in your father’s house during the days of mourning the calamities of Husayn, and in those gatherings no one had the opportunity to open his tongue and engage in speech until his demands or beliefs were known. And you would believe me in that if you were among the truthful. And in other than those gatherings, I never entered for you to see me, or for anyone else to see me. Despite that, how did you testify against me what you did not hear from me?

79 Have you not heard what the Almighty and Majestic said: “Do not say to one who offers you peace, ‘You are not a believer,’” and do not drive away those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His face. Yet you have opposed the decree of the Book, even though you consider yourself among the believers. Despite this, by God, there is no hatred in my heart for you or anyone among the people, even if you inflict upon us what no one among the monotheists can bear. My command is only by God, and my trust is only upon Him. Soon your days and the days of those who are today in clear delusion will pass, and you will be gathered in the presence of God and asked about what your hands have earned and be recompensed for it. What a terrible abode for the wrongdoers! By God, if you were aware of what you have done, you would weep over yourself, flee to God, and cry in your days until God forgives you, and indeed, He is Generous and Noble. But you will not be granted success in this because you are preoccupied with yourself, your soul, and your body with the adornments of the world until the soul departs from you. Then you will recognize what we have presented to you and find your deeds in the book in which not an atom of the deeds of all creation is left out.

80 So heed my advice, then listen to my words with the ears of your heart and do not be heedless of my words nor be among those who turn away. Do not boast about what you have been given; look at what has been revealed in the Book of God, the Guardian, the Mighty. When they forgot what they were reminded of, We opened to them the doors of everything, just as the doors of the world and its adornments have been opened for you and your likes. So wait for what was revealed at the end of this blessed verse, and this is a promise not to be denied from a Capable, Wise One. And I do not know by which path you are established and upon which you walk, O assembly of the haters. We call you to God, remind you of His days, give you glad tidings of meeting Him, bring you closer to Him, and present to you from the wonders of His wisdom, but you drive us away and disbelieve in us because of what your lying tongues have described, and you are among those who turn back.

81 When we reveal among you what God has given us by His generosity, you say, “This is nothing but clear magic,” as nations like you said before, if you are among the poets. Therefore, you have deprived yourselves of the bounty of God and His grace, and you will not find it again until God judges between us and you, and He is the Best of Judges. Among you are those who said, “This is the one who claimed in himself what he claimed.” By God, this is a great slander. I am but a servant who believes in God, His signs, His messengers, and His angels, and my tongue, heart, outward and inward testify that He is God, there is no god but He, and besides Him, everything is created by His command and determined by His will. There is no god but He, the Creator, the Reviver, the Life-Giver, the Bringer of Death. But I have narrated the favor which God has bestowed upon me by His generosity, and if this is my crime, then I am the first of the criminals.

82 And I stand before you with my family, so do what you will, and do not be among the patient. Perhaps I will return to God, my Lord, in a place where your faces are absent. This is the extent of my hope and desire, and God is sufficient for me as a Knower and Informer. O ambassador, then make your presence before God, for though you do not see Him, He sees you. Then be just in our matter, for what crime did you rise against us and fabricate against us among the people if you are among the just? I left Tehran by the king’s command and headed to Iraq by his permission until we entered it, and we were among those who entered. If I was negligent, why were we released, and if I was not negligent, why did you inflict upon us what no one has inflicted on anyone among the Muslims?

83 And after my arrival in Iraq, did anything appear from me that would corrupt the state’s affair, and did anyone from us witness anything contrary? Then ask its people to be among those who seek the truth. And we were in it for eleven years until your envoy came, whom the pen would not like to write his name, and he used to drink wine, commit lewdness and indecency, corrupt himself and Iraq, and most of the people of Baghdad testify to this if you ask them and seek information. He used to take people’s money unjustly, abandoned all that God commanded him, and committed all that He forbade him until he rose against us, following his soul and desires, and followed the path of the wrongdoers. He wrote to you what he wrote about us, and you accepted it from him and followed his desire without any clear evidence or proof. You did not clarify, investigate, or probe to make the truth apparent from falsehood and right from wrong, and to be guided by an enlightening insight. So ask about him from the envoys who were in Iraq and behind them from the governor of the city and his advisor to make the truth clear to you and be among those who are informed.

84 By God, we did not oppose him in anything, nor anyone else, and we followed God’s decrees in every matter and were not among the corrupt. He himself testifies to this, but he wants to take us and return us to Persia to elevate his name, just as you committed this sin for that reason, and you and he are equal in the sight of God, the All-Knowing King. This mention from me to you is not to uncover my harm or mediate for me with anyone, by the Lord of the worlds. But we detailed the matters for you, perhaps you become aware in your actions and do not return to anyone what you have returned to us, and you become among those who repent to God who created you and everything, and be guided thereafter, and this is better for you than what you have and your embassy in these few days.

85 Beware that you do not close your eyes at the places of justice and turn your heart towards the direction of justice, and do not change the command of God and be among those who consider what has been revealed in the Book. Do not follow your desire in any matter and follow the decree of God, your Lord, the Benevolent, the Ancient. You will return to the dust, and neither your soul nor what you are pleased with in your days will remain. This is what has appeared from a truthful, impregnable tongue. Have you not remembered the remembrance of God before to be among those who remember? He said, and His saying is the truth: “From it (the earth) We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you forth once again.” And this is what God has decreed for everyone on earth, whether noble or humble.

86 Those who were created from dust and will be returned to it and brought forth from it should not be arrogant towards God and His allies, nor should they boast over them and be in great delusion. Rather, you and your likes should humble yourselves to the manifestations of monotheism and lower the wing of humility to the believers who are in need of God and have cut off from everything that preoccupies the souls of the servants and distances them from the path of God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. Thus, we present to you what benefits you and those who rely on their Lord. O scholars of the city, we have come to you with the truth, and you were in heedlessness of it as if you were dead in the illusions of your souls. And you have not attended before us after that which was better for you than all that you do.

87 So know that the sun of guardianship has risen with the truth, and you are turning away from it, and the moon of guidance has risen in the pole of the sky, and you are veiling yourselves from it, and the star of care has appeared on the horizon of sanctity, and you are distancing yourselves from it. Know that your scholars, to whom you attribute yourselves, then boast and mention them day and night, and follow their traces, if they were in those days, would have circled around me and would not have left me in every evening and morning. And you have not faced me for less than a moment and have been arrogant or heedless of this oppressed one who is tried among the people so that they do with him as they wish, and you have not investigated my situation or inquired about what has befallen me. Thus, you have deprived yourselves of the breezes of sanctity and the breezes of grace from this radiant, witnessed direction.

88 As if you have clung to the apparent and forgotten the rule of the inner and say what you do not do. And you love the names as if you have secluded yourselves with them. Therefore, you mention the names of your scholars, and if someone like them or above them comes to you, then you flee from him. You have made their names a source of pride and positions for yourselves, then you live and enjoy by them. If all your scholars come to you, you will not let go of your leadership positions and will not turn to them or face them. Indeed, we have found you, as we have found most people, worshippers of names, mentioning them in their days and preoccupied with them. And when their named entities appear, then they turn away and turn on their heels. Thus, we have recognized you and have recorded your deeds and witnessed all that you are doing today. So know that God will not accept your contemplation, remembrance, direction, seals, or vigilance today, except that you renew with this servant if you perceive.

89 By God, the tree of guardianship has been planted, the point of knowledge has been detailed, and the guardianship of God, the Guardian, the Sustainer, has appeared. Fear God and do not follow your desires, and follow God’s decree in your days, and renew what you are upon from the manners of the path to be guided by the lights of guidance and be among those who hasten to the paths of truth.

O Wise Men of the City and Philosophers of the Earth!

90 O wise men of the city and philosophers of the earth, let not the wisdom of God, the Guardian, the Sustainer, deceive you. Know that wisdom is the fear of God, recognition of Him, and recognition of the manifestations of His essence. This wisdom is attained only by those who have detached themselves from the world and walk in the pleasure of God. Are you greater in wisdom, or He who made the moon, which used to rise from a well and set in another pit, and from which light shone for three leagues of the earth, but God erased its traces and returned it to dust? And you have heard its story or are you listening now? How many wise men were like it or above it, and like you or above you? Among them were those who believed and those who turned away and associated others with God, and those who associated are in the fire, destined to enter it. Those who believed are destined to return to the mercy of God. Indeed, God will not ask you about your craft but about your faith and your deeds.

91 Are you greater in wisdom, or He who created you, the heavens and what is in them, and the earth and who is upon it? Glory be to God, there is no wise but He, to Him belongs creation and command. He grants wisdom to whom He wills of His creation and withholds wisdom from whom He wills of His creatures. Indeed, He is the Giver, the Withholder, the Generous, the Wise. And you, O assembly of the wise, have not attended with us to hear the melodies of the spirit and to know what God has given me by His grace, and this has eluded you, if you know. Had you attended before us, we would have taught you of wisdom by which you would be enriched beyond anything else, but you did not attend, and the matter is decided, and I am forbidden to reveal it anymore, for they attribute us to magic if you are listening. Thus, they said before, and their fate passed, and they are now screaming in the fire. And the fate of these will pass, and this is a decree from the Mighty, the Sustainer.

92 I advise you in my last words not to transgress the limits of God and not to turn to the foundations of the people and their customs, for they neither nourish nor enrich you. Rather, look to the Sunnah of God. And whoever wishes, let him take this advice as a path to God, and whoever wishes, let him return to his desires. My Lord is indeed rich beyond everyone in the heavens and the earth and beyond everything they say or do. And I conclude my words with what God, the Exalted and the Mighty, said: “Do not say to one who offers you peace, ‘You are not a believer,’” and peace be upon you, O assembly of the Muslims, and all praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds.