O Shay_kh_!  In former times he that was chosen to be slain was but one person, whereas now this Wronged One hath produced for thee that which causeth every fair-minded man to marvel.  Judge fairly, I adjure thee, and arise to serve thy Lord.  He, verily, shall reward thee with a reward which neither the treasures of the earth nor all the possessions of kings and rulers can equal.  In all thine affairs put thy reliance in God, and commit them unto Him.  He will render thee a reward which the Book hath ordained as great.  Occupy thyself, during these fleeting days of thy life, with such deeds as will diffuse the fragrance of Divine good pleasure, and will be adorned with the ornament of His acceptance.  The acts of his honor, Balal, the Ethiopian, were so acceptable in the sight of God that the “sin” of his stuttering tongue excelled the “shin” pronounced by all the world.  This is the day whereon all peoples should shed the light of unity and concord.  In brief, the pride and vanity of certain of the peoples of the world have made havoc of true understanding, and laid waste the home of justice and of equity.

O Shay_kh_!  That which hath touched this Wronged One is beyond compare or equal.  We have borne it all with the utmost willingness and resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be exalted.  While confined in the prison of the Land of Mim (Mazindaran) We were one day delivered into the hands of the divines.  Thou canst well imagine what befell Us.  Shouldst thou at some time happen to visit the dungeon of His Majesty the Shah, ask the director and chief jailer to show thee those two chains, one of which is known as Qara-Guhar, and the other as Salasil.  I swear by the Daystar of Justice that for four months this Wronged One was tormented and chained by one or the other of them.  “My grief exceedeth all the woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of Job are but a part of My sorrows!”

Likewise, ponder thou upon the martyrdom of Haji Muhammad-Rida in the City of Love (I_sh_qabad).  The tyrants of the earth have subjected that wronged one to such trials as have caused many foreigners to weep and lament for, as reported and ascertained, no less than thirty-two wounds were inflicted upon his blessed body.  Yet none of the faithful transgressed My commandment, nor raised his hand in resistance.  Come what might, they refused to allow their own inclinations to supersede that which the Book hath decreed, though a considerable number of this people have resided, and still reside, in that city.

We entreat His Majesty the Shah,—­may God, hallowed and glorified be He, assist him—­himself to ponder upon these things, and to judge with equity and justice.  Although in recent years a number of the faithful have, in most of the cities of Persia, suffered themselves to be killed rather than kill, yet the hatred smouldering in certain hearts hath blazed more fiercely than before.  For the victims of oppression to intercede in favor of their enemies is, in the estimation of rulers, a princely deed.  Some must have certainly heard that this oppressed people have, in that city (I_sh_qabad), pleaded with the Governor on behalf of their murderers, and asked for the mitigation of their sentence.  Take, then, good heed, ye who are men of insight!