Whenever His blessed name was mentioned, all would say:  “May God hasten the joy His coming will bring!” On the day of the Revelation of that Sun of Truth, however, all, as hath been observed, have exclaimed, saying:  “May God hasten His chastisement!” He Who was the Essence of being and Lord of the seen and unseen they suspended, and committed what made the Tablet to weep, and the Pen to groan, and the cries of the sincere to break forth, and the tears of the favored ones to flow.

Meditate, O Shay_kh_, and be fair in what thou sayest.  The followers of Shay_kh_-i-Ahsa’i (Shay_kh_ Ahmad) have, by the aid of God, apprehended that which was veiled from the comprehension of others, and of which they remained deprived.  Briefly, in every age and century differences have arisen in the days of the manifestation of the Daysprings of Revelation, and the Dawning-Places of inspiration, and the Repositories of Divine knowledge, differences which have been caused and provoked by lying and impious souls.  To expatiate on this is not permissible.  Thou art thyself better acquainted and more familiar with the idle fancies of the superstitious and the vain imaginings of the doubters.

In this day, this Wronged One requesteth thee and the other divines who have drunk of the cup of the knowledge of God, and are illumined by the shining words of the Daystar of Justice, to appoint some person, without informing any one, and despatch him to these regions, and enable him to remain a while in the island of Cyprus, and associate with Mirza Yahya, perchance he may become aware of the fundamentals of this Faith and of the source of the Divine laws and commandments.

Wert thou to ponder a while, thou wouldst bear witness unto the wisdom, and the power, and the sovereignty of God, exalted be His glory.  The few who were unaware of this Cause, and had not met Us, have spoken in such a manner that all things, and those souls who are well assured, pleased, and pleasing unto God, have testified unto the imposture of these heedless ones.  Wert thou now to exert thyself, the truth of this Cause would be made apparent unto mankind, and the people would be delivered from this grievous and oppressive darkness.  Who else but Baha can speak forth before the face of men, and who else but He can have the power to pronounce that which He was bidden by God, the Lord of Hosts?

This heedless one hath now clung to the practice of Rawdih-khani (traditional lamentation for the Imam Husayn).  He—­I swear by God—­is in evident error.  For it is the belief of this people that during the Revelation of the Qa’im, the Imams—­may the peace of God be upon them—­have arisen from their sepulchres.  This verily is the truth, and no doubt is there about it.  We beseech God to bestow upon the superstitious a portion of the living waters of certitude which are streaming from the wellspring of the Most Sublime Pen, that all may attain unto that which becometh these days.