Selections From the Writings of the Báb | Page 7

inasmuch as dark, dreadful and dire calamity had been irrevocably
ordained by the Will of God, the book was not submitted to thy
presence, through the intervention of such as regard themselves the
well-wishers of the government. Up to the present, when nearly four
years have passed, they have not duly presented it to Your Majesty.
However, now that the fateful hour is drawing nigh, and because it is a
matter of faith, not a worldly concern, therefore I have given thee a
glimpse of what hath transpired.
I swear by God! Shouldst thou know the things which in the space of
these four years have befallen Me at the hands of thy people and thine
army, thou wouldst hold thy breath from fear of God, unless thou
wouldst rise to obey the Cause of Him Who is the Testimony of God
and make amends for thy shortcomings and failure.
While I was in Shíráz the indignities which befell Me at the hands of its
wicked and depraved Governor waxed so grievous that if thou wert
acquainted with but a tithe thereof, thou wouldst deal him retributive
justice. For as a result of his unmitigated oppression, thy royal court
hath become, until the Day of Resurrection, the object of the wrath of
God. Moreover, his indulgence in alcohol had grown so excessive that
he was never sober enough to make a sound judgement. Therefore,
disquieted, I was obliged to set out from Shíráz with the aim of
attaining the enlightened and exalted court of Your Majesty. The
Mu'tamídu'd-Dawlih then became aware of the truth of the Cause and
manifested exemplary servitude and devotion to His chosen ones.
When some of the ignorant people in his city arose to stir up sedition,
he defended the divine Truth by affording Me protection for a while in
the privacy of the Governor's residence. At length, having attained the
good-pleasure of God, he repaired to his habitation in the all-highest
Paradise. May God reward him graciously...

Following his ascension to the eternal Kingdom, the vicious Gurgín,
resorting to all manner of treachery, false oaths and coercion, sent Me
away from Isfáhán with an escort of five guards on a journey which
lasted seven days, without providing the barest necessities for My
travel (Alas! Alas! for the things which have touched Me!), until
eventually Your Majesty's order came, instructing Me to proceed to
Mákú...
I swear by the Most Great Lord! Wert thou to be told in what place I
dwell, the first person to have mercy on Me would be thyself. In the
heart of a mountain is a fortress [Mákú] ... the inmates of which are
confined to two guards and four dogs. Picture, then, My plight... I
swear by the truth of God! Were he who hath been willing to treat Me
in such a manner to know Who it is Whom he hath so treated, he, verily,
would never in his life be happy. Nay--I, verily, acquaint thee with the
truth of the matter--it is as if he hath imprisoned all the Prophets, and
all the men of truth and all the chosen ones...
When this decree was made known unto Me, I wrote to him who
administereth the affairs of the kingdom, saying: 'Put Me to death, I
adjure thee by God, and send My head wherever thou pleasest. For
surely an innocent person such as I, cannot reconcile himself to being
consigned to a place reserved for criminals and let his life continue.'
My plea remained unanswered. Evidently His Excellency the Hájí, is
not fully aware of the truth of our Cause. It would be far more heinous
a deed to sadden the hearts of the faithful, whether men or women, than
to lay waste the sacred House of God.
Verily, the One True God beareth Me witness that in this Day I am the
true mystic Fane of God, and the Essence of all good. He who doeth
good unto Me, it is as if he doeth good unto God, His angels and the
entire company of His loved ones. He who doeth evil unto Me, it is as
if he doeth evil unto God and His chosen ones. Nay, too exalted is the
station of God and of His loved ones for any person's good or evil deed
to reach their holy threshold. Whatever reacheth Me is ordained to
reach Me; and that which hath come unto Me, to him who giveth will it
revert. By the One in Whose hand is My soul, he hath cast no one but

himself into prison. For assuredly whatsoever God hath decreed for Me
shall come to pass and naught else save that which God hath ordained
for us shall ever touch us. Woe betide him from whose hands floweth
evil, and