his can be ever imagined. He (Baha'u'llah) sayeth, glorious and holy is
His Word:--"My foolish loved ones have regarded him even as my partner,
have kindled sedition in the land and they verily are of the
mischief-makers." Consider, how foolish are the people! They that have
been in His (Baha'u'llah's) Presence and beheld His Countenance, have
nevertheless noised abroad such idle talk, until, exalted be His explicit
words, He said:--"Should he for a moment pass out from under the shadow of
the Cause, he surely shall be brought to naught." Reflect! What stress He
layeth upon one moment's deviation: that is, were he to incline a hair's
breadth to the right or to the left, his deviation would be clearly
established and his utter nothingness made manifest. And now ye are
witnessing how the wrath of God hath from all sides afflicted him and how
day by day he is speeding towards destruction. Ere long will ye behold him
and his associates, outwardly and inwardly, condemned to utter ruin.

What deviation can be greater than breaking the Covenant of God! What
deviation can be greater than interpolating and falsifying the words and
verses of the Sacred Text, even as testified and declared by Mirza
Badi'u'llah! What deviation can be greater than calumniating the Center of
the Covenant himself! What deviation can be more glaring than spreading
broadcast false and foolish reports touching the Temple of God's
Testament! What deviation can be more grievous than decreeing the death of
the Center of the Covenant, supported by the holy verse:--"He that layeth a
claim ere the passing of a thousand years...," whilst he (Muhammad 'Ali)
without shame in the days of the Blessed Beauty had advanced such a claim
as this and been confuted by Him in the aforementioned manner, the text of
his claim being still extant in his own handwriting and bearing his own
seal. What deviation can be more complete than falsely accusing the loved
ones of God! What deviation can be more evil than causing their
imprisonment and incarceration! What deviation can be more severe than
delivering into the hands of the government the Holy Writings and
Epistles, that haply they (the government) might arise intent upon the
death of this wronged one! What deviation can be more violent than
threatening the ruin of the Cause of God, forging and slanderously
falsifying letters and documents so that this might perturb and alarm the
government and lead to the shedding of the bl