e unseen, until the King sent Thee to
'Iraq after We had disclosed unto him that Thou wert not of the sowers of
sedition. Those who follow their corrupt desires and lay aside the fear of
God are indeed in grievous error. They that spread disorder in the land,
shed the blood of men, and wrongfully consume the substance of others--We,
verily, are clear of them, and We beseech God not to associate Us with
them, whether in this world or in the world to come, unless they should
repent unto Him. He, verily, is of those who show mercy the most merciful.

189 Whoso turneth towards God must distinguish himself from others by his
every deed, and follow that which hath been enjoined upon him in the Book.
Thus hath it been decreed in a lucid Tablet. Those, however, who cast
behind their backs the commandments of God, and follow the prompting of
their own desires, are, verily, in grievous error.

190 O King! I adjure thee by thy Lord, the All-Merciful, to look upon thy
servants with the glances of the eye of thy favour, and to treat them with
justice, that God may treat thee with mercy. Potent is thy Lord to do as
He pleaseth. The world, with all its abasement and glory, shall pass away,
and the kingdom will remain unto God, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing.

191 Say: He hath kindled the lamp of utterance, and feedeth it with the
oil of wisdom and understanding. Too high is thy Lord, the All-Merciful,
for aught in the universe to resist His Faith. He revealeth what He
pleaseth through the power of His sovereign might, and protecteth it with
a host of His well-favoured angels. He is supreme over His servants and
exerciseth undisputed dominion over His creation. He, verily, is the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

192 O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo,
the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the
knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One
Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between
earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears
of every man of understanding to flow. The learning current amongst men I
studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt,
that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely.
This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous winds
are