evealed: "And unto the tribe of Thamud We sent their
brother Salih. 'O my people,' said He, 'Worship God, ye have none other
God beside Him....' They made reply: 'O Salih, our hopes were fixed on
thee until now; forbiddest thou us to worship that which our fathers
worshipped? Truly we misdoubt that whereunto thou callest us as
suspicious.'"(7) All this proved fruitless, until at last there went up a
great cry, and all fell into utter perdition.

Later, the beauty of the countenance of the Friend of God(8) appeared from
behind the veil, and another standard of divine guidance was hoisted. He
invited the people of the earth to the light of righteousness. The more
passionately He exhorted them, the fiercer waxed the envy and waywardness
of the people, except those who wholly detached themselves from all save
God, and ascended on the wings of certainty to the station which God hath
exalted beyond the comprehension of men. It is well known what a host of
enemies besieged Him, until at last the fires of envy and rebellion were
kindled against Him. And after the episode of the fire came to pass, He,
the lamp of God amongst men, was, as recorded in all books and chronicles,
expelled from His city.

And when His day was ended, there came the turn of Moses. Armed with the
rod of celestial dominion, adorned with the white hand of divine
knowledge, and proceeding from the Paran of the love of God, and wielding
the serpent of power and everlasting majesty, He shone forth from the
Sinai of light upon the world. He summoned all the peoples and kindreds of
the earth to the kingdom of eternity, and invited them to partake of the
fruit of the tree of faithfulness. Surely you are aware of the fierce
opposition of Pharaoh and his people, and of the stones of idle fancy
which the hands of infidels cast upon that blessed Tree. So much so that
Pharaoh and his people finally arose and exerted their utmost endeavor to
extinguish with the waters of falsehood and denial the fire of that sacred
Tree, oblivious of the truth that no earthly water can quench the flame of
divine wisdom, nor mortal blasts extinguish the lamp of everlasting
dominion. Nay, rather, such water cannot but intensify the burning of the
flame, and such blasts cannot but ensure the preservation of the lamp,
were ye to observe with the eye of discernment, and walk in the way of
God's holy will and pleasure. How well hath a believer of the kindred of
Pharaoh, whose story is recou