urn away from Him, and to
this testify the records of the best-known books. These you must certainly
have perused; if not, undoubtedly you will. Finally, as stated in books
and traditions, there remained with Him only forty or seventy-two of His
followers. At last from the depth of His being He cried aloud: "Lord!
Leave not upon the land a single dweller from among the unbelievers."(4)

And now, consider and reflect a moment upon the waywardness of this
people. What could have been the reason for such denial and avoidance on
their part? What could have induced them to refuse to put off the garment
of denial, and to adorn themselves with the robe of acceptance? Moreover,
what could have caused the nonfulfilment of the divine promise which led
the seekers to reject that which they had accepted? Meditate profoundly,
that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may
inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that
you may acknowledge the truth that from time immemorial even unto eternity
the Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, His servants, so that
light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right from
wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from thorns.
Even as He hath revealed: "Do men think when they say 'We believe' they
shall be let alone and not be put to proof?"(5)

And after Noah the light of the countenance of Hud shone forth above the
horizon of creation. For well-nigh seven hundred years, according to the
sayings of men, He exhorted the people to turn their faces and draw nearer
unto the Ridvan of the divine presence. What showers of afflictions rained
upon Him, until at last His adjurations bore the fruit of increased
rebelliousness, and His assiduous endeavours resulted in the wilful
blindness of His people. "And their unbelief shall only increase for the
unbelievers their own perdition."(6)

And after Him there appeared from the Ridvan of the Eternal, the
Invisible, the holy person of Salih, Who again summoned the people to the
river of everlasting life. For over a hundred years He admonished them to
hold fast unto the commandments of God and eschew that which is forbidden.
His admonitions, however, yielded no fruit, and His pleading proved of no
avail. Several times He retired and lived in seclusion. All this, although
that eternal Beauty was summoning the people to no other than the city of
God. Even as it is r