Our purpose hath been uttered, nor a
single sign divulged concerning Our object. When will a faithful seeker be
found who will don the garb of pilgrimage, attain the Ka'bih of the
heart's desire, and, without ear or tongue, discover the mysteries of
divine utterance?

By these luminous, these conclusive, and lucid statements, the meaning of
"heaven" in the aforementioned verse hath thus been made clear and
evident. And now regarding His words, that the Son of man shall "come in
the clouds of heaven." By the term "clouds" is meant those things that are
contrary to the ways and desires of men. Even as He hath revealed in the
verse already quoted: "As oft as an Apostle cometh unto you with that
which your souls desire not, ye swell with pride, accusing some of being
impostors and slaying others."(56) These "clouds" signify, in one sense,
the annulment of laws, the abrogation of former Dispensations, the repeal
of rituals and customs current amongst men, the exalting of the illiterate
faithful above the learned opposers of the Faith. In another sense, they
mean the appearance of that immortal Beauty in the image of mortal man,
with such human limitations as eating and drinking, poverty and riches,
glory and abasement, sleeping and waking, and such other things as cast
doubt in the minds of men, and cause them to turn away. All such veils are
symbolically referred to as "clouds."

These are the "clouds" that cause the heavens of the knowledge and
understanding of all that dwell on earth to be cloven asunder. Even as He
hath revealed: "On that day shall the heaven be cloven by the clouds."(57)
Even as the clouds prevent the eyes of men from beholding the sun, so do
these things hinder the souls of men from recognizing the light of the
divine Luminary. To this beareth witness that which hath proceeded out of
the mouth of the unbelievers as revealed in the sacred Book: "And they
have said: 'What manner of apostle is this? He eateth food, and walketh
the streets. Unless an angel be sent down and take part in His warnings,
we will not believe.'"(58) Other Prophets, similarly, have been subject to
poverty and afflictions, to hunger, and to the ills and chances of this
world. As these holy Persons were subject to such needs and wants, the
people were, consequently, lost in the wilds of misgivings and doubts, and
were afflicted with bewilderment and perplexity. How, they wondered, could
such a person be sent down from God, assert Hi