endued with perception hath discovered the fragrance
of the breeze of the All-Merciful in the world of creation, and every man
of insight hath hastened unto the living waters of the mercy of his Lord,
the King of Kings. O heedless one! The tale of the Sacrifice (Ishmael)
hath been retold, and he who was to be offered up hath directed his steps
towards the place of sacrifice, and returned not, by reason of that which
thy hand hath wrought, O perverse hater! Didst thou imagine that martyrdom
could abase this Cause? Nay, by Him Whom God hath made to be the
Repository of His Revelation, if thou be of them that comprehend. Woe
betide thee, O thou who hast joined partners with God, and woe betide them
that have taken thee as their leader, without a clear token or a
perspicuous Book. How numerous the oppressors before thee who have arisen
to quench the light of God, and how many the impious who murdered and
pillaged until the hearts and souls of men groaned by reason of their
cruelty! The sun of justice hath been obscured, inasmuch as the embodiment
of tyranny hath been stablished upon the throne of hatred, and yet the
people understand not. O foolish one! Thou hast slain the children of the
Apostle and pillaged their possessions. Say: Was it, in thine estimation,
their possessions or themselves that denied God? Judge fairly, O ignorant
one that hath been shut out as by a veil from God. Thou hast clung to
tyranny, and cast away justice; whereupon all created things have
lamented, and still thou art among the wayward. Thou hast put to death the
aged, and plundered the young. Thinkest thou that thou wilt consume that
which thine iniquity hath amassed? Nay, by Myself! Thus informeth thee He
Who is cognizant of all. By God! The things thou possessest shall profit
thee not, nor what thou hast laid up through thy cruelty. Unto this
beareth witness thy Lord, the All-Knowing. Thou hast arisen to put out the
light of this Cause; erelong will thine own fire be quenched, at His
behest. He, verily, is the Lord of strength and of might. The changes and
chances of the world, and the powers of the nations, cannot frustrate Him.
He doeth what He pleaseth, and ordaineth what He willeth through the power
of His sovereignty. Consider the she-camel. Though but a beast, yet hath
the All-Merciful exalted her to so high a station that the tongues of the
earth made mention of her and celebrated her praise. He, verily,
overshadoweth all that is in the he