! Give heed unto the Bayan
(Exposition) and the Ma'ani (Significances)." He--peace be upon him--added:
"As to the Bayan, it consisteth in thy recognition of God--glorified be
He--as the One Who hath no equal, and in thy adoration of Him, and in thy
refusal to join partners with Him. As to the Ma'ani, We are its meaning,
and its side, and its hand, and its tongue, and its cause, and its
command, and its knowledge, and its right. If We wish for something, it is
God Who wisheth it, and He desireth that which We desire." Moreover, the
Commander of the Faithful (Imam 'Ali)--peace be upon him--hath said: "How
can I worship a Lord Whom I have not seen?" And, in another connection, he
saith: "Nothing have I perceived except that I perceived God before it,
God after it, or God with it."

O _Sh_ay_kh_! Ponder upon the things which have been mentioned, perchance
thou mayest quaff the Sealed Wine through the power of the name of Him Who
is the Self-Subsisting, and obtain that which no one is capable of
comprehending. Gird up the loins of endeavor, and direct thyself towards
the Most Sublime Kingdom, that haply thou mayest perceive, as they descend
upon Me, the breaths of Revelation and inspiration, and attain thereunto.
Verily, I say: The Cause of God hath never had, nor hath it now, any peer
or equal. Rend asunder the veils of idle fancies. He, in truth, will
reinforce thee, and assist thee, as a token of His grace. He, verily, is
the Strong, the All-Subduing, the Almighty. While there is yet time, and
the blessed Lote-Tree is still calling aloud amongst men, suffer not
thyself to be deprived. Place thy trust in God, and commit thine affairs
unto Him, and enter then the Most Great Prison, that thou mayest hear what
no ear hath ever heard, and gaze on that which no eye hath ever seen.
After such an exposition, can there remain any room for doubt? Nay, by
God, Who standeth over His Cause! In truth I say: On this day the blessed
words "But He is the Apostle of God, and the Seal of the Prophets" have
found their consummation in the verse "The day when mankind shall stand
before the Lord of the worlds." Render thou thanksgiving unto God, for so
great a bounty.

O _Sh_ay_kh_! The breezes of Revelation can never be confounded with other
breezes. Now the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing standeth laden
with countless fruits before thy face; besmirch not thyself with idle
fancies, as have done the people aforetime. These utterance