at
haply they may not be veiled, in the time of the revelation of Him Whom
God shall make manifest, by considerations foreign to the verses, which
have been, and are still, the weightiest of all proofs and testimonies."

John, son of Zacharias, said what My Forerunner hath said: "Saying, repent
ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance, but He that cometh after Me is mightier than I, Whose
shoes I am not worthy to bear." Wherefore, hath My Forerunner, as a sign
of submissiveness and humility, said: "The whole of the Bayan is only a
leaf amongst the leaves of His Paradise." And likewise, He saith: "I am
the first to adore Him, and pride Myself on My kinship with Him." And yet,
O men, the people of the Bayan have acted in such a manner that
_Dh_i'l-Jaw_sh_an, and Ibn-i-Anas, and Asbahi have sought and still seek
refuge with God against such deeds. This Wronged One hath, in the face of
all religions, busied Himself day and night with the things that are
conducive unto the exaltation of the Cause of God, whereas those men have
clung unto that which is the cause of humiliation and injury.

And likewise, He saith: "Recognize Him by His verses. The greater your
neglect in seeking to know Him, the more grievously will ye be veiled in
fire." O ye among the people of the Bayan that have turned aside from Me!
Ponder upon these most sublime words, that have proceeded from the
wellspring of the utterance of Him Who is the Point of Knowledge. Hearken
ye, at this moment, unto these words. He saith: "On that Day, the Daystar
of Truth will address the people of the Bayan and will recite this Surih
of the Qur'an: 'Say: O ye unbelievers! I worship not that which ye
worship, and ye do not worship that which I worship. I shall never worship
that which ye worship, neither will ye worship that which I worship. To
you be your religion, to Me My religion.'" Gracious God! Notwithstanding
these lucid statements, and these shining and luminous tokens all are
occupied with their vain imaginings, and are unaware of, and veiled from,
the Desired One. O ye that have gone astray! Awake from the sleep of
heedlessness, and give ear unto these words of My Forerunner. He saith:
"The tree of affirmation, by turning aside from Him, is accounted as the
tree of denial, and the tree of denial, by turning towards Him, is
accounted as the tree of affirmation." And likewise, He saith: "Should
anyone lay claim unto a