f Ki_sh_ih, mentioning by name nearly one
hundred and sixty of them. Of the age now dawning, the Master says: "this
is the century of light," explaining that the meaning of this image is
acceptance of the principle of oneness and its implications:

My meaning is that the beloved of the Lord must regard every ill-wisher as
a well-wisher.... That is, they must associate with a foe as befitteth a
friend, and deal with an oppressor as beseemeth a kind companion. They
should not gaze upon the faults and transgressions of their foes, nor pay
heed to their enmity, inequity or oppression.(8)

Extraordinarily, the small company of persecuted believers, living in this
remote corner of a land which still remained largely unaffected by the
developments taking place elsewhere in social and intellectual life, are
summoned by this Tablet to raise their eyes above the level of local
concerns and to see the implications of unity on a global scale:

Rather, should they view people in the light of the Blessed Beauty's call
that the entire human race are servants of the Lord of might and glory, as
He hath brought the whole creation under the purview of His gracious
utterance, and hath enjoined upon us to show forth love and affection,
wisdom and compassion, faithfulness and unity towards all, without any
discrimination.(9)

Here, the call of the Master is not only to a new level of understanding,
but implies the need for commitment and action. In the urgency and
confidence of the language it employs can be felt the power that would
produce the great achievements of the Persian believers in the decades
since then--both in the world-wide promotion of the Cause and in the
acquisition of capacities that advance civilization:

O ye beloved of the Lord! With the utmost joy and gladness, serve ye the
human world, and love ye the human race. Turn your eyes away from
limitations, and free yourselves from restrictions, for ... freedom
therefrom brings about divine blessings and bestowals.

Wherefore, rest ye not, be it for an instant; seek ye not a minute's
respite nor a moment's repose. Surge ye even as the billows of a mighty
sea, and roar like unto the leviathan of the ocean of eternity.

Therefore, so long as there be a trace of life in one's veins, one must
strive and labour, and seek to lay a foundation that the passing of
centuries and cycles may not undermine, and rear an edifice which the
rolling of ages and aeons cannot overthrow--an