irrevocably decreed in the court of the presence of thy Lord, the
All-Glorious, the Loving.

"Witness! What is it thou seest?" He was dumbfounded. And when he came to
himself, he said: "I truly believe in God, the All-Glorious, the
All-Praised." "Go thou to the people, and tell them: 'Ask whatsoever ye
please. Powerful is He to do what He willeth. Nothing whatsoever, be it of
the past or of the future, can frustrate His Will.' Say: 'O ye
congregation of the divines! Choose any matter ye desire, and ask your
Lord, the God of Mercy, to reveal it unto you. If He fulfil your wish, by
virtue of His sovereignty, believe ye then in Him, and be not of those
that reject His truth.'" "The dawn of understanding hath now broken," said
he, "and the testimony of the All-Merciful is fulfilled." He arose and
returned unto them that sent him, at the bidding of God, the All-Glorious,
the Well-Beloved.

Days passed and he failed to come back to Us. Eventually, there came
another messenger who informed Us that the people had given up what they
originally had purposed. They are indeed a contemptible people. This is
what happened in 'Iraq, and to what I reveal I Myself am witness. This
happening was noised abroad, yet none was found to comprehend its meaning.
Thus did We ordain it. Would that ye knew this!

By My Self! Whoso hath in bygone ages asked Us to produce the signs of
God, hath, no sooner We revealed them to him, repudiated God's truth. The
people, however, have, for the most part, remained heedless. They whose
eyes are illumined with the light of understanding will perceive the sweet
savors of the All-Merciful, and will embrace His truth. These are they who
are truly sincere.

LXVIII: O THOU WHO ART THE FRUIT OF MY TREE AND...

O thou who art the fruit of My Tree and the leaf thereof! On thee be My
glory and My mercy. Let not thine heart grieve over what hath befallen
thee. Wert thou to scan the pages of the Book of Life, thou wouldst, most
certainly, discover that which would dissipate thy sorrows and dissolve
thine anguish.

Know thou, O fruit of My Tree, that the decrees of the Sovereign Ordainer,
as related to fate and predestination, are of two kinds. Both are to be
obeyed and accepted. The one is irrevocable, the other is, as termed by
men, impending. To the former all must unreservedly submit, inasmuch as it
is fixed and settled. God, however, is able to alter or repeal it. As the
harm that must result from