f dignity and honour? The sun of
glory and wisdom hath unceasingly been shining above the horizon of
Persia, but nowadays it hath sunk to such a low level that certain
dignitaries have allowed themselves to be treated as playthings in the
hands of the foolish. The aforesaid person hath written such things
concerning this people in the Egyptian press and in the Beirut
Encyclopedia that the well-informed and the learned were astonished. He
proceeded then to Paris where he published a newspaper entitled
Urvatu'l-Vuthqa [The Sure Handle] and sent copies thereof to all parts of
the world. He also sent a copy to the Prison of Akka, and by so doing he
meant to show affection and to make amends for his past actions. In short,
this Wronged One hath observed silence in regard to him. We entreat God,
the True One, to protect him and to shed upon him the light of justice and
fairness. It behoveth him to say:

O God my God! Thou seest me standing before the door of Thy forgiveness
and benevolence, turning my gaze toward the horizon of Thy bountiful
favours and manifold blessings. I beg of Thee by Thy sweet accents and by
the shrill voice of Thy Pen, O Lord of all mankind, to graciously aid Thy
servants as it befitteth Thy days and beseemeth the glory of Thy
manifestation and Thy majesty. Verily potent art Thou to do whatsoever
Thou willest. All they that dwell in the heavens and on the earth bear
witness to Thy power and Thy might, to Thy glory and Thy bounteousness.
Praise be to Thee, O Lord of the worlds and the Well-Beloved of the heart
of every man of understanding!

Thou beholdest, O my God, the essence of poverty seeking the ocean of Thy
wealth and the substance of iniquity yearning for the waters of Thy
forgiveness and Thy tender mercy. Grant Thou, O my God, that which
beseemeth Thy great glory and befitteth the loftiness of Thy boundless
grace. Thou art in truth the All-Bountiful, the Lord of grace abounding,
the Ordainer, the All-Wise. No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful,
the All-Compelling, the Omnipotent.

O people of God! In this day everyone should fix his eyes upon the horizon
of these blessed words: 'Alone and unaided He doeth whatsoever He
pleaseth.' Whoso attaineth this station hath verily attained the light of
the essential unity of God and is enlightened thereby, while all others
are reckoned in the Book of God among the followers of idle fancy and vain
imagination. Incline your ears to the Voice of this