e killed, and He was placed in a dungeon. For a long period He
was imprisoned, chained and subjected to severest suffering. Afterward, He
was exiled to 'Iraq, or Mesopotamia, from thence to Constantinople, then
transferred to Adrianople and finally to Akka in Syria. He spent
twenty-four years in the prison of Akka, where He underwent the severest
ordeals and privations without a day or night of relaxation and repose.
Notwithstanding this imprisonment and suffering, He manifested utmost
spiritual power and majesty. Although imprisoned, He withstood two tyrant
kings and eventually overcame both.

Shortly after His imprisonment He addressed Epistles, or Tablets, to all
the kings and rulers of the world, summoning them to universal peace, to
unity and international brotherhood. Among these sovereigns was the _Sh_ah
of Persia, through whose instrumentality chiefly He had been imprisoned.
In His letter to that ruler He arraigned him severely and prophesied his
downfall, saying, "Thou art a tyrant; thy country will be laid waste; and
thy family, humiliated and debased." He wrote to the Sultan of Turkey in
similar terms, saying, "Thy dominion will pass away from thee." The
Epistles to the kings and rulers summoning them to international peace
were written by Baha'u'llah fifty years ago. Everything He wrote has come
to pass. These letters were published in Bombay thirty years ago and are
now spread broadcast throughout the world. Briefly, Baha'u'llah endured
forty years of vicissitudes, ordeals and hardships for the purpose of
spreading His teachings, which may be mentioned as follows:

The first teaching is that man should investigate reality, for reality is
contrary to dogmatic interpretations and imitations of ancestral forms of
belief to which all nations and peoples adhere so tenaciously. These blind
imitations are contrary to the fundamental basis of the divine religions,
for the divine religions in their central and essential teaching are based
upon unity, love and peace, whereas these variations and imitations have
ever been productive of warfare, sedition and strife. Therefore, all souls
should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is
one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of
God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the
oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality
is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies h