A “glorious honor” conferred upon the “people of Persia”

O people of Persia! Are ye not satisfied with this glorious honor which the supreme Remembrance of God hath conferred upon you? Verily ye have been especially favored by God through this mighty Word. Then do not withdraw from the sanctuary of His presence, for, by the righteousness of the One true God, He is none other than the sovereign Truth from God; He is the most exalted One and the Source of all wisdom, as decreed in the Mother Book.… 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

Attaining the presence of God means “the Presence of Him Who is the Manifestation of His Self”

Hallowed be He Who hath arisen in His Cause. Say: We all, verily, abide by His bidding. Say: God raiseth up whomsoever He willeth through His command. There is no God but Him, the Almighty, the Ancient of Days. He it is Who causeth whomsoever He willeth to enter His Paradise. Say: Behold! All are but His suppliants. He is God; there is none other God save Him, from the beginning that hath no beginning until the end that hath no end. Unto all hath it been promised that they shall attain His Presence, and by this is meant the Presence of Him Who is the Manifestation of His Self. The people, however, remain shut out as by a veil from this truth. 

- The Báb  (From Tablet to the Seventeenth Letter of the Living, provisional translation; see the entire Tablet)

The Revealer of the Qur’an is the same as the Bayan

He Who hath revealed the Qur’án, hath likewise revealed this Book, that every word of it is from God, and unto it we all bear allegiance. 

- The Báb  (From a Tablet to the Sherif of Mecca, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

The Báb’s readiness to meet the divines of Persia if the King were to call for such a gathering

If thou art not apprehensive that the truth might be revealed and the works of the ungodly be brought to naught, why summonest thou not the divines of the land, and then summon Me, so that I may confound them forthwith, even as those disbelievers whom I have previously confounded? This is My sure testimony unto thee and unto them, if they speak the truth. Summon thou all of them. Should they then be able to utter words like unto this, thou wouldst know that their cause is worthy of attention. Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord! They are bereft of power, nor are they endued with perception. They professed faith in the past without understanding its significance, then later they repudiated the Truth; for they are devoid of discernment. 

- The Báb  (From a Tablet to Muhammad Shah, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

God “established a separate covenant regarding Him [Baha’u’llah] with every Prophet and His followers”

Fear ye God and breathe not a word concerning His Most Great Remembrance [Baha'u'llah] other than what hath been ordained by God, inasmuch as We have established a separate covenant regarding Him with every Prophet and His followers. Indeed, We have not sent any Messenger without this binding covenant and We do not, of a truth, pass judgment upon anything except after the covenant of Him Who is the Supreme Gate hath been established. Erelong the veil shall be lifted from your eyes at the appointed time. Ye shall then behold the sublime Remembrance of God, unclouded and vivid. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

“If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well”

By God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well; and if ye deny God and His signs, We, in very truth, having God, can well dispense with all creatures and all earthly dominion. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

Concerning the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’…

All praise be to God Who hath, through the power of Truth, sent down this Book unto His servant, that it may serve as a shining light for all mankind.… Verily this is none other than the sovereign Truth; it is the Path which God hath laid out for all that are in heaven and on earth. Let him then who will, take for himself the right path unto his Lord. Verily this is the true Faith of God, and sufficient witness are God and such as are endowed with the knowledge of the Book. This is indeed the eternal Truth which God, the Ancient of Days, hath revealed unto His omnipotent Word—He Who hath been raised up from the midst of the Burning Bush. This is the Mystery which hath been hidden from all that are in heaven and on earth, and in this wondrous Revelation it hath, in very truth, been set forth in the Mother Book by the hand of God, the Exalted.… 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

The station of the Báb

O people of the earth! By the righteousness of the One true God, I am the Maid of Heaven begotten by the Spirit of Bahá, abiding within the Mansion hewn out of a mass of ruby, tender and vibrant; and in this mighty Paradise naught have I ever witnessed save that which proclaimeth the Remembrance of God by extolling the virtues of this Arabian Youth. Verily there is none other God but your Lord, the All-Merciful. Magnify ye, then, His station, for behold, He is poised in the midmost heart of the All-Highest Paradise as the embodiment of the praise of God in the Tabernacle wherein His glorification is intoned. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

Whatever we offer to God we will “find preserved by God”

O peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered up in the way of the One True God, ye shall indeed find preserved by God, the Preserver, intact at God’s Holy Gate. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

The reason the Báb "prescribed any law" or "laid down any prohibition"

But for the sole reason of His being present amongst this people, We would have neither prescribed any law nor laid down any prohibition. It is only for the glorification of His Name and the exaltation of His Cause that We have enunciated certain laws at Our behest, or forbidden the acts to which We are averse, so that at the hour of His manifestation ye may attain through Him the good-pleasure of God and abstain from the things that are abhorrent unto Him. 

- The Báb  (From the ‘Kitáb-i-Asmá’ [The Book of Names]; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

The awesome privilege of being in the presence of the Manifestation of God

There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness. 

- The Báb  (From the Persian Bayan; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

The amazing significance of guiding a soul to recognize the Manifestation of God and remain steadfast

It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of God’s tender mercy, whereas possession of earthly things will cease at the time of death. The path to guidance is one of love and compassion, not of force and coercion. This hath been God’s method in the past, and shall continue to be in the future! He causeth him whom He pleaseth to enter the shadow of His Mercy. Verily, He is the Supreme Protector, the All-Generous. 

- The Báb  (From the Persian Bayan; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

The “purpose of God in creating man is but for him to know Him”

O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Proclaim that which hath been sent down unto Thee as a token of the grace of the merciful Lord, for if Thou do it not, Our secret will never be made known to the people, [Qur’an 5:71] while the purpose of God in creating man is but for him to know Him. Indeed God hath knowledge of all things and is self-sufficient above the need of all mankind. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

People of Persia “have been especially favored by God”

O people of Persia! Are ye not satisfied with this glorious honor which the supreme Remembrance of God hath conferred upon you? Verily ye have been especially favored by God through this mighty Word. Then do not withdraw from the sanctuary of His presence, for, by the righteousness of the One true God, He is none other than the sovereign Truth from God; He is the most exalted One and the Source of all wisdom, as decreed in the Mother Book.… 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

The Mother of the Báb is “immortalized as the ‘Mother of the Faithful’”

O Thou Mother of the Remembrance! May the peace and salutation of God rest upon thee. Indeed thou hast endured patiently in Him Who is the sublime Self of God. Recognize then the station of thy Son Who is none other than the mighty Word of God. He hath verily pledged Himself to be answerable for thee both in thy grave and on the Judgment Day, while thou hast, in the Preserved Tablet of God, been immortalized as the “Mother of the Faithful” by the Pen of His Remembrance. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

Baha’u’llah is “the Primal Veil of God”

Say, He Whom God shall make manifest is indeed the Primal Veil of God. Above this Veil ye can find nothing other than God, while beneath it ye can discern all things emanating from God. He is the Unseen, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Best-Beloved.

If ye seek God, it behooveth you to seek Him Whom God shall make manifest, and if ye cherish the desire to dwell in the Ark of Names, ye will be distinguished as the guides to Him Whom God shall make manifest, did ye but believe in Him. Verily then make your hearts the daysprings of His exalted Names as recorded in the Book, and ye shall, even as mirrors placed before the sun, be able to receive enlightenment. 

- The Báb  (From the Kitáb-i-Asmá’ [The Book of Names]; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

Through God’s “Most Great Name … the hidden secrets of God, the Most Exalted, were divulged and… the essence of all knowledge was revealed” to humanity

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I invoke Thee by Thy Most Great Name through which the hidden secrets of God, the Most Exalted, were divulged and the kindreds of all nations converged toward the focal centre of faith and certitude, through which Thy luminous Words streamed forth for the quickening of mankind and the essence of all knowledge was revealed from that Embodiment of bounty. May my life, my inmost being, my soul and my body be offered up as a sacrifice for the dust ennobled by His footsteps.

- The Báb  (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

How God would test one’s faith in Muhammad and His Book

O people of the city! Ye have disbelieved your Lord. If ye are truly faithful to Muhammad, the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets, and if ye follow His Book, the Qur’án, which is free from error, then here is the like of it—this Book, which We have, in truth and by the leave of God, sent down unto Our Servant. If ye fail to believe in Him, then your faith in Muhammad and His Book which was revealed in the past will indeed be treated as false in the estimation of God. If ye deny Him, the fact of your having denied Muhammad and His Book will, in very truth and with absolute certainty, become evident unto yourselves. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

The “revelation of verses” is a testimony of the Báb for His Message

Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony for Our message unto you. Can ye produce a single letter to match these verses? Bring forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of those who can discern the one true God. I solemnly affirm before God, should all men and spirits combine to compose the like of one chapter of this Book, they would surely fail, even though they were to assist one another. [Qur’an 17:90] 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

The Báb is “the Supreme Talisman and is endowed with supernatural powers”

He is, verily, the eternal Truth come from God, and according to the divine judgment given in the Mother Book, He is the most distinguished among the writers of Arabic and most eloquent in His utterance. He is in truth the Supreme Talisman and is endowed with supernatural powers, as set forth in the Mother Book.… 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

God sent a “Book” to “every people” “in their own language”

Unto every people We have sent down the Book in their own language. [Qur’an 14:4] This Book We have, verily, revealed in the language of Our Remembrance and it is in truth a wondrous language. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

One of the titles of the Báb is: “Him Who is the Sublime Gate of God”

As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of God, for them We have prepared, as justly decreed by God, a sore torment. And He, God, is the Mighty, the Wise. 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

Those who followed the Báb’s Book, the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’, have “indeed followed all the past Scriptures”

O concourse of the people of the Book! Fear ye God and pride not yourselves in your learning. Follow ye the Book which His Remembrance hath revealed in praise of God, the True One. He Who is the Eternal Truth beareth me witness, whoso followeth this Book hath indeed followed all the past Scriptures which have been sent down from heaven by God, the Sovereign Truth. Verily, He is well informed of what ye do.… 

- The Báb  (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

Reward of those who recognize the Báb

O people of the earth! Whoso obeyeth the Remembrance of God and His Book hath in truth obeyed God and His chosen ones and he will, in the life to come, be reckoned in the presence of God among the inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure. 

- The Báb (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

“God hath set aside earthly possessions for such as have denied Him”

…God hath set aside earthly possessions for such as have denied Him; for unto Him Who is your Lord shall be the most excellent abode, He Who is, in truth, the Ancient of Days.… 

- The Báb (From the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)