that haply mortal souls may be purged and sanctified from all that pertaineth to the world of dust and gain admittance into the realms of eternity.  For otherwise that ideal King is, in Himself and by Himself, sufficient unto Himself and independent of all things.  Neither doth the love of His creatures profit Him, nor can their malice harm Him.  All have issued forth from abodes of dust, and unto dust shall they return, while the one true God, alone and single, is established upon His Throne, a Throne which is beyond the reaches of time and space, is sanctified above all utterance or expression, intimation, description and definition, and is exalted beyond all notion of abasement and glory.  And none knoweth this save Him and those with whom is the knowledge of the Book.  No God is there but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.

215 It behoveth the benevolence of the Sovereign, however, to examine all matters with the eye of justice and mercy, and not to content himself with the baseless claims of certain individuals.  We beseech God to graciously assist the King to fulfil that which He pleaseth, and, verily, that which He desireth should be the desire of all the worlds.

216 Later this Servant was summoned to Constantinople, whither We arrived accompanied by a poor band of exiles.  At no time thereafter did We seek to meet with anyone, as We had no request to make and no aim in view but to demonstrate unto all that this Servant had no mischief in mind and had never associated with the sowers of sedition.  By Him Who hath caused the tongues of all beings to speak forth His praise!  While certain considerations rendered it difficult to make application to any quarter, such steps were perforce taken to protect certain souls.  My Lord, verily, knoweth what is in Me, and He beareth witness unto the truth of what I say.

217 A just king is the shadow of God on earth.  All should seek shelter under the shadow of his justice, and rest in the shade of his favour.  This is not a matter which is either specific or limited in its scope, that it might be restricted to one or another person, inasmuch as the shadow telleth of the One Who casteth it.  God, glorified be His remembrance, hath called Himself the Lord of the worlds, for He hath nurtured and still nurtureth everyone.  Glorified be, then, His grace that hath preceded all created things, and His mercy that hath surpassed the worlds.

218 It is clear and evident that, whether this Cause be seen as right or wrong by the people, those who are associated with its name have accepted and embraced it as true, and have forsaken their all in their eagerness to partake of the things of God.  That they should evince such renunciation in the path of the love of the All-Merciful is in itself a faithful witness and an eloquent testimony to the truth of their convictions.  Hath it ever been witnessed that a man of sound judgement should sacrifice his life without cause or reason?  And if it be suggested that this people have taken leave of their senses, this too is highly improbable, inasmuch as such behaviour hath not been confined to merely a soul or two—­nay, a vast multitude of every class have drunk their fill of the living waters of divine knowledge, and, intoxicated, have hastened with heart and soul to the field of sacrifice in the way of the Beloved.