Translation, Commentary Surih of Kawthar

whose outward form is pure milk. It is the spirit of prayer, through which man reacheth up to the summit of Sanctity, and reposeth within the heaven of eternal Reunion. Thus when the servant reciteth divine prayers, fixing his gaze utterly upon God, he will be drawn unto the court of nearness, in such wise as none can comprehend save he whom God willeth. Verily, by virtue of the speedy onrush of the fresh milk of this River, a complete book of prayer hath streamed forth from My Pen in the course of six hours. Such speed is, verily, the most glorious sign within the realm of miracles. 45 Verily, the manifest onrush testifieth to the inner onrush. That inner voyage is a sorely trying, highly perplexing Cause. All recognise that it is impossible for anyone to attain it save for the One Whom God Willeth. For the supreme excellence is not in the mere composition of such outward words, but in traversing the kingdom of Names and Attributes, in less than the twinkling of an eye. 46 By thy life! Were the people to taste the joy of that milk, they would assuredly be willing to rend, by their very own hands, their own bodies, that they may recite one single prayer. For verily, within it vibrateth the spirit of divine Sovereignty, radiateth the mystery of Eternity, and shineth forth the uttermost word of Servitude before the divine justice…. After thou hast gazed through those lights, and recognised the Manifestation of these mysteries, thou must comprehend the attributes of the pure Honey, for it verily, floweth out, by the leave of God, in the mode of sermons and discourses (khutab). Verily it is sweeter than all other evidences for the understanding of the people who are veiled, for it endureth veils, by the leave of God, to a higher degree than the first and the second rivers. Thus many of the enemies of God have confessed the eloquence of My sermons, notwithstanding the remoteness of their station and the intensity of their denials. Even the third one, may God delay his punishment, acknowledged in his book the utmost eloquence of the Há’íyyih Sermon, in spite of the fact that he hath not understood even a single one of Our words, and even if he could comprehend, he would deny the same, knowingly. 47 For verily, My Cause is manifested in My sermons in such wise that even those who are unable to recognise its truth as the Revelation

45 The word áyát here is not divine verses but miracles, because the entire discussion is about the mode of prayer. This is also clear in the subsequent part when the excellence of servitude is discussed. 46 Namely the supreme miracle is the meanings of these words, and what happens inside the Báb. He clearly is affirming that He is not only a medium of revelation of words, but also He is the Word Himself. 47 The third refers to the third of the three opponents of the Báb, Javád-i-Baraghání, ‘Abdu’l-‘Alíy-i-Harátí, and Ibráhím-i-Shírází. The Báb identifies the first one as Satan and the other two as the two brothers of Satan.