تقليد لاحق
I place my trust in our Lord, the Righteous and All-Knowing, who judges by truth and bestows favors upon humanity.
From the devoted servant Bahāʾ al-Dīn, the tongue of the believers and master of the Unitarians, to the chosen shaykh, the nurturer of the truths, the travelling star whose ways are praiseworthy, Abū al-Fawāris, the emir Ibn al-Sharaf Lāḥiq. May the Creator establish you firmly in the favor He has bestowed upon you: the taking of the covenant from those who seek it, and the summons to the tawḥīd of the Lord of the worlds. May that steadfastness gather the qualities of good in you and, through its honor, bring you to the highest degrees.
Now then: praise belongs to our Lord al-Ḥākim, who received the covenant of His chosen friends and granted them authority to receive it from those who answer the Call of Truth. Let it be praise bringing the sincere in His tawḥīd to the House of Peace, and those of the multitude who cling to Him to the refuge of the righteous and fortunate.
Virtuous, religious shaykh: favors differ in excellence and responsibilities vary in rank. Nothing is better than the pure declaration of tawḥīd; no gift is richer than calling people through it to the Glorious, Self-Sufficient One. From these two things flow ever-multiplying good deeds and recurring blessings. I have judged you worthy of leading the guiding Call and proclaiming the exalted word, as I myself was appointed and called to it, through the permission of the Riser of the Age, by command of our Lord—glorified be He. Receive the authority over this guiding Call which I entrust to you with a strong resolve to obey, an unwavering covenant of service to tawḥīd, and firm, circumspect religious conviction.
This covenant is addressed to you today, but tomorrow you will answer for it, on the day when secrets are tested and destinies come before the Guardian of the religion, when every soul finds present what it has done. Endure thirst, fatigue, and difficulty for the sake of the highest stations and most distinguished degrees: you will find refreshment on a day when throats are parched, hopes are cut off, and tongues dry up. Beware, in everything you undertake or leave undone, the schemes of covenant-breaking apostates. Do not be entangled in the embellished speech of deceivers and alarmists. They are cut off from hearing and will be punished for their crimes. Leave them to play and dispute until the day they are promised.
Choose for yourself, from those marked by piety and religious commitment whose deeds precede them and whose actions testify to their certainty and excellence in tawḥīd, a company of approved Callers scattered among the great cities and flourishing settlements. Extend your proclamation into every district, however far or near. Do not appoint someone merely by a claimant’s word; examine his standing and proof in the Call. Where you can, set forth clear evidence and demonstration of tawḥīd for those who summon others.
Cause the covenant to be written for all who answer the guidance and whose sincerity becomes evident. Record the covenant for those whose response and sincere purpose have become clear. Beware the treacherous men who have severed the bond which the Creator commanded to be maintained and cast off the covenant's yoke, returning from obedience to the Guardian of the Command to rebellious humiliation through blindness of insight. Silence their false claims to the guiding Call, for their speech has become the language of the devil and Iblīs. They have become incapable of uttering the guiding truth, and their words serve the designs of Iblīs. The Guardian of Truth has already described those whose character resembles theirs: people whose hearts grow hard, who shift words away from their proper places, and who hold out hollow promises to those they deceive. Their evil ambitions will perish.
Make this known to the assured community of Unitarians after explaining the knowledge of the spiritual ranks and the distinctive properties of the religion. Establish for them the difference between spiritual and bodily ranks. Warn them against going near the dissidents' impossible claims or listening to their arguments and covenant-breaking doctrines. Whoever follows the dissidents and openly persists in opposition should be registered among the opponents, unless such people turn back from the hostility they have undertaken and repent of the covenant they violated. Then they shall be pardoned for their offenses, forgiven for what they have committed, and released from their errors and lapses after repentance.
If you find any earlier Caller or Authorized Instructor turning aside from the path of the people of tawḥīd and certainty, and breaking with those who possess insight, replace him with someone whose judgment and guidance in directing the Unitarians are sound and whose faith and tawḥīd are free of the doctrines of those who fall short. Arrange these appointments with piety and forbearance; take pride in skill and knowledge, for these are the qualities of religious people and those who truly know. Call others as you yourself were called; grant them some of the good that has been granted to you.
Let your words be united with truthfulness, the first of the obligatory duties. The second is preservation of the brethren and sisters, which rescues them from ruin. The third is the denial of nonexistence in relation to the God of the heavens and earth. The fourth is repudiation of the Iblises and tyranny at all times. The fifth is making clear the tawḥīd of the Creator of created things. The sixth and seventh are contentment with Him and submission to Him in every condition.
“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them in the best manner.” Appeal to your God in every affair: you have recourse to a mighty Refuge and Protector. Trust in Him and He will suffice you; seek His help and He will enrich you.
This is my charge to you. Make it a leader for your heart, a mirror before you, and a banner of guidance. If you receive it, the Guardian will grant you success in your actions and give you happiness through your righteous deeds. He is an excellent Protector and Helper.
Written in Muḥarram, the tenth year of the servant and possession of our Lord, the Riser of the Age, who takes vengeance upon the associators and apostates by the sword of our Lord—exalted be His power—and through the might of His sovereignty, the God of the worlds.
The appointment is complete through the favor of the Bestower of blessings.