In one of His Tablets Abdu'l-Baha has stated concerning opium: "the user, the buyer and the seller are all deprived of the bounty and grace of God". (239:2)

In yet another Tablet, Abdu'l-Baha has written:
Regarding hashish you have pointed out that some Persians have become habituated to its use. Gracious God! This is the worst of all intoxicants, and its prohibition is explicitly revealed. Its use causeth the disintegration of thought and the complete torpor of the soul. How could anyone seek the fruit of the infernal tree, and by partaking of it, be led to exemplify the qualities of a monster? How could one use this forbidden drug, and thus deprive himself of the blessings of the All-Merciful? (239:3)

Alcohol consumeth the mind and causeth man to commit acts of absurdity, but this opium, this foul fruit of the infernal tree, and this wicked hashish extinguish the mind, freeze the spirit, petrify the soul, waste the body and leave man frustrated and lost. (239:4)

It should be noted that the above prohibition against taking certain classes of drugs does not forbid their use when prescribed by qualified physicians as part of a medical treatment. (239:5)

171. the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign"
Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i (1753-1831), who was the founder of the Shaykhi School and the first of the "twin luminaries that heralded the advent of the Faith of the Bab", prophesied that at the appearance of the Promised One all things would be reversed, the last would be first, the first last. Baha'u'llah in one of His Tablets refers to the "symbol and allusion" of the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign". He states: "Through this reversal He hath caused the exalted to be abased and the abased to be exalted", and He recalls that "in the days of Jesus, it was those who were distinguished for their learning, the men of letters and religion, who denied Him, whilst humble fishermen made haste to gain admittance into the Kingdom" (see also note 172). For additional information about Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i see The Dawn-Breakers, chapters 1 and 10. (239:6)

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