Tablet of the City of the Radiant Acquiescence
A large Arabic tablet
1.
This is the City of Radiant Acquiescence.
2.
"In the Name of God, the Elevated, the Most Transcendent"
Allusion to the personal name and elevated status of the Bab, whose first name was Ali, that translates to 'elevated'. See too the name of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first of the twelve Imams.
3.
The Mercy of God maketh mention of His servant,
that he might thereby be chosen by the Supreme Concourse
4.
so that he might, at every moment, render thanks unto his Lord [God]
because His Bounties upon him have been realized,
and realized upon the peoples of the heavens and of the earth.
5.
6.
TRANSLATION IN PROGRESS
S. Lambden, University of California at Merced
Tablet of the Calamity of the Elevated Letters
Dedicated to Mirza Muhammad Vazir
Tablet of Eternity
A prayerful invocation in Arabic, that is uttered during the Islamic prayer ritual and other contexts, for example, Sufi Dhikr. ("Remembrance" [of God])
A formal way to start and finish reciting prayers, that are basically written transcripts of doctrine.
ETERNITY
1.
The Spirit within the Horizon of Holiness,
from the apex of the two wells, hath indeed shone forth.
2.
O Letter of Eternity!
Put ye on the two sandals of detchment Quran 20:12
then walk forth upon the Most Elevated Heights!
3.
Then praised be He Who created for Me this land of Eternity,
whereupon there did not even tread the feet of anybody among the chosen [servants] [of God].
4.
Therefore,
Praised be my Lord, the Most Elevated!
The tablet finishes with
5.
This is that which was inscribed upon the Tablet of Eternity by the Supreme Pen.
6.
Then glorified be He Who created Me,
He in whom is a Wisdom expressive of the Mysteries
which hath neither been witnessed nor envisaged .
7.
Therefore,
Praised be my Lord, the Most High!
The Tablet of Ahmad CHAPTER ONE
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Divisions 1-30
Arabic
AHMAD
1.
He is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise!
2.
Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity,
with holy and sweet melodies,
proclaiming to the sincere [servants of God] the glad tidings of the nearness of God,
3.
calling the believers in the Divine Union to the court of the Presence of the Generous [Lord],
4.
informing the severed ones of the message which hath been revealed by God,
the King, the Glorious, the Peerless,
guiding the lovers to the seat of sanctity, and to this resplendent Beauty.
5.
Verily this is that Most Great Beauty, foretold in the Books of the Messengers,
through Whom truth shall be distinguished from error
and the wisdom of every command shall be tested.
6.
Verily He is the Tree of Life that bringeth forth the fruits of God,
the Exalted, the Powerful, the Great.
7.
O Ahmad!
Bear thou witness that verily He is God, and there is no God save Him,
the King, the Protector, the Incomparable, the Omnipotent.
8.
And that the [Lord] Whom He hath sent forth by the name of ‘Alí¹
was the true [Lord] from God, to Whose commands we are all conforming.
8.
Say:
O people,
be obedient to the ordinances of God,
which have been enjoined in the Bayán by the Glorious, the Wise One.
9.
Verily He is the King of the Messengers
and His book is the Mother Book, if you only knew.
10.
Thus doth the Nightingale utter His call unto you from this prison.
11.
He hath simply to deliver this clear message:
12.
Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this counsel
and whosoever desireth let him choose the path to his Lord.
13.
O people,
if ye deny these verses, by what proof have ye believed in God?
14.
Produce it, O assemblage of false ones.
15.
Nay, by the [Lord] in Whose hand is my soul,
they are not, and never shall be able to do this,
even should they combine to assist each other.
16.
O Ahmad!
Forget not My bounties while I am absent.
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17.
Remember My days during thy days,
and My distress and banishment in this remote prison.
18.
And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver,
even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee
and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee.
19.
Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies
and a river of life eternal to My loved ones,
and be not of those who doubt.
20.
And if thou art overtaken by affliction in My path, or degradation for My sake,
be not thou troubled thereby.
21.
Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers.
22.
For the people are wandering in the paths of delusion,
bereft of discernment to see God with their own eyes, or hear His Melody with their own ears.
23.
Thus have We found them, as thou also dost witness.
24.
Thus have their superstitions become veils between them and their own hearts
and kept them from the path of God, the Exalted, the Great.
25.
Be thou assured in thyself that verily, he who turns away from this Beauty
hath also turned away from the Messengers of the past
and showeth pride towards God from all eternity to all eternity.
26.
Learn well this Tablet, O Ahmad,
chant it during thy days and withhold not thee therefrom.
27.
For verily, God hath ordained for the one who chants it,
the reward of [a hundred] martyrs and a service in both worlds.
28.
These favors have We bestowed upon thee as a bounty on Our part
and a mercy from Our presence,
that thou mayest be of those who are grateful.
29.
By God! Should one who is in affliction or grief read this Tablet with absolute sincerity,
God will dispel his sadness, solve his difficulties, and remove his afflictions.
Verily, He is the Merciful, the Compassionate.
30.
Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.
Tablet of the Sufficiency CHAPTER ONE
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Divisions 1-30
SUFFICIENCY
1.
This is the Chapter of the Sufficiency.
2.
It was assuredly sent down on the part of the True [Lord] regarding the question of knowledge.
3.
In the Name of God, who, no God is there except Him,
and He is God who is Powerful over all things.
4.
O people of the letter "H"! (Hā')
Hearken unto the melody of the Crimson Leaf in the Paradise of the Divine Cloud
for He, verily, is the Light [of] the Radiant Temple [of Sinai]
Who acteth on behalf of God, as a Manifest Light unto the worlds.
5.
Bear witness unto the Countenance of the theophany through the Robe of Light
that is evident beyond Mount Qāf, at the right-hand side of the Mount [Sinai].
6.
He, assuredly, is the True [Lord]
who hath ever been the very essence of the divine Unicity which is the Camphor Fount.
7.
Emerge ye, at the command of God,
from your dwelling places then enter the garden of the inmost heart
8.
This is indeed the Abode of Light at this the time of heedlessness
before the Citadel [Object] of fervent Devotion.
9.
This is just a dewdrop from the oceans of the divine Logos-Command
which hath been inscribed in the Tablet of Life, the very essence of the celestial Fire.
10.
If thou should desire to attain the presence of the Countenance of God
then rise up unto the heaven of the atmosphere
so that thou may hearken unto the Call of the Almighty Bird, [saying]
11.
`There is no other God save Him, the [Lord], the Subduer'.
12.
And He is God Who hath ever been of All- Encompassing Power over all things.
13.
O people of the earth!
Hearken unto the Call of the Leaf of the Divine Persona
which springeth up from the Tree of all-Eternity,
and] which groweth up within the All-Enduring Realm
singing entrancing divine verses to the effect that,
14.
`He, assuredly is the True [Lord];
no God is there save Him'.
15.
He is God, Who hath ever been independent of all the worlds.
16.
O citizens of the Celestial Cloud!
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This is the Paradise of the Divine Oneness, the Orchard of Eternality.
17.
Then dwell therein with the permission of God;
there is none other God save Him.
18.
And He is God Who hath ever been cognizant of all things.
19.
So hearken ye unto the melody of the ecstasy inducing voice
that cometh from the visage of [somebody] seated upon the couch of divine nearness,
the Point of the Theophany,
the Inmost Secret,
the Secreted Essence of the Book.
20.
This to the effect that He is indeed the True [Lord] besides Whom there is none other,
and He is God Who hath ever been witness unto all things.
21.
Wherefore doth God reorient thee towards the two motionless [letter] "A"s
to the end that ye may realize that he hath ever been powerful over all things.
22.
Should thou become aware of the Evident Temple within thine inmost Heart
thou would surely find composure from God
to the extent that thou would bear witness that God is certainly
the All-Sufficient Who hath ever been a patron [supporter] over the totality of the worlds.
23.
Enter ye then the House of Light,
the Snow-White Land, the Crimson Pillar,
24.
the Firmly Established Abode which is the Abode of the Hereafter, Quran 10:25
the Primal Mystery which is assuredly the Source of Life inscribed in the Mother Book.
25.
Should thou become aware of a single melody of the divine utterance,
thou would certainly find repose and be protected from
grandiose suppositions and vain allusions from the dissent [of the rejectors] of the veiled [Lord].
26.
O people of the Concourse!
Hearken ye unto the songs of the Antof endless duration [a worker]
that singeth with the verses of the divine union, [of the anthill]
indicative of the fact that `He is indeed the True [Lord],
the point of the divine cloud (or, Beclouded Realm),
the locale of the divine persona'.
27.
So exalted be God, the King, the True [Lord],
Who hath ever been powerful over all things.
28.
This is the Call of the Hoopoe of Servitude (Bahā-ullah)
in the heaven of manifest Justice, who stands before the All-Glorious [Lord God].
29.
He, verily, is the [servant] Hidden,
through the Pure Wine of the Theophany, the Mystery of the All-Beauteous [Lord].
30.
Therefore praised be He,
He is God Who hath ever been witness unto all things.
Tablet of the Sufficiency CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 31-65
SUFFICIENCY
31.
O citizens of the Celestial Cloud!
Guard [purify] thyselves lest ye be agitated within
on account of the delusive Grandiosity and Subtle Profundities
and their negative [prohibitory] aspects and their authoritative tone,
32.
for such is an expression of justice from the clouds of the divine Graciousness
inasmuch as the same hath ever been revealed according to a heaven sent wisdom.
33.
O ye denizens of the realms of Being!
Eat ye of the succulent fruit of the Crimson Tree
which hath been planted in the land of realization, the Point of Origination,
the Mystery of the [eschatological] end-time, and the secreted mystery of the Divine Decree.
34.
Thus is the decree of the Book which originates with God
and hath ever been sealed up in the Mother Book.
35.
Issue forth then from your habitations in order that you might be present
in the Sanctum of holiness, the intimate threshold of the celestial cloud
whose decree hath, with the express permission of God, the Exalted [Lord],
ever been witnessed in the Tablet of the Heart.
36.
So make thou witness, O concealed Letter,
that the Logos-Soul of Knowledge is the pristine wine of
the Theophany expressed in the Book of God,
a single letter of which hath not been grasped by anybody.
37.
Such fancy intellectual words hath ever, on the part of God, the Lord of all the worlds,
been inscribed in the tablet of the divine decree.
38.
With Him is the knowledge of the heavens and of the earth
and what lieth between them as well as the knowledge of all things,
for He Who is God hath ever been knowledgeable of all things.
39.
He it is Who, through the knowledge of what is being sent down from heaven,
whatsoever is drawn out from the earth, as well as that which rageth about upon it,
goeth forth from it, and approacheth it,
was certainly part of His knowledge which hath ever been preserved
on the part of God, the Exalted, in the Book of Light. (kitab al-nur)
40.
Then make witness that the essence of the origination [of existence]
is He Who is the locale of knowledge in the realms of existence.
41.
Wherefore is it that the essence of knowledge regarding the Divine Essence
is [focused in] the very Logos-Self of the Divine Essence.
42.
Nobody knoweth how He is save Him,
for He is God Who hath ever seen witness of all things.
43.
He is the [Lord] Who giveth victory unto whomsoever He pleaseth
through the [exalted] angels of Light.
44.
Such an one is assuredly the divine Theophany, the Pillar of Praise,
the Mystery of divine Glorification about the figurehead [brow] of aloneness,
the cloud of Isolated Uniqueness who yet hath ever, in very truth, been manifestly apparent.
45.
With Him is the knowledge of the scriptural Tablets
and the knowledge of all things in the Book of the Spirit (kitāb al-rūḥ)
although the people are without the capacity to witness even a token thereof
although God is He Who hath ever been knowledgeable of all things.
46.
So praised be unto He with whom is the Kingdom of the verses that He sendeth down
in whatever manner he pleaseth, by virtue of a command on His part.
47.
He is God who hath ever been, the [Lord] Who taketh account of all things.
48.
O people of the earth!
Should ye desire to become informed of the Reality of Knowledge
[then] become ye informed of the Countenance of Light.
49.
Say:
`Praise be to God!
50.
He is God Who hath ever been exalted
beyond the knowledge [gnosis] of the totality of the Azalīs. [the [false] Bābīs?]
51.
O Letter of the Divine Bounty!
Say:
`Praised be God!
52.
He is God, who hath ever been sanctified above the description of such as are cut off. [from Him]
53.
By the True [Lord]! He hath ever been known
by virtue of the Logos-Persona of the True Lord].
54.
O citizens of the Concourse!
Suppose ye not through evil supposition
and utter ye not that which ye do not carry out;
should, that is, ye aspire to become informed of even a letter of the Book of the Divine Cause!
55.
O Visage of the Divine Bounty!
Make thou witness unto the fact that the Essence of thy Divine Bounty hath never ceased
to be that Divine Bounty which is prostrate before God, the All-Mighty, the [Lord].
56.
No God is there save Him.
57.
He is God Who hath ever been witness unto all things
58.
Say:
Hast thou not born witness unto that which God sent down aforetime and also thereafter,
unto a younger Beloved [Lord],
for he is none other than the Logos-Persona of the Beloved [Lord].
59.
This in that the Covenant of God never taketh hold of the iniquitous,
such that is, as are given to denial.
60.
This inasmuch as He is assuredly is the [Lord] before whom prostrate all
that inhabit the heavens and the earth, and what lieth between them.
61.
And He is God Who hath ever been a Sustainer of all things.
62.
So praised be He in Whose hand is the Kingdom of the Invisible
and the powerful Dominion of the Visible He makes manifest whomsoever He wills
through a command on His part.
63.
And He, verily, is the True [Lord].
There is no other God save Him.
63.
He is God Who hath ever been independent of all the worlds.
64.
He is assuredly the [Lord] before Whose knowledge not a single thing,
whether in the heavens or on the earth, or what lieth between them, remaineth hidden.
65.
And He is God Who hath ever encompassed all things.
Translated by S. Lambden
Select notes on the Surat al-kifāya
VI:1 Here Bahā'-Allāh clearly refers to himself as "this lowly, this forsaken ant". As far as I am aware the only other writing in which Bahā'-Allāh refers to himself as nimla(t) an "ant" is the Lawḥ-i kull al-ṭa`ām (Tablet of All Food, c. 1854). The exact source of the motif of the "ant" as applied by Bahā'-Allāh to himself is not clear. It may be that it is rooted in the Bāb's exegesis of Qur'ān 27:15ff (Tafsīr surat al-baqara, 92) Obscure interpretations of qur'ānic verses and prophetological stories are fairly common in Bābī-Bahā'ī scripture. No less obscure, for example, than Bahā'-Allāh's referring to himself as an "ant" is the Bāb 's equating Imām Alī with the "gnat" mentioned in Qur'ān 2:26. Such metaphorical images may seem obscure, but a close study of the use of Arabic terms indicative of divine attributes in the Lawḥ-i kull al-ṭa`ām leads to the conclusion that leading Bābīs are alluded to themselves in highly evocative ways.
Several of the writings of Bahā'-Allāh of the Iraq period contain allusions to the exalted status of Quddus and Mirza Yahya. Towards the end of the Sahifa-yi shaṭṭiyya (c. 1857-8?) for example, we have the following Bābī confession of faith:
"He verily, no god is there except Him. Alī before Muhammad [= the Bāb ] is the Essence of God (dhāt Allāh) and His All-Enduring Being. Muhammad before `Ali [= Mirza Muhammad `Ali Barfurushi, Quddūs] is the Treasury of the Cause of God (ma`dan amr Allāh) and His Perpetual Essence. The Countenance of the Living One (tal`at al-ḥayy = Mirzā Yaḥyā?) is the Hidden Retreat of the decree of God (makman ḥukm Allah) and his upright bounty. The Letters of the Living (ḥuruf al-ḥayy) are the first to believe in God and His signs [verses]. And we, one and all, hold fast unto them".
Worth noting is the fact that the Surat al-kifāya contains several passages parallel to parts of the Lawḥ-i kull al-ṭa`ām (c. 1854) ...
Tablet of Visitation of Bahá’u’lláh CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-25
A tablet read at the Shrines of Bahá-ulláh and the Báb. It is also frequently used to honor their anniversaries.
VISITATION OF BAHAULLAH
[1.]
[He is God, etc]
2.
The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august personage,
and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most brilliant Beauty, rest upon Thee,
O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur,
and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth!
3.
I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion,
and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed,
and the Daystars of ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree,
and the Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation.
4.
I testify, moreover, that with merely a movement of Thy Pen Thine injuction “Be Thou”
hath been enforced, and God's hidden Secret hath been divulged,
and all created things have been called into being, and all the Revelations have been sent down.
5.
I bear witness, moreover,
that through Thy beauty the beauty of the Adored One hath been unveiled,
and through Thy face the face of the Desired One hath shone forth,
and that through a word from Thee Thou hast decided between all created things,
causing them who are devoted to Thee to ascend unto the summit of glory,
and the infidels to fall into the lowest abyss.
6.
I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God,
and he who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God.
7.
Great, therefore, is the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy signs,
and hath humbled himself before Thy sovereignty,
and hath been honored with meeting Thee, and hath attained the good pleasure of Thy will,
and circled around Thee, and stood before Thy throne.
8.
Woe betide him that hath transgressed against Thee, and hath denied Thee,
and repudiated Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy sovereignty,
and risen up against Thee, and waxed proud before Thy face,
and hath disputed Thy testimonies, and fled from Thy rule and Thy dominion,
and been numbered with the infidels whose names have been inscribed by the fingers of Thy behest upon Thy holy Tablets.
9.
Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved,
from the right hand of Thy mercy and Thy loving-kindness,
the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy presence.
10.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee.
11.
Thou, truly, hast been supreme over all things.
12.
The remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His splendor,
rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art His Beauty!
13.
I bear witness that the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee.
14.
Thou wast immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations.
15.
At one time Thou wast in chains and fetters;
at another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies.
16.
Yet, despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe
what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
17.
May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer,
and my soul be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain.
18.
I beseech God, by Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined
with the splendors of the light of Thy countenance,
19.
and who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto they were bidden,
to remove the veils that have come in between Thee and Thy creatures,
and to supply me with the good of this world and the world to come.
20.
Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious,
the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
21.
Bless Thou, O Lord my God, the Divine Lote-Tree and its leaves,
and its boughs, and its branches, and its stems, and its offshoots,
as long as Thy most excellent titles will endure and Thy most august attributes will last.
22.
Protect it, then, from the mischief of the aggressor and the hosts of tyranny.
23.
Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
24.
Bless Thou, also, O Lord my God,
Thy servants and Thy handmaidens who have attained unto Thee.
Thou, truly, art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite.
25.
No God is there save Thee,
the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
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