Tablet of the Book of the River (Tigris)
Tablet to `Ali Pasha III CHAPTER ONE
the Sultan of Turkey Divisions 1-25
Describing the sufferings of Baha-ullah and his followers, after his arrival in Akka.
SULTAN OF TURKEY
1.
He is the Possessor in His might and power!
2.
The Supreme Pen proclaims:
O, thou personage, who considerest thyself the greatest of all men,
while looking upon the Divine Youth, thinking him to be the lowest of men,
yet through him the Eye of the Supreme Concourse is brightened and illumined.
3.
This Youth has never made nor will he ever make a request of thee:
4.
For from the beginning every one of the Manifestations of Mercifulness and the dawning-Places of the Glory of the Almighty, who have stepped forth from the Realm of Immortality upon the arena of existence and shone forth with great splendor for the quickening of the dead,
5.
men like thee have considered those Sanctified Souls and Temples of Oneness upon whom the reformation of the world depends, as the people of strife, and wrong-doers.
6.
Verily, their names (the deniers) are forgotten and ere long thy name will also be forgotten and thou shalt find thyself in great loss.
7.
According to thy opinion this quickener of the World and its Peace-Maker is culpable and seditious.
8.
What crime have the women, children and suffering babes committed, to merit thy wrath, oppression and hate?
9.
In every religion and community the children are considered innocent, nor does the Pen of Divine Command hold them responsible, yet the reign of thy tyranny and despotism has surrounded them.
10.
If thou art the follower of any religion or sect, read thou the Heavenly Books, the Inspired Epistles and the Divine Writings, so that thou mayest realize the irresponsibility of children.
11.
On the other hand, even those people who do believe in God, have never committed such crimes.
12.
In everything an effect is hidden, and no one has denied the effects of things except an ignorant one who is completely denied and deprived of intelligence.
13.
Therefore, undoubtedly the lamentation of these children and the cries of these wronged ones will produce a great effect.
|
|
|
14.
You have persecuted a number of souls who have shown no opposition to your country
and who have instigated no revolution against the government;
15.
nay, rather, days and nights they have been peacefully engaged in the mentioning of God.
16.
You have pillaged their properties
and through your tyrannical acts, all they had was taken from them.
17.
When the order was issued for the banishment of this Youth, these souls began to lament,
18.
yet the officers who constituted my guard mentioned that these souls had committed no wrong,
nor has the government banished them,
yet if they desire they may follow you for no one will oppose them.
19.
Consequently, they paid all their own expenses and leaving their property behind,
they were contented with the Countenance of this Youth and trusting upon God they departed again with the True One, until the fortress of Akka became the place of the incarceration of Baha'.
20.
The day after the arrival, the officials of the army surrounded the men, women, and children
and carried them to the gloomy dungeon of the barrack.
21.
The first night they were given neither bread nor water,
for the sentinels were guarding the door of the prison and permitted no one to leave the place.
22.
They did not consider the plight of these wronged ones.
23.
Water was asked for, but it was refused.
24.
It is now some time since we are all imprisoned in this dungeon;
25.
although we were living for five years in Adrianople and all the people, whether ignorant or wise, rich or poor, testified to the sanctity and holiness of these servants.
Tablet to the Sultan of Turkey CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 26-60
|
|
|
SULTAN OF TURKEY
26.
When departing from Adrianople one of the believers of God sacrificed himself with his own hand, for he could not see this Wronged One in the hands of the tyrants.
27.
On our way we were transferred three times, from one ship to another, and it is evident that a number of the children suffered under these severe circumstances.
28.
When we left the steamer, they separated four of the friends from us, and prevented them from following, and upon the departure of this Youth, one of the four, named Abdul Gaffar, threw himself into the sea and no one has ever found any trace of him.
29.
This is a drop of the ocean of persecution which surrounded and encircled us.
30.
Notwithstanding these things, they are not yet satisfied, and every day the officers of the government are increasing their hard-heartedness, nor is it ended;
day and night they are forming new intrigues and adding to our sufferings.
31.
From the government supplies, these prisoners receive three loaves of bread to last for twenty-four hours, and no one is able to eat it.
32.
From the beginning of the world, no such persecutions have been seen or heard of!
33.
I declare by the One who has commanded Baha' to speak, between the heavens and the earth, there is no name or mention for you equal to those who sacrificed their spirits, bodies and property for the love of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Omnipotent!
34.
Before God, a handful of dust is greater than your kingdom, sovereignty, glory and dominion, and should He desire, He would scatter you as the sand of the desert, and ere long His wrath shall overtake thee, revolutions shall appear in your midst and your countries will be divided!
35.
Then you will weep and lament and nowhere will you find help and protection.
36.
The mentioning of these facts is not for the sake of your becoming mindful,
for already the wrath of God has surrounded you, but you have not nor will you become mindful; neither is it for the sake of reciting the persecutions which have descended upon these holy souls,
37.
for they are intoxicated with the Wine of the Merciful and they are so exhilarated with the clear Salsabil of Divine Providence, that should the persecutions of all the world descend upon them in the Path of God, they are satisfied, nay, rather, grateful; they never had nor will they ever have any complaints to offer.
|
|
|
38.
At every moment the blood in their bodies begs and supplicates from the Lord of both worlds, that it be shed upon the ground in His Path; likewise their heads yearn to be raised upon a spear for the sake of the Beloved of the heart and soul.
39.
For several times the tests of God have descended upon you, and you were not mindful;
40.
one was a conflagration which burned the city with the Fire of Justice,
so much so that poets have composed poems about it, declaring that such a conflagration has never appeared before; notwithstanding this your negligence increased.
Then the cholera came, and still you remained heedless.
41.
Be ye watchful, for the wrath of God is prepared, and ere long ye shall behold that which is descended from the Pen of Command.
42.
Have ye thought that your glory is everlasting, or did ye dream that your kingdom would remain forever?
43.
No, by the life of God! Your glory is not eternal, and our humiliation will not last.
44.
This humiliation is the diadem of all the glories, and only man in his perfection can comprehend it.
45.
When this Youth was a child and had not yet reached the age of maturity,
one of my brothers intended to marry in Teheran and according to the custom of that country,
for seven days and nights they were engaged in feasting and banqueting.
46.
The program for the last day of the entertainments for the guests was the play of Sultan Salim.
47.
The ministers, the grandees and officials of the city were there in a great throng, and this Youth was sitting in one of the galleries of the building and was observing the scenes.
48.
Then they raised a great tent in the middle of the court; representations of human forms only a few inches in height would come out of the tent and cry:
"The king is coming, arrange the seats in order."
|
|
|
49.
Then the other figures came out, sweeping the round while a number were sprinkling the streets with water; then another picture was presented, who was supposed to be the herald, acquainting the people to be ready for review before His Majesty, the Sultan.
50.
Then the ministers came, with hat and shawl, according to the Persian custom; others were present with clubs, while a number of others were garbed chamberlains, aides-de-camp, ferrashes and executioners with instruments of punishment.
51.
All these men were lined according to their station and class.
52.
At last the king appeared, with sovereign power and shining diadem upon his head, and with splendor and glory walked slowly and majestically, and with perfect calmness, tranquility and composure, seated himself upon the throne.
53.
At that moment the noise of the guns and the music of the national anthem was raised, and the smoke surrounded the tent and the king.
54.
When the air was cleared, it was seen that the king was on his throne, and the ministers, the magistrates and secretaries had taken their places according to their rank.
55.
Immediately, a thief, captured by the police, was brought before the king, and royal order was issued to behead him.
56.
Then the chief of the executioners took the captive and decapitated him, and a red fluid, which was like blood, was seen by all the spectators.
57.
While the Sultan was consulting with some of his ministers, the news was brought in that a certain person had become a rebel.
58.
The Sultan issued orders that several regiments of soldiers and artillerymen be sent to the scene and quell the disturbance.
59.
After a few minutes the thunderous noise of guns and artillery was heard behind the tent, and we were told they were engaged in battle.
60.
This Youth became astonished and bewildered at these affairs.
Then the review ended and the curtain descended.
Tablet to the Sultan of Turkey CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 61-90
SULTAN OF TURKEY
61.
After twenty minutes a man came out from behind the tent with a box under his arm.
62.
I asked him,
"What is this box? Where is the king and all the men?"
63.
He answered that all these great things and manifest objects, such kings, princes and ministers, glory, majesty, power and sovereignty that we beheld were enclosed in this box.
64.
I declare by the Lord who has created all things through His Word, that from that day all the conditions of this world and its greatness are like that play before the eyes of this Youth.
65.
It has not nor will ever have the weight of a mustard seed.
66.
I was wondering greatly that the people glorify themselves in these affairs, notwithstanding this, the people of insight will discern with the eye of certainty the end of the glory of every great one before beholding it.
67.
I have seen nothing except I have discerned its transiency, and God testifies to this.
68.
It is incumbent upon every soul in these few days of life to spend them in truthfulness and justice and if he be not confirmed with the knowledge of the True One, he can at least walk in the path of equity and intelligence.
69.
Ere long all these apparent things, manifest treasuries, worldly wealth, valiant soldiers, beautiful dresses and haughty souls, will he enclosed in the box-like tomb, similar to the box which contained all the players, and all this quarrel, strife and so-called honors are like the play of the children before the people of insight.
70.
Be ye admonished, and be not of those who see the Truth and yet deny.
71.
These things will not affect this Youth and the friends of the True One, for they are all prisoners and enchained, and will not nor will ever make any request of people like thee.
72.
The point is this, that thou mayest raise thy head from the bed of negligence and become mindful and not oppose the servants of God without reason.
73.
Bear in mind that so far as power and strength remain in the body, thou shouldst remove persecutions from the oppressed ones.
74.
Shouldst thou have a little justice and behold with the eye of certainty in the affairs and differences of the ephemeral world, thou shalt acknowledge that all of them are like unto the above-mentioned play. Hearken unto the word of Truth!
75.
Be thou not proud on account of the world.
76.
Where are those people who were like unto thee, who claimed divinity in this earth without the permission of God, and desired to extinguish the Light of God and to demolish the foundation of Truth?
77.
Dost thou see any one of them?
78.
Be just!
79.
Then turn to God, perchance He may forgive the sins thou hast committed in this ephemeral life.
80.
Yet we know that thou shalt not become assisted in this, for through thy tyranny the Fire of Sinai flamed forth, the Spirit wept, and the hearts of the angels bled.
81.
O, ye people of the earth!
Hearken to the voice of this Oppressed One with the ear of the soul, and ponder ye deeply over the above-mentioned story.
82.
Perchance ye may not be burned with the fire of passion and desire, and be not prevented from the meeting of the True One, through the worthless things of the faithless world.
83.
Glory and abasement, poverty and wealth, trouble and tranquillity, all shall pass away, and ere long all the inhabitants of the earth shall return to the tomb.
84.
Therefore every possessor of insight must behold the immortal outlook, that peradventure, through the Bounties of the Eternal Sovereign, he may enter into the everlasting Kingdom and rest under the shade of the Tree of Command.
85.
Although the world is the place of treachery and duplicity, yet under all circumstances it reminds all the people with the idea of change.
86.
The passing of the father is an admonition for the son, and it reminds him that he, too, must pass away.
87.
It would have been well if the people of the world who are amassing great fortunes and are deprived of the True One, knew what would become of their great wealth.
88.
By the Life of Baha', no one is cognizant of this fact except God, Glorified is His Station!
89.
The philosopher, Avicena -- peace be upon him -- says:
"Be admonished, O ye whose hearts are darkened,
be ye admonished O ye, whose faces are covered with the lines of age!"
90.
However, the majority of the people are asleep.
Tablet to the Sultan of Turkey CHAPTER FOUR
Divisions 91-120
SULTAN OF TURKEY
91.
The example of those souls is like unto a person who was so intoxicated with wine
that he was showing the signs of affection to a dog,
and showering upon him tender words of love and affection.
92.
When the morning of intelligence dawned,
and the horizons of the heaven were illumined with the brilliant orb,
he beheld that his beloved was only a dog;
when ashamed regretful and remorseful on account of his act, he returned to his home.
93.
Do thou not think that thou hast made this Youth powerless,
or that thou hast conquered him.
94.
Thou art defeated by one of the servants, but knowest it not.
95.
The worst and lowest of creatures ruled over thee,
and that is thy passion and desire, which has been condemned forever.
96.
If it were not on account of the consummate Wisdom of God thou wouldst have seen thy weakness and the weakness of the people of the earth.
97.
This humility is the glory of My Cause, wert thou to know!
98.
This Youth has never loved nor will ever love to utter any word which is against courtesy.
99.
Verily, courtesy is My Garment with which we have adorned the temples of our favorite servants.
100.
Otherwise some of thy actions that thou thinkest are unknown, would be mentioned in this Tablet.
101.
O, thou possessor of might!
These little children and these friends of God did not need the officers and soldiers as guards.
102.
After our arrival, one of the officers presented himself
and after much conversation expressed his own innocence and thy crime.
103.
This Youth mentioned to him that:
"Primarily, it was necessary to bring about a meeting of the Ullamas of the time and Himself
so that the crimes of which these servants are accused might become evident.
104.
However, time has passed and according to thy statement
thou art commanded to imprison us in the 'most desolate city.'
105.
But I have one wish to make of thee, and that is to request of His Majesty, the Sultan, to grant Me an audience of ten minutes in order that he may ask proofs and arguments which he thinks would establish the validity of the Word of God.
106.
If the proofs which he desires are made manifest on the part of God, he should then liberate these wronged ones and leave them to their own condition."
107.
He promised to take this message and send an answer, but we heard nothing more from him; although it is not the Station of this True One to present Himself before any person, for all the people are created for His worship:
108.
Yet for the sake of these little children and the number of women who are away from their country and people, we volunteered this act, but notwithstanding this, no result was produced.
109.
Omar is living and ready, ask of him so that the Truth may become manifest to thee.
110.
Now all these exiled ones are sick and lying in prison.
111.
No one but God the Mighty, the Glorious, knows what will happen to us.
112.
During the first days two of these servants passed into the Supreme Concourse.
113.
One day one of the officers commanded that they could not remove those blessed bodies unless they were paid for the shroud and casket, although no one ever asked anything of them.
114.
At that time we possessed no means, and when we insisted that they leave the work to us and allow the friends to prepare the dead for burial, they refused.
115.
Finally they took a rug to the bazaar and sold it at auction, and delivered the money to the officers.
116.
Later on it became evident that they only dug the ground and laid the two blessed bodies in the one grave, although they had been doubly paid for shrouds and caskets.
117.
The pen is unable and the tongue is powerless to describe that which has descended upon us; however, all these poisons of tests are sweeter to this Youth than honey.
118.
I pray that under all circumstances the trials of the world in the Path of God and the Love of the Merciful may descend upon this Ocean of Significances.
We beg of Him patience and endurance.
119.
Thou art weak, and knowest it not.
Couldst thou realize and be perfumed with the fragrance wafted from the direction of the Ancient Beauty, thou wouldst leave everything that thou hast in hand and hasten to come and live in one of the ruined rooms of this Most Great Prison.
120.
Ask thou of God that thou mayest attain to the age of maturity so that thou mayest recognize the beauty and ugliness of deeds and actions.
Peace be upon those who follow guidance!
Translated by A. Sohrab
Translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, especially for the STAR OF THE WEST
Tablet of Pilgrimage to Shiraz CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-30
(unto the house of the Báb)
PILGRIMAGE TO SHIRAZ
1.
O Muhammad,
when the fragrances of holiness have drawn thee unto them and turned thee unto the land of the All-Merciful that thou mayest discover the breezes of divine praise,
2.
go forth then by permission of Thy Lord, the Generous, unto the spot around which circle the angels that are nigh unto God, they that sing His praises about the Throne.
3.
At the moment when thou arisest from thy place, seeking to turn in the direction of God, thy Lord, take off from thy body the robe of conceit and desire, and from thy feet the sandals of sin and wickedness,
for thou art entering the spot that none may reach save he that casteth behind him all that are on earth and in the heavens,
4.
wherein naught but the greatest righteousness shall be accepted,
if thou art of them that comprehend,
and around which circle the Mount of Command and the Land of Holiness and the Sinai of Glory and the hearts of them that ascend at all times unto the heaven of nearness.
5.
None other shall ever attain unto it nor be mentioned by God as having reached it, even should he dwell there for 1,000 years as you number them.
6.
And when thou hast journeyed from thy being and from the world and its people and hast travelled unto God, thy Lord, and hast reached the spot at which thou beholdest the outskirts of the city, dismount and stop where thou art and say:
7.
"Spirit and light and glory and praise be upon thee, O City of God,
O dwelling-place of His names,
O treasury of His attributes,
O source of His bounties,
O [rich] mine of His grace,
O place of the manifestation of His effulgences that have encompassed all creation.
8.
I bear witness that from thy outskirts appeared the Primal Point (the Báb)
and the ornament of pre-existence and the eternal mystery
and the universal word and the fixed decrees and the hidden secrets.
9.
Thus hast thou surpassed all others in receiving grace from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsistent."
10.
Lift up, then, your hands unto God, thy Lord, with humility and self-effacement, with submission and pleasing contentment, and say:
11.
"O Lord,
praise be to Thee for the wonders of Thy gifts and the graces of Thy bestowals.
12.
How can I give thanks to Thee, O my God,
for having provided me with the visitation of Thy House and having honoured me with it and having chosen me for this bounty in which none hath preceded me and having taught me what none hath known but Thee?
13.
Wherefore, O my God,
I have fled from the house of my self and taken refuge in the place in which Thy most exalted Self hath been established;
I have taken flight from whatever hath kept me back from drawing nigh unto Thee and gone for protection unto the precincts of Thy most great mercy.
14.
Deprive me not, then, O my God,
of that which belongeth unto Thee and cause me not to be occupied with any but Thee.
Thou, verily, art the Mighty, the Forgiving.
15.
O Lord,
make me steadfast in Thy love and in the love of Thy friends,
and cause me not to be of them that have disbelieved in Thy verses after they were sent down,
them that have mocked them after their perfumes had encompassed all created things and all that was brought into existence in the visible and the invisible worlds.
16.
O Lord,
send unto me the rod of Thy grace and bounty
that I may cleave therewith the sea of being and desire, pass over it, and reach
the pavilion of the glory of Thine exaltation and the tabernacle of the holiness of Thy protection,
lest there be made manifest from me that which Thy good-pleasure abhorreth.
17.
Thou, verily, art He that doeth as He willest,
and Thou art, in truth, the Lord of this firmly builded House."
18.
Ride on, then, until thou reachest a spot at which there shall be between thee and the city only a thousand steps, be it more or less.
19.
Whereupon, dismount and immerse thyself in water, as thou hast been commanded in the Book of God, the Protector, the Exalted, the Self-Subsistent.
20.
And when thou comest forth from the water, trim thy moustache, then clip thy nails, then shave thy head, then make use of the best of perfumes, then put on the best clothes you are able to afford.
21.
And if thou art not able to perform that which We have commanded thee, be thou not saddened, for God hath pardoned thee;
He, verily, is the Powerful, the Forgiving, the Pardoner.
22.
Strive, then, within thyself that, at the moment thy eye falleth upon the city and thou comest close to it, thy heart may be purified from the mention of all things
23.
in such wise that thou mayest cast behind thee all that hath been created between the earth and the heavens, for thou art at that moment walking before the King of all creation, thy Sovereign of names and attributes.
24.
Thus instructeth thee the Pen of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all things, if thou art of them that know.
25.
And when thou hast performed that which We have commanded thee, rise from that spot and turn your face towards the House.
Tablet of Pilgrimage to Shiraz CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 26-60
PILGRIMAGE TO SHIRAZ
26.
Then stop, then raise your hands in humble devotion to God, the Powerful, the Protector, the Beloved, and say:
27.
"O my God, this is the spot through which the eyes of them that desire Thee have been solaced and the hearts of Thy lovers have been attracted;
28.
this is the utmost goal of them that seek Thee and the highest desire of them that yearn for Thee.
29.
This is the spot wherein the eyes of them that know Thee have rained tears in their separation from Thee and the faces of them that have attained unto Thee have turned yellow in their longing for Thy beauty.
30.
I beseech Thee, O my God, by it and by the effulgences of the lights of the glory of Thy oneness and the flashes of the manifestation of the holiness of Thy divinity, to release me from the fire of my self and to sanctify me from all that is unworthy of Thy sovereignty.
Thou, verily, art the Protector, the Self-Subsistent."
31.
Lower, then, thy hands until they reach the level of thy cheeks, then magnify God (with the phrase Allahu akbar) nine times, then raise thy hands yet again unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of all that hath been and all that is, and say:
32.
"O my God, this is the city wherein Thy sovereignty was made manifest and the signs of the glory of Thy grandeur appeared and Thy verses were sent down and Thy word was completed and Thy might was exalted and Thy proof shone forth and Thy mercy encompassed all things and all that is in the heavens and the earth.
33.
There beareth witness unto this my self and my heart and my tongue and beyond them blessed servants.
34.
Whereupon, I beseech Thee, O my God,
by it (the city) and all that hath been manifested in it to remove that which hath kept me far from the shore of the holiness of Thy mercy and bounty and shut me out from the precincts of the outpouring of Thy grace and bestowal.
35.
Clothe me, then, O my God,
in the robe of Thy graciousness and bounty.
Thou wiliest and Thou art, truly, the Mighty, the Exalted, the Beloved.
36.
Give me, then, to drink, O my God,
from the fountain of the glory of Thy knowledge and the living waters of the holiness of meeting with Thee,
37.
waters which, were but a drop from them to be sprinkled upon all created things, they would be raised to eternal, everlasting life, standing before Thy face and the manifestations of the flashes of the lights of Thy countenance.
Thou, verily, art the Mighty, the Exalted, the Holy."
38.
Lower, then, thy hands and walk upon the ground with the dignity of God and His tranquillity.
39.
And as thou walkest proclaim the singleness of thy Lord (with the phrase "there is no god but God")
then proclaim His greatness (with the phrase Allahu akbar),
then His holiness (with the phrase Allahu aqdás),
then His majesty (with the phrase Allahu amjad).
40.
Follow, then, in the ways of the messengers and the manners of them that are near to God, saying:
"Here am I, O my God, here am I;
greetings unto Thee, and the light be before Thee."
41.
Repeat these words as much as will not cool down the fire of thy ardour and passion.
42.
Thus We have instructed thee in truth that thou mayest be of them that act in accordance with what they have been commanded.
43.
Know, then, that thou didst answer thy Lord with these words when He ascended the Throne and called upon all created things with His words
"Am I not your Lord?"
44.
Those words are the secret of those others, if ye be of them that ponder upon the mysteries of their Lord.
45.
Indeed, shouldst thou behold with the eye of thine inner being, thou shalt at that moment behold Him raised upon the thrones of all created beings, crying:
"No God is there but Me, the Protector, the Self-Subsistent."
46.
Know, then, O pilgrim, thy value and station at that moment.
47.
Give thanks, then, to God that this has been bestowed upon thee and that He hath aided thee therein.
48.
Verily, there is no God but Him;
creation and command are His and all act according to His bidding.
49.
Blessed art thou, O servant,
in that thou hast entered the land of holiness, the Paran of the Spirit, and the Sinai of Command.
50.
Yea, shouldst thou make sharp thy sight, thou wilt behold all about thee circumambulating.
51.
By God, O servant journeying from thy home, should God open thy vision and shouldst thou turn thy gaze above the head unto the heavens,
thou wilt behold the sanctuaries of holiness, the habitations of loving-fellowship, the people of the pavilion of the heavenly kingdom, the inhabitants of the thrones of the kingdom of might,
the bodies of the holy ones among the manifestations of the realm below and the kingdom above all moving in the heaven of holiness above thy head, extolling with thee the unity, the greatness, the holiness, and the majesty of the Lord of the City and of him that appeared from it and arose therein.
52.
Thus shalt thou behold the matter, if thou art of them that see with the eyes of the spirit.
53.
And when thou reachest the spot at which thou art come nigh unto the gate of the city at a distance of 20 paces, stop at the command of God, thy Lord, the Lord of all things, and the Lord of this praiseworthy scene.
54.
Extol, then, the greatness of God 19 times, then address the city on My behalf, saying:
55.
"May God curse a people that have interposed themselves between Us and the lights of thy holiness, O City of God,
and who have kept us back from inhaling the fragrances of the holiness of Thy oneness and from dwelling within the precincts of the glory of Thy mercy and from standing in the courtyard of the gate of the outpouring of Thy compassion."
56.
Turn, then, thy gaze unto the most great spectacle, in the direction of the wall of the city and whatsoever hath been created therein and hath existed within it, for upon all of these hath fallen the eye of God, the Mighty, the Protector, the Self-Sufficient.
57.
Say: "O wall of the City!
Blessed be thou, inasmuch as there shone forth above thee the lights of the sun of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High.
58.
O trees of the City!
Blessed be ye, inasmuch as the breezes of holiness have been wafted upon you from the direction of eternity.
59.
O air of the City!
Blessed be thou, inasmuch as the breath of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Beloved, was spread within thee.
60.
O earth of the City!
Blessed be thou, inasmuch as the feet of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, have walked upon thee and the form of the Praised One hath passed over thee in the days when all were wrapped in the veils of their own selves. "
Tablet of Pilgrimage to Shiraz CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 61-90
PILGRIMAGE TO SHIRAZ
61.
Walk, then, until thou reachest the city; and when thou hast attained its presence and arrived at its gate, place thy face upon the dust of the gate, that thou mayest discover the fragrance of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High and may be of them that are nourished with the water of life.
62.
Know, then, that from its dust is manifested the decree of water, and from its water the decree of air, and from its air the effect of fire, and from a torch ignited from it hath appeared the decree of 'B' and 'E' [1], if thou art of them that know.
63.
This is how We have described it unto thee in the land and among these people that are unconscious in the drunkenness of conciet.
64.
Otherwise, by Him in Whose hand is my soul, an atom of its dust is more glorious in the sight of God than all that hath been created in the meadows of eternity and all that hath been decreed in the tablets of destiny within the mystery of fate in the realm of the divine decree.
65.
Thus do We cast upon thee the secrets of the Cause, that thou mayest be of them that comprehend.
66.
When thou hast kissed the dust and derived a blessing therefrom, raise up thy head, then stand and magnify God (with the phrase Allahu akbar) 19 times, then walk with the dignity and tranquillity of God and with His grandeur and majesty until you arrive before the House.
67.
Then stop and say:
"I bear witness by my tongue and my soul and my spirit and my body that this is the spot whereon prostrate themselves the inhabitants of the empyrean realm and the denizens of the kingdom of God's decree and they that inhabit the highest mansions of eternity behind the veils of grandeur.
68.
Through it all things have been made manifest and through it the breezes of bounty have blown upon the forms of all the worlds.
69.
And this is the spot whence the inhabitants of the Concourse of Eternity derive their blessings and the hearts of them that are established between earth and heaven obtain their illumination.
70.
Every day the dwellers of the crimson chambers sweep its courtyard and the angels that are nigh unto God brush it with the tresses of the spirit.
71.
And this is the spot wherein the Beauty of the All-Merciful appeared and in His own person ascended the Throne of Forgiveness and decreed that which He willed for all creation.
He, verily, is the One that doeth as He willeth and decreeth as He desireth and performeth whatsoever He wisheth.
72.
I bear witness that, from a handful of this dust, the first Adam was created, wherefore was he named "the father of man" (Abu 'IBashar)[2]i in the kingdom of names, and God made him His remembrance amongst all created things."
73.
Bow down, then, with thy face upon the dust, then place thy right cheek upon it and say with my tongue:
"Praised be Thou, O God, my God.
74.
This is Thy servant that hath detached himself from all directions, turning in the direction of Thy oneness, and hath freed his soul from all apart from Thee, and hath clung to the cord of the bounty of Thy grace, and hath come in his completeness unto the meadows of the glory of Thy forgiveness.
75.
Cause to blow, then, O my God
upon my heart the breezes of the glory of the holiness of Thy bounty and upon my inner being the fragrances of the majesty of the glory of Thy favours.
76.
Cast me not away disappointed, O my God,
from Thy gate or despairing from the manifestations of the sun of Thy bounties.
Thou, verily, art the Powerful over what Thou wiliest
and Thou art the Protector, the Mighty, the Powerful."
77.
Then stand and turn to the right of the House, in the direction of thy Lord,
the Exalted, the Mighty, the Wise.
Raise, then, thy hands unto God, the Exalted, the Most High and say:
78.
"Praised be Thou, O God, my God.
I have raised the hands of my hope unto the heaven of Thy bounty and grace,
and I have fastened the fingers of my reliance upon the cord of Thy grace and favours.
79.
I beseech Thee by him through whom Thou didst clothe all created things with the robe of Thy guidance and didst raise to life all existence from the power of Thy compassion and generosity, not to lock the door of Thy knowledge upon the face of my heart nor the door of Thy mercy upon my soul.
80.
Cause me, then, O my God, to be such as will be worthy of the power of the glory of Thy singleness and the majesty of the holiness of Thine eternity.
Thou, verily, art the Gracious, the Bestowing, the Mighty, the Generous.
81.
And I, O my God, have become detached from mine own self, hastening unto Thy Most Exalted Being, and have fled from mine own abode and stood before Thy most pure and most glorious House.
82.
Wherefore, I beseech Thee not to leave me unto myself nor unto them that keep back mankind from the love of Thy beauty and debar Thy servants from Thy mighty and unbending path."
83.
Circle, then, about the House on my behalf seven times.
84.
Thus commandeth thee the Ancient Beauty and teacheth thee what none in all the worlds doth know.
85.
And at the time when thou art circumambulating the House of the Lord, make mention of Him in thy heart and upon thy tongue and turn within thyself unto the direction of the mighty Throne.
86.
And when thou hast completed thy circum-ambulation, present thyself within the first portico, before the door of the sanctuary, then, stand, then raise thy hands unto the heaven of the outpouring of the grace of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.
87.
And I counsel thee that, at that time when thou dost raise up thy hands, raise them with such yearning that thereby the hands of all beings may be raised up towards the heaven of the grace of thy Lord.
88.
And when thou desirest to call upon God, thy Lord, call upon Him with such devotion that thereby the tongues of all atoms may utter the praise of thy Creator and may make mention of Him that brought thee into existence, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Wondrous.
89.
And if thou be not thus, it is not fitting for thee to stand in the spot whereon have stood the bodies of the holy ones and them that are nigh unto God.
90.
Nor art thou worthy of thy relation unto my being nor thy habitation beneath the shadow of my love, which God hath made a cutting sword whereby to separate the unbelievers from them that extol His oneness.
Tablet of Pilgrimage to Shiraz CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 91-120
PILGRIMAGE TO SHIRAZ
91.
And when thou hast raised thy hands unto the clouds of the mercy of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Knowing, the All Informed, say:
92.
"I bear witness that no god is there but He; He is alone, no companion is there for Him nor likeness nor deputy nor comparison nor rival nor equal nor similitude for His sovereignty, the Exalted, the Inaccessible, the Most High.
93.
From all eternity He was one in His Essence and one in His attributes and one in His deeds and unto all eternity He shall be as He hath ever been in the glory of His majesty and the sovereignty of His sublimity,
94.
such that the mystic knowers have confessed their inability to attain unto the meadows of the holiness of His knowledge and the devoted ones have admitted their powerlessness to ascend unto the heaven of His mention and His praise.
He, verily, is the Protector of all things
and He, in truth, is the Mighty, the All-Generous.
95.
I bear witness that the Primal Point (the Báb) our Lord the Exalted, the Most High is, truly, His Manifestation in the realm of the empyrean and His Appearance in the kingdom of the decree and His Dawning-place in the domain of destiny.
96.
Through Him all created things are brought to life and all existence is renewed and the balance of justice hath been set up upon the station of praiseworthy glory.
97.
Through Him the Bird of the Throne hath crowed and the Dove of Glory hath warbled and the resurrection of the command hath come to pass and all that lay hidden in the treasuries of hidden glory hath been made manifest.
98.
Through Him the heavens of pre-existence were raised up and the clouds of bounty were elevated unto this most holy and most notable sky and the sun of grace and beneficence shone forth from the horizon of resplendent holiness.
99.
Through Him the oceans of verses surged in the kingdom of names and attributes and the time set for the command arrived with that which was decreed in the tablets of inaccessible majesty.
100.
And I bear witness that, through Him, the veil of mystery was removed from the beauty of grandeur and the secrets of the unseen were revealed in the kingdom of the divine decree,
101.
and that through Him every poor and needy one ascended unto the heaven of riches and every transient one rose up unto the dwelling-places of eternal life and every sick one was raised to the abodes of healing within pavilions of shining light.
102.
And I bear witness that this is the Spot wherein Thou didst ascend the Throne of the glory of Thy unity and didst bring into being all creation, both former and latter, through the power of Thy will and Thy desire, and wherein the clouds of Thy grace rained down upon all created things.
103.
"Wherefore, I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy hidden and Most Great Name and Thy concealed and most perfect word whose manifestation Thou didst promise unto Thy servants at the time of Mustaghdth [ ] (that is, at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest), to bring me unto the shore of the ocean of Thy forgiveness and to erase all that I have enumerated of my most great sins and my most mighty transgressions;
104.
then forgive, O my God, my father and my mother and my family and those whom I have related unto myself, them that have believed in Thee and Thy signs.
105.
Make, then, for me, O my God, a seat of truth by Thy side and cause me to be united with those of Thy servants that are nigh unto Thee.
106.
I ask Thee, then, O my God and my Beloved, not to make me to be one of them that circle about Thy House in Thy land and deny Thy sacred House within the Manifestations of Thy being and the Dawning-places of the glory of Thy Self-Subsistence and the Locations of the glory of Thy Lordship.
107.
Thus, O my God, is my utmost wish and desire.
Thou, verily, art the Sovereign, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Wise.
108.
I ask Thee, then, O my God,
by Thy beauty whereby the suns of the glory of Thy bounty have been made luminous and the rays of the lights of the holiness of Thy generosity flashed forth, to cause me not to be distressed upon the day whereon every soul shall be distressed,
100.
on which the possessors of pomp and leadership shall be puffed up with pride, on which the feet of them that have attained shall slip, on which the lamentation of all things shall be raised, and on which every resplendent and shining light shall be darkened.
101.
Take hold, then, of my hand, O my God,
with the hand of Thy grace and favours and deprive me not on that day of the fragrances of the glory of Thy holiness nor from hearkening unto the melodies of Thy new creation, and cause me not to follow upon that day behind every croaking, sinful one.
102.
Open my eyes through Thy grace that I may recognize Thee by Thine own being, not by that which is other than Thee, and that I may behold the wonders of the lights of Thy Beauty by what Thou hast bestowed upon me through Thy bounty, not that which belongeth unto men.
103.
For Thou hast not created any proof for Thyself save Thine own Essence, nor any evidence save Thy signs.
Thou, verily, are He that ariseth, the Ruler, the Knowing, the All-Informed.
Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds."
104.
Whereupon, end thou thy pilgrimage, for We have not permitted anyone to approach closer than this unto the sanctuary, for before that spot shine the lights of the Essence from behind the names and the attributes.
105.
And, apart from that, courtesy must be observed, for that is one of the best of all attributes in the sight of God, King of the earth and the heavens.
106.
Thus have We sent down upon thee the command with a shining and manifest proof.
107.
It is our desire that, from every city, one should go forth on My behalf and for his own sake to visit the House of God and that he may be a pilgrim.
108.
By God, at every step mercy and grace shall descend upon him from the heaven of resplendent holiness, and at the same time when he raises his foot for the first step and sets it down, God shall forgive his sins and the sins of his mother and his father and all that are related unto him.
109.
Thus hath the grace of thy Lord encompassed all created things, whether of the first or of the last.
110.
By God, whosoever visiteth the House, it is as if he hath visited God within the pavilion of the glory of meeting with Him and the tent of the majesty of His Beauty.
111.
Thus do We inform thee of the call that is mighty by the side of the Throne.
112.
Whosoever visiteth the House as We have commanded him, God shall raise him up after his death within the paradise of majesty and grandeur in such a beauteous form that the dwellers of the Concourse on High shall be illumined by the lights of his face,
113.
and all that are in the exalted heavens shall be commanded to appear before him and to circle about him and to make their pilgrimage unto his beauty every morning and evening.
114.
O trustees of God upon the earth,
strive unto the most great mention, and cast away all that is in your hands and turn your faces unto the Abode of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Knowing.
115.
Be ye steadfast, O people, in this station that,
if all that are on earth should rise up against you, ye would not pay the least attention to them and would remain firm in the faith of God.
116.
The unbelievers shall prevent you performing what God has sent down upon you on account of the rancour that is in their breasts.
But God shall do as He willeth through His word;
He, verily, is the Powerful, the Mighty.
117.
Know, then, that We have written concerning pilgrimage to the House detailed and vast tablets, but We have not sent them until now, If God wills, We shall send them in truth.
He, verily, is the Guardian of the Messengers.
118.
That which We have sent is what was sent down from the kingdom of divine power in a brief form, for the angels that are nigh unto God and the inhabitants of the Exalted Concourse love to be brief in their outward acts.
119.
And inwardly, let there be at all times those that perform the pilgrimage.
120.
Thus have We taught thee and made known unto thee the paths of holiness and guided thee unto the shores of manifest grace.
Translated by Denis MacEoin
Tablet of the Unmixed Reality CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-35
A tablet discussing Hermetic philosophy,
initially revealed in Arabic
UNMIXED REALITY
1.
He is God, exalted be He in Might and Greatness!
2.
Concerning what the questioner has asked
regarding the statement of the philosophers
that "the uncompounded [unmixed] reality is all things",
3.
say:
Know that what is intended by "things" in this context (or, station)
is none other than being and the perfections of being
in so far as they are existent (and not privative);
and by "all" is meant the obtainer.
4.
This "all" contains no plurality and no part of it can be compared to the whole.
5.
The meaning is that the uncompounded reality,
insofar as it is uncompounded in all respects,
is the obtainer and gatherer of all the infinite and endless perfections.
6.
As it has been said: "His works are limitless."
7.
In the Persian language, it may be said
that what the philosopher means by the word "things" in the afore-mentioned expression
is the perfections of being in so far as these are existent [and not privative];
8.
and by the word "all", is meant possession that is to say obtaining
--the gathering together of all of the limitless perfections, in an uncompounded manner.
9.
They have mentioned similar things throughout their discourse on
the Divine unity, power, and intensity of existence.
10.
The meaning of the philosopher was not that the Necessarily Existent (God)
has become dispersed among (resolved into, or dissolved into) the innumerable existent things.
11.
No! Praised be He!
Exalted is He above that!
12.
Even as the philosophers themselves have stated:
"The uncompounded reality is all things, but is not any one thing."
13.
And viewed from another aspect,
the lights of the uncompounded reality can be seen in all things.
14.
This however is dependent upon the vision of the seer and the discernment of the beholder.
15.
A penetrating vision is able to see the signs of the Primal Divine Unity in all things,
since all things have been and are the places wherein the Divine Names are manifested.
16.
The Absolute Reality, however, has been and will continue unceasingly to be sanctified
from ascent and descent,
from limitations, connections and relationships,
while "things" exist and appear in the loci of limitations.
17.
Thus it has been said:
"The existence of the Necessarily (Existent)
would not be in the full perfection of its power and intensity,
were it possible for It to disperse Itself into the innumerable existent things,
but such a dispersion is not possible."
18.
There is much to be said about this statement
and if one were to elaborate fully on the meaning of the philosophers,
the matter would become lengthy.
19.
Because the hearts of the noble are perceived to be subtle and refined,
the pen chooses to confine itself to brevity.
20.
Two stations can be observed in the Divine Unity:
21.
Existential Oneness, and this is that [station] wherein all things are negated with a "no"
and only the Absolute Reality is affirmed.
22.
This means the existence of nothing is acknowledged except the Absolute Reality,
in the sense that all things, when compared with Its [Gods] manifestation and remembrance,
have been and will continue to be absolute nothingness.
23.
"All things perish save the [Divine] Face",
which means that compared with Its existence, nothing else has the capacity for existence
and so no mention of the existence of anything else should be made.
24.
It has been said
"God was and there was nothing else beside Him.
And He is now as He always has been."
25.
And yet it can be seen that things exist and have existed.
26.
The meaning of these words is that,
in His court, nothing has, or has ever had, existence.
27.
In the Existential Oneness, "all things" perish and are nothing
and the [Divine] "Face", which is the Absolute Reality [of God], is eternal and unceasing.
28.
[The second station in Divine Unity,] Manifestational Oneness,
is that [station] where the signs of the Primal Divine Unity,
the manifestations of Eternity,
and the effulgences of the light of Singleness can be observed in all things.
29.
Thus in the divine book it is revealed:
"We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and in themselves."
30.
In this station, the effulgences of the signs of the uncompounded reality can be observed
and are apparent in all things.
31.
The meaning of the philosopher was not that the Absolute Reality [of God]
is dispersed among the innumerable existent things.
32.
Immeasurably exalted is [God] from being dispersed in any thing
or from being constrained by any limits or from being associated with any other thing in creation.
33.
[God] is and continues to be sanctified from
and exalted above all else except [God].
34.
We bear witness that It is one in Its Essence and one in Its attributes.
35.
And all things are held in the grasp of the power of
Him Who is the sovereign Protector of all the worlds.
Tablet of the Unmixed Reality CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 36-60
UNMIXED REALITY
36.
In one aspect, all that has been said or will be said
refers back to the first assertion,
that the glorified and exalted Absolute Reality [of God]
is [unknowable,] unattainable and invisible,
37.
and this station has been and will continued to be sanctified from all references and names,
and freed from whatever the people of creation may understand of [God].
38.
The path is barred and the quest denied.
39.
For whatever [grand] references and powerful descriptions
have appeared from the [tongue and] pen
refer to the sublime word [of God], the most exalted Pen,
the primal Summit, the true Homeland,
and the Dawning-place of the manifestation of mercy.
40.
This is the source of Divine Unity
and the Manifestation of singleness and abstraction.
41.
In this station, all of the most beautiful Names [of God] and the most lofty [Divine] Attributes
refer to Him (the manifestation of God), and do not refer to anything beyond Him,
for, as has been stated, the Unseen Reality is sanctified from all reference.
42.
This locus of the light of Divine Unity,
even though outwardly He is given a name and appears to be bound by limitations,
is in His inner reality uncompounded, sanctified from limitations.
43.
This uncompounded state is relative and attributive
and not uncompounded in an absolute sense.
44.
In this station, the meaning is as follows:
the Primal Word and the Dawning-place of the light of Primal Oneness
is the educator of all things and the possessor of innumerable perfections.
45.
For this word in this station, there is an exposition,
hidden in the treasures of purity (or, infallibility)
and recorded in the guarded tablet, which it is not appropriate to mention now.
46.
Perchance God will produce it.
He is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
47.
And the objections that have been raised by some to the words of the philosopher
are not based on evidence,
in that the meaning of his words has not been understood.
48.
Truly one cannot regard it as sufficient
to look to the literal (or, external) meaning of a statement, and then stir up malice.
49.
This is except in case of the words of those who are notorious for their unbelief and idolatry.
50.
The words of such souls are not worthy of commentary.
51.
The philosophers have been and are of various factions.
52.
Some have derived what they say from the books of the prophets.
53.
And the first who taught divine wisdom as Idrís (Enoch),
on account of which he was given his name, and he is also called Hermes.
54.
He is called by a different name in each language.
55.
He has given thorough and convincing expositions in every arena of divine wisdom.
56.
And after him Balínús (Apollonius) derived some of the sciences from the Hermetic tablets.
57.
Most of the philosophers have derived their philosophical and scientific discoveries
from his words and teachings.
58.
Thus this advanced teaching of the philosopher has been and is still
capable of numerous praiseworthy and specific interpretations.
59.
Some of those who have attained [the Divine Presence],
wishing to protect the Cause of God,
have outwardly refuted (the words of the philosopher).
60.
Yet this imprisoned servant does not mention anything but that which is good.
Tablet of the Unmixed Reality CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 61-85
UNMIXED REALITY
61.
Furthermore this day is not the day
for [simple] human beings to occupy themselves with understanding long-winded teachings,
62.
for such knowledge and its like [has never been and will never be]
[is not always] conducive to making [unlearned] human beings self-sufficient.
(able to do without things, and detached from all save God)
63.
For example, the philosopher who spoke these words, were he to be alive,
and also both they who accepted what he said, and those who opposed him over it,
all of them would now be in the same situation.
64.
Every single one of them who affirmed his belief,
after the raising of the call of the King of Names from the right hand of the luminous spot,
is accepted and praiseworthy, and all others are rejected.
65.
How many the souls who considered themselves
as being at the highest pinnacle of reality and mystical knowledge,
66.
to the extent that they considered that what issued forth from their mouths
was the balance by which [the truth of] human utterance should be weighed,
or the astrolabe(sextant) with which the calendar of the beginning and the end should be fixed.
67.
Despite all this, in the days of the spring-time of the All-Merciful
and the blowing of the winds of trials,
we did not discover in them either acceptance or constancy.
68.
If a soul were today to be omniscient in all the sciences of the world
and yet hesitate in affirming his belief (or, speaking the word "yes"),
he would not be mentioned in the Divine Presence
and would be accounted among the most ignorant of people.
69.
The goal of the religious sciences is to attain knowledge of the Absolute Reality.
70.
Any soul who holds back from this most holy and most mighty adornment
is recorded in the tablets as being [numbered with] [of] the dead.
71.
O Husyan!
This wronged one declares: Words need deeds.
72.
Words without deeds are as bees without honey or as trees without fruit.
73.
Consider the philosopher Sabzivárí.
74.
Among his verses, there is a poem, which conveys the following meaning:
75.
"No Moses is alive to hear it,
otherwise the chant of `I verily am God!' exists in every tree [bush]."
76.
Such words as these has he spoken and his meaning is
that the true knower of God rises to such a station that his eyes perceive the lights
of the effulgences of the luminous Source of manifestation
and his ears discern His call from all things.
77.
There is no objection to these words of the philosopher,
yet, as we have already stated, this is the realm of words.
78.
In the realm of deeds, however,
it can be seen that although the call of the divine lote-tree
has been raised upon the highest spot in creation in clear and unambiguous language
and is inviting all beings through the loftiest of summonses,
he has paid no heed whatsoever.
79.
For had he hearkened, he would have arisen to make mention of it.
80.
Either we must say that these were empty words which flowed from his mouth,
or that, for fear for his reputation and love of his livelihood (or, his bread),
he remained deprived of this station (of belief) and of testifying to it.
81.
Either he understood and concealed [his belief]
or he understood and denied [Bahá'u'lláh's claim].
82.
Woe to those who waste their whole lives in trying to establish the truth of their vain imaginings
83.
and yet, when the lights of the Divine Presence [of God] are shining forth
from the horizon [of the name of the Self-Subsistent], they remain deprived thereof.
84.
The Cause is in God's hands.
85.
He grants what He wishes to whomever He wishes,
and withholds whatever He desires from whomever He desires.
85.
He is to be praised in His doings and obeyed in His judgements.
No God is there but He, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Tablet of the Unmixed Reality CHAPTER FOUR
Divisions 86-120
UNMIXED REALITY
86.
In these days, the following was revealed in a tablet:
87.
How many men, attired with a turban (the Learned),
have held back and opposed
88.
and how many women wearing veils have recognized and accepted
and have said "Praise be to Thee, O God of the Worlds!"
89.
Thus it is that we have made the most exalted among them to become the most abased,
and the most abased to become the most exalted.
90.
Verily your Lord is Ruler over whatsoever He wishes.
91.
O Husayn!
Say to the questioner:
forsake this small pond when the most mighty ocean is before you.
92.
Draw near and drink from its waters in the name of your Lord,
the Knowing, the All-Informed.
93.
By my life!
It will cause you to reach a station wherein you will see in the whole world
naught but the effulgences of the presence of the Ancient of Days
94.
and you will hearken unto the lote-tree
which has been elevated upon the knowledge that there is no god but He,
the Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.
95.
In this day, it is encumbent upon all souls,
when they hear the call from the Dawning-Place of Creation,
to leave behind the people of the world and their opinions
96.
and arise and say: "Yes, O my Desire!"
and then to say: "I obey! O Beloved of the Worlds."
97.
Say:
O questioner!
Were the sweetness of the wine of the exposition of your Lord to seize you
and were you to recognize the wisdom and illumination that is in it,
you would forsake this contingent world
and arise to assist this wronged exile and would proclaim:
98.
"Praise be to the one who has manifested the fluid [waters] as the solid [ice],
and the uncompounded [reality] as a circumscribed [creation], and the hidden as the manifest;
99.
the one who, were one to behold him in his outward form,
one would find him in the form of a man standing before the people of tyranny.
100.
Were one to contemplate him his inner reality, however,
one would recognize him as lord over all who are in the heavens and earths."
101.
Listen to what the fire is proclaiming
from the luminous lote-tree raised upon the crimson spot:
102.
"O People!
Hasten with all of your hearts to the shore of the Beloved.
103.
Thus has the matter been decided and the decree has issued forth
from He who is all-powerful and trustworthy."
104.
O questioner!
Your words have been mentioned in the Divine Presence in this manifest prison.
105.
Thus has been revealed this tablet
from the horizon of which shines forth the sun of the benevolence of your Lord,
the Mighty, the All-Praised.
106.
Know its true worth and value it greatly.
107.
This would be best for you,
if you are among those who have true knowledge.
108.
We ask of God that He confirm you in His Cause
and make mention of you
and decree for you that which will profit you in this world and the next.
109.
He verily answers the prayers of those who call upon Him
and He is the most merciful of the merciful.
110.
O servant!
Were you to be attracted by the breezes of the utterances of the Lord of Names
and were you to seek illumination from the lights of the [Divine] Face,
which shine forth from the Dawning-place of eternity,
you would turn your face towards the all-highest Horizon.
111.
Say:
O Creator of the heavens and Lord of Names!
112.
I ask You by Your name through which You have opened the door of meeting to Your creatures and have caused the sun of Your bounty to shine forth upon those who are in Your kingdom,
113.
that You may cause me to be sincere in Your love,
detached from all save You, arising for Your service,
looking towards Your Face, and speaking in praise of You.
114.
O Lord!
Assist me in the days of the Manifestation of Your Self and the Dawning-place of Your Cause,
such that I may burn away the clouds [that obscure You] by Your grace and favour
and may consume the veils [that separate me from You] with the fire of Your love.
115.
O Lord! You are strong and I am weak;
You are rich and I am poor.
116.
I ask You, by the ocean of Your bounty,
that You do not cause me to be deprived of Your grace and Your Love.
117.
All things bear witness to Your greatness, Your glory,
Your power, and Your might.
118.
Guide and assist me through Your will
and save me by Your sovereignty.
119.
Write down then for me what You have written down for Your confidants,
those who have near acces to You and are faithful to Your Covenant and Testament,
who soar in the atmosphere of Your will, and speak Your praise among Your creatures.
120.
Verily You are the Powerful, the Protector,
the Lofty, the Mighty, the Generous.
Translated by Moojan Momen
NOTATIONS
16. Basít al-Haqíqa. Basít is here translated as "uncompounded". It has been translated by James Morris as "simple" (The Wisdom of the Throne, pp. ). Although this is technically a correct translation in the philosophical sense of the word as something that is uncompounded, I felt that the word "simple" has too many other meanings in common use and would be confusing. The translator of the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh (p. 61) has translated the term as "elementary". There is also the fact that this word is being used in a genitive construction and not adjectivally (i.e. the Arabic may be rendered literally as "the uncompounded of reality"). The root of the word basít means "to spread out" or "to stretch out", and in this sense of something spread out, I was tempted to translate the phrase as "the field of reality". This would render the passage "the field of reality is all things" which has a striking resonance with modern physics in the sense that all physical reality is in modern physics considered to consist of electro-magnetic fields in which fluxes occur. This would however, apart from being anachronistic also be a departure from the sense in which the original author Mullá Sadrá intended this passage. His meaning was derived from the philosophical notion that all reality is compounded and that the only uncompounded reality is God.
17. i.e. those perfections that are positive and existent, rather than those which are negative and privative.
18. This is a somewhat unusual use of the word wájid, which derives from the root meaning "to get" or "obtain". According to Sayyid Ja`far Sajjádí, (Farhang-i Ma`árif-i Islámí, Tehran, 1373, 3rd vol., p. 2090, citing Sharh-i Kalamát-i Bábá Táhir) wájid is used by Bábá Táhir `Uryán to refer to someone who has emptied himself of all vestige of self and has detached himself from all save God.
19. The basic language of the text changes from Arabic to Persian at this point, although there continue to be numerous Arabic phrases and passages in what follows.
20. These numbers refer to the page numbers in the original text in Iqtidarát.
21. Qur'án 28:88
22. Qur'án, see note 19
23. Qur'án 41:53
24. The name Idrís can be considered to derive from the root "d-r-s" which means "to teach".
(address)
25. Lit. Attained to the word "Balá" (lit. "Yes"). A reference to Qur'án
7:172, where, in the pre-eternal Covenant, to God's question "Am I not your Lord?" The children of Adam are made to reply "Yes (Balá)." In other words, Bahá'u'lláh is saying that were Mullá Sadrá together with his supporters and opponents all to be alive in Bahá'u'lláh's day, they would all be in the position of having to face the challenge of Bahá'u'lláh's claim.
26. See note 23
27. Mullá Hádí Sabzivárí (d. 1878) the most prominent of the Iranian philosophers of the nineteenth century. An English translation of one of his major works is available The Metaphysics of Sabzavárí (trans. T. Izutsu and M. Mohaghegh, New York, 1977).
28. Indeed Bahá'u'lláh himself says much the same in one of the prayers for the fast: "...this Revelation - a Revelation the potency of which hath caused every tree to cry out what the Burning Bush had aforetime proclaimed unto Moses, Who conversed with Thee" (Prayers and Meditations, no. 85, p. 144).
29. This paragraph is paraphrased and quoted by Bahá'u'lláh in the Words of Paradise (Kalimát Firdawsiyyih), Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 61
30. See 23
31. Cf. Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, no. 38, p. 49
32. lit. "before the Face"; a Qur'ánic allusion, see note 19
33. Qur'ánic reference, see note 19
Tablet of the Maiden CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-30
THE MAIDEN
1.
In the name of God, the most holy, the most exalted.
2.
Praise be to Thee, O God, My God.
3.
I make mention of Thee at this time,
when the sun of Thy Godhead hath risen from the horizon of the splendid divinity of Thy unity,
4.
and the lights of Thy lordship have flashed forth from the dawning of the ineffable encounter
with the eternal kingdom of Thy independent autonomy,
5.
and the darkness of this world hath been illumined
by the radiance of the faithful realm of Thy cause
in such wise that the garden of paradise came into being above the essence of Thy glorious being.
6.
Therein were planted the trees of Thy quintessence, which put forth the fruits of Thine essence,
and therein wafted the breezes of Thy spirit and the breaths of Thy sanctity.
7.
Therein were foreordained the gems of Thy bounties and the substance of Thy magnificence;
and therein were uncovered the treasures of Thy knowledge and mystery.
8.
Over its terraces flow the streams of Thy glorious life,
the channels of Thy radiant eternality, and the springs of the wine of Thine inaccessibility.
9.
When Thou didst desire, O my God, to manifest it,
Thou didst raise it up to the throne of grandeur and greatness,
embellish it with the rays of might and power,
render it brilliant by Thine essence,
and didst make to shine upon it the sun of union from the pre-eternal lights of Thy features.
10.
Thou didst light for it the wick of eternity in the lamp of pre-existence.
11.
Now, Thy most exalted decree hath come to the kingdom of command by Thy signature,
so that a visage might appear therefrom,
12.
that the brilliance of Thy beauty might be manifest to all who dwell on earth,
and that the glory of Thy countenance might be seen by all who are in the realm of Thy cause.
13.
There arose the nymph,
Who had dwelt in pre-eternity in the pavilions of holiness, protection, and glorification
and in the canopies of sinlessness, greatness and splendor.
14.
Upon Her white brow the most high pen hath written in crimson ink,
"Praise be to God!
15.
This is a nymph upon Whom none have gazed save God, the Exalted, the Most High.
16.
God hath purified the hem of Her purity
from the knowledge of the concourse of names in the realm of eternity,
and Her face from the view of all who are in the kingdom of creation.
17.
When She arose with the ornament of God from Her palace,
She looked with one glance toward the sky.
18.
The people of the heavens swooned at the rays of Her visage
and at the wafting of Her perfume.
19.
Then She looked with another glance toward the earth,
and it was illumined by the lights of Her beauty and the loveliness of Her splendor.
20.
Praise be to Thee, O my God,
for all the wonders of Thy handiwork that Thou hast shown Me through Her,
for the ensemble of Thy power, manifest in Her creation.
21.
She levitated there, suspended.
22.
Then She journeyed through the sky as though striding across the horizon in mid-air.
23.
It is as though I discovered that the chain of being was set in motion by Her footfalls.
24.
She descended, drew nigh, and came until She halted before Me.
25.
I was bewildered by the subtleties and wonders of Her creation.
26.
Behold, I discovered within myself a passion that grew out of my yearning for Her.
27.
I raised my hands toward Her,
and lifted the hem of Her veil from Her shoulder.
28.
I found Her hair to be sandy, wavy and curly,
lying on Her back in ringlets, hanging down almost to Her legs.
29.
And when the gales blew it to the right of Her shoulder,
it perfumed the heavens and the earth.
30.
When it was blown to the left,
from its fragrance there wafted a holy musk scent. [of the female in heat]
Tablet of the Maiden CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 31-60
THE MAIDEN
31.
It is as though the motion of Her tresses
caused the spirit of life to quake in the inner essence of creation,
and caused the kingdom of mystical insight to tremble in the realities of being.
32.
Exalted be God, Her creator, for what He caused Me to see within Her.
33.
Then blessed be God, Her fashioner,
for the manifestation of might that I witnessed vis-a-vis Her beauty,
and the modalities of power that I saw vis-a-vis Her splendor.
34.
At one time, I perceived Her as the sweet water of life,
delicious and flowing through the realities of beings and the dark recesses of contingent things.
35.
I grew certain that the entirety of being survived by virtue of Her eternity,
and continued to exist because of Her perpetuity.
36.
At another time, I perceived Her as a fire that had blazed forth in the divine bush,
as though the element of fire had been created from a torch ignited by Her glowing embers.
37.
The hearts of both visible and invisible being were consumed by Her heat and flame
when they were shaken by a delicate yearning for Her and a wondrous hankering for Her.
38.
It is as though the fragrance of the All-Merciful wafted from the apertures in Her garments.
39.
Praise be to God, Her creator, originator and fashioner.
40.
Then I drew near, until She stood before my face
and gave utterance as a dove warbles in the realm of eternity,
as though speaking in the wondrous music that hath no words, letters, or sounds.
41.
It is as though all books appeared in commentary on the songs of Her innovation.
42.
I recognized all meaning in a single point therein.
43.
When I listened with my entire being,
I heard the mention of God, the Exalted, the Most Glorious, in Her tunes,
and the name of God, the Exalted, the Most High, in Her melodies.
44.
I raised my hand another time,
and bared one of Her breasts that had been hidden beneath Her gown.
45.
Then the firmament was illumined by the radiance of its light,
contingent beings were made resplendent by its appearance and effulgence,
and by its rays infinite numbers of suns dawned forth,
as though they trekked through heavens that were without beginning or end.
46.
I became bewildered at the pen of God's handiwork,
and at what it had inscribed upon Her temple.
47.
It was as though She had appeared with a body of light in the forms of the spirit,
as though She moved upon the earth of essence in the substance of manifestation.
48.
I noticed that the nymphs had poked their heads out of their rooms
and were suspended in the air above Her.
49.
They grew perplexed at Her appearance and Her beauty,
and were entranced by the raptures of Her song.
50.
Praise be to Her creator, fashioner, and maker
--to the one Who made Her manifest.
51.
Then she nearly swooned within herself,
and with all her being she sought to inhale My fragrance.
52.
She opened Her lips, and the rays of light dawned forth from Her teeth,
as though the pearls of the cause had appeared from Her treasures and Her shells.
53.
She asked,
"Who art Thou?"
54.
I said,
"A servant of God, and the son of His maidservant."
55.
She said,
"I discern in Thee the signs of sorrow,
which so sadden Thee that I find the lamp of joy in the niche of Thy heart
to have been extinguished,
and the lights of happiness in the lantern of Thy soul to have been cut off.
56.
I adjure Thee by God, other than Whom there is no God,
not to conceal from Me what befell Thee.
57.
Inform Me, that I might know Thy circumstances with no departure from the whole truth,
though it be less than a bit of overflowing foam."
58.
I said to Her,
"Do not ask Me about that,
for Thou canst not bear to hear from Me concerning my sorrow
--not even a mere letter thereof.
59.
I entreat you in the name of God, the All-Powerful, the Protector, the Eternal,
to lift Thy hand from Me and leave Me alone.
60.
Return to Thy place in paradise,
and do not ask about what I cannot disclose to Thee
--even though it be a mere syllable thereof."
Tablet of the Maiden CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 61-90
THE MAIDEN
61.
When She saw the quaking of my soul, the wailing of my heart, the lamenting of my being,
the fire burning in my bones, the shuddering of my skin, the disturbance in my soul,
and the uneasiness of my body,
She called out to Me, asking,
62.
"Hast Thou a mother to bemoan Thy tribulations?"
63.
I said,
"I do not know."
64.
She asked,
"Hast Thou a sister, to weep at Thy fate, or a helper,
to aid Thee in Thy trial and to give Thee company in Thy loneliness?"
65.
I said,
"By my sorrow, to which no joy ever came, do not ask Me anything!
66.
Look at my heart, so that what Thou seekest may become apparent to Thee."
67.
She bowed Her head in the direction of my heart,
scrutinizing all my limbs, members, bones and inner organs,
as though She had lost something and sought it everywhere.
68.
Her examination lasted for a long time.
69.
Then She lifted Her head until it reached my breast.
70.
I saw that Her condition had undergone an alteration.
71.
Her head tilted once to the right, and once to the left.
72.
At one moment, She lifted Her gaze to the heavens with grief and misery,
and at another She looked at the earth in confusion and regret.
73.
I saw Her lips move as though She were saying something beneath Her breath.
74.
I trained my ear on Her, and heard a faint cry,
as though it issued from the depths of Her being in the essence of Her heart.
75.
When I brought my head close to Her mouth,
I heard words that I cannot mention.
76.
Were I to disclose them, by God, nothing would be left of this world
in the heat of the searing of Her soul and the scorching of Her heart.
77.
Then She addressed Me, saying,
"[I,] Thy mother will die, O youth. [spoken in the context of an immature and lawless man]
78.
For I have seen no person like Thee.
79.
My distress and bewilderment over Thee,
and my perturbation hath increased at Thy condition.
80.
Would that I had never been created in the divine realm of eternity,
had never been born from a breath of God in the most exalted chambers,
had never imbibed the milk of life from the springs of glory!
81.
How sad is what I have come to know, and to see,
how sorrowful what I have discovered.
82.
For however much I searched, I found within Thee no heart,
whereby I might be informed about Thy circumstances."
83.
When I heard Her lift Her head up, I saw that Her eyes were overflowing with blood,
as though oceans appeared from Her every teardrop.
84.
When Her eyes met mine, Her tears took the reins of patience from Her,
and She shrieked Her lament such that I cannot mention or describe it.
85.
Then She was overcome with weeping.
86.
She lifted Her hands to my shoulder, and I placed my hand on Her shoulder,
and we wept without moderation,
such that it cannot be reckoned by time, eternity, eons, or epochs.
87.
When Her weeping subsided, She said,
"I adjure Thee by the [Lord] Who seized the writing pens in His powerful grasp
and thereby established whatever He willed,
88.
to answer my questions about what hath befallen Thee,
that I might be Thy companion in Thy calamities
and make mention of Thine ordeals among the concourse on high in the sublime realm."
89.
I said to Her,
"My beloved,
by my life and Thine, I am not able to explain for Thee what befell Me.
90.
Yet look at my breast, that Thou mightest discover therein what will satisfy Thy quest,
in the inner recesses of my most hidden soul."
Tablet of the Maiden CHAPTER FOUR
Divisions 91-120
THE MAIDEN
91.
Then She tilted Her head and brought it near once more to my bosom,
searching for so long a time that it cannot be expressed in the realm of glory,
nor can it be uttered by the tongues of the eloquent.
92.
Yet She found no trace.
93.
Behold, I saw the earth quake at the trembling of Her soul,
and shake at the quivering of Her heart.
94.
She remained, before time, after time, above time.
95.
Then She raised Her head with a scream that cleft the sky and broke open the earth.
96.
Lands moved, and mountains were pulverized.
97.
Then She returned to Me and said,
"[I,] Thy mother hath died, O youth. [because you are an immature man]
98.
Thy circumstances have bewildered Me
and Thy deeds have caused Me to perish.
99.
I never found any person with either heart or breast.
100.
How hast Thou survived on earth,
how canst Thou exist in this world?"
101.
At that point She was gazing at Me
as a lover looketh on the beauty of the beloved.
102.
Then I saw Her shaking within Herself,
as though the breeze of God from this coat had wafted upon Her.
103.
She turned to Me outwardly and inwardly and said,
"By Thy life, I perceive from Thee the fragrance of the beloved.
104.
Thou art the darling of the worlds.
105.
If Thou art He, why dost Thou disguise Thy comely features?
106.
Is it because of the people of the Quran,
or because of the people of the Bayan?
107.
Woe be unto all created things!"
108.
When I smelled Her perfume and saw Her advancing toward Me,
I guided Her to my soul.
109.
When She knew, She wailed, shook, lamented, trembled,
and fell on Her face in the dust before my feet.
110.
When I turned to Her, I found Her stretched out on the ground,
and the spirit had departed from Her as though She had never been created therein.
111.
Then the nymph suspended in the air howled,
and the purified nymph in the cloud of unknowing lamented, [the vestal virgin]
112.
and all of them returned to their palaces and their pavilions,
forsaking all that had been ordained for them and created for their essences.
113.
I was standing over Her body, stricken by Her grief,
bewildered at Her condition and Her love.
114.
I took Her and washed Her with the tears of my eyes,
then wrapped Her in a shroud of my own clothing.
115.
Then I brought my lips close to Her right ear
and gave Her the glad tidings of what no one can hear from Me in Her regard.
116.
When I had spoken to Her, She trembled at the Word of God.
117.
Then She gave Me the glad tidings of what I must not mention or even breathe.
118.
Thereafter, I consigned Her to the sacred receptacles
and returned Her to the place of intimacy, the station that we had foreordained for Her.
119.
Thus do we address you, O concourse of paradise,
with a vision of eternity.
120.
Interpret it for me,
if ye can interpret the vision of the spirit.
Translated by J. Cole
Tablet of Blood CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-25
BLOOD
1.
We have caused this Surah of Blood to surge forth from the Ocean of the Unseen,
that it might be a sign of My Manifestation among all created things.
2.
He is eternally seated upon the Throne!
In My Name, the Glorious, the All-Glorious:
3.
Hearken, O Muhammad, to the voice of thy Lord from this station,
which is exalted above the reach of all contingent beings.
4.
It can never be attained by the hearts of His creatures
nor by the inmost realities of those who have, for a single instant,
been heedless of this sanctified, mighty and concealed Cause.
5.
Say:
O people,
hasten unto the sanctuary of God and His essence,
unto the House of God and His Selfhood,
unto the Manifestation of God and His sovereignty.
6.
Be not of them that make mention of God with their lips
and yet show forth opposition to His signs.
7.
Say:
O people,
this is a station around which circles the Concourse on High,
then the denizens of the canopy of eternity and those who dwell beyond the depths of grandeur,
if ye be of them that comprehend.
8.
Say:
This is the Shrine, the Presence, the Countenance and the Greatness of God Himself.
9.
Arise and issue forth from your homes,
O people of the concourse of Divinity,
and ye of the grades of divine Dominion,
and then the people of might in the stations both of this earthly world and the Kingdom of Heaven.
10.
Thus may ye attain unto this station, which none have reached save those who detached themselves from all in heaven and on earth, and from all that is characterized by name, description, direction or allusion, did ye but understand.
11.
Say:
O people,
this is the station of God, this is His Court, Garden and Paradise,
and this is His Tabernacle and Pavilion.
12.
Beware, O people,
lest ye turn your faces toward anyone but Him.
13.
Hasten then unto Him, that mayhap ye will be given to eat of the fruits of the Spirit.
14.
This is a station wherein the righteous, and they that circle round the Throne on High,
have halted, as ye also bear witness.
15.
As for thee, O Muhammad,
perform what the tongue of thy Lord doth counsel thee at this time,
and accomplish all that which thou art bidden by God, the Protector, the Almighty, the Beloved.
16.
First of all, tear the veils of vain imagination from about thy heart
by My mighty, powerful, and unquestioned Sovereignty.
17.
Then enter the fortress of the All-Merciful in My Name, the Mighty, the Glorified,
and pay no heed to all that hath been and shall be.
18.
If thou shouldst behold Satan seated at its gate, forbidding thee to enter therein,
close thine eyes to him and take refuge in My Beauty, the Blessed, the Help in Peril, the Adored.
19.
Beware lest ye sit with those in whom thou perceivest the evidences of malice,
as heat is evident in summer or cold in poison.
20.
Flee from them and their ilk, and look not upon them nor that which they possess.
21.
Turn thy gaze rather to My Cause,
and that which surpasseth in excellence all else, did ye but perceive it.
22.
If thou dost wish to travel in various lands,
then do thou spread the dawning lights of thy Lord throughout those realms.
23.
Think thou upon the handiwork of thy Lord which thou seest,
that thou mayest be of those who consider.
24.
Adorn thyself with My character,
in such wise that should anyone treat thee unjustly
thou wouldst take no heed of him, nor oppose him.
25.
Leave him to the judgment of thy Lord,
the Powerful, Omnipotent and Self-Subsisting.
Tablet of Blood CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 26-50
BLOOD
26.
Be at all times a wronged one,
for this is one of My attributes, though none but the sincere are aware of it.
27.
Verily, the sighs of patience uttered by one wronged
are more precious to God than any other deed, did ye but know.
28.
Therefore, be patient in the face of whatever befalleth thee,
and set thy trust in thy Lord God in all thine affairs.
29.
He, verily, doth suffice thee against all the harm which any created thing can wreak toward thee,
and preserveth thee in the shelter of His Cause and the mighty fortress of His guardianship.
30.
There is no God but Him.
His are the worlds of creation and command, and all seek His aid.
31.
Should anyone slander thee,
thou must not retaliate against him in kind lest thou become as he is.
32.
Turn aside from him,
and set thy face toward the holy tabernacle in this exalted and sacred canopy.
33.
Be among men as a sweet-scented hill,
that the fragrance of sanctity may be wafted among them.
34.
In such wise, thou mightest succeed in attracting them to the court of the holy and Beloved [Lord].
35.
Shouldst thou find a helper among the friends of God,
seek his company at eventide and dawn, throughout the months and years.
36.
In all matters, emulate God, thy Succorer.
37.
Walk among men with His dignity and peace,
and teach them the Cause of their Lord to the extent that they are able to hear it.
38.
O hoopoe of Sheba, go thou with My book to the cities of God.
39.
Should the other birds ask thee concerning the dove of holiness, say,
"When I left her, she was sore-pressed in the talons of denial and the beaks of wickedness.
40.
She had no helper save God, Who created her,
formed her and made her the lamp of His beauty between the heavens of the earth,
if ye be possessed of certainty."
41.
Shouldst thou find one of My lovers, if he asks about Me say,
"By God, I went up out of the Prison City (Adrianople)
at a time when Husayn [_____ ] was lying upon the ground,
while Disgrace knelt upon His breast and desired to behead Him.
42.
The spears were standing before His head, and He expected it to be raised aloft upon them.
43.
Such was the situation in inmost secrecy, if ye be of them that perceive.
44.
I then saw Him move His lips,
and gaze toward the heavens with a look such as would rend every heart,
and beyond them the heart of God, the Protector, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting.
45.
I moved My head close to His lips, and heard that He was beneath the sword, saying,
46.
'O people!
By God, I have not spoken to you out of selfish desire!
47.
Nay, rather I have given voice to that which the Speaker on Sinai uttered
in My most pure and sanctified breast.
48.
The verses of God leave no doubt
as to what hath been foreordained in the realm of the divine Decree,
or as to that which is in this world and the next.
49.
O ye who have joined partners with God,
inhale the scent of these verses that have descended from the realm of the divine Essence,
from the King of names and attributes.
50.
Should ye perceive therein the fragrance of the coat of the beloved Joseph,
then show mercy toward Him,
and put Him not to death with the blades of malice,
if ye see with the eyes of justice and are equitable in yourselves.
Tablet of Blood CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 51-85
BLOOD
51.
"'O people!
I bolted up the gates of paradise for twenty years,
lest anything issue from My lips which might cause the fire of hatred to blaze forth in your breasts.
52.
To this beareth witness the Tongue of Grandeur,
then the Pen of Command upon the holy and guarded Tablets.
53.
O people,
I verily am 'Ali (the Bab), and this is but another Return after the first.
54.
I have demonstrated to ye at this time the greatest of the things I manifested aforetime.
55.
I have come from the fountainhead of grandeur and glory,
and the treasure hold of exaltation and majesty,
with verses of which not a single letter hath heretofore been revealed in this world.
56.
This Tablet is My proof among ye,
to ye, and against ye,
if ye be of them that comprehend.
57.
"'O people,
God is My witness that I remained silent in My house, and gave voice to no melody.
58.
However, the Spirit set my limbs quaking, and caused Me to speak forth with the Truth.
59.
Its features then appeared in My face, if ye descry My beauty.
60.
For lo, I barred the doors of utterance these many years,
yet the tongue of God hath loosened My tongue, did ye but know.
61.
Will ye slay Him by whose Command the heavens were raised aloft,
the seas surged forth,
the trees gave fruit,
the mysteries were revealed,
and the beauty of the Chosen One shone forth from behind the veil?
62.
Fear God, O people of the Bayan,
and be not of those who repudiate the verses of God.
63.
I shall never deny these verses,
even should ye slay Me and all the swords and spears rain down upon Me at every moment.
64.
I shall speak forth in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and shall never fear anyone.
65.
This is My religion, if ye be of them that perceive.
66.
This is the religion of all the Messengers,
and is that which was revealed to 'Ali (the Bab) in every Tablet.
67.
I know not, however, to which religion ye adhere!'
68.
"When the melodies of that Holy One reached this point,
He suddenly fell silent by reason of the weakness which had overtaken Him.
69.
He remained in this state for some time,
and when He regained consciousness He opened His eyes
and turned in the sacred direction with a gaze of deep affection, saying,
70.
'Praise be to Thee, O Lord My God,
for the wondrous revelations of Thy inscrutable decree
and the woes and trials Thou hast destined for Me.
71.
At one time Thou didst deliver Me into the hands of Nimrod;
at another Thou hast allowed Pharaoh's rod to persecute Me.
72.
Thou alone canst estimate,
through Thine all-encompassing knowledge and the operation of Thy Will,
the incalculable afflictions I have suffered at their hands.
73.
Again Thou didst cast Me into the prison-cell of the ungodly,
for no reason except that I was moved to whisper
into the ears of the well-favored denizens of Thy Kingdom
an intimation of the vision with which Thou hadst, through Thy knowledge, inspired [for] Me,
and revealed to Me its meaning through the potency of Thy might.
74.
And again Thou didst decree that I be beheaded by the sword of the infidel.
75.
Again I was crucified for having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems of Thy glorious unity,
for having revealed to them the wondrous signs of Thy sovereign and everlasting power.
76.
How bitter the humiliations heaped upon Me, in a subsequent age, on the plain of Karbila!
77.
How lonely did I feel amidst Thy people!
To what a state of helplessness was I reduced in that land!
78.
Unsatisfied with such indignities, My persecutors decapitated Me,
and, carrying aloft My head from land to land
paraded it before the gaze of the unbelieving multitude,
and deposited it on the seats of the perverse and faithless.
79.
In a later age, I was suspended,
and My breast was made a target to the darts of the malicious cruelty of My foes.
80.
My limbs were riddled with bullets, and My body was torn asunder.
81.
Finally, behold how, in this Day, My treacherous enemies have leagued themselves against Me,
and are continually plotting to instill the venom of hate and malice into the souls of Thy servants, and with all their might they are scheming to accomplish their purpose.
82.
"'It is Thou, My God and My adored One,
Who hast delivered Me into the hands of the infidels.
83.
Behold Me, then, in the dust, beneath the swords of thine enemies.
84.
Yet, however grievous be My plight, O God, My well-Beloved,
I render thanks unto Thee,
and My Spirit is grateful for whatsoever hath befallen Me in the path of Thy good-pleasure.
85.
I am well pleased with that which Thou didst ordain for Me,
and welcome, however calamitous, the pains and sorrows I am made to suffer.
Tablet of Blood CHAPTER FOUR
Divisions 86-120
BLOOD
86.
"'I plead with Thee, O My God, by Thy hidden names and Thy Beauty,
Who, both manifest and concealed, lieth in the dust of degradation,
to inculcate Thy love in the hearts of Thy servants,
and to seat them upon the carpet of Thy mercy.
87.
Give them shade, O My God, beneath the tree of Thy sanctity,
and deny them not the breezes of Thy holiness,
which waft from the paradise of Thy beauty and from the direction of Thy favors.
88.
Thou art, verily, able to accomplish Thy will,
and Thou art the Help in Peril, the Independent.'"
89.
O Muhammad [_______],
estimate well the number of gem-like mysteries We have bestowed upon thee,
and think upon the wondrous knowledge We have taught thee,
knowledge which lay concealed behind veils of light.
90.
Thus mayest thou become aware of that which hath befallen Us,
and be of those well-acquainted with the mysteries of this Cause.
91.
Then say with the tongue of thy spirit in thine inmost soul,
"Is there any helper who will come to the aid of the Primal Beauty (the Bab) in His new guise,
or any supporter who will arise to serve the Ultimate Point (Quddus) in His Radiance,
the Glorious, the Most Glorious?"
92.
Mayhap thereby God will be persuaded to dispatch someone to succor this Youth in these days,
wherein the denizens of heaven and earth are drunk with heedlessness,
save those who have gazed from nigh upon this Beauty.
93.
Yet O Muhammad,
thou wilt encounter the opposition and haughtiness of the perverse,
and wilt find them engaged in acts of hatred against this Youth on all sides,
except those for whom it hath been decreed otherwise by thy Lord God,
the Mighty, the Independent.
94.
Give ear to that which thou art commanded by the Pen of the Most High in the kingdom of decree,
in these heavens that have been sanctified by God from the incarnations of rancor,
from the touch of the infidels and from the recognition of the malicious.
95.
Rend asunder the veils,
then rise up from the dawning-point of this Cause with manifest sovereignty.
96.
Call out to the people,
telling them of this resplendent, mighty and illumined Beauty.
97.
Go to the Name of Ha',
and deliver to him that which hath been bestowed upon thee by the Spirit of God,
the Powerful, the Mighty, the Generous.
98.
Perhaps he will feel admonished within himself,
will detach himself from all save his Lord and enter the ranks of them that are rightly guided.
99.
Say:
"O My servant,
We have revealed for thee Tablets and Writings which are known only to God,
and therein is that which would enable thee to dispense with all creation,
and all that is in the heavens and on the earth.
100.
However, we did not send them to thee,
because we failed to perceive from thee the fragrance of the exalted ones in this Arab Youth.
101.
By God, all that thou dost possess will pass away, and nothing will remain
save what is with thy Lord, behind the pavilions of the Powerful, the Inaccessible.
102.
Leave the world and its people,
and detach thyself from all that was created therein.
103.
Then turn thy face toward the Countenance of God, the Generous, the [Creator]
104.
Say:
"This is 'Ali (the Bab) in very truth,
Who hath appeared once more in this most pure, manifest and glorious Beauty.
105.
He doth speak forth with the truth in the realm of eternity, and the exalted kingdom,
if ye have ears to hear.
106.
O people of the Bayan,
the spirit of true understanding will never speak in your hearts
until after My love hath entered them.
107.
This is a fundamental principle of religion, if ye be of those with certitude."
108.
O people of the Quran,
the Eternal Truth is come unto ye,
and that whereby the religions shall be differentiated, and truth distinguished from falsehood.
109.
Fear God, and be not of those who oppose Him.
110.
O people of the Churches,
cease from ringing the bells, for the Most Great Bell hath appeared.
111.
It is, verily, this Trump that hath been sent down in the form of these holy verses
between the heavens and the earth.
112.
He crieth out in truth in this resplendent, manifest and brilliant Name.
113.
Say:
He it is by Whose command the verses were revealed,
and by Whose permission all the scriptures were brought into being.
114.
To this attesteth the fragrance that issueth from the Camphor Fountain
through this most Ancient and pre-existent Pen.
115.
He speaketh forth at all times, uttering verses beyond the comprehension of the minds of the wise,
the knowledge of the mystic knowers, and the hearts of them that have attained.
116.
This is what ye were promised in the Books of God, did ye but know,
and this is that whereby the truth was realized from all eternity and shall be realized to all eternity.
117.
O Muhammad,
avert thy gaze from all who are in heaven and on earth,
so that thou canst enter into the mighty fortress of thy Lord, the Bestower, the Almighty.
118.
Set the trees of existence ablaze with this Fire,
that all may speak forth as it did, in the form of light, upon the Sinai of Theophany.
119.
Thus doth the Ancient Beauty shower His bounty upon thee, and command thee in this Cause,
that thou mayest detach thyself from all things
and hold fast to the cord of the Omnipotent, the Unattainable.
120.
Spirit, praises and glory be upon thee,
and upon whosoever heareth thy tidings of this Great Announcement.
Translated by J. Cole
Tablet of the Sacrifice CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-30
Súratu'dh-Dhibh, 1872
SACRIFICE
1.
This is the Surah of the Sacrifice,
which hath been sent down from the heaven of Command
to him whom We named Dhabih in the kingdom of names,
that he might dedicate himself to God, the Lord of the Worlds.
2.
He is the Everlasting, the Wondrous.
3.
God hath proclaimed from the throne of grandeur and splendor,
"I, verily, am the Lord God,
and there is no other god beside Me, the Help in Peril, the Everlasting."
4.
He hath, at this time, affirmed from the realm of glory and majesty
that there is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Imperishable.
5.
The Essence of pre- existence hath avowed to the domain of power and exaltation,
6.
"I am, in truth, Almighty God, beside Whom there is no other God,
and I am the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Beloved."
7.
God hath borne witness within His own substance,
to His substance and by His substance that He is God, saying,
8.
"There is no divinity save Me, the Manifest, the Visible.
9.
I testify within My essence, to My essence and by My essence that I am God"
and there is no God but He, the Effulgent, the Glorious, the Hidden.
10.
O Beauty of the Primeval,
sprinkle upon all created things droplets from the ocean of Thine overflowing grace,
that perchance they might be captivated by the holy fragrance
of the camphor fountain that hath appeared in the form of the Manifestation.
11.
From it floweth the river of paradise, which God hath distilled in the form of My Pen,
and He rendered it a sign of His Knowledge to all the world, but few of the people comprehend.
12.
O Sovereign of Eternity,
how shall I deliver to contingent beings the verses of thy mighty dominion,
after those who joined partners with God have encompassed Me on every side,
and have clasped the hands of rancor over these brilliant, glorious, and beloved lips?
13.
If I should speak among them of the wonders of Thy mention,
it would increase the loathing in the breasts of those godless ones.
14.
Thou knowest what hath befallen Thine own Being.
Thou art, verily, the Eternal Truth, the Omniscient, the Invisible.
15.
O Dhabih,
lift up thy head from thy slumber
and loosen thy tongue in utterance, in My Name, the Almighty, the Bestower.
16.
Fear no one, for thy Lord shall safeguard thee from Satan and his manifestations,
and shall protect thee with His mighty and evident sovereignty.
17.
If thou dost wish to enter into this station, to whose court have come in supplication
the realities of the worlds and the angels that circled about the Throne on high,
18.
it is incumbent upon thee to detach thyself from all who are in the heavens and upon the earth,
from all that was and shall be.
19.
It behooveth thee to make thy companion love of Me, and thy goal knowledge of Me,
20.
and thy fortress trust in thy Lord [God], the All-Knowing,
in these days wherein all have turned away from His beauty
and taken to themselves lords other than God.
21.
Thus did they act aforetime.
22.
If thou dost attain the attributes that We commanded thee to acquire,
God shall open the eye of thy heart and thou wilt witness what none of His servants hath glimpsed.
23.
Thou wilt come to know what was never apprehended by those who claim in themselves that which God hath not sanctioned for them, and say what they do not understand.
24.
Therefore, leave the idolaters and what they possess,
and ascend with the wings of holiness into the heavens of intimacy,
that thou mightest reach the most great Paradise in this hidden and concealed Word.
25.
Say:
O people,
I do not speak from My own selfish passions,
rather, the Spirit speaketh in My breast,
and that is My proof, if ye would be fair.
26.
O people,
if this is my crime, I am not the first to commit it in God's presence;
so also have His honored servants who feared Him.
27.
Dispute not the truth with your lips,
then gaze in the direction of equity concerning that which descended in truth
from the kingdom of God, the Omnipotent, the Help-in-Peril, the Self- Subsisting.
28.
If ye should dispute these words, then, by God,
ye shall not be adjudged to have faith in the verses of His Lord that were revealed to Ali (the Bab),
nor in the verses prior to His, that were given to the messengers of God, if ye did but know.
29.
O people, be merciful to yourselves, and weigh not the Cause by what is with you.
30.
Be of those who, when the verses of their Lord are recited to them,
quake in eagerness to attain His presence, and then fall prostrate upon their faces.
Tablet of the Sacrifice CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 31-60
SACRIFICE
31.
O Dhabih, by God, this Youth hath fallen into the well of hatred.
32.
Would that some caravan might stop and throw down the bucket of aid,
33.
that this Youth might emerge from it
and illumine with His radiance the visages of all the denizens of the heavens and the earth.
34.
Thus hath been written the wont of fate upon glorious and preserved Tablets,
35.
and thus is it related by this Pen,
which quaffed the waters of life from the fountain of the All-Merciful,
and grew in the earth of holiness in the center of the heart.
36.
From it floweth the springs of God's praise,
yet the people do not begin to understand.
37.
Know, then, that a commotion appeared whereby the heavens of idle imaginings were cleft,
and the sun of creation failed to give its light.
38.
Then was manifested the falseness of those who claimed in themselves
to believe in the verses of God, the Guardian, the Eternal.
39.
Say:
O people,
these are the verses of `Ali (the Bab) in truth!
40.
Beware lest ye grow haughty toward them, and be rather among the obedient.
41.
Say:
By God, the clouds of grace have risen high,
raining down upon contingent beings the water of life.
42.
This is the bounty of thy Lord, the All-Merciful,
if ye did but have certitude.
43.
Hast thou seen any grace greater than this?
44.
Nay, by God Himself,
the Help in Peril, the Almighty, the Well-Beloved.
45.
Hast thou reckoned in the whole creation any mercy more expansive?
46.
Nay, by My Being, the all-Bounteous,
ye have not, if ye only knew.
47.
One among the people asked concerning the Announcement
from those whom he imagined to be are rightly guided.
48.
Say:
O people,
He shall never, in order to vindicate His Cause,
stand in need of anything that was created between the heavens and the earth.
49.
All else besides Him hath been fashioned by His Word,
if ye would merely think upon His verses.
50.
Say:
Verily, His proof is Himself and His very existence is equivalent to His sovereignty.
51.
None is cognizant of this
save those who turned with sanctified visages toward the countenance of their Lord,
and who were among those that descry their Lord.
52.
Beware lest thou fail to acquaint thyself with the Cause of thy Lord.
53.
Then gaze with the eye of holiness upon the proofs of the Prophets and Messengers,
that this matter may be facilitated for thee,
54.
and thou mayest crush the idols of vain imaginings
by the power of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing,
55.
and become one of those who recline upon the cushions of grandeur.
56.
Know that all that hath issued from the Pen of true counsel hath been a token of My love for thee.
57.
Otherwise, thy Lord is, verily, able to dispense with all who are in the heavens and upon the earth.
58.
He ruleth as He willeth and giveth judgment as He wisheth,
through His Word, "Be!" – and it is.
59.
Listen well within thyself,
and allow not the whispering of Satan to cause thee to stumble upon the paths of the All-Merciful.
60.
Be steadfast in the Cause of thy Lord,
and be of those who gaze with the eyes of God upon His Cause.
Tablet of the Sacrifice CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 61-85
SACRIFICE
61.
Say:
O people,
all that ye possess and all that in which ye take pride is established solely by the verses of God,
and these verses have descended from the heaven of the divine Will.
62.
Take heed lest ye deny them,
and in so doing render all your works vain.
63.
Be not of them who follow every croaking orator
and then reject the verses of their Lord.
64.
Know thou that We have made thee Our envoy,
that thou mightest share with the people the glad tidings of this Cause,
at which[, when beheld,] every woman with child hath [rejoiced],
and the veils of [love] have covered the eyes of all who dwell in the heavens and upon the earth,
save only a limited few.
65.
The latter grew steadfast behind the canopies of glory,
and sought to draw nigh unto the Sinai of nearness.
66.
These are they who swim in the watery depths of this Cause.
67.
Strip thyself of everything, that the hand of grace may take thee,
and exalt thee to the majestic and beloved seat,
and clothe thee in raiment that will illumine all beings.
68.
This is from thy Lord's bounty upon thee,
if thou wilt refrain from consuming it in the fires of mortal intimations
and wilt adhere unwaveringly to the Cause of thy Lord.
69.
Follow not every cast-out idolater,
and beware lest thou limit thyself with the limitations of allusions
or veil thyself with the veils of signs.
70.
Burn away the veils by Our sovereignty,
then consume those allusions in the flames that were ignited upon the Sinai of Pre-existence,
and which shed their effulgence upon this Pen
in such wise as to attract the hearts of those who seek guidance in the verses of God.
71.
Meditate upon the community of the Qur'an, and upon all that they possessed,
that thou mightest sanctify thy soul from the hints of the people
and be praiseworthy in thy rectitude.
72.
Forsake this mortal world,
73.
then ascend into these heavens that thou mightest discover what no one else hath perceived,
save those who were willed to do so by thy Lord [God],
the Powerful, the Exalted, the All-Protecting, the Everlasting.
74.
If thou wilt purify thyself and contemplate My exile in that year that We arrived in Iraq,
by God, this would suffice thee above all things
and render thee one of those who think upon the signs of their Lord.
75.
Thereby hath the proof of God been completed for His servants and pure ones,
His blessing hath been fulfilled for His Chosen Ones,
and His Countenance hath gleamed forth to His creation.
76.
When, however, the veils of imaginings encompassed the people,
they neglected to meditate upon all this.
77.
Indeed, they were heedless of the Cause of their Lord.
78.
Say:
O people,
act not as did the people of the Qur'an,
and never surrender the reins of your insight into the hands of anyone else.
79.
Seize upon the grace proffered you in these days, and see with your own eyes.
80.
Turn not upon your heels when the verses of your Lord are recited,
nor be of those who reject the signs of God and hurl derision from where they sit.
81.
O Dhabih, I have been sacrificed at every moment for the past 20 years,
and this is known only to thy Lord, the Almighty, the Beloved.
82.
Know that when He who was sacrificed before Me desired the field of annihilation,
the sacrifice came to Him from the heavens of the divine Will.
83.
Yet I have been sacrificed even before being offered up,
impaled upon the sword of rancor by the wicked,
who know not what they do.
84.
If thou shouldst hallow thy gaze above mortal allusions,
and ascend unto the most great Panorama,
thou wilt see that My head is raised aloft upon the spears of the hypocrites against the horizon,
85.
and thou wilt weep at this, as lovers tearfully lament
when the dictates of destiny forbid them access to the abode of the glorious beloved.
Tablet of the Sacrifice CHAPTER FOUR
Divisions 86-110
SACRIFICE
86.
O Dhabih, purify thy vision from all the worlds of being and what they contain,
and from the contingent universe and all that is therein,
that thou mayest recognize the handiwork of God, which perfected the creation of all things.
87.
Thus mightest thou enter the house of mysteries,
wherein no one setteth foot save by the will of God,
the All-Knowing, the Omniscient, the Omnipotent, the Self-Subsistent.
88.
Strive to appreciate the greatness of these days,
wherein the visage of this Youth sheddeth its radiance among you,
and strive to estimate the [glory of] what passed thee by, [when] thou didst [wrong] Him.
89.
This is better for thee than the [worldly wealth of the] kingdoms of the heavens and the earth,
than all that ye do and know.
90.
Thou shalt place the fingers of grief between the teeth of bewilderment,
yet shall not discover this Youth, though thou diligently search the heavens and the earth.
91.
Thus doth the Pen of the divine Will reveal to thee the mysteries of fate,
that the servants might rise from their graves of heedlessness
and detach themselves from all that hindereth them from attaining the throne of His recognition.
92.
This is the garden that God hath sanctified above the notice of those who joined gods with God.
93.
When the cloak of this Youth reacheth thee stained with true blood,
press it to thy face and inhale from it the fragrance of the All-Merciful.
94.
Redden thine own face therewith,
and lament with a crimson visage between earth and heaven,
95.
that perchance the people of veils might burn away their idle imaginings
and divest themselves of the garments of allusions,
and wing their way unto the kingdom of names and attributes.
96.
This is the exalted, mighty, and praised station.
97.
When this Sacrifice wished to enter the abode of nearness to God,
the realm of His Lord, the Exalted, the Most High,
98.
behold, Satan manifested himself in the form of a man
and desired to prevent Him from entering the holy and concealed sanctuary.
99.
When We recognized [Satan], We cast stones at him with Our own power and might.
100.
Thus did it come to pass, if ye be of them that know.
101.
It behooveth thee to emulate [us] and do as [we] did.
102.
If thou perceivest that anyone desireth to deter thee from loving this Youth,
know that he is Satan who hath taken the form of a human being.
103.
Then take refuge with God and exorcise him with a luminous star-shower.
104.
Beware lest thou payest heed to anything.
105.
Determine in thy heart to set out for this sacred and adored shore.
106.
By God, O Dhabih,
all that thou hast heard from the beginning of this Cause was manifested by Us.
107.
However, We concealed it out of a wisdom of which only the sincere are cognizant.
108.
Thereby have most of the servants dealt with Us unjustly,
insofar as they remained unaware.
109.
We were patient in our trials,
and shall forebear by the power and might of God until such time as
the pre-existent Beauty shall come with the authority to save and rescue His Youth
in a manner that transcendeth the abilities of all who were and shall be.
110.
Spirit, greetings, and glory be upon thee,
and upon all who are patient with the good-pleasure of their Lord.
Translated by J.R.I. Cole
Tablet of the Suffering of the Exalted Letters CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-30
Tablet to Musíbat-i-Hurúf-i-'Álín
THE SUFFERING OF THE EXALTED LETTERS
1.
He is that He is.
2.
Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God!
3.
How is the pen to write and the ink to flow,
inasmuch as the gentle breezes of affection have been stilled,
the daystar of the divine decree hath arisen from the horizon of fulfillment, [unto Heaven]
4.
the sword of tribulation hath been unsheathed from the scabbard of creation,
the firmament of sorrow hath been upraised,
and the arrows of hardship and the darts of trials have rained down from the clouds of fate,
5.
in such wise that the stars of joy in the hearts of Thy loved ones have fallen,
every measure of happiness in the souls of Thy chosen ones hath been effaced,
6.
and successive tribulations have waxed so severe that no man hath the power to bear them, nor any soul the ability to withstand them.
7.
For the doors of hope have been slammed shut, the sweet-scented breezes of fidelity have ceased to waft, and the odours of extinction have been diffused.
8.
I swear by Thy glory!
The pen weepeth, the ink crieth aloud, the Tablet hath swooned away, bodies have trembled, and pillars have quaked.
9.
Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass!
10.
Verily, this is the first token of Thy loving Providence.
11.
Thou art He Who kindled the lamps of love in the niche of providential care, and Who nourished
them with the oil of learning and wisdom, until they became radiant and refulgent.
12.
By their illumination did the lights of Thy union shine forth in the niche of Thy sovereignty, and the foundations of the house of Thine eternity were established in the gardens of Thy hallowed Being.
13.
In the globe of Thy grace and the crystal glass of Thy mercy didst Thou protect them, lest they be assailed by the winds of antipathy.
14.
Thereafter Thou didst clothe them in the vesture of Thy generosity and compassion, and made
them manifest in the kingdom of attributes in the temple of Thy names.
15.
And when their creation reached its consummation and they were made well-pleasing, the gales of annihilation struck them and left them bereft of the fragrances of eternity, until their lives were taken, their niches shattered, and their lights extinguished.
16.
Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass!
Verily, this is a token of Thy latter decrees.
17.
How am I to make mention, O my God, of the marvels of Thy handiwork and the mysteries of Thy
wisdom, inasmuch as Thou hast created that gleaming white fluid out of the substance of divine
bounty?
18.
Thou hast made it to flow from the loins of the fathers, generation after generation, until it
attained unto one among Thy servants.
19.
Thereupon, Thou didst make the subtle, limpid fluid to
descend into the shell of one of Thy handmaidens, didst nurture it with the hands of Thy mystery and by the essence of Thy tender mercy therein, and didst design it in accordance with the exigencies of Thy wisdom,
20.
until Thou didst fashion it in the mother’s womb, clothe it with the most noble form, and invest it with the most excellent attributes.
21.
Thereafter, Thou didst cause him to depart from the womb, and didst suckle him, nourish him,
feed him, bestow Thy grace upon him, exalt him,
22.
stand him erect, and deliver him unto the stage of maturity, until Thou didst enable him to reach that boundless extremity in Thy fashioning, and that limitless exaltation in Thy creation,
23.
in such wise that Thou didst lift him unto the heaven of Thy Cause and the atmosphere of Thy transcendent holiness, didst cause him to attain unto the lofty heights of the wayfarer’s journey, didst detach him from every side, and didst return him from Thyself unto Thyself, such that he came and stood present before Thee.
24.
But the moment he entered Thy presence, O my God, Thou didst strip his body, for Thou didst
love naught else beside him, and Thou didst divest him of his attire, for Thou didst not desire aught else except him.
25.
Thou didst cause him to dwell in an abode bereft of any friend to have compassion for him, any companion to console him, a dwelling without either a lamp or bed.
26.
Therein did he abide, lowly, impoverished, alone, and seeking Thy refuge.
27.
Alas, alas!
On account of this were the gentle breezes of honor shut out from the realm of eternity,
the dove of the Cause was no longer able to warble her melodies,
28.
creation tore asunder its yellow robe, the celestial Maiden cast ashes upon Her face, and the eyes of divine majesty in the inmost souls of contingent being wept crimson tears.
29.
Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass!
30.
Verily, these are among Thy grievous afflictions.
Tablet of the Suffering of the Exalted Letters CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 31-55
THE SUFFERING OF THE EXALTED LETTERS
31.
Glory be unto Thee, O Lord, my God!
32.
After Thou didst enable him to ascend unto the realms of Há, the throne of eternity; after his dying to his own self and his living in the celestial splendour in the heights of manifestation;
33.
and after his attaining unto himself, his knowing of himself, his realization of his light, and his recognition of his beauty,
34.
Thou gavest him to drink from the wondrous crystal springs begotten of the essence of Thy hidden knowledge, didst attire him with the robe of guidance,
and didst proffer unto him the brimming cups of divine virtue,
until he gave ear unto the melody of the Dove in the midmost heaven.
35.
There he stood, transfixed at the Supreme Vision, before the holy sanctuary of divine grandeur.
36.
Thereupon he clung to the yellow handhold in the crimson spot, sufficient now in his own being, and subsisted by virtue of his own essence.
37.
He saw with his own eyes such as he beheld, apprehended with his own heart such as he understood, and ascended with his all to such heights as no man can ever surpass in his love for Thee, his acquiescence under Thy decree, and his submission under Thy trials.
38.
In this most exalted condition, this most lofty, most sublime station did he abide,
39.
until Thou didst breathe over him the breaths of Thy decree and the winds of Thy trials, and didst take from him all that Thou hadst given him out of Thy generosity,
40.
such that his feet were bereft of the power to walk, his hands from the ability to grasp, his eyes from beholding Thy beauty, his ears from hearkening unto Thy melodies, his heart from the knowledge of the stations of Thy unity, and his soul from certitude in the Manifestations of Thy oneness.
41
Thou wert yet unsatisfied, however, until Thou didst strip him of the robes of Thy loving-kindness, didst cast him out of the palaces of glory unto the dust of abject lowliness, and from the acme of affluence into the depths of deprivation.
42.
In the earth’s womb did he dwell, alone, estranged, naked, bereft, and exiled.
43.
Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass!
Verily, this is a token of Thy dire calamities.
44.
Verily Thou art He Who planted a goodly tree in a blessed and clement land, Who gave it to drink
of the camphor water from the springs of Divine Dispensation, Who reared it by the power of Thy
sovereignty, and protected it by the hands of Thine omnipotence, until it grew lofty and exalted.
45.
Its root Thou madest firm in the earth of Thy will, by virtue of a name from amongst Thy names,
and its branch Thou madest to rise up unto the heaven of Thy behest.
46.
Firmly established and exalted, it became the bearer of high-reaching and lofty branches, an indomitable trunk, and inaccessible and mighty boughs.
47.
Upon its branches dwelt the spirits of Thy sublime divinity and rested the doves of Thine hallowed eternity.
48.
Upon it were suspended birdcages of light, wherein songbirds of divine majesty were chanting and doves of holiness were warbling.
49.
They, one and all, made mention of their Lord God in the wondrous tongue with melodies and peerless utterance upon the branches.
50.
By virtue of their hymns were the hearts of the faithful enraptured, and the souls of those brought nigh confirmed.
51.
And when it had attained its most exalted station,
it was assailed by the fierce lightning of Thy wrath and the raging tempests of Thy trials,
52.
such that its branches snapped, its leaves withered, its fruits fell, its birdcages were shattered, and its songbirds took flight,
in such a pass that it was razed to the ground, uprooted with branches fallen.
53.
‘Twas as though it had never been planted, never been created, never been called into being, nor made lofty and exalted.
54.
Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass!
55.
Verily, this is a token of the supreme might of Thy sovereignty.
Tablet of the Suffering of the Exalted Letters CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 56-86
THE SUFFERING OF THE EXALTED LETTERS
56.
Verily, Thou art He Who sent down the mandate of compelling power from the realm of glory,
57.
by Whose leave Destiny’s decree dawned as Thou didst preordain it in the kingdom of creation,
in order that the abode of divine majesty be established upon stakes of unyielding, fortified iron.
58.
Thou didst form it out of the dust of loving-kindness from the garden of Thine eternity, and Thou didst build it upon four pillars of the temples of Thy transcendental unity,
59.
and didst beautify it with the daystars of Thine eternity, didst adorn it with the pure gold of Thy mercy, didst ordain that its doors be embellished with crimson ruby in Thy name, the Exalted, the Most High,
60.
and its walls inlaid with the pearls of Thy most excellent attributes in Thy supreme and most glorious Remembrance,
61.
and its ceiling and throne Thou didst hew out of scintillating, clear diamond, in Thy consummate, ancient, and truest Remembrance.
62.
Glorified be God, He Who fashioned and created this exalted abode, and Who revealed and ordained it!
63.
And after it had attained unto the pinnacle of perfection, and had been manifested in the most
beauteous form, it remained in such wise until its appointed time was come.
64.
Thereupon, the firmament of Thy trials was upraised in the divine realm of Thine ascendency, and the angels of Thy wrath pronounced over it Thy word of destruction.
65.
The foundation of the House was made to quake, until its pillars collapsed, its thrones fell, its doors lay demolished, its walls crumbled, and every indication thereof was effaced.
66.
‘Twas as though it had never been built upon Thine earth, been reared in Thy domains, or been
called into being in Thy lands.
67.
All its dust was scattered, its memory was forgotten, and every trace thereof had vanished.
68.
Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass!
69.
Verily, this is a token of the marvels of Thine immutable judgement.
70.
Praise be unto Thee for the excellence of Thy most sweet decree!
71.
I swear by Thy glory, O my God!
72.
Not a single complaint do I yield Thee for what hath occurred at Thy behest,
rather I beseech Thy forgiveness for all that I have mentioned, all that I have recounted, and all that I have uttered, in my trespasses,
73.
which speak only of mine own heedlessness of Thy remembrance and my renunciation of the gardens of Thy nearness,
for I recognize the exigencies of Thy wisdom, am cognizant of the ordering principles of Thy transcendent sovereignty,
74.
and know of a certainty that, through the power of Thy grace, Thou shalt never deal with Thy servants in a manner that doth not befit Thine exalted majesty, or become the marvels of Thy beneficence,
75.
and that the mandate of the return doth not shine forth from the horizon of Thy might and the kingdom of Thy behest, save that Thy servants may attain unto the pinnacle of Thy grace and the greatest measure of Thine overflowing generosity.
76.
I know full well that he who ascended unto Thee and came before Thee, hath verily risen unto the
heavens of Thy sublime eternity,
77.
hath dwelt in the holy precincts of Thy lordship, hath mounted the throne of glory before the effulgent light of Thy beauty, and hath reposed in the cradle of life eternal at the manifestation of Thine exalted divinity.
78.
It is as though I behold him at this very moment soaring on the wings of majesty in the expanse of Thy hallowed mercy, marching through the realms of the spirit of Thy oneness, drinking from the brimming cup of reunion with Thee, and partaking of the nourishing repast of Thy nearness and close embrace.
79.
May my life be offered up for this glorious honor, this supreme token of divine solicitude!
80.
And yet, inasmuch as Thou hast concealed from Thy creatures what Thou hast revealed unto Thy
Servant, the decree of separation is most difficult for humanity, the time of parting as ordained by
Thee is most trying unto Thy thralls, and the appearance of death in the temples of eternity is a cause of sorrow to Thy loved ones.
81.
Thus hath befallen Thy lovers what no man could reckon, no soul could grasp, no heart could contain, nor any mind could bear,
82.
and the token thereof is this hardship wherewith they are afflicted, and this suffering wherewith they are encompassed, which hath set the heart and soul aflame, and raised tumult in Thy lands.
83.
Indeed, not an eye remaineth unless it weepeth, nor a single head unless it be made bare on account of grief, nor a single heart unless it be bereaved, nor any light unless it be darkened, nor any soul unless it be severed, nor any happiness unless it be exchanged for sorrow.
84.
Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass!
85.
Verily, this is a token of Thy decree as confirmed in the crimson tree.
Tablet of the Suffering of the Exalted Letters CHAPTER FOUR
Divisions 86-110
THE SUFFERING OF THE EXALTED LETTERS
86.
O my God, my Beloved and mine Aspiration, Thou knowest full well that these hardships have
arisen from the horizon of Thy decree and have encompassed the contingent realm and whatsoever
abideth therein.
87.
They have overcome all created things and all that pertaineth unto them.
88.
But Thou hast chosen in these times two women:
the first Thou hast named after her whom Thou hadst singled out and made to be the mother of all creation, and the second Thou hast named after her whom Thou hadst chosen above all the women in the world.
89.
These tribulations hast Thou visited upon them in such a time when neither of them hath a mother
who might rend asunder her garment, or cast ash upon her head, or commiserate with them in their
loss, or weep for what hath befallen them, or divest her head by reason of what hath afflicted them.
90.
Neither have they companions to keep them company and still their weeping, nor confidants to dry
the tears from off their cheeks, nor maidservants to veil their hair,
91.
nor any who might have compassion on them and be a solace unto them in their bereavement, or weep for their sufferings, or dye their hands, or comb their locks after they have been disarrayed in grief.
92.
Wherefore, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast decreed by Thy command such as Thou didst
ordain, and hast made to pass such as Thou didst destine by Thy mandate, do Thou bestow Thy grace upon them both,
93.
clothe them in robes of silk and in luminous vestures with the word of glorification, that their eyes may be solaced by the marvels of Thy mercy, and their sorrow be transformed into the essence of joy and the splendour of the light in the orient of Thy Sacred Mount.
94.
Incline Thou their ears unto the warblings of Thine essence from the sidrah of Thine exalted eternity and the tree of Thy hallowed oneness, and unto the melodies which stupefy the minds of men when heard, before whose revelation souls tremble, and at whose appearance spirits are enraptured.
95.
Nourish them, moreover, with the fruits of the tree of Thy lordship, and enable them to taste the
wine of life everlasting that floweth from the springs of Thine eternity.
96.
Set them on the path unto the wellspring of Thy nearness and the city of reunion with Thee, and grant that they may repose in the precincts of Thy mercy neath the shade of the garden of Thy presence.
97.
Pour over them such patience as is given by Thee.
98.
Enable them and those in their company to trust in Thee, to be severed from aught else except Thee, to be engaged in Thy remembrance, to delight in Thy name, to long for Thy beauty,
to hasten unto Thine embrace, to drink from the brimming cup of Thy nourishing bounty,
99.
to circle round Thine Essence, to repose in the cradle of Thy nearness, to take flight in the heaven of Thy love, to walk in the lands of Thy good-pleasure, to hasten unto the repository of Thy light, to seek the excellence of Thy decree, to be content when Thy trials are sent down,
100.
to be patient in Thee, and to be well-satisfied with Thee, that their gaze may be set upon the marvels of Thy mercy and their hearts may await the revelation of Thy munificence, for they have not taken unto themselves any lord besides Thee, any beloved but Thee, or any aspiration save Thee.
101.
And I beseech Thee by Him Whom Thou didst make manifest in the past and shalt make manifest
in the future
to forbid neither them nor Thy servants from the holy sanctuary of Thy grandeur, nor turn them back from the gates of the city before whose threshold all in the heavens and earth have
gathered, and at whose door they stand
102.
—the city which none hath entered save those whom Thou hast singled out in Thy generosity,
and whom Thou hast made mirrors of Thine Own self,
manifestations of Thine Essence, daysprings of Thy glory,
orients of Thy holiness, abodes of Thy spirit,
treasuries of Thy Revelation, lamps of Thy light,
embodiments of Thy knowledge, and waves of the ocean of Thy wisdom.
103.
Inasmuch as Thou art potent to do as Thou willest and sovereign to do as Thou pleasest,
and art intruth the Omnipotent, the Self-Subsistent,
cause this guest who hath come before Thee to rise above all that Thou hast exalted,
104.
until he entereth the pavilions of majesty behind the tabernacles of divine union
in the precincts of Thy name, the All-Glorious, and of Thine Essence, the Most Exalted,
105.
before the Tree of the farthest extremity, the Garden of sheltering refuge,
and Thy most radiant spirit, that the holy fragrances diffusing from the Primal Point
—the Most Exalted Centre, the Most Exquisite Gem—
may overcome him,
106.
and that he may revolve around His beauty, circle round the holy sanctuary of His glory,
and behold the light of His attributes in the Kaaba of His names.
107.
Clothe him, then, in the robes of gladness,
that he may thereby enter the fold of the concourse of manifestation
and give ear unto the sweet accents of nearness from the Camphor tree,
that the snow-white dove may warble the song of enraptured ecstasy in this crimson leaf
—and indeed in every tree—
108.
with the melody of the All-Compelling in this flame kindled from this fire,
proclaiming that there is none other god but Him,
the King, the Omnipotent, the Almighty, the All-Powerful,
and that He is God, the Sublime, the All-Encompassing, the All-Subduing.
109.
And with these words is Mine utterance ended:
Praise be unto God, the Incomparable Lord of unsurpassed might!
110.
Verily Thou shalt fulfil, O my God, such as is hoped,
and this indeed is a token of Thy consummate, ancient, and veritable bounty.
Provisional translation by J. Hall
He who knoweth his [heart] hath known his Lord
Cole's introduction: This is a provisional translation of an important Tablet that, it seems to me, has central mystical significance. The "Commentary on `He who hath known his self hath known his Lord'" was written by Bahá'u'lláh in Edirne before the public break with Azal, and was addressed to Mirza Hadi Qazvini, one of the original 18 Letters of the Living, who was then in Baghdad. It treats briefly a number of key questions in Islamic mysticism, including the meaning of detachment; the meaning of the Saying about knowing one's self; the meaning of Return; and the meaning of another Saying, "The believer is alive in both worlds."
Much of the Tablet was translated by the Guardian; I have simply assembled those passages in order, and inserted between them my provisional translations of the rest of the Tablet. The Guardian's translations of passages from this piece are marked by a footnote after the first sentence. The Cole provisional translations are marked by beginning and ending brackets. The final two pages are left untranslated because they mainly consist of greetings to the Babis in Baghdad. The Cole provisional translations between [brackets] have not been double-checked by anyone else and may contain errors.
[He who knoweth God hath known his own being?]
He who knoweth his being hath known his Lord [God] CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-25
Commentary by Bahá-ulláh
Дата добавления: 2019-02-12; просмотров: 263; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!