Tablet to Fuad Pasha the Heart
Tablet of My Covenant CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-25
MY COVENANT
1.
Although the Realm of Glory hath none of the vanities of the world,
yet within the treasury of trust and resignation
We have bequeathed to Our heirs an excellent and priceless Heritage.
2.
Earthly treasures We have not bequeathed,
nor have We added such cares as they entail.
3.
By God! In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed.
4.
Consider ye and call to mind that which the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur’án:
5.
‘Woe betide every slanderer and defamer,
him that layeth up riches and counteth them.’ Qurán 104:1-2
6.
Fleeting are the riches of the world;
all that perisheth and changeth is not, and hath never been, worthy of attention,
except to a recognized measure.
7.
The aim of this Wronged One in sustaining woes and tribulations,
in revealing the Holy Verses and in demonstrating proofs,
hath been naught except to quench the flame of hate and enmity,
8.
that the horizon of the hearts of men may be illumined with the light of concord
and attain real peace and tranquillity.
9.
From the dawning-place of the divine Tablet the day-star of this utterance shineth resplendent,
and it behoveth everyone to fix his gaze upon it:
10.
We exhort you, O peoples of the world,
to observe that which will elevate your station.
11.
Hold fast to the fear of God and firmly adhere to what is right.
12.
Verily I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good,
defile it not with unseemly talk.
13.
God hath forgiven what is past.
14.
Henceforward everyone should utter that which is meet and seemly,
and should refrain from slander, abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men.
15.
Lofty is the station of man!
16.
Not long ago this exalted Word streamed forth from the treasury of Our Pen of Glory:
17.
Great and blessed is this Day
—the Day in which all that lay latent in man hath been and will be made manifest.
18.
Lofty is the station of man,
were he to hold fast to righteousness and truth and to remain firm and steadfast in the Cause.
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19.
In the eyes of the All-Merciful a true man appeareth even as a firmament;
its sun and moon are his sight and hearing, and his shining and resplendent character its stars.
20.
His is the loftiest station, and his influence educateth the world of being.
21.
Every receptive soul who hath in this Day inhaled the fragrance of His garment
and hath, with a pure heart, set his face towards the all-glorious Horizon
is reckoned among the people of Bahá in the Crimson Book.
22.
Grasp ye, in My Name, the chalice of My loving-kindness,
drink then your fill in My glorious and wondrous remembrance.
23.
O ye that dwell on earth!
The religion of God is for love and unity;
make it not the cause of enmity or dissension.
24.
In the eyes of men of insight and the beholders of the Most Sublime Vision,
whatsoever are the effective means for safeguarding and promoting
the happiness and welfare of the children of men
have already been revealed by the Pen of Glory.
25.
But the foolish ones of the earth, being nurtured in evil passions and desires,
have remained heedless of the consummate wisdom of Him Who is, in truth, the All-Wise,
while their words and deeds are prompted by idle fancies and vain imaginings.
Tablet of My Covenant CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 26-65
MY COVENANT
26.
O ye the loved ones and the trustees of God!
27.
Kings are the manifestations of the power,
and the daysprings of the might and riches, of God.
28.
Pray ye on their behalf.
29.
He hath invested them with the rulership of the earth
and hath singled out the hearts of men as His Own domain.
30.
Conflict and contention are categorically forbidden in His Book.
31.
This is a decree of God in this Most Great Revelation.
32.
It is divinely preserved from annulment
and is invested by Him with the splendour of His confirmation.
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33.
Verily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
34.
It is incumbent upon everyone to aid those daysprings of authority and sources of command
who are adorned with the ornament of equity and justice.
35.
Blessed are the rulers and the learned
among the people of Bahá.
36.
They are My trustees among My servants
and the manifestations of My commandments amidst My people.
37.
Upon them rest My glory,
My blessings and My grace which have pervaded the world of being.
38.
In this connection,
the utterances revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are such that from the horizon of their words
the light of divine grace shineth luminous and resplendent.
39.
O ye My Branches!
A mighty force, a consummate power lieth concealed in the world of being.
40.
Fix your gaze upon it and upon its unifying influence,
and not upon the differences which appear from it.
41.
The Will of the divine Testator is this:
It is incumbent upon the Aghsán, the Afnán and My Kindred
to turn, one and all, their faces towards the Most Mighty Branch.
42.
Consider that which We have revealed in Our Most Holy Book:
43.
‘When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended,
turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed,
Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.’
44.
The object of this sacred verse is none other except the Most Mighty Branch. (Bahá-ullah)
45.
Thus have We graciously revealed unto you Our potent Will,
and I am verily the Gracious, the All-Powerful.
46.
Verily God hath ordained the station of the Greater Branch (the Bab, Muḥammad Alí)
to be beneath that of the Most Great Branch. (Bahá-ullah)
47.
He is in truth the Ordainer, the All-Wise.
We have chosen ‘the Greater’ after ‘the Most Great’,
as decreed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
48.
It is enjoined upon everyone to manifest love towards the Aghsán,
but God hath not granted them any right to the property of others.
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49.
O ye My Aghsán, My Afnán and My Kindred!
We exhort you to fear God,
to perform praiseworthy deeds
and to do that which is meet and seemly and serveth to exalt your station.
50.
Verily I say, fear of God is the greatest commander that can render the Cause of God victorious, and the hosts which best befit this commander have ever been and are
an upright character and pure and goodly deeds.
51.
Say:
O servants!
Let not the means of order be made the cause of confusion
and the instrument of union an occasion for discord.
52.
We fain would hope that the people of Bahá may be guided by the blessed words:
53.
‘Say:
All things are of God.’
54.
This exalted utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and enmity
which smouldereth within the hearts and breasts of men.
55.
By this single utterance contending peoples and kindreds will attain the light of true unity.
56.
Verily He speaketh the truth and leadeth the way.
He is the All-Powerful, the Exalted, the Gracious.
57.
It is incumbent upon everyone to show courtesy to, and have regard for the Aghsán,
that thereby the Cause of God may be glorified and His Word exalted.
58.
This injunction hath time and again been mentioned and recorded in the Holy Writ.
59.
Well is it with him who is enabled to achieve that which the Ordainer,
the Ancient of Days hath prescribed for him.
60.
Ye are bidden moreover to respect the members of the Holy Household,
the Afnán and the kindred.
61.
We further admonish you to serve all nations
and to strive for the betterment of the world.
62.
That which is conducive to the regeneration of the world
and the salvation of the peoples and kindreds of the earth
hath been sent down from the heaven of the utterance of Him Who is the Desire of the world.
63.
Give ye a hearing ear to the counsels of the Pen of Glory.
64.
Better is this for you than all that is on the earth.
65.
Unto this beareth witness My glorious and wondrous Book.
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Tablet to Shikkar Shikan Shavand CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-35
Revealed in Arabic and Persian
SHIKKAR SHAVAND
1.
He is the Supreme, the Most Exalted.
2.
Warblers, mellifluous-toned, all the parrots of Ind shall be,
because of this Pársí sugar-cone which to Bengal goes.
the great Persian poet, Háfiz of Shíráz AD 1350
3.
Your letter having reached this mortal spot of isolation was brought forth
and stored in Our treasury of submission and acquiescence.
4.
What thou had written was noted
and everything expressed therein was found to be true and correct.
5.
However, they that yearn for the abode of the Beloved,
they that circle round the sanctuary of the Desired One,
are not apprehensive of trials and adversities,
nor do they flee from that which is ordained by God.
Poetic verse from the Mathnaví of J. Rúmí AD 1250
6.
They receive their portion from the ocean of resignation
and drink their fill from the soft-flowing stream of His mercy.
7.
They would not surrender the good-pleasure of the Friend
in exchange for the kingdom of both worlds,
nor would they barter that which the Well-Beloved hath decreed
in return for dominion over the realms of the infinite.
8.
They would eagerly drink the venom of woe as if it were the water of life
and would drain deadly poison to its bitter dregs just as a sweet and life-giving draught.
9.
In the arid wastes of desolation
they are stirred with enthusiasm through the remembrance of the Friend,
and in the dreary wilds of adversity
they are eager and impatient to offer themselves as a sacrifice.
10.
Unhesitatingly have they renounced their lives
and directed their steps towards the abode of the Best Beloved.
11.
They have closed their eyes to the world
and fixed their gaze upon the beauteous countenance of the Friend, [of God]
cherishing no desire but the presence of the loved One [Lord]
and seeking no attainment save reunion with Him.
12.
They fly with the feathers of trust in God,
and soar with the wings of adherence unto His Will.
13.
In their estimation a blood-shedding blade is more desirable than finest silk
and a piercing dart more acceptable than mother’s milk.
14.
‘High-spirited souls by the myriad are deemed necessary in this path,
To lay down a hundred lives with every fleeting breath.’ Qurán 6:35
In the Kitáb-i-Íqán, Bahá’u’lláh writes concerning this verse of the Quran,
“The implication of this utterance is that His case had no remedy,
that they would not withhold their hands from Him
unless He should hide Himself beneath the depths of the earth, or take His flight unto heaven.”
15.
It behoveth us to kiss the hand of the would-be assassin
and to set out, dancing, on our way to the habitation of the Friend.
16.
How indescribably pleasant is that hour,
how immeasurably sweet that moment when the transcendent spirit is intent upon sacrificing itself,
when the tabernacle of fidelity is hastening to attain the heights of self-surrender!
17.
With necks laid bare,
we yearn for the stroke of the ruthless sword wielded by the hand of the Beloved.
18.
With breasts aglow with light, we eagerly await the dart of His decree.
19.
Contemptuous of name, we have detached ourselves from all else but Him,
20.
we shall not run away,
21.
we pray for calamity, [of affliction or martyrdom]
that thereby we may soar unto the sublime heights of the spirit,
22.
seek shelter beneath the shade of the tree of reunion,
23.
attain the highest station of love,
24.
and drink our fill from the wondrous wine of everlasting communion with Him.
25.
Surely we will not forfeit this imperishable dominion,
nor will we forgo this incomparable blessing.
26.
If hidden beneath the dust,
we shall rear our heads from the bosom of the tender mercy of the Lord of mankind.
27.
No trial can suppress these companions,
no mortal feet can traverse this journey,
nor can any veil obscure this countenance.
28.
Yea, it is clear and evident that in view of the multitudes of internal and external opponents
who have raised the standards of opposition,
who have girded the loins of endeavour to eliminate these poor creatures,
29.
it standeth to reason that one should turn away from them and flee from this land,
nay, from the face of the earth.
30.
However, through the loving-kindness of God and by the aid of His invisible confirmations,
we are as radiant as the sun and as shining as the moon.
31.
We are established upon the throne of tranquillity
and seated upon the couch of fortitude.
32.
Of what importance is the shipwreck to the fish of the spirit?
33.
What doth a soul celestial care if the physical frame is destroyed?
34.
Indeed this body is for it a prison;
and the ship merely a place of confinement to the fish.
35.
What else but a nightingale can understand a Nightingale’s melody
and who else except the intimate friend can recognize the familiar voice of the Friend?
Tablet to Shikkar Shikan Shavand CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 36-65
SHIKKAR SHAVAND
36.
Consider what was revealed in the bygone days unto Him Who is the Seal of the Prophets
and the Beginning of His chosen Ones that thou may become weightless as a spirit,
and like unto a breath, emerge from the cage of the body.
37.
While encompassed with sever tests and surrounded from all sides by enemies
the most holy Bird descended down and brought forth this verse:
38.
“Yet if their opposition be grievous to Thee—
if Thou canst, seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into heaven.”4
39.
Oh, that a thousand eyes would shed tears of blood and a hundred thousand lives would groan from the heart.
40.
On another occasion He saith:
“And when the unbelievers were devising against thee,
to confine thee, or slay thee, or to expel thee,
and were devising, and God was devising; and God is the best of devisers.”5
41.
Reflect well on these two blessed and holy verses,
which have descended from the Source of Revelation,
so that thou may become apprised of the unseen mysteries.
42.
If the discerning eye of the people was open this outward establishment of this Servant upon His seat would have been sufficient enough for them all,
that, despite being surrounded by enemies and having been plagued by numerous calamities,
We are incandescent as a candle and radiant as the Beloved of Love in the assemblage of lovers.
43.
We have burnt all the veils and have become ablazed like the fire of love.
Yet, alas, to what use?
44.
For all the people’s eyes are shut and all their ears are closed.
They traverse the valley of heedlessness and roam the wilderness of error.
45.
“Ye are quit of what I do, and I am quit of what you do.”6 [i.e. above]
46.
Thou should be apprised to the fact that one of the divines7 in this land,
who is preoccupied with amassing worldly treasures
and who truly has not tasted from the cup of justice and equity,
47.
having neither seen this Servant nor met Him at any gathering
—to befriend Him as much as even an hour—
has now lifted his pen of tyranny
and has passed judgment on shedding the blood of these wronged ones.
48.
‘Willingly will I obey the judge who hath so strangely decreed
that my blood be spilt at Hill and at Haram!’8
49.
He, moreover, has spread some baseless rumors among a certain group of people
and in the course of these days has imparted to the noted individual9
some expressions of his idle fancies.
50.
That individual, in turn, has taken these tales of fiction back to Tihrán.
51.
‘Whatever malice and intrigue he has in his heart;
It is manifest as the day before the one true God.’10
52.
All these propositions are clear and evident,
and the motive behind them has also been exposed and confirmed.
53.
Should he succeed to conceal his evil intentions from this Servant,
how could he conceal it before the presence of the one true God,
‘the One Whom nothing is concealed from His Knowledge’?
54.
I know not at the end to what faith he will prescribe
or with what proof he will choose to argue his case?
55.
After all it has been some time since this Servant hath secluded Himself from the world,
closing His door to friend and stranger alike, and choosing the way of solitude.
56.
I know not from where this jealousy hath sprung
or from which direction did this antagonism appear?
57.
And it is not known whether in the end this would bring him blessing
and confirmation and cause his heart to be cheered!
58.
Although, he treads the path of a corrupt inclination
and this lowly One hath clung to the cord of the fear of God,
and God willing will be led to the light of salvation—
I have no ill-feeling towards him and have kept no resentment in My heart.
59.
I have left it to God and clung to the sure handle of justice.
60.
After achieving his intentions perhaps he may be led to drink from the boiling waters of Hell
and be fed from the fire of the Wrath of God.
61.
For a powerful Ruler is presiding
and He, indeed, doth not forgive oppression.
62.
Until the ordained time cometh no one hath power over Us,
and when the ordained time hath arrived it will find Our whole being longing for it.
63.
It would not be any sooner or later.
‘Surely we belong to God, and to Him we return.’11
64.
‘If God helps you, none can overcome you;
yet if He forsakes you, who then can help you after Him?’12
65.
‘Peace be upon him who follows the guidance!’13
Translated by S. Monjazeb
Notes:
1 These two verses are from a lyric poem by the great Persian poet Khájih Shamsu’d-Dín Muhammad-i-Shírází better known as Háfiz of Shíráz (1320-91 C.E.).
2 The italicized passages are the authorized translation excerpts of this Tablet published by the Universal House of Justice in The Bahá’í World Volume XVIII (1979-83) [Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1986], p. 11. All other non-italicized text, except the opening verse of the Háfiz, are translated by Shahrokh Monjazeb and must be regarded as a provisional translation pending the publication of an authorized version by the Bahá’í World Centre.
2 This poetic verse is from the Mathnaví of Jalálu’d-Dín Rúmí (1207-73 C.E.).
3 Qur’án 6:35. In the Kitáb-i-Íqán Bahá’u’lláh, expounding on the meaning of this verse, writes: “The implication of this utterance is that His case had no remedy, that they would not withhold their hands from Him unless He should hide Himself beneath the depths of the earth, or take His flight unto heaven.” (Kitáb-i-Íqán [U.S. edition], p.110)
4 Qur’án 8:30.
5 Qur’án 10:41.
6 This is a reference to Shaykh ‘Abdu’l-Husayn-i-Tihrání who was the arch-nemesis of Bahá’u’lláh, outside of the faith, during the years of Bahá’u’lláh’s banishment to Baghdad. He was also know as Shaykhu’l-‘Iráqayn. See God Passes By, p. 141.
7 This verse is an Arabic poetic verse by Ibn al-Fárid (1182-1235 C.E.) the famous Arab Sufi teacher and poet who lived in Egypt.
8 This is a reference to Mírzá Búzúrg Khán-i-Qazvíní the notorious accomplice of Shaykh ‘Abdu’l-Husayn-i-Tihrání mentioned above. Mírzá Búzúrg Khán was the Persian Consul-General in Baghdad from July 1860 to February 1863.
9 This poetic verse is likely from the Mathnaví of Jalálu’d-Dín Rúmí (1207-73 C.E.).
10 Qur’án 2:156.
11 Qur’án 3:160.
12 Qur’án 20:49.
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