Translation posted on the Bahá’í Studies
listserve by Khazeh
Fananapazir between May 19
and 26, 1998; Introduction translated by Ismael Velasco
from Dr. ‘Alí Muhammad Varqá (1993).
“Le Style
persan du Gardien.” The Vision of Shoghi Effendi:
Proceedings of the Association for Bahá’í
Studies
Ninth Annual Conference, November 2-4, 1984.
(Ottawa: Association for Bahá’í
Studies). pp. 209-219;
Full web edition prepared, proofread and published
by Mehdi
Wolf, December, 2002 with permission of translator
Lawh-i-Qarn
(Tablet of the
Centennial)
Shoghí Effendí
Rabbání
Walí ‘Amr’u’lláh
A Provisionally Translated Tablet of the Guardian
Translator’s Preface
At the same time as that incomparable book, God Passes By, was
authored by the beloved Guardian, Shoghí Effendí, and given as an inestimable
gift to the world, he also wrote a most beautiful and eloquent Epistle in Arabic
and Persian, known as the Lawh-i-Qarn
[Tablet of the Centennial (1944 or 101 B.E.)] It was read and memorized by many
wonderful souls in the East. The Hand of the Cause, Mr. Khádem,
talked about it at length in the book, The Vision of Shoghi Effendi,
published in North America.[1]
At the request of a personal friend, this servant will attempt an
approximate and provisional translation. Maybe the subject matter will be of
interest to some on this list [although I am reminded of the words of the
Guardian in the beginning of the Book of Certitude i.e. the unattainable
goal of a befitting rendering of Bahá’u’lláh’s
matchless utterance). I am also certain that pens abler than mine will produce
better translations in the future after I leave this world.
The Arabic/Persian text[2] in my possession is 104 pages long. Each page contains 18 lines, and each line, 12 words. With regard to words that are really difficult and loaded with
theological connotations, this servant will leave them in parentheses and with
notes. Ideally these should be footnoted, but I am not aware how one footnotes
in this medium. [If I do not have time or ability to discuss my rendering,
please forgive me but, by and by, more of this text will be available. The
chapter entitled “The Guardian’s Writings” in The
Priceless Pearl is relevant to my theme].
Khazeh Fananapazir
An Introduction to the Lawh-i-Qarn[3]
by Dr. ‘Alí Muhammad Varqá
Translated from the French by Ismael Velasco[4]
Among the numerous messages of the beloved Guardian, certain ones have
been revealed for occasions of great importance and demand more detailed
studies:
- The tablet of the year 89 (1933) on the occasion
of the ascension of the Greatest Holy Leaf,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’.
- The
tablet of the year 101 on the occasion of the Centenary of the Declaration of
the Báb.
- The tablet of the year 105
addressed to the friends in the East.
- The tablet
of the year 108 concerning the construction of the Báb’s
Mausoleum.
- The tablet of the year 110, the
description of the 10 Year Plan (titled the Spiritual
Crusade)
- The tablet of the year 113, a moving and
tragic episode concerning the attacks of the enemies of the Cause, and the
destruction of the dome of the National Centre of Iran and the prediction of the
fate of those that have risen against the Cause of
God.
As time does not permit us to analyze all these precious documents, I
will allow myself the detailed description of only one message – that of
the Bahá’í year 101.
In 1944, on the occasion of the celebration of the Centenary of the
Declaration of the beloved Báb, Bahá’í literature was
crowned with two masterpieces from the Guardian, two brilliant stars that shall
shine eternally in the firmament of the historical and literary works of the
Cause. The first, which took the title of God Passes By, is addressed to
the friends in America; and the second, addressed to the friends in the East, is
titled “The Tablet of Naw-Rúz 101.” Both deal with the
touching history of the Cause in the course of the century, a history of
persecution and oppression, a history of suffering and victory, a history of joy
and love, a history of the growth of the Cause of God, of its rise and of its
descent into a wave-tossed sea of happenings, of its evolution from an embryonic
state to its triumphant march towards its culminating point determining the
destiny of man.
In these two works, literary aptitude of the Guardian and his
historical knowledge are fully manifested. His perspective on the destiny of
the Cause, his clear vision and analytical power, enlighten us on the
development of the divine Revelation and its long path to its apogee: the
establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The subjects treated in the two works are analogous, but there is an
evident difference in its manner and method of presentation. The book, God
Passes By, which you have certainly read, is a book of 463 pages apportioned
to four historical periods, comprising the ministry of the Báb in five
chapters, the ministry of Bahá’u’lláh in eight
chapters, the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ likewise in
eight chapters, and finally the dawn of the Formative Age of the Faith in four
chapters, a section which ends in a retrospective overview of the past and a
prospective vision of the future of the Cause. In contrast, the message of
Naw-Rúz of the year 101 is one long tablet of 199 pages (104 manuscript
pages written by the Guardian himself and 95 machine-typed pages) which begins
with a 3 page Arabic prelude, of rare and exceptional beauty and eloquence,
reflecting in their poetic eloquence the Guardian as both mystic historian and
as theologian.
In this preface, the expression of salutation and praise to the names
and attributes of God is followed by a eulogy to
Bahá’u’lláh, listing His titles and characterizations,
as well as the titles and characterizations that apply to Him in the prophecies
of the Messengers of the past. Then, he offers his praises to the Báb
and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, and finally his wishes and his
pledges to all that arise to serve and assist the Cause of God.
That which gives particular distinction to this moving preamble, is the
number of characterizations, titles and attributes of the Báb,
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’
extracted from the sacred books.[5] He characterizes Bahá’u’lláh with thirty-six attributes,
he presents the Báb with twenty-nine characterizations and lauds
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ by means of sixteen titles and
attributes. The terms he uses for these characterizations are generally short,
the majority composed of two or three well chosen words.
For example, among the terms he uses to characterize
Bahá’u’lláh, one finds: “the Truth of
truths”, “the Essence of essences”, “the Hidden
Name”, “the Heavenly Father”, “the Sovereign of
sovereigns”, “the Sun of the horizons”, “Him Whom God
will make Manifest”, “the Founder of the Most Great Peace”,
etc. Among the characterizations of the Báb, one finds: “the great
divine Gate”, “the Proof of God among the peoples”, “the
divine and imperishable Face”, “the king of the Messengers”,
etc.
The Arabic paragraphs are very rhythmic and emit a musical vibration.
One is not content simply to read or listen to them, one desires to chant them.
It is a symphony that fills heart and soul, and when one begins to read them,
one relishes, one savours every word.
After this marvellous preamble, he addresses himself to the assemblage
of believers and, over six pages, extols this era of God. He makes mention of
eleven points to fully describe the importance of the first century of this
Revelation. Here are some passages:
How great the blessedness that pertains to this wondrous, this most
marvellous century, this luminous, scintillating, and transcendent Age such that
the eye of creation whether of the past or the future has not witnessed its
likeness!
How great the blessedness that pertains to this wondrous, this
most marvellous century in which God through His omnipotent Will and
all-pervasive Purpose has planted in the midmost point of existence
[qutb-al-afáq] the divine
lote-tree [sadrah], the immortal Tree, and it has grown greatly, became
verdant, efflorescent, sent high its branches and become fruitful and spread out
its all encompassing shade over all the world.
How great the blessedness
that pertains to this wondrous, this most marvellous century in the very first
night of which the veil of concealment was uplifted and the fragrance of God was
wafted and the earth of all existence has been quickened and the canopy of the
past Dispensations was rolled up and in which the upright ALIF appeared and the
Resurrection did come to pass and the Most Great Gate [Báb] was opened in
the face of all nations and from the land of Persia the Light of God, the Most
Exalted Ali, did shine, and the veil was lifted from that ‘Alid Youth of
al-Bathá and the Primal Point
around which the spirits of all God’s Messengers revolve appeared and was
made manifest.
He continues the description of the station and importance of the first
age of the Revelation of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, covering another eight subjects, each paragraph beginning by the repetition of:
How great the blessedness that pertains to this wondrous, this most
marvellous century
He then addresses himself to the night itself of the Declaration of the
Báb in the following phrases:
O sacred and holy Night! Upon thee be the most perfect and most
glorious greetings! Upon thee be the purest and most radiant
salutations!
O solace of the Eye of Creation! O joyous Commencement of the Days of
God! O Dawn of the most glorious and honoured Age! And inception of the sacred
and majestic Century! Because of thy revelation, O Night, the most great portals
were opened unto the face of creation, the most concealed Mystery did reveal
Itself, the Most Pre-existent Light did shine forth. Through Thee the Straight
Path was outstretched, and the breezes of life-giving Spirit were wafted forth
unto all the nations. Because of remembering Thee, Abraham, the Friend of God
would rejoice in His inmost heart, and Moses the Interlocutor would be glad in
His inmost being, and Jesus Christ the Spirit of God would be enthralled with
His entire being, and Muhammad the loved One
would bestir Himself. Because of Thy Advent the Concourse on High were joyous,
and hallelujah’s of joy were raised from the cherubim, the saints, and the
angels nigh unto God. Through Thee all earth and all the heavens were illumined,
and in Thee all nights were resurrected, and from Thee all days sought light.
The Night of Power circumambulated Thee. Because of thy advent, O Night, the
Countenance of Existence wreathed into a smile!
He then embarks on the description of the history and historical events
and development of the Cause. His powerful and inspired pen proceeds skillfully
along the arena of events, touching on the salient points of history. The
perspective he depicts touches on the essential traits of the growth of this
Revelation, his brush paints the magnificent tableau of all that has unfolded in
the course of the century. He describes the passage of history from the
declaration of the Báb, the formation of the Letters of the Living, their
missions, the pilgrimage of the Báb to Mecca, his return, the
persecutions which ensued and ended in His confinement in Máh-Kú
and Chiríq and finally His martyrdom,
Bahá’u’lláh’s entry to the scene, the scattering
of the disciples to teach His Cause, the persecutions of
Bahá’u’lláh, His efforts to reunite and guide the
disciples of the Báb, His imprisonment, His private declaration, the
shooting forth of the waves of animosity against
Bahá’u’lláh, His exile in Baghdád, the
Sulaymáníyyih days, His return to Baghdád and His
public declaration, the inauguration of the Bahá’í Era, His
exile to Istanbul, Adrianople and His incarceration in the Most Great Prison,
the intrigues of Azal and his collaborators, the revelation of the Mother Book,
the Aqdas, the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the
Centre of the Covenant and His task of expansion of the Faith across the world,
His suffering, His voyages to the West and finally the tragic fate of the
enemies of the Faith.
This literary masterpiece of the Guardian was revealed for presentation
to the friends in the East at Naw-Rúz of the year 101 (1944), but the
Guardian wished for it to be unveiled on
Ridván of the same year, in the
course of a solemn pilgrimage ceremony which was to unfold at the House of the
Báb in Shiráz, on the occasion of the centenary of His
proclamation, with the participation of all the delegates that were to gather
for ‘Írán’s National Convention. The National
Spiritual Assembly of ‘Írán took charge of the preparations,
and in spite of the restrictions and difficulties imposed by the Second World
War, it succeeded in conveying the manuscript of the message from
‘Iráq to Shiráz precisely in time for
Ridván.
On the eve of the anniversary of the declaration of the Báb,
while all the delegates were gathered in the blessed House of the Báb,
inundated by the light of the lusters and candles, the resonance of a beautiful
voice chanting the moving preamble to the message – in the very room where
one hundred years earlier had witnessed the unveiling of the Báb’s
mission to Mullá Husayn – made
ecstatic tears to flow over the faces of 91 delegates who received the
benedictions of a historic night filled with confirmation.
At the end of this message, the beloved Guardian had requested from all
who were present at the House of the Báb to perform a pilgrimage on his
behalf and implore the confirmation of the Blessed Beauty on his tasks in the
service of His Cause, and he finishes the message with a prayer revealed by his
blessed pen addressed to the Báb. I would like, to close this
evening’s talk, to share with you the translation of this
prayer:
O God, the Most High! We implore Thee by Thy Name and by Thy blood
spread over the earth to grant our prayers and to enable us to nest under the
shelter of Thy protecting wings and to shower upon us the rain of Thy generosity
and Thy bounty. Assist and aid us to follow Thy path for love of Thee and draw
us nigh unto the chord of Thy faithfulness and confirm us in Thy love and in the
promulgation of Thy Message.
Preserve us from the darts of them that have denied Thee. Aid us to
follow the pathway of Thy Will and to proclaim the Faith of Thy Best-Beloved,
the Most Glorious, He in Whose path thou hast sacrificed Thyself, and for the
sake of Whose love Thou hast wished for martyrdom.
Deliver us, O our Best Beloved, the Exalted, the Most High. Encourage
us and make firm our steps. Forgive us our sins and expiate our trespasses,
unloose our tongues, so that we may lift our voices and from our lips may flow
Thy praise. Crown our deeds and our labours with the diadem of Thy grace. Make
the end of our lives like unto that which Thou didst bestow on the faithful
among Thy servants. We supplicate unto Thee to count us among them who have
turned their faces unto Thee and have arisen in Thy service.
Intoxicate us with the glory of Thy presence, and render us immortal in
the gardens of Thy holiness. Grant us the grace and bountiful favours of Thy
heavenly Kingdom, O Thou Saviour of the world.
The servant at His threshold,
Shoghí
Lawh-i-Qarn
(Tablet of the Centennial)
Shoghí Effendí
Rabbání
Walí ‘Amr’u’lláh
To the Beloved
of God and the handmaids of the Merciful, spiritual brothers and sisters in the
countries and territories of the East – Upon them be the purest greetings
and praise!
All praise to God, the Single, the
One,[6] the
Pre-existent, the
Inaccessible;[7] the
Reality endowed with emanating
Grace,[8] the
All-Embracing
Ipseity,[9] the
Inaccessible,[10] the
Unseen,[11] the
Hidden Treasure,[12]
the Origin of all outpouring
Grace,[13] the Cause
of all Causes,[14]
the Raiser of all Messengers, the Ordainer of all
Religions.[15] Alone
and single is He;[16]
there is no partner unto Him in all the
kingdom[17] and there
is no peer for Him in all creation. All are His servants; all abide by His
Command.[18] All
move by His Will.[19]
All beseech His bounty. All commence with Him and all shall return unto
Him.[20] Holy and
sanctified is He from that which the Messengers depict of Him or that which
those who have attained could mention of Him!
All salutations and glory be upon that greatest Light that hath shone
upon all horizons and become resplendent
from[21] the Dawning
Place of Illumination, the Ancient
Beauty,[22] the Most
Great Name,[23] the
Mystery of
Mysteries,[24]
Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of
God,[25] the Most
Splendid, the Most Precious, the Reality of all
Realities,[26] He,
the Quintessence of
truth,[27] the inmost
Reality of all
things[28] the Source
of all light,[29] the
Essence of all Essences, the Light of all
Lights,[30] the
Reality of
Realities,[31] the
Hidden Name,[32] the
Protected
Mystery,[33] the
Great
Announcement,[34] the
Universal Manifestation of the
Divinity,[35] He
around Whom the Messengers
circumambulate[36]
and the One Promised in the Books and
Scrolls,[37] the One
mentioned[38] by the
tongue of Prophets and
Messengers,[39] the
Lord of Hosts,[40]
the Speaker of
Sinai,[41] the
Builder of the
Temple,[42] the
Purifier of all
sickness,[43] the
One Seated upon the Throne of
David,[44] the
Heavenly Father,[45]
the Alpha and
Omega,[46] the King
of Kings,[47] the
Lord of the kingdom, the Lord of the Day of
Judgement,[48] the
Lord of the Covenant, the Lord of the Testament, the Luminary of all the
World;[49] the One
manifested in the Name of the Self-Subsistent
One,[50] the One
entitled in the Glorious
Book,[51] “He
Whom God shall make
Manifest”,[52]
the Awaited Remnant of
God,[53] the Most
Great Beauty to be gazed at by all
creation,[54] the
Wronged One of the World, the Quickener of every mouldering
bone,[55] the Raiser
of the Edifice of the Most Great Peace amongst all nations, He, through Whose
Appearance the sealed choice wine was
unsealed,[56] and God
proved the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and
Prophets,[57] through
Whom the anticipated Most Great
Catastrophe[58] did
come to pass and the Second Greatest
Earthquake[59] did
occur and the Second Trumpet Blast was
sounded[60] and the
whole earth was illumined with the light of its
Lord[61] and its news
was recounted[62] and
its burdens were laid
down.[63] “When
the earth is shaken to its utmost convulsion and the Earth throws up its burdens
from within; On that day will she declare her
tidings.”[64]
Exalted, immeasurably exalted, is His Glory and Might, His Splendour
and His sublimity, His Sovereignty, His Dominion and His Majesty!
All greetings and Glory be upon
His[65] Peerless
Herald,[66] the
Solace of the Eyes of all the
Prophets,[67] the
Most Great Gate of
God[68] the Most
Great Remembrance of
God,[69] the Most
Honoured, the Most
Splendid,[70] the
Proof of God[71]
amongst all the Nations, the Pearl of Primal
Luminosity,[72] the
Most Exalted ‘Alí, the Primal Point, the One Manifest with the
evidences of all the
Prophets,[73] the
Countenance of God that shall never
die,[74] the Light of
God[75] that shall
never be extinguished, the Promised
al-Qá’im,[76]
the Expected
al-Mahdí,[77]
the Morn of
Guidance,[78] the
Lord of the Age, the King of
Messengers,[79]
through Whose Advent the Resurrection was
attained,[80] the
“Hour”[81]
did come to pass and the “Earth” was split asunder, and the heavens
were cleft apart,[82]
and the “Mountains” did
move,[83] and all
existence was
stupefied[84] and the
Straight path[85] was
outstretched, and the Balance was set
up,[86] and the Fire
was made to
blaze,[87] and all
those having a burden laid down their
burden,[88] and the
Dawn of Guidance[89]
broke upon mankind, and the Greatest
Glad-Tidings[90] were
announced, and thereby, the effulgence of the Day-Star of Bahá was
brought nigh - a Day-Star whose lights shineth upon the entire creation.
Greetings and praise be upon the Prophets of
God[91] and His
Envoys, the Temples of Divine
Unity,[92] the
Essences of
Detachment,[93] the
Manifestations of
God,[94] the
Sanctified
Mirrors,[95] the
Consummate Words,[96]
the sanctified Beings, They Whom God hast chosen and ordained as the
Manifestations of His
Self,[97] the
Descending Places of His Revelation, the Dawning Places of His Light, the
Day-Stars of His
Cause,[98] the
Trustees of His Mysteries, the Expositors of His Attributes, the Fountainheads
of His Wisdom,[99]
the Treasuries of His Inspiration and of His Knowledge, the Repositories of His
Utterance, the Ensigns of His Power, the Lamps of His
Guidance,[100] the
Lights of His Love, the Bearers of His
Trust,[101] the
Sources of His
Commandments.[102]
Through Them, He hath manifested His
Cause[103] and hath
revealed His Book, hath founded His
Shari’ah[104],
and established His Proof. Through Them, He hath caused His Message to be
delivered and the glad tidings to be given concerning the Day of attaining His
Presence and Meeting with
Him,[105] the Day
of Account,[106]
the Day of
Encounter,[107] the
Awesome Day of
God[108], the Day
when all mankind shall stand before the Lord of the
Worlds.[109]
Salutations and peace be upon the Centre of the Covenant of God and of
His Testament,[110]
that most noble and righteous “Mystery of
God”,[111]
the Sea that hath branched from the Most Great
Ocean,[112] the
Sublime
Exemplar,[113] He
around Whom all names
circumambulate,[114]
He Who was purposed by
God,[115] the
Solace of the eyes of Bahá, His Trust amongst His creation, the
Interpreter and Expositor of His
verses[116] and of
His words, the Stronghold of His
Faith,[117] the
Shield of His
Religion,[118] the
Promulgator of His
Law,[119] the
Trustee of His secret, the Expounder of the principles of His Order, the
Upholder of the banner of His victory, He Who is crowned with the diadem of
servitude in the service of His
Cause.[120]
Light and Spirit be upon God’s Holy Ones, the Successors of the
Prophets, the Chosen Ones of God, His Helpers, His Guides, His Witnesses, and
His Saints, Who were chosen by the Prophets and Messengers to promulgate the
commandments[121]
of God, to
expound[122] His
Words, to strengthen the pillars of His
Law,[123] to assist
His Cause, to raise the station of His Religion, to expand His mission, to
establish His power, to vindicate His Divine Right, and to withstand the
evil[124] arising
from His enemies and adversaries. Greetings and Praise be upon the People of
Bahá, the Companions of the snow white banner and the crimson
Ark[125] and upon
the Family of the [Holy Tree] and the Leaves and Twigs of that Lote Tree, the
Letters of His Book, the Hands of His Cause, the Guides of His Path, the
steadfast in His Covenant, those firmly clinging to the Cord of His love, the
martyrs in His Path, the spreaders of the divine fragrances, and those engaged
in establishing the pillars of His Wondrous Order, the Offspring of His
Law[126] the fruit
of His most glorious, most exalted, most holy, most impregnable and peerless
Testament.
O concourse of the faithful! At this juncture when the first and most
glorious century of the most stupendous Cycle of the Ancient Beauty - a century
which, in accord with the testimony of the Centre of the Covenant, is the
“effulgent Sun of the earlier centuries and the light-giving Luminary of
subsequent
ones”[127] -
at this time when such a glorious century is on the point of its completion, the
loud call of, “O Joy exceeding! O Happiness abundant!” is being
raised from the Concourse on High and the joyous sound of celebration, praise
and glorification in the Precincts of the divine Sanctuary is being raised in
the highest chambers in the midst of the Abhá paradise exclaiming:
How great the blessedness that pertains to this wondrous, this most
marvelous
century,[128] this
luminous, scintillating, and transcendent Age, such that the eye of creation,
whether of the past or the future, hath not witnessed its
likeness![129]
How great the blessedness that pertains to this wondrous, this most
marvelous century in which God, through His omnipotent Will and all-pervasive
Purpose, hath planted in the midmost point of
existence[130] the
divine
Lote-Tree,[131] the
immortal Tree.[132]
It hath grown greatly, became verdant, and efflorescent, sent high its branches
and become fruitful, and spread out its all encompassing shade over all the
world.
How great the blessedness that pertains to this wondrous, this most
marvelous century, in the very first
night[133] of
which, the veil of concealment was uplifted and the fragrance of God was wafted
and the earth of all existence hath been
quickened[134] and
the canopy of the past Dispensations was rolled
up[135] and in
which the upright ALIF
appeared[136] and
the Resurrection did come to pass, and the Most Great
Gate[137] was
opened in the face of all nations and, from the land of Persia, the Light of
God, the Most Exalted
‘Alí,[138]
did shine, and the veil was lifted from that ‘Alid Youth of
al-Bathá,[139]
and the Primal Point around which the spirits of all God’s Messengers
revolve[140]
appeared and was made manifest.
How great is the blessedness that belongeth to this wondrous, this most
marvelous Century, in which God came in canopies of
clouds![141]
How great is the blessedness that belongeth to this wondrous, this most
marvelous Century, in which God hath come down in canopies of
clouds[142] and the
Spirit hath
risen,[143] and the
Ancient Beauty of God has come out from behind a thousand, thousand veils of
light and hath lifted that veil from His beauteous Countenance, and in the land
of ‘Iráq, a glimmer of the fierce and crimson Light of Revelation
was
manifested.[144]
Then was the Second Trumpet Blast
blown.[145] Then
was established on the Throne of manifestation the One Who held converse with
Moses on
Sinai,[146] and the
Lord did come down with ten thousand
saints.[147] And
the One around Whom the Point of the
Bayán[148]
did circumambulate did appear. And the Most Great Spirit did sing in the heart
of Bahá and the Beauty of Husayn after
the
Qá’im[149]
shone from behind the veil of concealment and the
Father[150] did
appear in His great
glory[151] and the
Lord of Hosts descended in the land of the
Promise,[152] and
the Clarion
Call[153] was
raised, and the Divine Caller called from a Near
Place.[154]
“And listen for the Day when the Caller will call out from a place Near.
The day when they will hear a mighty Blast in very truth. That will be the Day
of Resurrection.”
Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, this most marvelous Century
in which the earth was
shaken[155] to her
utmost
convulsion,[156]
and threw up all her burdens from
within,[157] in
which “every mother giving suck forgot her suckling
babe”[158] in
which great
hurricanes[159]
succeeded each other and great mountains were uprooted and scattered as
dust,[160] in which
the heavens have been cloven asunder and the earth of existence has been pounded
to powder[161] and
in which faces have become gloomy and
dark[162] and in
which the “Mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the
Sovereign” was made
manifest,[163] and
in which the blinding and deafening
Temptation[164]
protruded itself and the Great
Terror[165]
appeared and the
Raven[166] did
crow,[167] and
the Most Great
Idol[168] fell down
and Taghut cried out and the pillars of Jibt did
quake[169] and the
“dreadful years”
transpired[170] and
the Birds of
Night[171] moved
about and the winds of covenant-breaking were blown and the storms of tests
waxed most grievously and certain “branches” became dried up and
certain “leaves” were seared and scattered away and the tribes of
the earth did
mourn[172] and the
conflagrations of war and
slaughter[173]
reached to high heaven, and that which caused the limbs of mankind to
quake[174] did
occur and lamentations and wailing were raised on all
sides[175] and
cities did
burn[176] and the
lightenings of the day of divine wrath shone and the Great Vengeance was
wreaked[177] and
desolating and devastating blasts were
blown.[178]
Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, most marvelous Century in
which the lights of truth and purity were scintillant in the faces of the
friends of God and the fire of love and devotion burnt most intensely in the
breasts of thousands upon thousands of the chosen ones - those who adhered
tenaciously to the luminous
Handle,[179] those
who tread the snow-white
Path,[180] the
lovers of the Abhá Beauty and the Countenance of the Primal Point, the
upright banners, the piercing
flames,[181] the
incandescent
stars,[182] the
mighty
mountains,[183] the
choicest amongst God’s
creatures[184] and
His chosen ones whom God hath elected for this great honour and whom He hath
chosen to vindicate His Proof amongst all mankind and whom He hath made firm in
His Mighty
Covenant[185] and
through whom He hath caused the banners of His Perspicuous Cause to be upraised
and the pillars of His wondrous Order to be established and who have been
clothed by Him with the raiment of holiness and sanctity and through whom His
messages are to be delivered and who have been sent to the field of martyrdom
with such evidences as hath attracted the realities of Prophets and
Messengers.
Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, most marvelous Century in
which the “seal” of the “sealed choice wine” was broken
by the fingers the Self-Subsisting
One[186] and the
veils which covered the truths latent in the treasuries of divine protection
were lifted away and the
“maidens”[187]
of inner significances came out from the chambers of words, and the mysteries
were thereby unraveled, the glad-tidings were made apparent, the promises and
prophecies did come to
pass,[188] and
allusions and
allegories[189]
concealed in the depths of the verses of the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospels,
the Qur’án, and beyond these, in the
traditions[190] of
the Chief of the
Messengers[191] and
the Pure Imáms and the scrolls of the Saints of God and the narrations of
the Trustees of His Secret and the Sources of His
Commands,[192] from
the earliest to the latest, were disclosed.
Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, most marvelous Century in
which the skin of the denier, the objector and the oppressor, be they kings,
sovereigns, Khaliphs, rulers, ‘Ulamá, divines, ministers,
the rich and proud ones of the East and the West did
tremble.[193] These
are they who waxed proud before God in His First
Resurrection[194]
and in the Second
Resurrection[195]
and afterwards in the Epoch of Centre of His Most Mighty, most firm, most
exalted Covenant. These are they who alienated themselves from Him, who gainsaid
His signs, who charged with falsehood His Proof, Who passed the
sentence[196] of
death against Him and who breached His honour and decreed His exile, His
incarceration, and the imprisonment of His Family and His companions. These are
they who scoffed at His envoys and usurped the rights of His saints, who fought
against His Trustees and His letters and His guides, and His lovers, and shed
the blood of His devotees and the servants of His Cause and sought to disperse
the assemblage of His loved ones and preferred to remain heedless of His Proofs
and Clear signs and His warnings. In truth their hopes were brought to naught,
and their deeds are wasted, and their canopy of comfort was rolled up and God
will obliterate their traces and disperse their own gathering and cut off their
roots[197] and take
hold of them with His power and wrath, and cause them to return to their abode
in the depth of the abyss.
Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, most marvelous Century, in
which the Mighty Sign
appeared,[198] and
the Outspread Roll was inscribed by the Pen of the
Supreme,[199] and
the Hidden Book, the Crimson
Tablet[200] was
revealed. The firmly built Edifice was founded in the shade of the Tree of
Anisa,[201] the
Tree of the Covenant and strong Testament - a Covenant and Testament which was
entered into in primordial
Origin,[202] the
Most Great Balance was set up, the Lodestone of Divine Confirmation was
established. For It is the Ark of
Salvation,[203] the
Sure Handle,[204]
the Planted Banner, the Cord outstretched between earth and
heaven.[205] It
hath been ordained as the Balance of every
thing[206] and
which is a
distinguishing[207]
bounty of this Supreme Theophany. All this is an evidence of His omnipotent
might and a proof of His grandeur, a glorification of His
Law[208] and a sure
protection for the continued
existence[209] of
His all-pervasive, sacred, awesome and Mighty Cause.
Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, most marvelous Century in
which the Most Great Law was
revealed[210] and
the Most Mighty Ocean didst sprinkle upon the
nations[211] and
the Spirit of Life was breathed into the body of the world and the Ark of
God’s Laws did
sail[212] and the
Balance of
Justice[213] was
established and the New Jerusalem did descend from
heaven,[214] and
the Sacred, Most Holy Book emanated from the pen of the Lord of Mankind. For it
is the Outspread
Roll,[215] the
Pre-Existent
Scroll,[216] the
Sublime Document, the Most Exalted Source to be referred thereto, and the
Mightiest Proof, the Ocean of Mercy unto all creation, the
Lamp[217] of
Salvation in the Kingdom of creation, the Balance of
Guidance[218]
amongst men, the Testimony of the All Merciful unto all the peoples of earth and
heaven.
Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, most marvelous Century in
which the foundations of His lofty Palace, His wondrous new Order, were raised
up, an Order which is the offspring of His
Law,[219] an Order
Whose appearance was anticipated joyously by the Most Great Remembrance of
God,[220] the
Exalted Báb in His (the Báb’s) blessed and glorious
Book,[221] an Order
specifically referred to in the Most Holy
Book[222] by its
Founder, an Order, the principles of which, as attested by the Supreme Pen, were
expounded and elucidated by the Most Great Branch, the Centre of the Covenant,
in His Will and Testament through His holy, sacred, and honoured Pen and by His
own Hand. Great is the blessedness of this wondrous, most marvelous Century in
which a succession of glad-tidings did transpire - glad-tidings emanating from
the Supreme Pen and confirmed by the Centre of His all-enfolding Covenant, glad
tidings that speak of the impending establishment of a Divine
Civilization,[223]
and of an Everlasting
Sovereignty,[224]
the Coming into the Realm of being of the Kingdom of God, and the effulgent
splendour of the lights of peace and concord amongst all mankind, and the
pitching of the Tabernacle of Justice in the midst of the world, and the waving
of the banner of independence of His Beneficent Shari’ah, the
strengthening of the bonds of unity and agreement and universal human
brotherhood and primal oneness of whatever race, class, religion and country,
and glad tidings pertaining to the maturation of the world of humanity unto
its utmost
perfection[225]
such that the earth will be another earth and become in very deed a portion of
Paradise whereupon is reflected the lights of the Concourse on High. Then shall
the Earth be an Abhá Garden. Then shall all the faithful rejoice.
O sacred and holy
Night![226] Upon
thee be the most perfect and most glorious greetings! Upon thee be the purest
and most radiant salutations! O solace of the Eye of Creation! O joyous
Commencement of the Days of God! O Dawn of the most glorious and honoured Age
and inception of the sacred and majestic Century! Because of thy revelation, O
Night, the most great portals were opened unto the face of creation, the most
concealed Mystery did reveal Itself, and the Most Pre-existent Light did shine
forth.[227] Through
Thee, the Straight Path was outstretched, and the breezes of life-giving Spirit
were wafted forth unto all the nations. Because of remembering Thee, Abraham,
the Friend of God would rejoice in His inmost heart, and Moses, the
Interlocutor, would be glad in His inmost being, and Jesus Christ, the Spirit of
God, would be enthralled with His entire
being,[228] and
Muhammad, the loved One would bestir Himself.
Because of Thy Advent, the Concourse on High were joyous and hallelujah’s
of joy were raised from the cherubim, the saints, and the angels nigh unto
God.[229] Through
Thee, all the earth and all the heavens were illumined and in Thee, all nights
were resurrected and from Thee, all days sought their light. The Night of Power
circumambulated
Thee.[230] Because
of thy advent, O Night, the Countenance of Existence wreathed into a smile! The
Bird of Divine Unicity sang Its melodies in the Highest Point of Heavenly
Paradise, and the Cock of the Throne chanted around the Precincts of divine
grandeur, and the Crimson Ocean exhibited all its waves, and the Beauty of the
Rose did appear, and the veils covering the Beauty of the all-Beloved were
lifted so that the hearts of all Prophets and Messengers were amazed and
enthralled.
Blessed, a myriad times, blessed is the one who hath recognized Thy
station, kept Thy honour and
sacredness,[231]
and witnessed Thy Signs, and derived bounty from Thy gracious emanations, and
who has prided himself in Thy mysteries, who hath confessed and averred Thy
sovereignty, Thy most exalted, most glorious, most resplendent and unique
station!
O People of
Bahá![232]
Consider awhile the manner in which the Hand of divine Omnipotence raised,
confirmed, aided, blessed, and gave honour and dignity to a mere handful of the
servants of God “brought low in the land”, appertaining to the
Shaykhí School of the Twelver Branch of Shi’ih
Islám, men and women who were mere students and who were looked upon by
all their compatriots whether they were divines, jurisprudents, men of
letters,[233]
Notes
[1]Dhikru’lláh Khádem. “Service at the
Threshold” in The Vision of Shoghi Effendi: Proceedings of the
Association for Bahá’í Studies Ninth Annual Conference,
November 2-4, 1984. (Ottawa: Association for Bahá’í
Studies, 1993) pp. 106-7. Dr. Varqá also mentions this important work in
“Le Style persan du Gardien” pp. 209-219.
[2] The source
text is Rabbání, Shawqí Afandí (Shoghí Effendí). Lawh-i-Qarn-i-Ahibbá‘-i-Sharq. Tíhrán: MMMA, 123 (MW’s
note, based on information graciously supplied by Juan R. I. Cole).
[3]
“Le Style persan du Gardien” in The Vision of Shoghi
Effendi: Proceedings of the Association for Bahá’í Studies
Ninth Annual Conference, November 2-4, 1984. (Ottawa: Association for
Bahá’í Studies, 1993), pp. 215-219.
[4] This
introduction was especially translated from the French for this edition of the Lawh-i-Qarn at the request of the present editor. It is included with the expressed permission of the author, Dr. ‘Alí Muhammad Varqá (MW’s note).
[5] Most of
the titles given to the Central Figures of the Faith have been footnoted in this
edition (MW’s note).
[6] “The
One” in the Arabic is
‘Ahad. This refers to the
Absolute in its absoluteness. The Absolute in its absoluteness is the One,
‘Ahad. The word
“one” in this particular context is not the one which is a whole of
many. Nor is it one in opposition to many. It means the essential, primordial,
absolutely unconditional simplicity of being where the concept of opposition is
meaningless. See page 24 of Izutsu (KF’s note).
[7] Many
references in the authorized translations; see, e.g. Gleanings from the
Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 5, 144, 148, 245;
Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 5, 18, 31, 112, 209
(MW’s note).
[8]
Al-Haqíqat
al-Fáidhat: Note that all things emanate in their
essence or subsistence from an entity above them or they receive the effulgence
of an attribute from a possessor that is endued with that attribute or grace.
Thus, here, God is described as that
Haqíqat, that Real
Entity Which is active in the outpouring of these emanations and Grace
(KF’s note).
[9]
Huwíyyat (KF’s note)
[10]
Bahá’u’lláh writes:“The conceptions of the
devoutest of mystics, the attainments of the most accomplished amongst men, the
highest praise which human tongue or pen can render are all the product of man's
finite mind and are conditioned by its limitations. Ten thousand Prophets, each
a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the Sinai of their search at His forbidding
voice, ‘Thou shalt never behold Me!’; whilst a myriad Messengers,
each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed upon their heavenly thrones by the
interdiction, ‘‘Mine Essence thou shalt never apprehend!’ From
time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His exalted
Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable mystery of
His unknowable Essence. Every attempt to attain to an understanding of His
inaccessible Reality hath ended in complete bewilderment, and every effort to
approach His exalted Self and envisage His Essence hath resulted in hopelessness
and failure.” (Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, p. 62-3) (MW’s
note).
[11] Many
references in the Writings, e.g. “..God Himself, glorified be He, is the
Unseen, the One concealed and hidden from the eyes of men.” (Gleanings
from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 13)
(MW’s note).
[12] See
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, n. 23 and Moojan Momen.
“‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Commentary on the Islamic
Tradition: ‘I Was a Hidden Treasure ...’”
Bahá’í Studies Bulletin 3:4 (Dec. 1985), pp. 4-35.
For the tradition quoted see, Najm al-Dín Abú
Bakr Muhammad ‘Ibn
Shakávar Asadí
Rází. Manárát as-Sah’yarin, p. 61. My
thanks to J. Vahíd Brown for finding
this reference (KF’s note).
[13] i.e. of
all Faid: For faid, see the Book of Certitude on the Most
Holy Outpouring and the Holy Outpouring, pages 140-141 (KF’s
note).
[14] See
Lawh-i-Hikmat, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p 144 (MW’s
note).
[15] See
Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 87;
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p.
104 (MW’s note).
[16]
Bahá’u’lláh quotes the tradition, “God was
alone; there was none else besides Him” three times in the
Kitáb-i-Íqán (MW’s note).
[17] Mulk
(KF’s note).
[18] or
‘bidding’, ‘Amr (KF’s note).
[19]
Mashíyyat (KF’s note)
[20] Many
Qur‘ánic references, e.g. 2:28, 2:245, 6:60, 6:108, 10:4, 40:77
96:8, etc (MW’s note).
[21]
mín (KF’s note)
[22] Many
references in the Writings, including, e.g. “The Most Great Law is come,
and the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the throne of David.” (Proclamation
of Bahá’u’lláh p. 89). See also Summons of the
Lord of Hosts, H 123: “The Ancient Beauty is come in His Most Great
Name, and He wisheth to admit all mankind into His most holy Kingdom.”
The title likely has its root from this verse of the Qur’án:
“But God will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over
them a Light of Beauty and (blissful) Joy.” (Qur’án 76:11)
The title ‘Ancient of Days’, which also occurs frequently in the
Writings, is prefigured in Daniel: “I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the
Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
(MW’s note).
[23] Again,
many references in the Writings: e.g.: “...He Who is the Ancient Beauty
hath come in the Most Great Name, that He may quicken the world and unite its
peoples.” See Qur’án 59:24: “He is God, the Creator,
the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most
Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His
Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (MW’s
note)
[24] Ramz
al-munamnam. Munamnam appears to be a reference to a property of religious
calligraphy in the sense that within one calligraphic writing, many other
beautiful details and symbols can be discerned (KF’s note).
[25] Many
Biblical references; eg. Ps. 19:1, Bar. 5:9, Rom. 5:2, 15:7, Rev. 15:8, 21:11,
23. See also Qur’án 57:1, 59:1, 61:1 and 64:1 (MW’s
note).
[26]
Haqíqatu’l Haqá‘iq: The reference to
Bahá’u’lláh’s station in these terms is in the
Kitáb-i-Íqán, page 92, wherein this title and the
two subsequent ones are mentioned (KF’s note).
[27]
‘Haqiqatu’l-Haqái’q. See
Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán,
p. 99 (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[28]
Jawhar’ul Jawáhir (KF’s note)
[29]
Núr’ul Anwár (KF’s note)
[30] It is
this servant’s reading that the term “Reality causing the emanation
of all realities” and the “Essence of all Essences”
(Jawhar-al-jawáhir) is mentioned in the writings of the
Shaykh al-Yúnání (i.e. Plotinus) and
subsequently elaborated in Ibn-al Arabí’s writings; the
“Light of all Lights” is frequently in the writings of
Suhrawardí and the Ishráqiyyún (i.e. the
Illuminationists) (KF’s note).
[31]
Haqíqatu’l Haqá‘iq: An explanation of this
entity Haqíqatu’l Haqá‘iq is given as follows:
It is the creative activity itself of the Absolute, It is the Absolute in Its
first stage of eternal Self-manifestation. It is indeed the absolute but not in
its primordial Absoluteness; rather in its first stage of Self Revelation
[Izutsu, page 236] (KF’s note).
[32]
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man
knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” Revelation 2:17 (MW’s
note).
[33] Note:
See e.g. Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, Section XIV, page 31: “‘O
ye that inhabit the heavens and the earth! There hath appeared what hath never
previously appeared. He Who from everlasting had concealed His Face from the
sight of creation is now come....’ ‘All eyes are gladdened for He
Whom none hath beheld, Whose secret no one hath discovered hath lifted the veil
of glory and uncovered the countenance of Beauty.’ ” (KF’s
note).
[34]
Qur’án 78:2-5: “Concerning the Great News, about which they
cannot agree. Verily, they shall soon (come to) know! Verily, verily they shall
soon (come to) know!” (Yusuf ‘Alí translation) (MW’s
note).
[35]
al Mazharu’l Kulliyyu’l
Iláhí (KF’s note).
[36] Note:
See, for example, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, Section CXXXIX, p. 302: “Thou
hast quaffed the cup which is life indeed from the hands of this Youth around
Whom revolve the Manifestations of the All-Glorious and the brightness of Whose
presence they Who are the Day Springs of Mercy extol in the day time and the
night season.” (KF’s note).
[37] See eg.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 114-5 (MW’s note).
[38] al
Madhkúr (KF’s note)
[39]
“But for Him no divine messenger would have been invested with the robe
of Prophethood, nor would any of the sacred Scriptures have been
revealed.” God Passes By, p. 99 (KF’s note).
[40] Many
Biblical references, e.g. 1 Chron. 17:24, 2Sam. 7:26, Hab. 2:13, Hag. 2:7-9, Is.
1:24, 2:12, 5:7, 9:7, 13:13, 24:23, 47:4, 54:5, Jer. 25:29, Ps. 24:10, etc.
‘Abdu‘l-Bahá’ comments on the meaning of this title in
Tablets of the Divine Plan, 8:2 (MW’s note).
[41] This is
a reference to the Promise of the Imám ‘Alí in the
Tutunjíyya: “Anticipate ye the Revelation of Him Who
conversed with Moses from the Burning Bush on Sinai.” Quoted by
Bahá’u’lláh in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
page 42 (KF’s note).
[42] See
Malachi 3:1 and Zechariah 6:12-13: “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts,
saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his
place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple
of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his
throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall
be between them both.” [Ed. Note: In God Passes By, p. 212-3,
Shoghi Effendi states that Bahá‘u‘lláh had identified
the “Temple” in Zechariah 6 as the Tablets to the Kings and rulers
and the Súriy-i-Haykal. See Summons of the Lord of Hosts, H276. There is also recording the
promise of Jesus Christ to the Jews: “I will destroy this temple that is
made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without
hands.” (Mark 14:58)] (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[43]
“And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of
the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them
upon all them that hate thee.” (Deuteronomy 7:15) (KF’s note,
expanded by MW).
[44]
“And he that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things
new.’” Revelation 21:5. See also Isaiah 9:6-7: “For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth
even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.”
(KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[45] Luke
11:13, Matthew 6:32. See also Matthew 15:13: “But he answered and said,
Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted
up.” (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[46]
“And he said unto me, ‘It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of
the water of life freely.’” - Revelation 21:6 (KF’s note,
expanded by MW).
[47]
“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for
he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called,
and chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14 (KF’s note, expanded by
MW).
[48]
Qur’án 1:1-4: “In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful. Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the world; Most
Gracious, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment.”
(KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[49] See
Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, Section CXI, p. 217. (MW’s
note)
[50]
Qayyum (KF’s note)
[51] The
Bayán (KF’s note).
[52] Many
references the the Writings of the Báb, e.g. “Say, He Whom God
shall make manifest is indeed the Primal Veil of God. Above this Veil ye can
find nothing other than God, while beneath it ye can discern all things
emanating from God.” (Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p.
131) (MW’s note).
[53]
Baqíyyatu’lláh; The reference is to the
Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’, Chap. IX. See Selections
from the Writings of the Báb, p. 47 (KF’s note, expanded by
MW).
[54]
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him..” Revelation 1:7 (MW’s note).
[55]
“(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him
whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things
which be not as though they were.” Romans 4:17; “And he makes
comparisons for Us, and forgets his own (origin and) Creation: He says,
“Who can give life to (dry) bones and decomposed ones (at that)?”
Say, “He will give them life. Who created them for the first time! For He
is Well-versed in every kind of creation!” Qur’án 36:78-9
(KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[56]
“Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine sealed”
Qur’án 83:25. See the Kitáb-i-Aqdas ¶ 5,
p.21: “Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay,
rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. To
this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath revealed. Meditate
upon this, O men of insight!” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW).
[57]
“By the righteousness of God! These are the days in which God hath proved
the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets, and beyond them
those that stand guard over His sacred and inviolable Sanctuary, the inmates of
the celestial Pavilion and dwellers of the Tabernacle of Glory. How severe,
therefore, the test to which they who join partners with God must needs be
subjected!” (Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, Section VIII, p. 11-2) (KF’s
note, expanded by MW).
[58]
Qur’án 79:34. Yusuf ‘Alí translates the phrase as
“the Great Overwhelming Event.” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW).
[59]
Qur’án 79:6-7. In the Arabic, these verses read as “Yauma
tarjufur ra_jifah Tatbauhar ra_difah.” [KF - E-mail] Yusuf
‘Alí translates it as: “One Day everything that can be in
commotion will be in violent commotion, Followed by oft-repeated
(commotions).” The Beloved Guardian has it in the Arabic
war-Rádifatu’l ‘Uzmá
(KF’s note).
[60]
Bahá’u’lláh writes, “The second blast hath been
blown on the trumpet. On whom are ye gazing? This is your Lord, the God of
Mercy.” (Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, p. 98) (MW’s
note).
[61]
Qur’án 39:68-69: “The Trumpet will (just) be sounded, when
all that are in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except such as it will
please God (to exempt). Then will a second one be sounded, when, behold, they
will be standing and looking on! And the Earth will shine with the Glory of its
Lord: the Record (of Deeds) will be placed (open); the prophets and the
witnesses will be brought forward and a just decision pronounced between them;
and they will not be wronged (in the least).” (Yusef ‘Alí)
(KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[62]
Qur’án 99:4-5: “On that Day will she declare her tidings: For
that thy Lord will have given her inspiration.” (KF’s note, expanded
by MW).
[63]
“When the earth is shaken to its utmost convulsion and the Earth throws up
its burdens from within. - On that day will she declare her tidings.”
Qur’án 99:2 (Yusuf ‘Alí translation quoted; Sale and
Rodwell are similar.) (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[64]
Qur’án 99:1-4 (KF’s note).
[65]
Bahá’u’lláh’s (KF’s note).
[66] the
Báb (KF’s note).
[67] Many
Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’ references, e.g: “The
angels and the spirits, arrayed rank upon rank, descend, by the leave of God,
upon this Gate and circle round this Focal Point in a far-stretching line. Greet
them with salutations, O Qurratu’l-’Ayn, for the dawn hath indeed
broken; then proclaim unto the concourse of the faithful: ‘Is not the
rising of the Morn, foreshadowed in the Mother Book [Qur’án 11:83],
to be near at hand?” Selections from the Writings of the
Báb, p. 50. (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[68]
Báb ‘Alláh-al-a’Azám; Note; in the well
known Visitation Prayer and Invocation of the Shi’ihs addressed to
the promised One, the Shi’ihs have to call His Blessed Self Ya
Báb’Alláh (reference Mafatih-al-Jinan by Qummi
Tíhrán and Beirut). The
Shi’ih believers have a copy in each home and hearth page 1027
reads As-salám alayka Yá Báb’Alláh; that is “Peace be
upon Thee, O Gate of God!” (KF’s note).
[69] The
Blessed Báb writes: “O children of men! If ye believe in the one
True God, follow Me, this Most Great Remembrance of God sent forth by your Lord,
that He may graciously forgive you your sins. Verily He is forgiving and
compassionate toward the concourse of the faithful.” (Selections from
the Writings of the Báb, p. 45) (MW’s note).
[70]
Dhikru’lláh-Al Akbar-Al
Akrám-alfkhám: Nabil’s Narrative, page 33
(KF’s note).
[71]
Hujjat’ulláh. See the
Qayyúmu’l Asmá, Chap. LXVI, Selections from the
Writings of the Báb, p. 71 (KF’s note, expanded by
MW).
[72]
Ad-Durrat-al’Uulá: reference to the Qur’ánic
verse of Light (24:35): “God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the
Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a
blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is
well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! God doth
guide whom He will to His Light: God doth set forth Parables for men: and God
doth know all things.” (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[73]
“He shall manifest the perfection of Moses, the splendour of Jesus, and
the patience of Job, ...Knowledge is twenty and seven letters. All that the
Prophets have revealed are two letters thereof. No man thus far hath known more
than these two letters. But when the Qá’im shall arise He will
cause the remaining twenty and five letters to be made manifest..” The
Kitáb-i-Íqán references originally from volume 13/52 of
the Bihár (KF’s note).
[74] The
Blessed Báb has written: “I am the Primal Point from which have
been generated all created things. I am the Countenance of God Whose splendour
can never be obscured, the Light of God Whose radiance can never fade. Whoso
recognizeth Me, assurance and all good are in store for him, and whoso faileth
to recognize Me, infernal fire and all evil await him...” (Selections
from the Writings of the Báb, p. 12) (MW’s note).
[75]
“O Peoples of the earth! Verily the resplendent Light of God hath appeared
in your midst,” (Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p.
61) (MW’s note).
[76] See
e.g. Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 60 and 119
(MW’s note).
[77] Title
found in e.g. Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 146
(MW’s note).
[78]
“Nay, verily: By the Moon, and by the Night as it retreateth, and by the
Dawn as it shineth forth; this is but one of the mighty (portents), a warning to
mankind to any of you that chooses to press forward, or to follow behind; every
soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds.” Qur’án 74:32-7;
See also 81:18. (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[79] See the
Lawh-i-Ahmad in
Bahá'í Prayers: A Selection Of Prayers Revealed By
Bahá'u'lláh, The Báb, And
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, p. 210 (MW’s
note).
[80] In this
connection, the Báb writes: “And from the moment when the Tree of
the Bayán appeared until it disappeareth is the Resurrection of the
Apostle of God, as is divinely foretold in the Qur’án; the
beginning of which was when two hours and eleven minutes had passed on the eve
of the fifth of Jamádíyu’l-Avval, 1260 A.H.,which is the
year 1270 of the Declaration of the Mission of
Muhammad. This was the beginning of the Day
of Resurrection of the Qur’án, and until the disappearance of the
Tree of divine Reality is the Resurrection of the Qur’án. The stage
of perfection of everything is reached when its resurrection occurreth. The
perfection of the religion of Islam was consummated at the beginning of this
Revelation; and from the rise of this Revelation until its setting, the fruits
of the Tree of Islám, whatever they are, will become apparent.”
(Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 107) (MW’s
note).
[81] See
Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels of heaven, but my Father only.” See also Qur’án 7:187
“They ask thee about the (final) Hour - when will be its appointed time?
Say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (alone): None but He can
reveal as to when it will occur.’” (MW’s note).
[82]
Qur’án 82:1-5: “When the Sky is cleft asunder; When the Stars
are scattered; When the Oceans are suffered to burst forth; And when the Graves
are turned upside down;- (Then) shall each soul know what it hath sent forward
and (what it hath) kept back.” (MW’s note).
[83] See
e.g. Qur‘án 52:7-11: “Verily, the Doom of thy Lord will
indeed come to pass; There is none can avert it; On the Day when the firmament
will be in dreadful commotion. And the mountains will fly hither and
thither.” See also Isaiah 54:10: “For the mountains shall depart,
and the hills be removed..” (MW’s note).
[84]
Qur’án 39:68 (KF’s note).
[85] See
e.g. Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 112:
“This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation.
Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world
can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries
undermine its structure.” (MW’s note)
[86]
Qur’án 21:48: “In the past We granted to Moses and Aaron the
criterion (for judgment), and a Light and a Message for those who would do
right,-” See also Gleanings, XCVIII: “Say: O leaders of
religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are
current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring balance established
amongst men. In this most perfect balance whatsoever the peoples and kindreds of
the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight should be
tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it.” (KF’s
note, expanded by MW)
[87]
Qur’án 81:12-14: “When the Blazing Fire is kindled to fierce
heat; And when the Garden is brought near;- (Then) shall each soul know what it
has put forward.” (KF’s note, expanded by MW)
[88]
Qur’án 22:2: “The Day ye shall see it, every mother giving
suck shall forget her suckling-babe, and every pregnant female shall drop her
load (unformed): thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk: but
dreadful will be the Wrath of God.” (MW’s note)
[89] See
Gleanings, CLXI, p. 339: “Be unrestrained as the wind, while
carrying the Message of Him Who hath caused the Dawn of Divine Guidance to
break.” (MW’s note).
[90]
Glad-Tidings: symbolic of the guidance of God: See e.g. Acts 13:32 “And
we declare unto you glad tidings..” See also Qur’án e.g.
2:119 (MW’s note).
[91]
Anbiyá‘ullah (KF’s note)
[92]ayákil
at-Tawhíd. Note: The first time the term “Temples of Divine
Unity” has been used probably is in the sacrosanct narration emanating
from the Imám ‘Alí and often quoted in the Writings. For
example, the Báb cites it in The Seven Proofs and
Bahá’u’lláh in the Book of Certitude. The
Imám responded to Kumayl-‘ibn-i-Ziyad
an-Nakha’í, saying:
Al-Haqiqatu nurun ashraqa
mín ˝ubh-il-Azal fa yaluhu ala hayákil-at-tawhíd atháruhu: “The
Truth is that Light resplendent from the Morn of Eternity, Whose effects are
manifested in the Temples of Divine Unity.” [Emphasis added] (KF’s
note).
[93] Also
“Essences of Abstraction” tajrid
Kitáb-i-Íqán. p. 177. [Ed. Note: In the authorized
English translation, the phrase “Essences of Detachment” appears
twice in the Íqán: see p. 142 and 164.] (KF’s note, expanded
by MW).
[94]
al-Mazáhir
al-Iláhíyya. Note: in the writings of the renowned
Suhrawardí, who was martyred in 1191 A.D., he refers to the
“Mazáhir al-Anwár
al-‘Azam” the “Supreme and Most Luminous
Manifestation”. This is found in his book,
“Hayákil-an-Núr”
and quoted in
’Abu’l-Fadl ’s
Fará‘id, [The Divine Ordinances] p. 363.
Also, the much beloved Shaykh
Ahmad quotes the father of Majlisi as
describing the Imáms as
“Mazáhir-i-Asmá’ihi ”
- The “Manifestation of the Divine Names and Attributes.”
Sharh az-Zíyara, Vol. 1,
p 168. Perhaps because of such expositions and guidance,
Bahá’u’lláh writes in ESW 120 “Meditate and be
fair in thy judgement. The followers of
Shaykh Ahmad
al-Ahsá‘í have, by the aid of God, apprehended
that which was veiled from the comprehension of others and of which they
remained deprived.” (KF’s note).
[95] Note:
Of course, “Mirror” has many references in the Báb’s
and Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings. [See e.g.
Kitáb-i-Íqán, p.99: “sanctified
Mirrors”.] Interestingly, in the field of teaching, I found that in
presenting the station of Jesus during the 3rd century, the Christian Fathers
referred to Him as a Mirror. Thus, “When Philip said ‘Show us the
Father,’ He [Jesus] answered: ‘He that has seen Me has seen the
Father’, since the Father was Himself seen through the spotless and
living mirror of the Divine Image. In the Psalms, it is said, ‘In Thy
Light shall we see Light.’ [Psalms 36:9]” Ante-Nicene
Fathers, Volume VI, ¶ 9 [Emphasis added]. (KF’s
note).
[96]
Al-Kalimát-at-támma. Note: In the
Súriy-i-Mulúk (Tablet to the Kings),
Bahá’u’lláh addresses the French ambassador and says a
Christian must remind himself of the “Mazáhir-Al-Kalima
Fil-Injíl” - the “Manifestations of the Word” or
the “Logos” mentioned in the Gospel of John. See Summons of the
Lord of Hosts, M17, p 192 (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[97]
Nafsahú. The Guardian, in the
Kitáb-i-Íqán, translated this term sometimes as the
“Revealer of the Supreme Being” (e.g. p 97) and once as the
“Manifestations of Thy Self” in Prayers and Meditations, p.
99 (KF’s note).
[98]
‘Amr (KF’s note)
[99]
Hikmat (KF’s note)
[100] See
Qur’án 24:35: “God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the
Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a
blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is
well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! God doth
guide whom He will to His Light: God doth set forth Parables for men: and God
doth know all things.” (MW’s note).
[101]
“Furthermore, it is evident to thee that the Bearers of the trust of God
are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a new Cause
and the Bearers of a new Message.”
Kitáb-i-Íqán, p 152 (MW’s note).
[102]
Ahkám (KF’s note)
[103]
‘Amr (KF’s note)
[104] i.e.
Dispensation (KF’s note)
[105]
Yawm al-Liqá‘:
Qur’án 6:31, 29:5, 33:44 and many more Qur’ánic
references. Also, see Amos 4:12, which is quoted by
Bahá’u’lláh in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
p. 145: “Prepare to meet your God.’” (KF’s
note).
[106] See
Qur’án 38:16: (“They say: ‘Our Lord! hasten to us our
sentence (even) before the Day of Account!’”), 38:26, 40:27. This
phrase is translated also as the “Day of the Reckoning” in
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 64. (KF’s note, expanded by
MW)
[107]
Qur’án 40:15-16: “(He is) the Lord of the Throne (of
Authority): by His Command doth He send the Spirit (of inspiration) to any of
His servants he pleases, that it may warn (men) of the Day of Mutual Meeting,-
The Day whereon they will (all) come forth: not a single thing concerning them
is hidden from God. ‘Whose will be the dominion that Day?’ That of
God, the One, the Irresistible!” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW)
[108] cf
Qur’án 26:135: “‘Truly I fear for you the Penalty of a
Great Day.’” (KF’s note, expanded by MW)
[109]
Qur’án 83:6, according to the Yusef ‘Alí translation;
Sale and Rodwell are similar. Bahá’u’lláh reveals:
“In truth I say: On this Day the blessed words, ‘But He is the
Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets’ have found their consummation
in the verse, ‘the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the
worlds.’ Render thou thanksgiving unto God for so great a bounty.”
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 114 (KF’s note)
[110]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ (MW’s note).
[111]
Sirru’lláh; Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of
Bahá’u’lláh, p. 134. (MW’s
note)
[112] See
The Tablet of the Branch (KF’s note).
[113]
Mathal al-‘Alá: the phrase occurs twice in the
Qur’án (16:60, 30:27) (KF’s note).
[114]
Reference to the
Lawh-i-Ard-i-Bá:
“Praise be to Him Who hath honoured the Land of Bá [i.e.
Beirut] through the presence of Him round Whom all names revolve.”
See Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 227. (MW’s note)
[115] See
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶ 121, p. 63. (MW’s
note).
[116]
“. . .Bahá’u’lláh covenanted . . . that
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ is the Expounder of the Book and the
Centre of His Covenant . . This is the Covenant which
Bahá’u’lláh made. If a person shall deviate, he is
not acceptable at the Threshold of Bahá’u’lláh. In
case of differences, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ must be consulted.
They must revolve around his good pleasure.”
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, cited in Star of the West, vol.
4, no. 14 [November 1913)], p. 237-38; cited in the Compilation on the Covenant)
(MW’s note).
[117]
‘Amr (KF’s note)
[118]
Dín (KF’s note)
[119]
Shari’ah (KF’s note)
[120]
Note: It is most interesting that after 14 titles and descriptions are
disclosed, the 15th and crowning one is the “diadem of servitude.”
Servitude in the Arabic original is “‘ubudiyyat” which
of course has the same tri-literal root of ‘A, B, D, thus
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ (KF’s note).
[121]
ahkám (KF’s note)
[122]
tabyín (KF’s note)
[123]
shari’ah (KF’s note)
[124]
sharr (KF’s note)
[125] Many
references to the Crimson Ark in Bahá‘u‘lláh‘s
Writings; See, for example, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 97: “The glory
which proceedeth from God, the Lord of the Throne on High and of the earth
below, rest upon you, O people of Bahá, O ye the companions of the
Crimson Ark, and upon such as have inclined their ears to your sweet voices and
have observed that whereunto they are bidden in this mighty and wondrous
Tablet.” (MW’s note).
[126]
shari’ah (KF’s note).
[127] From
min Makátíb ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ [Tablet
122] dedicated to the covenant starting Yá man istabshara bi
Bisharat Alláh. [Reference added based on personal E-mail
communication from translator, dated Tuesday, December 5th, 2000.]
For an overview of the Bahá’í view of the 20th
Century, see Universal House of Justice, Century of Light. (MW’s
note, based partially on information from KF)
[128]
There is an Arabic adjective Bádí’ which means
“marvelous” or “wondrous”. This same adjective occurs
in the superlative form as “abda’” or “most
marvelous”. The Guardian calls the first Bahá’í
Century (1844-1944) Qarn al-abda‘ al-badí‘ (this
Wondrous and Most Marvelous Century). The numerical difference between these
two forms of the same adjective is NINE, which is exactly the difference between
azím and
a‘zam [“great” and “most
great”, respectively] and also between qá’im and
qayyúm. It is this servant’s humble suggestion that these
two adjectives, which occur in the exclamation, “Great is the blessedness
that pertains to this wondrous and most marvelous century”, itself
repeated 12 times, in a sense, depict both the Revelations of the Báb and
of Bahá’u’lláh. In the
Kitáb-i-Íqán, the Báb’s Dispensation is
called “bádí’” or “this wondrous
revelation” (See page 196, line 1 of the
Kitáb-i-Íqán verlag, 1980 and p. 252) (KF’s
note).
[129]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ describes the Luminosity of this century
in terms of what has been termed the ‘seven candles’ of unity:
“The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings
of which can now be discerned. The second candle is unity of thought in world
undertakings, the consummation of which will erelong be witnessed. The third
candle is unity in freedom which will surely come to pass. The fourth candle is
unity in religion which is the corner-stone of the foundation itself, and which,
by the power of God, will be revealed in all its splendour. The fifth candle is
the unity of nations--a unity which in this century will be securely
established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as
citizens of one common fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races, making of
all that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh candle is
unity of language, i.e., the choice of a universal tongue in which all peoples
will be instructed and converse. Each and every one of these will inevitably
come to pass, inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in
their realization.” (Selections from the Writings of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 32). Interestingly,
Bahá’u’lláh is portrayed in the Apocalypse of St. John
among seven golden candlesticks which hold seven candles. See Revelation
1:12-3. The candlesticks are denoted as ‘seven churches’, but,
mystically, could perhaps also be identified with the candles of unity
(MW’s note).
[130]
qutb al-áfáq
(KF’s note)
[131]
Sadra (KF’s note).
[132]
Possible allusions to the allegory of Adam and Eve, though the connections are
unclear (MW’s note).
[133] May
22, 1844 (KF’s note).
[134] cf.
Qur’án 22:5: “..thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but
when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts
forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).” (KF’s
note)
[135]
tuwiya; See Qur’án 21:104: “The Day that We roll up
the heavens like a scroll rolled up for books (completed), even as We produced
the first creation, so shall We produce a new one: a promise We have undertaken:
truly shall We fulfil it.” See also Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, p. 60, Section XXV: “The
Prophetic Cycle hath, verily, ended. The Eternal Truth is now come.”
(KF’s note, expanded by MW)
[136] See
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 157 and note 172 on the UPRIGHT ALIF.
Note 172 reads as follows:
In his writings, Shaykh
Ahmad-i-Ahsa’í placed great
emphasis on the Arabic letter “Váv”. In The
Dawn-Breakers, Nabíl states that this letter “symbolized for
the Báb the advent of a new cycle of Divine Revelation, and has since
been alluded to by Bahá’u’lláh in the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas in such passages as ´the mystery of the Great
Reversal’ and ´the Sign of the Sovereign’”.
The name for the letter “Váv” consists of
three letters: Váv, Alif, Váv. According to the
abjad reckoning, the numerical value of each of these letters is 6, 1 and
6 respectively. Shoghi Effendi, in a letter written on his behalf to one of the
believers in the East provides an interpretation of this verse of the Aqdas. He
states that the “Upright Alif” refers to the advent of the
Báb. The first letter with its value of six, which comes before the
Alif, is a symbol of earlier Dispensations and Manifestations which
predate the Báb, while the third letter, which also has a numerical value
of six, stands for Bahá’u’lláh’s supreme
Revelation which was made manifest after the Alif. (MW’s
note).
[137] The
Báb (KF’s note)
[138]
Reference to the blessed name
‘Alí-Muhammad (The Báb)
(MW’s note).
[139] Note
on the ‘Alid Youth of al-Bathá. In the Commentary on the
Súrih of Joseph, the Báb’s first revelation, He is called
by the Voice of God the AL-ALAWI AL-ABTAHI - the “Youth with the
attributes of both ‘Alí and
Bathá [Mecca]”. Here,
Bathá refers to Muhammad. Thus, the
Báb has the attributes of both the Imám ‘Alí and the
Prophet Muhammad. The Báb was both the 12th Imám and the Return
of the Prophet, Who was the Point of the Furqán, and in His Name He
combined the appellations of ‘Alí and of
Muhammad. (KF’s note)
[140] Note
on the Point. There is a tradition attributed to the Imám
‘Alí and quoted by the Master,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ in His magnificent Makatib Vol.
1, p. 41: “All that is in the Torah and the Gospels and the Psalms is in
the Qur’án. All that is in the Qur’án is in the
Fatiha [the first chapter]. All that is in the Opening Chapter is in the
First 19 letters [i.e. “Bismilláh...”] and all that is
in the “Bismilláh” is in the Letter Bá.
And all that is in the Letter Bá is in the Point
(Nuqtih..)” Thus, in the Book of Divine Revelation, all revolves
around the Point and in all the Tablets and also here, the Báb is
called the “Point around Whom all the Spirits revolve”.
Bahá’u’lláh writes in Tablets, p. 101.
“When He purposed to call the new creation into being, He sent
forth the Manifest and Luminous Point [the Báb] from the horizon of His
Will; it passed through every sign and manifested itself in every form until it
reached the zenith, as bidden by God, the Lord of all men.
“This Point is the focal centre of the circle of Names and
marketh the culmination of the manifestations of Letters in the world of
creation.” (KF’s note, expanded by MW)
[141]
Ata-Alláh; See Gleanings, section XVIII, pages 43-45:
“Say: Is there any doubt concerning God? Behold how He hath come down from
the heaven of His grace.” See also Tablets of
Bahá‘u‘lláh Revealed After the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 182: “Say, God is my witness! The Promised
One Himself hath come down from heaven, seated upon the crimson cloud with the
hosts of revelation on His right, and the angels of inspiration on His left, and
the Decree hath been fulfilled at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the
Almighty.” Also see Qur’án 2:210: “Will they wait
until God comes down unto them in canopies of clouds.” (KF’s note,
expanded by MW).
[142] C.f.
Daniel 7:13, Jer. 4:13, Mark 13:26, Matt. 24:30, Revelation 1:7 (MW’s
note)
[143]
Qur’án 78:38: “On the Day the Spirit will rise.”
[Editor’s note: This could also be a reference to ‘Isá
(Yeshua).] (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[144]
World Order of Bahá‘u‘lláh, p. 101:
“‘And when the appointed hour hath struck,’ He [the
Hadrat-i-Báb] again
addresses Bahá’u’lláh in that same commentary,
‘do Thou, by the leave of God, the All-Wise, reveal from the heights of
the Most Lofty and Mystic Mount a faint, an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy
impenetrable Mystery, that they who have recognized the radiance of the Sinaic
Splendor may faint away and die as they catch a lightening glimpse of the fierce
and crimson Light that envelops Thy Revelation.’” (KF’s note,
expanded by MW)
[145]
Gleanings p. 44: “How long will ye sleep? The second blast hath
been blown.” Also, cf Qur’án 39:69: “..for the two
blasts of the Trumpet.” (MW’s note).
[146] A
reference to that most famous sermon of the Imám ‘Alí, the
Tutunjiyyah, quoted in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf:
“Anticipate ye the Advent of the One Who held converse on Sinai
[Mukallim at-Túr].”
(KF’s note).
[147]
Deuteronomy 33 wherein Revelations at Sinai, Seir and Parán are
mentioned; in the forth and last, the Lord shall come with ten thousand saints.
See also God Passes By. See also Jude 1:14-5: “And Enoch also, the
seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord cometh
with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince
all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have
ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have
spoken against him.’” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW).
[148] The
Báb (MW’s note)
[149]
Bahá’u’lláh makes explicit reference to this prophecy
in Gleanings IX, p.12 (MW’s note)
[150]
Isaiah 9:6. (MW’s note)
[151]
Matthew 16:27: “..the Son shall return in the glory of His Father.”
(KF’s note)
[152]
‘The Promise’ here refers to the promise given to Abraham, recorded
in Genesis: “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord
appeared to Abram, and said unto him, ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before
me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and
will multiply thee exceedingly. As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee,
and thou shalt be a father of many nations. And I will make thee exceeding
fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And
I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in
their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the
land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God.’ And God said unto Abraham,
‘Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in
their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you
and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye
shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the
covenant betwixt me and you.’” (Gen. 17:1-2; 4-11) (MW’s
note).
[153]
“saihat”; See Qur’án 50:42 (KF’s
note).
[154]
Qur’án 50:41-42: “And listen for the Day when the Caller will
call out from a place quiet near,- The Day when they will hear a (mighty) Blast
in (very) truth: that will be the Day of Resurrection.” ‘The Place
Near’ is Palestine in relation to Arabia, according to
Mírzá
‘Abú’l-Fadl’s Fara’id.
(KF’s note).
[155] See
Haggai 2:6-7: “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; ‘Yet once, it is a
little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the
dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall
come: and I will fill this house with glory,’ saith the Lord of
hosts.” See also, eg. Isaiah 13:13: “Therefore I will shake the
heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord
of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.” Also Joel 3:16 (MW’s
note).
[156] See
Prayers and Meditations, p. 28 (MW’s note).
[157] Cf.
Qur’án 99:1 “When the Earth is shaken to her utmost
convulsion and it throws up her burdens from within and man cries distressed:
‘What is the matter with her?’” (KF’s note)
[158]
Qur’án 22:2: “The Day ye shall see it, every mother giving
suck shall forget her suckling-babe, and every pregnant female shall drop her
load (unformed): thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk: but
dreadful will be the Wrath of God.” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW)
[159]
Mentioned once in the Qur’án in 33:9 (MW’s
note).
[160]
Qur’án 20:105: “They ask thee concerning the Mountains, say:
‘My Lord will uproot them and scatter them as dust.’” Also see
Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p.
132: “‘Have the tree-stumps been uprooted?’ Yea, more; the
mountains have been scattered in dust; by Him the Lord of
attributes.’” See also Hab. 3:6. (KF’s note, expanded by
MW)
[161]
Qur’án 89:21 says: “When the Earth is pounded to powder and
Thy Lord cometh...” The Guardian discloses: the earth of
“wújúd” or “existence” is pounded
...(KF’s note)
[162]
Qur’án 3:106 and 39:60: “On the Day of Judgement wilt thou
see those who told lies; their faces will be turned gloomy and dark.”
(KF’s note)
[163] See
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶157, and also note 171: “Through
this Reversal He hath caused the exalted to be abased and the abased to be
exalted. In the days of Jesus it was those who were distinguished for their
learning, the men of letters and religion who denied Him whilst humble fishermen
made haste to gain admittance into the Kingdom.” See also KA note 172.
(KF’s note)
[164]
barazát (KF’s note)
[165]
Qur’án 21:103 (MW’s note).
[166] That
is, the ‘raven of discord’, as mentioned in the
Súriy-i-Ra’is R 15; more specifically Siyyid
Muhammad-i-Isfahaní. (MW’s
note).
[167] The
Arabic term na’aqa refers to both the bellowing of the Golden Calf
and the crowing of the Raven (KF’s note).
[168]
Mírzá Yahyá (MW’s
note).
[169] The
Great Temptation is the Great “Fitnah.” It was prophesied in
the Shi’ih traditions that, contemporaneous with the Advent of the
Promised One, this Fitnah (i.e. Temptation, Sedition and Insurrection,
blinding and deafening in its ferocity), would come to pass. See Bihar
al-Anwár, volumes 51-52; the chapter on tamhis [tests]. Also
many references in the letters of Tahirih
in ZH, volume 3. The Great Terror is mentioned in the
Qur’án 21:103. The Most Great Idol and Taghut are both interpreted
in Bahá’í Sacred Writings as
Mirzá Yahya (Azal). See the reference
in Prayers and Meditations, page 132 and God Passes By, page
170. “Write us down with such of Thy servants as have repudiated the Idol
(Mirzá Yahya) and firmly believed in
Thee, and been so established on the throne of certitude that the whisperings of
the Evil One have been powerless to hinder them...” For Jibt see also
Qur’án 4:51 sorcery, divination any false belief, Taghut the evil
that exceeds all bounds. There is a beautiful exposition on these two terms in
Sharh az-Zíyara, [volume
3] in which those who recognized the radiance of the Sinaic Splendour fainted
away and died [WOB page 101] and in which light was turned into fire. This is
a reference to an utterance of the Báb quoted in Epistle to the Son of
the Wolf, p. 173: “How many the fires which God converteth into light
through Him Whom God shall make manifest and how numerous the lights which are
turned into fire through Him...” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW).
[170]
Qur’án 12:48-9: ““Then will come after that (period)
seven dreadful (years), which will devour what ye shall have laid by in advance
for them,- (all) except a little which ye shall have (specially) guarded. Then
will come after that (period) a year in which the people will have abundant
water, and in which they will press (wine and oil).”” (KF’s
note expanded by MW)
[171]
Bahá‘u‘lláh identifies the covenant-breakers as the
‘birds of night‘ in both the
Lawh-i-Bulbulu’l-Fíráq
(Tablet of the Nightingale of Bereavement) and also in the
Súriy-i-˝abr (Súrih of
Patience), otherwise known as
Lawh-i-Ayyub (Tablet of Job)
(MW’s note).
[172] See
Matthew Chapter 24 and expounded by the Supreme Pen in the Book of Certitude.
(KF’s note).
[173]
“But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that
prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that
number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to
the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did
not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted
not.” (Isaiah 65:11-12) (MW’s note).
[174]
Bahá’u’lláh writes: “This is the Announcement,
the greatness of which hath been mentioned in most of the Books of old and of
more recent times. This is the Announcement that hath caused the limbs of
mankind to quake, except such as God, the Protector, the Helper, the Succorer,
hath willed to exempt. Men have indeed with their own eyes witnessed how all men
and all things have been thrown into confusion and been sore perplexed, save
those whom God hath chosen to exempt.” (Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, p. 143-4) (MW’s note).
[175]
“Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus;
‘Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways,
‘Alas! alas!’ and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and
such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing. And in all vineyards shall be
wailing: for I will pass through thee’, saith the Lord.” (Amos
5:16-7). Christ prophesies: “The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:41-2) (MW’s note).
[176]
Interestingly, in Revelation, we have the vision of Babylon, the great city:
“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and
famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God
who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and
lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they
shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her
torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city!
for in one hour is thy judgment come.’” (Revelation 18:8-10)
(MW’s note).
[177] See
The Promised Day is Come, p. 3-4:
“A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its
course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its
ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth. Its driving
power is remorselessly gaining in range and momentum. Its cleansing force,
however much undetected, is increasing with every passing day. Humanity, gripped
in the clutches of its devastating power, is smitten by the evidences of its
resistless fury. It can neither perceive its origin, nor probe its significance,
nor discern its outcome. Bewildered, agonized and helpless, it watches this
great and mighty wind of God invading the remotest and fairest regions of the
earth, rocking its foundations, deranging its equilibrium, sundering its
nations, disrupting the homes of its peoples, wasting its cities, driving into
exile its kings, pulling down its bulwarks, uprooting its institutions, dimming
its light, and harrowing up the souls of its inhabitants.
“The time for the destruction of the world and its people,”
Bahá’u’lláh’s prophetic pen has proclaimed,
“hath arrived.” “The hour is approaching,” He
specifically affirms, “when the most great convulsion will have
appeared.” “The promised day is come, the day when tormenting trials
will have surged above your heads, and beneath your feet, saying: ‘Taste
ye what your hands have wrought!’” “Soon shall the blasts of
His chastisement beat upon you, and the dust of hell enshroud you.” And
again: “And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear
that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake.” “The day is
approaching when its [civilization’s] flame will devour the cities, when
the Tongue of Grandeur will proclaim: ‘The Kingdom is God’s, the
Almighty, the All-Praised!’” “The day will soon come,”
He, referring to the foolish ones of the earth, has written, “whereon they
will cry out for help and receive no answer.” “The day is
approaching,” He moreover has prophesied, “when the wrathful anger
of the Almighty will have taken hold of them. He, verily, is the Omnipotent, the
All-Subduing, the Most Powerful. He shall cleanse the earth from the defilement
of their corruption, and shall give it for an heritage unto such of His servants
as are nigh unto Him.”” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW)
[178]
Qur’án 41:51: “We sent the devastating Wind.” For
“widespread desolation of the human spirit”, see the 155
Ridván Message (KF’s
note).
[179]
Qur’án 2:256: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth
stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath
grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth
and knoweth all things.” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW)
[180]
Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 70 line 8: “The heart must
needs therefore be cleansed from the idle sayings of men, and sanctified from
every earthly affection, so that it may discover the hidden meaning of divine
inspiration, and become the treasury of the mysteries of divine knowledge. Thus
hath it been said: ‘He that treadeth the snow-white Path, and followeth
in the footsteps of the Crimson Pillar, shall never attain unto his abode unless
his hands are empty of those worldly things cherished by men.’”
(KF’s note, expanded by MW)
[181]
Qur’án 37:6-10: “We have indeed decked the lower heaven with
beauty (in) the stars,- (For beauty) and for guard against all obstinate
rebellious evil spirits, (So) they should not strain their ears in the direction
of the Exalted Assembly but be cast away from every side, Repulsed, for they are
under a perpetual penalty, Except such as snatch away something by stealth, and
they are pursued by a flaming fire, of piercing brightness.” (KF’s
note, expanded by MW)
[182]
Recall the statement in Gleanings: “O friends!....Ye are the stars
of the heaven of understanding” (p. 196) (MW’s note).
[183]
Qur’án 26:64: “Then We told Moses by inspiration:
“Strike the sea with thy rod.” So it divided, and each separate part
became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain.” (KF’s note, expanded
by MW)
[184]
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 146,
line 9. (KF’s note)
[185]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ affirms that the
Bahá’í Covenant is “a Covenant so firm and mighty that
from the beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath
produced its like.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, cited in
The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 136)
(MW’s note).
[186]
Qur’án 83:25-8: “Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine
sealed: The seal thereof will be Musk: And for this let those aspire, who have
aspirations: With it will be (given) a mixture of Tasnim: A spring, from (the
waters) whereof drink those Nearest to God.” See also
Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶5.
(KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[187]
houris: See Qur’án 56:22-6: “And (there will be)
Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes,- Like unto Pearls
well-guarded. A Reward for the deeds of their past (life). Not frivolity will
they hear therein, nor any taint of ill, - Only the saying, “Peace!
Peace!”” (KF’s note, expanded by MW).
[188] See,
e.g: “The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is
now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been
fulfilled.” Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh, Section X, p, 12-13. (MW’s
note)
[189]
Plural of ramz (mysterious allusion, enigma) and ishárat
(hints, clues, signs). (KF’s note)
[190]
Al-Hadith (KF’s note)
[191]
Muhammad (MW’s note).
[192]
Ahkám (KF’s note).
[193]
Qur’án 39:23: “God has revealed (from time to time) the most
beautiful Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself, (yet) repeating
(its teaching in various aspects): the skins of those who fear their Lord
tremble thereat; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration
of God’s praises. Such is the guidance of God: He guides therewith whom He
pleases, but such as God leaves to stray, can have none to guide.” The
outer integument receives the first impact of the stimulus of divine disclosure.
Bahá’u’lláh promises that in the coming Day,
“the very skins of men shall creep” (Gleanings from the Writings
of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 38) (KF’s note, expanded
by MW).
[194] i.e.
The Báb (MW’s note)
[195]
Bahá’u’lláh (MW’s note)
[196]
fatwá (KF’s note).
[197]
Qur’án 8:7-8: “Behold! God promised you one of the two
(enemy) parties, that it should be yours: Ye wished that the one unarmed should
be yours, but God willed to justify the Truth according to His words and to cut
off the roots of the Unbelievers;- That He might justify Truth and prove
Falsehood false, distasteful though it be to those in guilt. ” (KF’s
note, expanded by MW)
[198]
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, Section
177. (KF’s note)
[199]
Qur’án 52:3. See also Prayers and Meditations by
Bahá’u’lláh, Section 7: “I beseech Thee by
this Revelation whereby darkness hath been turned into light through which the
Frequented Fane hath been built and the Written Tablet revealed, and the
Outspread Roll uncovered...” (KF’s note)
[200] The
“Hidden Book,”, and “the Crimson Tablet” are both
references to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. (MW’s note).
[201] In
God Passes By, p. 238-9, Shoghi Effendi quotes
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ Who notes that the people have been
gathered at this Tree, which symbolizes the tree of life, to receive the new
Covenant. (MW’s note)
[202]
dharr-al-baqá (KF’s note).
[203] See
Revelation 11:19: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there
was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and
voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” (MW’s
note).
[204]
lit.: Hand-Hold (KF’s note).
[205] The
term ‘Cord’ is used most often in the Writings to denote the Cause
of Bahá’u’lláh Itself, e.g. see
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶ 117. However,
Bahá’u’lláh also makes mention of ‘the Extended
Cord’ in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 106, which could
conceivably be a reference to the growth of local Assemblies at the time
(MW’s note).
[206]
kullu-shay’(KF’s note).
[207]
ikhtisás.: a
distinguishing feature, peculiar feature, specialty (KF’s
note).
[208]
Shari’ah (KF’s note)
[209]
kiyan (KF’s note)
[210]
Namus al-Akbar : a term within the text of the Aqdas (KA ¶ 81).
(KF’s note).
[211]
Kitáb-i-Aqdas , ¶ 91.
[212]
Possibly a reference to the
Lawh-i-Karmil: “Verily this is
the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, the Day for
which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty beyond the ken
of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for revelation. Ere long will God sail
His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of Bahá who have been
mentioned in the Book of Names.’” (Tablets of
Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p.5) (MW’s note).
[213]
“Say: This is the infallible Balance which the Hand of God is holding, in
which all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth are weighed, and
their fate determined, if ye be of them that believe and recognize this truth.
Say: This is the Most Great Testimony, by which the validity of every proof
throughout the ages hath been established, would that ye might be assured
thereof. Say: Through it the poor have been enriched, the learned enlightened,
and the seekers enabled to ascend unto the presence of God.” (KA
¶183)
[214] See
Revelation 3:12 and 21:2: “And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.” See also Bahá’u’lláh’s
reference to this prophecy: “A Great City hath descended from heaven, and
Zion trembleth and exulteth with joy at the Revelation of God, for it
hath heard the Voice of God on every side.” (Epistle to the Son of
the Wolf, p. 145) (MW’s note).
[215]
Qur’án 52:1-9: “By the Mount (of Revelation), By a Decree
inscribed in a Scroll unfolded; By the much-frequented Fane; By the Canopy
Raised High; And by the Ocean filled with Swell;- Verily, the Doom of thy Lord
will indeed come to pass;- There is none can avert it;- On the Day when the
firmament will be in dreadful commotion.” (KF’s note, expanded by
MW)
[216] See
Qur’án 52:3 (MW’s note).
[217] See
Kitáb-i-Aqdas ¶ 29: “The sincere among His servants
will regard the precepts set forth by God as the Water of Life to the followers
of every faith, and the Lamp of wisdom and loving providence to all the denizens
of earth and heaven.” See also K ¶186: “This is a Book which
hath become the Lamp of the Eternal unto the world, and His straight,
undeviating Path amidst the peoples of the earth.” (MW’s
note).
[218] See
eg. Qur’án 55:7-8: “He has set up the Balance (of Justice),
In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance.” See also
Kitáb-i-Aqdas ¶183: “Say: This is the infallible
Balance which the Hand of God is holding, in which all who are in the heavens
and all who are on the earth are weighed, and their fate determined, if ye be of
them that believe and recognize this truth.” (MW’s
note).
[219] In
God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi refers to the Administrative Order as the
‘Child of the Covenant’ (p. 243). He also uses this term as
denoting the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’. See
The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 144
(MW’s note).
[220] The
passage referred to here is Vahíd 3,
Báb 16 of the Bayán-i-Farsi, and is translated by the
Guardian in God Passes By, p. 25: “Well is it with him who fixeth
his gaze upon the Order of Bahá’u’lláh, and rendereth
thanks unto his Lord. For He will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed
irrevocably ordained it in the Bayán.” For a discussion of the
conception of ‘order’ in the Bahá’í and
Bábí Writings, see Ismael Velasco, “The Order of
Bahá’u’lláh
(nazm-i-Bahá’u’lláh)
in the Báb’s Persian Bayán”, paper presented to the
Irfán Colloquium, July 2002. (MW’s note).
[221] The
Bayán (MW’s note)
[222]
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶ 181 (KF’s note)
[223]
Madaniyyat al-Iláhíyya (KF’s note).
[224]
as-Saltanat al-Azalíyya
(KF’s note).
[225]
kamal (KF’s note)
[226] Here
follows an apostrophe by the Guardian addressing the night of the Declaration
(May 22, 1844) and the inception of the Bahá’í Cycle
(KF’s note).
[227] In
His Own address to the Night of His Declaration, the Báb writes: “O
Hour of the Dawn! Ere the resplendent glory of the divine Luminary sheddeth its
radiance from the Dayspring of this Gate, call thou to mind that the appointed
Day of God will indeed be at hand in less than the twinkling of an eye. Thus
hath the decree of God been issued in the Mother Book.”
(Qayyúmu’l-Asmá, Súrah XCIV, Selections
from the Writings of the Báb, p. 69) (MW’s note).
[228]
bi kullíyyatahu (KF’s note).
[229]
“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice
of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for
the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” (Revelation 19:6) (MW’s
note).
[230] The
Night of Power is mentioned in the Qur’án 97:1: “We have
revealed This in the Night of Power.” The Night of Power transcends Time,
for it is God’s Power dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance. (KF’s
note).
[231] For
a discussion on the early Bahá’í practices on the Night of
the Báb’s declaration, see J. R. I. Cole, translation and
commentary on the Lawh-i-Laylat
Al-Quds (Tablet of the Sacred Night) (MW’s note).
[232]
After the eulogy and apostrophe addressed to the Blessed Night, the Persian
section starts (KF’s note).
[233]
Translation breaks off here (MW’s note).