# Tablet to Mánikchí Sáhib

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

---

> "Ye
> are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch."
> 
> --
> Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> The 
> Lawh-i Manikji Sahib is a prominent tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh 
> in the early Akka period. [1]  
> Of the context and circumstances surrounding its revelation not much is known, 
> but oblique internal allusions to significant historical events makes it possible 
> to trace the date of its recording to circa 1869-1872. This tablet enjoys a singular 
> distinction in the corpus of Bahá'u'lláh's writings, as it is the 
> first occasion where He gives expression to the now-famous anthem: "Ye are the 
> fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch." It is also noteworthy for its 
> style and composition…one of only a few tablets Bahá'u'lláh revealed 
> in pure Persian. [2]  
> A rudimentary English translation first appeared in Star of the West, an 
> edited version of which is reproduced below. [3]  This paper concerns itself with an 
> epigrammatic survey of the salient themes found in this renowned tablet and with 
> their import and correlation to Bahá'u'lláh's writings of the same 
> and later periods. Apart from succinct comments, no attempt has been made to analyze, 
> scrutinize or annotate the tablet. An effort, however feeble, has been made to 
> enhance the pedestrian quality of the Star of the West translation in the 
> distant hope of inching closer to the poetic eminence of the original.
> 
> Introduction
> 
> The 
> recipient of the tablet, Manikji Sahib [4] , was a Parsi agent dispatched to Persia 
> by the Zoroastrian community of Bombay (now Mumbai) to aid and assist their co-religionists 
> in the land of their origin. [5]  The Zoroastrian community of India 
> took form in the wake of several waves of migrations by disadvantaged and persecuted 
> Persian Zoroastrians in the Safavid and Qajar periods, principally from the towns 
> of Yazd, Kirman and their surrounding villages. These ÒmigrÒs settled by and large 
> in the Indian provinces of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
> 
> It is 
> well documented that ethnic and religious minorities in Qajar Iran faced a bleak 
> and precarious existence. During the long and oppressive reign of Nasirud-din 
> Shah (1848-96), political chaos, economic deprivation and moral bankruptcy progressively 
> permeated the fabric of Persian society and wreaked havoc with its normative order. 
> The Shia clergy (ulama) routinely and often under the pretext of the "enjoining 
> the good and forbidding the evil" ethic (al-amr bi'l-ma'ruf va al-nahy ‘an al-munkar) 
> dealt with non-Muslims in a disdainful and callous manner. 
> [6]  By branding religious minorities as "ritually impure," depriving 
> them of blood money equivalent to a Muslim, making conversion to Islam obligatory 
> for any man or a woman that wished to marry a Muslim and other insufferable practices, 
> the clergy establishment managed to maintain an iron grip on enforced social mores 
> and bolstered its hold on political power. Inciting mob action to harass assumed 
> heretics (i.e., Sufis, Babis, and the like) were common tactics employed by the 
> mullahs, the more unscrupulous of whom sometimes stood to gain financially…through 
> pillage, plunder and other insalubrious schemes…by institutionalizing what many 
> in the West would denounce as naked discrimination and extortion. While the Babis, 
> and later Bahá'ís, were singled out for particularly brutal and 
> bloody persecution, the Zoroastrians were never immune from lesser forms of maltreatment. [7]  Upon settlement in India, these emigrants…known 
> as Parsis (i.e., Persians)…felt liberated to restore their sense of community, 
> to unstintingly practice their religion and, most importantly, to prosper in trade 
> and commerce under the British Raj. Having established and organized themselves, 
> they set out to alleviate the miserable conditions of their brethren in Iran. 
> Through a series of agents, Manikji being the first, they managed to absolve Zoroastrians 
> from the payment of special taxes (jizya) levied on religious minorities and, 
> ultimately, to secure a royal decree for the establishment of a self-governing 
> association called the Anjuman-i Nasiri. The primary mission of this association 
> was to lobby the state to intervene in cases of gross mistreatment of Zoroastrians 
> and to promote and preserve the Persian language in its pure form. [8] 
> 
> Manikji 
> met Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad in 1854 while enroute to Iran and later 
> corresponded with Him on more than one occasion. He was impressed by Bahá'u'lláh's 
> dignity and comportment and in due time became well disposed to the Babi community 
> through an enduring rapport with Him. This tablet was revealed in response to 
> one of Manikji's letters in which he posed specific questions to Bahá'u'lláh 
> on Divine Names, language preference (i.e., Persian over Arabic), education and 
> the like. Although Manikji did not read or write Persian, he had, nonetheless, 
> a keen interest in safeguarding it in its pure, non-Arabicised form. He hired 
> Mirza Abul-Fadl Gulpayagani, the celebrated Bahá'í scholar and recognized 
> expert in pure Persian, to teach in a school he helped found for educating Zoroastrian 
> children. [9]  In subsequent letters, Manikji continued 
> to seek out Bahá'u'lláh's views on the validity of various religions, 
> nationalism, the origin of humanity, and other such topics. [10] 
> 
> 
> Until 
> the early 1860s the Babi, and later Bahá'í, communities in the Middle 
> East drew their ranks chiefly from the local Muslim populations…lower-ranking 
> mullahs being some of its most ardent converts. Subsequently, the Bahá'í 
> community succeeded in attracting adherents from two distinct religious minorities 
> in Iran: the Jews and the Zoroastrians. The only other religious minority of consequence, 
> the Christians (Armenians, Assyrians and other sects), remained relatively intact 
> and immune to the phenomenon of Babi and Bahá'í conversions. [11]  The 
> brutality of the Muslim clergy in putting the Iranian Bahá'ís through 
> horrific tortures and bloody massacres on the one hand, and the meekness with 
> which these assumed heretics accepted their lot on the other, increasingly led 
> members of these religious minorities, who, as was noted, were not immune to lesser 
> forms of abuse, to empathize with the plight of the Bahá'ís and 
> to look more closely into their beliefs and practices, thereby leading many of 
> them to enlist within the ranks of the nascent Bahá'í community. 
> Even after having converted, however, they continued to maintain strong bonds 
> with their former religious communities, customs and contacts. [12]  For Zoroastrians the tracing of Bahá'u'lláh's 
> ancestry to the last monarch of the pre-Islamic Sasanian dynasty…Yazdigird III…and 
> His claim to be Shah Bahram Varjavand, the latter-day Savior promised in their 
> Scriptures, provided further impetus for their rapid conversion. [13]  Ironically, the Zoroastrian 
> priests (dasturs) and the Muslim clergy found themselves united in pressuring 
> these converts to abandon their newfound religion.
> 
> Manikji, 
> it appears, was not merely a promoter of the Persian language or a protector of 
> Zoroastrian rights. His activism and influence spanned the socio-cultural, religious 
> and political spheres. Being reform-minded, he routinely communicated with Persian 
> intellectuals, political activists and dissenters such as Mirza Fath ‘Ali Akhundzada, 
> Aqa Buzurg Kirmani, Mirza Malkum Khan and the like. [14]  Also, doubts have persisted about 
> the nature of his Anglo-Indian connections and his possible role as a British 
> mole. [15]  He frequently commissioned others 
> to write on topics that held his interests, but would either tamper with the finished 
> product or would claim authorship for material he did not write. [16]  As mentioned, he employed prominent 
> Bahá'ís and specifically commissioned Mirza Husayn Hamadani to write 
> a history on the Babi religion that came to be known as New History (Tarikh-i 
> Jadid), a work not devoid of controversy. Despite the growing tensions between 
> the Zoroastrian dasturs and prominent Zoroastrian converts, however, Manikji retained 
> a favorable outlook toward the Babis and Bahá'ís and continued to 
> maintain a warm friendship with Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> Synopsis
> 
> A brief outline of the salient themes found in the tablet
> appears below:
> 
>  i                       Praise of God
> 
> The tablet begins with references to Water of Life and First 
> Rays (i.e., Divine Revelation) as the source of creation. Bahá'u'lláh 
> confirms speech as God's primary bequest to mankind and his use of wisdom and 
> intellect as ever-pleasing to the Almighty.
> 
>  ii                     Greetings and salutations
> 
> As common literary devices in
> personal correspondences such as this tablet, Bahá'u'lláh's expressions of
> fondness for Manikji and His buoyant optimism for their continued friendship
> follow the recollection of their meeting in the land of Arabia (i.e., Baghdad).
> 
>  iii                   Response to question about Divine Names
> 
> While affirming God as the Divine Physician, Bahá'u'lláh, 
> in a possible reference to the rulers and the clergy, laments the recklessness 
> of the "selfish" in misleading the masses, and underscores the importance of being 
> attentive to the changing exigencies of time and place (i.e., dynamic pragmatism). 
> In the tablet to Queen Victoria, He uses a similar metaphor to associate the state 
> of humanity to a sick body that is misdiagnosed and untreated owing to the selfish 
> desires of ignorant physicians. He further declares: "That which the Lord hath 
> ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all 
> the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. 
> This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful 
> and inspired Physician." [17] 
> 
>  iv                   Exhortations to turn to God
> 
> In moving imagery Bahá'u'lláh
> reckons those that recognize His station as having attained immortality and
> those that reject Him as never capable of attaining life.
> 
>  v                     Response to question about preferred language
> 
> Manikji's question pertained to his preference for Persian 
> over Arabic. Bahá'u'lláh's response clarifies that both are meritorious 
> and that the purpose of language is the conveyance of a message, for which either 
> language is adequate. In later tablets…for instance Splendours (Ishraqat) and 
> Effulgences (Tajalliyat)…Bahá'u'lláh designates Arabic as the "eloquent" 
> tongue and calls Persian "luminous." [18]  Acknowledging Manikji's bias, however, 
> Bahá'u'lláh bestows supplementary praise on Persian as the mother 
> tongue of the Manifestation of God for this age.
> 
>  vi                   Detachment from earthly possessions
> 
> In reference to the misdeeds of some (presumably His followers), 
> Bahá'u'lláh gives vent to His disappointment that such acts have 
> kept others from realizing His Message. He further deems detachment as a prerequisite 
> for the elevation of humanity to the heights of nobility and makes human tranquility 
> contingent upon personal benevolence.
> 
>  vii                 Abandonment of alienation and enmity
> 
> Echoed in numerous other
> tablets, the uninhibited association and fellowship among all nations is a
> central theme here and anchors Bahá'u'lláh's call to unity.
> 
>  viii               Advice against avarice
> 
> In a lucid analogy that brings
> into focus the literary excellence of this tablet, Bahá'u'lláh cautions that
> covetousness and greed can veil the light of the soul just as the thin eyelid
> obstructs vision.
> 
>  ix                    Admonition to combine speech with action
> 
> Impact of speech is conditioned upon the speaker being in 
> step with the needs and expectations of the hearer. Bahá'u'lláh 
> encourages the exercise of moderation in speech and links soft speech to the nurturing 
> efficacy of milk, whereas coarse speech is equated to a sharp dagger. In the Lawh-i-Maqsud 
> and elsewhere Bahá'u'lláh expounds on this topic. [19] 
> 
>  x                      Continued exhortations to turn to God
> 
> Drawing upon evocative imagery
> such as "Sun of Wisdom," "Ocean of Knowledge," and "Falcon on the arm of the
> Almighty" Bahá'u'lláh further explicates His station.
> 
>  xi                    Glad tidings of the unity of mankind
> 
> Perhaps the pivotal message in this tablet…and in Bahá'u'lláh's 
> entire revelation…is the call to the unity of mankind. In countless tablets He 
> elevates it above all human aspirations. His persistent appeals to adopt a common 
> tongue and script buttress this plea to unity. In The Most Holy Book 
> Bahá'u'lláh states: "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, 
> are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." In the same 
> book, Bahá'u'lláh instructs world leaders to adopt a single language 
> and script and affirms that doing so will bring about "the greatest instrument 
> for promoting harmony and civilization." The unity of mankind, in Bahá'u'lláh's 
> revelation, is one of two signs that herald the coming of age of the human race. [20] 
> 
>  xii                  Admonitions to adopt a virtuous life
> 
> Affirming the past as the mirror of the future, Bahá'u'lláh 
> calls for the recognition of His station. He further promotes the pursuit of useful 
> sciences and encourages truthfulness, detachment, faith, moderation (especially 
> in speech), wisdom and tactfulness. Bahá'u'lláh concludes the tablet 
> by inspiring confidence in the ultimate destiny of mankind to attain to the fruits 
> of His mission.
> 
> Conclusion
> 
> This 
> paper has offered a peek, however pithy, into one of Bahá'u'lláh's 
> most outstanding tablets of the early Akka period. A more exhaustive study of 
> it awaits the ambition of the future seeker and student. It is not unreasonable 
> to posit, however, that many of Bahá'u'lláh's tablets of the later 
> Akka period, such as those cited in the Synopsis section above, draw heavily upon 
> the themes first introduced in this tablet. While the non-trivial enterprise of 
> arriving at a definitive and cohesive taxonomy of the vast corpus revealed by 
> the Supreme Pen still eludes many a student in Baha, it is yet possible to attempt 
> to frame and contextualize this tablet for a better understanding of its core 
> message. Challenges abound, however. Many of Bahá'u'lláh's writings 
> are not yet available in English or are otherwise inaccessible to a wide audience 
> in the West, and much of what is published must be approached with caution and 
> meticulous scholarship. Bahá'u'lláh's writings are often steeped 
> in cryptic allusions and technical terms that cannot be easily deciphered. Against 
> this backdrop, the scholarship of Mirza Abul-Fadl Gulpayagani is edifying. His 
> provision of a framework for the classification and enumeration of the "styles" 
> encompassing Bahá'u'lláh's revelation is de rigueur and foundational 
> for such a survey. Bahá'u'lláh wrote in one of nine styles such 
> as: proclamations, prayers and meditations, commentaries and interpretations of 
> past religious scriptures, laws and ordinances, mystical writings, addresses to 
> rulers and kings, philosophical writings, ethical teachings and, finally, social 
> teachings. [21] 
>  As evidenced by the main themes found in this tablet, it can be placed 
> into the last of these categories even as it comprehends elements of some of the 
> other styles, such as ethical teachings.
> 
> While 
> the foremost theme of the tablet accentuates the call for the unity of mankind, 
> Bahá'u'lláh also stresses the need to act in accordance with the 
> exigencies of time and to be alert to the problems of the day. He, moreover, advises 
> all nations and races to dispel alienation, enmity and estrangement. Other social 
> and ethical teachings present in this tablet include the necessity to use language 
> with wisdom, to adopt virtuous traits, to eschew greed, to take up useful sciences 
> and so on. In numerous later writings, Bahá'u'lláh continues to 
> expand and elaborate on many of the same topics. For example, in Glad Tidings 
> (Bisharat), Words of Paradise (Kalimat-i Firdawsiyyih) Splendours (Ishraqat) and 
> other tablets of the post-Aqdas era, Bahá'u'lláh explains how a 
> universal language and script are necessary ingredients for achieving the unity 
> of the human race. In the Lawh-i-Maqsud, Bahá'u'lláh goes further 
> to mandate the establishment of a universal auxiliary language and script as "‡ 
> incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding." [22]  In a tablet revealed in the latter 
> part of the Akka period…associated with His departure from that city, circa 1877…called 
> the Tablet of Unity (Lawh-i-Ittihad), Bahá'u'lláh expounds on some 
> of the very same themes found in this tablet. While defining the various meanings 
> of unity, He consistently recalls the principles of moderation in speech, the 
> necessity of placing deeds before words, the hazards of vainglory and dominance 
> and finally, the exhortation to associate with all peoples in a spirit of unity 
> and fellowship.
> 
> Ostensibly 
> a reply to a letter of a friend, this tablet enjoys a marked distinction in Bahá'u'lláh's 
> voluminous revelation for its weighty content and for its lofty and lucid diction. 
> Manikji deserves our abiding gratitude for eliciting this majestic tablet from 
> the Supreme Pen and for his unrelenting services towards furthering the principles 
> of education and human rights in Qajar Iran…principles that he, it should not 
> escape our attention, avidly shared with Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> Translation
> 
> As mentioned, 
> a rudimentary translation by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab was first published in Star 
> of the West. What appears below is an extensively edited and modified variant 
> of that translation. Where necessary I have filled the gaps in non-translated 
> sections (such as the exordium and other phrases), corrected mistranslations, 
> and supplied variant renderings, which, it is my belief, more closely convey the 
> sense of the original. The texts in italics are either from the Gleanings 
> or from the Tablets and have been reproduced in lieu of the equivalent 
> Star of the West text. An Arabic prayer is appended at the end of the tablet, 
> which is not translated here or in Star of the West. To the extent possible, 
> I have endeavored to approximate the literal denotation of the original. However, 
> evidence of the unattainable goal of a "befitting rendering of Bahá'u'lláh's 
> matchless utterance" can be found throughout this translation. I pray that the 
> reader will excuse all such shortcomings and deficiencies.
> 
> In the
> Name of the Incomparable Lord!
> 
> Praise be unto Him, the Eternal Seer, who through a
> dewdrop of the ocean of His Generosity raised up the firmament of existence,
> begemmed it with the stars of knowledge and summoned mankind to the court of
> perception and understanding! This dewdrop, which is the Primal Word of the
> Almighty, is at times called the Water of Life for it quickens the lifeless
> souls in the desert of ignorance and at other times it is known as the First
> Rays. When this radiance shone forth from the Sun of Wisdom, the Primary
> Movement was made manifest through the bounty of the Incomparable, the Wise
> One. He is the Knower, the Merciful! He is sanctified above every statement and
> attribute! The seen and the unseen fail to attain a measure of His understanding.
> The world of being and everything therein bears witness to this Utterance. Thus
> it is established that the First Bestowal of the Almighty is speech and its
> acceptance by Him is conditioned upon wisdom. It is the First Instructor in the
> School of Existence and the Primal Emanation of God. All that is visible is but
> through the radiance of its Light and all that is revealed is through the
> appearance of its Knowledge. All names originate from His Name and the start
> and end of all affairs are in His Hand.
> 
> Your letter reached this Captive of the world in this
> prison. It brought happiness, increased friendship and renewed the remembrance
> of former times. Praise be unto the Possessor of the Universe for permitting
> our meeting in the land of Arabia. We met, we conversed and we listened. It is
> hoped that forgetfulness shall not follow that encounter, that the passage of
> time shall not erase its remembrance from the heart and that from what was sown
> shall sprout the flora of friendship, verdant, luxuriant and imperishable.
> 
> You have asked about Divine Names. The All-Knowing
> Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease,
> and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own
> problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth
> in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent
> age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in,
> and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.
> 
> We 
> can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable 
> afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. 
> They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it 
> and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, 
> themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the 
> cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived 
> the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.
> 
> Incline 
> your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise, and lift up your voices, 
> that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: O ye who are as dead! 
> The Hand of Divine bounty profereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink 
> your fill. Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall never die; whoso remainteth 
> dead, shall never live. 
> [23] 
> 
> You have written regarding languages: Arabic and Persian
> are both good, for that which one desires of a language is to attain insight
> into the discourse of the narrator and this can be obtained from either tongue.
> However, as in this day the Sun of Wisdom shines forth from the horizon of
> Persia this language is all the more praiseworthy.
> 
> O friend! When the Primal Word appeared in these latter
> days, a number of the heavenly souls heard the Melody of the Beloved and
> hastened toward it, while others, finding the deeds of some at odds with their
> words, stayed far and were deprived from the radiance of the Sun of Knowledge.
> 
> Say, 
> O ye sons of earth! Thy Lord, the Pure One, proclaims: In this glorious Day 
> whatever will purge you from corruption and will lead you towards peace and composure, 
> is indeed the Straight Path. [24]  Purity from the stains of desire means 
> detachment from all things that occasion loss and abate human nobility, which 
> in turn comes about when one favors his own words and deeds, notwithstanding their 
> merit. Serenity is attained when one becomes the well-wisher of all who are on 
> earth. He who is informed will readily testify that if all the peoples of the 
> earth were to attain to these Heavenly Utterances they would by no means be prevented 
> from the Ocean of Divine Generosity. The heaven of righteousness has no Star, 
> and shall not have any, brighter than this. The first Utterance of the Wise One 
> is this: O ye sons of earth! Turn away from the darkness of alienation and seek 
> the radiance of the Sun of Unity. This is that which shall benefit the people 
> of the world more than aught else.
> 
> O friend! The Tree of Utterance has no better a Blossom
> and the Ocean of Wisdom has no brighter a Pearl than this. O ye sons of wisdom!
> Flimsy as it may be, the eyelid yet prevents the eye from seeing the world and
> all that is therein. Consider then what would result when the curtain of greed
> veils the vision of the heart. Say, O people! The darkness of avarice and envy
> obscures the light of the soul even as clouds eclipse the radiance of the sun.
> He who listens with the ear of intelligence to this Utterance shall unfurl the
> wings of freedom and soar with great ease toward the heaven of understanding.
> 
> When 
> the world was environed with darkness, the Sea of Generosity was set in motion 
> and Divine Illumination made visible the deeds. This is that same illumination 
> foretold in the heavenly books. Should the Almighty desire it, He will sanctify 
> the hearts with pure speech and shine the Light of the Sun of Unity upon the souls 
> and thereby regenerate the world. O people! Words must be demonstrated through 
> deeds, for the latter is the true witness of the former. Words alone shall not 
> quench the thirsty nor unlock the doors of sight to the blind. The Heavenly Wise 
> One proclaims: A harsh word is like unto a sword, while gentle speech like unto 
> milk. In this manner will the children of the world attain to knowledge and improve 
> their lot. The Tongue of Wisdom proclaimeth: He that hath Me not is bereft 
> of all things. Turn ye away from all that is on earth and seek none else but Me. 
> I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive 
> the dead. I am the guiding Light that illumineth the way. I am the royal Falcon 
> on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird and 
> start it on its flight. [25] 
> 
> The 
> Peerless Friend says: The path of freedom has been opened! Hasten ye! The Fount 
> of Knowledge is gushing! Drink ye! Say O friends! The tabernacle of unity hath 
> been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one 
> tree, and the leaves of one branch. [26]  Truly I say: Whatsoever abates ignorance 
> and augments knowledge has been and shall be pleasing to the Creator. Say, O people! 
> Walk under the shadow of Justice and Righteousness and take shelter under the 
> pavilion of Unity. Say, O thou possessor of sight! The past is the mirror of the 
> future; see and be apprised thereof that perchance you may recognize the Friend 
> and not be the cause of His displeasure. In this day, the best fruit from the 
> Tree of Knowledge is that which benefits mankind and improves his condition.
> 
> Say! The tongue bears witness to My Truth; do not defile
> it with falsehood. The soul is the treasury of My Mystery; do not surrender it
> to avarice. It is hoped that in this Dawn, through which the universe has been
> illumined with the rays of the Sun of Understanding and Knowledge, we may
> attain to the good pleasure of the Beloved and drink from the Ocean of Divine
> Recognition.
> 
> O friend! As ears are few to hear, for some time now the
> Pen has been silent in its own chamber, to such an extent that silence has
> overtaken utterance and has been deemed more favorable. Say, O people! Words
> are revealed according to capacity, so that newcomers may stay and beginners
> may make progress. Milk must be given according to prescribed measure, such
> that the babes of the world may enter into the Realm of Grandeur and be
> established upon the Court of Unity.
> 
> O friend! We have seen the pure ground and have sown the
> seed of knowledge thereupon. Now it is left to the rays of the sun…will they
> singe the seedling or cause it to grow? Say: In this day, through the greatness
> of the Peerless, the Wise One, the Sun of Knowledge has appeared from behind
> the veil of the soul. All the birds of the meadow are inebriated through the
> wine of Understanding and are content with the remembrance of the Beloved. Well
> is it with him who comprehends.
> 
> Notes
> 
> Persian 
> words have not been transliterated for ease of document formatting and transportability 
> over the Internet. I wish to acknowledge the assistance of Amin Neshati whose 
> perceptive suggestions and valuable editing greatly improved the quality of this 
> paper.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
>  [1]  The original tablet can be found 
> in Majmuiy-i-Alvah-i Mubarak (Cairo, 1920) p. 259-67. It is also published 
> in Daryay-i-Danish (New Delhi: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1985) 
> pp. 2-10. A short description appears in A. Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, 
> vol. 3, (Oxford: George Ronald, 1996) p. 270.
> 
>  
>  [2]  Bahá'u'lláh used 
> pure Persian (Parsiy-i-sari) rather sparingly, except when corresponding with 
> Zoroastrians or for other special occasions. The Persian spoken in His time, and 
> to today, borrows heavily from Arabic, the language of Islam. He used Arabic as 
> the primary language of revelation and many of His prayers and tablets in Persian 
> are heavily Arabicised. An Arabic prayer appears at the end of this pure Persian 
> tablet, perhaps to reinforce Bahá'u'lláh's affirmation that both 
> Persian and Arabic are worthy of praise.
> 
>  
>  [3]  See Star of the West, vol. 
> 1:1 1910 pp. 5-7. For a partial translation, see section CVI in Gleanings from 
> the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, trans., Shoghi Effendi (Wilmette: 
> Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976) p. 213.
> 
>  
>  [4]  His full name is Manikji Limji 
> Hataria. In Hindi, the suffix ‘ji' is appended to names and titles of venerated 
> persons as a sign of respect and endearment, the closest English rendering being 
> ‘dear.' Also, it is customary in India to use ‘Sahib' as a formal designation 
> or title of a respected personage, somewhat equivalent to ‘Excellency' in English 
> or to ‘Jinab' in Persian.
> 
>  
>  [5]  S. Stiles, "Early Zoroastrian Conversions 
> to the Bahá'í Faith in Yazd, Iran," J. Cole and M. Momen, eds., 
> Studies in Babi and Bahá'í History: From Iran East and West, 
> vol. 2 (Los Angeles: Kalimat, 1984) p. 70.
> 
>  
>  [6]  For a fuller treatment of clergy-instigated 
> persecutions see S. Arjomand, The Shadow of God and the Hidden Iman, (Chicago: 
> The University of Chicago Press, 1987) pp. 251-57.
> 
>  
>  [7]  For a brief account, see Taherzadeh, 
> Revelation, vol. 3, (Oxford: George Ronald, 1996) pp. 260-5.
> 
>  
>  [8]  M. Fischer, "Social Change and 
> the Mirrors of Tradition: The Bahá'ís of Yazd" H. Moayyad, ed., 
> The Bahá'í Faith and Islam, (Ottawa: The Association for 
> Bahá'í Studies, 1990), pp. 25-55. On the proliferation of political 
> associations (anjumans) during the reign of Nasirud-din Shah and their influence 
> on the court, see A. Amanat, Pivot of the Universe (Washington, DC: Mage, 
> 1997).
> 
>  
>  [9]  See Stiles, op. cit. On 
> Manikji's illiteracy in Persian, see A. Gulpayagani, Letters and Essays, 
> trans., J. Cole (Los Angeles: Kalimat, 1985) pp. 78-79.
> 
>  
>  [10]  J. Cole, Modernity and the Millennium 
> (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998) pp. 147-150.
> 
>  
>  [11]  M. Momen, The Babi and Bahá'í 
> Religions (Oxford: George Ronald, 1981) pp. 244-250.
> 
>  
>  
> [12]  See Stiles, op. cit. 
> 
>  
>  [13]  H. Balyuzi, Bahá'u'lláh: 
> The King of Glory (Oxford: George Ronald, 1980) pp. 9-12. See also Fischer, 
> op. cit.
> 
>  
>  [14]  M. Bayat, Mysticism and Dissent 
> (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1982) pp. 169-171.
> 
>  
>  [15]  Personal interviews with members 
> of the Sifidvash family, a prominent Bahá'í family of Zoroastrian 
> lineage now living in California, December 2000.
> 
>  
>  [16]  D. MacEoin, The Sources for 
> Early Babi Doctrine and History (Leiden: Brill, 1992) pp. 153-160. See also 
> Gulpayagani, supra.
> 
>  
>  [17]  Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings 
> from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í 
> Publishing Trust, 1983) p. 255.
> 
>  
>  [18]  Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets 
> of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas (Wilmette: Bahá'í 
> Publishing Trust, 1988) p. 49. See also pp. 22, 68, 127.
> 
>  
>  [19]  On "impressive and penetrating 
> speech," see ibid., p. 172.
> 
>  
>  [20]  Bahá'u'lláh, The 
> Kitab-i-Aqdas (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1992). See p. 11, 
> K189, n193-4.
> 
>  
>  [21]  See A. Mazandarani, Asrar-ul 
> Asar (Tehran: Mu'assasiy-i Matbu'at-i Amri, 129 BE) vol. 4, p. 128.
> 
>  
>  [22]  See Tablets, pp. 164-71.
> 
>  
>  [23]  See Gleanings, p. 213.
> 
>  
>  [24]  See Tablets, op. cit.
> 
>  
>  
> [25]  Ibid.
> 
>  
>  [26]  Ibid.
>
> — *Tablet to Mánikchí Sáhib (Used by permission of the curator)*