# The Writings of Baha'u'llah

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Abdu'l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávarí, The Writings of Baha'u'llah, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> The Writings of Baha'u'llah
> 
> Abdu'l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávarí
> 
> Habib Taherzadeh, translator
> published in Bahá'í WorldVol. 14 (1963-1968), pp. 620-632
> 
> 1974
> 
> The mightiest proof of the greatness of Bahá'u'lláh and
> of the transcendental character of His divine mission lies in His
> Writings which streamed from His Pen like a torrential rain during a
> period of no less than forty years of uninterrupted revelation.
> 
> History clearly shows that Bahá'u'lláh never attended a
> school and that the tuition He received at home after the fashion of
> the nobility at that time was but rudimentary. In His Epistle to the
> Sháh of Persia, Bahá'u'lláh writes these challenging
> words:
> 
> "The learning current amongst men I studied not; their
> schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou
> mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak
> falsely."
> 
> When we look at the surging ocean of Bahá'u'lláh's
> Writings against a background of a life of suffering, imprisonment,
> privation and manifold calamities, we are amazed at the vastness, the
> range and the rare quality of this priceless heritage which He has
> bequeathed to posterity. Indeed no human mind can chart the extent or
> fathom the depths of this immense ocean or appreciate the true value
> and significance of those myriads of priceless gems which are
> enshrined in it. One striking feature of Bahá'u'lláh's
> Writings is its prodigious flow. We know for instance that the whole
> book of Íqán was revealed within the short space of two
> days during the last year of His stay in Baghdád. Commenting
> on the copious outpouring of His Writings Shoghi Effendi affirms in
> God Passes By:
> 
> "A certain Muhammad Karím, a native of Shíráz,
> who had been a witness to the rapidity and the manner in which the
> Báb had penned the verses with which He was inspired, has left the
> following testimony to posterity, after attaining, during those days,
> the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, and beholding with his own eyes
> what he himself had considered to be the only proof of the mission of
> the Promised One: `I bear witness that the verses revealed by
> Bahá'u'lláh were superior, in the rapidity with which they
> were penned, in the ease with which they flowed, in their lucidity,
> their profundity and sweetness to those which I, myself, saw pour
> from the pen of the Báb when in His presence. Had
> Bahá'u'lláh no other claim to greatness, this were
> sufficient, in the eyes of the world and its people, that He produced
> such verses as have streamed this day from His pen.'"
> 
> And further on he writes:
> 
> "`Day and night,' an eye-witness has written, `the
> Divine verses were raining down in such number that it was impossible
> to record them. Mírzá Áqá Ján wrote them as they were
> dictated, while the Most Great Branch was continually occupied in
> transcribing them. There was not a moment to spare.' `A number of
> secretaries,' Nabíl has testified, `were busy day and night and
> yet they were unable to cope with the task. Among them was Mírzá
> Báqir-i-Shírází.... He alone transcribed no less than
> two thousand verses every day. He laboured during six or seven
> months. Every month the equivalent of several volumes would be
> transcribed by him and sent to Persia. About twenty volumes, in his
> fine penmanship, he left behind as a remembrance for Mírzá
> Áqá Ján.' Bahá'u'lláh, Himself, referring to the
> verses revealed by Him, has written: `Such are the outpourings
> ... from the clouds of Divine Bounty that within the space of an hour
> the equivalent of a thousand verses hath been revealed.' `So
> great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a single day and
> night, were an amanuensis capable of accomplishing it to be found,
> the equivalent of the Persian Bayán would be sent down from the
> heaven of Divine holiness.' `I swear by God!' He, in
> another connection has affirmed, `In those days the equivalent
> of all that hath been sent down aforetime unto the Prophets hath been
> revealed.' `That which hath already been revealed in this
> land (Adrianople),' He, furthermore, referring to the
> copiousness of His writings, has declared, `secretaries are
> incapable of transcribing. It has, therefore, remained for the most
> part untranscribed.'"
> 
> In The Bahá'í World volumes there is a list of some
> one hundred and fifty of the best-known works of Bahá'u'lláh
> which were revealed in the form of books, epistles and Tablets. But
> this list is by no means exhaustive; it barely covers a portion of
> His Writings. In order to get a fair idea of their scope and vastness
> we ought also to take into account:
> 
> 1. Thousands of Tablets of varying length, ranging from a few
> lines to numerous pages which were addressed to individual believers
> in Persia and other neighbouring countries.
> 
> 2. The vast amount of His original Writings which have been lost
> to posterity either through ill-preservation, or because they fell
> into wrong hands, or were destroyed by enemies, or obliterated by
> Bahá'u'lláh's own instruction. Concerning the fate of the
> last portion, Shoghi Effendi quotes Nabíl's testimony as
> follows:
> 
> "No less an authority than Mírzá Áqá Ján,
> Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis, affirms, as reported by Nabíl,
> that by the express order of Bahá'u'lláh, hundreds of
> thousands of verses, mostly written by His own hand, were obliterated
> and cast into the river. `Finding me reluctant to execute His
> orders,' Mírzá Áqá Ján has related to Nabíl,
> `Bahá'u'lláh would reassure me saying: "None is to be
> found at this time worthy to hear these melodies...." Not once,
> or twice, but innumerable times, was I commanded to repeat this
> act.'"
> 
> 3. Bahá'u'lláh's unrecorded utterances which rained
> down so profusely that the secretaries could not cope with their
> recording. Again the Guardian invokes Nabíl:
> 
> "So prolific was this period, that during the first two
> years after His return from His retirement, according to the
> testimony of Nabíl, who was at that time living in
> Baghdád, the unrecorded verses that streamed from His lips
> averaged, in a single day and night, the equivalent of the
> Qur'án!"
> 
> As to the immensity of the field of Bahá'u'lláh's
> Writings we would do well to refer to Shoghi Effendi's comments in
> God Passes By:
> 
> "With this book (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf)
> revealed about one year prior to His ascension, the prodigious
> achievement as author of a hundred volumes, repositories of the
> priceless pearls of His Revelation, may be said to have practically
> terminated--volumes replete with unnumbered exhortations,
> revolutionizing principles, world-shaping laws and ordinances, dire
> warnings and portentous prophecies, with soul-uplifting prayers and
> meditations, illuminating commentaries and interpretations,
> impassioned discourses and homilies, all interspersed with either
> addresses or references to kings, to emperors and to ministers, of
> both the East and the West, to ecclesiastics of divers denominations,
> and to leaders in the intellectual, political, literary, mystical,
> commercial and humanitarian spheres of human activity."
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh's Writings are profound, and peerless in
> eloquence. They are lavishly sprinkled with symbolic expressions and
> vibrate with a spiritual potency that no pure-hearted seeker can fail
> to discern. They are revealed in Persian and Arabic in a style and
> language which are unique and unrivalled in every sense. Unbiased
> scholars of the Persian and Arabic tongues readily recognize
> Bahá'u'lláh's Writings as a novel creation, quite distinct
> in wording and expression from the conventional literary styles used
> until then by any known writer. Indeed a casual study of these
> Writings would suffice to convince the unprejudiced reader that the
> Author must have been divinely inspired and that His knowledge and
> wisdom were innate and not scholastic. Needless to say, many seekers
> after truth who had a literary bent of mind readily embraced the
> Cause soon after perusing some passages from the Writings of
> Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> In the following pages an attempt is made to give a brief
> description of some of the well-known Works of Bahá'u'lláh
> which were revealed before His declaration in 1863 and up to the time
> of His arrival in `Akká in 1868. These Writings are dealt with in
> chronological order following the path of His journey--Tihrán,
> Baghdád, Sulaymáníyyih, Baghdád, Constantinople
> and Adrianople. A few of these works have been translated into
> English by the beloved Guardian; others he has referred to in his
> writings, chiefly God Passes By.
> 
> RASHH-I-`AMÁ
> 
> This wondrous poem was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in
> Tihrán before He was exiled to `Iráq, and is regarded as the
> first intimation of the stirring of the Spirit of God within His
> Soul.
> 
> The language used in this poem is full of ecstasy and exultation
> and contains many veiled and figurative terms such as: "the
> hidden ocean", "the musk-laden breeze", "the Maid
> of heaven", "the Day of God", "the dawn of the
> revelation of I am He", "the warbling of the Dove",
> "the living waters of God", "the wondrous
> Beauty", which are but the effusions of that billowing ocean of
> divine Revelation which surged and swelled within His inner Being,
> though it was still hidden from the eyes of men.
> 
> TABLET OF KULLU'T-TA`ÁM
> 
> This is one of the outstanding Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh
> revealed in the year 1854, soon after His banishment to `Iráq. It
> is rather long and written in exquisite Arabic. In a passage in
> God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes the circumstances which
> led to the revelation of this eloquent and illuminating commentary.
> The passage runs as follows:
> 
> "The circumstances leading to the revelation of the
> Tablet of Kullu't-Ta`ám, written during that period, at
> the request of Hájí Mírzá Kamálu'd-Dín-i-Naráqí, a
> Bábí of honorable rank and high culture, could not but aggravate
> a situation that had already become serious and menacing. Impelled by
> a desire to receive illumination from Mírzá Yahyá concerning
> the meaning of the Qur'ánic verse `All food was allowed to
> the children of Israel,' Hájí Mírzá Kamálu'd-Dín
> had requested him to write a commentary upon it--a request which was
> granted, but with reluctance and in a manner which showed such
> incompetence and superficiality as to disillusion Hájí Mírzá
> Kamálu'd-Dín, and to destroy his confidence in its author.
> Turning to Bahá'u'lláh and repeating his request, he was
> honored by a Tablet, in which Israel and his children were identified
> with the Báb and His followers respectively--a Tablet which by
> reason of the allusions it contained, the beauty of its language and
> the cogency of its argument, so enraptured the soul of its recipient
> that he would have, but for the restraining hand of
> Bahá'u'lláh, proclaimed forthwith his discovery of God's
> hidden Secret in the person of the One Who had revealed
> it."
> 
> Apart from the numerous interpretations of the terms
> "Israel" and "children of Israel",
> Bahá'u'lláh defines in this Tablet the qualities and
> attributes with which every seeker after truth must be endowed,
> dwells on the wrongs and afflictions He endured both at the hand of
> His foes and through the vile conduct of His friends, and alludes, in
> no ambiguous terms, to the imminent fulfilment of the Will of God
> amongst men. Another significant feature of this Tablet is that in it
> Bahá'u'lláh confers the exalted title of "The Last
> Point" upon Quddús.
> 
> On receiving this inspiring Tablet Hájí Mírzá
> Kamálu'd-Dín became an ardent admirer of Bahá'u'lláh
> and later, when He declared His mission, he distinguished himself as
> a devoted follower of the Faith. His name is immortalized by a number
> of Tablets Bahá'u'lláh revealed in his honour.
> 
> It is interesting to note that at the time of
> Bahá'u'lláh's departure from Baghdád, when He was
> actually leaving His house for the last time amidst the wailing and
> weeping of the Bábís, it was this same Kamál who, overwhelmed
> by grief and despondency, was moved to offer his infant son as a
> ransom, by placing him at the feet of Bahá'u'lláh. The little
> child shriekingly grasped the hem of His garment with his tiny hands
> and made a poignant gesture which clearly meant he was begging Him
> not to leave. Bahá'u'lláh Himself confirms this incident in a
> Tablet which was revealed soon after His declaration: "He
> (Bahá'u'lláh) observed at His feet a suckling, withdrawn from
> the breast of his mother, grasp the sacred Hem with beseeching
> fingers and call to Him in a weak voice."
> 
> It should be noted, moreover, that Hájí Mírzá
> Kamál's great-grandfather was the well-known Mullá Mihdí, one
> of the leading Muslim clergy during the reign of Fath `Alí
> Sháh (1798-1834). He is the author of the book entitled
> Muhriqu'l-Qulúb, which contains a stirring account of the
> episode of Karbilá and the martyrdom of Imám Husayn. This is the
> same book parts of which were read aloud to the Báb every morning
> by His amanuensis during his [sic] period of incarceration, and in
> Nabíl's words: "...its recital would provoke intense emotion
> in the heart of the Báb and his [sic] tears would keep flowing as
> He listened to that tale." Hájí Mírzá Kamál passed
> away in his home town Naráq in Persia, in the year 1881.
> 
> SÁQÍ AZ GHAYB-I-BAQÁ
> 
> Another outpouring of divine grace which streamed from the Pen
> of Bahá'u'lláh during His retirement to the mountains of
> Sulaymáníyyih is this soul-entrancing ode in Persian which
> exhibits a rare beauty. The whole poem is full of veiled and symbolic
> terms which unmistakably hint at His forthcoming Revelation. Shoghi
> Effendi alludes to this point in these words: "These initial and
> impassioned outpourings of a Soul struggling to unburden itself, in
> the solitude of a self-imposed exile (many of them, alas lost to
> posterity) are, with the Tablet of Kullu't-Ta`ám and the
> poem entitled Rashh-i-`Amá, revealed in Tihrán,
> the first fruits of His Divine Pen."
> 
> The opening couplet of the above ode runs as follows:
> 
> Rend asunder Thy veil, O Cupbearer of the invisible eternity!
> So that from the Face of the All-Glorious, I may quaff the wine of
> immortality. All the wine in thy store can scarce allay the ardour of
> my love: pour out for me an ocean of thy mystic wine!
> 
> And further on occurs this verse which is familiar to many of
> the friends:
> 
> If thine aim be to cherish thy life, approach not our Court:
> but if sacrifice be thy heart's desire, come and let others come
> with thee. For such is the way of Faith, if in thy heart thou seekest
> reunion with Bahá: shouldst thou refuse to tread this path, why
> trouble Us, begone!
> 
> QASÍDIY-I-VARQÁ'ÍYYIH
> 
> This wonderful ode is endowed with much beauty and power. It
> comprises a series of thought-provoking verses in Arabic and was
> revealed by Bahá'u'lláh during the period of His retirement
> to the mountains of Kurdistán in the year 1854-5.
> 
> In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes how
> Bahá'u'lláh was prompted to reveal this poem at the request
> of a delegation of eminent doctors and distinguished scholars of
> Kurdistan:
> 
> "Amazed by the profundity of His insight and the compass of
> His understanding, they were impelled to seek from Him what they
> considered to be a conclusive and final evidence of the unique power
> and knowledge which He now appeared in their eyes to possess. `No
> one among the mystics, the wise, and the learned,' they claimed,
> while requesting this further favor from Him, `has hitherto proved
> himself capable of writing a poem in a rhyme and meter identical with
> that of the longer of the two odes, entitled
> Qasídy-i-Tá'íyyih [sic] composed by
> Ibn-i-Fárid. We beg you to write for us a poem in that same
> meter and rhyme.' This request was complied with, and no less than
> two thousand verses, in exactly the manner they had specified, were
> dictated by Him, out of which He selected one hundred and
> twenty-seven, which He permitted them to keep, deeming the subject
> matter of the rest premature and unsuitable to the needs of the
> times. It is these same one hundred and twenty-seven verses that
> constitute the Qasíidiy-i-Varqá'íyyih, so familiar to,
> and widely circulated amongst His Arabic speaking
> followers."
> 
> The theme of this inspiring poem, portrayed in symbolic terms,
> is the advent of the Promised Day and the release of the quickening
> power of the Spirit of God in this age. Referring to the same poem,
> Shoghi Effendi affirms that it was revealed "in praise of the
> Maiden personifying the Spirit of God recently descended upon
> Him." In a passage of this verse Bahá'u'lláh also gives
> vent to the "agonies of His sorrow-laden heart" in these
> words:
> 
> Noah's flood is but the measure of the tears I have shed,
> and Abraham's fire an ebullition of My soul. Jacob's grief is but
> a reflection of My sorrows, and Job's afflictions a fraction of My
> calamity.
> 
> THE HIDDEN WORDS
> 
> The Hidden Words is another well-known work of
> Bahá'u'lláh which was revealed in Baghdád before His
> Declaration in 1863. It is unique in style and captivating in
> eloquence and power of appeal.
> 
> In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi extols the exalted
> character of this work in these words:
> 
> "Next to this unique repository of inestimable treasures
> (the Íqán) must rank that marvellous collection of
> gem-like utterances, The Hidden Words with which
> Bahá'u'lláh was inspired, as He paced, wrapped in His
> meditations, the banks of the Tigris. Revealed in the year 1274 A.H.,
> partly in Persian, partly in Arabic, it was originally designated
> The Hidden Book of Fátimih, and was identified by its Author
> with the Book of that same name, believed by Shí`ah
> Islám to be in the possession of the promised Qá'im, and to
> consist of words of consolation addressed by the angel Gabriel, at
> God's command, to Fatimih, and dictated to the Imám `Alí, for
> the sole purpose of comforting her in her hour of bitter anguish
> after the death of her illustrious Father. The significance of this
> dynamic spiritual leaven cast into the life of the world for the
> reorientation of the minds of men, the edification of their souls and
> the rectification of their conduct can best be judged by the
> description of its character given in the opening passage by its
> Author: `This is that which hath descended from the Realm of
> Glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto
> the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and
> clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the
> righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may
> fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain
> the gem of Divine virtue.'"
> 
> In the vast field of Bahá'u'lláh's Writings, The
> Hidden Words stands out forever as a shining beacon shedding the
> light of divine guidance upon the path of a wayward humanity.
> 
> KITÁB-I-ÍQÁN
> 
> (The Book of Certitude)
> 
> The Íqán bears ample testimony to the greatness and
> divine knowledge of Bahá'u'lláh and is an outstanding
> landmark in the vast field of His Writings. Plunging into this
> inexhaustible fountain of divine Truth one can find explicit answers
> to many questions which have, for centuries, perplexed the minds of
> men.
> 
> Concerning the revelation as well as the contents of this
> masterpiece of literary beauty and eloquence, Shoghi Effendi writes
> in God Passes By:
> 
> "Foremost among the priceless treasures cast forth from the
> billowing ocean of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation ranks the
> Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude), revealed within the
> space of two days and two nights, in the closing years of that period
> (1278 A.H.--A.D. 1862). It was written in fulfillment of the prophecy
> of the Báb, Who had specifically stated that the Promised One would
> complete the text of the unfinished Persian Bayán, and in reply to
> the questions addressed to Bahá'u'lláh by the as yet
> unconverted maternal uncle of the Báb, Hájí Mírzá Siyyid
> Muhammad, while on a visit, with his brother, Hájí Mírzá
> Hasan-`Alí, to Karbilá. A model of Persian prose, of a style at
> once original, chaste and vigorous, and remarkably lucid, both cogent
> in argument and matchless in its irresistible eloquence, this Book,
> setting forth in outline the Grand Redemptive Scheme of God, occupies
> a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of Bahá'í
> literature, except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas,
> Bahá'u'lláh's Most Holy Book. Revealed on the eve of the
> declaration of His Mission, it proffered to mankind the `Choice
> Sealed Wine', whose seal is of `musk', and broke the
> `seals' of the `Book' referred to by Daniel, and
> disclosed the meaning of the `words' destined to remain
> `closed up' till the `time of the end.'
> 
> "Within a compass of two hundred pages it proclaims
> unequivocally the existence and oneness of a personal God,
> unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal,
> omniscient, omnipresent and almighty; asserts the relativity of
> religious truth and the continuity of Divine Revelation; affirms the
> unity of the Prophets, the universality of their Message, the
> identity of their fundamental teachings, the sanctity of their
> scriptures, and the twofold character of their stations; denounces
> the blindness and perversity of the divines and doctors of every age;
> cites and elucidates the allegorical passages of the New Testament,
> the abstruse verses of the Qur'án, and the cryptic Muhammadan
> traditions which have bred those age-long misunderstandings, doubts
> and animosities that have sundered and kept apart the followers of
> the world's leading religious systems; enumerates the essential
> prerequisites for the attainment by every true seeker of the object
> of his quest; demonstrates the validity, the sublimity and
> significance of the Báb's Revelation; acclaims the heroism and
> detachment of His disciples; foreshadows, and prophesies the
> world-wide triumph of the Revelation promised to the people of the
> Bayán; upholds the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary;
> glorifies the Imáms of the Faith of Muhammad; celebrates the
> martyrdom, and lauds the spiritual sovereignty, of the Imám Husayn;
> unfolds the meaning of such symbolic terms as `Return',
> `Resurrection', `Seal of the Prophets' and
> `Day of Judgment'; adumbrates and distinguishes between
> the three stages of Divine Revelation; and expatiates, in glowing
> terms, upon the glories and wonders of the `City of God',
> renewed, at fixed intervals, by the dispensation of Providence, for
> the guidance, the benefit and salvation of all mankind. Well may it
> be claimed that of all the books revealed by the Author of the
> Bahá'í Revelation, this Book alone, by sweeping away the
> age-long barriers that have so insurmountably separated the great
> religions of the world, has laid down a broad and unassailable
> foundation for the complete and permanent reconciliation of their
> followers."
> 
> This "priceless treasure" to which Bahá'u'lláh
> subsequently gave the title of Íqán (Certitude) was
> originally known among the early believers as "Epistle to the
> Uncle (of the Báb)", since it was his request for
> elucidation regarding some specific questions which prompted
> Bahá'u'lláh to reveal this book. The questions he had asked
> were closely linked with the coming of the Promised Qá'im, such
> as the following:
> 
> The fulfillment of specific signs
> 
> The question of Muhammad being considered as the last of the Prophets
> 
> The resurrection of the dead
> 
> The sovereignty of the Qá'im
> 
> The Day of Judgment
> 
> Doomsday
> 
> The return of the Imáms
> 
> Belief in the perpetual character of the laws of Islám
> 
> Opposition of the clergy
> 
> These as well as many other interesting topics are treated in this outstanding work.
> 
> THE SEVEN VALLEYS AND THE
> 
> FOUR VALLEYS
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh's Seven Valleys is a monumental
> work in the realm of mystical thought. Shoghi Effendi refers to it as
> "a treatise that may well be regarded as His greatest mystical
> composition ... which He wrote in answer to the questions of
> Shaykh Muhyi'd-Dín, the Qádí of
> Khániqayn, in which He describes the seven stages which the
> soul of the seeker must needs traverse ere it can attain the object
> of its existence."
> 
> This profound essay opens up a new outlook on life and brings
> abiding delight to the heart of many a seeker after truth. The story
> is one of a lover who, despite much suffering and hardship, trudges
> through mystic valleys in his eager search for the One Who is the
> Object of his quest. The valleys referred to in the text are those
> of: Search, Love, Knowledge, Unity, Contentment, Wonder, True Poverty
> and Absolute Selflessness, each of which has been described in this
> treatise.
> 
> The Four Valleys is a sister essay to the former. It is
> revealed in the same mystical language and is full of charm and food
> for thought. It streamed from the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh some
> time after the Seven Valleys had been revealed, and is
> addressed to Shaykh `Abdu'r-Rahmán-i-Karkútí,
> a learned Súfí of that period. In it Bahá'u'lláh traces
> out four paths, namely: Spirit, Reason, Love and the Realm of
> Conscience, by which the ardent lover may set out on his spiritual
> journey to the court of the Beloved.
> 
> These two essays are unique among the Writings of
> Bahá'u'lláh and their perusal serves immensely to enhance
> one's capacity for meditation and spiritual perception.
> 
> TABLET OF THE HOLY MARINER
> 
> This is one of the weightiest emanations from the Pen of
> Bahá'u'lláh. In it He hints at the ominous happenings which
> then loomed on the horizon and foreshadows the approach of a period
> of apprehension and grave anxiety. Expatiating on the circumstances
> which prevailed at the time when this Tablet was revealed Shoghi
> Effendi writes:
> 
> "It was on the fifth of Naw-Rúz (1863), while
> Bahá'u'lláh was celebrating the festival in the
> Mazra`iy-i-Vashásh, in the outskirts of
> Baghdád, and had just revealed the Tablet of the Holy
> Mariner, whose gloomy prognostications had aroused the grave
> apprehensions of His companions, that an emissary of Námiq
> Páshá arrived and delivered into His hands a communication
> requesting an interview between Him and the governor.
> 
> "Already, as Nabíl has pointed out in his narrative,
> Bahá'u'lláh had, in the course of His discourses, during the
> last years of His sojourn in Baghdád, alluded to the period
> of trial and turmoil that was inexorably approaching, exhibiting a
> sadness and heaviness of heart which greatly perturbed those around
> Him."
> 
> And further on:
> 
> "`Oceans of sorrow,' Nabíl affirms, `surged in the
> hearts of the listeners when the Tablet of the Holy Mariner
> was read aloud to them.... It was evident to every one that the
> chapter of Baghdád was about to be closed, and a new one
> opened, in its stead. No sooner had that Tablet been chanted than
> Bahá'u'lláh ordered that the tents which had been pitched
> should be folded up, and that all His companions should return to the
> city. While the tents were being removed He observed: "These
> tents may be likened to the trappings of this world, which no sooner
> are they spread out than the time cometh for them to be rolled
> up." From these words of His they who heard them perceived
> that these tents would never again be pitched on that spot. They had
> not yet been taken away when the messenger arrived from
> Baghdád to deliver the afore-mentioned communication from
> the governor.'"
> 
> LAWH-I-HÚRÍYYIH
> 
> (Tablet of the Maiden)
> 
> This is yet another matchless outpouring from the Pen of
> Bahá'u'lláh in which, as affirmed by the beloved Guardian,
> "events of a far remoter future are foreshadowed."
> 
> This Tablet is wholly in Arabic and begins with these
> words:
> 
> "In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Exalted!
> Praise be to Thee, O Lord, my God. I make mention of Thee at this
> moment when Thy divine Luminary hath risen above the horizon of the
> sacred Mount of Thy celestial realm of oneness."
> 
> The main part of this Tablet is couched in figurative language,
> depicting a wondrous Maiden who embodies the Most Great Spirit.
> 
> SÚRIY-I-SABR
> 
> (Súrih of Patience)
> 
> This lengthy Epistle, also known as the Súrih of Ayyúb (Job)
> was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh on the first day of Ridvan 1863.
> The whole Súrih is written in Arabic. It is highly eloquent in
> style and vibrant with power and glory.
> 
> In it, among other things, Bahá'u'lláh refers to the
> woeful episode of Nayríz and praises in glowing terms the heroism
> and fortitude of Vahíd and the company of his fellow-sufferers. The
> recipient of this mighty Epistle is none other than the indomitable,
> the long-suffering Hájí Muhammad Taqí who bore heroically, over
> a long period, horrible tortures beyond human endurance.
> 
> Hájí Muhammad Taqí was one of the wealthiest natives of
> Nayríz, famous for his honesty and noble character. When the Báb
> declared His mission in 1844, he embraced the new Faith and became
> one of its ardent followers. At the outbreak of the Nayríz upheaval
> in 1850, Hájí Muhammad Taqí threw in his lot with the defenders
> of the Fort of Khájih near Nayríz, and during the whole
> period of siege, which lasted no less than four months, he acted as
> the host, furnishing unstintingly from his own resources all the food
> and provisions needed for the subsistence of his besieged companions.
> This vital contribution, together with the daring deeds whereby he
> managed to get the supplies into the fort in the teeth of enemy
> vigilance and opposition, made Zaynu'l-`Ábidín Khán,
> the fanatical governor of Nayríz, so furious that he vowed to wreak
> his vengeance upon him as soon as the Bábís had surrendered.
> Later when, through enemy treachery, the evacuation of the fort took
> place, Hájí Muhammad Taqí was delivered into the hands of the
> ruthless governor, who imprisoned him in a dungeon and tortured him
> daily for nearly a year.
> 
> The nature of the torture the governor had prescribed for this
> victim is too shocking to contemplate. Every morning, even on cold,
> winter days, he was stripped of clothing, then cast into the pool in
> the courtyard, while a number of guards stood around the pool and
> thrashed him mercilessly with rods until the water was tinged red
> with his blood and the victim was in a state of collapse. After a
> short time, the sight of the havoc wrought upon his body through this
> daily torture was frightful. His head and shoulders were a mass of
> blood and swollen flesh, while his face was wholly disfigured beyond
> recognition. Sometimes, with his ghastly wounds exposed, he was
> paraded through the bazaars and along the streets at the head of a
> shouting and jeering crowd, while his jailers were busily engaged in
> extorting money from the awe-struck shopkeepers and passers-by.
> 
> The story of how Hájí Muhammad Taqí was miraculously
> rescued from jail is part of Bahá'í history. It remains to be
> said that he eventually went to Yazd where by the grace of God his
> wounds gradually healed and he was later able to go on foot to
> Baghdád where he attained the presence of
> Bahá'u'lláh not long before His declaration in 1863.
> 
> COMMENTARY ON THE LETTERS PREFIXED
> 
> TO THE SÚRIHS OF THE QUR'ÁN
> 
> This lengthy Epistle, revealed in Arabic, is profound. It
> enshrines many pearls of divine reality and unfolds the meaning of a
> number of symbolic terms and passages, including various
> interpretations of the disconnected letters Alif, Lám, Mím, which
> occur at the commencement of the second Súrih of the Qur'án.
> Moreover, the commentary on the figurative passage in the Qur'án
> which begins with the words "Alláh is the light of the
> heaven and of the earth" is highly illuminating. In this
> Epistle Bahá'u'lláh also expatiates on the significance and
> use of certain elements and makes reference to the substance known as
> "elixir and the philosopher's stone".
> 
> This Epistle was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in
> Baghdád in reply to questions put to Him by one of the
> followers of the Báb, named Mírzá Áqáy-i-Rikáb-Sáz who
> was eventually martyred in Shíráz with two other
> Bábís. Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By refers to this
> episode in these words:
> 
> "In Shíráz Mírzá Áqáy-i-Rikáb-Sáz,
> together with Mírzá Rafí`-i-Khayyát and
> Mashhadí Nabí, were by order of the local mujtahid
> simultaneously strangled in the dead of night, their graves being
> later desecrated by a mob who heaped refuse upon them."
> 
> The mujtahid who condemned the above believers to death was
> named Shaykh Husayn-i-Názim, whom Bahá'u'lláh
> stigmatized as "the tyrant".
> 
> LAWH-I-MADÍNATU'T-TAWHÍD
> 
> (Tablet of the City of Unity)
> 
> Within the pages of this enthralling Tablet Bahá'u'lláh
> proclaims the oneness of God, describes some of His transcendent
> attributes and affirms that no one can ever attain to His knowledge
> save by recognizing those who are the Bearers of His Message and the
> Repositories of His celestial wisdom and glory. The opening verse of
> this Tablet runs as follows:
> 
> "This is the City of Divine Unity. Enter ye therein, O
> concourse of the believers in divine unity, so that ye may, through
> heavenly tidings, be numbered among those who rejoice with exceeding
> gladness."
> 
> From the latter part of this Tablet is wafted the vivifying
> breeze of the coming Springtime. Here Bahá'u'lláh gives, in
> clear and thrilling language, the tidings of the approaching hour of
> His Revelation. One passage reads:
> 
> "Hearken unto the Day when the Herald raiseth His Call
> in the midmost heart of the immortal realm, when the Dove of Hijáz
> warbleth from the land of `Iráq summoning all unto concord, and
> when the gate of heaven is flung open before the face of the entire
> creation. This is the Day that shall not be overtaken by the gloom of
> night, as the sun receiveth its light therefrom, inasmuch as this Day
> is illumined by the splendour of His radiant face. By the
> righteousness of God! At that moment a holy and new earth is spread
> out at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the
> Inaccessible."
> 
> The recipient of this beautiful Tablet was the devoted
> Shaykh Salmán of Hindíyán in southern Persia,
> Bahá'u'lláh's trusted and high-spirited courier during the
> whole period of His ministry. He also continued his services during
> the days of the Master until he passed away in Shíráz
> after a life-long period of unexcelled devotion and sacrifice.
> 
> When Bahá'u'lláh was exiled to Baghdád in 1852,
> Salmán was the first follower of the Báb to enter His presence.
> Once he asked Him for some explanations about the oneness of God and
> how one could reach Him and know Him. In reply, Bahá'u'lláh
> revealed this soul-uplifting Tablet in his honour.
> 
> SAHÍFIY-I-SHATTÍYYÍH
> 
> In this inspiring, lengthy Tablet Bahá'u'lláh
> demonstrates the invincible power of the Cause of God. He asserts
> that no matter how formidable the reverses it might suffer in the
> future it is nevertheless endowed with a power such as to surmount
> every crisis and tear down every obstacle that stands in its way. It
> is simply undefeatable. It forges ahead victoriously from strength to
> strength until its glorious mission is wholly consummated. Dwelling
> on this subject, Bahá'u'lláh likens the irresistible march of
> the Faith to a great river (hence the title
> Sahífiy-i-Shattíyyíh meaning river-like) which when in flood
> carries everything before it. He portrays this point in these
> words:
> 
> "Behold the flow of this river which we see before Us.
> When torrential and swollen it rolleth on and surgeth forward.
> Whatever course it taketh, it is irresistible in its might. It taketh
> no notice of the hue and cry the populace raise, shouting: `The
> great dyke hath burst', or `the embankment is flooded', or
> `the house is ruined', or `the palace is devastated'.
> Unconcerned it rusheth on pursuing its path with vehement fury and
> force and with overwhelming strength and majesty."
> 
> MUSÍBÁT-I-HURÚFÁT-I-`ÁLÍYÁT
> 
> (The Calamities of the Letters of Loftiness)
> 
> A stream of sadness runs through this Tablet as
> Bahá'u'lláh dramatically depicts the transitory nature of
> this earthly life and brings home to one's mind, in graphic manner,
> the important fact that there is no refuge for man save through
> submission to the inscrutable Will of the Supreme Ordainer.
> 
> In the dedicatory note at the beginning of this Tablet
> Bahá'u'lláh affirms that this Epistle was written about the
> calamities of the Letters of Loftiness and that in those days He
> dedicated it to a particular person. Later certain individuals begged
> Bahá'u'lláh to write a commentary on it in the Persian
> tongue. It was done and this Tablet became manifest and resplendent
> in gem-like words. He explains also that since word-for-word
> translation, in conformity with the original style, lacks refinement,
> that which streamed forth from His Pen was recorded.
> 
> The person alluded to in the text is Bahá'u'lláh's
> cousin, Mírzá Muhammad Vazír, who was much loved and favoured
> by Him. He passed away in Mázindarán, Persia, at the time when
> Bahá'u'lláh was in Baghdád. His death came as a
> tragic blow both to Bahá'u'lláh and the rest of the Holy
> Family, particularly to the wife and sister of the deceased named
> Havvá (Eve) and Maryam (Mary) respectively. Therefore as a token of
> heartfelt sympathy for the loss His two loved kinswomen had
> sustained, Bahá'u'lláh honoured them with this Tablet which
> immortalized their memory and brought solace and consolation to their
> grief-laden hearts. In the closing paragraph of this Tablet
> Bahá'u'lláh recalls to mind, in touching language, the
> burdens of care and anguish these two souls were destined to bear.
> The epilogue opens with these words:
> 
> "However, Thou hast ordained that afflictions shall, in
> these times, be the lot of these two beauteous countenances. The
> first is named after the One whom Thou hast singled out to be the
> Mother of all mankind, and the other is the one who beareth the name
> of Her whom Thou hast raised above all the women in the
> world."
> 
> Maryam, the sister of the deceased Mírzá Muhammad Vazír,
> was Bahá'u'lláh's cousin who had married His half-brother,
> Mírzá Rídá Qulí. She was greatly devoted to
> Bahá'u'lláh, enjoyed His unqualified confidence and was
> highly admired by Him for her noble qualities and spiritual
> attainments. Notable among Maryam's writings is a poem she wrote in
> praise of Bahá'u'lláh in which she gives vent to the gnawing
> grief she bore for her separation from Him.
> 
> Among the Tablets Bahá'u'lláh revealed in her name is
> the well-known Tablet of Maryam from which Shoghi Effendi
> quotes a few passages in God Passes By. One passage is as
> follows:
> 
> "The wrongs I suffer have blotted out the wrongs
> suffered by My First Name (the Báb) from the Tablet of
> creation." "O Maryam!" He continues, "From
> the Land of Tá (Tihrán), after countless afflictions, We
> reached `Iráq, at the bidding of the Tyrant of Persia, where
> after the fetters of Our foes, We were afflicted with the perfidy of
> Our friends. God knoweth what befell Me thereafter!"
> 
> And another passage:
> 
> "I roamed the wilderness of resignation, travelling in
> such wise that in My exile every eye wept sore over Me, and all
> created things shed tears of blood because of My anguish. The birds
> of the air were My companions and the beasts of the field My
> associates."
> 
> Maryam passed away in Tihrán and is buried in the precincts of
> Násiri'd-Dín Sháh's sepulchre in the outskirts of
> the capital.
> 
> The other "beauteous countenance" mentioned in
> the Tablet is Havvá. She was the wife of the deceased Mírzá
> Muhammad and a niece of Bahá'u'lláh whom He always regarded
> with much favour and affection and used to call by the pet name
> "Sháh Bájí". She died in Tákur,
> Mázindarán where she was laid to rest close to the tombs of her
> parents.
> 
> JAVÁHIRU'L-ASRÁR
> 
> (The Essence of Mysteries)
> 
> Javáhiru'l-Asrár is a monumental work. It is one of
> the choicest fruits that the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh has
> yielded. Judged by the nature of its contents, this illuminating
> book, which is written in eloquent Arabic, may be regarded as a
> sister to the Íqán, since most of the subjects treated in
> that celebrated work are also briefly mentioned in this epistle. It
> was written by Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád sometime
> before the revelation of the Íqán, in answer to a number of
> questions put to Him by Hájí Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfáháíi,
> one of the most accomplished Persian students of Isfáhán who at
> that time resided in `Iráq.
> 
> In this mighty epistle, within the space of about one hundred
> pages, Bahá'u'lláh refers to the grievous tribulation and
> adversities that He suffered at the hand of the infidels; deplores
> the perversity of the followers of past religions; elucidates the
> meaning of the signs and prophecies concerning the advent of the new
> Manifestation, including the meaning of the passage in the Bible
> where it says: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word
> shall not pass away"; affirms the continuity of divine
> revelation; unfolds the significance of such symbolic terms as
> "the Day of Judgment", "the Balance", "the
> Way", "the resurrection of the dead", and "the
> identity of the Promised Qá'im and the place from which He is
> expected to appear"; asserts the inevitability of heaven-sent
> trials, and describes the inner meaning of such terms as "life
> and death", "attainment to the presence of God",
> "the valley of bewilderment", "the station of
> self-surrender" and "the character and qualities of those
> who have attained His Court".
> 
> Hájí Siyyid Muhammad was one of the distinguished disciples
> of the learned and well-known Shaykh Murtida Ansárí
> who was the recognized head of the Shí`ah hierarchy and
> occupied a pre-eminent position among the leaders of Islám. (This
> is the same Ansárí to whom Bahá'u'lláh refers in His
> Epistle to the Sháh of Persia).
> 
> On completing his studies at the Muslim centre of learning at
> Sámarrá' in `Iráq, Siyyid Muhammad was elevated to the rank
> of Mujtahid, a title which confers upon the holder the authority to
> expound and apply the laws and doctrines of Islám. Having thus
> attained the pinnacle of the learning of his time, he decided to
> return to his home town of Isfáhán to practise law and act as the
> leading cleric of that city. He therefore left for Baghdád
> where he stayed for a time at the home of two Persian merchant
> brothers from his home town of Isfáhán.
> 
> During his sojourn there he learned that the Bábí movement
> had made great headway in that city under the leadership of one who
> bore the title of Bahá'u'lláh. Siyyid Muhammad, boastful of
> his high learning and priding himself on his new title and position,
> felt inclined to seek a confrontation with the leader of this new
> movement, with the view to confound him by his power of argument and
> superior knowledge, and to assert his ascendancy over him. Such a
> victory, he thought, would enhance his position in the eyes of the
> leading mullás and redound to his glory and reputation throughout
> Persia and `Iráq.
> 
> Therefore, one evening he sought a meeting with
> Bahá'u'lláh at His home and was admitted into His presence.
> This meeting must have been dramatic and stirring beyond words. It
> lasted several hours at the end of which time Siyyid Muhammad, far
> from having gained ascendancy over his adversary found, to his
> amazement, that he had virtually been reduced to a speck of dust in
> the face of the overwhelming power and knowledge of his Host.
> Presently his sense of pride and vanity evaporated and gave way to
> humility and submissiveness. There at this meeting he became
> convinced of the divine character of the new Revelation and was so
> impressed by the transcendent personality of Bahá'u'lláh that
> he sat in His presence for a long time, spellbound with wonder and
> awe. Eventually when the time for leave-taking came, it was well past
> midnight.
> 
> On reaching his lodging that night he boldly told his landlords
> where he had been and what had transpired at the meeting. Being
> extremely fanatical in religious matters, the two Isfáhání
> brothers rebuked him severely, denied him food and drink, and in a
> rush of anger expelled him from their house in the dead of night.
> Undismayed by this ungracious treatment, Siyyid Muhammad trudged his
> way on foot to Sámarrá', a distance of about one hundred
> kilometers, where he sought the presence of his former master and
> spiritual leader, the far-famed Shaykh Murtida
> Ansárí at the same school which he himself had attended as a
> pupil. When he entered his presence, he found him giving a discourse
> to a vast company of his disciples. He sat there among the audience
> and, immediately after the talk was over, sprang to his feet and in a
> courageous and impressive manner expounded the teachings of the Báb
> and vindicated the truth of His mission. Thereupon a wave of
> indignation swept over the whole company who denounced him as a
> heretic and rushed upon him in fury, and had it not been for the
> tactful and timely intervention of their master they would have
> inflicted severe injuries upon him.
> 
> The words of Siyyid Muhammad, however, made a deep impression
> upon his learned master, who deplored the unseemly conduct of his
> students. Meanwhile he thought the moment was not propitious to
> comment on this subject, but promised to examine the teachings of
> this new creed and make a statement about it later.
> 
> As to Siyyid Muhammad, he remained firm and steadfast in the new
> Faith he had embraced, despite the bitter hatred and opposition of
> the Muslim clergy, and soon after this incident took up his residence
> in Najaf, renounced title and position and devoted much of his time
> to studying and spreading the teachings of this Revelation. Then
> sometime later he was prompted to write to Bahá'u'lláh and
> ask for elucidation of certain questions which baffled his mind. In
> reply, Bahá'u'lláh revealed this sparkling gem, the
> Javáhiru'l-Asrár, for his enlightenment and that of men
> of understanding in this age.
> 
> LAWH-I-SHIKKAR SHIKAN
> 
> This Tablet was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh sometime towards
> the end of His sojourn in Baghdád in reply to a seemingly
> mild communication addressed to Him by Mírzá Sa`íd
> Khán, the then Persian Foreign Minister.
> 
> In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes the evil
> machinations of this crafty man who stigmatized the Faith as a
> "misguided and detestable sect" and assiduously
> endeavoured, through the dissemination of false reports and alarming
> accusations, to have Bahá'u'lláh banished to a place far
> removed from the Persian border. In his letter the minister feigned
> concern about Bahá'u'lláh's safety, saying that he had
> reasons to believe that His enemies were conspiring against Him, and
> that it would be advisable for him to transfer His place of residence
> to another town away from Baghdád. Bahá'u'lláh's
> reply, embodied in this Tablet, is imbued with the spirit of
> detachment and fortitude and strikingly reflects His imperturbable
> calm and serenity. One passage runs as follows:
> 
> "One should kiss the hand of the executioner and, rapt
> in holy ecstasy, set one's face towards the abode of the
> Beloved."
> 
> And further He says:
> 
> "Holding up Our neck, We eagerly yearn for the pitiless
> sword of the Loved One, and, exposing Our breast, We crave, with
> heart and soul, after the darts of His Decree. We disdain fame and
> keep aloof from aught else but Him. We neither flee from Our enemies
> nor disperse them. We earnestly pray for adversity in order to soar
> in the holy realms of the spirit, abide 'neath the shade of the
> tree of reunion and attain the loftiest station of love. Afflictions
> cannot annihilate this people. This wayfaring cannot be accomplished
> by human feet, nor can any veil obscure this
> Countenance."
> 
> And further He continues:
> 
> "We are established upon the seat of tranquillity and
> occupy the couch of resignation. Why should the mystic fish fear
> shipwreck, or the sanctified spirit allow itself to be distressed at
> the destruction of the physical body?"
> 
> LAWH-I-GHULÁMU'L KHULD
> 
> (Tablet of the Youth of Paradise)
> 
> This wonderful Tablet was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in
> Baghdád during the Ridván Festival. The first part is in
> Arabic, the latter in Persian. It begins with these words:
> 
> "This is in commemoration of what hath been manifested
> in the year sixty, in the Days of God, the Omnipotent, the Help in
> Peril, the Almighty, the All-Knowing."
> 
> Every word of this Tablet rings with ecstasy and heavenly
> delight and reverberates with the glorification of the dawning light
> of the Day of God which broke on the horizon of Shíráz
> through the appearance of the Báb.
> 
> Here Bahá'u'lláh extols this momentous event by means of
> symbolic expressions which are interspersed with many a soul-stirring
> refrain such as this one:
> 
> "Glad-tidings! This is the Youth of Paradise. Verily He
> is come with the crystal water."
> 
> In the latter part of this Tablet Bahá'u'lláh refers to
> the coming of Him Who is the Desired One, and proclaims:
> 
> "O friends! The Wine of eternal life is steaming forth.
> O ye that yearn after Him! The Beauty of the Beloved is unveiled and
> manifest. O beloved ones! The Flame on the Sinai of love is shining
> resplendent."
> 
> LAWH-I-HAWDAJ
> 
> (Tablet of the Howdah)
> 
> This Tablet which is also known as the Tablet of
> Sámsún is yet another wondrous outpouring of the Pen of
> Bahá'u'lláh. It was revealed in August 1863 when He, together
> with the company of the exiles, had reached the outskirts of
> Sámsún on the Black Sea, on their way to Constantinople.
> 
> In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi refers to this Tablet in
> these words:
> 
> "Sighting from His howdah the Black Sea, as He approached
> the port of Sámsún, Bahá'u'lláh, at the request of
> Mírzá Áqá Ján, revealed a Tablet, designated
> Lawh-i-Hawdaj (Tablet of the Howdah), which by such allusions
> as the `Divine Touchstone', `the grievous and
> tormenting Mischief', reaffirmed and supplemented the dire
> predictions recorded in the recently revealed Tablet of the Holy
> Mariner."
> 
> The opening passage of the Tablet runs as follows:
> 
> "These verses were revealed behind the Veil of
> Immortality, in the Howdah of Holiness, when the Most Great Name
> arrived from the court of the All-Glorious in the land of Sámsún,
> on the shore of the great sea. Thereupon the hosts of divine
> revelation descended, arrayed in such beauty that all that are in
> heaven and on earth were dumbfounded. The Day Star of Beauty shone
> forth before them in His holy and ethereal Temple and addressed to
> the Ark what had previously been revealed in a Tablet by the Pen of
> the Most High, in which the Holy Mariner is invoked in a tone of
> grief."
> 
> The theme which runs through the text of this historic Tablet is
> the affirmation of the invincible power of the Cause of God,
> stressing that whatever the reverses and setbacks the Cause may yet
> suffer, there can be no shadow of doubt that its future glory and
> triumph are unimaginably great.
> 
> TABLET TO SULTÁN `ABDU'L-`AZÍZ
> 
> AND HIS MINISTERS
> 
> Unfortunately the text of this momentous Tablet is not
> available. However, in God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes
> the historical background as well as the dire circumstances which led
> to the revelation of this mighty Tablet. The following extracts are
> highly illuminating:
> 
> "The initial phase of that Proclamation may be said to have
> opened in Constantinople with the communication (the text of which
> we, alas, do not possess) addressed by Bahá'u'lláh to
> Sultán `Abdu'l-`Azíz himself, the self-styled vicar of the
> Prophet of Islám and the absolute ruler of a mighty empire.... The
> occasion for this communication was provided by the infamous edict
> the Sultán had promulgated, less than four months after the arrival
> of the exiles in his capital, banishing them, suddenly and without
> any justification whatsoever, in the depth of winter, and in the most
> humiliating circumstances, to Adrianople, situated on the extremities
> of his empire.... No less a personage than the highly-respected
> brother-in-law of the Sadr-i-A`zam was commissioned to apprize the
> Captive of the edict pronounced against Him...
> 
> "That same day a Tablet, severely condemnatory in tone, was
> revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, was entrusted by Him, in a sealed
> envelope, on the following morning, to Shamsí Big, who was
> instructed to deliver it into the hands of `Alí Páshá,
> and to say that it was sent down from God. `I know not what that
> letter contained,' Shamsí Big subsequently informed
> Áqáy-i-Kalím, `for no sooner had the Grand Vizir perused it
> than he turned the color of a corpse, and remarked: "It is as if
> the King of Kings were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king
> and regulating his conduct." So grievous was his condition that
> I backed out of his presence.' `Whatever action,'
> Bahá'u'lláh, commenting on the effect that Tablet had
> produced, is reported to have stated, `the ministers of the
> Sultán took against Us, after having become acquainted with its
> contents, cannot be regarded as unjustifiable. The acts they
> committed before its perusal, however, can have no
> justification.'
> 
> "That Tablet, according to Nabíl, was of considerable
> length, opened with words directed to the sovereign himself, severely
> censured his ministers, exposed their immaturity and incompetence,
> and included passages in which the ministers themselves were
> addressed, in which they were boldly challenged, and sternly
> admonished not to pride themselves on their worldly possessions, nor
> foolishly seek the riches of which time would inexorably rob
> them."
> 
> LAWH-I-NÁQÚS
> 
> (The Tablet of the Bell)
> 
> "O Monk of the Incomparable One! Ring out the Bell,
> inasmuch as the Day of the Lord hath shone forth and the Beauty of
> the All-Glorious is established upon His holy and resplendent
> Throne."
> 
> This Tablet, the opening verse of which is given above, reflects
> in every word the grandeur and sublimity of this divine Revelation.
> Whether this is due to its rare eloquence, or the captivating charm
> of its refrains, or the depth and wealth of its symbolic terms, or
> the beauty of its rhymed words and phrases, or the sense of heavenly
> joy its glad-tidings evoke, or is due to any combination of these
> features, it is hard to say. Bahá'u'lláh revealed these
> verses of praise in celebration of that auspicious night which
> witnessed the inception of the Faith of God on earth through the
> declaration of the Báb.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi in a letter to Mr. Ágáh of Shíráz
> affirms that this Tablet was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh and
> written in His own hand in Constantinople on the eve of the fifth of
> Jamádíyu'l-Avval, 1280 A.H. (October 19, 1863) which marks the
> twenty-first lunar anniversary of the Báb's declaration, at the
> request of one of His devoted companions named Muhammad `Alí
> Isfáhání. (An outline of his biography appears in
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's Memorials of the Faithful.)
> 
> Shoghi Effendi considers that it would be appropriate to read
> this Tablet at the meetings held for the celebration of this
> anniversary.
> 
> MATHNAVÍ
> 
> This is a collection of veritable mystic gems which the Pen of
> Bahá'u'lláh has strung together into a masterpiece of poetry.
> The work comprises more than three hundred lines of enchanting verse
> in Persian, and is yet another striking evidence of
> Bahá'u'lláh's matchless utterance.
> 
> In these verses Bahá'u'lláh communes with His own inner
> Being in the language of a lover whose heart leaps with joy and
> adoration, or like a nightingale which pours forth songs of praise in
> its ardent longing for the beauty of the mystic Rose. He invokes the
> Source of His Soul, beseeching It to reveal a glimpse of Its eternal
> beauty and to bestow upon the world a dewdrop from the infinite ocean
> of divine mercy, so that wayward humanity may be redeemed and attain
> to a new life.
> 
> The verses abound in allegorical terms, and their reading evokes
> a subtle and deep thought in one's mind. It opens up a new approach
> to the knowledge of God and unfolds a vast horizon for contemplation
> of the greatness of Bahá'u'lláh's manifestation.
> 
> The work was revealed in Constantinople in 1863, as
> Bahá'u'lláh Himself affirms in His monumental apologia, the
> Kitáb-i-Badí`, wherein He voices His yearning for
> tribulation in the path of His Beloved. There He quotes the closing
> lines of this work which refer to the same theme and give vent also
> to His anguish at the fate His Most Holy Habitation in
> Baghdád was destined to suffer. These few lines run somewhat
> like this:
> 
> "From the Court of the Beloved, O gentle
> breeze!
> 
> Wing for once thy way over the land of
> Baghdád.
> 
> Say unto her: O City of God!
> 
> How canst thou remain tranquil
> 
> since thy Beloved is gone away?
> 
> Thy Beloved is consigned to prison and sorely
> wronged,
> 
> Like unto Husayn on the plain of Karbilá.
> 
> One lonely Husayn amid thousands of Yazíds,
> 
> One single Friend among a host of fierce foes."
> 
> Notes by Gwyn Magaditsch, typist
> 
> The attached Bahá'í World article by
> Mr. Khavari and translated by Habib Tahirzadih, has been proofed several times,
> but that does not mean it is completely error-free. Our years of experience have
> proven that sometimes it takes six or seven different proofreaders to comb out all
> the errors in any typed or scanned text to catch the majority of typos--and even
> then there may be one or two left in a text as large as the Kitáb-i-Íqán or 10 or more in a text the size of Unfolding Destiny or God
> Passes By.
> 
> A few notes on the work: In the second paragraph
> under Lawh-i-Shikkar Shikan, "...it would be advisable for him to transfer His place
> of residence..."-- does the "him" refer to the minister changing
> Bahá'u'lláh's place of residence or to Bahá'u'lláh
> changing His place of residence? That would determine if the "him" should be "Him"
> or not.
> 
> There were a few places in which double-quotes and
> single-quotes were transposed and which we have corrected in this text. There
> was a some inconsistency in using quote marks for offset paragraphs quoting
> Bahá'u'lláh. See the two quotations under the Tablet entitled
> SÁQÍ AZ GHAYB-I-BAQÁ, as well as the quotation beginning
> "Noah's flood..." under the Ode entitled QASÍDIY-I-VARQÁ'ÍYYIH.
> 
> Also, I used MARS to get the writings from God
> Passes By, and I noted that some punctuation was omitted from excerpts, the
> word "the" was used instead of "that" in one place, and a few other such
> discrepancies. The original work I had compiled for you with diacritical marks in MS-
> Word had those discrepancies, but this vanilla text, which I created for my own
> database [REFER module], and it has the writings exactly as found in the REFER
> version of God Passes By.
> 
> There were also a few typos which failed to
> capitalize the pronouns for the Manifestations. I inserted [sic] into the text where
> these typos occurred.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views35760 views since posted 1998; last edit 2024-08-15 20:57 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../khavari_writings_bahaullah;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
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> Typed 1998 by Gwyn Magaditsch.
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> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/136
> Citation: ris/136
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> — *The Writings of Baha'u'llah (Used by permission of the curator)*