# Tablet of Wisdom: Tablet study outline

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-21 — 1 clipping.*

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> Name of Tablet in Arabic or Persian:
> Lawh-i-Hikmat
> 
> Translation into English:
> Tablet of Wisdom (could also be translated as "The Tablet of Philosophy")
> 
> The entire Tablet has been translated and published in Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh pp. 137-152. There is 
> a full definition in the article by Juan Cole "Lawh-i Hikmat (The Tablet of Wisdom)" available online at 
> Bahái-library.org/encyclopedia/wisdom.html; Robert Stockman discusses the nature of revelation as 
> described in this Tablet in "Revelation, Interpretation, and Elucidation in the Bahá'í Writings" in 
> Scripture and Revelation (Bahá'í Studies vol.3) 58-61; there is a discussion of Tablet's literary style 
> and thematic structure in John S. Hatcher The Ocean of His Words 114-16 and 234-47; Keven 
> Brown discusses the pre-Bahá'í texts and symbols Bahá'u'lláh was quoting  or alluding to in 
> "Hermes Trismegistus and Apollonius of Tyana in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh," in Revisioning the 
> Sacred: Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions vol. 8, 168-179; finally, there is a detailed discussion 
> of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings on early Greek and Hebrew history in Juan Cole "Problems of Chronology in 
> Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Wisdom" in World Order 13:3 (1979) 24-39, also available online at 
> h-net.msu.edu/~Bahái/diglib/articles/A-E/cole/chrono/chrono.htm.
> 
> Significance of Name:
> Presumably it is called the Tablet of "Wisdom" because, in Taherzadeh's words, it "stands out 
> amongst the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh for its philosophical terminology and its references to ancient 
> Greek philosophers, as well as profound explanations of the influence of the Word of God, the cause 
> and origin of creation, the mysterious workings of nature, and many other weighty topics." 
> (Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh vol. 4, 33)
> 
> Tablet was revealed in:
> Arabic, possibly chosen because Arabic is, as Taherzadeh says, the "language of an intellectual 
> philosopher." (ibid. 34)
> 
> Name of Recipient:
> His full name was Mullá Áqá Muhammad-`Alí of Qa'in, surnamed Nabíl-i-Akbar (also known as Fadil-i-
> Qa'ini "the learned one of Qa'in"). The short form of his name appears to have been Áqá 
> Muhammad, or at least Balyuzi refers to him as such in Bahá'u'lláh: King of Glory 382. Interestingly, 
> in the abjad notation the name Nabíl has the same numerical value as Muhammad, which could be 
> why Bahá'u'lláh writes "O Muhammad! Hearken unto the Voice proceeding out of the Realm of 
> Glory..." (This isn't the same Nabíl who wrote the Dawnbreakers — that was Nabíl-i-Zarandi, also 
> known as Nabíl-i-A`zam.)
> 
> The Tablet is also addressed to the "peoples of the world," whom Bahá'u'lláh exhorts to "Forsake 
> all evil, hold fast that which is good. Strive to be shining examples unto all mankind..." and a number 
> of other counsels.
> 
> Reason for Revelation of the Tablet:
> It was revealed in honor of Nabíl's pilgrimage to Akká and to answer some of his questions about 
> philosophy.
> 
> Questions asked that are answered in Tablet:
> It would appear that Nabíl had asked a number of questions or raised specific points, because 
> Bahá'u'lláh says "As regards thine assertions about the beginning of creation..." As well, Bahá'u'lláh 
> had earlier elucidated these topics to Nabíl, for He says "During Our sojourn in 'Iraq when We were 
> at the house of one named Majid, We set forth clearly for thee the mysteries of creation and the 
> origin, the culmination and the cause thereof..."
> 
> Date of Revelation:
> Nabíl's pilgrimage to Akká took place around AH 1290 (AD 1873-74), so it would have been 
> revealed around this time.
> 
> Place of Revelation:
> Akká, while in the house of `Abbud, shortly before Bahá'u'lláh's move to Mazra'ih.
> 
> Other Tablets revealed at about the same time:
> The Kitáb-i-Aqdas was completed in 1873, presumably before this Tablet (that is, because this 
> Tablet is included as one of the "Tablets revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas"). The Tablet of Medicine 
> was also completed in the early 1870s.
> 
> Style, subject, and genre of the Tablet: [?]I. Tone of Tablet
>         1. Tablets with the tone of command and authority (though it concludes with a supplicatory 
> prayer).
> II. Subject Covered by Tablet
>         3. Mystical Writings (a couple of passages, at least, have a mystical tone).
>         5. Tablets dealing with subjects of learning and knowledge, divine philosophy, mysteries of 
> creation, medicine, alchemy, etc.
>         7. Tablets dealing with social teachings (or, in Taherzadeh's words, "Teachings for the 
> Spiritualization of Humanity")
> III. Literary Genre of Tablet:
>         While this is a "Letter to an individual," it could easily be seen as constituting an "Essay or 
> book revealed as a letter to an individual" because of its coherent structure and the complexity of 
> its subject.
> 
> Voice of Tablet: [?]
> Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> Outline Contents of Tablet:
> Taherzadeh summarizes this Tablet briefly as follows:
> 
> "In the Tablet of Hikmat Bahá'u'lláh dwells at length on the work and beliefs of ancient Greek 
> philosophers and sages. He asserts that 'the essence and fundamentals of philosophy have 
> emanated from the Prophets', names some of the Greek philosophers who 'acquired wisdom' from 
> the Prophets of Israel, affirms that the philosophers of old believed in God, praises the work of 
> Socrates and refers to him as 'the most distinguished of all philosophers' who was 'highly versed in 
> wisdom', and gives details of the work and aspirations of several sages of Greece." (ibid. 
> 46)
> 
> As Cole summarizes it in his encyclopedia article, the Tablet begins with ethical exhortations 
> directed at the people of the world, continues with praise of down-to-earth virtues such as 
> diligence, generosity and service to humankind, then addresses a question posed to him by Nabíl-i 
> Akbar, about the beginning of creation, and ends with a discussion of the Logos, exhortations to 
> Nabíl to not grieve, and a supplication to God. 
> 
> Principal themes of the Tablet:
> Major themes include:        1. The decadence and lack of moral value in the world
>         2. Teachings which are conducive to the spiritualization of the individual and mankind in 
> general
>         3. The origin of creation, with specific reference to the instrumental role of nature in 
> creation
>         4. The teachings of past philosophers, particularly those who believed in the divine influence 
> of God in the world of existence 
>         5. The importance of teaching the Cause with wisdom, and a counsel to Nabíl to extol the 
> Name of God among the servants. 
> 
> Tablet's relationship to other tablets:
> I've listed here a few different items:
> 
> 1) Taherzadeh writes that "in one of His Tablets [ Athar-i-Qalam-i-Ala, vol. 7, p. 113], Bahá'u'lláh 
> states that "in each verse of the Tablet of Hikmat an ocean is concealed." (Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh 
> vol. 4, 39)
> 
> 2) The subject of creation appears in many other Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh and also in some 
> Tablets and talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Notable among Abdu'l-Bahá's are the discussions in 
> Some Answered Questions. Taherzadeh also mentions that another valuable source of 
> information on this subject is Amr va Khalq vol. 1, a compilation of the writings of 
> Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Persian.
> 
> 3) Also of interest is one way in which the Tablet of Wisdom doesn't relate to any other 
> Tablets or writings. That is, Bahá'u'lláh says that His knowledge in independent of any 
> other sources of information. He writes: "Thou knowest full well that We perused not the 
> books which men possess and We acquired not the learning current amongst them, and 
> yet whenever We desire to quote the sayings of the learned and of the wise, presently 
> there will appear before the face of thy Lord in the form of a tablet all that which hath 
> appeared in the world and is revealed in the Holy Books and Scriptures."
> 
> 4) Bahá'u'lláh also refers to an Islamic hadith on the "hidden treasure," which He here says "...is a 
> station that can never be described nor even alluded to." This can be related to Abdu'l-Bahá's first 
> major Tablet, written when He was but a teenager: his "Commentary on 'I Was a Hidden Treasure'" 
> (see Balyuzi, Abdu'l-Bahá: The Centre of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh 14). This Tablet has been 
> translated and published by Moojan Momen in the Bahá'í Studies Bulletin.
> 
> 5) There has been much discussion on Bahá'u'lláh's references to early history, starting with Cole's 
> article "Problems of Chronology in Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Wisdom" and summarized in Stockman's 
> "Revelation, Interpretation, and Elucidation..." (both cited above). Regarding discrepencies between 
> Bahá'u'lláh's accounting of Greek history and that of current historical theories, the Universal House 
> of Justice has explained "The fact that Bahá'u'lláh makes such statements, for the sake of 
> illustrating the spiritual principlaes that He wishes to convey, does not necessarily mean that He is 
> endorsing their historical accuracy." (quoted in Keven Brown, "Hermes Trismegistus...," 
> 178)
> 
> Biography or bio note of the recipient of the Tablet:
> Abdu'l-Bahá provides a biography of the Nabíl-i-Akbar in Memorials of the Faithful 1-5, where He 
> describes Nabíl as being "of wide learning, at once a mujtahid, a philosopher, a mystic, and gifted 
> with intuitive sight," and says that "he was also an accomplished man of letters and an orator 
> without a peer. He had a great and universal mind..." He called Nabíl a `Hand of the Cause of God,' 
> and Shoghi Effendi designated him an `Apostle of Bahá'u'lláh.' He was an eminent mujtahid (a high 
> position in the Muslim ecclesiastical hierarchy) who became a Bábí and later a Bahá'í. He died in 
> 1892 after having spent his life teaching the Faith widely.
> 
> There are also a couple of references to others in this Tablet. Bahá'u'lláh alludes to Nasiri'd-Din 
> Sháh when he says "We revealed unto one of the rulers that which overpowereth all the dwellers of 
> the earth," and elsewhere He alludes to the martyrdom of Badí when he refers to the lamentations 
> of the "inmates of the cities of justice and equity." (Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh vol. 4, 38-39)
>
> — *Tablet of Wisdom: Tablet study outline (Used by permission of the curator)*