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“O ḤUSAYN! God grant thou shalt ever be bright and...”
“THIS is a Tablet which the Lord of all being hath sent...”
“O FRIEND! In the Bayán We directed everyone in this...”
“O JAVÁD! Such is the greatness of this Day that the Hour...”
“WE make mention of him who hath been attracted by Our...”
“O THOU who bearest My Name, Júd [Bounty]! Upon...”
“O ḤAYDAR! This Wronged One hath heard thy voice...”
“BY the righteousness of God! The Mother Book is made...”
“O MUḤAMMAD ḤUSAYN! Be thou prepared to receive the...”
“O MY handmaiden and My leaf! Rejoice with great joy...”
“AT one time this sublime Word was heard from the...”
“THIS is a Tablet sent down by the All-Merciful from the...”
“O MY handmaiden, O My leaf! Render thou thanks unto...”
“O HANDMAID of God! Hearken unto the Voice of the...”
“FIX your gaze upon wisdom in all things, for it is an...”
“THIS Wronged One doth mention him who hath set his...”
“HE Who leadeth to true victory is come. By the righteousness...”
“THIS is a Tablet sent down by the Lord of mercy that the...”
“WE desire to mention him who hath set his face towards...”
“GIVE ear unto that which the Spirit imparteth unto thee from...”
“THIS Wronged One hath perused thy letter in the Most...”
REFERENCES TO THE QUR’ÁN
In footnotes referring to the Qur’án the súrihs have been numbered
according to the original, whereas the verse numbers are those in
Rodwell’s translation which differ sometimes from those of the Arabic.
LAWḤ-I-KARMIL (TABLET OF CARMEL)
ALL glory be to this Day, the Day in which the fragrances of mercy have
been wafted over all created things, a Day so blest that past ages and
centuries can never hope to rival it, a Day in which the countenance of
the Ancient of Days hath turned towards His holy seat. Thereupon the
voices of all created things, and beyond them those of the Concourse on
High, were heard calling aloud: ‘Haste thee, O Carmel, for lo, the light
of the countenance of God, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Names and Fashioner
of the heavens, hath been lifted upon thee.’
Seized with transports of joy, and raising high her voice, she thus
exclaimed: ‘May my life be a sacrifice to Thee, inasmuch as Thou hast
fixed Thy gaze upon me, hast bestowed upon me Thy bounty, and hast
directed towards me Thy steps. Separation from Thee, O Thou Source of
everlasting life, hath well nigh consumed me, and my remoteness from Thy
presence hath burned away my soul. All praise be to Thee for having
enabled me to hearken to Thy call, for having honoured me with Thy
footsteps, and for having quickened my soul through the vitalizing
fragrance of Thy Day and the shrilling voice of Thy Pen, a voice Thou
didst ordain as Thy trumpet-call amidst Thy people. And when the hour at
which Thy resistless Faith was to be made manifest did strike, Thou didst
breathe a breath of Thy spirit into Thy Pen, and lo, the entire creation
shook to its very foundations, unveiling to mankind such mysteries as lay
hidden within the treasuries of Him Who is the Possessor of all created
things.’
No sooner had her voice reached that most exalted Spot than We made reply:
‘Render thanks unto thy Lord, O Carmel. The fire of thy separation from Me
was fast consuming thee, when the ocean of My presence surged before thy
face, cheering thine eyes and those of all creation, and filling with
delight all things visible and invisible. Rejoice, for God hath in this
Day established upon thee His throne, hath made thee the dawning-place of
His signs and the dayspring of the evidences of His Revelation. Well is it
with him that circleth around thee, that proclaimeth the revelation of thy
glory, and recounteth that which the bounty of the Lord thy God hath
showered upon thee. Seize thou the Chalice of Immortality in the name of
thy Lord, the All-Glorious, and give thanks unto Him, inasmuch as He, in
token of His mercy unto thee, hath turned thy sorrow into gladness, and
transmuted thy grief into blissful joy. He, verily, loveth the spot which
hath been made the seat of His throne, which His footsteps have trodden,
which hath been honoured by His presence, from which He raised His call,
and upon which He shed His tears.
‘Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was
hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is
manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed. Beware lest thou
hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that
hath descended from heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled
in adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart, and the company of
the most exalted angels. Oh, how I long to announce unto every spot on the
surface of the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the
glad-tidings of this Revelation—a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai
hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling: “Unto
God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven.” Verily
this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement,
the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a
bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for
revelation. Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest
the people of Bahá who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.’