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TB Qamits Tr

Sūrat al-Qamī (The Surah of the Robe), c. 1864-5

of Mirza Husayn `Ali Nuri, Baha'-Allah (1817-1892 CE).

Trans. Stephen N. Lambden, 2006.

Being updated, corrected and completed 2015.

[0]

This is the Sūrat al-qamīṣ  (The Surah of the Garment). 

We, in very truth, sent it down as a Manifestation of My Temple (maẓhar haykalī)  betwixt all the worlds! 

In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Holy  and

In His Name of the One Resplendent, the All-Glorious (al-abhā).

[I]

[1] O denizens of subsistent eternity (ahl al-baqā’) amidst the Supreme Concourse (malā’ al-a`lā)!

[2] Hearken ye unto the Call of God from this vibrant Breeze  which reverberates in this redolent atmosphere beneath this intimate, gracious Heaven. [3] He who voices these words is indeed the Muezzin, the One Who invites the people to prayer   (mu`adhdhin),  to the Most Great Pilgrimage (al-hujjaj al-a`ẓam). [4] This through this Greatest Word (al-kalimat al-akbar) which stands up above the Temple of the cosmic Script (haykal al-siṭr)  in this Book (al-kitāb). [5] This on account of the Pen of Might (qalam al-`izz wa’l-faḍl) and by virtue of that Divine Grace which is hidden away. [6] Say: He indeed is the Most Great Book (al-kitāb al-a`ẓam) which was sealed up with the Seal of God (khatm Allāh), hidden beyond the veils of the Unseen and treasured up in the Treasuries of Might. [7] He, in very truth, was made manifest through the Divine Grace in the form of the Divine Justice (al-`adl) during those days which were, in very truth,  foreordained.

[II]

[1]

O Solace of the Spirit (qurrat al-rūḥ)!  

Send ye down upon the realms of the possible from the heaven of Thy Bounty what will make them to be detached from whatsoever lieth  betwixt earth and heaven [2] for they indeed were ill equipped (fuqarā’) to fathom the secret of the mystery (sirr al-sirr) [3] or the annihilated state of these domes (`alā fanā’ hadhā al-qubāb) nigh the Dawning-Place of this Beauty (maṭlā hadhā al-jamāl). This since they, in thy hearing, were indeed persons suspended (mawqūf an)!

[III]

[1]

O Solace of the Spirit! (qurrat al-rūḥ) 

The [Bābī] unbelievers were in a state of doubt regarding thy Cause despite the fact that We cried out unto them according to the tones of the Remembrance (laḥn al-dhikr)  [2] nigh the Dawning-Place of Light (maṭla` al-nūr) in this Theophany (ẓuhūr) which hath shone forth in this Sinaitic Mount (al-ṭūr) [3] It was indeed lifted up above these two names in these two resplendent Suns within the two Beauties. [4]  And as for thee, thou shalt not weep! Rather, be thou patient, and show forbearence! for thy Lord is the All-Merciful and will keep thee safe from the hosts of Satan.  [5] He, indeed, is One that doth act with wisdom relative to all the worlds.  [6] He shall burn away the veils from thy face, then the self-glorifications (al-subūḥāt) from thy Beauty. [7]  And He shall cause [Him] to dawn forth  from the Dawning-Place of Paradise above the Temple of Light (haykal al-nūr) in the form of the Spirit (ha`it al-rūḥ).[8]  Then thou shalt not turn in the direction of anyone  nor fix thy gaze towards the countenances of the unbelievers. Rather, orient thyself in the direction of the Divine Throne, the vicinity of thy Lord (shaṭr al-rabb). [9] He sufficeth thee over all the worlds and He, in truth,  rendereth thee victorious and at every moment protects thee just as thou hath been assisted through the Divine Bounty. [10] Thereby hath He caused the Spirit to cry out in thy breast and thereby made thee Luminous and Splendid  above all the worlds.

[IV]

[1]

Say: By God!

I, verily, am the Greatest Panorama (manẓar al-akbar) amidst the Supreme Concourse (malā’ al-a`lā), [2]  the Most Pristine Beauty (jamāl al-athar) in the Abhā Horizon (ufq al-abhā) , [3] the Most Evident Word (al-kalimat al-aẓhar) nigh the Furthermost Tree (shajarat al-quswā), [4] the Mighty Announcement (al-nabā’ al-`aẓīm) nigh the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing (sidrat al-muntahā’), [5] the Hidden Countenance (ṭal`āt al-ghayb) in the Empyrean of the Divine Decree (jabarūt al-qiḍā’), [6] the Mystery of God and His Logos-Command (sirr Allāh wa amrihi) in the Kingdom of Origination (malakūt al-badā’). [7] Through the intimation of My Pen the decree of the letter Kāf ("K") was made manifest betwixt earth and heaven and the decree of the letter Nūn ("N")  in the Cities of the Divine Names (madā’in al-asmā’) for thy Lord is indeed One Generous. [8] He, in very truth, poured the Divine Bounty upon thee  and made thee to be a Mighty Pillar (rukn an shadīd an).

[V]

[1] Say:`I, verily, am the Most Great Pillar (al-rukn al-a`ẓam) and the Most Complete Word (al-kalimat al-attam). [2] And whoso taketh firm hold of Me is indeed one who taketh firm hold of the Mountain of God (jabal Allāh), the Help in Peril in this manifest Immutability (al-thubā’ al-mubīn) [3] who hath ever been far beyond the pavilions of Infallibility (surādiq al-`iṣma) [4] in very truth One concealed behind the threshold of the Veils of Divine Grandeur (`an warā’ ḥijbāt al-`aẓimat bi’l-ḥaqq mastūr an).

[VI]

[1]

O Solace of Eternity (qurrat al-baqā’) in the Resplendent Dawning-Place!

[2] By God! Thou art indeed the Wise One  in this Heaven. [3]Then be Thou Wise in whatsoever manner pleaseth thee for with thee are established the dictates of the Divine Decree as are consummate with true actualization [4] The very Suns and the Moons are subjected to thy Logos-Command(amr, Q. 7:54;15:12; cf.13:2; 14:33; 31:29; 35:13f; 39:5). [5]thine indeed is the Logos-Command  (al-amr) for through none other than thee is the Logos-Command (al-amr) [operative] in the Mighty Empyrean of Eternity (jabarūt al-baqā’) (AQA 4:36). [6] And Thine is the Creation in the Kingdoms of both earth and heaven. [7] Thy Lord is He Who, no God is there except Him. [8] Before all the worlds did he make thee to be One Singled Out (al-khāliṣ), Victorious (al-nāṣir an ) and Evident (al-ẓayyir an).

[VII]

[1]

O people of the Earth!  

You have supposed that you shall enter  the Paradise in this Eden (al-`adn cf. Q. 61:12 ) which hath indeed appeared above the Temple of Ridwān in this Garden  [2]! This without any trace of love (ḥubb) for this Eternal (al-abadī), Primordial (al-aḥadī), Eternal without Beginning (al-azalī), All-Eternal (al-sarmadī), Persian (al-ajamī), Arabic (al-`arabī)  and Divine (al-ilāhī) Youth (ghulām). [3] What you suppose within yourselves is absolutely wretched.[4] Wherefore is the abode of the evildoers  (mathwā al-ẓālimīn) a hellfire (nār), justly situated (bi’l-`adl), an ample [recompense] (mawfūr an) in the lowest depths of Genenna (cf. Q.17:63).

[5] Say: We sent down into the hearts of the unbelievers a terrible fear of the realisation of justice (al-ra`b alā al-`adl) (cf. Q. 3:151). [6]And within the hearts of the confessors of the Divine Unity  (al-muwaḥḥidīn) did We evoke a sense of peaceful security (sakīnat an;  cf. = Heb. Shekinah, cf. Q. 48:4, 18, 26; cf. Q. 2: 248, 9:26, 40) through the Divine Grace [7] diffused from this Book which was indeed sent down unto all the worlds from the Heaven of the Unseen  (samā’ al-ghayb) through the Divine Bounty (bi’l-faḍl manzūl an).

[VIII]

[1]

O denizens of the realms of Existence (ahl al-imkān)! 

Hearken ye unto the melodies of God (naghmāt Allāh)  in the mid-most heart of the Garden of Paradise (quṭb al-jannat al-firdaws), from the Lote-Tree of Holiness (sidrat al-quds)  which was planted in the Land of Za`farān (Saffron= Edirne [Adrianople]) by the hands of the All-Merciful [2] Say: By God! Through but a single melody therefrom  the theophany of Light (tajallī al-nūr) was realized upon the Elevated Mount (al-ṭūr al-rafī`), in the Sinai of Holiness (fī sīnā al-quds) beyond the domain (?) of Intimacy (sanat al-uns) before Moses the Speaker (li-mūsā al-kalīm) in the Lofty Heights of Eternity  (XXrafaraf al-baqā’) nigh the Lote-Tree of the Extremity  (shajarat al-quswā). [3] This on account of this Sinaitic Fire (al-nār) which blazeth out with Golden [Yellow] Light proclaiming, "I, verily, am God, your Lord and the Lord of your fathers aforetime"  (cf. Exod. 3:6; Q. ). [4] He, assuredly, was ever One All-Surrounding (muḥīṭ an ) relative to all the worlds. [5] It was through but a single melody there from that the spirits (al-arwāḥ) were moved in the bodies of contingent beings and the Nightingale of the Divine Throne (dīk al-`arsh) did warble betwixt earth and heaven. [6] On this account did the the Spirit of Holiness cry out with a wondrous, melliflous, Tongue whereat was manifest the decree of the letter al-Kāf ("K") and the letter Nūn ("N"). [7] Thus was completed the intention of God as befits whomsoever is in the heavens or on the earth. [8] The Beauty of God (jamāl Allāh) was made manifest adorned with such an Ornament (ṭarāz) that all such as are in every dominion were thunderstruck [ AQA 4:37]. 

[IX]

[1]

O thou people of the earth! 

Inasmuch as thou shalt never be satisfied with this Most Pristine Beauty (al-jamāl al-aṭhar) in this Greatest Ridwān (al-riḍwān al-akbar) [2] then die in thy fury for there hath indeed appeared the One whom God made him to be a Light (nūr) unto such as  confess the unity of God (li’l-mawḥiddīn) and a Fire (nār an) unto the unbelievers. [3] And He hath ever been cognidant of all things (bi-kull shay’ baṣīr an) [4] Say: None hath raised up a Call unto God this Day save such as hath enetered into the Paradise of Immortality (jannat al-khuld), [5] annihilated through this Word (fanā’ hadhā’l-kalimat) which was, in very truth cried out in this Sinaitic Mount (al-ṭūr) as accords with the elevation of this Cause (al-amr). [6] Say: This is assuredly the Book of God (kitāb Allāh) and the Sealed and Embellished Scroll (ṣaḥīfa al-makhtūma al-mamhūra) which was [7] preserved, in very truth, beneath the Storehouses of Might (kanā’iz al-qudrat) and within the Veils of Infallibility (ḥijbāt al-`iṣmā’).

[X]

[1]

O thou concourse of the earthly and heavenly regions!

How could ye estimate that ye could fathom anything other than a few mere dewdrops of the reality pertaining to this Fortified Citadel (aqṭār hadhā al-ḥiṣn)? [2] This since it was fashioned from Ingots of Iron (zubar al-ḥadīd) (cf. Q.18:95) raised up beyond the very Mountain of Might (jabal al-`izz) ! [3] Or how could ye reckon that ye could come out from the land of God (arḍ Allāh)? [4] Nay indeed! By He besides Whom there is no God! They shall never fathom its magnitude [points of exit] (al-nufūdh) nor prove capable of emerging therefrom; [5] unless, that is, they should take firm hold of this Golden Cord (al-khayṭ al-sufrā’) within this atmosphere (hawā’). [6] For such hath radiated forth from this Heaven (samā’), divulged its theophanic glory in this Divine Cloud (tajalla `alā hadhā `amā’), which was transfigured in Crimson hue (istaẓahara bi-lawn al-ḥamrā’) in the midmost heart of this Eternity (quṭb hadhā al-baqā’). [7] And these matters have not even been comprehended by the insight of the peoples of radiance (`ayūn ahl al-sanā’) lest they be numbered among the the inmates of Paradise (ahl al-firdaws) within the Ridwān of Holiness as written down by the Pen of God (qalam Allāh) Himself.

[XI]

[1]

O people of the Bayān! 

Do ye utter the like of what they uttered aforetime, reckoning that "the Hand of God is chained up"? Or do ye suppose within thy selves that the Gates of the Divine Bounty (abwāb al-faḍl) are bolted up? [2] This after they were everlastingly opened up before the countenances of all such as inhabit the heavens and the earth! [3] Say: By God! Since the Gate of Holiness (bāb al-quds) was opened up o the right-side of Paradise, the Ancient Beauty (jamāl al-qidam) dawned forth therefrom with Manifest Sovereignty (sulṭān mubīn an). [4] This is indeed the One Whom God madeto be an Herand (bashīr an) [AQA 4:37] for such as confess the Unity of God (li’l-mawaḥiḍḍīn) and a Warner (nadhīr an) for such as deny the Oneness of God (li’l-mushrikīn). [5] He is, indeed the Lamp of God (sirāj Allāh) betwixt the heavens and the earth (cf. QA1:X), one ignited through His Essence (bi-dhātihi), before His Essence (li-dhātihi), through the Oil (duhn) of His own Logos-Self (nafsihi)(cf. Q. 24:35) [6] from which are illuminated the members of the Supreme Concourse (malā’ al-a`lā’) as well as the deinzens of the Crimson Paradise (jannat al-ḥamrā’) and the people of the Abyss of Sanctity (qulzūm al-quds) situated beyond the Depths of the Divine Grandeur (lujaj al-kibriyā’). [7] Thus was the Command (al-amr), in very truth, written down by the Pen of the Divine Decree (qalam al-qiḍā’) upon the Tablet of Realization (lawḥ al-imḍā’). 

[XII]

[1]

O Solace of Eternity (qurrat al-baqā’)! 

[2] Withold thou not the wonders of thy Grace (badā’ī al-fayḍ) from the domains of contingent Reality (al-mumkināt), nor should ye hide it through the veils of mystical allusions (hijābāt al-ishārāt). [3] Emerge then! from beyond the Ruby Chamber (gharf al-yāqūt) then proffer ye the Chioce Wine of Life (khumrā’ al-ḥaywā) from the Goblets of the All-Merciful in this Riḍwān, [4] through the hand of this Young Boy (ghilmān) who hath been made manifestfrom the Horizon of Holiness (ufq al-quds) with the Ornament of God (ṭarāz Allāh). [5] Beware then lest ye shield thine eyes from the Divine Grace (al-faḍl) or hold back from the servants the Kawthar (Fountain) of the Divine Bounty (al-jūd) [6] Neither fix thy gaze upon them nor upon what is associated therewith. [7] Rather, do thou gaze upon the Greatest Panorama (al-manẓar al-akbar) which is indeed a mighty, praiseworthy station (maqām). [8] Then be ye merciful unto them and raise them up unto this Heaven where there exists the Cloud of Might and Eternity (saḥāb al-`izz wa’l-baqā’). [9] Shower ye then down upon contingent existence the beloved rains of the Divine Bounty. [10] Thou art indeed One Generous (al-karīm) in the Kingdom of Names (malakūt al-asmā’) and the Ancient One characterized by the Divine Grace (dhū’l-faḍl al-qadīm) in the Mighty Empyrean of Eternity (jabarūt al-baqā’), [11] One possessed of Mighty Bounty (dhū’l-jūd al-`azīm) in the celestial sphere of Divinity within the transcendent Cloud (lāhūt al-`amā’). [12] In very truth wert Thou amongst the Supreme Concourse ( al-malā’ al-a`lā) as One manfest through the Divine Bounty above the celestial Throne (al-`arsh). [13] Say: The Beauty of the All-Merciful (jamāl al-raḥmān) hath appeared, and the Countenance of the Hallowed Glory (ṭal`at al-subhān) made manifest in the Human Temple (haykal al-insān). So blessed by God Who, in very Truth, sent Him. [14] He taught this Pen (al-qalam) the secret of the alphabetical Locus (al-saṭr), the Decree of the Exposition (ḥukm al-bayān), for He was indeed One Powerful over all things.

[XIII]

[1]

O Solace of the Spirit (qurrat al-rūḥ) !

[2] The people acknowledged a Beneficience (ni`mat) which We bestowed upon Thee before the creation of all levels of existence (al-mawjūdāt) within the proto-atoms of pre-Eternity(fī dharr al-baqā’) [3] as well as prior to the ornamenting of the (pre-existent) bodies of all things (hayākil al-ashyā’) with the Garment of Names (qamīṣ al-asmā’) at the (pre-eternal) moment when the Adam of Eternity (ādam al-baqā’), through the hidden Logos-Command, existed within the Clay of Realization (bi-ṭīn al-qiḍā’ bi’l-amr maknūn an). [4] And since the calumnies of the unbelievers against Thee were averted do not weep. [5] We will assuredly come to sanctify the strutting train of  Thine opponents (dhīl riddā’ika) from the Manifestations of Names and Attributes (maẓāhir al-asmā’ wa’l-ṣifāt) just as We purifued Thee from the gnosis of every miserable unbeliever (irfān kull mushrik shaqī an). [6] Wherefore stand ye upright for the Cause! Then cry out betwixt earth and heaven for We have girded the Spirit which is in Thy Breast (al-rūḥ fī ṣadrika)! [7] So Trust in God thy Lord in the Nightime of Sanctity (`ashiyy al-quds) and the radiant Dawntime of Nearness (ishrāq al-qurb) for He will indeed protect Thee from from every wicked tyrant (ẓālim athīm an). [8] So draw ye near unto God, thy Lord then turn aside from  whatsoever is other than Him for We will guard Thee through the Sovereignty of Might and Power (bi-sulṭān al-qudrat wa’l-quwwat), [9] and We shall preserve Thee with the Infallibility (`iṣmat) which remains incomprehensible to all the creatures. [10] He will indeed manifest Thy Cause (amr) and We shall elevate Thy Name within the Concourse of Divine Names (al-malā’ al-asmā’). [11] And We shall make mention of Thee within the pavilion of Holiness (surādiq al-quds) with a Tongue that is Confirming and Trustwowrthy. [12] Thus do We cast upon Thee something of the verses of the Cause (āyāt al-amr) and We communicate to Thee a the divine verses (al-āyāt) to the end that they be a consummate Proof (ḥujjat) from before Thy Lord, sufficient for all the worlds.

[XIV]

[1]

O Thou Greatest Remembrance of God! (dhikr Allāh al-akbar) !

How shall I make mention of the wonders of Thy Remembrace (badā’i` dhikr) in that Thou inspired Me (ilham) after the unbelievers encompassed Me, from every direction. And Thou did indeed did bear witness thereto. [2] By God! The Principal Figure (ra’as al-khayṭ, lit. `head of the thread’) was in error over My Cause (amrī) and confusion (mutaḥarrir an) itself did shriek when hatred (al-baghā’) was noised abroad within the breasts of such as have no faith in Thee, in the sprectre of a moment (?). [3] And Thou wert One Exalted (`alī  an) in their eyes but when he gazed upon the wonders of Thy Benevolence and Thy Bounty respecting My Truth (ḥaqqī ) and drew nigh unto Thy Self he delightedly convulsed My Spirit (rūḥī).

Notes and Extracts from the latter portion of the Sūrat al-qamīṣ 

[XX]

[1] We, when We desire that We might conclude the Word, We hear the Call betwixt earth and heaven,  saying `O Jospeh of the Divine Grandeur!  (yūsuf al-kibriyā')  in Abhā' (All-Beauteous) garments (qumuṣ al-abhā')  deprive] not the ears from the melodies of Thy holiness (naghamāt qudsika)  nor the the eyes (al-abṣār)  [from being smeared with the kohl  [eye makeup]  of the gnosis of thy Beauty (`an kuḥl al-`irfān jamālika)  nor the suns  from the flashes of the Lights of Thy Grace  (bawāriq anwār faḍlika);  nor the hearts (al-qulub) from the breezes of Thy Love  (nafaḥāt ḥubbika) neither contingent being[s] (al-mumkināt) [needful existence]  from the sprinklings of the Bounty of Thy Mercy  (rashḥ t fayḍ raḥmatika) which surroundeth all the worlds (AQA 4:441).

[XX]

O Letter "J" (ḥarf al-jīm)! 

Steal away this Robe (qamís)! then cast it upon the countenance of existent Reality (wajh al-mumkināt) perhance the dawning points of the Divine Attributes  might emerge from behind the veils, beam forth from the Veils of Glory (subuḥāt al-jalāl) and thus come to know the One who came unto them  from the Shore of Eternity with manifest Sovereignty...Praise be unto whomsoever knoweth his Patron (mawla) through this resplendent manifest robe (al-qamīs)

[XX]

The following paragraph of the Surat al-qamis is an address to the elevated members of the Supreme Concourse

O people of eternity (ahl al-baqā’) among the Supreme Concourse (al-malā' al-a`lā)!

Hearken unto the Call of God from this vibrant Breeze which reverberateth in this redolent atmosphere neath this intimate, gracious Heaven.  He [who voices these words = Baha'u'llah] is assuredly the Mu`adhdhín (= Eng. Muezzin, "the One who calls the people to prayer") armed with the Most Great Proofs through this Greatest Word (al-kalimat al-akbar) which standeth above the Temple of the [alphabetical] Script in this Book (al-kitāb). This on account of the Pen of Might and by virtue of that Divine Grace which is hidden away.

Bahā’-Allāh goes on to identify himself with the Supreme, Archetypal Logos-like Book of Reality and writes:

Say: He verily is the Most Great Book (al-kitāb al-a`zam) which was sealed up with the Seal of God, hidden beyond the Veils of the Unseen, and treasured up in the Treasuries of Might. In very truth was He made manifest through the Divine Grace in the form of the Divine Justice (al-`adl) during those days which were, in very truth, foreordained.

Note

These paragraphs are followed by two others addressed to one designated "the Solace of the Spirit (qurrat al-rúh)." After a few lines, Baha'u'llah addresses the people of the earth, bidding them to heed his true status and relinquish themselves of their limitations. Baha'u'llah is personified as the divine Book which came down from the heaven of the unseen containing material pertinent to all the worlds. Addressing the people of all realms of existence, Baha'u'llah also bids them "hearken unto the melodies of God in the Pivot of the Garden of Paradise, the Lote-Tree of Holiness which is situated in the land of Saffron" This latter reference would appear to be an allusion to Edirne (Adrianople) as the land of Saffron.  The Surat al-qamis draws heavily on the imagery and style of the Qayyum al-asmā’ of the Bab, the arcane predictions of which it several times reckons fulfilled in the theophany of Bahā'-Allāh. In this early work of the Bab there are various paragraphs in which Arabic dual forms occur. They sometimes seem to allude to the duality of the parentally bestowed Names of the Bab (= Muhammad+ Alí) and (for Baha’is) Bahā'-Allāh who was named [1] Husayn + [2] `Alí. Towards the beginning of the Surat al-qamis Bahā'-Allāh alludies to his theophany as "the Dawning-Place of the Light" in this theophay (al-zuhúr) which "beamed forth in this Sinaitic Mount (al-túr) lifted up above these two Names (al-ismayn) represented as dual Suns which were jamālayn ("two Divine Beauties"). In saying this Bahā'-Allāh perhaps also refers to the unity of himself and the Bab (see AQA 434f)..

Scattered throughout the Surah of the Robe are passages indicative of Bahā'-Allāh’s claim to be the one predicted by the Bāb, the promised one of the Qayyúm al-asma’ and other writings. Bahā'-Allāh, for example, is the messianic Dhikr (Remembrance) frequently mentioned in the writings of the Bab and closely associated with the Bab himself

O Delight of the Spirit!

The polytheists have been in doubt about Thy Cause, despite the fact that We enabled Thee [Bahā'u'llāh] to cry out in the accents of the Remembrance (al-dhikr) before the Dawning-Place of Light in this Theophany (al-zuhúr) which hath beamed forth in this Mount (al-túr) ...

O denizens of Existence!

Hearken unto the melodies of God in the midst of the Garden of Paradise from the Lote-Tree of Holiness (sidrat al-quds; Bahā'u'llāh) planted in the Land of Za'farān (Saffron) by the Hand of the All-Merciful.

Say By God! A single melody therefrom caused the Theophany (tajallā) of the Light (al-núr) to appear upon the Elevated Mount, on the Sinai of Holiness (sínā al-quds) beyond the Abyss of Intimacy (lujjat al-uns) before Moses, the Speaker, situate in the Heights of Eternity nigh unto the Lote-Tree of the Extremity through this Blazing, Yellow [Sinaitic] Fire (an-nār), "I, verily, am God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers. Verily, He hath encompassed all the worlds" (AQA 434,36).

        It is here presupposed that Bahā'u'llāh spoke with the voice of the messianic Remembrance whose advent was anticipated by the Bāb in his Qayyúm al-asmā'. Like the Remembrance, he reveals verses from the "Mount" of his being in the new Bahā'í theophany or dispensation (zuhúr). From the "Land of Saffron (za`farān)" (= Edirne = Adrianople) as the "Lote Tree of Holiness," he calls out divine melodies. Through him the theophany of the Sinaitic Light was realized before Moses (see Qur'an 7143) when he proclaimed his divinity from the all-encompassing blazing, yellow light of the Sinaitic Fire.

        In the lines following those translated above, Bahā'u'llāh dwells on the stunning results of his theophany before Moses. He speaks of his manifestation as that of the "Beauty of God" (jamāl Allāh) before which all souls in the dominion of God were thunderstruck or fell into a swoon. Alluding to the yellow color of the Sinaitic Light, he also pictures himself as the "Yellow Thread" (al-khayt al-afrā') which he explains, "beamed forth in this Heaven", "divulged glory (tajallā) upon this Divine Cloud (al-`amā') and been made manifest in crimson hue (bi-lawn al-ḥamrā') in the midst of this Eternity (al-baqā')" (AQA 436-7). The implication is that the glory of Bahā'u'llāh's theophany was the radiating of the yellow Sinaitic light and the crimson Sinaitic fire mentioned in the Qayyúm al-asmā' and other writings of the Bāb. Clear reference to Qur'an 7143 and to Qayyúm al-asmā' surah 28 is also made in the following passage from the Sura of the Robe :

[XX]

Say : By God! The Primal Beauty (jamāl al-a`lā) hath once again been made manifest and hath shed the glory (tajallā) of but an infinitesimal glimmer of a light (nār) of the lights (anwār) of His Face upon such as inhabit the heavens and the earth. And, lo, before this effulgent and transcendent Beauty (al-jamāl; Bahā'u'llāh), the inhabitants of the Mount (al-túrriyyún) swooned away upon the Elevated Mount (al-túr) after We had announced this Cause unto them in mighty, preserved Tablets. So recite thou all that which hath been revealed by Our Primal Beauty [the Bāb] in the Qayyúm al-asmā' [Sura 28] that thou mayest comprehend the secret of the Cause regarding this Mystery which was veiled behind many mysteries (AQA 450)

As the return of the "Primal Beauty" manifest in the Bāb, Bahā'u'llāh claims to have divulged the glory (tajallā) of a mere glirnmer of the Sinaitic lights of his Face. This stunning theophany, anticipated in the Qayyúm al-asmā', caused the mysterious Sinaites or "inhabitants of the Mount" (al-túriyyún) to swoon away. Similarly, at yet another point in the Sura of the Robe, we read,

. . . then purify the mirrors of thine hearts that the theophany of the lights of this Beauty (al-jamāl) may be realized . . . Say By God! The inhabitants of the Mount (al-túriyyún) have fallen into a swoon on the Sinai of the Cause (sínā al-amr). The denizens of the heavenly Kingdom (lit. realm of Unknowing; al-`amā'iyyún) have taken flight before this Divine Lion [cf. Qur'an 7451]. Spiritual souls (al-rúhiyyún) expire on account of this Terror which hath unsettled all things; save, that is those who have been seized by the Hand of the Divine Bounty on the part of One Mighty and Powerful (AQA 456 cf. 46ff, 52ff).

The inhabitants of Sinai or the Mount, among other exalted beings, have been powerfully influenced by the manifestation of Bahā'u'llāh. Several passages of the Surat al-qamis are addressed to the peoples of the worlds as well as to members of the Bābī community. In various ways Bahā'-Allāh proclaims his exalted status as the one predicted in Bābí and other sacred scriptures. He states that the revelations of the Bāb were revealed for his sake

We did not send down the Bayān save for the sake of this Call (al-nidā’) which remained secreted in the Wine of Holiness (rahíq al-quds) upon Tablets which did not reduce to ashes the gaze of human vision (AQA 443).

The Divine and messianic status of Bahā'-Allāh was concealed from humankind and from the followers of the Bab. His Reality was concealed behind 70,000 veils of Light the like of which human vision had not. Proclaiming his mission Bahā'-Allāh at one point states

Say: O people! This is the Logos-Self of God (nafs Allāh) amongst you and His Sovereignty in your midst... (AQA 442).

Bahā'-Allāh expresses his concern over the rejection of a future theophany

Say: O people! I fear not for mine own Logos-Self. Nay rather, for He who shall come after me on the day in which the fire will blaze up and the lights will radiate forth within it...

Bahā'-Allāh bemoans the rejection of the Bab

O Concourse of the Bayān!

Hast thou forgotten the moment when there came unto thee `Alí (= the Bāb) with the sovereignty of the divine Command (al-amr)? When the `ulamā’ of the Furqan (=Qur’an) rejected Him, issued a fatwa against him and executed him, it was such that both the heavens and earth wept over Him and those nigh unto God did weep and wail...

The latter part of the Surat al-qamis contains passages addressed to various Bābīs, including Radi al-Rúh, who became an important Baha’i apologist and compiled Baha’i proof texts or istidlaliyya (Testimonia) compositions or tracts. The Surat al-qamís concludes with a two-page prayer which is followed by an address to the harf al-jim, or letter J which concludes as follows

"Praise be unto whomsoever knoweth his Patron (mawla) through this resplendent manifest robe (al-qamís)...