QAYYŪM AL-ASMĀ'
Section XXIX
[29]
سورة الحورية
Sūrat al-huriyya
(The Surah of the Maiden)
on Qur'an 12:28.
Scans from the text of QA 29 from one of the earliest extant mss. copies of the QA dated 1261, that of Muhammad Mahdī ibn Karbalā'ī. The Surat al-huriyya (Surah of ther Maiden) from the 1261 ms. in the possession of Mulla Husayn Bushru'i.
Select mss PDfs of QA XXIX [29]:
- INBMC vol. III, The c. 1261 /1845 CE ms associated with Mulla Husayn Bushru'i, in Aḥsan al-Qaṣaṣ, "The Best of Stories", Q,12:3, pp. 51-5X. PDf = INBMC III-QA 29.pdf
- EGB Ms. F11 (9). (1891), pp. PDf. = Add ms.
- Ms. 1st Muharram 1323/ Wed Mar 8, 1905. pp. 103-10X. PDf. QA 29 ms.1905 QA 28 ms.1905.pdf
- Ms. No. 269. Princeton Univ. [Sharh Surat Yusuf], f/40-42. Completed 10th Jumada al-thani, 1327 = 29th July, 1909. PDf. = QA-29 Princeton ms.no 269.pdf
Completed translation Stephen N. Lambden, UC Merced, 1982-2020.
IN PROGRESS.
Under revision and completion, 2015 - Last updated 26-04-2020.
[1]
بسم اللّه الرّحمن الرّحيم
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
[2]
"When he [Joseph] saw his shirt (qamīṣ) was torn from behind he said, `This is of your women's guile; surely your guile is great'" (Q.12:28)
[3]
كهيع
K-H-Y-`
Kaf-Hā-Yā'-`Ayn [Ṣad]
[4]
يا اهل الفارس
"O PEOPLE of Persia!
(ahl al-fārs)
او لم يكفكم هذا الفخر المنيع لانفسكم من عند الذّكر الاعظم و انّ اللّه قد اجتبيكم بذلك الكلمة الاكبرو لاتنفضّوا من حوله فانّه تاللّه الحقّ لحقّ من عند اللّه و هو العلیّ الّذی قد كان فی امّ الكتاب حكيماً
Are ye not satisfied with this glorious honor (al-fakhr al-manī`) which the supreme Remembrance of God (al-dhikr al-a`zam) hath conferred upon you? Verily ye have been especially favoured by God through this mighty Word [al-kalimat al-akbar]. Then do not withdraw from the sanctuary of His presence, for, by the righteousness of the One true God, He is none other than the sovereign Truth from God; He is the most exalted One and the Source of all wisdom (ḥakim an), as decreed in the Mother [Archetypal] Book (umm al-kitab)" (SWB:53-4)
[5]
يا ايّها المؤمنون
O Thou believers!
لاتقربوا مال الذّكر الّا بالاذن من عنده وزنوا بالقسطاس المستقيم ذلك حقّ فی الباب الاكبر هذا و انّ اللّه قد كان علی كلّ شیء قديراً
Draw ye not nigh the possessions of the Remembrance except with his express permission. And weigh ye according to a trustworthy Balance (qustas), what constitutes the Truth about this the Greatest Bab (al-bab al-akbar). God is indeed One Powerful over all things.
[6]
و لا تقفوا لمحة عين علی الامر فانّا بالحقّ سنسئلنكم عن السّمع و البصر و الفؤاد و انّ امر اللّه من عند الذّكر قد كان فی امّ الكتاب مقضيّاً
Do not furtively flutter the eye over the Cause [of God]! For We shall, in very truth, question thee [on the Day of Resurrection] relative to [thy] hearing, sight and inmost-heart (al-fu`ad) for the Cause of God (amr-Allah) deriveth from the Dhikr (Remembrance [of God]) who hath assuredly been ordained within the Archetypal [Mother] Book (umm al-kitab).
[7]
يا ايّها المؤمنون
O Thou believers!
انّ اللّه قد حرّم عليكم ان تدخلوا البيوت بغير اذن صاحبها و لاتدخلوا بيت الباب الّا باذنه فاتقوا اللّه و كونوا للاَوّابين علی الحقّ بالحقّ منيباً
God hath indeed forbidden that ye should enter the houses [of others] without the express permission of their owners. Neither shall ye enter the house of the Bab save by his leave. So fear ye God! and be ye repentant (munib an), in Truth in very Truth, before those sincerely penitent.
[8]
يا ايّها المؤمنون
لا تنادوا الذّكر من ورإ بيته فانّ ذلك خطاً فی كتاب اللّه و انتم لاتعلمون من علم الكتاب الّا بعضا من الحرف مقطوعاً
O Thou believers!
Do not summon the Dhikr (Remembrance) from beyond his house for that [alphabetical] "Line-Script" (khaṭṭ an) is [established] in the Book of God (kitab Allah). Thou shalt not establish knowledge through the knowledge of the Book save, that is, it be through but a proportion of the letters [of the script] which are "isolated" / apophatic (maqtu` an, lit. "cut off") from any description of God..
[9]
يا ايّها المؤمنون
O Thou believers!
اترفعوا اصواتكم فوق صوت الذّكرلاتقربوا فی المشی معه الّا ان ياذن لكم و لاتقدّموا قدّامه و لاتقولوا فی مجلسه نجوی فانّ كلّ ذلك سيّئة عند اللّه موليكم الحقّ بما قد احكم اللّه فی كتابه الحقّ محفوظاً
Do not lift up your voices above the voice of the Dhikr (Remembrance). And do not walk close up when accompanying him except he should give thee permission. Do not lead the way relative to his manner of proceeding. And do not speak out secrets [confidences] (najw an) in his company. Such [directives always] constitute the Way of God, thy Master, the True One. This inasmuch as God hath stipulated such things in His Book, the True One, which is Well-Guarded
[10]
يا اهل الارض
O peoples of the earth!
فاعتصموا بحبل اللّه المنيع ذكرنا هذ الفتی العربیّ الّذی قد كان فی نقطة الثّلج علی ابحر النّار مستوراً
Cleave ye tenaciously to the Cord of the All-Highest God, which is Our Dhikr-Remembrance, this Arabian Youth (al-fata al-`arabi) - He Who standeth concealed at the Point of Ice (nuqtat al-thalj) amidst Oceans of [Theophanic] Fire (abhar al-nar) (SWB: 54 adapted).
[11]
و اذكروا فی مجلسه بعد اذنه نعمإ اللّه عليكم و لاتكتموا الحقّ فی محضره فلا تعلمون انّ اللّه يعلم ما فی السّموات و ما فی الارض و ما تخفون و ما تعلنون و هو اللّه موليكم الحقّ قد كان بالعالمين محيطاً
Be ye mindful when in his company (majlis) after His permission has intentionally been granted thee by God. Do not indulge in making secret (k-t-m) the Truth (al-haqq) when in his Presence. Are you unaware that God is aware what is in the in the heavens and upon the earth? Thou shall neither fear nor utter curses for He is God, thy Master, the True One. He indeed is All-Encompassing of all of the worlds.
[12]
ا ايّها المؤمنون
O Thou believers!
انّ اللّه قد فرض عليكم الّا تدخلوا علی عبدنا الّا باذنه بعد طهارتكم بالحقّ و وقوفكم لدی الباب ذاكرا بتكبير اللّه ربّكم الحقّ علی الحقّ الخالص حكم بالمعرضين عن حكمنا نار الحجيم و انّ عذاب اللّه فی امّ الكتاب قد كان علی مائة و عشرا و انّ اللّه قد الحقّ بالحقّ اليماً ه
God hath indeed made duties incumbent upon thee. It is not fitting that thou should enter unto Our servant (`abd) [the Bab] except with his express permission, following, in very Truth, thy purification and thy adopting a proper attitude (wuquf) before the Bab, beffitingly mindful through remembrance (dhakir an) engaging in the takbir (glorification) of God, thy Lord (= Allah al-Akbar, "God is the Greatest"), the True One (al-haqq), in very Truth, the Pure One (al-khalis). This by virtue of being aware of the directive towards those negligent (hukm bi'l-ma`ridin) about Our Wisdom, inclining towards the fiercely blazing hellfire (nar al-jahim). In the Mother [Archetypal] Book (umm al-kitab) the punishment of God (`adhab Allah) extends for a one hundred and ten (mi`at wa `ashar an) [year period, cf. abjad `Ali = 110]. And God hath indeed ever been, in Truth, in very Truth, an excruciating Accuser (alim an).
[13]
يا اهل العرش
O ye Denizens of the Divine Throne (ahl al-`arsh)!
اسمعوا ندإ ربّكم اللّه الّذی لا اله الّا هو بالحقّ الاكبر من لسان العبد هذا الفتی العربیّ
قد كان عند اللّه العلیّ علی الامر العظيم بديعاً
Hearken ye unto the Call of thy Lord who is God! No God is there except Him as befits the Greatest Truth (al-haqq al-akbar) from the tongue of the servant (al-`abd) [the Bab] who is this Arabian Youth (al-fata al-`arabi). He hath ever been nigh God, the Elevated (al-`aliyy/`Ali), One Wondrous (al-badi`) according to a Mighty Cause [of God] (al-amr al-`azim)!
[14]
قال اللّه قد اوحی الیّ بالحقّ علی هذه الارض المقدّسة
انّی انا اللّه لا اله الّا انا فاعبدنی علی سبيل هذا الخطّ الحمراء
المتحرّكة فی بدع الامرو جعل الخلق لتكونوا عندی فی عبادی المقرّبين من حول الباب مكتوباً
Say: God in very truth inspired me (w-ḥ-y) within this sacred land (al-arḍ al-muqaddas) [to utter the words], "I, verily, am God, no God is there except I Myself". So serve [worship] Me! according to the Pathway of this Crimson Script (al-khaṭṭ al-ḥamrā') vibrantly empowered [in motion] relative to the renewal of the Cause [of God]. He fashioned the creation to the end that thou might be with Me amongst My servants, [be numbered among] those [cherubic ones] who are nigh unto God (al-muqarribin), written down as being nigh the Bab.
[15]
الا يا اهل العالمين
Was it not, O ye People of all the worlds,
لا تدعوا اللّه علی مقامه فانّ الخطّ مقطوع لمن دونه و ما قدّراللّه لاحد مثل ما قدر اللّه له الحقّ بالحقّ الاكبر و لاينبغی لاحدٍ بعده هوالنّور فی الطّورين و هو الفرقان فی الدّورين و هو اللّه كان علی كلّ شیء قديراً
that ye failed to invoke [supplicate] God according to [the fullness of] His [transcendent] Station? For the [written] script (al-khatt) is disassociated from whomsoever is other than Him. God doth not ordain for anyone with the like of that which He hath ordained for him, the True One (al-haqq), in very Truth the Greatest (bi'l-haqq al-akbar). It is impossible for anyone that they should desire anything additional. He is the Light (al-nur) in the [Sinaitic, theophanic] Dual Mounts (al-turayn) [cf. B A B). And He is the Criterion (al-furqan) in the two dispensations [eras] (al-durayn). And He is God who hath ever been Powerful over all things (kull shay').
[16]
يا اهل العرش
O denizens of the Divine Throne (ahl al-`arsh)!
اسمعوا ندائی من هذا الذّكر الطّلسمیّ العربیّ الّذی قد جعل اللّه محلّه النّار من حول العرش فی مشعر الفؤاد
و هو يجلس بالحقّ علی تراب الارض باذن اللّه ليعلم النّاس اسرار مبدئهم حتّی قد شهد الكلّ بان بارئهم الحقّ هو اللّه الّذی لا اله الّا هو و انّه قد كان عبده و باب حجّته علی العالمين جميعاً
Hearken ye unto My Call from this Arabian Talismanic, Dhikr [Remembrance] (al-dhikr al-tilismani al-`arabi) whom God hath made to be a locus of [Sinaitic] Theophanic Fire (al-nar) about the Divine Throne within the confines of the Inmost Heart (mash`ar al-fu'ad). He indeed reclineth, with the permission of God, upon the dust of the earth perchance the people may be informed of the secrets of their genesis (asrar al-mabda`) until all should bear witness to the fact that their Fashioner is the True One. He is God, Who, no God is there except Him. And he indeed is His servant and the Gate of his [occulted, messianic] Proof (bab hujjat) unto all the worlds.
[17]
يا قرّة العين
قل انّی تاللّه الحقّ لحقّ علی حقيّة ربّكم الرّحمن الّذی لا اله الّا هو و كفی باللّه و باصفيائه علی العلم شهيداً
O Qurrat al-`Ayn (the Bab)!
Say: `I, verily, By God! am the True One [Ultimately Real] (al-haqq), that True One indeed who is an expression of the Real Truth of Thy Lord (haqqiyyat rabbika), the All-Merciful (al-rahman), Who, no God is there except Him. And sufficient witness of such are God and in His Pure Ones (asfiya') as accords with a [certain] knowledge.
[18]
يا قرّة العين
O Qurrat al-`Ayn [the Bab]!
فأذن علی حوريّة الفردوس باللّبس الخشن و القناع من الحرير الاحسن
ثمّ أذن لخروجها من قصرها علی هيئة الحوراء فی الارض وحدة و اسمعها نعتاً من نفحات قدسك علی سرير العرش
و الافلاك بل لعلّ اهل السّكرإ من اهل الارض يتنبّهون من امرك اقلّ من رأس الشّعرة الّتی
قد جعل اللّه فی خلف شعرها و انّ اللّه قد كان بكلّ شیء عليماً
Summon the Houri-Maid of Paradise (huriyya al-firdaws) bedecked in beautiful attire and veiled in the most comely of silk (al-harir al-ahsan). Then authorize her emergence from her Mansion [palace] (qaṣr) in the form of a Maiden (al-hawra') unique upon the earth. And enable her to become aware of an aspect of the breezes of Thy sanctity (nafahat al-quds) about the couches of the Throne and Thy heavenly spheres [stars] (al-aflak). This perchance the people of stupefaction (ahl al-sakr) among the inhabitants of the earth might be awakened to Thy Cause (amr) through [the sight of] but a single strand of hair (ra'is al-sha`rat) which God hath assuredly located at the back of her tresses. And God is certainly aware of all things.
[19]
يا اهل الارض
"O PEOPLE of the earth!
تاللّه الحقّ انّی لحوريّة قد ولدتنی البهاء فی قصر من قطعة الياقوت الرّطبة المتحرّكة
و انّی تاللّه ما رأيت شيئاً فی ذلك الجنّة الاكبر الّا و قد نطقت عن الذّكر فی وصف هذا الغلام الفتی العربیّ
و ان ربّكم الرّحمن لا اله الّا هو
By the righteousness of the One true God, I am the Maid of Heaven (al-huriyya) begotten by [the Spirit of] al-Bahá [Glory-Beauty], abiding within the Mansion [qasr] hewn out of a mass of ruby (al-yaqut), tender and vibrant; and in this mighty Paradise naught have I ever witnessed save that which proclaimeth the Remembrance of God [al-Dhikr] by extolling the virtues of this Arabian Youth. Verily there is none other God but your Lord, the All-Merciful" (SWB: 54).
فعظّموا قدره باذن اللّه فانّه فی قطب جنّة الفردوس لموقوف علی هيئة التّسبيح فی هيكل التّهليل
Magnify ye, then, His station [with the permission of God], for behold, He is poised in the midmost heart of the All Highest Paradise as the embodiment of the praise of God in the Tabernacle wherein His glorification is intoned" (SWB: 54).
مرّة اسمع صوته من الحیّ القديم و مرّة عن سرّ اسمه العظيم اذا تكبّر بالتّكبير قد تشهّقت الفردوس شوقا الی لقائه
و اذا يسبّح بالتّسبيح قد سكت الفردوس كالثّلج فی قطب الجبل البرد
"At one time I hear His Voice as He acclaimeth Him Who is the Ever-Living, the Ancient of Days, and at another time as He speaketh of the mystery of His most august Name" (SWB: 54). And when He intoneth the anthems of the greatness of God (al-tasbih) all Paradise waileth in its longing to gaze on His Beauty, and when He chanteth words of praise and glorification of God all Paradise becomes motionless like unto ice locked in the heart of a frost-bound mountain" (SWB: 54)
"At one time I hearken unto His Voice through the Living One (al-hayy), the Pre-Existent [Ancient of Days] (al-qadim) and at another time through the Mystery of His Mighty Name (sirr ismihi al-`azim)...
كانّی قد رأيته متحرّكا علی الخطّ الاستواء فی كلّ الجنان جنان هو فی كلّ السّماء سمائه و فی كلّ الارضين و من فيها الحلقة فی ابدی عبيده فسبحان اللّه بارئه ذی العرش القديم
"Methinks I visioned Him moving along a straight middle path wherein every paradise was His Own paradise, every heaven His Own heaven, while the whole earth and all that is therein appeared but as a ring upon the finger of His servants. Glorified be God, His Creator, the Lord of everlasting sovereignty. Verily He is none other but the servant of God, the Gate of the Remnant of God (baqiyyat Allah) your Lord, the Sovereign Truth" (SWB: 54-55).
فما هو الّا عبد اللّه و باب بقيّة اللّه موليكم الحق ّ فارغبوا الی الجهاد فی سبيله علی الحقّ القيّم
فانّی و من فی الفردوس بالحقّ الاكبر لمشتاقة علی نفس قد قتلت فی سبيله و انّ اللّه قد كان بما تعلمون بصيراً
And He is naught save the servant of God (`abd-Allah) and the Gate to the Remnant of God (baqiyyat-Allah), thy Lord, the True One. So crave ye for jihād (holy war) in his Path which, in very truth, is firmly established] (al-qayyim). I, indeed, and whomsoever is in that Paradise (al-firdaws), as accords with the Most Sublime Truth, is assuredly enraptured with soulful desire (mushtaqa `alā nafs) to be sacrificed [killed] in his Path [at the time of eschatological jihad]. And God hath ever been Observant of that which ye are aware!
[20]
يا قرّة العين
فأذن لها بخلع يثابه الخشتة و ليس قميصها فی بيتها
فانّ اهل السّماء قد تشهّقت من شعرها الملفوفة فی تحت نقابها و انّ اللّه قد كان بعباده المؤمنين علی الحقّ رحيماً
O Qurrat al-`Ayn!
Authorize the Maiden to divest herself of her garments and put on her robe in her house (bayt)! At this did the inhabitants of heaven (ahl al-sama') gasp stupified at her braided tresses (sha`r al-malfūfa) enwrapped beneath her veil. And God is assuredly mercifully disposed towards His believing servants.
[21]
ارجعی الی محلّ القدس فی قصرك
Then return [O Heavenly Maiden]!
و انّ اجرك علیّ فی هذا الكتاب فی حرف من الامر قد كانت بابدی فی حول النّار مكتوباً
unto the place of sanctity (mahall al-quds) in thy mansion (qasr) for thy reward is lofty in this Book as accords with a directive of the Cause [of God] (fi harf min al-amr) which was written with My very own hands in the region of the Theophanic [Sinaitic] Fire (al-nar).
[22]
و انّ اللّه قد قدّر بينك و بين المشركين عند تلاوة الفرقان حجاباً علی الحقّ بالحقّ فی حول الماء مستوراً
In very truth hath God established, in the region of the hidden Watery Expanse, a veil between thee and the unbelievers in terms of the comprehensio of the Qur'an (tilawat al-qur'an).
[23]
و انّا نحن قد فضّلنا بعض النّبيّين علی البعض بحرفٍ من الذّكر
و انّا قد انزلنا علی داود النّبی زبوراً
And We, verily, preferred some of the Prophets (al-nabiyyin) above others (Q.17:55b) by virtue of a directive of the Remembrance (bi-harf al-dhikr). We sent down the scripture (`Psalms', al-zabūr) unto David the prophet (al-nabī) (see Q. 17:55b)
[24]
و ما من قرية الّا نحن مهلكوها باذن اللّهو انّا قد كنّا علی العالمين علی الحقّ بالحقّ شهيداً
There is no village that We destroyed save with the express permission of God. And We assuredly hath, in very truth, borne witness in this respect unto all the worlds.
[25]
و انّ اللّه ما جعل الرّؤيا فی رؤياك الّا فتنة للنّاس و انّ الشّجرة الملعوثه قد ارتفعت علی سرّ القرآن فما يريد اللّه للمشركين الّا النّار طغياناً كبيراً
And God did not make the vision, which is in within thy vision [of the Maiden?] (al-ru'ya fi ruya'ika) aught except a test (fitna) for the people. And surely the Infernal Tree (shajarat al-mal'unat [cf. Q.] was inclined away in growth from the essence of the Qur'an (sirr al-qur'an). Naught doth God desire for the unbelievers except the mighty, raging Hellfire.
[26]
يا اهل الارض
O people of the Earth!
انّ الشّيطان لما ابی عن الذّكر فقد كان عند اللّه الحقّ مخذولاً
Satan, when, in the estimation of God, he showed disdain (aby) towards the Dhikr (Remembrance), he was, in very truth, reckoned one deserted (makhdhul an).
[27]
و انّ الملعون قد يشارك بنفسه فی انفسكم و اموالكم
فاتّقوا اللّه و اتّكلوا الحقّ علی اللّه فانّ السّبيل علی المتوكّلين قد كان بالحقّ علی الحقّ مسدوداً
[27] And the accursed ones (al-mal`un) certainly did blaspheme His Logos-Self (nafs) and thy deeds (amwal). So fear ye God! And be ye reliant (w-k-l, VIII) regarding the Truth-True One (al-haqq) from God for the Path is for the ones trusting [in God] (al-mutawakkilin). The foregoing were indeed, in Truth, in very Truth, persons held back [enclosed] (masdud an).
[28]
و لا تجهر علی الذّكر و لا تخانت عن التّكبير فی الحرب
و ادعوا النّاس فی الخطّين الخطّ الاستوإ فی الصّلوات من حكم الكتاب مفروضاً
Thou shall in no wise make the Dhikr (Remembrance) openly known neither shall thou be deceptive about the glorification of God during warfare (al-takbir fi'l-harb). Yet summon ye the people respecting the dual lines of [besides] the [upright] script [line] (fi'l-khattayn al-khatt) [= the Bab] which rises up through devotional praise [prayer(s)] (al-salawat) as ordained according to the decree of the Book!
[29]
و انّا بالحقّ قد ارسلناك حول النّار و بالحقّ قد نزل اللّه الفرقان عليك حول المإ
و انّك فی امّ الكتاب لدی الاسمين قد كنت مكتوباً
And We, in very truth, assuredly sent thee nigh the theophanic [Sinaitic] Fire (al-nar) And, in very truth did God reveal the Furqan [Qur'an] unto thee about the [cosmic] Watery Expanse (al-ma'), And thou art indeed One inscribed in the Archetypal Book (umm al-kitab) though the two Names [= `Ali + Muhammad = the Bab].
[30]
و انّ الّذين اوتوهم من العلم لمّا يتلون الكتاب يَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدً اللّه
وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ الّذی لا اله الّا هو انّ حقّ الذّكر بالحقّ لحقّ و قد كان الامر فی امّ الكتاب من حول النّار مسطوراً
الحمد للّه الّذی قد انزل علی عبدنا الكتاب من نقطة النّار ليكون حكم اللّه علی العالمين بعد الذّكر شديداً
And such as were given something of knowledge (al-`ilm) when He recited the Book, they swooned away thundrstruck bowing down in the adoration of God [cf. Q. 17:107b]. And they were exclaiming, `Glorified be He [=Q.17:108a] Who, no God is there except Him, the Reality of the Dhikr (Remembrance) (haqq al-dhikr). And the [Babi religious] Cause (al-amr) was indeed concealed about the Mother [Archetypal] Book (umm al-kitab) in the vicinity of the Theophanic Fire (hawl al-nar).
[X] Praised be unto God! who indeed sent down upon Our servant (`abd) the Book from the Point of Theophanic Fire (nuqtat al-nar). This to the end that the decree of God (hukm Allah) after the [advent of] the Dhikr (Remembrance), be firmly established (shahid an) unto all the worlds!
[31]
يا قرّة العين
O Qurrat al-`Ayn!
[Solace of Mine Eyes = the Bab]
فلنذر الّذين قد خرجت من افواههم كلمة الكفر و هی كلمة كذب عند اللّه بالحقّ الّا تقولوا بشیء من الرّبط بين الحقّ و الخلق فانّ ربّكم الرّحمن خلوعن العالمين جميعاً
Set forth a warning for those from whose mouths have issued a word expressing infidelity (kalimat al-kufr), which is, in very Truth, naught but a word of falsehood [lies] (kalimat al-kadhib) [cf. Q. 18:5] against God. Never should they utter anything at all that suggests a link between the Ultimately Real [God] (al-haqq) and the realm of creation (al-khalq). Thy Lord, the All-Merciful, is indeed One wholly abstracted [free] (khilw `an) from all the worlds..
[32]
و انّ اللّه قد جعل ما علی الارض علماً علی اهل الحلم لنوفينّهم اجرهم من لدی الباب محموداً
And God assuredly made what exists upon earth a [vehicle of] knowledge-science] (`ilm an) for people of understanding (ahl al-hilm). We shall surely bestow upon them their praiseworthy (mahmud an) reward (ajr) through the [person of the] Bab.
[33]
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ ممّا قد اوحی اللّه الينا من علم الكتاب و ما قدّر اللّه لكلماتنا السّطر من لدی الذّكر تبديلاً
And relate unto them something of that which God had indeed revealed (w-h-y) unto Us of the knowledge of the Book (`ilm al-kitab) as well as that which God hath ordained unto Our Word (kalimat), Tale-Script (al-satr) transformed [altered, changed] (tabdil an) deriving from the Dhikr (Remembrance)!
[34]
تاللّه الّذی لا اله الّا هو
ما قدّر اللّه لكم فی يومكم هذا من دون هذا الغلام علی الحقّ بالحقّ ملتحداً
By God! Who, no God is there except Him.
God did not stipulate for thee in this thy Day aught, in Truth, in very truth, except this Youth (al-ghulam), assuredly a Place of Refuge (multahad an) [Q. 18:27; 72:22).
[35]
يا ملأ الانوار
O Concourse of Lights!
اصبروا باذن اللّه مع الّذين يدعوننا من لدی الباب فانّ اللّه قد كان بعباده رحيماً و بصيراً
Be ye patient by the leave of God respecting such as summon Us through the Bab! For God hath ever been Mercifully disposed towards, and well-aware of, His servants.
[36]
قل لا تطيعوا من اغفلنا قلبه عن حكم الباب و لا تتّبعوا اهوائهم فانّهم قد كانوا فی امّ الكتاب من اصحاب الفرط مكتوباً
Say: `Thou shalt not go along with previous negligence before him, contrary to the decree of the Bab (hukm al-bab); neither shall ye follow their base passion for they were indeed registered within the Mother-Archetypal Book (umm al-kitab) as among the practitioners of insolent neglect [immoderation] (ashab al-fart).
[37]
قل قد جإ الحقّ من عند اللّه بالحقّ الخالص فمن شإ اللّه فقد شإ له و من ادبر عن الحقّ و الكتاب فانّ اللّه قد كان عن العالمين غنيّاً
Say: `The True One (al-haqq), in very Truth, hath indeed come from God, One Pure (al-khalis). Then whomsoever He hath willed God hath indeed so willed for Him. And whomsoever hath turned aside from God and from the Book hath again been appropriately willed. And God hath indeed ever been One Independent of all the worlds.
[38]
يا قرّة العين
O Qurrat al-`Ayn!
[Solace of Mine Eyes = the Bab]
فانذر المشركين من مإ الحميم الّتی هی المهل بئس الشّراب للمعرضين و بئس النّار مقعدهم علی التّابوت محتوماً
[39]
و انّ الّذين يجدون انفسهم فی كتاب اللّه فی مشعر الحدّين قد سمّاهم الملئكة باذننا علی الحقّ بالحقّ اناثاو انّا نحن نقول عليهنّ بالحقّ بما قد شهد الرّحمن فيهنّ علی الحقّ الاكبران ذلك من كيدكنّو ان كيدكنّ قد كان فی كلّ الالواح عظيماً
And those who find themselves in the Book of God within the sacred domain of the two limits (ma`shar al-haddayn) then the Angels (al-mala'ikat) hath indeed, with Our permission, in Truth in very Truth, named them, For We, We do in very truth say unto them [ADD] that the All-Merciful hath indeed, in very truth, born witness respecting them [ ADD] as accords with the Greatest Truth (al-haqq al-akbar). And such is of your [women's] guile for their guile was [registered] in all of the Mighty Tablets (alwah `azim an) (see Q. 12:28b)
[40]
اتّقوا اللّه و لاتقولوا علی عبدنا الا الحقّ و كفی باللّه و بانفسنا فی صدق عبوديّته للّه الحقّ بالحقّ شهيداً
Fear ye God! and utter not about Our servant aught except the Truth God Himself is sufficient witness of the veracity of his servitude (`ubudiyya) before God along with Our own Logos-Selves
[41]
و انّ اللّه لمّا خلق آدم و زوجها فی فلك الجنّة
فقلنا لهما لاتقربا هذه الكلمة و اسمعا من ورق الجنّة الحان الطّيور المنغمة فی مإ المسك باذن اللّه انّی انا اللّه الّذی لا اله الّا هو و هو اللّه كان عليّاً قديماً
At the time when God created Adam and his wife in the celestial sphere of Paradise (falak al-jannat) We said to the pair of them, `Draw ye not nigh this Word (al-kalimat) but give ear unto the Leaf of Paradise (waraq al-jannat), to the Melodies of the Birds intoning, with the permission of God, within the domain of the Watery Expanse of Musk (ma' al-misk) [saying], "I, verily am God, Who, no God is there except Him. And He is God, One All-Knowing, Ancient of Days'.
[42]
الا انّ هذه كلمة لا تجوع فيها واردها و لا تعری خارجها و لايسمع اهلها الّا منها جلّ و علا كلمة اللّه ربّنا الّذی لا اله الّا هو و هو اللّه كان عليّاً حكيماً
Is it not the case that this Word (kalimat) [the Bab] doth not hunger on attaining thereto neither doth he become naked on exiting therefrom. He neither heareth its peoples (ahl) except such as exalt and elevate the Word of God (kalimat Allah), our Lord who, no God is there except Him. And He is God who hath ever been One Exalted (`aliyy an ) One All-Wise (hakim an).
♦
SELECT NOTES AND COMMENTARY
Stephen Lambden UC Merced,
QA XXIX (29):
QA XXIX (29):30 and the citation assimilation of Q. 17:106b-107a :
[30]
و انّ الّذين اوتوهم من العلم لمّا يتلون الكتاب يخرّون للاذقان سجّد اللّه
يَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا = Q. 17:106b
وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولًا -107 = Q. 17:107a
و يقولون سبحان الّذی لا اله الّا هو انّ حقّ الذّكر بالحقّ لحقّ و قد كان الامر فی امّ الكتاب من حول النّار مسطوراً
And such as were given something of knowledge (al-`ilm) when He recited the Book, they swooned away thundrstruck bowing down in the adoration of God [cf. Q. 17:107b]. And they were exclaiming, `Glorified be [Q.17:108a] He Who, no God is there except Him, the Reality of the Dhikr (Remembrance) (haqq al-dhikr). And the Cause (al-amr) was indeed concealed about the Mother [Archetypal] Book (umm al-kitab) in the vicinity of the Theophanic Fire (hawl al-nar).
