The Lawh-i Ibn (Scriptural Tablet of the Son - Jesus)
of Mirza Husayn `Ali Nuri, Baha'-Allah (1817-1892 CE).
Introduction, Notes and Translation Stephen Lambden, UC Merced,
In Progress. Last updated 06-10-2021,
This untitled largely Persian and Arabic scriptural Tablet of Baha'-Allah, most probably dates to the mid. Edirne-Adrianople period (1863-1868), to c. 1866-7, the time of the firm separation of the Azali Babi followers of Mirza Yahya Nuri (the half-brother of Baha'-Allah) and the Baha'i followers of Baha'-Allah both rooted in the religion of the Bab. As this text contains a few important passages about the centrality and salvific rolw of Jesus son of Mary ( = Arabic `Isa ibn Maryam, a Qur'anic phrase) it has been called the `Tablet of the Son' by its first complete translator Juan R. Cole (in May 2001; see below).
The original text of this largely Persian Tablet, including several substantial citations and passages in Arabic, is printed in the volume in the handwriting ofthe great Baha'i calligrapher of Isfahan entitled Mishkin Qalam:
- Alwah-i Mubaraka Hadrat-i Baha'-Allah... Iqtadarat wa chand Lawh-i Digar.
- Iqtidarat va chand lawh-i digar ("Powerful Realities and select other Tablets…"), pp. 78-104
Translations:
Prof. Juan R. I. Cole
- See : Baha’u’llah, "Tablet of the Son" (h-net.org) : https://www.h-net.org/~bahai/trans/vol5/son/son.htm
Stephen Lambden (in progress, below).
The composite and untitled text has been subsequently named `Tablet to th Son' (perhaps mid. 1860s). It commences as follows :
باسم محبوب يكتا.
رائحهء احزان جمال رحمن را احاطه نموده و ابواب فرح و بهجت از ظلم اهل طغيان من ملأ البيان مسدود شده افّ لهؤلاء اين بسی مسلم و واضح و مبرهن است كه هرظهور قبلی ناس را بظهور بعد بشارت فرموده علی قدر مقاماتهم و استعداداتهم بعضی باشاره و بعضی بتلويحات خفيّه و امّا ظهور قبل فوق انچه تعقّل و ادراك شود درنصيحت و تربيت اهل بيان جهد فرمودهاند و مع ذلك وارد شد انچه وارد شد يك كلمه ذكر ميشود و از اهل بيان انصاف ميطلبيم ...
Translation Stephen Lambden, UC Merced, 2021.
In the Name of the One Beloved (al-mahbub), the Single!
The fragrance of the lamentation (ra'iha-' ahzan) of the Beauty of the All-Merciful (jamal al-rahman) is all-encompassing while the portals of joy and delight (abwab-i farrah va bihjat) on account of the treachery of the people of depravity (ahl al-tughyan) among the people of the Bayan (ahl al-bayan) have been bolted-shut. Ah! Outrage at these persons! (aff l-ha'ula). This much is abundantly certain, evident and clear, that every previous Divine Manifestation (zuhur-i qabli) proclaimed to the people the glad-tidings (bisharat) of the Theophany [Dispensation] (zuhur) to come. This as accords with their levels of receptivity (maqamat) and their modes of preparedness (isti`dadat); sometimes in an elusive manner (bi-ishara) and sometimes in a manner brilliant yet concealed (bi-talwihat khafiyya)!
With regard to the previous Manifestation [forerunner, the Bab] (zuhur-i qabl) this [prophetic intimation] was something beyond what can be easily comprehended or understood.
------------------------
Iqtidarat pages 87-88.
From Age to age the revealed "Word" (kalimat) is ever set forth anew; "renewed", novel, new or "regenerative (badi`).
چه اگر حق جلّ ذكره بكلمهء اليوم تكلّم فرمايد كه جميع ناس از قبل و بعد بان -- ۸۸ - تكلّم نموده و نمايند انكلمه بديع خواهد بود
لو كنتم تتفكّرون در كلمهء توحيد ملاحظه كنيد كه در هر ظهوری مظاهر حق بان ناطق و جميع بريّه از ملل مختلفه باين
كلمهء طيّبه متكلّم مع ذلك در هر ظهور بديع بوده و ابداً حكم بدع از او سلب نشده كلمهء كه حق بان تكلّم ميفرمايد
در آن كلمه روح بديع دميده ميشود و نفحات حيات از آن كلمه بر كلّ اشياء ظاهراً و باطنا مرور مينمايد
Should the True One [God] (haqq), exalted be His mention, see fit to give utterance (mukallim farmayid) to a [revealed] Word pertinent to this [eschatological] Day (bi-kalimat ' al-yawm) which all of the people of the past and subsequently have uttered and continue to utter, that same Word (an-kalimat) will be considered novel-new-regenerative (badi` khvahad bud)! If thou should give this careful consideration. With respect to the word Tawhid, "the Divine Unity", [the Oneness of God] (kalimat-' tawhid) thou would come to realize that in every single Dispensation of the Manifestations of the True One [God] (har zuhuri-yi mazahir-i haqq), such [a subject as tawhid] was articulated (bi-an natiq) and every created being among the diverse nations [peoples] (millal-i mukhtalifah) came to utter this goodly Word [expression of Tawhid] (kalimat-' tayyibah). In spite of this [constant renewal] it was yet novel-new-regenerative (badi`) in every [religious] Dispensation (har zuhur). In fact it regenerated the very decree of novelty [innovation] (abda' hukm-i bad`) ...
______
Say: O people!
قل يا قوم قد جاء الرّوح مرّة اخری
ليتمّ لكم ما قال من قبل كذلك وعدتم به فی الالواح ان كنتم من العارفين انّه يقول كما قال و انفق روحه كما انفق اوّل مرّة حبّاً لمن فی السّموات و الارضين
The Spirit (al-ruh) [Jesus] hath indeed come unto thee another [a second] time (marrat ukhra) to the end that he might complete [fulfill] for thee whatever he had said [predicted] the previous [first] time (min qabl)! Such was promised thee in the scriptural Tablets (al-alwah) as thou would realize if thou were befittingly aware (min al-`arifin)! He [this second time] saith the like of what he said [the first time]. And his Spirit (al-ruh) will provide outreach just as he outreached the first time out of love (hubb an) for whomsoever is within the heavens and the earth!
--- ۹۳ ---
ثمّ اعلم بانّ الابن اذ اسلم الرّوح قد بكت الاشياء كلّها و لكن بانفاقه روحه قد استعدّ كلّ شئ كما تشهد و تری فی الخلائق اجمعين كلّ حكيم ظهرت منه الحكمة و كلّ عالم فصّلت منه العلوم و كل صانع ظهرت منه الصّنائع و كلّ سلطان ظهرت منه القدرة كلّها من تأييد روحه المتعالی المتصّرف المنير
The Salvific and Regenerative Power of Jesus' Ascendent Spirit (al-ruh) at the time of his crucifixion.
Arabic text: Iqtidarat... page 93
ثمّ اعلم بانّ الابن اذ اسلم الرّوح قد بكت الاشياء كلّها و لكن بانفاقه روحه
قد استعدّ كلّ شئ كما تشهد و تری فی الخلائق اجمعين كلّ حكيم ظهرت منه الحكمة
و كلّ عالم فصّلت منه العلوم و كل صانع ظهرت منه الصّنائع و كلّ سلطان ظهرت منه القدرة كلّها من تأييد روحه المتعالی المتصّرف المنير
First Gleanings XXXVI (36). In the slightly rewritten-paraphrased translation of Shoghi Effendi this text reads as follows (as printed in Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, XXXVI):
"Know thou that when the Son [of Man or Mary or God] (al-ibn = Jesus) ... yielded up His breath to God the whole creation (al-ashya') wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom (hikmat) which the sages (kull hakim) have uttered, the profoundest learning (kull `alam) which any mind (al-`ulum) hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit" (Baha'u'llah GWB XXXVII / 85-86; 1892: 93).
In May 2001 Prof. Juan Cole translated this passage as follows:
"Know that when the Son surrendered the spirit, all things wept for him. But by giving his life he bestowed a new capacity upon all things, as you witness throughout the creation. Every sage from whom wisdom appeared, every scholar who showed forth knowledge and sciences, every craftsman who produced crafts and industries, every monarch who demonstrated his power - all these persons derived their gifts from the confirmation of his spirit, the Exalted, the Sovereign, the Radiant.
See : Baha’u’llah, "Tablet of the Son" (h-net.org) : https://www.h-net.org/~bahai/trans/vol5/son/son.htm
"Then know that the Son (al-ibn) [Jesus] when he delivered up [s-l-m IV = `surrendered'; `forsook, `committed to God'] the Spirit (al-ruh) [at the time of his crucifixion] everything, every single thing (al-ashya' kulli-ha) wept
و نشهد بانّه حيناذ اتی فی العالم تجلّی علی الممكنات و به طهر كلّ ابرص عن دآء الجهل و العمی و برء كلّ سقيم عن سقم الغفلة و الهوی و فتحت عين كلّ عمی و تزكّت كلّ نفس من لدن مقتدر قدير و فی مقام يطلق البرص علی كلّ ما يحتجب به العبد عن عرفان ربّه و الّذی احتجب انّه ابرص و لا يذكر فی ملكوت اللّه العزيز الحميد و انّا نشهد بانّ من كلمة اللّه طهر كلّ ابرص و برء كلّ عليل و طاب كلّ مريض و انّها لمطهّر العالم طوبی لمن اقبل اليها بوجه منير ثمّ اعلم بانّ الّذی صعد -- ۹۴ --- الی السّماء قد نزل بالحقّ و به مرّت روآئح الفضل علی العالم و كان ربّك علی ما اقول شهيدا قد تعطّر العالم برجوعه و ظهوره و الّذين اشتغلوا بالدّنيا و زخرفها لا يجدون عرف القميص و انّا وجدناهم علی و هم عظيم
The Naqus, the Tolling of the Bell or Clapper-Board.
قل انّ النّاقوس
يصيح باسمه و النّا قور بذكره و يشهد نفسه لنفسه طوبی للعارفين و لكنّ اليوم قد برء الابرص قبل ان يقول له كن طاهراً و انّ بظهوره قد برء العالم و اهله من كلّ دآء و سقم تعالی هذا الفضل الّذی ما سبقه فضل و تعالی هذه الرّحمة الّتی سبقت العالمين.
Say: O Bell
Ring out in His Name
Ā Ī Ū ā ī ū Ḍ ḍ ḥ Ḥ ṣ Ṣ ṭ Ṭ ẓ Ẓ
Ā Ī Ū ā ī ū Ḍ ḍ ḥ Ḥ ṣ Ṣ ṭ Ṭ ẓ Ẓ
