Sūrat al-ism
(The Surah of the Name)
A Tablet of Bahā'u'llāh for Mullā Ṣādiq-i Muqaddas-i Khurāsāní entitled Ism'u'llāh al-Aṣdaq (the Name of God, the Most Truthful).
Largely translated by Shoghi Effendi (d. 1957) and completed by Nuha Sabour Woolmington for the Irfan Colloquium/ UK ABS-ESE Religious Studies Seminar (SIG) 6th-8th December 1996.
Ed. Stephen Lambden 2006 + 2015.
He is the Most Wondrous in the realm of the All Glorious
O my name!
Give ear to the call of God from the dawning point of all utterance that I am God thy Lord and the Lord of all things, the Lord of all the worlds. Then give ear unto that which thou hast been inspired with from the direction of Al-Bayan. Myself the Compassionate, the Merciful, that there is none other God but Me the Mighty, the All Wise. Rise, then warn humanity for having neglected the things concerning God, then give them the glad tidings of the Ridvan of God, the Most High, the All Powerful, the Almighty.
Say: 0 people!
Are ye in any wonder that the primal beauty has come unto you once again in this luminous radiant attire. Say: there are in this revelation signs for the people of knowledge, clear proofs for those who are nigh, and allusions for those with the eye of discernment.
O my name!
Turn thy face towards the Sanctuary (Haram), by God this is the Sanctuary of God within you and the dwelling place (Hall) of Holiness (Quds) amongst you and a point of pilgrimage (Mash'ar) of the Cause betwix the heavens and the earth.
Leave the name (kingdom of names) behind thee and the forms beneath thy feet then the domain of sovereignty to its people for thy Lord desireth to behold thee divested of all garments that He may adorn thee with the ornament of His Cause among the Worlds.
Know then that He hath raised between us and our servants a ladder of three steps, the first is a reminder of the world and its vanities and the second of the life after and that which has been decreed within it and the third of the names and its kingdoms, whoso passeth by these stations reacheth the King of Names and attributes in less than a moment.
Beware O people of Bahâ!
lest ye halt at these stations then pass by them like the passing of clouds that is what beseameth our servants who are nigh unto us. He mat passeth by them and remaineth firm in my love, were he to lift his head to the realm above he would witness my kingdom, and hear my melodies and is reckoned among those who are victorious.
Say O concourse of the Bayān
Deprive not yourselves of the bounty of those days, avail yourselves of them, then await my Cause the resplendent the Mighty the Wondrous.
"Say:
Deliver your souls, O people, from the bondage of self,
and purify them from all attachment to anything besides Me. Remembrance of Me cleanseth all things from defilement, could ye but [GWB:295] perceive it. Say: Were all created things to be entirely divested of the veil of worldly vanity and desire, the Hand of God would in this Day clothe them, one and all, with the robe "He doeth whatsoever He willeth in the kingdom of creation," that thereby the sign of His sovereignty might be manifested in all things. Exalted then be He, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Almighty, the Supreme Protector, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful. Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom. O Khalil! God beareth Me witness. Though My Pen be still moving on My Tablet, yet, in its very heart, it weepeth and is sore distressed. The lamp burning before the Throne, likewise, weepeth and groaneth by reason of the things which the Ancient 296 Beauty hath suffered at the hands of them who are but a creation of His Will. God, Himself, knoweth and testifieth to the truth of My words. No man that hath purged his ear from the loud clamor of the infidels, and inclined it to all created things, can fail to hear the voice of their lamentation and weeping over the trouble that hath befallen Us at the hands of those of Our servants that have disbelieved in, and rebelled against, Us. Thus have We disclosed to thee a glimmer of the woes that have come upon us, that thou mayest be made aware of Our sufferings, and patiently endure thy sorrows. Arise to aid thy Lord at all times and in all circumstances, and be thou one of His helpers. Admonish, then, the people to lend a hearing ear to the words which the Spirit of God hath uttered in this irradiant and resplendent Tablet. Say: Sow not, O people, the seeds of dissension amongst men, and contend not with your neighbor. Be patient under all conditions, and place your whole trust and confidence in God. Aid ye your Lord with the sword of wisdom and of utterance. This indeed well becometh the station of man. To depart from it would be unworthy of God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Glorified. The people, however, have been led astray, and are truly of the heedless. Unlock, O people, the gates of the hearts of men with the keys of the remembrance of Him Who is the Remembrance of God and the Source of wisdom 297 amongst you. He hath chosen out of the whole world the hearts of His servants, and made them each a seat for the revelation of His glory. Wherefore, sanctify them from every defilement, that the things for which they were created may be engraven upon them. This indeed is a token of God's bountiful favor. Beautify your tongues, O people, with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that ye deal not treacherously with any one. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people. They that follow their lusts and corrupt inclinations, have erred and dissipated their efforts. They, indeed, are of the lost. Strive, O people, that your eyes may be directed towards the mercy of God, that your hearts may be attuned to His wondrous remembrance, that your souls may rest confidently upon His grace and bounty, that your feet may tread the path of His good-pleasure. Such are the counsels which I bequeath unto you. Would that ye might follow My counsels!"
(Above = Baha'u'llah, Trans. Shoghi Effendi, Gleanings CXXXVI: 294-5)
He from whom the fragrances of the Cause are not wafted and the remnants of his master, will not be remembered in the presence of God the King the All knowing the All informed.
Say in this day no one will be related to God and the Manifestation of His own Self unless he be the banner of guidance amongst the servants in such wise that will appear from his deeds that whereby those who are desirous of God will be guided and the splendour of the All Merciful will be witnessed from his face and the mention of God the Almighty the All knowing, the All informed will be heard from his heart and tongue. Thus hath instructed you He who is firm in His Command in this night in which the dove of decree singeth with sorrowful signs. Then know thou who art in certainty of God, that thy Lord hath chosen thee for his love and hath been bountiful to thee in many situations, hath delivered thee from heedlessness, confirmed thee in His own Knowledge, preferred thee above many of his creatures, made thee ofthose who are informed, hath known what hath come upon thee in his path and the hardships thou hast endured in His love and good pleasure, with Him is the knowledge of the heavens and the earth, not a speck of the doings of the entire creation will be erased from the tablet of decree.
Well is it with thee for having been patient in the days of God, having attained unto them and were of those who comprehend. Then strive within thyself that thou mayest become firm in the Cause in such wise that the tongues of the entire creation will not cause thee to slip , then rise in praise of thy master and teach His messages to those who have believed in God and his signs then confirm them in the Cause and be of those who are firm.
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