Introd. and trans. Stephen N. Lambden

What follows is an extract from a Tablet of the Bāb to the 13th `Letter of the Living' (or one of the early 18 disciples of the Bāb who became a Bahā`ī), Mullā Muhammad Baqīr-i Tabrīzī (d. Istanbul. c.1881). It is extracted from an Important Tablet in reply to his question about the Bābī Messiah figure  man yuẓhiru-hu Allāh  ("Him whom God will make manifest"), for Bahā`īs, Bahā'-Allāh.  The Tablet opens with a basmala  expressive of the transcendence of the Ultimate Divinity then a testimony to His Oneness...

        Later there is a section which is apparently a eulogium of the divine qualities of man yuẓhiru-hu Allāh  (for Bahā`īs = Bahā'-Allāh). In the original Arabic it is hypnotic in its rhythmic intensity for in each line there is a double repetition of ta`ālī ("exalted be....") followed by a Divine attribute. I have somewhat arbitrarily rendered the repeated  ta`ālī  as `exalted be' (X2) then `elevated be' (x2) and 'lofty be' (x3) in three fold patterns; the versification is my own invention for the convenience of reference  and is arbitrary.

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The Tablet of the Bāb in reply to a  question about the  Bābī messiah

man yuẓhiru-hu Allāh  ("Him whom God will make manifest").

 Introduction from Appendix in Kash al-Ghita'

صورت توقيع مبارك حضرت نقطه اولی جل ذكره الأعلی در جواب ملا باقر حرف حی

كه از وجود مقدس من يظهره اللّه سئوال نموده

 و در طی كتاب ببعضی فقرات ان اشارت رفته و درج آن را در آخر وعده كرده ايم                      

              

 

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[0]

  سم اللّه الامنع الاقدس

 "In the Name of God,

the Transcendent, the Most Holy.

[I]

 و بعد فقد سمعت كتابك و انّ ما فيه جوهر لولا ما فيه ما احببتك علی ذلك القرطاس و لا حينئذ باعلی ما قدّر فی الأبداع

 فما اعظم ذكر من قد سئلت عنه و انّ ذلك اعلی و اعزّ و اجلّ و امنع و اقدس من ان يقدر الأفئدة بعرفانه و الأرواح بالسجود له و الأنفس و الأجساد

 

And now regarding what I have heard from your letter for what is expressed therein is 

TO BE COMPLETED

 

 

[-]

[1]  

و ان اقول انه قيّوم فذلك مظهر احد من قوّام بساط احديته

And I say that He, verily, is the Qayyūm ("Deity Self-Subsisting"),

for  that one is indeed a  Manifestation [Theophany] (maẓhar)

 of One of those Mightily Staunch through the unfolding of His Oneness.

[2]

 فتعالی تعالی ذكره ثم تعالی تعالی شأنه ثم تعالی تعالی وصفه

So exalted, exalted is His Remembrance! (dhikr)   

Then elevated, elevated is His Rank! (sha'n)

And lofty, lofty is His Depiction! (waṣf)

[3]

 ثم تعالی تعالی نعته ثم تعالی تعالی عزّه ثم تعالی تعالی قدسه

              So exalted, exalted is His Characterization! (ni`at)

                      Then elevated, elevated is His Might ! (`izz)      

 And lofty, lofty is His Holiness!  (quds)

[4]

ثم تعالی تعالی مجده  ثم تعالی تعالی حمده  ثم تعالی تعالی حبّه

 So exalted, exalted be His Glory!  (majd)    

                    Then elevated, elevated be His Praise! (ḥamd) 

       And lofty, lofty is His Love! (ḥubb)
 

[5]

 ثم تعالی تعالی اسمه ثم تعالی تعالی ودّه  ثم تعالی تعالی نوره

So exalted, exalted is His Name! (ism)

Then elevated, elevated is His Loving tenderness! (wudd)

And lofty, lofty is His Light! (nūr)

[6]

ثم تعالی تعالی رسمه ثم تعالی تعالی قربه  ثم تعالی تعالی بهائه 

So exalted, exalted is His Portrayal ! (rasm)

Then elevated, elevated is His Proximity! (qurb)

And lofty, lofty is His Glory-Splendour! (bahā')!


 [7]

  ثم تعالی تعالی ضيائه ثم تعالی تعالی علائه  ثم تعالی تعالی ثنائه  

 So exalted, exalted is His Radiance! (ḍiyā')

Then elevated, elevated is His Sublimity! (`alā)

And lofty, lofty is His  Laudation! (thanā')

[8]

 ثم تعالی تعالی امثاله ثم تعالی تعالی جلاله ثم تعالی تعالی جماله 

So exalted, exalted are His Likenesses! (imthāl)

Then elevated, elevated is His Majesty! (jalāl)

And lofty, lofty is His Beauty! (jamāl).

[9]

 ثم تعالی تعالی فعاله ثم تعالی تعالی فضا له  ثم تعالی تعالی عداله 

So exalted, exalted is His Mode of Activity! (fi`āl)

Then elevated, elevated is His Graciousness! (fiḍāl)

And lofty, lofty is His Exercise of Justice! (`idāl)

[10]

 ثم تعالی تعالی مثاله  ثم تعالی تعالی آياته  ثم تعالی تعالی بيناته 

So exalted, exalted is His Likeness (mithāl)!

Then elevated, elevated are His Verses [Signs] (āyāt)!

And lofty, lofty is His Expository ways (baynāt ?)!

[11]

 ثم تعالی تعالی كلماته ثم تعالی تعالی ظهوراته  ثم تعالی تعالی تبيانه 

So exalted, exalted are His Utterances (kalimāt)!

Then elevated, elevated are His theophanic manifestations

 (ẓuhūrat)!

And lofty, lofty is His Power of Elucidation (tibyan)!

[12]

 ثم تعالی تعالی شئوناته ثم تعالی تعالی لحظاته  ثم تعالی تعالی اشاراته 

So exalted, exalted are His Modes of Operation (shu'ūnāt)!

Then elevated, elevated are His Glances (lahzāt)!

And lofty, lofty are His Allusive Ways (ishārāt)!

[13]

 ثم تعالی تعالی عظمته  ثم تعالی تعالی رحمته  ثم تعالی تعالی كلمته 

So exalted, exalted is His Might  (`azimat)!

Then elevated, elevated is His Mercy (raḥmat)!

And lofty, lofty is His Word (kalima)!

[14]

 ثم تعالی تعالی ولايته  ثم تعالی تعالی سلطنته  ثم تعالی تعالی مشيّته 

So exalted, exalted is His providential Guidance (wilāya)!

Then elevated, elevated is His Magnificent Sovereignty (salṭāna)!

And lofty, lofty is His [Divine] Will (mashiyya)!

[15]

ثم تعالی تعالی ارادته  ثم تعالی تعالی قدره  ثم تعالی تعالی قضائه 

So exalted, exalted is His Intended Purpose (irada)!

Then elevated, elevated is His Fateful Power (qadr)!

And lofty, lofty is His Decree of Accomplishment (qaḍā')!

[16]

ثم تعالی تعالی امضائه  ثم تعالی تعالی اذنه  ثم تعالی تعالی اجله 

So exalted, exalted is His Act of Realization (imḍā')!

Then elevated, elevated is His Power of Authorization (idhn)!

And lofty, lofty be His Appointed Time (ajil)!

[17]

 ثم تعالی تعالی كتابه  ثم تعالی تعالی علمه  ثم تعالی تعالی حمله

So exalted, exalted is His [Archetypal] Book (kitab)!

Then elevated, elevated is His Knowledge (`ilm)!

And lofty, lofty is His Power of Discernment (ḥilm)!

[18]

ثم تعاالی تعالی حكمه  ثم تعالی تعالی عدله  ثم تعالی تعالی فضله

So exalted, exalted is His Wisdom (ḥikma)!

Then elevated, elevated is His Justice (`adl)!

And lofty, lofty is His Graciousness (faḍl)!

[19]

 ثم تعالی تعالی سمعه  ثم تعالی تعالی عينه  ثم تعالی تعالی لسانه

So exalted, exalted is His Hearing [Ear] (samā`)!

Then elevated, elevated is His Seeing Sight [Eye] (`ayn)!

And lofty, lofty is His Lofty Tongue [Language] (lisān)!

[20]

   ثم تعالی تعالی موهبته  ثم تعالی تعالی مسائله ثم تعالی تعالی دلائله 

So exalted, exalted is His Generosity (mawhibat)!

Then elevated, elevated are His Concerns [Enquiries] (masā'il)!

And lofty, lofty is His Proofs (dalā'il)!

[21]

 ثم تعالی تعالی مصابيحه  ثم تعالی تعالی مقاديره  ثم تعالی تعالی امره

 

 So exalted, exalted is His Luminaries (maṣābīḥ)!

Then elevated, elevated are  His Powers of measuring things out (maqādir)!

And lofty, lofty is His Logos-Command (amr)!

[22]

 ثم تعالی تعالی بدعه  ثم تعالی تعالی شرفه  ثم تعالی تعالی قدمه 

 So exalted, exalted is His Generative Powers (bad`)!

Then elevated, elevated is His Nobility (sharaf)!

And lofty, lofty is His Pre-existence (qidam)!

[23]

ثم تعالی تعالی ملكه ثم تعالی تعالی منّه  ثم تعالی تعالی بيّنته

So exalted, exalted is His Dominion (mulk)!

Then elevated, elevated is Benevolence (mann)!

And lofty, lofty is His supernal Clarity (bayyina)!

[24]

 ثم تعالی تعالی مقعده  ثم تعالی تعالی معبده  ثم تعالی تعالی كينونيته من ان يقومنّ بامره من احد هذا

So exalted, exalted is His Seat of Repose  [Throne] (maq`ad)!


Then elevated, elevated is His  Being the acme of Worship (ma`bad)!

And lofty, lofty is His Being (kaynuniyyat) above whatsoever

might [merely] be raised up through His Logos-Command.

[25]

هو الّذی عرفه كل شيئ و لن يعرفه من شيئ و هذا هو الّذی يقوم به كل

He is indeed the One is aware of all things

yet One who can never be known of anything...  

 

TO BE REVISED AND COMPLETED

2006-7

CHECK ARABIC TEXT

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