Prov,, trans; Stephen Lambden (Completed 28th July
1998)
Last updated March 2 2004
Introductory Note
Miscellaneous Bahā'ī sources indicate that the wholly Arabic
Lawḥ-i
nāqūs ("Tablet of the Bell") or (after the constant
refrain) Lawḥ-i subhanika yā-hū ("Tablet of Praised be
Thou, O He!) is to be dated to 1280/1863 CE or to the period of Bahā'-Allāh's residence in
Istanbul (Constantinople). The title
Lawḥ-i nāqūs derives from
the words "Strike the Bell (nāqūs)
" in the opening (post
introductory) line (see below). Bahā'-Allāh wrote it in his own hand on the evening of the
(lunar) celebration of the declaration of the Bāb (5th of Jumādī al-Awwāl 1280 AH =
October 19th 1863 CE). It was apparently on that occasion that Aqa Muhammad `Alī Tambaku
Furush-i Isfahānī precipitated this revelation through the intermediary of `Abdu'l-Bahā
(see letter of Shoghi Effendi to Mīrzā Badī`u'llāh Āgahabadihi.. cited Ganj, 71;
Taherzadeh RB 2:18).
The non-qur'anic Arabic loan-word
nāqūs derives from
(Christian) Aramaic-Syriac (naposha / naqqūs)
and indicates a
pierced wooden clapper-board which had a gong or bell-like function in making a noise when
hit with a stick. It was used in Eastern Christian regions for calling the faithful to
worship or to other religious functions. Around (Eastern) Christian churches the naqūs
was sounded or clapped and, like the Islamic mu`adhdhin, called the faithful to
assemble for prayer. Perhaps this sound was heard by Bahā'-Allāh around Christian churches
in Istanbul.
In Bābī-Bahā'ī scripture there are various references to the
(eschatological) nāqūs. In a number of his writings
Bahā'-Allāh personifies
himself as the "Bell" (nāqūs) which summons the faithful to enter the
Abhā paradise or Kingdom of God (the Bahā'ī religion). His revelation is the ringing of
the "Bell" of his Person which invites humankind to the assemblage of paradise.
One may recall, for example, the following opening lines from the second Tablet of
Bahā'-Allāh to Napoleon III:
|
O King of Paris!
Tell the priest to
ring the bells [lit. `strike the clapper-boards' =
nawāqīs
] no longer.
By God, the True One! The Most Mighty Bell
(al-nāqūs al-afkham,
= Bahā'-Allāh) hath appeared in the form of Him Who is
the Most Great Name (al-ism al-a`ẓam),
and the fingers of the will of Thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out in the
heaven of Immortality, in His name, the All-Glorious (al-abhā)
...
(trans. Shoghi Effendi, PDC: 29). |
In making the following tentative provisional translation I have consulted the Arabic
texts of the Lawḥ-i nāqūs published in
Adī`ah-yi
hadrat-i mahbūb (Cairo 1339/1920-1) 141-153 and
Risālih-yi
ayyām-i tis`ih (rep. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 1981) 100-106 as well as
various unpublished manuscripts. I have also benefited from consulting the previous
translations of `Alī Kuli Khan + Marzieh Gail (unpublished) and that of Denis MacEoin (Rituals in Bābīsm and Bahā'īsm [London 1994] App. XXVI, pp. 169-172).
The following translation is not, however, based upon a critically established text nor is
it in any way superior to those just mentioned. As the translation is fairly literal it
will at times be virtually identical to previous renderings.
In diverse ways and in cryptic, mystical, Sufistic language
Bahā'-Allāh celebrates the
power of his recently, Riḍvān-intimated (late April early May 1863) theophanic status. As
the secreted "Monk of the Divine Unicity", he is bidden by God to go some way
toward disclosing his being a supreme heavenly Maiden possessed of the power of divine
revelation.
In line [3] and elsewhere in the
Lawḥ-i nāqūs, Bahā'-Allāh
alludes to that portion of the
Sūrat al-huriyya (`Sura of
the Maiden' , the 29th sura of the
Qayyūm al-asmā' mid. 1844
CE) in which the Bāb makes reference to the partial yet stunning theophanic disclosure of
a veiled, silken clad houri characterised by respelndent beauty
(al-bahā). Both
lines 4 and 5, furthermore seem to allude, for example, to the person of Bahā'-Allāh as a
conjunction or incarnation of the letters "B and "H" which constitute that
Beauty-Splendour (Bahā) which, according to a well-known prophetic hadīth (greatly
beloved of Rūzbihān Baqlī Shīrāzī d.1209 CE) is his pre-existent Reality -- the
prophet Muhammad is reckoned to have said
al-ward al-aḥmar min
bahā' Allāh .
"The Red Rose is expressive of the
Beauty-Splendor of God"
LAWḤ-I NĀQŪS
لوح
نَاقوُس
[0]
He is the Almighty
(huwa al-`izz)
[1]
This [Tablet] is the
Meadow of Paradise
(rawḍat al-firdaws)
wherein the melody
of God,
the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting, hath been exalted.
[2]
Therein hath Houris [Maidens] of Eternity
(huriyyāt al-khuld)
been
empowered whom none hath touched save God, the Almighty, the Sanctified.
[3]
Therein doth
the Nightingale of Eternal Subsistence
warble upon the branches of the Lote-Tree of the
Extremity
(sidrat al-muntahā)
with such a melody as hath bedazzaled discerning
souls (al-`uqūl).
[4]
Therein is that through which the poor and needy
(al-fuqarā')
are made to approach the shore of independent self-sufficiency
(shatī al-ghanā')
and the people obtain guidance unto the Word of God
(kalimat Allāh).
[5]
Such, indeed, is the
certain Truth!
_______
[1]
In Thy Name "He" for
Thou, verily, art "He".
O "He"!
O Monk of the Divine Unicity
!
(rāhib al-aḥadiyya)
Strike the Bell! (al-nāqūs) for the Day of God
hath been realized
and the Beauty of the Divine Might
(jamāl
al-`izz)
been enthroned upon a Throne of Luminous Holiness.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[2]
O Hūd of the Verdict!
(al-ḥukm)
Sound the Bugle (al-nāqūr) in the name of God, the Mighty, the Noble,
for the Embodiment of Sanctity
(haykal
al-quds) hath been established upon a Mighty, Transcendent
Seat (kursī).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[3]
O Countenance Eternally Subsistent!
(tal`at al-baqā')
Pluck with the
Fingertips of the Spirit (anāmil al-rūh)
upon a wondrous, holy Rebec (rabāb)
for the Beauty of the Divine Ipseity
(jamāl al-huwiyya) is manifested in
resplendent silken attire.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[4]
O Angel of Light!
(malak al-nūr)!
Sound the trumpet
(al-sūr) in this theophany
(al-ẓuhūr)
for the letter "H"
(al-hā' )
rideth upon a mighty, pre-existent letter ["B"]
(bi-ḥarf `izz qadīm).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[5]
O Nightingale of Resplendence!
(`andālib al-sanā')
Warble upon the
twigs in this Riḍwān according to the Name of the One Beloved
(al-ḥabīb)
for the Roseate Beauty
(jamāl al-ward) hath been manifested
from behind a thick curtain
(hijāb ghalīz).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[6]
O Nightingale of Paradise
(bulbul al-firdaws)!
Sing out upon the
branches in this wondrous era (zamān badī`) for God hath divulged himself
(tajalla
Allāh)
unto all that inhabit the created dominion
(al-mulk).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[7]
O Bird of Eternity!
(tayr al-baqā')
Speed in this expanse
(al-hawā') for the Bird of Fidelity
(ṭayr al-wafā')
hath flown in a munificent,
divinely intimate firmament
(fada').
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[8]
O Denizens of Paradise!
(ahl al-firdaws)
Hallow ye and chant with
the most beautiful, sweet voice for the melody of God
(naghmat Allāh)
hath been
uplifted from beyond elevated, sanctified Pavilions
(surādiq).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[9]
O Denizens of the Kingdom!
(ahl al-malakut)
Chant ye in the Name of
the Beloved One (al-mahbūb) for the Beauty of the Cause
(jamāl
al-amr)
hath sparkled forth
from behind ornamented, luminous
veils.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[10]
O Denizens of the Kingdom of Divine Names!
(malakūt al-asmā')
Ornament ye the very uttermost Heights
(rafārif al-aqsā') [of
Paradise]
for the Greatest
Name hath ridden upon a sanctified, mighty
Cloud.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[11]
O Denizens of the Omnipotent Kingdom of Divine Attributes
(ahl jabarūt
al-sifāt)
in the Abhā horizon!
(ufq al-abhā')
Be ye prepared for
the Encounter with God (liqā' Allāh) for the sanctified breezes
(nasmāt al-quds)
hath wafted from the Hidden Retreat of the Divine Essence
(makman al-dhāt) which is indeed a manifest Bounty.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[12]
O Riḍwān of the Divine Unicity!
(riḍwān al-ahadiyya)
Be
enraptured within thyself for the Riḍwān of God
(Riḍwān Allāh),
the Exalted, the
Powerful, the All-Knowing
hath been made
manifest.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[13]
O Heaven of Might !
(samā' al-`izz)
Render thanks unto God in thy
very being for the Heaven of Sanctity
(samā' al-quds)
hath been raised up in
that
Firmament (hawā') which is a subtly refined heart
(qalb latīf).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[14]
O Sun of the worldly dominion!
(shams al-mulk)
Eclipse thy
countenance for the Sun of Eternal Subsistence
(shams al-baqā')
hath shed splendor
from an horizon which is a brilliant
Dawn.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[15]
O Earth of gnosis!
(ard al-ma`rifa)
Engulf thy mystic learning
(ma`ārif) for the Earth of Gnosis
(ard al-ma`rifa) hath been expanded through the
Logos-Self of God
(nafs Allāh),
the Transcendent,
the Mighty, the Munificent.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[16]
O Lamp of the worldly dominion!
(sirāj al-mulk)
Extinguish thy
very self for the Lamp of God (sirāj Allāh) hath radiated within the
Niche of Eternity
(mishkat al-baqā')
illuminating thereby the inhabitants of the
heavens and of the earth.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[17]
O oceans of the earth!
(buhūr al-ard)
Be stilled of thy
tempestuous waves for the Crimson Sea (al-bahr al-ahmar) surgeth through an
innovative directive
(bi-amr badī`)
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[18]
O Peacock of the divine Oneness!
(tāwūs al-ahadiyya)!
Shreik out
within the thicket of the divine realm
(ajamat al-lāhūt) for the melody
of God (naghmat Allāh)
hath become evident
from every divinely proximate locale.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[19]
O Bird of Perpetuity!
(dīk al-ṣamadiyya)!
Be muted in the thicket
of the Omnipotent Realm (ajamat al-jabarūt) for the Crier of God
(munādī Allāh)
crieth out from every unassailable locale
(shatr manī`).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[20]
O Concourse of enraptured lovers!
(malā' al-ushshāq)
Good news
for thy selves in that the separation
(al-firāq) is completed and the
promised Testament
(al-mithāq) hath come to pass;
the Loved One
(al-ma`shūq)
hath been manifested with a mighty, transcendent Beauty
(jamāl `izz manī`).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[21]
O Concourse of Gnostic
initiates!
(malā' al-irfān)
Rejoice within thine inner realities for
era of Renunciation ( al-hijrān)
is terminated, certitude
(al-īqān) is realized
and the Beauty of the
Youth
(jamāl al-ghulām) hath beamed forth with an holy ornament
(bi-taraz
al-quds)
in a Paradise of matchless name
(firdaws ism makīn).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[22]
Praised be Thou, O my God,
I supplicate Thee by Thy [eschatological] Day
(yawm)
through which all [previous] Days have been raised up
and in view of the fact
that through it
[matters rooted in] primordial
(al-awwalīn) and latter day
[eschatological]
(al-akharīn)
eras
have been brought to
account.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[23]
And by Thy Name which Thou didst make a Sovereign
in the Omnipotent sphere of
Names
(jabarūt al-asmā')
as well as a Judge
(hākim) over
whomsoever are in the heavens and on the earth[s].
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
By this means make Thou such persons to be independent
(aghniyā')
of all except Thee,
associated with Thee and detached from
whatsoever is other than Thee
for Thou indeed art
One Powerful, Mighty, Compassionate.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[24]
Do Thou make them, O my God,
to be such as give assent to Thy Singleness
(wahdāniyya)
and who willingly concede Thy Uniqueness
(firdāniyya)
in such wise that they
shall witness nothing but Thine Own Logos-Self
and envision none
but Thee.
In this respect
Thou, verily, art One Powerful, Mighty.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[25]
Establish then in their hearts, O my Beloved
(mahbūbī),
the fiery
warmth of Thy love
(harārat hūbbika)
in such measure that the it may burn
away the remembrance of all save Thee.
This such that they may witness within themselves
that Thou hath ever been in the Sublime Apex of Eternity
(`uluww al-baqā'),
that there hath
never been anything alongside Thee,
and that Thou art
now the like of what Thou hath ever been.
No god is there
except Thee, the Munificent.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[26]
If such of Thy servants as desire to scale
the heights of Thy Divine Unity
(tawhīd)
should content themselves with the mention of aught besides Thee,
confirmation of their realization of the Divine Oneness
(hukm al-tawhīd)
would never be ratified neither would the mode of the Divine Uniqueness
(simat
al-tafrīd)
be truly affirmed
within their being.
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
[27]
So praised be Thou, O our God! O my God!
given this situation do Thou send down
from the clouds of Thy Mercy
that which will purify the breasts of Thy lovers
and that
which will sanctify the hearts of such as are enraptured by Thee.
Then exalt them through
Thy loftiness and render them triumphant over such as inhabit the earth. This indeed is
what Thou promised Thy beloved ones through Thine indubitable utterance, "We desire
to shower Our favour (mann) upon such as are enfeebled on earth
and to make them
leaders [Imams] (a'imma)
and to make them Our heirs
(al-wārithīn)" (Qur'ān. 28:5).
سبحانكَ يَاهُو
يَاهََُوَهُو ياهو
So Praised be Thou O
"He"!
O Thou Who art "He"
Who is "He"!
O Thou besides Whom
there is none other than "He".
Select Notes
[0]
He is the Almighty
(huwa al-`izz)
[1]
Here it seems to be that the
Lawḥ-i nāqūs is
referred to as what exists in the heavenly "Meadow " or "Garden" of
Paradise (rawdat al-firdaws) in which its verses as "the melody of God"
(naghmat Allāh) have been exalted or raised aloft. Transcendent feminine beings,
the celestial Houris or Maidens (huriyyāt) (mentioned in the Qur'ān, countless
Sufi writings and Bābī scripture) possibly symbolic of divine mysteries (?) have been
permanently established or empowered (Q-R-R form X;
istaqarrat). They are
virginal, of great purity, for "none hath touched (massa) " them save God (see
Q. 00:00); God alone is aware of the secrets they symbolize -- the emergent Cause of Bahā'-Allāh?
To be updated, corrected and continued....
[3] Therein doth the Nightingale of Eternal Subsistence warble upon the branches of the
Lote-Tree of the Extremity (sidrat al-muntahā) with such a melody as hath bedazzaled
discerning souls (al-`uqūl). [4] Therein is that through which the needy (al-fuqarā')
are made to approach the shore of [the ocean of spiritual] wealth and the people guided
unto the Word of God (kalimat Allāh). [5] Such, indeed, is the certain Truth!
_______
In Thy Name "He" for Thou, verily, art "He"; O "He"!
[1]
O Monk of the Divine Unicity
(rāhib al-ahadiyya)! Strike the Bell! (al-nāqūs)
for the Day of God hath been realized and the Beauty of the Divine Might (jamāl al-`izz)
been enthroned upon a Throne of Luminous Holiness.
So Praised be Thou O "He"! O Thou Who art "He" Who is
"He" ! O Thou besides Whom there is none other than "He".
[2] O Hūd of the Verdict
(al-hukm)! Sound the Bugle (`Trumpet';
al-nāqūr) in the name of God, the Mighty, the Noble, for the Embodiment [Temple] of
Sanctity (haykal al-quds) hath been established upon a Mighty, Transcendent Seat
(`Footstool,' `Chair'] (kursī).
This provisional translation is currently being revised and a detailed
commentary prepared (copyright)
Newcastle upon Tyne: Hurqalya
Publications. Stephen N. Lambden
from various unpublished and a Haifa supplied mss. Last updated
March 2 2004
BAHA'U'LLAH baha'u'llah Bahá'u'lláh
Baha'-Allah Bahá
