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LAWH-I ẒUHŪR (I) THE TABLET OF MANIFESTATION A FRESH PROVISIONAL TRANSLATION Being revised and completed 2006 Stephen N. Lambden
[I] In the Name of God, the Most Holy, the Supremely Knowing, the Mighty, the All-Powerful. [1] O thou who gazes in the direction of God and are one submerged in the Ocean of His Nearness and His Good Pleasure. [2] Know thou that the Manifestation (of God, ẓūhur) is not compounded of the four elements. [3] Nay rather, He is the Mystery of the Divine Oneness (sirr al-aḥadiyya), the Pre-existent Being (kaynunat al-qidamiyya), the All-Enduring Essence (al-jawhar al-samadiyya) and the Hidden Ipseity (al-huwiyya al-ghaybiyya). [4] He can in no wise be known apart from His Own Self. [5] It is not possible for anyone to establish that He was made manifest from the four elements (`anāṣir), from such elements (usuqusāt = Gk. stoicheion) as are mentioned by the tongue of the practitioners of philosophy (ahl al-ḥikmat), or from any of the four natures (al-tabai`). [6] All such as this was created as a result of His Logos-Command (amr) and through His Will (mashiyya). [7] For all eternity hath He been alone without a single thing besides Him; like the time when "it is" was realized (yakūn bi'l-ḥaqq; cf. Q. ). [8] And He established Himself upon the Heavenly Throne (cf Q. ) then sent down the Bird of Divine Verses (dīk al-ayat) in view of the fact that there was found in your heart the Fire of His love. [II] [1] Could there be in the dominion any possessor of exposition who could befittingly discourse with Him? [2] Or any Revealer of verses (manzil) who could compete with Him in His Cause? (fī amrihi) [3] Or, indeed, any existing being who could summon all-existence unto His Own Logos-Self (li-nafsihi)? [4] Nay! By my Lord the All-Merciful! Before Him all are but poor and needy. [5] Were He to become known through any besides His Own Logos-Self, the transcendence of His Essence would never be established as beyond similitude neither would the sanctity of His Being be found to be beyond likeness, nor His Singleness be reckoned beyond mundane appearances. [6] This is an Ocean which it is not fitting that anyone should voyage [dispute] since all that you witness, whether in the heavens or on the earth, was assuredly created by His Utterance (qawl). [7] So by My Logos-Soul (nafsī), the Ultimately Real (al-ḥaqq) ! [8] Were His servants to become aware of His Logos-Self according to what He actually is, they would assuredly one and all disassociate Him from everything and would dwell [dumbfounded] in His Sanctuary. [--]
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