Sūrat al-ism
(The Surah
of the Name)
(Revealed by Bahā'u'llāh for Mullā Ṣādiq-i Muqaddas-i Khurāsāní on whom
Bahā'u'llāh had conferred the title of
Ism'u'llāh al-Aṣdaq (the Name of God, the Most Truthful))
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!" (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.
(Translated by Nuha Sabour Woolmington for the
Irfan Colloquium/ UK ABS-ESE
Religious Studies Seminar (SIG) 6th-8th December 1996. Ed. Stephen
Lambden 2006)
