Verses 1-9
In the name of the Powerful Speaker,
1 O possessors of intellect and hearing!
The first message of the Beloved is this: O spiritual nightingale, do not perch except in the rose-garden of meanings. O hoopoe of Solomon’s love, do not take residence except in the Saba of the Beloved. O phoenix of eternity, do not accept any place except in the Qaf of fidelity. This is your place, if beyond all places, you take flight, then you fly with the soul and freely reveal the path to your station.
2 O son of spirit!
Every bird has its eyes set on the nest, and every nightingale’s aim is the beauty of the rose, except for the birds of the hearts of the servants who, satisfied with the transient soil, have stayed away from the eternal nest, and by paying attention to the flowers of the after, have been deprived of the flowers of nearness. What a wonder and regret, and alas and pity that they have passed by the bright ocean of the highest companionship and stayed far from the brilliant horizon!
3 O friend!
In the garden of the heart, do not sow anything but the flower of love, and from the nightingale of the heart, do not withhold the melody of longing and desire. Consider companionship with the virtuous a treasure, and from the company of the wicked, withdraw both hand and heart.
4 O son of justice!
Which lover would choose a home other than that of the Beloved, and which seeker would seek repose without the object of his quest? True lovers find life in union and death in separation. Their breasts are devoid of patience, their hearts sanctified from endurance. They would pass through a hundred thousand lives to reach the alley of the Beloved.
5 O son of dust!
Truly, I say the most heedless of all people is the one who disputes in words and seeks to surpass his brother. Say, O brethren, let your deeds, not your words, be your adorning.
6 O sons of earth!
Truly, know that a heart tainted with even a hint of envy will assuredly not enter into the sovereignty of My eternity, nor will it perceive the fragrances of sanctity from My holy dominion.
7 O son of love!
From you to the fluttering of refusal at the proximity, and the Lote-Tree of the height of love, is but a step away. Take the first step, and set your other foot on the world of existence. Enter the pavilion of eternity and then listen to what has descended from the Pen of glory.
8 O son of glory!
Be nimble in the path of holiness and tread upon the heavens of spirituality. Polish your heart and purify your soul, and manifest the realities of the phrase, “But for Thee.”
9 O shadow of annihilation!
Pass beyond the stages of abasement and illusion and ascend to the heights of glory and certainty. Open the eye of truth so that you may behold the Manifest Beauty and exclaim, “Blessed be God, the best of Creators.”
Verses 10-18
10 O son of passion!
Indeed, listen: the mortal eye does not recognize the everlasting Beauty, and the dead heart engages only with the withered flower. For every kindred soul seeks its own kind and finds comfort in its own species.
11 O son of dust!
Be blind so that you may behold My beauty; be deaf so that you may hear My sweet voice and melody; be ignorant so that you may partake of My knowledge; and be poor so that from My eternal wealth you may obtain. Be blind – that is, blind to all but My beauty. Be deaf – that is, deaf to all but My words. Be ignorant – that is, ignorant of all save My knowledge, so that with a pure eye, an open heart and an attentive ear you may enter the court of My holiness.
12 O possessor of two eyes!
Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved.
13 O my sons!
I fear lest, bereft of the melody of the dove of heaven, you will return to the realm of place, and transformed into mere dust, you will be blown away by the wind of self and passion, without beholding the beauty of the rose.
14 O friends!
Do not prefer the ephemeral beauty over the everlasting beauty, and do not attach your heart to the earthly dustbin.
15 O Son of Spirit!
A time will come when the heavenly Nightingale of Meaning will be prohibited from expressing the mysteries, and all will be forbidden from the Melody of the Merciful and the Call of the Glorious.
16 O Jewel of Negligence!
Alas, that a hundred thousand spiritual tongues speak in one physical tongue and a hundred thousand hidden meanings become manifest in a single melody, yet there is no ear to hear nor heart to understand.
17 O Fellow Beings!
The gates of the Unseen have been flung open, and the celestial city has been adorned by the breath of the lovers. Yet all remain deprived of this spiritual city, save for a select few. And from those few, only those with pure hearts and sanctified souls have truly witnessed it, an even smaller minority.
18 O inhabitants of the Supreme Paradise!
Inform the people of certainty that in the sacred atmosphere of divine nearness, a new garden has emerged, and all the celestial inhabitants and the structures of the everlasting paradise are revolving around it. Make an effort to reach that station, and seek the realities of love’s mysteries from its radiant flowers, and obtain all mature wisdoms of divine oneness from its everlasting fruits. It is the delight of the eyes of those who enter therein in security.
Verses 19-27
19 O My friends!
Have you forgotten that radiant dawn of truthfulness when you were all present with Me under the shadow of the Tree of Fellowship, planted in the highest paradise? In that sacred and blessed atmosphere, I spoke many a word of purity, and you all heard and were spellbound. And these were My words: “O friends! Choose not your own will over Mine, and desire not that which I have not desired for you. You come to Me with hearts that are polluted with hopes and wishes. If you sanctify your hearts, then you would perceive that blessed field and that atmosphere, and My words would become clear to all of you.”
In the eighth line of the lines of holiness, which is mentioned in the fifth tablet of paradise:
20 O dead on the bed of heedlessness!
Centuries have passed and your precious lives have come to an end, but not a single pure breath has reached Our realm of holiness from you. You are immersed in the sea of polytheism, and the word of monotheism has died on your tongues. You have taken My enemy as your friend and have regarded My dislike as your favorite. You walk on My earth with full cheerfulness and joy, oblivious to the fact that My earth is weary of you and everything on earth is fleeing from you. If you would but open your eyes, you would prefer a myriad of sorrows to this joy, and you would deem death better than this life.
21 O stirring dust!
I am close to you, yet you despair of Me. The sword of rebellion has cut down the tree of your hope, yet I am near to you in all conditions, and you are far from Me in all states. I have chosen everlasting honor for you, yet you have preferred boundless abasement for yourself. Therefore, make a return while there is still time, and do not waste the opportunity.
22 O son of desire!
The people of knowledge and insight struggled for years but did not attain the presence of the Glorious One, and they ran for ages but did not reach the meeting with the Beautiful One. You have arrived at the destination without seeking, and have attained your desire without asking. Yet, after all this, you have remained so veiled by the veil of your self that your eye has not fallen upon the beauty of the Beloved, and your hand has not reached the hem of the Friend. So, marvel at this, O people of insight!
23 O people of the land of love!
The eternal candle is besieged by the ephemeral winds, and the beauty of the spiritual Beloved remains hidden in the dust of the darkened mirror. The King of Kings of love is under the dominion of injustice, and the pure dove is caught in the hands of owls. All the inhabitants of the luminous Pavilion and the exalted Assembly are mourning and lamenting, while you dwell in perfect comfort in the land of heedlessness, considering yourselves to be among the sincere friends. Thus are your vain imaginings!
24 O ye known by the name of knowledge!
Why do you claim to be shepherds in appearance, but inwardly have become the wolves of My flock? Your likeness is like the star before the dawn, which appears bright and luminous in the sky, but in reality causes the travelers of the city and My land to lose their way and perish.
25 O you who appear adorned yet inwardly are shabby!
Your likeness is like clear but brackish water, which may seem pure and refined at first glance. However, once it comes to the hand of the discerning taster of unity, not a drop of it would be accepted. Indeed, the sun’s reflection is found in both a speck of dust and a mirror, but know the vast difference that lies between them. In fact, the difference is infinite.
26 O friend, my tongue!
Take a moment to reflect, have you ever heard that the Beloved and the others could fit into one heart? Therefore, drive out the others so that the Beloved may enter His rightful place.
27 O son of dust!
I established all that is in the heavens and on earth for you, except for hearts, which I designated as the place of manifestation for the beauty and grandeur of Myself. And yet, you chose a place for Me other than Myself. Every time My sacred presence showed signs of manifesting itself, it found strangers instead. My boundless sea hastened towards the desolation, and yet, I concealed it, did not disclose the secret, and chose not to shame you.
Verses 28-36
28 O essence of desire!
Countless times I have arrived from the east of the void to your place at dawn, only to find you immersed in your comfort and occupied with something other than Me. And like a spiritual lightning, I returned to the clouds of My majestic dominion, not disclosing your state to the holy hosts in the realms of My proximity.
29 O Son of Bounty!
In the desert of non-existence, you were, and I brought you into the world of being with My command. I entrusted all the atoms of possibilities and the realities of all things to your upbringing. Even before you emerged from your mother’s womb, I had designated for you two springs of bountiful milk and dedicated eyes for your protection. I instilled your love in hearts and nurtured you solely with My benevolence in the shade of My mercy. I safeguarded you with the essence of My grace and mercy. The purpose of all these stages was for you to attain My everlasting dominion and become capable of receiving My hidden gifts. But you, oblivious, once you matured, showed ingratitude for all My blessings, and you ventured into the abyss of delusion. By My decree, you completely forgot Me, found your home in the courtyard of My enemy, and made it your dwelling place.
30 O slave of the world!
In the early mornings, the breeze of My favor passed over you, but it found you asleep in the bed of heedlessness. It lamented your condition and returned.
31 O son of the Earth!
If you desire Me, desire none other than Me. If you long for My beauty, withdraw your gaze from the world. For the desire for Me and something else cannot coexist in the same heart, just as water and fire cannot be contained in the same place.
32 O stranger to the Beloved!
The lamp of your heart is kindled by the hand of My power, do not extinguish it with the contrary winds of self and desire. The remedy for all your ailments is the remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love your treasure and cherish it even as your very sight and life.
33 O My Brother!
Listen to the sweet words from My sugar-speaking tongue, and drink the spiritual holy water from My salt-speaking lips. That is, sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of your heart and irrigate them with the water of certainty, so that the green shoots of My knowledge and wisdom may sprout from the good soil.
34 O People of My paradise!
I have planted the sapling of love and friendship for you in the garden of holiness of My pleasure, and I have watered it with the spring of My mercy. Now it is near to bearing fruit. Make an effort to keep it safe, so that it does not burn in the fire of false hope and desire.
35 O My friends!
Extinguish the lamp of error, and kindle within your hearts the everlasting torches of divine guidance. For soon those who stand upon the throne of existence, in the presence of the Adored One, will accept only purest virtue, and deeds of stainless righteousness.
36 O son of dust!
The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffers not his cup till he finds a seeker, and the lover who cries not out from the depths of his heart until he gazes upon the beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the seeds of wisdom and knowledge in the pure soil of the heart, and keep them hidden, till the hyacinths of divine wisdom spring from the heart and not from mire and clay.
Verses 37-45
In the first line of the aforementioned tablet, it is written and inscribed, and in the pavilion of God’s protection it is hidden:
37 O My servant!
Do not exchange the everlasting dominion for that which perisheth, and forfeit not the heavenly sovereignty for a worldly desire. This is a river of everlasting life that hath flowed from the well-spring of the pen of the merciful. Blessed are they that drink!
38 O Son of Spirit,
Break the cage, and like the bird of love, soar in the sacred air. Transcend self, and with the breath of the Merciful, rest peacefully in the divine sanctum.
39 O Son of Dust,
Do not be content with the ease of a passing day, and do not pass by the everlasting comfort of eternity. Do not turn the eternal garden of heavenly delight into a fleeting earthly rose garden. Ascend from the prison to the pleasant open fields of the soul, and from the cage of possibility, stroll to the charming, boundless realm of the divine.
40 O My Servant,
Free yourself from the chains of the physical world, and liberate yourself from the prison of self. Count each moment as a treasure, for you will never see this time again, and you will never find this moment again.
41 O Son of My Handmaiden,
If you see an everlasting sovereignty, surely with utmost seriousness you will pass beyond the ephemeral dominion. However, the veiling of that (everlasting sovereignty) has wisdoms, and the manifestation of this (ephemeral dominion) has mysteries. None but the pure in heart can perceive it.
42 O My Servant,
Purify your heart from malice and, devoid of envy, enter into the court of holiness.
43 O My Friends,
Walk in the path of the good pleasure of the Friend, and know that His pleasure is in His creatures’ pleasure, that is, in their having love for Him. The lover does not enter the house of the beloved without the beloved’s consent, does not interfere with His affairs, does not prefer his own pleasure over that of the beloved, and does not count himself first in any matter. Reflect upon this, O ye possessors of insight!
44 O celestial friend,
Don’t listen to the bad and don’t see the bad, and do not demean yourself, and bring about repentance, meaning do not speak ill so you won’t hear [it], and do not consider people’s faults to be great so your own faults won’t appear to be large. Do not accept self-humiliation so your disgrace will not reveal itself. Therefore, with a pure heart, a clean conscience, a sacred breast, and a distinguished mind, be free in the days of your life which are less than what you think, so when you are freed from this mortal body, you may return to the paradise of meanings and find a permanent place in the eternal dominion.
45 Alas, alas, O lovers of worldly desires,
You have passed by the spiritual beloved like lightning and have firmly bound your heart to a devilish illusion. You bow down to the illusion, and you’ve called it truth, and you gaze at the thorn, and you’ve named it a rose. Neither a breath of relief has risen from you, nor a breeze of detachment from the gardens of your hearts. You’ve given the compassionate advice of the beloved to the wind, and erased it from the page of your heart. You graze like beasts in the meadow of lust and hope for survival.
Verses 46-54
46 O brothers on the path,
Why have you become oblivious of the remembrance of the beloved and remained far from the proximity of the friend’s presence? The peerless beauty is evident in the unique tent, established on the throne of glory, and you have become engrossed in disputes over your own desires. The fragrance of sanctity is wafting, and the breeze of generosity is blowing, but you all have fallen prey to the cold and have been deprived of everything. What a pity upon you and those who follow in your footsteps and tread on the path that you have passed!
47 O sons of hopes,
Take off the robe of vanity from your body and cast off the garment of arrogance from your flesh.
In line thirty from the lines of sanctity, which is recorded by the hidden pen on the ruby tablet, it is:
48 O Brothers,
Show consideration to each other and detach your hearts from the world. Show honor with dignity and refrain from disgraceful humility. I swear by my beauty, I have created everything from dust, and indeed, I will return it to the dust.
49 O sons of the soil,
Inform the rich about the dawn cry of the poor so they don’t perish due to negligence and remain without a share from the lote-tree of fortune. Generosity and benevolence are my characteristics; blessed are those who adorn themselves with my traits.
50 O naive lover,
You should abandon greed and be content with contentment, because the greedy have always been deprived, and the content ones are beloved and acceptable.
51 O son of my maid,
One should not worry in poverty and should not be assured in wealth. Every poverty has wealth following it, and every wealth has destruction trailing behind. However, the poverty bestowed by us towards Allah is a great blessing, do not consider it insignificant, because at its peak, the wealth in Allah will be revealed. At this stage, you are the concealed poor, and the blessed word “and Allah is the Rich (self-sufficient)” will appear, shine, become evident and clear like the true dawn from the horizon of the lover’s heart, and will be established and find its place on the throne of wealth.
52 O sons of heedlessness and desire,
You have allowed my enemy into my house and driven my friend away from me, insofar as you have allowed the love of others than me to reside in your heart. Listen to the words of the friend and turn towards his approval. Friends in the apparent world love each other for their own benefit, but your spiritual friend loves you for your sake, in fact, he has accepted countless trials specifically for your guidance. Do not act unjustly towards such a friend, and rush to his lane. This is the sun of the word of truth and loyalty, which has radiated from the horizon of the index finger of the master of names. Open your ears to the hearing of the word of God, the overseer, the eternal.
53 O ones deluded by transitory wealth,
Know that wealth is a firm barrier between the seeker and the sought, and between the lover and the beloved. A wealthy person never enters the abode of proximity, nor does he reach the city of contentment and surrender, except a little. Therefore, it is good for that wealthy one whose wealth does not prevent him from the eternal kingdom and does not deprive him of eternal fortune. I swear by the greatest name, the light of that wealthy one illuminates the people of heaven just as the sun illuminates the people of earth.
54 O wealthy ones of the earth,
The poor are my trust among you, so take good care of my trust and do not fully expend it for the comfort of your own souls.
Verses 55-63
55 O child of desire,
Purify yourself from the defilement of wealth and step into the heavens of poverty with perfect tranquility so that you may drink the wine of eternity from the eye of transience.
56 O my son,
The company of wicked ones increases sorrow, and the companionship of the righteous removes the rust from the heart. Whoever wishes to find companionship with Allah should find companionship with His beloved ones, and whoever wishes to hear the words of Allah should listen to the words of His chosen ones.
57 Beware, O son of dust,
Do not associate with and seek companionship with the wicked, as the company of the wicked transforms the light of the soul into a flame of torment.
58 O son of my handmaid,
If you seek the grace of the Holy Spirit, associate with the free, for the righteous have drunk the eternal cup from the hand of the immortal cupbearer, and they revive and illuminate the hearts of the dead like the truthful dawn.
59 O heedless ones,
Do not presume that the secrets of hearts are hidden. Rather, be certain that they are inscribed with a manifest script and are visible in the presence of the divine court.
60 O friends,
Truly I tell you that all that you have hidden in your hearts is as clear and manifest to us as the light of day. However, its concealment is due to our generosity and grace, not your deserving.
61 O son of man,
I have bestowed a dewdrop from the deep ocean of my mercy upon all creation, but I found no one receptive. Indeed, all have turned their faces from the delicate wine of eternal unity to the foul water, and they are satisfied with the mortal cup instead of the cup of everlasting beauty. How terrible is what they are content with.
62 O son of soil,
Do not close your eyes to the matchless wine of the Eternal Beloved, and do not open your eyes to the turbid wine of transience. Take the everlasting cups from the hand of the Unique Saki (cupbearer), so that you may come to your senses and hear the spiritual mysteries from the invisible realm. Say, O lowly ones, why have you turned from my holy everlasting wine to the transient water?
63 Say, O people of the earth,
Truly know that a sudden calamity is pursuing you and a mighty retribution is behind you. Do not imagine that what you have committed has been obliterated from view. I swear by My beauty, that all your actions are recorded with a radiant pen on emerald tablets.
Verses 64-72
64 O oppressors of the earth,
Refrain from your injustice, for I have vowed not to overlook the oppression of anyone. This is a covenant that I have inscribed in the Preserved Tablet and sealed with the seal of My power.
65 O transgressors,
My forbearance has emboldened you and My patience has led you into negligence, so that you ride recklessly on the dangerous paths of the fire of your own desires. It is as if you consider Me to be oblivious, or to be unaware.
66 O wanderers,
The tongue is for mentioning Me, yet you use it for backbiting. If a fiery temper overtakes you, busy yourself with considering your own faults, not with backbiting My creatures, for each of you knows your own self better than you know the selves of My servants.
67 O children of fancy,
Know ye that while the radiant dawn of divine illumination sheds its lustre from the heavenly horizon of the Eternal, the satanic secrets and deeds committed in the gloom of night shall be laid bare and manifest before the peoples of the world.
68 O plant of the soil,
How is it that with soiled hands you touch the robe of your own life, and with a heart tainted by carnal passions and vain desires, you seek to commune with Me and strive to enter My sacred realms? Far, far away are you from what you wish!
69 O Sons of Adam,
Words of purity and deeds of holiness ascend to the heaven of divine glory. Strive that your actions may be cleansed from the dust of self and desire, and find acceptance in the court of His might. Verily, soon the assayers of existence in the divine presence will accept naught but purest virtue, and will receive no deed except that which is sanctified. This is the Sun of Wisdom and meanings, shining from the horizon of the mouth of divine Will. Blessed are those who turn towards it!
70 O Son of Worldliness,
The dominion of existence is indeed a goodly place if thou dost enter it, and the carpet of eternity a fine spread if thou dost step beyond the realm of the ephemeral. The intoxication of ecstasy is delightful if thou dost drink the wine of meanings from the hand of the divine cupbearer. If thou dost attain to these stations, thou shalt be freed from nothingness and extinction, from hardship and error.
71 O My friends!
Recall the covenant you have made with Me on Mount Paran, in that blessed place in time. I called to witness the Exalted Assembly and the inhabitants of the City of eternity for that covenant, and now, I see none abiding by it. Indeed, vanity and disobedience have erased it from hearts, leaving no trace of it. By My life, I have been patient and concealed it.
72 O My servant!
You are like a precious sword concealed in a dark sheath. For this reason, your value remains hidden from the jewelers. So, come out from the sheath of self and desire, so that your worth may become apparent and clear to the world.
Verses 73-82
73 O My friend!
You are the sun of the heaven of My holiness. Do not let the eclipse of the world lean towards you. Tear the veil of oblivion so that you may appear from behind the clouds without veil or covering, and you may clothe all creatures with the robe of existence.
74 O children of vanity!
You have passed away from My eternal sovereignty due to the transitory reign of a few days, and you adorn yourselves with yellow and red ornaments, and thus you take pride. I swear by My beauty that I will bring everyone into the one-colored tent of dust and remove all these different colors, except for those who come in My color, and that is sanctified above all colors.
75 O children of heedlessness!
Do not attach your hearts to a transitory sovereignty and become joyous. Your similitude is like an unaware bird that sings with utmost tranquility on a branch of a garden, and suddenly the hunter of death brings it down to the dust. Thereafter, nothing of its melody, body, and color remains. Thus, take a lesson, O servants of desire.
76 O son of my handmaid!
Guidance has ever been given by words and now it is given by deeds. That is, every noble deed must be made manifest from the temple of man. For all share in words, but pure and holy deeds belong particularly to our friends. Strive then with heart and soul to distinguish yourselves by your deeds. In this wise, we counsel you in this holy and resplendent tablet.
77 O son of justice!
In the night of His beauty, the immortal figure of fidelity turned back from the emerald heights of fidelity to the Lote-Tree Beyond Which There Is No Passing, and wept a weeping such that all the Concourse on High and the Cherubim wept at his lament. And after asking about the cause of his lamentation and crying, it was learned that he had stayed in expectation upon the heights of fidelity, but had found no scent of fidelity from the inhabitants of the earth, and so he had returned. It was observed that several Holy Shrines had been afflicted by the hand of the earth’s people. At that time, a heavenly maiden ran out unveiled and without any covering from the spiritual palace and asked about their names. All were mentioned, except one of the names. And when she insisted, the first letter of the name flowed from the tongue, causing the dwellers of the chambers to rush out of their lofty places. And when it came to the second letter, they all fell upon the dust. At that point, a call came from a place near, “No more is permissible. We indeed were witnesses to what they did, and to what they are doing now.”
78 O son of my handmaid!
Drink from the stream of meanings from the Tongue of the Merciful and observe the radiance of the lights of the Sun of Explanation from the Dawn of Glory, without any veil or concealment. Sow the seeds of my divine wisdom in the pure soil of your heart and water it with the water of certainty so that the green ears of knowledge and wisdom from my bounty may sprout from this good land.
79 O son of passion!
How long will you fly in the air of selfish desires? I have granted you the wings of grace to fly in the air of sanctity of meanings, not in the space of satanic illusion. I have bestowed upon you the shoulder of mercy so that you may seek refuge in the locks of my musk-scented hair, not to wound my throat.
80 O my servants!
You are the trees of My paradise, and you must appear with exquisite and abundant fruits so that both you and others may benefit from you. Therefore, it is necessary for all to engage in crafts and professions. These are the means of wealth, O you people of understanding! Indeed, all affairs are dependent on their means, and the grace of God will enrich you therewith. Trees without fruits are fit for the fire, and so it will always be.
81 O my servant!
The lowliest of people are those souls that appear fruitless on earth and are, in truth, counted among the dead. Indeed, the physically dead are deemed superior to these idle and neglected souls in the sight of God.
82 O my servant!
The best of people are those who earn through lawful means and spend for themselves and their relatives for the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.
The bride of extraordinary meanings, which was concealed and hidden behind the veils of speech, has, through Divine Providence and Lordly Grace, emerged and become manifest like a radiant beam of the Beloved’s beauty. I bear witness, O friends, that the greatest bounty, the perfect proof, the manifest evidence, and the firm argument have been given. Now let’s see how your efforts manifest from the stages of detachment. Thus, the bounty is completed upon you and upon all who are in the heavens and the earth, and praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.