Lawḥ al-Aḥbāb (Tablet of the Friends)
This is the Tablet of the Friends,
It has descended from the presence of God, the Mighty, the Bestower,
In the name of God, the Most Holy, the Most Glorious.
In Praise of Baha’u’llah From God
1) This is a Book from Us to him who, when he hears the call from his Lord, the Most Glorious, says, ‘Yes, O God of all in the heavens and on the earth,’ that the signs of his Lord may attract him once again and draw him nearer to a station where he hears the call of all things in remembrance of God, the Creator of Names, and gives glad tidings to the nations with the remembrance of his Lord, the Owner of the Primordial, in secret and in public.
Today Is Not a Day For Sitting
2) Remind the servants of the remembrance of your Lord, the Master of the Hereafter. Say, ‘O people, the Day has come, and the sovereignty is to God, the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Overpowering.’ Today is not a day for sitting; rise with a standing that will cause all possibilities to stand. This is fitting for one who turns with his heart to the Qibla of the horizons.
3) How many who are standing are among those sitting in the sight of your Lord, and how many who have life are among the dead! Truly, he who has drunk the nectar of life from the hands of the grace of his Lord, the Merciful, is indeed standing, and your Lord is the Mighty, the Bestower. This is a standing that is not followed by sitting, if he is steadfast in the cause of God, the Master of the Necks. By My Life, sleep does not take him, even if he sleeps, but the people are in heedlessness and veiled. When the secret of his tongue takes root, the Bestower comes in the shadows of the clouds, and when he stands, he points with the finger of certainty towards the direction of the Worshipped and says, ‘This is the rising place of the signs of your Lord, the Mighty, the Luminous.’ How many who speak are silent, and how many who are silent are among those who speak the truth! Thus, the Merciful has borne witness that He is the Mighty, the All-Knowing.
4) He who speaks with this Greatest Remembrance is the one who speaks among the nations, and he who denies it is a crow, even if he is among the most eloquent of speakers. Thus, the matter is decreed from your Lord, the Master of Names and Attributes. Do not let adversity prevent you from the remembrance of your Lord, the Creator of the earth and the heavens. Follow your Master in all matters; thus, you have been commanded in the Psalms and the Tablets. Indeed, when he entered prison, he intended to convey the messages of his Lord to the kings, so that all may know that adversity did not prevent the Greatest Name when it came from the heaven of command with power and authority. We have revealed to each one a Tablet that glows between the heavens and the earth. Blessed is he who has attained it, and read, and said, ‘The power is to God, the All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Overpowering.’
Fulfilling God’s Covenant
5) Rely on God in all conditions, and the monotheists will see the banners of appearance in all directions. Blessed are you, O Our most truthful Name, for fulfilling God’s covenant and His promise on the day when faces shone from the lights of your Lord’s face, and the eyes of those who turned to God with submission and repentance were comforted. Conquer the cities of hearts with this Greatest Remembrance, and be a caller among the nations with this Name by which the earthquakes took all the tribes, and the rock called out with the loudest cry, “The Chosen One has come with the authority of greatness and power.” By My life, if anyone turns his heart to the Qibla of existence, he will find the fragrance of sanctity from this shirt by which the breezes of the Merciful wafted in the homes.
6) How many scholars are veiled today, and how many ignorant ones hastened to enter the dominion of their Rich, Exalted Lord. How many possessors of wisdom were prevented by delusions, and how many a youth broke the idols with the authority of his Mighty, Knowing, All-Powerful Lord. Blessed is the one who was taken by the breezes of the verses to the rank of tearing the veils, stood, and said, “O people, the Self-Subsisting has come, behold, O possessors of insight.” Blessed are you, for you were mentioned at all times with your Merciful Lord, and He sent down to you every year what comforted the eyes and uplifted the spirits.
Decreed For You and Your Offspring
7) God has heard what you asked and wanted; nothing escapes His knowledge. He decrees for whom He wills what He wills. Indeed, He is the Mighty, the Forgiving. Trust in Him in all matters. It is fitting that your desire should be what God has willed, for you are the first Name in the Book. We have decreed for you and your offspring what will establish your remembrance in creation. We have destined for you what you do not realize today. By My life, if you knew, you would fall upon the dust and say, “Praise be to You, O One whose bounty encompasses the beings,” and longing would take you to take from you the rein of patience, and My controlling Self over the contingent beings, if you are upright in a matter, even if the idolaters gather against you with swords of hatred, you would call out among them with a white face and a red appearance.
8) O people, fear today; the Originator of things has appeared with His most glorious Name, and then He will call from the direction of the prison and invite all to God, the Controller of the winds. O Pen of the Most High, remember the one who turned to God, Owner of the names, to read the verses of his Lord and be among the victorious. Remember the one named Ali before Asghar, who turned to the Greater Spectacle on the day when the Owner of Destiny came with clear authority. We have sent down to you before a Tablet by which the hearts of the lovers flew. Once again, a favor from the Mighty, the All-Knowing.
9) Glorified is the One who speaks at all times among the assembly of possibility and calls them to the straight path. Verily, those who turn away are not of concern; they are among the heedless. Say, O assembly of clarity, fear the Merciful. Follow the one to whose face the signs have prostrated and before whom the necks of the arrogant have submitted. Beware that you invoke what has not been decreed for you by your Mighty, Praiseworthy Lord.
10) By the True Self, the matter has concluded, and what you were promised in the scrolls of Allah, your Lord and the Lord of the Worlds, has appeared. He has come with the truth and has settled the vision of the world. Blessed is the one who turns to Him with an enlightened heart. Do not corrupt on the earth; we have adorned it with justice by this grace that has appeared from the horizon of the care of your All-Knowing, Expert Lord. Be supporters of the command of God. Beware not to exceed what is determined in the Book of God; thus have we commanded the servants in a Tablet sealed with the seal of your Able, Mighty Lord.
Chosen Trials For the Reform of the World
11) We have chosen trials for the reform of the world and the unity of those within it. Beware of speaking what diverges from the matter; thus does your Forgiving, Merciful Lord advise you. Adorn yourselves with the embroidery of servitude to God, the Truth, so that all directions may be encompassed by the lights that have shone from the horizon of this sky elevated by this Great Name. Through servitude, the worth of creation appears; through it, faces turn toward the source of the signs of your Mighty, Generous Lord. How many servants, when they saw that the matter was elevated, claimed what was lost by what their Able Master intended. When the scents of temptation blew, they turned away, and when the breezes of assurance passed, they objected to God, the Owner of the Day of Judgment.
12) Thus have we narrated to you so you may remind those who carve an idol every day and prostrate before it; they are indeed in far-off misguidance. Stand up to support the cause of your Lord with remembrance and clarity, as commanded by the Merciful in the Tablets. He indeed is the one who rules over what He wishes. Do not let the oppression of the oppressors grieve you or the tyranny of the polytheists deter you. God will seize them with a power from Him, just as He seized the parties before them. Your Lord is severe in punishment, and the sovereignty will remain with His dominant Self over the worlds.
13) Say, O people, this is the day of listening—if you listen to the call from the red Lote-Tree, upon the luminous spot, there is no god but I, the One, the Unique, the Mighty, the Beautiful. Leave the created behind you, then turn with your hearts to the source of inspiration. This is better for you than what is created in the heavens and the earth. Say, it is not for anyone to test God in this appearance, rather God tests whom He wishes. Fear God and do not follow every suspicious polytheist. If they choose what God has chosen by His grace, do not attach your faith to your desires, but to what has appeared and shone from the horizon of grace; thus you have been commanded in the clarity from the Merciful if you are among those who know.
14) Say, is it not enough for you what has appeared in this appearance? By God, the power has encompassed, the sovereignty has become apparent, the signs have shone, and the clear proofs have radiated. Blessed is the one who turns and is caught by God’s breeze on this bright, shining day. Among the people are those who want from God what is not written for them, and when they see, they turn away and are among the demeaning. And among them are those who attend the meeting of the Face and upon whom the Merciful reveals with the lights of beauty; they submit, prostrate, and say, “Praise be to You, O God of the worlds.” And among the people are those who, when they hear the call from the direction of destiny, turn to God, the owner of names. Thus have we detailed the matter for you, a favor from Us, be thankful and be among those who remember.
15) Then know that when We intended the proclamation, We created the wondrous with a word from Us and then breathed into it a spirit from Our presence. When its creation was completed, it rose like a mountain of fire in the book of Your chosen Lord, to the predetermined destination, in an inscribed Tablet. In it, We displayed Our power in a manner that unsettled the foundations of the transgressors, and We revealed therein, for every matter, what would set the hearts of the knowing aflutter. You will succeed with it if you read and ponder over what has been revealed therein, that you may ascend by the power of your Lord after being imprisoned in the ruins of houses, sitting under the swords of the oppressors. When you read, say, “Glory be to You, my God, indeed Your will has encompassed the beings, and Your power has overcome the possibilities.” Do not be frightened by the tyranny of those who have turned away from You; You do as You wish with Your authority and rule as You want with Your word. There is no escape for anyone except to You, and no place except in the shadow of Your mercy; there is no god but You, the Mighty, the Wise.
Rephrase the Verses Once Again
16) O Pen of the Most High, rephrase the verses once again so as to attract the people of genesis; indeed, You are capable of what You will; there is no god but He, the Dominant, the Sustaining. Then serve to the forbearing one the wine of the verses to draw him closer to the realm of names and attributes and bring him nearer to a station where he sees nothing but God, the Mighty, the Loving. If he becomes severed in My love from all else, let him witness My sovereignty and My power; thus have You been commanded from God, the Mighty, the Beloved. Do not let the affairs of humans grieve you and prevent you from the greater spectacle; leave what is with them and rely upon God, Lord of what was and what will be. If you are seized by the intoxication of the wine of understanding, rise with My name, the Merciful, among the possibilities, then call the people with wisdom and clear evidence to a praiseworthy station. Say, O people, fear God, the day has come and what has been mentioned in the Tablets has appeared; beware that you do not follow every rejected polytheist. The things between earth and heaven call out; veils have been torn, and the promised one has come; beware lest desires prevent you from guidance. Abandon the imagined; the known has come with a witnessed authority.
To My Loved Ones
Unite in the Cause of God
17) O my loved ones, unite in the cause of God so that the winds of disagreement do not pass among you. This is what you have been commanded in the Tablets, and this is better for you if you know. Stand up in support of the cause of God so that all the armies of the Earth do not intimidate you; thus has the matter been decreed in a well-preserved Tablet. How many standing have been prevented from turning [to God], and how many sitting have hastened until they have reached [their destination]. Blessed are the people who understand. How many with sight are prevented by veils, and how many blind have seen and said, “Praise be to You, O God of the unseen and the witnesses.” Indeed, those who have turned [to God] will be blessed by the inhabitants of Paradise; they will soon see themselves in the highest station. Your Lord is indeed the Truth, the Knower of the unseen.
18) Say, O people, indeed, it is the greatest sign among you, and the beauty of the Most High God is within you if you perceive. Indeed, it is God’s domination over those who have turned away and the breath of the Merciful for those who are turning [towards Him]. Say, from whom do you flee? Do you think there is an escape for yourselves? No, and by His luminous beauty, if you understand. Say, nothing will benefit you today if you cling to the causes of the heavens and the earth, except by turning towards the source of grace with this name, the Sovereign over every witness and witnessed. Blessed is the sleeper who awakens to the call of God and the heedless who turns to the Face; woe to every rational person who is veiled. O Pen of Antiquity, remind the nations, then he who has been graced with this shining light from the horizon of the will of his Mighty, Generous Lord. O Guided One, if you hear the call from the direction of greatness, from this Single, Elevated Lote-Tree in this luminous spot, in the name of Your Most Glorious Lord, indeed, there is no god but He, the Able, the Chosen.
19) Follow the command of God as revealed in the Book, then turn your heart towards the Face, turning away from every associator in doubt. Say, O people, rejoice in those days in which the Merciful has come in the shadows of proof, and the sun of the Face has shone without clouds and veils. Blessed is the one who flew in the air of the mercy of the Merciful, and whose heart has turned towards Him with humility and repentance. Cut off what your desires desire and hold onto the Firm Handle; this is better for you from the realm of the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, and none comprehend this but those endowed with intellect. Thus, we have flowed the wine of meanings and elucidation in the rivers of wisdom and clarification; indeed, your Lord is the Mighty, the Forgiver. Do not let veils prevent you from the remembrance of your Mighty, Generous Lord; mention your Lord with this greatest remembrance with fervor and attraction. Indeed, those who are heedless today have disbelieved in God, the Lord of lords.
To the Assembly of Scholars
20) Say, O assembly of scholars, leave the pen of desires. Indeed, the Supreme Pen has moved by the permission of your Most High, Most Glorious Lord. Then listen to what is being proclaimed by the tongue of greatness and majesty between the earth and the heavens. Then, put aside knowledge; the Known has come with His name, the Sustaining, with power and authority. Does what you have benefit you? No, and [He is] the Opener of doors. Where are those who were before you? Reflect, O possessors of insight. Blessed is the scholar who has torn the greatest veil and turned towards the purest vision; indeed, he is from the highest of creation in the presence of the Exalted Truth. The world and what you boast in will perish, and the honor and power will remain for those who have turned to this Face before which necks have submitted.
Leave the Symbols Behind You
25) Leave the symbols behind you, then approach the Point of Existence with bright faces; this is better for you than what you possess if you are discerning. Neither your belief benefits us, nor your turning away harms us; all things bear witness to this and beyond them, the Tongue of God, the All-Knowing, the Wise. From the horizon of tribulation, we call all to God; whoever approaches has succeeded, and whoever denies is among the wrongdoers. Thus, we have sifted upon you from the basin of grace; if you succeed, say, ‘Praise be to You, O Goal of the Knowers.’
26) Indeed, O Pen of Revelation, remind the dyer. Say, the day of dyeing has come. Blessed is the one dyed in the dye of God; indeed, he has severed himself from all else. Thus decrees the Supreme Pen from your Mighty, Wise Lord. Dye the servants in the name of the Master of Creation, thus have you been commanded from your Mighty, Praiseworthy Lord.
27) Say, O people, fear God and do not follow the ascetics who cling to the rope of mere names, calling them every morning and evening, yet when their summoner arrives amid shades of light, they reject, until they commit clear injustice against him. By that, the word of punishment has become due upon them; they will return to their dwelling place, how wretched is the abode of the polytheists. How many veiled ones believed in the Master of Creation, and how many turban-wearers disbelieved in God, the Master of the Day of Judgment. How many an ignorant one drank from the river of knowledge from the hands of Grace, and how many a scholar was lost in the wastelands of misguidance. Thus has been decreed for each soul its recompense; indeed, your Lord is the All-Powerful, the Capable.
28) Say, O people, this is your Merciful Lord; He has brought the argument and the proof. Approach Him and do not follow any sinful rejecter. This is a day where the faces of those who turn away from the Countenance will blacken, and the faces of those who turn towards it will light up. Say, O people of exposition, fear the Merciful and do not obstruct that by which the lights of gnosis have appeared in the dominion of possibility and the Trustworthy Spirit has called by His Name.
29) Indeed, among the polytheists are those who say, “He denies the unseen.” Say, “Hold your tongue, O polytheist against God; indeed, the unseen speaks through this creative, wondrous tongue.” Atoms testify that there is no god but He, the one who speaks is the manifestation of His essence, the dawn of His signs, the sunrise of His revelation, and the source of His command among the worlds. And among them are those who say, “Will the Merciful come before the completion of the articulation of exposition?” Say, “By My appearance, all things are completed if you are among those who know. By My name, the exposition descended. By My life, had it not been for My appearance, creation would not have been completed, even if it had remained in the eternal dominion and kingdom. Fear God and do not follow the assumptions of the deniers.”
The Bearer of Grace
30) Say, I am the bearer of grace for what was sown in the exposition, and we have been to it like the winds of spring. By My appearance, the sky of exposition was elevated and adorned with radiant stars and lush words. The entire existence, from the unseen to the seen, testifies to that, except those who see in their faces the darkness of hell. Blessed is the face illuminated by this light and the heart attracted by the signs of its All-Knowing, Wise Lord. I have created hearts for My recognition, tongues for My praise, and eyes for My beauty. Indeed, light has dawned from the horizon of imprisonment over what the lamenting hearts of the oppressors have obstructed. Blessed are you for what the Supreme Pen has set in motion in your remembrance from your Glorious Lord; by My life, this is indeed a great favor.
31) O Greatest Pen, mention your servant Husayn, who believed in the Master of Nations, so that he may direct his heart toward the Greater Vision. O Husayn, we have revealed to you various tablets, yet again, so that you may thank your Lord, the Master of Fate.
To the Assembly of Mankind
32) Say, O assembly of mankind, to which direction will you flee? Today, there is no escape for you, unless you set aside what you have and cling to the luminous, holy rope of God. Indeed, it is the Greater Sign among you, and His argument for those in the heavens and the earth; it is a hidden secret by which God punishes those who disbelieve and deny, indeed His subjugation is more severe and terrible.
The Covenant of His Own Self
33) Say, to whom do you rush, O people of misguidance? Hasten to Him with your hearts; indeed, to Me is the ultimate destination. Lights of the countenance have dawned from the horizon of command; blessed is the one who looks, and woe to the one who frowns and is blind. Say, this is the diversion by which God took His covenant in the particle of exposition before the covenant of His own self; what was revealed in the tablets and scriptures testifies to that.
34) Say, this is a day on which the Merciful has been revealed over possibilities. Blessed are the people of vision; indeed, He has appeared in a state that neither the indifference of the indifferent can prevent, nor can the veils of those who trespass against God and disbelieve obstruct. By My life, one who finds the sweetness of the remembrance of his Merciful Lord will fly with the wings of certainty over all possibilities. All those with knowledge and contemplation testify to this.
Punishment Will Pass Over Those Who Disbelieve
35) Drink from the path of wisdom and exposition from what flows from this pen, which solidifies the decree of fate. When We reveal the verses, they say, “These are fabrications,” and when We manifest what bewilders minds and souls, they say, “This is ongoing sorcery.” Do not let the signs of the people sadden you; leave them behind you. Soon the breezes of punishment will pass over them, and the monotheists will see them as withered, inverted palm trunks.
36) Where are the palaces of those who disbelieved in God? We have returned them to their graves. Indeed, your Lord is the Mighty, the Capable. When the countenance radiates from the horizon of grace, the sun is eclipsed, and the moon splits. Those who turn away from God are indeed in punishment and hellfire, while those who approach will have the highest assembly praying upon them, and their names will be mentioned in a preserved tablet.
37) Blessed is the pen set in motion by My remembrance, from which has emerged what establishes My command. Woe to those who deny the command of God when it is exalted and manifest. O Supreme Pen, direct yourself to your servant Ali before approval, then adorn him with your Mighty, Impenetrable remembrance, so that he may fly with the wings of longing in this air, which God has made sacred from the assumptions of the polytheists. Follow the way of God and His Sunnah; this is what you have been commanded in a clear tablet. We find from you the scent of love because of what We have made you manifest on the earth where We sent the Beloved of the Worlds. Thank God for this grace, and then recognize the station of this great station.
Mention God In a Manner That Awakens Those Who Are Asleep
38) Beware that nothing should deter you from God. Glorify your Lord with praise among His heedless servants. Mention Him in a manner that awakens those who are asleep; this befits the one who turns towards the direction of the gnostics. How many worshippers serve God during nights and days, yet when confronted with the Truth, they disbelieve in their Mighty, Wise Lord. How many servants roam the lands and visit places where manifestations of My names are buried, yet when the source of names and its authority appears, they disbelieve and turn away; surely they are among the losers.
39) Blessed is the one immersed in the Greater Ocean, stirred by this name, which God has made the authority of names for all in the heavens and the earths. Thank your Lord for directing His attention towards you, your Mighty, Praiseworthy Lord. Thus, We have revealed the verses and sent them to you to read and be among the thankful.
Mention the Noble Ali
40) Then, mention noble Ali who believes in the Mighty, Unique God, to attract him through the breezes of revelation and sanctify him from the world and all that is in it, turning towards the dominion of his Mighty, Generous Lord. Leave everything aside except My love. By God, it cannot be equaled by the treasures upon the earth or the stores of the worlds. Preserve the pearl of the love for the Merciful in your heart with this Mighty, Impenetrable name, then conceal it from those who have betrayed the command of God. So commands this oppressed stranger.
41) Adorn your face with orientation, your heart with devotion, and your tongue with the praise of your Beautiful Lord. Do not be saddened by those from whom you sense the breezes of aversion; leave them to wade and play; indeed, they walk with the wrath of God behind them. Thus, the judgment is decreed in a preserved tablet. Mention your Lord in a manner that attracts all possibilities; this befits one who turns towards God with a heart that is pure and luminous.
42) Blessed is the one who sees and knows, who hears and listens, who speaks with this wise remembrance. Blessed is the heedless one whose heart turns toward the direction of horizons, woe to the intellectual who abstains from this bounty encompassing all creation. Be steadfast in the love of your Lord, so that the veils of illusions and the clamor of the oppressors do not deter you. Rely on God in all conditions, and when you succeed with the Tablet, say: Praise be to You, O Beloved of the hearts of the devoted.
Remember Taqiyyah
43) O Holy Pen, remember the ‘T’ before the ‘Q’ and ‘Y,’ that it may rejoice in what has been mentioned from the Most Splendid Pen, and say: Praise be to You, by whose light the earths and heavens have shone. Listen to the call from the shore of affection, in the luminous spot, from the Lote-Tree of the heart. Indeed, there is no god but He, the Powerful, the Forgiving.
44) Rejoice in what you have mentioned from the Pen of Command, by which the winds were subjugated. Do not grieve over anything; rely in all matters on your Mighty, Chosen Lord. He has decreed for His loved ones what pens cannot describe. O Beloved of the Merciful, be upright in the command so that neither the power of kings nor the anger of the subjects deter you. This is fitting for everyone who turns his face toward the Divine, detached from directions. Convey to the servants what you have known of the affair of your Merciful Lord. Thus, we have instructed you in the Scriptures and Tablets.
45) Hold fast in conveying the message with the rope of wisdom and clarity. So teaches you the King of Religions. Do you see what you see for the preservation of the exalted Judge over those in the lands? Adopt My ethics so that the breezes of sanctification may envelop you in the verses. Do not grieve over what has befallen you of tribulations. We were with you when you were before the oppressors. Indeed, your Lord is the Mighty, the All-Knowing.
46) Nothing escapes His knowledge; He has knowledge of everything in the Book. He has decreed for you what you carry in His path, to delight the eyes. So have We cast upon you the signs of your Lord that you may be thankful in the evenings and mornings. O Pen of Might, mention your chosen servants, whose names you have inscribed on the Tablet, so that they may thank God, their Lord, in the nights and days. O My beloved, by My life, you are under the gaze of your Lord, and the tongue of greatness moves in your remembrance, O assembly of companions.
47) You are the ones who turned towards the Divine on the day when eyes were petrified, recognizing your Lord while people were heedless and veiled. Soon, those on Earth will take pride in your names and lament what has befallen you from those who disbelieve in God, the Splitter of dawn. Do not grieve over anything; rely on Him in all matters. He is with His servants who have kept the covenant. Glory be upon you, O Beloved of God, from your Mighty, Giving Lord. If your names are left out of the Tablet, We have mentioned them in a Tablet that God has made the Mother of Tablets. Rejoice in the remembrance of you near the Throne, when the Lord of the Throne was before the wrongdoers.
Glory Be to God
48) Glory be to You, my God. You know that I am in prison, calling Your beloved to a share of Your gifts, purely for Your sake. When the idolaters surrounded me from all sides, I remembered You, O Master of names and attributes. I ask You to grant Your servants success in supporting Your cause and elevating Your word, then strengthen them in what manifests the sanctification of Your Essence among Your creatures, and the glorification of Your commands among Your creation. O Lord, enlighten the eyes of their hearts with the light of Your knowledge, and adorn their forms with the embroidery of Your Most Beautiful Names in the realm of creation. Indeed, You are capable of what You will; there is no god but You, the Mighty, the Wise.