Lawḥ-i-Mawlúd (The Birth of Baha’u’llah)

The Night Which Spheres Were Gathered

O assembly of the unseen and the seen, rejoice within yourselves, then be glad within your beings for that which has appeared on the night in which the spheres were gathered, the cycles revolved, the nights and days were raised, and the time of the decree arrived from the presence of the Omnipotent, the Almighty. So glad tidings to those in the Supreme Concourse for this wondrous and glorious spirit.

This is the night in which the gates of Paradise have been opened and the gates of Hellfire have been closed, and the pleasure of the All-Merciful has appeared at the axis of the worlds. The breeze of God has blown from the direction of forgiveness, and the hour has come with the truth, if you are among the knowing. So glad tidings for this night from which all days have been illumined, and none understand this except every certain and discerning one.

Around it have circled the Nights of Power, and the angels and the spirit have descended therein with the vessels of Kawthar and Tasneem. In it, every garden has been adorned with the design of the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the Beneficent, and everything that was has been resurrected, and in it, mercy has preceded all the worlds. So glad tidings to you, O assembly of spirit, for this clear and manifest bounty.

In it, the foundations of falsehood have been shaken, and the greatest idol has fallen face down in the dust, and the foundations of evils have vanished. The false gods have mourned within themselves, and the back of the arrogant has been broken, and his face remains blackened by the dawn of appearance. In it, what has delighted the eyes of majesty and grandeur, and then the eyes of the prophets and messengers, has appeared. So blessed be this dawn which has appeared with the truth from the radiant horizon of might.

Say, in it, the devils have been prevented from ascending to the dominion of might and power, and the hearts of those who opposed the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the Chosen One, have been darkened. In it, the faces of the wicked have blackened, and the countenances of the righteous have shone from this beauty, whose appearance has been awaited by the dominion of the unseen and the seen, and then the people of the Supreme Concourse. So my spirit is for this spirit, from which the contents of the graves were scattered, and every decayed bone was stirred.

Say, O source of evils, strike upon your head, and then, O mine of tyranny, return to your abode in inferiority for that the beauty of the All-Merciful has shone from the horizon of possibility with the radiance that has encompassed its lights over all those in the dominions of the Most Glorious. From it, the Spirit of God, the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the Beneficent, was created, and by it, the fingers of will emerged from the robe of grandeur and pierced the veils of the worlds with His omnipotent, invincible, mighty, and exalted sovereignty.

Blessed Be This Dawn

So blessed be this dawn, in which the Ancient Beauty has been seated on the throne of His most great and mighty name. And in it, He was born who neither begets nor is begotten. Blessed are those who immerse themselves in the ocean of meanings from this utterance and reach the pearls of knowledge and wisdom that are hidden in the words of God, the Exalted, the Omnipotent, the Mighty. So blessed is the one who knows and becomes of the knowing.

This is the dawn in which the tribes of the Supreme Concourse descended, then the angels of sanctity, and among them are those who ascended with the breaths of the Most Glorious Beauty to the inhabitants of the Supreme Concourse. From these breaths, other angels descended with cups of the eternal Kawthar, giving drink to those who circled around the abode where the Ancient Form has seated Himself upon the throne of His most honored and noble name. So glad tidings to those who stood before Him, witnessed His beauty, heard His melodies, and whose hearts were revived by the word that came forth from the sacred, exalted, mighty, and luminous lips.

This is the dawn in which the Greatest Tree was planted and bore the fruits of wondrous might. By God, each fruit from it contains melodies upon melodies. Thus, we recount for you, O assembly of spirit, some of its harmonies to draw you and bring you closer to God, the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the Able. So blessed is this dawn from which the suns arose from the horizon of sanctity by the command of God, the Inaccessible, the Mighty, the Exalted.

This is the dawn in which the essence of the hidden was revealed and the unseen treasure manifested. In it, the Ancient Beauty took the cup of eternity with the fingers of glory, first drank from it Himself, then offered it to the inhabitants of the world from all classes and stations. So blessed is the one who came forward, took it, and was given drink by His love, the Mighty, the Exalted.

The Fruits of the Tree

One of its fruits spoke as the Burning Bush on the white, blessed spot spoke, and the ear of Moses heard from it what cut him off from all possibilities and brought him near to a holy, secure place. So blessed is the one who is drawn by God, the Omnipotent, the Supreme, the Great.

Another fruit spoke, attracting from it the spirit that ascended to the sky of evident might. So blessed is this spirit that stood before it, the Faithful Spirit with a tribe of the close angels.

Another fruit spoke, attracting from it the heart of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, and ascended from this sweetest call to the Lote-Tree of the Extremity. He heard the call of God from behind the veil of grandeur about the mystery of My most holy, supreme, and great name. So blessed is this Lote-Tree, which was raised by the truth so that the worlds may seek shelter in its shade.

O Pen of the Most High, restrain yourself! By the true God, if you were to speak and recount the melodies of the fruits from the Tree of God, you would remain alone on earth, for all people would flee from around you and turn away from your holy precinct. This is the absolute truth. So blessed are those secrets which no one can bear except God, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Beautiful.

Have you not seen, O Pen, that you have only revealed a fraction of the secrets of your Lord, the Exalted, the Most Glorious? Yet the clamor of the hypocrites has risen in the lands, and the noise of the wicked among the disbelievers has increased. Therefore, take hold of yourself, then restrain, then conceal what God has bestowed upon you by His grace. If you desire to give the creatures the water of the pure life, which God has made you its source, then flow according to their capacity. Thus commands you the One who created you by His command. Therefore, act according to what you have been commanded and do not be of the patient. So blessed is this decree, from which the reins of existence are held, and the Pen of the Most High is prevented from mentioning what has been concealed from the world of creation, and indeed, He is over all things capable.