Suriy-i-Hajj (Baghdad)

He has ordained for every village wherein this Tablet is spread, that its people shall celebrate on that day, proclaim His praise, magnify Him, live with the utmost of what they possess, and be among the thankful.

He is the Ever-Abiding, the Manifest.

Glorified be the One who has sent down the verses in truth, and sends down by His command however He wills. There is no god but Him, the Mighty, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful. Nothing can hinder Him from His command and sovereignty—He does whatever He wills in the realm of command and creation, and judges as He desires. Unto Him bows down everything in the heavens and on the earth. He gives life and causes death, then raises to life whom He wills from this sweet, holy, radiant Kawthar.

Say: By God! The Spirit of the Command has appeared in truth, and the beauty of Oneness has shone forth from the Dawning-Place of Holiness with a manifest authority. Through Him God has tested all who dwell in the Kingdom of Command and creation. He is indeed the Balance of God between the heavens and the earth.

Say: In this Revelation, the Tree of Sinai proclaims with truth: “There is no god but Me, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate.”

Say: O people! Be mindful of God and do not differ concerning the Word of God. It has indeed appeared in truth by a command so mighty that all who dwell in the heavens and on the earth are thunderstruck by it—except those whom your Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Subduing, the Praiseworthy, has willed.

Say: It was among you and recited unto you at all times from the verses of God, yet you did not perceive it, for delusions overcame you and you were heedless in manifest error. Thus did God veil your eyes from recognizing His Self after He had been among you in the beauty the likeness of which no one among the former generations has ever attained. O servant! Hear the call of God from this Tree raised upon the Mount of Holiness, proclaiming with truth: “There is no god but He, the Mighty, the Beautiful.”

Say: This is a call the like of which none has heard in the Eternal Eternity, nor shall any hear it unless he enters this lofty, inaccessible Ridván.

O Muhammad! With the ear of the Spirit, hear the call of God from this leaf that is sprouting, moving, raised up, singing upon this Tree that is elevated, divine, and unitive. Do not turn to any soul—place thy trust in God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds. Turn to Him, fear no one, and be not of the heedless. Then know that We commanded thee upon thy departure from before Us and entrusted thee with weighty, decisive counsels. Among them, We enjoined upon thee that thou should neither add to what thou beheld during thy migration with God nor subtract from what thou witnessed. This was from Our command upon thee—every created thing bears witness, and beyond it, the tongue of God, the King, the Mighty, the All-Powerful. Yet thou hast increased the people’s delusions and diminished what thou didst witness of the power of God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers of old.

O Muhammad! Be mindful of God, follow not thy passions, alter not God’s blessing upon thyself and upon His servants, and be not of the ignorant. Be mindful of God in thyself, then witness the command of God with thine own eyes. Then rend asunder the veils of delusion in My name, the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the Wise. If thou do not tear away the veils from the face of thy heart for all eternity, We shall not hold the reins of the command for thee, nor shall We continue to enjoin it upon thee in the name of God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing— until thou rend the veils and rise from the Dawning-Place of the command with wondrous power and authority.

O Muhammad! Deliver thyself, then deliver the people with what has dawned forth of the Countenance from behind the veils, with the lights of a mighty glory. Then remind the people of what thou hast been commanded with from God, and delay not even a moment. Strengthen thy back with what We commanded thee in this luminous, radiant Tablet. Be not of those who follow only their own desires and are among the losers.

Know that thy Lord is aware of all things. With Him is the knowledge of the heavens and the earth and the unseen of the realms of command and creation. This is the truth if thou art of those who know. No matter confounds Him, nor is anything hidden from Him of what dwells in the breasts of people. He is indeed encompassing of all the worlds. Beware, beware, O Muhammad! Hear My words and disregard all who are in the heavens and the earth behind thee. Then stand firm upon the command with steadfastness from Us and a decree from Our presence. Do not tremble within thyself and be not of those who fear.

Didst thou not see and witness the authority of power and might? Didst thou not observe how the hand of God appeared from the robe of a sanctified holiness? Didst thou not see how all matters were subdued before His authority, how the necks of the pharaohs bowed, and how all those of great strength were humbled—even while He was before the enemies morning and evening, at every dawn and twilight?Didst thou not witness the acknowledgment of all the learned ones and their incapacity when the lights of knowledge and wisdom shone forth upon them from this most wondrous, brilliant mouth?

O Muhammad, render justice for the sake of God, then reflect upon what has dawned forth in bounty. Do not follow your own desires, and be not of those who turn away. Purify yourself from the limitations of human bounds, and do not stray from the command of fairness. Let not your gaze turn away from the sight of the Most Exalted, the Most Great Dawning-Place. God has not placed two hearts within any man—this is what We had previously revealed to Muhammad the Arabian, and now made manifest in a clear Arabic tongue. Polish the mirror of your heart that the beauty of God may be imprinted upon it. This is My counsel to you and to Our devoted servants. By God! The bounty of God has been completed for you. His authority has appeared, His proof has shone forth, His testimony has come, and His argument is complete—if you are among those who behold.

O Muhammad, We veiled Our face from you for twenty years—your own selves and spirits bear witness to this, and beyond you, all who dwell in the Pavilion of Eternity behind the oceans of everlastingness, among the temples of the sanctified. And the people were perplexed by this Beauty to such a degree that none recognized Him, even after all had sat in His presence day after day, hearing His verses and witnessing His lights, which encompassed all in the heavens and on earth and all the former and latter generations.

O Muhammad, you had previously been among those who heralded this Manifestation in the ninth year, as God had foretold in all the Tablets, and indeed in every scroll and luminous scripture. Yet We restrained you then, for the appointed time of God had not yet been fulfilled, nor had the promise come that was decreed in the Tablets of holy preservation. Then, when the appointed time was fulfilled and the promise arrived, We commanded you with what you had longed for—to be among those who remember the command, the weight of which sustains not the heavens or the earth. This is what was revealed at that time from the realm of God, the Most High, the Most Great.

O Muhammad! First, wash thyself, then thy soul, then thy essence, then thy body, and then thy limbs with this Kawthar that has flowed in truth from this luminous, upright Pen. Then wash the people with it, to the extent that you are able, that the hearts of those who know may be purified thereby. Then know that thy Lord has power to change all who dwell in the realm with but a single letter from Him. He is indeed the Mighty, the All-Powerful. Yet He has delayed this according to what was decreed in the Tablets, that the pure may be distinguished from the vile, the blessed from the wretched, and the monotheists separated from the idolaters.

Say: By God, the test has come! And by it the foundations of the people have quaked, and the hearts of the near ones have been shaken. Say: Those who scorned worship of their Lord preferred blindness over guidance, darkness over light, and verily they are in manifest loss.

O Muhammad, remind the people of this sacred and sanctified place—for it is the station God has made holy from every defilement and purified from the gaze of the defiled. As for you, ascend with this wing with which We have honored you to the station where the whole earth and all upon it lie beneath your shade. Then deliver to the people that which We have commanded you, and do not be among the patient who wait. Then walk among the people with a light from Us. If you find one who turns to you, turn to him with your whole being; if you find one who turns away, turn away from him and put your trust in God, the One, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware.

Say: O people, have mercy on your own souls and the souls of the servants of God. Do not shut the doors of bounty upon your faces, and be not among the perishing. O people, do not rejoice in what you possess of fancies and illusions. Rather, rejoice in what is with God. This is the judgment of God upon you, if you are among those who perceive. Then know, O Muhammad, that the idolaters sought to cut off the breezes of God from blowing and to exchange the Word of God with the promptings of their own selves and passions. Therefore, they confined Us in this land—one from which the hands of the hopeful and the feet of the seekers are cut off.

Say: God is dominant over His command, capable of His deed. His command is above your command, and His design beyond your planning. He does whatever He wills, and nothing can hinder Him in His power and authority. He is the Ever-Abiding, Eternal, Mighty, All-Powerful. Soon His command shall appear, His proof be exalted, and His sovereignty raised to a station beyond the reach of the idolaters. Thus have We recounted to you every tale, and explained to you what We were upon. This is the Greatest, Most Mighty News—that your eye may find joy in it, and the eyes of those who see only through this most noble and honored vision.

O Muhammad, breathe from the spirit of the Ever-Living into the forms of all the worlds. Then sever thy bond from every being of connection, and cling to this firm, radiant, luminous Handle, that the winds of detachment may blow from thee upon all who dwell upon the earth. And when thou enterest the land of Qáf, remind its people of what We commanded thee in this Tablet, so that thou may be a bearer of glad tidings from Us to the sincere. Then remind on Our behalf the letter H (ḥarf al-hāʾ), that he might rejoice within himself at the glad-tidings of God and be among the content.

Say: O letter H, thou didst ask God, thy Lord, in years past, concerning what We revealed in truth in a mighty, non-Arabic tongue. But We withheld the reins of the Pen in response to thee, for We found thee heedless and in great intoxication. By God, at this the heavens wept, the land of holiness trembled, the mountains of knowledge were crushed, and the breasts of the near ones grew tight.

Say: O Hádí! In what didst thou believe in ʿAlí before, and before him in Muḥammad, the Messenger of God, and before him in the Son of Mary, and before him in Moses, the Speaker, and before him in the Friend of the All-Merciful, and before him in Noah the Prophet—until the Message returned in the wondrous form of the First? Then bring it forth, if thou art of the truthful. If thou believed in them because of the verses of God revealed unto them, then say: By God! This is the very same. This Beauty is their beauty—witness it, if you are among the witnesses. And beyond this, the horizons are filled with the lights of this Dawn, and the sovereignty of the Names has appeared in every noble, exalted form and wondrous garment.

Say: By God, O letter H, thy soul wept when this question issued from thy mouth and flowed from thy pen—for thou knewest not and wert among the heedless. Know, then, that thy Lord—while He was in the realm of His hidden sovereignty—was not encompassed by names or attributes or the hearts of the Messengers. And when He settled upon the throne of Manifestation, all names and attributes served Him as a servant serves his master, if you are among the seers. Yet He Himself is sanctified from all this, and from whatever you have known. This is what was revealed in truth from the realm of sublime glory.

Have you not borne witness that all these things were created by His word? And if you do not bear witness, then We surely have, in truth, and We are witness and aware. So bear witness that the sun was created by His command, and God created it with bounty, and made it a lamp of His majesty between the heavens and the earth. In the same way, recognize all names as revolving around Him, if thou art among those who behold. And yet, how didst thou consent that We should reduce one of the Names to Our own Self after We made the Cause manifest to you with a clear proof? We indeed created the Names and their kingdom with the power of might and strength—yet you denied their Originator a single one of them. So did you act, if you are among those who reflect.

Yet We have pardoned thee—ask forgiveness from God, thy Lord, and be among the repentant. O servant! Be mindful of God, then open your eyes to witness the Cause of God with your own sight. By God, nothing shall avail you today—not even if you cling to the former and the latter generations—except that you enter the shadow of God, and this is His shadow which has encompassed all the worlds.

Say: By God! After its appearance, the truth will not suffice you, nor will any matter enrich you—even if you bring every symbol of the heedless you possess as proof. Then know that all you have heard has appeared by My command while you were in heedlessness and behind a thick veil. And all that you have perceived or known or understood or reasoned by—returns by My word just as it returned in the former ages.

Say: Do you intend to cover the beauty of the sun with the garments of malice and hatred, or with the veils of your suspicions, O company of those who turn away? Or to restrain the ocean of God from its waves, or the fire of the Cause from its flames? Evil indeed is what you have imagined within yourselves, and foul what you have done—and you are devoted to it. Beware! O people of the Bayán! Do not associate anything with God, and do not contend with Him based on what you possess. Recall what you were counseled in the scrolls and tablets. Be mindful of God and be among the reverent. Was this not among the signs of God? Was this not His servant—His beauty, His majesty, His splendor—then His command, His radiance? And it has shone with lights by whose dawning all other suns were eclipsed—so how could these ones remain in darkness?

Say: By God, He has descended from the heaven of the Cause, and in His right hand is the Kingdom of Might and Power. He calls the people to the Ridván of Holiness, and He fears no one, even if the idolaters from among the disbelievers were to surround Him.

Say: He appeared once in the name of the Wondrous First, then in the name of the Friend (Abraham), then in the name of the Speaker (Moses), then in the name of the Spirit (Jesus), then in the name of the Beloved (Muhammad), then in the name of ʿAlí in truth, then in the name of Ḥusayn in this sacred, radiant, luminous Beauty. All this We recount to you because We found the people feeble—otherwise, by the One in whose hand is My soul, We would cast upon you melodies which would draw the hearts of the Concourse on High and cause all who dwell in the realm of creation to be thunderstruck.

Say: O my people, have mercy upon the one who has come to you with the proof of God and His testimony, calling you to Him and to that which has been sent down from His presence. And if you do not believe in Him, then leave Him to Himself, and do not assault Him, and be not among those who turn away. Do you not see how He rose up alone while all the peoples opposed Him with whatever was at their disposal? Will you deny this bounty after you have seen it with your own eyes and are among the witnesses?

He Himself feared no one, nor will He fear, through the power and might of God. He conveyed the Cause from the East of the earth to its West and to all that lies between, among those possessing strength, dominion, and mighty authority. If you are able, rise from your places, and lift your heads from the eggshells of heedlessness, that you might witness the power of God and what has appeared from His presence, and perceive your own incapacity and the incapacity of all creation.

Have the banners of victory not been raised? Has the name of God not filled the space between heaven and earth? Have I not ransomed My soul every day and every moment?

Say: By God, I did not guard Myself even for an instant. I shone forth like the sun above the heads of My enemies, while you did not aid God even for an instant, remaining seated in your homes, veiling your faces from the lovers—what then of these wrongdoers? Yet still, you busied yourselves with your own delusions, with what your souls and passions commanded you. Thus Satan made your deeds fair in your eyes, and you were among the active ones.

Say: O My people! Is one who soars in the air of the spirit like one who plays with mud? Is one who shines forth in the face of enemies like one who hides his face behind veils out of fear of himself? Then be just, if you are among the just. Is one who walks in the wilderness of the Holy Paran like one who sits idle in the house? Reflect, O assembly of the heedless.

Say: By God, the acceptance or rejection of all who are in the heavens and on earth is to Me as the cry of an ant in a desert of expansive glory.

Say: No one’s clamor will be raised up to God, nor the cry of any soul, except through this Most Great, Most Upright, Ancient Name.

Say: By God, the truth—nothing will benefit you today, neither what was nor what is to come, except that you take hold of this firm and mighty Pillar.

Say: O letter H, had you been able, We would have commanded you to offer in recompense for your question a thousand thousand thousand thousand brilliant white measures of diamond until breath itself is cut off. For from your question arose the scent of aversion and the dust of sorrow over all the worlds. Whatever has been revealed from My presence is that by which you have argued for the proof of God’s proofs in every age, cycle, and era—you yourselves bear witness to this, and beyond you, all those endowed with knowledge and wisdom. Why then did you accept what appeared from them in one form, and abandon what appeared from them in another garment? Do you believe in some parts of the Book and reject other parts? That is indeed a grievous injustice. By God, the eyes of both the unseen and the seen wept over what you imagined concerning Me, and you were among the wrongdoers. In those days, I concealed Myself from both the seekers and the heedless. I hid Myself behind a thousand veils so that none might recognize Me, nor the noise of the hypocrites be raised. We were among you as one of you, and thus did God test your vision, and found you veiled.

Say: The Nurturer and Originator of contingent beings was clad in the garment of the common people—and you were not content with that until He was imprisoned in this prison. Then, when He appeared in truth and lifted the veil from His face and dawned from the morning of God, the Overseer, the Almighty, the Sovereign, the Omnipotent—when the idolaters returned to hostility, We returned upon them and revealed Ourself in truth, that they may know that God fears no one, is not distracted by any affair, and that no rejection of the rejecters nor dominion of the rulers can hinder His sovereignty.

O Muhammad, then command the people with that which God has commanded you, and teach them what God has taught you from His presence. Then assist Him with your heart, your tongue, with all that you possess and all that you are. To Him belongs the victory of the heavens and the earth, and the victory of the seen and the unseen, and the victory of all the worlds.

Then We decreed in the Tablet of Decree by the Pen of Command for whosoever hesitated in his soul or paused regarding this wondrous, astounding Cause—For the one who desires to turn toward the direction of holiness, to stand before the presence of God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, to hear the call of God, to behold His beauty, to inhale the fragrance of God, the Mighty, the Omnipotent, the Exalted, the Great:

That he must leave his house, migrating unto God, until he enters the city named the Abode of Peace. When he enters it, he should magnify God, his Lord, with both the tongue of inwardness and outwardness, until he reaches the shore. When he reaches it, he should put on his finest garments, then perform ablution as God has commanded in the Book. When he washes his hands, he should say:

O my Lord, this is the water which Thou hast caused to flow by Thy command beside Thy sacred House. And just as I have washed my hands with it by Thy command, wash me from every defilement, sin, and heedlessness, and from all that is detested by Thy good pleasure. Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful.

Then he should wash his face and say:

O my Lord, this is my face, which I have purified by Thy will. I ask Thee, by the power of the majesty of Thy oneness and the wondrousness of the names of the manifestations of Thy Cause, to purify it from all save Thee. Then preserve it from turning toward anything but Thee, or gazing upon those who have not sought Thy manifest, pure, mighty, noble beauty.

Then he should cross the bridge with the reverence and tranquility of God, and magnify God until he reaches the end of the bridge. Then he should turn toward the direction of the House and, at his first step, say:

O my Lord, this is the first step I have taken in the path of Thy good pleasure, and the first foot I have moved by Thy will. I have fled, O my God, from all directions unto the direction of Thy grace and bounty. I have fled from my own self and from all else besides Thee unto the direction of Thy generosity and kindness.

O God, do not disappoint those who hope in Thee from the clouds of Thy mercy and care, and do not prevent those who seek Thee from the canopies of Thy majesty and honor. Behold, here I am, O my God—I have turned toward Thy House, around which circle the inhabitants of the Concourse on High, and beneath them, the spirits of the near ones among the chosen. I ask Thee by this House and by them, not to withhold my gaze from the wondrous lights of the holiness of Thy beauty, nor to deprive my face of the manifestations of the breezes of the dawn of Thy meeting, nor to bar my heart from the wafting breaths of the majesty of Thy revelation and inspiration.

Verily, Thou art the Possessor of bounty and might, of grace and mercy, of dominion and sovereignty. Verily, Thou art the One who is near and responsive to whosoever calls upon Thee.

Then he glorifies God and begins the circumambulation, performing seven circuits around the House. When he completes his act and faces the door of the House, he stands and seeks forgiveness from God seventy times. Then he says:

O my God and my Master, to Thee be praise for the honor and bounty Thou hast bestowed upon me, in that Thou hast established me at the station where naught is seen but the manifestations of the majesty of Thy unity’s sovereignty, and naught is witnessed but the flashes of the lights of the Sun of Thy Beauty. I beseech Thee by Thyself and by Thy very Essence to purify me from the filth of the world and its adornments, and to rend from the face of my heart the veils that have kept me from plunging into the oceans of the majesty of Thy oneness, and have barred me from entering the fields of the sanctity of Thy union and Thy meeting. O my Lord, do not send me back from the door of Thy mercy disappointed, nor drive me from Thy House in loss. O my Lord, forgive me, and my parents, and my brothers, and my family, and my kin—those who have believed in Thee and in Thy supreme signs revealed in the manifestation of Thy most exalted Beauty. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Generous.

Then he walks with complete tranquility, glorifying God until he reaches the Gate. There he stands and says:

O my God, this is the station where Thy voice was raised, Thy proof appeared, Thy traces shone forth, Thy Beauty radiated, Thy verses were sent down, Thy Cause became manifest, Thy Name was exalted, Thy remembrance spread, Thy power was completed, and Thy sovereignty was raised above all who dwell in the heavens and on the earth.

Then he addresses the House, its soil, its walls, and all within it, saying:

Blessed art thou, O House, for God has made thee the place where His feet have trodden.

Blessed art thou, O House, for thou wert touched by the glances of His mighty majesty.

Blessed art thou, O House, for God chose thee and made thee the dwelling of His very Self and the seat of His sovereignty. No land preceded thee save the land which God has chosen above all places of the earth, as decreed by the Pen of His preservation.

Blessed art thou, O House, for through thee God has distinguished between the blessed and the wretched from that day until the Day wherein the All-Merciful shall appear with wondrous lights of sanctity.

Blessed art thou, and again blessed art thou, for God has made thee the Balance of the monotheists, the ultimate homeland of the knowers. He has sanctified thee from the knowledge of the haters and the idolaters, so that none shall enter thee except those believers whose hearts God has tested for faith. None shall approach thee save those from whom arise the fragrances of glorification.

Blessed art thou, for God has set thee apart for His near ones among His servants, and for the pure in heart among His creation. None shall touch thee but those who have completely severed themselves from all who dwell in the heavens and the earth—whose hearts contain naught but the manifestations of the majesty of His oneness, and whose beings reflect only the revelations of the sanctity of His eternal indivisibility. This is the station with which God has honored thee, and by this thou should glory above all the worlds.

Blessed art thou, and blessed is the one who built thee, and who maintained thee, and who served thee, and who watered thy gardens.

Blessed is he who entered thee, who beheld thee, who sensed from thee the fragrance of the garment of the Joseph of God, the Mighty, the Powerful. I bear witness that whoever enters thee—God shall cause him to enter the Sanctuary of Holiness on the Day when the beauty of identity shall sit upon a mighty throne. He shall forgive all who seek refuge in thee and enter under thy shade. Then shall He fulfill their needs and gather them on the Day of Resurrection in the beauty from which all its people—both first and last—draw their light.

Then he casts his face upon the dust before the threshold and calls upon his Lord with the cry of every severed, remorseful, and penitent soul, saying:

O my Lord, I am the one who transgressed against Thee and objected to Thy beauty, for my soul and my desires distracted me—and verily, Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Aware.

O my Lord, now that I have recognized Thyself, I ask forgiveness for what I was upon, for what my tongue uttered, what passed through my lips, and what stirred in my heart. I return to Thee with all my being—for verily, Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful.

O my Lord, now that Thou hast made known to me the stations of Thy command, and awakened me from my slumber and heedlessness, I have departed from my house, turning toward Thy House, with my gaze set upon the direction of Thy care and Thy forgiveness—and truly, Thou art the most Merciful of the merciful.

O my Lord, I have come to Thee bearing a sin heavier than the heavens and the earth, greater than the creation of the two realms, until I now stand before the gate of Thy House, from which no sinner has ever turned away disappointed. I have prostrated upon its dust in humility before Thy beauty, in awe of Thy sovereignty, and lowliness before Thy presence.

O my Lord, have mercy upon me through Thy mercy and Thy bounty. Then establish for me a seat of truth in Thy presence, and join me with Thy repentant servants. O my Lord, forgive my transgressions and my sins, and all that my hands have wrought—for verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Generous.

Then he lifts his head and seeks forgiveness from God with this mighty, exalted supplication:

O my Lord, I ask Thy forgiveness with my tongue, my heart, my soul, my inner being, my spirit, my body, my form, my bones, my blood, and my skin—verily, Thou art the Oft-Returning, the Merciful.

I ask forgiveness of Thee, O my God, with that seeking of forgiveness through which the fragrances of pardon are made to waft over the people of transgression, and by which sinners are clothed with the robe of Thy beautiful grace.

I ask forgiveness of Thee, O my Sovereign, with that seeking of forgiveness by which the dominion of Thy pardon and care is made manifest, and by which the sun of bounty and generosity rises over the forms of the sinners.

I ask forgiveness of Thee, O my Forgiver and Creator, with that seeking of forgiveness by which the errant ones hasten toward the direction of Thy pardon and Thy kindness, and by which the seekers stand at the door of Thy mercy—the All-Merciful, the Compassionate.

I ask forgiveness of Thee, O my Master, with that seeking of forgiveness which Thou hast made a fire to consume every sin and transgression from every repentant, returning, weeping, pure-hearted soul, and by which the forms of the contingent beings are purified from the filth of sin and guilt, and from all that is displeasing to Thy glorious and knowing Self.

Then he enters the House with reverence and tranquility, as though he were witnessing God in the majesty of His command and the kingdom of His House, until he enters the courtyard and comes into the presence before the dome which was set apart for the establishment of the throne of grandeur upon it. Then he raises his hands, turning his gaze toward the direction of His bounty, and says:

I bear witness, in this very station, that there is no god but He, alone, with no partner, no likeness, no equal, no rival, no vizier, no peer, and no resemblance. And that the First Point is His servant, His radiance, His grandeur, His majesty, His divinity, His dominion, His sovereignty, His might, His kingdom, His power, His glory, His honor, His favor.

Through him has His beauty shone, His face appeared, His proof dawned, His sign became complete, His evidence fulfilled, His argument perfected, and His verses became manifest.

Through him, all who are in the heavens and on the earth have been gathered, and all who are in the kingdom of command and creation have been raised.

Through him, the breezes of holiness have stirred over the worlds. I bear witness that He Whom God shall make manifest is truth, beyond all doubt. He shall come with lights of inviolable sanctity, and through him the creation of the heavens and the earth shall be renewed, and the creation of the first and the last. Blessed is the one who attains his time, who enters his gate, who is honored with his meeting, who circumambulates around him, who prostrates before him, who visits the dust of his feet, who stands in his presence and is among those who rise in readiness.

Then he says:

O my Lord, this is Thy House in which the breezes of Thy bounty and care have stirred, and within which Thou didst reveal Thyself in the innermost secret with all the manifestations of Thy names and the dawning-places of Thy attributes. None beheld this save Thyself, the All-Knowing.

O my Lord, this is Thy House from which the signs of Thy grace appeared unto all the worlds, and in which there came unto Thee both those who turned to Thee and those who turned away. Yet Thou endured all of it, in spite of Thy power and sovereignty—for verily, Thou art the All-Knowing, the Wise, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful.

O my Lord, this is the station in which Thou didst walk with Thy ancient feet; wherein Thou didst raise Thy voice and melodies, and proclaim Thy call and wondrous, beautiful songs.

O my Lord, this is the station upon which Thou didst ascend the throne of all contingent beings, and from which Thou didst exalt Thy dominion over all who dwell in the heavens and the earth.

O my Lord, this is the station to which Thy gaze was turned toward the direction of Thy bounty, and wherein the oceans of power surged in Thy hidden, preserved, guarded Word.

O my Lord, this is the station where Thy command was held in the innermost secret, and where Thy lips did not move save as Thou didst will, and where Thy luminous face was veiled—where Thou wert in the unseen of the unseen, behind the veils of concealment, such that none among the worlds recognized Thyself.

O my Lord, this is Thy House, which Thy servants laid bare after Thee. They plundered what was within, and looted what was upon it. By doing so, they violated Thy sanctity, opposed Thee in secret, broke Thy covenant, shattered Thy pact—yet still, Thou didst veil it all and forgave them with Thy wondrous pardon.

O my Lord, do not strip me of Thy beautiful covering. Do not remove from me the cloak of Thy care and forgiveness. Do not distance me from the nearness of Thy mercy, nor deprive me of the inviolable Kawthar of Thy bounty.

O my Lord, sanctify me from all save Thee. Draw me near unto Thyself, and honor me with Thy meeting—for verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Knowing, the Perceiver, the Resurrector, the Giver of life and death.

O my Lord, enable me to fulfill what Thou hast willed for Thy near ones, and ordain for me the best of what Thou hast decreed for Thy sanctified chosen ones.

Then he stills himself in soul, and quiets his being. Then he turns with his heart and hearing toward the direction of the House. If he perceives the fragrance of God and hears His call, he becomes certain within himself that God has absolved his sins, forgiven him, and accepted his repentance. He witnesses his soul as on the day when he was born of his mother. But if he does not perceive the fragrance of God, the Mighty, the Powerful, he repeats the act on this day or another, until he finds and hears.

This is what was ordained by the Pen of mighty wisdom upon the Tablets of preserved sanctity. Thus does God open the doors of bounty and generosity upon the face of the heavens and the earth—so that people may not withhold themselves from the mercy and outpouring of God. Verily, this is guidance and a reminder from Us unto all the worlds.

O letter H, hear what God calls you to within this prison, and do not turn to anything else—rather, place your trust in Him, then enter the shore of a mighty Name. Then know that when We answered you before, it was so that We might now offer you counsel in this Tablet—that you might find counsel within yourself and perceive what is hidden from the sight of all created beings. By God, Our only intention was to purify you from the veils of imitation and to bring you into this forbidden, exalted Ridván, that you might witness matters with your own eyes and recognize the greatest treasure of God within this mighty Word.

Say: By God, O people! I am but a servant of God and His Beauty. I call you to God and to what has been revealed from His presence, and I seek from you no reward. God is witness between Me and you. Beware that you do not assail the One who has come to you with the signs and ordinances of God. Fear God and His limits, and be not of the transgressors. Follow the religion and the faith of God. Do not differ over what has been sent down to you, and be among the reverent.

Rise, O servant, and make up for what you have missed, that God may forgive you through His bounty and clothe you in the robe of a mighty and noble honor. Leave the world and all that is in it and upon it beneath your shadow, then soar into the air of the spirit and fear not the idolaters.

First, sever yourself inwardly—then call the people to detachment, that your words may find resonance in the hearts of the heedless. Sanctify yourself from the world—then command the people to sanctification. Thus shall the Dove cover you, if you are of the doers. By God, O servant, were you to inhale the fragrance of this garment which We have sent by the hands of the heralds—from among those words—you would find therein the scent of God, the Mighty, the Self-Sufficient, the Generous. You would sever yourself from dominion and all that is upon it, and enter the Egypt of certitude when you become heedless of all who are on the earth, and testify to this Tablet just as God bore witness to Himself, by Himself, in the realm of His command—that there is no God but He, and that ʿAlí is His servant and His Beauty to those in the heavens and the earth.

As for you, O Muhammad, once your proclamation in Our Name is complete, then seek out the one called the Beloved, and remind him on Our behalf and give him glad tidings from Us, that he may rejoice within himself and be among the joyful.

Say: O servant, give thanks to God that you were present before Him, attained His meeting, and were among the successful. Even if you did not recognize Him when you were seated before Him, God nonetheless accepted your obedience and decreed for you in the Tablet a mighty reward. By God, if you could behold what has been decreed for you, you would soar with longing—but this was veiled from you and from the eyes of the world by the wisdom that lies within the knowledge of your Lord. None has perceived it except Himself. This is a revelation from God, the Mighty, the Beautiful.

Then remind the beloved ones there—both women and men, young and old—remind them of these days in which the Nightingale of Holiness sang in the final moments of His life. Remind them with remembrances of a sanctity inviolable.

Say: O people! Refrain from what you were forbidden. Do not overstep the bounds of God, nor neglect what you were commanded in the Book. Fear God, and be not of the losers. Then unite upon the Cause of God and His Word. Do not differ in anything, nor associate partners with God. Be among the monotheists. Thus have We decreed for you and for those who fulfilled their purpose before you—nations like yourselves—that there is no god but He, the Mighty, the One, the Overpowering, the All-Powerful.

When you gather upon your seats, mention Our sorrow and what befell Us, and Our imprisonment in this land from which Our seeking servants were barred. Then know, O Muhammad, that We have made this Tablet a living, breathing spirit, that you might breathe from it upon every land and city to the extent you are able, so that no harm or hardship may touch you. Act according to what you were commanded, to the extent of your strength. Do not burden yourself beyond your capacity, and remain in protected, secure peace.

Know also that there came before Us a letter from you, in which you mentioned the names of those who honored you upon your return from the direction of the Beauty by the command of God, the Mighty, the Overpowering, the All-Knowing, the Wise. For this We are pleased with them, and have recorded their names in the Tablet from which not a single atom of the deeds of creation shall be absent—that they may give thanks to God in themselves, remember Him in their days, and be among the grateful.

Thus have We bestowed Our favor upon you and upon them, a mercy from Us for them and for Our righteous servants. So give thanks to God within yourself for having made you the bearer of this greatest bounty, and for having chosen you to deliver it to the worlds. This too is a grace We have conferred upon you—upon your soul and spirit, and upon your forefathers—until it reaches to the Wondrous First. This is indeed a clear favor.

Recognize your station in this, and what We have given you to drink from the wine which God has made into light, then spirit, then delight for those who partake. Stand firm in what you were commanded. Do not neglect what was ordained for you. If joy touches you through the Cause, thank God, your Creator.
If sorrow touches you, be patient and endure with gracious patience. Indeed, God shall reward those who were patient in His cause, seeking His good pleasure. He does not neglect the reward of those who do good.

We have recited this Tablet in the best of tones for you and for those whom God has chosen for Himself. This is the most excellent of bounties from Us for Our believing servants. Mercy be upon you and upon all who have believed in God and in what was revealed from His presence in the Tablets of manifest holiness.

Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.