The Suffering of the Exalted Letters (Musíbat-i-Hurúf-i-‘Alín) – by Baha’u’llah

-- provisional translation by Joshua Hall

He is that He is.

Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! How is the pen to write and the ink to flow, inasmuch as the gentle breezes of affection have been stilled, the daystar of the divine decree hath arisen from the horizon of fulfillment, the sword of tribulation hath been unsheathed from the scabbard of creation, the firmament of sorrow hath been upraised, and the arrows of hardship and the darts of trials have rained down from the clouds of fate, in such wise that the stars of joy in the hearts of Thy loved ones have fallen, every measure of happiness in the souls of Thy chosen ones hath been effaced, and successive tribulations have waxed so severe that no man hath the power to bear them, nor any soul the ability to withstand them. For the doors of hope have been slammed shut, the sweet-scented breezes of fidelity have ceased to waft, and the odours of extinction have been diffused.

I swear by Thy glory! The pen weepeth, the ink crieth aloud, the Tablet hath swooned away, bodies have trembled, and pillars have quaked. Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass! Verily, this is the first token of Thy loving Providence.

Thou art He Who kindled the lamps of love in the niche of providential care, and Who nourished them with the oil of learning and wisdom, until they became radiant and refulgent. By their illumination did the lights of Thy oneness shine forth in the niche of Thy sovereignty, and the foundations of the house of Thine eternity were established in the gardens of Thy hallowed Being. In the globe of Thy grace and the crystal glass of Thy mercy didst Thou protect them, lest they be assailed by the winds of antipathy.

Thereafter Thou didst clothe them in the vesture of Thy generosity and compassion, and made them manifest in the kingdom of attributes in the temple of Thy names. And when their creation reached its consummation and they were made well-pleasing, the gales of annihilation struck them and left them bereft of the fragrances of eternity, until their lives were taken, their niches shattered, and their lights extinguished. Alas, alas, for what hath been decreed and come to pass! Verily, this is a token of Thy latter decrees.

Paradise of Justice (Lawh-i Ridvánu’l-‘Adl, also known as Lawh-i ‘Adl) – by Bahá’u’lláh

-- provisional translation by Christopher Buck and Adib Masumian 

(Note: The very small portion translated by Shoghi Effendi is shown in italics)

This is the Paradise of Justice, which hath appeared as a token of God’s grace and been adorned by Him with glorious and wondrous fruits.

In the Name of the All-Just, the All-Wise.

This is a Tablet in which God hath raised up His Name, ‘The Just’, and from which He hath breathed the Spirit of Justice into the mortal frames of all that dwell on earth, that they may arise to rule over themselves and over others with pure justice - a justice from which they shall not deviate by one jot or one tittle.

O this name! We, verily, have made thee one of the suns of Our most excellent names between earth and heaven. Shed thou thy mighty and wondrous splendour upon the whole of creation, that perchance they may gather together beneath thy shadow, cast the ways of oppression behind their backs, and be illumined by thy hallowed and resplendent light.

O this name! We have indeed made thee the very source of Our justice amidst such among Our servants as are near unto Us. Through thee. We have manifested the justice of every just one, and have adorned the sincere ones among Our servants with thine ornament.

O this name! Beware lest this station deceive thee and prevent thee from showing humility before God, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. Know thou that thy relationship unto Us is the same as any other relationship; no distinction is there between thee and all else besides thee that have been created in heaven and on earth. For when We ascended the throne of justice, We fashioned all created things through a single word from Our side. Thy Lord is the All-Wise, and His wisdom encompasseth all things. We have exalted certain names to the kingdom of eternity as a token of Our grace, and I verily am the Most Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Mighty, the Incomparable.

Say: No relationship is there between God and His creation. Sanctified is He from whatsoever He hath created, and from the remembrances of such among His servants as make mention of Him. Indeed, the relationship which is attributed to Him and mentioned in the Tablets hath been revealed through the decree that was sent down from the Heaven of the Divine Will, Which was brought into being through My all-pervading and all-compelling behest. Nevertheless, We have singled thee out and exalted thee in this Tablet, that thou mayest render thanks unto thy Lord, and be of them that are rid of all attachment to any one but Him. Beware lest the loftiness of thy name debar thee from God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds.

Tablet of Visitation for Badí – by Baha’u’llah

--provisional translation by Peyman Sazedj

In the name of Him Who hath power to ordain what He willeth!

This is a Book sent down in truth in remembrance of that which hath caused the face of the Cause of God to unveil its splendor betwixt earth and heaven. Say: It is the Utterance of God unto all that dwell on earth. The day star of wisdom hath risen above its horizon; upon it the Pen of the All-Merciful hath traced: the prison belongeth to the Manifestation of the Cause of your Lord, the Almighty, the Beneficient. Give ear, O thou remnant of the family, unto that which the Tongue of Majesty and Glory speaketh, that the remembrance of Thy Lord may attract thee to such heights that thou shalt not be overcome by grief. Behold, We have manifested Our Cause through thee. So overpowering hath been its manifestation, that the hearts of men have been struck with terror and their eyes been blinded.

Know thou that when We desired to call Badí into being, We summoned him alone to Our presence, addressed to him a word, and lo! his limbs were so sorely shaken that he nearly swooned away. We protected him, however, through the power of Our sovereignty. We then called him into being and fashioned him, and We breathed into him the spirit of might and power. Such was the infusion of Our might, that had We but bidden him, he would have subdued all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Thy Lord is, in very truth, the Mighty, the Unrestrained.

No sooner was he perfected by the Word of thy Lord, and recreated by the breath of His Revelation, than he rejoiced before Our presence and turned, with majesty and power, towards the field of sacrifice. Such was his determination, that the Concourse on high and the inhabitants of the Cities of the Names of God were sorely shaken. Thereupon a Voice was heard from the seat of glory, calling: "Hallowed be the All-Glorious Who hath created what He was pleased to create. He is indeed the Almighty, the All-Bounteous.”

The Persian Tablet of Ahmad – by Baha’u’llah

-- provisional translation by Foad Seddigh

[Please note: some portions of this Tablet have been translated by Shoghi Effendi. These are shown in italics]

In the name of our Lord, the Exalted, the Most High!

These are the wondrous divine exhortations that have been uttered by the Tongue of Power in the sanctuary of grandeur, from the unapproachable sanctity of His mercy-seat, saying: ‟Incline thine inner ears to His call and deprive not yourselves of the admonishments of the Beloved.”

O banished and faithful friend! Quench the thirst of heedlessness with the sanctified waters of My grace, and chase the gloom of remoteness through the morning-light of My Divine presence. Suffer not the habitation wherein dwelleth My undying love for thee to be destroyed through the tyranny of covetous desires, and overcloud not the beauty of the heavenly Youth with the dust of self and passion. Clothe thyself with the essence of righteousness, and let thine heart be afraid of none except God. Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart. Set all thy hope in God, and cleave tenaciously to His unfailing mercy. Who else but Him can enrich the destitute, and deliver the fallen from his abasement?

O My servants! Were ye to discover the hidden, the shoreless oceans of My incorruptible wealth, ye would, of a certainty, esteem as nothing the world, nay, the entire creation. Let the flame of search burn with such fierceness within your hearts as to enable you to attain your supreme and most exalted goal—the station at which ye can draw nigh unto, and be united with, your Best-Beloved.

O Ahmad! Bar not thyself from the surging seas of divine favour that are concealed from the eyes of men, and be not of those who stray from the clear and straight path. By the manifest light of His divine guidance, strive to attain a luminous vision by whose aid you will be lead to the sanctified and blessed spot in the Sinai of Revelation, whereby you may be illumined by the boundless effulgences of His light, and from the ceaseless Revelation of Divine Utterance, hearken to the soul-stirring call: “Look that thou mayest behold Me!”