-- provisional translation by Ahmad Sohrab
In the Name of God the Peerless!
Glory is due unto God, the Discoverer, who, through one
shower of the ocean of His Generosity, expanded the firmament of existence,
begemmed it with the stars of knowledge and summoned the people to the most
high court of perception and understanding!
This shower, which is the Primal Word of the Almighty, is
sometimes called the Water of Life, for it quickens the dead souls in the
desert of ignorance with the spring of intelligence. Sometimes it is called the
First Emanation which appears from the Sun of Wisdom, and when it began to
shine the first movement became manifest and known; then phenomena stepped into
the arena of existence and these appearances were through the generosity of the
Incomparable, the Wise One. He is the Knower, the Giver! He is sanctified and
holy above every statement and attribute! The seen and the unseen fail to
attain the measure of His understanding. The world of being and whatever has
issued from it bears witness to this utterance.
Therefore, it has become known that the First Bestowal of
the Almighty is the Word. The receiver and acceptor of it is the understanding.
It is the First Instructor in the University of Existence and it is the Primal
Emanation of God. Whatever has appeared is through the reflection of Its Light
and whatever is manifested is the appearance of Its Wisdom. All the names
originate in His Name and the beginnings and endings of all affairs are in His
Hand.