What follows is my provisional translation (in other words, not official or authorized; see here for more) of a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the original text of which has been published in ‘Abdu’l-Ḥusayn Áyatí (Ávárih), Kavákibu’d-Durríyyih, vol. 2, pp. 64–65.
The Tablet was addressed to Gabriel Sacy (20 November 1858 – 21 March 1903), an Egyptian Catholic and Martinist who seems to have become a Baháʼí around the turn of the twentieth century, apparently under the guidance of Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl Gulpáygání, who was also living in Egypt at the time. Sacy spoke seven languages, studied at the Syrian Protestant College (now the American University of Beirut), and worked as the head of the personnel office at the Ministry of Finance in Cairo. E.G. Browne writes that Sacy “had become a fervent Baháʼí with a very remarkable faculty for interpreting the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments, especially those of the Book of Daniel and Revelation, in support of the Bábí and Bahá’í claims” (Materials for the Study of the Bábí Religion, pp. 185–86).
He is God!
O thou whose nostrils have been perfumed with the fragrances of the Holy Spirit! I have perused thy recent letter and rendered thanks unto the All-Glorious Lord, inasmuch as He hath made thee a sign of His oneness in Upper Egypt. Wherefore, praise thou God for this supreme bounty, and glorify Him for this greatest of mercies, for which He hath chosen thee from among diverse peoples.
As to thy sending the translation of the papers to the Count,[1] thou hast done well. Address every prince or dignitary, every renowned philosopher or eminent statesman, with these words: “All lofty principles shall perish and vanish—nay, they are but illusions like unto mirages in the desert and images reflected in water—save only a supernal principle and a divine enterprise, along with heavenly thoughts, eternal wisdom, and celestial blessings. Consider from the day when Christ appeared how many skilled sages, virtuous philosophers, noble scribes, possessors of elevated thoughts, cherishers of lofty aspirations, famed celebrities of the earth, and luminaries of the ages and centuries have come and gone, of whom thou hearest today neither sound nor mention. Yet the divine principle and heavenly enterprise that Christ expounded and established is eternal in its foundation, everlasting in its effects, mighty in its pillars, and potent in its exposition. Neither can the vicissitudes of time weaken it, nor torpor affect it throughout the succession of ages and centuries. It behoveth thee, therefore, O illustrious prince, to raise an edifice in heaven and kindle a lamp in the supreme concourse, for the people of the earth love darkness in the blackest night. Be thou not deceived by their commotion and their disturbances. By the righteousness of the one true God! It is but noise without substance, and shall be followed by abundance, even as it was in the earliest centuries.” Upon thee be greetings and praise.
As for the composition of Ṣabru’l-Mukhtár, send it to us so we may examine his discoveries regarding the planets in the vast expanse of space.
As to the purported matter of extracting a pledge from the Wronged One of the world and forcing Him to leave His native country for other lands, as well as the refusal of various governments to take Him in and the agreement of the Sublime State[2] to do this only with stringent conditions—this statement hath been fabricated by the calumniators from among our enemies and is thus entirely baseless. That Wronged Beauty did Himself seek permission from the government of Persia to emigrate to Iraq, and to this day the official documents from the Premiership of Persia and the Embassy of the Sublime State in Tehran are at hand, clearly stating and expressly testifying that the Wronged Beauty was the One Who requested emigration, and that none compelled Him to do so. At that time the foreign embassies showed every consideration, yet the Wronged One of the world requested to emigrate to Iraq, whereupon the government of Persia granted permission to that effect, and never did He appeal to any other government in this regard. The letter of recommendation from the Embassy of the Sublime State in Tehran to the Governor of Iraq is extant and accessible, and from it is everything made clear. However, our Persian enemies in the Sublime State noised abroad that the Wronged Beauty had fled as a fugitive from Persian to Baghdad, and none among those in authority investigated this allegation, rather did they believe our enemies without evidence or proof. This is the truth of the matter; the official documents that are available speak to this and bear witness thereto. Should thy presence grace these parts, we shall lay out those papers before thee.
As to the matter of teaching the Cause in these domains, thou art most aware that it is categorically forbidden, and none can utter a word about it. The proof thereof is that forty years have passed over us as we have lived in these lands and realms, and yet no trace of the Cause canst thou find. Is this not sufficient proof? Otherwise, thou wouldst have beheld the indications thereof manifest as the sun at high noon, but what can be done after hope hath been lost?
As to the question of thy being here in this land, it is not permissible under these circumstances. When the opportunity presenteth itself to thee, thou shouldst return to Paris, that thou mayest gather with those believers whose faces have been illumined, whose breasts have been dilated, and whose hearts have been quickened by the appearance of the Kingdom of God and the effusion of His Divinity. This would be an excellent thing to do, should it prove feasible for thee. From this moment, set thyself to composing an address in most marvelous phrasing and eloquent style, which thou shalt read in the gatherings of the loved ones there and to those spiritual beings who await the appearance of the Kingdom of God. Upon thee be greetings and praise.
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[1] Leo Tolstoy.
[2] Meaning the Ottoman Empire, to which present-day Iraq belonged at that time.
A typescript of the original Arabic text of this Tablet appears below (all punctuation and short vowel marks mine).
Adib Masumian 