Adib Masumian

What follows is my provisional translation (in other words, not official or authorized; see here for more) of a passage from a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the original text of which has been published in Muntakhabátí az Makátíb-i-Ḥaḍrat-i-‘Abdu’l-Bahá, vol. 6, p. 61 (selection no. 85). 

In Amr va Khalq, vol. 3, p. 414, where a smaller portion of this Tablet has been quoted, Fáḍil Mázandarání notes that it was written for Prince Muḥammad-Ḥusayn Mírzá, known as Mu’ayyadu’s-Salṭanih (1855–1920). This was a Bahá’í who, according to Moojan Momen, occupied “important government positions, including being Superintendent of the telegraph office in Isfahan (1895–97) and in Shiraz (1897–1905) and later governor of ‘Arabistan (Khuzistan, 1920)” (The Bahá’í Communities of Iran, vol. 2, p. 199). The first few sentences of the passage from this Tablet are opaque because they allude to a letter from Mu’ayyadu’s-Salṭanih to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that is not available to us. 

This Tablet deals with the subject of istikhárih, an Arabic term that literally means “asking for a good (or the best) thing” but really signifies the seeking of guidance. The religious and cultural norms of the Middle East dictate that this be done by opening a sacred text (typically the Qur’án) to a randomly selected page, reading a passage from it, and interpreting it as either a good or bad omen to determine how one should proceed with a course of action that one is unsure about. (For a good example of this mentioned in The Dawn-Breakers, see here.) The closest word for this practice in English seems to be “bibliomancy,” which The American Heritage Dictionary defines as “divination by interpretation of a passage chosen at random from a book” (source), so that is the term I have used to render istikhárih in the translations below and in my title above for this selection. Readers are strongly advised to refer also to the postscript to the translation (which appears underneath it).

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The passage from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

. . . Thy letter hath arrived. Thou hadst expressed dismay in the face of certain tests. What thou hast said is the truth, but call to mind the verses of the Qur’án. It is hoped, however, that through the bestowals of the Beauty of the Beloved, thou wilt remain safe and protected. With regard to bibliomancy, it hath been explicitly stated that if the advantages and benefits of an important matter and its detriments are equally unclear, and if thou art doubtful thereof, in such a case as this, bibliomancy is permitted unto thee alone, but to perform it for ordinary matters is not allowed. Now must thou act accordingly, and when thou hast made a decision, put thy trust in God . . .

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Translator’s postscript:

As mentioned in the introduction to the translation, Fáḍil Mázandarání has reproduced a smaller portion of this Tablet in Amr va Khalq, vol. 3, p. 414, and at the bottom of that page, he has added a footnote quoting the following hadith attributed to the Imám ‘Alí by the Imám Muḥammad al-Jawád: “The Apostle of God [i.e., Muḥammad] sent me to Yemen and spoke to me, advising me thus: ‘O ‘Alí! Whosoever performeth bibliomancy (istakhára) will not benefit therefrom, but whosoever seeketh counsel (istashára) will not regret it.’” Mázandarání then quotes two verses from an Arabic poem by Náṣiḥu’d-Dín al-Arjání (1068–1149 CE) that I have translated as follows:

Seek counsel! Let your view with others’ thoughts align!
For truth unveils itself when two viewpoints combine
A mirror shows one’s face, but when two mirrors wed
A person will behold the back of their own head

In Amr va Khalq, vol. 3, pp. 414–15, Mázandarání follows his reproduction of the passage from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by quoting an excerpt from a letter dated 23 April 1941 and written by Núru’d-Dín Zayn on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to Áqá Mírzá Badí‘u’lláh Khán Ágáh in Ábádih:

[Question:] If the means of consultation are absent and a person is hesitant in carrying out an important matter, how is it to perform bibliomancy (istikhárih) with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas?

[Answer:] In these cases, what is necessary and obligatory is to turn towards, and seek assistance from, the Source of grace and inspiration; nothing else. If it is possible to delay the decision until the means of consultation are available, this would be the best and most appropriate course of action.