“This is a Tablet from God, the Almighty, the All-Wise, unto him who, when the Call was raised, turned towards it and exclaimed…”

What follows is my provisional translation (in other words, not official or authorized; see here for more) of a Tablet by Bahá’u’lláh to Mír ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím, an early believer who resided in the city of Qamṣar in Iran. The original text has not been published, but a facsimile of the original text held at the Baháʼí World Center Archives was kindly provided to me by Amir Vojdani, the great-great-grandson of Mír ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím.

Qm Ṣ^[1]

Siyyid ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím

In the Name of Him Who ordaineth what He pleaseth

This is a Tablet from God, the Almighty, the All-Wise, unto him who, when the Call was raised, turned towards it and exclaimed, “Yea, O Lord of all worlds!” Well is it with whosoever hath suffered tribulations in His love and tasted the savor of steel.^[2] Such a one is among the rulers of the dominions of the Kingdom in the estimation of his Lord, the All-Glorious, the All-Bountiful. Soon will God reveal their station within His realm, and the tongues of all the world’s peoples shall make mention of them.

Say: O people! Walk ye not in the ways of them that have followed their passions and spread disorder in the land. They are numbered indeed with the heedless! Comport yourselves with the virtues of God. Thus have ye been bidden in the Tablets by Him Who is the Lord of strength and of might. Say: Beware lest ye imitate those who imagine what God hath not permitted unto them. By My life! They are accounted with the lost.

As for thee, O thou who hast turned thy gaze unto God, be steadfast in the Cause and give Our remembrances unto them from whom We have inhaled the fragrances of the love of thy Lord. Thus hast thou been instructed by this Wondrous Pen.

Convey My greetings unto those who have set their faces towards the divine Countenance—say to them, “Blessed are you, inasmuch as ye have attained to the Best-Beloved of them that are wholly devoted to God!”—and greet also thy wife on My behalf. Verily, hers shall be a glorious station in the Kingdom of God, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.

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^[1] Short for Qamṣar, the city for which this Tablet was destined.

^[2] Presumably meaning blades of steel, making this a reference to martyrdom.

A typescript of the original Arabic text of the Tablet appears below (all punctuation and vowel marks mine).

قم ص [قمصر]
سیّد عبدالرّحیم

بِسْمِ الْحَاکِمِ عَلَی مَا یَشَاءُ

کِتَابٌ مِنْ لَدَی اللهِ الْعَزِیزِ الْحَکِیمِ إِلَی الَّذِی إِذِ ارْتَفَعَ النِّدَاءُ أَقْبَلَ وَ قَالَ: «بَلَی یَا مَوْلَی الْعَالَمِینَ!» طُوبَی لِمَنْ حَمَلَ الشَّدَائِدَ فِی حُبِّ اللهِ وَ ذَاقَ طَعْمَ الْحَدِیدِ. إِنَّهُ مِنْ مُلُوکِ مَمَالِکِ الْمَلَکُوتِ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ الْعَزِیزِ الْکَرِیمِ. سَوْفَ یُظْهِرُ اللهُ قَدْرَهُمْ فِی الْمُلْکِ وَ یَتَحَرَّکُ عَلَی ذِکْرِهِمْ أَلْسُنُ الْعَالَمِینَ. قُلْ یَا قَوْمُ، لَا تَتَّبِعُوا الَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوا الْهَوَی وَ یُفْسِدُونَ فِی الْأَرْضِ. أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِینَ! تَخَلَّقُوا بِأَخْلَاقِ اللهِ. کَذَلِکَ أُمِرْتُمْ فِی الْأَلْوَاحِ مِنْ لَدُنْ مُقْتَدِرٍ قَدِیرٍ. قُلْ إِیَّاکُمْ أَنْ تُعَقِّبُوا الَّذِینَ یَتَزَعَّمُنَّ مَا لَا أَذِنَ اللهُ لَهُمْ. لَعَمْرِی إِنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْأَخْسَرِینَ.

إِنَّکَ یَا أَیُّهَا الْمُقْبِلُ إِلَی اللهِ، أَنِ اسْتَقِمْ عَلَی الْأَمْرِ، ثُمَّ ذَکِّرِ الَّذِینَ نَجِدُ مِنْهُمْ نَفَحَاتِ حُبِّ رَبِّکَ. هَذَا مَا أُمِرْتَ بِهِ مِنْ هَذَا الْقَلَمِ الْبَدِیعِ.

کَبِّرْ مِنْ قِبَلِی عَلَی وُجُوهِ الَّذِینَ أَقْبَلُوا إِلَی الْوَجْهِ، قُلْ: «طُوبَی لَکُمْ بِمَا فُزْتُمْ بِمَحْبُوبِ الْمُخْلِصِینَ»، وَ عَلَی ضِلْعِکَ. إِنَّ لَهَا مَقَامًا کَرِیمًا فِی مَلَکُوتِ اللهِ الْعَزِیزِ الْحَکِیمِ.

Adib Masumian