What follows is my provisional translation (in other words, not official or authorized; see here for more) of a Tablet by Bahá’u’lláh, the original text of which appears in INBA, vol. 45, p. 218. The historical context for this Tablet, which Faruq Izadinia kindly brought to my attention, has been explained by Ruhi Arbab in Ḥikáyat-i-Amrí baráy-i-Aṭfál [“Bahá’í Stories for Children”], vol. 1, pp. 60–63. The story concerns Áqá Yahúdá, a Bahá’í of Jewish background from Hamadan, and his little boy, Ḥayyim. Here is a machine translation of the story as told by Ruhi Arbab:
Áqá Yahúdá had a child named Ḥayyim, a very polite and good boy. He had just started speaking and had learned to talk. When Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí and Áqá Yahúdá were engaged in conversation about travels and teaching the Cause, little Ḥayyim entered the room politely and with his small childish voice said, ‘Alláh-u-Abhá’. Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí was so pleased with Ḥayyim’s utterance of ‘Alláh-u-Abhá’ that he jumped up, embraced him, kissed him, and forgot all the tiredness of the night in his joy . . . Because the Ḥájí saw that the child had been raised from a young age in Bahá’í manners and was very polite.
Ḥayyim put his hand on his chest and asked his father and the new guest for permission to recite a prayer. He recited the prayer he had memorized with the utmost courtesy. The Ḥájí’s joy and happiness increased greatly; they praised him and encouraged Ḥayyim’s father for raising such a polite child. When Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí returned home, he took pen and paper and submitted a petition to the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, mentioning the sweet story of the young child who had recited the prayer with such charming courtesy. Bahá’u’lláh was very pleased with this news and, in response to the Ḥájí’s petition, revealed a Tablet in honor of the child . . . It begins:
O thou who art low in age but high in rank! Thou hast attained, in thy childhood, to such a station that the Lord of all humanity hath mentioned thee. Blessed art thou and whosoever heareth thy supplication . . .
When the Ḥájí received this Tablet, he was immensely delighted and showed it to Ḥayyim’s father, who rejoiced and thanked the Ḥájí. When Ḥayyim heard from his father that Bahá’u’lláh had favored him with a Tablet, he jumped and bounced with joy and happiness, expressing his delight with sweet childish laughter. The Ḥájí boasted in the gatherings of friends, “Praise be to God, I heard this child’s voice, because Bahá’u’lláh says in that Tablet, ‘Blessed art thou [Ḥayyim] and whosoever heareth thy supplication‘” [emphasis mine].
The Tablet itself is as follows.
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O thou who art low in age but high in rank! Thou hast attained, in thy childhood, to such a station that the Lord of all humanity hath mentioned thee. Blessed art thou and whosoever heareth thy supplication, as well as thy father who hath recognized God, the King, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Say:
“O my God and my Lord, my Creator and my Master! I beg of the ocean of Thy bounty to nourish this tender sapling in the garden of Thy love with the water of life, and to protect it from autumn winds. Thou art the Omnipotent, the Omniscient. O my God! Unto Thee have I turned my face. Of Thee do I make mention, and by the blessedness of Thy Name am I utterly free from all else but Thee. O God! Our gaze is fixed upon Thee, and we beseech Thee to manifest from us what beseemeth Thee and befitteth Thy days. Thou art the Giver, the Bestower.”
A typescript of the original Arabic and Persian text of the Tablet appears below (all punctuation mine).
Adib Masumian 