“God hath heard that thou hast taken up residence in a new habitation…”

What follows is my provisional translation (in other words, not official or authorized; see here for more) of a passage from a Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh, the original text of which appears in a manuscript collection held at the British Library (Or15696, pp. 93–94). An unofficial translation of this passage into Persian can be found here.

He is the Everlasting.

God hath heard that thou hast taken up residence in a new habitation. By God, how excellent shall be your station in the most exalted Paradise and your seat in the Pavilion of the All-Glorious! We beseech God that He may sanctify your hearts from the remembrance of all else but Him, that He may purify your dwelling-place from whatsoever is abhorrent to His good-pleasure, that He may graciously enable you to remain steadfast in His love and to arise in His service, that He may bless you in this new abode, and that He may send down upon you that which is best for you. He, verily, hath supreme knowledge of all affairs and their consequences. . . .

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

هُوَ الْبَاقِي

قَدْ سَمِعَ اللهُ بِأَنَّكَ أَخَذْتَ مَحَلًّا جَدِيدًا وَمَقَامًا بَدِيعًا. فَوَاللهِ نِعْمَ الْمَقَامُ مَقَامُكُمْ فِي فِرْدَوْسِ الْأَعْلَى وَمَقْعَدُكُمْ فِي سُرَادِقِ الْأَبْهَى. نَسْأَلُ اللهَ بِأَنْ يُقَدِّسَ قُلُوبَكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ مَا سِوَاهُ، وَيُطَهِّرَ مَقَامَكُمْ عَنْ كُلِّ مَا يَكْرَهُهُ رِضَاهُ، وَيُوَفِّقَكُمْ عَلَى الثُّبُوتِ عَلَى حُبِّهِ وَالْقِيَامِ عَلَى خِدْمَتِهِ، وَيُبَارِكَ عَلَيْكُمْ هٰذَا الْمَقَامَ الْبَدِيعَ، وَيُنْزِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَا هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ، وَإِنَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالْأُمُورِ وَعَاقِبَتِهَا. . . .