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 has not been published; a typescript of it was shared with me by Marc Soudon, who received it from the National Bahá’í Archives of France.
This 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 who art sincerely devoted to the Religion of God! I have received thy letter from Paris dated 25 July 1902, and have rendered thanks unto God for thy safe arrival in that spacious city, where His sweet savors have [scarcely] been spread. I beseech God to aid and confirm thee in all matters and affairs through His assistance, grace, and generosity. Verily, He is the Munificent, the Merciful, the Bounteous.
Convey my greetings unto the servants of the All-Merciful and His handmaidens there. Encourage them to gather together and engage in prayer, to be mindful of the remembrance of God and ablaze* with the fire of His love at eventide and at dawn. We had previously sent thee a reply to thy letter from Egypt to the address thou hadst provided us. I pray God that the letter may have reached thee. Convey my spiritual greetings unto thy family and those who are connected with thee. Upon thee be greetings and praise.
Postscript:
O my friend! First commit the entirety of this discourse to memory as it ought to be memorized, and arrange its translation in the most eloquent, concise, and informative language, that the matter may be embodied as it truly is, according to the principle of analyzing questions with the utmost scrutiny and investigation. Never depart from wisdom in thy speech, and protect thyself from prominence amongst the people. Upon thee be greetings and praise.
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* This choice of “ablaze” is based on the assumption that the original word, الاشتغال , should actually be الاشتعال , which seems more compatible with the phrase بنار محبّته.
A typescript of the original Arabic text of this Tablet appears below (all punctuation and short vowel marks mine).
Adib Masumian 