Go to Verses 101-150 / Go to Index, Copyright and Explanation / The Tablet of Ishraqat The Eighth Ishraq
This writeup contains verses 151-190 of the official translation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
The Kitab-I-Aqdas (or 'Most Holy Book') is the central law book of the Baha'i faith. Revealed by Baha’u’llah around 1873, it is seen by the Baha'i as expressing God's will for humanity. For more information on the Kitab-i-Aqdas see here. The rest of the Kitab-I-Aqdas is available by the following links.
Verses 1-50
Verses 51-100
Verses 101-150
The Tablet of Ishraqat The Eighth Ishraq: Considered part of the Kitab-I-Aqdas
151
Ye have been enjoined to renew the furnishings of
your homes after the passing of each nineteen years;
thus hath it been ordained by One Who is Omniscient
and All-Perceiving. He, verily, is desirous of refinement,
both for you yourselves and for all that ye
possess; lay not aside the fear of God and be not of the
negligent. Whoso findeth that his means are insufficient
to this purpose hath been excused by God, the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bounteous.
152
Wash your feet once every day in summer, and
once every three days during winter.
153
Should anyone wax angry with you, respond to
him with gentleness; and should anyone upbraid you,
forbear to upbraid him in return, but leave him to
himself and put your trust in God, the omnipotent
Avenger, the Lord of might and justice.
154
Ye have been prohibited from making use of
pulpits. Whoso wisheth to recite unto you the verses of
his Lord, let him sit on a chair placed upon a dais, that
he may make mention of God, his Lord, and the Lord
of all mankind. It is pleasing to God that ye should seat
yourselves on chairs and benches as a mark of honour
for the love ye bear for Him and for the Manifestation
of His glorious and resplendent Cause.
155
Gambling and the use of opium have been
forbidden unto you. Eschew them both, O people, and
be not of those who transgress. Beware of using any
substance that induceth sluggishness and torpor in the
human temple and inflicteth harm upon the body. We,
verily, desire for you naught save what shall profit you,
and to this bear witness all created things, had ye but
ears to hear.
156
Whensoever ye be invited to a banquet or festive
occasion, respond with joy and gladness, and whoever
fulfilleth his promise will be safe from reproof. This is a
Day on which each of God's wise decrees hath been
expounded.
157
Behold, the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the
Sign of the Sovereign" hath now been made manifest.
Well is it with him whom God hath aided to recognize the "Six" raised up by virtue of this "Upright Alif";
he, verily, is of those whose faith is true. How many
the outwardly pious who have turned away, and how
many the wayward who have drawn nigh, exclaiming:
"All praise be to Thee, O Thou the Desire of the
worlds!" In truth, it is in the hand of God to give what
He willeth to whomsoever He willeth, and to withhold
what He pleaseth from whomsoever He may wish. He
knoweth the inner secrets of the hearts and the meaning
hidden in a mocker's wink. How many an embodiment
of heedlessness who came unto Us with purity of heart
have We established upon the seat of Our acceptance;
and how many an exponent of wisdom have We in all
justice consigned to the fire. We are, in truth, the One
to judge. He it is Who is the manifestation of "God
doeth whatsoever He pleaseth", and abideth upon the
throne of "He ordaineth whatsoever He chooseth".
158
Blessed is the one who discovereth the fragrance of
inner meanings from the traces of this Pen through
whose movement the breezes of God are wafted over the
entire creation, and through whose stillness the very
essence of tranquillity appeareth in the realm of being.
Glorified be the All-Merciful, the Revealer of so
inestimable a bounty. Say: Because He bore injustice,
justice hath appeared on earth, and because He
accepted abasement, the majesty of God hath shone
forth amidst mankind.
159
It hath been forbidden you to carry arms unless
essential, and permitted you to attire yourselves in silk.
The Lord hath relieved you, as a bounty on His part, of
the restrictions that formerly applied to clothing and to the trim of the beard. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the
Omniscient. Let there be naught in your demeanour of
which sound and upright minds would disapprove, and
make not yourselves the playthings of the ignorant.
Well is it with him who hath adorned himself with the
vesture of seemly conduct and a praiseworthy character.
He is assuredly reckoned with those who aid their Lord
through distinctive and outstanding deeds.
160
Promote ye the development of the cities of God
and His countries, and glorify Him therein in the
joyous accents of His well-favoured ones. In truth, the
hearts of men are edified through the power of the
tongue, even as houses and cities are built up by the
hand and other means. We have assigned to every end a
means for its accomplishment; avail yourselves thereof,
and place your trust and confidence in God, the
Omniscient, the All-Wise.
161
Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his
belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that
"He shall not be asked of His doings". Such a
recognition hath been made by God the ornament of
every belief and its very foundation. Upon it must
depend the acceptance of every goodly deed. Fasten
your eyes upon it, that haply the whisperings of the
rebellious may not cause you to slip.
162
Were He to decree as lawful the thing which from
time immemorial had been forbidden, and forbid that
which had, at all times, been regarded as lawful, to
none is given the right to question His authority.
Whoso will hesitate, though it be for less than a
moment, should be regarded as a transgressor.
163
Whoso hath not recognized this sublime and
fundamental verity, and hath failed to attain this most
exalted station, the winds of doubt will agitate him,
and the sayings of the infidels will distract his soul. He
that hath acknowledged this principle will be endowed
with the most perfect constancy. All honour to this all-glorious
station, the remembrance of which adorneth
every exalted Tablet. Such is the teaching which God
bestoweth on you, a teaching that will deliver you from
all manner of doubt and perplexity, and enable you to
attain unto salvation in both this world and in the next.
He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.
He it is Who hath sent forth the Messengers, and sent
down the Books to proclaim "There is none other God
but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise".
164
O Land of Kaf and Ra! We, verily, behold thee
in a state displeasing unto God, and see proceeding
from thee that which is inscrutable to anyone save
Him, the Omniscient, the All-Informed; and We
perceive that which secretly and stealthily diffuseth
from thee. With Us is the knowledge of all things,
inscribed in a lucid Tablet. Sorrow not for that which
hath befallen thee. Erelong will God raise up within
thee men endued with mighty valour, who will
magnify My Name with such constancy that neither
will they be deterred by the evil suggestions of the
divines, nor will they be kept back by the insinuations
of the sowers of doubt. With their own eyes will they
behold God, and with their own lives will they render Him victorious. These, truly, are of those who are
steadfast.
165
O concourse of divines! When My verses were sent
down, and My clear tokens were revealed, We found
you behind the veils. This, verily, is a strange thing.
Ye glory in My Name, yet ye recognized Me not at the
time your Lord, the All-Merciful, appeared amongst
you with proof and testimony. We have rent the veils
asunder. Beware lest ye shut out the people by yet
another veil. Pluck asunder the chains of vain
imaginings, in the name of the Lord of all men, and be
not of the deceitful. Should ye turn unto God and
embrace His Cause, spread not disorder within it, and
measure not the Book of God with your selfish desires.
This, verily, is the counsel of God aforetime and
hereafter, and to this God's witnesses and chosen ones,
yea, each and every one of Us, do solemnly attest.
166
Call ye to mind the shaykh whose name was
Muhammad-Hasan, who ranked among the most
learned divines of his day. When the True One was
made manifest, this shaykh, along with others of his
calling, rejected Him, while a sifter of wheat and
barley accepted Him and turned unto the Lord.
Though he was occupied both night and day in setting
down what he conceived to be the laws and ordinances
of God, yet when He Who is the Unconstrained
appeared, not one letter thereof availed him, or he
would not have turned away from a Countenance that
hath illumined the faces of the well-favoured of the
Lord. Had ye believed in God when He revealed
Himself, the people would not have turned aside from Him, nor would the things ye witness today have
befallen Us. Fear God, and be not of the heedless.
167
Beware lest any name debar you from Him Who
is the Possessor of all names, or any word shut you
out from this Remembrance of God, this Source of
Wisdom amongst you. Turn unto God and seek His
protection, O concourse of divines, and make not of
yourselves a veil between Me and My creatures. Thus
doth your Lord admonish you, and command you to be
just, lest your works should come to naught and ye
yourselves be oblivious of your plight. Shall he who
denieth this Cause be able to vindicate the truth of any
cause throughout creation? Nay, by Him Who is the
Fashioner of the universe! Yet the people are wrapped
in a palpable veil. Say: Through this Cause the day-star
of testimony hath dawned, and the luminary of proof
hath shed its radiance upon all that dwell on earth. Fear
God, O men of insight, and be not of those who
disbelieve in Me. Take heed lest the word "Prophet"
withhold you from this Most Great Announcement, or
any reference to "Vicegerency" debar you from the
sovereignty of Him Who is the Vicegerent of God,
which overshadoweth all the worlds. Every name hath
been created by His Word, and every cause is
dependent on His irresistible, His mighty and wondrous
Cause. Say: This is the Day of God, the Day on
which naught shall be mentioned save His own Self,
the omnipotent Protector of all worlds. This is the
Cause that hath made all your superstitions and idols to
tremble.
168
We, verily, see amongst you him who taketh hold of the Book of God and citeth from it proofs and
arguments wherewith to repudiate his Lord, even as the
followers of every other Faith sought reasons in their
Holy Books for refuting Him Who is the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting. Say: God, the True One, is My
witness that neither the Scriptures of the world, nor all
the books and writings in existence, shall, in this Day,
avail you aught without this, the Living Book, Who
proclaimeth in the midmost heart of creation: "Verily,
there is none other God but Me, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise."
169
O concourse of divines! Beware lest ye be the cause
of strife in the land, even as ye were the cause of the
repudiation of the Faith in its early days. Gather the
people around this Word that hath made the pebbles to
cry out: "The Kingdom is God's, the Dawning-place of
all signs!" Thus doth your Lord admonish you, as a
bounty on His part; He, of a truth, is the Ever-Forgiving,
the Most Generous.
170
Call ye to mind Karim, and how, when We
summoned him unto God, he waxed disdainful,
prompted by his own desires; yet We had sent him that
which was a solace to the eye of proof in the world of
being and the fulfilment of God's testimony to all the
denizens of earth and heaven. As a token of the grace of
Him Who is the All-Possessing, the Most High, We
bade him embrace the Truth. But he turned away
until, as an act of justice from God, angels of wrath laid
hold upon him. Unto this We truly were a witness.
171
Tear the veils asunder in such wise that the
inmates of the Kingdom will hear them being rent. This is the command of God, in days gone by and for
those to come. Blessed the man that observeth that
whereunto he was bidden, and woe betide the
negligent.
172
We, of a certainty, have had no purpose in this
earthly realm save to make God manifest and to reveal
His sovereignty; sufficient unto Me is God for a
witness. We, of a certainty, have had no intent in the
celestial Kingdom but to exalt His Cause and glorify
His praise; sufficient unto Me is God for a protector.
We, of a certainty, have had no desire in the Dominion
on high except to extol God and what hath been sent
down by Him; sufficient unto Me is God for a helper.
173
Happy are ye, O ye the learned ones in Baha. By
the Lord! Ye are the billows of the Most Mighty Ocean,
the stars of the firmament of Glory, the standards of
triumph waving betwixt earth and heaven. Ye are the
manifestations of steadfastness amidst men and the
daysprings of Divine Utterance to all that dwell on
earth. Well is it with him that turneth unto you, and
woe betide the froward. This day, it behoveth whoso
hath quaffed the Mystic Wine of everlasting life from
the Hands of the loving-kindness of the Lord his God,
the Merciful, to pulsate even as the throbbing artery in
the body of mankind, that through him may be
quickened the world and every crumbling bone.
174
O people of the world! When the Mystic Dove
will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise
and sought its far-off goal, its hidden habitation, refer
ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him
Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.
175
O Pen of the Most High! Move Thou upon the
Tablet at the bidding of Thy Lord, the Creator of the
Heavens, and tell of the time when He Who is the
Dayspring of Divine Unity purposed to direct His steps
towards the School of Transcendent Oneness; haply the
pure in heart may gain thereby a glimpse, be it as small
as a needle's eye, of the mysteries of Thy Lord, the
Almighty, the Omniscient, that lie concealed behind
the veils. Say: We, indeed, set foot within the School of
inner meaning and explanation when all created things
were unaware. We saw the words sent down by Him
Who is the All-Merciful, and We accepted the verses of
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, which He+F1
presented unto Us, and hearkened unto that which He
had solemnly affirmed in the Tablet. This we assuredly
did behold. And We assented to His wish through Our
behest, for truly We are potent to command.
176
O people of the Bayan! We, verily, set foot within
the School of God when ye lay slumbering; and We
perused the Tablet while ye were fast asleep. By the one
true God! We read the Tablet ere it was revealed, while
ye were unaware, and We had perfect knowledge of the
Book when ye were yet unborn. These words are to
your measure, not to God's. To this testifieth that
which is enshrined within His knowledge, if ye be of
them that comprehend; and to this the tongue of the
Almighty doth bear witness, if ye be of those who
understand. I swear by God, were We to lift the veil,
ye would be dumbfounded.
177
Take heed that ye dispute not idly concerning the
Almighty and His Cause, for lo! He hath appeared
amongst you invested with a Revelation so great as to
encompass all things, whether of the past or of the
future. Were We to address Our theme by speaking in
the language of the inmates of the Kingdom, We
would say: "In truth, God created that School ere He
created heaven and earth, and We entered it before the
letters B and E were joined and knit together." Such is
the language of Our servants in Our Kingdom;
consider what the tongue of the dwellers of Our exalted
Dominion would utter, for We have taught them Our
knowledge and have revealed to them whatever had lain
hidden in God's wisdom. Imagine then what the
Tongue of Might and Grandeur would utter in His All-Glorious
Abode!
178
This is not a Cause which may be made a
plaything for your idle fancies, nor is it a field for the
foolish and faint of heart. By God, this is the arena of
insight and detachment, of vision and upliftment,
where none may spur on their chargers save the valiant
horsemen of the Merciful, who have severed all
attachment to the world of being. These, truly, are
they that render God victorious on earth, and are the
dawning-places of His sovereign might amidst mankind.
179
Beware lest aught that hath been revealed in the
Bayan should keep you from your Lord, the Most
Compassionate. God is My witness that the Bayan was
sent down for no other purpose than to celebrate My
praise, did ye but know! In it the pure in heart will find only the fragrance of My love, only My Name that
overshadoweth all that seeth and is seen. Say: Turn ye,
O people, unto that which hath proceeded from My
Most Exalted Pen. Should ye inhale therefrom the
fragrance of God, set not yourselves against Him, nor
deny yourselves a portion of His gracious favour and
His manifold bestowals. Thus doth your Lord admonish
you; He, verily, is the Counsellor, the Omniscient.
180
Whatsoever ye understand not in the Bayan, ask it
of God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers.
Should He so desire, He will expound for you that
which is revealed therein, and disclose to you the pearls
of Divine knowledge and wisdom that lie concealed
within the ocean of its words. He, verily, is supreme
over all names; no God is there but Him, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
181
The world's equilibrium hath been upset through
the vibrating influence of this most great, this new
World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been
revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this
wondrous System--the like of which mortal eyes have
never witnessed.
182
Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that
ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of
wisdom that lie hid in its depths. Take heed that ye do
not vacillate in your determination to embrace the
truth of this Cause--a Cause through which the
potentialities of the might of God have been revealed,
and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming
with joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless
Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath
refused to seek it--verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above
any need of His creatures.
183
Say: This is the infallible Balance which the Hand
of God is holding, in which all who are in the heavens
and all who are on the earth are weighed, and their fate
determined, if ye be of them that believe and recognize
this truth. Say: This is the Most Great Testimony, by
which the validity of every proof throughout the ages
hath been established, would that ye might be assured
thereof. Say: Through it the poor have been enriched,
the learned enlightened, and the seekers enabled to
ascend unto the presence of God. Beware lest ye make
it a cause of dissension amongst you. Be ye as firmly
settled as the immovable mountain in the Cause of your
Lord, the Mighty, the Loving.
184
Say: O source of perversion! Abandon thy wilful
blindness, and speak forth the truth amidst the people.
I swear by God that I have wept for thee to see thee
following thy selfish passions and renouncing Him
Who fashioned thee and brought thee into being. Call
to mind the tender mercy of thy Lord, and remember
how We nurtured thee by day and by night for service
to the Cause. Fear God, and be thou of the truly
repentant. Granted that the people were confused
about thy station, is it conceivable that thou thyself art
similarly confused? Tremble before thy Lord and recall
the days when thou didst stand before Our throne, and
didst write down the verses that We dictated unto
thee--verses sent down by God, the Omnipotent
Protector, the Lord of might and power. Beware lest the fire of thy presumptuousness debar thee from
attaining to God's Holy Court. Turn unto Him, and
fear not because of thy deeds. He, in truth, forgiveth
whomsoever He desireth as a bounty on His part; no
God is there but Him, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bounteous.
We admonish thee solely for the sake of
God. Shouldst thou accept this counsel, thou wilt have
acted to thine own behoof; and shouldst thou reject it,
thy Lord, verily, can well dispense with thee, and with
all those who, in manifest delusion, have followed thee.
Behold! God hath laid hold on him who led thee astray.
Return unto God, humble, submissive and lowly;
verily, He will put away from thee thy sins, for thy
Lord, of a certainty, is the Forgiving, the Mighty, the
All-Merciful.
185
This is the Counsel of God; would that thou
mightest heed it! This is the Bounty of God; would
that thou mightest receive it! This is the Utterance of
God; if only thou wouldst apprehend it! This is the
Treasure of God; if only thou couldst understand!
186
This is a Book which hath become the Lamp of the
Eternal unto the world, and His straight, undeviating
Path amidst the peoples of the earth. Say: This is the
Dayspring of Divine knowledge, if ye be of them that
understand, and the Dawning-place of God's commandments,
if ye be of those who comprehend.
187
Burden not an animal with more than it can bear.
We, truly, have prohibited such treatment through a
most binding interdiction in the Book. Be ye the
embodiments of justice and fairness amidst all creation.
188
Should anyone unintentionally take another's life, it is incumbent upon him to render to the family of the
deceased an indemnity of one hundred mithqals of
gold. Observe ye that which hath been enjoined upon
you in this Tablet, and be not of those who overstep its
limits.
189
O members of parliaments throughout the world!
Select ye a single language for the use of all on earth,
and adopt ye likewise a common script. God, verily,
maketh plain for you that which shall profit you and
enable you to be independent of others. He, of a truth,
is the Most Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
This will be the cause of unity, could ye but
comprehend it, and the greatest instrument for
promoting harmony and civilization, would that ye
might understand! We have appointed two signs for
the coming of age of the human race: the first, which is
the most firm foundation, We have set down in other of
Our Tablets, while the second hath been revealed in
this wondrous Book.
190
It hath been forbidden you to smoke opium. We,
truly, have prohibited this practice through a most
binding interdiction in the Book. Should anyone
partake thereof, assuredly he is not of Me. Fear God, O
ye endued with understanding!
Go to Verses 101-150 / Go to Index, Copyright and Explanation / The Tablet of Ishraqat The Eighth Ishraq