Tablet to Fuad Pasha the Heart 5 страница
11.
If however, the supporters of these two positions should contend and quarrel with one another
in their exposition of the two perspectives, both groups are, and hath ever been, rejected.
12.
This inasmuch as the purpose of the spiritual understanding (`irfán)
and the exposition of the highest levels of the elucidation of the teachings (bayán)
is to attract the hearts, and cause fellowship between souls,
and further the propagation of the Cause of God.
13.
As a result of contention and disputation amongst those who hold to these two positions,
there hath been and will ever result the dissipation of the Cause of God
and both groups shall return to the hellfire
despite the fact that they, in their own estimation,
soar in the highest horizon of spiritual understanding.
14.
O Jamál!
The Unseen, the Inaccessible, the Transcendent [Lord], [6] lamenteth and weepeth
for He inhaleth not the fragrance of that which, in this Day, is beloved (of God).
15.
The community of the True [Lord] should manifest the virtues of God
for He is the Concealer of faults, the [Lord] Who Knoweth things hidden, and the Forgiver of sins.
16.
This is the Day whereon the Ocean of Gods mercy hath been manifested unto men,
the Day in which the Day-Star of His loving-kindness shall shed its radiance upon them,
the Day in which the clouds of His bountiful favour have overshadowed the whole of mankind.
17.
Now is the time to cheer and refresh the down-cast
through the invigorating breeze of love and fellowship,
and the living waters of friendliness and charity.
18.
They who are the beloved of God,
in whatever place they gather and whomsoever they may meet must evince,
in their attitude towards God, and in the manner of their celebration of His praise and glory
such humility and submissiveness that every atom of the dust beneath their feet
may attest the depth of their devotion.
19.
The conversation carried by these holy souls should be informed with such power
that these same atoms of the dust will be thrilled by its influence.
20.
They should conduct themselves in such manner
that the earth upon which they tread may never be allowed to address them such words as these:
"I am to be preferred above you.
21.
For witness,, how patient I am in bearing the burden which the husbandman layeth upon me.
22.
I am the instrument that continually imparteth unto all beings
the blessings with which He Who is the Source of all grace hath entrusted me.
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23.
Notwithstanding the honour conferred upon me, and the unnumbered evidences of my wealth
— a wealth that supplieth the needs of all creation —
behold the measure of my humility,
witness with what absolute submissiveness I allow myself to be trodden beneath the feet of men.
24.
Consider the divines and the mysticsof the past.
Although they soar in the atmosphere of Divine Unity
and expound the grades of Divine Singleness and Praise
not a word which emanateth from such souls found acceptance before the Him Who is the Word.
25.
Indeed, when he who cannot even pronounce the word of Unity attains certitude in the station of the Manifestation even that person's undone deeds are rendered acceptable and his unsung praise is beloved by God.
Tablet to Jamal-i-Burujirdi CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 26-50
JAMAL
26.
Learn ye a lesson about this matter, O men endowed with discernment!
27.
I swear by the waves of the Mystic Ocean which is truly hidden from the eyes of men!
28.
There hath never been nor is there now anyone capable of proffering a befitting description of the essential nature of this Most Great Manifestation.
29.
Wherefore, show forebearance and benevolence and love to one another.
30.
Should any one among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be striving to comprehend it, show forth when conversing with him a spirit of extreme kindliness and goodwill.
31.
Help him to see and recognize the truth without esteeming yourself to be, in the least, superior to him or to be possessed of greater endowments
32.
The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of grace which God poureth forth for him.
33.
Let none, therefore, consider the largeness or smallness of the receptacle.
34.
The portion of some might lie in the palm of a man's hand, the portion of others might fill a cup, and of others even a gallon-measure.
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35.
Every eye in this Day should seek what will best promote the Cause of God.
He Who is the Eternal Truth, beareth Me witness!
36.
Nothing whatever can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm upon this cause than dissension,
and strife, contention, estrangement and apathy, among the loved ones of God.
37.
Flee them, through the power of God and His sovereign aid, and strive ye to knit together the hearts of men in His Name, the Unifier, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
38.
Beseech ye the one true God to grant that ye may taste the savour of such deeds as are performed in His path, and partake of the sweetness of such humility and submissiveness as are shown for His sake.
39.
Forget your own selves, and turn your eyes towards your neighbour.
40.
Bend your energies to whatever may foster the education of men.
Nothing is, or can ever be, hidden from God.
41.
If ye follow in His way,
His incalculable and imperishable blessings will be showered upon you.
42.
This is the luminous Tablet,
whose verses have streamed from the moving Pen of Him Who is the Lord of all worlds.
43.
Ponder it in your hearts,
and be ye of them that observe its precepts.
44.
Before those souls who,
at the behest of God in this Day are engaged in the propagation of the Cause
and who have received the special loving providence of God,
all should manifest due humility.
45.
This submissiveness before them (teachers of the Bahá'í Faith) is, in truth, referable to God
for it originateth from His command and returneth, therefore, unto Him.
46.
Such as have received this special bounty (of teaching)
should demonstrate and manifest amongst themselves the utmost unity.
47.
Apart from and beyond this matter the degrees of understanding and knowledge amongst them (the teachers) is perfectly evident unto God and shall always remain so.
48.
Thus have We ignited the lamp of Utterance amongst mankind.
49.
Blessed be the one who seeketh illumination from its niche and is enlightened by its radiance.
50.
That one is of those who have attained and of those who have been honoured.
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Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds."
Translated by K. Fananapazir and S. Lambden
Refer God Passes By (Baha' i Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois 1987) p.248. See also Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh Vol. 2 (George Ronald: Oxford 1977) pp.ll8f, 264ff.
The verse of the Qur'an partially cited or alluded to by Bahá'u'lláh here (71:13) has been variously rendered. The word atwár"' is an accusative plural the singular of which, tawr, literally means something like, a stage, state, limit, degree, or condition'- the word is a Qur'anic hapax legomenon [it occurs only once in the Qur'an]. George Sale translated it "..since he hath created you variously". A. J. Arberry has "..seeing He created you by stages" (The Koran Interpreted, OUP: Oxford [=The World's Classics]) 1986 p. 609. The above translation takes into account Bahá'u'lláh's application of these words to the spiritual state of the individual.
The word haykal here could also be rendered 'temple', `form' or 'body'.
This sentence probably refers to such persons as envision the Essence of God and the Manifestation of God as One and the same Reality. They neither make any distinction between them nor speak of their connection or union - apparently because they are envisaged as a single Reality.
The Godhead is again referred to in this elevated manner - see above. Having outlined two viewpoints regarding His station - both of which are referred to as "acceptable" (maqbúl) - it is of interest that Bahá'u'lláh here refers to the "The Unseen, the Inaccessible, the Transcendent One [God)" as the One Who "lamenteth and weepeth". Shoghi Effendi, in Gleanings.. LXXXIV (= Iqtidarát pp.157-8, an untitled Tablet), translates ghayb-i maní` lá yudrak as "Him Who is the invisible, the unknowable Essence'.
See Persian original text of Bahá'u'lláh's Iqtidarat:
Tablet of the Sacred Night
translated by J. R. I. Cole.
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originally revealed as "Lawh Laylat al-Quds".
Translator's introduction
While it is customary for Bahá'ís to have community gatherings on the evening of May 22 to celebrate the declaration of the Bab, it is clear that another complex of individual and group means of celebrating that day was encouraged by Bahá'u'lláh. Surprisingly, these practices are especially associated with Bahá'í Sufis or dervishes (daravish, `urafa'), and involve prayers specifically revealed for this occasion and the custom of staying up most of the night of the 22nd, praying and chanting remembrances (dhikr) of God.
`Abdu'l-Hamid Ishraq-Khavari tells us in his survey of Bahá'u'lláh's Tablets, Ganj-i Shayigan (Tehran: BPT, 124 B.E.), pp. 209-210, that the "Tablets of the Sacred Night (Alwah Laylat al-Quds)" were revealed in `Akka by Bahá'u'lláh with the intention that Bahá'í dervishes or Sufis should treat that night as a festival and read these Tablets.
In his encyclopaedic work, Rahiq-i Makhtum, 2 vols. (Tehran: BPT, ), 2:296, Ishraq-Khavari identifies the "Sacred Night" as none other than the night of the Bab's declaration (bi`that), and reaffirms that Bahá'u'lláh said it was good to stay up that night.
Of the Tablets of the Sacred Night, only one has, to my knowledge, been printed, (Bahá'u'lláh, "Lawh Laylat al-Quds," in A.H. Ishraq-Khavari, ed., Risalih- 'i Tasbih va Tahlil [New Delhi: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982], pp. 174-181). The affinities of this short Tablet (which is really an extended supplication to God) with Sufi thought and practice, are evident. The first paragraph refers to the sufferings of the prophets, evoking the Egyptian Sufi mystic `Umar Ibn al-Farid's "Poem of the Way," which likewise details the tribulations of God's messengers. Human beings are characterized as "poor," the word the Sufis humbly used to describe themselves. Attaining nearness (qurb) to God and even the divine Presence (liqa') are mentioned as goals, and the language here is shared between Sufism and Babism.
The Sufi practice of staying up late praying is referred to when Bahá'u'lláh says, "I beseech Thee to look, O my Beloved, with Thy generous gaze, upon these persons, who are sleepless during this Night that Thou hast designated a festival for Thy creatures, wherein Thou shonest forth by Thy Name, the All-Merciful, upon the entire contingent world, and wherein the Beauty of Thy Divinity mounted the Throne of Forgiveness." In Sufism, such ceremonies were held on the "Laylat al-Qadr," the Night of Power upon which Muhammad was believed to have received the Qur'an from the angel Gabriel. Bahá'u'lláh has moved such observances to the equivalent night in the Babi-Bahá'í religion, the "Laylat al- Quds" or Night of Holiness, when the Bab is believed to have revealed himself to Mulla Husayn Bushru'i.
The mystical path in Sufism is characterized by a strong emotional component in worship. Bahá'u'lláh evokes this aspect of that path when he calls upon God to "endue their yearning with ardent passion." Another goal of Sufism is to attain a mystical knowledge (`irfan) of God. Bahá'u'lláh in the beginning of the Most Holy Book makes attainment of such mystical knowledge of God one of two prerequisites for salvation. In the Tablet of the Sacred Night, however, he reminds the Sufis that God singled out His Messengers for the mystical knowledge (`irfan) of His Self, a reference to the Bahá'í doctrine that the Manifestation of God stands in the place of the Self of God in the lower realms of being.
Sufis lay stress on achieving a powerful understanding of God's Unity (tawhid), which is, again, a repeated theme of this Tablet. Moreover, they employ sometimes scandalous metaphors for the spiritual drunkenness they seek, and Bahá'u'lláh here also evokes these literary themes when he says, "Yes, my Beloved: give them to drink of the cup of life from the hand of this Youth in this garden," representing himself as the wine-server or "saqi." He speaks of the supererogatory worship of the Sufis, urging that they "may make mention of Thee at eventide and sunrise," though such practices are also urged of all Bahá'ís in the Most Holy Book.
Sufis tended to seek to focus all their concentration upon God, finding Him in all things and using breathing and other meditation techniques to heighten their awareness of the divine. These practices are probably alluded to in the phrases, "that they might not speak save with love for Thee nor draw a breath save with devotion to Thee nor turn their faces toward any direction save the realm of Thy compassion and generosity, nor raise their hands save toward the heaven of Thy glory and nobility, nor open their eyes save to the marvels of the effulgence of the lights of Thy joy." Continual awareness of God, in every word one speaks, in every breath one takes, in every sight one sees, is an aspiration of mystics in many traditions, not only Sufis but also the Greek hesychasts, for instance.
Finally, Bahá'u'lláh refers toward the end of this Tablet to the Bahá'í ideals of unity, asking God to remove from the Bahá'í mystics gathered on the Sacred Night every vestige of "contention" (ikhtilaf). Their words, he says, should be such as to guide others to the court of God's love. The mystics in their devotions should become "as one soul." This mystical unity of worshippers mirrors the divine Oneness (tawhid), reflecting in the sublunar realm an attribute of God Himself. In the translation I offer below of this Tablet, I have presented it visually as a prose poem or psalm,which I think comes closer to conveying the lyrical quality and resort to rhymed prose that characterizes much of it, and underlines that this is a text meant to bechanted.
`Abdu'l-Bahá mentions a similar but distinct custom in Memorials of the Faithful (Wilmette: BPT, 1971), pp. 36-38, in his biography of Darvish Sidq-`Ali, the Bahá'í Sufi and companion of Bahá'u'lláh.
While in the barracks, Bahá'u'lláh set apart a special night and He dedicated it to Darvish Sidq-`Ali. He wrote that every year on that night the dervishes should bedeck a meeting place, which should be in a flower garden, and gather there to make mention of God. He went on to say that "dervish" does not denote those persons who wander about, spending their nights and days in fighting and folly; rather, He said, the term designates those who are completely severed from all but God, who cleave to His laws, are firm in His Faith, loyal to His Covenant, and constant in worship (p. 38). The date of this commemoration according to Fadil Mazandarani, Amr va Khalq is 2 Rajab of the Muslim calendar.
The nineteenth century Iranian Bahá'í community was divided into orders, as was Qajar society as a whole. There were Bahá'ís of high civil rank associated with the government, as officials and even provincial governors, known as the nawkar class. There were Bahá'í `ulama or Learned, who had a seminary training and often continued to wear the robes and turban of the clergy. There were Bahá'í tujjar or great merchants, Bahá'í artisans, and Bahá'í peasants. Among these orders were the Bahá'í `urafa' or mystics. These included eminent believers such as Darvish Sidq-`Ali, Ahmad Yazdi (the recipient of the Tablet of Ahmad), and Mishkin-Qalam (a member of the Ni`matu'llahi Sufi order). The Tablets of the Sacred Night and the practice of staying up that night and chanting prayers appear to have concerned this order in particular, though obviously they were available to all Bahá'ís. Mystics in the Middle East were known for performing extra acts of worship, such as "nawafil" or additional obligatory prayers beyond the five, and the late-night observance of the Declaration of the Bab appears to fall into this category of supererogatory acts of worship.
These customs, ordained by Bahá'u'lláh, appear to have ceased in the twentieth century Iranian community, but it is unclear upon what basis. Certainly, if Bahá'u'lláh ordained them, they cannot be abrogated. Ishraq-Khavari in Ganj, cited above, says that the practice of staying up all night to chant the Tablet of the Sacred Night on the anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab was "discontinued." He does not, however, say who discontinued it or by what authority. Sociologically, one could point to the decline of an order-based society and the rise of a class society in Pahlavi Iran, such that statuses like Bahá'í learned and mystics ceased to exist as separate categories with distinctive customs and dress. Sufism itself declined in the Middle East as an organized movement, though some groups, such as the upper-class Ni`matu'llahis, remained as a vigorous minority. The process in the 1920s and 1930s whereby Shoghi Effendi attempted to wean Bahá'ís away from dual membership in other religious bodies led to the end of any membership by Bahá'ís in Sufi orders. Nor do there appear to have been any special-interest societies with a mystical tendency within the Bahá'í community, though individuals with a strong orientation toward `Attar, Rumi, and Bahá'u'lláh's Seven Valleys and other mystical works continued to exist. (Such a special-interest society could in principle be formed.) There is to my knowledge no bar to Bahá'ís informally gathering together to stay up late the night of 22 May in order to say this and other prayers.
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