Windflower Translations

Introductions

Original title: Suriy-i Ahzan

Written by Baha'u'llah in the Edirne period

This surah is principally a lament by Baha'u'llah about those who opposed him and made his life miserable. It begins with him running through some of the arguments made against him and follows with a lament about the shameful way the Bab was treated. A large mid-passage contains a long address to one of the followers of Baha'u'llah's half-brother, Azal. The surah ends in a more positive mood, with mention of the blessings conferred on Ali, the recipient of the tablet, and poetic descriptions of the Ocean of Grandeur and of how Baha'u'llah's revelation has turned everything in creation up-side down.

Original title: Surat al-Qadir

Written by Baha'u'llah in the Edirne period

In Surah of the Almighty, Baha'u'llah explains that he has spread the might of God over all people by virtue of his revealing this tablet. If believers purify their hearts and reflect the power released by this tablet, they will experience extraordinary power and be successful at teaching others about the new revelation.

Original title: Surat al-ashab

Written by Baha'u'llah in the Edirne period

Surah of the Companions is a long letter Baha'u'llah wrote to Aqa Munib Kashani, asking him to tell the Babis living in Iran about Baha'u'llah's claim to be Him Whom God Will Manifest; that is, the Promised One of the Bab. The tablet was written while Baha'u'llah was living in Edirne, and is one of the most important public announcements Baha'u'llah made at that time.

Translator's title: Súrat al-ziyárah li-Mullá Husayn

Bahá’u’lláh revealed His Súrah of Visitation in honor of Mullá Husayn and addressed it to Mullá Husayn’s sister, Varaqatu’l-Firdaws (Leaf of Paradise). The súrah is hypnotic in its beautiful imagery and rhythm and highly recommended for devotional use.

Title given by translator: Lawḥ-i ta`ziya

This letter, or tablet, was composed by Bahá’u’lláh following the death of the father of one of the believers. In it, Bahá’u’lláh consoles the deceased’s son by assuring him that his father has ascended to God and attained “a station that the pen of the worlds is powerless to describe”. He commiserates with the son’s loss, by relating the death of His own father when Bahá’u’lláh was at a young age. Bahá’u’lláh admonishes the son not to grieve, but to take solace in God and to be heartened by the divine consolation found in the tablet.

The central message here is that death is not to be a cause of grief but, rather, should be recognized as a transition in the journey of drawing ever nearer to God. Baha’u’llah also says that God is above all limitation and therefore the true source of comfort and solace.

Joshua Hall (translator)

Original title: Lawh-i Fu'ad

Written by Baha'u'llah in the Akka period

Tablet of Fuad was written for Shaykh Kázim-i-Samandar to commemorate the death of Keçicizade Fuad Pasha in 1869. Fuad Pasha held the positions of grand vizier and then foreign minister of the Ottomon Empire during the years that Baha'u'llah was exiled from Baghdad to Istanbul, and then to Edirne and finally to Akka. In this tablet, Baha'u'llah describes Fuad Pasha's entrance into hell and that of other Ottomon despots.

For an introduction to Tablet of Fuad by Juan Cole, see the H-Baha'i site.

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