Provisional Translation of the Persian Tablet of Ahmad

by Bahá'u'lláh

Introduction: Name: This is a Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and commonly known by the name: "Persian Tablet of Aḥmad" in order to distinguish it from another Tablet which is commonly known by the name "Tablet of Aḥmad" included in most of the prayer books. The latter is revealed in Arabic and addressed to a person by the name Aḥmad from Yazd, while the former is revealed in Persian in the honor of a person with the name Aḥmad from Káshán.

Time of Revelation: This Tablet was revealed in the second year after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh in Adrianople and before the advent of "The Most Great Separation."

Contents: Aḥmad comes from a devoted family and despite his long sojourn in Baghdad failed to recognize Bahá’u’lláh’s station. Instead he became a supporter of Mírzá Yaḥyá, half-brother of Bahá’u’lláh. In this Tablet Baha’u’llah spells out the requirements for having an enlightened self and living spirit and in a variety of ways draws the attention of a seeker to the requirements of spiritual life. Bahá’u’lláh addresses Aḥmad in several occasions and admonishes him to follow a path which would lead to an everlasting life and away from waywardness. The present author has expanded the concepts presented in this Tablet and written a book called La’álí-i Maknúnih (Hidden Pearls) published by Mir’át Publications (see bahai-verlag.de/shop/bahai/apply/viewdetail/id/4189); in fact it is a commentary on this Tablet.

Translation: The Guardian selected several excerpts from this Tablet and translated them into English; all such translations appear in the "Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh" without having specific designations; this covers almost half of the Tablet. The remaining sections from the original Tablet which were translated by the present writer and those translated by the Guardian were placed in the same sequence as appear in the original Tablet in order to form the translation of the entire Tablet which presented below. — Foad Seddigh, 2019