Alwáh-i-Sha’arát (Tablets of the Hair)
Published in the December, 1938
issue of the U.S. Bahá’í News, (No. 121, p. 11);
First web edition prepared by Jonah Winters;
Revised page with titles and notes
prepared by Mehdi Wolf, March, 2002.
Alwáh-i-Sha’arát
Tablets of the Hair[1]
HE IS THE ALMIGHTY![2]
My hair is my Messenger. It is calling aloud
at all times upon the branch of fire within the hallowed and luminous
Garden of Paradise, that perchance the inmates of the realm of creation
may detach themselves from the world of dust and ascend unto the retreats
of nearness — the Spot where the Fire seeketh illumination from the light
of the countenance of God, the Glorious, the Powerful.
O ye that have
consecrated yourselves to this Fire! Sing ye melodies, pour out sweet
tones, rejoice with exceeding gladness and make haste to attain the
presence of Him Who is the Object of adoration, bearing witness that no
God is there besides God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the
All-Compelling.
HE IS THE GOD OF WISDOM![3]
My hair is My
Phoenix. Therefore hath it set itself upon the blazing fire of My Face and
receiveth sustenance from the garden of My Countenance. This is the
station wherein the Son of "Imran" (Moses) removed from the feet of
selfish desire the coverings of the attachment to all else but Him and was
illumined by the splendours of the Light of holiness in the undying Fire
kindled by God, the Potent, the Gracious, the Ever-Forgiving.
HE IS THE MOST EXCELLENT, THE BEST BELOVED![4]
A lock of My hair is My Cord. He who layeth fast hold on it shall never to
all eternity go astray, for therein is his guidance to the splendours of
the Light of His beauty.
HE IS GOD![5]
My hair is My Veil
whereby I conceal My beauty, that haply the eyes of the non-believers
among My servants may not fall upon it. Thus do We conceal from the sight
of the ungodly the glorious and sublime beauty of Our Countenance.
HE IS THE ETERNAL![6]
My hair beareth witness for My beauty that verily I am God and that there
is none other God but me. In My ancient eternity I have ever been God,
the One, the Peerless, the Everlasting, the Ever-living, the Ever-Abiding,
the Self-Subsistent.
O denizens of the everlasting Realm! Let your ears
be attentive to the stirrings of this restless and agitated hair, as it
moveth upon the Sinai of Fire, within the precincts of Light, this
celestial Seat of divine Revelation. Indeed there is no God besides me.
In My most ancient pre-existence I have ever been the King, the Sovereign,
the Incomparable, the Eternal, the Single, the Everlasting, the Most
Exalted.
O peoples of the heavens and of the earth! Were ye to sanctify
your ears ye would hear My hair proclaim that there is none other God
except Him, and that He is One in His Essence and in everything that
beareth relationship unto Him. And yet how fiercely have you cavilled at
this beauty; not withstanding that the outpourings of His grace have
encompassed all that dwell in the billowing oceans of His Revelation and
Creation. Be ye fair therefore in your judgement concerning His upright
Religion, for the love of this Youth who is riding high upon the snow-white She-Camel betwixt earth and heaven; and be ye firm and steadfast in
the path of Truth.
Notes
[1] The note accompanying this amalgomated Tablet states “This is the Tablet read by Mrs. Thomas Collins in presenting at the Convention the Guardian’s gift of locks of Bahá’u’lláh’s Hair. The Tablet [sic] is shared with the believers with the Guardian’s permission.” Though the translation had been approved by Shoghi Effendi, it was more recently sent to the Bahá’í World Center to verify its authenticity. The translation given here is an authorized translation from the Bahá’í World Center, approved for distribution. (JW’s note, slightly revised by MW).
[2] La’áliyu’l-Hikmat Vol. 3 (Rio de Janeiro: Editora Bahá’í Brazil, 1991) p. 75. The Bahá’í Library gratefully acknowledges the aid of Khazeh Fananapazir in finding the references for all five Tablets and providing the Arabic transliteration of the title. (MW’s note).
[3] La’áliyu’l-Hikmat Vol. 3, p. 75 (KF’s note).
[4] La’áliyu’l-Hikmat Vol. 3, p. 75 (KF’s note).
[5] La’áliyu’l-Hikmat Vol. 3, p. 68 (KF’s note).
[6] La’áliyu’l-Hikmat Vol. 3, p. 76 (MW’s note).