Learn Well this Tablet,
by H. Richard Gurinsky.
Published by George Ronald
Paperback
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WORDS ARE THINGS of great power. Through them we
communicate and understand things great and small. They shape our
lives and that of our society.
Scientists have pointed out that Neanderthal man was far from being
a stupid brute: his brain was large, he had skills, and, it would
seem from some of the archaeological findings, spiritual yearning
and an awareness of life beyond this one. Yet his society never
developed past a certain basic level, and communication appears to
have been the key. His remains make it clear that his anatomy would
have stopped him developing a detailed pattern of speech: he did
not have the means to communicate at more than a relatively basic
level.
We are different, we can make many sounds, and with that capacity
and the later-developed ability to record them in writing we can
transcend so many of our limitations. And it is through words that
the Manifestation of God gives us His most detailed message,
whatever other experiences He may vouchsafe to individuals.
Among previous religions the concept of the Word of God reaches its
highest development in Islám, where the eternal and
uncreated Qur’án has a status not unlike that accorded
to Jesus Christ in mainstream Christianity. Appreciation of the
status of the creative Holy Word is vital to an understanding of
the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh – and
when Shoghi Effendi talks of certain prayers as having been
invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special
potency and significance he is not merely paying a polite
compliment. The Tablet of Ahmad is one such work of special potency
and the late Richard Gurinsky rendered the
Bahá’í community a valuable service by
preparing this discussion and analysis of a Tablet that is widely
used. He developed our understanding and appreciation of what the
work is and why the Guardian noted its special status.
The author gives something of the history of the Tablet and then
proceeds to a phrase-by-phrase analysis. He explains the
significance of many of these phrases in the context of
Bahá’u’lláh’s other Writings,
showing that they have meaning beyond the obvious, and discusses
some of the concepts underlying them, concepts that may have been
unfamiliar to a Western reader of Christian background. He is never
dry or boring and always informative.
The discussion reveals the many levels at which we can begin to
develop our understanding of Scripture, while leaving one with the
feeling that the process has only begun. We are reminded of the
instruction of Bahá’u’lláh in the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas to: “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” – and
that oceans can have great depths and many hidden treasures.
A single indication of this is the listing of the themes touched on
in the Tablet of Ahmad. There are twenty of them ranging from the
call to arise and teach the Faith through the Covenant of God to
the condition of the peoples of the world and the promise of divine
assistance.
This book would be useful at any time, but its appearance now is
especially welcome. We live in a world where people are becoming
disconnected – from the appreciation and proper use of words,
from reading and study, from their communities, from God and an
appreciation of the sacred. Bahá’ís are not
immune to such processes. If we are to fulfil our spiritual
potential and to serve the Faith we must connect with its Source.
The Tablet of Ahmad helps us do this and to put into action its
calls for unity and action.
Learn well this Tablet indeed – and benefit from the way in
which this book can help develop a truer understanding and
appreciation of its significance.
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