Surah-i-Hajj I
(Tablet of Pilgrimage to the House of the Báb)
trans. Denis MacEoin
PASSAGE FROM Surah AL-HAJJ ON THE RITES OF THE SHIRÁZ HOUSE, BY
BAHÁ`U`LLÁH
O Muhammad, when the fragrances of holiness have
drawn thee unto them and turned thee unto the land of the All-Merciful that thou
mayest discover the breezes of divine praise, go forth then by permission of Thy
Lord, the Generous, unto the spot around which circle the angels that are nigh
unto God, they that sing His praises about the Throne. At the moment when thou
arisest from thy place, seeking to turn in the direction of God, thy Lord, take
off from thy body the robe of self and desire and from thy feet the sandals of
sin and wickedness, for thou art entering the spot that none may reach save he
that casteth behind him all that are on earth and in the heavens, wherein naught
but the greatest righteousness shall be accepted, if thou art of them that
comprehend, and around which circle the Mount of Command and the Land of
Holiness and the Sinai of Glory and the hearts of them that ascend at all times
unto the heaven of nearness. None other shall ever attain unto it nor be
mentioned by God as having reached it, even should he dwell there for a thousand
years as you number them.
And when thou hast journeyed from thy self and
from the world and its people and hast travelled unto God, thy Lord, and hast
reached the spot at which thou beholdest the outskirts of the city, dismount and
stop where thou art and say: "Spirit and light and glory and praise be upon
thee, 0 City of God, 0 dwelling-place of His names, 0 treasury of His
attributes, 0 source of His bounties, 0 mine of His grace, 0 place of the
manifestation of His effulgences that have encompassed all creation. I bear
witness that from thy outskirts appeared the Primal Point li.e. the Báb] and
the ornament of pre-existence and the eternal mystery and the universal word and
the fixed decrees and the hidden secrets. Thus hast thou surpassed all others in
receiving grace from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting."
Lift up, then, your hands unto God, thy Lord,
with humility and selfeffacement, with submission and pleasing contentment, and
say: "O Lord, praise be to Thee for the wonders of Thy gifts and the graces
of Thy bestowals. How can I give thanks to Thee, 0 my God, for having provided
me with the visitation of Thy House and having honoured me with it and having
chosen me for this bounty in which none hath preceded me and having taught me
what none hath known but Thee? Wherefore, 0 my God, I have fled from the house
of my self and taken refuge in the place in which Thy most exalted Self hath
been established; I have taken flight from whatever hath kept me back from
drawing nigh unto Thee and gone for protection unto the precincts of Thy most
great mercy. Deprive me not, then, 0 my God, of that which belongeth unto Thee
and cause me not to be occupied with any but <155> Thee. Thou, verily, art
the Mighty, the Forgiving. 0 Lord, make me steadfast in Thy love and in the love
of Thy friends, and cause me not to be of them that have disbelieved in Thy
verses after they were sent down, them that have mocked them after their
perfumes had encompassed all created things and all that was brought into
existence in the visible and the invisible worlds. 0 Lord, send unto me the rod
of Thy grace and bounty that I may cleave therewith the sea of self and desire,
pass over it, and reach the pavilion of the glory of Thine exaltation and the
tabernacle of the holiness of Thy protection, lest there be made manifest from
me that which Thy good-pleasure abhorreth. Thou, verily, art He that doeth as He
willest, and Thou art, in truth, the Lord of this firmly builded House."
Ride on, then, until thou reachest a spot at
which there shall be between thee and the city only a thousand steps, be it more
or less. Whereupon, dismount and immerse thyself in water, as thou hast been
commanded in the Book of God, the Protector, the Exalted, the SelfSubsisting.
And when thou comest forth from the water, trim thy moustache, then clip thy
nails, then shave thy head, then make use of the best of perfumes, then put on
the best clothes you are able to afford. And if thou art not able to perform
that which We have commanded thee, be thou not saddened, for God hath pardoned
thee; He, verily, is the Powerful, the Forgiving, the Pardoner. Strive, then,
within thyself that, at the moment thy eye falleth upon the city and thou comest
close to it, thy heart may be purified from the mention of all things in such
wise that thou mayest cast behind thee all that hath been created between the
earth and the heavens, for thou art at that moment walking before the King of
all creation, thy Sovereign of names and attributes. Thus instructeth thee the
Pen of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all things, if thou art of them that know.
And when thou hast performed that which We have
commanded thee, rise from that spot and turn your face towards the House. Then
stop, then raise your hands in humble devotion to God, the Powerful, the
Protector, the Beloved, and say: "O my God, this is the spot through which
the eyes of them that desire Thee have been solaced and the hearts of Thy lovers
have been attracted; this is the utmost goal of them that seek Thee and the
highest desire of them that yearn for Thee. This is the spot wherein the eyes of
them that know Thee have rained tears in their separation from Thee and the
faces of them that have attained unto Thee have turned yellow in their longing
for Thy beauty. I beseech Thee, 0 my God, by it and by the effulgences of the
lights of the glory of Thy oneness and the flashes of the manifestation of the
holiness of Thy divinity, to release me from the fire of my self and to sanctify
me from all that is unworthy of Thy sovereignty. Thou, verily, art the
Protector, the Self-Subsisting."
<156> Lower, then, thy hands until they
reach the level of thy cheeks, then magnify God (with the phrase Allahu akbar)
nine times, then raise thy hands yet again unto God, thy Lord and the Lord
of all that hath been and all that is, and say: "O my God, this is the city
wherein Thy sovereignty was made manifest and the signs of the glory of Thy
grandeur appeared and Thy verses were sent down and Thy word was completed and
Thy might was exalted and Thy proof shone forth and Thy mercy encompassed all
things and all that is in the heavens and the earth. There beareth witness unto
this my self and my heart and my tongue and beyond them blessed servants.
Whereupon, I beseech Thee, 0 my God, by it [the city] and all that hath been
manifested in it to remove that which hath kept me far from the shore of the
holiness of Thy mercy and bounty and shut me out from the precincts of the
outpouring of Thy grace and bestowal. Clothe me, then, 0 my God, in the robe of
Thy graciousness and bounty. Thou wiliest and Thou art, truly, the Mighty, the
Exalted, the Beloved. Give me, then, to drink, 0 my God, from the fountain of
the glory of Thy knowledge and the living waters of the holiness of meeting with
Thee, waters which, were but a drop from them to be sprinkled upon all created
things, they would be raised to eternal, everlasting life, standing before Thy
face and the manifestations of the flashes of the lights of Thy countenance.
Thou, verily, art the Mighty, the Exalted, the Holy."
Lower, then, thy hands and walk upon the ground
with the dignity of God and His tranquillity. And as thou walkest proclaim the
singleness of thy Lord (with the phrase "there is no god but God")
then proclaim His greatness (with the phrase Allahu akbar), then His
holiness (with the phrase Allahu aqdás), then His majesty (with the
phrase Allahu amjad). Follow, then, in the ways of the messengers and the
manners of them that are near to God, saying: "Here am I, 0 my God, here am
I; greetings unto Thee, and the light be before Thee." Repeat these words
as much as will not cool down the fire of thy ardour and passion. Thus We have
instructed thee in truth that thou mayest be of them that act in accordance with
what they have been commanded. Know, then, that thou didst answer thy Lord with
these words when He ascended the Throne and called upon all created things with
His words "Am I not your Lord?" Those words are the secret of those
others, if ye be of them that ponder upon the mysteries of their Lord. Indeed,
shouldst thou behold with the eye of thine inner being, thou shalt at that
moment behold Him raised upon the thrones of all created beings, crying:
"No God is there but Me, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting." Know,
then, 0 pilgrim, thy value and station at that moment. Give thanks, then, to God
that this has been bestowed upon thee and that He hath aided thee therein.
Verily, there is no God but Him; creation and command are His and all act
according to His bidding. Blessed art thou, 0 servant, in that <157> thou
hast entered the land of holiness, the Paran of the Spirit, and the Sinai of
Command. Yea, shouldst thou make sharp thy sight, thou wilt behold all about
thee circumambulating. By God, 0 servant journeying from thy home, should God
open thy vision and shouldst thou turn thy gaze above the head unto the heavens,
thou wilt behold the sanctuaries of holiness, the habitations of
loving-fellowship, the people of the pavilion of the heavenly kingdom, the
inhabitants of the thrones of the kingdom of might, the bodies of the holy ones
among the manifestations of the realm below and the kingdom above all moving in
the heaven of holiness above thy head, extolling with thee the unity, the
greatness, the holiness, and the majesty of the Lord of the City and of him that
appeared from it and arose therein. Thus shalt thou behold the matter, if thou
art of them that see with the eyes of the spirit.
And when thou reachest the spot at which thou art
come nigh unto the gate of the city at a distance of 20 paces, stop at the
command of God, thy Lord, the Lord of all things, and the Lord of this
praiseworthy scene. Extol, then, the greatness of God 19 times, then address the
city on My behalf, saying: "May God curse a people that have interposed
themselves between Us and the lights of thy holiness, 0 City of God, and who
have kept us back from inhaling the fragrances of the holiness of Thy oneness
and from dwelling within the precincts of the glory of Thy mercy and from
standing in the courtyard of the gate of the outpouring of Thy compassion."
Turn, then, thy gaze unto the most great spectacle, in the direction of the wall
of the city and whatsoever hath been created therein and hath existed within it,
for upon all of these hath fallen the eye of God, the Mighty, the Protector, the
Self-Sufficient. Say: "O wall of the City! Blessed be thou, inasmuch as
there shone forth above thee the lights of the sun of thy Lord, the Exalted, the
Most High. 0 trees of the City! Blessed be ye, inasmuch as the breezes of
holiness have been wafted upon you from the direction of eternity. 0 air of the
City! Blessed be thou, inasmuch as the breath of God, the Mighty, the Powerful,
the Beloved, was spread within thee. 0 earth of the City! Blessed be thou,
inasmuch as the feet of thy Lord, the All-Merciful, have walked upon thee and
the form of the Praised One hath passed over thee in the days when all were
wrapped in the veils of their own selves. "
Walk, then,
until thou reachest the city; and when thou hast attained its presence and
arrived at its gate, place thy face upon the dust of the gate, that thou mayest
discover the fragrance of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High and may be of
them that are nourished with the water of life. Know, then, that from its dust
is manifested the decree of water, and from its water the decree of air, and
from its air the effect of fire, and from a torch ignited from it hath appeared
the decree of 'B' and 'E' [@ukm al-kdf wa'l-nan - i.e. kun, "be"][1]i,
if thou art of them that know.
<158> This is how We have described it unto
thee in the land and among these people that are unconscious in the drunkenness
of self. Otherwise, by Him in Whose hand is my soul, an atom of its dust is more
glorious in the sight of God than all that hath been created in the meadows of
eternity and all that hath been decreed in the tablets of destiny within the
mystery of fate in the realm of the divine decree. Thus do We cast upon thee the
secrets of the Cause, that thou mayest be of them that comprehend.
When thou
hast kissed the dust and derived a blessing therefrom, raise up thy head, then
stand and magnify God (with the phrase Allahu akbar) 19 times, then walk
with the dignity and tranquillity of God and with His grandeur and majesty until
you arrive before the House. Then stop and say: "I bear witness by my
tongue and my soul and my spirit and my body that this is the spot whereon
prostrate themselves the inhabitants of the empyrean realm and the denizens of
the kingdom of God's decree and they that inhabit the highest mansions of
eternity behind the veils of grandeur. Through it all things have been made
manifest and through it the breezes of bounty have blown upon the forms of all
the worlds. And this is the spot whence the inhabitants of the Concourse of
Eternity derive their blessings and the hearts of them that are established
between earth and heaven obtain their illumination. Every day the dwellers of
the crimson chambers sweep its courtyard and the angels that are nigh unto God
brush it with the tresses of the spirit. And this is the spot wherein the Beauty
of the All-Merciful appeared and in His own person ascended the Throne of
Forgiveness and decreed that which He willed for all creation. He, verily, is
the One that doeth as He willeth and decreeth as He desireth and performeth
whatsoever He wisheth. I bear witness that, from a handful of this dust, the
first Adam was created, wherefore was he named "the father of man"
(Abu 'IBashar)[2]i
in the kingdom of names, and God made him His remembrance amongst all created
things."
Bow down, then, with thy face upon the dust, then
place thy right cheek upon it and say with my tongue: "Praised be Thou, 0
God, my God. This is Thy servant that hath detached himself from all directions,
turning in the direction of Thy oneness, and hath freed his soul from all apart
from Thee, and hath clung to the cord of the bounty of Thy grace, and hath come
in his completeness unto the meadows of the glory of Thy forgiveness. Cause to
blow, then, 0 my God upon my heart the breezes of the glory of the holiness of
Thy bounty and upon my inner being the fragrances of the majesty of the glory of
Thy favours. Cast me not away disappointed, 0 my God, from Thy gate or
despairing from the manifestations of the sun of Thy bounties. Thou, verily, art
the Powerful over what Thou wiliest and Thou art the Protector, the Mighty, the
Powerful."
<159> Then stand and turn to the right of
the House, in the direction of thy Lord, the Exalted, the Mighty, the Wise.
Raise, then, thy hands unto God, the Exalted, the Most High and say:
"Praised be Thou, 0 God, my God. I have raised the hands of my hope unto
the heaven of Thy bounty and grace, and I have fastened the fingers of my
reliance upon the cord of Thy grace and favours. I beseech Thee by him through
whom Thou didst clothe all created things with the robe of Thy guidance and
didst raise to life all existence from the power of Thy compassion and
generosity, not to lock the door of Thy knowledge upon the face of my heart nor
the door of Thy mercy upon my soul. Cause me, then, 0 my God, to be such as will
be worthy of the power of the glory of Thy singleness and the majesty of the
holiness of Thine eternity. Thou, verily, art the Gracious, the Bestowing, the
Mighty, the Generous. And 1, 0 my God, have become detached from mine own self,
hastening unto Thy Most Exalted Self, and have fled from mine own abode and
stood before Thy most pure and most glorious House. Wherefore, I beseech Thee
not to leave me unto myself nor unto them that keep back mankind from the love
of Thy beauty and debar Thy servants from Thy mighty and unbending path."
Circle, then,
about the House on my behalf seven times. Thus commandeth thee the Ancient
Beauty and teacheth thee what none in all the worlds doth know. And at the time
when thou art circumambulating the House of the Lord, make mention of Him in thy
heart and upon thy tongue and turn within thyself unto the direction of the
mighty Throne. And when thou hast completed thy circum-ambulation, present
thyself within the first portico, before the door of the sanctuary, then, stand,
then raise thy hands unto the heaven of the outpouring of the grace of thy Lord,
the Mighty, the Inaccessible. And I counsel thee that, at that time when thou
dost raise up thy hands, raise them with such yearning that thereby the hands of
all beings may be raised up towards the heaven of the grace of thy Lord. And
when thou desirest to call upon God, thy Lord, call upon Him with such devotion
that thereby the tongues of all atoms may utter the praise of thy Creator and
may make mention of Him that brought thee into existence, the Powerful, the
Mighty, the Wondrous. And if thou be not thus, it is not fitting for thee to
stand in the spot whereon have stood the bodies of the holy ones and them that
are nigh unto God. Nor art thou worthy of thy relation unto my Self nor thy
habitation beneath the shadow of my love, which God hath made a cutting sword
whereby to separate the unbelievers from them that extol His oneness. And when
thou hast raised thy hands unto the clouds of the mercy of thy Lord, the Mighty,
the Knowing, the AllInformed, say: "I bear witness that no god is there but
He; He is alone, no companion is there for Him nor likeness nor deputy nor
comparison nor rival nor equal nor similitude for His sovereignty, the Exalted,
the <160> Inaccessible, the Most High. From all eternity He was one in His
Essence and one in His attributes and one in His deeds and unto all eternity He
shall be as He hath ever been in the glory of His majesty and the sovereignty of
His sublimity, such that the mystic knowers have confessed their inability to
attain unto the meadows of the holiness of His knowledge and the devoted ones
have admitted their powerlessness to ascend unto the heaven of His mention and
His praise. He, verily, is the Protector of all things and He, in truth, is the
Mighty, the AllGenerous. I bear witness that the Primal Point [the Báb] our
Lord the Exalted, the Most High is, truly, His Manifestation in the realm of the
empyrean and His Appearance in the kingdom of the decree and His Dawning-place
in the domain of destiny. Through Him all created things are brought to life and
all existence is renewed and the balance of justice hath been set up upon the
station of praiseworthy glory. Through Him the Bird of the Throne hath crowed
and the Dove of Glory hath warbled and the resurrection of the command hath come
to pass and all that lay hidden in the treasuries of hidden glory hath been made
manifest. Through Him the heavens of pre-existence were raised up and the clouds
of bounty were elevated unto this most holy and most notable sky and the sun of
grace and beneficence shone forth from the horizon of resplendent holiness.
Through Him the oceans of verses surged in the kingdom of names and attributes
and the time set for the command arrived with that which was decreed in the
tablets of inaccessible majesty. And I bear witness that, through Him, the veil
of mystery was removed from the beauty of grandeur and the secrets of the unseen
were revealed in the kingdom of the divine decree, and that through Him every
poor and needy one ascended unto the heaven of riches and every transient one
rose up unto the dwelling-places of eternal life and every sick one was raised
to the abodes of healing within pavilions of shining light. And I bear witness
that this is the Spot wherein Thou didst ascend the Throne of the glory of Thy
unity and didst bring into being all creation, both former and latter, through
the power of Thy will and Thy desire, and wherein the clouds of Thy grace rained
down upon all created things.
"Wherefore, I beseech Thee, 0 my God, by Thy
hidden and Most Great Name and Thy concealed and most perfect word whose
manifestation Thou didst promise unto Thy servants at the time of Mustaghdth [i.e.
at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest], to bring me
unto the shore of the ocean of Thy forgiveness and to erase all that I have
enumerated of my most great sins and my most mighty transgressions; then
forgive, 0 my God, my father and my mother and my family and those whom I have
related unto myself, them that have believed in Thee and Thy signs. Make, then,
for me, 0 my God, a seat of truth by Thy side and cause me to be united with
those of Thy <161> servants that are nigh unto Thee. I ask Thee, then, 0
my God and my Beloved, not to make me to be one of them that circle about Thy
House in Thy land and deny Thy sacred House within the Manifestations of Thy
Self and the Dawning-places of the glory of Thy Self-Subsistence and the
Locations of the glory of Thy Lordship. Thus, 0 my God, is my utmost wish and
desire. Thou, verily, art the Sovereign, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Wise. I
ask Thee, then, 0 my God, by Thy beauty whereby the suns of the glory of Thy
bounty have been made luminous and the rays of the lights of the holiness of Thy
generosity flashed forth, to cause me not to be distressed upon the day whereon
every soul shall be distressed, on which the possessors of pomp and leadership
shall be puffed up with pride, on which the feet of them that have attained
shall slip, on which the lamentation of all things shall be raised, and on which
every resplendent and shining light shall be darkened. Take hold, then, of my
hand, 0 my God, with the hand of Thy grace and favours and deprive me not on
that day of the fragrances of the glory of Thy holiness nor from hearkening unto
the melodies of Thy new creation, and cause me not to follow upon that day
behind every croaking, sinful one. Open my eyes through Thy grace that I may
recognize Thee by Thine own Self, not by that which is other than Thee, and that
I may behold the wonders of the lights of Thy Beauty by what Thou hast bestowed
upon me through Thy bounty, not that which belongeth unto men. For Thou hast not
created any proof for Thyself save Thine own Essence, nor any evidence save Thy
signs. Thou, verily, are He that ariseth, the Ruler, the Knowing, the
All-Informed. Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds."
Whereupon, end thou thy pilgrimage, for We have
not permitted anyone to approach closer than this unto the sanctuary, for before
that spot shine the lights of the Essence from behind the names and the
attributes. And, apart from that, courtesy must be observed, for that is one of
the best of all attributes in the sight of God, King of the earth and the
heavens. Thus have We sent down upon thee the command with a shining and
manifest proof. It is our desire that, from every city, one should go forth on
My behalf and for his own sake to visit the House of God and that he may be a
pilgrim. By God, at every step mercy and grace shall descend upon him from the
heaven of resplendent holiness, and at the same time when he raises his foot for
the first step and sets it down, God shall forgive his sins and the sins of his
mother and his father and all that are related unto him. Thus hath the grace of
thy Lord encompassed all created things, whether of the first or of the last. By
God, whosoever visiteth the House, it is as if he hath visited God within the
pavilion of the glory of meeting with Him and the tent of the majesty of His
Beauty. Thus do We inform thee of the call that is mighty by the side of the
Throne.
<162> Whosoever visiteth the House as We
have commanded him, God shall raise him up after his death within the paradise
of majesty and grandeur in such a beauteous form that the dwellers of the
Concourse on High shall be illumined by the lights of his face, and all that are
in the exalted heavens shall be commanded to appear before him and to circle
about him and to make their pilgrimage unto his beauty every morning and
evening. 0 trustees of God upon the earth, strive unto the most great mention,
and cast away all that is in your hands and turn your faces unto the Abode of
God, the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Knowing. Be ye steadfast, 0 people, in
this station that, if all that are on earth should rise up against you, ye would
not pay the least attention to them and would remain firm in the faith of God.
The unbelievers shall prevent you performing what God has sent down upon you on
account of the rancour that is in their breasts. But God shall do as He willeth
through His word; He, verily, is the Powerful, the Mighty.
Know, then, that We have written concerning
pilgrimage to the House detailed and vast tablets, but We have not sent them
until now, If God wills, We shall send them in truth. He, verily, is the
Guardian of the Messengers. That which We have sent is what was sent down from
the kingdom of divine power in a brief form, for the angels that are nigh unto
God and the inhabitants of the Exalted Concourse love to be brief in their
outward acts. And inwardly, let there be at all times those that perform the
pilgrimage. Thus have We taught thee and made known unto thee the paths of
holiness and guided thee unto the shores of manifest grace.
(Amr, IV, pp.120-33)
Notes:
[1]i
Check with the original text.
[2]i
Check with the text.
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