Category: Baha’i Scripture Deep Dive

Baha’u’llah on the greatest martyrdom. Thanks to Adib Masumian, we have more information on Baha’u’llah’s attitude to martyrdom. In a previous post, I shared my translations of Arabic hidden words 44-46, and showed that there is a conceptual link between them. The link is between the idea of testifying to one’s truth and the idea…

Throughout April, our intrepid translator Adib Masumian has been uploading to his website a series of tablets all with the title Lawh-i-quds (Tablet of Holiness). There are seven Tablets of Holiness. Adib seems to like this approach of translating in batches according to the title, for he has also covered the Tablets of the Hair,…

In the compilation of prayers by Baha’u’llah called Supplications is a post-Naw Ruz and pre-Ridvan prayer. It is meant to be read during the month between Naw Ruz and Ridvan. Supplications is a collection of 200 prayers translated by Joshua Hall. Because it is not well known, the prayer is not well known either, so…

Laws that never change and apply in all religions – what are they? Baha’u’llah explains that religious laws are of two kinds – the ones that don’t change and the ones that do. From what I can make out, most laws do in fact change. This is in keeping with the law of change in…

Everyone experiences situations where people who identify as believers act in ways that are inconsistent with Baha’u’llah’s teachings. Baha’u’llah’s writings are packed with exhortations to be a good person and to have a sin-covering eye as regards the failings of others. However, endeavouring to do this can be difficult when another person’s actions are seriously…

In this blog post, I continue my commentary on Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Son. The previous blog post in this commentary can be found here: Tablet of the Son: paragraphs 15-17. The entire commentary so far can be found here. In this post, which focuses on paragraphs 18-20, Baha’u’llah is quoting from a letter he wrote…

A fresh translation from Adib Masumian of Baha’u’llah’s lengthy and important Tablet of the Veil reveals a new side to Baha’u’llah. The circumstances surrounding the revelation of the tablet are unusual and enlightening. Baha’u’llah has chosen to place himself in the situation many of us find ourselves in – how to deal with a person…

I continue with my commentary on Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Son. The entire commentary so far can be found here. Baha’u’llah begins quoting a letter he wrote to a Christian priest. From the translation, it is not clear when this quotation ends, but it must run on for some time, after which Baha’u’llah transitions seamlessly…

Baha’u’llah defines detachment in a couple of places. The succinct version comes in Words of Wisdom: “The essence of detachment is for man to turn his face towards the courts of the Lord, to enter His Presence, behold His Countenance, and stand as witness before Him.” (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh) A longer explanation appears in Commentary…

I continue on with my slow read of Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Son. (Previous entries can be read here.) Paragraphs 13 and 14 are the midway point in the tablet, where Baha’u’llah moves into the second section and introduces a new, but closely related, theme. I think the shift in focus, from the part one…