Category: Windflower Translations Study Materials

Commentary on Surah of the Sun contains a verse-by-verse interpretation of Surah 91, and a discussion on the process of scriptural interpretation. Baha’u’llah revealed this commentary in response to a question about the Qur’anic Surah of the Sun (Surah 91). The text opens with a rich meditation on divine speech — the “dove of eloquence”…

Tablet of the Sacred Night (Lawḥ‑i Laylatu’l‑Quds) is an extended prayer that is recited on the “sacred night,” which is the evening of the declaration of the Bab (May 22). Baha’u’llah revealed this extended prayer for the “sacred night,” the night of the Bab’s declaration. It is commemorated each year on the evening of May…

Tablet of the Holy Mariner – Arabic section is part one of an allegorical work in which Baha’u’llah tells a story about the holy mariner and the divine ark or ship, which carries the believers to paradise. Baha’u’llah revealed this poem in Baghdad during the final months before His departure for Constantinople, at a time…

Baha’u’llah’s Commentary on a Verse of Rumi was revealed in the final years of the Edirne exile, a period marked by separation, tension, and the sharpening of spiritual identities. Addressed to Salman, the devoted courier who carried letters across vast distances, the tablet responds to his inquiry about a single line from Rumi: “Because the…

Introduction to the Four Valleys—a mystical work in which Baha’u’llah describes the four different ways a person might walk the spiritual path to God. The Four Valleys was revealed by Baha’u’llah in Baghdad, likely around 1857, in response to Shaykh Abdu’r-Rahman of the Qadiriyyih Sufi order. The Shaykh, a respected mystic and spiritual leader, never…

Introduction to Tablet of the Son – a tablet full of rich theological reinterpretation focused on the concept of spiritual insight and Christian themes. Tablet of the Son is a direct and contemplative work, rich with important theological reinterpretation. It was revealed in Edirne during a period of profound disappointment and divine resolve. It includes…

Introduction to Surah of God—a tablet Baha’u’llah wrote when he cut off relations with his half-brother, Mirza Yahya, as a result of the latter’s relentless plotting and actions against him. Written during Baha’u’llah’s time in Edirne (Adrianople), the Surah of God emerges from a period of profound internal rupture. The tablet was revealed after Baha’u’llah…

Introduction to Surah of Blood—an early proclamatory tablet Baha’u’llah sent from Edirne to Iran when he publicly announced his mission. Surah of Blood was revealed in the winter of 1863–64 while Baha’u’llah was confined in Adrianople. At first glance, it reads like a personal letter to his friend Muhammad Nabil, offering advice on patience, trust,…