Category: Windflower Translations Study Materials

Introduction to Gems of the Mysteries, Baha’u’llah’s book-length work about issues to do with resurrection, the Day of Judgment, and the soul’s journey to God. The introduction was written by Juan Cole, who has also translated the work. A revolution was introduced into Babi culture in the late 1850s and early 1860s by the exiled…

Introduction to Tablet to Salman on Detachment, in which Baha’u’llah explains the meaning of the concept of detachment from the world. Tablet to Salman on Detachment is a short tablet in which Baha’u’llah discusses the meaning of detachment and, in this context, comments on the situation of the believers who were exiled to Mosul from…

Introduction to Tablet on the Right of the People, in which Baha’u’llah explains how people’s rights, unjustly taken away in this world, are restored to them in the next world. Baha’u’llah’s Tablet on the Right of the People (Lawh-i haqq al-nas) is an unusual tablet in that it is entirely devoted to an examination of…

Introduction to Tablet of the Vision, in which Baha’u’llah relates a vision of a celestial woman who symbolises the spirit of his revelation. Baha’u’llah wrote Tablet of the Vision during his imprisonment in the prison-city of Akka. It was revealed on 1 March 1873, which was the eve of the anniversary of the birth of…

Introduction to Tablet of the Houri, in which Baha’u’llah relates a vision of the celestial woman who symbolises the spirit of his revelation. Tablet of the Houri is a description of a vision Baha’u’llah had of the celestial woman who symbolises the spirit of his revelation. He refers to her using the Arabic word ‘houri’,…

Introduction to Tablet of the Holy Mariner – Persian section, in which Baha’u’llah is the mariner whose ark carries holy souls across the sea to paradise. Tablet of the Holy Mariner is an allegorical work consisting of two independent sections, the first in Arabic verse and the second in Persian prose. Both sections tell the…

Introduction to Surah of the Almighty, in which Baha’u’llah discusses the name of God, the Almighty, and its ability to make people powerful. Baha’u’llah’s principal purpose in Surah of the Almighty is to inform readers that God has brought about a change in reality with regard to the name, the Almighty. God has caused its…

Introduction to Surah of Sorrows, in which Baha’u’llah laments over those who opposed him and responds to their arguments against him. Baha’u’llah wrote Surah of Sorrows between mid-1867 and mid-1868, which was the turbulent year prior to his exile from Edirne to Akka. The subject of the surah is the opposition Baha’u’llah faced from those…

Introduction to Surah of Sacrifice, in which Baha’u’llah recounts his sufferings and responds to accusations made against him by Mirza Yahya. Surah of Sacrifice (Surat’udh-Dhibh) is a letter Baha’u’llah wrote in Edirne to Muhammad Isma’il Kashani, who had been given the title ‘Dhabih’ (the Sacrifice) by the Bab. The surah is not to be confused…

Introduction to “Sprinkling of the Cloud Beyond Being”, a poem in which Baha’u’llah describes the effects of his revelation on the world. “Sprinkling of the Cloud Beyond Being” is a 19-verse poem, which Baha’u’llah composed in late 1852, during his four-month imprisonment in the Siyah Chal. Baha’u’llah was imprisoned in the Siyah Chal as part…