<61>
انّ الله قد امركم بالمودّة في ذوي القربى وما قدّر لهم حقّاً في اموال النّاس انّه لهو الغنيّ عن العالمين.
God hath bidden you to show forth kindliness towards My kindred, but He hath granted them no right to the property of others. He, verily, is self-sufficient, above any need of His creatures.
<62>من احرق بيتاً متعمّداً فاحرقوه ومن قتل نفساً عامداً فاقتلوه خذوا سنن الله بايادي القدرة والاقتدار ثمّ اتركوا سنن الجاهلين. وان تحكموا لهما حبساً ابديّاً لا بأس عليكم في الكتاب انّه لهو الحاكم على ما يريد.
Should anyone intentionally destroy a house by fire, him also shall ye burn; should anyone deliberately take another’s life, him also shall ye put to death. Take ye hold of the precepts of God with all your strength and power, and abandon the ways of the ignorant. Should ye condemn the arsonist and the murderer to life imprisonment, it would be permissible according to the provisions of the Book. He, verily, hath power to ordain whatsoever He pleaseth.
<63>قد كتب الله عليكم النّكاح ايّاكم ان تجاوزوا عن الاثنتين والّذي اقتنع بواحدة من الامآء استراحت نفسه ونفسها ومن اتّخذ بكراً لخدمته لا بأس عليه كذلك كان الامر من قلم الوحي بالحقّ مرقوماً. تزوّجوا يا قوم ليظهر منكم من يذكرني بين عبادي هذا من امري عليكم اتّخذوه لانفسكم معيناً.
God hath prescribed matrimony unto you. Beware that ye take not unto yourselves more wives than two. Whoso contenteth himself with a single partner from among the maidservants of God, both he and she shall live in tranquillity. And he who would take into his service a maid may do so with propriety. Such is the ordinance which, in truth and justice, hath been recorded by the Pen of Revelation. Enter into wedlock, O people, that ye may bring forth one who will make mention of Me amid My servants. This is My bidding unto you; hold fast to it as an assistance to yourselves.
<64>يا ملأ الانشآء لا تتّبعوا انفسكم انّها لامّارة بالبغي والفحشآء اتّبعوا مالك الاشيآء الّذي يأمركم بالبرّ والتّقوى انّه كان عن العالمين غنيّاً. ايّاكم ان تفسدوا في الارض بعد اصلاحها ومن افسد انّه ليس منّا ونحن برءآء منه كذلك كان الامر من سمآء الوحي بالحقّ مشهوداً.
O people of the world! Follow not the promptings of the self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness and lust; follow, rather, Him Who is the Possessor of all created things, Who biddeth you to show forth piety, and manifest the fear of God. He, verily, is independent of all His creatures. Take heed not to stir up mischief in the land after it hath been set in order. Whoso acteth in this way is not of Us, and We are quit of him. Such is the command which hath, through the power of truth, been made manifest from the heaven of Revelation.
<65>انّه قد حدّد في البيان برضآء الطّرفين انّا لمّا اردنا المحبّة والوداد واتّحاد العباد لذا علّقناه باذن الابوين بعدهما لئلاّ تقع بينهم الضّغينة والبغضآء ولنا فيه مآرب اخرى وكذلك كان الامر مقضيّاً.
It hath been laid down in the Bayán that marriage is dependent upon the consent of both parties. Desiring to establish love, unity and harmony amidst Our servants, We have conditioned it, once the couple’s wish is known, upon the permission of their parents, lest enmity and rancor should arise amongst them. And in this We have yet other purposes. Thus hath Our commandment been ordained.
<66>لا يحقّق الصّهار الاّ بالامهار قد قدّر للمدن تسعة عشر مثقالاً من الذّهب الابريز وللقرى من الفضّة ومن اراد الزّيادة حرّم عليه ان يتجاوز عن خمسة وتسعين مثقالاً كذلك كان الامر بالعزّ مسطوراً. والّذي اقتنع بالدّرجة الاولى خير له في الكتاب انّه يغني من يشآء باسباب السّموات والأرض وكان الله على كلّ شيء قديراً.
No marriage may be contracted without payment of a dowry, which hath been fixed for city dwellers at nineteen mithqáls of pure gold, and for village dwellers at the same amount in silver. Whoso wisheth to increase this sum, it is forbidden him to exceed the limit of ninety-five mithqáls. Thus hath the command been writ in majesty and power. If he content himself, however, with a payment of the lowest level, it shall be better for him according to the Book. God, verily, enricheth whomsoever He willeth through both heavenly and earthly means, and He, in truth, hath power over all things.
<67>قد كتب الله لكلّ عبد اراد الخروج من وطنه ان يجعل ميقاتاً لصاحبته في ايّة مدّة اراد ان اتى ووفى بالوعد انّه اتّبع أمر مولاه وكان من المحسنين من قلم الامر مكتوباً. والاّ ان اعتذر بعذر حقيقيّ فله ان يخبر قرينته ويكون في غاية الجهد للرّجوع اليها وان فات الامران فلها تربّص تسعة اشهر معدودات وبعد اكمالها لا بأس عليها في اختيار الزّوج وان صبرت انّه يحبّ الصّابرات والصّابرين اعملوا اوامري ولا تتّبعوا كلّ مشرك كان في اللّوح اثيماً. وان اتى الخبر حين تربّصها لها ان تأخذ المعروف انّه اراد الاصلاح بين العباد والامآء ايّاكم ان ترتكبوا ما يحدث به العناد بينكم كذلك قضي الامر وكان الوعد مأتيّاً. وان اتاها خبر الموت او القتل وثبت بالشّياع او بالعدلين لها ان تلبث في البيت اذا مضت اشهر معدودات لها الاختيار فيما تختار هذا ما حكم به من كان على الامر قويّاً.
It hath been decreed by God that, should any one of His servants intend to travel, he must fix for his wife a time when he will return home. If he return by the promised time, he will have obeyed the bidding of his Lord and shall be numbered by the Pen of His behest among the righteous; otherwise, if there be good reason for delay, he must inform his wife and make the utmost endeavor to return to her. Should neither of these eventualities occur, it behooveth her to wait for a period of nine months, after which there is no impediment to her taking another husband; but should she wait longer, God, verily, loveth those women and men who show forth patience. Obey ye My commandments, and follow not the ungodly, they who have been reckoned as sinners in God’s Holy Tablet. If, during the period of her waiting, word should reach her from her husband, she should choose the course that is praiseworthy. He, of a truth, desireth that His servants and His handmaids should be at peace with one another; take heed lest ye do aught that may provoke intransigence amongst you. Thus hath the decree been fixed and the promise come to pass. If, however, news should reach her of her husband’s death or murder, and be confirmed by general report, or by the testimony of two just witnesses, it behooveth her to remain single; then, upon completion of the fixed number of months, she is free to adopt the course of her choosing. Such is the bidding of Him Who is mighty and powerful in His command.
<68>وان حدث بينهما كدورة او كره ليس له ان يطلّقها وله ان يصبر سنة كاملة لعلّ تسطع بينهما رآئحة المحبّة وان كملت وما فاحت فلا بأس في الطّلاق انّه كان على كلّ شيء حكيماً. قد نهاكم الله عمّا عملتم بعد طلقات ثلث فضلاً من عنده لتكونوا من الشّاكرين في لوح كان من قلم الامر مسطوراً. والّذي طلّق له الاختيار في الرّجوع بعد انقضآء كلّ شهر بالمودّة والرّضآء ما لم تستحصن واذا استحصنت تحقّق الفصل بوصل اخر وقضي الامر الاّ بعد امر مبين كذلك كان الامر من مطلع الجمال في لوح الجلال بالاجلال مرقوماً.
Should resentment or antipathy arise between husband and wife, he is not to divorce her but to bide in patience throughout the course of one whole year, that perchance the fragrance of affection may be renewed between them. If, upon the completion of this period, their love hath not returned, it is permissible for divorce to take place. God’s wisdom, verily, hath encompassed all things. The Lord hath prohibited, in a Tablet inscribed by the Pen of His command, the practice to which ye formerly had recourse when thrice ye had divorced a woman. This He hath done as a favor on His part, that ye may be accounted among the thankful. He who hath divorced his wife may choose, upon the passing of each month, to remarry her when there is mutual affection and consent, so long as she hath not taken another husband. Should she have wed again, then, by this other union, the separation is confirmed and the matter is concluded unless, clearly, her circumstances change. Thus hath the decree been inscribed with majesty in this glorious Tablet by Him Who is the Dawning-place of Beauty.
<69>والّذي سافر وسافرت معه ثمّ حدث بينهما الاختلاف فله ان يؤتيها نفقة سنة كاملة ويرجعها الى المقرّ الّذي خرجت عنه او يسلّمها بيد امين وما تحتاج به في السّبيل ليبلّغها الى محلّها انّ ربّك يحكم كيف يشآء بسلطان كان على العالمين محيطاً.
If the wife accompany her husband on a journey, and differences arise between them on the way, he is required to provide her with her expenses for one whole year, and either to return her whence she came or to entrust her, together with the necessaries for her journey, to a dependable person who is to escort her home. Thy Lord, verily, ordaineth as He pleaseth, by virtue of a sovereignty that overshadoweth the peoples of the earth.
<70>والّتي طلّقت بما ثبت عليها منكر لا نفقة لها ايّام تربّصها كذلك كان نيّر الامر من افق العدل مشهوداً. انّ الله احبّ الوصل والوفاق وابغض الفصل والطّلاق عاشروا يا قوم بالرّوح والرّيحان لعمري سيفنى من في الامكان وما يبقى هو العمل الطّيّب وكان الله على ما اقول شهيداً. يا عبادي اصلحوا ذات بينكم ثمّ استمعوا ما ينصحكم به القلم الاعلى ولا تتّبعوا جبّاراً شقيّاً.
Should a woman be divorced in consequence of a proven act of infidelity, she shall receive no maintenance during her period of waiting. Thus hath the daystar of Our commandment shone forth resplendent from the firmament of justice. Truly, the Lord loveth union and harmony and abhorreth separation and divorce. Live ye one with another, O people, in radiance and joy. By My life! All that are on earth shall pass away, while good deeds alone shall endure; to the truth of My words God doth Himself bear witness. Compose your differences, O My servants; then heed ye the admonition of Our Pen of Glory and follow not the arrogant and wayward.
<71>ايّاكم ان تغرّنّكم الدّنيا كما غرّت قوماً قبلكم اتّبعوا حدود الله وسننه ثمّ اسلكوا هذا الصّراط الّذي كان بالحقّ ممدوداً. انّ الّذين نبذوا البغي والغوى واتّخذوا التّقوى اولئك من خيرة الخلق لدى الحقّ يذكرهم الملأ الاعلى واهل هذا المقام الّذي كان باسم الله مرفوعاً.
Take heed lest the world beguile you as it beguiled the people who went before you! Observe ye the statutes and precepts of your Lord, and walk ye in this Way which hath been laid out before you in righteousness and truth. They who eschew iniquity and error, who adhere to virtue, are, in the sight of the one true God, among the choicest of His creatures; their names are extolled by the Concourse of the realms above, and by those who dwell in this Tabernacle which hath been raised in the name of God.
<72>قد حرّم عليكم بيع الامآء والغلمان ليس لعبد ان يشتري عبداً نهياً في لوح الله كذلك كان الامر من قلم العدل بالفضل مسطوراً. وليس لاحد ان يفتخر على احد كلّ ارقّآء له وادلآّء على انّه لا اله الاّ هو انّه كان على كلّ شيء حكيماً.
It is forbidden you to trade in slaves, be they men or women. It is not for him who is himself a servant to buy another of God’s servants, and this hath been prohibited in His Holy Tablet. Thus, by His mercy, hath the commandment been recorded by the Pen of justice. Let no man exalt himself above another; all are but bondslaves before the Lord, and all exemplify the truth that there is none other God but Him. He, verily, is the All-Wise, Whose wisdom encompasseth all things.
<73>زيّنوا انفسكم بطراز الاعمال والّذي فاز بالعمل في رضاه انّه من اهل البهآء قد كان لدى العرش مذكوراً. انصروا مالك البريّة بالاعمال الحسنة ثمّ بالحكمة والبيان كذلك امرتم في اكثر الالواح من لدى الرّحمن انّه كان على ما اقول عليماً. لا يعترض احد على احد ولا يقتل نفس نفساً هذا ما نهيتم عنه في كتاب كان في سرادق العزّ مستوراً. اتقتلون من احياه الله بروح من عنده انّ هذا خطأ قد كان لدى العرش كبيراً. اتّقوا الله ولا تخربوا ما بناه الله بايادي الظّلم والطّغيان ثمّ اتّخذوا الى الحقّ سبيلاً. لمّا ظهرت جنود العرفان برايات البيان انهزمت قبآئل الاديان الاّ من اراد ان يشرب كوثر الحيوان في رضوان كان من نفس السّبحان موجوداً.
Adorn yourselves with the raiment of goodly deeds. He whose deeds attain unto God’s good pleasure is assuredly of the people of Bahá and is remembered before His throne. Assist ye the Lord of all creation with works of righteousness, and also through wisdom and utterance. Thus, indeed, have ye been commanded in most of the Tablets by Him Who is the All-Merciful. He, truly, is cognizant of what I say. Let none contend with another, and let no soul slay another; this, verily, is that which was forbidden you in a Book that hath lain concealed within the Tabernacle of glory. What! Would ye kill him whom God hath quickened, whom He hath endowed with spirit through a breath from Him? Grievous then would be your trespass before His throne! Fear God, and lift not the hand of injustice and oppression to destroy what He hath Himself raised up; nay, walk ye in the way of God, the True One. No sooner did the hosts of true knowledge appear, bearing the standards of Divine utterance, than the tribes of the religions were put to flight, save only those who willed to drink from the stream of everlasting life in a Paradise created by the breath of the All-Glorious.
<74>قد حكم الله بالطّهارة على مآء النّطفة رحمة من عنده على البريّة اشكروه بالرّوح والرّيحان ولا تتّبعوا من كان عن مطلع القرب بعيداً. قوموا على خدمة الامر في كلّ الاحوال انّه يؤيّدكم بسلطان كان على العالمين محيطاً. تمسّكوا بحبل اللّطافة على شأن لا يرى من ثيابكم اثار الاوساخ هذا ما حكم به من كان الطف من كلّ لطيف. والّذي له عذر لا بأس عليه انّه لهو الغفور الرّحيم. طهّروا كلّ مكروه بالمآء الّذي لم يتغيّر بالثّلث ايّاكم ان تستعملوا المآء الّذي تغيّر بالهوآء او بشيء اخر كونوا عنصر اللّطافة بين البريّة هذا ما اراد لكم مولاكم العزيز الحكيم.
God hath decreed, in token of His mercy unto His creatures, that semen is not unclean. Yield thanks unto Him with joy and radiance, and follow not such as are remote from the Dawning-place of His nearness. Arise ye, under all conditions, to render service to the Cause, for God will assuredly assist you through the power of His sovereignty which overshadoweth the worlds. Cleave ye unto the cord of refinement with such tenacity as to allow no trace of dirt to be seen upon your garments. Such is the injunction of One Who is sanctified above all refinement. Whoso falleth short of this standard with good reason shall incur no blame. God, verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Wash ye every soiled thing with water that hath undergone no alteration in any one of the three respects; take heed not to use water that hath been altered through exposure to the air or to some other agent. Be ye the very essence of cleanliness amongst mankind. This, truly, is what your Lord, the Incomparable, the All-Wise, desireth for you.
<75>وكذلك رفع الله حكم دون الطّهارة عن كلّ الاشيآء وعن ملل أخرى موهبة من الله انّه لهو الغفور الكريم. قد انغمست الاشيآء في بحر الطّهارة في اوّل الرّضوان اذ تجلّينا على من في الامكان باسمآئنا الحسنى وصفاتنا العليا هذا من فضلي الّذي احاط العالمين. لتعاشروا مع الاديان وتبلّغوا امر ربّكم الرّحمن هذا لاكليل الاعمال لو انتم من العارفين.
God hath, likewise, as a bounty from His presence, abolished the concept of “uncleanness,” whereby divers things and peoples have been held to be impure. He, of a certainty, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Verily, all created things were immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first day of Riḍván, We shed upon the whole of creation the splendors of Our most excellent Names and Our most exalted Attributes. This, verily, is a token of My loving providence, which hath encompassed all the worlds. Consort ye then with the followers of all religions, and proclaim ye the Cause of your Lord, the Most Compassionate; this is the very crown of deeds, if ye be of them who understand.
<76>وحكم باللّطافة الكبرى وتغسيل ما تغبّر من الغبار وكيف الاوساخ المنجمدة ودونها اتّقوا الله وكونوا من المطهّرين. والّذي يرى في كسآئه وسخ انّه لا يصعد دعآئه إلى الله ويجتنب عنه ملأ عالون. استعملوا مآء الورد ثمّ العطر الخالص هذا ما احبّه الله من الاوّل الّذي لا اوّل له ليتضوّع منكم ما اراد ربّكم العزيز الحكيم.
God hath enjoined upon you to observe the utmost cleanliness, to the extent of washing what is soiled with dust, let alone with hardened dirt and similar defilement. Fear Him, and be of those who are pure. Should the garb of anyone be visibly sullied, his prayers shall not ascend to God, and the celestial Concourse will turn away from him. Make use of rose water, and of pure perfume; this, indeed, is that which God hath loved from the beginning that hath no beginning, in order that there may be diffused from you what your Lord, the Incomparable, the All-Wise, desireth.
<77>قد عفا الله عنكم ما نزّل في البيان من محو الكتب واذنّاكم بان تقرئوا من العلوم ما ينفعكم لا ما ينتهي الى المجادلة في الكلام هذا خير لكم ان انتم من العارفين.
God hath relieved you of the ordinance laid down in the Bayán concerning the destruction of books. We have permitted you to read such sciences as are profitable unto you, not such as end in idle disputation; better is this for you, if ye be of them that comprehend.
<78>يا معشر الملوك قد اتى المالك والملك لله المهيمن القيّوم. الاّ تعبدوا الاّ الله وتوجّهوا بقلوب نورآء الى وجه ربّكم مالك الاسمآء هذا امر لا يعادله ما عندكم لو انتم تعرفون.
O kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God’s, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Worship none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up your faces unto your Lord, the Lord of all names. This is a Revelation to which whatever ye possess can never be compared, could ye but know it.
<79>انّا نراكم تفرحون بما جمعتموه لغيركم وتمنعون انفسكم عن العوالم الّتي لم يحصها الاّ لوحي المحفوظ. قد شغلتكم الاموال عن المآل هذا لا ينبغي لكم لو انتم تعلمون. طهّروا قلوبكم عن ذفر الدّنيا مسرعين الى ملكوت ربّكم فاطر الارض والسّمآء الّذي به ظهرت الزّلازل وناحت القبآئل الاّ من نبذ الورى واخذ ما امر به في لوح مكنون.
We see you rejoicing in that which ye have amassed for others and shutting out yourselves from the worlds which naught except My guarded Tablet can reckon. The treasures ye have laid up have drawn you far away from your ultimate objective. This ill beseemeth you, could ye but understand it. Wash from your hearts all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, Who caused the world to tremble and all its peoples to wail, except them that have renounced all things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath ordained.
<80>هذا يوم فيه فاز الكليم بانوار القديم وشرب زلال الوصال من هذا القدح الّذي به سجّرت البحور. قل تالله الحقّ انّ الطّور يطوف حول مطلع الظّهور والرّوح ينادي من الملكوت هلمّوا وتعالوا يا ابنآء الغرور. هذا يوم فيه سرع كوم الله شوقاً للقآئه وصاح الصّهيون قد اتى الوعد وظهر ما هو المكتوب في الواح الله المتعالي العزيز المحبوب.
This is the Day in which He Who held converse with God hath attained the light of the Ancient of Days, and quaffed the pure waters of reunion from this Cup that hath caused the seas to swell. Say: By the one true God! Sinai is circling round the Dayspring of Revelation, while from the heights of the Kingdom the Voice of the Spirit of God is heard proclaiming: “Bestir yourselves, ye proud ones of the earth, and hasten ye unto Him.” Carmel hath, in this Day, hastened in longing adoration to attain His court, whilst from the heart of Zion there cometh the cry: “The promise is fulfilled. That which had been announced in the holy Writ of God, the Most Exalted, the Almighty, the Best-Beloved, is made manifest.”
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