__NOTOC__ ''Lawh-i-Malláhu'l-Quds'' or the ''Tablet of the Holy Mariner'' is a

tablet Tablet may refer to: Medicine * Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a "pill" Computing * Tablet computer, a mobile computer that is primarily operated by touching the s ...

written by

Baháʼu'lláh Baháʼu'lláh (born Ḥusayn-ʻAlí; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892) was the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Persia, and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Bábí Faith. In 1863, in I ...

, founder of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

, in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

in 1863.Taherzadeh, pp. 228. The tablet's main theme is the

covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

between man and God, and man being unfaithful to it.Taherzadeh, p. 229. The tablet is written in two parts; one which is in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, and the other in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

; currently only the Arabic part has been translated into English. The Persian tablet is for the most part similar in content to the Arabic tablet.Taherzadeh, p. 242. The tablet is written in allegorical terms and its main theme is the

and man being unfaithful to it.Taherzadeh, p. 230. In the tablet, Baháʼu'lláh refers to himself as the "''Holy Mariner''," uses an "''

ark Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...

''" to symbolize the Covenant of God, and symbolized the believers in the covenant as the "''dwellers''" in the "ark;"Taherzadeh, p. 235. he writes that those people who are in the ark are safe and will acquire salvation. In the tablet, Baháʼu'lláh also alludes to his perceived station as

He whom God shall make manifest He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' i ...

, a messianic figure predicted by the

Báb The Báb (b. ʿAlí Muḥammad; 20 October 1819 – 9 July 1850), was the messianic founder of Bábism, and one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith. He was a merchant from Shiraz in Qajar Iran who, in 1844 at the age of 25, claimed ...

, and the fate of

Subh-i-Azal Ṣubḥ-i-Azal (1831–1912, born Mírzá Yaḥyá) was an Iranian religious leader of Azali, Azali Bábism, known for his conflict with his half-brother Baháʼu'lláh over leadership of the Bábí community after 1853. In 1850, when he was ju ...

, Baháʼu'lláh's half-brother who wanted to cause a

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

in the Bábí community.Taherzadeh, p. 241. The tablet was written on March 27, 1863; after the tablet was written, Baháʼu'lláh's amanuensis came out of Baháʼu'lláh's tent and read the tablet to his followers. It is stated that at this point it was evident to Baháʼu'lláh's followers that their time in Baghdad would be shortly over.

Nabíl-i-Aʻzam Mullá Muḥammad-i-Zarandí (29 July 1831 – 1892), more commonly known as Nabíl-i-Aẓam ( fa, نبيل أعظم "the Great Nabíl") or Nabíl-i-Zarandí ( fa, نبيل زرندي "Nabíl of Zarand"), was an eminent Baháʼí historian ...

quoted in Taherzadeh, p. 228. Shortly thereafter, Baháʼu'lláh was summoned by the

Ottoman government The Ottoman Empire developed over the years as a despotism with the Sultan as the supreme ruler of a centralized government that had an effective control of its provinces, officials and inhabitants. Wealth and rank could be inherited but were j ...

from Baghdad to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

(present-day

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

); before leaving Baghdad, he entered the garden of

Ridván Riḍván ( ar, رضوان ; Persian transliteration: Rezván, ) is a twelve-day festival in the Baháʼí Faith, commemorating Baháʼu'lláh's declaration that he was a Manifestation of God. In the Baháʼí calendar, it begins at sunset on t ...

, where he publicly stated his claimed prophethood.

Notes

References

* *Mboya, Aziz (2000/2021). Tablet of the Holy Mariner study compilations: https://bahai-library.com/mboya_holy_mariner_study

See also

Notes

References

Further reading