The ''Tabernacle of Unity'' is a small book, first published in July 2006, containing Baháʼu'lláh's Tablet, from the early ʻAkká period, to Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib, a prominent Zoroastrian, and a companion Tablet addressed to

Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl Mírzá Muḥammad ( fa, ميرزا أبوالفضل), or Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl-i-Gulpáygání (1844–1914), was the foremost Baháʼí scholar who helped spread the Baháʼí Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of ...

, the secretary to Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib at that time. These, together with three shorter inspirational Tablets, offer a glimpse of Baháʼu'lláh's relationship with the followers of

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...

. The title of this work is taken from the following passage:

Tablet to Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib (Lawh-i-Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib)

This Tablet, revealed at the request of Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib in pure

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 ...

, consists of 19 paragraphs. It emphasizes the universality of Baháʼu'lláh's prophetic claim, and includes some of the central teachings of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

Responses to questions of Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib from a Tablet to Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl

This is a lengthy Tablet revealed on 1 July 1882. Among the subjects discussed are: *The nature of creation. *The connection between faith and reason. *The reconciliation of the differences that exist among the laws and ordinances of various religions (

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, the Mahabad Faith,

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and Islam). *Their respective claims to exclusivity. *Their differing degrees of eagerness to welcome others into their fold.

Tablet of the Seven Questions (Lawh-i-Haft Pursis͟h)

This Tablet is Baháʼu'lláh's reply to questions asked by Ustád Javán-Mard, an early Baháʼí of Zoroastrian background and ex-student of Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib. The questions are relating to the following subjects: *In what tongue and towards what direction should God be worshipped? *The Faith of God *Opposition * S͟háh Bahrám *The Bridge of Sirát,

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in parad ...

and Hell *The

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

*The lineage and ancestry of Baháʼu'lláh

Two other tablets

These two short Tablets, each addressed to a believer of Zoroastrian background, are inspirational in nature, calling the believers for deeds, not words.

References

* * *{{cite book , last=Taherzadeh , first=A. , year=1984 , title=The Revelation of Baháʼu'lláh, Volume 3: ʻAkka, The Early Years 1868–77 , publisher=George Ronald , location=Oxford, UK , isbn=0-85398-144-2

External links