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Dear Friends and honoured and loved
ones
Please enjoy this humble effort and remember
this lowly one in your prayers
khazeh
re: Haji Shah Muhammad Manshadi
Aminu'l-Bayan
Shah-Muhammad-Amin
Shah-Muhammad, who had the title of Amin, the Trusted One, was among the earliest of believers, and most deeply enamoured. He had listened to the Divine summons in the flower of his youth, and set his face toward the Kingdom. He had ripped from his gaze the veils of idle suppositions and had won his heart's desire; neither the fancies current among the people nor the reproaches of which he was the target turned him back. Unshaken, he stood and faced a sea of troubles; staunch with the strength of the Advent day, he confronted those who tried to thwart him and block his path. The more they sought to instil doubts in his mind, the stronger he became; the more they tormented him, the more progress he made. He was a captive of the face of God, enslaved by the beauty of the All-Glorious; a flame of God's love, a jetting fountain of the knowledge of Him. Love smouldered in his heart, so that he had no peace; and when he could bear the absence of the Beloved One no more, he left his native home, the province of Yazd. He found the desert sands like silk under his feet; light as the wind's breath, he passed over the mountains and across the endless plains, until he stood at the door of his Love. He had freed himself from the snare of separation, and in Iraq, he entered the presence of Baha'u'llah. Once he made his way into the home of the Darling of mankind, he was emptied of every thought, released from every concern, and became the recipient of boundless favour and grace. He passed some days in Iraq and was directed to return to Persia. There he remained for a time, frequenting the believers; and his pure breathings stirred each one of them anew, so that each one yearned over the Faith, and became more restless, more impatient than before. Later he arrived at the Most Great Prison with Mirza Abu'l-Hasan, the second Amin. On this journey he met with severe hardships, for it was extremely difficult to find a way into the prison. Finally he was received by Baha'u'llah in the public baths. Mirza Abu'l-Hasan was so overwhelmed at the majestic presence of his Lord that he shook, stumbled, and fell to the floor; his head was injured and the blood flowed out. Amin, that is Shah-Muhammad, was honored with the title of the Trusted One, and bounties were showered upon him. Full of eagerness and love, taking with him Tablets from Baha'u'llah, he hastened back to Persia, where, at all times worthy of trust, he laboured for the Cause. His services were outstanding, and he was a consolation to the believers' hearts. There was none to compare with him for energy, enthusiasm and zeal, and no man's services could equal his. He was a haven amidst the people, known everywhere for devotion to the Holy Threshold, widely acclaimed by the friends. He never rested for a moment. Not one night did he spend on a bed of ease, never did he lay down his head on comfort's pillow. He was continuously in flight, soaring as the birds do, running like a deer, guesting in the desert of oneness, alone and swift. He brought joy to all the believers; to all, his coming was good news; to every seeker, he was a sign and token. He was enamoured of God, a vagrant in the desert of God's love. Like the wind, he travelled over the face of the plains, and he was restive on the heights of the hills. He was in a different country every day, and in yet another land by nightfall. Never did he rest, never was he still. He was forever rising up to serve. But then they took him prisoner in Adhirbayjan, in the town of Miyandu'ab. He fell a prey to some ruthless Kurds, a hostile band who asked no questions of the innocent, defenceless man. Believing that this stranger, like other foreigners, wished ill to the Kurdish people, and taking him for worthless, they killed him. When news of his martyrdom reached the Prison, all the captives grieved, and they shed tears for him, resigned to God and undefended as he was in his last hour. Even on the countenance of Baha'u'llah, there were visible tokens of grief. A Tablet, infinitely tender, was revealed by the Supreme Pen, commemorating the man who died on that calamitous plain, and many other Tablets were sent down concerning him. Today, under the shadowing mercy of God, he dwells in the bright Heavens. He communes with the birds of holiness, and in the assemblage of splendours he is immersed in light. The memory and praise of him shall remain, till the end of time, in the pages of books and on the tongues and lips of men. Unto him be salutations and praise; upon him be the glory of the All-Glorious; upon him be the most great mercy of God. (`Abdu'l-Baha: Memorials of the Faithful, Pages: 45-47) Translated by Khazeh Fananapazir
in July, 2003 at the request of the Bahá’í Academics Resource Library and an individual believer; Web edition prepared by Mehdi Wolf, July, 2003 by permission of the translator. Lawh-i-Amínu’l-Bayán
Canada Dear Bahá’í Friend, 7 April 2003 The Universal House of Justice has received your email of 23 February 2003 requesting a copy of the Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for Sháh-Muhammad-Amin[1], which is mentioned in the following passage appearing on page 47 in Memorials of the Faithful (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1971):
Your request was referred to the Research Department for comments, and it has stated that to the best of its knowledge, the Tablet in question was revealed in Arabic in honour of Jinab-i-Varqá[2], and is dated I of Sha’ban 1298 (28 June 1881). It has indicated that the Tablet is quite lengthy and covers many subjects. A portion of it, however, is devoted to the martyrs of Miyandu’da[3], and Sháh-Muhammad-Amín is commemorated in words that are, indeed, “infinitely tender”. While this Tablet has not yet been translated into English, an original language copy of it can be found in the publication titled Irán National Bahá’í Archives, number 8, pages 512 to 549. Given your interest, the Research Department has provided the enclosed transcription of the relevant text from the Tablet. You may wish to seek the assistance of one of the friends in your area with a knowledge of Arabic to provide you with a provisional translation. With loving Bahá’í greetings, Department of the Secretariat Lawh-i-Amínu’l-Bayán T o the one who hath fixed his gaze upon the Countenance of God, the Most Glorious - his honour Varqá, upon him be the Glory of God, the Lord of the throne above[4] and the earth below! In the Name of our Lord the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Exalted, the Most Glorious, Who illuminated the world of humanity by the sun of firmament of His Knowledge, and Who adorned the heaven of wisdom with the stars of discernment and sight! As to your question of the One True God - glorified be His bounteousness - concerning the martyrs of Miyan Duáb, these luminous words were revealed from the Heaven of His Will: The Praise that is sanctified from human mention and hearing belongeth to the Lord of all Names! Call to remembrance those souls who have turned their faces to My all-glorious horizon, have to hearkened My sweet call, have held firmly unto the Sure Handle, clung to the hem of My luminous garment, have turned their faces to My Countenance which remaineth when all other things vanish into nothingness, who have taken their flight in the atmosphere of the love of their Lord, the Possessor of all Names, and who have quaffed the wine of His decree from the Crimson Cup and say unto them: Great is thy blessedness because thou hast attained the all-highest purpose, the supreme station, and the sublime grades. Blessed indeed are ye and sweet is thy recompense inasmuch as the Beloved of the World, the Most Great Name, is mentioning thee in such a manner that, through it, every true seeker will recognize the fragrance of My Garment, and every one endowed with the true sense of smell will attain the musk of My Name, the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate. I bear witness that ye have truly recognized God in the Days in which all things, and beyond all things, the Supreme Concourse, have lamented because of that which hath befallen those souls who took strong hold of God’s Book and offered up their all in this Straight Path. Rejoice ye in the Supreme Horizon, inasmuch as the Lord of all men mentioneth thee in this Prison which hath been named many names and which is designated the Most Great Prison in the Book of God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. In truth thy blood that was mixed with the love God hath been shed, thy spirits, which were fragrant with the breezes of God’s Days, have ascended, and thy bodies have lain on the ground -- bodies which were adorned with the ornament of martyrdom in the path of this Cause for which those near unto God and the sincere ones gave their all and their entire being. In this wise hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in thy memory and thy praise. Verily, He is the Forgiving, the Most Generous! The light that shineth from the heaven of the mercy of the All-Merciful God rest upon thee, O ye who art the manifestation of His names in existence and the dawning-places of His recognition amongst the religions! Ye are indeed the ones who were prevented not by any one or by the cavilling of the unbelievers. Ye heard and hastened to that station ordained by the Pen of God[5], the Single, the All-Knowing. Great be thy blessedness and joy and the blessedness of those who bring thee to remembrance, who visit thee and recall the Visitation which the Tongue of this Wronged One of the world hath uttered as all sorrow hath encompassed Him -- sorrows brought about by those who have denied the right of God and the rights of His Friends and who have turned away from a Countenance that hath shone from the horizon of His Revelation with perspicuous light. And We make mention of Amín [whom We have mentioned before in Our perspicuous Book[6]]. In truth, he preceded most of the peoples in the service of God and the service of His revelation and he hath attained unto that loving providence of which no one except the Omniscient, the All-Knowing is aware. We were with him as his spirit ascended unto the Great Beyond. We gave him drink from the most pure Kawthar[7] time and again and the mercy of His Lord didst surround him to such an extent that all pens are powerless to describe it. Unto this doth testify He that hath spoken and speaketh now and always: There is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the Most Beauteous One! O Amín! Thou art a Letter of My Crimson Scroll and thou art a remembrance from this Book which speaketh the truth. And We make mention of His lovers - those who visit Him, those of the Supreme Concourse, and those who have prostrated themselves before the face of their Lord, the Master of this wondrous New Day.[8] Blessed is the one that continueth in his remembrance of thee and who seeketh through thee to get nigh unto God, the Lord of all the worlds. Notes [2] Varqá (“Dove” or “Nightingale”) was the title given by Bahá’u’lláh to Mírzá ’Alí-Muh ammad, named as a Hand of the Cause of God by ’Abdu’l-Bahá’ and an Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh by Shoghi Effendi. See The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 4, Chap. 4 (MW’s note). [3] Possibly the present-day town of Miyanku, southern Adhirbáyján, on the western side of the Caspian Sea, approximately 32 meters above sea level (MW’s note). [4] See, e.g. Qur’án 85:15 (MW’s note). [5] e.g., Qur’án 2:94: “Say: ‘If the last Home, with God, be for you specially, and not for anyone else, then seek ye for death, if ye are sincere.’”. See also Hidden Words: “O Son of Being! Seek a martyr’s death in My path, content with My pleasure and thankful for that which I ordain, that thou mayest repose with Me beneath the canopy of majesty behind the tabernacle of glory.” (Arabic #45) (MW’s note). [6] The Leiden List of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh mentions a Tablet of the ‘Akká period named the Súriy-i-Amín or the Lawh-i-Amín (Tablet of the Trustee) and published in Athar-i-Qalam-i-A‘la [Tracings of the Exalted Pen], Vol. 1. pp. 170-173 and Athar-i-Qalam-i-A´la, Vol. 4(i), pp. 320-323. This Tablet may well have been addressed to Sháh-Muh ammad-Amín. In Memorials of the Faithful, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ states that after Sháh-Muhammad-Amín’s martyrdom, “many other Tablets were sent down concerning him.” (MW’s note). [7] According to Islamic belief, Kawthár is the name of the river in Paradise from which true believers will drink on the day of Judgement. Literally, it means ‘Abundance’. In Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings, it designates the utterances of His Revelation (MW’s note). [8] Cf. Qur’án 1:1-4: “In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the world; Most Gracious, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment.” You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public) |
