Lawh-i-Sultán, (Tablet to the King of Persia, to AQA1 66-96; Alw-Braz 145-201; Leiden Ms Or 4970 item 6 or 7; Rosen2 195-216 (with numerous glosses); Lawh-i-Mubarak-i-Sultán-i-Iran (with notes by Azízulláh Sulaymani), 132 BE, and repr. India, 158 pages. Another edition not sighted publ. Egypt 1940. According to a letter from Mírzá Sa'id Khán to Mírzá Husayn Khán, the original of this Tablet was sent to the latter, so it may be in Ottoman archives. Arabic and Persian, long. Sections trans. PB 57-60; PDC 39-41, 44, 72; self-citations in ESW 11, 39. Full text trans. by Browne in Traveller's Narrative, 112ff and in the appendix beginning 390. The appendix translates the portions of the tablet which are not cited by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the version of TN which Browne had. But in the Persian edition of TN 'Abdu'l-Bahá cites the whole tablet (?). Browne indicates variant readings, but the Sulaymani edition has significant phrases missing in TN. Rosen2 192 also gives Bahá'u'lláh's instructions to Badí', and describes the Mss (part of Ms247) in St Petersburg. These instructions and the excordium not cited in TN are produced in Browne's edition of TN 390f, with the Persian of the instructions. Browne's trans. of the instructions reprinted in Balyuzi, Bahá'u'lláh King of Glory 299 and TahRB3 176. Part of the Arabic exordium also trans. in ESW 11, 39, and PB 57f, with only minor differences in translation. Full translation, comprised of Browne's and the Guardian's combined, available online at http://bahai-library.org/provisionals. Mentioned GPB 170, 171-2; discussed in Browne, The Bábís of Persia, their Literature and Doctrines, JRAS XXI 958-60; TahRB2 337-40, 346-57, TahRB3 109, 174- 203.
Style: Tablet with the tone of authority
Subject:
Tablets concerning matters of government and world order, and those addressed to the kings; Tablets exhorting men to education, goodly character and divine virtues; Tablets dealing with social teachings.
Genre: Letter/epistle to an individual
"...Bahá'u'lláh explains His Station as the One Who has "the knowledge of all that hath been." He asks the Sháh to be just in his treatment of his citizens, especially the Bahá'ís, and to beware of those who claim to love him for their own benefit. He explains that if the Sháh saw clearly he would not value his earthly sovereignty but rather abandon it for nearness to God.
In the untranslated portion of the Tablet, Bahá'u'lláh explains that distinction for man lies in his deeds of righteousness, not in the pomp and grandeur of this world. He also offers to meet with the divines and argue His Cause if given the opportunity. He points out the insincerity of the clergy and explains the courage of the Báb'i martyrs. Throwing away ones life is not a sane choice but most of the martyrs were all distinguished and virtuous. The choice of martyrdom could only have been because of the love for God burning in their breasts. In spite of this ardor, Bahá'u'lláh assures the Sháh that He has counseled them to abandon strife and the use of the sword in defending their Faith. He relates His suffering and the suffering of the Bahá'ís and prophesies the ultimate victory of His Faith..."