God hath heard that thou hast taken up residence in a new habitation.

God hath heard that thou hast taken up residence in a new habitation. By God, how excellent shall be your station in the most exalted Paradise and your seat in the Pavilion of the All-Glorious!

[A passage from a Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh, the original text of which appears in a manuscript collection held at the British Library (Or15696, pp. 93–94) translated by Adib Masumian]

https://adibmasumian.com/translations/bh09471_excerpt/

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innumerable sects became the cause of the shaking of the foundations of Islam.

The Holy Law (Sharí`ah) of the Messenger of God [Mohammed] may be likened to an ocean from which innumerable gulfs branch out. And this is the cause of the weakness of the Sharí`ah of God among the peoples. Until now no-one, not kings nor subjects nor the indigent have understood the reason for this, nor have they appreciated how to regain that power that has vanished and the learning that has fallen away. Thus one gulf is Shí`a, one gulf is Sunni, one Shaykhi, another Shah Ni`matulláhí, one Naqshbandi, another Malámatí, one Jalálí, another Rifá`í, and yet another Khárábátí. Thus are multiplied the innumerable pathways to hell. Thus do the stones weep and the Pen of the All-High laments. Seest thou what has befallen a Sharí`ah whose light illumined the world and whose fire, that is to say the fire of its love, was the guide of its peoples. Well is it with those who ponder upon these matters and investigate them and are fair in their judgement. Thus did this difference in rituals become the cause of the shaking of the foundations of the Cause of God [Islam].

(Lawh-i Ittihád, The Tablet of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh - provisional translation by Moojan Momen)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/m/michot_tablets_bahaullah_3.pdf

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The translation of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh is not a priority for the Universal House of Justice

If translating and making available the writings of Bahá'u'lláh were in fact any sort of priority of the Universal House of Justice, they have enormous resources with which to do so. (Anyone who can spend $250 million on building works has the money for other projects, as well). They have simply decided to expend their resources on other things. I once saw in a library a big set of books, The Collected Works of Sri Aurobindo in Bengali with English translations. Aurobindo was a 20th century Indian holy man. But his followers managed to get his *complete* collected works not only published but also translated, not long after his death. Aurobindo's following is tiny and poor compared to that of the Bahá'ís. That only about 5% of Bahá'u'lláh's works have been translated is not an unfortunate side effect of lack of resources in the Bahá'í community. It is a deliberate decision to invest the money in things like monumental architecture instead.

Moreover, the Universal House of Justice's own translations, as represented in Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh and some of the compilations, are riddled with errors and mistranslations that give an extremely misleading impression of the intent of the original on a number of occasions. So it is not as if the UHJ's own record in translation work is spotless. Unfortunately, it is precisely the attitude of suspicion toward qualified academics and the rigidity of their preconceived opinions, evident in their letter on the Tablet of the Houri, that has caused them to so discount solid expertise and resulted in these many errors in their publications.

-Juan Cole

https://bahai-library.com/uhj_lawh_huriyyih_cole

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In Lawh-i-Sarraj Bahá’u’lláh uses strong and explicit curses when addressing his opponents

In Lawh-i-Sarraj Bahá’u’lláh uses strong, condemnatory language, and explicit curses when addressing his opponents, particularly those who arose from the Bábí community (the People of the Bayán) who rejected his claims.

Here are the terms, abuse, and curses given by Bahá’u’lláh to his opponents:

Designations of Disbelief and Immorality:

• Polytheists/Associators (المشرکین): Those who disbelieved in God and His power, who turned away from His Beauty and fought against His Self, meaning Bahá’u’lláh.
• Wrongdoers/Oppressors (الظالمین): Those who wronged the Self of God [Bahá’u’lláh] and will soon know to what place they will return.
• Disbeliever (کفر بالله): One who questioned God's power or fought His sovereignty.
• Rejecters/Averse Ones (المعرضین): Those who are counted among the rejecters before God, affiliated with the "letters of negation".
• Deluded/Fanciful (المتوهمین): Those who are intoxicated by the "wine of delusions" (خمر اوهام).
• Owners of Hatred/Malice (صاحبان بغضا): Those afflicted by "rancor and malice" (غل و بغضاء).
• Heedless Polytheist (المشرک الغافل): An individual who claims faith but rejects the Manifestation.
• Ignorant/Senseless (جاهل/بی خردان): Those whose words are contemptible (أحقر).

Spiritual Condemnation and Metaphorical Abuse:

• People of the Fire/Hell (اهل نار): Those counted among the people of the Fire and who have returned to the "Sijjín of annihilation" (سجیین فنا).
• Dead (الموتی): Those who disbelieved are considered dead, not alive, hearing, or understanding.
• Wolf/Wolves (ذئب/ذئاب): Opponents are likened to wolves, whose previous followers are now counted among the people of the Fire.
• Satan (شیطان): The chief opponent (implicitly Mirza Yahya) is referred to as having returned to his abode "in the lowest Hell" (أسفل الجحیم).
• Wolf and Serpent/Dragon (ثعبان): The opponents’ harmful acts are likened to a serpent/dragon, and their actions in the past are compared to that of a wolf.
• Worthless: Their words are considered worthless, "not even the size of the black of a dead ant's eye" (سواد عین نملة میتة).

Explicit Curses and Severe Warnings:

• Woe and Shame (فَأُفٍّ لکم / ویل لکم): Used as exclamations of reproach.
• Accursed (ملعون): Explicitly used to address the heedless polytheist.
• Curse of the Bayán: "How many a reciter of the Bayán there is, and the Bayán curses him" (رب تالی البیان و البیان یلعنه).
• Divine Curse: "May God curse the first wrongdoer who wronged the Primal Point in His later Manifestation...".
• Tree destined for Fire: The opponent is called "the tree that deserves to fall and be thrown into the Fire" (شجره التی ینبغی لها أن تقع و تلقی فی النار).
• Historical Parallels: Warned against becoming like Balaam (بلعام) or Judas Iscariot (یهودای اسخر یوطی), and the oppressors are referred to as Nimrod of oppression and Pharaoh of ignorance (نمرود الظلم و فرعون الجهل).
• Bloodshed: Accused of killing Bahá’u’lláh with the "sword of turning away" and shedding his blood, and that their hearts will not be calmed "except by drinking My blood".

(Baha'u'llah, Lawh-i-Sarraj)

https://oceanoflights.org/bahaullah-st-201-fa/

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translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas... by Reverend Miller... is not a bad translation

I was telling somebody about some of the work we did on the translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas where we consulted, amongst other things, some of the translations that had been done by others. Some were terrible and some were not that bad. I recall the one done by Reverend Miller who was a inveterate enemy of the Faith. His translation of the Aqdás obviously reflects his anti-Bahá’í bias but it’s not a bad translation. I was interested in it because the man obviously didn’t like the Faith one bit, but he had a degree of intellectual honesty. He sincerely tried to follow where the translation was leading him. You may have someone who is very sour on the Faith but, depending on the level of intellectual honesty, they may still do not a bad job.

(The Need for Bahá'ís of Capacity and Expertise by Peter J. Khan, 2002)

https://bahai-library.com/khan_bahais_capacity_expertise

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Whoso awaiteth a Revelation after Me is of the lost. After Me, O people, cleave ye to the Aghṣán. After the Aghṣán, a lofty station hath been ordained for Mírzá Áqá Ján

Whoso awaiteth a Revelation after Me is of the lost. He who will appear after a thousand [years] shall speak in My Name, and in Mustagháth will come unto you Him Who shall bear witness to Me that I am God, the Lord of the heavens and the earth. None can comprehend this Revelation except to a certain degree. His knowledge embraceth all things.

After Me, O people, cleave ye to the Aghṣán that have branched out from this Ancient Root. Through them shall the fragrances of My garment waft throughout the world, yet none shall discover them save every steadfast believer. It behoveth you, O people of Bahá, to remain firm in the Cause of God under all circumstances. Take heed that ye not follow every wicked fool.

After the Aghṣán, a lofty station hath been ordained for the servant who attendeth the Throne. [Mírzá Áqá Ján] It befitteth you to show respect to the people in Whose midst appeared the Best-Beloved of the worlds [The Bab] from among them that have believed in God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Thus hath it been revealed in the Bayán and also in this luminous Tablet. He who turneth away from them is of those who are in grevious misbelief. Such a one would indeed be of them that are utterly lost, unless he repenteth. He is, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

(A Tablet of Baha’u’llah that Mentions the Next Manifestation of God)

https://adibmasumian.com/translations/bh03560/

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Baha'u'llah's praise for Mirza Yahya's "verses"

During his ministry as head of the Babi movement, Mirza Yahya wrote a book called the Kitab-i Nur. Baha'u'llah wrote a letter in the Baghdad period urging Babis to copy it, describing it as verses from God:

Provisional translation:

"The Kitab-i Nur was not sent despite repeated insistence. Do not neglect it. It is very necessary for all the people of the Bayan. Janab-i Mulla Zayn al-Abidin, the blessings of God be upon him, must make a great effort to complete (copying) it. By the Lord of the heavens and earth! Verily, it is a noble and beloved book and the verses [ayat] of the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Copy it in the best of handwriting as perfectly as you can. Then read it with love if you desire to ascend to the heavens of attraction and rise to the lofty clouds of sanctity."

You can find the passage in the full text of Baha'u'llah's letter on the official Baha'i website (it's the last paragraph).

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This is the day wherein the "neither born nor begotten" was born

 حضرت بهاء‌الله در يکى از الواح نازله به مناسبت يوم تولّد خودشان فرموده‌اند:

"فيه ولد من لم يلد و لم يولد" يعنى امروز روزى است که "لم يلد و لم يولد" در آن متولّد شد.

English Translation : 'in it is the one who is neither born nor begotten' [i.e. in reference to the 3rd verse of Quran 112]; meaning, today is the day wherein the "neither born nor begotten" was born therein.

The claim Baha'u'llah is attempting to make here, which falls flat on its face, is that he is the One Uniquely Single (الأحد) Who is the Everlasting (الصمد) that in high Islamic metaphysics is glossed as the completely unknowable and transcendent aspect of the ipseity of the Essence of the Godhead. 

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Fear and anguish are womanly qualities

O friends! Fear and anguish are womanly qualities...

(Tablet of Medicine, by Bahá'u'lláh)

https://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_lawh_tibb_anonymous

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Official Baha'i translations

One non-Baha'i scholar states:

I have read most of the books by the central figures and Shoghi Effendi I could find. I just think that there is a clear difference in vision between all of them. On top of that I have read many writings of the Bab and Baha'u'llah in Arabic, which are infinitely better for understanding their teachings than translations.

For example, I translated this passage:

قُلْ تَاللّهِ الحَقِّ مَا ظَهَرَ شِبْهُهُ فِي الإِبْدَاعِ وَ‌مَنْ أَقَرَّ بِغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ شَهِدَ بِغَيْرِ مَا شَهِدَ اللّهُ وَيَكُونُ مِنَ المُشْرِكِينَ فِي أَلْوَاحِ عِزٍّ مَحْفُوظٍ (سورة القلم)

"Say: I swear by the one true God that there is no equal to him (Baha'u'llah) in all of creation. Anyone who claims something other than that, testifies to something other than what God testifies, and will be counted among the polytheists (mushrikun) in the mighty preserved tablets." (Surah al-Qalam)

The official translation says:

"Say: I swear by the one true God that there hath never appeared in all creation another like unto Him. Whoso asserteth otherwise hath gainsaid the testimony of God and is accounted among the faithless in His mighty and well-guarded Tablet."

The original text clearly states mushrikun, i.e. people who ascribe partners to God, which traditionally meant the polytheists in Mecca, and the official translation says faithless, which is something completely different and not what was meant. Also tablets is in plural form but this may be the case if a different manuscript was used.

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Let deeds, not words, be your adorning! - Woe to you, O swine!

From Suratu’l Nus’h,

قل أفّ لك يا خنزير وبما اكتسبت أيداك بحيث جرّبت سيف نفسك على وجه الله واستكبرت على الله المهيمن العزيز القدّوس.

Provisional Translation

Say: Woe to you, O swine! For what your hands have wrought to the extent that you have drawn the sword from its sheath towards the Countenance of God, and waxed arrogantly against God, the Help in Peril, the Mighty and Most Holy.

https://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_stevens_surih_nush

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If you believe that 'Bab' is 'the Gate' of the hidden Imam then you are cursed by the Bab himself!

After his return from Mecca, the Báb was arrested in Bushihr and taken into custody to the residence of Husayn Khan Nazimu’l Dowla the Governor of Fars. On the same Friday, the Báb was pressured by the Ulama particularly the Imam Jum'ih of Shiraz to publicly renounce His earlier claims in the grand Mosque of Vakil in front of a congregation of the faithful. The Báb attended the prayer session and publicly denied his claim to the position of 'Deputyship' of the Hidden Imam.

(Page 223, Sepehr Manuchehri, Australian Baha'i Studies, Volume 2, 2000, ISSN 1442-2875) 

On the pulpit of Vakil Mosque in front of the people, Bab announced: "God's curse be upon the one who recognizes me as the representative of the occulted Imam. God's curse be upon the one who recognizes me as the 'gate' of the hidden Imam."

(Page 141, Talkhis Tarikh i Nabil, Persian)

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Jafar Kazzab

The brother of Imám Ḥasan ʻAskarí, known to Twelver Shíʻihs as “Jaʻfar-i-Kadhdháb” (“Jaʻfar the Liar”). In this tablet, Baha’u’llah dismisses this tenet of Shíʻih eschatology by establishing the truth of Jaʻfar’s reply to the question about his brother’s son.

https://adibmasumian.com/translations/existence-of-qaim/

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the Reality of the All-Merciful hath been born

"This, truly, is a night during which the Reality of the All-Merciful hath been born..."

-Baha'u'llah, Tablet on the Birth of the Greatest Name II

https://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_lawh_imawlud_ism-azam

حسینعلی نوری در دعایی که برای شب ولادتش تعلیم داده می‌گوید: «و فیه ولد من لم یلد و لم یولد»

اشراق خاوری، رساله ایام تسعه، ص۲۵

https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/بهاءالله#cite_ref-50

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Regarding the one who related the existence of the Qaʼim…

Regarding the one who related the existence of the Qáʼim [1]

In a Tablet to Mírzá Áqáy-i Afnán, the blessed pen of the Ancient Beauty—exalted be His glory—hath revealed:

“The one who related the existence of the Qá’im was a woman. It was asked of Jaʻfar, [2] ‘Does [Imám Ḥasan] ʻAskarí have any living sons?’ That wronged one [3] declined and said, ‘There was a child, but he passed away two years ago.’ Those with ill intentions condemned him as a liar, and they shunned and cursed him. Ignorant and heedless, they accepted and proclaimed as truth the words of that lying woman, which were in agreement with their selfish intentions.”

_________

Notes:

[1] According to the Twelver Shíʻih tradition, the twelfth Imám—known as the Mahdí, or “rightly guided one”—was born to the eleventh Imám, Ḥasan ʻAskarí, in 869 AD. After Ḥasan ʻAskarí died in 874, the Mahdí—who would have been five years old at the time—was purportedly hidden to protect him from the ruling ʻAbbásid caliphate. He would communicate with his followers through a series of four intermediaries. This period, known as the Minor Occultation, ended in 941 with the death of the fourth intermediary. Since that time, Twelver Shíʻihs believe that the Mahdí has continued to exist in hiding, and will eventually reveal himself to battle the forces of evil and firmly establish submission unto God—the literal definition of “Islám”—as the universal religion for mankind.

Moojan Momen refers to this Tablet in his article, “Shi`i Islam” (1995; available online), as evidence that Baha’u’llah rejected the story of the twelfth Imám as a pious fraud.

For more information on the concept of the Mahdí, refer to the following articles in the Encyclopedia Iranica:
“The Concept of Mahdi in Twelver Shiʿism”: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/islam-in-iran-vii-the-concept-of-mahdi-in-twelver-shiism
“Ḡayba”: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gayba

[2] The brother of Imám Ḥasan ʻAskarí, known to Twelver Shíʻihs as “Jaʻfar-i-Kadhdháb” (“Jaʻfar the Liar”). In this tablet, Baha’u’llah dismisses this tenet of Shíʻih eschatology by establishing the truth of Jaʻfar’s reply to the question about his brother’s son. (This is not the same person as Imám Jaʻfar aṣ-Ṣádiq, who lived in the eighth century AD—roughly a hundred years before Jaʻfar-i-Kadhdháb.)

[3] This characterization of Jaʻfar is likely a reference to the fact that generations of Twelver Shíʻihs have considered him a liar, even though he was actually telling the truth.

https://adibmasumian.com/translations/existence-of-qaim/

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A Tablet from ‘Abduʼl-Baha regarding the Twelfth Imam

In a Tablet to Ḥájí Ṣadr-i-Hamadání, the title of which is “O Ṣadruʼṣ-Ṣudúr! The unrolled scroll hath been read aloud,” the Center of the Covenant—exalted be His praise—hath said:

As to the question of the twelfth Imám, there existeth in the ḥadíths an apparent contradiction. In one ḥadíth, Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan [1]—peace be upon Him—is considered the promised Qáʼim, yet in another, it is mentioned that the death of that same Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan will precede the birth of the awaited Qáʼim in the End of Time. [2] One cannot reconcile these two ḥadíths, unless he be certain that the twelfth Imám—the promised Qáʼim—existed spiritually in the Kingdom of God, and was manifested physically, in the form of another person, at the Hour of Revelation. “And no one thing is there, but with Us are its storehouses; and We send it not down but in settled measure” [3]. That which is manifest in the contingent world existed first in the Kingdom of God.

The matter of the twelfth Imám and the promised Qáʼim is mentioned in a chain of highly questionable ḥadíths. Were one to judge the matter fairly, he would not give credence to any of these various narratives that contradict each other. Every one of the holy Imáms was considered by the Shíʻihs of His time to be the Qáʼim, and they awaited His emergence from the occultation. [4] With the passing of Imám Ḥasan ʻAskarí, [5] the leading divines realized that the foundation of hope for Shíʻihs would soon be utterly destroyed, and that they would fall into great despair. As these divines wished to preserve that hope, they made allusions, invoked metaphors, created allegories, and offered interpretations. Consequently, various narratives began to emerge, and the fact of the matter is that, after the passing of Imám Ḥasan ʻAskarí—peace be upon Him—the Shíʻihs had become divided into three groups. One group clung to the ignorant Jaʻfar, [6] and congratulated him on his accession to the Imámate. Another group came to renounce totally their belief in the role of the Imám. The other group attached themselves to belief in the occultation, and every day awaited the Qáʼim’s emergence therefrom. For a thousand years they have anticipated His advent, and to this day they have yet to grow tired of this futile anticipation.

Gracious God! The appearance of His Manifestation is mentioned explicitly in the Qurʼán, without any need for commentary or interpretation: “And thy Lord shall come and the angels rank on rank” [7]. And yet have they regarded this matter with doubt, been unsettled by it, offered tenuous interpretations to explain it, and clung to narratives that have ultimately caused confusion and vacillation. They have deemed these narratives to be the explicit Text, and have used them to oppose anyone who should disagree with them. What foolishness, what folly have seized these people, and what stupidity they demonstrate! How utterly lost they are in their error! Salutations and praise be upon thee.

___________

Notes:

[1] The son of Imám Ḥasan ʻAskarí (the eleventh Imám of Shíʻih Islám), believed by Shíʻih Muslims to be the twelfth Imám.

[2] cf. Encyclopedia Iranica, “The Concept of Mahdi in Twelver Shiʿism”: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/islam-in-iran-vii-the-concept-of-mahdi-in-twelver-shiism

[3] Qurʼán 15:21.

[4] cf. Encyclopedia Iranica, “Ḡayba”: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gayba

[5] The eleventh Imám of Shíʻih Islám.

[6] The brother of Imám Ḥasan ʻAskarí, known to Twelver Shíʻihs as “Jaʻfar-i-Kadhdháb” (“Jaʻfar the Liar”). For more information, refer to this Tablet from Baháʼuʼlláh: https://adibmasumian.com/translations/existence-of-qaim/

[7] Qurʼán 89:22.


https://adibmasumian.com/translations/tablet-abdul-baha-twelfth-imam/

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Regarding Jafar-i-Kadhdhab (“Jafar the Liar”)

In a Tablet to Mírzá Áqáy-i-Afnán, the Pen of the Most High—exalted be His glory—hath revealed:

“O people of God! Inquire ye of the people of the Qurʼán: ‘Where is Jábulqá, and what of Jábulsá? [1] What hath become of those illusory cities?’ They have condemned as a liar that hapless Jaʻfar, [2] who did not speak falsely. For uttering a single truthful remark, he hath been branded a liar from the early days of Islám to the present time. ‘God’s malison (curse) on the head of the people of tyranny!’” [3]

___________

Notes:

[1] cf. Baháʼuʼlláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries, para. 47, note 7: “According to Shiah traditions, the twin cities of Jabulqa and Jabulsa are the dwelling place of the Hidden Imam (the Promised One), whence He will appear on the Day of Resurrection.”

[2] The brother of Imam Hasan ʻAskari, known to Twelver Shias as “Jafar-i-Kadhdhab” (“Jaʻfar the Liar”). For more information, refer to a similar Tablet from Baháʼuʼlláh: https://adibmasumian.com/translations/existence-of-qaim/

[3] Qurʼán 11:18.

https://adibmasumian.com/translations/truthfulness-of-jafar/

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When you begin to eat, begin with My Name

"When you begin to eat, begin with My Name El Abhá, and finish with the Name of God [“Yá Bahá’ul’Abhá” or “O Glory of the All-Glorious!"] the Possessor of the Throne and the earth."

(Provisional Translation of the Lawh-i-Tibb (Tablet of Medicine))

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Baha'u'llah and Muhammad “associated” with each other in Baha's dream!

Here is Baha’u’llah’s personal account of that particular dream, in this provisional translation by Necati Alkan:

One day I saw in a dream that I associated with His Holiness, the Apostle (Muḥammad), may the souls of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake. Words were revealed and utterances were made manifest from that Dawning-Place of God’s Book. Thereupon He (Muḥammad) said:

“Previously I had said: ‘Paradise is beneath the shades of swords (al-jannatu taḥta ẓilāli al-suyūf).’ However, if I were manifest in these days, I would say: ‘Paradise is beneath the shade of the tree of friendliness and compassion’ (al-jannatu taḥta ẓilāli sidrati al-ulfati wa al-raḥma)’.”

Upon hearing this blessed and exalted Word, I (Baha’u’llah) declared: “May the souls of all men be a sacrifice unto Thy loving-kindness, tender mercy and bounty!” Subsequently, the Ocean of utterance (Baha’u’llah) spoke that which the Pen was unable to reveal and the ink not capable to make manifest. When I woke up from my sleep I have found Myself filled with gladness for a time, in such wise that it was beyond description. – Baha’u’llah, Lawḥ-i Ṭabīb, provisional translation by Necati Alkan.

In this dream narration, Baha’u’llah tells us that he and Muhammad “associated” with each other.

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you expel God from his House!

Say: O people, you are so wrapped in dense veils that you expel God from his House and yet make mention of his names at morn and eventide.

Say: Blinded be the eyes that open every morning and yet shall never fall upon my glorious and refulgent Beauty, deaf be the ears that hear every sound but neglect to hearken to my wondrous and sweet melodies, and dumb be the tongue that shall never move with my Name, the All-Subduing, the Omnipotent, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Contemplate within yourself my calamities, and that which has befallen Me. By God, they have afflicted no one else before me, and they shall never be borne by the heavens and the earth.

Baha'u'llah, The Surah of God

https://web.archive.org/web/20160517145913/http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/trans/vol6/surall.htm

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