| Texts and scriptures of theBaháʼí Faith |
|---|
 |
| FromBaháʼu'lláh |
| Fromthe Báb |
| FromʻAbdu'l-Bahá |
| FromShoghi Effendi |
Lawh-i-Malláhu'l-Quds or theTablet of the Holy Mariner is atablet written byBaháʼu'lláh, founder of theBaháʼí Faith, inBaghdad in 1863.[1] The tablet's main theme is thecovenant between man and God, and man being unfaithful to it.[2]
The tablet is written in two parts; one which is inArabic, and the other inPersian; currently only the Arabic part has been translated into English.[2] The Persian tablet is for the most part similar in content to the Arabic tablet.[3] The tablet is written in allegorical terms and its main theme is thecovenant and man being unfaithful to it.[2][4] In the tablet, Baháʼu'lláh refers to himself as the "Holy Mariner," uses an "ark" to symbolize theCovenant of God, and symbolized the believers in the covenant as the "dwellers" in the "ark;"[5] he writes that those people who are in the ark are safe and will acquire salvation.[5] In the tablet, Baháʼu'lláh also alludes to his perceived station asHe whom God shall make manifest, a messianic figure predicted by theBáb, and the fate ofSubh-i-Azal, Baháʼu'lláh's half-brother who wanted to cause asplit in theBábí community.[5][6]
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.[1] It is stated that at this point it was evident to Baháʼu'lláh's followers that their time in Baghdad would be shortly over.[7] Shortly thereafter, Baháʼu'lláh was summoned by theOttoman government from Baghdad toConstantinople (present-dayIstanbul); before leaving Baghdad, he entered the garden ofRidván, where he publicly stated his claimed prophethood.
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