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The Kitáb-i-Aqdas

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PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

A DESCRIPTION OF THE KITÁB-I-AQDAS BY SHOGHI EFFENDI

THE KITÁB-I-AQDAS

Paragraphs 1–40
Paragraphs 41–80
Paragraphs 81–120
Paragraphs 121–160
Paragraphs 161–190

SOME TEXTS REVEALED BY BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SUPPLEMENTARY TO THE KITÁB-I-AQDAS

“A number of Tablets revealed by Bahá’u’lláh after the...”
THE TABLET OF IShRÁQÁT
LONG OBLIGATORY PRAYER
MEDIUM OBLIGATORY PRAYER
SHORT OBLIGATORY PRAYER
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

SYNOPSIS AND CODIFICATION OF THE LAWS AND ORDINANCES OF THE KITÁB-I-AQDAS

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
SYNOPSIS AND CODIFICATION

NOTES

1. the sweet-smelling savour of My garment # 4
2. We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. # 5
3. We have enjoined obligatory prayer upon you # 6
4. nine rak’áhs # 6
5. at noon and in the morning and the evening # 6
6. We have relieved you of a greater number # 6
7. When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye towards the Court of My Most Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot that God hath ... decreed to be the Point of Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of Eternity # 6
8. and when the Sun of Truth and Utterance shall set, turn your faces towards the Spot that We have ordained for you # 6
9. We have set forth the details of obligatory prayer in another Tablet. # 8
10. the Prayer for the Dead # 8
11. six specific passages have been sent down by God, the Revealer of Verses # 8
12. Hair doth not invalidate your prayer, nor aught from which the spirit hath departed, such as bones and the like. Ye are free to wear the fur of the sable as ye would that of the beaver, the squirrel, and other animals # 9
13. We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity # 10
14. He hath exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age # 10
15. God hath granted you leave to prostrate yourselves on any surface that is clean, for We have removed in this regard the limitation that had been laid down in the Book # 10
16. Let him that findeth no water for ablution repeat five times the words “In the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure”, and then proceed to his devotions. # 10
17. In regions where the days and nights grow long, let times of prayer be gauged by clocks and other instruments that mark the passage of the hours. # 10
18. We have absolved you from the requirement of performing the Prayer of the Signs. # 11
19. Save in the Prayer for the Dead, the practice of congregational prayer hath been annulled. # 12
20. God hath exempted women who are in their courses from obligatory prayer and fasting. # 13
21. When travelling, if ye should stop and rest in some safe spot, perform ye—men and women alike—a single prostration in place of each unsaid Obligatory Prayer # 14
22. Upon completing your prostrations, seat yourselves cross-legged # 14
23. Say: God hath made My hidden love the key to the Treasure # 15
24. O Pen of the Most High! # 16
25. We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period # 16
26. and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast # 16
27. Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. # 16
28. We have ordained that these ... shall be the manifestations of the letter Há # 16
29. these days of giving that precede the season of restraint # 16
30. The traveller ... not bound by the Fast # 16
31. The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. # 16
32. Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown # 17
33. It hath been ordained that every believer in God ... shall, each day ... repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. # 18
34. Perform ye ... ablutions for the Obligatory Prayer # 18
35. Ye have been forbidden to commit murder # 19
36. or adultery # 19
37. backbiting or calumny # 19
38. We have divided inheritance into seven categories # 20
39. to the brothers, five parts ... to the sisters, four parts # 20
40. the teachers # 20
41. When We heard the clamour of the children as yet unborn, We doubled their share and decreased those of the rest. # 20
42. the House of Justice # 21
43. Should the deceased leave offspring, but none of the other categories of heirs # 22
44. We have assigned the residence and personal clothing of the deceased to the male, not female, offspring, nor to the other heirs. # 25
45. Should the son of the deceased have passed away in the days of his father and have left children, they will inherit their father’s share # 26
46. If the deceased should leave children who are under age, their share of the inheritance must be entrusted to a reliable individual # 27
47. Division of the estate should take place only after the Huqúqu’lláh hath been paid, any debts have been settled, the expenses of the funeral and burial defrayed # 28
48. This is that hidden knowledge which shall never change, since its beginning is with nine # 29
49. The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of Justice be established # 30
50. the number of Bahá # 30
51. It behoveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among men # 30
52. take counsel together # 30
53. Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands # 31
54. The Lord hath ordained that those of you who are able shall make pilgrimage to the sacred House # 32
55. and from this He hath exempted women as a mercy on His part # 32
56. to engage in some occupation # 33
57. The kissing of hands hath been forbidden in the Book. # 34
58. To none is it permitted to seek absolution from another soul # 34
59. Amongst the people is he who seateth himself amid the sandals by the door whilst coveting in his heart the seat of honour. # 36
60. And among the people is he who layeth claim to inner knowledge # 36
61. How many a man hath secluded himself in the climes of India, denied himself the things that God hath decreed as lawful, imposed upon himself austerities and mortifications # 36
62. Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years # 37
63. This is that of which We gave you forewarning when We were dwelling in ‘Iráq, then later while in the Land of Mystery, and now from this Resplendent Spot. # 37
64. Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud ... who, when he heareth the tread of sandals following behind him, waxeth greater in his own esteem # 41
65. Nimrod # 41
66. Aghsán # 42
67. revert to the people of Bahá # 42
68. Shave not your heads # 44
69. it is not seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears # 44
70. Exile and imprisonment are decreed for the thief # 45
71. on the third offence, place ye a mark upon his brow so that, thus identified, he may not be accepted in the cities of God and His countries # 45
72. Whoso wisheth to make use of vessels of silver and gold is at liberty to do so. # 46
73. Take heed lest, when partaking of food, ye plunge your hands into the contents of bowls and platters. # 46
74. Adopt ye such usages as are most in keeping with refinement. # 46
75. He Who is the Dawning-place of God’s Cause hath no partner in the Most Great Infallibility. # 47
76. Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in the art of reading and writing # 48
77. God hath imposed a fine on every adulterer and adulteress, to be paid to the House of Justice # 49
78. nine mithqáls of gold, to be doubled if they should repeat the offence # 49
79. We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and singing. # 51
80. O ye Men of Justice! # 52
81. The penalties for wounding or striking a person depend upon the severity of the injury; for each degree the Lord of Judgement hath prescribed a certain indemnity. # 56
82. Verily, it is enjoined upon you to offer a feast, once in every month # 57
83. If ye should hunt with beasts or birds of prey, invoke ye the Name of God when ye send them to pursue their quarry; for then whatever they catch shall be lawful unto you, even should ye find it to have died. # 60
84. hunt not to excess # 60
85. He hath granted them no right to the property of others. # 61
86. Should anyone intentionally destroy a house by fire, him also shall ye burn; should anyone deliberately take another’s life, him also shall ye put to death. # 62
87. Should ye condemn the arsonist and the murderer to life imprisonment, it would be permissible according to the provisions of the Book. # 62
88. God hath prescribed matrimony unto you. # 63
89. Beware that ye take not unto yourselves more wives than two. Whoso contenteth himself with a single partner from among the maidservants of God, both he and she shall live in tranquillity. # 63
90. he who would take into his service a maid may do so with propriety # 63
91. This is My bidding unto you; hold fast to it as an assistance to yourselves. # 63
92. We have conditioned it ... upon the permission of their parents # 65
93. No marriage may be contracted without payment of a dowry # 66
94. for city-dwellers at nineteen mithqáls of pure gold, and for village-dwellers at the same amount in silver # 66
95. Whoso wisheth to increase this sum, it is forbidden him to exceed the limit of ninety-five mithqáls... If he content himself, however, with a payment of the lowest level, it shall be better for him according to the Book. # 66
96. should any one of His servants intend to travel, he must fix for his wife a time when he will return home # 67
97. it behoveth her to wait for a period of nine months, after which there is no impediment to her taking another husband # 67
98. she should choose the course that is praiseworthy # 67
99. two just witnesses # 67
100. Should resentment or antipathy arise between husband and wife, he is not to divorce her but to bide in patience throughout the course of one whole year # 68
101. The Lord hath prohibited ... the practice to which ye formerly had recourse when thrice ye had divorced a woman. # 68
102. He who hath divorced his wife may choose, upon the passing of each month, to remarry her when there is mutual affection and consent, so long as she hath not taken another husband ... unless, clearly, her circumstances change. # 68
103. semen is not unclean # 74
104. Cleave ye unto the cord of refinement # 74
105. Wash ye every soiled thing with water that hath undergone no alteration in any one of the three respects # 74
106. God hath ... abolished the concept of “uncleanness”, whereby divers things and peoples have been held to be impure. # 75
107. first day of Ridván # 75
108. the Bayán # 77
109. the destruction of books # 77
110. We have permitted you to read such sciences as are profitable unto you, not such as end in idle disputation # 77
111. He Who held converse with God # 80
112. Sinai # 80
113. the Spirit of God # 80
114. Carmel ... Zion # 80
115. the Crimson Ark # 84
116. O Emperor of Austria! He Who is the Dayspring of God’s Light dwelt in the prison of ‘Akká at the time when thou didst set forth to visit the Aqsá Mosque. # 85
117. O King of Berlin! # 86
118. the one whose power transcended thy power, and whose station excelled thy station # 86
119. O people of Constantinople! # 89
120. O Spot that art situate on the shores of the two seas! # 89
121. O banks of the Rhine! # 90
122. O Land of Tá # 91
123. within thee was born the Manifestation of His Glory # 92
124. O Land of Khá! # 94
125. Should anyone acquire one hundred mithqáls of gold, nineteen mithqáls thereof are God’s and to be rendered unto Him # 97
126. Various petitions have come before Our throne from the believers, concerning laws from God... We have, in consequence, revealed this Holy Tablet and arrayed it with the mantle of His Law that haply the people may keep the commandments of their Lord. # 98
127. crimson Spot # 100
128. the Sadratu’l-Muntahá # 100
129. the Mother Book # 103
130. Whoso interpreteth what hath been sent down from the heaven of Revelation, and altereth its evident meaning # 105
131. approach not the public pools of Persian baths # 106
132. Avoid ye likewise the malodorous pools in the courtyards of Persian homes # 106
133. It is forbidden you to wed your fathers’ wives. # 107
134. the subject of boys # 107
135. To none is it permitted to mutter sacred verses before the public gaze as he walketh in the street or marketplace # 108
136. Unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of a will. # 109
137. the Most Great Name # 109
138. All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great Festivals, and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days # 110
139. the first day of the month of Bahá # 111
140. The Most Great Festival is, indeed, the King of Festivals # 112
141. God had formerly laid upon each one of the believers the duty of offering before Our throne priceless gifts from among his possessions. Now ... We have absolved them of this obligation. # 114
142. the hour of dawn # 115
143. These Tablets are embellished with the seal of Him Who causeth the dawn to appear, Who lifteth up His voice between the heavens and the earth. # 117
144. It is inadmissible that man, who hath been endowed with reason, should consume that which stealeth it away. # 119
145. turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root # 121
146. In the Bayán it had been forbidden you to ask Us questions. # 126
147. The number of months in a year, appointed in the Book of God, is nineteen. # 127
148. the first hath been adorned with this Name which overshadoweth the whole of creation # 127
149. The Lord hath decreed that the dead should be interred in coffins # 128
150. the Point of the Bayán # 129
151. the deceased should be enfolded in five sheets of silk or cotton # 130
152. It is forbidden you to transport the body of the deceased a greater distance than one hour’s journey from the city # 130
153. God hath removed the restrictions on travel that had been imposed in the Bayán. # 131
154. Raise up and exalt the two Houses in the Twin Hallowed Spots, and the other sites wherein the throne of your Lord ... hath been established. # 133
155. Take heed lest ye be prevented by aught that hath been recorded in the Book from hearkening unto this, the Living Book # 134
156. tribute to this Revelation, from the Pen of Him Who was My Herald # 135
157. “The Qiblih is indeed He Whom God will make manifest; whenever He moveth, it moveth, until He shall come to rest.” # 137
158. It is unlawful to enter into marriage save with a believer in the Bayán. Should only one party to a marriage embrace this Cause, his or her possessions will become unlawful to the other # 139
159. The Point of the Bayán # 140
160. Verily, there is none other God besides Me # 143
161. payment of Zakát # 146
162. It is unlawful to beg, and it is forbidden to give to him who beggeth. # 147
163. A fine ... had formerly been prescribed ... for anyone who was the cause of sadness to another # 148
164. the sacred Lote-Tree # 148
165. Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. # 149
166. Ye have been enjoined to renew the furnishings of your homes after the passing of each nineteen years # 151
167. Wash your feet # 152
168. Ye have been prohibited from making use of pulpits. Whoso wisheth to recite unto you the verses of his Lord, let him sit on a chair placed upon a dais # 154
169. Gambling # 155
170. the use of opium ... any substance that induceth sluggishness and torpor # 155
171. the “mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign” # 157
172. the “Six” raised up by virtue of this “Upright Alif” # 157
173. It hath been forbidden you to carry arms unless essential # 159
174. and permitted you to attire yourselves in silk # 159
175. The Lord hath relieved you ... of the restrictions that formerly applied to clothing and to the trim of the beard. # 159
176. O Land of Káf and Rá! # 164
177. We perceive that which secretly and stealthily diffuseth from thee. # 164
178. Call ye to mind the Shaykh whose name was Muhammad-Hasan # 166
179. a sifter of wheat and barley # 166
180. Take heed lest the word “Prophet” withhold you from this Most Great Announcement # 167
181. any reference to “Vicegerency” debar you from the sovereignty of Him Who is the Vicegerent of God # 167
182. Call ye to mind Karím # 170
183. O ye the learned ones in Bahá # 173
184. refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock # 174
185. the School of Transcendent Oneness # 175
186. We accepted the verses of God ... which He presented unto Us # 175
187. O people of the Bayán! # 176
188. the letters B and E were joined and knit together # 177
189. this new World Order # 181
190. O source of perversion! # 184
191. remember how We nurtured thee by day and by night for service to the Cause # 184
192. God hath laid hold on him who led thee astray. # 184
193. Select ye a single language ... adopt ye ... a common script. # 189
194. We have appointed two signs for the coming of age of the human race # 189

GLOSSARY

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