Lawḥ-i-Áyiy-i-Núr

Lawḥ-i-Áyiy-i-Núr also known as Lawh-i Hurúfát al-muqatt`ah or Tafsír-i-Hurúfát-i-Muqatta'ih, provisionally translated as Tablet of the Light Verse or Tablet of or Commentary on the Disconnected Letters, is an Arabic Tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh. It is a commentary on a verse of the Qur'an and also on the Disconnected Letters of the Qur'an. It has not yet been officially translated into English, but segments have been provisionally translated.

Structure

According to Alison Marshall the Tablet consists of approximately 15,000 words and its contents can be considered as being in four distinct sections; the first a section explaining the creation of the Disconnected Letters of the Qur'an, the second a commentary on the Light Verse of the Qur'an (24:35), the third a commentary on the Disconnected Letters, and the fourth an interpretation of the alif, one of the Disconnected Letters, in the context of alchemical theory. In her article What on earth is a disconnected letter? Bahá'u'lláh's Commentary Marshall provides an overview of what she describes as the first and third sections of the Tablet. She interprets that the Tablet implies that the Letters of the Living are the embodiment of the Disconnected Letters.

Stephen Lambden also defines the Tablet as consisting of four distinct sections. The first is a "qabbalistic-cosmological exposition" of the creation of the letters of the alphabet in pre-existence and their coming to be the letters of the Arabic alphabet, and an explanation of the purpose of creation and the status of the Báb and the Bábís, the second is a commentary on the mysteries of the Light Verse, which he describes as an "esoteric exegesis", the third is a commentary on the significance of the disconnected letters Alif. Lam. Mim., and the fourth a commentary on the alchemical production of gold which states that concern with gold and silver increases poverty. He also notes some secondary themes explored throughout the Tablet, including the state of the Bábís and Bahá'u'lláh, number letter esotericism, the question of the Seal of the Prophets, and others.

History

The Tablet was revealed for Mírzá Aqay-i -Rikab-Saz, an early Bábí, who met Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad and asked Him some questions, which included asking the meaning of the Disconnected Letters of the Qur'an. Lambden notes that Rikab was probably a trader of saddles and riding equipment and that he studied and produced copies of Bábí and Bahá’í scripture, even when he became ill in his old age. Because of his study and distribution of scripture a fatwa for his death was issued and he was martyred with two other Bahá’ís in Shiraz in 1871.

The date of the Tablets revelation has been estimated to be in either 1857 or 1858 placing it in the Baghdad period. Bahá'u'lláh refers to the Tablet in later Tablets.

A critical edition does not exist, however there are at least four manuscript texts. One is in Haifa which is in the handwriting of Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín, the amanuensis of Bahá'u'lláh. A version was published in the compilation Má’idiy-i-Ásmání although the manuscript upon which it is based is not known, and Stephen Lambden notes that it likely includes mistakes.

Provisional Translations

• Provisional Translation by Stephen Lambden
• Partial Provisional Translation by Keven Brown, on pages 23 and 24 (pdf link)

References

• Stephen Lambden Tablet of the 'Light Verse' (Lawh-i-Áyiy-i-Núr), also known as Commentary on the Disconnected Letters: Wilmette Institute faculty notes, 1999, accessed April 15, 2019.
• Alison Marshall, What on earth is a disconnected letter? Baha'u'llah's commentary, 1999, accessed April 15th, 2019.