Introduction by Joshua Hall
The following Tablet by Baha’u’llah is a meditation on the omnipotence and sovereignty of God, a testimony to His all-encompassing knowledge, and a reflection on His forgiveness and mercy.
Meditation on God’s Omnipotence
Provisional Translation by Joshua Hall
He is the Almighty
Praise be unto Him Who guideth whomsoever He willeth, and Who is verily the Incomparable, the All-Glorious, the Self-Subsistent. He doth verily reveal unto whomsoever He willeth whatsoever He pleaseth, and His command doth He indelibly inscribe upon a Tablet of inviolable glory. Knowledge doth He impart to whomsoever He willeth, and the same doth He withhold if He so desire. He is verily the Incomparable, the Exalted, the Beloved. Unto Him do all in the heavens and on earth submit, and all things are created at the word of His behest “be” and it is. He is the Lord of might and glory, of power and majesty, of grandeur and eternity. All are created at His command and supplicate His grace.
Say: All the knowledge of the heavens and earth, indeed, the knowledge of all things, doth He possess in a hidden book. However, He in His mercy, surpassing as it does all things, doth pardon and conceal whatsoever He willeth in regard to whomsoever He desireth. He is the Absolute, the Knower of realities unseen.
O thou Servant, give thanks unto God, thy Creator, for having guided thee unto Himself and having sent to thee this Tablet which He hath revealed, to the end that thou mayest praise God, Who hath called thee into being, during all thy days, and at every morn and eve. Stand firm on His Path, and be not heedless of God, thy Lord; cleave thyself unto His cord, that mayest be of them that take refuge in the unerring protection of God.
Peace be unto thee, and all in thy company, and upon His favored servants.