Lawh-i-karmil (tablet Of Carmel)

Sources: Tablets Of Baha'u'llah Revealed After The Kitab-i-aqdas

ALL glory be to this Day, the Day in which the fragrances of mercy have

been wafted over all created things, a Day so blest that past ages and

centuries can never hope to rival it, a Day in which the countenance of

the Ancient of Days hath turned towards His holy seat. Thereupon the

voices of all created things, and beyond them those of the Concourse on

High, were heard calling aloud: 'Haste thee, O Carmel, for lo, the light
br /> of the countenance of God, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Names and Fashioner

of the heavens, hath been lifted upon thee.'



Seized with transports of joy, and raising high her voice, she thus

exclaimed: 'May my life be a sacrifice to Thee, inasmuch as Thou hast

fixed Thy gaze upon me, hast bestowed upon me Thy bounty, and hast

directed towards me Thy steps. Separation from Thee, O Thou Source of

everlasting life, hath well nigh consumed me, and my remoteness from Thy

presence hath burned away my soul. All praise be to Thee for having

enabled me to hearken to Thy call, for having honoured me with Thy

footsteps, and for having quickened my soul through the vitalizing

fragrance of Thy Day and the shrilling voice of Thy Pen, a voice Thou

didst ordain as Thy trumpet-call amidst Thy people. And when the hour at

which Thy resistless Faith was to be made manifest did strike, Thou didst

breathe a breath of Thy spirit into Thy Pen, and lo, the entire creation

shook to its very foundations, unveiling to mankind such mysteries as lay

hidden within the treasuries of Him Who is the Possessor of all created

things.'



No sooner had her voice reached that most exalted Spot than We made reply:

'Render thanks unto thy Lord, O Carmel. The fire of thy separation from Me

was fast consuming thee, when the ocean of My presence surged before thy

face, cheering thine eyes and those of all creation, and filling with

delight all things visible and invisible. Rejoice, for God hath in this

Day established upon thee His throne, hath made thee the dawning-place of

His signs and the dayspring of the evidences of His Revelation. Well is it

with him that circleth around thee, that proclaimeth the revelation of thy

glory, and recounteth that which the bounty of the Lord thy God hath

showered upon thee. Seize thou the Chalice of Immortality in the name of

thy Lord, the All-Glorious, and give thanks unto Him, inasmuch as He, in

token of His mercy unto thee, hath turned thy sorrow into gladness, and

transmuted thy grief into blissful joy. He, verily, loveth the spot which

hath been made the seat of His throne, which His footsteps have trodden,

which hath been honoured by His presence, from which He raised His call,

and upon which He shed His tears.



'Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was

hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is

manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed. Beware lest thou

hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that

hath descended from heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled

in adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart, and the company of

the most exalted angels. Oh, how I long to announce unto every spot on the

surface of the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the

glad-tidings of this Revelation--a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai

hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling: Unto

God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Verily

this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement,

the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a

bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for

revelation. Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest

the people of Baha who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.'



Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose name all

the atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue of

Grandeur hath been moved to disclose that which had been wrapt in His

knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might. He, verily,

through the potency of His name, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Most

High, is the ruler of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth.