Lawh-i-Pisar Amm: Faculty notes

Lawh-i-Pisar Amm:
faculty notes by Iraj Ayman

Lawh-i-Pisar 'Amm or "Tablet to the Cousin" (son of paternal uncle) was revealed in Akká in honor of Muhammad Hasan. He was the son of Mírzá Zeynu'l-'Abedin, paternal uncle of Bahá'u'lláh. Muhammad Hasan was Bahá'í and steadfast in the covenant. Bahá'u'lláh has revealed many Tablets in his honor. Lawh-i-Pisar 'Amm is one of those Tablets. Since it starts with "O cousin (Pisar 'Amm) render thanks to God that this most great relationship was not ceased...", this Tablet is called the Tablet of Pisar 'Amm.

This Tablet is revealed in a mixture of Persian and Arabic. Certain paragraphs are in Persian and some others in Arabic. It is printed in Iqtidarát pp 175-191. So it is about 16 pages. The Tablet is in style of exhortation and admonishment. Bahá'u'lláh advises him to try more than ever to acquire godly characters and impress others as an example of how a Bahá'í should live and behave. Bahá'u'lláh emphasizes that he should teach Bahá'í way of behavior to other believers and briefly mentions the virtues and qualities that Bahá'ís should possess.

Since Muhammad Hasan was instructed to return to Persia and to their family home village (Takur), Bahá'u'lláh asks him to convey His greetings and exhortations to the believers in that village. The believers in Takur (many of them relatives of Bahá'u'lláh) had been severely persecuted. Bahá'u'lláh in this Tablet addresses them with words of comfort and encouragement. He emphasizes the point that earthly belongings are not important and they should not be saddened and grieved if they have lost their possessions.

Bahá'u'lláh, in this Tablet, specially advises his cousin that he and other believers should observe caution and discretion in order to avoid unnecessary persecution and calamities.

Bahá'u'lláh had given seventy Tablets revealed in honor of various believers in Persia to his cousin to deliver them. However when Muhammad Hasan arrived in Tehran he was arrested and imprisoned. He was eventually released from the prison and returned to Takur. Soon afterwards he passed away in Takur. According to what Bahá'u'lláh has revealed in another Tablet (Ishráqát p. 101) one of the women in Takur got hold of those Tablets and sent them to Sháh Sultán Khánum, half-sister of Bahá'u'lláh, in Tehran who was a supporter of Azal. Bahá'u'lláh mentions in this Tablet that most probably either His half-sister or Azal copied those Tablets and send them out as their own writings!

Iraj Ayman

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