Tablet of the Ascent of the Soul and the Hour of Departure

Abstract: This sacred Tablet of the Báb offers a luminous meditation on the nature of the soul, the illusion of worldly existence, and the eternal realities beyond the veil of mortality. Likening the soul in sleep to the sun in its station, the Báb reveals that though cloaked in the body, it perceives spiritual dominions in accord with its rank. The pure soul radiates influence; the veiled soul, mired in denial, beholds inverted realities. Sleep itself is unveiled as a divine sign and a mirror of resurrection. Death marks the soul’s liberation, as its mirror is cleansed and it ascends with celestial fragrance. The faithful are drawn by the Angel of Death to an unfathomable station; the heedless recoil from divine majesty. The Tablet culminates in the truth that all things perish save the Face of God. What follows is a provisional English translation, rendered with reverence. The original appears in Amr va Khalq, vol. 1, pp. 323–324; its date, recipient, and place of revelation remain unknown.