Translation, Commentary Surih of Kawthar

Now that the Pen hath discussed Their heavens, I would show thee a glimpse of the paradise of all created things which springeth forth out of the flow of that crystal incorruptible water within the inmost depths (ghayáhib) of the world of contingency. Know thou then that the loftiest paradise of any thing is the station of the Countenance of divine Unity within the holy court of Detachment, which is naught but the supreme Beginning of all things. All that is besides that lofty station of the unity of the Essence, pertaineth to the modes of the Names and Attributes. But ‘Alí, peace be upon Him, hath commanded to negate them all from the holy court of the Countenance of the Essence of God, glorified be His mention, affirming that this is the most perfect expression of the belief in divine Unity. All the modes of this world, and all the manifestations of the world to come, from the lofty origin of the detachment of the detached to the lowest realm of the shadows, accidents and substances, all stream forth from that crystal, living water of life 19 …. After thou hast quaffed of the crystal incorruptible water of Kawthar, running in the veins of these leaves which have flourished out of the Tree of Divinity, thou must recognise the attributes of the fresh pure milk within the gold-coloured (safrá’) sustaining pillar of the Throne of God. 20 That is the river which streameth forth, infinitely and in all directions, from beneath the station of Wish (irádih). It is a river which is determined by the determination (ta‘ayyun) of thingness (shay’íyyah), without receiving the scheme (handasah) of togetherness (ma‘íyyah). 21 It is a living, invigorating water. Shouldst thou desire to partake of it in this physical life, thou must traverse the path of Justice manifest in the Point of Mercy 22 , which is none other than the radiant, holy, majestic and shining universal Vicegerency , whose inward essence is exalted above the outward manifestation of the

19 Namely everything is both created by the Countenance of God and reflects that Countenance. The word Countenance is a reference to the station of Revelation, the abode of radiant beauty manifest. The essence of this part of discussion is that the supreme paradise of everything is the reflection of the divine unity in their very own being, when one turns to that direction of unity leaving all else behind. 20 The incorruptible water relates to the snow-white pillar of the Throne. There are four pillars for the Throne and out of each a mode of creation and effulgence flows. 21 This is a frequent statement in the writings of the Báb. It means that a thing comes into existence through three stages: Will which gives existence, Wish which gives essence, and Destiny which gives the scheme, the link, or the togetherness of the previous two. In other words the third stage of creation brings together and joins existence and essence. Wish therefore belongs to the stage of determination before togetherness of Destiny. 22 The Point of Mercy refers to Imám ‘Alí. Path of Justice means path of the Imáms.