A Short Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Baha, on Becoming a True Educator
On Aristotle, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and the station of the True Teacher in the Baha'i Faith
‘This post contains a provisional translation; it is solely an individual effort and reflects only my personal understanding of the original language conveyed into English. If shared outside the context of this post please ensure that it is clearly designated as a provisional translation by this author. Any comments on the accuracy of the translation are welcome below.
The following is a provisional translation of a short Tablet revealed in Persian by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. It can be found as part of the collection Áyát-i-Bayyinát, no. 89, p. 596 (Tablets to Samandar, Nabíl ibn-i-Nabíl, and their families) and in Ṭaráz-i Iláhí (Biography of Tarazullah Samandari), vol. 1. This Tablet is given the identifier AB07557 according to Steven Phelp's Partial Inventory. According to Ṭaráz-i Iláhí, this recipient of this Tablet was one Jináb-i-Mullá ʿAlí, son of Mullá Ḥusayn of Rúdbár, Qazvín, and referred to as “Jinab-i-Muallem”. In light of his devotion to knowledge and education of Baha’i children, Bahá’u’lláh bestowed upon him the title “the First Teacher”, praising him for acting in accordance with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas’ instructions on the education of children (KA ¶48).
“He is God!
O teacher in the School of ‘Irfán!* The Ishraqí sages [e.g. the Illuminationists*] have, until now, referred to two well-known personages by the honorary title of ‘Teacher’. One is the renowned Aristotle, and the other the far-famed [al-]Fárábí.* Ibn Síná claimed to be a third teacher, but as he could not meet the necessary conditions*, he is entitled ‘Pre-eminent’ [Rá’is] instead.* Thou shouldst now, in the Schoolhouse of the Primordial Covenant [‘ahd] of ‘Alast’ [‘Am I not your Lord?’, cf. Qur’án 7:172*], teach the Divine Testament [mítháq] and deliver lessons on faith and the Divine Pact. I swear by the Lord of Existence, thou shalt become a teacher of those who bow down in adoration before God, and in the world of the Heavenly Kingdom [Malakut] shall become renowned as an educator. Therefore, O student, incline thine ear to the True Teacher. Listen and endeavor in exaltation of the Divine Word. spread abroad the fragrances of the All-Merciful, and strive until thou becomest a teacher of all the worlds [áfáq] through the power of Divine Illumination. Upon thee be the Glory [of God]! ع ع.”*
Notes:
* School of ‘Irfán [Dabestan-i-’Irfán]: ‘Irfán, often ‘divine knowledge’, or ‘True Understanding’ in Baha’i parlance; more generally ‘Gnosis’. School of ‘Irfan is a phrase seemingly original to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that He uses on a few occasions.
** Sometimes translated in older texts as ‘Illuminati’, properly speaking the Ishraqi or Ishraqiyun are those philosophers in the tradition of the philosophical school of ‘al-Shaykh al-Muqtal’ Shihab al-din Suhrawardi (d. 1191), also called “Oriental Wisdom/Theosophy” but most often known as the Illuminationist school. His philosophy centered on a metaphysics of essences and light.
*** First and Second Teacher: Aristotle is universally known in the Arabic intellectual tradition as “al-Mu’allim al-Awwal” (The First Teacher) and al-Fárábí as “al-Mu’allim al-Thani” (the Second Teacher). The only other thinker known to have gained such a title (by his successors and certain others) is Mir Dámád (founding figure in the “School of Isfahan”) who some called al-Mu’allim al-Thalith (Third Teacher) though this is certainly not universally agreed upon.
**** Necessary Conditions: Ibn Sina, despite being a monumental figure of immense influence, has not universally or consistently been designated with that title. ‘Abdu’l-Baha refers to certain ‘necessary conditions’ required to have gained such a title. He discusses this in a reported talk in Europe. See ‘On the Meaning of ‘Teacher’ in Divine Philosophy’ below.
***** Rá’is: Ibn Síná is known in the Islamic world as al-Shaykh al-Rá’is, the “Preeminent Master”.
****** On the Primordial Covenant and the Day of ‘Alast’ see Qur’án 7:172 “And ˹remember˺ when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and had them testify regarding themselves. ˹Allah asked,˺ “Am I not your Lord?” [alastu bi rabbikum] They replied, “Yes, You are! We testify.” [bala shahidna] ˹He cautioned,˺ “Now you have no right to say on Judgment Day, ‘We were not aware of this.’”
******* Special thanks to Adib Masumian for helpful comments on the above translation attempt.
Original Text
هولله
اى معلّم دبستان عرفان، حکماى اشراق گويند بلقب معلّمى تا بحال دو شخص موسوم. يکى ارسطوى معروف و ديگرى فارابى مشهور. ثالث ابن سينا دعوى معلّمى نمود و چون از عهدۀ شروط برنيامد به رئيس ملقّب گشت. حال تو در دبستان عهد الست درس ميثاق گو وسبق ايمان و پيمان ده. قسم بربّ وجود که معلّم اهل سجود گردى و درجهان ملکوت به معلّمى مشهور شوى. پس اى ّ متعلّم از معلّم حقيقى بشنو و سعى و کوشش نما و در اعلاء کلمۀ الهيه و نشر نفحات رحمانى همتى کن تا معلّم آفاق بقوۀ اشراق شوى والبهاء عليک. ع ع
On the Meaning of ‘Teacher’ in Divine Philosophy
In the above ‘Abdu’l-Bahá plays on two different meanings of the same term ‘Teacher’ above, one referring to philosophers and great intellects in the philosophical tradition, and the other referring instead to the ‘True Teacher’ [mu’allim-i-haqiqi], namely the ‘Manifestations of God’ in their capacity as Divine Educators of mankind. His reference to the ‘necessary conditions’ by which Ibn Sina did not qualify as a ‘Third Teacher’ is expanded by him below, in a reported talk delivered by Him in Europe:
“By ‘teacher’ is meant the True Educator, Who is the Manifestation of divine attributes, one of which is the attribute of a nurturer. Among the attributes of God, glorified and exalted be He, is the attribute of fatherhood, inasmuch as He is the Source of all existence, and the Dawning-place of the divine names and attributes. He is a Mirror that reflects the Sun of Truth.
In the parlance of the philosophers, the term ‘teacher’ refers to a person who is without peer. Until now, two such teachers have appeared in the midst of the philosophers. The first is Aristotle, who excelled at all the disciplines of his day, and the second is Fárábí, who once spoke these words: ‘I am the second teacher.’ The king of Fárábí’s time convened a gathering to which he summoned the masters of every discipline; Fárábí competed with each and every one of them, even the foremost instructor of music, and defeated them all. Then was the title of ‘second teacher’ accorded him.A third person who should be mentioned is Avicenna, in whose day a similar gathering was convened. He defeated all his competitors except for the instructor of music, who proved to be his equal in that field. For this reason, the title of ‘teacher’ was not given to him, though he was referred to as a ‘leader’, since he had a peer in the field of music.
This is the usage of these terms among the philosophers. According to our terminology, however, Jesus Christ was a Teacher, which is to say that He was a Focal Point of divine splendours, even as a perfectly stainless mirror that reflects the light of the sun. Our usage of the term ‘teacher’ refers to the Centre of all perfections in the world of humanity, and the supreme Intermediary between God and His creation.”
-‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Europe, p. 323; cataloged in the Partial Inventory as ABU1498
* Translated by Adib Masumian, special thanks to the author for calling my attention to this excerpt.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr also offers a definition of the qualifications to be deemed a great ‘Teacher’ in the Islamic tradition: one who systematizes and determines the limits and boundaries of the branches of sciences, advances methods and means for attaining knowledge, and retains their essential unity and integral nature of knowledge. In other words, they play a foundational pedagogical and epistemologic role, not just having made monumental contributions to knowledge. [cf. “Why Was al-Fārābī Called The Second Teacher?*” in The Islamic Intellectual Tradition in Persia by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Mehdi Amin Razavi]
