grammar and orthography
Editorial introduction
Untidy handwriting, Bahá’u’lláh tells a correspondent, is no evidence of disrespect, and a disagreement over how to spell the Greatest Name must not become a cause of grief among the friends. From such small reassurances a surprising inquiry opens. The Báb paid no heed in His youth to the canons of the schools and wrote with substantial latitude toward the rules of grammar; Bahá’u’lláh’s early verses did the same, and were later brought into conformity with common usage to forestall the cavils of opponents, while now and then a word still broke the rules so that the Arabic tongue would not be fettered again. Behind this lies a vision in which the cases of nouns answer to the names of God, the points of articulation are created in the human body, and at the summit of writing all letters become one letter and all languages one language. Paul, comparing speech to the distinct notes of pipe and harp, asked what happens when a hearer cannot understand [1], and that care for the listener belongs beside this freedom with form. The path leads into language and the structure of reality, the meanings of letters and numbers, and the science of jafr.
Each script hath its own particular set of symbols, and good hand-writing consisteth in the ordered presentation of these symbols and signs. If, therefore, the script in a particular missive is lacking in precision, or is basically disordered, this should not be seen as evidence of disrespect to thee, or as constituting grounds for recrimination.
Regarding the blessed word, the Greatest Name: Its writing or spelling is according to its pronunciation (i.e., it is spelled as it is pronounced) in the Persian language. Baha is correct; Beha is incorrect. However, this question must not cause inharmony and grief among the friends. The truth shall become manifest.
Concerning the word Baha'o'llah: It must be written with o and not with u.
O Light shining in the niche of guidance! Although in language "light" (nur) means "radiance" (diya) and "radiance" means "light" - that is, the words are synonymous and the meanings concordant - yet in the Qur'an it states "We made the sun a radiance and We made the moon a light," describing radiance as the effect of the sun and light as the effect of the moon.
Question: What is the difference between the terms "man" and "human?"
Answer: In the Arabic there is no difference; the terms are used in exactly the same way. In the English language, man is the individual and human the collective term.
In Arabic there are hundreds of names for the camel! In the schools of each nation the mother tongue will be taught, as well as the revised Universal Language."
Similarly, according to the leaders of grammar, an intransitive verb appears in transitive form in three ways: through repetition, with "ba", and with "hamza". This is respected among the people, but in divine knowledge, by contextual evidence, an intransitive verb becomes transitive and a transitive verb becomes intransitive. Blessed are those who know, and blessed is he who is certain that all sciences are in the grasp of his Lord's power, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.
The word 'shahidh' with an unclean nature is permissible, and as for 'sadhij' with 'dhal', it is known among the people, but the Primal Point - may my soul be a sacrifice for all else besides Him - wrote 'sazij', therefore I do not wish to change whatsoever hath appeared from my Beloved. Thus we referred it to the pen of the scribes - whatever flows is correct, even if different versions have flowed from their pens. Verily He is the Establisher of orthography and words, He ordaineth as He pleaseth.
Your letters arrived repeatedly before, but nothing since then - although "nothing" itself contains much meaning, as it possesses the "h" with two eyes, the "y" adorned with two dots, and the "j" with three dots. In truth, all is concealed and hidden within nothingness.
When God created the center of grammar from around the mystery of the line, We revealed unto it: "Draw not nigh unto the Tree of Beginning, for it is forbidden unto thee in truth." Then I allotted it a portion from the dust of the land of truth concerning nearness, but it drew nigh without permission. Then We decreed its expulsion from the Garden of the Gate, and from that portion which rose from its lower members We created the point of morphology as its mate.
Bear thou witness with certitude that the origin of the science of recitation was taken from him whose nature remained unchanged, for when God created the letters, He created their places and points of articulation in the servant such that he needeth not to learn from any among men. Just as thou seest with thine eyes, so do the letters emerge from their points of articulation which God created in thee, without similitude or comparison. … The Hijazi recitation and eloquence in true melody is that thy countenance should not change during recitation. Thus hath God created thee, and men have no power to change God's creation.
For when letters are elevated and enter their gardens, all letters become one letter, all words one word, all languages one language, and all grammatical forms one form. Then a single word becomes noun and verb and particle, declinable and indeclinable, variable and invariable, subject and object, possessed and possessor, subject and predicate, circumstantial phrase and specification - unto infinity. … Each word indicates every meaning, and a single word becomes singular and dual and plural, masculine and feminine.
The Eternal. It hath been ordained in the first Gate that you renew the script of the Bayan and all your books after sixty-six years have passed if you are able, and if not, then after two hundred years have passed, provided that what is renewed is better than the first, perchance you may perceive the affairs of the hereafter. And you shall embellish all your books from the first that you learn unto the last that you perceive.
By my life, in my youth I paid no heed to the schools' canons. Rather, the rule is that which 'Ali -- exalted be His remembrance -- decreed in another place: every subject (fa'il) is in the nominative, by reason of the appearance therein of the Name of God, al-Qabid (the Withholder); every object (maf'ul) is in the accusative, by reason of the appearance therein of the Name of God, al-Muhyi (the Quickener); and every genitive (mudaf ilayh) is in the genitive case, by reason of the appearance therein of the Name of God, al-Hayy (the Living), which is the station of the air, by which things are bound together. … All rules of grammar branch from the decree of these theophanies, for him who knoweth God's ordinance in the kingdom of the Names and Attributes.
His Holiness the Bab -- may my spirit be sacrificed for Him -- entirely abrogated the rules of language and freed the Arabic tongue. Thus, all the writings of His Holiness -- may my spirit be sacrificed for the dust of His footsteps -- demolished the edifice of Arabic grammar. The Ancient Beauty -- may my spirit be sacrificed for His loved ones -- likewise, in His early writings, opposed the vain imaginings of grammatical rules. However, in the Most Great Prison, in consideration of certain scholars' objections, the verses and writings were revealed in accordance with the people's rules. Notwithstanding this, on certain occasions, merely to prevent the Arabic language from becoming fettered again in chains and bonds, words were revealed that broke through the rules of the people.
For thought and discussion