The Tabernacle of Unity is a small book, first published in July 2006, containing Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...

's Tablet

Tablet (religious)

A tablet, in the religious context, is a term traditionally used for religious texts.Jews and Christians believe that Moses brought the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. According to the Book of Exodus, God delivered the tablets twice, the first set having been...

, from the early `Akká

Acre, Israel

Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....

 period, to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib

Mánikchí Limjí Hataria

Maneckji Limji Hataria , was a Parsi-Zoroastrian scholar and civil rights activist.In 1854 Hataria was appointed emissary by the "Persian Zoroastrian Amelioration Fund", an organization founded in Bombay by Dinshaw Maneckji Petit with the aim of improving the conditions for the less fortunate...

, a prominent Zoroastrian, and a companion Tablet addressed to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl

Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl

' , or ' was the foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh...

, the secretary to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib at that time.

These, together with three shorter inspirational Tablets, offer a glimpse of Bahá'u'lláh’s relationship with the followers of Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...

.

The title of this work is taken from the following passage:

Tablet to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib (Lawh-i-Mánikchí Ṣáḥib)

This Tablet, revealed at the request of Mánikchí Ṣáḥib in pure Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

, consists of 19 paragraphs. It emphasizes the universality of Bahá'u'lláh's prophetic claim, and includes some of the central teachings

Bahá'í teachings

The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...

 of the Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....

.

Responses to questions of Mánikchí Ṣáḥib from a Tablet to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl

This is a lengthy Tablet revealed on 1 July 1882. Among the subjects discussed are:

• The nature of creation.
• The connection between faith and reason.
• The reconciliation of the differences that exist among the laws and ordinances of various religions (Hinduism
  Hinduism
  Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
  
  , the Mahabad Faith
  Mahabad (Prophet)
  Mahabad is believed to be a pre-Zoroastrian Prophet and may be an alternative name for Adam. He is also called "Azar Hooshang" ....
  
  , Zoroastrianism
  Zoroastrianism
  Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
  
  , Christianity
  Christianity
  Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
  
   and Islam
  Islam
  Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
  
  ).
• Their respective claims to exclusivity.
• Their differing degrees of eagerness to welcome others into their fold.

Tablet of the Seven Questions (Lawh-i-Haft Pursish)

This Tablet is Bahá'u'lláh's reply to questions asked by Ustád Javán-Mard, an early Bahá'í of Zoroastrian background and ex-student of Mánikchí Ṣáḥib.

The questions are relating to the following subjects:

• In what tongue and towards what direction should God be worshipped?
• The Faith of God
• Opposition
• Sháh Bahrám
• The Bridge of Sirát, Paradise
  Paradise
  Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
  
   and Hell
  Hell
  In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
  
  
• The soul
  Soul
  A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
  
  
• The lineage and ancestry of Bahá'u'lláh

Two other tablets

These two short Tablets, each addressed to a believer of Zoroastrian background, are inspirational in nature, calling the believers for deeds, not words.

External links

• BWNS: New volume of Bahá'í sacred writings is published
• Tablet to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib, a provisional translation with an introduction and a brief outline, by Ramin Neshati.
• Baha'u'llah on Hinduism and Zoroastrianism: The Tablet to Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Concerning the Questions of Manakji Limji Hataria, Introduction and Translation by Juan R. I. Cole