The first full translation of this Tablet is included in the
Summons of the Lord of Hosts. In the Introduction section of that book the
Universal House of Justice explains that:
Included in this collection, as well, is the first full
translation of the Súriy-i-Mulúk or Súrih of the Kings, which Shoghi Effendi
described as “the most momentous Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in which He,
for the first time, directs His words collectively to the entire company of the
monarchs of East and West”. It sets forth both the character of His mission and
the standard of justice that must govern the exercise of their rule in this Day
of God:
“Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of the earth, and
beware that ye transgress not the bounds which the Almighty hath fixed. Observe
the injunctions laid upon you in His Book, and take good heed not to overstep
their limits. Be vigilant, that ye may not do injustice to anyone, be it to the
iii extent of a grain of mustard seed. Tread ye the path of justice, for this,
verily, is the straight path.” (Baha’u’llah)
The Tablet introduces some of the great themes that were to
figure prominently in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh over the next two and a half
decades: the obligation of those into whose hands God has entrusted civil
authority to institute the reign of justice, the necessity for the reduction of
armaments and the resolution of conflicts among nations, and an end to the
excessive expenditures that were impoverishing these rulers’ subjects.
Surveying the principal contents of Bahá’u’lláh’s majestic
call to the kings and rulers of the world, Shoghi Effendi has written:
“The magnitude and diversity of the theme, the cogency of
the argument, the sublimity and audacity of the language, arrest our attention
and astound our minds. Emperors, kings and princes, chancellors and ministers,
the Pope himself, priests, monks and philosophers, the exponents of learning,
parliamentarians and deputies, the rich ones of the earth, the followers of all
religions, and the people of Bahá—all are brought within the purview of the
Author of these Messages, and receive, each according to their merits, the
counsels and admonitions they deserve. No less amazing is the diversity of the
subjects touched upon in these Tablets. The transcendent majesty and unity of
an unknowable and unapproachable God is extolled, and the oneness of His
Messengers proclaimed and emphasized. The uniqueness, the universality and
potentialities of the Bahá’í Faith are stressed, and the purpose and character
of the Bábí Revelation unfolded.”
- The Universal House of Justice (Introduction
to 'Summons of the Lord of Hosts')
