Translations of Surahs of the

Qayyūm al-asmā'

of the Sayyid `Alī Muhammad,  the Bāb =1819-1850

by

Stephen N.  Lambden

Joseph and Zuleikha

UNDER REVISION AND COMPLETION 2009-10

Significant textual variants or possible omission(s) will be sparingly indicated by a red asterisk * (and /or a reddened text) placed within the Arabic text of QA (in New Times Roman unicode font) and clarified  at the end of the Surah  translation through a succinct clarification of variant readings in text critical endnotes.  Such texts of the QA as exist provide a fairly solid basis for a future critical edition. Significant variant readings appear not to be as numerous as was once suspected though versification in line with  the Bab's own template of 42 revealed verses per Surah ( see the translations below) is sometimes difficult (if not impossible) to establish with confidence.

One might at this stage guess that something like 95% of the text  of the QA is  sound. In the sparingly registered text critical notes appended here to the surahs of the QA., the following abbreviations are used for QA manuscripts consulted

• QA ms. 1261 = Muhammad Mahdī ibn Karbalā'ī, dated 1261. One of the earliest extant mss.

• QA cited Izhaq = early citations of the QA in Muhammad Karim Khān Kirmanī (d. 1871) Izhāq al-bāṭil  ("The Crushing of Falsehood"), 1261/1845).

• QA ms. F.11 = Browne Coll. Cambridge Univ. F.11 (1891)

• QA ms. 1323 = QA copy made 1st Muḥarram, 1323/ 8th March 1905.  More  MSS. to be added here  

QA XI

سورة السطر

QA XXXII

QA XLIV

QA. XLIX

QA. LIV

QA XC

QA XCI

QA XCII

QA XCIII

 سورة النحل

QA XCV

QA XCVI

QA XCVII

QA XCVIII

QA XCIX

QA. C

QA CI

QA CII

QA CIII

QA CIV

QA CV 

QA CVI