A small, circular illustration of a peacock, the symbol of Melek Taus, is centered at the top of the page.

The Black Book

In the beginning, The Invisible One brought forth from its own precious soul a white pearl.

And It created a bird upon whose back It placed the pearl, and there He dwelt for forty thousand years.

Then on the first day, Sunday, It created an angel called Izrael.

He is Archangel over all the Angels; he is Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel.

He is the first to be, and to know that He is; for the One can know nothing.

On each of the other days of the week, the One brought forth Angels to serve Melek Taus.

After this, the Invisible One retreated into Itself and acted no more; but Melek Taus was left to act.

Seeing the barrenness of the ether, He created the form of the seven heavens, the earth, the sun, and the moon.

He created mankind, animals, birds, and beasts in the pockets of His cloak.

Then He brought man up from the pearl, accompanied by angels.

He gave a great shout before the pearl, after which it split into four pieces.

He made water flow from its inside, and that water became the sea.