# Some Notes on The Bab

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Robert Stockman, Some Notes on The Bab, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Some Notes on The Báb
> 
> Robert Stockman
> 
> 1998
> 
> Contents:
> 
> 1) The Problem of Sources
> 
> 2) The Báb
> 
> A. Young Adulthood
> 
> B. Declaration
> 
> C. Pilgrimage to Mecca
> 
> D. The Shiraz Period
> 
> E. The Isfahan Period
> 
> F. The Máh-Kú Period
> 
> G. The Chihríq Period
> 
> H. Trial and Martyrdom
> 
> I. Selection of a Successor
> 
> 3) The Writings of the Báb
> 
> 1) The Problem of Sources
> 
> The availability of historical sources for the study of Babism is far
> greater than those for examining the rise of any other major religion, but
> there are still major gaps, and these limit our understanding. Some of them are
> the following:
> 
> A. Qájár Iran is still imperfectly studied; there is a vast
> amount of work to do on establishing the cultural and social context of
> Babism.
> 
> B. The sources on the life of the Báb are still little studied. Many
> remain unexamined in Bahá'í archives. Many have been lost because
> of neglect or persecution. Some are only partially available; The
> Dawn-Breakers is perhaps the best example of this. When Shoghi Effendi
> translated the work into English he appears to have extensively edited it and
> partially abridged it. The Persian version of The Dawn-Breakers is a
> Persian translation from the English text. Scholars are anxious to examine the
> original manuscript. A few non-Bahá'í scholars have even
> questioned the reliability of Shoghi Effendi's text in the absence of the
> original.
> 
> Furthermore, sometimes original sources contradict each other. For example:
> all sources say Mullá Husayn accepted the Báb on the night of 23
> May 1844. But several sources, which are second-hand accounts of Mullá
> Husayn's own account of the night of the Báb's declaration, say that
> Mullá Husayn did not accept the Bab until three nights' study; in other
> words, that he started his investigation of the Báb's claim not on 23
> May, but two or three nights earlier. But The Dawn-Breakers and God
> Passes By, say Mullá Husayn first met the Báb on the night of
> his declaration.
> 
> Much work needs to be done to understand Shoghi Effendi's interpretations of
> historical events. Apparently Shoghi Effendi did not claim infallibility in
> matters of historical fact, only in matters pertaining to theological
> interpretation and matters of protection of the Faith. Thus the Guardian's
> writings present important challenges for historians.
> 
> C. The writings of the Báb have been imperfectly preserved; hence we
> have not yet been able to establish an authoritative text in Persian/Arabic for
> many of His works. Future scholars will have to study the various manuscripts
> and reconcile their variant readings.
> 
> D. Further, there is the issue of the accuracy of several extremely early
> histories. It is known that Mírzá Jání, a
> Bábí who perished in the persecutions that followed the attempt
> on the life of the Shah in 1852, wrote a history or part of a history of the
> Bábí movement. Such a history would be of great significance to
> Bábí Studies because it was written a mere eight years after the
> Báb's declaration and only two years after the Báb's death;
> furthermore, it would have been written before the split between the
> Azalís and Bahá'ís, a split that imposed two rival
> theological interpretations on the events of early Babism and raised many
> historical issues that have not been settled to this day.
> 
> Edward Granville Browne found a manuscript in the Bibliotheque Nationale in
> Paris, which had originally been owned by the Comte de Gobineau, an early
> scholar of Iran and Babism. This manuscript bore the curious title of the
> Kitáb-i-Nuqtatu'l-Káf, "The Book of the Point of K"; it
> bore no author's name. Browne believed he had found Mírzá
> Jání's manuscript and translated the work into English. Possibly
> the work is based on work by Mírzá Jání, but many
> of its statements take the Azalí side of disputes between the
> Azalí and Bahá'í interpretations of Babism, which suggests
> that the work is an Azalí rewriting of a very early work that is still
> lost. In reply to this Azalí version of Bábí history,
> Mírzá Husayn Hamádání, a
> Bahá'í, took up his pen and wrote the
> Tárikh-i-Jadíd or "New History" about 1880, a generation
> after the Báb's execution. This work was also composed based on the lost
> history of Mírzá Jání, as well as partly on the
> memories of a very old Bahá'í who had been an early
> Bábí, named Sayyid Javád Karbalá'í. A
> comparison of the Nuqtatu'l-Káf and the
> Taríkh-i-Jadíd helps to ascertain that both used the same
> original source for much of their text, but that both later works took
> liberties with the original. Whether the original work will ever be found
> remains to be seen. The Taríkh-i-Jadíd itself has
> undergone considerable editing and expansion by various anonymous scribes,
> which makes determining its original text very difficult as well.
> 
> 2) The Báb
> 
> The Báb was born 'Alí-Muhammad on the first day of Muharram,
> 1235, corresponding to 20 October 1819 on the Gregorian calendar. He was born
> in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz to a family of prosperous merchants.
> Both his father, Sayyid Muhammad Ridá, and his mother, Fátimih
> Bigum, were descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, and their families had lived
> in Shiraz for generations. When 'Alí-Muhammad was seven years old His
> father died, so responsibility for His upbringing fell to his maternal uncles,
> especially Hájí Mírzá Sayyid 'Alí.
> 
> The young boy was sent to a local teacher named Shaykh 'Ábid for six or
> seven years for a private education (there being no public schools in Shiraz at
> the time). The teacher was a Shaykhí, as were the members of the
> Báb's family, which suggests that the Báb was exposed to
> Shaykhí interpretations of Islam from a young age. The Báb very
> much disliked school, apparently acquired little book learning, and regarded
> much of the education He received as irrelevant. Some scholars have seen this
> dislike of his early education as having colored the Báb's approach to
> religion and having influenced His teachings.[1]
> All accounts agree that 'Alí-Muhammad was a precocious, intelligent
> child, and was devoted to prayer at an early age.
> 
> A. Young Adulthood. While in his teens, 'Alí-Muhammad
> began to work in his uncle's business, and by the time he was sixteen or
> seventeen he was serving as a commercial agent for the family at their offices
> in Bushihr, an Iranian city on the Persian Gulf. Through this city flowed
> imports to Shiraz from India and the Arabian peninsula. 'Ali-Muhammad seems to
> have been a successful merchant, and His later writings praise business as an
> important livelihood, but one which must be carried out with strict honesty and
> complete devotion to God. His own life apparently was extremely pious—He is
> known to have prayed much of the morning and afternoon on some days—and His
> religious interests remained strong. He began to write on religious matters as
> well. The fact that He started to write before declaring His mission is not
> unusual; Bahá'u'lláh wrote many works before His declaration, and
> Muhammad received revelations before declaring His mission. Some of the
> Báb's earliest writings have survived; they were commentaries on the
> Qur'án.
> 
> About 1840 or 1841 'Alí-Muhammad left the family business and traveled
> to Karbilá in Iraq, where the third Imám, Husayn, is buried.
> There He attended a few classes given by Sayyid Kázim-i-Rashtí,
> head of the Shaykhí School. Though He remained in Karbilá only
> eight months, He made an impression on many Shaykhís there.
> 
> The Báb may also have been familiar with Sufism, or the Islamic
> mystical movement. Sufism has generally been discouraged or opposed by the
> Shí'í 'ulamá (learned), but Sufi writings have long
> circulated in Persian and Sufi orders are common in Iran. The Báb is
> known to have been in acquaintance with the leading Sufi in Shiraz. The
> Báb, however, does not use technical Sufi terminology.
> 
> The Báb appears to have been more familiar with esoteric and occult
> Islamic ideas. He uses chronograms, offers cabbalistic interpretations of
> words, utilizes numerological principles in His writings, and wrote tablets in
> the form of talismans. He also alludes to astrological terminology.
> 
> The Báb also refers to passages from the New Testament—but not the Old
> Testament—in His writings. This suggests He had access to the latest
> translations of the Protestant missionaries of the former book into Persian and
> Arabic.
> 
> 'Alí-Muhammad remained in Karbilá until His uncle, Sayyid
> 'Alí, journeyed there and implored Him to return to Shiraz. This He did
> in 1842. He married Khadíjih Khánum in August of that year and
> resumed His business. Unable to devote His time to religious study in
> Karbilá, 'Alí-Muhammad turned again to writing. His extended
> periods of prayer and His pious acts further developed His reputation as a
> mystic. Some time before His declaration to Mullá Husayn, the Báb
> had a dream where He saw the severed head of the Imám Husayn and was
> privileged to drink seven drops of the Imáms precious blood; this dream
> may have symbolically marked the beginning of His prophetic consciousness. He
> privately made some sort of messianic claim to family members and it was
> accepted by His wife and His uncle, Sayyid 'Alí. There are also some
> suggestions that word of His claim began to spread.
> 
> 'Alí-Muhammad's writings before His declaration, however, do not
> demonstrate a prophetic consciousness. Todd Lawson noted this in his doctoral
> dissertation about the Tafsír-i-súrih-i-baqarih or
> "Commentary on the Surih of the Cow," a work the Báb wrote on a chapter
> of the Qur'án. This Qur'án commentary was started by the
> Báb in November or December 1843, some six months before declaring His
> mission. The first half was completed by February or March 1844; the second
> half was revealed after the Báb's declaration. It is the only work of
> the Báb's revealed before His declaration that has survived intact, and
> thus it is quite important. It also sheds light on the Báb's attitude
> toward Shí'í beliefs.
> 
> B. Declaration. About 2 January 1844 Sayyid
> Kázim-i-Rashtí died in Karbalá without naming a successor.
> Since the Shaykhís believed that there was always a Perfect
> Shí'í on the earth, it immediately occurred to Rashtí's
> followers that they had to find the new Perfect Shí'í.
> Furthermore, the year 1260 was about to begin, and many Shaykhís
> expected that year to usher in the coming of the Qá'im, "He who arises,"
> whom many Shí'ís expected to come. Among the prominent
> Shaykhís who initiated a search for the Qá'im was Mullá
> Husayn-i-Bushrú'í, and in May 1844 his travels took him to
> Shiraz.
> 
> According to The Dawn-Breakers and to a lesser extent God Passes By,
> Mullá Husayn encountered the Báb by chance on the afternoon
> of 22 May, accompanied Him to His house, and had dinner with Him. After dinner
> the subject of Mullá Husayn's search came up and the Báb proposed
> that He Himself fulfilled all the requirements for being the Qá'im.
> After several hours of discussion, Mullá Husayn was convinced, and
> became the first official follower of the Báb. The Báb then began
> to reveal a commentary on the Súrih of Joseph (the
> Qayyúmu'l-Asmá).
> 
> Other primary historical sources give a slightly more complicated account of
> the beginnings of the Bábí dispensation. It seems very likely
> that 'Alí-Muhammad and the Mullá Husayn had met in
> Karbilá, because Mullá Husayn was the most prominent disciple of
> Sayyid Kázim, and the Báb had met the sayyid on several occasions
> and had made quite an impression on some of the Shaykhís there. The
> Báb's family were active Shaykhís and Mullá Husayn had
> been in Bushihr immediately before going to Shiraz, so it seems possible
> Mullá Husayn would have been in touch with relatives of the Báb
> in Bushihr. None of this precludes the encounter between the two men as being
> purely fortuitous, but it makes it much more likely their meeting was planned.
> Furthermore, several primary historical sources state that Mullá Husayn
> investigated 'Alí-Muhammad's claim for three days before accepting it;
> one source even quotes Mullá Husayn berating himself for having taken so
> long. All the sources agree that the Báb's declaration occurred on the
> evening of 22 May 1844, including the Báb Himself, hence it is possible,
> even likely, that Mullá Husayn first met the Báb on 20 May
> instead. If this is true it raises important questions about the accuracy of
> both The Dawn-breakers and God Passes By; but there is no
> guarantee of infallibility conferred on either work, and the Guardian
> specifically eschewed infallibility on matters of science and economics, so
> presumably he did not claim infallibility on matters of history either. Only
> future historians, with complete access to all the courses, will be able to
> assess all the sources and come to a consensus about these differing facts.
> 
> The Dawn-breakers also states that the Báb told Mullá
> Husayn not to mention His claim to others, because it was important for others
> to accept the Báb spontaneously, without previous knowledge of His
> claims. Over the next few months an additional seventeen individuals accepted
> the Báb; with Mullá Husayn they were given the title the "Letters
> of the Living." Scholars have questioned whether the additional declarations of
> belief were truly spontaneous; some of them were close companions of
> Mullá Husayn, and all of them were Shaykhís and thus were part of
> a network of friends who shared a common set of beliefs.
> 
> The Báb's claim is another important issue to consider. The title of
> "the Báb" suggests that He was claiming not to be the Hidden
> Imám, but merely the gate to the Hidden Imám. A few scholars have
> emphasized this point strongly and have argued that the Báb changed His
> mind about His claim; that first He merely claimed Báb-hood, but that
> after a few months His success led Him to elevate His claim to Imám-hood
> instead. The Bahá'í reply is that the title "the Báb"
> should be understood in the context of the principle of gradualism; that had
> the Báb immediately made public His claim to be the Imám He would
> have been fiercely opposed, so that by using the title of the Báb He
> implied a lesser claim and thereby bought precious time to strengthen His
> movement. The latter approach has much to support it. The Báb Himself
> says He gradually unveiled His claim to the public, so as not to shock it.
> There is considerable evidence that the Báb claimed to be the
> Qá'im from the first night of His mission; Mullá Husayn seems to
> have understood the Báb to be the Qá'im immediately. Only a few
> months after the Báb's declaration, one of the Letters of the Living,
> Mullá 'Alí Bastámí, preached that the Báb
> was the Qá'im to his Shaykhí friends in Iraq and was tried for
> heresy and imprisoned as a result.
> 
> The Báb also disguised His claim to some extent by writing
> tafsír or Qur'án commentary. Qur'án commentary was
> a highly respected and ancient literary form, and not something expected from a
> Prophet. The Báb used tafsír as His way to declare His station as
> well as to define His theology and to state His basic differences with
> traditional Shí'í interpretations of Islam. Thus He used a
> venerable old literary medium in a radically new way.
> 
> A unique aspect of the Báb's commentaries is that He offered the
> meaning of the text not sentence by sentence or word by word, but letter by
> letter. In this manner the Báb wrote entire, lengthy books on short
> chapters of the Qur'án. Such an approach to commentary was not
> altogether new in Islam, but the extent the Báb did it was unique. It
> allowed the Báb maximal freedom in using the Qur'án as His point
> of departure for any teachings He sought to give to the Bábís.
> 
> Only the first chapter of the Qayyumu'l-Asmá was revealed by the
> Báb on the evening of His declaration to Mullá Husayn. The entire
> work, which is several hundred pages in length, required forty days to reveal;
> it is one of the Báb's longer Arabic works. It was widely distributed in
> the first year of the Bábí movement, functioning as something of
> a Bible for the Bábís. In the book the Báb states His
> claim to be a Manifestation of God, though the claim is disguised with other
> statements that He is the servant of the hidden imám.
> 
> Another important early work of the Báb was the
> Sahífih-yi-makhzúnih. It was revealed before His departure
> for Mecca in September 1844, and consists of a collection of fourteen prayers,
> mostly to be recited on specific Muslim Holy Days and festivals. Thus its
> content remained within the expectations of Islam.
> 
> C. Pilgrimage to Mecca. On 10 September 1844 the Báb
> departed for Mecca to join the annual pilgrimage. In Mecca He declared His
> claim publicly at the Kaaba and to the Sharif of Mecca, the custodian of the
> Kaaba. But the Báb was not accepted.
> 
> The pilgrimage trip lasted nine and a half months, ending in mid June 1845,
> when the Báb reached Bushihr in southern Iran again. During this period
> He wrote extensively. Some of His more important works were the following:
> 
> Khasá'il-i-sab'ih: A work composed by the Báb on His sea
> journey back to Bushihr after His pilgrimage, which listed some regulations to
> be followed by the Bábí community. A copy of the manuscript
> probably still exists in Iran.
> 
> Kitáb-i-Rúh ("Book of the Spirit"): This book contains
> 700 or 900 verses and was revealed while the Báb was sailing back to
> Bushihr from pilgrimage. The original was nearly destroyed when the Báb
> was arrested. Several manuscript copies are extant.
> 
> Sahífih baynu'l-Haramayn ("Treatise between the Two
> Sanctuaries"): This Arabic work was revealed while the Báb traveled from
> Mecca to Medina in early 1845 and is in response to questions posed to Him by a
> prominent Shaykhí leader.
> 
> Kitáb-i-Fihrist ("The Book of the Catalogue"): A list of the
> Báb's works, composed by the Báb Himself after He returned from
> pilgrimage to Mecca, 21 June 1845. It is an invaluable bibliography of His
> earliest writings.
> 
> D. The Shiraz Period. Returning to Bushihr on 15 May 1845, the
> Báb proceeded to Shiraz, but was arrested because of the excitement His
> followers had created in that city. He was kept under house arrest for some
> time. Notwithstanding His confinement, the Báb wrote very prolifically
> during this period:
> 
> Sahífih-yi-Ja'fariyyih: The Báb wrote this treatise to an
> unknown correspondent in 1845. Over a hundred pages in length, it states many
> of His basic teachings, especially in relation to some Shaykhí
> beliefs.
> 
> Tafsír-i-Súrih-i-Kawthar ("Commentary on the Chapter on
> Abundance"): The Báb wrote this commentary for Vahíd while He was
> in Shiraz; it is the most important work He revealed during the Shiraz period.
> Though the súrih is only a few lines in length, being one of the
> shortest in the Qur'án, the commentary on it is over two hundred pages
> in length. The work was widely distributed, and at least a dozen early
> manuscripts are extant.
> 
> E. The Isfahan Period. Because of a cholera outbreak, the
> Báb moved to Isfahan, where the governor, Manuchihr Khán,
> protected Him and allowed Him to live in secret. The need to maintain some
> secrecy about the Báb's whereabouts greatly decreased His literary
> output, especially in reply to letters from followers. Nevertheless, He
> revealed two major works:
> 
> Nubuvvih khássih: This work, of fifty pages' length, was
> revealed in two hours in response to a question by Manúchihr
> Khán. The work discusses the prophethood of Muhammad.
> 
> Tafsír-i-Súrih-i-va'l-'asr ("Commentary on the Chapter on
> Time and Age"): This is one of the two important works the Báb penned in
> Isfahan, between September 1846 and March 1847. It was revealed spontaneously
> in response to a request by Mír Sayyid Muhammad, the chief cleric of the
> city; much of it was revealed in a few hours, to the astonishment to those
> present.
> 
> F. The Máh-Kú Period. The death of Manuchihr
> Khán in March 1847 ended the Báb's protection and He was
> arrested; He was transported to Tehran, then to Tabriz, and finally to the
> mountain fortress of Máh-Kú, near the border of Turkey and
> Russia, where few of His followers could reach Him. He reached
> Máh-Kú in the late summer of 1847. At first the conditions of
> confinement were severe, but gradually the Báb's captors gave Him
> greater freedom of movement and the right to receive guests.
> 
> In both Máh-Kú and in the later prison of Chihríq the
> Báb had the time and opportunity to write extensively. He penned works
> that announced His station as a Manifestation of God openly, abrogated Islamic
> law, and ordered His works proclaimed widely. The result were some of His most
> important and influential works:
> 
> Persian Bayan: This is undoubtedly the most important work of the
> Báb and contains the mature summary of His teachings. It was composed in
> Máh-Kú in late 1847 or early 1848. The work consists of nine
> chapters titled váhids or "unities," which in turn are usually
> subdivided into nineteen bábs or "gates"; the one exception is
> the last unity, which has only ten bábs. The Báb explained that
> it would be the task of "Him Whom God Would Make Manifest" to complete the
> work; Bahá'ís believe the Kitáb-i-Iqán to be the
> completion of the Bayán. Each unity begins with an Arabic summary of its
> contents, which makes it easier to read than many of the Báb's works.
> Extracts of this work are published in Selections from the Writings of the
> Báb; A. L. M. Nicholas translated the entire work into French, in
> four 150-page volumes.
> 
> Arabic Bayán: This is the shorter and less important of the two
> Bayáns composed by the Báb. It consists of eleven
> váhids or "unities," each with nineteen bábs or
> "gates." It offers a succinct summary of the Báb's teachings and laws.
> It was composed at Máh-Kú in late 1847 or early 1848.
> 
> Dalá'il-i-sab'ih ("Seven Proofs"): There are two works by this
> name, the longer one in Persian, the shorter one in Arabic; both were composed
> in Máh-Kú in late 1847 or early 1848. Nicholas called the Persian
> Seven Proofs "the most important of the polemical works that issued from the
> pen of Sayyid 'Alí Muhammad" (MacEoin, Sources of Early Bab Doctrine
> and History, 85). The work was written to either a non-Bábí
> or to a follower whose faith had been shaken, but we do not know the person's
> identity. The Arabic text summarizes the seven proofs found in the Persian
> text. An interesting historical question is whether the Arabic or the Persian
> text was written first.
> 
> G. The Chihríq Period. After seven months, because of
> pressure from the Russian government the Báb was moved to another fort,
> Chihríq, which was farther from the Russian border. Confinement was
> again severe for a time. His stay in Chihríq ran from early May 1848
> through July 1850, except for three months when He was taken to Tabriz.
> 
> While in Chihríq the writings of the Báb took another turn. The
> works He produced were more esoteric or mystical and less thematically
> organized. Two major books were produced, in addition to many minor works:
> 
> Kitáb-i-asmá ("The Book of Names"): This is an extremely
> long book about the names of God. It was penned during the Báb's last
> days at Chihríq before His execution. The various manuscript copies
> contain numerous variations in the text; this book will require considerable
> work to determine its original text.
> 
> Kitáb-i-panj sha'n ("Book of Five Grades"): This is one of the
> Báb's last works, having been composed in March and April of 1850. The
> work consists of eighty-five sections. These are arranged in seventeen groups,
> each under the heading of a different name of God. Within each group are five
> "grades," that is, five different sorts of sections: verses, prayers, homilies,
> commentaries, and Persian language pieces. Each group was sent to a different
> person and was composed on a different day. Thus the work is a kind of
> miscellany of unrelated material. Some of the sections represent further
> exposition of basic themes in the Báb's teachings; others consist of
> lengthy iterations of the names of God, and variations on their roots.
> 
> H. Trial and Martyrdom. The trial of the Báb is another
> controversial event in His life, because His enemies later claimed that He had
> recanted His beliefs under the pressure of interrogation. There is no evidence
> of this, however, except their statements.
> 
> The Báb's execution for His claims is perhaps the most dramatic event
> connected with His life. All accounts—those of neutral European observers and
> enemies of the Báb—agree that the first volley of bullets from a firing
> squad of 750 Christian Georgian soldiers harmed neither the Báb nor His
> companion, but cut their ropes and freed them. Bábí accounts
> state that the Bab had been conversing with a disciple of His when the guards
> came for Him, that the Báb said He had to finish the conversation, and
> that after the first volley missed the Báb returned His cell to complete
> the conversation. The guards found Him there and led Him back to the square; a
> second firing squad of Muslims succeeded in shooting Him, though even their
> bullets spared His face.
> 
> I. Selection of a Successor. Before His death, the Báb
> selected an honorary successor or titular head of the Bábí Faith,
> Mírzá Yahyá, to whom He gave the honorific Sub-i-Azal
> ("Morning of Eternity"). At the time Mírzá Yahyá was still
> a teenager, had never demonstrated leadership in the Bábí
> movement, and was still living in the house of his older brother,
> Bahá'u'lláh. All of this lends credence to the
> Bahá'í claim that the Báb had appointed
> Mírzá Yahyá the head of the Bábí Faith so as
> to divert attention away from Bahá'u'lláh, while allowing
> Bábís to visit Bahá'u'lláh and consult with Him
> freely, and allowing Bahá'u'lláh to write Bábís
> easily and freely. Furthermore, there is a long history in Shí'ism of
> hidden leaders, with their deputies wielding the true power (the four
> bábs themselves are the first examples of this, as is
> 'Alí-Muhammad's choice of the title "the Báb").
> 
> 3) The Writings of the Báb
> 
> Unfortunately, most of the writings of the Báb have been lost. The
> Báb Himself says they exceeded five hundred thousand verses in length;
> the Qur'án, in contrast, is 6300 verses in length. If one assumes 25
> verses per page, that would equal 20,000 pages of text. Shoghi Effendi mentions
> nine complete commentaries on the Qur'án, revealed during the
> Báb's imprisonment at Máh-Kú, which have been lost without
> a trace. Establishing the true text of the works that are still extant, as
> already noted, is not always easy, and some texts will require considerable
> work. Others, however, are in good shape; for example, several of the
> Báb's major works are available in the handwriting of His trusted
> secretaries.
> 
> Most works were revealed in response to specific questions by
> Bábís; this was also true of Bahá'u'lláh's later
> writing. This is not unusual; the genre of the letter has been a venerable
> medium for composing authoritative texts as far back as the Apostle Paul. Three
> quarters of the chapters of the New Testament are letters, were composed to
> imitate letters, or contain letters within them. Sometimes the Báb
> revealed works very rapidly by chanting them in the presence of a secretary and
> eye-witnesses; here again, Bahá'u'lláh followed the same practice
> later.
> 
> Dozens of works by the Báb have survived; some in many manuscripts,
> others in only one. Denis MacEoin, in his Sources for Early Bab Doctrine and
> History, gives a description of many of them. In addition to major works,
> the Báb revealed numerous letters to His wife and followers, many
> prayers for various purposes, numerous commentaries on verses or chapters of
> the Qur'án, and many khutbihs or sermons (most of which were
> never delivered). Many of these have been lost; others have survived in
> compilations.
> 
> [1] Cf. Abbas Amanat,
> Resurrection and Renewal, 114-21, where he discusses the Báb's
> education. Bahá'ís tend to assume that the question of the
> education of a Manifestation is irrelevant. But one can imagine God using the
> Manifestation's education as part of the instrument through which revelation is
> given. Furthermore, neither the Báb nor Bahá'u'lláh
> referred to materials to which they did not have ordinary access; for example,
> Bahá'u'lláh never comments at all about Chinese religious ideas
> and philosophy, even though they were highly developed and sophisticated. It
> appears that revelation only rarely drew on information not otherwise available
> to the Manifestation through books.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views20010 views since posted 1998; last edit 2012;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../stockman_notes_bab;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
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> Citation: ris/1407
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> — *Some Notes on The Bab (Used by permission of the curator)*