# The Bab: The King of Messengers

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Riaz Ghadimi, The Bab: The King of Messengers, Hong Kong: Juxta Publishing Co., 2009, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                  1
> 
> The Báb
> The King of Messengers
> 
> "O THOU Remnant Of God! I have sacrificed
> myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for
> Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but
> martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient
> witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector,
> the Ancient of Days."
> The Báb
> 
> A talk by Dr. Riaz Ghadimi
> (published posthumously in English)
> Translated by Riaz Masrour
> 
> JUXTA PUBLISHING LIMITED • HONG KONG
> 2                                                              The King of Messengers
> 
> © 2009, The Estate of Riaz Ghadimi and Juxta Publishing, Ltd. | www.juxta.com.
> 
> ISBN 978­0­9698024­0­2
> 
> This book has been produced with the consent of the original authors or rights holders. Authors or rights
> holders retain full rights to their works. Requests to reproduce the contents of this work can be directed to
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> Riaz Ghadimi                                                     3
> 
> To my wonderful and loving niece
> 
> Maryam Manteghi
> 
> a bright young lawyer and until recently a pioneer of
> Bosnia, who took in stride the harshest adversity life
> could throw her way and emerged unscathed and
> victorious and thus added to the love we hold for her
> feelings of pride and admiration for her unshakable
> courage, her joyful spirit and her unwavering faith.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                    5
> 
> Translator's Notes
> Dr. Riaz Ghadimi, was a General of the Army, a doctor of
> medicine, an indefatigable teacher of the Bahá’í Faith and one of
> the most noted contemporary scholars and authors of the Faith
> of Bahá’u’lláh. He wrote on Islam and Christianity and
> produced a multitude of works on the Bahá’í Faith. His
> monumental multi­volume Arabic/Persian dictionary, Riaz’u’l­
> Lughát (Heaven of Words), is a unique accomplishment of great
> value for future scholars and researchers in gaining a deeper
> understanding of the meaning and application of various words
> used in the Bahá’í scriptures.
> On the night of 8 July 1984, Dr. Ghadimi delivered a two­
> hour lecture on the subject of “The Báb, the King of the
> Messengers” in Toronto, Canada. Hard copies of the
> presentation were later sold to those interested in the audience
> with all revenues going to the local Bahá’í Fund. In 1987 he
> revised and expanded the work into a small book. Some 6 years
> later, in 1993, he re­published the second revision of the work,
> which is the basis of the present translation.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                         7
> 
> Alláh’u’Abhá
> This treatise is not a book of history. It is the text of an
> address about the greatness of the revelation of the Báb. Part 1
> covers highlights of the events and themes related to the life of
> the blessed Báb and also deals with the torment and suffering
> that afflicted that holy Being and the companions of that
> Manifestation of God. As well it describes the miserable and
> ignominious fate of the perpetrators of such deeds. Part 2
> discusses the preeminence of the religion of the Bayán, the
> frequent and explicit references to the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,
> the martyrdom of the Bayán’s Author, as well as unnumbered
> believers of that precious revelation, and the loving sacrifice of
> the enormous power and influence of that supreme theophany
> in the path of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh.
> 8                                                       The King of Messengers
> 
> – Part 1 –
> 
> At the break of dawn from sorrows I was saved
> In the dark night of the Soul, drank the elixir I craved
> Ecstatic, my soul was radiant, bright,
> Sanctified cup of my life, drunk I behaved
> O, what exalted sunrise, what glorious night,
> That holy night, to the New Life I was enslaved
> From now on in the mirror, O what a sight
> The mirror, glory of my soul, proclaimed and raved.1
> 
> Exactly one thousand years after the passing of Imam
> Hasan Askari, the last Imam of the blessed line of the Lord of
> the Age,2 the appointed time anticipated by the followers of
> Islam, according to the prophecies of the Qur’an, reached its
> consummation when in AD 1844 the blessed Báb proclaimed
> His mission in Shiraz and transformed the “night” of the Islamic
> tradition by the dawning effulgence of His revelation heralding
> the promised emergence of the Sun of Singleness.3
> The Báb was born on the first day of Muharram of 1235 AH
> (20th October of AD 1819) in Shiraz. The place of His birth was
> the upper floor of the home of the paternal uncle of His mother
> and His wife’s father, Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí. His mother,
> Fátimih Bagum (Bagum is a title which signifies respect, e.g.,
> lady), had recognized the sublime station of her glorious Son
> through the teaching efforts of the wife of Hájí ‘Abdu’l­Majíd4
> and Hájí Siyyid Javád Karbala’í.5 She passed away in Karbala6 in
> 1300 A.H. (October of 1883) in the year 40 of the Bábí calendar.
> 1   The verses are by the great Persian poet Hafez of Shiraz as translated by Sh.
> Shahriari.
> 2   Reference to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him.
> 3   The expression refers to Bahá’u’lláh.
> 4   A believer of note.
> 5   Hájí Siyyid Javad Karbalaí came from a family of scholars. He attended the
> classes of Shaykhí luminaries Shaykh Ahmad Ahsaí and Siyyid Kázim Rashtí
> and subsequently spent some time in India where he perfected his studies in
> philosophy. Visiting Karbila, he met with the Letter of the Living, Mullá ‘Alí
> Bastámí where he accepted the Faith of the Báb and eventually attained the
> presence of Bahá’u’lláh. He lived a life of service and fortitude and passed
> away in Kirman.
> 6   The holy city of Karbilá in Iraq is the site of the shrine of the martyred Imam
> Husayn, considered the most tragic event of Muslim history by the Shiites.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                  9
> 
> She has been honored by the Most Exalted Pen with the title of
> Khayr’un’Nisá.”7 His father, Muhammad Riḍá, had passed
> away in 1243 A.H. (1827) when the Báb was 8 or 9 years old, and
> thus He was placed under the supervision of His maternal uncle
> ‘Alí, who was later to receive the title of the Most Great Uncle.
> We are all well acquainted with the story of the Báb’s early
> childhood and youth, and how He manifested evidences of keen
> intellect and supernatural wisdom at such a tender age. Hand of
> the Cause Hasan Balyuzi recounts that on the opening day of
> the class at Shaykh ‘Ábid’s “Maktab”8 when only 5 years old,
> the Báb was assigned a seat between two twelve­year­old boys.
> One of these, Muhammad Ibrahím, who later became a well­
> known merchant, gives the following account of the events of
> that first day:
> 
> On that day, the Báb sat respectfully looking
> intently at the written text of the lesson in front
> of Him, and yet unlike other students who read
> the lesson out loud in unison, as was the
> custom, He chose not to participate. When
> asked of the reason of His refusal to take part in
> the general recitation, He was heard whispering
> this verse from the great Háfíz:
> 
> Abuzz with Thy name is the kingdom of heaven
> What, I wonder has entrapped you in this earthly plane
> 
> At another time, in a class on religious doctrine
> some of the older students asked an abstruse
> question which puzzled Shaykh ‘Ábid who
> promised to research the question with the
> Mujtahids9 and provide the authoritative
> response at a later date. At that moment the Báb
> broke His silence and offering incontrovertible
> 
> 7   The Best of Women.
> 8   A local and unregulated school for children where the Qur’an and Traditions
> were taught.
> 9   High ranking clerics with authority to interpret the canon law and issue
> definitive judgments.
> 10                                             The King of Messengers
> 
> proof and cogent argument resolved the issue,
> which caused amazement and wonder among
> all present. Shaykh ‘Ábid asked where He had
> gained such knowledge, and the Báb, reciting a
> single verse from Háfíz answered:
> 
> He who is touched by God’s grace
> Can do what Christ did, whatever the case
> 
> It has also been written that at times the Báb
> would arrive late for class or was absent
> altogether. The concerned Shaykh ‘Ábid would
> send a few students to inquire about Him. They
> would return and report that they found the
> Báb in a prayerful state and thus did not disturb
> Him. Once when He arrived late, Shaykh ‘Ábid
> asked of the reason that had kept Him. The Báb,
> rather than remaining silent as was His
> customary disposition, quietly responded that
> He had been in the house of His Forefather and
> that He wished He would be like Him!
> Considering that the Báb was a Siyyid and a
> descendent of the house of the Prophet
> Muhammad, the significance of this statement
> can readily be understood.
> 
> Other such stories of various events associated with the life
> of the Báb, as described by Shaykh ‘Ábid and His classmates,
> abound but are too lengthy for this summary presentation.
> The Báb attended the classes of Shaykh ‘Ábid for a period of
> six or seven years until He was 11 or 12 years old. At the age of
> 15, He became an associate in the commercial activities of His
> uncle Siyyid ‘Alí. He subsequently moved to Bushihr10 and
> resided there for some six years. Like the stories of His youth,
> those regarding His extraordinary qualities of honesty and
> integrity in His commercial dealings as well as His state of utter
> devotion, attraction, and rapture as he performed His prayers
> 
> 10 A city in southern Iran.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                 11
> 
> are just as astonishing and remarkable, and have been recorded
> in the annals of the Faith of God.
> In the Dawn­breakers Nabíl writes:
> 
> The Báb was mostly engaged as a merchant in
> Bushihr and despite the city’s intemperate
> climate and extreme heat He spent several
> hours a day on the roof top in a prayerful state.
> Although the sun’s rays were intense yet His
> heart was so consumed by the love of His
> Beloved that He would hardly notice the heat
> and would continue with His prayers and
> supplications. Utterly forgetful of the world and
> all that was therein He would spend the hours
> between the early dawn and daybreak and from
> noon to early evening in a state of prayerful
> communion. At all times His attention was
> directed towards the city of Tihran as He
> welcomed and greeted the bright orb of the
> rising sun in a state of indescribable joy and
> rapture, a mystical allusion to the Sun of Reality
> whose rays were to illumine the entire planet.
> 
> Yet the ignorant public suspected that He was
> worshipping the sun oblivious of the fact that
> His outward attention to the physical sun was a
> sign of His devotion to the Sun of Divine
> Reality that was yet to be made manifest. Siyyid
> Javád Karbala’í recounted that: Once when I
> was on a journey to India I arrived in Bushihr
> and since I had an established acquaintance
> with Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí I went to pay him a visit.
> I met the Báb at that time for the first time.
> Whenever we met signs of humility, kindliness
> and affection seemed to radiate from His face. I
> am utterly powerless to describe in words that
> luminous visage and that heavenly demeanor.
> All who knew Him, acknowledged the purity of
> 12                                                 The King of Messengers
> 
> His being, the sweetness of His mannerism and
> conduct, His truthfulness and piety.
> 
> In the spring of 1841, the Báb made a journey to
> the Shiite holy shrines in Iraq lasting some
> seven months. In the city of Karbala, Siyyid
> Kázim Rashtí11 frequently attained His
> presence. After His return to Shiraz, in August
> of 1842, the blessed Báb married Khadíjih
> Bagum, a cousin of His mother and two years
> His junior. In the following year He had a son
> who was named Ahmad and who passed away
> in childhood. The Báb regarded the boy as the
> first to be sacrificed in the path of His Beloved
> Lord and in a prayer expressed His boundless
> love in these words:
> 
> O God, my God! Would that a thousand Ishmaels
> were given Me, this Abraham of Thine, that I might
> have offered them, each and all, as a loving sacrifice
> unto Thee. O My Beloved, My heart's Desire! The
> sacrifice of this Ahmad whom Thy servant ‘Alí­
> Muhammad hath offered up on the altar of Thy love
> can never suffice to quench the flame of longing in
> His heart. Not until He immolates His own heart at
> Thy feet, not until His whole body falls a victim to
> the cruelest tyranny in Thy path, not until His
> breast is made a target for countless darts for Thy
> sake, will the tumult of His soul be stilled. O my
> God, my only Desire! Grant that the sacrifice of My
> son, My only son, may be acceptable unto Thee.
> Grant that it be a prelude to the sacrifice of My own,
> My entire self, in the path of Thy good pleasure.
> Endue with Thy grace My life­blood which I yearn
> to shed in Thy path. Cause it to water and nourish
> the seed of Thy Faith. Endow it with Thy celestial
> potency, that this infant seed of God may soon
> 
> 11 The famed Shaykhí teacher whose classes were attended by the Báb and who
> advocated the soon to be realized appearance of the Promised Qá‘im.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                      13
> 
> germinate in the hearts of men, that it may thrive
> and prosper, that it may grow to become a mighty
> tree, beneath the shadow of which all the peoples and
> kindred of the earth may gather. Answer Thou My
> prayer, O God, and fulfill My most cherished desire.
> Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All­Bountiful.12
> 
> It must be noted that the “Afnán,” or the branches of the
> Divine Lote Tree, who are kinsmen of the Báb, are related to
> Him mostly through the two brothers of His wife, Abú’l­Qásim
> and Siyyid Hasan, and a number through His three maternal
> uncles, namely, Siyyid ‘Alí (the Most Great Uncle), Siyyid
> Muhammad (the Great Uncle), and Siyyid Hasan­‘Alí (the
> Lesser Uncle).
> On the eve of the 5th day of Jamadi’u’l­Avval of the year
> 1260 A.H. (23 May 1844), the Báb, then only 25 years of age,
> proclaimed His mission to Mullá Husayn Bushrúyih, a
> comprehensive description of which can be found in chapter 3
> of The Dawn­Breakers. The first encounter between the Báb and
> Mullá Husayn took place in an area outside of the town limits of
> Shiraz known as “Goad Khazinih,”13 where the Báb occasionally
> visited for relaxation as well as for contemplation and
> enjoyment of the surrounding’s natural beauty. On that day,
> accompanied by Mullá Husayn, the Báb returned home where
> He made His declaration. Mullá Husayn is the first to believe in
> the Báb. His other titles are: the First, the First Arrival, the First
> to believe, the Bábu’l­Báb, the Báb and Siyyid ‘Alí.
> Prior to Mullá Husayn’s confession of belief, the wife of the
> Báb was aware that her Husband was endowed with an exalted
> station. She recounts that from His actions, conduct and
> disposition she had realized that He was a person of noble and
> high rank but she never imagined He might be the Promised
> Qá‘im until the night of Mullá Husayn’s visit. After dinner she
> was given permission to retire to her bedroom but she could
> hear the Báb’s voice until dawn as He spoke with Mullá Husayn
> or recited holy verses after which the historic event took place.
> 
> 12 Nabíl Zarandí, The Dawn­Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the
> Bahá'í Revelation, p. 77.
> 13 Literally the “Deep Pool”.
> 14                                                     The King of Messengers
> 
> The wife of the Báb, as attested by the Blessed Beauty, is the
> first woman to believe in Him. In 1299 AH (AD 1882) she passed
> away in Shiraz. In a tablet of visitation revealed by Bahá’u’lláh
> in her honor, He bestows upon her His blessings and adds that
> all the people who departed this life on the day of her passing
> received God’s mercy and forgiveness:
> 
> I bear witness that on the night thou didst ascend to
> the Abhá Horizon and to the Sublime Companion
> and on the day that followed, God forgave the sins of
> every man or woman who had ascended, as a token
> of grace unto thee and as a bounty for thee, except
> those who had openly denied God and repudiated
> what God has revealed….
> 
> Following Mullá Husayn, gradually the other Letters of the
> Living,14 separately and of their own volition, recognized the
> station of the Báb and confessed their belief in Him. A list
> published in a number of historical accounts showing the names
> of the Letters of the Living and the order in which they came to
> recognize the Báb’s station is inaccurate. The second individual
> to believe in the Báb, according to Nabíl, was in fact not Mullá
> Husayn’s brother, as is generally held, but Mullá ‘Alí Bastámí
> who accepted the new revelation some 40 days after the
> declaration of belief by Mullá Husayn. Mullá ‘Alí Bastámí was
> the first of the Letters of the Living to set out, as instructed by
> the Báb, on a proclamation journey to Najaf in order to acquaint
> the greatest and the most renowned Shiite scholar, Shaykh
> Muhammad Hassan Isfahaní, the author of “Jawáhiru’l­
> Kalám,”15 with the message of the Báb. He first visited Karbala
> and disseminated the glad tidings of the new revelation. He also
> met Táhirih in that city and recounted to her the events
> associated with the declaration of the Báb. He then traveled to
> Najaf and attended one of Shaykh Muhammad Hassan’s classes
> and informed him of the news of the Báb’s declaration and
> handed him His tablet in which he was addressed by name.
> 
> 14 Letters of the Living are the first eighteen individuals who became believers
> in the Báb.
> 15 The Spirit of Words – An exposition of sacred canons in Islam.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                            15
> 
> This renowned Shiite scholar, then a resident of Najaf, had,
> over the course of 30 years of study and research, authored the
> well­known work, the “Jawáhiru’l­Kalám fi Sharh­i­Sharial’­
> Islam”16 in several volumes. His fame had reached such heights
> that he became known as “the author of the Jawáhir” and “Chief
> of Scholars.” He died in 1266 AH (1849).
> Mullá ‘Alí was judged to be an apostate and an atheist by
> this very same luminary and was delivered to the Ottoman
> authorities by his pupils and was subsequently transported to
> the Baghdad prison in chains. After months of imprisonment, he
> was dispatched to Istanbul, but after departing Mosul in a
> manner yet undiscovered, he was martyred. Mullá ‘Alí is the
> first martyr of the Faith of the Báb. In 1262 AH (1846 CE), on
> Ottoman soil, he sacrificed his life for his Beloved.
> Mírzá Muhammad ‘Alí Bárfurúshí known to history as
> “Quddús”, “the Last Point”, “the Last to Believe” and “the
> Name of God, the Last”, was a member of the Letters of the
> Living who, without requiring any proof or evidence, accepted
> the Faith at the very first moment he laid eyes upon the Báb. But
> Táhirih, even without the benefit of attaining His presence,
> declared her belief in a letter addressed to Him. She asked her
> brother­in­law Muhammad ‘Alí Qazvíní, who at the time was
> departing from Karbala for Shiraz, to recite the following verse
> while delivering her letter into the hands of the Beloved of the
> world:
> 
> The shining light of Thy face has dawned,
> Why dost Thou withhold Thy call to sound?
> “Am I not Thy God?” Thy call would imply,
> “Yea Thou art, Yea Thou art,” will Thou hear our reply,
> 
> Of the eighteen Letters of the Living, six were from
> Khurasan (Mullá Husayn, his brother Mullá Muhammad
> Hasan, his nephew Mullá Muhammad­Báqir, Mullá ‘Alí
> Bastámí, Mullá Khudábakhsh Qúchání and Mullá Hasan
> Bajistání), five were from Azerbaijan (Mullá Mahmúd Khu’í,
> Mullá Jalíl Úrumí, Mullá Ahmad Abdál Marághi’í, Mullá Báqir
> Tabrízí and Mullá Yúsuf Ardabílí. Mullá Báqir enjoyed a longer
> life than the other Letters of the Living and thus became known
> 
> 16 Ibid.
> 16                                                   The King of Messengers
> 
> as the “Letter of the Living”), three were from Qazvin (the
> beloved Táhirih, Muhammad ‘Alí, her brother­in­law, Hádí the
> son of Mullá ‘Abdu’l­Vahháb Qazvíní), two from Yazd (Siyyid
> Husayn Yazdí and Mullá Muhammad Yazdí), one from
> Mazindaran (Siyyid Muhammad ‘Alí Bárfurúshí titled Quddús),
> and one from India (Sa‘íd Hindí).
> Of these 18 individuals, 12 were martyred, nine of them in
> the struggle at Tabarsi; they are: Mullá Husayn, Mullá
> Muhammad Hasan, Mullá Muhammad Báqir, Mullá Yúsuf
> Ardabílí, Mullá Jalíl Úrumí, Mullá Ahmad Abdál Marághi’í,
> Mullá Mahmúd Khu’í, Mírzá Muhammad ‘Alí Qazvíní and
> Quddús. Mullá ‘Alí Bastámí was martyred in Iraq, and two
> others, Táhirih and Siyyid Husayn Yazdí, were martyred in
> Tihran.
> Having dispatched the Letters of the Living on various
> teaching campaigns, in Sha bán ̀  of 1260 AH (September of 1844),
> the Báb, accompanied by Quddús and His Ethiopian servant, set
> out for Mecca and the very heart of the world of Islam, the
> Ka‘ba, where He conveyed the announcement of His revelation,
> in writing, to the Sherriff of Mecca17 and verbally and openly to
> Mírzá Muhít Kirmání, the most pompous Shaykhí scholar of the
> time. He then set out for Medina but abandoned the idea of
> proceeding to Karbala and in Safar of 1261 AH (1845) returned
> to Bushihr.
> Prior to His arrival He sent Quddús ahead to Shiraz to
> deliver the Báb’s “Khasá’il Sab‘ih” or the “Seven Qualifications”
> to Mullá Sádiq Muqaddas Khurásání18 (who prior to accepting
> the Faith of the Báb had earned the rank of Ijtihád or authority
> to issue legal religious judgment) so that, when raising the call
> of “Adhán” (Prayer) in the mosque, he may proclaim the news
> of the new revelation to the people. He complied with the
> directive, which led to his arrest as well as the arrest of Quddús
> 
> 17 The highest ranking cleric of Mecca.
> 18 Mullá Sádiq Muqaddas Khurásání lived in Isfahan at the advent of the Báb
> and became a believer after the Letters of the Living. Along with Quddús,
> Mullá ‘Alí Akbar Ardistání was among the first believers who were
> persecuted by the clergy and endured a thousand strikes of the lash. He
> received the title of “Asdaq” (the most righteous) or “Ism’u’lláh’ul’Asdaq”
> (the name of God­ the most righteous) from the Báb and passed away in 1306
> A.H. in Hamadán. His life biography can be found in the work Tazkirat’ul­
> Vafá.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                 17
> 
> and Mullá ‘Alí Ardistání.19 Husayn Khán, Ajudán­Báshí, the
> governor of Fars, determined the penalties and ordered the
> punishment. Mullá Sádiq received many lashes; the beards of all
> three were burned, and they were subsequently dragged
> throughout the bazaars and streets amid the clamor and
> taunting of the populace. After subjecting them to much
> torment, they were expelled from the city.
> The account of this event was printed in the Times of
> London as a news feature a few months later. This may well be
> the very first piece of news related to the new revelation
> published in the West.
> 
> 19 An early believer.
> 18                                           The King of Messengers
> 
> “THE TIMES”                          19 November 1845
> 
> Mahometan Schism
> A new sect has lately set itself up in Persia at the head of
> which is a merchant who has returned from pilgrimage to
> Mecca and proclaimed himself a successor to the Prophet.
> The way they treat such matters in Shiraz appears in the
> following account (June 23).
> Four persons being heard repeating their professions of
> faith according to the form prescribed by the imposter were
> apprehended, tried and found guilty of unpardonable
> blasphemy. They were sentenced to lose their beard by fire
> being set to them. The sentence was put into execution with
> all the zeal and fanaticism becoming a true believer in
> Mahomet.
> Not deeming the loss of beard sufficient punishment, they
> were sentenced the next day to have their faces blackened
> and exposed through the city. Each of them was led by a
> mirgazab (executioner) who had made a hole in his nose
> and passed through it a string which he sometimes pulled
> with much violence that the unfortunate fellow cried out
> alternately for mercy from the executioner and vengeance
> from heaven. It is the custom in Persia on such occasions for
> the executioner to collect money from the spectators and
> particularly from the shopkeepers in the bazaar.
> In the evening when the pockets of the executioners were
> filled with money they led the unfortunate fellows to the
> city gate and turned them adrift. After which the mullahs at
> Shiraz sent men to Bushihr with power to seize the imposter
> and take him to Shiraz where on being tried he very wisely
> denied charge of apostasy laid against him and thus
> escaped from punishment.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                     19
> 
> Prior to this event, on his arrival in Shiraz from Bushihr,
> Quddús had been received by the Báb’s uncle Siyyid ‘Alí, and
> while in his company had delineated to him, to the extent that
> had come to pass, the details of the new Faith of God and
> disclosed the station of the Báb, which had led to Siyyid ‘Alí’s
> profession of belief. Five years later, in the episode of the “seven
> martyrs of Tihran,”20 Siyyid ‘Alí was the very first of the group
> to sacrifice his life in the path of the Báb.
> 
> 20 The Seven Martyrs of Tihran is a famous and tragic event in the history of the
> new Faith. Four months prior to the martyrdom of the Báb, a number of the
> believers were arrested of whom seven of the most prominent and
> distinguished followers of the Báb were, at the command of the prime
> minister, Mírzá Taqí Khán (Amìr­Kabìr), martyred in the most incredibly
> savage fashion. They were:
> 
> 1.   The Most Great Uncle of the Báb, Áqá Siyyid ‘Alí – After his visit with
> the Báb in Chihríq prison, he returned to Tihran and while resident in
> the home of Mírzá Muhammad Bayk Chápárchi, was arrested by the
> authorities. The prime minister summoned him and ordered him to
> recant his Faith. Several of the prominent members of the merchant
> class mediated and proposed to pay a large sum for his release but
> Siyyid ‘Alí would not budge from his position and drank the cup of
> martyrdom with astonishing courage. As he was brought to the place
> of sacrifice he was heard whispering the verse from the great Háfíz:
> 
> Praised be God for whatever I longed for
> He fulfilled better than what I had hoped for
> 
> 2.   Mírzá Qurbán ‘Alí, one of the chief proponents of Mysticism was
> highly regarded by Mahd­i­Ulyá, mother of Násiru’d­Dín Sháh and
> many of the court notables. He was offered various high positions all of
> which only served to heighten his regard for the Báb and enflame his
> love for the Faith. On the day of his martyrdom while he embraced the
> bloodied and lifeless body of the Most Great Uncle he was heard
> murmuring the verse:
> 
> Happy the lover who in the path of his Beloved
> Wonders which to give up first, his head gear or his head
> 
> It took two strikes of the blade to silence him.
> 
> 3.   Hájí Mullá Ismá‘íl Farahání – was a highly regarded scholar and
> intellectual. A number of people offered to pay large sums for his life.
> When asked to recant his Faith, he cried out:
> 20                                                          The King of Messengers
> 
> On His return from Bushihr to Shiraz, the Báb presented
> Himself to the officials of the governor of Fars province who
> had been dispatched for His arrest, and as recorded in detail in
> various historical accounts, He appeared before this governor of
> Fars, Husayn Khán Iravání, and during the interview was
> insulted and struck in the face. Through the efforts of Imam
> Jum‘ih and sponsorship of His uncle, He was released.
> Following this event, the most influential individual to
> recognize the Báb was Siyyid Yahyá Dárábí, known to history as
> Vahíd, who was the son of Siyyid Ja’far Kashfí, a Muslim
> scholar of the highest rank. Vahíd, who was known to be able to
> recite some 30,000 Islamic Hadith21 from memory, was entrusted
> by Muhammad Sháh the mission of investigating the Faith of
> the Báb. In three sessions he was so utterly overwhelmed and
> mesmerized by the Báb that he declared his belief.
> In the summer of the third year of the Báb’s declaration of
> His mission, on the 21st day of Ramadan of 1262 AH (23rd
> September of 1846), on the instructions of Husayn Khán, the
> 
> Tell Ismael, O, Sabá, from me
> He who treads the path of sacrifice should see
> Returning alive from such a test
> Is not a worthy choice of love’s behest
> 
> 4.  Áqá Siyyid Husayn Turshízí – was a man of erudition and learning
> who had achieved to the lofty rank of Ijtihád in the field of religious
> jurisprudence. He had been converted through the efforts of Hájí
> Muhammad Taqí Kirmání. He, too, was instructed to recant his belief
> in the Báb. With astonishing audacity he refused and thus fulfilled the
> requirement of devotion and faithfulness to the Cause of his Beloved
> and attained to the desire of his heart.
> 5.   Hájji Muhammad Taqí – was a well–known and respected merchant of
> Kirmán who along with Áqá Siyyid Murtidá Zanjání and Áqá
> Muhammad Husayn Marághi’í were brought to the field of execution.
> Murtidá and Muhammad Husayn threw themselves on Muhammad
> Taqí and begged the executioner to be beheaded first. Thus three
> executioners beheaded them simultaneously.
> This event took place in Tihran some four months prior to the
> martyrdom of the Blessed Báb and two months after the struggle of
> Tabarsi (Rabi’u’tháni of 1266 A.H.).
> 21 Hadith or “tradition” is a hearsay account regarding the words and deeds of
> the Prophet Muhammad which are not corroborated in the Qur’an. There is
> thus no definitive evidence of their authenticity and various religious scholars
> have conflicting views regarding their legitimacy and therefore their
> applicability as part of authorized text.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                   21
> 
> governor, who himself had been ordered to murder the Báb,
> ‘Abdu’l­Hamíd Khán, the chief of police, along with a number
> of government agents, attacked the house of the Báb. They
> climbed over the outer wall of the property, entered the house
> expecting to arrest a large number of Bábís but found and
> arrested only the Báb and His companion Siyyid Kázim
> Zanjání.22 However, because of a sudden cholera epidemic in
> the city and the hasty departure of Husayn Khán from Shiraz,
> ‘Abdu’l­Hamíd Khán whose own child had fallen ill with the
> dreaded disease, ordered the release of the Báb conditional on
> His leaving the city and pleaded with Him for the life of his
> child.
> Having informed the governor of Isfahan of His intention to
> travel to that city, the following morning the Báb journeyed to
> Isfahan and spent some 6 months in that city (forty days in the
> house of Imam Jum’ih and four months in the Sun palace, the
> property of Manúchihr Khán, the Mu ̀tamidu’d­Dawlih the
> governor of Isfáhan). Manúchihr Khán’s forefathers had been
> from Georgia23 and were Christians. His father ‘Abdu’l­Vahháb
> Isfahaní, was a well­known poet and wrote under the pen­name
> of “Nishát” (Joy). During the reign of Fath­‘Alí Sháh, Manúchihr
> Khán had been the governor of Kirmanshah and Gilan, and
> from 1257 AH (1841) he had been entrusted with the
> administration of Isfahan, Luristan and Bakhtyari territories.
> The stories related to his physical endurance, the strength of
> his hands, his prudence in management of affairs, and his zeal
> and courage are astonishing. His rank in the Faith of God is so
> lofty that ‘Abdu’l­Bahá in a tablet of visitation revealed in his
> honor refers to him as “Siyyidu’l­Vuzará,” (the Master
> Statesman), Maliku’l­Umará, (the King of Rulers),
> Shamsu’l­’Sudúr, (the Sun of Wisdom), Badru’l­Budúr, (the Full
> Moon of all Moons), Amír­i­Iqlímu’l­Athír, (the Ruler of the
> Ethereal Realm), Aljális ‘Alá Saríru’l Majdu’l­Athíl (seated upon
> the throne of honor), Tha­shihámatu’l­Kubrá, (Possessed of the
> 
> 22 Siyyid Kázim Zanjání was one of Báb’s disciples who accompanied Him on
> His final journey from Shiraz to Isfahan and later out of Isfahan in September
> 1846. He was later martyred in Mazindaran. His brother was one of seven
> martyrs of Tihran.
> 23 Georgia became an independent country after the fall of communism in
> Russia
> 22                                                The King of Messengers
> 
> Most Great Courage), Sáhib­al­Turbatu’l­Ulyá, (the Possessor of
> the Purest Dust), As­Sa‘id fil­Mala’il­A‘la, (the Happy One of
> the Denizens of the Kingdom), Al­Majíd fí Malakutú’l­Abhá,
> (the great one of Kingdom of Abhá), Al­Manut­bil­lisán Ahlu’l­
> Taqwá, (Praised by the Tongue of the People of Piety), Al­
> Mamdúh fí Alsun­i­Ashábu’l­Hudá, (Praised by the Tongues of
> Those Who Are Guided).
> At the end of his Tablet of Visitation, ‘Abdu’l­Bahá writes:
> 
> Happy the one who visits thy luminous resting
> place, happy the one who kisses thy pure sepulcher,
> happy the one who holds close thine perfumed crypt,
> happy the one who breathes the fragrant earth of thy
> tomb, happy the one who would serve at thy musk­
> laden resting place, happy the one who would
> illuminate the site of thy burial chamber, happy the
> one who would adorn the novel site of thy grave, I
> swear by God that he is of those who have attained
> and will abide in the eternal paradise for evermore.
> 
> The significant events of the Báb’s sojourn in Isfahan and
> the works revealed in that city, such as “the commentary of the
> Súrih of “Val‘Asr,” which was revealed at the request of the
> Imám Jum’ih; the work “the proof of the exclusivity of
> prophethood,” revealed at the request of Manúchihr Khán; as
> well as the intense attraction of the people towards the Báb; the
> report of these events to Mírzá Áqásí by the local clergy; the
> issuance of their judgment for the murder of the Báb and other
> events have been dealt with in detail in the first chapter of the
> matchless work God Passes By and chapter ten of The Dawn­
> Breakers and other books of history. And yet every event
> associated with the life of that heavenly Being has given rise to
> the manifestation of a dramatic and dazzling outcome.
> One night the blessed Báb was a guest of Mírzá Ibráhím
> Nahrí, the father of Sultán’ush­Shuhadá and Mahbub’ush­
> Shuhadá,24 who were no more than ten or twelve years old, at
> his home in Isfahan. Mírzá Ibrahím who was the principal
> deputy of the Sultánu’l­Ulamá (the town’s chief cleric) confided
> to Him that his brother Muhammad ‘Alí and his wife had been
> 
> 24 The King and Beloved of Martyrs respectively
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                   23
> 
> unable to have a child. The Báb placed some food in a plate so
> that they may eat from it and remarked that according to the
> divine Will they will achieve the desire of their hearts.
> Subsequently, they became the parents of a daughter named
> Fátimih, who years later became the wife of ‘Abdu’l­Bahá and
> was subsequently honored by Bahá’u’lláh with the title of
> Munírih.
> Also in Isfahan at the instigation of Hájí Mírzá Áqásí there
> was an attempt for issuance of a fatwá (a religious judgment) to
> have the Báb murdered. However the prudent handling of the
> situation by Manúchihr Khán preserved the Báb who was, as
> seen by many witnesses, escorted out of the city of Isfahan and
> later surreptitiously brought back to the city and housed in the
> famed government house known as Qasr­i­Khurshíd (the sun
> palace).
> Manúchihr Khán had many extraordinary and detailed
> plans for the triumph of the Cause. He wished to place his
> enormous wealth at the Báb’s disposal and himself play the role
> of an intermediary between Him and the Sháh and on the Báb’s
> behalf ask for the hand of one of Sháh’s sisters in marriage. But
> the Manifestation of God did not consent to his worldly plan
> and disclosed to him his (Manúchihr Khán’s) fast approaching
> death, which took place not long after. His nephew Gurgín
> Khán immediately alerted Mírzá Áqásí of the Báb’s presence in
> Isfahan, which subsequently led to His arrest and exile.
> Under guard, the Báb was moved to Kashan. In that town,
> on the Naw­Rúz of 1263 AH (AD 1847), the third new year since
> His declaration and the fourth year of the Badi’ calendar, He
> sojourned for two days and three nights in the home of Hájí
> Mírzá Jání, who was later condemned to the dungeon of Tihran
> along with the Blessed Beauty and was subsequently martyred.
> The Báb was then taken to Zanjan via the villages of
> Kinargird and Koulayn. In Zanjan, He stayed for a brief time in
> the caravansary of Mírzá ‘Alí Muhammad Tabíb and was
> subsequently moved to Tabriz. (Tabíb became a believer in the
> Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, and some 20 years after the Báb’s stay at
> his caravansary, in the presence of the governor and high­
> ranking clergy, he was beheaded in a tub and achieved the
> station of martyrdom in the path of God.
> 24                                         The King of Messengers
> 
> After a forty­day sojourn in Tabriz, the Báb was moved to
> Máh­Kú. The Máh­Kú village and its prison were situated at the
> summit of a mountain, which had but one entry or exit. The Báb
> spent some nine months in that prison. At nights He was not
> even allowed a lamp, and the cold was so intense that while
> performing His ablutions for His prayers, the water would
> freeze on His face.
> Despite being Kurds and belonging to the Sunni branch of
> Islam and thus avowed enemies of the Shiites, the governor and
> the people of Máh­Kú nevertheless were so captivated and
> enraptured by the Báb that in Jamádí of 1264 AH(April of 1848)
> Hájí Mírzá Áqásí was forced to transfer the Báb from Máh­Kú to
> Chihríq. In Máh­Kú due to ‘Alí Khán Kurd’s (the powerful ruler
> of Máh­Kú) affection for the Báb, multitudes of believers
> attained His presence. This included Mullá Husayn who
> journeyed some 1,100 miles from Khurasan to attain His
> presence in the Naw­Rúz of that year. Vahíd, too, was able, for a
> second time, to gain admittance to that threshold. In that prison
> the Persian and Arabic Bayán (the Mother Book of the Bábí
> revelation) and the work “the seven proofs” along with nine
> separate commentaries on the Qur’an and a great tablet
> addressed to Muhammad Sháh and other tablets were revealed
> and dispatched.
> While imprisoned in Máh­Kú, other significant events also
> occurred, including the incident in Qazvin whereby Mullá
> Muhammad Taqí Baraqání was murdered by the hand of a
> Shaykhí youth that resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of a
> group of innocent Bábís and their subsequent dispatch to the
> capital city. Another event was the first imprisonment of
> Bahá’u’lláh in Tihran, which was carried out by order of Mírzá
> Muhammad Shafí’, the Justice Minister, for Bahá’u’lláh’s having
> given aid to the prisoners of Qazvin. Another major event was
> the martyrdom in Tihran of Shaykh Sálih Karímí who counts as
> the very first martyr of the Bábí cause in Iran. He had been one
> of Táhirih’s followers and had been converted to the Cause of
> the Báb by her. At the time of his martyrdom, unfazed by the
> circumstances, he recited this verse:
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                     25
> 
> To people I’ve left their religion and their world
> Since I found you, O my Faith and my World
> 
> Other major events were the martyrdoms of Hájí
> Asadu’lláh, Mullá Táhir Shírází, and Mullá Ibráhím Mahallátí in
> Qazvin; the arrest and imprisonment of Táhirih in Qazvin; and
> her subsequent release due to Bahá’u’lláh’s intervention.
> To continue with the story, when Hájí Mírzá Áqásí
> discovered the attraction of the people and governor of Máh­Kú
> towards the Báb, he had Him transferred to the Chihríq Fort
> near Salmás (Sháhpúr) on April 10, 1848 and placed Him in the
> custody of Yahyá Khán the Kurd, who was the brother­in­law of
> Muhammad Sháh and the uncle of Násiru’d­Dín Mírzá, the
> crown prince. But before long Yahyá Khán became so enamored
> by the Báb that he felt compelled to show the utmost
> consideration and care during the entire period of His
> imprisonment in Chihríq.
> The Báb was imprisoned in Chihríq for a total of 27 months,
> and yet, having captured the hearts and souls of the people, He
> continued to counsel and guide them to the path of truth. The
> attraction was such that the number of visitors who arrived to
> visit the Báb exceeded the accommodating capacity of the
> village. And although the inhabitants were of the Kurdish tribe
> and belonged to the Sunni branch of Islam and were much more
> fanatical than the people of Máh­Kú, yet the majority of them
> were utterly captivated by the presence of the blessed Báb. In
> that time a number of the believers attained His presence such
> as Mírzá Assadulláh Khu’í, titled Dayyán, as well as the Báb’s
> Most Great Uncle who had been like a father to Him and who
> subsequent to this last visit was arrested in Tihran and became
> the first of the seven lovers who sacrificed their lives in the path
> of the Báb in Tihran.
> During the Báb’s imprisonment in Chihríq the following
> major events took place:
> 
>    After some three months, the Báb was moved from
> Chihríq to Tabriz on the direct order of Hájí Mírzá
> Áqásí, so that the ‘ulamá could, under his orders, select
> whatever expedient they deemed fit to quench the fire
> of His Cause and His Person. Fearing a major
> 26                                          The King of Messengers
> 
> commotion in Khu’í, which was located along the
> normal route of the journey, the Báb was taken to Tabriz
> through the town of Urummiyih where in a show of
> great excitement throngs of people enthusiastically
> welcomed Him.
>    The meeting for the examination and interrogation of
> the Báb before the ‘ulamá of Tabriz and in the presence
> of Násiru’d­Dín Mírzá, the crown prince, was convened
> in which the Báb openly declared His station as the
> Qá‘im, following which the ‘ulamá voted for His
> punishment. But the attendants refused to carry out the
> penalty, and thus Mírzá ‘Alí Asghar, the Shaykh’ul­
> Islám, took the Báb to his own house and there
> personally performed the punishment of bastinado on
> His feet.
>    Another event is the journey of Mullá Husayn to
> Mashhad, which was followed by the arrival of Quddús
> in that city and the turmoil created by their teaching
> activities, the fame of Bayt­i­Bábyih (the Bábí house),
> the arrest of Hassan, Mullá Husayn’s man­servant, his
> subsequent liberation by the hand of the Bábís and the
> protest and cry of Yá Sáhib’uz­Zamán (O Possessor of
> the Day of Judgment) by the Muslims in Mashhad, all of
> which is recorded in detail in the latter part of chapter
> 14 and the beginning of chapter 16 of The Dawn­Breakers.
>    And yet another major development was the
> assemblage of the Bábís at the conference at Badasht
> which was convened to announce the independence of
> the religion of Bayán and the beginning of the new
> world order. The conference took place in the summer
> of 1848 and lasted 22 days during which Quddús,
> Táhirih, and a group of some 80 believers were hosted
> by Bahá’u’lláh. Details of this significant event are
> recorded by the beloved Guardian in chapter 2 of his
> God Passes By, as well as by Nabíl Zarandí in chapter 16
> of The Dawn­breakers.
>    Also there took place, on 4 September 1848, the death of
> Muhammad Sháh, the flight of Hájí Mírzá Áqásí from
> the court and his seeking asylum, the start of reign of
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                27
> 
> Násiru’d­Dín Mírzá, and the premiership of Mírzá Taqí
> Khán,25 the Amír Kabír (the Great ruler).
> 
> The struggle at Tabarsi also counts as a defining point in the
> Bábí revelation. There, in accordance with the instructions of the
> Báb, Mullá Husayn with 202 of his companions, hoisting aloft
> the black standard, set out from Khurasan towards Mazandaran
> and on 12 October 1848 arrived at the outskirts of the shrine of
> Ahmad Tabaristání (Shaykh Tabarsi), who had been a
> prominent Islamic religious scholar and innovator. The shrine is
> located some 10 kilometers outside of the town of Barfurush
> (present day Babul). Taking a defensive stance, they occupied
> the shrine and constructed a number of walls and towers.
> Having inspected the fortifications on His visit to the Fort,
> Bahá’u’lláh caused the release of Quddús from his confinement
> in Babul and helped him to join the defenders of Tabarsi, where
> their number grew to some 313 souls. This number matched the
> number of Muhammad’s companions in the battle of “Badr,”26
> which according to the hadith (tradition) should be the same
> number that would stand with the Qá‘im when He arises.
> These companions demonstrated extraordinary valor in
> defending themselves for seven months and frequently defeated
> the government forces that were dispatched against them and
> who were equipped with latest weaponry and heavy artillery.
> In one of the major defensive attacks undertaken by the
> companions, Mullá Husayn was martyred and the government
> forces were totally annihilated. Finally, Mihdí Qulí Mírzá, an
> uncle of the Sháh, affixed his seal on a copy of the holy Qur’an
> and took an oath that if the companions abandon the struggle
> no harm would come to any of them. But as they sat down to eat
> they were attacked and to a man, martyred. Quddús was taken
> to Babul and there according to the Fatwá of Sa‘ídu’l­‘Ulamá,
> was torn to pieces in the Sabzih­Miydán. Nabíl writes that they
> tortured him so savagely that the pen is powerless to depict.
> 
> 25 Mírzá Taqí Khán was a man of great achievement and is considered, in
> Persian history, as one of the most astute statesmen to occupy the office of
> Prime Minister. He became the subject of the king’s ire and was murdered, by
> his order, while taking a bath in Fin, Kashan.
> 26 One of Muhammad’s battles with the idolaters
> 28                                                   The King of Messengers
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh has commented that none who has born the torture
> of martyrdom has suffered as Quddús did, not even Jesus.
> Another event was the martyrdom of the “Seven Martyrs of
> Tihran,” which took place some four months prior to the
> martyrdom of the Báb. It ranks as one of the most astonishing
> epics of self­sacrifice and ready surrender of life in the path of
> the incomparable Beloved.
> The conflict at Nayriz is yet another major event of this
> period. The great Vahíd and his companions perforce found
> refuge in the Fort of Khajou and there took defensive action and
> defeated all the invading forces until Zaynu’l­‘Ábidin Khán, the
> governor of Niyríz and the commander of the forces, resorted to
> deception and fixing his seal on a copy of the Qur’an, took an
> oath not to harm any of the prisoners. And in this way he
> achieved his victory over the companions. Once victorious, he
> tortured and killed the entire group and their entire families in
> the most gruesome manner. Near the end of the conflict and
> some ten days before the martyrdom of the Báb, on 18 Sha’abán
> 1266 AH (29 June 1850) Vahíd himself was martyred.
> The conflict at Zanjan ranks as one of the most significant
> events in Bábí history. Tens of thousands of army troops were
> defeated repeatedly at the hands of the three thousand
> companions of Hujjat27 who had taken refuge in the Fort of ‘Alí
> Mardán Khán. This conflict continued for some six months after
> the martyrdom of the Báb and eventually resulted in the
> martyrdom of Hujjat and some 1,800 of his companions.
> After 27 months in the Chihríq prison and under
> instructions of Mírzá Taqí Khán, the Amír Kabír, the Báb was
> moved to Tabriz where the judgment for His execution had
> already been signed by the town’s clerical establishment. He
> along with the immortal Anís (Mírzá Muhammad ‘Alí Zunúzí)
> was brought to the field of martyrdom having been tied to a
> 
> 27 Siyyid Muhammad ‘Alí Zanjání, immortalized as Hujjat, accepted the new
> Faith early in the ministry of the Báb, after reading a few passages of His
> commentary of the Súrih of Joseph. He immediately set out to teach the new
> Faith to friend and stranger. The power of his logical and convincing
> argument and the courage of his presentation was astonishing. His defensive
> struggle at the Fort of ‘Alí Mardán Khán in Zanján with some 3000 of his God
> intoxicated companions came to an end with his martyrdom.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                      29
> 
> wall before the guns of the regiment of Sam Khán, the Christian,
> and, as is recorded in various historical accounts, fired upon.
> The bullets did not initially find their mark. After the Báb
> had completed His instructions to His amanuensis, the
> prisoners were again tied to the wall in such a way that Anís’
> head rested on the Báb’s breast across from 750 troops of the
> Nasseri regiment under the voluntary command of Áqa Ján
> Bayk Khamsi‘í. The lover and his Beloved became the target of
> 750 bullets. The martyrdom of the Báb took place on 28
> Sha’aban of 1266 AH (9 July 1850). At the time the Báb was 30
> years and six months of age, and some six years and forty­four
> days had passed from the date of His declaration.
> The details of the martyrdom of the Báb, a reference to His
> exalted rank, and the description of the effects of this significant
> event can be found in chapter 4 of the Guardian’s matchless
> work God Passes By and also in chapter 23 of Nabíl’s immortal
> narrative.
> The blessed Báb is known by some 40 different titles as have
> appeared in various Bahá’í Writings or have become customary
> terminologies among the believers some of which are:
> 
> The Primal Point,
> The Point around which circle the spirits of all
> Prophets
> The Herald to the Most Great Abhá Luminary
> The Point of the Bayán
> The Unique Herald
> The Morning of Truth
> The Sea of Seas
> The King of Messengers
> The Most Great Prophet
> The Most Great Remembrance of God
> The Promised Qá‘im
> The Essence of Essences
> The Most Exalted Father
> The Father
> The Spirit of Spirits
> The Most Great Gate
> The Mention of God, the Most High
> The Unique mystery
> 30                                               The King of Messengers
> 
> The King of the Kingdoms of Bounty and Grace
> The Morning of Truth
> The Point
> The Most Great Legislator
> 
> Regarding Anís, Bahá’u’lláh has written:
> 
> We recall to mind at this point Muhammad before
> ‘Alí (Muhammad ‘Alí) whose flesh became
> amalgamate with the flesh of his Lord, and his blood
> with His blood and his remains with His remains
> and his bones with the bones of his Almighty and
> Merciful Lord. My exalted pen testifies that he
> achieved to a rank never before achieved by anyone
> and befell him what no ear has heard its like. Upon
> him be My glory and the glory of My Kingdom and
> My habitation and the glory of the denizens of the
> cities of justice and fairness.
> 
> The Fate of the Oppressors
> Those of high rank who held positions of responsibility and
> who rose against the Báb or His companions received terrible
> punishment and met with inauspicious ends in this world.
> Some of these are:
> 
> 1.   The governor of Fars Husayn Khán Iravání, titled the
> Ájúdán Báshí or the Nizámu’d­Dawlih, imprisoned the
> Báb and ordered that He should be struck in the face. It
> was he, also, who ordered that Muqaddas receive a
> thousand lashes and that his beard and those of Quddús
> and Mullá ‘Alí Akbar Ardistání be burned and that they
> be haltered and paraded through the streets and
> bazaars. After four years as governor, he was suddenly
> dismissed from office and was pursued by the
> government. He finally found refuge at the embassies of
> foreign governments and in 1858 died in hiding in utter
> ignominy and misery. In Bahá’í Writings he is referred
> to as: the vicious Husayn and the Tyrant of the Land of
> Shín (Shín refers to Shiraz).
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                     31
> 
> 2.   Gurgín Khán, nephew of Manúchihr Khán, who
> informed Mírzá Áqásí of the Báb’s whereabouts and
> caused the arrest and exile of the Báb from Isfahan was
> struck by diphtheria, which led to his suffocation. His
> title is “the Hateful Gurgín.”
> 3.   Muhammad Sháh who approved the many early
> martyrdoms and the exile of the Báb to the mountains of
> Adhirbaijan was afflicted, at the age of 40, with a
> multitude of diseases that led to his early death in 1848
> after enduring much pain and suffering.
> 4.   Mírzá Áqásí, prime minister of Muhammad Sháh, was
> uneducated and had been a scoundrel and a clown in
> Tabriz. His wit caused him great pain as once while
> traveling on foot following along the caravan that
> included the personal carriage of Nessá Bagum, the
> daughter of Fath­‘Alí Sháh, in jest, he made a comment
> implying that if the lady was looking for a husband, he
> would be happy to oblige. He was bastinadoed severely
> until he could no longer walk. Later on in Tabriz
> because of his wit, sense of humor, and ready speech, he
> was assigned as a teacher to the children of the Kalántar
> (Chief of police) and subsequently became the teacher to
> Muhammad Mírzá, the crown prince. When
> Muhammad Mírzá became Muhammad Sháh, he
> dismissed the great Qá‘im Maqám Faráhání28 called by
> Bahá’u’lláh, the “the prince of the City of Wisdom and
> Letters,” and offered the office of prime minister to
> Áqásí.
> Hájí Mírzá Áqásí was the cause of the Báb’s exile to
> the fastnesses of Adhirbaijan and prevented a face­to­
> face meeting between Him and the Sháh that the Báb
> had requested. He devised multiple plans for the
> murder of the Báb. In one of His works, the “Khutbih
> 
> 28 Mírzá Abul­Qásim the son of Mírzá ‘Isá, were both ministers of high rank in
> the Qájár royal dynasty of Persia. Both were authors of note and both were
> known by the title of Qá‘im Maqám. However, the son achieved a more
> exalted position than the father, attained the lofty rank of the prime minister
> and became well known for his scholarship. What honor is greater than to
> have been described by the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh as the “Master of the city of
> wisdom and letters”.
> 32                                                      The King of Messengers
> 
> Qahríyyih” (Wrathful Homily), the Báb declared him
> accursed of God and foresaw an ominous fate for him.
> Some months later he aroused the king’s ire and in fear
> fled the court finding refuge in the shrine of
> ‘Abdu’l­‘Azím.29 All of his possessions, including his
> 1438 villages and other properties that comprised real
> estate and gardens, were expropriated. He subsequently
> fled to Karbala, and there he rapidly sank into misery,
> became a pauper and a beggar, and died in utter
> destitution and wretchedness. His titles are “the Unwise
> Minister,” “the Mean­Spirited Áqásí,” and “the Wicked
> Minister.”
> 5.   Mírzá ‘Alí Asghar, Shaykhu’l­Islám30 of Tabriz was the
> divine who with his own hands had bastinadoed the
> Báb. He became paralyzed in both legs, and gradually
> the paralysis permeated his entire body causing a foul
> odor to emanate from him. Eventually, he died in such
> utter misery that the event of his death became a
> byword and a curse prevalent among the people of
> Tabriz. The curse “By God! May you die like the
> Shaykhu’l­Islám” expressed the depth of disgrace and
> humiliation to which his memory had sunk. Subsequent
> to this event no one was ever promoted to the rank of
> Shaykhu’l­Islám, and this position eventually ceased to
> exist altogether. In Bahá’í Writings the use of the title
> “Wretched Shaykhu’l­Isám” applies specifically to this
> man.
> 6.   Násiru’d­Dín Sháh was the sovereign whose direct
> orders or affirmation of existing judgments account for
> the majority of the martyrdoms in the Bayán and Abhá
> periods, the details of which would produce an
> astonishing tale of the martyrs of the Alá and Abhá
> times. His order for the extermination of the Bábís in
> Tabarsi reads: “Annihilation of this group from the face
> of the earth and the expanse of the universe is the
> obligation of every person and is considered a religious
> duty which is essential to the well­being of the Religion
> 29 A religious shrine near Tihran that has a history of serving as a sanctuary for
> victims of injustice
> 30 A title given to the ranking cleric of any town
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                      33
> 
> and the nation….” On the margin, in his own hand, he
> adds his direct order to the commander of the army
> Mihdí Qulí Mírzá:
> 
> This is true Mihdí Qulí Mírzá. On this issue you
> must make your best effort. This is not child’s
> play; it concerns our very Faith and belief. You
> must cleanse the land from this foul and wicked
> people in such a way that no trace of them shall
> remain. Certainly do your very best and also
> help strengthen our Láríjání servant so that he
> may complete this task as well as other frontier
> assignments with success. (Safar’ul’Muzaffar
> 1264 AH)
> 
> And yet his majesty Násiru’d­Dín Sháh, the Most
> Great King, the Pivot of Universe and the Star of the
> Assemblage, failed in his attempt to eradicate the Faith
> of God from the face of the earth and the expanse of the
> universe such that no trace may be left.
> How ironic that as of today Bahá’ís reside in more
> than 117,000 towns and villages in 218 countries of the
> world. There are some 188 National Spiritual
> Assemblies on the planet and more than 19,000 Local
> Spiritual Assemblies. Its scriptures have been translated
> into 802 languages and have been published in over 600
> scripts. There are some 741 Bahá’í schools worldwide
> and seven official Bahá’í radio stations that serve to
> bring the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to the generality of
> humankind. There are more than 1,000 social, economic
> agricultural, and health­related development projects
> implemented around the world by the Bahá’ís to serve
> local populations.31 Of the unique and exquisitely
> designed Bahá’í Houses of Worship in the five
> continents of the globe, the vast international, national,
> and local Bahá’í institutions and Bahá’í centers, the
> matchless Bahá’í shrines and gardens in the Holy Land
> 
> 31 Statistics provided are provided as per the date of the original lecture was
> delivered.
> 34                                                   The King of Messengers
> 
> as well as the favorable response the Bahá’í Faith has
> received from over two thousand races, tribes, and
> minority religions, I will make no further mention, as
> such details would require an entire book all its own.
> Násiru’d­Dín Sháh, in accordance with accounts
> recorded in non­Bahá’í sources, on the night prior to the
> festival of the 50th anniversary of his reign, or the night
> before the day of his death, had a dream. He dreamt
> that the angels of torture and death are descending
> upon the earth carrying a casket of fire in order to place
> him in it. He awakened with a scream. His confidants
> recommended that he should not sleep alone. But once
> asleep he dreamt again. This time Mírzá Taqí Khán, the
> Amír Kabír, appeared to him with blood­shot eyes
> telling him that on the very morrow the realm and the
> nation will be rid of him for good. At the same time, his
> preferred concubine, sleeping next to him, screamed
> and awakened. She described to him her dream in
> which all the ceilings of the palace had collapsed over
> them. It seems that the king’s lack of a comfortable
> night’s sleep and the nightmares he himself had
> described were not limited to the last night of his life.
> Bahá’u’lláh in one of His tablets refers to the gloomy
> and melancholic last years of his life in these words:
> 
> The king, May God assist him, is so afflicted
> that none except God is aware of his condition.
> Verily comfort and sleep have abandoned him as
> decreed by God, the Ordainer, the Wise.
> 
> In any case that night the Sháh did not return to bed
> and at dawn ordered his carriage to be driven to the
> house of the cruel and blood­thirsty Mujtahid of Tihran,
> Mullá ‘Alí Kaní,32 and he himself traversed the distance
> to his house on foot. He described his dreams for the
> Mullá, but Mullá ‘Alí’s optimistic interpretation of his
> dreams failed to relieve his agitation so he set out in his
> carriage towards the shrine of ‘Abdu’l­‘Azím. There he
> was murdered by a bullet from Mírzá Ridá Kirmání’s
> 
> 32 Country’s leading cleric and responsible for the martyrdom of many Bábís.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                   35
> 
> pistol and was thus dispatched to his proper and eternal
> abode (1313 AH). In the Bahá’í Writings he has been
> referred to as “the Chief Tyrant,” “the King of Tyrants,”
> “the Cruel Násir,” and “the Hateful King.”
> 7.   Mírzá Taqí Khán Amír­Kabír was the son of Mashhadí
> Qurbán, a cook in the service of the household of the
> great Qá‘im Maqám Faráhání. He received his
> education in the house of Qá‘im Maqám. When he
> reached the age of maturity, he demonstrated a keen
> intellect and thus advanced quickly and was
> subsequently sent to Russia as a member of a
> diplomatic mission. He then became the commander of
> the Adhirbaijan army and later rose to the position of
> inspector­general and the guardian of Násiru’d­Dín
> Mírzá and eventually was promoted to the office of
> prime minister of Násiru’d­Dín Sháh.
> He instigated and was responsible for all the Bábí
> martyrdoms during his ministry. The martyrdom of the
> Báb was the result of his machination and was carried
> out under his orders despite his advisors’
> recommendation to the contrary. Some eighteen months
> after the martyrdom of the Báb, he himself became the
> subject of the wrath of his sovereign and was exiled to
> Kashan, where, in Rabí’ul­Avval of 1268 AH (1852), in
> the “Fin” bathhouse he was murdered by the agents of
> the king. As he relaxed in the pool, he was held in place
> by those agents in the presence of ‘Alí Khán
> Hájib’ud’Dawlih (the court minister) while the veins in
> his right and left wrists were cut open. He was made to
> watch helplessly as blood poured out of him until he
> too was dispatched to his destined end. In the Writings
> he is referred to as the “Cruel Commander,” “the Blood­
> Thirsty Amír,” “the Blood­Thirsty Taqí,” and “the
> Faithless Commander.”
> 8.   Áqá Ján Bayk Khamsi‘í was the commander of the
> Násiri regiment who volunteered to execute the Báb. Six
> years later he was killed in the artillery bombardment of
> Khurramshahr by the British naval forces.
> 9.   The soldiers of the Násirí Regiment considered their act
> of execution of the Báb to be a source of pride. In the
> 36                                            The King of Messengers
> 
> summer of that year, while resting under the shade of
> the wall of a building, two hundred and fifty of them
> who were busily engaged in debauchery became the
> victims of an earthquake. The structure collapsed and
> all of them were killed. In the following year the other
> 500 soldiers were part of a rebellion that failed. They
> were all arrested and on the order of Mírzá Sádiq Khán
> Núri were executed. Their bodies were subsequently
> torn apart so savagely that many people openly
> attributed such an end to the heinous act they had
> committed. Such views were immediately repressed
> and were considered as blasphemous, and any further
> mention of them was proscribed by the clergy.
> 10. Mullá Sa‘íd Dív­Kulla’í (Bárfurúshí) or Sa‘ídu’l­‘Ulamá
> who martyred Quddús with such unabashed savagery
> was afflicted with a strange disease whereby his thirst
> could not be quenched, and, despite wearing several
> layers of heavy and woolen cloths and constant burning
> of logs in a fireplace in his room, he found no relief from
> the cold and his body temperature continued to drop
> until he became utterly disabled. His end came in 1270
> AH. Over time, his palace became the collection site for
> trash and refuse. People used his name as part of a
> curse, i.e., “May God turn your house into a garbage
> dump like that of Sa‘ídu’l­‘Ulamá.” He has been
> referred to as “the Most Cruel,” “the Merciless and
> Prejudiced Mujtahid,” and “the Shameless Savage.”
> 11. Mahmúd Khán Kalántar, Tihran’s Chief of Police, was
> responsible for the martyrdom of Táhirih and many
> other Bábís. He became the target of Násiru’d­Dín
> Sháh’s wrath and was accordingly dragged through the
> city with bound feet, after which his still living body
> was quartered and each piece was suspended on the
> city’s major gates. His title in the Writings is “Mahmúd
> the Enemy.”
> 12. Hájibu’d­Dawlih, Mírzá ‘Alí Khán was responsible for
> the murder of unnumbered Bábís, including Siyyid
> Husayn Yazdí titled “‘Azíz” who was the Báb’s
> amanuensis. He was taken prisoner by one of the “Lur”
> tribe; his beard was pulled out, and he was forced to eat
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                               37
> 
> it after which they put a halter on him and mounted
> him as a beast of burden. They subsequently violated
> his wife and children before his eyes. This individual
> should not be confused with Ja’far Qulí Khán Hájibu’d­
> Dawlih, who was responsible for the martyrdom of
> Varqá and his son Rúh’u’lláh and who later became
> insane and died of disease.
> 13. The people of Iran who in every hamlet and city
> collaborated with the ‘ulamá and government officials
> and, according to Nabíl Zarandí, in astonishing
> casualness and even approval observed the historically
> unprecedented pogroms and tortures, soon experienced
> divine chastisement. An epidemic of plague and cholera
> as well as several horrific earthquakes and famine
> caused the deaths of thousands. Cholera alone, as
> attested by the Báb in the “Seven Proofs,” in four years
> killed some 100,000 people, and yet they did not
> recognize the true cause of their calamity. The horrific
> earthquake that shook Shiraz in 1268 AH caused the
> death of 12,000 people. Terrible and severe famines, one
> after another, resulted in the tormented deaths of
> thousands of people who still remained unaware as to
> the real cause of all the pestilence. The friends implored
> the Blessed Beauty for forgiveness and mitigation of the
> calamity. Reference to these horrific events have been
> made in a number of Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l­
> Bahá, and some letters of the Guardian. In one such
> Tablet Bahá’u’lláh reveals:
> 
> That ye had written regarding the famine in Iran.
> This was divine chastisement mentioned in various
> Tablets. In the year of the revelation of the Exalted
> Tablet (Tablet of the King) that was delivered by the
> hand of Badi’, reference to hardships, calamities and
> famines in that country was explicitly revealed and
> thus divine chastisement surrounded the entire
> population. The gist of the revealed verse is this: if it
> were not due to considerations of the friends all
> would have perished….33
> 
> 33 Ishráq Khávarí, Má’idih­i­Ásimání (Heavenly Sustenance), pp. 36­37.
> 38                                          The King of Messengers
> 
> This was a summary of the highlights of the history of the
> life of the blessed Báb and the fate of those who rebelled against
> the Manifestation of God.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                39
> 
> – Part 2 –
> This presentation concerns three subject matters:
> 
>     First is delineation and presentation of evidence and
> proof regarding the supremacy of the station of the Bábí
> Revelation as compared to all the former Dispensations
> that have appeared in various periods in history. As
> Bahá’u’lláh clearly states, “His rank excelleth that of all
> the prophets and whose revelation transcendeth the
> comprehension and understanding of all their chosen
> ones.”34
>     Second is showing that the most significant and
> momentous aim of the Bábí dispensation was to prepare
> the people to expect and welcome the Faith of
> Bahá’u’lláh and to declare their belief in the Abhá
> religion. Contrary to former times in which the glad­
> tidings of the future revelation were vaguely intimated,
> the Báb had explicitly and clearly referred to the event
> to follow, specifying name and date of appearance.
> How ironic that the people of darkness and the ignoble
> group who have raised Azal’s unworthy standard chose
> to overlook His clear and repeatedly emphatic warnings
> and have clung to the word “Mustagháth”35 ascribing to
> it interpretations contrary to the obviously intended
> counsels of the Bayán and creating what has been no
> more than the buzzing murmur of a fly. However, as
> the shameful clamor has since been silenced we will not
> consider it further. Here, it will suffice to quote a few of
> the relevant glad­tidings.
>     Third is explaining the astonishing and incredible
> impact of the divine scriptures that flowed from this
> heavenly revelation and highlighting the fact that the
> beloved Báb sacrificed not only His own Being but also
> 
> 34 Quoted from Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb­i­Íqán (Egypt), p. 189.
> 35 The word Mustagháth, meaning “he who is invoked for assistance” which
> appears in the Bayán, has a numerical value of 2001 in the Abjad numerology.
> Those who rejected Bahá’u’lláh argued that the coming of “Him who God
> shall make manifest” will take place in such a year. It was a puny argument
> the effect of which lasted for only a brief time, a misty fog which was
> dissipated under the brilliant sun of Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation.
> 40                                            The King of Messengers
> 
> the entirety of His religion—His foremost disciples and
> His greatest champions as well as the very effect and
> influence that His scriptures had instilled in the hearts
> of the people of the world—in the path of Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> 
>  
> 
> In order to explain the first subject, that is, the superior
> nature of the religion of the Báb, we must compare His Writings
> that are the fruits of His innate knowledge with those of former
> dispensations. Any such study clearly indicates that Báb’s
> revealed scriptures which constitute the very core of His
> religion and are divinely inspired and originate in the influences
> of the Holy Spirit, are clearly beyond comparison with those of
> today’s three established religions both in scope and substance.
> The comparison is more apt since the scriptures of these Faiths,
> unlike the religious systems practiced in the Far East, have not
> been subject to variation, alteration or textual corruption.
> In order to do this, we first have to take a cursory look at the
> scriptures associated with the Authors of the three major
> religions of antiquity.
> In the Mosaic religion, the only trace and the sole written
> document linked to the Author of that Faith is the Torah, which
> contains 5 sections, namely:
> 
>    Genesis, which contains stories of the creation of the
> universe and of man;
>    Exodus, which describes the departure of the Israelites
> from Egypt;
>    Leviticus, which contains religious instructions and
> divine commandments as well as penal laws and rules
> of animal slaughter. Also included is the explanation of
> the station of the progeny of Leviticus who himself was
> the third son of Jacob, a line to which Moses also
> belongs;
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                    41
> 
>    Numbers, which fixes the number of individual
> Israelites in the second year of Exodus from Egypt.
> Other issues are also discussed here;
>    Deuteronomy, which is a repetitious presentation of a
> number of the commandments.
> 
> Torah is a Hebrew word meaning religion or training. Not
> only is this book not written by Moses, but in fact the recording
> of its various parts and its final compilation took place some
> 1,000 years after His time by Ezra (the Writer) with the aid of a
> group of the learned and devoted faithful. Of course, the
> Commandments of Torah had been recorded by the early
> believers prior to and possibly in accordance with God’s Will
> and were being kept in the “Ark of the Covenant,” which had
> very likely been obliterated in the repeated destruction and
> burning of Jerusalem, the story of which is quite extensive. In
> studying the Torah you will note that it is replete with
> narratives and sagas and interspersed throughout the books of
> Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy one can also glean a few of
> the divine commandments.
> In the third volume of His “Makátíb” ‘Abdu’l­Bahá states:
> 
> The main Torah comprises the Tablets that were
> revealed to Moses and includes the commandments.
> The rest which consists of stories and legends were
> added later and are not authentic.
> 
> The intent here is to show that in the Jewish religion no
> work has survived from the pen of the Author of that religion
> and what does exist are some of the commandments revealed
> for the Jewish people as appropriate to the elementary state of
> civilization prevalent at that time. Moreover, these
> commandments may be gleaned from amidst hundreds of
> strange stories and amazing legends describing the attack of
> frogs, flies, mosquitoes, and locusts; the death of the first­born
> child of both man and beast; the changing of water into blood;
> the parting of the sea; delivery of the supply of water and bread
> in the mornings and meat at nights other than Saturdays; and
> hundreds of similar tales, which if not personally read can
> hardly be imagined.
> 42                                         The King of Messengers
> 
> The remainder of the Old Testament comprises 34 books or
> treatises or articles from the Jewish prophets. The Old
> Testament prophets were 48 in number, the first of whom was
> Joshua and the last was Malachi. They are generally referred to
> as “Muh Nabí” which means 48 prophets (M = 40 and H = 8;
> vowels have no numerical value). Four of these were Major
> Prophets: Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. It has been
> written that some of these treatises were not actually authored
> by any of these prophets and that they were instead written by
> devoted believers and produced in their memories or in their
> names, and therefore the works are simply associated with
> them.
> For instance, some believe that the Book of Joshua was
> possibly written by someone other than Joshua several centuries
> after the event but that it contains the words of Joshua. Some
> relate the Book of Judges to Ezra and some to Nehemiah and
> others to Jeremiah. Some relate the production of the Book of
> Glad Tidings to Jeremiah and others to Ezra and also the
> compilation of the Book of Nehemiah is related to Ezra. The two
> Books on Kings are linked to Jeremiah and Ezra, and the
> compilation of the two Books of Esther and Job are linked to two
> unknown individuals written in consolation of the Jews for their
> suffering so many hardships and calamities in their bondage in
> the land of Babel. Even some do not associate the entire 150
> Songs of David to Him but some to Solomon and others to Asaf
> the chief musician of Solomon. Sumerians believe solely in the
> first seven Books, namely, the five main Books and the Books of
> Joshua and Judges.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Evangel, which means glad­tidings, is also not penned by
> Jesus and was written by four of the initial believers, about His
> life in Hebraic and subsequently in Greek. These putative
> authors are Matthew and John who were disciples and Luke
> and Mark who belong to the early group of believers. Therefore,
> we have four Evangels, which have been recorded and arranged
> sometime in the second half of the first Christian century, the
> details of which remain unclear.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                     43
> 
> These four accounts contain the stories related to the life of
> Jesus and His teachings, counsels and commandments as
> remembered by these four believers. The oldest copies of the
> New Testament are works of compilation belonging to the 4th
> or 5th centuries of the Christian era, such as the Sinaitic copy of
> the St. Petersburg Museum, the Efraimieh copy that is kept in
> the National Museum of Paris, the Vatican copy in the Vatican,
> and the Alexandria copy of London. The Evangel recorded by
> Luke is the most comprehensive and that of Mark is the
> shortest. The three works written by Matthew, Luke, and Mark
> are very similar and contain the account of the life and sayings
> of Jesus. These are also called the “Synoptic Gospels.” John’s
> version is somewhat different from others and contains
> philosophic issues regarding the meaning of “the Word,” “Holy
> Spirit,” and the divinity of Jesus.
> The balance of the New Testament consists of 23 treatises or
> books from Luke and John, and a number of other early
> believers and disciples:
> 
>    Book of Acts from Luke
>    Fourteen letters from Paul
>    One letter from Jacob
>    Two letters from Peter
>    Three letters from John
>    One letter from Judas
>    One Book of Revelations of John
> 
> And thus in Christianity as in Judaism no work was issued
> from the pen of Jesus Himself and thus what we see in the
> scriptures are stories about the life of Jesus as well as His
> teachings and counsels as written by the early believers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Qur’an was not penned by Muhammad. The revelation
> of verses, whether commandments or stories, took place as
> prompted by circumstances and was instantly memorized by a
> number of the believers or was written on tree leaves, stone
> tablets, animal skin, flat pieces of wood, or large bones. Some 45
> 44                                            The King of Messengers
> 
> individuals have been identified as the recorders of revealed
> scripture. The most famous memorizers of the Qur’an are ‘Alí,
> Zayd­ibn­i­Thábit, ‘Uthmán­ibn­i­Áffán, ‘‘Abdu’lláh Mas‘úd,
> Abú Músá Ash‘árí, Abú­Darda’, and Abi­ibn­i­Ka’b. However,
> there were other scribes and memorizers, a number of whom
> later lost their faith and abandoned the religion, i.e., ‘Abdu’lláh,
> brother of ‘Uthmán.
> The memorized versions of the Qur’an did not always agree
> with the transcribed versions, and therefore Abú Bakr, the first
> Caliph, instructed Zayd­ibn­i­Thábit to solicit the aid of a
> number of knowledgeable believers of the Quraysh tribe and
> the memorizers of the Qur’an and embark upon collection,
> compilation, and eventual generation of a formalized version of
> the Book. Having accomplished the task, Abú Bakr placed the
> completed version of the Qur’an in the care of Hafsih, daughter
> of Omar and the wife of the Prophet of God.
> Years later, during the Caliphate of Uthmán­ibn­‘Affán, the
> third Caliph, a wave of complaints and critical remarks from
> rank and file believers began to be received, indicating their
> deep concern that each tribe and each family group was reading
> a Qur’an that was different in content from other Qur’ans. Thus
> Uthmán ordered that four copies of the corrected version of the
> Qur’an compiled by Zayd be prepared in the Quraysh style of
> writing and dispatched to the major Islamic centers, and he
> decreed that all other versions be destroyed. (Some Shiites
> believe that ‘Alí also destroyed his own version although there
> were significant differences between his copy and the final
> Uthman version, in order to prevent the possibility of
> dissension.)
> The Holy Qur’an, so compiled and current among Muslims
> today, has 114 Súrihs and some 6200 verses. The largest Súrih is
> the Súrih of “Baqarih” or “Cow” and the smallest is the Súrih of
> “Kawthar” the name of a fountain or a river in Paradise, which
> contains only three verses.
> The Qur’an was revealed over the course of some 23 years
> to Muhammad, 13 years in Mecca and 10 years in Medina.
> (Some verses were revealed outside of these two cities at the
> sites of His battles with unbelievers). Some 82 of the Súrihs are
> revealed in Mecca and 20 in Medina, yet there are major
> disputes regarding the origin of each Súrih.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                                45
> 
> And so the Qur’an is also not from the pen of the Prophet
> Muhammad, and the last collection of its verses, as well as their
> phraseology and the order in which they appear in the Book,
> happened some 15 years after the passing of the Prophet of God.
> This included the compilation of the verses into Súrihs and
> giving each Súrih a designation to simplify identification. This
> was at a time when the Arabs had neither the punctuation
> marks such as the “period” nor the proper transliteration
> methodology and the use of applicable vowels in order to fix the
> proper pronunciation of words, the absence of which could
> dramatically change their meaning.36
> At that time ‘Alí was aware of the significance of the vowels
> of the Qur’an, since in the Arabic language changing vowels not
> only can change a male noun to a female noun but also can alter
> the meaning of phrases and sentences altogether. However, the
> Arabs considered the addition of vowels to the Qur’an
> objectionable, and only later in the history of Islam was this
> view gradually moderated. It was not until the time of Hajjáj­
> ibn­i­Yúsif that periods and vowels were incorporated.
> The mention of the above facts does not imply nor should it
> be considered as suggesting any skepticism or misgivings on the
> part of the people of Bahá in their regard for the authenticity of
> these sacred works. It is, however, an explanation of the method
> of the compilation of their contents and the manner in which
> they are linked to the divinely ordained Authors themselves.
> Armed with this knowledge, we are now able to draw an
> accurate comparison between these Works and the scripture of
> the Bábí Faith.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The revealed Works of the Báb, which in terms of quantity
> are several times the combined works of all the prophets who
> have gone before Him, have all been issued from His own pen
> or dictated to scribes in His presence and later reviewed and
> sealed. The magnitude of these Verses and Works are such that
> 
> 36 In Arabic the word “Mahram” which means confidant and “Mujrim” which
> means criminal look precisely alike on paper with the difference being the
> addition of a single period and changing in pronunciation of two vowels.
> 46                                           The King of Messengers
> 
> the Guardian in his God Passes By writes, “The revelation of the
> Báb, in terms of the sheer size of His Works and the vastness
> and eloquence of their significances as revealed from His pen is
> unmatched in the annals of religion.”
> In the Kitáb­i­Íqán, comparing the works of the Báb with all
> existing sacred works, Bahá’u’lláh writes:
> 
> The prophets ‘endowed with constancy’ whose
> loftiness and glory shine as the sun, were each
> honored with a Book which all have seen, and
> the verses of which have been duly ascertained.
> Whereas the verses which have rained from this
> Cloud of divine mercy have been so abundant
> that none has yet been able to estimate their
> number. A score of volumes are now available.
> How many have been plundered and have
> fallen into the hand of the enemy, the fate of
> which none knoweth.37
> 
> The Báb Himself while being interrogated in the presence
> of the heir to the throne stated that within a space of two days
> and two nights he revealed verses equivalent to the entirety of
> the Qur’an , and in yet another passage He bears witness that
> until His imprisonment in Máh­Kú the bulk of His revealed
> works exceeded some 500,000 verses (Half a million verses in
> three years compared to six thousand verses of the Qur’an in 23
> years).
> The names of some of the Báb’s works are:
> 
> 1.   Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph, which according to
> Bahá’u’lláh is the Báb’s “first, mightiest and greatest
> book.”38 The Súrih of Joseph as revealed in the Qur’an
> has 111 verses. The Báb’s commentary contains 111
> Súrihs, which means one Súrih was specifically revealed
> and named by the Báb for each verse of the Qur’an. The
> work contains a total of 9,300 verses.
> The first Súrih, named Súratu’l­Mulk, (Súrih of
> Dominion) was revealed by the Báb for Mullá Husayn
> 
> 37 Bahá’u’lláh , The Kitáb­i­Iqán, p. 216.
> 38 Ibid., p. 231.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                            47
> 
> Bushrúyih on the night of the 5th of Jamádí, the night of
> His declaration. Mullá Husayn later presented a
> number of the verses of this first Súrih to Bahá’u’lláh,
> which received His praise and acclamation. The balance
> of the work was revealed gradually over time.
> According to the beloved Guardian, this blessed and
> heavenly treatise was translated for the sake of the
> Persian friends through the exceptional literary genius
> of Táhirih. The other name of this formidable work is
> “Qayyúm­ul­Asmá” (Eternal Names), as Yúsuf (Joseph)
> in the Abjad Numerology is equivalent to the word
> “Qayyúm” or eternal. Here, by “Qayyúm,” the very
> Person of the Báb is intended. In a letter to His uncle the
> Báb writes:
> 
> …and know thou that the number of Yúsuf, (156) is
> equivalent to “Qayyúm” and the intended reference
> is to the ‘Qá’im of the House of Muhammad’ and He
> is the Living and Self­subsistent. Therefore the first
> commentary at the dawn of His revelation concerned
> His own Name.…
> 
> The expression, ‘Ahsanu’l­Qisas’ or ‘the best story­
> teller’ (and not the best of stories since in the Súrih of
> Joseph in the Qur’an it is revealed that: “We tell you
> stories in the best manner”) also appears in the Qur’an
> in the Súrih of Yúsuf.
> 2.   The Arabic Bayán was revealed in Máh­Kú. This work
> is smaller than the Persian Bayán and is also referred to
> as “Kitábu’l­Jizá” (Book of Chastisement).
> 3.   The Persian Bayán was also revealed in Máh­Kú. This
> work was revealed with specific regard to the number of
> “Kull­i­Shay” or “all things,” the numeric value of which
> is 361 (the product of 19 x 19). In the Bayán each unity or
> chapter has 19 “bábs,” but only 9 chapters were revealed
> by the Báb, and the last chapter has only ten bábs. The
> book comprises a total of some eight thousand verses.
> The Báb has deferred the revelation of the remainder of
> the work to the Manifestation of “Baqiyat’u’lláh” or (the
> Remnant of God). We now know that the Book of Íqán
> 48                                                   The King of Messengers
> 
> supplements and completes the Bayán and is revealed to
> resolve the divine mysteries and secrets found in the
> sacred books of former religions.
> The Bayán includes new commandments and
> teachings regarding Obligatory Prayer and fasting,
> marriage and divorce, inheritance, importance of
> cleanliness, kindness towards animals, prohibition of
> alcohol and drugs, disapproval of confession before any
> other human being and ascending of pulpits, etc.—all of
> which in quite an explicit and definitive manner abrogate
> the commandments of former religions, include clear
> reference to the Manifestation of Bahá’u’lláh, and contain
> counsels on moral issues, explanations on the meaning of
> concepts such as “Resurrection,” “Heaven and Hell,” the
> concept of the “Return,” “Standard,” “the Hour,” and
> other enigmatic and complex expressions of the Qur’an
> as well as the Traditions.
> 4.   Panj­Sha’n (Five Modes) is a compilation of Tablets and
> letters addressed to the spiritual leaders of the Bábí
> community, where each letter is revealed in five modes
> or styles: the style of the verse, style of prayer, style of
> homily, style of commentary, and style of Persian
> words. This work belongs to the later part of His
> imprisonment in Chihríq and contains explicit
> references to the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh as well as His
> own martyrdom.
> 5.   The Commentary on the Súrih of Kawthar39 comprises
> some 2000 verses and was revealed for Vahíd in Shiraz. (In
> the Qur’an, Súrih of Kawthar is the 108th Súrih, revealed
> in Mecca and has only three verses.)
> 6.   The Commentary on the Súrih of “Val'Asr”40 is
> equivalent to one­third of the Qur’an and was revealed
> in Isfahan at the request of Muhammad, the
> Sultánu’l­’Ulamá, King of Divines. (This Súrih, 103rd in
> the Qur’an, was also revealed in Mecca and also has
> only three verses. It is the smallest Súrih in the Qur’an.)
> 
> 39 Súrih of Kawthar in the Qur’an was revealed in Mecca and is the smallest
> Súrih with only three verses.
> 40 The Súrih of “Val‘Asr” was also revealed in Mecca and also contains only
> three verses
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                  49
> 
> 7.  The Commentary on the Al­Há is another of the
> important works of the Báb that concerns an account of
> His afflictions and suffering and the injustices of His
> opponents and enemies.
> 8. Nine Courses of Commentary on the Qur’an revealed in
> Máh­Kú were sent to Ibráhím Khalíl. Their whereabouts
> are unknown.
> 9. The Báb’s famous and significant address to the Sheriff
> of Mecca, a copy of which is extant in which the Sheriff
> has been addressed by his name, Sulaymán­ibn­i­Owan.
> 10. The Letters Addressed to Muhammad Sháh are three
> important and well­known works.
> 11. The Letters Addressed to Sultán ‘Abdu’l­Majíd and
> Najíb Páshá, governor of Baghdad.
> 12. Letters Addressed to Hájí Mírzá Áqásí, including the
> “denunciation homily,” which contains strong words of
> censure and warning. This work was revealed after the
> Báb’s return from Tabriz to Chihríq.
> 13. Letters addressed to each of the Iranian religious
> leaders in various cities and those in Najaf and
> Karbala. This includes two letters addressed to Shaykh
> Muhammad Hasan Isfahani who was a resident of
> Najaf and the most highly ranked Shiite scholar of his
> time. In a second letter the Báb tells him,“…We
> appointed ‘Alí and sent him to you. Had you
> recognized him you would have prostrated yourself
> before him.”
> 14. The Seven Qualifications introduces the seven traits
> and qualities of the Bábí Faith and is addressed to the
> early believers of Shiraz. On His return from Mecca, the
> Báb handed the work to Quddús to take to Shiraz for
> delivery to Mullá Sádiq Muqaddas. It was after the
> receipt of this work that Mullá Sádiq chanted the
> modified version of the “Adhán,” which included his
> bearing witness to the appearance of the new revelation.
> The events that followed such a bold and flagrant an
> announcement are detailed in page 13 of this chronicle.
> 15. The Seven Proofs, revealed in Máh­Kú, comprises seven
> proofs in demonstrating the truth of the revelation of
> 50                                              The King of Messengers
> 
> God, presented in the most graceful and elegant
> language.
> 16. Risálih­i­Ithbát­i­Nabuvvat­i­Khassih (Treatise on
> Proof of the Exclusivity of Prophethood) is a proof of
> the prophethood of the Seal of the Prophets
> (Muhammad), which was revealed in response to an
> inquiry by Manúchihr Khán Mu’tamidu’d­Dawlih, the
> governor of Isfahan, who was a native of the Russian
> Georgia and a Christian. The work helped him declare
> his belief in Islam. This treatise was revealed in 50 pages
> and within a time span of two hours during which
> Manúchihr Khán himself was present.
> 17. Risálih­i­Dhahábiyyih (the Golden Treatise) was
> issued in response to a cleric and contains proof of His
> revelation.
> 18. Risálih­i­Sulúk (The Treatise on Spiritual Journey) which
> is one of the Báb’s early works was possibly revealed even
> prior to the passing of Siyyid Kázim Rashtí. It brings to
> light the requirements and conditions of the spiritual
> journey from self to God. In it, the Báb directly quotes
> from the writings of the Siyyid and ends the reference by
> imploring God to lengthen his life, which indicates that the
> work was revealed in Siyyid’s lifetime. The quotation
> reads:
> 
> ….The main obstacle (on the spiritual journey) is
> heedlessness and disregard of the divine Providence
> —Verily this world and the next are but two
> conditions—if your focus is on God then you are in
> paradise and if you only look to yourself, then you
> are in hell. Understand the illusions, break the habits
> and customs, abandon lust, endure every disloyalty
> of the people, every reproach of the friend, every
> rebuke of the enemy and every censure of the spouse
> and child— then, as you have trodden the path of
> spiritual attainment you will have opened to your
> face the gates of God and have fulfilled your desire to
> enter the Ark of the Generous One….
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                     51
> 
> 19. Risálih–i­Ghiná (the Treatise on Singing) was revealed
> in Isfahan and is in response to Sultánu’l­Zákirín, the
> reciter of the tragedies of Karbala. He had inquired
> regarding the permissibility of singing of melodies. In
> response the Báb writes, “From what may be gleaned
> from the “ahádith” (Traditions) the impermissibility of
> voice (raised in song) is due to its misdirected effects by
> those with corrupt inclinations. Otherwise if it does not
> promote sinfulness and does not overstep the bounds of
> propriety, then no religious prohibition has been
> specified.” This treatise is quite lengthy.
> 20. Risálih­i­Fiqhiyyih (Treatise on Religious Law) ­ This
> treatise, according to Nicolas and as related by Hasan
> Balyuzi, was revealed by the Báb in His youth when He
> was engaged as a merchant in Bushihr.
> 21. Tablet of Visitation of Sháh ‘Abdu’l­‘Azím was
> revealed on the Báb’s sojourn in the village of Kulayn.
> 22. Súrih Tawhíd (Súrih of Unity)
> 23. Sahífih A’mál­al­Sunnatih (the Treatise on Acts of
> Tradition) was composed of 214 verses in 14 chapters.
> The Báb declares: “…I swear to Him who is God that if
> the entire inhabitants of the world were to come
> together, they would be helpless to generate even a
> single chapter like it.”41
> 24. Sahifat’ul­‘Adliyyih or Risálih­i­‘Adliyyih (Treatise on
> Justice) is about the beginning and end of all things.
> This book is different from the “Tablet of Justice” since
> in Risálih­i­‘Adliyyih, the Báb applies the title of “Book
> of Justice” to the Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.
> “Tablet of Justice,” a work by Bahá’u’lláh, is addressed
> to Muhammad Ridá Shahmírzádí who was a Bábí and a
> survivor of Tabarsi who later discovered the true station
> of Bahá’u’lláh and became a believer in His Revelation.
> 25. Sahífih­i­Baynu’l­Haramayn or Sahífatu’l­Haramayn
> (Treatise between the two Shrines) is a response to the
> questions put to the Báb by Mírzá Muhít Kirmání who
> considered himself as the most erudite Shaykhí scholar
> of his time and the worthy successor to Siyyid Kázim
> 
> 41 Asráru’l­Áthár, vol. 4, pp. 247­249.
> 52                                           The King of Messengers
> 
> Rashtí. Since it was revealed between Mecca and
> Medina, it became known by this title.
> 26. Sahífih Ja’fariyyih (Treatise on Ja’far)
> 27. Sahífih Radaviyyih (Treatise on Rida)
> 28. Sahífih Sharh­i­Du’a Ghaybat (Treatise in elucidation
> of the prayer of the Hidden)
> 29. Sahífih Makhzúnih (Treatise of the Hidden) is one of the
> earliest works of the Báb and comprises various verses
> and prayers.
> 30. Furú’­i­‘Adliyyih (Branches of Justice), according to the
> beloved Guardian, was rendered into Persian by Mullá
> Muhammad Taqí Harátí.
> 31. Kitábu’l­Asmá is divided into 19 units, and each unit
> consists of 19 bábs or chapters that add up to 361
> sections, which is the number of “All Things.” Each báb
> is in praise of one of the names of God that is
> manifested by one of the believers.
> 32. Kitábu’l­Rúh (the Book of Spirit) consists of seven
> hundred súrihs and has been referred to, in the book
> itself by the Báb, as the greatest of Books. This Book was
> revealed during His sojourn in Mecca.
> 33. The Tablet of the Hurúfát (Tablet of the Letters) was
> revealed in Chihríq in honor of Asadu’lláh Khu‘í, titled
> Dayyán. Dayyán, having read the Tablet, remarked that
> if the Báb had only revealed this one single Tablet, it
> would have been sufficient evidence of His
> prophethood. Bahá’u’lláh, while in the Most Great
> Prison in Akká revealed a Tablet delineating the many
> illusions and mysteries contained in this work.
> 34. Tablet of the Hayákil (Tablet of the Temples) contains
> 19 Temples, each of which has eleven lines, and each
> line numerically adds up to one of God’s names.
> 35. Various other letters, tablets, treatises and
> commentaries, expositions, prayers, and tablets of
> visitations, the names of which appear in such works as
> Asráru’l­Áthár (Mystery of the Revealed Works), i.e.,
> the commentary on the Súrih of Baqarih, the account of
> the Day of Áshurá, the Treatise on Resurrection, the
> treatise written in Isfahan for Mírzá Hasan the historian,
> exposition of the Súrih of Qadr, numerous prayers for
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                     53
> 
> the days of the week and the morning prayer,
> Ziyáratu’l­Hurúf (Visitation of Letters), Public
> Visitation, and separate tablets of visitation for the
> Shiite Imams and the high ranking martyrs of the Bábí
> revelation, and tens of epistles, expositions,
> commentaries, visitation tablets and prayers all of
> which are penned by that exalted divine Legislator
> Himself or are sealed and signed by Him.
> 
> The lofty rank that all of these precious books and treatises
> which have issued from the pen of the Báb occupy remains as
> yet undisclosed. Perhaps some day scholars with pure hearts
> and sanctified souls who are knowledgeable in spiritual verities
> and possessed of powerful pens will emerge from behind the
> invisible veil of God’s Will and will prove able and worthy to
> shed light on these miraculous Writings.
> Our intention, here, however, was to highlight the
> astonishing and unmatched vastness of His Writings in
> comparison with scriptures of the past. What is significant is
> that all of these works comprise verses revealed through divine
> inspiration. There are neither hearsay tales recounted by other
> individuals nor personal accounts by anyone of the sayings or
> acts of the divine manifestation or any reference to past
> historical events.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Significantly, the one thing that stands out conspicuously in
> the entire range of the Báb’s Writings and which through
> frequent mention and emphasis is forced to the forefront of His
> revelation is His glad­tidings regarding the appearance, in the
> person of Bahá’u’lláh, of “Him whom God shall make
> manifest.” It was already noted before that the Báb’s
> announcement regarding the appearance of Bahá’u’lláh,
> contrary to the allusions made by the entire company of former
> prophets, whether major or minor regarding similar events, was
> not revealed in implicit or mystical language but rather in clear,
> explicit and unequivocal terms. The words of emphasis are so
> 54                                             The King of Messengers
> 
> numerous that it astonishes the mind, since employment of such
> lucid language for such a pronouncement is unprecedented.
> Therefore, rather than continuing with any further
> definition of the subject, certain verses of the Bayán and other
> works of the Báb will be presented here so that you may become
> aware and appreciate the degree of emphasis the Báb employs
> in order to herald the appearance of the Abhá Beauty:
> 
> 1.   “…the intent of the essence of this chapter is not the
> Bayán unless it draws attention directly towards ‘Him
> whom God Shall make Manifest’. ”
> 2.   “O People of the Bayán: Do not commit what the people
> of Furqán (the Qur’an) committed and do not hide
> yourselves from the Beloved for the ascent of the Bayán
> is towards Him and the joy of His kingdom.”
> 3.   “Bayán will not be well pleased with you until you have
> believed in‘Him whom God shall Make Manifest’.”
> 4.   “O People of the Bayán, if you believe in ‘Him Whom
> God Shall Make Manifest’, it is you who will profit by
> acquiring the gift of faith, otherwise He is independent
> of all things. For example if we place numerous mirrors
> in front of the sun, its light is reflected in them which
> tell of its existence, whereas the sun remains free from
> any association with the mirrors in which it is
> reflected.”
> 5.   “He is like the Sun in the heavens; His verses are His
> light and the believers are like mirrors in which the Sun
> appears.”
> 6.   “The Manifestation of God in each Dispensation who
> reflects the eternal Will has been and is the Glory of
> God before whose glory ‘All Things’ will be considered
> as non­existent.”
> 7.   And regarding His hidden and open declarations in the
> years of 9 and 19, He writes: “In the year nine you will
> come to every blessing.”
> 8.   He writes: “In the year nine your thirst for meeting God
> will be quenched.”
> 9.   In a blessed tablet to ‘Azím, the Báb writes: “Bide your
> time until nine years have elapsed from the Bayán, then
> say ‘Blessed is the Lord who is the best of all Creators’.”
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                    55
> 
> 10. He also saith: “From the start of the revelation until the
> number of ‘unity’, be watchful.” (In the religion of the
> Bayán each ‘unity’ is equivalent to the numeral 19.
> Nineteen years after the declaration of the Báb,
> Bahá’u’lláh made his open declaration during Ridván,
> and in the year 9, He made his secret declaration in the
> Black Pit in Tihran.)
> 11. He also saith: “The Lord of the day of Faith will appear
> at the end of ‘unity’ and beginning of Thamánín.”
> (Unity in the Abjad numerology is 19, and Thamánín in
> Arabic is 80 and Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration took place in
> 1280 AH (Ridván of 1863 CE).
> 12. Also regarding the nearness of the day of revelation of
> the Promised One and that whenever it takes place, all
> must obey, He saith: “Be watchful of the time of
> revelation so that not a moment should separate those
> who are believers in the Bayán from their acceptance of
> the new revelation.”
> 13. He also saith: “None knoweth the time of the revelation
> but God. Whenever it comes, all must submit to the
> Point of Truth and praise the Lord.”
> 14. He also saith: “If He appears at this moment, I would be
> the first servant to prostrate (Myself before Him).”
> 15. Again laying emphasis on the point that belief in the
> Bayán should not prevent anyone from recognizing
> God’s own manifestation and turn from light to fire, He
> saith: “No paradise is greater for any soul than the time
> of God’s revelation when he should recognize Him,
> understand His verses, profess his belief and attain His
> presence which is the presence of God and soar in the
> heavenly ocean of His good pleasure.”
> 16. He also saith: “O People of Bayán, do not do what the
> people of Furqán (Qur’an) did so that you may not
> nullify the fruits of the faith you garnered while you
> expected the new revelation.”
> 17. In báb 7 of the second unity of the Persian Bayán, He
> again saith: “O People of the Bayán, have pity on
> yourselves and do not nullify the merit of your long
> wait for the day of resurrection as did the heedless ones
> of the Qur’an who took pride in Islám for 1270 years
> 56                                          The King of Messengers
> 
> and yet on the day of gathering the fruits of their Faith
> which was the day of resurrection, the judgment of
> “unfaithful to Islam” was issued against them….” (The
> meaning of the day of Resurrection is the day of the
> appearance of the Tree of Reality, and the duration of
> the Resurrection is from the onset of the dawning of the
> new revelation until the setting of Its sun. By the term
> “Tree of Reality,” the person of the Divine
> Manifestation is intended.
> 18. And again He saith: “The Bayán and all that is therein
> should not keep you from that essence of existence and
> the possessor of the seen and the unseen.”
> 19. And again He saith: If all the believers in the Bayán,
> declare their belief in ‘Him whom God Shall Make
> Manifest’, none will remain in the fire and the judgment
> of disbelief will not be passed against anyone.”
> 20. In a blessed missive addressed to Mullá Báqir Tabrízí,
> the Letter of the living, and in response to his question
> which had also been inquired by the great Vahíd for
> whom an explanation had been revealed, in a copy of
> the same response He writes: “You recognized God,
> then recognize the One that the Lord will manifest who
> is greater and more exalted than to be perceived by
> those who are subservient to Him or be identified by
> testimonies of His creatures and verily I am the first
> servant to believe in Him and His verses.”
> 21. And in this very missive, He also saith: “If it becomes
> clear that on the day of His appearance you would not
> profess your belief in Him, verily I shall seize from you
> your avowal of faith in this Dispensation since you have
> not been born except for Him; even if I find that a
> Christian has professed belief in Him, I would consider
> him as the apple of my eye and a believer in this
> revelation without any evidence that might witness to
> his faith. Thus if that soul in the day of revelation
> becomes a believer in Him, his worlds will turn into
> light but if a believer (in Me) remains heedless in that
> day his worlds will turn into fire.”
> 22. He also saith: “Beware, beware lest in the day of
> revelation you remain heedless on account of the
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                   57
> 
> Bayán’s ‘unity’ (reference to the Letters of the Living
> and to the Báb himself), as this ‘unity’ is but His
> creation. Beware, beware that you do not remain veiled
> (from His truth) because of the words of the Bayán as
> these words are His words in the temple of His former
> revelation. He is the Sun of Truth and the very face of
> Oneness, the heavenly countenance, the divine essence
> and His eternal self.”
> 23. He also adds in this missive: “...Perchance in eight
> years, in the day of His revelation, you would attain to
> the presence of God; and thus if you failed to attain His
> presence at the dawn of revelation, you may attain it at
> its consummation.”
> 24. And again He saith: “If, on the day of His Revelation, all
> that are on earth bear Him allegiance, Mine inmost
> being will rejoice, inasmuch as all will have attained the
> summit of their existence, and will have been brought
> face to face with their Beloved, and will have
> recognized, to the fullest extent attainable in the world
> of being, the splendor of Him Who is the Desire of their
> hearts. If not, My soul will indeed be saddened. I truly
> have nurtured all things for this purpose. How, then,
> can anyone be veiled from Him? For this have I called
> upon God, and will continue to call upon Him. He,
> verily, is nigh, ready to answer.”
> 25. And expressing the degree of His humility and that of
> His Faith before the threshold of Bahá’u’lláh and the
> Abhá religion, He saith: “For all that hath been exalted
> in the Bayán is but as a ring upon My hand, and I
> Myself am, verily, but a ring upon the hand of Him
> Whom God shall make manifest—glorified be His
> mention! He turneth it as He pleaseth, for whatsoever
> He pleaseth, and through whatsoever He pleaseth. He,
> verily, is the Help in Peril, the Most High.”
> 26. And again He saith: “O congregation of the Bayán and
> all who are therein!
> Recognize ye the limits imposed upon you, for such a
> One as the Point of the Bayán Himself hath believed in
> Him Whom God shall make manifest, before all things
> 58                                            The King of Messengers
> 
> were created. Therein, verily, do I glory before all who
> are in the kingdom of heaven and earth.”
> 27. And again He saith: “Today Bayán is in the stage of a
> seed. The dawn of the appearance of ‘He Whom God
> Shall Make Manifest’ is the consummation of the
> Bayán’s duration.”
> 28. In the fifteenth báb of the third unity of the Persian
> Bayán, He saith: “the Manifestation of God in every
> revelation that is purposed by the Original Will, has
> been and is Bahá’u’lláh, before whom ‘all things’ is
> considered as nothing….he who declares his belief in
> ‘He Whom God Shall Make Manifest’ and His
> principles has believed in God from the beginning that
> has no beginning and has emerged under the shadow of
> His good pleasure and has achieved the merit of His
> good pleasure in each and all of His revelations. And he
> who does not profess belief in Him, even though he
> might have believed and achieved His good pleasure in
> all His worlds, all would be considered null and void.”
> 29. And again in the sixteenth báb of the second unity He
> saith: “I swear by ‘He Whom God Shall Make Manifest’
> where no other oath before God is greater, that if He
> appears and even a single one remains in the Bayán, all
> punishment will be his lot….”
> 30. And again He saith: “I counsel the people of the Bayán
> that if at the time of appearance of ‘He Whom God Shall
> Make Manifest’, all achieved the paradise of His
> nearness and attained His supreme presence then joy be
> unto you, joy be unto you, joy be unto you….”
> 31. And again He saith: “…the Bayán, from the beginning
> to the end, is a testament to all of His attributes and the
> storehouse of His fire and His light.”
> 32. He also saith: “The whole of the Bayán is but a leaf of
> the leaves of His paradise.”
> 33. And He also saith: “If you attain to His revelation and
> remain obedient you would have demonstrated the
> fruits of the Bayán, otherwise you would not be worthy
> of mention before God.”
> 34. And again He saith:”No proof for Him or before anyone
> is greater than His own Being as all the verses and
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                    59
> 
> words emanate from the ocean of His generosity, the
> sea of His grace and the illuminating rays of His
> Sun….”
> 35. And He also saith: “If you but recite one verse of the
> verses of ‘He Whom God Shall Make Manifest’, it
> would be more praiseworthy than transcribing the
> entirety of the Bayán as that one verse will lead to your
> salvation whereas the whole of the Bayán will not.”
> 36. And He also saith: “If a soul hears and recites a single
> verse of His, it would be better than reciting the Bayán a
> thousand times.”
> 37. And He also saith: “The one year seed of the upcoming
> revelation is more potent than the whole of what is in
> the Bayán.”
> 38. And He also saith: “Well is it with him who will witness
> to the order of Bahá’u’lláh and gives thanks (for the
> bounty).”
> 39. And He also saith: “The whole of religion is but His
> triumph and not the deeds that have been revealed in
> the Bayán.”
> 40. In Súrih of Joseph He saith: “O Thou Remnant of God! I
> have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted
> curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but
> martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient witness
> unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient
> of Days.”
> 
> The Báb’s glad tidings regarding the revelation of
> Bahá’u’lláh are so clear and so numerous that the Pen of the
> Most High itself bears witness to them: “In no other age or era,
> has a former religion made mention of the appearance of the
> subsequent Faith with such clarity and in such detail.”
> 60   The King of Messengers
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                   61
> 
> – Part 3 –
> Now let us consider the power and impact of the divinely
> inspired Words revealed in this heavenly dispensation.
> Contrary to what we observe in former revelations—where
> some of the early believers argued with their prophets and
> others expressed objections and doubts, some while claiming
> loyalty did not believe His words, and others while professing
> belief, yet, would not show obedience—in this Faith the effect of
> the revealed scripture was so extraordinary that the
> commentary of the Súrih of Joseph so disturbed and
> overwhelmed Mullá Husayn that when he asked permission to
> retire from the presence of the Báb, he was told: “If you take
> your leave now, whoever sees you would say that this youth
> has gone insane”; the commentary of Súrih of Kawthar so
> enraptured Vahíd that he had to be revived by rose water
> sprinkled on his face; a few verses of the commentary of Súrih
> of Joseph confirmed the great Hujjat and dispatched him and
> three thousand of his cohorts to the field of martyrdom; a single
> tablet so enchanted and enthralled the great Dayyán that he
> traveled the entire distance to Chihríq to visit the Báb on foot;
> the work, ‘the Exclusive Prophethood’ so completely
> transformed and magnetized Manúchihr Khán that he became
> totally enraptured with the blessed Báb, and Khasá’il­i­Sab‘ih
> (the Seven Qualifications) inspired Mullá Sádiq, such that in the
> prevailing circumstances of time and place, he publicly and
> loudly chanted the revised call to prayer which included open
> reference to the new theophany and as recorded in the non­
> Bahá’í history books, these wondrous and divinely inspired
> words sent thousands of the lovers of the blessed Báb, willingly
> and joyfully to the field of martyrdom the like of which has not
> been seen in history.
> And yet after the martyrdom of the Báb and the declaration
> of the Abhá Beauty, these same heavenly Writings, each verse of
> which caused such transformation and attraction, such awe and
> rapture and which produced such devotees whose unbounded
> love and self­sacrifice guided them to the field of martyrdom
> suddenly seemed to lose that miraculous effect as though the
> Báb, along with His own being had sacrificed the very fruits of
> 62                                           The King of Messengers
> 
> His divine revelation, His revealed words, and their powerful
> influence in the path of Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In elucidation of this point and demonstration of the degree
> of the influence of the divine verses in this glorious dispensation
> and so that the conditions and attitudes of the early believers at
> the time of the appearance of the Báb are more fully
> appreciated, a brief comparative evaluation is undertaken
> below.
> As per the text of the Old Testament, in the Book of Exodus
> when Moses returned from Mount Sinai to His people, the
> Israelites, He discovered that His followers had fashioned a
> golden calf that had become the subject of their worship. And
> thus, aided by the members of the House of Levi to which He
> belonged, Moses, in one day, killed three thousand of the
> believers.
> “And all the Levites rallied to him. He said to them, ‘Thus
> says the Lord, the God of Israel: Each of you put sword on
> thigh, go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp,
> and slay brother, neighbor, and kin.’ The Levites did as Moses
> had bidden and some three thousand of the people fell that
> day.” (Exodus 32: 27–29). This is a sample of the spiritual
> maturity and devotion of the people who believed in Moses at
> the time of appearance.
> Jesus Christ, at the time of His martyrdom had some 150
> believers of whom 12 were the disciples, Peter, Andrew, Simon,
> James, Judas, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, John, and Thomas.
> It was Judas who, despite Jesus’ knowledge of his intent,
> revealed His hiding place for a few pieces of silver leading to
> His arrest and crucifixion. The rest of the disciples at the time of
> Jesus’ arrest and trial fled the area, and Peter who was the first
> to believe in Him and whom Jesus had chosen as the foundation
> upon which to build His church, on the night of the crucifixion,
> denied Him three times and even took an oath that he did not
> know Him and went so far as cursing His name. And it was not
> until the second “crowing of the cock” that he remembered
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                            63
> 
> Jesus’ remark that until that second “crowing of the cock” you
> will have denied me three times. He then went out and wept.42
> This too is an example of the faith and devotion of the early
> Christian believers at the time of Jesus.
> Regarding the believers in Muhammad and the unseemly
> conduct of some of them against the prophet, though supported
> by the Qur’an and the credible traditions of both Sunni and
> Shia, I will withhold comments since if misunderstood it could
> result in the martyrdom of a few other innocent friends or the
> imprisonment of a group of blameless and obedient believers.
> Otherwise reference, supported by historical evidence, may
> easily be made of assorted cases of disobedience of a number of
> the believers to the instructions of the Messenger of God, a few
> of which are as follows:
> 
> 1.   Disobedience of the believers in the battle of Ohud.
> 2.   Weakness in belief of some of the followers in the
> promises of God’s Messenger regarding their ultimate
> victory over Khusraw (the Persian Emperor) and
> Caesar. They claimed that: “Mohammad has promised
> us the treasurers of Khusraw and Caesar and yet we
> can’t even relieve our bodily functions in peace.”43
> 3.   Disobedience of some of the followers, one of whom
> later became the second Caliph of Islam, to
> Muhammad’s instructions in His deathbed. In response
> to Messenger of God’s request to be given pen and
> paper so that He may write His testament, some of
> those present said: “Pain has overcome the prophet. The
> Qur’an is before us and God’s words are sufficient unto
> us.” It is said that Omar made this comment.
> 
> There was immediate disagreement among the rank of the
> believers. Some insisted that Muhammad should be given the
> chance to write down such instructions that would prevent the
> believers from being misguided in the future. Others did not see
> the necessity for this and considered the Book of God as
> complete and final. Witnessing the argument, Muhammad
> 
> 42 Matthew 26:74­75.
> 43 M. H. Haykal, Life of Muhammad, translated by A. Payandeh, p. 458.
> 64                                                   The King of Messengers
> 
> asked them to leave and added that it was not seemly to quarrel
> in the presence of the Prophet of God.
> After this event Ibn­i­‘Abbás felt that the Muslims, by
> denying the Prophet the opportunity to write His last thoughts,
> destroyed something very important, but Omar remained
> adamant and contended that the verse in the Qur’an which says:
> “We have verily not fallen short in revealing the Word is
> adequate proof of the completeness of divine instructions.”44
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But in the blessed revelation of the Primal Point (the Báb),
> thousand of believers, with unbounded courage and in the path
> of His love, sacrificed their lives in the field of martyrdom,
> stories of whose heroic deeds are recorded in non­Bahá’í
> accounts as well.
> 
> 1.   Watson, the author of the History of the Qájár writes:
> “The Bábís confronted their destiny with fearless power
> none of whom could be forced to recant their faith and
> accept Islam as their religion so that they may escape
> the gallows. As the burning candle burned into the flesh
> of one of Báb’s followers, one of the judges tried to
> convince him to curse the name of the Báb so that he
> may live. He in turn cursed the judge’s name…. He was
> in such high spirits that torture and agony seemed to
> have little effect on him.”45
> 2.   Gustov Lebon, the renowned French physician,
> psychologist, sociologist, philosopher, and author
> (1841–1931), in his book Beliefs and Ideas writes: “In
> Tabriz a famous Bábí was arrested and was taken to the
> town’s square. Whatever they did so that he should
> curse his Faith in order to escape death, he refused.
> Acting as intermediaries, town merchants asked him to
> utter only one word in renunciation of his beliefs; he
> would not accept. They threatened him with the life of
> his child. He laid himself on the ground and told them
> 
> 44 Ibid.
> 45 Quoted in M. Moshrefzadeh, The Bahá’í Faith Has a Divine Origin.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                     65
> 
> to kill the child on his breast. They brought his child.
> His older child who was 14 ran forward and told them
> that he was older and that he should be the first to give
> his life.…Then they martyred both sons of the Bábí.
> He also writes that they suspended, upside down, a
> Bábí from the top of the city wall and as he approached
> death he was heard whispering: “O, my beloved, have I
> gained Thy good pleasure?”
> In God Passes By, the beloved Guardian quotes a
> number of remarks and testimonies of some Western
> writers:
> 3.   “Renan writes: thousands came to the field of sacrifice,
> with boundless joy and excitement in the path of the
> Báb.”
> 4.   Browne writes: “A shining example of the power of
> faith, devotion, will to sacrifice and pure courage has
> manifested itself in the dawning of the Bábí religion.
> The spirit of devotion and faith, detachment and
> spiritual awareness which animates the Bábís is so
> powerful and inspiring that can magnetize anyone who
> comes into contact with it, a Faith that one day may
> rank as the most distinguished among the company of
> the great religions of the world.” (God Passes By, page
> 80)
> 5.   Professor J. Darmushteter writes: “The Bábí Faith that
> within less than five years spread from one end of Iran
> to the other and in the year 1852 witnessed the
> bloodshed of so many of its adherents, now in utmost
> dignity and self­assurance is progressing and gaining a
> loftier and more exalted status.”46
> 6.   Lord Curzon writes: “In the blood­stained pages of Bábí
> history there are numerous astonishing tales of devotion
> and sacrifice of this people that is a tribute to the
> greatness of that Faith…. It is but obvious that religious
> teachings that can generate such spirit of detachment
> and ready sacrifice of life in its followers and create in
> them such level of steadfastness and high mindedness
> 
> 46 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By.
> 66                                            The King of Messengers
> 
> must be considered most noble and commendable.”
> (Quoted in God Passes By, page 80)
> 7. Count de Gobineau writes: “I must admit that if I had
> found in Europe a group of people similar to the Bábís
> evincing that same degree of devotion, passion and
> power of attraction as well as steadfastness, purity of
> heart and love for the entire humankind, I would have
> surely accepted their beliefs. Their power to create fear
> in the hearts of their enemies and yet their intense love
> and ardent penchant in teaching and guiding seekers as
> well as their unexpected success in attracting people of
> every class and rank convinced me that in a short time
> the control of governance will fall into their hands and
> the scepter of power and authority would ultimately
> rest in their grasp.”47
> 8. Watson, author of the History of Qájár writes: “In
> comparison, it may be concluded that the followers of
> the Báb were more faithful than those of Muhammad. In
> the early years after its advent this Faith spread much
> faster than Christianity.”
> 9. Sir Francis Edward Younghusband (1863–1942) writes
> as follows about the Báb: “… Moved by the penetrating
> power of His words, thousands of the poor and the
> well­to­do, scholar and illiterate, young and old,
> sacrificed their lives, accepted all manner of
> persecution, agony and torture and bore all of this with
> steadfastness, quiescence and submission.”48
> 10. ‘Abbás Qulí Khán Láríjání, one of the commanders of
> the Tabarsi struggle whose bullet felled the martyred
> Mullá Husayn, related, some two years after the
> incident, stories regarding the conflict in a gathering
> and in the presence of Prince Ahmad Mírzá as related in
> the book Zuhúru’l­Haqq (Revelation of Truth). He
> remembered: “O great Prince, what can I say and how
> can I describe the conduct of those Bábís? It is truly a
> story that is incredible and astonishing. Those who have
> heard the stories of the tragedy of Karbala and the
> 
> 47 Quoted in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By.
> 48 Quoted in Some Bahá’í Discussions.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                    67
> 
> martyrdom of Imam Husayn49 and wished they could
> witness with their own eyes those heart­rending scenes
> and the demeanor and bearing of that wronged one of
> the world before his cruel oppressors, should have been
> in Tabarsi so that they could witness the exact same
> scenes. The conditions and the intensity of the events
> were such that one even forgot those similar historical
> events, as Mullá Husayn and his companions, in the
> same manner as the Prince of Martyrs and his followers,
> presented themselves in the field of sacrifice and my
> troops and I, with drawn swords and rifles made ready
> to meet them. For Mullá Husayn and his companions
> killing and dying seemed the same. I don’t know what
> these Bábís have seen and experienced that they
> competed with each other with joy and delight to meet
> their deaths. They exhibited no fear and met the guns
> head on and seemed to consider the sharp blade and the
> blood shedding dagger as their ultimate salvation and
> the key to eternal life. Even though starving and
> without any source of food and water and lacking in
> rest and recuperation which had made them feeble and
> vulnerable, yet at the hour of battle they seemed to have
> been infused with fresh power and renewed spirit and
> therefore they gained such boldness and courage that
> the minds of the wise are incapable of understanding.”
> 
> These and hundreds of similar events as testified by non­
> Bahá’í sources bear witness to the greatness of the faith and
> devotion of the Bábís and only a few were quoted here since
> 
> Lovers’ secrets are better revealed
> By others’ chronicles of events and deeds
> 
> Otherwise, you beloved of God are all well aware of the
> epic events of Tabarsi, Zanján, Niyríz, Yazd, Tihran and
> Khurásán, Isfahan, and other cities of Iran. Praised be God, how
> numerous the number of the lovers who danced to the field of
> sacrifice and offered sweet pastry among the onlookers, how
> many of them asked the executioner to let them be first, and
> 
> 49 Imam Husayn was martyred in Karbala.
> 68                                           The King of Messengers
> 
> how many who tried to ease the executioner’s conscience of his
> misgivings in committing such horrible acts, how many who
> kissed the executioner’s hand and chanted songs of love, all of
> whom as attested by Bahá’u’lláh gave their lives and yet did not
> utter a single unseemly word. Their most sublime example was
> Anís who in the field of sacrifice placed his head upon the
> breast of His incomparable Beloved so that his head may receive
> the volley of the bullets.
> The best Beloved, the Primal Point and the exalted Lord, the
> Báb who had sent thousands of God intoxicated lovers of His
> beauty to the field of martyrdom, Himself led the field and
> placed His breast before hundreds of bullets, and thus sacrificed
> His blessed Self as well as the majestic power and influence of
> the religion of Bayán, its most renowned and distinguished
> believers, its elder cast, and His most eminent companions and
> devotees, utterly and unreservedly, all in the path of the
> Remnant of God, the Abhá Beauty, the Promised One of all
> Faiths, the Desired One of all humankind, the Beloved of hearts
> and Subject of love and devotion of all who are endowed with
> the gift of faith, Bahá’u’lláh.
> So all­embracing was this act of sacrifice that after the
> revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and except for certain laws such as
> sanctioning interest on money, limiting the size of dowry,
> instituting the Right of God, the waiting period prior to divorce,
> kindness to animals, proscription in carrying firearms,
> prohibition of confessing of sin to any individual, banning of
> ascending pulpits, prohibition of congregational prayer except
> for the prayer for the dead, and others which now as part of the
> Aqdas form the laws of the Bahá’í Faith, a religion known as the
> Bábí Faith, ceased to exist. None remained from His devoted
> followers and self­sacrificing believers, and no trace of the
> supernatural influence of its divine teachings endured; all of
> which vanished or reappeared in the supreme religion of
> Bahá’u’lláh, except for its matchless history and grandeur, and
> tale of its imperishable and heroic episodes which became
> timeless and shone better and brighter than any other historical
> spectacle; it was inscribed in the memory of the friends and
> stored safe in the heart of its lovers and recorded in the works of
> writers and documented in the books of historians.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                  69
> 
> The world of love found a new song and the lovers’
> minstrel discovered a new melody. Sacrifice became the secret
> of true life and evanescence lead to glory; the world of dust
> became illumined and the God’s kingdoms shone brightly by
> the heavenly light of so many pure souls….
> This tale is unfinished. It is a story of love, eternal and
> everlasting….what was recounted was merely a passing glance.
> 
> In clamor are the seven domes of the firmament with
> this saga
> 
> Consider the shortsighted who sufficed with but a
> brief tale.
> 70   The King of Messengers
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                      71
> 
> Selected Sources
> ­­­­­. Má‘idih­i­Ásmání (9 volumes from the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l­Bahá and the Guardian). Compiled by Mr.
> Ishráq Khávari.
> 
> ­­­­­. The Bible (Old and New Testaments).
> 
> ­­­­­. The Qur’an.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l­Bahá. Makátíb (8 volumes).
> 
> ‘Abdu’l­Bahá. Maqáliyyih Shakhsí Sayyáh (A Traveler’s
> Narrative).
> 
> Báb, The. Bayán.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh. Kitáb­i­Iqán (The Book of Certitude).
> 
> Balyuzi, H. M. Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> Balyuzi, H. M. The Báb.
> 
> Faizi, Muhammad ‘Alí. Afnán Dynasty.
> 
> Faizi, Muhammad ‘Alí. La‘álí­i­Dirakhshán (The Brilliant Gems).
> 
> Furutan, ‘Alí Akbar. A Few Discussions on the Cause.
> 
> Ghadimi, Riaz. Christianity and Its Branches.
> 
> Ghadimi, Riaz. Siyyid’ur­Rusul, His Holiness Muhammad, Islam
> and its branches.
> 
> Khávarí, Ishráq. Asrár­i­Rabbání.
> 
> Khávarí, Ishráq. Calendar of the History of the Cause.
> 
> Khávarí, Ishráq. Ganj­i­Sháyigán (The Precious Treasure).
> 
> Khávarí, Ishráq. Qámús­i­Iqán (4 volumes).
> 
> Khávarí, Ishráq. Rahíq­i­Makhtúm (The Choice Sealed Wine, 2
> volumes).
> 
> Khávarí, Ishráq. Risálih­i­Ayyam­i­Tis‘ih.
> 72                                           The King of Messengers
> 
> Lobon, Gustav. Árá va ‘Aqáyid.
> 
> Mázandarání, Fádil. Asrár­ul­Áthár.
> 
> Mázandarání, Fádil. Rahbarán va Rahruván (Leaders and
> Followers).
> 
> Mázandarání, Fádil. Zuhúru’l­Haqq (Revelation of Truth, 3
> volumes).
> 
> Momen, Mooján. The Bábí and Bahá’í Religions (1844­1944).
> 
> Moshrefzadeh, M. The Bahá’í Faith has a Divine Source.
> 
> Samandar, Shaykh Kázim. History of Samandar.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi. God Passes By (Book of Qarn­i­Badi’, 4
> volumes). Farsi translation by Nasrulláh Maviddat.
> 
> Zarandí, Nabíl. The Dawn­Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early
> Days of the Bahá'í Revelation.
> Riaz Ghadimi                                                  73
> 
> Other Educational Publications by the Same Author
> 1.   The book “Jamál­i­Abhá, Hadrat­i­Bahá’u’lláh, Jalla
> Ismih’ul‘A’lá” (The Abhá Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh) (2nd
> Printing, Canada)
> 2.   Gulzár­i­Ta‘lím­ Bahá’í (The Rose Garden of Bahá’í
> Teachings), containing 105 reproductions of
> authoritative texts related to 120 subject matters,
> Published in Germany
> 3.   “Some Bahá’í Authoritative Texts Regarding Personal
> Virtues and Rules Regarding Consultation”, Second
> Printing, Canada
> 4.   “A Pamphlet on the History of Religions”, 2nd Printing,
> Canada
> 5.   “Two Thousand Words”, Repeated Printing in Iran
> 6.   “Six Thousand Words” with contribution by Mr.
> Ihsánulláh Hemmat, Second Printing, Germany
> 7.   “Dictionary of Selected Words” or “Nineteen Thousand
> Words”, 2nd Printing, Canada
> 8.   The Book “The Lord of Prophets, Muhammad, Islám
> and its Branches”, Canada
> 9.   The Book “Hadrat­i­Rúh, Jesus, Son of Mary,
> Christianity and its Branches”, Canada
>
> — *The Bab: The King of Messengers (Used by permission of the curator)*