God testifieth and beareth Me witness that this Wronged One hath not perused the Bayán, nor been acquainted with its contents. This much, however, is known and is clear and indubitable that He hath ordained the Book of the Bayán to be the foundation of His works. (Bahá’u’lláh, “Epistle to the Son of the Wolf”, p. 165)
This deepening session is focused on his paper titled, “Thematic Analysis and Summary of the Persian Bayan.”
Sign-up for the ongoing zoom course on the Persian Bayan!
Beginning with its Preface, which is sixteen pages in length including copious notes written by the editor and translator A.L.M. Nicolas and extending throughout its 630 pages, the French version of the Persian Bayán, which has been rendered into English and is the source of this study, concentrates on the following themes:
- The nature of God.
- The nature of the Manifestations and Revelations and Dispensations of God.
- The nature and behavior of human beings –- Christians, Muslims and Bábís (followers of the Báb).
- The requirements of true belief.
- New laws for the Bábí Dispensation.
- References to the succeeding Manifestations of God.
- The Word of God.
- There are expositions of less important topics as well the significance of the science of numbers.
- The insignificance of the science of grammar.
- The spiritual meanings of certain colors.
- The spiritual equivalents and rankings of material substances.
The Báb addresses (for the most part) the seven major themes cited above, in the course of explaining these Qur’ánic symbolic terms, Several abwáb are given to explain various words used in the Qur’án:
- “Paradise”
- “Hell”
- “Death”
- “The Tomb”
- “Resurrection”
- “The Return”
- “The Balance”
- “The Last Judgment”
- “The Count”
- “Door”
- “The Point”
- and “Reunion”
In addition to these themes, the most prominent topic in the entire book is the announcement of Him Whom God shall make manifest, Who is to follow the Bab, and Who is to be the sole interpreter, after the Bab, of the contents of His Writings, including the Persian Bayan. Baha’u’llah is Him Whom God shall make manifest, and a study of references made to the Persian Bayan can be carried out alongside the reading and study of the original text. One of the significant and unique characteristics of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah, is the prominence given to laws initially found in the Persian Bayan and reaffirmed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. These laws will be identified and discussed in the course of this reading.
The intimate relationship between what are sometimes called the Twin Manifestations of God, will become evident through the study of the Persian Bayan and its correlation with the Writings of Baha’u’llah.
Say: O people be obedient to the ordinances of God, which have been enjoined in the Bayán by the Glorious, the Wise One. Verily He is the King of the Messengers and His Book is the Mother Book did ye but know. (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of Ahmad, in “Bahá’í Prayers”)
