|
Texts & Scriptures |
|
| From The Báb | |
|
Persian Bayán · Arabic Bayán |
|
| From Bahá'u'lláh | |
|
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf |
|
| From `Abdu'l-Bahá | |
|
Paris Talks |
|
| From Shoghi Effendi | |
|
The Advent of Divine Justice |
The Persian Bayán (Persian: بیان) is one of the principal scriptural writings of the Báb. Although he started it, it was left unfinished at his death. It is believed that it and its smaller cousin, the Arabic Bayán, were to be completed by another (see below).
Contents |
Unities and chapters
Both books were envisaged to have 19 unities (Váhids) each with 19 chapters (so 361 sections) as the number (denoting the numerical value of all-things, i.e. kullu shay') had special significance within the movement.
Unfinished work
Both versions of the Bayán were incomplete. The Persian Bayán had 9 unities and 10 chapters, with the Arabic Bayán having 11 unities. There are two major claims to the position were put forward, however neither presented a completed book.
Subh-i Azal
Subh-i Azal was appointed by the Báb as his successor and vicar in a series of testamentary appointments [1]. In the most notable of these testamentary documents, the Báb told Subh-i Azal to complete the eight remaining Unities of the Arabic Bayán on the provision that "victory manifests in his day" with the permission of "He whom God shall make manifest", a messianic figure in the Báb's writings. Subh-i Azal continued the work to the end of the Eleventh Unity in his Supplement to the Persian Bayán (mutamim-i-bayan), which builds it up to eleven unities in total to match the Arabic Bayán [2].
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'ís, led by Bahá'u'lláh, claim that this was left only to "He whom God shall make manifest" - a messianic figure in the Bábí religion which Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be. Bahá'ís state that Bahá'u'lláh's book, the Kitáb-i-Íqán was the completion[3].
References
- The Báb (1976). Selections from the Writings of the Báb. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 1931847304.
- Browne, Edward Granville (1987). Selections from the Writings of E.G. Browne on the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, ed. M. Momen. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0853982473.
- Smith, Peter (1999). A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1851681841.
