December 1848: Baha’u’llah sets out to visit the Bábis at Shaykh Tabarsi

In December 1848, to fulfill His promise to visit Shaykh Tabarsi for a second time, Baha'u'llah set out with a number of the Bábis intending to visit the besieged fortress. Those who went with Him included

Haji Mirza Janiy-i-Kashani, [The merchant who had acted as host to the Báb in Kashan, and the first chronicler of His Faith, who was martyred in August 1852]

Mulla Baqir-i-Tabrizi (one of the Bab's Letters of the Living),

Shaykh Abu-Turab-i-Ishtahardi,

Aqa Siyyid Hasan-i-Khu'i,

Aqa Siyyid Husayn-i-Turshizi (one of the Seven Martyrs of Tihran),

'Abdu'l-Vahhab Big,

Muhammad-Taqi Khan-i-Nuri and

Mirza Yahya, Subh-i-Azal.

But Baha'u'llah did not succeed in fulfilling His intention, for He and His companions were arrested and detained when they reached a village some nine miles from Shaykh Tabarsi. 

- Balyuzi  (‘Baha’u’llah the King of Glory’)

"The teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are the light of this age and the spirit of this century."

The teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are the light of this age and the spirit of this century. Expound each of them at every gathering.

• The first is investigation of truth,
• The second, the oneness of mankind,
• The third, universal peace,
• The fourth, conformity between science and divine revelation,
• The fifth, abandonment of racial, religious, worldly and political prejudices, prejudices which destroy the foundation of mankind.
• The sixth is righteousness and justice,
• The seventh, the betterment of morals and heavenly education,
• The eighth, the equality of the two sexes,
• The ninth, the diffusion of knowledge and education,
• The tenth, economic questions, and so on and so forth.

Strive that souls may attain unto the light of guidance and hold fast unto the hem of Bahá'u'lláh. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha’)

Baha’u’llah’s Administrative Order is “unique in the annals of the world's religious systems.”

The Administrative Order which this historic Document has established, it should be noted, is, by virtue of its origin and character, unique in the annals of the world's religious systems. No Prophet before Bahá'u'lláh, it can be confidently asserted, not even Muhammad Whose Book clearly lays down the laws and ordinances of the Islamic Dispensation, has established, authoritatively and in writing, anything comparable to the Administrative Order which the authorized Interpreter of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings has instituted, an Order which, by virtue of the administrative principles which its Author has formulated, the institutions He has established, and the right of interpretation with which He has invested its Guardian, must and will, in a manner unparalleled in any previous religion, safeguard from schism the Faith from which it has sprung. Nor is the principle governing its operation similar to that which underlies any system, whether theocratic or otherwise, which the minds of men have devised for the government of human institutions. Neither in theory nor in practice can the Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh be said to conform to any type of democratic government, to any system of autocracy, to any purely aristocratic order, or to any of the various theocracies, whether Jewish, Christian or Islamic which mankind has witnessed in the past. It incorporates within its structure certain elements which are to be found in each of the three recognized forms of secular government, is devoid of the defects which each of them inherently possesses, and blends the salutary truths which each undoubtedly contains without vitiating in any way the integrity of the Divine verities on which it is essentially founded. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

The role of the Persian government in Baha’u’llah’s series of banishments

The Persian government believed the banishment of the Blessed Perfection from Persia would be the extermination of His Cause in that country. These rulers now realized that it spread more rapidly. His prestige increased; His teachings became more widely circulated. The chiefs of Persia then used their influence to have Bahá’u’lláh exiled from Baghdád. He was summoned to Constantinople by the Turkish authorities. While in Constantinople He ignored every restriction, especially the hostility of ministers of state and clergy. The official representatives of Persia again brought their influence to bear upon the Turkish authorities and succeeded in having Bahá’u’lláh banished from Constantinople to Adrianople, the object being to keep Him as far away as possible from Persia and render His communication with that country more difficult. Nevertheless, the Cause still spread and strengthened.

Finally, they consulted together and said, “We have banished Bahá’u’lláh from place to place, but each time he is exiled his cause is more widely extended, his proclamation increases in power, and day by day his lamp is becoming brighter. This is due to the fact that we have exiled him to large cities and populous centers. Therefore, we will send him to a penal colony as a prisoner so that all may know he is the associate of murderers, robbers and criminals; in a short time he and his followers will perish.” The Sultán of Turkey then banished Him to the prison of Akká in Syria. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, 18 April, 1912, New York; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)

Baha’u’llah’s Ancestral Place

Mazandaran

Baha’u’llah’s family came from Nur, a district in the Iranian province of Mazandaran, the province in north Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. This province has high mountain peaks in the south descending to the northern coastal plain bordering the sea. Because of the dense sub-tropical jungles of the lower parts of the province (a stark contrast to the dry desert conditions in much of the rest of Iran), it was always difficult area for invaders to penetrate.

The Zoroastrian royalty and nobility fled to these parts after the Arab Islamic invasion of Iran in the seventh century and Baha’u’llah’s family are said to have been descended from the last Zoroastrian monarch of Iran. Even when the people of this area finally converted to Islam centuries after that invasion, they mainly converted to the Zaydi form of Shi’i Islam as distinct from the Sunni Islam of most of the rest of Iran. It was only when the Safavid monarchs imposed Twelver Shi’i Islam [those who believed in the succession of Imams after the passing of Muhammad] on the whole country that Mazandaran fell into line with the rest of Iran. 

-Moojan Momen  ('Baha’u’llah: A Short Biography')

A Prayer by Baha’u’llah for His mother

The most honoured, esteemed and respected mother.

He is God!

Praised be Thou O Lord, My God! This is My mother who hath acknowledged Thy oneness, confessed Thy unity, attained the honour of meeting Thy Manifestations in Thy days, reached the station of recognition and entered the tabernacle of Heaven, for she loved Thyself and Thy Servant and held fast to the cord of Thy love through the sanctified Temples of Thy Sovereignty.

I beseech Thee, therefore, O My God, to grant her the honour of beholding Thy Beauty, and vouchsafe unto her the gift of Thy Presence. Give her to drink then from the ocean of Thy mercy and the chalice of Thy forgiveness. Make her to dwell, O My God, in the precincts of Thy mercy in the Heaven of eternity. Grant her to hear Thy holy melodies that she may cast the veil from her head in her eagerness to meet Thee and speed through the domains of Thy nearness and union.

Thou art verily powerful over all that Thou desirest, and Thou art verily the Mighty, the Most Luminous. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Provisional translation approved by the Baha’i World Center for inclusion in the book: ‘Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees’, by Baharieh Rouhani-Ma’ani)

Bahá'u'lláh’s mother was so fascinated by Him

The mother of the Blessed Beauty [Bahá'u'lláh] was so enthralled with Him that she could not contain her amazement at His behaviour. 'This child never cries,' she would say; 'He is so unlike other babies who cry and scream and are forever restless while in the nursing stage . . .'

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Quoted by Ishraq-Khavari in Risaliy-i-Ayyam-i-Tis’ih; in ‘Stories of Baha’u’llah’, compiled by Ali-Akbar Furutan)

An illumined Seal of Baha'u'llah

“Manifestations destined to follow the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh”

In connection with the Manifestations destined to follow the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l Bahá makes this definite and weighty declaration: “Concerning the Manifestations that will come down in the future ‘in the shadows of the clouds,’ know verily that in so far as their relation to the source of their inspiration is concerned they are under the shadow of the Ancient Beauty. In their relation, however, to the age in which they appear, each and every one of them ‘doeth whatsoever He willeth.’” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah; included in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

Bahá'u'lláh’s father had an amazing dream about his Son

Baha'u'llah's father

When Bahá'u'lláh was still a child, the Vazir, His father, dreamed a dream. Bahá'u'lláh appeared to him swimming in a vast, limitless ocean. His body shone upon the waters with a radiance that illumined the sea. Around His head, which could distinctly be seen above the waters, there radiated, in all directions, His long, jet-black locks, floating in great profusion above the waves. As he dreamed, a multitude of fishes gathered round Him, each holding fast to the extremity of one hair. Fascinated by the effulgence of His face, they followed Him in whatever direction He swam. Great as was their number, and however firmly they clung to His locks, not one single hair seemed to have been detached from His head, nor did the least injury affect His person. Free and unrestrained, He moved above the waters and they all followed Him.

The Vazir, greatly impressed by this dream, summoned a soothsayer, who had achieved fame in that region, and asked him to interpret it for him. This man, as if inspired by a premonition of the future glory of Bahá'u'lláh, declared: "The limitless ocean that you have seen in your dream, O Vazir, is none other than the world of being. Single-handed and alone, your son will achieve supreme ascendancy over it. Wherever He may please, He will proceed unhindered. No one will resist His march, no one will hinder His progress. The multitude of fishes signifies the turmoil which He will arouse amidst the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Around Him will they gather, and to Him will they cling. Assured of the unfailing protection of the Almighty, this tumult will never harm His person, nor will His loneliness upon the sea of life endanger His safety."

That soothsayer was subsequently taken to see Bahá'u'lláh. He looked intently upon His face, and examined carefully His features. He was charmed by His appearance, and extolled every trait of His countenance. Every expression in that face revealed to his eyes a sign of His concealed glory. So great was his admiration, and so profuse his praise of Bahá'u'lláh, that the Vazir, from that day, became even more passionately devoted to his son. The words spoken by that soothsayer served to fortify his hopes and confidence in Him. Like Jacob, he desired only to ensure the welfare of his beloved Joseph, and to surround Him with his loving protection.

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated. and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

The short span of time separating the Dispensations of the Báb and Baha’u’llah

The short duration of His [Báb's] Dispensation, the restricted range within which His laws and ordinances have been made to operate, supply no criterion whatever wherewith to judge its Divine origin and to evaluate the potency of its message. “That so brief a span,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself explains, “should have separated this most mighty and wondrous Revelation from Mine own previous Manifestation, is a secret that no man can unravel and a mystery such as no mind can fathom. Its duration had been foreordained, and no man shall ever discover its reason unless and until he be informed of the contents of My Hidden Book.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah; included in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

Mentioning Baha’u’llah’s name when teaching the Cause

By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light. 

- Baha'u'llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)

To become “touched by the love of Bahá'u'lláh”

Those who declare themselves as Bahá'ís should become enchanted with the beauty of the Teachings, and touched by the love of Bahá'u'lláh. The declarants need not know all the proofs, history, laws, and principles of the Faith, but in the process of declaring themselves they must, in addition to catching the spark of faith, become basically informed about the Central Figures of the Faith, as well as the existence of laws they must follow and an administration they must obey. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 13 July 1964 to all National Spiritual Assemblies; compilation: ‘Conditions for Membership in the Bahá'í Community’, included in a Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 30 December 1991, attached to a letter dated 30 December 1991 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Baha’i Library Online)

Baha’u’llah revealed the Suriy-i-Sabr (Surih of Patience) on the first day upon arrival in the garden of Ridvan

In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi explains that Baha’u’llah revealed “the "Suriy-i-Sabr" (Surih of Patience) … on the first day of Ridvan” in 1863, “on … His arrival in the garden of Ridvan”. In it He affirms "God hath sent down His Messengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to do so till 'the end that hath no end'; so that His grace may, from the heaven of Divine bounty, be continually vouchsafed to mankind." In the Suriy-Sabr Baha’u’llah “extols Vahíd and his fellow-sufferers in Nayriz”. (Shoghi Effendi, ‘God Passes By’, p. 140 and ‘The World Order of Baha'u'llah’, p. 116).

In the ‘Revelation of Baha’u’llah’, vol. 1, Adib Taherzadeh provides a very interesting explanation about this Tablet, its recipient, Haji Muhammad-Taqi, a native of Nayriz, and the circumstances culminating in the horrendous events that transpired in the town of Nayriz, Persia, during the Ministry of the Báb. Bahá'u'lláh bestowed the title of Ayyub (Job) to Haji Muhammad-Taqi in this Tablet. This Tablet is also known as Lawh-i-Ayyub (Tablet of Job). It is in Arabic and is equal in length to almost one-quarter of the Kitáb-i-Íqán. 

See a provisional translation of this Tablet.

Baha'u'llah's prison cell in 'Akka

Baha'u'llah's incarceration in the prison of 'Akka, Nabil attests, extended from 31 August 1863 to 13 October 1870, a period of two years, two months and five days. After nine years He was permitted to move beyond the walls of the city. (The Baha'i World 1976-1979)

On the left is entrance to Baha'u'llah's room in the prison

A view of the interior of Baha'u'llah's room in the prison.