Daily Frameworks for 30 May 2024

Istijlál, 15 ‘Aẓamat (Grandeur), 181 B.E.

The Twin Manifestations

Quote for Reflection:

O assemblage of mystic knowers! Let your hearts be filled with joy, for the time of remoteness hath passed, and the spirit of certitude hath appeared, and the countenance of the celestial Youth hath beamed forth, adorned with the ornament of holiness in the paradise of His name, the Almighty. Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art “He”, O Thou besides Whom there is none but “He”! — Bahá’u’lláh ¹

The Life of the Báb

Shaykh Abid, known by his pupils as Shaykhuna, was a man of piety and learning. He had been a disciple of both Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim. “One day,” he related, “I asked the Bab to recite the opening words of the Qur’an: ‘Bismi’llahi’r-Rahmani’r-Rahim.’ (2) He hesitated, pleading that unless He were told what these words signified, He would in no wise attempt to pronounce them. I pretended not to know their meaning. ‘I know what these words signify,’ observed my pupil; ‘by your leave, I will explain them.’ He spoke with such knowledge and fluency that I was struck with amazement. He expounded the meaning of ‘Allah,’ of ‘Rahman,’ and ‘Rahim,’ in terms such as I had neither read nor heard. The sweetness of His utterance still lingers in my memory. I felt impelled to take Him back to His uncle and to deliver into his hands the Trust he had committed to my care. I determined to tell him how unworthy I felt to teach so remarkable a child. I found His uncle alone in his office. ‘I have brought Him back to you,’ I said, ‘and commit Him to your vigilant protection. He is not to be treated as a mere child, for in Him I can already discern evidences of that mysterious power which the Revelation of the Sahibu’z-Zaman (3) alone can reveal. It is incumbent upon you to surround Him with your most loving care. Keep Him in your house, for He, verily, stands in no need of teachers such as I.’ Haji Mirza Siyyid Ali sternly rebuked the Bab. ‘Have You forgotten my instructions?’ he said. ‘Have I not already admonished You to follow the example of Your fellow-pupils, to observe silence, and to listen attentively to every word spoken by Your teacher?’ Having obtained His promise to abide faithfully by his instructions, he bade the Bab return to His school. The soul of that child could not, however, be restrained by the stern admonitions of His uncle. No discipline could repress the flow of His intuitive knowledge. Day after day He continued to manifest such remarkable evidences of superhuman wisdom as I am powerless to recount.” At last His uncle was induced to take Him away from the school of Shaykh Abid, and to associate Him with himself in his own profession. (1) There, too, He revealed signs of a power and greatness that few could approach and none could rival. ^{2 3}

1. Bahá’u’lláh. Days of Remembrance. Bahá’í Reference Library. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/days-remembrance/5#653144627. ↩
2. Zarandī, Nabīl. The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Baháʾí Revelation. Translated by Shoghi Effendi. 1932. Wilmette, Ill: Baháʾí Publishing Trust, 1970. https://bahai-library.com/books/dawnbreakers/chapters/3.html#75. ↩
3. Ruhi Institute. The Twin Manifestations. 2.1.21.PE December 2021. Vol. Book 4. 6 vols. Embarking on a Path of Service. Cali, Columbia: Ruhi Foundation, 2021, 17. https://www.ruhi.org/en/walking-a-path-of-service/#TWM.