Fidál, 01 Núr (Light), 181 B.E.
The Twin Manifestations
Quote for Reflection:
“O concourse of men!” He declared, “Fear ye God and consider that which He hath ordained to be His immutable proof and abiding testimony unto all that dwell in the heavens and on the earth, did ye but know it. O people! The truth of all that ye have been awaiting, and all that ye have heard from your forefathers and your divines, is established only through these verses. And these, verily, are the verses of holiness that have been vouchsafed unto all who are in the heavens and on the earth, even as ye yourselves can behold.” — Bahá’u’lláh 1
The Life of the Báb
One day, while seated with the Bab in his private garden within the courtyard of his house, the Mu’tamid, taking his Guest into his confidence, addressed Him in these words: “The almighty Giver has endowed me with great riches.(1) I know not how best to use them. Now that I have, by the aid of God, been led to recognise this Revelation, it is my ardent desire to consecrate all my possessions to the furtherance of its interests and the spread of its fame. It is my intention to proceed, by Your leave, to Tihran, and to do my best to win to this Cause Muhammad Shah, whose confidence in me is firm and unshaken. I am certain that he will eagerly embrace it, and will arise to promote it far and wide. I will also endeavour to induce the Shah to dismiss the profligate Haji Mirza Aqasi, the folly of whose administration has well-nigh brought this land to the verge of ruin. Next, I will strive to obtain for You the hand of one of the sisters of the Shah, and will myself undertake the preparation of Your nuptials. Finally, I hope to be enabled to incline the hearts of the rulers and kings of the earth to this most wondrous Cause and to extirpate every lingering trace of that corrupt ecclesiastical hierarchy that has stained the fair name of Islam.” “May God requite you for your noble intentions,” the Bab replied. “So lofty a purpose is to Me even more precious than the act itself. Your days and Mine are numbered, however; they are too short to enable Me to witness, and allow you to achieve, the realisation of your hopes. Not by the means which you fondly imagine will an almighty Providence accomplish the triumph of His Faith. Through the poor and lowly of this land, by the blood which these shall have shed in His path, will the omnipotent Sovereign ensure the preservation and consolidate the foundation of His Cause. That same God will, in the world to come, place upon your head the crown of immortal glory, and will shower upon you His inestimable blessings. Of the span of your earthly life there remain only three months and nine days, after which you shall, with faith and certitude, hasten to your eternal abode.” The Mu’tamid greatly rejoiced at these words. Resigned to the will of God, he prepared himself for the departure which the words of the Bab had so clearly foreshadowed. He wrote his testament, settled his private affairs, and bequeathed whatever he possessed to the Bab. Immediately after his death, however, his nephew, the rapacious Gurgin Khan, discovered and destroyed his will, seized his property, and contemptuously ignored his wishes. 2 3
- Bahá’u’lláh. Days of Remembrance. Bahá’í Reference Library. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/days-remembrance/7#087915991. ↩
- 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, 212-213. https://bahai-library.com/books/dawnbreakers/chapters/10.html#212. ↩
- 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, 31. https://www.ruhi.org/en/walking-a-path-of-service/#TWM.
Frameworks for Understanding the World 