The Persian Bayán () is one of the principal scriptural writings of the Báb, the founder of Bábism, written in Persian.[1] The Báb also wrote a shorter book in Arabic, the Arabic Bayán.
Content[]
The Persian Bayán was written near the end of 1847 or the beginning of 1848, while the Báb was imprisoned in Maku.[2] The book contains elements of Bábí law, discussion of religious concepts, and the glorification of He whom God shall make manifest.[1] It was one of the Báb's first works in which he clearly states that he is the messianic figure of the Twelfth Imam and the Mahdi which the Shi'as were expecting.[2] With the claim, he also claimed the abrogation of the Islamic dispensation, and uses the new Bábí law to abrogate Islamic law.[2] The whole book also revolves around the praise of He whom God shall make manifest, promising the coming of a major prophet termed a Manifestation of God; this would be of major importance with Bahá'u'lláh's claim two decades later.[2] Shoghi Effendi considered it a "eulogy of the Promised One", who had abrogated the laws of Islam, and prophesied about the coming of the Bahá'í Faith.[1][3]
Unities and chapters[]
The book was intended to be composed of nineteen 'unities' each of nineteen chapters, consisting of a total of 361 sections, which had numerical significance, but this was left incomplete and stops in the ninth 'unity'.[1] It was intended to be finished by "He whom God shall make manifest", a messianic figure in the Báb's writings. Bahá'ís consider Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Íqán as it's completion.[1]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Smith, Peter (2000). "Bayán". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. p. 91. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Momen, Moojan (1987). "Preface: A Summary of the Persian Bayan". Oxford: George Ronald. pp. 316-318. ISBN 978-0-85398-247-0.
- ↑ Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 25. ISBN 0877430209. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-3.html.iso8859-1#pg25.
Further reading[]
- The Báb (1976). Selections from the Writings of the Báb. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 1931847304. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/tb/SWB//.
- Browne, Edward Granville (1987). Momen, Moojan. ed. Selections from the Writings of E.G. Browne on the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0853982473.