Manuscript to Masterpiece

Persian Bayán Vahid 2:3 on the Price (or Pricelessness) of the Word of God

Couplets of Persian Poetry, Safavid era, from the Cleveland Museum of Art

Recently while engaged in study of the Persian Bayán, the magnum opus of Siyyid ‘Ali Muhammad Shirazi (best known by His title the Báb), I revisited a section wherein the Báb makes a fascinating avowal that got me thinking about the rise and fall of religion and the changing nature of human devotion.

In this chapter (2:3) He states that there will one day come a time when (paraphrasing the untranslated Persian) people would willingly pay 1,000 mithqals of gold for a fine copy of the Bayán. A ‘mithqal’ is a traditional unit of mass in the Arabic world equivalent to 4.25 grams in the metric system. This is equivalent, given the gram-price of gold today (USD88.28), to fetching a price >$375,000! At the time He wrote this, the Báb was a prisoner confined to a remote mountain fortress in Northwest Persia, where, as He states, “except for one soul” not a single other person was present for company and “there [was] not at night even a lighted lamp!” (SWB)

The Bábi movement, begun some 4 years earlier, was at that moment facing the cruel and ever-tightening grip of persecution that would later erupt into widespread massacres of His followers. His own imprisonment would last until the eve of His life and eventual martyrdom at the hands of the Persian authorities just two years later. To any onlooker, such a state of affairs would have appeared to signal the death knell of this battered community, and yet here He was foreseeing that one day His works would be highly sought after by future generations, subject to devotion and esteem rather than persecution.

While at first glance such a claim about your works may appear in a sense boastful, one of the core thematics of the Persian Bayán, the absolute essential unity and co-identity of the religions of God, helps us see this in its intended light: as a metacommentary on the nature of religion, and an extension of the ‘inimitability’ of the Word of God. Let’s explore.

Inimitability of the Sacred Word

Woven throughout many sections of the Bayán the Báb makes various statements that attest to 'inimitability' ('ijaz).¹ Inimitability is the incontestible quality of superhuman uniqueness and peerlessness, which is taken in Islam as a core criterion of the Qur'án’s divine origins. The Qur'ān itself issues the following famous challenge laying claim to such inimitability: "Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If ˹all˺ humans and jinn were to come together to produce the equivalent of this Quran, they could not produce its equal" [Q17:88, cf. also Q10:38, Q11:13, others].

The Báb in His own works draws on this same concept as a demonstration of their Revelatory status. It occurs as early as His first major revelatory work, the Qayyúm al-Asmá' (also known as the Commentary on Surah of Joseph), and throughout the Persian Bayán. The concept of inimitability as we’ve seen, is rooted in the Qur'án and forms a quintessential part of the self-identity of Islam. For the Báb to lay claim to inimitability is not just a testament to the uniqueness and divine origin of His own Revelation, but also lays claim to ‘coidentity’ with the foundational Sacred Text of Islam, which is to say that the Bábi Faith embodies and fulfills the essence of that Faith, and by consequence should (and will) earn the allegiance of those truly faithful to Islam.

It is in this sense that the prediction—that assuredly one day His works would capture the devotion and reverence of the people—can be seen as deliberate extension of the quality of inimitability. It follows from a view of the essential unity of these two Faiths and the Báb uses this as a vehicle to reflect on the trajectory of Islam, the meaning of devotion and even the fickleness of humanity. To see how, let’s dive into the chapter this idea comes from.

The Message and the Messenger: Proofs of Divine Revelation

The matter of inimitability of the Verses connects to a broader vision of religion in the chapter the excerpt about the future price of the Bayán is found in (Váhid 2:3). After an introductory title in Arabic, it begins with this opening:

"The substance of this chapter is that there are two Proofs [Ḥujjat] imparted by the Creator unto all people: the Verses [áyát] of God, and the One unto Whom these verses were revealed.”*

*Persian Bayan, Vahid 2:3, provisional translation from Persian by AJRF

He goes on to say (paraphrasing): ‘that first proof’ [the Verses] abides until the Day of Resurrection’, while ‘the second [the Manifestation] are apparent until the moment of their concealment’. In the Persian Bayán, this ‘moment of concealment’ is symbolically represented by the metaphor of the setting sun (more on this shortly). Indeed, ‘the Sun’ (shams) is the quintessential symbol in the Bayán for the Manifestations of God—the concept which features as the centerpiece of the Báb’s entire theology and science of religion. It is a symbol He uses hundreds of times throughout the Bayán. Most commonly it is rendered in such constructions as ‘the Sun of Truth’ (shams-i-haqq) or the ‘Sun of Reality’ (shams-i-haqiqat) which each illuminate new dimensions of understanding of this core symbol.

By establishing this theme of ‘Proof’, the Báb expresses the two major concepts or dynamics which are used to explore and define the nature of Religion throughout much of the Bayán. The first ‘Proof’ addressed above, which can be seen variously as ‘Revelation’, the ‘Word of God’, the ‘Message’, the ‘Teachings’, is here typified specifically as the ‘Verses’ of God. More abstractly this is the communication of the Divine to humanity, the dialogue on the sacred delivered to human minds and hearts. This applies as much to oral and ecstatic sacred traditions of the past as it does to the cosmopolitan and systematic Faiths with well-defined texts and canons; the form and media of communication may change but the act of communication remains present.

The second Proof referred to is, in Bábi terms, the ‘Manifestation’ of God, which is to say the ‘Divine Person’, ‘Revelator’, ‘Prophet’, or more abstractly the one who communicates the divine message. This constitutes the other major component to understand Religion. Alongside humanity as recipients of this sacred dialogue, there are figures created and inspired by the Divine to act as the vehicles and intermediaries of this communication.² Again, this applies as much to the varying forms of religion—the ways we navigate our relationship with the sacred—the locus or focal point of communication merely shifts. To return to the analogy of the setting of the Sun; concerning the Manifestation this refers to moment their earthly presence ceases (e.g. at the end of their life). The light of their Revelation continues through the Verses, and constitutes the essential life of a religion after its founder, but this too eventually ‘sets’.

This theme of proof is underscored thoroughly two chapters earlier (2:1) and constitutes a major theme running through the second ‘book’ (Váhid II)³ of the Bayán, and further extends this dyadic idea of ‘Message and Messenger’. Speaking on verses, and connecting it explicitly with inimitability, He states:

“the proof of revealed verses doth, alone and of itself, conclusively demonstrate the utter impotence of all created things on earth, for this is a proof which hath proceeded from God and shall endure until the Day of Resurrection …

Were all the people that dwell on earth to assemble together,‌ they would be unable to produce a single verse like unto the ones which God hath caused to stream forth from the tongue of the Point of the Bayán …

…the religion of God is too mighty and glorious for anyone to comprehend through aught but itself; rather by it all else is understood." (Persian Bayán 2:1, SWB, pp. 135-136; 140-141)

We see here the connection of ‘conclusiveness’ and ‘proof’ with the inimitable quality of divine verses. We also see one version of the claim leveled about this inimitability, akin to the Quranic verse cited previously, that humanity would be incapable of producing even a single verse like it.

While on one level the Bayán is ostensibly an exposition on the laws, ethics, and sociology of the emergent Bábi Faith, on a deeper level the Bayán is far more concerned with the expression of transcendent inner spiritual truths and unveiling the dynamics of religious Revelation in spiritual history. These excerpts makes that particularly evident, as we see already near the beginning of the Bayán⁴ the Báb is articulating the core elements of a framework to interpret the nature of religion, one He expands in great depth throughout the remaining 7 books of that work.

With the overlaying context of this chapter in sight, we can see that underlying the avowal found in this section is an extension of this meta-commentary on religion. Proceeding from the essential unity of the Manifestations and the essential unity of their religions, we can sketch out an arc or trajectory that religions follow. The metaphor of the Sun mentioned earlier serves us well here. Much like the Sun successively rises and sets each day, the Sun as ‘Manifestation’ similarly rises and sets each ‘Day’ of God. This rising and falling action of 'Religion' writ-large in history contextualizes the coming and going, succession, and progression of religions throughout time. At the moment of the rising of the Sun of a New Day, the light may be but a faint glimmer, attracting fewer souls. At its height all witness its transcendence and feel its warmth, provoking the act of recognition and devotion.

His point in this chapter reflects that even the greatest and most beloved of religions, with the sincerest devotees, at one point lingered in complete obscurity, and not a person could be found to turn their attention to it, or to its Message and Messenger. They would not even be willing to acquire such a work, let alone study it and follow its message.

Later, at a religion’s height, there are those who wouldn't rest to express their preoccupation with devotion, even to the point of extravagance.⁵ If the Báb’s claim is true indeed, that these creeds have a fundamental unity, then there is a paradox or even tragedy at play here. Just as the religion of those devoted followers was once its own small band of believers, not meriting attention, this new Message is now in such a condition, but something has veiled the recognition of that unity in the eyes. The Báb is seeing the ‘end in the beginning’ and decrying that the most devoted souls of a Faith tragically fail to rediscover its very essence when it returns.

The Báb often reflected on the fickleness of mankind’s attention—that in later ages the people would yearn to have been there to recognize a great faith at its start or encounter its Founder, but at its fulfillment in the Day of Resurrection, so many fail to recognize that same spirit of the Teachings and Teacher they are devoted to. Indeed, in His famed last words, He returns to this very same tragedy.⁶

He comments further underscoring this matter, two chapters before, on the fact that acts of piety and worship, the most sacred and holy sites are, in truth, ennobled by their association with the inner spirit of what made them sacred in the first place, and not in and of themselves:

“if ye circle round the Ka‘bah, it is merely because I have called it My House; and if ye magnify the Qur’án, that is solely because it is My Word. [. . .] But today is the Day of My own Revelation, appearing by My Self." (Persian Bayán 2:1, prov. transl. by Nader Saiedi, GoH pp. 290-291)

This misidentification, what the philosophers might term the confusion of substance and form, or the mistaking of the outward semblances with inner realities, underlies this tragedy the Báb observes. Through such confusion we may miss the chance to find the fulfillment of faith in the Return of that beloved reality in a new stage, or to use another symbolism of the Báb, fail to have ‘harvested the fruit (thamara) of their existence’ or to “partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness” (Persian Bayán 2:16, SWB p. 99).

Conclusion

A 'science of religion' rooted in the Bábi and Baha’i Writings helps us see this inherent life cycle of religion in spiritual history and the co-identity of spiritual traditions in relation to a singular divine reality; religions unfold not merely as historical accidents or material exigencies, but as organic processes of growth, maturation, and renewal. It is dialogic: a conversation between humanity and the sacred, proceeding via Message (the Verses, the Book of God) and Messenger (the Prophets and Manifestations of God). The rise of a new cycle inherently speaks to its zenith and later succession by a new message, and we must take a view with this scope in mind. This in turn speaks to the the sacred unity underlying these faiths, the nature of religious belief, and the truth of recognition.

For my part, I can see how this prediction of the Báb would come true. Just 5 years ago, a copy of the Qur'án from the Timurid era sold for an astronomical $8.6 million.⁷ Is this extravagance or devotion? A confusion of form with substance? That may be in the eye of the beholder, but it does testify as an example of the arc of a religious text that once was scarcely written at all, and then at first only on scattered parchment and the shoulder blades of camels, and now some thousand plus years later, as elaborately crafted copies selling for vast sums of money. It really is not such a stretch to imagine that the Bayán (and subsequently the Baha’i Faith), claiming as it does essential unity with the Revelations of all religions, may follow a similar trajectory.

I hope you enjoyed this article from Lamp of Search. Substack is a platform for supporting independent media, often through subscriptions. Lamp of Search is envisioned as a collaborative platform for Baha’i scholarship. If you wish to reach out to make guest contributions please do so.

If you wish to directly support my work here I have a public “wish list” of scholarly books that would advance for my intellectual projects. You can also metaphorically ‘buy me a coffee’ through Ko-Fi, a peer-to-peer ‘tipping’ platform. Any contributions are appreciated and help sustain my work.

1. The Báb’s deployment of this term merits further study. The Báb’s claim ends up more vast than even the Qur'án’s formidable challenge. Baha'u'llah later expanded even further on this theme, including, perhaps most dramatically, in the Tablet of Ahmad.

2. Inasmuch as the Divine in this conception is beyond literal incarnation or direct intercession. See The First Intellect and the Primal Will in the Bahá'í Writings.

3. Some 11 excerpts from the Váhid II are found among the authorized translations in ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’. A provisional translation of the first 9 chapters of the 2nd Book of the Persian Bayán (by Denis MacEoin with contributions from Stephen Lambden) may found at Lambden’s research repository ‘Hurqalya’.

4. Besides the “Exordium” and first few chapters of Váhid I, most sections of that first book of the Bayán are taken up by shorter declarative statements. The Bayán begins more fully in Váhid II.

5. For the Báb’s part, He supports beautification, perfection, and refinement in craft, though admits when this is impracticable and permits His followers to make do with less as needed. See Momen, “Perfection and Refinement: Towards an Aesthetics of the Bab”

6. “O wayward generation!”, were the Báb’s last words, as related by Shoghi Effendi, “The day will come when you will have recognized Me; that day I shall have ceased to be with you.”

7. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200630-rare-timurid-era-quran-sells-for-over-8m-at-uk-auction/