Research Notes: On Carnelian ('aqíq) in the Writings of the Báb

The Symbolism of Precious Stones and Minerals | Provisional Translations from the Bayán and Qayyúm al-Asmá' | On the Mystical and the Magical

Aaron JR Ferguson

Jun 07, 2025

“Research Notes” is an ongoing series to present interconnected notes, provisional translations, observations, and insights from research on diverse topics, especially those that are more obscure and perhaps note suitable for a formal article format with a specific thesis. Instead, research notes take a more loose exploratory format and are designed to evolve over time as additional reflections are added and content updated. The intent is to “work with the garage door open”, making otherwise obscure topics and scholarly investigation more accessible.

In these notes:

The Islamic background on the use of carnelian • The Symbolism of Precious Stones and Minerals in the Writings of the Báb • Provisional Translations from the Bayán and Qayyúm al-Asmá' • Carnelian in Bible and Sufi traditions • On the Mystical vs the ‘Magical’: What do we make of talismans and ‘practical’ devotional arts?

Background

Carnelian is a semi-translucent variety of chalcedony that displays a stunning spectrum of tones from vibrant oranges to deep reds, and is one of a number of precious stones and minerals of significance that appear throughout the Báb's Writings. The Báb most often ties these references to highly allusive imagery carrying complex spiritual meanings. At times these references symbolize attributes such as subtlety, refinement, and more generally the process of spiritual “transmutation” (perfection of the base self of ‘hard stone’ → purified self, a ‘priceless gem’); at others, they are symbolic of eschatological themes or ontological realities (cosmology or heavenly worlds or the Station of the Manifestation); in other cases still they take the form of practical instructions for believers to craft and wear such as objects as rings, amulets, or talismans as markers of devotion and recognition of their belief in the Manifestation.

Historically, carnelian has long been used throughout the Islamic world as objects of symbolism and spiritual contemplation, and as “talismans”, objects imbued with ‘magical’ significance and common in many folk religious practices. Outside the Islamic world, carnelian has long been admired for its beauty in diverse spiritual traditions, stretching back into antiquity. Indeed, the beauty and feel of an exquisite piece of carnelian is quite alluring.

One specific reason for the popularity of carnelian among makers of seals, rings, and amulets in the Islamic world is due to a hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad, where He is reported to have said that wearers of carnelian rings bring divine favor and good luck into their lives:

“‘Wear a ring of carnelian; it is blessed and one who uses a ring of carnelian has a good chance to end up in goodness.’”

Kitab Al-Káfi - Volume 6 Book 7, Ch. #22

Islamic traditions state that Muhammad wore such a ring.

As a result, engraved carnelian rings and seals, especially red carnelian (‘aqíq al-ahmar) with Quranic verses are abundant. White carnelian (‘aqíq al-abyad) is more rare, but also prized. Many originals from over the centuries are extant, and newly produced rings and jewelry made of carnelian remain popular to this day.

An example of an Islamic carnelian amulet.

On the topic of Carnelian (‘aqíq) in the Writings of the Báb

Carnelian and references to talismanic arts appear from the earliest stages in the Writings of the Báb and formed a distinctive part of the religious devotional practice of the early Babis. In the Báb’s “Treatise of the Seven Directives" [Risála Khaṣá'il Sab'a] the Báb directs His followers towards 7 practices that served to distinguish them as a nascent community. The first of these includes carrying a “talismanic circle”, while the seventh of these instructs them to wear a “white carnelian signet ring” with a specific verse engraved onto the carnelian. (cf, Lambden, Hurqalya; Saiedi, Gate of the Heart p. 300)

An example of a Shi'i talismanic scroll contemporary to that period featuring a “da'ira” circular talisman.

Carnelian in the Persian Bayán

In the Persian Bayán, the Báb instructs that a carnelian ring should be placed upon the finger of the deceased (Váhid 5:12), engraved with a specific verse as a testament of faith, a recognition of God's authority over all things, and as a blessing for the passing of the body and the ascent of the soul. In the Arabic Bayán a similar instruction is found, but with explicit reference to "He Whom God Shall Make Manifest" [the Promised One of the Babi Faith], orienting believers towards the necessity of recognition of Him for their belief to be of any true worth.

All believers should have a ring of red carnelian with a verse in Arabic inscribed on it. In Persian Bayán Váhid 8:2, 19 engraved rings are instructed to be left as inheritance for one's heirs. In Persian Bayán Váhid 6:10 instructions are provided for a ring with a specific verse engraved on it:

“The Tenth Gate of the Sixth Unity: On that every soul is obliged to engrave upon [a ring of] red carnelian this Verse: "‘Say: God is the Truth, all save God is His creation and all are His servants.'”

"The substance of this gate is that no emblem in the Bayán is more beloved in the sight of the Lord, than that upon his [the believer's] hand a ring of red carnelian be worn upon which is engraved this Most Mighty Verse [in Arabic]: 'Say: God is the Truth, all save God is His creation and all are His servants.' [قل الله حقّ و ان ما دون الله خلق و کلّ له عابدون]."

- Persian Bayán 6:10, provisional translation, Aaron Ferguson

In this excerpt, the practical implement wearing of a ring engraved with a special verse is said to be beloved by God as an emblem or testament to one’s faith. Similarly, the verse to be inscribed is characteristic of the Báb’s favored style of condensing quintessential truths of religion into short expressive formulations; the truths in these verses are ones we are supposed to always keep active in our hearts and minds and sometimes feature as repetitions to be used in dhikr (devotional remembrance). The very purpose of reality and our creation is encoded into such statements. The act of wearing this kind of ring is intended to align us closer to that purpose by serving as concrete “remembrance” of this truth.

Later in that same chapter (Persian Bayán 6:10), for talismanic protection, instructions are provided for the creation of a round carnelian amulet to be inscribed with a da'ira (circular talismanic pattern) of five circles, with specific verses written within the circles:

"If anyone should wish to enter into the talismanic protection of God (hirz-i-Allah]), he should order inscribed on a round carnelian a dá'ira of five circles. In the first circle, there should be written the Throne Verse [Q2:255], in the second the name of the circle, in the third the letters of the basmala, in the fourth the six names [i.e., al-fard, al-hayy, al-qayyúm, al-hakam, al-adl, and al-quddús), and in the fifth whatever is conformable to the individual's condition and intention, but to no more than nineteen letters. Similarly, it is considered pleasing to God if no more than nineteen letters be inscribed in the first and second circles."

- Persian Bayán, 6:10; provisional translation, MacEoin, 'Sources', p. 101

This excerpt extends the use of carnelian from a practical spiritual devotional act, as in the ring, to an assurance of ‘talismanic protection’. The word in use here, hirz [حرز], implies both refuge, sanctuary, and impregnable protection but is also the word for a type of talisman/amulet. Specific aesthetic instructions are provided, such as that no more than 19 letters be inscribed, or that the individual should imbue a certain intention into its creation.

Finally, immediately following this speaks on the very purpose behind creating such an amulet: “All this, however, provided that at the [time of the] Appearance of ‘Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest’ one mayest apprehend what hath been inscribed.” (Persian Bayán, 6:10, provisional translation, Aaron Ferguson).

Carnelian in the Qayyúm al-Asmá' (the Commentary on the Surah of Joseph)

Carnelian or agate are also referenced in certain verses of the Qayyúm al-Asmá', the Báb’s earliest major work after His declaration. In the Surát al-Khátam, appropriately, carnelian rings are mentioned:

“O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn [Solace of the Eye*]! Say: Verily God hath adjudged the merit of the ‘those who Proceed’ [in Faith]** to be as of a ring of crimson carnelian, and that of the believers to be as of a ring of yellow pearl, while that of the idolaters is as a ring of green iron. And God hath verily placed this judgment in Thy Hands, upon the Truth, by the Truth, that Thou mayest dispense with it as Thou pleaseth and God hath ever been, in Truth, Exalted and All-Encompassing!”

- Qayyúm al-Asmá' 25:13, provisional translation, Aaron Ferguson

* In the Qayyúm al-Asmá', Qurratu’l-‘Ayn is principally a title of the Báb Himself, mostly in cases where the Báb is directly addressed by God. Later this title is also granted to Tahirih, His most esteemed female disciple.
**e.g. Sábiqín, 'the first to believe in the Báb, the 18 believers who became known as the ‘Letters of the Living’; see also Surát al-Sabiqín of the QA.

Here we see something of a staging or hierarchy of significance in the use of color symbolism also found in Sufism (examples provided later). The ‘stages’ reflect the kind of ‘journeys’ of spiritual refinement and perfection with different minerals and colors standing in as emblems of attainment to certain stages on the path of mystical ascent. The idea that the non-believers (idolaters) would be of the worth of iron (cold, grey, crass, and inert) is contrasted to the vibrancy, life-like glow, and energy of the crimson carnelian (here standing in for the spiritual worth and capacity of those who were first to believe in Him). The believers meanwhile are at the stage of ‘yellow pearl’, and aspire to attain that higher vibrancy of the spiritually enlightened. This evokes also the staging of ‘red’ as the final stage of the process of alchemy (whether practical or spiritual) given that the philosopher’s stone (hajar al-hukamá) is understood to be a red stone; ‘red sulphur’ [kibrít ahmar] is another referent for this legendary stone, and used by both the Bab and Baha’u’llah in this same manner when they say a 'true believer rarer than red sulphur'.

In another verse, from the Surát al-Mu'minín, He states:

“…O My servants! Prostrate thyself, then, before God and serve Him in the Path of this Most Great Gate … take for thy self a ring made of crimson carnelian, upon which is [engraved] the name of the Gate [the Báb] that ye may, in the sight of God, the Ancient One, be remembered [as a follower, circling] around that Most Exalted Gate.”

-Qayyúm al-Asmá' 111:22, provisional translation, Aaron Ferguson

Again we find a practice of spiritual and practical devotion signifying one’s belonging to the movement of the Báb, but also a hope in attainment to an exalted station through ‘remembrance’ (dhikr) by God, which is to say that one has been accounted as a true believer.

Finally, in a verse from the 94th Suráh of the Qayyúm al-Asmá' (variously titled as al-Ishhad, al-Ishhar, or al-Tarbi’), we find:

“O People of the Throne (al-’arsh)! Circumambulate round the [Sacred] House, and lend ear to My Call from [within] that crimson chamber, [cut of] a fragment of ripe carnelian…”

-Qayyúm al-Asmá' 94:4a, provisional translation, Aaron Ferguson

Here, the symbolism invokes a higher register of spiritual reality than the previous references. This excerpt is not concerned with practical implement, or even symbolic of a certain mystic attainment. Instead, it conveys a mystery on the level of ontological reality: the station of Most Sacred of the Sacred, the Person of the Manifestation. The addressees, the “People of the Throne”, evokes imagery of the highest realms of the divine worlds (the denizens circling the heavenly ‘Throne of God’). The Call (neda’) is the summoning of the Messianic Figure, inviting each soul to knowledge and worship of God. The crimson chamber hewn of ripe carnelian implies a kind of ecstatic direct encounter with the divine in a transcendent environ as if one were invited to an audience; the intensity of red ‘ripe’ carnelian speaks to the spiritual potency of the Manifestation, implies a type of ‘cloistering’ within a hidden chamber. This interlinks with a web of intense spiritual imagery found in other passages conveyed in this same register.

We see already the diversity of contexts a stone such as carnelian may appear in the Writings, from the practical and ethical, to the spiritual and mystical.

Other Precious Stones and Minerals

Carnelian is but one among a number of precious stones and minerals favored by the Báb, each with their own significance and intersections with weighty and mystical spiritual concepts.

Other such stones and minerals besides carnelian include:

Diamond
Emerald
Ruby
Garnet
Red Sulphur

Pearl, crystal, and glass are also referenced in similar contexts. Each of these merits in-depth analysis on their uses and what they signify [more on these in future posts].

Ruby, for instance, is an especially potent symbol often used in connection with the coming of the Babi Promised One. It is often associated explicitly with Bahá (Glory or Splendour), as seen in a verse from Qayyúm al-Asmá' Surah 29, "…I am the Maid of Heaven begotten by the Spirit of Bahá, abiding within the Mansion hewn out of a mass of ruby, tender and vibrant." (Súrat al-Ḥúríyyih, SWB, 2:20) The concentration of eschatological focus in the color red/crimson and the mineral ruby gives us insight into how these became symbols of special focus in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (cf. ‘the Crimson Tablet’, ‘the Crimson Ark’, the ‘Ruby Tablet’, etc.)

When emphasizing these prized stones and minerals and giving practical instructions for their use the Báb almost always ties their significance to specific spiritual symbolism that reveals the true intent/value behind these practices. In the case of the ring for the deceased, it is tied to a spiritual concept of the correspondence between the body and soul via the analogy of the physical frame of the body serving as the ‘throne’ of the ‘inner temple’ (our spiritual essence). Inasmuch as the body serves this role, respect for it is symbolic of respect for the true nobility of our inner being:

“Since this physical body is the throne whereon the inner temple is established, God hath ordained that the body be preserved to the extent possible, so that nothing that causeth repugnance may be experienced. The inner temple beholdeth its physical frame, which is its throne. Thus, if the latter is accorded respect, it is as if the former is the recipient. The converse is likewise true. Therefore, it hath been ordained that the dead body should be treated with the utmost honour and respect.” (SWB 3:23, p. 122)

Often the highest significance is attached to how these practices relate to the all-important Day of Resurrection and the coming of the Babi Promised One. The Báb is at pains to instill a constant awareness and a warning of the predestined arrival of that Figure. Devotional practices, ethical principles, and even codes of personal conduct are all oriented around perfection, refinement, and preparation to recognize this Figure when He reveals Himself.

We see then that exoteric practices, both personal and social, become an arena for concrete expressions of deeply meaningful esoteric spiritual truths (the relativity of religion, the succession of Manifestations, or the practical work of spiritual refinement). One almost always gets the sense that the objects are not significant in and of themselves, but only in relation to the importance of the spiritual act of recognition. The Báb often states this directly. We this for example in Persian Bayán 4:4, where the Báb relates that a diamond of unparalleled value found in the possession of a believer derives its greatness and value principally from its association with the believer. This dynamic is true of all things.

The Intersection of Minerals, Colors, and Systems of Symbols

What’s most important to recognize is that each of these minerals are referenced alongside other notable ‘symbolic systems’ of meaning found in the Báb’s Writings. The mystical symbolism of colors, for instance, intersects with the various minerals mentioned above; each of them further corresponds to a range of other equivalences (more on this in future posts).

For instance, the colors white, yellow, green, and red each correspond to a specific mineral (Diamonds, Yellow Garnets, Emeralds, Rubies, respectively), and altogether these correspond further to the four classical elements (fire, air, water, earth) and then also to fourfold schema of the human being: Heart (qalb), Spirit (ruh), Soul (nafs), Body (jasad). Hence one is likely to find references to ‘snow-white’, crimson, yellow, or green ‘leaves’ or branches in one context, while finding references to white, yellow, green, or red ‘lights’ in another, and the meaning and purpose may overlap, but at others may be distinct.

The meaning of Carnelian as a red mineral can thus be intersected with the symbolism of other imagery that intersects with the color red (the red sulphur of alchemy, or the messianic implications of red ruby, etc.). The “Mansion hewn out of a mass of ruby” and the ‘crimson chamber of ripe carnelian’ have clear overlapping meaning despite different minerals being used, as they intersect at the level of color, in their aesthetic and reverential beauty of the symbols, and the literary device of their contexts.

The key resources on the color symbolism in the Báb’s writings thus far is Vahid Rafati’s “Colours in the Writings of the Báb” and various portions of Saiedi, ‘Gate of the Heart’ (pp. 135-138, passim) which review many of these symbols.

Understanding the intersectionality and structure of these systems of symbolism can bring us closer to understanding their highly varied use in throughout the Báb’s Writings, as it unlocks connections between diverse texts and showcases the Báb’s highly charged pattern of revelation. With effort, otherwise bewildering verses become somewhat less bewildering.

A Biblical Reference to Carnelian (and Emerald) in the St. John’s Book of Revelation

Revelation 4:2-4 “[2] At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. [3] The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne. [4] Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.”

The topic of the “Throne of God” (al-‘Arsh) is an important feature of the Qur’án and its unique expression of late antique near-east cosmology [cf. Q13:2]; the mystical emphasis on the Throne has roots stretching back into the Jewish mystical tradition, especially the “Merkabah literature” (“chariot mysticism”, often reports of mystical ascent through the seven heavens to the Throne of God). Celestial thrones, mansions, temples are common also to gnostic and ‘orthodox’ Christianity, (cf. Christ’s “in My Father's house are many mansions”). The description of the Throne of God (pillars, corners, composition) was a focal point of these mystical traditions inviting great speculation; various minerals were posited, sometimes composed of sapphire, sometimes emerald, sometimes carnelian.
The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh extend the use of this mystical symbolism in numerous instances, as seen in the analogy above of the body as a ‘throne’ for the inner temple that is the human soul. The 16th Surih of the Qayyum’u’l-'Asma is titled 'Surat al-’Arsh, and the ‘People of the Throne’ (ahl al-’arsh) are among the most common addressees in that work, as seen in the excerpt on the crimson chamber; other references to the Throne are pervasive in that text and the Persian Bayán.
Importantly, these references (as well as references to anthropomorphic features of God) are not to be taken literally as they were in antiquity and in certain Islamic schools of thought, where there were long debates over such matters as whether God’s “hands” are meant to be understood literally. Although in the early Islamic milieu the cosmology of the Qu’rán was certainly understood through the lens of late antique thought, and thus, as a ‘literal’ map of reality, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh have clearly established the insufficiency of literalistic interpretations of the Holy Texts [cf. the Bayán, the Iqán, Gems of Divine Mysteries].
On the topic of the “24 elders” in this verse, see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s commentary and interpretation in Some Answered Question, no. 11.

Why were Carnelians and Precious Minerals (including not just their symbolism but practical ‘implementation’) a focus of the Báb? What are we to make of these many passages?

A few hypotheses that may be worth considering:

Conformity to Spiritual-Historical Circumstances:
Revelation is a transhistorical spiritual phenomenon. Manifestations of God conform their language and teachings in accordance with the capacity of the people. The Báb made reference to such topics as carnelian, precious minerals, color mysticism, and talismanic arts chiefly in light of their prominence and significance among the people, His immediate audience. He used these as vehicles to convey profound spiritual truths, and the significance of the symbols or objects themselves is ultimately of lesser importance. Although carnelians and minerals continued to have relevance principally as spiritual symbols in Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings, and early Bahá’i’s continued certain practices (for instance, many early Bahá’i’s were known to have carnelian rings), the practical devotional emphasis on such objects decreased and they are no longer as relevant.
Bahá’u’lláh seems support this view directly when He says: "Say: Truly, He who uttered the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’ desired only to mention what was prevalent amongst the people lest those held sway by the promptings of their own delusions be chased away, but [instead] may turn toward a station praised, in Truth, from all eternity to all eternity. By my life, were it not for the feebleness of the people not a word would He have mentioned of the stories uttered in days past.” (La'ali'ul-Hikma, vol 2, p. 47, provisional translation, Aaron Ferguson)

The centrality within Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation of such principles as the harmony of science and religion, the value of banishing superstition, and a stronger emphasis on reason may encourage us to reconsider these practices. Bahá’u’lláh leveled potent critiques of Sufism and excess of mystical speculation; practices such as alchemy were discouraged, and monasticism and asceticism were abolished. Bahá’u’lláh can be seen as having recast the whole mystical tradition in an entirely new light through his weighty contributions. In these, He confirmed many aspects of these traditions, while totally disconfirming and rejecting others. In effect, He established a new criterion.
Aesthetics of Revelation and the Special Personhood of the Báb:

Carnelian and the spiritual symbolism of precious minerals are integrated into the Báb’s Revelation as an expression of His Aesthetics of Revelation, His character, and His religious devotion. In emphasizing these practices the Báb expresses a genuine appreciation for the beauty of such devotional objects and the associated practices, while taking care to recontextualize their use away from pure superstition. He elevates them by making them relevant to higher spiritual truths: for instance, an object testifies to your belonging to His movement, it serves as a reminder of one’s commitment to recognizing the Promised One, it symbolizes and reignites our focus on personal refinement and purification, and more. The precious stones he emphasizes are all genuinely beautiful and worth appreciating so long as they do not become attachments or stand-ins for what they represent; they form (in the Babi Revelation) part of a rich pattern of spiritual life combined with recitation of the Names of God (dhikr), practice of certain prayers, and emphasis on specially powerful verses of God found throughout the Báb’s works. The Báb had a keen eye for beauty, a refined artistic spirit and a love for concrete expressions of lofty spiritual concepts. [On this topic, cf. Momen, 2011 “Perfection and Refinement: Towards an Aesthetics of the Bab’; the Báb’s artistry is also a topic explored variously in Todd Lawson’s works]

As in 1, the succession of the Báb’s Revelation into Bahá’u’lláh’s leads to a different range of expression as they are distinct Persons & Revelations, even as they are ultimately One in Essence. Bahá’u’lláh had His own aesthetics and unique purpose in revealing practices for the Bahá’i world to follow, as compared to the Babi Revelation which He abrogates/elevates. Bahá’u’lláh clearly emphasized less the practical use of such minerals and more the transcendent spiritual symbolism.
The Phenomenological-Anthropological View on Magic:

Such objects do indeed have a certain type of positive influence in one’s life as practical concrete symbols of spiritual realities. Although they may not be ‘magical’ in the sense popularly conceived, or cannot be said to invoke some kind of definitive supernatural causation, they may be seen as a type of “spiritual technology” that prompts genuine spiritual growth and invites spiritual blessings and refinement of the soul.
There is a thinner line between ‘licit’ practices of prayer, ritual, supplication, and the ‘illicit’ ‘magical’ practices (divination, curses, charms, certain rituals, etc.) than many in the ‘Revealed Faiths' might admit. The key distinction between ‘magic’ as popularly conceived and the ‘practical spiritual work’ envisioned in the monotheistic traditions is the total reliance on God and the spiritual truths of the Holy Text for ‘power’, rather than invoking ‘infernal’ worldly powers, elevating the self, or falling prey to vain imagination. This is the reason behind the emphasis of Divine Names or Verses, for instance, or the subjugation of otherwise ‘magical’ artifice within higher spiritual symbolism rooted in Sacred Text.
The anthropological or phenomenological understanding reframes ‘magical’ practices as techniques or even ‘technologies’ to accomplish certain aims in concert with seen and unseen forces, those in our control and subject to our influence, and those outside it. Such practices can be seen as ‘technologies of self’ (to appropriate Foucault’s term); by them we hope to shift matters in our favor or prevent those we wish to avoid, but also to become someone we desire to be (or avoid that which we wish to avoid). The word for this practice in theistic contexts may be more properly called ‘theurgy’ (θεουργίᾱ, quite literally, ‘divine’ or ‘God work’) rather than ‘magic’ (with its pejorative superstitious connotations). This is especially in the sense of the Neoplatonists Proclus and Iamblichus, but more generally formulated in the late antique Greco-Egyptian-Roman world. This would later cross-pollinate and be taken up into the Islamic world in the first few centuries after the rise of Islam, influencing the vocabulary and metaphysical underpinnings of Islamic thought that finally the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh interfaced with in their day.

Stepping further back from such considerations, even today we recognize popularly that ‘magic’ is a shifting, fuzzy category: technology is one step away from magic (when ‘sufficiently advanced’) and magic is one step away from prayer/devotional practice (or equivalent, for many materialists). Perhaps these are all bedfellows. The phenomenological view seeks to suspend rationalist judgment on efficacy and causality and asks instead about meaning: How did these objects, practices, and the nexus of ideas they represent function within extremely rich and meaningful social worlds? How did their use bring comfort, express faith, infuse potent cultural ideas, refine craftwork practices, convey beauty? How did they strengthen one’s relationship with the sacred, bring the sacred into everyday life, empower you to act with the hope of protection and blessings? What do they tell us about our place in society and in the cosmos? These are all questions eminently relevant to the Báb’s deployment of these objects, symbols, and practices regardless of whether we ultimately consider them as crossing the line into superstition, as sayings & practices merely suited to the people of that time and destined to fall away, or even as continuingly meaningful symbols in their own right.

Disclaimer: These are all merely provisional and not meant to be comprehensive.

Naturally, some combination of the above ideas is plausible as they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Others may have different ideas altogether.

Further Antecedents in Prior Traditions

Najm al-Din Kubra (d. 1221CE): Carnelian, Ruby and Color Symbolism as Stages in the Sufi Path of Mystic Ascent

“On the mystic journey there is a well* corresponding to each act of being. The categories of being are limited to seven*; it is to this that the number of the Earths and the Heavens alludes*. Therefore, when you have risen up through the seven wells in the different categories of existence, lo and behold, the Heaven of the sovereign condition (rububiya) and its power are revealed to you. Its atmosphere is a green light whose greenness is that of a vital light through which flow waves eternally in movement towards one another. This green color is so intense that human spirits are not strong enough to bear it, though it does not prevent them from falling into mystic love with it. And on the surface of this heaven are to be seen points more intensely red than fire, ruby or carnelian, which appear lined up in groups of five. On seeing them, the mystic experiences nostalgia and a burning desire; he aspires to unite with them" (transl. Corbin, MoL:77-78, §18)

The symbolism of “wells” is analogous to the ‘Valleys’, ‘Cities’ or stages of the mystical journey found in Seven Valleys of Bahá’u’lláh and prior literature in the Sufi tradition. The metaphor of the well implies a journey of ascent from darkness (at the base of the well) to light (at the height or aperture) [cf. Henry Corbin, Man of Light in Iranian Sufism].
Najm al-Din Kubra was a successor in the ‘Oriental Theosophy’ tradition of Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi (d. 1191), who promulgated a school of Islamic philosophy centered on harmonizing late antique philosophies as diverse as Platonism & Aristotelianism, Hermetism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and more. He founded a metaphysics focused on light, radiance, and intuitive experiential knowledge (Hikmat al-Ishraqi, “Illuminationism”, the Ishraqi school). As explored above the close association of colored lights with specific minerals is also found in the works of the Báb, linking together a whole complex of symbols, colors, minerals, spiritual concepts, and ontological categories.