An Introduction to Tablet of Mulla Baqir

It is noteworthy that in his book The Seven Proofs, the Bab responds to the objection raised against himself that apparently his revelation contradicts so many signs and statements in Qur’an and traditions. The response he gives was intended to be followed by the Babis in their judgment about the next revelation. He says that the apparent contradiction of previous traditions with his revelation can be answered in a number of ways. First, the real meaning of these words can only be known by the Promised One. Secondly, many of these traditions are not authentic. Third, bada’ (alteration in the divine will) is a divine truth and therefore, some of these statements may have become subject to bada’. 26 We can see that the Bab has categorically blocked any possibility that his words can be turned into a constraining condition for judging the truth of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Turning fire into light and light into fire Writings of the Bab divide people into two categories based on their recognition or rejection of the Manifestation of God. These are sometimes called letters of affirmation vs. letters of negation, letters of sublime paradise (’illiyin) vs. letters of nethermost region (sijjin), and letters of light vs. letters of fire. It is the recognition of the new Manifestation that turn the light into fire and fire into light. The Bab notes that the numerical value of the word Bab is equal to five, which is exactly the difference between the numerical values of the Arabic words for fire and light. Thus by adding the Bab to fire we get light. In other words, it is the recognition of the manifestation that brings about light, while the most prominent leaders and scholars of the past religion turn into fire by rejecting the new Manifestation. It is only during the physical presence of the Bab himself that true fire and true light can be distinguished from each other. After the physical death of the Bab the distinctions become only apparent distinctions and not real ones. In Persian Bayan he writes: Therefore, today, anyone who desireth to distinguish the letters of light from those of fire is able to do so, inasmuch as this is the Day of the Revelation of God. However, after the ascension of the Exalted Tree, none may make such a distinction in real truth, except in accordance with the appearance. Whoso transgresseth not the precepts of the Bayán is to be taken as amongst the letters of the sublime paradise, and whoso transgresseth them is to be numbered as those of the nethermost region, until the Day when God shall save this creation by manifesting His own Self in the day of Resurrection. At that time, that which is judged by the Point of the Bayán, in His Resurrection, is the real truth of His prior creation: He who recogniseth Him is assuredly numbered amongst the letters of the sublime paradise, and he who faileth to recognise Him is registered in very truth amongst those of the nethermost region. Thus God separateth the two in truth, for verily He is the best Discriminator. 27 It is clear from this statement of the Bab that no leader of the Babi community after the martyrdom of the Bab has a binding spiritual station to be able to distinguish letters of negation from letters of affirmation. No leader himself can be perceived to be truly a letter of fire or a letter of light. All distinctions will be a mere apparent distinction. The main reason that the Bab forbid public prayer is precisely this fact. He says that at the end of a dispensation and the beginning of a new revelation no one knows if the leader of prayer is really from the letters of light or letters of fire and therefore in the religion of Bayan no one should follow another person in praying to God. 28 One cannot help but note

26 The Bab, Dalá’il-i-Sab’ih (The Seven Proofs). N.p., n.d., p. 51. 27 Persian Bayan 2:2 28 Ibid. 9:9.