Human Being in the Writings of the Báb

truth. Replacing miracles with words means affirmation of a culture of rationalism, independent thinking, and equality of all human beings. Another implication of this noble conception of human beings is the rejection of clerical authority in His writings. All the writings of the Báb represent a revolutionary culture. It is revolutionary because it asks people to question what they have heard, read, and been taught. The Báb makes it clear that those artificial learnings that the clerics of various religions have created, instead of bringing people closer to God and making them more capable of accepting the new prophets of God, have usually produced the exact opposite results. The artificial clerical teachings have made people forget the spiritual message and meaning of religion and cling to its outward appearance. Consequently, they have created a culture of obsession with rituals, a culture of hatred and prejudice, and a culture of despotism. All new Prophets were rejected by the clerics of the previous religions. It is for this reason that the Báb abrogates the entire institution of priesthood and clerical authority. I give two examples: The Báb makes ascent on pulpit (manbar) forbidden. The Persian Bayán explains that the idea of one person going up and lecturing others who are all sitting down is contrary to the nobility and dignity of human beings. People can share their ideas with others, but only as equals. Likewise, the Báb abrogates the practice of congregational prayer (namazi Jamá’at). Only the Prophet can lead the prayer. No one else can lead prayers because only God is aware of the inner degree of the spiritual station of human beings. Consequently, all humans should be treated as equals. The writings of the Báb explain why people fail to recognize the new Prophets of God. The main reason is that they do not think for themselves, rather they rely on the judgment of their clerics. The second reason is that people see that believing a new Prophet means experiencing persecution and hardship, whereas remaining in the past religion means access to jobs, money, power, and approval of others. The Báb says that people should follow the example of the first believers of the past religions. For example, they should follow the example of Imám ‘Alí. He did not rely on the judgment of the clerics and scholars of the time, since when he accepted Muḥammad no one else had yet accepted Him. Also, ‘Alí accepted Muḥammad not for the sake of financial and occupational advantages. On the contrary, he accepted Him when becoming a Muslim meant persecution and sacrifice of everything. Another striking expression of this new culture in the writings of the Báb is His insistence that in the new religion, the only path to conversion should be the path of independent investigation and acceptance of the faith through arguments and wisdom. In emphasizing this point, in His book Panj Sha’n (Five Modes of Revelation), He says that there is qualitatively no difference between a faith that is a product of imitation and blindly following tradition, and a faith which is a product of coercion and the threat of the sword. It is very interesting that our modern culture has rejected the imposition of religion through the sword, but sees no problem with religion being a matter of blind habit of tradition. The first is perceived as coercion, whereas the second is seen as religious freedom. The Báb’s sociological insight is amazing. Both these forms of faith are based on rejection of the independent thinking of human beings. Both of them are fundamentally opposed to real religious freedom. The only difference is that the first is an external coercion, whereas the second is a psychological coercion. 3. The Station of Women The nobility of human beings in the perspective of the heart requires a different approach to the station of women. Although the dispensation of the Báb is a transitional dispensation between Islám and the