Human Being in the Writings of the Báb

Bahá’í Faith, which means that the full announcement of the equality of men and women had to wait till the advent of Bahá’u’lláh, there is no doubt that the Báb brought about a new respect for the station of women which was absolutely unprecedented in the Írán of the 19 th century. Here I briefly refer to a few examples: The first example is His central symbol of the haykal (temple; pl. hayákil) and the dá’ira (circle; pl. davá’ir). The Persian Bayán makes the haykal a symbol of men and the dá’ira a symbol of women. The Bábís are asked to carry with themselves a written work which is written in the form of a temple or circle. But the Báb explains the real meaning of these forms in the Persian Bayán. A haykal consists of five lines which together create six chambers. In other words, in a temple, the outward is five and the inward is six. Together five and six are equal to the word Huva meaning He, which refers to God (H is five and V is six). But the symbol for women is six concentric circles. These six circles create between themselves five chambers. In other words, for women’s symbol, the outward is six and the inward is five. What this means is that both men and women are one and the same truth. Both are reflections of “He,” namely God. Their appearance is different but their truth is one and the same. Both are reflections of God and therefore both are equal and sacred. The second example is a statement by the Báb, Who says that God does not want to see the slightest trace of anything other than love for any of His servants in the relation of men to men, women to women, men to women, and women to men. ﻟن ﯾرﺿﯽ ﷲ ﻻﺣد ﻣن ﻋﺑﺎده ﺗﺳﻊ ﺗﺳﻊ ﻋﺷر ﺧردل ﻣن دون اﻟﺣبّ، ﺑﻌﺿﮑم ﻟﺑﻌض و ﺑﻌﺿﮭنّ ﻟﺑﻌض و ﺑﻌﺿﮑم ﻟﺑﻌﺿﮭنّ و ﺑﻌﺿﮭنّ ﻟﺑﻌﺿﮑم. In another statement, the Báb equates men and women with different modes of linguistic words by which God is mentioned, and then says: " God attributes both to Himself that haply neither men exalt themselves over women, nor women exalt themselves over men. " ﯾﻧﺳب ﷲ ﮐﻠﺗﯾﮭﻣﺎ اﻟﯽ ﻧﻔﺳﮫ ﻟ ﺋﻼّ ﯾﺗﻔﺎﺧرون ھؤﻻء ﻋﻠﯽ ھنّ و ﻻ ھنّ ﻋﻠﯽ ھؤﻻء In this statement of the Báb, we see that since God defines both men and women as His Own reflection, they both must be treated as equals. The fourth example is related to the way in which the Báb treated Ṭáhirih and her station. In the Bábí religion, after the Báb, the highest spiritual station is assigned to the first 18 believers of the Báb, who are called the Letters of the Living. One of these 18 is a woman who is famously known as Ṭáhirih. This heroic woman was the first woman in Iran who removed the veil and announced the abrogation of Islám and the beginning of a new religion by her questioning this patriarchal tradition. It is important to know that the early Bábís were still Muslims whose ideas about men and women were influenced from their surrounding culture. For that reason, it was difficult for some Bábís to see a woman be a member of the Letters of the Living. These people constantly complained to the Báb of the activist, heroic, brave, and public orientation of Ṭáhirih. In response to these objections the Báb always confirmed the extraordinary station of Ṭáhirih and told those people that Ṭáhirih is the forbidden Tree of Knowledge in paradise. Her station is above your level of understanding. Therefore, leave her alone and do not bother her. However, the most dramatic expression of the attitude of the Báb to Ṭáhirih is manifest in a tablet written in Chihríq, where the Báb gives the name of the 18 Letters of the Living. However, the Báb defines them as 17 and 1. First He says: “and the names of seventeen of them are these:” and then He