I've been remiss in posting a few other scripts that have been developed. Below is one put together by Marlene Macke, in the voices of Fátimih Bagum,The mother
of the Báb; Khadíjih Bagum. The
wife of the Báb; Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí,
known as Khál-i-A‘zam, The
uncle of the Báb; Shaykh ‘Abid, The
teacher of the Báb.
I Knew
the Báb
His
Early Life through the Remembrances of Those Who Knew Him
A
Dramatic Reading in Commemoration of His Birthday
Compiled
by Marlene Macke
St.
Marys, Ontario, Canada
Cast
Fátimih Bagum
The mother
of the Báb........................................................ ____________
Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí,
known as Khál-i-A‘zam
The
uncle of the Báb........................................................... ____________
Shaykh ‘Abid
The
teacher of the Báb........................................................ ____________
Khadíjih Bagum
The
wife of the Báb............................................................. ____________
Narrator............................................................................... ____________
I Knew
the Báb
His
Early Life through the Remembrances of Those Who Knew Him
A
Dramatic Reading in Commemoration of His Birthday
Fátimih Bagum
I am the mother of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. My family
descended from the lineage of the Imám Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad. The family of my husband, Siyyid Muhammad-Ridá, also descended from
the Prophet, and Nabíl who chronicled the history of the Bábí Faith later wrote
that our house was renowned for its nobility. We lived in the city of Shíráz
in Persia.
No one paid attention to the women of my society, so in
future, no one will know where or when I was born nor how I was raised. These
details are of no importance today. Suffice to say, I was married young –
likely in my early teens – but my first children died in infancy. My husband
and I prayed fervently for the birth of a healthy child, and our prayers were
answered. On the twentieth day of October, 1819, I gave birth to a healthy baby
boy. We named him Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. You can imagine how joyful we were but
we never guessed our infant was born to follow a divine destiny.
Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, known as Khál-i-A‘zam
I am the uncle of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad and the brother of
Fátimih Bagum. It was a terrible blow when her husband died so suddenly,
leaving her a young single mother with an infant son. As is our custom, a male
relative takes over to act as the legal guardian of under-aged fatherless
children, and so I took responsibility for my nephew who was barely past
infanthood.
When he turned six, I enrolled the boy in the school of Shaykh
‘Abid where he remained for some five or six years. He was taught the
curriculum of the era, especially reciting from the Holy Qur’án, and the
rudiments of the Persian language, arithmetic and handwriting.
Since I was a merchant by profession, I intended to take
him into business with me as soon as he finished his studies. Did I notice that
he exhibited extraordinary promise as a little boy? No, not really. Men of my
time paid little attention to youngsters; it was the women who raised the
children. However, I did love him as if he were my own son.
Shaykh ‘Abid
I am Shaykh ‘Abid and I followed the Shaykhí
movement, led by Shaykh Ahmad and later by Siyyid Kázim. I owned a school for youngsters and also
taught theology to some older students. Khál-i-A‘zam asked me to tutor
his nephew in my small school.
One day ‘Alí-Muhammad astonished me with an insightful
explanation of the opening words of the Qur’án. The beauty and power of his
words made me realize there was nothing I could teach this child. I took
‘Alí-Muhammad home and committed him to his uncle’s vigilant protection. I
explained the boy stood in no need of teachers such as I. Khál-i-A‘zam
was annoyed by this. He instructed his nephew to return to my school, to
observe silence and to listen attentively to every word spoken by his teacher.
While ‘Alí-Muhammad was always courteous and humble, I knew he possessed an
extraordinary wisdom and knowledge gained neither from books nor human
teachers.
Fátimih Bagum
The first sixteen years of my boy’s life were the very
most precious years in all my life. My brother, Khál-i-A‘zam, was good
to us, taking us into his own home, and of course I doted on my son. He and I
had an extraordinarily strong bond. He was always so loving, considerate and
dutiful towards me. He was such a pure
and sweet child, so courteous to everyone. But he had a solemn streak that
sometimes amused me. And he was astonishing devout in his prayers and
meditations, far beyond his years. Of course every mother thinks her first-born
is the apple of her eye, and I surely adored my incomparable child. But I had
not yet come to comprehend the unique man he would become.
Shaykh ‘Abid
‘Alí-Muhammad came late to school one day. When I asked
him why, he said he had been in the house of his ‘Grandfather’. The Siyyids,
the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, refer to the Prophet as their
‘Grandfather’. I told ‘Alí-Muhammad he
was only a child and that he need not spend so much of his time in prayer. He
replied quietly, “I wish to be like my Grandfather.”
With his innate knowledge of our Holy Book, and this
latest spoken desire, I marveled to think what his future might hold. Despite
following the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim, it’s
ironic I didn’t make the connection between my own student and the coming
Promised One. My only excuse is that one does not readily expect such a tiny
child to be the Qá’im!
Khál-i-A‘zam
When ‘Alí-Muhammad turned thirteen years of age, he
joined my business. I patiently trained him for three years and he learned
quickly. At sixteen, he was more than ready to move to Búshihr to manage
our commercial interests in that city. He lived there for about five years and
worked very hard in building up our trading house. ‘Alí-Muhammad gained an
enviable reputation for nothing but scrupulous honesty in every business
dealing. I was so proud of him.
However dutiful my nephew was in his work, however, I had
long sensed that his true vocation lay not in business and commerce. And then
in the spring of 1841, he fulfilled a personal dream in setting off to the holy
cities of Najaf and Karbilá in Iraq. He drew to a close all our business
affairs in Búshihr, gave the keys to a trusted friend in the bazaar with
instructions to turn them over to me or one of his other uncles, and he set
off. In retrospect, I realize this was a tangible beginning of the spiritual
journey that would take him far from his origins as a merchant in a family
business.
Fátimih Bagum
I missed my son so much during his years in Búshihr.
It was out of the question for me to visit him there because women simply
didn’t travel in those days, what with no good means of transport except by
mules over very bad roads. And safety on the road could be very insecure. But
‘Alí-Muhammad was a faithful correspondent, thank God, and he did return to Shíráz
on occasion. But it wasn’t enough for me. I had a premonition that his
impending travels to the holy cities might take him away from me permanently.
Khál-i-A‘zam
His mother and I shared the same misgivings over
‘Alí-Muhammad’s travels. His sojourn in Iraq stretched into nearly seven
months. Fátimih wanted nothing more than
for my nephew to return to Shíráz, marry and settle down. She begged me
to go to Iraq and convince him to return. When I arrived, ‘Alí-Muhammad was
reluctant to leave the holy places, but at last he consented to comply with his
mother’s wishes. I am certain only his desire to ameliorate the sadness of his
beloved mother could have moved him to accompany me back to Shíráz. And
then after just a few months at home, he began to talk about returning to Iraq.
Khadíjih Bagum
I am Khadíjih Bagum and I became the wife of Siyyid
‘Alí-Muhammad. My father, Hájí Mírzá ‘Alí, was Fátimih Bagum’s paternal uncle,
meaning the two of us were first cousins, although she was older than I. And my
older half-sister was married to ‘Alí-Muhammad’s uncle, the one who had been
his guardian. There were many marriages between our two families. As well, our
homes were side by side and as young children, ‘Alí-Muhammad and I were
playmates, although I was three years younger than he was.
After he moved to Búshihr, I began to have dreams
about him. In one of them, ‘Alí-Muhammad was in a verdant plain, with flowers
in profusion. He faced towards the Qiblih in an attitude of prayer. His outer
coat was embroidered with verses of the Qur’án embroidered with threads of
gold. His face was radiant. In this particular dream ‘Alí-Muhammad was only
about sixteen years old, and would be in Búshihr five more years before
his pilgrimage to the holy cities in Iraq.
Fátimih Bagum
I realized I had to move quickly to forestall my son’s
return to Iraq. Our families had an
informal agreement that he and Khadíjih might marry when the time came. The
time was now. I went to her home and followed all the protocols of proposing
the marriage. When that sweet young woman entered the room, I kissed her on the
forehead and gave her my most loving embrace. Within mere days the families had
agreed to the engagement and we delivered gifts to formalize the arrangements.
She was twenty years old. Some girls in those days were married as young as
nine years old, but I had always hoped they would marry and so it came to pass.
Khadíjih Bagum
I was so happy to be engaged to Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. We
married in August of 1842. Before the wedding, I had another dream vision. I
dreamed it was our wedding night. He was wearing a green cloak, again
embroidered with verses from the Qur’án. Light was shining from his body. The
intensity of my happiness at seeing him in this dream woke me up. I knew then
he was not just a man but a great personage. My gratitude that he wanted me for
his wife increased my love for him, although it hardly seems possible that I
could love him more. After our marriage, from his behaviour, his words, his
tranquillity and dignity, I realized even more that he was different than every
other man. But I never imagined that he was the Promised One.
Fátimih Bagum
All my hopes were fulfilled. Khadíjih proved to be the
perfect daughter-in-law. She would often say that no words could every convey
her feelings of good fortune. Of my son, she told me that his kindness towards
her and his care for her were indescribable, and she was overwhelmed with
gratitude at the kindness and consideration that my son and I showered on her.
They started their married life with such serenity and love. I truly believed
‘Alí-Muhammad’s life was now complete with this felicitous marriage. And soon
Khadíjih was expecting her first baby! You can well imagine how joyfully we
embraced this news. I couldn’t wait to be a grandmother.
Khadíjih Bagum
But then I had a terrifying dream. A fearsome lion was
standing in the courtyard of our house and I had my arms around its neck. This
beast dragged me around the whole perimeter of the courtyard two and a half
times. I awoke thoroughly frightened and related the dream to my husband. He
told me the dream foretold that our life together would not last for more than
two and a half years. That compounded my distress! But his affection and words
of comfort consoled me and prepared me to accept every adversity in the path of
God.
Fátimih Bagum
Alas, such woe was soon visited upon us. Khadíjih had a
very difficult and dangerous pregnancy and on the fateful night of her
delivery, I rushed to my son to tell him that his beloved wife was on the point
of death. ‘Alí-Muhammad took up a mirror and wrote a prayer on it. He
instructed me to hold the mirror in front of his wife. The child was safely
delivered – a son! – and Khadíjih recovered too. However, our gladness turned
to piercing grief as little Ahmad, for that is what they named him, died soon
thereafter. All of us were devastated by the tragic loss of the infant.
I am not proud of what I did next – I berated my son,
telling him if he could save the life of his wife, why couldn’t he also have
saved his own son, and spared his wife and his mother such pain. He told me he
was destined to leave no children, an answer that left me even more angry. It
took many a year before I began to finally understand his purpose and his
station.
Khadíjih Bagum
I had always sensed that my husband, ‘Alí-Muhammad, had a
profound spiritual nature. My dreams and his words to me and the events that
began to crowd our lives – our too short two-and-a-half years together – all
seemed to be a part of the destiny he was to fulfil. Here’s how I finally came
to know his station.
One night I awoke at midnight to find ‘Alí-Muhammad was
not in our chamber. I went to look for him and found him in an upper guest room
of our house. It was immersed in light but seemed brighter than mere lamps
could provide. I saw him standing in the middle of the room with his hands
raised heavenward, with the dazzling light emanating from his very being. I
wanted to withdraw unseen, but was frozen in awe and fear. Then he said to me
“Go back” and I retreated to our bedroom. I did not sleep for the rest of the
night but prayed to God, saying, “O my God, what power and grandeur! What
greatness and glory! What is the wisdom in your revealing to me that effulgent
Sun? Is He my Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad? Will I henceforth be able to live with that
luminous Sun? Nay, nay, the rays of this Resplendent Sun will consume me, and
will reduce me to ashes. I possess not the power to withstand it.”
When I joined him for breakfast the next morning, I was
trembling and could not lift my head. The Exalted Being poured tea and offered
it to me. He enquired, “What is the matter with you?” I replied, “What was the
condition I saw you in?” He said, “Know thou that the Almighty God is
manifested in Me. I am the One whose advent the people of Islam have expected
for over a thousand years. God has created Me for a great Cause and you
witnessed the divine revelation. Although I had not wished that you see Me in
that state, yet God had so willed that there may not be any place in your heart
for doubt and hesitation.” I came to know that His mission was to fulfil the
prophecies concerning the return of the Qá’im and to proclaim the near advent
of ‘He Whom God shall manifest’. My Beloved also told me not to share the news
of this revelation with his mother, Fátimih Bagum.
Fátimih Bagum
When my husband died and Khál-i-A‘zam assumed
guardianship of my son, we moved into his house. But once ‘Alí-Muhammad and
Khadíjih were married, the three of us moved back into my family home. It was a
spacious home with several rooms on the lower and upper floors and a small
courtyard. My room was on the lower floor, quite near the front door. Khadíjih
and my son usually took their meals with me in my room. Those first couple
years of their marriage were idyllic.
From my vantage point near the front door, I enjoyed
watching the comings and goings of the household and the visitors to our home.
I couldn’t help but notice that after about the third week of May 1844, more
and more visitors were coming to see my beloved son, often at night. But
‘Alí-Muhammad was silent as to the purpose of those visits. I felt something
momentous might be happening but had no idea of what it was. Then a fresh worry
for me – at the end of September, ‘Alí-Muhammad decided to take his pilgrimage
to Mecca and Medina. He didn’t return until July of 1845, but at least I did
get letters from him.
Khál-i-A‘zam
According to one of the traditions of our faith, when the
Qá’im or Promised One appeared, He would announce Himself at the Kabba, or
Point of Adoration, in the courtyard of the Great Mosque at Mecca. This is what
my beloved nephew did. He declared His station as the Promised One at the
Kabba.
One of my bothers was living in Búshihr. He
welcomed the arrival of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad who passing through Búshihr
on His return from Mecca. My brother
wrote to the family in Shíráz to update them on the news. His letter
gave the family further intimation of the station of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad, whom
the world would come to know by the title ‘the Gate’ or the Báb. The letter said, in part, “You must have
perused all of them [previous letters] and felt elated that in truth His Self,
the source of munificence, is the light of the eye of this world and the next.
He is our pride. Praised be God, praised be God!”
Sadly, the family was split by the declaration of my
nephew. Only his wife, Khadíjih, and I unreservedly accepted His claim. My dear
sister, Fátimih, could not accept His claim. To her, He simply remained her
beloved son.
Fátimih Bagum
When my son finally returned to Shíráz, word of
his claim to be the Qá’im had preceded him and the city’s religious leaders
interrogated him and passed a verdict of death on him. My son! The death
sentence just needed the signature of the Imám-Jum‘ih. He happened to be an old
family friend, and had presided at the marriage of my son and Khadíjih. Two of
the other ladies of the family joined me, and we persuaded Imám-Jum‘ih to stay
the order. My son was given house arrest in the home of his uncle, Khál-i-A‘zam. My daughter-in-law and I also removed
ourselves to Khál-i-A‘zam’s home, and the four of us lived a quiet life.
No visitors were permitted.
My son continued to be so loving and tender to his wife
and me. He cheered our hearts and I for one felt my apprehensions melt away.
Then at Naw-Rúz he gave us unexpected gifts. ‘Ali-Muhammad bequeathed all his
possessions, including his property, to Khadíjih and me. He must have had some
intuitive feeling about his immediate future because soon after he was arrested
and taken away. He was released again but was informed he must leave Shíráz.
I wept and wept.
Khadíjih Bagum
One day, to our indescribable joy, my husband came home
and stayed two or three days. But these were the last days of my life with Him.
A few days before the arrival of the month of Ramadán, in the last days of
September 1846, He announced that His sojourn in Shíráz were no longer
advisable and that He would leave the city that very night. I, who had known
how much He had suffered in Shíráz, was actually happy and contented
that He could now reach a place of safety. Two hours after sunset, all alone,
He left the house. His clothes and the necessities for the journey had been
sent out of the city earlier. Accompanied by one of the believers, He took the
road to Isfahán.
Fátimih Bagum
Again I was deprived of the presence of my son, but I
consoled myself with the remembrance that he had always returned to Shíráz
from his previous journeys. At first we did receive letters from family members
who knew his whereabouts, and sometimes we even received letters directly from
him. Then several months passed with no news, until we heard that he had been
imprisoned in the north of the country not far from the Russian border. I
begged my brother, Khál-i-A‘zam, to travel to that far-off prison. I
never saw my son again, and my beloved brother never came home again either. It
wasn’t until 1851 that I was finally told both were dead.
Nearly all the rest of the family blamed me for the death
of my brother, who would not have gone away if I had not begged him to travel
to my son’s prison. And most of them openly scoffed at the claim of prophethood
by my son, and, presumably in fear of the authorities, they actively avoided
me. They were spiteful and bitterly hostile toward me. I could no longer
sustain the enormous weight of the loss of Khál-i-A‘zam and my cherished
son. I decided to move to Najaf and Karbilá, the twin holy cities in Iraq, and
devote the rest of my life to meditation and prayer.
Khadíjih Bagum
These days of desolation burdened me with indescribable
grief. My beloved husband was gone from this earthly plane. And then Fátimih
Bagum departed from Shíráz. Her absence greatly added to my sorrow. No
longer would my dear mother-in-law whose comfort, love, sympathy and care had
sustained me over the years be by my side.
My only solace was letters my Lord had written to me. One
letter said: “O well-beloved! Value highly the grace of the Great Remembrance
for it cometh from God, the Loved One. Thou shalt not be a woman, like other
women, if thou obeyest God in the Cause of Truth, the greatest Truth. Know thou
the great bounty conferred upon thee by the Ancient of Days, and take pride in
being the consort of the Well-Beloved, Who is loved by God, the Greatest.
Sufficient unto thee is this glory which cometh unto thee from God, the
All-Wise, the All-Praised. Be patient in all that God hath ordained concerning
the Báb and His Family. Verily, thy son, Ahmad, is with Fátimih, the Sublime,
in the sanctified Paradise.”
Another time He confided to me the secret of His future
sufferings and unfolded to my eyes the significance of the events that were to
transpire in His Day. He counseled me to be patient and resigned to the will of
God. He revealed a special prayer for me, the reading of which, He assured me,
would remove my difficulties and lighten the burden of my woes. My Beloved told
me to recite this prayer before going to sleep and He Himself would appear to
me and banish my anxiety.
“Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say:
Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His bidding!”
NARRATOR
Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, known as Khál-i-A‘zam,
was the brother of Fátimih Bagum. He raised her son, his nephew, Siyyid
‘Alí-Muhammad, later known as the Báb. Khál-i-A‘zam was the second member of
the Afnán family, after Khadíjih Bagum, to accept the station of the Báb. After
visiting his nephew in the mountain prison of Chihríq, he travelled to
Tihrán where he was executed with six other Bábís. These seven martyrs were
known thereafter as the Seven Goats, referencing an hadith or tradition in
Islám that they would walk in front of their True Shepherd, the Qá’im, and
their deaths would precede the martyrdom of the Qá’im. Khál-i-A‘zam was
martyred in 1850.
Khadíjih Bagum was the wife of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. She
has the distinction of being the first to recognize the Sun of Reality that
shone through His Person. One of her greatest gifts was the capacity to
understand and accept things others could not bear to hear. Her steadfastness,
courage, purity of heart, unswerving obedience, patience and resignation to
God’s Will were characteristics that she wore like gems in a crown.
Khadíjih continued to live in Shíráz after the
Martyrdom of the Báb. Some years later Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed Himself ‘He Whom
God shall manifest’ or the next Promised One Who had been foretold by the Báb.
Nábil himself was the one who travelled to Shíráz and shared the news of
Bahá’u’lláh’s station with the Bábís in that city. Khadíjih recounted that she laid her forehead
on the ground in adoration and thanksgiving, and whispered, “Offer at His
sacred threshold my most humble devotion.” Not hesitating for a moment to
recognize Bahá’u’lláh, her submission was instantaneous and total.
After Khadíjih died, Bahá’u’lláh revealed a Tablet in her
honour that confirmed ‘before the creation of the world of being’, she had
‘found the fragrance of the garment of the Merciful’. Bahá’u’lláh also referred
to her as ‘the immaculate virgin’, ‘the consort of the Most High’, ‘the most
chaste’ and ‘Leaf of Eternity’. Khadíjih Bagum was the only female member of
the Báb’s family honoured by Bahá’u’lláh with the station of a martyr. She died
in 1882 and lies at rest in Shíráz.
Fátimih Bagum was the mother of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad.
After His Declaration, she suffered unendurable sorrows at the hands of most of
her family. She moved to Najaf which is not far distant from Baghdád.
Bahá’u’lláh sent two friends to teach Fátimih the truth of her beloved son’s
station. For many years she had failed to recognize the significance of His
Mission but as she neared the end of her life, she finally perceived the
inestimable quality of that Treasure, her son, whom she had given to the world.
She accepted His claim and was eventually fully aware of the bountiful gifts
which the Almighty had chosen to confer upon her.
Bahá’u’lláh bestowed on Fátimih Bagum the distinction of
the title ‘Most Virtuous of All Women’. He wrote, “This is that which hath been
now sent down from the Highest Realm of Glory: O people! Know ye that We have
singled out for special favour the mother of the Primal Point, who hath been
mentioned before the Throne as the most virtuous of all handmaids.” Fátimih
Bagum’s greatest and most lasting glory is that she bore and raised the
martyred Herald of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation and that she recognized the station
of her son and of the one whose advent He heralded.
She died in 1882, the same year as her beloved
daughter-in-law. At some point in the future, according to Shoghi Effendi’s
wishes expressed as a goal of the Ten Year Crusade, her remains will be
transferred to the Bahá’í cemetery in Baghdád.
This ends of the stories of the early life of the Báb
through the eyes of those who associated with Him most closely in His formative
years. Let us now recite the Tablet of Visitation which is frequently used in
commemorating His Birth. As a mark of respect, let us rise and face the Qiblih.
oo0oo
Tablet
of Visitation
The
praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory which hath
shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art the
Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who
are in heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God
and His dominion, and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and
the Daystars of ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of
Thine irrevocable decree, and the Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above
the horizon of creation. I testify, moreover, that with but a movement of Thy
Pen Thine injunction “Be Thou” hath been enforced, and God’s hidden Secret hath
been divulged, and all created things have been called into being, and all the
Revelations have been sent down.
I bear
witness, moreover, that through Thy beauty the beauty of the Adored One hath
been unveiled, and through Thy face the face of the Desired One hath shone
forth, and that through a word from Thee Thou hast decided between all created
things, caused them who are devoted to Thee to ascend unto the summit of glory,
and the infidels to fall into the lowest abyss.
I bear
witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath attained
unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God. Great, therefore, is
the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy signs, and hath
humbled himself before Thy sovereignty, and hath been honored with meeting
Thee, and hath attained the good pleasure of Thy will, and circled around Thee,
and stood before Thy throne. Woe betide him that hath transgressed against
Thee, and hath denied Thee, and repudiated Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy
sovereignty, and risen up against Thee, and waxed proud before Thy face, and
hath disputed Thy testimonies, and fled from Thy rule and Thy dominion, and
been numbered with the infidels whose names have been inscribed by the fingers
of Thy behest upon Thy holy Tablets.
Waft,
then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved, from the right hand of Thy mercy and
Thy loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they may draw me away
from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy
presence. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou, truly, hast been
supreme over all things.
The
remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His splendor, rest
upon Thee, O Thou Who art His Beauty! I bear witness that the eye of creation
hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days of
Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one time Thou wast in chains and
fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies. Yet,
despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been
prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
May my
spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, and my soul be a ransom
for the adversities Thou didst sustain. I beseech God, by Thee and by them
whose faces have been illumined with the splendors of the light of Thy
countenance, and who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto they were
bidden, to remove the veils that have come in between Thee and Thy creatures,
and to supply me with the good of this world and the world to come. Thou art,
in truth, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving,
the Most Compassionate.
Bless
Thou, O Lord my God, the Divine Lote-Tree and its leaves, and its boughs, and
its branches, and its stems, and its offshoots, as long as Thy most excellent
titles will endure and Thy most august attributes will last. Protect it, then,
from the mischief of the aggressor and the hosts of tyranny. Thou art, in
truth, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. Bless Thou, also, O Lord my God, Thy
servants and Thy handmaidens who have attained unto Thee. Thou, truly, art the
All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite. No God is there save Thee, the
Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
o00o
Script taken primarily from Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, An In-Depth
Study of the Lives of Women Closely Related to the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh by
Baharieh Rouhani Ma‘ani, George Ronald, Oxford, 2008.
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