A Study of Baha’u’llah’s Kitab-i-Iqan, The Book of Certitude

Authorship of the Book of Certitude (Para. 288)

One of the early attacks by the covenant breakers and other enemies of the Faith was to create confusion about the authorship of the Book of Certitude. Since the content of the Book was so masterly and both in eloquence and in the logical force of its arguments it could not be opposed, the enemies saw it best to ascribe the book to someone else! The followers of Mirza Yahya Azal spread the word that Yahya was the real author. This was also picked up by Shaykh Muhammad Taqi-i-Esfahani, the Son of the Wolf , who thought it best to support this claim.

That such a claim is patently false is abundantly clear. Firstly the book ends with the words “Revealed by the “Ba'“ and the “Ha'””. Secondly several events of the life of Baha’u’llah are reported in the Text such as His imprisonment in Tihran, the mark of chains on His neck, His seclusion to the mountains of Sulaymanieh etc.

Baha’u’llah Himself refers to this issue of authorship in His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. And Tahirzadeh in his Covenant of Baha’u’llah describes a related account. The extracts are given below. – F.A.

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Wherever this Wronged One went Mirza Yahya followed Him. Thou art thyself a witness and well knowest that whatever hath been said is the truth. The Siyyid of Isfahan, however, surreptitiously duped him. They committed that which caused the greatest consternation. Would that thou wouldst inquire from the officials of the government concerning the conduct of Mirza Yahya in that land. Aside from all this, I adjure thee by God, the One, the Incomparable, the Lord of Strength, the Most Powerful, to carefully look into the communications addressed in his name to the Primal Point, that thou mayest behold the evidences of Him Who is the Truth as clear as the sun. Likewise, there proceeded from the words of the Point of the Bayan -- may the souls of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake -- that which no veil can obscure, and which neither the veils of glory nor the veils interposed by such as have gone astray can hide. The veils have, verily, been rent asunder by the finger of the will of thy Lord, the Strong, the All-Subduing, the All-Powerful. Yea, desperate is the state of such as have calumniated Me and envied Me. Not long ago it was stated that thou hadst ascribed the authorship of the Kitab-i-Iqan and of other Tablets unto others. I swear by God! This is a grievous injustice. Others are incapable of apprehending their meaning, how much more of revealing them!

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 168 )

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...Soon after the Kitáb-i-Íqán was revealed in honour of Hájí Siyyid Muhammad, the uncle of the Báb, several copies were made and circulated among the believers. This book came as a shattering blow to Mírzá Yahyá, who could see the overpowering influence of this outstanding work among the friends. Siyyid Muhammad circulated rumours that the Kitáb-i-Íqán was the work of Mírzá Yahyá which had been published in Bahá'u'lláh's name. The following is an interesting account by Hájí Mírzá Haydar-'Alí,[1] who was then one of the followers of the Báb in Persia.

"Although I was persecuted several times in Isfahan and suffered great hardships and ill-treatment, I was happy, on fire with the Faith, attracted and in love with the Writings and Tablets of the Báb, especially the Persian Bayán. I made two copies of this Book. The more I read it the more eager I became to read further. In those days everyone was convinced that the coming of 'Him Whom God shall make manifest' was at hand. I often used to say ... that if the Dispensation of the Báb ... were not followed immediately by the Dispensation of 'Him Whom God shall make manifest', then all the Writings, Tablets and testimonies of the Báb would remain unfulfilled and were useless. I did not have a heartfelt regard for Azal.[2] I used to remark, 'What is the difference between the hidden Azal and the Hidden Qá'im?...'[3] Furthermore, I regarded his writings to be truly nonsensical, except of course his quotations from the Writings of the Báb which were exalted words. However, I used to be condemned by my own conscience for these thoughts, as I had imagined my own understanding to be above that of other people. Then two holy Tablets from the Blessed Beauty ... arrived in honour of Zaynu'l-Muqarrabín[4] and Áqá Muhammad-'Alíy-i-Tambákú-Furúsh[5] from Isfahán. These Tablets captivated me and I became enamoured of the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh.

"Later ... Hájí Siyyid Muhammad, the uncle of the Báb ... came for a visit to Isfahan and brought with him the Kitáb-i-Íqán, revealed in answer to his own questions. As a result of reading the Kitáb-i-Íqán, I became a thousand times more enchanted with the blessed utterances of the Ancient Beauty. I used to mention quite openly that I regarded Bahá'u'lláh's magnanimity, His unique and incomparable reality, the power of His utterance, the sway of His pen and the persuasiveness of His proofs to be supernatural and the greatest and foremost miracle of all.

"But some people were not pleased with my views and would intimate to me that the Kitáb-i-Íqán had been written by Azal.

"Even Mír Muhammad-'Alíy-i-'Attár, one of the early believers, called on me and told me in confidence that 'since the Báb had always given the glad tidings of the coming of "Him Whom God shall make manifest", has not laid down any conditions or specified any time for His advent, has enjoined upon all to accept and acknowledge Him as soon as He reveals Himself, has prohibited investigation, caution or delay [in accepting His Message], has condemned to hell-fire [those who do not recognize Him], has strictly forbidden the seeking of proofs from Him, and has regarded Himself as the servant and forerunner of "Him Whom God shall make manifest", all these have prompted Jináb-i-Bahá [Bahá'u'lláh] to claim this position for Himself. He has imprisoned Azal and sometimes has whipped him to make him answer His questions. These answers are recorded by Jináb-i-Bahá and published in His own name. Siyyid Muhammad has journeyed twice from Baghdád to Isfahan on behalf of Azal and has confidentially told the faithful about his loneliness and the wrongs he has suffered!'

"My amazement at hearing this knew no bounds. I stated that it was impossible and I had never heard such nonsense and vain assertions. The words and passages in the Kitáb-i-Íqán were of a style easy to apprehend yet impossible to imitate. The words of Azal were neither weighty nor eloquent..."

[1] See The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 2. This excerpt is from Bihjatu's-Sudúr, pp. 22-24, translated into English by A. Q. Faizi as Stories from the Delight of Hearts: The memoirs of Hájí Mírzá Haydar-Alí, pp. 8-9.
[2] Mírzá Yahyá
[3] Shi'ah Islám believes that the Qá'im, the Promised One, is living in a hidden city where no one can have access to Him, and that He will manifest Himself at the appointed hour.
[4] See The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 1, p. 255.
[5] See The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 2, pp. 370-73.

[From The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, by Adib Taherzadeh, pp.75-76]