A Study of Baha’u’llah’s
Kitab-i-Iqan, The Book of Certitude
|
Circumstances of
the Revelation of the Book
From Eminent
Bahá'ís in the Time of Bahá'u'lláh, by H. M. Balyuzi, pp. 220-21
...Mírzá Áqá challenged [to investigate the truth of the Báb's claims] boldly
no less a person than Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad, the uncle of the Báb. This
highly revered merchant, whose brothers-in-law were in the forefront of the
bitter adversaries of the Báb, had, as far as discretion allowed, tried to
shield those who were associated with his Nephew. He would have gone to any
length to save his Nephew from the malevolence of His foes, but to give Him his
allegiance he decidedly would not. From the very beginning Hájí Mírzá Siyyid
Muhammad had refused to take the path which his martyred younger brother had
taken. Now, faced with a determined young man, only seventeen years old, he
hedged himself with traditions, both genuine and of doubtful authenticity. To
fend off the persistent appeals of his enthusiastic young relative, Hájí Mírzá
Siyyid Muhammad used every armour of the orthodox.
Hájí Mírzá Habibu'llah Afnan, the distinguished son of Áqá Mírzá Áqá, has put
on paper his father's reminiscences of that spiritual struggle between himself,
a boy of seventeen, and the venerable uncle of the Báb:
At the beginning when I broached the subject the uncle expressed total refusal. I went on presenting proofs supporting my argument. We went through several meetings until one day, when I was strenuously following my line, he said with great amazement: 'Mírzá Áqá! Do you mean to say that the son of my sister is the Qá'im of the House of Muhammad?' I replied: 'Why not?' Then he showed still more amazement and said: 'It is strange, very strange.' I replied: 'There is nothing strange about it!' Then he became very pensive. That made me smile. He asked me: 'Why do you smile?' I answered: 'It will not be polite if I say why.' He said: 'Do not be shy, tell me.' I replied: 'Now that you allow me I will say it. What you said just now is exactly what Abu-Lahab* exclaimed: "Is it possible for my nephew to be a Prophet!" Indeed it was possible, and the Nephew of Abu-Lahab was the Messenger of God. Now, would you investigate and find out for yourself? This Sun has arisen from your house, this Light has shone from your abode; you must feel proud. Don't be amazed, don't seek avoidance. God the Almighty has the power to have made the Son of your sister the Qá'im of the House of Muhammad. The hand of God is not tied. As the Qur'án declares: His hand is free!' Then he [the uncle of the Báb] said: 'Núr-i-Chashm, you gave me an answer which is unanswerable! What can I say and what should I do now?' I replied: 'Firstly, it is necessary that you go on pilgrimage to 'Iráq and meet your sister who is there [the mother of the Báb]. Secondly, Ishán [the Blessed Beauty] is in Baghdád. Stop there for a few days. Present your difficulties to Him. Try, endeavour, put your trust in God. Let us hope that you shall attain and reach faith. Man has to strive [a reference to a Quranic verse].' Having listened to me, he commented: 'It is good what you say. It touched my heart.' (pp. 157-60 of unpublished memoirs)
Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad, we know, went to the holy cities of 'Iráq having
his younger brother, Hájí Mírzá Hasan-'Alí, with him; went into the presence of
Bahá'u'lláh without his brother; and presented his questions - questions which
evoked from the pen of Bahá'u'lláh the Book of Certitude (Kitáb-i-Íqán).
**
Hájí Mírzá Habíbu'llah has further written:
Having received and read the Kitáb-i-Íqán, which contained answers to his questions, and having attained faith and assurance, he [Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad] visited the holy cities, and after meeting his sister, the mother of the Báb, returned to Shíráz. Believers came to visit him and received spiritual sustenance from him. He [Áqá Mírzá Áqá] used to say: 'After attaining his presence he thanked me most profoundly and told me: "Although considering age you are as my own son, but in the realm of the Spirit you are as my father, because if it were not for your insistence I would never have attained the measure of faith which is the utmost desideratum of those who seek nearness to God." He then prayed for me with his whole heart.' (ibid. pp. 165-66)
Bahá'u'lláh, in those days, had not as yet declared His Mission, but from Baghdád
He was addressing Tablets to the wife of the Báb, and to a number of devout
Bábís such as Mírzá 'Abdu'l-Karim, Shaykh-'Alí Mírzá and Hájí Abu'l-Hasan. His
signature read as 152, equivalent to Bahá. The wife of the Báb always turned to
Bahá'u'lláh.
Subsequent to the return of Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad from 'Iráq, Mírzá Áqá
and his father, Mírzá Zaynu'l-'Abidin, wrote and asked permission to travel to
Baghdád and visit Bahá'u'lláh. Khadijih Bigum, in order to introduce her
nephew, sent to Bahá'u'lláh the Letter of the Báb, the Letter already mentioned
in these pages. Both father and son were honoured with an answer, and the
letters were in the handwriting of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
* An uncle of Muhammad who rejected and opposed His Mission. (Ed.)
** The gist of the questions presented to Bahá'u'lláh by Hájí Mírzá Siyyid
Muhammad, found amongst his papers in his own handwriting, is given in Bahá'u'lláh,
The King of Glory, pp. 165-5. (Ed.)
H. M. Balyuzi: Eminent Bahá'ís in the Time of Bahá'u'lláh, 226-27
Feeling the great eagerness and total devotion of the Bahá'ís of Shíráz,
Nabíl then took another step. He called all of them together to a large
gathering and asked them to bring along every Tablet, every book related to the
Cause which they had. Let us hear of what happened in the words of Áqá Mírzá
Áqá, as recorded by his son, Hájí Mírzá Habibu'llah:
As requested by Nabíl I invited the friends to come to a
meeting, and I chose the house of Mírzá 'Abdu'l-Karim as the place for holding
this meeting because his house was well-appointed. The uncle [Hájí Mírzá Siyyid
Muhammad] was particularly invited to come and grace this meeting. When all had
arrived Nabíl spoke. He declared the Advent of 'Him Whom God shall make
manifest', He Whose Revelation had been promised in the Bayán. That Supreme
Manifestation of Godhead, he stated, was Bahá'u'lláh and none other. Next he
divided the writings which the Bahá'ís had brought with them into three
sections. Taking up the first section, he said: 'These are from the pen of the
Primal Point [the Báb], sacred, precious, very dear to us.' Then he pointed to
the second portion and said: 'These are revealed by "Him Whom God shall
make manifest". The Báb promised His Advent, made the acceptance or rejection
of all He had revealed in His own Book, the Bayán, dependent on the
good-pleasure and all-pervading will of that Supreme Manifestation, and warned
us not to tarry for a moment but to give Him when He comes instant recognition
and allegiance. We have been barred by the Báb from taking the wayward path
followed by the people preceding us, thus straying into the wilderness. He
[Bahá'u'lláh] is that Supreme Manifestation of Godhead in Whose path the Báb
sacrificed Himself, with His own blood pledging His brave and devout followers
to remain constant and faithful, not to deprive themselves of the bounty of
responding to the call of the Speaker of the Mount. Now all that was promised
in the Bayán and in the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá' has come to pass. Note
the Qá'im [the Báb] and the Qayyúm [Bahá'u'lláh]. Note the pronouncement of the
Báb regarding the year nine when all good would be realized. Indeed that
prophecy is fulfilled. It is Bahá'u'lláh Who is leading us to the understanding
of the Cause of God. Whoever ranges himself under His shadow is of the people
of the Light, and whoever takes himself away is of the people of the nether
world and totally cut off from the reality of the Cause of the Báb.' He [Nabíl]
spoke in that vein for nearly an hour.
Then he [Nabíl] took up the third portion of the writings and said: 'These
belong to doubters and people of wrong thought and their place is in the fire.'
Saying that, he threw them into the fire-place where a fire was burning. This
action of Nabíl caused an uproar and protest; particularly Hájí Mírzá Siyyid
Muhammad, who did not expect such action on the part of Nabíl in his presence,
was very angry and vociferously protested, saying time and again: 'Do you take
faith to be like weed; you cut it in daytime and it grows again during the
night?'
Then it was that this servant intervened and spoke. Áqá Mírzá 'Abdu'l-Karím,
Hájí Abu'l-Hasan and Shaykh-'Alí Mírzá came to my aid.
Courteously and humbly it was put to him: 'Firstly, investigate for yourself to
find the truth of Nabíl's words. Secondly, you should know for a certainty
that, according to the text of the Bayán, no one save "Him Whom God shall
make manifest" has the temerity to put forth a claim so great. Regard the
Báb: despite His virtues, the truth which He bore, the guidance which was His
to give, He was made the target of malice and hate. He was the Truth, He spoke
the truth; and you yourself came to realize it when you attained the presence
of Ishán [Bahá'u'lláh] in Baghdád, when He resolved your difficulties
and within the span of two nights revealed for you the Kitáb-i-Íqán,
thus dispelling all your doubts. Even if revealing that book should not provide
the proof needed for anyone else, it should be the entire and complete proof
for your person, leaving not the slightest doubt and giving you the assurance
that He is the Truth, that turning away from Him is the very essence of
waywardness. (Unpublished memoirs, pp. 673)
Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad said no more. But Nabíl did not cease following up
his course until the uncle of the Báb openly declared his belief and recognized
the station of Bahá'u'lláh. In subsequent meetings, in the presence of all,
Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad prostrated himself to render thanks for having been
guided to the straight path, and praised the Blessed Perfection for that bounty
of recognition. Tears of joy coursed down his cheeks. His acknowledgement of
the station of Bahá'u'lláh led everyone else in Shíráz to do the same,
everyone that is who had accepted the Báb. And thus not a soul remained in the
city of the Báb among His followers who did not turn to Bahá'u'lláh and
recognize in Him the Redeemer of Mankind. Shíráz, the city where the
Dawn had broken, became free of blemish. It was the grace of the Báb which kept
His native town cleansed and purified.