Persian Bayán

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Texts & Scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith Bahá'í literature

From The Báb

Persian Bayán · Arabic Bayán Writings of the Báb

From Bahá'u'lláh

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Four Valleys Gems of Divine Mysteries Gleanings · Kitáb-i-Aqdas Kitáb-i-Íqán · Hidden Words Seven Valleys Summons of the Lord of Hosts Tabernacle of Unity Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh

From `Abdu'l-Bahá

Paris Talks Secret of Divine Civilization Some Answered Questions Tablets of the Divine Plan Tablet to Dr. Forel Tablet to The Hague Will and Testament

From Shoghi Effendi

The Advent of Divine Justice Bahá'í Administration God Passes By World Order of Bahá'u'lláh This box: view • talk • edit

The Persian Bayán (Persian: بیان) is one of the principal scriptural writings of the Báb. Although he started it, it was left unfinished at his death. It is believed that it and its smaller cousin, the Arabic Bayán, were to be completed by another (see below).

Contents 1 Unities and chapters 2 Unfinished work 2.1 Subh-i Azal 2.2 Bahá'u'lláh 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Unities and chapters

Both books were envisaged to have 19 unities (Váhids) each with 19 chapters (so 361 sections) as the number (denoting the numerical value of all-things, i.e. kullu shay') had special significance within the movement.

[edit] Unfinished work

Both versions of the Bayán were incomplete. The Persian Bayán had 9 unities and 10 chapters, with the Arabic Bayán having 11 unities. There are two major claims to the position were put forward, however neither presented a completed book.

[edit] Subh-i Azal

Subh-i Azal was appointed by the Báb as his successor and vicar in a series of testamentary appointments [1]. In the most notable of these testamentary documents, the Báb told Subh-i Azal to complete the eight remaining Unities of the Arabic Bayán on the provision that "victory manifests in his day" with the permission of "He whom God shall make manifest", a messianic figure in the Báb's writings.

Subh-i Azal continued the work to the end of the Eleventh Unity in his Supplement to the Persian Bayán (mutamim-i-bayan), which builds it up to eleven unities in total to match the Arabic Bayán [2].

[edit] Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'ís, led by Bahá'u'lláh, claim that this was left only to "He whom God shall make manifest" - a messianic figure in the Bábí religion which Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be. Bahá'ís state that Bahá'u'lláh's book, the Kitáb-i-Íqán was the completion[3].

[edit] References

• The Báb (1976). Selections from the Writings of the Báb. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 1931847304. 

• Browne, Edward Granville (1987). Selections from the Writings of E.G. Browne on the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, ed. M. Momen. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0853982473. 

• Smith, Peter (1999). A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1851681841. 

[edit] External links

• “A Summary of the Persian Bayan” translated by E.G. Browne from Persian to English language
• Compendium on the Persian Bayán
• Browne, E.G. (1918) Materials for the Study of the Babi Religion. Cambridge.