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8: THE BÁB 25 |
As for the Báb—may my soul be His sacrifice!—at a
youthful age, that is to say, when He had reached the
twenty-fifth year of His blessed life, He stood forth to
proclaim His Cause.
1
It was universally admitted by the
Shí’is that He had never studied in any school and had
not acquired knowledge from any teacher; all the people of
Shíráz bear witness to this. Nevertheless, He suddenly
appeared before the people, endowed with the most complete
erudition. Although He was but a merchant, He
confounded all the ‘ulamá of Persia.
2
All alone, in a way
which is beyond imagination, He upheld the Cause
among the Persians, who are renowned for their religious
fanaticism. This illustrious Soul arose with such power
that He shook the supports of the religion, of the morals,
the conditions, the habits and the customs of Persia, and
instituted new rules, new laws and a new religion.
Though the great personages of the State, nearly all the
clergy, and the public men arose to destroy and annihilate
Him, He alone withstood them and moved the whole of
Persia.
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Many ‘ulamá and public men, as well as other people,
joyfully sacrificed their lives in His Cause, and hastened to
the plain of martyrdom.
26
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The government, the nation, the doctors of divinity
and the great personages desired to extinguish His light,
but they could not do so. At last His moon arose, His star
shone forth, His foundations became firmly established,
and His dawning-place became brilliant. He imparted divine
education to an unenlightened multitude and produced
marvelous results on the thoughts, morals, customs
and conditions of the Persians. He announced the glad
tidings of the manifestation of the Sun of Bahá to His followers
and prepared them to believe.
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The appearance of such wonderful signs and great results;
the effects produced upon the minds of the people,
and upon the prevailing ideas; the establishment of the
foundations of progress; and the organization of the principles
of success and prosperity by a young merchant,
constitute the greatest proof that He was a perfect Educator.
A just person will never hesitate to believe this.
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1. | The Báb is here designated by His title Ḥaḍrat-i-A‘lá, His Supreme Highness; but for the convenience of the reader we shall continue to designate Him by the name under which He is known throughout Europe—i.e., the Báb. [ Back To Reference] |
2. | Doctors of the religion of Islám. [ Back To Reference] |