The Three Uncles of the Báb

Let me first begin with the opening words of the Kitáb-i-Íqán, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for one of these three men:

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> “IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD, THE EXALTED, THE MOST HIGH. No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth. Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you and enter thus the tabernacle which, according to the dispensations of Providence, hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayán.”

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The Báb had three maternal uncles: Haji Mirza Siyyid Ali, known as the Greatest Uncle (Khál-i-A‘ẓam) – he was the middle brother; Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, the Greater Uncle (Khál-i-Akbar) – he was the eldest of the three brothers; and Haji Mirza Hassan Ali, the Younger Uncle (Khál-i-Aṣghar).

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Haji Mirza Siyyid Ali was the guardian of the Báb after the death of His father. He was taught about the Faith by Quddus, the last of the Letters of the Living, and was the first believer in Shiraz after the Letters of the Living. When the Báb was arrested in Shiraz, His uncle took full responsibility for Him, writing out and sealing the pledge that made him his Nephew’s sponsor.

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In 1849 he visited the Báb in the castle of Chihriq, and from there went to Tehran. In February 1850 he was martyred as one of the Seven Martyrs of Tehran, all of whom were executed in public by beheading.

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Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad traded for some years in Bushihr, in association with his brother and his Nephew the Báb. Although he held his Nephew in unfailing admiration and respect, he did not become a follower of the Báb during His lifetime. In 1862 he travelled to the holy shrines of ‘Iráq with his younger brother, and Bahá’u’lláh invited him to meet Him.

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He asked Bahá’u’lláh to clarify the truth of the Báb’s Message, and Bahá’u’lláh bade him write down all the questions that had puzzled him. The next day he brought his questions, and within two days and two nights Bahá’u’lláh revealed His answers in the Book of Certitude, the Kitáb-i-Íqán. After receiving this book Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad recognized the station of the Báb, and in his will he identified himself as a follower of both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.

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The original copy of the book, transcribed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with corrections and additions made by Bahá’u’lláh, was presented in 1948 to Shoghi Effendi by Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad’s great-granddaughter, and it is now in the Bahá’í International Archives on Mount Carmel.

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Haji Mirza Hassan Ali journeyed with his eldest brother to the holy shrines of ‘Iráq but did not go with him into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, and returned to Yazd. Some years later, however, he too accepted the Faith and remained steadfast throughout his life.

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*Sources: Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1932), pp. 143, 151, 446–448; Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, vol. 1 (Oxford: George Ronald, 1974), pp. 153–159; H. M. Balyuzi, Bahá’u’lláh, The King of Glory (Oxford: George Ronald, 1980), pp. 163–165; the opening words are from Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán. As compiled by Bahá’í Chronicles ([https://bahaichronicles.org/haji-mirza-siyyid-ali-haji-mirza-siyyid-muhammad-and-haji-mirza-hassan-ali/](https://bahaichronicles.org/haji-mirza-siyyid-ali-haji-mirza-siyyid-muhammad-and-haji-mirza-hassan-ali/)).*

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