The Tablet of Patience

*A retelling based on **The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh**, Vol. 1, by Adib Taherzadeh (chapter on the Garden of Riḍván). Words in quotation marks are from that book.*

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Adib Taherzadeh writes that when Bahá'u'lláh declared His station in the Garden of Riḍván, the believers with Him were filled with joy. "But Bahá'u'lláh turned His attention to the events of a decade before, to the heroism and self-sacrifice of the followers of the Báb in the small town of Nayriz, in the province of Fars in Persia." He did this by revealing the Súriy-i-Ṣabr (Súrih of Patience), also known as the Lawḥ-i-Ayyúb (Tablet of Job). It is written in Arabic and is almost a quarter of the length of the Kitáb-i-Íqán.

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The Tablet was revealed in honour of Ḥájí Muḥammad-Taqí, a native of Nayríz, on whom Bahá'u'lláh bestowed the title Ayyúb (Job). He was a wealthy and respected man; the people of the town deposited their savings with him and often exchanged his receipts instead of money. When Vaḥíd came to Nayríz in 1850 and many embraced the Faith of the Báb, Ḥájí Muḥammad-Taqí was foremost among them, and he offered to meet the cost of spreading the Cause in that region.

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The governor of Nayríz, Zaynu'l-'Ábidín Khán, sent troops against the new believers, who took refuge in the old fort of Khájih. Ḥájí Muḥammad-Taqí supplied their food and other needs. When force failed, the governor turned to deceit. He sent Vaḥíd a Qur'án sealed by himself and his staff as a pledge of good faith and invited him to the army camp.

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Within three days the fort had been emptied, most of its defenders were killed, and Vaḥíd was put to death. Ḥájí Muḥammad-Taqí survived the siege, but the governor confiscated all his property and imprisoned him. After his release he travelled to Baghdád and attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh.

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In the Tablet, Taherzadeh explains, Bahá'u'lláh describes Vaḥíd's proclamation of the Faith and the upheaval at Nayríz, praises the heroism of the believers, and tells of the sufferings of the survivors. He extols the station of Vaḥíd and addresses the believers of Nayríz with encouragement and praise. He pays tribute to Ḥájí Muḥammad-Taqí for the help he gave Vaḥíd, the fortune he spent in defence of the fort, and the sufferings he bore with resignation.

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Bahá'u'lláh also tells at length the story of Job, the Prophet who lost his sons, his possessions and his health and remained thankful to God. Through it He speaks of patience. He extols those who endured hardship with patience and resignation, and He counsels the people of the Bayán to be steadfast and never to be dismayed or disheartened by adversity. The Tablet also upholds the continuity of Divine Revelation, and it warns that after His departure "the birds of night" would take to the air, an allusion to those who would spread mischief among the faithful in His absence.

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Taherzadeh notes that the Tablet, "revealed on the eve of Bahá'u'lláh's departure from Iraq, had a tremendous effect upon the believers in that country. It prepared them for the days of test and trial which Bahá'u'lláh had been foreshadowing for some time. It also gave them faith and courage to bear the ordeal of separation from their Lord with a spirit of resignation and fortitude."

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*This is a retelling. For the fuller account, see **The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh**, Vol. 1, by Adib Taherzadeh.*

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