“Everyone is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since ...”
the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, (1976) · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
Everyone is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since their inner eyes are not directed towards Him sorrow must needs befall Him. In the case of the Apostle of God—may the blessings of God rest upon Him—before the revelation of the Qur’án everyone bore witness to His piety and noble virtues. Behold Him then after the revelation of the Qur’án. What outrageous insults were levelled against Him, as indeed the pen is ashamed to recount. Likewise behold the Point of the Bayán. His behaviour prior to the declaration of His mission is clearly evident unto those who knew Him. Now, following His manifestation, although He hath, up to the present, revealed no less than five hundred thousand verses on different subjects, behold what calumnies are uttered, so unseemly that the pen is stricken with shame at the mention of them. But if all men were to observe the ordinances of God no sadness would befall that heavenly Tree. VI, 11.
Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.
Discuss this story
For adults
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
- What might the Báb's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- If you were going to tell a friend this story in two sentences, what would you say?
- If you were in the Báb's place, what might you have done?
Reflection
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice devotion?
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“Everyone is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since ...”" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Cite this story
the Báb. (1976). *Selections from the Writings of the Báb*. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html
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