Course:Meetings for teaching/Life of Prophets/The Báb
1 As for the Báb9—may my soul be His sacrifice!—it was at a young age, that is, in the twenty-fifth year of His blessed life, that He arose to proclaim His Cause. Among the Shí‘ihs it is universally acknowledged that He never studied in any school, nor acquired learning from any teacher. To this the people of Shíráz, each and all, bear witness. Nevertheless, He suddenly appeared before the people, endowed with consummate knowledge, and though but a merchant, confounded all the divines of Persia. Alone, He undertook a task that can scarcely be conceived, for the Persians are known throughout the world for their religious fanaticism. This illustrious Being arose with such power as to shake the foundations of the religious laws, customs, manners, morals, and habits of Persia, and instituted a new law, faith, and religion. Though the eminent men of the State, the majority of the people, and the leaders of religion arose one and all to destroy and annihilate Him, He single-handedly withstood them and set all of Persia in motion. How numerous the divines, the leaders, and the inhabitants of that land who with perfect joy and gladness offered up their lives in His path and hastened to the field of martyrdom!
2 The government, the nation, the clergy, and prominent leaders sought to extinguish His light, but to no avail. At last His moon rose, His star shone forth, His foundation was secured, and His horizon was flooded with light. He trained a large multitude through divine education and exerted a marvellous influence upon the thoughts, customs, morals, and manners of the Persians. He proclaimed the glad-tidings of the manifestation of the Sun of Bahá to all His followers and readied them for faith and certitude.
3 The manifestation of such marvellous signs and mighty undertakings, the influence exerted upon the thoughts and minds of the people, the laying of the foundations of progress, and the establishment of the prerequisites of success and prosperity by a young merchant constitute the greatest proof that He was a universal Educator—a fact that no fair-minded person would ever hesitate to acknowledge.
Outline for Chapter on the Báb
[edit]I. The Báb Faced Enormous Obstacles and Overcame Them Tremendously
[edit]A. The Severe Obstacles, Deep-Seated Hostility, and Disadvantages Faced by the Báb
[edit]- Youth and non-scholarly background:
- Arose to proclaim His Cause at the early age of twenty-five.
- Belonged to the merchant class and had never attended any school or acquired learning from any teacher, a fact universally attested to by the people of Shíráz.
- Extreme religious fanaticism of the environment:
- Emerged in Persia, a nation globally notorious for its intense, unyielding religious fanaticism.
- Undertook a nearly inconceivable task by directly shaking the entrenched religious laws, customs, manners, morals, and habits of the land.
- United and lethal opposition:
- Faced the combined, active hostility of the eminent men of the State, the majority of the populace, the civil government, and the high-ranking religious clergy.
- These powerful factions united with the explicit aim of destroying Him, extinguishing His light, and annihilating His Cause entirely.
B. His Tremendous Triumph and Extraordinary Accomplishments
[edit]- Intellectual and spiritual supremacy: Despite His lack of formal schooling, appeared endowed with consummate knowledge, confounding the foremost ecclesiastical divines of Persia.
- Establishment of a new religious dispensation: Alone and single-handed, successfully instituted a new Faith, divine law, and religion, setting the whole of Persia into motion.
- Inspiration of unprecedented devotion: Inspired thousands—including religious leaders, scholars, and everyday citizens—to sacrifice their lives with joy and hasten eagerly to martyrdom in His path.
- Transformation of society and minds:
- Successfully trained a large multitude through divine education, exerting a profound and lasting influence upon Persian thoughts, customs, morals, and manners.
- Secured His foundation, illuminated the spiritual horizon, and prepared His followers with certitude to receive the coming manifestation of the "Sun of Bahá" (Bahá’u’lláh).
II. A True Educator Faces Great Obstacles and Overcomes Them
[edit]A. The Inadequacy of Worldly Explanations
[edit]- An unschooled, twenty-five-year-old youth from the mercantile class cannot naturally possess innate, consummate knowledge capable of routing an entire empire's ecclesiastical elite.
- Ordinary human influence or political rhetoric cannot account for shaking millennia-old social institutions, withstanding the combined apparatus of church and state, and inspiring multitudes to joyfully sacrifice their lives.
B. The Manifestation of Divine Educational Power
[edit]- The true hallmark of a divine Educator lies in the ability to fundamentally reorder the minds, hearts, and moral character of a deeply prejudiced and fanatical population without reliance on worldly prestige, army, or formal academy.
- Overcoming state-sponsored campaigns of annihilation to successfully establish the foundations of progress and enlightenment provides undeniable evidence of celestial guidance and supreme capacity.
III. Therefore, the Báb Was a True Educator
[edit]- The Logical Deduction: Because a solitary, unlettered young merchant produced such mighty undertakings, confounded the learned, transformed the thoughts and morals of a fanatical nation, and laid the foundations of enduring spiritual and social progress against universal opposition, no fair-minded person can hesitate to acknowledge that He was an authentic and universal Educator.