Baha'i Library Forum

A.A. All,

Someone told me some time ago that the Bab said or wrote that "His Master was two years older than Him" (his Master obviously referring to Baha'u'llah.

Does anyone where in which book I could find this statement?

Thank you and Happy Fast =)))

To my great surprise he turned to me and said: 'That which I have been announcing to you is now revealed.
At this very hour the light of the promised One has broken and is shedding illumination upon the world.
O Mahmud, verily I say, you shall live to behold that Day of days.' The words which that holy man
addressed to me kept ringing in my ears until the day when, in the year sixty, I was privileged to hear
the Call that arose from Shiraz. I was, alas, unable, because of my infirmities, to hasten to that city.
Later, when the Báb, the herald of the new Revelation, arrived in Kashan and for three nights lived as a
guest in the house of Haji Mirza Jani, I was unaware of His visit and so missed the honour of attaining His
presence. Sometime afterwards, whilst conversing with the followers of the Faith, I was informed that the
birthday of the Báb fell on the first day of the month of Muharram of the year 1235 A.H.[2] I realised that
the day to which Haji Hasan-i-Nayini had referred did not correspond with this date, that there was actually
a difference of two years between them. This thought sorely perplexed me. Long after, however, I met a
certain Haji Mirza Kamalu'd-Din-i-Naraqi, who announced to me the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad,
and who shared with me a number of verses from the 'Qasidiy-i-Varqa'iyyih' as well as certain passages of
the Persian and Arabic 'Hidden Words.' I was moved to the depths of my soul as I heard him recite those
sacred words. The following I still vividly remember: 'O Son of Being! Thy heart is my home; sanctify it for
my descent. Thy spirit is my place of revelation; cleanse it for my manifestation. O Son of Earth! Wouldst
thou have me, seek none other than me; and wouldst thou gaze upon my beauty, close thine eyes to the
world and all that is therein; for my will and the will of another than I, even as fire and water, cannot dwell
together in one heart.' I asked him the date of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh. 'The dawn of the second day of
Muharram,' he replied, 'of the year 1233 A.H.'[3] I immediately remembered the words of Haji Hasan and
recalled the day on which they were spoken. Instinctively I fell prostrate on the ground and exclaimed:
'Glorified art Thou, O my God, for having enabled me to attain unto this promised Day. If now I be called to
Thee, I die content and assured.'" That very year, the year 1274 A.H., [4] that venerable and radiant soul
yielded his spirit to God.

[1 "God is Most Great."]
[2 October 20, 1819 A.D.]
[3 November 12, 1817 A.D.]
[4 1857-8 A.D.]

Shoghi Effendi : The Dawn-Breakers p. 8

The Báb, whose name was Ali-Muhammad, was born in Shiraz, on the first of Muharram, in the year 1235
A.H. He was the descendant of a house renowned for its nobility, which traced its origin to Muhammad
Himself. His father, Siyyid Muhammad-Rida, as well as His mother, were descendants of the Prophet, and
belonged to families of recognized standing. The date of His birth confirmed the truth of the saying attributed
to the Imam Ali, the Commander of the Faithful: "I am two years younger than my Lord." The mystery of
this utterance, however, remained unrevealed except to those who sought and recognized the truth of the
new Revelation. It was He, the Báb, who, in His first, His most weighty and exalted Book, revealed this
passage concerning Bahá'u'lláh: "O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed Myself wholly for Thee; I have
consented to be cursed for Thy sake; and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love.
Sufficient witness unto Me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days!"

Shoghi Effendi : The Dawn-Breakers p. 14

"I am two years younger than my Lord."

This seems to be a shia hadith, do you know from book it is?

I don't know what book it is from. Yes. It does seem to be a Hadith from the Imam Ali.
It is not, necessarily, a Shiah Hadith since Sunni Islam also reveres the Imam Ali and, no doubt,
recognizes many of His sayings as valid. -Peter

Doing a Google search I found one page (albeit one attacking the Faith) citing it as being from a footnote in Beharul Anwar, volume 38, on page 278.

Brett