Visitation Tablet for Sháh ‘Abdu’l-‘Aẓím

Abstract: Revealed by the Báb during His journey from Isfahán to Mákú in April 1847, this sacred Tablet honors Sháh ‘Abdu’l-‘Aẓím, a descendant of Imám Ḥasan and a revered transmitter of traditions. A companion to the Imáms ‘Alí al-Riḍá, Muḥammad al-Jawád, and ‘Alí al-Hádí, Sháh ‘Abdu’l-‘Aẓím fled the tyranny of the ‘Abbásid caliph al-Mutawakkil and sought refuge in Rayy, where he died in 866 CE. The Báb entrusted this Tablet to Mírzá Sulaymān-Qulī Khān (Khaṭīb al-Raḥmán), assigning him to recite it at the tomb of Sháh ‘Abdu’l-‘Aẓím. The text extols the spiritual station of Sháh ‘Abdu’l-‘Aẓím and describes his shrine as a portion of the gardens of Paradise. This burial site also houses the remains of Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh and Manūchihr Khān Muʿtamad al-Dawlih. The Tablet, revealed in Arabic, is preserved in ʿAhd-i-Aʿlá, pp. 260–261, and stands as a testimony to the Báb’s reverence for the sanctified figures of Shí‘i Islam and the sacred spaces they occupy.