The Epistle of Qāʾimiyyat

Abstract: This article explores the "Epistle of Qāʾimiyyat," a pivotal document revealed by the Báb in mid-1848 during a momentous period of His public proclamation. Addressed to Shaykh ʿAlí Turshīzī — honored with the title ʿAzím ("the Mighty") — the Epistle commands its recipient to boldly announce the advent of the Promised Qāʾim. The timing of its revelation, coinciding with the Báb’s open declaration in Tabríz, the Conference of Badasht, and Mullá Ḥusayn’s symbolic march bearing the Black Standard, marks a decisive transition from veiled allusion to explicit messianic assertion in the Báb’s Dispensation.

ʿAzím, a learned Shaykhī scholar and mujtahid from Khurásán, played a vital role in the nascent Bábí community. His acceptance of the Báb’s message facilitated the conversion of other leading figures, and his later martyrdom in Ṭihrán in 1852 sealed his legacy as one of the most steadfast and revered believers.

Entrusted with the Epistle of Qāʾimiyyat, ʿAzím emerges as both a recipient and a herald of revolutionary truth. This study situates the Epistle within its historical context and presents a provisional English rendering of its complete Arabic text. The original text is published in Ẓuhúru’l-Ḥaqq, vol. 3, pp. 164–166.