Epistle to the son of the wolf quote-about THE BAYAN

anis masomian · Postby **anis masomian** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 5:54 pm

I found this quote while reading Epistle to the son of the Wolf:

"Fear God, O people, and peruse, then, that which hath been sent down with truth in the eighth Chapter of the sixth Vahid of the Bayan, and be not of such as have turned aside. He, likewise, hath commanded: "Once every nineteen days this Chapter should be read, that haply they may not be veiled, in the time of the revelation of Him Whom God shall make manifest, by considerations foreign to the verses, which have been, and are still, the weightiest of all proofs and testimonies."

pg.158

Where is the Bayan and why isn't it circulated in EVERY language so that we can recognize Baha'u'llah????? :?:

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 11:49 pm

In this case, I think that the implicance of that verse is primary for Muslims related to the message of the Báb and also for Babís.

majnun · Postby **majnun** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:10 pm

Yes dear anis:
I have been complaining about this
for a year. The Persian Bayan has
been out of print for decades. It ia availuable
on the net, in French, but you neef the full
Adobe version of Adobe Reader to transfer it
correctly.

MJ.
.

Dorumerosaer · Postby **Dorumerosaer** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:57 am

>>Where is the Bayan and why isn't it circulated in EVERY language so that we can recognize Baha'u'llah?>>

Edward Granvillle Browne summarized the Persian Bayan and translated a significant portion of it. It was found among his unpublished papers, and has been published in the book "Selections from the Writings of E.G. Browne on the Babi and Baha'i Religions" edited by Moojan Momen, and published by George Ronald in the UK, a Baha'i publishing house. The selection in question, Vahid VI, Chapter 8, is too long for me to type, and is on pages 379-380.

The book is available by interlibrary loan at your local library if you are in the USA, ISBN #0-85398-247-3. It can be purchased new for US $23 at
http://www.grbooks.com/show_book.php?book_id=179 in softcover; hardcover also available on that site.

It is also available used at http://www.amazon.com and http://www.abebooks.com at about half that price.

Brent

Irish · Postby **Irish** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 3:51 pm

I've been recently musing on this. I have never come across anything in the Writings of Baha'u'llah that say that He abrogated all the laws of the Bayan except the ones He specifically endorsed. Rather, He seems to have told Baha'is to continue to follow them. For example, in Tablet Revealed After the Aqdas, He writes "Say, O people, fulfil whatever ye understand of the Persian Bayán and whatever ye understand not ask this unerring Remembrance that He may set forth clearly that which God hath intended in His Book, for in truth He knoweth that which is enshrined in the Bayán by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Omnipotent, the Powerful" (TB pg. 190, Suriy-i-Vafa)

We have a lot to be thankful for- we it not for the Covenant, we may be all now following the crazy laws of the Bayan, which we not meant for actually world-wide, long-term implementation. For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written: “The Bayán hath been superseded by the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, except in respect of such laws as have been confirmed and mentioned in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.”

Zazaban · Postby **Zazaban** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 4:54 pm

Irish wrote:We have a lot to be thankful for- we it not for the Covenant, we may be all now following the crazy laws of the Bayan, which we not meant for actually world-wide, long-term implementation. For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written: “The Bayán hath been superseded by the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, except in respect of such laws as have been confirmed and mentioned in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.”

Indeed. I would question the sanity of anybody who still follows such extreme laws. I mean the obligatory sitting on chairs??? What the?

Postby **Baha'i Warrior** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 5:11 pm

I would not call the laws of the Bayan "crazy." If they were laws at some point, then they were important for the time. God's laws are never "crazy," just changing.

Zazaban · Postby **Zazaban** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 5:28 pm

Baha'i Warrior wrote:I would not call the laws of the Bayan "crazy." If they were laws at some point, then they were important for the time. God's laws are never "crazy," just changing.

Actually, mosy of the laws were never put into pracitice, so we must logically assume that they wern't meant to be. It got people thinking, and got them away from Islam and the idea that nobody can come after Muhammad.

Irish · Postby **Irish** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 5:37 pm

They may not have been crazy, given that their real purpose was to give a shock to the system of the eccesiastical and civil order of 19c. shi'ih iran, and waken them for their torpor, and prepare for Baha'u'llah. It meant crazy as severe and shocking, not stupid. God laws can be shocking, but not stupid.

Anyway, is there any reason why I couldn't follow the law of the Bayan whereby I get a tatoo of "allahu akbar" on my chest. I would quite like that actually, thought I'd probably go for allahu abha instead. I don't think that would be a disrespectful use of the Greastest Name.

Postby **Baha'i Warrior** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:24 pm

Irish wrote:Anyway, is there any reason why I couldn't follow the law of the Bayan whereby I get a tatoo of "allahu akbar" on my chest. I would quite like that actually, thought I'd probably go for allahu abha instead. I don't think that would be a disrespectful use of the Greastest Name.

"The overriding consideration must always be the proper dignity with which the Greatest Name should be used... The House of Justice instructs us to say that great care should be given to the accurate representation of the Persian calligraphy, since any deviation from an accepted representation can be distressing to Iranian believers.
We feel that the friends should exercise the GREATEST discrimination and good taste in its use.'"

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 269)

"The choice of clothing and the cut of the beard and its dressing are left to the discretion of men. But beware, O people, lest ye make yourselves the playthings of the ignorant."

("Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas", p. 23)

"Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets."

("Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas", p. 172)

Zazaban · Postby **Zazaban** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:33 pm

Irish wrote:They may not have been crazy, given that their real purpose was to give a shock to the system of the eccesiastical and civil order of 19c. shi'ih iran, and waken them for their torpor, and prepare for Baha'u'llah. It meant crazy as severe and shocking, not stupid. God laws can be shocking, but not stupid.

I meant if anybody followed them now.

Irish · Postby **Irish** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:27 am

"The overriding consideration must always be the proper dignity with which the Greatest Name should be used... The House of Justice instructs us to say that great care should be given to the accurate representation of the Persian calligraphy, since any deviation from an accepted representation can be distressing to Iranian believers.
We feel that the friends should exercise the GREATEST discrimination and good taste in its use.'"
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 269)

Does this mean that the Greatest Name must only be written in the particular calligraphic form devised by Mishkin-Qalam? Is that what is meant by "accurate representation". Can it not even be written in straight forward Arabic naskh script?

I still believe that using it as a tatoo would be in good-taste, if it was done right.[/quote]