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Edward Price, Author
Cover design by Joe Paczkowski
Interior design by Edward Price
ISBN: 978-1-967447-01-5 (Paperback, B&W)
Author, Edward Price
CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO THE DIVINE CURRICULUM!
Introducing the Báb
The Báb is the first of the two Founders of the Bahá’í Faith, a world religion with more than five million followers in over 200 countries today. The story beganinPersia(Iran) in the middleof the 19thCentury. His ministry spanned the years of 1844 to 1850 AD. At the center of the great drama which unfolded was the Figure of the Báb Himself, Who is described as “gentle”, “youthful”, “irresistible in His charm”, “matchless in His meekness”, “imperturbable in His serenity”, “magnetic in His utterance”, “infinite in His tenderness”, “unsurpassed in His heroism”, and “unrivaled in the dramatic episodes of His swift and tragic ministry” (1)
The Báb was born, Siyyid ‘Alí Muhammad, in October 1819, to a prosperous merchant family in the city of Shíráz, Persia. Declaring His mission to His first disciple in May 1844, He appeared at a time of great millennial expectation. He stated that His Revelation fulfilled ancient prophecies of Islám and all the religions of the world. He claimed that, in addition torevealing the Word of God, His mission also encompassed preparing the way for the imminent appearance of a Divine Educator even greater than Himself. He referred to this Figure yet to come as Him Whom God shall make manifest. Today, we know thiswas Bahá’u’lláh. The Báb was arrested, exiled, tortured and imprisoned by the government and religious authorities of His day. Thousands of His followers were killed during violent waves of persecution which took place throughout the country.
As an individual, the Báb was known for His spirituality and devotion to God, His integrity, His exceptional wisdom, His uncanny endurance in the face of opposition, and His astonishing and spellbinding ability to reveal Divine verses of extraordinary power, beauty, and eloquence. From the beginning of His ministry, He longed to promote the Cause of God and even lay down His life as a sacrifice for humanity. Then, six years after His ministry began, in mysterious and
The Divine Curriculum: The Báb, Part 1
surprising circumstances, in July 1850, He did heroically lay down His life.
Bahá’u’lláh, the second Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, and the One for Whom the Báb sacrificed everything, stated this about the Báb:
[Note: In the next quote, “the year sixty” refers to the year 1260 AH, the Islámic calendar. This year was 1844 AD on the Gregoriancalendar.]
No sooner had mankind attained the stage of maturity, than the Word revealed to men’s eyes the latent energies with which it had been endowed – energies which manifested themselves in the plenitude of their glory when the Ancient Beauty appeared, in the year sixty, in the person of ‘Alí-Muhammad, the Báb. – Bahá’u’lláh(2)
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Son of Bahá’u’lláh, and His Successor, eloquently described the life and mission of the Báb:
As for the Báb – 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… 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!
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 marvelous influence upon the thoughts, customs, morals, and manners of the Persians. He proclaimed the glad-tidings of the
Author, Edward Price
manifestation of the Sun of Bahá to all His followers and readied them for faith and certitude.
The manifestation of such marvelous 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. –‘Abdu’l-Bahá(3)
In addition to telling the stirring drama of the life and ministry of the Báb, thisbookwill also share withthe reader an extensive discussion of the teachings of the Báb. Through His story and His teachings, it will be possible to appreciate why the Báb had such an electrifying effect on the people of His time, how He faithfully and fully consummated His mission, how He prepared the people for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh, the next Divine Educator soon to appear, and the manner in which He contributed brilliantly to the advancement of the age-long process of the Divine curriculum.
We will get back to the Báb very shortly, but first we must discuss the basic ideas of the Divine curriculum and the general organization of the Divine Curriculum series.
All of creation is a classroom
Consider this: All of creation is a classroom. There is but one infinite God. He periodically sends great Divine Educators to humanity – such as Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh. All of Them work for the same God. They are all great Teachers in the universal school of God, working together, at the command of God, for the benefit of humanity.
Imagine that this Divinely conceived, universal, and ancient educational program, binding together all of the world’s great religions, has been unfolding and guiding humanity toward an ultimate, meaningful purpose. Toward what purpose would it be striving?
Understand that the Divine curriculum advances according to a rational and orderly educational process, step-by-step. What is that educational process? Every teacher has a curriculum. Therefore, after thousands of years, what has been the Divine curriculum and how does it work? To discover the workings of that process, what evidence would you seek? And once you found evidence, how would you explore it?
The Divine Curriculum: The Báb, Part 1
Recognize that the Divine curriculum is never-ending because the love, the grace, and the knowledge of God can never be exhausted. According to the Divine Educators, this uplifting, world-embracing, and enduring story of Divine education has really just begun.
To summarize the key points, the premise of this book series is that:
• All of creation is a classroom
• The classroom is part of the universal school of God, which encompasses both the observable universe and the spiritual realms beyond
• The Creator/Owner/Director of the school is the one, infinite, and almighty God Himself
• The Teachers in the school are the Divine Educators
A complete telling of the story of humanity’s Divine education would go back to the beginning – to the Big Bang, to the formation of our world, to the emergence of life on this planet, to the evolution of our species, and to the very beginnings of human civilization
The starting point for this series
But we’re not going back to the Big Bang.
The Divine Curriculum book series picks up the story of Divine education at the “moment” in history when monotheism – the belief in only one God – was permanently established in a viable living population, when it was decisively established on the stage of recorded human history.
That significant turningpointoccurred withthemissionof Abraham about 4,000 years ago. That historic realization marked a crucial turning point in the history of the human race and provided the impetus for humanity’s subsequent rapid spiritual and social development in the millenniawhich followed.
It was further developed by later Divine Educators.
The Divine Educators in the lineage of Abraham – Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh as well as Abraham Himself –are the focus of this series. Other Divine Educators, such as Krishna, Zoroaster, and Buddha, are truly worthy of inclusion in the story of the Divine curriculum, but my expertise as a writer is mainly focused on the Abrahamic lineage, so I have concentrated my efforts on that which I think I have a reasonable chance of doing well. Hopefully, in the future, more expert writers will come along to fill out the story of the Divine curriculum. Isincerelyhopethisapproachwill be sufficient to provide a satisfying journey for the reader.
The Divine Curriculum: The Báb, Part 1
CHAPTER 2: THE HISTORY BEGINS
Interment of the Báb’s sacred Remains
It was 1909. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Son of the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, removed His shoes, cast aside His turban, and threw off His cloak. Shoghi Effendi described this moment.
[The] earthly remains of the Martyr-Prophet of Shíráz were, at long last, safely deposited for their everlasting rest in the bosom of God’s holy mountain… [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] bent low over the still open sarcophagus, His silver hair waving about His head and His face transfigured and luminous, rested His forehead on the border of the wooden casket, and, sobbing aloud, wept with such a weeping that all those who were present wept with Him. That night He could not sleep, so overwhelmed was He with emotion. – Shoghi Effendi(12)
There was no need to speculate on the reason for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s tears.
From His first breath, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s life had been linked with the life and death of the Báb. He was born on the same night in 1844 when the Báb first declared His Mission to the first disciple, Mullá Husayn.(13)
From 1844 to 1850, the Báb had wielded…
…to a degree unrivaled by the Messengers gone before Him the scepter of independent Prophethood… – Shoghi Effendi(14)
In just six years, the Báb had miraculously revealed hundreds of thousands of verses, the equivalent of many volumes of inspired Sacred Scripture. Beginning with one follower, His young Faith had spread throughout Persia and neighboring Iraq, attracting to its fold high ranking clerics and ordinary folk. The Báb had faced a mock trial. He wasidentifiedasaheretic. FulfillingbothBiblicalandIslámicprophecy, He had claimed Divine status as the long-awaited Promised One of Islám and other world Faiths. He had announced the imminent appearance of Bahá’u’lláh, a second Divine Educator Who would be even greater than Himself.
Author, Edward Price
The Báb had given birth to a movement that in time would become a world religion.
The Báb had achieved all this while enduring severe torture, exile, and imprisonment. After a meteoric ministry, the Báb was brought to Tabríz in 1850 to be executed by firing squad. At the event, which was witnessed by thousands of people and confirmed by historians, all 750 bullets of the first volley mysteriously missed their target. The stunned regiment Captain and his soldiers refused to continue, so a second regimenthadtobefoundtofinishthegrimtask. TheBáb’sremainswere discarded in the moat outside the city, with the expectation that the remains would be eaten by wild animals, but in a daring mission by His devoted followers they were rescued and kept hidden for decades.
In 1890, while visiting Mount Carmel, Bahá’u’lláh pointed out a cluster of cypress trees, indicating to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the exact spot where the Bab’s eternal Shrine wouldbe constructed. In 1892,after the passing of His Father and becoming the Head of the Faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá carried forward His Father’s wishes. For decades, first Bahá’u’lláh and then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had guarded the secret of the locations and movements of the remains of the Báb. For years, machinations of fanatical Muslim leaders and government officials had delayed the journey of the Báb’s remains toMountCarmel. And‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a prisoner ofthe Ottoman Empire until his release in 1909 after the Young Turk Revolution, had been unable to openly inter the remains of the Báb as directed by His Father.
Now, fifty-nine years after the Báb’s execution by firing squad, His sacred remains were finally being laid to rest “in the presence of believers from the East and from the West”. (15) After decades of being hidden, of being moved again and again when danger drew near, and of being secretly carried vast distances, the interment ceremony wasfinally taking place within the innermost chamber of the sacred Shrine that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had lovingly erected halfway up the steep slope of Mount Carmel, in the Holy Land, at the exact spot pointed out by His own Father, Bahá’u’lláh. This location would become the focal center of the world Faith Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb had founded. It was destined to be the scene of holy pilgrimage for millions of devoted followers in the centuries to come.(16)
After overcoming countless obstacles and fulfilling His mission, after all that, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá finally released a flood of tears. He later wrote:
The Divine Curriculum: The Báb, Part 1
[Note: In the following quote, “Abhá Beauty” refers to Bahá’u’lláh and “Naw Rúz” refers to the Persian and Bahá’í new year.]
The most joyful tidings is this, that the holy, the luminous body of the Báb ... after having for sixty years been transferred from place to place, by reason of the ascendancy of the enemy … has, through the mercy of the Abhá Beauty, been ceremoniously deposited, on the day of Naw-Rúz, within the sacred casket, in the exalted Shrine on Mt. Carmel…” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá(17)
One of the signal acts of His Ministry was at last accomplished.
Pre-Bábí Persia
The condition of Persia
In the 7th Century AD, armies of the expanding Islámic empire conquered Persia. In little more than a century, Islámic armies overtook territories as far west as Spain and as far east as western China. During the Golden Age of Islám, the Islámic world established far-reaching networks of commercial trade and sophisticated centers of culture. Theologians, philosophers, scientists, astronomers, mathematicians, and doctors practiced their arts. They built houses of worship with dazzling architecture, and steeped populations in the daily rhythms of piety and faith.
After nearly 1,300 years of Islámic domination, Persia followed an Islámic way of life, characterized by the Shí’ih branch of Islám. But by the 19th Century, Persian civilization was far past its peak. Instead, …all observers agree in representing Persia as a feeble and backward nation divided against itself by corrupt practices and ferocious bigotries. Inefficiency and wretchedness, the fruit of moral decay, filled the land. From the highest to the lowest there appeared neither the capacity to carry out methods of reform nor even the will seriously to institute them. National conceit preached a grandiose self-content. A pall of immobility lay over all things, and a general paralysis of mind made any development impossible. – Shoghi Effendi(18)
This pall and paralysis of mind showed in the spiritual realm. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá observed:
Author, Edward Price
[Note: In the following passage, “the Shí’ihs of Persia” are the followers of Shí’ih Islám. The “blessed Imáms” refer to the twelve spiritual leaders in the early years of Shí’ih Islám.]
Know that in the latter days the Shí’ihs of Persia had forgotten the truth of the religion of God and had become entirely devoid and deprived of the morals of the spiritually minded. They were cleaving to empty husks and remained entirely heedless of the pith and substance. They had nothing to show but outward observances, such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, almsgiving, and the commemoration of the blessed Imáms. The people of true knowledge would therefore call them “Qishrí” (superficial), for amongst them the inner truths and meanings were absent, spiritual perceptions were non-existent, and heavenly morals had become but an idle matter. – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá(19)
The government, led by the Qájár dynasty, was a church-state. Venal, cruel, and immoral as it was, [the government] was formally religious. Muslim orthodoxy was its basis and permeated to the core both it and the social lives of the people. But otherwise there were no laws, statutes, or charters to guide the direction of public affairs. –Shoghi Effendi(20)
There was no parliament or civil judiciary “to check or modify the power of the monarch.”(21) The law was the Shah’s command, arbitrary and capricious.
The right to take life was vested in him alone; and so were all the functions of government, legislative, executive, and judicial. His royal prerogative was limited by no written restraint whatever. – Shoghi Effendi(22)
Punishments included being crucified, blown from guns, buried alive, impaled, or shod like a horse. The Sháh was praised with superlatives such as King of Kings, Shadow of God, and Pivot of the Universe. He surrounded himself with self-serving courtiers. A commentator observed:
Half the money voted with his consent never reaches itsdestination, but sticks to every intervening pocket… – Lord Curzon(23)
The Divine Curriculum: The Báb, Part 1
And also:
From the Sháh downward, there is scarcely an official who is not open to gifts, scarcely a post which is not conferred in return for gifts, scarcely an income which has not been amassed by the receipt of gifts. – Lord Curzon(24)
The Hidden Imám
The Shí’ihMuslimssayall political and spirituallegitimacy comes from Muhammad’s appointment of ‘Alí, as His successor as the first Imám. The Shí’ih claim that ‘Alí was followed by eleven Imáms, all of his lineage. Muhammad appointed ‘Alí and then each of the Imáms assumed office by the dual criteria of family lineage and being selected by his predecessor. TheShí’ihclaimtheseImámswere endowed byGod with exceptional spiritual powers and entitled to whole-hearted obedience.
The Twelfth Imám, Muhammad ibn al-Hassan, was a child when he became the Imám in the year 874 AD (260 AH) after His father, the Eleventh Imám, died. All eleven previous Imáms had been assassinated. When his father was killed, the young Twelfth Imám went into hiding and, according to their beliefs, remains in that state to this day. When referring to the Imáms, this state of hiding is referred to as “occultation”, meaning concealment or disappearing from sight. The Shí’ih describe two kinds of occultation for the Twelfth Imám, a lesser and then a greater occultation. During the lesser occultation, he …disappeared from view and communicated with his followers only through a certain chosen intermediary known as a Gate. Four of these Gates followed one another in order, each appointed by his predecessor with the approval of the Imám. – Shoghi Effendi(25)
This process continued from the year 874 to 941 AD (260 to 329 AH). But, in 941 AD the fourth Gate did not appoint a fifth, successor Gate. Shoghi Effendi states:
But when the fourth [Gate] was asked by the faithful, before he died, to name his successor, he declined to do so. He said that God had another plan. On his death all communication between the Imám and his church therefore ceased. – Shoghi Effendi(26)
Sachedina, author of Islamic Messianism, adds further detail about the beliefs of the Shí’ih:
…the Shi’ites came and asked him about his successor, and he said, “The matter is in the hands of God, and He will bring it to
