Read: Trial of the Bab


Key to sources:

NN: Namus-i Nasiri (Mamaqani)
RS: Rawdat al-safa-yi Nasiri (Hidayat)
NT: Nasikh al-tawarikh (Sipihr)
MBA: Miftah bab al-abwab (Za`im al-Dawla)
FB: Fitna-yi Bab/al-Mutanabbi'in (I`tidad al-Saltana)
AKh: Letter of Mirza Aslan Khan
NK: Nuqtat al-kaf (Kashani)
AH: Abwab al-huda (Hashtrudi  in Mu`in al-Saltana)
DB: Nabil's Narrative/Dawnbreakers (Zarandi)

#     Question etc.           NN    RS    NT    MBA   FB    AKh   NK    AH    DB    Totl  

1 `Are these your x x x x x x 6 writings?' 2 `Who gave you the x x x x x x 6 title Bab?' 3 `When did God bestow x x1 x2 3 this title?' 4 `What are you the x x3 x 3 gate of?' 5 `Did you call x x 2 yourself/your tongue is like Tree of Sinai?'4 6 Quotes `Ask me before x x 2 I am gone....' 7 `Are you the hidden x x5 x6 x7 x 5 Imam in person?' 8 `The Imam we await is x x x x x 5 so-and-so. You are someone else.' 9 `Why did you not x x 2 bring the heirlooms of the Prophet?' 10 `Go and get x x 2 permission (to bring heirlooms)' 11 `Turn your staff into x 1 a dragon' 12 `Do you have a verse X x x 3 for your staff?' 13 `I can reveal a x x x x 4 better verse than that' (Aslan Khan) 14 `It is not a x 1 tradition, but from Ibn al-`Arabi ' 15 `A jackal in Basra' x 1 16 `Pray for Muhammad x x x x x 5 Shah's health' 17 `Restore Nizam x x x x x 5 al-`Ulama to youth' 18 `O Thou through Whom x 1 the knot of the deceiver is untied' 19 `How can we speak x 1 with one in his cradle?'8 20 `Does the Quranic x x x x9 x 5 decree on booty still stand?' 21 `How many fractions x 1 are there in arithmetic?'10 22 `We have sent a x 1 revelation to you as to Muhammad'11 23 `We have caused you x 1 to be raised up a station...'12 24 `How many kinds of x 1 divorce are there in fiqh?' 25 `A question on x13 x14 x15 x16 x17 5 medicine' 26 `Queries claim that x x18 x19 x20 x 5 first to believe in Bab was Muhammad' 27 `You refer to x 1 yourself as "Lord". Why?' 28 `Whatever takes its x x x x x22 5 plural in ta' and alif....'21 29 `Explain the figures x x x 3 on this sphere of the heavens'23 30 Quotes `Allama x x x x x 5 al-Hilli  on hermaphrodite. 31 Quotes question of x x x x x x 6 Ma'mun to Imam Rida 32 `He it is Who causes x x x x x 5 you to behold the lightning....' 33 `May God curse the x x x x x 5 eyes....' 34 `You claim that men x 1 and jinn cannot produce a word...'24 35 On remark of the x x x x x 5 father of `Amr 36 Claim to have drunk x 1 drops of blood of Husayn25 37 Bab's hypocrisy x 1 regarding al-Ahsa'i  and Rashti  38 `If a man is x x x x x 5 uncertain between two and three (rak`as) 39 `What tense is x x26 x 3 qulna?/Decline qala' 40 `When did I send you x x x 3 as an Imam?' 41 Quotes `If it is x x x 3 allowed for a tree to say "I am the Truth"' 42 `Are you content with x 2 this name?' 43 `Are you the Gate of x x 2 the City of Knowledge?' 44 `I have waited 40 x x 2 years to meet one of the abwab' 45 `I shall give this x x x x 4 throne to you'27 46 `Are knowledge, x x 2 hearing etc. of the Essence?' 47 `Religious sciences x x x x 4 depend on sarf etc.' 48 `Show the mutation of x x 2 the defective letter in qala' 49 `What is grammatical x x 2 form of qawluhu?' 50 `I`jaz, fasaha, and x x x x 4 balagha' 51 `Engaging in an x x28 2 indubitable duty....' 52 `What are the x x 2 fractions of nine?' 53 Quotes `How long x x 2 these words...?' 54 `Show me a miracle' x x x x 4 55 `What needs improving x29 1 in Islam? How do you improve it?' 56 `On the true nature x30 1 of Christ's ascension to heaven.' 57 `Be quiet, be quiet'31 x 1 58 `What were the names x 1 of your father and mother...?' 59 Trouble in Khurasan x x 2 etc. on account of writings 60 `What is this x 2 affair... truth of matter... nature of claim?' 61 `Light from Burning x 1 Bush was your light -- is that so?' 62 `Why should that x32 x33 x34 3 Shi`i  be you?'


1 'Where?'
2 'Where?'
3 'What is the meaning of "Bab"?'
4 Some other sources have the reference to the Tree on Sinai as a statement of the Bab's.
5 'In person or in type?' (shakhsi ya naw`i)
6 'In person or in type?' (naw`i buda'i ya shakhsi mibashi)
7 'In person or in type?'
8 Asked by Mamaqani
9 This is the only source to attribute this question to a certain Mirza `Abd al-Karim Mullabashi. The others say it was asked by `Alam al-Huda.
10 sked by Mamaqani
11 Asked by `Alam al-Huda.
12 Asked by `Alam al-Huda.
13 Asked by Mamaqani. Mamaqani's son did not remember what this was.
14 Asked by Nizam al-`Ulama.
15 Asked by Nizam al-`Ulama.
16 Asked by Nizam al-`Ulama.
17 Asked by Nizam al-`Ulama.
18 'The Light of Muhammad'.
19 'The Light of Muhammad'.
20 'The Light of Muhammad'.
21 Quoted by Nasir al-Din Mirza
22 Attributed to 'one of those present'.
23 Said by Nasir al-Din Mirza.
24 Said by `Alam al-Huda.
25 Said by `Alam al-Huda.
26 The Bab is asked to decline qala and cannot. Nizam al-`Ulama declines as far as qulna and asks him to finish.
27 Said by Nasir al-Din Mirza.
28 This comment is dropped in the text of al-Mutanabbi'in.
29 Asked by Za`im al-Dawla's grandfather.
30 Ditto.
31 Said by Nasir al-Din Mirza.
32 Attributed to Nasir al-Din Mirza.
33 Attributed to unnamed individual(s).
34 Attributed to Amir Aslan Khan.

Holy-Writings.com v2.7 (213613) © 2005 - 2021 Emanuel V. Towfigh & Peter Hoerster | Imprint | Change Interface Language: DE EN