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Abstract: Translation of source documents preserved from the 1848 trial.
Notes: This document is an appendix to MacEoin's Trial of the Báb: Shi'ite Orthodoxy Confronts its Mirror Image. See also:
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Trial of the Báb:
Answers given during the interrogation of the Báb
compiled by Denis MacEoin1997-05
Key to sources:
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-Mutanabbiyyin (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) B: Nabil's Narrative/Dawnbreakers (Zarandi) |
# Answer NN RS NT MBA FB AKh NK AH DB Totl
1 `God [gave me x x x x x 5
this title]'
2 `These verses are x x x x x x 6
from God'
3 `They are my x x x x x x 6
writings'
4 `Like the x x x x1 x2 x3 6
revelation of
words from the
Tree on Sinai'
5 Quotes `I am the x x x x4 x x 6
City of
Knowledge, `Ali
is its Gate'
6 `I am that person x x x x x x x x5 x 9
you have awaited
for 1000 years'
7 `I am not x x 2
permitted [to
produce
heirlooms]'
8 `I am the Gate of x x 2
adoration'
9 `I shall cause a x 1
verse to descend
on this staff'
10 Verse about staff x x x 3
11 `40,000 `ulama x x 2
will reject him'
12 `Or 4,000' x x 2
13 `Light from x x x 3
Burning Bush that
of one of Shi'a'
14 `I have not x 1
studied fiqh'
15 `I have not x x x x x 5
studied medicine'
16 `My name is x x x 3
numerically
equivalent to
rabb'
17 `Praise be to x x x x x6 x7 6
God....' (with
fatha on samawat)
18 `And he made the x 1
sun and moon'
(with kasra on
shin)
19 `I have not x x x 3
studied astrology'
20 `I have not x 1
studied grammar'
21 `I studied x x x x 4
grammar as a
child but have
forgotten it'
22 `He should begin x 1
with two (rak'as)
23 `I have not x 1
studied nahw'
24 `I have written x 1
ten times the
bulk of the
S|ahifa...'
25 `I can write x x x x x8 5
1,000/2,000/10,000
verses per day'
26 `Blessings be x x x 3
upon you'9
27 `You are Haji x x 2
Mulla Mahmud'
28 `Identical with x x 2
the Essence'
29 `I have not x x 2
studied hikmat'
30 `One third is x10 x x x 4
half of a fifth'
31 `I have not x 1
studied arithmetic
32 `My name is `Ali x x x 3
Muhammad etc.'11
33 `To reply to such x 1
questions needs
another time &
place'
34 `You are well x 1
informed about
different
religions'12
35 `Light on Sinai x x 2
was my light'
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Notes
2 Said by Bab and Nizam al-'Ulama. 3 Differs. 4 Bab al-'ilm. 5 In Arabic as: Ana 'l-Qa'im alladhI kuntum bihi muntazirun. 6 Differs. 7 Differs. 8 Expressed as 'Within the space of two days and two nights, I declare Myself able to reveal verses of such magnitiude as will equal the whole of the Qur'an' (p. 317). 9 To Nizam al-'Ulama 10 Different wording. 11 The Bab's age as given in this passage is 35, which is about six years out. This passage is omitted in al-Mutanabbi'In. 12 To the grandfather of Za'Im al-Dawla. 13 Appears as a question (see questions table). 14 Said by Bab and Nizam al-'Ulama. 15 Differs. 16 Bab al-'ilm. 17 In Arabic as: Ana 'l-Qa'im alladhi kuntum bihi muntazirun. 18 Differs. 19 Differs. 20 Expressed as `Within the space of two days and two nights, I declare Myself able to reveal verses of such magnitiude as will equal the whole of the Qur'an' (p. 317). 21 To Nizam al-'Ulama 22 Different wording. 23 The Bab's age as given in this passage is 35, which is about six years out. This passage is omitted in al-Mutanabbi'in. 24 To the grandfather of Za'im al-Dawla. |
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