Persian Bayan
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The Persian Bayan (بیان in Persian) is one of the principal scriptural writings of the Báb. Although he started it, it was left unfinished at his death. It is believed that it and its smaller cousin, the Arabic Bayan, were to be completed by another (see below).
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Unities and Chapters
Both books were envisaged to have 19 unities (váhids) each with 19 chapters (so 361 sections) as the number had special significance within the movement.
Unfinished work
Both versions of the Bayan were incomplete; the Persian Bayan had 9 unities and 10 chapters, with the Arabic Bayan having 11 unities. There are two major claims to the position were put forward, however neither presented a completed book.
Subh-i Azal
Subh-i Azal laid claim to the position through the Azali apology Hasht-Bihisht and the notes from E.G. Browne's interviews. He was appointed as leader of the Bábí movement after the Báb died and also believed this extended to authorship of the Bayan. This is supported by the what is thought to be the Báb's will and testament[1] (http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~bahai/notes/vol7/BABWILL.htm).
Subh-i Azal wrote the Motammem Al-Bayan which builds the Persian Bayan up to eleven unities to match the Arabic Bayan.
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'ís, led by Bahá'u'lláh, claim that this was left only to He whom God shall make manifest - a messianic figure in the Bábí religion which Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be. Bahá'ís claim that Bahá'u'lláh's book, the Kitáb-i-Íqán was the completion[2] (http://home.connection.com/~watler/Bahaullah/Iqan.htm).
References
External Links
- Browne, E.G. (1918) Materials for the Study of the Babi Religion. Cambridge. (http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/A-E/B/browne/material/msbrtoc.htm)
- Selections from the Writings of the Báb (http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/tb/SWB/) - Excerpts from the Persian Bayan
- Persian Bayan (http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/trans/bayan/bayan.htm) - The Persian Bayan (in Persian)