Epistle of the Báb to Mullá Ḥasan Gawhar

Abstract: During His journey through the sacred land of Ḥijáz, the Báb received grievous news of the arrest and imprisonment of Mullá ʿAlí Bastámí—the second Letter of the Living and the first to suffer martyrdom in ʿIráq. In response, and guided by divine wisdom, the Báb chose not to proceed to ʿIráq but instead directed His followers to await Him in Isfahán. Following His pilgrimage to Mecca and a brief sojourn in Jeddah, He journeyed to Muscat, arriving in mid-March 1845. There, He sought both to proclaim His Mission to Shaykh Sulaymán, the Muftí of Muscat, and to secure the release of Mullá ʿAlí from the prison of Najíb Páshá in Baghdád.

While in Muscat, the Báb entrusted Mullá Ḥasan Gawhar—a self-proclaimed successor to Siyyid Kāẓim—with a Tablet addressed to Sulṭán ʿAbdu’l-Majíd via the Governor of Baghdád. Rather than assist, Gawhar rejected the Báb’s claim and called for Mullá ʿAlí’s execution. In this luminous Epistle, revealed during that same period, the Báb summons the people of Mecca and beyond to faith, justice, and recognition of God’s Manifestation. He exhorts the heedless, consoles the faithful, and issues the divine command to arise and forsake all save Him.