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10 Kitábu’l-Fihrist (Indexical Tablet). This work was written in Búshihr on Jumádi’th-Thání 15, 1261 (June 21, 1845), shortly after the Báb returned to Iran from Mecca. It recounts the story of His life, lists the works He has written up to that date, and informs the believers of His decision to withdraw from them for five years. 11 S .ah .ífiy-i-Rad .avíyyih (Epistle of Rid .á’).4 This work consists of fourteen sermons (khut .áb; singular, khut .bih), written at different times, many of them during the journey to Mecca and Medina. The first chapter, entitled Khut .biy-i-Dhikríyyih (Sermon of Remembrance), was written at the end of the first stage of the Báb’s writings and gives His works up to that date as four books and ten epistles, identifying the S .ah .ífiy-i-Rad .avíyyih as the sixth epistle. Other chapters emphasize the absolute transcendence of God, the meaning of the martyrdom of Imám H . usayn, and the station of the Báb; and assign exalted spiritual meanings to the history of the Báb’s life and various dates during His journey to Mecca and Medina. In the Khut .biy-i-Jiddah (Sermon of Jiddah), the Báb also lists the names of His works that were stolen during that journey. 12 Sharh .-i-Du‘á’-i-Ghaybat (Commentary on the Occultation Prayer), also called Tafsír-i-Há’ (Interpretation of the Letter Há’) and S .ah .ífiy-iJa ‘faríyyih (Epistle of Ja‘far). This work, consisting of fourteen chapters, was written in the early to middle part of the first month of a.h. 1262 and was one of the last works to be produced during the first stage. It is an interpretation of a prayer enjoined by Ja‘far as .-S .ádiq, the sixth Imám, to be read during the occultation of the Qá’im. The Báb identifies occultation with the existential station of forgetting the divine revelation within, which requires prayer in order to regain true self-consciousness.Various chapters deal with the preconditions of true prayer, and in the last three chapters the occultation prayer is interpreted. This work frequently turns to a discussion of the letter Há’. It is quoted by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitábi -Íqán, and parts of it were translated and discussed by Nicolas in his introduction to his French translation of the Persian Bayán.5 Some Works of the Second Stage (January 1846–April 1847) 1 S .ah .ífiy-i-‘Adlíyyih (Epistle of Justice: Root Principles). This work, sometimes also called S .ah .ífiy-i-Us .úl-i-‘Adlíyyih, on the fundamental or root 32 gate of the heart principles of religion, is one of the texts that announce the inception of the second stage of the Báb’s writings. It was written in the second half of the first month of 1262 (late January 1846) and is the first major work that the Báb wrote in Persian. 2 S .ah .ífiy-i-Furú‘-i-‘Adlíyyih (Epistle of Justice: Branches). This work is a discussion of some of the branches and main laws of the Islamic religion (such as obligatory prayer, alms, and jihad). It is sometimes assumed that it was written before the Epistle of Justice: Root Principles, but it seems to have been written after that work. It is not listed in either the Kitábu’lFihrist or the Khut .biy-i-Dhikríyyih (which was written just days before the Epistle of Justice: Root Principles).And at the end of the Epistle of Justice : Root Principles, the Báb refers to the branches of religion as a topic which follows that of the present work. 3 Tafsír-i-Súriy-i-Kawthar (Commentary on the Súrih of Abundance). This long work interprets the Qur’ánic Súrih of Abundance through various levels of meaning. It was written during the final months of the Báb’s stay in Shiraz.Various authors have noted that it was written while the Báb was in Shiraz after His return from Mecca. Yet we can identify its date more precisely. It was written in honour of Siyyid Yah .yá Dárábí (Vah .íd) when he met the Báb in Shiraz. Vah .íd himself has specified the date when this occurred, in a letter...

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