Baha’s Writings
Verses or Exercise Papers
4. Baha’s Writings
4.1 Verses or Exercise Papers
In his writings in the early days of his ministry, Baha speaks of his verses ‘revealed’ in Iraq as having been destroyed in the river as pure eyes to behold them were few and far between. In his writing towards the end of his days Baha speaks of them as having been sent to various parts of the world of the edification of mankind. Both versions are devoid of historical foundation. What he actually destroyed in the river at Baghdad were his scribing-note papers on which he practiced to acquire rapidity of delivery and style.
According to Sayyid Ali Muhammad’s theory of theophanies, resurrection of the revelation of an outgoing manifestation begins from the advent of the incoming manifestation and ends with the death of the latter, thus the resurrection of the Qaim begins on the appearance of Sayyid Ali Muhammad on Jamad-al-Awal 5 A.H 1260, (May 23rd, 1844), and ended with the execution of Sayyid Ali Muhammad on Sha’ban 27th A.H 1266 (July 8 1850). It is at the resurrection of the Bayan, and not of the Quran as alleged that will occur on the advent of Him-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest, the Persian Bayan, Wáhid II, BÂB 8, for the full text see the Traveller’s Narrative English Translation, Vol. II., Note C. P. 224-225.
Baha’s Son Mirza Muhammad Ali’s statement does not follow according with the truth. This is the Bahai side of the picture.
When however, notice is taken of the outer side of the picture, on the strength of works composed by prominent BÂBis, who did not acknowledge Baha, most turns out to have been washed out or obliterated by Baha at Baghdad were his own scribbling-papers used for purpose of practice to acquire eloquence of diction, and rapidity of utterance. These are the two sides of the picture.
In view of the destruction of these "verses" and "counsels" in their entirety at Baghdad by 1893, on Baha's own evidence, corroborated by their amanuensis, Baha's account of them in the Epistle of the son of the wolf 1890, was an after thought intended to stop the gap between the execution of Sayyid Ali Muhammad in 1850 and Baha's pretensions at Edirne in 1866.
Inroads by way of distortions have also been made by the Baha'is into the English version of the Baha's expurgated sacred text to substantiate any word or words calculated to have come into conflict with Baha's later pretensions word which appear to have escaped Baha's notice, his expurgations notwithstanding.