Letters of the Living
Encyclopedia
The Letters of the Living was a title provided by the Báb
to the first eighteen disciples of the Bábí Religion. In some understandings the Báb places himself at the head of this list (as the first letter). In this article, the former notation will be used except when specifically said otherwise.
, just like how letters, the primary units of written language, have their origin in the spot where the pen touches the paper first. Each letter is different from the others, but they all have a common source and are the intermediary between the point and words and sentences. The title "Point" may also refer to the divine and worldly aspects of the Manifestation of God, similar to the geometric point, which is without specific dimension and connects the physical with the nonphysical world.
The term "Hayy" means The Living and is used as one of the names of God
in Islamic and Bábí scriptures.
In the Abjad numerals
system the letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values. The Arabic letters h ح and y ي, which compose the Arabic singular adjective meaning "living" in the phrase Letters of the Living, add up to 18, and therefore the phrase Letters of the Living refers to the number 18. Interestingly, there is a similar symbolism about the numerical value of the corresponding Hebrew word in Judaism.
The Báb referred to the 18 Letters of the Living, along with himself, as the first Váḥid of the Bayán Dispensation. The Abjad numerical value of the word Váḥid (واحد) is 19. The word Váḥid means "One". The Báb used this term as a reference to God and his Manifestations.
in The Dawn-Breakers
, and supported by Qatíl al-Karbalá'í except where indicated:
. He, his sons, Muḥammad-Báqir Bushrú'í, and Mullá Ḥusayn travelled to Shiraz in search of the Qá'im; where the Báb revealed his message.
He was killed during the Battle of Fort Shaykh Ṭabarsí
. Bábís consider him a martyr.
. He and Muḥammad-Ḥasan Bushrú'í (his father) travelled with his uncle Mullá Ḥusayn to Shiraz in search of the Qá'im where the Báb revealed his message.
He was killed in the fighting at the Ṭabarsí
. Bábís consider him a martyr.
.
It is unlikely he played a significant role in the Azali-Bahá'í debate that followed.
and then Chihriq. In the story of the Báb's execution, he is the secretary that the Báb spoke to before being taken away to be shot.
Siyyid Ḥusayn Yazdí was executed in Tehran
in 1852 in the aftermath on the attempt on the Shah's life.
, in present day Pakistan
. He was one of the students of Siyyid Kazim Rashti in Iraq. Sa`íd Hindí met the Báb after He declared His mission in 1844. The Báb sent him to India to announce the news of His advent. Sa`íd Hindí reached Multan in that very year to share the Báb's message with his fellow countrymen. Sayyid Basir Hindí, one of Sa`íd Hindí's contacts and a blind man of Sufi background from the Multan area, embraced the Bábí Faith and set out on pilgrimage to Shiraz
in Iran to meet the Báb.
, the only Letter to do so.
He outlived the other Letters and died in Istanbul
in around 1881.
He was killed in the fighting at the Ṭabarsí
. Bábís consider him a martyr.
.
Although the Báb seems to have written a tablet to each of the letters, the names are not on any of them so the identities cannot be confirmed.
Of these the most distinguished are Mullá Ḥusayn, Ṭáhirih and Quddús. Ṭáhirih is singled out because she is the only woman and recognised the Báb without even meeting him. She sent a letter of belief through her brother-in-law and was sure he would find the Báb.
Most of the Letters died in Bábí uprisings before Bahá'u'lláh
started the Bahá'í Faith
.
was the fourth of the Letters of the Living (where the Báb would be the first) by E.G. Browne in A Traveller's Narrative (page xvi). The book does not include any other details of the Letters and is against the Bahá'í
s' commonly accepted view that Mulla Ḥusayn's brother and nephew recognised the Báb
shortly after him (since they'd take the third and fourth place).
Also the paragraph claims that Bahá'u'lláh
was also in the group. The assertion that either were Letters is contrary to Bahá'í
accounts.
It is notable that Mírzá Yaḥyá would have been 12, or perhaps 13 at the declaration of the Báb.
Báb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
to the first eighteen disciples of the Bábí Religion. In some understandings the Báb places himself at the head of this list (as the first letter). In this article, the former notation will be used except when specifically said otherwise.
Mystical meaning
The Báb named the first eighteen believers in his mission as the Letters of the Living (Ḥurúfu'l-ḥayy in Arabic). One of the Báb's titles was the "Primal Point" (nuqti-yi-úlá). The term "Point" refers to the belief that all created things have their origin in the Manifestation of GodManifestation of God
The Manifestation of God is a concept in the Bahá'í Faith that refers to what are commonly called prophets. The Manifestations of God are a series of personages who reflect the attributes of the divine into the human world for the progress and advancement of human morals and civilization...
, just like how letters, the primary units of written language, have their origin in the spot where the pen touches the paper first. Each letter is different from the others, but they all have a common source and are the intermediary between the point and words and sentences. The title "Point" may also refer to the divine and worldly aspects of the Manifestation of God, similar to the geometric point, which is without specific dimension and connects the physical with the nonphysical world.
The term "Hayy" means The Living and is used as one of the names of God
Names of God
Names of God, or Holy Names, describe a form of addressing God present in liturgy or prayer of various world religions. Prayer involving the Holy Name or the Name of God has become established as common spiritual practice in both Western and Eastern spiritual practices...
in Islamic and Bábí scriptures.
In the Abjad numerals
Abjad numerals
The Abjad numerals are a decimal numeral system in which the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values. They have been used in the Arabic-speaking world since before the 8th century Arabic numerals...
system the letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values. The Arabic letters h ح and y ي, which compose the Arabic singular adjective meaning "living" in the phrase Letters of the Living, add up to 18, and therefore the phrase Letters of the Living refers to the number 18. Interestingly, there is a similar symbolism about the numerical value of the corresponding Hebrew word in Judaism.
The Báb referred to the 18 Letters of the Living, along with himself, as the first Váḥid of the Bayán Dispensation. The Abjad numerical value of the word Váḥid (واحد) is 19. The word Váḥid means "One". The Báb used this term as a reference to God and his Manifestations.
The Letters
The Letters are listed here in the order given by NabílNabíl-i-A`zam
Mullá Muḥammad-i-Zarandí , more commonly known as Nabíl-i-A`ẓam or Nabíl-i-Zarandí , was an eminent Bahá'í historian during the time of Bahá'u'lláh, and one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh...
in The Dawn-Breakers
The Dawn-breakers (book)
The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation or Nabíl's Narrative is a historical account of the early Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths penned by Nabíl-i-A`zam in 1887-8...
, and supported by Qatíl al-Karbalá'í except where indicated:
Muḥammad-Ḥasan Bushrú'í
Muḥammad-Ḥasan Bushrú'í was the second Letter of the Living, and the brother of Mullá HusaynMullá Husayn
Mullá Husayn-i Bushru'i , titled Jináb-i-Bábu'l-Báb , was a Persian religious figure, and the first Letter of the Living of the Bábí movement. He died at the Battle of Fort Shaykh Tabarsi, on February 2, 1849...
. He, his sons, Muḥammad-Báqir Bushrú'í, and Mullá Ḥusayn travelled to Shiraz in search of the Qá'im; where the Báb revealed his message.
He was killed during the Battle of Fort Shaykh Ṭabarsí
Shaykh Tabarsi
', or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849 when the prince resorted to a plan of betrayal to capture the remaining Bábís...
. Bábís consider him a martyr.
Muḥammad-Báqir Bushrú'í
Muḥammad-Báqir Bushrú'í was the third Letter of the Living, and the nephew of Mullá HusaynMullá Husayn
Mullá Husayn-i Bushru'i , titled Jináb-i-Bábu'l-Báb , was a Persian religious figure, and the first Letter of the Living of the Bábí movement. He died at the Battle of Fort Shaykh Tabarsi, on February 2, 1849...
. He and Muḥammad-Ḥasan Bushrú'í (his father) travelled with his uncle Mullá Ḥusayn to Shiraz in search of the Qá'im where the Báb revealed his message.
He was killed in the fighting at the Ṭabarsí
Shaykh Tabarsi
', or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849 when the prince resorted to a plan of betrayal to capture the remaining Bábís...
. Bábís consider him a martyr.
Mullá Ḥasan Bajistání
Mullá Ḥasan Bajistání was the sixth Letter of the Living. He did not play a significant role as a Bábí and seemed to have expressed his doubts of the Bábs message during a meeting with Bahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
.
It is unlikely he played a significant role in the Azali-Bahá'í debate that followed.
Siyyid Ḥusayn Yazdí
Siyyid Ḥusayn Yazdí was the seventh Letter of the Living. He is known as the Báb's amanuensis who shared his imprisonment in MakuMaku, Iran
Maku is a city in the West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 41,865, in 10,428 families.It is situated from the Turkish border in a mountain gorge at an altitude of 1634 metres. The Zangmar River cuts through the city. The common languages in Maku are Kurdish and...
and then Chihriq. In the story of the Báb's execution, he is the secretary that the Báb spoke to before being taken away to be shot.
Siyyid Ḥusayn Yazdí was executed in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
in 1852 in the aftermath on the attempt on the Shah's life.
Mullá Muḥammad Rawḍih-Khán Yazdí
He... remained apart from other Bábís and was generally known as a Shaykhi. But he never renounced his faith and taught it whenever he could. (H.M. Balyuzi, The Bab - The Herald of the Day of Days, p. 27)Sa`íd Hindí(*)
According to the official website of the Bahá'ís of Pakistan, Sa`íd Hindí was a native of MultanMultan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
, in present day Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He was one of the students of Siyyid Kazim Rashti in Iraq. Sa`íd Hindí met the Báb after He declared His mission in 1844. The Báb sent him to India to announce the news of His advent. Sa`íd Hindí reached Multan in that very year to share the Báb's message with his fellow countrymen. Sayyid Basir Hindí, one of Sa`íd Hindí's contacts and a blind man of Sufi background from the Multan area, embraced the Bábí Faith and set out on pilgrimage to Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
in Iran to meet the Báb.
Mullá Báqir Tabrízí
Mullá Báqir Tabrízí was the Thirteenth Letter of the Living. He lived beyond the Bábí uprisings and later became a Bahá'íBahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
, the only Letter to do so.
He outlived the other Letters and died in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in around 1881.
- A tablet written to Mullá Baqir-i-Tabrizi - Translator has included a short biographical stub
Mullá Yúsuf Ardibílí(*)
Mullá Yúsuf Ardibílí was the fourteenth Letter of the Living.He was killed in the fighting at the Ṭabarsí
Shaykh Tabarsi
', or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849 when the prince resorted to a plan of betrayal to capture the remaining Bábís...
. Bábís consider him a martyr.
- Glossary of the Kitáb-i-Íqán - includes a small biography of Mullá Yusif-i-Ardibili
Mullá Hádí Qazvíní
Qatíl has Mullá Muhammad-i-Mayáma'í in his place among the Letters of the Living.Mullá Muḥammad-`Alí Qazvíní
Ṭáhirih's brother-in-law. Killed at ṬabarsíShaykh Tabarsi
', or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849 when the prince resorted to a plan of betrayal to capture the remaining Bábís...
.
Quddús
(*) - Not included in the list provided by Qatíl which was created far earlier. He does not however provide alternatives and leaves the count at fourteen.Although the Báb seems to have written a tablet to each of the letters, the names are not on any of them so the identities cannot be confirmed.
Of these the most distinguished are Mullá Ḥusayn, Ṭáhirih and Quddús. Ṭáhirih is singled out because she is the only woman and recognised the Báb without even meeting him. She sent a letter of belief through her brother-in-law and was sure he would find the Báb.
Polemical claims about the Letters
The Letters of the Living were all appointed by the Báb in the period between May 1844, when he first declared his mission and October 1844 when he set out for his pilgrimage to Mecca. Individuals such as Mírzá Yaḥyá, Bahá'u'lláh, Áqá Sayyid `Ali Arab and Mullá Rajab `Ali who all became Bábís after this period were not and could not have been part of the Letters of the Living as has been claimed in some accounts.Most of the Letters died in Bábí uprisings before Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
started the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
.
Mírzá Yaḥyá amongst the Letters
It has been stated that Mírzá YaḥyáSubh-i-Azal
' was a Persian religious leader of Azali Bábism.-Background:Mirza Yahya was born in 1831 to Kuchak Khanum-i-Karmanshahi and Mírzá Buzurg-i-Núrí, in the province of Mazandaran, and a younger-half-brother of Mírzá Husayn `Ali, better known as Bahá'u'lláh...
was the fourth of the Letters of the Living (where the Báb would be the first) by E.G. Browne in A Traveller's Narrative (page xvi). The book does not include any other details of the Letters and is against the Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
s' commonly accepted view that Mulla Ḥusayn's brother and nephew recognised the Báb
Báb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
shortly after him (since they'd take the third and fourth place).
Also the paragraph claims that Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
was also in the group. The assertion that either were Letters is contrary to Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
accounts.
It is notable that Mírzá Yaḥyá would have been 12, or perhaps 13 at the declaration of the Báb.
External links
- The Báb's address to the Letters of the Living, published in The Dawn-BreakersThe Dawn-breakers (book)The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation or Nabíl's Narrative is a historical account of the early Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths penned by Nabíl-i-A`zam in 1887-8...
- E.G. Browne, A Traveller's Narrative - Written to Illustrate the Episode of the Báb
- Illustrations of The Bab's Tablets to the Letters of the Living