Worldview and the Law of the Persian Bayan

[Ahanu]

A 4 part series of Dr. Nader Saiedi’s talks about the Persian Bayan and the Bab’s worldview have been posted online. He begins talking about the key details of the Persian Bayan around 22 minutes into the talk above.

 

[Ahanu]

The term bayan means explanation or clarification. The quote below explains Dr. Vahid Behmardi's understanding of the term bayan, I think.

In the Qur'an, the word bayán occurs in 3 places. In Sura Al `Imrán and Sura Rah.mán, it means word and speech. In Sura Qiyáma, the word bayán is connected with the unveiling and clarification of the meanings of the Qur'an: Verily, it is incumbent upon Us [God] to collect it and recite it [qur'ánahu]. If we recite it [qara'náhu], follow thou its recital [qur'ánahu]. Then it is incumbent upon us to explain it [`alayná bayánahu].” (Q 75:17-19)

The meaning of the three verses is clear. God sent down the Qur'an to Muhammad and after that He will clarify its truths. Bayán in Arabic means clarification. The word 'then' [which is an `aṭf (conjunction)] in verse 19 indicates that first the Qur'an is sent down, and then the bayán. So, according to the verse, God has sent down the Qur'an and promises to send down the clarification (bayán). In the context of the Sura, this clarification is to be sent down on the Day of Resurrection. It will be among the signs of that Day. Behmardi asserts that until the time of the Báb, no one had claimed to have the bayán of the Qur'an. Further, it couldn't have come to pass in the lifetime of Muhammad since the Qur'an was still being sent down, and the verse says that the bayán comes when the Qur'an has finished being sent down.

Although the Báb wrote commentaries on the Qur'an, He did not call His writings 'Bayán' until signs that are more eloquent than speech came to pass indicating that it is the Day of Resurrection. Then the Bayán promised by God in the Sura of Qiyáma was sent down. Because of this, most of the Writings of the Báb have one main difference from the Qur'an with regard to the mode of writing. Unlike the Qur'an, the Bayán is in the mode of explication and giving of details, not absolute brevity. For example, the divine Names are mentioned in the Qur'an. However, there is no explanation of the meaning of these names. Because of this, exegetes gave several different possible meanings to these names. The writings of the Báb clarified these names in two ways. First, He compiled the names of the God from the Qur'an and added to them. Second, He explained these names in many of His books and letters. This is one part of the clarification (bayán) on the Day of Resurrection made manifest by the Báb, as He says in the Seven Proofs:

ٚ ٔظش وٓ دس فشلبْ وٗ ٠ه ثغُ ّّللا اٌ ّشحّٓ اٌ ّشح١ ُص٠بدٖ ٔبصي ٔؾذٖ، ٚ دس ث١بْ ثٗ ٠ه ٔٛع ث١بْ وٗ ث١بْ ؽذٖ ٚ ٔبصي ؽذٖ ع١صذ ٚ ؽصذ ٚ ٠ه ث١بْ آْ ؽذٖ وٗ لذسی اص آْ دس ث١بْ ٔبصي ؽذٖ ٚ ص٠بدٖ ثش ا٠ِّ ُ٘ ٓىٓ ثٛدٖ ٌٚی اظٙبس آْ ٔؾذٖ ​

Notice that in the Qur'an, one more 'Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim' was not sent down [i.e. there is a perfect number – 114 or 19x6], and in the Bayán, by means of one type of clarification [bayán], it has been clarified and three hundred and sixty [Basmallahs] were sent down [361 or 19x19] .One clarification [bayán] is that a certain amount hath been revealed in the Bayán. Increasing upon this is also possible, but did not come to pass."​

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William McCants notes his own disagreement about other Shi'is not describing their commentaries as bayan before the appearance of the Bab:

"In Behmardi's assessment of the term bayán, he relates a standard Baha'i explanation of the term as indicating a fulfillment of Qur'anic prophecy. I would certainly agree that the Báb saw his writings as a fulfillment of an eschatological prophecy. However, I disagree with Behmardi's assertion that no one claimed to have a bayán of the Qur'an until the time of the Báb. Innumerable authors have described their commentaries on the Qur'an as bayán (or tibyán). Further, Shi`is probably believed that their Imams were the sources of the bayán promised in the Qur'an. Indeed, in one of the earliest Shi`i commentaries on the Qur'an, `Ali b. Ibrahim al-Qummi clearly states that the phrases 'incumbent upon us' (`alayná) refers to the 'family of the Prophet' (Tafsír al-Qummí, vol. 2, ,p. 397).