“I am, I am, I am the Promised one….”
The Bab
Shahla came running into the house. Throwing her book bag on the floor, she sat down panting for breath at the tatami room table where Mother and little Anisa sat drawing and coloring.
“Mom! We got new kids in our class today! Two girls! TWINS!”
Riaz and Asma came in from the kitchen with their after-school snacks in their hands.
“Twins!” Asma said. “Are they identical?”
“Yeah! They look exactly alike! Can’t tell them apart at all! So weird!!” Shahla answered.
“Mommy, Mommy, what’s ‘Twins’? “asked little Anisa pulling on Mother’s sleeve.
Mona walked in at that moment and answered, “Twins are babies born from the same mother at the same time, Anisa.”
Riaz tilted his head and stared off in the distance with a funny look on his face.
“Wait a minute…why are The Bab and Baha’u’llah called Twin Manifestations? They weren’t born from the same mother, or at the same time. I heard They were two years apart!!”
Everyone turned to look at Mother for an answer.
“Wow, big question—not a short answer!” said Mother.
“It’s OK!” “Come on Mom!” “Yeah, go ahead!”
The children, not anxious to start their homework, encouraged Mother to continue.
“OK, first thing is, The Bab and Baha’u’llah weren’t just people. Just like we aren’t just animals, we have something else the animals don’t have, we have a spiritual side, a human soul. The Bab and Baha’u’llah were Manifestations of God. That means They weren’t just human; They had something else that humans don’t have: a Soul that enables Them to have a Perfect connection to God. When They speak it is the Voice of God that speaks.”
“OK, OK, we know that! Come on Mom…TWINS!” Riaz said impatiently.
Mother smiled at Riaz and continued. “Throughout the history of Mankind, in every place and time there were humans, there were Manifestations of God to guide them. They would come one at a time to teach the humans what they needed to progress individually and as a culture. They were sometimes born hundreds or thousands of years apart. They would look just like the humans around them, but They were as different from humans as we are different from the apes. You know the names of some of These: Moses, Christ, Buddha, Zoroaster, Muhammad… but there were thousands more we don’t even know the names of.”
“All of these Manifestations of God talked to the humans of Their age about a wonderful time in the future when the world would become a wonderful, spiritual place. Many of these Manifestations of God spoke of Twin Teachers coming to bring a new, wonderful time. The Bab and Baha’u’llah are those Twin Teachers.”
“MOM! They weren’t born at the same time from the same mother! You haven’t explained yet!” shouted Riaz.
Mother smiled patiently at Riaz and continued. “From what I understand…though Their mothers were different, that Special Soul that They have, that is, the Perfect connection to God, came from the same Parent, God. And two years is just a blink of an eye, when you consider the hundreds or thousands of years that usually separate the Manifestation of God. Two Manifestations of God have never come to the same people at the same time. This is a first! Also, in the Islamic Calendar that is used in Persia, where They were born, Their birthdays were only a day apart. The Bab was born two years, minus one day, after Baha’u’llah was born. The Bab’s Birthday comes first and the next day is Baha’u’llah’s Birthday. So, They were like Twins. They had different jobs to do, though…”
The children all nodded considering this.
“I know!” Mona said. “The Bab was the Gate and He prepared everyone for the coming of Baha’u’llah….”
“And Baha’u’llah was the Glory of God! To make World Unity!” Shahla said, jumping up. She didn’t want to be left out.
“That’s right.” said Mother smiling, “Like I said, the reason each one of these Manifestations of God came was to help every human grow their soul so that it could be more spiritual…and to help civilization to grow and be more united. This is the age where the whole human race will benefit from the teachings of Baha’u’llah and The Bab, and those teachings will help mankind create a beautiful, spiritual, united world—one where everyone has enough to eat, and everyone gets an education, and everyone can be happy and safe without worrying about war!”
“Yeah!” shouted all the children.
“How do the humans in each age know who is human and who is a Manifestation of God?” asked Anisa.
“Good question, Anisa,” Asma agreed. “Mom?”
“Well there are three important things about Them that let us know They are special,” answered Mother. “First, These Manifestations of God know things that no human could know. They don’t learn things like humans do; They just KNOW things. They get Their knowledge directly from God, whenever they need it. People notice this. The second thing is the way they act: They are so much kinder and more loving than any human could be. The third thing is they change all the people around them into kinder, better people…. They influence everything around them in wider and wider circles…. In this age, the influence will affect the whole world.
Asma then asked, “Mom, did The Bab and Baha’u’llah know that They were not just human from the time They were kids? I think, if I was raised around apes, I would figure out pretty quickly that I could understand things better than they could.”
“Yes, there are many stories of the childhood of both The Bab and Baha’u’llah that showed they knew they were different and had a special job to do.”
“Yeah, remember The Bab as a little kid, was sent home by the teacher who said that The Bab knew more than he did, so he had nothing to teach Him!” put in Riaz.
“And Baha’u’llah and the puppet show!” Shahla added. “Even though He was just a little boy, after Baha’u’llah saw a puppet show with Kings and servants and armies, He explained how the world was just like that puppet show, with no real meaning at all—just a play. That’s why we shouldn’t worry so much about things of this world!
Riaz added, “I heard that The Bab as a tiny boy had a dream that there was a huge scale, and one of the famous Imam’s (Holy man) was in one plate, and he was so important that he was on the bottom and the other plate was way up in the sky.” Riaz put his arms out to demonstrate. “Then an Unseen Hand lifted The Bab up and placed Him in the top plate and it zoomed down to the ground and the Iman zoomed up to the sky, because The Bab was so much more important than this famous Imam. When The Bab told His family about the dream, they freaked out and got really mad at Him because it seemed to them such a terrible thing to say you more important than this famous person in Islam…. but He was just a little kid, and He was just telling them what He dreamed!!”*
Mona added, “The Bab and Baha’u’llah’s families often spoke of how both The Bab and Baha’u’llah would spend so much time in prayer even when they were little. The Bab would tell everyone He was talking to His Grandfather, meaning God.”
“I wish I could feel that close to God,” said Asma with a sigh.
Mother smiled and nodded. “Me too, son; me too.”
Mother sighed and said, “There are lots and lots of stories of The Bab and Baha’u’llah, Christ and the Buddha, being so special even as children and youth. Maybe after you guys finish your homework, you can all hunt for some to share; maybe Daddy will help you, too!”
Mother clapped her hands twice and said, “OK, finish your snacks and go start your homework!”
The children all took a last cookie from the plate Mother had brought out for them and ran to their rooms to do their homework.
*https://bahai-library.com/merrick_holy-days_childhood_bab
Quiz
- What was Shahla so excited about when she came home from school?
__________________________________________________________________________ - What was Riaz so confused about?
___________________________________________________________________________ - Who are the Twin Manifestations of God?
_______________________________________________________________________ - How are humans different from animals?
___________________________________________________________________________ - How are Manifestations of God different from humans?
________________________________________________________________________ - Who is the Parent of The Bab and Baha’u’llah?
___________________________________________________________________________ - Who is The Gate?
____________________________________________________________________________ - Who is The Glory of God?
____________________________________________________________________________ - Did The Bab and Baha’u’llah know They were different from humans even when they were little?
____________________________________________________________________________ - Why do you think The Bab and Baha’u’llah liked to spend so much time in prayer even when they were little?
____________________________________________________________________________
Coloring Page
The Gate and The Glory of God
Materials;
2 Printed Coloring Pages
Crayons or Colored Pencils
Glue
Method
Print out the 2 coloring pages
Color them.
Glue the two backs together
Fold on the lines of The Bab’s page
Parent’s Page
“Verily, as a child I was aware of the truth of My own Self, and God is the Almighty, the All-knowing.” The Bab
“The substance wherewith God hath created Me is not the clay out of which others have been formed. He hath conferred upon Me that which the worldly-wise can never comprehend, nor the faithful discover…
….God hath ordained that all the good things which lie in the treasury of His knowledge shall be attained through obedience unto Me.” The Bab
“I am, I am, I am, the promised One! I am the One whose name you have for a thousand years invoked, at whose mention you have risen, whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten. Verily I say, it is incumbent upon the peoples of both the East and the West to obey My word and to pledge allegiance to My person.” The Bab
“The holy Manifestations of God were sent down to make visible the oneness of humanity. For this did They endure unnumbered ills and tribulations, that a community from amongst mankind’s divergent peoples could gather within the shadow of the Word of God and live as one, and could with delight and grace demonstrate on earth the unity of humankind.”
Baha’u’llah
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever been, and will continue to be closed in the face of men. No man’s understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself.” Baha’u’llah
“I beheld a Maiden (from heaven)… saying…’By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive.’” Baha’u’llah
“The sun emanates from itself and does not draw its light from other sources. The Divine Teachers have the innate light; They have knowledge and understanding of all things in the universe; the rest of the world receives its light from Them and through Them the arts and sciences are revived in each age.” ‘Abdu’l-Baha’
Answers to the Quiz: 1) The new students in her class were twin girls. 2) How are They Twin Manifestations when They didn’t have the same mother and weren’t born at the same time. 3) The Bab and Baha’u’llah. 4) Humans have a soul but animals don’t. 5) Manifestations of God have a Soul that can perfectly reflect God. 6) God. 7) The Bab. 8) Baha’u’llah. 9) Yes. 10) They wanted to talk to Their parent, God.