"By God, besides Whom is none other God! We withstood all these trials with forbearance, and enjoined upon God's servants to show forth patience and fortitude. Removing Ourself from their midst, We took up residence in another house, that perchance the flame of envy might be quenched in Our brother's breast, and that he might be guided aright. We neither opposed him, nor saw him again thereafter, but remained in Our home, placing Our hopes in the bounty of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. When, however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he seized the pen of calumny and wrote unto the servants of God, attributing what he had himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged Beauty. His purpose was none other than to inspire mischief amongst God's servants, and to instil hatred into the hearts of those who had believed in God, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving."
Comments:
• In this paragraph Baha’u’llah further explains the circumstance following Yahya’s heinous attempt to kill the Manifestation of God and the resulting commotion that it caused when the news reached the community of the believers in Adrianople – even though Baha’u’llah had advised Salmani to keep the details of the incident to himself.
• One of the Attributes of God that Baha’u’llah brings to our attention in this paragraph is the virtue of “forbearance”. Typically we may not think of God as being forbearing. When we become familiar with the circumstances of Baha’u’llah’s life and the incredible degree of immaturity that some believers exhibited, we gain some insights about this divine virtue. A virtue that we need to embrace as part of our own process of growth and maturation, patience with our own selves, as well as with respect to our expectations of and attitudes towards our fellow believers.
• As was mentioned in the comments pertaining to Paragraph 1.27, Bahá'u'lláh formally declared to Mirza Yahya as the nominee of the Báb, His claim to be 'Him Whom God shall make manifest', as foretold by the Báb. This was done by first revealing, in His own handwriting, a Tablet, called the Suriy-i-Amr (Tablet of Command) and having it delivered to Mirza Yahya by His amanuensis, Mirza Aqa jan, who was instructed by Baha’u’llah to read it aloud to Mirza Yahya and demand a conclusive reply. Here is how the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi describes this event:
"The moment had now arrived for Him Who had so recently, both verbally and in numerous Tablets, revealed the implications of the claims He had advanced, to acquaint formally the one who was the nominee of the Báb with the character of His Mission. Mirza Aqa Jan was accordingly commissioned to bear to Mirza Yahya the newly revealed Suriy-i-Amr, which unmistakably affirmed those claims, to read aloud to him its contents, and demand an unequivocal and conclusive reply. Mirza Yahya's request for a one day respite, during which he could meditate his answer, was granted. The only reply, however, that was forthcoming was a counter-declaration, specifying the hour and the minute in which he had been made the recipient of an independent Revelation, necessitating the unqualified submission to him of the peoples of the earth in both the East and the West.
So presumptuous an assertion, made by so perfidious an adversary to the envoy of the Bearer of so momentous a Revelation was the signal for the open and final rupture between Bahá'u'lláh and Mirza Yahya -- a rupture that marks one of the darkest dates in Bahá'í history. Wishing to allay the fierce animosity that blazed in the bosom of His enemies, and to assure to each one of the exiles a complete freedom to choose between Him and them, Bahá'u'lláh withdrew with His family to the house of Rida Big (Shavval 22, 1282 A.H.), which was rented by His order, and refused, for two months, to associate with either friend or stranger, including His own companions. He instructed Aqay-i-Kalim [Baha’u’llah’s faithful brother] to divide all the furniture, bedding, clothing and utensils that were to be found in His home, and send half to the house of Mirza Yahya; to deliver to him certain relics he had long coveted, such as the seals, rings, and manuscripts in the handwriting of the Bab; and to insure that he received his full share of the allowance fixed by the government for the maintenance of the exiles and their families. He, moreover, directed Aqay-i-Kalim to order to attend to Mirza Yahya's shopping, for several hours a day, any one of the companions whom he himself might select, and to assure him that whatever would henceforth be received in his name from Persia would be delivered into his own hands." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 166)
• During the two months of Bahá'u'lláh’s withdrawal “Mirza Yahya and Siyyid Muhammad [“the Antichrist of the Baha’i Revelation”] started a vigorous letter-writing campaign to discredit Bahá'u'lláh in the eyes of the believers and the authorities. They loaded their letters with lies and disgraceful calumnies, accusing Bahá'u'lláh of the very crimes they themselves had committed, and disseminated them far and wide among the believers in Persia and Iraq. These slanderous letters disturbed the Bábí community and confused many. Some weaker believers lost their faith altogether; a small number were inclined towards Mirza Yahya. A few wrote to Bahá'u'lláh for clarification. As a result several Tablets were revealed in this period describing the true state of affairs. However, the majority of the believers remained faithful to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. These souls arose with determination and dedication to vindicate the truth of the Cause of God. Many of them, such as Nabil-A'zam, Munib and Ahmad-i-Yazdi,who travelled throughout Persia, championed the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh and defended it valiantly against the onslaught of the unfaithful.” (Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 122)
• It is fairly educational to note that Baha’u’llah removed Himself from the believers so that the “flame of envy might be quenched in Our brother's breast”, hoping that as a result Mirza Yahya “might be guided aright.” This is after experiencing two attempts on His life by this half-brother!
• It is also educational to reflect on the actions of Mirza Yahya once “his deed had been exposed” and his final attempts to “inspire mischief amongst God's servants, and to instil hatred into the hearts of those who had believed in God ..”
