The Báb revealed this commentary in October or November of
1846 while He was in Isfahan -- during the time that He was a guest at the residence
of the ‘Imam Jum'ih of that city. It was at the request of His host that the
“Báb, one night, after supper, revealed His well-known commentary on the surih
of Va'l-'Asr. Writing with astonishing rapidity, He, in a few hours, had
devoted to the exposition of the significance of only the first letter of that
surih -- a letter which Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i had stressed, and which
Bahá'u'lláh refers to in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas -- verses that equalled in number a
third of the Qur'án, a feat that called forth such an outburst of reverent
astonishment from those who witnessed it that they arose and kissed the hem of His
robe.” Interpreting various parts of the short Qur'ánic surih, the Báb
discusses many fundamental issues in religion including how to recognize
spiritual truth, the nature of the human being, the meaning of faith, the
nature of good deeds, and the preconditions of spiritual journey.
(Adapted from ‘God Passes By’, by Shoghi Effendi; and ‘Gate
of the Heart’, by Nader Saiedi)
