Shíráz had been the memorable scene of the Báb’s historic
Declaration; Iṣfáhán had provided Him, however briefly, with a haven of
relative peace and security; whilst Ádhirbayján was destined to become the
theatre of His agony and martyrdom. These concluding years of His earthly life
will go down in history as the time when the new Dispensation attained its full
stature, when the claim of its Founder was fully and publicly asserted, when
its laws were formulated, when the Covenant of its Author was firmly
established, when its independence was proclaimed, and when the heroism of its
champions blazed forth in immortal glory. For it was during these intensely
dramatic, fate-laden years that the full implications of the station of the Báb
were disclosed to His disciples, and formally announced by Him in the capital
of Ádhirbayján, in the presence of the Heir to the Throne…
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
