This quote may shed some light upon the Lesser Covenant of the Bab
"From the silence which Quddus observed, as well as from the expression
which his countenance betokened, Mulla Husayn concluded that no one else
except his host could have penned those words. He instantly arose from his
seat and, standing with bowed head at the threshold of the door,
reverently declared: "The hidden treasure of which the B�b has spoken, now
lies unveiled before my eyes. Its light has dispelled the gloom of
perplexity and doubt. Though my Master be now hidden amid the mountain
fastnesses of Adhirbayjan, the sign of His splendour and the revelation of
His might stand manifest before me. I have found in Mazindaran the
reflection of His glory."
(Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 263)
In Nabil's narrative Quddus and Tahirih are referred to as the "twin
lights". The Badsht incident binds into a microcosm of sorts the Reality
of the still hidden Lord of Hosts and the manifestations of the Bab (Who,
Himself, is the Manifestation of Baha'u'llah)in the forms of Quddus and
Tahirih. Below is a narration of those new laws of the Bab'i
Dispensation, Revealed by Tahirih and possibly Quddus as two of the
Successors of the Bab.
"That memorable day and those which immediately followed it witnessed the
most revolutionary changes in the life and habits of the assembled
followers of the B�b. Their manner of worship underwent a sudden and
fundamental transformation. The prayers and ceremonials by which those
devout worshippers had been disciplined were irrevocably discarded. A
great confusion, however, prevailed among those who had so zealously
arisen to advocate these reforms. A few condemned so radical a change as
being the essence of heresy, and refused to annul what they regarded as
the inviolable precepts of Islam. Some regarded Tahirih as the sole judge
in such matters and the only person qualified to claim implicit obedience
from the faithful. Others who denounced her behaviour held to Quddus, whom
they regarded as the sole representative of the B�b, the only one who had
the right to pronounce upon such weighty matters. Still others who
recognized the authority of both Tahirih and Quddus viewed the whole
episode as a God-sent test designed to separate the true from the false
and distinguish the faithful from the disloyal.
(Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 296)
The remnant of the companions who had gathered in Badasht accordingly
decided to depart for Mazindaran. Quddus and Tahirih seated themselves in
the same howdah [2] which had been prepared for their journey by
Bah�'u'll�h. On their way, Tahirih each day composed an ode which she
instructed those who accompanied her to chant as they followed her howdah.
Mountain and valley re-echoed the shouts with which that enthusiastic
band, as they journeyed to Mazindaran, hailed the extinction of the old,
and the birth of the new Day.
(Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 298)
Quddus wrote three homolies: One for the Bab, one for Baha'u'llah and one
for Tahirih. This suggests to me that Quddus himself, albeit, according
to Marzieh Gail, second in command to only the Bab, saw Tahirih as the
Successor to the Bab within the Lesser Covenant. Can we find her
writinsg? Can we find those of Quddus?
Richard
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