Ruhi G3 Lesson 12 on The Bab 4
Theme:A new Day has dawned, and the Bab is Its Harbinger
Slightly modified from the Ruhi Grade 3 curriculum
Opening Prayers- Prayer Sharers
You can start the class with a round of the “Remover of Difficulties” with everyone saying (hopefully by memory) the following prayer, one at a time:
“Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!”
(see under lesson 11 for the prayer in a 4 x 6 format)
Introduce the new prayer that they will work on memorizing (they will have three class times to learn it):
“O Lord! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the Dispeller of every affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every slave, the Redeemer of every soul. O Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy mercy, and reckon me among such servants of Thine as have gained salvation.”
Intro to Lesson:
The purpose of this lesson is for the children to recognize that the Bab was the Herald of a new Era. The following ideas will help you explain this concept to the children in your own words.
I will be asking you some questions based on what I am about to share with you, so please pay close attention.
For millions and millions of years, humanity has grown in number, in experience and in knowledge. There was a time when human beings lived in caves and roamed the earth in small bands. As their thinking advanced, they joined together in tribes; some began to build villages and, later on, towns and cities. Gradually great civilizations came into being, each making its own contributions to the progress of humanity. In the past few hundred years, the world has seen the birth of many nations which must now learn to live together in peace.
During this long history, humanity has accomplished extraordinary things, but often its life has been full of fear and grief. Only for a few brief periods has justice ruled the peoples of the earth. Terrible acts of cruelty have been committed. Wars have continually brought misery to the world. The poor and the weak have always suffered at the hands of the ungodly. Yet, as long as humanity has existed, the hope has been that someday a new world would be built, past mistakes would be erased, and a glorious era would begin in the life of humanity. We know that this new Day has now dawned. We know that Baha’u’llah has come to lead humanity into an era of great peace and prosperity. This new Day began in 1844 when the Bab declared His Mission. The Bab came to announce the beginning of a new life for humanity. The Bab is the Herald of a new Age. (a herald is a person or thing that is a sign of something to come. The dawn heralds the coming of the sun!)
Questions:
- How did humanity live at the beginning of its history?
- Can one family achieve as much as several families united in a tribe?
- Is it better for tribes to stay apart, or to unite and form a nation?
- What should the nations of today do?
- What are some of the good things humanity has done in the past?
- Has the life of humanity always been a happy one?
- Has a new Era now begun?
- How will this new Era differ from the past?
- Who was the Herald of this new Era?
Memorization:
(see under this lesson for the quote in a 4 x 6 format)
The following quotation from the Writings of Baha’u’llah refers to the new Era announced by the Bab. Baha’u’llah asks the people of the world to rise and enter this Era. Those who do not understand the importance of this Day are indeed committing a great error.
“Bestir yourselves, O people, in anticipation of the days of Divine justice, for the promised hour is now come Beware lest ye fail to apprehend its import and be accounted among the erring.”
- Can share song of this quote: Days of Divine Justice by Murali S. Nair Master(see under this lesson for the song)
Cooperative Game:
Improv:Two students go to the center of the circle and start acting out a simple scene, such as eating at a restaurant, doing homework together at school, etc. At any point, someone from the circle can call out “freeze”. The two people freeze while the person who called out goes into the center and takes the place of one of the actors by putting his/her body in the exact same position. The two in the center now act out a different scene that makes sense for the positions that they are starting in.
Story:Today’s historical episode tells the story of Tahirih, the greatest poetess and champion of the cause of the equality of men and women. As with the previous lessons, you will need to decide before class how you will present this episode to the children, simplifying or summarizing parts of it as you feel necessary. Most of the children will remember the story of Tahirih told in one of the lessons of Grade 2, and you may wish to remind them of that story in introducing the episode below.
Props (optional):(see under this lesson for images that correlate with the highlighted words below)
One of the eighteen Letters of the Living was a remarkable woman who will always be remembered as the most courageous champion of the cause of the equality of men and women. Her name was Tahirih. She was born to a distinguished family of Muslim clergy, and she herself was extremely knowledgeable and highly accomplished. She wrote the most beautiful poetry; when someday you read or her her poetry, you will think of her soul as a great ocean, deep and full of the most precious pearls.
Of the eighteen Letters of the Living, only Tahirih accepted the Bab without having met Him. She knew in her heart that the Promised Qa’im had appeared, and she had already seen Him in a dream. When her sister’s husband decided to set out in search of the Promised Qa’im, Tahirih gave him a sealed letter and told him to deliver it to the One Whom she was sure he would meet. “Say to Him, from me, “ said Tahirih, “The effulgence of Thy face flashed forth, and the rays of Thy visage arose on high. Then speak the word, “Am I not your Lord?” and “Thou art, Thou art!” we will all reply.” Tahirih’s brother-in-law did reach the presence of the Bab, accepted Him and delivered to Him Tahirih’s letter. With great joy the Bab declared her one of the Letters of the Living.
Whenever a Manifestation of God appears on earth, the unjust and the ungodly rise against Him and inflict great suffering on Him and those who believe in Him. This is what happened to the Bab and His followers as His fame spread throughout the country. You already know that the Bab Himself was exiled to the far-away mountains in the northwest corner of the country. The authorities had thought that, by sending Him to such a remote place, they would succeed in putting out the light of His Faith. But, of course, no one can put out the light that has been lit by the Hand of God, and the Message of the Bab continued to spread. The number of Babis grew rapidly, but so did the fierce opposition of power-hungry leaders and their ignorant followers. The Babis were persecuted in the most cruel ways. Yet the greater the persecutions, the more intense became the faith and the zeal of the Babis.
It was during this period of persecutions that some of the followers of the Bab gathered together for an historic conference known as the Conference of Badasht. Baha’u’llah was one of those present at this conference, as were Quddus and Tahirih. Someday you will read the account of Badasht for yourself and become informed of its details, but for now it suffices to say that on that occasion the followers of the Bab boldly announced their independence from Islam, the official religion of the country. Guided by Baha’u’llah, Who was not yet known as the Manifestation of God for today, they came to realize that indeed a new Day had dawned, that they had to put the past behind them and enter the new Age.
In the electrifying atmosphere of the Conference of Badasht, Tahirih made a most breathtaking announcement about the equality of men and women. As you know, throughout all of history women have been treated as inferior to men, and in certain places they were not even allowed to show their faces to any an outside of their immediate families. This custom still exists in some parts of the world today, and in the days of the Bab it was firmly established in Persia and other Islamic countries. Whenever they went outside their homes, women had to wrap themselves in a piece of cloth that covered them from head to foot, leaving only a small opening through which they could see and breathe. It was considered the greatest of sins if a man were to see even the hair of a woman who was not a member of his immediate family. So imagine how the men gathered at the Conference of Badasht felt when one day Tahirih appeared without a veil covering her face.
There was a great commotion. A few of the followers of the Bab were so shocked that they ran away. Others stood dumbfounded. Even Quddus showed signs of anger. But Tahirih seated himself next to Quddus with dignity and confidence. A feeling of joy and triumph illumined her face. Then she arose and spoke. Her words were so powerful that they penetrated the hearts of everyone present. She calle don the believers to break from the past and hold firmly to the laws of a new Age. She even made certain remarks about the greatness of Baha’u’llah which at the time few could comprehend. She finished her speech by saying that she was the Word which the Promised Qa’im was to utter. And who could deny that she had acted as a mighty Word uttered by the Bab heralding the beginning of a new Era in human existence? Who could deny that she had sounded the trumpet call announcing the equality of men and women?
Songs:
- Tahirih, the Pure One (see under this lesson for lyrics and music)
- This Little Light of Mine by Elizabeth Mitchell
- Requests from Songbook
Facts:
You may wish to include the following information in the games you are devising to help the children retain important facts.
(see for the fact cards for this lesson; they can be used in the way described in Lesson 2)
- Tahirih was the seventeenth…Letter of the Living.
- The independence of the Faith of the Bab from Islam was declared…at the Conference of Badasht.
- Baha’u’llah, Quddus and Tahirih were…present at the Conference of Badasht.
- Tahirih removed the veil from her face at the Conference of Badasht and…publicly announced the equality of men and women.
Drama:Using one of the ways described in the introductory sections of the book, you may help the children reenact the episode of Tahirih’s courageous announcement at the Conference of Badasht.
Art/Drawing:It is suggested that you have the students do a drawing of a sunrise. This will reinforce the ideas they have studied today that a new Day in the life of humanity has dawned.
Alternative- have children write a cinquain poem (Tahirih was a poetess)about something spiritual (God, who we are, prayer, family, etc.) using the following format:
Line 1: one word (subject or noun)
Line 2: two words (adjectives, words that describe Line 1)
Line 3: three words (action verbs, often ending in “ing” that relate to line 1)
Line 4: four words (feelings, or a complete sentence that relates to line 1)
Line 5: one word (synonym of line 1 or a word that sums it up)
Examples:
Snow
Silent, white
Dancing, falling, drifting
Covering everything it touches
Blanket
Prayer
Peaceful potential
Releasing, searching, answering
A still small voice
Connection
Prayer
Sweet, melodious
Healing, purifying, perfecting
My ongoing conversation with God
Forever…
See under this lesson for some ideas/support material.
Review:
“Take ye counsel together in all matters, inasmuch as consultation is the lamp of guidance which leadeth the way, and is the bestower of understanding.” -Baha’u’llah
Closing Prayer
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