It seems to me that the Guardian's description of the Bab includes words that could also be used to describe the dawn: "gentle", "irresistible", "imperturbable...serenity", "magnetic". It is interesting that the characteristics of the personality of the Bab, whose function was to usher in a new Day for humanity, would resemble those of the dawn.
I'm curious about why the Bab said that he couldn't recite the passage from the Qur'an until he was told what the words meant. He obviously knew what they meant since he then proceeded to tell the teacher what they meant. Do you think he was trying to be humble at first and fit into the rest of the class, or was he trying to gently show the teacher how much he knew? It just seems odd.
I think he was commenting on the rote recitation of verse without understanding. That he was saying to the teacher, how can you ask me to recite something without explaining WHY I should be reciting it.
The teacher pretends not to know the answer (although he THINKS he knows) in order to get his young student to ponder the meaning for himself. Interestingly enough, I think that is really the mark of an excellent teacher. How different would the story be if he had told the Bab, "it means this" or "you don't need to know the meaning now"? Then, his actions would have shamed him, but because he was trying to teach his students to think for themselves, he gets to see the beginning of the Revelation and Knowledge of the Bab.
PURPOSE: To gain spiritual insights into the significance of this Day and the promises it holds for humanity.
Unit Two: The Life of the Bab
PURPOSE: To learn to narrate the story of the Bab's life and gain an apprecation of the potency of hs short and dramatic Ministry.
PRACTICE: Visit a few families and share with them a simple illustrated presentation of the Bab's life.
Unit Three: The Life of Baha'u'llah
PURPOSE: To learn to narrate the story of Baha'u'llah's life and gain an appreciation of the magnitude of the spiritual forces released by Him.
PRACTICE: Visit a few families and share with them a simple illustrated presentation of Baha'u'llah's life.
3 comments:
It seems to me that the Guardian's description of the Bab includes words that could also be used to describe the dawn: "gentle", "irresistible", "imperturbable...serenity", "magnetic". It is interesting that the characteristics of the personality of the Bab, whose function was to usher in a new Day for humanity, would resemble those of the dawn.
I'm curious about why the Bab said that he couldn't recite the passage from the Qur'an until he was told what the words meant. He obviously knew what they meant since he then proceeded to tell the teacher what they meant. Do you think he was trying to be humble at first and fit into the rest of the class, or was he trying to gently show the teacher how much he knew? It just seems odd.
I think he was commenting on the rote recitation of verse without understanding. That he was saying to the teacher, how can you ask me to recite something without explaining WHY I should be reciting it.
The teacher pretends not to know the answer (although he THINKS he knows) in order to get his young student to ponder the meaning for himself. Interestingly enough, I think that is really the mark of an excellent teacher. How different would the story be if he had told the Bab, "it means this" or "you don't need to know the meaning now"? Then, his actions would have shamed him, but because he was trying to teach his students to think for themselves, he gets to see the beginning of the Revelation and Knowledge of the Bab.
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