It was the summer of 1848. The followers of the Báb, the
Bábís, were fiercely persecuted in Persia, the birthplace of their Faith. They
needed guidance and support. Bahá'u'lláh, Who, at that time, was a directing
force among the Bábís, decided to meet with His fellow believers. A group of
them gathered in the small village of Badasht in northern Persia.
Upon His arrival, Bahá'u'lláh rented three gardens, one for
Quddús, another for Táhirih, and the third one for Himself. The main purpose of
this gathering of Bábís, known as the Badasht Conference, was to consult about
the future of the Bábí Faith. Tents were put up in the three gardens to house
the eighty-one Bábís who had gathered at this most important event. From the
day they arrived to the day they left, for twenty-two days, they were all the
guests of Bahá'u'lláh.
Every day, Bahá'u'lláh revealed a new Tablet, which was chanted
every morning in this memorable gathering of Bábís. Through these Tablets,
Bahá'u'lláh discarded one after another of the established traditions of the
past. The Bábís were dismayed as they saw the ways they had worshiped, and many
of the teachings they had followed for so long, changed and discarded.
Baha'u'llah bestowed a new name on every believer at Badasht
without disclosing the identity of the person who had given those names. From
this time on, He became known as "Bahá" (Glory), Quddús (the Most
Holy) gained his title, and Táhirih (the Pure One).
The Bábís were in awe. They did not know the source of all
these Revelations. They wondered: Who wrote the Tablets? Who gave them the new
names? Some were guessing, each one to his own degree of understanding. Very
few, if any, thought Bahá'u'lláh was the author of the changes that were so
fearlessly introduced.
