In the Lawh-i-Ra'ís which was “revealed shortly after
Bahá'u'lláh's incarceration in the citadel of 'Akká and includes a chilling
denunciation of the character of the [Ottoman Prime] Minister”, Ali Pasha (The
Universal House of Justice, Introduction to ‘Summons of the Lord of Hosts’),
Baha’u’llah describes a puppet show that He saw during His older half-brother’s
marriage and its effect on Him:
When I was still a child and had not yet attained the age of
maturity, My father made arrangements in Tihran for the marriage of one of My
older brothers, and as is customary in that city, the festivities lasted for
seven days and seven nights. On the last day it was announced that the play
"Shah Sultan Salim" would be presented. A large number of princes,
dignitaries, and notables of the capital gathered for the occasion. I was
sitting in one of the upper rooms of the building and observing the scene.
Presently a tent was pitched in the courtyard, and before long some small
human-like figures, each appearing to be no more than about a hand's span in
height, were seen to emerge from it and raise the call: "His Majesty is
coming! Arrange the seats at once!" Other figures then came forth, some of
whom were seen to be engaged in sweeping, others in sprinkling water, and
thereafter another, who was announced as the chief town crier, raised his call
and bade the people assemble for an audience with the king. Next, several
groups of figures made their appearance and took their places, the first
attired in hats and sashes after the Persian fashion, the second wielding
battleaxes, and the third comprising a number of footmen and executioners
carrying bastinados. Finally there appeared, arrayed in regal majesty and
crowned with a royal diadem, a kingly figure, bearing himself with the utmost
haughtiness and grandeur, at turns advancing and pausing in his progress, who
proceeded with great solemnity, poise and dignity to seat himself upon his
throne.
At that moment a volley of shots was fired, a fanfare of trumpets was sounded, and king and tent were enveloped in a pall of smoke. When it had cleared, the king, ensconced upon his throne, was seen surrounded by a suite of ministers, princes, and dignitaries of state who, having taken their places, were standing at attention in his presence. A captured thief was then brought before the king, who gave the order that the offender should be beheaded. Without a moment's delay the chief executioner cut off the thief's head, whence a blood-like liquid came forth. After this the king held audience with his court, during which intelligence was received that a rebellion had broken out on a certain frontier. Thereupon the king reviewed his troops and despatched several regiments supported by artillery to quell the uprising. A few moments later cannons were heard booming from behind the tent, and it was announced that a battle had been engaged.
This Youth regarded the scene with great amazement. When the
royal audience was ended, the curtain was drawn, and, after some twenty
minutes, a man emerged from behind the tent carrying a box under his arm.
"What is this box," I asked him, "and what
was the nature of this display?"
"All this lavish display and these elaborate
devices," he replied, "the king, the princes, and the ministers,
their pomp and glory, their might and power, everything you saw, are now
contained within this box."
I swear by My Lord Who, through a single word of His Mouth,
hath brought into being all created things! Ever since that day, all the
trappings of the world have seemed in the eyes of this Youth akin to that same
spectacle. They have never been, nor will they ever be, of any weight and
consequence, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed. How greatly I
marveled that men should pride themselves upon such vanities, whilst those
possessed of insight, ere they witness any evidence of human glory, perceive
with certainty the inevitability of its waning. "Never have I looked upon
any thing save that I have seen extinction before it; and God, verily, is a
sufficient witness!"
- Baha'u'llah (‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
