The Báb revealed this commentary in October or November of
1846 while He was in Isfahan -- during the time that He was a guest at the
residence of the ‘Imam Jum'ih of that city. It was at the request of His host
that the “Báb, one night, after supper, revealed His well-known commentary on
the surih of Va'l-'Asr. Writing with astonishing rapidity, He, in a few hours,
had devoted to the exposition of the significance of only the first letter of
that surih -- a letter which Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i had stressed, and which
Bahá'u'lláh refers to in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas -- verses that equalled in number a
third of the Qur'án, a feat that called forth such an outburst of reverent
astonishment from those who witnessed it that they arose and kissed the hem of
His robe.” (God Passes By, p. 14) Interpreting various parts of the short
Qur'ánic surih, the Báb discusses many fundamental issues in religion including
how to recognize spiritual truth, the nature of the human being, the meaning of
faith, the nature of good deeds, and the preconditions of spiritual journey.
(Adapted from ‘God Passes By’, by Shoghi Effendi; and ‘Gate of the Heart’, by
Nader Saiedi)
