Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

*Writings* of Bahá’u’lláh
Primary works
Kitáb-i-Aqdas Kitáb-i-Íqán The Hidden Words The Seven Valleys and Four Valleys Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Gems of Divine Mysteries Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh Prayers and Meditations Summons of the Lord of Hosts Tabernacle of Unity Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh

The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf is the last major work of Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, before his death in 1892. He wrote the book in around 1891 to the son of Shaykh Áqá Muhammad Baqir (1819-1883), Áqá Najafí, whom he denounced as the "son of the wolf" – hence the title Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Both father and son were known for their persecution of the Bahá’ís.^[1] Bahá’u’lláh calls for him to repent for his and his father's wrongdoings and to investigate the faith. Quoting extensively from His own previously revealed scriptures, a large portion of the work consists of critical concepts in previous works expressed in condensed form.

History[edit]

Two brothers Muhammad-Husayn Nahrí and Muhammad-Hasan Nahrí came from an aristocratic and established mercantile family in Isfahan. The Imám-Jum'ih of the city owed the brothers money and – when the two asked for payment – he devised a plan to be rid of his debt. After confronting Shaykh Muhammad-Baqir, another influential Muslim cleric of Isfahan, and Sultán-Mas'úd Mírzá, the son of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh with the issue, the three devised a plan to imprison the brothers on account of their Bahá’í religion. They were subsequently arrested, paraded around Isfahan with crowds jeering abuse, and publicly executed in a humiliating manner.

Bahá’u’lláh was heartbroken by the death of the brothers – he had met the two whilst a prisoner in Adrianople. He eulogized the two, naming them the "King of Martyrs" and the "Beloved of Martyrs", and the "Twin Shining Lights".

Notes[edit]

↑ Momen, Moojan 2013.

References[edit]

Bahá'u'lláh (1988) [1892]. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Paperback ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-182-5.

Hatcher, J.S. (1997). The Ocean of His Words: A Reader's Guide to the Art of Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-259-7.

Momen, Moojan (2013). "Commentary on a Passage in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf" (PDF). Haj Mehdi Armand Colloquium. Lights of Irfan. Wilmette, IL. pp. 281–288. Retrieved 18 October 2015.