Note 48

48. This is that hidden knowledge which shall never change, since its beginning is with nine # 29

In the Arabic &Bayan the &Bab described His inheritance law as being "in accordance with a hidden knowledge in the Book of God--a knowledge that shall never change or be replaced". He also stated that the numbers by which the division of the inheritance was expressed had been invested with a significance intended to aid in the recognition of Him Whom God will make manifest.

The "nine" mentioned here is represented in the Arabic text by the letter "&Ta", which is its equivalent in the abjad notation (see Glossary). It is the first element of the &Bab's division of inheritance, where He designates "nine parts" as the share of the children. The significance of nine lies in its being the numerical equivalent of the Greatest Name "&Baha", alluded to in the next part of this verse as "the concealed and manifest, the inviolable and unapproachably exalted Name". (See also note 33.)