BahaiGlossary.org
What is the Bahá'í Glossary?
The Bahá'í vocabulary has many Arabic and Persian words that may be unfamiliar to non-native speakers and newcomers to the Bahá'í Faith. This glossary is designed to help Bahá'ís learn to pronounce these words according to the pronunciation guide established and promoted by Shoghí Effendí.
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Language of Origin:
The Black Pit. Though the term síyáh-chál is used in Persian to refer generically to a dungeon, in the Bahá'í context it specifically refers to the dungeon in Tihrán where Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned in 1852. It was during this imprisonment that Bahá’u’lláh received a series of dreams and visions powerfully confirming His station as a Messenger of God. Of the Síyáh-Chál, Bahá’u’lláh said, “We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains. The air we breathed was laden with the foulest impurities, while the floor on which we sat was covered with filth and infested with vermin. No ray of light was allowed to penetrate that pestilential dungeon or to warm its icy-coldness.” Bahá’u’lláh spent four months in the Síyáh-Chál, during which time an attempt was made to poison Him and He was forced to wear chains so heavy that He would bear their scars for the rest of His life.
