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In other words, one of the main proofs of anyone claiming to be a Messenger of God is to produce verses like those in the Qur’án. This plays an important role in the Dawn-Breakers as it is used as a metric by them to judge the claims of the Báb (and eventually Bahá’u’lláh).
Hadíth
After the Qur’án, the next most important source of guidance for Muslims are the hadíth (in English called Traditions or Sayings). Hadíth (correct plural is ahádíth) are sayings and traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. For the Shí’a the hadíth reporting the words of the various Imáms (which the Sunní do not accept) are nearly just as important. There are different categories of hadíth. Amongst the hadíth attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, hadíth qudsi (meaning “pure” or “holy hadíth”) is a special category of hadíth, because it is believed the content of these hadíth are attributed to God but the actual wording was credited to Muhammad. So, while hadíth qudsí are not the Quranic revelations, which are considered to be the verbatim word of Alláh, they still are given a special category and occupy a special status between Quran and other general hadíth text.
All the hadíth have been passed down orally from generation to generation. Each hadith is therefore associated with a chain of narrators (isnad)—a lineage of people who reportedly heard and repeated the hadíth from which the source of the hadíth can be traced. There are tens of thousands of hadíth. Some hadíth are considered to be more reliable (authentic) than others. While there is only one Qur’án for all Muslims, there are various hadíth collections; and obviously we have different collections depending on whether the collection is Shí’a or Sunní.
For the protagonists in the Dawn-Breakers, the Shí’a hadíth were important as a metric by them to judge the claims of the Báb (and eventually Bahá’u’lláh).
The importance of Mecca and Medína, & the Hijrí Calendar
Most of Arabia is desert and the Arabs at the time of the Prophet Muhammad were nomads and had a tribal society. Each tribe occupied or had rights to certain areas. There were several clans per tribe. Clan and tribal rivalry was a major issue, with lots of feuding. Tribal loyalty was critical and your clan’s protection necessary for survival. The Arabs were polytheists (they believed in many gods and had many idols). It was a rough idol-worshipping, tribal way of life, where they even buried