| The period of time during which the authority of a Manifestation of God's social or temporal teachings endure. (The eternal, spiritual truths taught by each Manifestation are not abrogated but affirmed by subsequent Manifestations.) A prophet's dispensation begins with the declaration of His prophetic mission and ends with the declaration of the next Manifestation of God, whose Teachings supersede those of the former prophet. The dispensation of the Báb, which began on 23 May 1844, is closely linked to that of Bahá'u'lláh and is considered part of the Bahá'í Era. The dispensation of the Báb ended at Ridván 1863 when Bahá'u'lláh declared His Mission. Bahá'u'lláh has stated in the Kitab-i-Aqdas that the Bahá'í Dispensation shall last no less than a thousand years. |
