CHAPTER I_The Báb: The Herald of the Day of Days

THE BÁB

The Herald of

the Day of Days

_By the same author_

`ABDU'L-BAHÁ

The Centre of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh

BAHÁ'U'LLÁH

The King of Glory

BAHÁ'U'LLÁH

A brief life, followed by an essay entitled THE WORD MADE FLESH

[_KH_]ADÍJIH BAGUM

The Wife of the Báb

EDWARD GRANVILLE BROWNE AND THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH

EMINENT BAHÁ'ÍS IN THE TIME OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH

MUḤAMMAD AND THE COURSE OF ISLÁM

THE BÁB

_The Herald of the Day of Days_

H. M. BALYUZI

GEORGE RONALD

OXFORD

First published 1973 by George Ronald

46 High Street, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 2DN

Reprinted 1973 and 1974

Paper edition 1975

Reprinted 1994

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. It may

not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (except

for fair dealing for the purposes of private study,

research, criticism or review as permitted under the

publisher.

ISBN 0 85398 054 3

EXTRACTS FROM

Nabíl, _The Dawn-Breakers_

of the United States

Shoghi Effendi, _God Passes By_

of the United States

WORLD ORDER, A Bahá'í Magazine

of the United States

Printed by The Cromwell Press,

Broughton Gifford, Melksham,

Wiltshire SN12 8PH

Contents

Foreword ix

A Note on the Construction of Persian Names xi

Prologue 1

1. All Hail [_Sh_]íráz 15

2. He Whom They Sought 32

3. Ṭihrán 48

4. The First Martyr 58

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca 69

6. Forces of Opposition Arrayed 76

7. Belief and Denial 85

8. The City of `Abbás the Great 106

9. The Antichrist of the Bábí Revelation 117

10. Where the Aras Flows 124

11. The Grievous Mountain 134

12. That Midsummer Noon 148

13. The Dawn-Breakers 161

Epilogue 189

APPENDICES

1. The Siege of Karbilá 193

2. The Martyrdom of the Báb 202

3. Prelude to the Episode of Nayríz 204

4. The Seven Martyrs of Ṭihrán 206

5. The Episode of Zanján 209

6. Lord Palmerston's Enquiry 214

7. Myth-Making 217

Bibliography 225

Notes 229

Index 243

THE SHINING MEMORY

A LONE AND NOBLE WOMAN

WHO SUFFERED IN SILENCE

FOR FORTY YEARS

THIS STORY OF HER BELOVED HUSBAND

IS DEDICATED

_Foreword_

The present book completes the trilogy on the lives of the Founders of

the Bahá'í Faith. However, now that additional material is at my

disposal, it is my hope to expand at a future date the volume on the

life of Bahá'u'lláh, and also to write a supplement to the volume on

the life of `Abdu'l-Bahá.

This book is the first in the range of Bahá'í literature to make

extensive use of official documents from governmental archives. I am

greatly indebted to Moojan Momen who has generously shared with me the

results of his able research in the Public Record Office of London and

elsewhere.

The two British Foreign Secretaries who received news and dispatches

regarding the Báb and the Bábís were the Earl of Aberdeen, who held

office from September 1841 to July 1846, under Sir Robert Peel; and

Viscount Palmerston, whose tenure of office extended from July 1846 to

January 1852, under Lord John Russell. The British envoy chiefly

involved in forwarding such reports to London was Lt.-Col. (later Sir

Justin) Sheil, the Minister in Ṭihrán. Lord Palmerston's letters to

him (F.O. 248/134) state that his dispatches concerning the Báb and

the Bábís were 'laid before the Queen'.

My deep gratitude goes to Abul-Qasim Afnan, who has unstintingly made

available to me the chronicle-history and the autobiography of his

father, the late Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥabíbu'lláh, as well as letters

written by and to the relatives of the Báb, together with many other

documents of inestimable value.

It should be borne in mind that apart from quotations from the Writings

of the Báb, speeches attributed to Him or to anyone else in these pages

must not be taken as exact reportage of words spoken at the time. They

only convey the sense and purport of what was said on those occasions.

Obviously no one was taking notes. It is possible, however, that a few

short sentences here and there, which immediately engrave themselves on

the mind, are exact utterances, the very words spoken.

As the bibliography indicates I have consulted a number of books; but

of printed works, the main sources have been _God Passes By_ and

Nabíl's Narrative, _The Dawn-Breakers_. I am much indebted to the

Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, for permission to quote

from these and other sources, as well as to Cambridge University

Press, the Public Record Office, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., A. & C.

Black Ltd., Faber & Faber Ltd., William Heinemann Ltd., Methuen & Co.

Ltd., and _World Order_, A Bahá'í Magazine. Full acknowledgment is

made in the bibliography and notes.

I am profoundly grateful to the Hands of the Cause Paul Haney and

Abul-Qasim Faizi for reading the manuscript and for their review and

advice. As in the past Marion Hofman's generous help has smoothed the

path to publication. My indebtedness to her is immense. And without my

wife's assistance and support I could not have completed my task.

I should also like to thank Miss Dorothy Wigington, Mr. Farhang Afnan

and Mr. Rustom Sabit for their care in reading the proofs, and Mr.

Horst W. Kolodziej for his excellent reproduction of a number of old

documents and photographs.

Finally, a word as to the Prologue; this in my view provides a

necessary background for the story of the Báb. But should the reader

find in it too many unfamiliar facts, he may turn immediately to the

first chapter.

H. M. BALYUZI

_London_

_October 1972_

_A Note on the Construction of Persian Names_

In times past the people of Persia had no surnames, but in many

instances they were known by the name of the district, city, town, or

even the village from which they came: for example, [_Kh_]urásání,

Mázindarání, Ṭihrání, Iṣfahání, and [_Sh_]írází.

There were also various honorific prefixes and suffixes by which a

person was distinguished. A descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad had

(and has) the prefix of 'Siyyid'. At times, 'Mírzá' took the place of

'Siyyid', and at times the two were used together. 'Mírzá' by itself

did not denote any particular ancestry, except when placed after a

proper name to mark royal descent.

The suffix '[_Kh_]án' served at one time as a title, but with passing

years, it became merely honorific, even meaningless, and at no time

was it a surname.

The prefix 'Ḥájí' or 'Ḥáj' indicated then, as now, one who had

made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Ma[_sh_]hadí and Karbilá'í, as prefixes,

marked pilgrimage to Ma[_sh_]had or Karbilá, but as suffixes pointed

out nativity.

There were also innumerable titles conferred by the sovereign in Írán,

consisting of diverse combinations, sometimes ludicrous, sometimes

grammatically impossible. Occasionally they indicated a definite rank

and profession. As time passed, these titles multiplied absurdly,

until they were swept away by legislation in the 1920's.

Finally, a person was often distinguished from others by a combination

of prefixes and suffixes attached to his name which, if omitted, might

cause him to be taken for another person.

Today the situation is much changed, but for the period described in

this book, the author can identify people only by the names they then

used, however difficult they may be.

* * * * *

Quotations are reproduced in their original form, even though

differing from the spelling and transliteration of Persian words

adopted in this book. Translations from Persian sources are by the

author unless otherwise attributed.

The text of the Authorised Version of the Bible is Crown copyright and

the extracts used herein are reproduced by permission.

* * * * *

The Báb, the Exalted One, is the Morn of Truth,

Whose Light shineth throughout all regions.

`ABDU'L-BAHÁ

O people of the Báb! sorely persecuted,

compelled to silence, but steadfast now as at

Sheykh Ṭabarsí and Zanján, what destiny is

concealed for you behind the veil of the Future?

EDWARD GRANVILLE BROWNE

PROLOGUE

About the time that the thirteen colonies of North America were

gaining their independence to form the nucleus of the mighty Republic

of the West, France was inching her way towards a revolution such as

the world had never seen, and Britain was striding along the road to a

revolution of a different kind, industrial, agrarian and economic in

nature, a cleric of the Islamic [_Sh_]í`ah persuasion left his

island-home in the Persian Gulf for the great centres of [_Sh_]í`ah

learning and [_Sh_]í`ah devotion in `Iráq. His purpose was to find a

much larger audience in order to give voice to thoughts and

presentiments that had developed with his years.

[_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í (1743-1826), the founder of the

[_Sh_]ay[_kh_]í school, belonged to the ancient tribe of

Banú-Ṣa[_kh_]r, and his family originated from the region of

Aḥsá on the Arabian mainland. His father's name was [_Sh_]ay[_kh_]

Zayni'd-Dín, and Baḥrayn had been their home. [_Sh_]ay[_kh_]

Aḥmad first visited Najaf, where the Tomb of `Alí, the first Imám,

cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muḥammad, is situated. Then in

Karbilá, close by the Shrine of the martyred Ḥusayn, the third

Imám, he began to preach and a circle of earnest students gathered

round him. He asked the leading [_Sh_]í`ah divines of the holy cities

of `Iráq to issue him a licence which would give him recognition as a

mujtahid in his own right, that is, a divine empowered to interpret

and prescribe. They all declared that they considered [_Sh_]ay[_kh_]

Aḥmad to be a man of knowledge and talent superior to their own,

and that their testimonial was written solely at his request.

The fame of [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad soon spread throughout Írán. Fatḥ-`Alí

[_Sh_]áh (reigned 1797-1834) and Muḥammad-`Alí Mírzá,[A] a son of the

[_Sh_]áh who held the life-long tenure of the governorship of

Kirmán[_sh_]áh, were particularly desirous to meet him. But

[_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad preferred to go to Írán by way of Bú[_sh_]ihr

(Bushire) in the south, rather than by the nearer and more accessible

route of Kirmán[_sh_]áh in the west. From Bú[_sh_]ihr he went to

[_Sh_]íráz and thence to Yazd, where he stayed for a number of years.

Siyyid Káẓim-i-Ra[_sh_]tí, a young man barely out of his teens, who

shared the same views, joined him there (sometime in 1231 A.H.:

1815-16). [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad was then making his final arrangements to

go on pilgrimage to the holy city of Ma[_sh_]had,[B] prior to his visit

to Ṭihrán. He received Siyyid Káẓim with great affection and asked him

to remain at Yazd to take up his own patient work of many years. In

Ma[_sh_]had and later in Ṭihrán, [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad was shown every

mark of high respect and reverence.

[Footnote A: The Rukni'd-Dawlih.]

[Footnote B: Ma[_sh_]had (Meshed) contains the Shrine of Imám

Riḍá, the eighth Imám.]

Eventually Siyyid Káẓim travelled north to be in his company, and

together they went to Kirmán[_sh_]áh, as the Prince-Governor had been

urgently begging his father to let [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad visit him.

They stayed in Kirmán[_sh_]áh as long as the Governor lived. After his

premature death, they departed for Karbilá, where [_Sh_]ay[_kh_]

Aḥmad, his zeal unabated and his powers untouched by advancing

years, preached and taught. He was in his early eighties when he took

the road to Mecca and Medina. From that journey he did not return and

lies buried in the famed cemetery of Baqi`, in the vicinity of the

Tomb of the Prophet Muḥammad.

[_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad's constant theme was the near advent of the

Deliverer of the Latter Days, promised to the world of Islám, the Qá'im

of the House of Muḥammad or the Mihdí (Mahdí).[1] In the course of his

last pilgrimage to the holy cities of Arabia, he told a merchant from

Iṣfahán[C] who was with him: 'You will attain the presence of the Báb;

salute Him on my behalf.'[2] [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad did not believe in

physical resurrection nor in the physical ascent (Mi`ráj)[D] of the

Prophet Muḥammad to heaven on the night that the Angel Gabriel took Him

to view the celestial world. Mi`ráj was an experience of the spirit,

[_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad maintained. Moreover he asserted that the signs and

portents of the coming of the Qá'im, given by the Prophet and the Imáms,

were allegorical. These and similar doctrines were anathema to the

orthodox, but while [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad lived, royal patronage muted

their hostile criticism.

[Footnote C: Ḥájí Muḥammad-Ismá`íl-i-Gulpáygání.]

[Footnote D: The following verse in the Qur'án (xvii, 4)

refers to the Mi`ráj:

Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night

from the Holy Mosque to the Further Mosque

the precincts of which We have blessed,

that We might show him some of Our signs.

He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.

--Arberry, _The Koran Interpreted_

The Holy Mosque (Masjid-al-Ḥarám) is the Ka`bah in Mecca;

the Further Mosque (Masjid-al-Aqṣá) is in Jerusalem.]

Siyyid Káẓim (1793-1843), who, in accordance with the will of

[_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad, succeeded him in guiding his disciples, was the

son of Siyyid Qásim of Ra[_sh_]t, a town in northern Írán close to the

Caspian Sea. He came from a family of well-known merchants and was no

more than thirty-three years old when he occupied the seat of authority.

The orthodox divines now began their vitriolic assaults in earnest

until, at last, Siyyid Káẓim felt that he needed solid support in Írán

from the ranks of the orthodox. For that purpose he chose one of his

ablest disciples, Mullá Ḥusayn, a native of the small town of

Bu[_sh_]rúyih in [_Kh_]urásán, to go to Iṣfahán and secure the aid of

Ḥájí Siyyid Muḥammad-Báqir-i-Ra[_sh_]tí, a noted divine whose influence

was felt far and wide. Mullá Ḥusayn succeeded brilliantly in

accomplishing the mission entrusted to him, obtained the support of that

famous man in writing, and then proceeded to Ma[_sh_]had to acquire a

similar pledge from yet another powerful divine.

In the meantime not only did Siyyid Káẓim suffer from the intrigues

and onslaughts of his adversaries headed by Siyyid Ibráhím-i-Qazvíní,

but the whole of Karbilá was thrown into turmoil. These disorders were

of long standing and gradually the authority of the Ottoman government

had ceased to exist. Within the town there were several factions at

odds with one another, but all determined to resist the

re-establishment of Ottoman power. Two successive Válís

(governor-generals) of `Iráq tried to force the people of Karbilá to

submission, but failed conspicuously. However, in the closing months

of the year 1842, Najíb Pá[_sh_]á, a man resolute and even obstinate,

came to occupy the post of Válí. Affairs in Karbilá had gradually gone

from bad to worse. Lawlessness had increased and mob rule prevailed.

Najíb Pá[_sh_]á's first thought was to resolve this problem which had

baffled his predecessors. He tried to negotiate a settlement, but

neither he nor the rebels of Karbilá could really trust one another.

Najíb Pá[_sh_]á moved near-by to Musayyib and sent Sar`askar (Colonel)

Sa`du'lláh Pá[_sh_]á with a small force to reduce the town.

Negotiations proceeded apace. Emissaries came and went. Persian

princes, who lived in Karbilá, took part in the negotiations, but

nothing was achieved.

During those fatal weeks, at the end of the year 1842 and the beginning

of 1843, Siyyid Káẓim, who was greatly respected both for his wisdom

and humanity,[E] took a leading role, urging all parties to act with

moderation and in a spirit of conciliation. Twice, in company with a

small delegation, he visited the camps of Najíb Pá[_sh_]á and Sa`du'lláh

Pá[_sh_]á outside Karbilá. Lieutenant-Colonel Farrant, the British

Special Commissioner, reported his efforts to Constantinople:

The Chief Priest Hajee Seid Kausem did all in his power to

prevent hostilities, he preached against their proceedings,

he was abused and threatened, they would not listen to

him--this I have heard from many people at Kerbella--at this

time all were unanimous in defending the place

... to the very last he entreated them to listen to the

Pacha but without avail, he shewed great courage on the

occasion, as he had all the chief Geramees[F] and Mollahs

against him.[4]

[Footnote E: `Abdu'l-Bahá has related this story of Siyyid

Káẓim's works of charity: '`Alí-[_Sh_]áh [the

Ẓillu's-Sulṭán, see Prologue II, p. 10] claimed the

throne of Írán. He showed great benevolence towards the

divines of Karbilá and Najaf, sent them money and stood up

for them. However, he was unsuccessful and betook himself to

Karbilá. There he fell on hard times and suffered poverty. He

expected the divines to come to his help and applied to them,

one by one. But none heeded him. One night he and his family

had to go to bed hungry. At midnight he heard a knock on his

door. When he opened it he found someone, who had pulled his

`abá over his head so as to hide his face. This man put a

purse with money in it into his hands and went away.

'Time passed. Indigence and want recurred. Again the same

person, head covered with `abá, came at midnight, handed a

sum of money and went away without a word. To the repeated

question "who are you?" he gave no answer. Then, that man

came a third time with a purse containing money. This time

`Alí-[_Sh_]áh followed him and saw him enter the house of

Ḥájí Siyyid Káẓim and shut the door. `Alí-[_Sh_]áh

related this event in many gatherings. He used to say: "O

people! I am not a [_Sh_]ay[_kh_]í, but this deed is the work

of righteousness. None but a man of truth would act in this

way."'[3]

[Footnote F: Probably 'yárámáz', meaning 'good-for-nothing'.]

Unhappily, his counsel was ignored by both rebels and Turks. In

January 1843, after a siege of twenty-four days, the holy city was

taken by assault, causing great suffering to the innocent inhabitants.

The files of the Public Record Office in London contain several

documents that throw light on this episode, as well as on the central

part played by Siyyid Káẓim. (See Appendix I.)

During the siege Ḥájí Siyyid Káẓim had spent himself in an

effort to forestall violence and protect all parties to the conflict.

Although only fifty years of age, he became aware that his life was

nearing its close. He was warned of this, we are told, by the dream of

an Arab shepherd who recounted it to him. When his disciples expressed

their distress, Siyyid Káẓim replied:

Is not your love for me for the sake of that true One whose

advent we all await? Would you not wish me to die, that the

promised One may be revealed?[5]

The year 1844 was about to dawn when Siyyid Káẓim breathed his last

and was laid to rest near the tomb of Imám Ḥusayn. His death was

reported by Farrant, who wrote on January 24th 1844 to Sir Stratford

Canning, sending a copy in February to Lt.-Col. (later Sir) Justin

Sheil,[6] the British chargé d'affaires in Ṭihrán:

Hajee Seid Kausem one of the Chief Priests of Kerbella died

lately on his return from a visit to Samerrah--Seid Ibrahim

Kasveenee the other Chief Priest who was greatly opposed to

him, will now enjoy full power, and all contention between

the two religious parties will cease.[7]

When Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í returned to Karbilá from his

highly successful mission in Írán, his teacher was dead. He had not

appointed anyone to succeed him.

To follow the events of this narrative, it may be helpful to consider

their background in some aspects of Iranian history.[G]

[Footnote G: For other aspects the reader is referred to the

Introduction of Nabíl's _The Dawn-Breakers_.]

Muḥammad [_Sh_]áh, the third monarch of the Qájár dynasty, ruled

the land in 1843, but real power rested in the hands of Ḥájí Mírzá

Áqásí, his unprepossessing Grand Vizier. The Qájárs were a tribe of

Turkish origin. Áqá Muḥammad [_Kh_]án, a eunuch chieftain of this

tribe, arose in the year 1779 to carve out a kingdom for himself.

Fifteen years later he finally won the crown of Írán when he captured

and brutally murdered Luṭf-`Alí [_Kh_]án, the last ruler of the

Zand dynasty, who was brave and high-minded but piteously young. The

eunuch king was utterly and savagely ruthless, and he managed to hold

off the Russians in the area of the Caucasus until 1797 when he was

struck down by three assassins. He was succeeded by his nephew,

Fatḥ-`Alí [_Sh_]áh, a man of soft heart and weak will, who was

highly uxorious. At his death in 1834, fifty-three sons and forty-six

daughters survived him.

During the reign of Fatḥ-`Alí [_Sh_]áh, Írán lost heavily to Russia

in a series of disastrous wars. Her ministers, comfortably cocooned in

their isolation from the currents of world affairs, and totally

ignorant of the realities of the European situation, believed that

with the aid of the Emperor of France the Russian menace could be

thwarted. Hard on the heels of General Gardanne, Bonaparte's envoy,

not one but two envoys from the more familiar 'Ingríz' (English) came

in 1808. Sir Harford Jones had been dispatched from the court of King

George III and Sir John Malcolm from India. In 1801 the latter, on

behalf of the Marquis of Wellesley, Governor-General of India,

concluded an abortive treaty with the shrewd and immensely ambitious

Grand Vizier[H] of Fatḥ-`Alí [_Sh_]áh. But in the intervening years

Bonaparte, subsequent to his _débacle_ in Egypt and Syria, showered

his dubious favours on the Persians, and the British connexion was

conveniently ignored by the ministers of Fatḥ-`Alí [_Sh_]áh, who

had entered into the Treaty of Finkenstein (1807) with the French.

Moreover, in the same period, the most capable Ḥájí Ibráhím

[_Kh_]án, who had contributed more than anyone to the downfall of the

Zand dynasty and the ensuing victories of the eunuch king, fell from

power and, as legend has it, met his death in a boiling cauldron.

[Footnote H: Ḥájí Ibráhím [_Kh_]án (the

I`timádu'd-Dawlih).]

Indeed, high hopes centred on what the Emperor of France would do for

Írán, only to be dashed by Bonaparte's change of policy; when he met

Tsar Alexander I at Tilsit (1807) he did not remember any of his

promises. And so General Gardanne was ignominiously ousted from

Ṭihrán, and Sir Harford Jones and Sir John Malcolm were left at

peace, to glower at each other, much to the amusement and also

surprise and embarrassment of the Persian ministers. But as Napoleon's

star waned, so did the interest of the British in Persian affairs. The

wars with Russia went on until the Persians acknowledged defeat in the

Treaty of Gulistán of 1813.

Amidst abysmal ignorance, nepotism and malpractice which abounded in

the realm, there stood two men in particular, untouched by corruption,

who were fully aware of the needs of their country: Prince `Abbás

Mírzá, the heir to the throne, and his vizier, Mírzá Abu'l-Qásim,

Qá'im-Maqám-i-Faráhání. But their attempts at reform could not obtain

the success they deserved because of the obscurantism surrounding the

person of the sovereign. It was this Crown Prince who sent the first

group of Iranian students to Britain to learn the crafts of the West.

Their story, which does no credit to the government in London, is

preserved in a number of documents lodged in the Public Record Office.

Incidentally, one of these men, a student of medicine, was named Mírzá

Ḥájí Bábá, the eponym of the chief character of James Morier's

well-known satire.

Prince `Abbás Mírzá, worsted in the field by the Russians, now tried

to provide his country with a modern army and engaged British

instructors. As in the past, Ṭihrán gave him little help. Yet he

was under constant pressure to resume hostilities. The divines,

particularly, were urging it.[I] Yet Russia had no desire to fight;

nor had Fatḥ-`Alí [_Sh_]áh: war was too expensive. Prince Menchikov

arrived from St. Petersburg (the present-day Leningrad) not to dictate

but to negotiate. But the demands of those who sought war--the clerics

and the powerful court faction of Alláh-Yár [_Kh_]án[J]--proved

irresistible; Menchikov returned to St. Petersburg.

[Footnote I: This incident is referred to by Bahá'u'lláh in

His Tablet to Náṣiri'd-Dín [_Sh_]áh.]

[Footnote J: The Áṣafu'd-Dawlih, who later rose in

rebellion against the central government during the reign of

Náṣiri'd-Dín [_Sh_]áh.]

In the war that soon followed the Persians were soundly beaten and

Russian forces surged forward to occupy the city of Tabríz. The first

to abandon the field was a group of clerics, who, with raised

standards, had accompanied the army. By the Treaty of Turkuman[_ch_]áy

(1828), onerous and humiliating in the extreme, Írán was excluded from

the Caucasus. In addition to the payment of heavy indemnities, she

lost her rights in the Caspian Sea and the frontier between Russia and

Írán was fixed on the river Aras.

Prince `Abbás Mírzá was now a sad and broken man. Rash actions forced

upon him had brought total desolation. His modern army was shattered.

Because he knew of the intrigues that plagued his father's court, and

to make certain that his eldest son would not be left undefended, he

asked for guarantees from the Tsar, which were readily given. After

this ordeal of defeat and submission Prince `Abbás Mírzá did not live

long. He died at the age of forty-five, and a year later his father

followed him to the grave.

The eldest son of `Abbás Mírzá, named heir-apparent by Fatḥ-`Alí

[_Sh_]áh, came into his heritage by a combination of the assured

support of Britain and Russia, and the wise strategy of Qá'im-Maqám.

Sir John Campbell, the British Minister in Ṭihrán, and Sir Henry

Lindesay Bethune, who took command of the forces loyal to the son of

`Abbás Mírzá, brought him safely from Tabríz to Ṭihrán.

Qá'im-Maqám, in the meantime, secured the backing of influential men

in the capital, where another son of the late king had styled himself

`Adil [_Sh_]áh[K] and was claiming the throne. But his reign was

brief, and soon Muḥammad [_Sh_]áh, the heir-apparent, was well

entrenched in Ṭihrán, for Sir Henry Lindesay Bethune (whom a

Persian historian calls Mr. Lenzi) easily routed other pretenders.[8]

[Footnote K: In reality `Alí-[_Sh_]áh, the

Ẓillu's-Sulṭán, not to be confused with Prince

Sulṭán Mas`úd Mírzá, the Governor-General of Iṣfahán,

who had the same title in later years.]

Muḥammad [_Sh_]áh did not wish to seem beholden to the British officials

who had helped him to his throne, nor did he show much gratitude to

Qá'im-Maqám, the architect of his victory. Within a year he contrived

the death of that great minister who had served him and his father so

well. By the death of Qá'im-Maqám, treacherously designed, Írán

sustained a tremendous and irreparable loss. Qá'im-Maqám was not only a

brilliant statesman, but also a master of prose whose style rescued the

language from encrusted artificialities.[L]

[Footnote L: See Balyuzi, _`Abdu'l-Bahá_, p. 373 and note.]

His successor as the Grand Vizier was Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí, a man

ignorant and devoid of all graces, affecting deep piety. This is how

Sir Henry Layard[9] saw him in 1840:

We waited upon the Prime Minister, the Haji Mirza Agasi, who

was then the man of the greatest influence, power and

authority in Persia. The Shah had committed to him almost

the entire government of his kingdom, occupying himself but

little with public affairs, aware of his own incapacity for

conducting them. 'The Haji'--the name by which he was

familiarly known--was, by all accounts, a statesman of craft

and cunning, but of limited abilities. He was cruel and

treacherous, proud and overbearing, although he affected the

humility of a pious mulla who had performed the pilgrimage

to Mecca and the holy shrines of the Imaums. The religious

character which he had assumed made him intolerant and

bigoted, and he was known to be a fanatical hater of

Christians. He had been the Shah's tutor and instructor in

the Koran, and had acquired a great influence over his

pupil, who had raised him to the lofty position which he

then held. He had the reputation of being an accomplished

Persian and Arabic scholar, but he was entirely ignorant of

all European languages. His misgovernment, and the

corruption and general oppression which everywhere existed

had brought Persia to the verge of ruin. Distress, misery,

and discontent prevailed to an extent previously unknown. He

was universally execrated as the cause of the misfortunes

and misery from which the people and the State were

suffering. We found him seated on his hams, in the Persian

fashion, on a fine Kurdish carpet spread in a handsome hall.

Before him was a large tray filled with ices and a variety

of fruit.... He was a man of small stature, with sharp and

somewhat mean and forbidding features, and a loud shrill

voice. His dress was simple--almost shabby--as became a

mulla and a man devoted to religious life.... It was evident

that the Haji suspected that we were spies and agents of the

British Government. However, he declared that the Shah was

willing that we should visit any part of his territories

where we could travel in safety, and that orders had been

issued for the preparation of our farman [royal decree]; for

his Majesty had said that we belonged to a friendly nation,

and his quarrel was not with England but with Lord

Palmerston, who had treated Persia ill, and had recalled the

Queen's Ambassador[10] without sufficient cause....

Nor was Írán on good terms with the Ottomans. Layard's book, _Early

Adventures_, indicates the considerable extent of the incursions which

the Turks had made into Iranian territory. The meeting between Layard

and Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí in 1840 took place in Hamadán, not far from

the frontier, where Muḥammad [_Sh_]áh was encamped with his army.

The relations between the Ottoman and Iranian governments were further

strained by the storming and sacking of Karbilá in January 1843, where

the chief sufferers were Persian. We have seen how the Persian princes

living in Karbilá at the time of its investment by the troops of Najíb

Pá[_sh_]á took a hand in negotiations. They were exiles and fugitives

who had contested with Muḥammad [_Sh_]áh and offended him, and

senior among them was `Alí-[_Sh_]áh, the Ẓillu's-Sulṭán.

Yet another issue reared its ugly head to exacerbate relations between

Írán and the Ottoman Empire, that of [_Sh_]í`ah against Sunní. Sheil,

the British Minister in Ṭihrán, reported to the Foreign Secretary,

the Earl of Aberdeen:

If the Moollahs, and in particular the chief priest of

Ispahan, Hajee Syed Moollah Mahomed Baukir, whose religious

influence in Persia is powerful, should use the present

opportunity for regaining their former position by exerting

their authority among the people, and preaching a crusade

against the rival branch of Mahommedanism, it is not easy to

foresee the consequences.[11]

Indeed, reported Sheil, the Persian Foreign Minister and Ḥájí Mírzá

Áqásí were considering the possibility of war.[12]

This chief priest of Iṣfahán, mentioned by Sheil, was the same

divine from whom Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í obtained unqualified

support for Siyyid Káẓim-i-Ra[_sh_]tí.

It is helpful to compare the authority of the divines of these two

great branches of Islám. The [_Sh_]í`ah divine in contradistinction to

the Sunní has the power of 'Ijtihád', that is, issuing _ex cathedra_

decrees and judgments. His position is, in a sense, analogous to that

of the English judge who can, within the boundaries of equity and

common law, establish precedents. The Sunní divine belongs to one of

the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence: the Ḥanafí, the

[_Sh_]áfi`í, the Málikí and the Ḥanbalí. The jurisconsults, who

founded these four schools or rites, which are named after them, set

certain standards from which the Sunní divine cannot deviate. The

[_Sh_]í`ah divine, on the other hand, relies exclusively on the text

of the Qur'án and the Traditions ascribed to the Prophet and the

Imáms, all of which are wide open to interpretation. Moreover, the

[_Sh_]í`ah mujtahid--the divine who pronounces _ex cathedra_--does so,

it is understood, as the deputy of the Ṣáḥibu'z-Zamán, the Lord

of the Age.

CHAPTER I

ALL HAIL [_SH_]ÍRÁZ

All hail, [_Sh_]iraz, hail! Oh site without peer!

May God be the Watchman before thy gate,

That the feet of Misfortune enter not here!

Lest my Ruknabad be left desolate....

--Ḥáfiẓ

In the afternoon of May 22nd 1844 a traveller stood outside the gates

of [_Sh_]íráz. He had come from Karbilá, on a spiritual quest to his

native land of Írán. A boat had taken him to Bú[_sh_]ihr on the

Persian Gulf. From that insalubrious port his route had lain over

forbidding mountains to the renowned city of [_Sh_]íráz. He was

accompanied by his brother and his nephew, both barely twenty years

old, and he himself but in his early thirties. They had undertaken

this journey for a purpose which to many seemed fantastic. But for

themselves and many more like them it was real and urgent.

This traveller was the same Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í, who, after

the accomplishment of his highly fruitful mission in Írán on behalf of

Siyyid Káẓim-i-Ra[_sh_]tí, had reached Karbilá only to find his

teacher dead. He had learned that Siyyid Káẓim's parting counsel to

his disciples had been to leave their homes and their cloisters, to

abandon their studies and their debates and go out into the world to

seek 'the Lord of the Age' (Ṣáḥibu'z-Zamán) whose advent had for

centuries been the hope of countless millions. His supernal light

would soon break upon the world, Siyyid Káẓim had said. Mullá

Ḥusayn together with a number of Siyyid Káẓim's disciples kept

vigil for forty days in the old mosque of Kúfih, nearly in ruins, and

then set out on different routes to do their master's bidding.

Mullá Ḥusayn was a man of profound scholarship and unbending will.

Nothing daunted him. Now, reaching the gates of [_Sh_]íráz, he sent

his companions into the city to obtain lodgings, but he himself

tarried for a while in the fields. His mind was occupied with the

object of his quest, a quest that had brought him all those wearisome

miles to [_Sh_]íráz, the home and the resting-place of two of the

greatest poets of Írán. Here, some five hundred years before,

Ḥáfiẓ had composed his superb, ethereal lyrics. Here Sa`dí had

lived a good part of his life and had written his lucid prose, his

lambent verse. Here had worked and died a host of men celebrated both

in their own days and thereafter. The air of [_Sh_]íráz, the plain of

[_Sh_]íráz, the roses of [_Sh_]íráz, the cypresses of [_Sh_]íráz, have

all been lavishly praised.

Forty-four years later, the young Edward Granville Browne, the future

eminent orientalist of the University of Cambridge, looked at the

plain of [_Sh_]íráz from the heights facing the road to Bú[_sh_]ihr,

that mountain pass which is named Alláh-u-Akbar (God is the Greatest)

because the traveller thus expresses his wonderment at beholding such

a beauteous plain. Browne wrote:

Words cannot describe the rapture which overcame me as,

after many a weary march, I gazed at length on the reality

of that whereof I had so long dreamed, and found the reality

not merely equal to, but far surpassing, the ideal which I

had conceived. It is seldom enough in one's life that this

occurs. When it does, one's innermost being is stirred with

an emotion which baffles description, and which the most

eloquent words can but dimly shadow forth.[1]

This was the city that Mullá Ḥusayn was about to enter. It was as

if a magnet had drawn him, with his brother and his nephew, to

[_Sh_]íráz. Nor were they alone in being thus drawn.

On this hot afternoon of May 22nd, Mullá Ḥusayn was fatigued after

the trying journey from the coast up the precipitous tracks of the

rising plateau. But his mind was alert and his soul yearned for that

peace which the attainment of his goal would bring him. As he walked

and pondered he came face to face with a Youth of striking appearance.

That young Man, who was gentle and gracious and whose turban

proclaimed His descent from the Prophet Muḥammad, greeted him with

great kindness. Mullá Ḥusayn was amazed and overwhelmed by the

warmth of this unexpected welcome. It was the courtesy coupled with

the dignified mien of this young Siyyid[M] which particularly

impressed him. Then the young Man invited him to be His guest and to

partake of the evening meal at His house. Mullá Ḥusayn mentioned

that his companions had gone ahead and would be awaiting him, to which

the young Siyyid replied: 'Commit them to the care of God; He will

surely protect and watch over them'.[N]

[Footnote M: A descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad.]

[Footnote N: The quotations in this chapter without reference

numbers are taken from Nabíl, _The Dawn-Breakers_, ch. iii.]

'We soon found ourselves standing at the gate of a house of modest

appearance,' Mullá Ḥusayn has recounted. 'He knocked at the door,

which was soon opened by an Ethiopian servant. "Enter therein in

peace, secure,"[O] were His words as He crossed the threshold and

motioned me to follow Him. His invitation, uttered with power and

majesty, penetrated my soul. I thought it a good augury to be

addressed in such words, standing as I did on the threshold of the

first house I was entering in [_Sh_]íráz, a city the very atmosphere

of which had produced already an indescribable impression upon me.'

[Footnote O: Qur'án xv, 46.]

[_Sh_]íráz had cast its spell upon Mullá Ḥusayn. But little did he

think that his youthful Host, whose utterance rang with authority, was

that 'Lord of the Age', that 'Qá'im of the House of Muḥammad' whom

he was seeking. Yet he could not escape the feeling that the

unexpected encounter might in some way bring him near the end of his

quest. At the same time he was uneasy at having left his brother and

nephew with no news of himself. He further recounts: 'Overwhelmed with

His acts of extreme kindness, I arose to depart. "The time for evening

prayer is approaching," I ventured to observe. "I have promised my

friends to join them at that hour in the Masjid-i-Íl[_kh_]ání".[P]

With extreme courtesy and calm He replied: "You must surely have made

the hour of your return conditional upon the will and pleasure of God.

It seems that His will has decreed otherwise. You need have no fear of

having broken your pledge."' Such undoubted assurance should have made

Mullá Ḥusayn aware that he was about to experience the supreme test

of his life.

[Footnote P: A well-known mosque in [_Sh_]íráz.]

They prayed together. They sat down to converse. And suddenly his Host

asked Mullá Ḥusayn: 'Whom, after Siyyid Káẓim, do you regard as

his successor and your leader?' Furthermore, He asked: 'Has your

teacher given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing

features of the promised One?' Mullá Ḥusayn replied that Siyyid

Káẓim had laid the injunction upon his disciples to disperse after

his death and seek 'the Lord of the Age', and indeed he had given them

indications by which they could come to recognize Him. 'He is of a

pure lineage, is of illustrious descent,' said Mullá Ḥusayn, 'and

of the seed of Fáṭimih.[Q] As to His age, He is more than twenty

and less than thirty. He is endowed with innate knowledge, ...

abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency.'

[Footnote Q: The daughter of the Prophet Muḥammad, and the

wife of `Alí, the first Imám.]

There was silence--the pause that precedes the breaking of the dawn.

Mullá Ḥusayn has told us that the silence was broken with 'vibrant

voice' by his Host who declared to him:

Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me.

Mullá Ḥusayn was for the moment shocked and bewildered. He tried to

resist a claim so breath-taking. But Truth looked him in the face. He

marshalled arguments. But Truth is its own argument.

Mullá Ḥusayn said: 'He whose advent we await is a Man of

unsurpassed holiness, and the Cause He is to reveal [is] a Cause of

tremendous power. Many and diverse are the requirements which He who

claims to be its visible embodiment must needs fulfil. How often has

Siyyid Káẓim referred to the vastness of the knowledge of the

promised One! How often did he say: "My own knowledge is but a drop

compared with that with which He has been endowed. All my attainments

are but a speck of dust in the face of the immensity of His knowledge.

Nay, immeasurable is the difference!"'

In days gone by Mullá Ḥusayn had written a dissertation on some of

the abstruse doctrines and teachings which [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad and

Siyyid Káẓim had enunciated. He carried a copy of this treatise

with him. He now presented it to his Host and asked Him to peruse it,

and elucidate the mysteries which it contained. Not only did his Host

after a rapid look through that treatise shed light upon it, He went

far beyond it. Then Mullá Ḥusayn was given the proof of which he

had ample knowledge. There is a Súrih (Arabic 'Súrah': chapter) in the

Qur'án entitled the Súrih of Joseph.[R] It tells the story of Joseph,

the son of Jacob, he whom his brothers betrayed and sold into slavery,

who suffered imprisonment in Egypt, but rose to rule that land. It is

highly allegorical. Siyyid Káẓim had told Mullá Ḥusayn, when

requested by him to write a commentary on that chapter of the Qur'án:

'This is, verily, beyond me. He, that great One, who comes after me

will, unasked, reveal it for you. That commentary will constitute one

of the weightiest testimonies of His truth, and one of the clearest

evidences of the loftiness of His position.'

[Footnote R: Súrih xii.]

Mullá Ḥusayn's Host told him: 'Now is the time to reveal the

commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.'

'He took up His pen,' Mullá Ḥusayn related, 'and with incredible

rapidity revealed the entire Súrih of Mulk, the first chapter of His

commentary on the Súrih of Joseph. The overpowering effect of the

manner in which He wrote was heightened by the gentle intonation of

His voice which accompanied His writing. Not for one moment did He

interrupt the flow of the verses which streamed from His pen. Not once

did He pause till the Súrih of Mulk was finished. I sat enraptured by

the magic of His voice and the sweeping force of His revelation.'

But Mullá Ḥusayn was anxious to rejoin his companions. Since that

afternoon--and long ago it seemed--when he had sent them into the city

and had himself lingered outside the city-gates, he had had no news of

them nor they of him. So he rose and asked to be permitted to depart.

His Host smilingly told him: 'If you leave in such a state, whoever

sees you will assuredly say: "This poor youth has lost his mind."' 'At

that moment,' Mullá Ḥusayn has said, 'the clock registered two

hours and eleven minutes after sunset.'

In that moment a new Dispensation was born.

'This night,' said He who ushered in the new Dispensation, He who was to

herald a new cycle, 'this very hour will, in the days to come, be

celebrated as one of the greatest and most significant of all

festivals.'[S]

[Footnote S: Today that night and that hour are celebrated

with joy and reverence and gratitude all over the world.]

The evening meal was now served. Mullá Ḥusayn afterwards recalled:

'That holy repast refreshed alike my body and soul. In the presence of

my Host, at that hour, I felt as though I were feeding upon the fruits

of Paradise.... Had my youthful Host no other claim to greatness, this

were sufficient--that He received me with that quality of hospitality

and loving-kindness which I was convinced no other human being could

possibly reveal.

'I sat spellbound by His utterance, oblivious of time and of those who

awaited me.... Sleep had departed from me that night. I was enthralled

by the music of that voice which rose and fell as He chanted; now

swelling forth as He revealed verses of the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá',[T] again

acquiring ethereal, subtle harmonies as He uttered the prayers He was

revealing. At the end of each invocation, He would repeat this verse:

"Far from the glory of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, be that which His

creatures affirm of Him! And peace be upon His Messengers! And praise

be to God, the Lord of all beings!"[U]' Such was Mullá Ḥusayn's

recollection of that momentous night.

[Footnote T: The commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.]

[Footnote U: Qur'án xxxvii, 180.]

Then He who stood as the Vicegerent of God on earth thus addressed

Mullá Ḥusayn, who only a few hours before had been so anxious,

tormented and unsure:

O thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily I say, I

am the Báb, the Gate of God, and thou art the Bábu'l-Báb,

the gate of that Gate. Eighteen souls must, in the

beginning, spontaneously and of their own accord, accept Me

and recognise the truth of My Revelation. Unwarned and

uninvited, each of these must seek independently to find Me.

And when their number is complete, one of them must needs be

chosen to accompany Me on My pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina.

There I shall deliver the Message of God to the [_Sh_]aríf

of Mecca.

And then He laid this injunction upon 'the first to believe' in Him:

'It is incumbent upon you not to divulge, either to your companions or

to any other soul, that which you have seen and heard.'

'This Revelation,' Mullá Ḥusayn has further related, 'so suddenly

and impetuously thrust upon me, came as a thunderbolt which, for a

time, seemed to have benumbed my faculties. I was blinded by its

dazzling splendour and overwhelmed by its crushing force. Excitement,

joy, awe, and wonder stirred the depths of my soul. Predominant among

these emotions was a sense of gladness and strength which seemed to

have transfigured me. How feeble and impotent, how dejected and timid,

I had felt previously! Then I could neither write nor walk, so

tremulous were my hands and feet. Now, however, the knowledge of His

Revelation had galvanised my being. I felt possessed of such courage

and power that were the world, all its peoples and its potentates, to

rise against me, I would, alone and undaunted, withstand their

onslaught. The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp.'

On that early morning of May 23rd 1844 when Mullá Ḥusayn stepped

out into the streets of [_Sh_]íráz, his heart brimming with joy, he

abandoned a priestly career which would have brought him high honours.

He abandoned it willingly and knowingly for a task which, though great

and noble, would bring him jeers and humiliation. He was well-known

amongst the circle of the divines who exercised authority. He had the

capacity, the intelligence and the learning which would have placed

him in years to come in the forefront of the spiritual guides of the

nation. Power and riches would have been his. But by giving his

allegiance to the young Siyyid of [_Sh_]íráz whom he had met under

such strange circumstances, Mullá Ḥusayn renounced all this, and

chose a path in the opposite direction.

Mullá Ḥusayn was not alone in his high resolve. Others with

similar prospects of a clerical vocation journeyed to [_Sh_]íráz in

search of light and truth. They too had set out at the bidding of

Siyyid Káẓim. As if by a magnet, they were drawn to [_Sh_]íráz. How

can one explain it otherwise? They had no intimation that in this city

lived the One whom they sought. A force far greater than themselves

led their steps to [_Sh_]íráz, to their journey's end. As ordained by

the Báb, they found Him, each one, independently. They were true,

sincere and eager and they had their reward.

The last to arrive was a youth of twenty-two, whose home was in

Bárfurú[_sh_][V] in the province of Mázindarán which borders the

Caspian Sea. When he was a boy in his early teens, his father, Áqá

Muḥammad-Ṣáliḥ, had died. Devoting himself to the pursuit of

learning he had joined the circle of Siyyid Káẓim in Karbilá.

Eventually, he became an outstanding disciple of that remarkable

teacher. It is recorded that the night before this youth, whose name

was Mullá Muḥammad-`Ali, reached [_Sh_]íráz, the Báb told Mullá

Ḥusayn that on the following day one would arrive whose acceptance

of the new theophany would 'complete the number of My chosen

disciples'. Next evening as the Báb, accompanied by Mullá Ḥusayn,

was going towards His house, they encountered a young man whose dress

and appearance showed the effects of a long journey. The newcomer went

to Mullá Ḥusayn whom he knew well as a fellow-disciple of Siyyid

Káẓim, greeted him and immediately asked whether he had found the

object of his quest. Mullá Ḥusayn was not at liberty to divulge the

fact that he had, and he tried to pacify his friend and avoid the

subject. It was useless, for that youth had seen the Báb. His retort

to Mullá Ḥusayn was astounding: 'Why seek you to hide Him from me?

I can recognise Him by His gait. I confidently testify that none

besides Him, whether in the East or in the West, can claim to be the

Truth. None other can manifest the power and majesty that radiate

from His holy person.' Mullá Ḥusayn was amazed, and leaving the

newcomer he walked on and told the Báb what had transpired. Having

already anticipated the arrival of that youth, although he had

certainly not received any word from him, the Báb observed: 'Marvel

not at his strange behaviour. We have in the world of the spirit been

communing with that youth. We know him already.... Go to him

and summon him forthwith to Our presence.' Thus did Mullá

Muḥammad-`Alíy-i-Bárfurú[_sh_]í, whom the Báb honoured with the

title of Quddús (the Most Holy), attain his heart's desire.

[Footnote V: Now named Bábul.]

These disciples of the Báb are called the Letters of the Living.[W]

All but one met the Báb face to face, and recognized in Him the Lord

of the Age whom they sought. That single exception was a gifted woman,

an accomplished writer of verse, courageous, a total stranger to fear,

of whom Lord Curzon says:

Beauty and the female sex also lent their consecration to

the new creed, and the heroism of the lovely but ill-fated

poetess of Kazvin, Zerin Taj[X] (Crown of Gold), or

Kurrat-el-Ain (Solace of the Eyes), who, throwing off the

veil, carried the missionary torch far and wide, is one of

the most affecting episodes in modern history.[2]

[Footnote W: Ḥurúf-i-Ḥayy. Ḥayy (the Living) is an

Arabic word, numerically equivalent to eighteen.]

[Footnote X: Zarrín-Táj.]

And here is the tribute of another eminent Englishman, Edward

Granville Browne, to this unique woman:

The appearance of such a woman as Ḳurratu'l-`Ayn is in

any country and any age a rare phenomenon, but in such a

country as Persia it is a prodigy--nay, almost a miracle.

Alike in virtue of her marvellous beauty, her rare

intellectual gifts, her fervid eloquence, her fearless

devotion and her glorious martyrdom, she stands forth

incomparable and immortal amidst her countrywomen. Had the

Bábí religion no other claim to greatness, this were

sufficient--that it produced a heroine like

Ḳurratu'l-`Ayn.[3]

Qurratu'l-`Ayn belonged to a family famed for its learning. Her

father, Ḥájí Mullá Ṣáliḥ, and her uncle, Ḥájí Mullá

Muḥammad-Taqí,[4] were both leading figures among the clergy. But

they were far too orthodox for this great woman's spiritual

susceptibilities, although a younger uncle, Ḥájí Mullá `Alí, had

become a supporter of the [_Sh_]ay[_kh_]í school.[Y] Qurratu'l-`Ayn

was married to the son of Ḥájí Mullá Muḥammad-Taqí--her cousin,

Mullá Muḥammad. They had children, but their marriage was

disastrous. Mullá Muḥammad was even more fanatical and

narrow-minded than his father and a wide gulf yawned between husband

and wife.

[Footnote Y: The school of [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad.]

Qurratu'l-`Ayn had another cousin, Mullá Javád, who had accepted the

rational views of [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad and Siyyid Káẓim. Having

learned in this cousin's library of the teaching of the illustrious

sage of Karbilá who had gone far beyond the limits of orthodoxy,

Qurratu'l-`Ayn corresponded with Siyyid Káẓim and gave him her

allegiance. From him she received the name Qurratu'l-`Ayn. In vain did

her elders attempt to dampen her enthusiasm. No persuasion or threat

could stop the tide of her newly-found devotion. And when she decided

to leave her home and her family and join the circle of Siyyid

Káẓim, nothing could thwart her purpose. To appreciate the boldness

and gravity of her action, one must realize how sheltered were the

Eastern women of those days; her behaviour could be seen only as

scandalous and almost unprecedented. However, she reached Karbilá too

late. Ten days prior to her arrival Siyyid Káẓim had passed away.

Qurratu'l-`Ayn remained in Karbilá. She was convinced that before long

the One promised to them would appear. Now, many of the disciples of

Siyyid Káẓim were setting out on their search. One of them was

Qurratu'l-`Ayn's brother-in-law, the husband of her younger sister

Marḍíyyih. She gave this relative, Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alí, a sealed

letter and told him to deliver it to the One whom they expected and

sought. A verbal message in verse was added to the letter: 'Say to

Him, from me,' she said,

'The effulgence of thy face flashed forth and

the rays of thy visage arose on high;

Then speak the word, "Am I not your

Lord?" and "Thou art, Thou art!"

we will all reply.'[5]

When Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alí reached the presence of the Báb, he gave Him

the letter and the message; and the Báb numbered her among the Letters

of the Living. Thus it was that this fearless, eloquent pioneer of

woman's emancipation joined the ranks of the first disciples of the Báb.

Qurratu'l-`Ayn is better known as Ṭáhirih--the Pure One--a designation

by which she will ever be remembered.[Z]

[Footnote Z: We shall see on p. 163 how she acquired this

name.]

* * * * *

The Letters of the Living, the eighteen disciples who found the Báb

'independently and of their own accord', were:

_Mullá Muḥammad-`Alíy-i-Bárfurú[_sh_]í_, entitled Quddús.

_Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í_, entitled Bábu'l-Báb.

_Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥasan-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í_, brother of Mullá

Ḥusayn.

_Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir_, nephew of Mullá Ḥusayn.

_Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alíy-i-Qazvíní_, brother-in-law of

Ṭáhirih.

_Mullá Aḥmad-i-Ibdál-i-Mará[_gh_]i'í_.

_Mullá Yúsuf-i-Ardibílí._

_Mullá Jalíl-i-Urúmí._

_Mullá Maḥmúd-i-[_Kh_]u'í._

These nine were martyrs who fell during 'the Mázindarán upheaval' (see

p. 175).

_Mullá `Alíy-i-Basṭámí_, the first martyr of the Bábí

Dispensation. He was put to death somewhere in `Iráq.

_Qurratu'l-`Ayn, Ṭáhirih_, whose original name was

Umm-Salamih.

_Siyyid Ḥusayn-i-Yazdí_, known as Kátib (the Amanuensis),

and also `Azíz.

Ṭáhirih and Siyyid Ḥusayn-i-Yazdí suffered

martyrdom in the holocaust of August 1852, subsequent to the

attempt made by two Bábís on the life of Náṣiri'd-Dín

[_Sh_]áh.

_[_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Sa`íd-i-Hindí_ (the Indian). He met his death

somewhere in India, though no one knows how and where.

_Mullá Báqir-i-Tabrízí_. He lived on to the advent of

Bahá'u'lláh and believed in Him.

_Mírzá Hádíy-i-Qazvíní_, son of Ḥájí Mírzá `Abdu'l-Vahháb,

and brother of Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alí (the fifth name

above). Mírzá Hádí remained apart from other Bábís and

taught the Faith with caution.

_Mírzá Muḥammad Rawḍih-[_Kh_]án-i-Yazdí_. He too remained

apart from other Bábís and was generally known as a

[_Sh_]ay[_kh_]í. But he never renounced his faith and taught

it whenever he could.

_Mullá [_Kh_]udá-Ba[_kh_][_sh_]-i-Qú[_ch_]ání_, later known as

Mullá `Alíy-i-Rází. He died a natural death, but his son

Ma[_sh_]íyyatu'lláh later met with martyrdom in his youth.

_Mullá Ḥasan-i-Bajistání_. Doubts assailed him after the

martyrdom of the Báb, because he did not consider himself

worthy of the station given to him. Forced to leave his

home, he went to `Iráq and attained the presence of

Bahá'u'lláh.

Mullá `Alíy-i-Basṭámí was given the mission to return to `Iráq and

inform the people in that heartland of the [_Sh_]í`ah persuasion that

the Báb had appeared, but not to divulge, as yet, any particulars that

might reveal His identity. To him the Báb said:

Your faith must be immovable as the rock, must weather every

storm and survive every calamity. Suffer not the

denunciations of the foolish and the calumnies of the clergy

to afflict you, or to turn you from your purpose. For you

are called to partake of the celestial banquet prepared for

you in the immortal Realm. You are the first to leave the

House of God, and to suffer for His sake. If you be slain in

His path, remember that great will be your reward, and

goodly the gift which will be bestowed upon you.

Mullá `Alí was soon on his way to `Iráq. Then the Báb called together

the other sixteen disciples and spoke to them, adjuring them to go out

into the world and serve their God in the light of the faith given to

them:

O My beloved friends! You are the bearers of the name of God

in this Day. You have been chosen as the repositories of His

mystery. It behoves each one of you to manifest the

attributes of God, and to exemplify by your deeds and words

the signs of His righteousness, His power and glory. The

very members of your body must bear witness to the loftiness

of your purpose, the integrity of your life, the reality of

your faith, and the exalted character of your devotion. For

verily I say, this is the Day spoken of by God in His Book:

'On that day will We set a seal upon their mouths; yet shall

their hands speak unto Us, and their feet shall bear witness

to that which they shall have done.'[AA] Ponder the words of

Jesus addressed to His disciples, as He sent them forth to

propagate the Cause of God. In words such as these, He bade

them arise and fulfil their mission: 'Ye are even as the

fire which in the darkness of the night has been kindled

upon the mountain-top. Let your light shine before the eyes

of men. Such must be the purity of your character and the

degree of your renunciation, that the people of the earth

may through you recognise and be drawn closer to the

heavenly Father who is the Source of purity and grace. For

none has seen the Father who is in heaven. You who are His

spiritual children must by your deeds exemplify His virtues,

and witness to His glory. You are the salt of the earth, but

if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be

salted? Such must be the degree of your detachment, that

into whatever city you enter to proclaim and teach the Cause

of God, you should in no wise expect either meat or reward

from its people. Nay, when you depart out of that city, you

should shake the dust from off your feet. As you have

entered it pure and undefiled, so must you depart from that

city. For verily I say, the heavenly Father is ever with you

and keeps watch over you. If you be faithful to Him, He will

assuredly deliver into your hands all the treasures of the

earth, and will exalt you above all the rulers and kings of

the world.' O My Letters! Verily I say, immensely exalted is

this Day above the days of the Apostles of old. Nay,

immeasurable is the difference! You are the witnesses of the

Dawn of the promised Day of God. You are the partakers of

the mystic chalice of His Revelation. Gird up the loins of

endeavour, and be mindful of the words of God as revealed in

His Book: 'Lo, the Lord thy God is come, and with Him is the

company of His angels arrayed before Him!'[AB] Purge your

hearts of worldly desires, and let angelic virtues be your

adorning. Strive that by your deeds you may bear witness to

the truth of these words of God, and beware lest, by

'turning back',[AC] He may 'change you for another

people',[AC] who 'shall not be your like',[AD] and who

shall take from you the Kingdom of God. The days when idle

worship was deemed sufficient are ended. The time is come

when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of

stainless purity, can ascend to the throne of the Most High

and be acceptable unto Him. 'The good word riseth up unto

Him, and the righteous deed will cause it to be exalted

before Him.'[AD] You are the lowly, of whom God has thus

spoken in His Book: 'And We desire to show favour to those

who were brought low in the land, and to make them spiritual

leaders among men, and to make them Our heirs.'[AE] You have

been called to this station; you will attain to it, only if

you arise to trample beneath your feet every earthly desire,

and endeavour to become those honoured servants of His who

speak not till He hath spoken, and who do His bidding'. You

are the first Letters that have been generated from the

Primal Point [the Báb], the first Springs that have welled

out from the Source of this Revelation. Beseech the Lord

your God to grant that no earthly entanglements, no worldly

affections, no ephemeral pursuits, may tarnish the purity,

or embitter the sweetness, of that grace which flows through

you. I am preparing you for the advent of a mighty Day.

Exert your utmost endeavour that, in the world to come, I,

who am now instructing you, may, before the mercy-seat of

God, rejoice in your deeds and glory in your achievements.

The secret of the Day that is to come is now concealed. It

can neither be divulged nor estimated. The newly born babe

of that Day excels the wisest and most venerable men of this

time, and the lowliest and most unlearned of that period

shall surpass in understanding the most erudite and

accomplished divines of this age. Scatter throughout the

length and breadth of this land, and, with steadfast feet

and sanctified hearts, prepare the way for His coming. Heed

not your weaknesses and frailty; fix your gaze upon the

invincible power of the Lord, your God, the Almighty. Has He

not, in past days, caused Abraham, in spite of His seeming

helplessness, to triumph over the forces of Nimrod? Has He

not enabled Moses, whose staff was His only companion, to

vanquish Pharaoh and his hosts? Has He not established the

ascendancy of Jesus, poor and lowly as He was in the eyes of

men, over the combined forces of the Jewish people? Has He

not subjected the barbarous and militant tribes of Arabia to

the holy and transforming discipline of Muḥammad, His

Prophet? Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him,

and be assured of ultimate victory.

[Footnote AA: Qur'án xxxvi, 65.]

[Footnote AB: Qur'án lxxxix, 23.]

[Footnote AC: _ibid._, xlvii.]

[Footnote AD: Qur'án.]

[Footnote AE: _ibid._, xxviii, 4.]