,,the ,b,b ,the ,herald of the ,day of ,days ,by the same author ,,abdu',l-,,bah ,the ,centre of the ,covenant of ,bah'u'llh ,,bah',u',,ll,h ,the ,king of ,glory ,,bah',u',,ll,h ,a brief life1 followed by an essay entitled ,,the ,,word ,,made ,,flesh ,,kh,,ad,,jih ,,bagum ,the ,wife of the ,bb ,,edward ,,granville ,,browne ,,and ,,the ,,bah' ,,faith ,,eminent ,,bah',s ,,in ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,bah',u',,ll,h ,,mu,,ammad ,,and ,,the ,,course ,,of ,,isl,m ,,the ,b,b ,the ,herald of the ,day of ,days by ,h4 ,m4 ,,balyuzi ,,george ,,ronald ,,oxford ,first published #aigc by ,george ,ronald #df ,high ,street1 ,kidlington1 ,oxford1 ,,ox#e #b;,,dn ,reprinted #aigc and #aigd ,paper edition #aige ,reprinted #aiid ,h4 ,m4 ,,balyuzi #aigc ,,all ,,rights ,,reserved ,this book is copyright under the ,berne ,convention4 ,it may not be reproduced in whole or in part1 in any form 7except for fair dealing for the purposes of private study1 research1 criticism or review as permitted under the ,copyright ,act1 #aief7 without written permission from the publisher4 ,,isbn #j #hecih #jed #c ,,extracts ,,from ,nabl1 ,the ,dawn-,breakers ,copyright #aicb ,national ,spiritual ,assembly of the ,bah's of the ,united ,states ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,god ,passes ,by ,copyright #aidd1 #aiga ,national ,spiritual ,assembly of the ,bah's of the ,united ,states ,,world ,,order1 ,a ,bah' ,magazine ,copyright #aiff ,national ,spiritual ,assembly of the ,bah's of the ,united ,states ,printed by ,the ,cromwell ,press1 ,broughton ,gifford1 ,melksham1 ,wiltshire ,,sn#ab #h,,ph ,contents ,foreword ix ,a ,note on the ,construction of ,persian ,names xi ,prologue #a #a4 ,all ,hail ,shrz #ae #b4 ,he ,whom ,they ,sought #cb #c4 ihrn #dh #d4 ,the ,first ,martyr #eh #e4 ,pilgrimage to ,mecca #fi #f4 ,forces of ,opposition ,arrayed #gf #g4 ,belief and ,denial #he #h4 ,the ,city of ,abbs the ,great #ajf #i4 ,the ,antichrist of the ,bb ,revelation #aag #aj4 ,where the ,aras ,flows #abd #aa4 ,the ,grievous ,mountain #acd #ab4 ,that ,midsummer ,noon #adh #ac4 ,the ,dawn-,breakers #afa ,epilogue #ahi ,,appendices #a4 ,the ,siege of ,karbil #aic #b4 ,the ,martyrdom of the ,bb #bjb #c4 ,prelude to the ,episode of ,nayrz #bjd #d4 ,the ,seven ,martyrs of ihrn #bjf #e4 ,the ,episode of ,zanjn #bji #f4 ,lord ,palmerston's ,enquiry #bad #g4 ,myth-,making #bag ,bibliography #bbe ,notes #bbi ,index #bdc ,,to ,,the ,,shining ,,memory ,,of ,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 ,bah' ,faith4 ,however1 now that additional material is at my disposal1 it is my hope to expand at a future date the volume on the life of ,bah'u'llh1 and also to write a supplement to the volume on the life of ,abdu'l-,bah4 ,this book is the first in the range of ,bah' literature to make extensive use of official documents from governmental archives4 ,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 elsewhere4 ,the two ,british ,foreign ,secretaries who received news and dispatches regarding the ,bb and the ,bbs were the ,earl of ,aberdeen1 who held office from ,september #ahda to ,july #ahdf1 under ,sir ,robert ,peel2 and ,viscount ,palmerston1 whose tenure of office extended from ,july #ahdf to ,january #aheb1 under ,lord ,john ,russell4 ,the ,british envoy chiefly involved in forwarding such reports to ,london was ,lt4-,col4 7later ,sir ,justin7 ,sheil1 the ,minister in ihrn4 ,lord ,palmerston's letters to him 7,f4,o4 #bdh_/acd7 state that his dispatches concerning the ,bb and the ,bbs were 'laid before the ,queen'4 ,my deep gratitude goes to ,abul-,qasim ,afnan1 who has unstintingly made available to me the chronicle-history and the autobiography of his father1 the late j ,mrz abbu'llh1 as well as letters written by and to the relatives of the ,bb1 together with many other documents of inestimable value4 ,it should be borne in mind that apart from quotations from the ,writings of the ,bb1 speeches attributed to ,him or to anyone else in these pages must not be taken as exact reportage of words spoken at the time4 ,they only convey the sense and purport of what was said on those occasions4 ,obviously no one was taking notes4 ,it is possible1 however1 that a few short sentences here and there1 which immediately engrave themselves on the mind1 are exact utterances1 the very words spoken4 ,as the bibliography indicates ,i have consulted a number of books2 but of printed works1 the main sources have been ,god ,passes ,by and ,nabl's ,narrative1 ,the ,dawn-,breakers4 ,i am much indebted to the ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 ,wilmette1 ,illinois1 for permission to quote from these and other sources1 as well as to ,cambridge ,university ,press1 the ,public ,record ,office1 ,george ,allen ,unwin ,ltd41 ,a4 ,c4 ,black ,ltd41 ,faber ,faber ,ltd41 ,william ,heinemann ,ltd41 ,methuen ,co4 ,ltd41 and ,world ,order1 ,a ,bah' ,magazine4 ,full acknowledgment is made in the bibliography and notes4 ,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 advice4 ,as in the past ,marion ,hofman's generous help has smoothed the path to publication4 ,my indebtedness to her is immense4 ,and without my wife's assistance and support ,i could not have completed my task4 ,i should also like to thank ,miss ,dorothy ,wigington1 ,mr4 ,farhang ,afnan and ,mr4 ,rustom ,sabit for their care in reading the proofs1 and ,mr4 ,horst ,w4 ,kolodziej for his excellent reproduction of a number of old documents and photographs4 ,finally1 a word as to the ,prologue2 this in my view provides a necessary background for the story of the ,bb4 ,but should the reader find in it too many unfamiliar facts1 he may turn immediately to the first chapter4 ,h4 ,m4 ,,balyuzi ,london ,october #aigb ,a ,note on the ,construction of ,persian ,names ,in times past the people of ,persia had no surnames1 but in many instances they were known by the name of the district1 city1 town1 or even the village from which they came3 for example1 ,khursn1 ,mzindarn1 ihrn1 ,ifahn1 and ,shrz4 ,there were also various honorific prefixes and suffixes by which a person was distinguished4 ,a descendant of the ,prophet ,muammad had 7and has7 the prefix of ',siyyid'4 ,at times1 ',mrz' took the place of ',siyyid'1 and at times the two were used together4 ',mrz' by itself did not denote any particular ancestry1 except when placed after a proper name to mark royal descent4 ,the suffix ',khn' served at one time as a title1 but with passing years1 it became merely honorific1 even meaningless1 and at no time was it a surname4 ,the prefix 'j' or 'j' indicated then1 as now1 one who had made the pilgrimage to ,mecca4 ,mashhad and ,karbil'1 as prefixes1 marked pilgrimage to ,mashhad or ,karbil1 but as suffixes pointed out nativity4 ,there were also innumerable titles conferred by the sovereign in rn1 consisting of diverse combinations1 sometimes ludicrous1 sometimes grammatically impossible4 ,occasionally they indicated a definite rank and profession4 ,as time passed1 these titles multiplied absurdly1 until they were swept away by legislation in the #aibj's4 ,finally1 a person was often distinguished from others by a combination of prefixes and suffixes attached to his name which1 if omitted1 might cause him to be taken for another person4 ,today the situation is much changed1 but for the period described in this book1 the author can identify people only by the names they then used1 however difficult they may be4 99 99 99 99 99 ,quotations are reproduced in their original form1 even though differing from the spelling and transliteration of ,persian words adopted in this book4 ,translations from ,persian sources are by the author unless otherwise attributed4 ,the text of the ,authorised ,version of the ,bible is ,crown copyright and the extracts used herein are reproduced by permission4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,bb1 the ,exalted ,one1 is the ,morn of ,truth1 ,whose ,light shineth throughout all regions4 ,,abdu',l-,,bah ,o people of the ,bb6 sorely persecuted1 compelled to silence1 but steadfast now as at ,sheykh abars and ,zanjn1 what destiny is concealed for you behind the veil of the ,future8 ,,edward ,,granville ,,browne ,,prologue ,i ,about the time that the thirteen colonies of ,north ,america were gaining their independence to form the nucleus of the mighty ,republic of the ,west1 ,france was inching her way towards a revolution such as the world had never seen1 and ,britain was striding along the road to a revolution of a different kind1 industrial1 agrarian and economic in nature1 a cleric of the ,islamic ,shah persuasion left his island-home in the ,persian ,gulf for the great centres of ,shah learning and ,shah devotion in ,irq4 ,his purpose was to find a much larger audience in order to give voice to thoughts and presentiments that had developed with his years4 ,shaykh ,amad-i-,as' 7#agdc-ahbf71 the founder of the ,shaykh school1 belonged to the ancient tribe of ,ban-akhr1 and his family originated from the region of ,as on the ,arabian mainland4 ,his father's name was ,shaykh ,zayni'd-,dn1 and ,barayn had been their home4 ,shaykh ,amad first visited ,najaf1 where the ,tomb of ,al1 the first ,imm1 cousin and son-in-law of the ,prophet ,muammad1 is situated4 ,then in ,karbil1 close by the ,shrine of the martyred usayn1 the third ,imm1 he began to preach and a circle of earnest students gathered round him4 ,he asked the leading ,shah divines of the holy cities of ,irq to issue him a licence which would give him recognition as a mujtahid in his own right1 that is1 a divine empowered to interpret and prescribe4 ,they all declared that they considered ,shaykh ,amad to be a man of knowledge and talent superior to their own1 and that their testimonial was written solely at his request4 ,the fame of ,shaykh ,amad soon spread throughout rn4 ,fat-,al ,shh 7reigned #agig-ahcd7 and ,muammad-,al ,mrz1,a a son of the ,shh who held the life-long tenure of the governorship of ,kirmnshh1 were particularly desirous to meet him4 ,but ,shaykh ,amad preferred to go to rn by way of ,bshihr 7,bushire7 in the south1 rather than by the nearer and more accessible route of ,kirmnshh in the west4 ,from ,bshihr he went to ,shrz and thence to ,yazd1 where he stayed for a number of years4 ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht1 a young man barely out of his teens1 who shared the same views1 joined him there 7sometime in #abca ,a4,h43 #ahae-af74 ,shaykh ,amad was then making his final arrangements to go on pilgrimage to the holy city of ,mashhad1,b prior to his visit to ihrn4 ,he received ,siyyid ,kim with great affection and asked him to remain at ,yazd to take up his own patient work of many years4 ,in ,mashhad and later in ihrn1 ,shaykh ,amad was shown every mark of high respect and reverence4 ,footnote ,a3 ,the ,rukni'd-,dawlih4 ,footnote ,b3 ,mashhad 7,meshed7 contains the ,shrine of ,imm ,ri1 the eighth ,imm4 ,eventually ,siyyid ,kim travelled north to be in his company1 and together they went to ,kirmnshh1 as the ,prince-,governor had been urgently begging his father to let ,shaykh ,amad visit him4 ,they stayed in ,kirmnshh as long as the ,governor lived4 ,after his premature death1 they departed for ,karbil1 where ,shaykh ,amad1 his zeal unabated and his powers untouched by advancing years1 preached and taught4 ,he was in his early eighties when he took the road to ,mecca and ,medina4 ,from that journey he did not return and lies buried in the famed cemetery of ,baqi1 in the vicinity of the ,tomb of the ,prophet ,muammad4 ,shaykh ,amad's constant theme was the near advent of the ,deliverer of the ,latter ,days1 promised to the world of ,islm1 the ,q'im of the ,house of ,muammad or the ,mihd 7,mahd74#a ,in the course of his last pilgrimage to the holy cities of ,arabia1 he told a merchant from ,ifahn,c who was with him3 ',you will attain the presence of the ,bb2 salute ,him on my behalf4'#b ,shaykh ,amad did not believe in physical resurrection nor in the physical ascent 7,mirj7,d of the ,prophet ,muammad to heaven on the night that the ,angel ,gabriel took ,him to view the celestial world4 ,mirj was an experience of the spirit1 ,shaykh ,amad maintained4 ,moreover he asserted that the signs and portents of the coming of the ,q'im1 given by the ,prophet and the ,imms1 were allegorical4 ,these and similar doctrines were anathema to the orthodox1 but while ,shaykh ,amad lived1 royal patronage muted their hostile criticism4 ,footnote ,c3 j ,muammad-,isml-i-,gulpygn4 ,footnote ,d3 ,the following verse in the ,qur'n 7xvii1 #d7 refers to the ,mirj3 ,glory be to ,him1 who carried ,his servant by night from the ,holy ,mosque to the ,further ,mosque the precincts of which ,we have blessed1 that ,we might show him some of ,our signs4 ,he is the ,all-hearing1 the ,all-seeing4 --,arberry1 ,the ,koran ,interpreted ,the ,holy ,mosque 7,masjid-al-arm7 is the ,kabah in ,mecca2 the ,further ,mosque 7,masjid-al-,aq7 is in ,jerusalem4 ,siyyid ,kim 7#agic-ahdc71 who1 in accordance with the will of ,shaykh ,amad1 succeeded him in guiding his disciples1 was the son of ,siyyid ,qsim of ,rasht1 a town in northern rn close to the ,caspian ,sea4 ,he came from a family of well-known merchants and was no more than thirty-three years old when he occupied the seat of authority4 ,the orthodox divines now began their vitriolic assaults in earnest until1 at last1 ,siyyid ,kim felt that he needed solid support in rn from the ranks of the orthodox4 ,for that purpose he chose one of his ablest disciples1 ,mull usayn1 a native of the small town of ,bushryih in ,khursn1 to go to ,ifahn and secure the aid of j ,siyyid ,muammad-,bqir-i-,rasht1 a noted divine whose influence was felt far and wide4 ,mull usayn succeeded brilliantly in accomplishing the mission entrusted to him1 obtained the support of that famous man in writing1 and then proceeded to ,mashhad to acquire a similar pledge from yet another powerful divine4 ,in the meantime not only did ,siyyid ,kim suffer from the intrigues and onslaughts of his adversaries headed by ,siyyid ,ibrhm-i-,qazvn1 but the whole of ,karbil was thrown into turmoil4 ,these disorders were of long standing and gradually the authority of the ,ottoman government had ceased to exist4 ,within the town there were several factions at odds with one another1 but all determined to resist the re-establishment of ,ottoman power4 ,two successive ,vls 7governor-generals7 of ,irq tried to force the people of ,karbil to submission1 but failed conspicuously4 ,however1 in the closing months of the year #ahdb1 ,najb ,psh1 a man resolute and even obstinate1 came to occupy the post of ,vl4 ,affairs in ,karbil had gradually gone from bad to worse4 ,lawlessness had increased and mob rule prevailed4 ,najb ,psh's first thought was to resolve this problem which had baffled his predecessors4 ,he tried to negotiate a settlement1 but neither he nor the rebels of ,karbil could really trust one another4 ,najb ,psh moved near-by to ,musayyib and sent ,saraskar 7,colonel7 ,sadu'llh ,psh with a small force to reduce the town4 ,negotiations proceeded apace4 ,emissaries came and went4 ,persian princes1 who lived in ,karbil1 took part in the negotiations1 but nothing was achieved4 ,during those fatal weeks1 at the end of the year #ahdb and the beginning of #ahdc1 ,siyyid ,kim1 who was greatly respected both for his wisdom and humanity1,e took a leading role1 urging all parties to act with moderation and in a spirit of conciliation4 ,twice1 in company with a small delegation1 he visited the camps of ,najb ,psh and ,sadu'llh ,psh outside ,karbil4 ,lieutenant-,colonel ,farrant1 the ,british ,special ,commissioner1 reported his efforts to ,constantinople3 ,the ,chief ,priest ,hajee ,seid ,kausem did all in his power to prevent hostilities1 he preached against their proceedings1 he was abused and threatened1 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 444 to the very last he entreated them to listen to the ,pacha but without avail1 he shewed great courage on the occasion1 as he had all the chief ,geramees,f and ,mollahs against him4#d ,footnote ,e3 ,abdu'l-,bah has related this story of ,siyyid ,kim's works of charity3 ',al-,shh the illu's-,suln1 see ,prologue ,,ii1 p4 #aj claimed the throne of rn4 ,he showed great benevolence towards the divines of ,karbil and ,najaf1 sent them money and stood up for them4 ,however1 he was unsuccessful and betook himself to ,karbil4 ,there he fell on hard times and suffered poverty4 ,he expected the divines to come to his help and applied to them1 one by one4 ,but none heeded him4 ,one night he and his family had to go to bed hungry4 ,at midnight he heard a knock on his door4 ,when he opened it he found someone1 who had pulled his ab over his head so as to hide his face4 ,this man put a purse with money in it into his hands and went away4 ',time passed4 ,indigence and want recurred4 ,again the same person1 head covered with ab1 came at midnight1 handed a sum of money and went away without a word4 ,to the repeated question who are you8 he gave no answer4 ,then1 that man came a third time with a purse containing money4 ,this time ,al-,shh followed him and saw him enter the house of j ,siyyid ,kim and shut the door4 ,al-,shh related this event in many gatherings4 ,he used to say3 ,o people6 ,i am not a ,shaykh1 but this deed is the work of righteousness4 ,none but a man of truth would act in this way4'#c ,footnote ,f3 ,probably 'yrmz'1 meaning 'good-for-nothing'4 ,unhappily1 his counsel was ignored by both rebels and ,turks4 ,in ,january #ahdc1 after a siege of twenty-four days1 the holy city was taken by assault1 causing great suffering to the innocent inhabitants4 ,the files of the ,public ,record ,office in ,london contain several documents that throw light on this episode1 as well as on the central part played by ,siyyid ,kim4 7,see ,appendix ,i47 ,during the siege j ,siyyid ,kim had spent himself in an effort to forestall violence and protect all parties to the conflict4 ,although only fifty years of age1 he became aware that his life was nearing its close4 ,he was warned of this1 we are told1 by the dream of an ,arab shepherd who recounted it to him4 ,when his disciples expressed their distress1 ,siyyid ,kim replied3 ,is not your love for me for the sake of that true ,one whose advent we all await8 ,would you not wish me to die1 that the promised ,one may be revealed8#e ,the year #ahdd was about to dawn when ,siyyid ,kim breathed his last and was laid to rest near the tomb of ,imm usayn4 ,his death was reported by ,farrant1 who wrote on ,january #bdth #ahdd to ,sir ,stratford ,canning1 sending a copy in ,february to ,lt4-,col4 7later ,sir7 ,justin ,sheil1#f the ,british charg d'affaires in ihrn3 ,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 him1 will now enjoy full power1 and all contention between the two religious parties will cease4#g ,when ,mull usayn-i-,bushr' returned to ,karbil from his highly successful mission in rn1 his teacher was dead4 ,he had not appointed anyone to succeed him4 ,,ii ,to follow the events of this narrative1 it may be helpful to consider their background in some aspects of ,iranian history4,g ,footnote ,g3 ,for other aspects the reader is referred to the ,introduction of ,nabl's ,the ,dawn-,breakers4 ,muammad ,shh1 the third monarch of the ,qjr dynasty1 ruled the land in #ahdc1 but real power rested in the hands of j ,mrz qs1 his unprepossessing ,grand ,vizier4 ,the ,qjrs were a tribe of ,turkish origin4 q ,muammad ,khn1 a eunuch chieftain of this tribe1 arose in the year #aggi to carve out a kingdom for himself4 ,fifteen years later he finally won the crown of rn when he captured and brutally murdered ,luf-,al ,khn1 the last ruler of the ,zand dynasty1 who was brave and high-minded but piteously young4 ,the eunuch king was utterly and savagely ruthless1 and he managed to hold off the ,russians in the area of the ,caucasus until #agig when he was struck down by three assassins4 ,he was succeeded by his nephew1 ,fat-,al ,shh1 a man of soft heart and weak will1 who was highly uxorious4 ,at his death in #ahcd1 fifty-three sons and forty-six daughters survived him4 ,during the reign of ,fat-,al ,shh1 rn lost heavily to ,russia in a series of disastrous wars4 ,her ministers1 comfortably cocooned in their isolation from the currents of world affairs1 and totally ignorant of the realities of the ,european situation1 believed that with the aid of the ,emperor of ,france the ,russian menace could be thwarted4 ,hard on the heels of ,general ,gardanne1 ,bonaparte's envoy1 not one but two envoys from the more familiar ',ingrz' 7,english7 came in #ahjh4 ,sir ,harford ,jones had been dispatched from the court of ,king ,george ,,iii and ,sir ,john ,malcolm from ,india4 ,in #ahja the latter1 on behalf of the ,marquis of ,wellesley1 ,governor-,general of ,india1 concluded an abortive treaty with the shrewd and immensely ambitious ,grand ,vizier,h of ,fat-,al ,shh4 ,but in the intervening years ,bonaparte1 subsequent to his dbacle in ,egypt and ,syria1 showered his dubious favours on the ,persians1 and the ,british connexion was conveniently ignored by the ministers of ,fat-,al ,shh1 who had entered into the ,treaty of ,finkenstein 7#ahjg7 with the ,french4 ,moreover1 in the same period1 the most capable j ,ibrhm ,khn1 who had contributed more than anyone to the downfall of the ,zand dynasty and the ensuing victories of the eunuch king1 fell from power and1 as legend has it1 met his death in a boiling cauldron4 ,footnote ,h3 j ,ibrhm ,khn 7the ,itimdu'd-,dawlih74 ,indeed1 high hopes centred on what the ,emperor of ,france would do for rn1 only to be dashed by ,bonaparte's change of policy2 when he met ,tsar ,alexander ,i at ,tilsit 7#ahjg7 he did not remember any of his promises4 ,and so ,general ,gardanne was ignominiously ousted from ihrn1 and ,sir ,harford ,jones and ,sir ,john ,malcolm were left at peace1 to glower at each other1 much to the amusement and also surprise and embarrassment of the ,persian ministers4 ,but as ,napoleon's star waned1 so did the interest of the ,british in ,persian affairs4 ,the wars with ,russia went on until the ,persians acknowledged defeat in the ,treaty of ,gulistn of #ahac4 ,amidst abysmal ignorance1 nepotism and malpractice which abounded in the realm1 there stood two men in particular1 untouched by corruption1 who were fully aware of the needs of their country3 ,prince ,abbs ,mrz1 the heir to the throne1 and his vizier1 ,mrz ,abu'l-,qsim1 ,q'im-,maqm-i-,farhn4 ,but their attempts at reform could not obtain the success they deserved because of the obscurantism surrounding the person of the sovereign4 ,it was this ,crown ,prince who sent the first group of ,iranian students to ,britain to learn the crafts of the ,west4 ,their story1 which does no credit to the government in ,london1 is preserved in a number of documents lodged in the ,public ,record ,office4 ,incidentally1 one of these men1 a student of medicine1 was named ,mrz j ,bb1 the eponym of the chief character of ,james ,morier's well-known satire4 ,prince ,abbs ,mrz1 worsted in the field by the ,russians1 now tried to provide his country with a modern army and engaged ,british instructors4 ,as in the past1 ihrn gave him little help4 ,yet he was under constant pressure to resume hostilities4 ,the divines1 particularly1 were urging it4,i ,yet ,russia had no desire to fight2 nor had ,fat-,al ,shh3 war was too expensive4 ,prince ,menchikov arrived from ,st4 ,petersburg 7the present-day ,leningrad7 not to dictate but to negotiate4 ,but the demands of those who sought war--the clerics and the powerful court faction of ,allh-,yr ,khn,j--proved irresistible2 ,menchikov returned to ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,footnote ,i3 ,this incident is referred to by ,bah'u'llh in ,his ,tablet to ,niri'd-,dn ,shh4 ,footnote ,j3 ,the afu'd-,dawlih1 who later rose in rebellion against the central government during the reign of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh4 ,in the war that soon followed the ,persians were soundly beaten and ,russian forces surged forward to occupy the city of ,tabrz4 ,the first to abandon the field was a group of clerics1 who1 with raised standards1 had accompanied the army4 ,by the ,treaty of ,turkumanchy 7#ahbh71 onerous and humiliating in the extreme1 rn was excluded from the ,caucasus4 ,in addition to the payment of heavy indemnities1 she lost her rights in the ,caspian ,sea and the frontier between ,russia and rn was fixed on the river ,aras4 ,prince ,abbs ,mrz was now a sad and broken man4 ,rash actions forced upon him had brought total desolation4 ,his modern army was shattered4 ,because he knew of the intrigues that plagued his father's court1 and to make certain that his eldest son would not be left undefended1 he asked for guarantees from the ,tsar1 which were readily given4 ,after this ordeal of defeat and submission ,prince ,abbs ,mrz did not live long4 ,he died at the age of forty-five1 and a year later his father followed him to the grave4 ,the eldest son of ,abbs ,mrz1 named heir-apparent by ,fat-,al ,shh1 came into his heritage by a combination of the assured support of ,britain and ,russia1 and the wise strategy of ,q'im-,maqm4 ,sir ,john ,campbell1 the ,british ,minister in ihrn1 and ,sir ,henry ,lindesay ,bethune1 who took command of the forces loyal to the son of ,abbs ,mrz1 brought him safely from ,tabrz to ihrn4 ,q'im-,maqm1 in the meantime1 secured the backing of influential men in the capital1 where another son of the late king had styled himself ,adil ,shh,k and was claiming the throne4 ,but his reign was brief1 and soon ,muammad ,shh1 the heir-apparent1 was well entrenched in ihrn1 for ,sir ,henry ,lindesay ,bethune 7whom a ,persian historian calls ,mr4 ,lenzi7 easily routed other pretenders4#h ,footnote ,k3 ,in reality ,al-,shh1 the illu's-,suln1 not to be confused with ,prince ,suln ,masd ,mrz1 the ,governor-,general of ,ifahn1 who had the same title in later years4 ,muammad ,shh did not wish to seem beholden to the ,british officials who had helped him to his throne1 nor did he show much gratitude to ,q'im-,maqm1 the architect of his victory4 ,within a year he contrived the death of that great minister who had served him and his father so well4 ,by the death of ,q'im-,maqm1 treacherously designed1 rn sustained a tremendous and irreparable loss4 ,q'im-,maqm was not only a brilliant statesman1 but also a master of prose whose style rescued the language from encrusted artificialities4,l ,footnote ,l3 ,see ,balyuzi1 ,abdu'l-,bah1 p4 #cgc and note4 ,his successor as the ,grand ,vizier was j ,mrz qs1 a man ignorant and devoid of all graces1 affecting deep piety4 ,this is how ,sir ,henry ,layard#i saw him in #ahdj3 ,we waited upon the ,prime ,minister1 the ,haji ,mirza ,agasi1 who was then the man of the greatest influence1 power and authority in ,persia4 ,the ,shah had committed to him almost the entire government of his kingdom1 occupying himself but little with public affairs1 aware of his own incapacity for conducting them4 ',the ,haji'--the name by which he was familiarly known--was1 by all accounts1 a statesman of craft and cunning1 but of limited abilities4 ,he was cruel and treacherous1 proud and overbearing1 although he affected the humility of a pious mulla who had performed the pilgrimage to ,mecca and the holy shrines of the ,imaums4 ,the religious character which he had assumed made him intolerant and bigoted1 and he was known to be a fanatical hater of ,christians4 ,he had been the ,shah's tutor and instructor in the ,koran1 and had acquired a great influence over his pupil1 who had raised him to the lofty position which he then held4 ,he had the reputation of being an accomplished ,persian and ,arabic scholar1 but he was entirely ignorant of all ,european languages4 ,his misgovernment1 and the corruption and general oppression which everywhere existed had brought ,persia to the verge of ruin4 ,distress1 misery1 and discontent prevailed to an extent previously unknown4 ,he was universally execrated as the cause of the misfortunes and misery from which the people and the ,state were suffering4 ,we found him seated on his hams1 in the ,persian fashion1 on a fine ,kurdish carpet spread in a handsome hall4 ,before him was a large tray filled with ices and a variety of fruit4444 ,he was a man of small stature1 with sharp and somewhat mean and forbidding features1 and a loud shrill voice4 ,his dress was simple--almost shabby--as became a mulla and a man devoted to religious life4444 ,it was evident that the ,haji suspected that we were spies and agents of the ,british ,government4 ,however1 he declared that the ,shah was willing that we should visit any part of his territories where we could travel in safety1 and that orders had been issued for the preparation of our farman royal decree2 for his ,majesty had said that we belonged to a friendly nation1 and his quarrel was not with ,england but with ,lord ,palmerston1 who had treated ,persia ill1 and had recalled the ,queen's ,ambassador#aj without sufficient cause4444 ,nor was rn on good terms with the ,ottomans4 ,layard's book1 ,early ,adventures1 indicates the considerable extent of the incursions which the ,turks had made into ,iranian territory4 ,the meeting between ,layard and j ,mrz qs in #ahdj took place in ,hamadn1 not far from the frontier1 where ,muammad ,shh was encamped with his army4 ,the relations between the ,ottoman and ,iranian governments were further strained by the storming and sacking of ,karbil in ,january #ahdc1 where the chief sufferers were ,persian4 ,we have seen how the ,persian princes living in ,karbil at the time of its investment by the troops of ,najb ,psh took a hand in negotiations4 ,they were exiles and fugitives who had contested with ,muammad ,shh and offended him1 and senior among them was ,al-,shh1 the illu's-,suln4 ,yet another issue reared its ugly head to exacerbate relations between rn and the ,ottoman ,empire1 that of ,shah against ,sunn4 ,sheil1 the ,british ,minister in ihrn1 reported to the ,foreign ,secretary1 the ,earl of ,aberdeen3 ,if the ,moollahs1 and in particular the chief priest of ,ispahan1 ,hajee ,syed ,moollah ,mahomed ,baukir1 whose religious influence in ,persia is powerful1 should use the present opportunity for regaining their former position by exerting their authority among the people1 and preaching a crusade against the rival branch of ,mahommedanism1 it is not easy to foresee the consequences4#aa ,indeed1 reported ,sheil1 the ,persian ,foreign ,minister and j ,mrz qs were considering the possibility of war4#ab ,this chief priest of ,ifahn1 mentioned by ,sheil1 was the same divine from whom ,mull usayn-i-,bushr' obtained unqualified support for ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht4 ,it is helpful to compare the authority of the divines of these two great branches of ,islm4 ,the ,shah divine in contradistinction to the ,sunn has the power of ',ijtihd'1 that is1 issuing ex cathedra decrees and judgments4 ,his position is1 in a sense1 analogous to that of the ,english judge who can1 within the boundaries of equity and common law1 establish precedents4 ,the ,sunn divine belongs to one of the four schools of ,islamic jurisprudence3 the anaf1 the ,shfi1 the ,mlik and the anbal4 ,the jurisconsults1 who founded these four schools or rites1 which are named after them1 set certain standards from which the ,sunn divine cannot deviate4 ,the ,shah divine1 on the other hand1 relies exclusively on the text of the ,qur'n and the ,traditions ascribed to the ,prophet and the ,imms1 all of which are wide open to interpretation4 ,moreover1 the ,shah mujtahid--the divine who pronounces ex cathedra--does so1 it is understood1 as the deputy of the ibu'z-,zamn1 the ,lord of the ,age4 ,,chapter ,i ,,all ,,hail ,,sh,r,z ,all hail1 ,shiraz1 hail6 ,oh site without peer6 ,may ,god be the ,watchman before thy gate1 ,that the feet of ,misfortune enter not here6 ,lest my ,ruknabad be left desolate4444 --fi ,in the afternoon of ,may #bbnd #ahdd a traveller stood outside the gates of ,shrz4 ,he had come from ,karbil1 on a spiritual quest to his native land of rn4 ,a boat had taken him to ,bshihr on the ,persian ,gulf4 ,from that insalubrious port his route had lain over forbidding mountains to the renowned city of ,shrz4 ,he was accompanied by his brother and his nephew1 both barely twenty years old1 and he himself but in his early thirties4 ,they had undertaken this journey for a purpose which to many seemed fantastic4 ,but for themselves and many more like them it was real and urgent4 ,this traveller was the same ,mull usayn-i-,bushr'1 who1 after the accomplishment of his highly fruitful mission in rn on behalf of ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht1 had reached ,karbil only to find his teacher dead4 ,he had learned that ,siyyid ,kim's parting counsel to his disciples had been to leave their homes and their cloisters1 to abandon their studies and their debates and go out into the world to seek 'the ,lord of the ,age' 7ibu'z-,zamn7 whose advent had for centuries been the hope of countless millions4 ,his supernal light would soon break upon the world1 ,siyyid ,kim had said4 ,mull usayn together with a number of ,siyyid ,kim's disciples kept vigil for forty days in the old mosque of ,kfih1 nearly in ruins1 and then set out on different routes to do their master's bidding4 ,mull usayn was a man of profound scholarship and unbending will4 ,nothing daunted him4 ,now1 reaching the gates of ,shrz1 he sent his companions into the city to obtain lodgings1 but he himself tarried for a while in the fields4 ,his mind was occupied with the object of his quest1 a quest that had brought him all those wearisome miles to ,shrz1 the home and the resting-place of two of the greatest poets of rn4 ,here1 some five hundred years before1 fi had composed his superb1 ethereal lyrics4 ,here ,sad had lived a good part of his life and had written his lucid prose1 his lambent verse4 ,here had worked and died a host of men celebrated both in their own days and thereafter4 ,the air of ,shrz1 the plain of ,shrz1 the roses of ,shrz1 the cypresses of ,shrz1 have all been lavishly praised4 ,forty-four years later1 the young ,edward ,granville ,browne1 the future eminent orientalist of the ,university of ,cambridge1 looked at the plain of ,shrz from the heights facing the road to ,bshihr1 that mountain pass which is named ,allh-u-,akbar 7,god is the ,greatest7 because the traveller thus expresses his wonderment at beholding such a beauteous plain4 ,browne wrote3 ,words cannot describe the rapture which overcame me as1 after many a weary march1 ,i gazed at length on the reality of that whereof ,i had so long dreamed1 and found the reality not merely equal to1 but far surpassing1 the ideal which ,i had conceived4 ,it is seldom enough in one's life that this occurs4 ,when it does1 one's innermost being is stirred with an emotion which baffles description1 and which the most eloquent words can but dimly shadow forth4#a ,this was the city that ,mull usayn was about to enter4 ,it was as if a magnet had drawn him1 with his brother and his nephew1 to ,shrz4 ,nor were they alone in being thus drawn4 ,on this hot afternoon of ,may #bbnd1 ,mull usayn was fatigued after the trying journey from the coast up the precipitous tracks of the rising plateau4 ,but his mind was alert and his soul yearned for that peace which the attainment of his goal would bring him4 ,as he walked and pondered he came face to face with a ,youth of striking appearance4 ,that young ,man1 who was gentle and gracious and whose turban proclaimed ,his descent from the ,prophet ,muammad1 greeted him with great kindness4 ,mull usayn was amazed and overwhelmed by the warmth of this unexpected welcome4 ,it was the courtesy coupled with the dignified mien of this young ,siyyid,m which particularly impressed him4 ,then the young ,man invited him to be ,his guest and to partake of the evening meal at ,his house4 ,mull usayn mentioned that his companions had gone ahead and would be awaiting him1 to which the young ,siyyid replied3 ',commit them to the care of ,god2 ,he will surely protect and watch over them'4,n ,footnote ,m3 ,a descendant of the ,prophet ,muammad4 ,footnote ,n3 ,the quotations in this chapter without reference numbers are taken from ,nabl1 ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 ch4 iii4 ',we soon found ourselves standing at the gate of a house of modest appearance1' ,mull usayn has recounted4 ',he knocked at the door1 which was soon opened by an ,ethiopian servant4 ,enter therein in peace1 secure1,o were ,his words as ,he crossed the threshold and motioned me to follow ,him4 ,his invitation1 uttered with power and majesty1 penetrated my soul4 ,i thought it a good augury to be addressed in such words1 standing as ,i did on the threshold of the first house ,i was entering in ,shrz1 a city the very atmosphere of which had produced already an indescribable impression upon me4' ,footnote ,o3 ,qur'n xv1 #df4 ,shrz had cast its spell upon ,mull usayn4 ,but little did he think that his youthful ,host1 whose utterance rang with authority1 was that ',lord of the ,age'1 that ',q'im of the ,house of ,muammad' whom he was seeking4 ,yet he could not escape the feeling that the unexpected encounter might in some way bring him near the end of his quest4 ,at the same time he was uneasy at having left his brother and nephew with no news of himself4 ,he further recounts3 ',overwhelmed with ,his acts of extreme kindness1 ,i arose to depart4 ,the time for evening prayer is approaching1 ,i ventured to observe4 ,i have promised my friends to join them at that hour in the ,masjid-i-lkhn4,p ,with extreme courtesy and calm ,he replied3 ,you must surely have made the hour of your return conditional upon the will and pleasure of ,god4 ,it seems that ,his will has decreed otherwise4 ,you need have no fear of having broken your pledge4' ,such undoubted assurance should have made ,mull usayn aware that he was about to experience the supreme test of his life4 ,footnote ,p3 ,a well-known mosque in ,shrz4 ,they prayed together4 ,they sat down to converse4 ,and suddenly his ,host asked ,mull usayn3 ',whom1 after ,siyyid ,kim1 do you regard as his successor and your leader8' ,furthermore1 ,he asked3 ',has your teacher given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing features of the promised ,one8' ,mull usayn replied that ,siyyid ,kim had laid the injunction upon his disciples to disperse after his death and seek 'the ,lord of the ,age'1 and indeed he had given them indications by which they could come to recognize ,him4 ',he is of a pure lineage1 is of illustrious descent1' said ,mull usayn1 'and of the seed of ,fimih4,q ,as to ,his age1 ,he is more than twenty and less than thirty4 ,he is endowed with innate knowledge1 444 abstains from smoking1 and is free from bodily deficiency4' ,footnote ,q3 ,the daughter of the ,prophet ,muammad1 and the wife of ,al1 the first ,imm4 ,there was silence--the pause that precedes the breaking of the dawn4 ,mull usayn has told us that the silence was broken with 'vibrant voice' by his ,host who declared to him3 ,behold1 all these signs are manifest in ,me4 ,mull usayn was for the moment shocked and bewildered4 ,he tried to resist a claim so breath-taking4 ,but ,truth looked him in the face4 ,he marshalled arguments4 ,but ,truth is its own argument4 ,mull usayn said3 ',he whose advent we await is a ,man of unsurpassed holiness1 and the ,cause ,he is to reveal is a ,cause of tremendous power4 ,many and diverse are the requirements which ,he who claims to be its visible embodiment must needs fulfil4 ,how often has ,siyyid ,kim referred to the vastness of the knowledge of the promised ,one6 ,how often did he say3 ,my own knowledge is but a drop compared with that with which ,he has been endowed4 ,all my attainments are but a speck of dust in the face of the immensity of ,his knowledge4 ,nay1 immeasurable is the difference6' ,in days gone by ,mull usayn had written a dissertation on some of the abstruse doctrines and teachings which ,shaykh ,amad and ,siyyid ,kim had enunciated4 ,he carried a copy of this treatise with him4 ,he now presented it to his ,host and asked ,him to peruse it1 and elucidate the mysteries which it contained4 ,not only did his ,host after a rapid look through that treatise shed light upon it1 ,he went far beyond it4 ,then ,mull usayn was given the proof of which he had ample knowledge4 ,there is a ,srih 7,arabic ',srah'3 chapter7 in the ,qur'n entitled the ,srih of ,joseph4,r ,it tells the story of ,joseph1 the son of ,jacob1 he whom his brothers betrayed and sold into slavery1 who suffered imprisonment in ,egypt1 but rose to rule that land4 ,it is highly allegorical4 ,siyyid ,kim had told ,mull usayn1 when requested by him to write a commentary on that chapter of the ,qur'n3 ',this is1 verily1 beyond me4 ,he1 that great ,one1 who comes after me will1 unasked1 reveal it for you4 ,that commentary will constitute one of the weightiest testimonies of ,his truth1 and one of the clearest evidences of the loftiness of ,his position4' ,footnote ,r3 ,srih xii4 ,mull usayn's ,host told him3 ',now is the time to reveal the commentary on the ,srih of ,joseph4' ',he took up ,his pen1' ,mull usayn related1 'and with incredible rapidity revealed the entire ,srih of ,mulk1 the first chapter of ,his commentary on the ,srih of ,joseph4 ,the overpowering effect of the manner in which ,he wrote was heightened by the gentle intonation of ,his voice which accompanied ,his writing4 ,not for one moment did ,he interrupt the flow of the verses which streamed from ,his pen4 ,not once did ,he pause till the ,srih of ,mulk was finished4 ,i sat enraptured by the magic of ,his voice and the sweeping force of ,his revelation4' ,but ,mull usayn was anxious to rejoin his companions4 ,since that afternoon--and long ago it seemed--when he had sent them into the city and had himself lingered outside the city-gates1 he had had no news of them nor they of him4 ,so he rose and asked to be permitted to depart4 ,his ,host smilingly told him3 ',if you leave in such a state1 whoever sees you will assuredly say3 ,this poor youth has lost his mind4' ',at that moment1' ,mull usayn has said1 'the clock registered two hours and eleven minutes after sunset4' ,in that moment a new ,dispensation was born4 ',this night1' said ,he who ushered in the new ,dispensation1 ,he who was to herald a new cycle1 'this very hour will1 in the days to come1 be celebrated as one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals4',s ,footnote ,s3 ,today that night and that hour are celebrated with joy and reverence and gratitude all over the world4 ,the evening meal was now served4 ,mull usayn afterwards recalled3 ',that holy repast refreshed alike my body and soul4 ,in the presence of my ,host1 at that hour1 ,i felt as though ,i were feeding upon the fruits of ,paradise4444 ,had my youthful ,host no other claim to greatness1 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 reveal4 ',i sat spellbound by ,his utterance1 oblivious of time and of those who awaited me4444 ,sleep had departed from me that night4 ,i was enthralled by the music of that voice which rose and fell as ,he chanted2 now swelling forth as ,he revealed verses of the ,qayymu'l-,asm'1,t again acquiring ethereal1 subtle harmonies as ,he uttered the prayers ,he was revealing4 ,at the end of each invocation1 ,he would repeat this verse3 ,far from the glory of thy ,lord1 the ,all-,glorious1 be that which ,his creatures affirm of ,him6 ,and peace be upon ,his ,messengers6 ,and praise be to ,god1 the ,lord of all beings6,u' ,such was ,mull usayn's recollection of that momentous night4 ,footnote ,t3 ,the commentary on the ,srih of ,joseph4 ,footnote ,u3 ,qur'n xxxvii1 #ahj4 ,then ,he who stood as the ,vicegerent of ,god on earth thus addressed ,mull usayn1 who only a few hours before had been so anxious1 tormented and unsure3 ,o thou who art the first to believe in ,me6 ,verily ,i say1 ,i am the ,bb1 the ,gate of ,god1 and thou art the ,bbu'l-,bb1 the gate of that ,gate4 ,eighteen souls must1 in the beginning1 spontaneously and of their own accord1 accept ,me and recognise the truth of ,my ,revelation4 ,unwarned and uninvited1 each of these must seek independently to find ,me4 ,and when their number is complete1 one of them must needs be chosen to accompany ,me on ,my pilgrimage to ,mecca and ,medina4 ,there ,i shall deliver the ,message of ,god to the ,sharf of ,mecca4 ,and then ,he laid this injunction upon 'the first to believe' in ,him3 ',it is incumbent upon you not to divulge1 either to your companions or to any other soul1 that which you have seen and heard4' ',this ,revelation1' ,mull usayn has further related1 'so suddenly and impetuously thrust upon me1 came as a thunderbolt which1 for a time1 seemed to have benumbed my faculties4 ,i was blinded by its dazzling splendour and overwhelmed by its crushing force4 ,excitement1 joy1 awe1 and wonder stirred the depths of my soul4 ,predominant among these emotions was a sense of gladness and strength which seemed to have transfigured me4 ,how feeble and impotent1 how dejected and timid1 ,i had felt previously6 ,then ,i could neither write nor walk1 so tremulous were my hands and feet4 ,now1 however1 the knowledge of ,his ,revelation had galvanised my being4 ,i felt possessed of such courage and power that were the world1 all its peoples and its potentates1 to rise against me1 ,i would1 alone and undaunted1 withstand their onslaught4 ,the universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp4' ,on that early morning of ,may #bcrd #ahdd when ,mull usayn stepped out into the streets of ,shrz1 his heart brimming with joy1 he abandoned a priestly career which would have brought him high honours4 ,he abandoned it willingly and knowingly for a task which1 though great and noble1 would bring him jeers and humiliation4 ,he was well-known amongst the circle of the divines who exercised authority4 ,he had the capacity1 the intelligence and the learning which would have placed him in years to come in the forefront of the spiritual guides of the nation4 ,power and riches would have been his4 ,but by giving his allegiance to the young ,siyyid of ,shrz whom he had met under such strange circumstances1 ,mull usayn renounced all this1 and chose a path in the opposite direction4 ,mull usayn was not alone in his high resolve4 ,others with similar prospects of a clerical vocation journeyed to ,shrz in search of light and truth4 ,they too had set out at the bidding of ,siyyid ,kim4 ,as if by a magnet1 they were drawn to ,shrz4 ,how can one explain it otherwise8 ,they had no intimation that in this city lived the ,one whom they sought4 ,a force far greater than themselves led their steps to ,shrz1 to their journey's end4 ,as ordained by the ,bb1 they found ,him1 each one1 independently4 ,they were true1 sincere and eager and they had their reward4 ,the last to arrive was a youth of twenty-two1 whose home was in ,brfursh,v in the province of ,mzindarn which borders the ,caspian ,sea4 ,when he was a boy in his early teens1 his father1 q ,muammad-li1 had died4 ,devoting himself to the pursuit of learning he had joined the circle of ,siyyid ,kim in ,karbil4 ,eventually1 he became an outstanding disciple of that remarkable teacher4 ,it is recorded that the night before this youth1 whose name was ,mull ,muammad-,ali1 reached ,shrz1 the ,bb told ,mull usayn that on the following day one would arrive whose acceptance of the new theophany would 'complete the number of ,my chosen disciples'4 ,next evening as the ,bb1 accompanied by ,mull usayn1 was going towards ,his house1 they encountered a young man whose dress and appearance showed the effects of a long journey4 ,the newcomer went to ,mull usayn whom he knew well as a fellow-disciple of ,siyyid ,kim1 greeted him and immediately asked whether he had found the object of his quest4 ,mull usayn was not at liberty to divulge the fact that he had1 and he tried to pacify his friend and avoid the subject4 ,it was useless1 for that youth had seen the ,bb4 ,his retort to ,mull usayn was astounding3 ',why seek you to hide ,him from me8 ,i can recognise ,him by ,his gait4 ,i confidently testify that none besides ,him1 whether in the ,east or in the ,west1 can claim to be the ,truth4 ,none other can manifest the power and majesty that radiate from ,his holy person4' ,mull usayn was amazed1 and leaving the newcomer he walked on and told the ,bb what had transpired4 ,having already anticipated the arrival of that youth1 although he had certainly not received any word from him1 the ,bb observed3 ',marvel not at his strange behaviour4 ,we have in the world of the spirit been communing with that youth4 ,we know him already4444 ,go to him and summon him forthwith to ,our presence4' ,thus did ,mull ,muammad-,aly-i-,brfursh1 whom the ,bb honoured with the title of ,qudds 7the ,most ,holy71 attain his heart's desire4 ,footnote ,v3 ,now named ,bbul4 ,these disciples of the ,bb are called the ,letters of the ,living4,w ,all but one met the ,bb face to face1 and recognized in ,him the ,lord of the ,age whom they sought4 ,that single exception was a gifted woman1 an accomplished writer of verse1 courageous1 a total stranger to fear1 of whom ,lord ,curzon says3 ,beauty and the female sex also lent their consecration to the new creed1 and the heroism of the lovely but ill-fated poetess of ,kazvin1 ,zerin ,taj,x 7,crown of ,gold71 or ,kurrat-el-,ain 7,solace of the ,eyes71 who1 throwing off the veil1 carried the missionary torch far and wide1 is one of the most affecting episodes in modern history4#b ,footnote ,w3 urf-i-ayy4 ayy 7the ,living7 is an ,arabic word1 numerically equivalent to eighteen4 ,footnote ,x3 ,zarrn-,tj4 ,and here is the tribute of another eminent ,englishman1 ,edward ,granville ,browne1 to this unique woman3 ,the appearance of such a woman as urratu'l-,ayn is in any country and any age a rare phenomenon1 but in such a country as ,persia it is a prodigy--nay1 almost a miracle4 ,alike in virtue of her marvellous beauty1 her rare intellectual gifts1 her fervid eloquence1 her fearless devotion and her glorious martyrdom1 she stands forth incomparable and immortal amidst her countrywomen4 ,had the ,bb religion no other claim to greatness1 this were sufficient--that it produced a heroine like urratu'l-,ayn4#c ,qurratu'l-,ayn belonged to a family famed for its learning4 ,her father1 j ,mull li1 and her uncle1 j ,mull ,muammad-,taq1#d were both leading figures among the clergy4 ,but they were far too orthodox for this great woman's spiritual susceptibilities1 although a younger uncle1 j ,mull ,al1 had become a supporter of the ,shaykh school4,y ,qurratu'l-,ayn was married to the son of j ,mull ,muammad-,taq--her cousin1 ,mull ,muammad4 ,they had children1 but their marriage was disastrous4 ,mull ,muammad was even more fanatical and narrow-minded than his father and a wide gulf yawned between husband and wife4 ,footnote ,y3 ,the school of ,shaykh ,amad4 ,qurratu'l-,ayn had another cousin1 ,mull ,javd1 who had accepted the rational views of ,shaykh ,amad and ,siyyid ,kim4 ,having learned in this cousin's library of the teaching of the illustrious sage of ,karbil who had gone far beyond the limits of orthodoxy1 ,qurratu'l-,ayn corresponded with ,siyyid ,kim and gave him her allegiance4 ,from him she received the name ,qurratu'l-,ayn4 ,in vain did her elders attempt to dampen her enthusiasm4 ,no persuasion or threat could stop the tide of her newly-found devotion4 ,and when she decided to leave her home and her family and join the circle of ,siyyid ,kim1 nothing could thwart her purpose4 ,to appreciate the boldness and gravity of her action1 one must realize how sheltered were the ,eastern women of those days2 her behaviour could be seen only as scandalous and almost unprecedented4 ,however1 she reached ,karbil too late4 ,ten days prior to her arrival ,siyyid ,kim had passed away4 ,qurratu'l-,ayn remained in ,karbil4 ,she was convinced that before long the ,one promised to them would appear4 ,now1 many of the disciples of ,siyyid ,kim were setting out on their search4 ,one of them was ,qurratu'l-,ayn's brother-in-law1 the husband of her younger sister ,maryyih4 ,she gave this relative1 ,mrz ,muammad-,al1 a sealed letter and told him to deliver it to the ,one whom they expected and sought4 ,a verbal message in verse was added to the letter3 ',say to ,him1 from me1' she said1 ',the effulgence of thy face flashed forth and the rays of thy visage arose on high2 ,then speak the word1 ,am ,i not your ,lord8 and ,thou art1 ,thou art6 we will all reply4'#e ,when ,mrz ,muammad-,al reached the presence of the ,bb1 he gave ,him the letter and the message2 and the ,bb numbered her among the ,letters of the ,living4 ,thus it was that this fearless1 eloquent pioneer of woman's emancipation joined the ranks of the first disciples of the ,bb4 ,qurratu'l-,ayn is better known as hirih--the ,pure ,one--a designation by which she will ever be remembered4,z ,footnote ,z3 ,we shall see on p4 #afc how she acquired this name4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,letters of the ,living1 the eighteen disciples who found the ,bb 'independently and of their own accord'1 were3 ,mull ,muammad-,aly-i-,brfursh1 entitled ,qudds4 ,mull usayn-i-,bushr'1 entitled ,bbu'l-,bb4 ,mrz ,muammad-asan-i-,bushr'1 brother of ,mull usayn4 ,mrz ,muammad-,bqir1 nephew of ,mull usayn4 ,mrz ,muammad-,aly-i-,qazvn1 brother-in-law of hirih4 ,mull ,amad-i-,ibdl-i-,marghi'4 ,mull ,ysuf-i-,ardibl4 ,mull ,jall-i-,urm4 ,mull ,mamd-i-,khu'4 ,these nine were martyrs who fell during 'the ,mzindarn upheaval' 7see p4 #age74 ,mull ,aly-i-,basm1 the first martyr of the ,bb ,dispensation4 ,he was put to death somewhere in ,irq4 ,qurratu'l-,ayn1 hirih1 whose original name was ,umm-,salamih4 ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd1 known as ,ktib 7the ,amanuensis71 and also ,azz4 hirih and ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd suffered martyrdom in the holocaust of ,august #aheb1 subsequent to the attempt made by two ,bbs on the life of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh4 ,shaykh ,sad-i-,hind 7the ,indian74 ,he met his death somewhere in ,india1 though no one knows how and where4 ,mull ,bqir-i-,tabrz4 ,he lived on to the advent of ,bah'u'llh and believed in ,him4 ,mrz ,hdy-i-,qazvn1 son of j ,mrz ,abdu'l-,vahhb1 and brother of ,mrz ,muammad-,al 7the fifth name above74 ,mrz ,hd remained apart from other ,bbs and taught the ,faith with caution4 ,mrz ,muammad ,rawih-,khn-i-,yazd4 ,he too remained apart from other ,bbs and was generally known as a ,shaykh4 ,but he never renounced his faith and taught it whenever he could4 ,mull ,khud-,bakhsh-i-,qchn1 later known as ,mull ,aly-i-,rz4 ,he died a natural death1 but his son ,mashyyatu'llh later met with martyrdom in his youth4 ,mull asan-i-,bajistn4 ,doubts assailed him after the martyrdom of the ,bb1 because he did not consider himself worthy of the station given to him4 ,forced to leave his home1 he went to ,irq and attained the presence of ,bah'u'llh4 ,mull ,aly-i-,basm was given the mission to return to ,irq and inform the people in that heartland of the ,shah persuasion that the ,bb had appeared1 but not to divulge1 as yet1 any particulars that might reveal ,his identity4 ,to him the ,bb said3 ,your faith must be immovable as the rock1 must weather every storm and survive every calamity4 ,suffer not the denunciations of the foolish and the calumnies of the clergy to afflict you1 or to turn you from your purpose4 ,for you are called to partake of the celestial banquet prepared for you in the immortal ,realm4 ,you are the first to leave the ,house of ,god1 and to suffer for ,his sake4 ,if you be slain in ,his path1 remember that great will be your reward1 and goodly the gift which will be bestowed upon you4 ,mull ,al was soon on his way to ,irq4 ,then the ,bb called together the other sixteen disciples and spoke to them1 adjuring them to go out into the world and serve their ,god in the light of the faith given to them3 ,o ,my beloved friends6 ,you are the bearers of the name of ,god in this ,day4 ,you have been chosen as the repositories of ,his mystery4 ,it behoves each one of you to manifest the attributes of ,god1 and to exemplify by your deeds and words the signs of ,his righteousness1 ,his power and glory4 ,the very members of your body must bear witness to the loftiness of your purpose1 the integrity of your life1 the reality of your faith1 and the exalted character of your devotion4 ,for verily ,i say1 this is the ,day spoken of by ,god in ,his ,book3 ',on that day will ,we set a seal upon their mouths2 yet shall their hands speak unto ,us1 and their feet shall bear witness to that which they shall have done4',,aa ,ponder the words of ,jesus addressed to ,his disciples1 as ,he sent them forth to propagate the ,cause of ,god4 ,in words such as these1 ,he bade them arise and fulfil their mission3 ',ye are even as the fire which in the darkness of the night has been kindled upon the mountain-top4 ,let your light shine before the eyes of men4 ,such must be the purity of your character and the degree of your renunciation1 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 grace4 ,for none has seen the ,father who is in heaven4 ,you who are ,his spiritual children must by your deeds exemplify ,his virtues1 and witness to ,his glory4 ,you are the salt of the earth1 but if the salt have lost its savour1 wherewith shall it be salted8 ,such must be the degree of your detachment1 that into whatever city you enter to proclaim and teach the ,cause of ,god1 you should in no wise expect either meat or reward from its people4 ,nay1 when you depart out of that city1 you should shake the dust from off your feet4 ,as you have entered it pure and undefiled1 so must you depart from that city4 ,for verily ,i say1 the heavenly ,father is ever with you and keeps watch over you4 ,if you be faithful to ,him1 ,he will assuredly deliver into your hands all the treasures of the earth1 and will exalt you above all the rulers and kings of the world4' ,o ,my ,letters6 ,verily ,i say1 immensely exalted is this ,day above the days of the ,apostles of old4 ,nay1 immeasurable is the difference6 ,you are the witnesses of the ,dawn of the promised ,day of ,god4 ,you are the partakers of the mystic chalice of ,his ,revelation4 ,gird up the loins of endeavour1 and be mindful of the words of ,god as revealed in ,his ,book3 ',lo1 the ,lord thy ,god is come1 and with ,him is the company of ,his angels arrayed before ,him6',,ab ,purge your hearts of worldly desires1 and let angelic virtues be your adorning4 ,strive that by your deeds you may bear witness to the truth of these words of ,god1 and beware lest1 by 'turning back'1,,ac ,he may 'change you for another people'1,,ac who 'shall not be your like'1,,ad and who shall take from you the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,the days when idle worship was deemed sufficient are ended4 ,the time is come when naught but the purest motive1 supported by deeds of stainless purity1 can ascend to the throne of the ,most ,high and be acceptable unto ,him4 ',the good word riseth up unto ,him1 and the righteous deed will cause it to be exalted before ,him4',,ad ,you are the lowly1 of whom ,god has thus spoken in ,his ,book3 ',and ,we desire to show favour to those who were brought low in the land1 and to make them spiritual leaders among men1 and to make them ,our heirs4',,ae ,you have been called to this station2 you will attain to it1 only if you arise to trample beneath your feet every earthly desire1 and endeavour to become those honoured servants of ,his who speak not till ,he hath spoken1 and who do ,his bidding'4 ,you are the first ,letters that have been generated from the ,primal ,point the ,bb1 the first ,springs that have welled out from the ,source of this ,revelation4 ,beseech the ,lord your ,god to grant that no earthly entanglements1 no worldly affections1 no ephemeral pursuits1 may tarnish the purity1 or embitter the sweetness1 of that grace which flows through you4 ,i am preparing you for the advent of a mighty ,day4 ,exert your utmost endeavour that1 in the world to come1 ,i1 who am now instructing you1 may1 before the mercy-seat of ,god1 rejoice in your deeds and glory in your achievements4 ,the secret of the ,day that is to come is now concealed4 ,it can neither be divulged nor estimated4 ,the newly born babe of that ,day excels the wisest and most venerable men of this time1 and the lowliest and most unlearned of that period shall surpass in understanding the most erudite and accomplished divines of this age4 ,scatter throughout the length and breadth of this land1 and1 with steadfast feet and sanctified hearts1 prepare the way for ,his coming4 ,heed not your weaknesses and frailty2 fix your gaze upon the invincible power of the ,lord1 your ,god1 the ,almighty4 ,has ,he not1 in past days1 caused ,abraham1 in spite of ,his seeming helplessness1 to triumph over the forces of ,nimrod8 ,has ,he not enabled ,moses1 whose staff was ,his only companion1 to vanquish ,pharaoh and his hosts8 ,has ,he not established the ascendancy of ,jesus1 poor and lowly as ,he was in the eyes of men1 over the combined forces of the ,jewish people8 ,has ,he not subjected the barbarous and militant tribes of ,arabia to the holy and transforming discipline of ,muammad1 ,his ,prophet8 ,arise in ,his name1 put your trust wholly in ,him1 and be assured of ultimate victory4 ,footnote ,,aa3 ,qur'n xxxvi1 #fe4 ,footnote ,,ab3 ,qur'n lxxxix1 #bc4 ,footnote ,,ac3 ibid41 xlvii4 ,footnote ,,ad3 ,qur'n4 ,footnote ,,ae3 ibid41 xxviii1 #d4 ,,chapter #b ,,he ,,whom ,,they ,,sought ,the gentle spirit of the ,bb is surely high up in the cycles of eternity4 ,who can fail1 as ,prof4 ,browne says1 to be attracted by him8 --,t4 ,k4 ,cheyne1 ,d4,litt41 ,d4,d4 ,siyyid 7or ,mrz7 ,al-,muammad1 known to history as the ,bb1 was the son of ,siyyid 7or ,mr7 ,muammad-,ri1 a mercer of ,shrz4#a ,he was born on ,october #bjth #ahai 7,muarram #ast1 #abce ,a4,h474 ,through both ,his father and ,his mother ,he was descended from ,imm usayn1,,af the third ,imm4 ,thus ,he stood in direct line of descent from the ,prophet ,muammad4 ,according to ,mrz ,abu'l-,fal-i-,gulpygn1 ,siyyid ,muammad-,ri1 the ,bb's father1 died when his only child was an infant1 unweaned4 ,then the care of the child devolved upon a maternal uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 ,he was the only relative of the ,bb to espouse ,his ,cause openly during ,his lifetime and1 as will be seen1 to accept martyrdom for ,his sake4 ,but according to a manuscript history of the ,bb-,bah' ,faith in ,shrz by j ,mrz abbu'llh-i-,afnn1,,ag ,siyyid ,muammad-,ri passed away when his son was nine years old1 and ,abdu'l-,bah appears to confirm this account4,,ah ,footnote ,,af3 ,he was the son of ,fimih and ,al4 ,footnote ,,ag3 j ,mrz abbu'llh's father1 q ,mrz-q1 was a nephew of the wife of the ,bb1 and his paternal grandfather1 q ,mrz ,zaynu'l-bidn1 was a paternal cousin of the father of the ,bb4 7,see ,foreword for other details of the manuscript47 ,footnote ,,ah3 ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #b4 ,two of ,siyyid ,muammad-,ria's paternal cousins rose to eminence in the ranks of the ,shah divines1 and both bore allegiance1 in strict secrecy1 to their kinsman when ,his claim to be 'the ,q'im of the ,house of ,muammad' became publicly known4 ,of the two1 the more famed and distinguished was j ,mrz ,muammad-asan 7#ahae-ie71 known as ,mrzy-i-,shrz1 who1 like all the leading ,shah divines1 resided in ,irq4 ,he was the most influential ecclesiastic of his time1 powerful enough to wreck the ,tobacco ,rgie1 the monopoly concession which ,niri'd-,dn ,shh 7reigned #ahdh-if7 gave to ,major ,gerald ,f4 ,talbot1 a ,british citizen1 in the summer of #ahhi4b ,mrzy-i-,shrz put the use of tobacco under an interdict and the people of rn1 even the women in the ,shh's harem1 ceased to use it4 ,niri'd-,dn ,shh was forced early in #ahib to cancel the concession and pay the ,tobacco ,corporation an indemnity of #ejj1jjj4 ,the father of ,mrzy-i-,shrz1 named ,mrz ,mamd1 was a noted calligraphist1 and was uncle to the father of the ,bb4 ,the other celebrated ecclesiastic1 cousin to ,siyyid ,muammad-,ri1 was j ,siyyid ,javd1 the ,imm-,jumih,,ai of ,kirmn4 ,it was ,qudds who gave this dignitary the news of the advent of the ,bb4 j ,siyyid ,javd extended his protection to ,qudds1 despite the clamour of his adversaries4 ,footnote ,,ai3 ,literally1 ',the ,leader of ,friday'--the leading imm 7he who leads the congregation in prayer7 in a town or city4 ,the mother of the ,bb was ,fimih-,bagum4 ,she was the daughter of ,mrz ,muammad-usayn1 a merchant of ,shrz1 and had three brothers4 ,of these1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al became the guardian of the ,bb1 while j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad and j ,mrz asan-,al1 although not enlisted in the ranks of the followers of their illustrious ,nephew1 feature in ,his story4 ,every account that we have of ,siyyid ,al-,muammad's childhood indicates that ,he was not an ordinary child4 ,when ,he was sent to school1 ,he so surprised the schoolmaster1 ,shaykh bid1 with ,his wisdom and intelligence that the bewildered man took the child back to ,his uncle1 and said that he had nothing to teach this gifted pupil3 ',he1 verily1 stands in no need of teachers such as ,i4' ,the uncle had already noticed the remarkable qualities of his ward1 and it is recorded that on this occasion he was very stern with ,him3 ',have ,you forgotten my instructions8 ,have ,i not already admonished ,you to follow the example of ,your fellow-pupils1 to observe silence1 and to listen attentively to every word spoken by ,your teacher8' ,it was totally alien to the nature of that gentle child to disregard the wishes of ,his guardian4 ,he returned to school and conducted ,himself on the pattern of other children4 ,nothing1 however1 could restrain the superior mind and intelligence possessed by that exceptional boy4 ,as time went on1 the schoolmaster became convinced that he could not help his student2 in the role of instructor he felt as the instructed4 ,it should also be said that schools such as that attended by ,siyyid ,al-,muammad1 which were common in those days1 were one-man affairs and matters taught were elementary1 although pupils were trained to read the ,qur'n1 even if they could not possibly understand the meaning of the sacred text which is of course in ,arabic4 ,the ,bb did not go beyond this school nor the tuition of ,shaykh bid4 ,thus ,his schooling was meagre4 ,the ,bb was only five years old when ,he was sent to receive tuition from ,shaykh bid4 j ,mrz abbu'llh's narrative contains an account of ,his first day at school1 related by q ,muammad-,ibrhm-i-,isml ,bag1 a well-known merchant of ,shrz1 who was a fellow-scholar at the age of twelve4 ,the ,bb had taken a seat1 with great courtesy1 in between this boy and another pupil who was also much older than ,himself4 ,his head was bowed over the primer put in front of ,him1 the first lines of which ,he had been taught to repeat4 ,but ,he would not utter a word4 ,when asked why ,he did not read aloud as other boys were doing ,he made no reply4 ,just then two boys1 sitting near them1 were heard to recite a couplet from fi1 which runs thus3 ,from the pinnacles of ,heaven they call out unto thee2 ,i know not what hath thee here entrapped4#c ',that is your answer1' said the ,bb1 turning to q ,muammad-,ibrhm4 j ,mrz abbu'llh also tells us that1 apart from teaching boys1 ,shaykh bid had a regular class for theological students4 ,on one occasion some of these students posed a question which after a long period of discussion remained unresolved4 ,shaykh bid told them that he would consult some authoritative works that same night and on the morrow present them with the solution4 ,just then the ,bb1 who had been listening1 spoke and with sound reasoning propounded the answer which they sought4 ,they were wonder-struck1 for they had no recollection of discussing that particular subject within earshot of the ,bb1 who might then have looked up references in books and memorized them to repeat parrot-wise4 ,shaykh bid asked ,him where ,he had gained that knowledge4 ,the boy replied smilingly with a couplet from fi3 ,should the grace of the ,holy ,spirit once again deign to assist1 ,others will also do what ,christ could perform4#c ,not only did the mental faculties of the ,bb astound the schoolmaster2 the nobility of ,his character impressed him even more4 ,indeed all those who were close or near to ,his person could not but yield to the charm of ,his being4 ,years later1 when the ,bb had raised the call of a new theophany1 the schoolmaster casting his mind over the past told j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil'1 a learned scion of a celebrated priestly family 7the ,baru'l-,ulm,,aj71 that ,siyyid ,al-,muammad was always dignified and serene1 that ,he was very handsome and cared little for the pastimes of other boys4 ,some mornings1 the schoolmaster recalled1 ,he was late coming to school and when asked the reason ,he remained silent4 ,on occasions ,shaykh bid sent other pupils to call at ,his home and ask ,him to come to school4 ,they would return to say that they had found ,him at ,his devotions4 ,one day1 when ,he had come late to school and was questioned by ,shaykh bid1 the ,bb said quietly that ,he had been in the house of ,his ',grandfather'4 ,thus do the ,siyyids refer to their ancestor the ,prophet ,muammad4 ,to the schoolmaster's remonstrances that ,he was only a child of ten from whom such rigorous attention to devotions was not demanded1 ,he replied quietly again1 ',i wish to be like ,my ,grandfather'4 ,at that time1 ,shaykh bid said1 he had taken the words of ,siyyid ,al-,muammad as childish navet4#d ,footnote ,,aj3 ,literally1 the ',sea of ,all ,knowledge'4 ,a certain book-binder of ,shrz named ,siyyid ,muammad1 whose house neighboured that of the ,bb's1 but who in later years removed to ,sary-i-,amr,,ak in ihrn to ply his trade1 had heard ,shaykh bid relate that it was customary1 when the season was clement1 for the boys to invite their teacher and their fellow-pupils on ,fridays 7the day of rest7 to an outing in one of the numerous gardens which bordered the city of ,shrz4 ,at times they would find that the ,bb had betaken ,himself to a shaded1 secluded spot in a corner of the orchard to pray and meditate4 ,footnote ,,ak3 ,a well-known inn 7caravanserai74 j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil' had himself encountered the ,bb in the years of ,his childhood4 ,he was normally a resident of ,karbil and had attended regularly the discourses of ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht1 eventually becoming one of his ardent disciples4 ,but he was also a man of travel who embarked now and then on long journeys4 ,twice he went on pilgrimage to ,mecca and spent some time there teaching and discoursing4 ,he visited ,india and stayed in ,bombay for a while4 ,one of his journeys took him to ,shrz1 at a time when the ,bb was about nine years old4 ,being well acquainted with j ,siyyid ,muammad 7one of the ,bb's maternal uncles71 j ,siyyid ,javd visited him occasionally4 ,decades later he recalled that on one of these visits he could hear the intonations of a melodious1 enraptured voice1 coming from the direction of the alcove reserved for devotions4 ,before long a boy stepped out of the recess and j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad introduced ,him as his nephew who was orphaned4 ,another visit coincided with the ,bb's return from school4 j ,siyyid ,javd noticed that ,he held a batch of papers and asked what they were4 ,very courteously the boy replied that they were ,his calligraphic exercises4 ,when j ,siyyid ,javd inspected them he marvelled at their excellence4 ,on yet another and later occasion1 when the ,bb was for a time engaged in trading in the port of ,bshihr1 j ,siyyid ,javd spent six months in that town1 living in the same inn as the ,bb4 ,thus they often met4 ,still later1 in ,karbil1 j ,siyyid ,javd again met the ,bb1 who by then was in ,his early twenties4 ,when ,mull ,aly-i-,basm reached ,irq with the tidings of the advent of the ,bb1 the news spread rapidly among the divines and the students of theology4 j ,siyyid ,javd was one of those particularly attracted1 and he often urged ,mull ,al to divulge the name of ,him who had put forth such a tremendous claim4 ,but the ,bb had emphatically forbidden ,mull ,al to mention ,his name or give any clue to ,his identity4 ,to all insistent requests ,mull ,al merely said that before long ,his identity would be revealed to them4 ,no one1 according to the testimony of j ,siyyid ,javd1 suspected that the ,bb could be the young merchant of ,shrz who had only recently lived among them4 ,most of the ,shaykhs believed that the ,bb must be one of the close disciples of ,siyyid ,kim4 ,then it occurred to j ,siyyid ,javd to invite ,mull ,al to his own home and question him more closely4 ,seated on the roof of the house1 in the neighbourhood of the ,shrine of ,imm usayn1 the two of them conversed at length about the ',great ,event'1 but no matter how hard he tried1 j ,siyyid ,javd could not induce his guest to disclose the secret which he had been bidden to withhold4 ,so frustrated did he feel that1 on his own admission1 j ,siyyid ,javd gripped the arms of ,mull ,al1 pushed him hard against the wall and exclaimed3 ',what am ,i to do with you1 ,mull ,al6 ,kill you8 ,won't you say who that wondrous ,being is8 ,won't you relieve us of this misery8' ,gasping for breath1 ,mull ,al replied3 ',siyyid ,javd6 ,it is forbidden4 ,you yourself are a man of learning4 ,you should know better4 ,it is forbidden4' ,and then quite unexpectedly and without knowing why1 ,mull ,al added that the ,bb had specially mentioned that all ,his letters extant in ,irq1 whoever the recipient might have been1 ought to be sent to ,shrz4 ,no sooner had ,mull ,al spoken than j ,siyyid ,javd had1 in a flash1 a mental picture of ,siyyid ,al-,muammad1 whom he had known and admired since ,his childhood4 ,he ran down the stairs to the room where he kept his papers1 gathered up the letters he had received from ,siyyid ,al-,muammad and hurried back to the roof4 ,the moment ,mull ,al caught sight of the seal on those letters he burst into tears1 and so did j ,siyyid ,javd4 ,they wept for joy1 and between his sobs ,mull ,al kept repeating3 q ,siyyid ,javd6 q ,siyyid ,javd6 ,i did not mention any name to you4 ,it is forbidden to mention ,his blessed name4 ,don't mention ,his name to anyone4'#e ,thus did j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil' find his new ,faith1 to which he remained steadfastly loyal throughout his long life4 ,we shall hear later a good deal more of this remarkable man4 99 99 99 99 99 ,siyyid ,al-,muammad had some six to seven years of schooling with ,shaykh bid4 ,in all probability ,he left the school at the ,qahviy-i-,awly' before ,he was thirteen4 ,according to j ,mrz abbu'llh's narrative1 ,he joined j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 ,his uncle-guardian1 in business when ,he was fifteen years old1,,al and shortly afterwards moved to ,bshihr4 ,pages of commercial accounts which ,he kept put it beyond doubt that the ,bb left ,shrz for ,bshihr when ,he was nearly sixteen4 ,there can be little doubt that at an early age the ,bb took over the complete management of the trading-house in ,bshihr4 ,his scrupulous attention to detail and ,his undeviating fairness in transactions became widely known in the region4 ,a man who had consigned to ,him some goods to sell was astonished to find1 when he received his money1 that it was more than could be obtained at current prices4 ,he wanted to return some of it4 ,the ,bb told him that it was only fair and just that he should be given that particular sum1 because his goods would have fetched exactly that amount had they been offered for sale when the market was at its best4 ,footnote ,,al3 ,islamic law specifies fifteen as the age of maturity4 ,a4-,l4-,m4 ,nicolas maintains that the ,bb was also engaged in writing and composing1 during this period of ,his sojourn in ,bshihr4 ,he mentions a treatise1 the ,risliy-i-,fiqhyyih1 as having come from the pen of the ,bb during those years4#f ,his statement is corroborated by j ,mrz abbu'llh's narrative3 ,one day in ,egypt during the time when ,mrz ,abu'l-,fal was occupied with writing his book1 the ,far'id1 we came to talk about the early years of the ,bb1 prior to ,his declaration1 and the period when ,he was engaged in trading4 ,mrz ,abu'l-,fal related the following to me3 ',i myself heard the late j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil' say that when the ,bb was pursuing the career of a merchant in ,bshihr1 he 444 because of his friendship with the uncles of the ,bb used to stay with them whenever he visited either ,shrz or ,bshihr4 ,one day j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad came to him with a request4 ,give some good counsel to my nephew 444 tell ,him not to write certain things which can only arouse the jealousy of some people3 these people cannot bear to see a young merchant of little schooling show such erudition1 they feel envious4 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad had been very insistent that j ,siyyid ,javd should counsel the ,bb to desist from writing4 j ,siyyid ,javd had however replied with these lines of verse3 ,the fair of face cannot put up with the veil2 ,shut him in1 and out of the window will he show his visage1 and had added3 ,we are earth-bound and ,he is celestial4 ,our counsel is of no use to ,him4' ,mull ,muammad-i-,zarand1 ,nabl-i-,aam1 lays particular stress on the ,bb's strict regard for ,his devotions on ,fridays4 ,even the torrid conditions of ,bshihr1 he states1 did not deter the ,bb4 ,writers of such histories as the ,nsikhu't-,tavrkh1#g hostile to the ,bb1 have alleged that long exposure to the severe heat of the sun in that seaport1 while engaged in prayers1 affected ,his mind4 ,they have gone on to assert that it was this derangement of mind which led ,him to make extravagant claims4 ,but j ,mrz ,jn of ,kshn refutes any suggestion that the ,bb deliberately practised austerities1 or that ,he found ,himself a 'murshid' 7spiritual guide7 to direct ,him along such lines4 ,unfortunately records of the years that the ,bb spent in ,bshihr are scant4 ,we cannot be certain as to the exact dates when ,he took over the complete management of the trading-house and when ,he retired4 j ,munu's-,salanih of ,tabrz states in his chronicle that the ,bb assumed direct responsibility at the age of twenty4 ,if that statement be correct1 the period during which ,he acted on ,his own was quite brief4 ,according to ,mrz ,abu'l-,fal of ,gulpygn1 ,he journeyed to the holy cities of ,irq in the spring of #ahda1 stayed in ,irq for nearly seven months and returned to ,his 'native province of ,frs' in the autumn of that year4 j ,mrz abbu'llh states that the ,bb's sojourn in ,bshihr lasted six years4 ,according to him1 when the ,bb decided to go on pilgrimage to the holy cities of ,irq1 ,he wrote to ,his uncles in ,shrz asking them to come and take over the business from ,him4 ,his uncles1 however1 procrastinated1 whereupon the ,bb settled all the outstanding matters in ,bshihr ,himself1 brought ,his books up to date1 locked and sealed the door of the office and left the keys with the gatekeeper of the caravanserai1 to be handed over to any one of ,his uncles4 ,he informed ,his uncles of what ,he had done and explained that since they had not heeded ,his repeated pleas ,he had no other alternative1 determined as ,he was to go on pilgrimage to the holy cities4,,am j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad was greatly perturbed lest their credit be damaged and their clients suffer serious loss4 ,but j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al assured him that their nephew would never do anything to compromise them and that all accounts would be found in perfect order4 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad hurried to ,bshihr where a close inspection of the books satisfied him that nothing had been left to chance4 ,footnote ,,am3 ,the holy cities of rq are3 7#a7 ,najaf and 7#b7 ,karbil 7both already mentioned71 which have within them the shrines of the first and the third ,imms1 respectively2 7#c7 ,kimayn1 in the close vicinity of ,baghdd1 which harbours the shrines of ,imm ,ms al-,kim1 the seventh ,imm1 and ,imm ,muammad al-,taq1 the ninth ,imm2 7#d7 ,smarr1 where the shrines of the tenth and the eleventh ,imms1 ,al an-,naq and asan al-,askar1 are situated4 ,while in ,karbil the ,bb visited ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht and attended his discourses4 ,but these occasional visits did not and could not make ,him a pupil or disciple of ,siyyid ,kim4 ,his adversaries have alleged that ,he sat at the feet of ,siyyid ,kim for months on end to learn from him4 ,but accounts that we have from close associates of ,siyyid ,kim all indicate that the ,shaykh leader welcomed and received ,siyyid ,al-,muammad1 on every occasion1 with great reverence4 ,here is a long account by ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz3 ,my days were spent in the service of ,siyyid ,kim1 to whom ,i was greatly attached4 ,one day1 at the hour of dawn1 ,i was suddenly awakened by ,mull ,naw-rz1 one of his intimate attendants1 who1 in great excitement1 bade me arise and follow him4 ,we went to the house of ,siyyid ,kim1 where we found him fully dressed1 wearing his ab1 and ready to leave his home4 ,he asked me to accompany him4 ',a highly esteemed and distinguished ,person1' he said1 'has arrived4 ,i feel it incumbent upon us both to visit ,him4' ,the morning light had just broken when ,i found myself walking with him through the streets of ,karbil4 ,we soon reached a house1 at the door of which stood a ,youth1 as if expectant to receive us4 ,he wore a green turban1 and ,his countenance revealed an expression of humility and kindliness which ,i can never describe4 ,he quietly approached us1 extended ,his arms towards ,siyyid ,kim1 and lovingly embraced him4 ,his affability and loving-kindness singularly contrasted with the sense of profound reverence that characterised the attitude of ,siyyid ,kim towards ,him4 ,speechless and with bowed head1 he received the many expressions of affection and esteem with which that ,youth greeted him4 ,we were soon led by ,him to the upper floor of that house1 and entered a chamber bedecked with flowers and redolent of the loveliest perfume4 ,he bade us be seated4 ,we knew not1 however1 what seats we actually occupied1 so overpowering was the sense of delight which seized us4 ,we observed a silver cup which had been placed in the centre of the room1 which our youthful ,host1 soon after we were seated1 filled to overflowing1 and handed to ,siyyid ,kim1 saying3 ',a drink of a pure beverage shall their ,lord give them4',,an ,siyyid ,kim held the cup with both hands and quaffed it4 ,a feeling of reverent joy filled his being1 a feeling which he could not suppress4 ,i too was presented with a cupful of that beverage1 though no words were addressed to me4 ,all that was spoken at that memorable gathering was the above-mentioned verse of the ,qur'n4 ,soon after1 the ,host arose from ,his seat and1 accompanying us to the threshold of the house1 bade us farewell4 ,i was mute with wonder1 and knew not how to express the cordiality of ,his welcome1 the dignity of ,his bearing1 the charm of that face1 and the delicious fragrance of that beverage4 ,how great was my amazement when ,i saw my teacher quaff without the least hesitation that holy draught from a silver cup1 the use of which1 according to the precepts of ,islm1 is forbidden to the faithful4 ,i could not explain the motive which could have induced the ,siyyid to manifest such profound reverence in the presence of that ,youth--a reverence which even the sight of the shrine of the ,siyyidu'sh-,shuhad',,ao had failed to excite4 ,three days later1 ,i saw that same ,youth arrive and take ,his seat in the midst of the company of the assembled disciples of ,siyyid ,kim4 ,he sat close to the threshold1 and with the same modesty and dignity of bearing listened to the discourse of the ,siyyid4 ,as soon as his eyes fell upon that ,youth1 the ,siyyid discontinued his address and held his peace4 ,whereupon one of his disciples begged him to resume the argument which he had left unfinished4 ',what more shall ,i say8' replied ,siyyid ,kim1 as he turned his face toward the ,bb4 ',lo1 the ,truth is more manifest than the ray of light that has fallen upon that lap6' ,i immediately observed that the ray to which the ,siyyid referred had fallen upon the lap of that same ,youth whom we had recently visited4 ',why is it1' that questioner enquired1 'that you neither reveal ,his name nor identify ,his person8' ,to this the ,siyyid replied by pointing with his finger to his own throat1 implying that were he to divulge ,his name1 they both would be put to death instantly4 ,this added still further to my perplexity4 ,i had already heard my teacher observe that so great is the perversity of this generation1 that were he to point with his finger to the promised ,one and say3 ',he indeed is the ,beloved1 the ,desire of your hearts and mine1' they would still fail to recognise and acknowledge ,him4 ,i saw the ,siyyid actually point out with his finger the ray of light that had fallen on that lap1 and yet none among those who were present seemed to apprehend its meaning4 ,i1 for my part1 was convinced that the ,siyyid himself could never be the promised ,one1 but that a mystery inscrutable to us all1 lay concealed in that strange and attractive ,youth4 ,several times ,i ventured to approach ,siyyid ,kim and seek from him an elucidation of this mystery4 ,every time ,i approached him1 ,i was overcome by a sense of awe which his personality so powerfully inspired4#h ,footnote ,,an3 ,qur'n lxxvi1 #ba4 ,footnote ,,ao3 ',siyyidu'sh-,shuhad'' can be variously translated as the ',head'1 the ',chief'1 the ',master' or ',prince of the ,martyrs'4 ,it is applied to ,imm usayn 7the grandson of the ,prophet ,muammad7 who was the third ,imm4 ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz has gone on to relate3 ,i often felt the urge to seek alone the presence of that ,hshimite,,ap ,youth and to endeavour to fathom ,his mystery4 ,i watched ,him several times as ,he stood in an attitude of prayer at the doorway of the shrine of the ,imm usayn4 ,so wrapt was ,he in ,his devotions that ,he seemed utterly oblivious of those around ,him4 ,tears rained from ,his eyes1 and from ,his lips fell words of glorification and praise of such power and beauty as even the noblest passages of our sacred ,scriptures could not hope to surpass4 ,the words ',o ,god1 my ,god1 my ,beloved1 my heart's ,desire1' were uttered with a frequency and ardour that those of the visiting pilgrims who were near enough to hear ,him instinctively interrupted the course of their devotions1 and marvelled at the evidences of piety and veneration which that youthful countenance evinced4 ,like ,him they were moved to tears1 and from ,him they learned the lesson of true adoration4 ,having completed ,his prayers1 that ,youth1 without crossing the threshold of the shrine and without attempting to address any words to those around ,him1 would quietly return to ,his home4 ,i felt the impulse to address ,him1 but every time ,i ventured an approach1 a force that ,i could neither explain nor resist1 detained me4 ,my inquiries about ,him elicited the information that ,he was a resident of ,shrz1 that ,he was a merchant by profession1 and did not belong to any of the ecclesiastical orders4 ,i was1 moreover1 informed that ,he1 and also ,his uncles and relatives1 were among the lovers and admirers of ,shaykh ,amad and ,siyyid ,kim4 ,i learned that ,he had departed for ,najaf on ,his way to ,shiraz4 ,that ,youth had set my heart aflame4 ,the memory of that vision haunted me4 ,my soul was wedded to ,his till the day when the call of a ,youth from ,shrz1 proclaiming ,himself to be the ,bb1 reached my ears4 ,the thought instantly flashed through my mind that such a person could be none other than that selfsame ,youth whom ,i had seen in ,karbil1 the ,youth of my heart's desire4#i ,footnote ,,ap3 ,hshim was the great-grandfather of the ,prophet ,muammad4 ,according to j ,mrz abbu'llh's narrative1 as the sojourn of the ,bb in the holy cities lengthened into months1 ,his mother1 anxious to have her only son back in ,shrz1 asked her brother1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 to go to ,irq and persuade ,him to return4 ,he could not deny his sister's request1 but when he reached ,irq he found that his nephew1 who had once been his ward1 was unwilling to leave the holy cities4 ,thereupon he appealed to j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil' for help1 who was at first reluctant to lend his support1 not wishing to lose the company of the young ,shrz ,siyyid whom he had over the course of years so tremendously admired4 ,however1 when he learned that ,his mother was greatly concerned1 he consented to intervene4 ,at last the ,bb complied with their request and agreed to return4 ,after a few months in ,shrz ,he declared ,his intention of going once again to ,irq4 ,his mother1 alarmed and agitated by this decision1 once more sought the aid of her brother4 ,their efforts resulted in the marriage of the ,bb to ,khadjih-,bagum1 daughter of j ,mrz ,al1#aj the paternal uncle of ,his mother4 ,the marriage took place in ,august #ahdb4 ,khadjih-,bagum had two brothers3 j ,mrz ,abu'l-,qsim and j ,mrz ,siyyid asan1 and both of them1 though not counted among ,his followers in ,his lifetime1 have a place in the story of the ,bb4 ,the descendants of these two brothers-in-law of the ,bb1 and the descendants of ,his maternal uncles1 are known as the ,afnn 7the ,twigs74 ,a son was born to ,siyyid ,al-,muammad and ,khadjih-,bagum in the year #ahdc1 whom they named ,amad1 but he did not live long4 j ,mrz abbu'llh states that the child was still-born4 ,the ,bb notes the birth of ,amad in the ,qayymu'l-,asm'1 ,his commentary on the ,srih of ,ysuf 7,joseph74 ,speaking of ,his wedding with ,his well-beloved1 who was herself descended from the ,well-,beloved 7,muammad is known as abbu'llh--the ,well-,beloved of ,god71 and relating how ,he had called upon the angels of ,heaven and the cohorts of ,paradise to witness that wedding1 the ,bb then addresses ,his wife3 ,o well-beloved6 ,value highly the grace of ,dhikr the ,bab1#aa the ,greatest1 for it comes from ,god1 the ,loved ,one4 ,thou shalt not be a woman1 like other women1 if thou obeyest ,god in the ,cause of ,truth 444 and take pride in being the consort of the ,well-,beloved1 who is loved by ,god the ,greatest4 ,sufficient unto thee is this glory which cometh unto thee from ,god1 the ,all-,wise1 the ,all-,praised4 ,be patient in all that ,god hath ordained concerning the ,bb and ,his ,family4 ,verily1 thy son1 ,amad1 is with ,fimih1,,aq the ,sublime1 in the sanctified ,paradise4#ab ,footnote ,,aq3 ,the daughter of the ,prophet ,muammad4 ,and there is this further reference to ,ahmad in the ,qayymu'l-,asm'3 ,all praise be to ,god ,who bestowed upon the ,solace of the ,eyes1,,ar in ,his youth1 ,amad4 ,we did verily raise him up unto ,god4444 ,o ,solace of the ,eyes6 ,be patient in what thy ,god hath ordained for thee4 ,verily ,he doeth whatsoever ,he willeth4 ,he is the ,all-,wise in the exercise of ,his justice4 ,he is thy ,lord1 the ,ancient of ,days1 and praised be ,he in whatever ,he ordereth4#ab ,footnote ,,ar3 ,the ,bb refers to ,himself time and again in this ,book as ',qurratu'l-,ayn'--the ,solace of the ,eyes4 ,,chapter #c ,,ihr,n ,rejoice with great joy1 for ,god hath made thee 'the ,day-,spring of ,his light'1 inasmuch as within thee was born the ,manifestation of ,his ,glory4 ,be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred upon thee--a name through which the ,day-,star of grace hath shed its splendour1 through which both earth and heaven have been illumined4 --,bah'u'llh1 addressing the city of ihrn 444 ,we stand1 life in hand1 wholly resigned to ,his will2 that perchance1 through ,god's loving kindness and ,his grace1 this revealed and manifest ,letter may lay down ,his life as a sacrifice in the path of the ,primal ,point1,,as the most exalted ,word4 --,bah'u'llh1 from the ,kitb-i-qn ,footnote ,,as3 ',nuqiy-i-l'--the ,bb4 ,mull usayn was sorely disappointed when he realized that he was not to be the companion of the ,bb1 on ,his pilgrimage to ,mecca4 ,but for the man who was the first to find ,him and believe in ,him the ,bb had marked out a task infinitely glorious4 ,mull usayn was to go from ,shrz to ihrn1 where the fulfilment of that task awaited him4 ,he had travelled to ,shrz on a quest4 ,there he had reached its end1 had found the ,q'im of the ,house of ,muammad4 ,now he was to undertake another quest1 and he was not entirely aware of the consequences that would attend its success4 ,to him the ,bb said3 ,in this pilgrimage upon which ,we are soon to embark1 ,we have chosen ,qudds as ,our companion4 ,we have left you behind to face the onslaught of a fierce and relentless enemy4 ,rest assured1 however1 that a bounty unspeakably glorious shall be conferred upon you4 ,follow the course of your journey towards the north1 and visit on your way ,ifahn1 ,kshn1 ,qum1 and ihrn4 ,beseech almighty ,providence that ,he may graciously enable you to attain1 in that capital1 the seat of true sovereignty1 and to enter the mansion of the ,beloved4 ,a secret lies hidden in that city4 ,when made manifest1 it shall turn the earth into paradise4 ,my hope is that you may partake of its grace and recognise its splendour4 ,from ihrn proceed to ,khursn1 and there proclaim anew the ,call4 ,from thence return to ,najaf and ,karbil and there await the summons of your ,lord4 ,be assured that the high mission for which you have been created will1 in its entirety1 be accomplished by you4 ,until you have consummated your work1 if all the darts of an unbelieving world be directed against you1 they will be powerless to hurt a single hair of your head4#a ,when the time came for ,mull usayn to leave ,shrz1 the ,bb told him3 ,grieve not that you have not been chosen to accompany ,me on ,my pilgrimage to ijz4 ,i shall1 instead1 direct your steps to that city which enshrines a ,mystery of such transcendent holiness as neither ijz nor ,shrz can hope to rival4 ,my hope is that you may1 by the aid of ,god1 be enabled to remove the veils from the eyes of the wayward and to cleanse the minds of the malevolent4 ,visit1 on your way1 ,ifahn1 ,kshn1 ihrn1 and ,khursn4 ,proceed thence to ,irq1 and there await the summons of your ,lord1 who will keep watch over you and will direct you to whatsoever is ,his will and desire4 ,as to ,myself1 ,i shall1 accompanied by ,qudds and ,my ,ethiopian servant1,,at proceed on ,my pilgrimage to ijz4 ,i shall join the company of the pilgrims of ,frs1 who will shortly be sailing for that land4 ,i shall visit ,mecca and ,medina1 and there fulfil the mission,,au with which ,god has entrusted ,me4 ,god willing1 ,i shall return hither by the way of ,kfih1 in which place ,i hope to meet you4 ,if it be decreed otherwise1 ,i shall ask you to join ,me in ,shrz4 ,the hosts of the invisible ,kingdom1 be assured1 will sustain and reinforce your efforts4 ,the essence of power is now dwelling in you1 and the company of ,his chosen angels revolves around you4 ,his almighty arms will surround you1 and ,his unfailing ,spirit will ever continue to guide your steps4 ,he that loves you1 loves ,god2 and whoever opposes you1 has opposed ,god4 ,whoso befriends you1 him will ,god befriend2 and whoso rejects you1 him will ,god reject4#b ,footnote ,,at3 ,his name was ,mubrak4 ,footnote ,,au3 ,to raise the ,call of the ,q'im4 ,mull usayn was known in ,ifahn1 for there he had obtained testimonials from the great mujtahid1 j ,siyyid ,muammad-,bqir1 in support of ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht4 ,that eminent divine was now dead1 but his son1 j ,siyyid ,asadu'llh1 walking in the footsteps of his illustrious father1 refused to associate himself with the adversaries of ,mull usayn4 ,another noted divine1 j ,muammad-,ibrhm-i-,kalbs1 did likewise1 and sternly admonished those who opposed ,mull usayn to cease their clamouring and investigate dispassionately whatever he was advocating4 ,the ,governor1 ,manchihr ,khn1 the ,mutamidu'd-,dawlih1 similarly declined to heed their strictures4 ,the first person in ,ifahn to embrace the new ,faith was a youth1 a sifter of wheat4 ,the ,bb immortalizes his memory in the ,persian ,bayn3#c ,ifahn1 that outstanding city1 is distinguished by the religious fervour of its shiah inhabitants1 by the learning of its divines1 and by the keen expectation1 shared by high and low alike1 of the imminent coming of the ibu'z-,zamn4,,av ,in every quarter of that city1 religious institutions have been established4 ,and yet1 when the ,messenger of ,god had been made manifest1 they who claimed to be the repositories of learning and the expounders of the mysteries of the ,faith of ,god rejected ,his ,message4 ,of all the inhabitants of that seat of learning1 only one person1 a sifter of wheat1 was found to recognise the ,truth1 and was invested with the robe of ,divine virtue6#d ,footnote ,,av3 ,the ,lord of the ,age4 ,others eventually followed the example of that youth1,,aw among them ,mrz ,muammad ,aly-i-,nahr and his brother1 ,mrz ,hd1 who were ,siyyids and highly respected4 ,mull diq-i-,muqaddas-i-,khursn was another convert4 ,siyyid ,kim had told ,mull diq to establish his residence in ,ifahn and pave the way for the coming of the ,q'im4 ,that man of iron courage 7whom we shall encounter again in the course of this story7 met ,mull usayn in the home of ,mrz ,muammad-,aly-i-,nahr4 ,mull diq himself relates3 ,i asked ,mull usayn to divulge the name of ,him who claimed to be the promised ,manifestation4 ,he replied3 ',to enquire about that name and to divulge it are alike forbidden4' ',would it1 then1 be possible1' ,i asked1 'for me1 even as the ,letters of the ,living1 to seek independently the grace of the ,all-,merciful and1 through prayer1 to discover ,his identity8' ',the door of ,his grace1' he replied1 'is never closed before the face of him who seeks to find ,him4' ,i immediately retired from his presence1 and requested his host to allow me the privacy of a room in his house where1 alone and undisturbed1 ,i could commune with ,god4 ,in the midst of my contemplation1 ,i suddenly remembered the face of a ,youth whom ,i had often observed while in ,karbil1 standing in an attitude of prayer1 with ,his face bathed in tears1 at the entrance of the shrine of the ,imm usayn4 ,that same countenance now reappeared before my eyes4 ,in my vision ,i seemed to behold that same face1 those same features1 expressive of such joy as ,i could never describe4 ,he smiled as ,he gazed at me4 ,i went towards ,him1 ready to throw myself at ,his feet4 ,i was bending towards the ground1 when1 lo6 that radiant figure vanished from before me4 ,overpowered with joy and gladness1 ,i ran out to meet ,mull usayn1 who with transport received me and assured me that ,i had1 at last1 attained the object of my desire4 ,he bade me1 however1 repress my feelings4 ',declare not your vision to anyone1' he urged me2 'the time for it has not yet arrived4 ,you have reaped the fruit of your patient waiting in ,ifahn4 ,you should now proceed to ,kirmn1 and there acquaint j ,mrz ,karm ,khn with this ,message4,,ax ,from that place you should travel to ,shrz and endeavour to rouse the people of that city from their heedlessness4 ,i hope to join you in ,shrz and share with you the blessings of a joyous reunion with our ,beloved4'#e ,footnote ,,aw3 ,he is usually known as ,gandum-,pk-,kun 7the ,sifter of ,wheat72 his name was ,mull ,jafar4 ,he was one of the martyrs of ,shaykh abars4 ,footnote ,,ax3 j ,mrz ,muammad-,karm ,khn-i-,kirmn considered himself to be the successor to ,siyyid ,kim4 ,he fostered bitter opposition to the ,bb within the ,shaykh school4 ,in ,kshn1 ,mull usayn found a responsive and eager heart in a well-known merchant of that town1 named j ,mrz ,jn4,,ay ,he too features prominently in the story of the ,bb4 ,the next stage in ,mull usayn's journey was the city of ,qum1 where the shrine of ,ma'mih1 the sister of ,imm ,ri1 the eighth ,imm1 is situated4 ,he found no attentive ears in ,qum4 ,then came the crucial stage of his journey1 when he entered the capital city of rn1 for there lay the ',mystery' which the ,bb had mentioned4 ,footnote ,,ay3 ,he was the first to attempt to write a history of the new theophany4 ,in ihrn ,mull usayn took a room in a theological institution called the madrisih 7school7 of ,mrz li1 alternatively the madrisih of ,pminr4,,az ,the director of the institution1 j ,mrz ,muammad-i-,khursn1 was the leading ,shaykh in the capital4 ,he not only refused to heed what ,mull usayn imparted1 but severely remonstrated with him and accused him of having betrayed the trust of ,siyyid ,kim4 j ,mrz ,muammad made it clear that in his view ,mull usayn's presence in ihrn posed a threat to the ,shaykh community4 ,mull usayn replied that he did not intend to stay long in ihrn1 nor had he done or said anything which detracted from the position of the founders of the ,shaykh school4 ,footnote ,,az3 ,py-i-,minr1 named after the quarter of the city where it was located4 ,as far as he could1 ,mull usayn kept away from the madrisih of ,mrz li4 ,he went out early in the mornings and returned after sunset4 ,mull ,muammad-i-,muallim1,,ba a native of the district of ,nr in ,mzindarn1 has described how ,mull usayn accomplished his mission3 ,i was in those days recognised as one of the favoured disciples of j ,mrz ,muammad1 and lived in the same school in which he taught4 ,my room adjoined his room1 and we were closely associated together4 ,on the day that he was engaged in discussion with ,mull usayn1 ,i overheard their conversation from beginning to end1 and was deeply affected by the ardour1 the fluency1 and learning of that youthful stranger4 ,i was surprised at the evasive answers1 the arrogance1 and contemptuous behaviour of j ,mrz ,muammad4 ,that day ,i felt strongly attracted by the charm of that youth1 and deeply resented the unseemly conduct of my teacher towards him4 ,i concealed my feelings1 however1 and pretended to ignore his discussions with ,mull usayn4 ,i was seized with a passionate desire to meet the latter1 and ventured1 at the hour of midnight1 to visit him4 ,he did not expect me1 but ,i knocked at his door1 and found him awake seated beside his lamp4 ,he received me affectionately1 and spoke to me with extreme courtesy and tenderness4 ,i unburdened my heart to him1 and as ,i was addressing him1 tears1 which ,i could not repress1 flowed from my eyes4 ',i can now see1' he said1 'the reason why ,i have chosen to dwell in this place4 ,your teacher has contemptuously rejected this ,message and despised its ,author4 ,my hope is that his pupil may1 unlike his master1 recognise its truth4 ,what is your name1 and which city is your home8' ',my name1' ,i replied1 'is ,mull ,muammad1 and my surname ,muallim4 ,my home is ,nr1 in the province of ,mzindarn4' ',tell me1' further inquired ,mull usayn1 'is there to-day among the family of the late ,mrz ,buzurg-i-,nr1 who was so renowned for his character1 his charm1 and artistic and intellectual attainments1 anyone who has proved himself capable of maintaining the high traditions of that illustrious house8' ',yea1' ,i replied1 'among his sons now living1 one has distinguished ,himself by the very traits which characterised ,his father4 ,by ,his virtuous life1 ,his high attainments1 ,his loving-kindness and liberality1 ,he has proved ,himself a noble descendant of a noble father4' ',what is ,his occupation8' he asked me4 ',he cheers the disconsolate and feeds the hungry1' ,i replied4 ',what of ,his rank and position8' ',he has none1' ,i said1 'apart from befriending the poor and the stranger4' ',what is ,his name8' 'usayn-,al4' ',in which of the scripts of ,his father does ,he excel8',,bb ',his favourite script is shikastih-nastalq4' ',how does ,he spend ,his time8' ',he roams the woods and delights in the beauties of the countryside4' ',what is ,his age8' ',eight and twenty4' ,the eagerness with which ,mull usayn questioned me1 and the sense of delight with which he welcomed every particular ,i gave him1 greatly surprised me4 ,turning to me1 with his face beaming with satisfaction and joy1 he once more enquired3 ',i presume you often meet ,him8' ',i frequently visit ,his home1' ,i replied4 ',will you1' he said1 'deliver into ,his hands a trust from me8' ',most assuredly1' was my reply4 ,he then gave me a scroll wrapped in a piece of cloth1 and requested me to hand it to ,him the next day at the hour of dawn4 ',should ,he deign to answer me1' he added1 'will you be kind enough to acquaint me with ,his reply8' ,i received the scroll from him and1 at break of day1 arose to carry out his desire4 ,as ,i approached the house of ,bah'u'llh1 ,i recognised ,his brother ,mrz ,ms1 who was standing at the gate1 and to whom ,i communicated the object of my visit4 ,he went into the house and soon reappeared bearing a message of welcome4 ,i was ushered into ,his presence1 and presented the scroll to ,mrz ,ms1 who laid it before ,bah'u'llh4 ,he bade us both be seated4 ,unfolding the scroll1 ,he glanced at its contents and began to read aloud to us certain of its passages4 ,i sat enraptured as ,i listened to the sound of ,his voice and the sweetness of its melody4 ,he had read a page of the scroll when1 turning to ,his brother1 ,he said3 ',ms1 what have you to say8 ,verily ,i say1 whoso believes in the ,qur'n and recognises its ,divine origin1 and yet hesitates1 though it be for a moment1 to admit that these soul-stirring words are endowed with the same regenerating power1 has most assuredly erred in his judgment and has strayed far from the path of justice4' ,he spoke no more4 ,dismissing me from ,his presence1 ,he charged me to take to ,mull usayn1 as a gift from ,him1 a loaf of ,russian sugar and a package of tea1 and to convey to him the expression of ,his appreciation and love4 ,i arose and1 filled with joy1 hastened back to ,mull usayn1 and delivered to him the gift and message of ,bah'u'llh4 ,with what joy and exultation he received them from me6 ,words fail me to describe the intensity of his emotion4 ,he started to his feet1 received with bowed head the gift from my hand1 and fervently kissed it4 ,he then took me in his arms1 kissed my eyes1 and said3 ',my dearly beloved friend6 ,i pray that even as you have rejoiced my heart1 ,god may grant you eternal felicity and fill your heart with imperishable gladness4' ,i was amazed at the behaviour of ,mull usayn4 ,what could be1 ,i thought to myself1 the nature of the bond that unites these two souls8 ,what could have kindled so fervid a fellowship in their hearts8 ,why should ,mull usayn1 in whose sight the pomp and circumstance of royalty were the merest trifle1 have evinced such gladness at the sight of so inconsiderable a gift from the hands of ,bah'u'llh8 ,i was puzzled by this thought and could not unravel its mystery4 ,a few days later1 ,mull usayn left for ,khursn4 ,as he bade me farewell1 he said3 ',breathe not to anyone what you have heard and witnessed4 ,let this be a secret hidden within your breast4 ,divulge not ,his name1 for they who envy ,his position will arise to harm ,him4 ,in your moments of meditation1 pray that the ,almighty may protect ,him1 that1 through ,him1 ,he may exalt the downtrodden1 enrich the poor1 and redeem the fallen4 ,the secret of things is concealed from our eyes4 ,ours is the duty to raise the call of the ,new ,day and to proclaim this ,divine ,message unto all people4 ,many a soul will1 in this city1 shed his blood in this path4 ,that blood will water the ,tree of ,god1 will cause it to flourish1 and to overshadow all mankind4'#f ,footnote ,,ba3 ,teacher or tutor4 ,footnote ,,bb3 ,bah'u'llh's father was famed for his calligraphy4 ,from ,mashhad1 the holy city that has within it the ,shrine of the eighth ,imm1 ,mull usayn addressed his first letter to the ,bb4 ,he gave1 as instructed by ,him1 the full details of his journey from ,shrz to ,khursn4 ,he presented the list of names of those who had responded to the call of the new theophany3 a list which had become further enriched in ,khursn by the enrolment of ,mrz ,amad-i-,azghand1 the most learned of the divines of that renowned province2 ,mull ,mrz ,muammad-i-,furgh1 another divine of immense learning2 ,mrz ,muammad-,bqir-i-,q'in1 whose house in ,mashhad was to gain the distinction of being known as the ,bbyyih1 since its doors would be always open to those who sought ,mull usayn and to all the ,bbs2 ,mull ,amad-i-,muallim1 who had been a tutor to the sons of ,siyyid ,kim2 and ,mull ,shaykh ,al1 to whom the ,bb gave the title of ,am 7,great74 ,but above all1 ,mull usayn recounted what had transpired in ihrn1 culminating in the gracious response of the nobleman of ,nr4 ,he sent his letter1 again as instructed by the ,bb1 to abas 7a town in the province of ,khursn7 where agents of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al received it and dispatched it to ,yazd1 whence it reached ,shrz4 ,the arrival of ,mull usayn's letter and the tidings which it conveyed brought unbounded joy to the ,bb4 ,soon after1 in the month of ,september1 ,he left ,shrz1 accompanied by ,qudds1 and the faithful ,ethiopian servant1 ,mubrak4 ,from ,bshihr1 while waiting to take the boat to ,jiddah 7,jaddah71 the ,bb wrote ,his first letter to ,his wife4 ,it opens with these moving words3 ',in the ,name of ,god1 exalted is ,he4 ,my sweet love1 may ,god preserve thee4' ',god is my witness1' ,he continues1 'that since the time of separation sorrow has been so intense that it cannot be described1' and adds ,his hope that ,god1 'the ,lord of the world1' may 'facilitate the return journey in the best manner4' ,two days previously ,he had reached ,bshihr1 and informs ,his wife that 'the weather is exceedingly hot1 but ,god1 the ,lord of the world1 is the ,protector4' ,the boat1 it seemed1 would be sailing the same month2 ',god1 the ,lord of the world1 will provide protection by ,his grace4' ,he had not been able to see ,his mother at the time of ,his departure1 and asks ,his wife to give her ,his salutation 7salm7 and request her prayers4 ,he would write to ,bombay for the goods required4 ,and the letter ends thus3 ',god willing1 that which is decreed will come to pass4 ,peace be upon thee and the mercy of ,god and ,his blessings4'#g ,the ship1 bearing pilgrims to ,jiddah1 set sail on the nineteenth day of ,raman #abfj--,october #bnd #ahdd4h ,,chapter #d ,,the ,,first ,,martyr ,the world turns and the world changes1 ,but one thing does not change4 ,in all of my years1 one thing does not change4 ,however you disguise it1 this thing does not change3 ,the perpetual struggle of ,good and ,evil4 --,t4 ,s4 ,eliot ,lady ,sheil1 whose husband was the ,british envoy in ihrn1,,bc states in her book1 ,glimpses of ,life and ,manners in ,persia1 that the ,bb declared ,his mission in ,kimayn1 near ,baghdd1 and that ',incensed at this blasphemy1 the ,turkish authorities issued orders for his execution1 but he was claimed by the ,persian consul as a subject of the ,shah1 and sent to his native place'4#a ,obviously ,lady ,sheil was confused4 ,she had heard of the arrest of ,mull ,aly-i-,basm in ,irq and of his imprisonment4 ,she mistook him for the ,bb4 ,footnote ,,bc3 ,see note #f1 ,prologue4 ,mull ,al1 as we have seen1 was directed to ,irq by the ,bb1 and took with him a copy of the ,qayymu'l-,asm'1 the commentary on the ,srih of ,ysuf 7,joseph74 ,the news and the message that he gave aroused eager interest and ready response from his hearers4 ,but hostile reaction was also swift4 ,it was ,mull ,al who1 in ,karbil1 informed ,qurratu'l-,ayn of the advent of the ,bb4 ,he was not at liberty to mention ,his ,name4 ,we do not know whether1 in view of the fact that ,qurratu'l-,ayn had been elevated to the high and honoured position of a ,letter of the ,living1 ,mull ,al gave her any information other than the tidings of the appearance of the ,bb4 ,the disciples of ,siyyid ,kim were in a much stronger position there than in ,najaf1 in spite of the fact that in ,karbil they had a redoubtable opponent in the person of ,siyyid ,ibrhm-i-,qazvn4 ,there in ,karbil1 ,mull ,al remained safe4 ,but the story was different in ,najaf4 ,nabl-i-,aam writes3 ,in the presence of ,shaykh ,muammad-asan1 one of the most celebrated ecclesiastics of shah ,islm1 and in the face of a distinguished company of his disciples1 ,mull ,al announced fearlessly the manifestation of the ,bb1 the ,gate whose advent they were eagerly awaiting4 ',his proof1' he declared1 'is ,his ,word2 ,his testimony1 none other than the testimony with which ,islm seeks to vindicate its truth4 ,from the pen of this unschooled ,hshimite ,youth of ,persia there have streamed1 within the space of forty-eight hours1 as great a number of verses1 of prayers1 of homilies1 and scientific treatises1 as would equal in volume the whole of the ,qur'n1 which it took ,muammad1 the ,prophet of ,god1 twenty-three years to reveal6' ,that proud and fanatic leader1 instead of welcoming1 in an age of darkness and prejudice1 these life-giving evidences of a new-born ,revelation1 forthwith pronounced ,mull ,al a heretic and expelled him from the assembly4 ,his disciples and followers1 even the ,shaykhs1 who already testified to ,mull ,al's piety1 sincerity1 and learning1 endorsed1 unhesitatingly1 the judgment against him4 ,the disciples of ,shaykh ,muammad-asan1 joining hands with their adversaries1 heaped upon him untold indignities4 ,they eventually delivered him1 his hands bound in chains1 to an official of the ,ottoman government1 arraigning him as a wrecker of ,islm1 a calumniator of the ,prophet1 an instigator of mischief1 a disgrace to the ,faith1 and worthy of the penalty of death4 ,he was taken to ,baghdd under the escort of government officials1 and was cast into prison by the governor of that city4#b q ,muammad-,muafy-i-,baghdd1#c in a short autobiography which he wrote at the instance of ,mrz ,abu'l-,fa1 describes ,mull ,al's arrival in ,irq and the events which followed3 ,the messenger1 ,mull ,al al-,basm1,,bd reached ,kfih in the year ,a4,h4 #abfj ,a4,d4 #ahdd and distributed books1 treatises and tablets amongst the divines4 ,due to this a body of the divines in ,najaf and ,karbil were seized with consternation4 ,they arose in opposition and stirred themselves to vociferous denunciation4 ,the ,government hearing of what had transpired1 became concerned lest disorders might ensue1 and deemed it politic to imprison the messenger1 confiscate the books and tablets in his possession and send him to the seat of the province1 that is ,baghdd4 ,the ,vl1 at that time1 was ,najb ,psh1 the same man who captured ,karbil4444,,be ,when the messenger reached ,baghdd the ,vl kept him in prison and placed the books and the treatises in the council-chamber4 ,my father1 ,shaykh ,muammad1 visited the messenger every day in the prison1 and heard the ,word of ,god from him for three months4 ,whatever he heard he imparted to those who were seekers1 so that1 during this short time1 a large number of people came to believe4 ,shaykh ,bashr an-,najaf was one of them1 a mujtahid seventy-five years old4 ,then there were ,shaykh ,suln al-,karbil' and a group with him in ,karbil2 ,siyyid ,muammad-,jafar1 ,siyyid asan ,jafar1 and ,siyyid ,al ,bishr and a group with him in the town of ,kimyyah2 ,shaykh ,muammad ,shibl the author's father1 ,siyyid ,musin al-,kim1 ,shaykh li al-,karm and a group with them of villagers like ,shaykh ,abbs1 ,mull ,mamd1 ,abdu'l-,hd and ,mihd4444 ,when the ,government noticed that the ,cause was gaining ground day by day1 the afore-mentioned ,vl1 ,najb ,psh1 ordered the divines of all the regions to come to ,baghdd4444#d ,they summoned my father1 ,shaykh ,muammad1 to present himself4 ,but my father left ,baghdd in disguise1 because he had learned that the ,vl intended to make him give witness against the ,cause of the ,day of ,judgment4 ,they brought the messenger to this terrible assembly and asked him who the ,lord of the ,cause was4 ,he answered3 ',the awaited ,spirit of ,truth hath come4 ,he is the ,one promised in the ,books of ,god4' ,then he read them some verses and prayers and called upon them to believe4 ,it went hard with them to accept the ,cause4 ,they arose to deny and to reject it1 full of haughtiness4 ,they agreed to denounce the messenger as a heretic and passed the sentence of death upon him1 and thus ended that assemblage of ill omen4 ,the ,vl sent the account of the proceedings to the ,sublime ,porte1 whence came the orders that the messenger should be sent in fetters1 together with his books1 to the capital4 ,the messenger languished for six months in the gaol of ,baghdd and was then dispatched to the ,sublime ,porte1 under escort1 by way of ,mosul4 ,the fame of the ,cause was noised abroad in ,mosul1 and when he passed ,mosul nothing more was heard of him4#e ,footnote ,,bd3 q ,muammad-,muaf wrote in ,arabic4 ,footnote ,,be3 ,see ,prologue ,i4 ,the circumstances of ,mull ,al's arrest were also noted by ,major ,henry ,rawlinson1#f then ,british ,political ,agent in ,baghdd1 who1 on ,january #hth #ahde1 reported to ,sir ,stratford ,canning1 the ,ambassador in ,istanbul3 ,i have the honor to report for ,your ,excellency's information the following circumstances which are at present causing much excitement at this place1 and which threaten in their consequences to give rise to renewed misunderstanding between the ,persian ,turkish ,govts4 ,about three months ago1 an inferior priest of ,shiraz appeared in ,kerbela1 bearing a copy of the ,koran1 which he stated to have been delivered to him1 by the forerunner of the ,imam ,mehdi1 to be exhibited in token of his approaching advent4 ,the book proved on examination to have been altered and interpolated in many essential passages1 the object being1 to prepare the ,mohammedan world for the immediate manifestation of the ,imam1 and to identify the individual to whom the emendations of the text were declared to have been revealed1 as his inspired true precursor4 ,it was in consequence pronounced by a part of the ,sheeah divines at ,nejef and ,kerbela1 to be a blasphemous production1 and the priest of ,shiraz was warned by them of the danger2 which he incurred in giving currency to its contents--but a considerable section nevertheless of the ,sheeahs of ,nejef1 who under the name of ,usl1 or ',transcendentalists'1 have lately risen into notice as the disciples of the ,high ,priest ,sheikh ,kazem1 and who are in avowed expectation of the speedy advent of the ,imam1 adopted the proposed readings1 and declared themselves ready to join the ,precursor2 as soon as he should appear amongst them--,these parties owing to local dissensions1 were shortly afterwards denounced to the ,govt4 by the orthodox ,sheeas as heretics1 and attention being thus drawn to the perverted copy of the ,koran1 upon which they rested their belief1 the volume was seized its bearer being brought to ,bagdad1 was cast into prison1 as a blasphemer against ,islam and a disturber of the public peace4,,bf#g ,footnote ,,bf3 ,major ,rawlinson nowhere mentions the name of the priest who is alleged to have been the possessor of a 'spurious' version of the ,qur'n4 ,it is obvious that the priest1 about whom he was writing1 could have been none other than ,mull ,aly-i-,basm1 whom he wrongly designated as ',shirazee' for the simple reason that he had come from ,shrz4 ,his frequent references to the disciples of ,siyyid ,kim as ',usl' indicate that his knowledge of the issue was meagre1 for these disciples were known as ,shaykhs4 ,the term could have been more appropriately applied to the opponents of ,siyyid ,kim4 ,they and their counterpart1 the ',akhbrs'1 followed different methods of interpretation within the ,shah fold4 ,for a description of these schools of thought1 see ,browne1 ,a ,literary ,history of ,persia1 ,vol4 ,,iv1 pp4 #cgd-f4 ,mull ,al was the first martyr of the ,bb ,faith4 ,though his arrest and sufferings lasted only a few months1 he was the centre of conjecture1 the subject of official report1 and the cause of increased rancour between the ,sunn and ,shah sects1 and the ,ottoman and ,iranian governments4 ,european officials who were drawn into this obscure drama included ,major ,rawlinson1 who submitted frequent and lengthy reports to ,sir ,stratford ,canning in ,istanbul and ,lt4-,col4 ,sheil in ihrn1 and received their advice and instructions2 ,m4 de ,titow1 ,russian envoy in ,istanbul who joined ,canning in urging the ,sublime ,porte to restrain ,najb ,psh from putting 'the ,persian ,priest' to death1 and instead to inflict on him only 'the mildest punishment consistent with the public tranquillity'2 and ,lord ,aberdeen1 the ,british ,foreign ,secretary in ,london1 who was apprised of the final outcome4 ,although the dispatches of ,major ,rawlinson are in certain aspects subject to grave reservations1 for his knowledge was sometimes meagre and at second hand1 even inaccurate1 they do portray the agitation1 confusion and opposition created by the claim of the ,bb and the teaching of ,mull ,al4 ,thus he wrote to ,canning3 ,the ,soonnee ,priesthood have taken up the case in a rancorous spirit of bigotry1 and their inveteracy has enlisted the sympathies of the entire ,sheeah sect1 in favor of the imprisoned ,persian 444 the question has now become one of virulent contest1 between the ,soonee ,sheeah sects1 or which is the same thing in this part of the ,ottoman ,empire1 between the ,turkish ,persian population4444#h ,it was the ,governor 7,vl7 of ,baghdd1 ,najb ,psh1 who bore the responsibility of controlling these passions2 but being himself a fanatical ,sunn1 he was resolved that the ,shahs should submit to the ,sunn authority1 and determined to bar any intrusions of the ,persians into the affairs of his ,pshlik4,,bg ,nevertheless1 as reported by ,rawlinson3 ,nejib ,pasha at the same time1 to give all due formality to his proceedings1 and to divest the affair of the appearance of mere sectarian persecution1 has brought in the chief ,priests from ,nejef ,kerbela1 to hold a solemn ,court of ,inquisition in conjunction with the heads of the ,soonnee religion in ,bagdad1 but ,i do not anticipate much benefit from this compulsory most unwilling attendance of the former parties--,they will probably make an effort to save the life of their unfortunate countryman1 proposing the banishment of the messenger and of the heads of the ,usl sect1 as the simplest method of suppressing the heresy1 but they will be intimidated overruled4444#i ,footnote ,,bg3 ,his province4 ,indeed1 such an unwieldy court of ,sunn and ,shah divines could come to no agreement about ,mull ,al's punishment4 ,on ,january #afth #ahde1 ,rawlinson wrote to ,sheil1 in ihrn3 ,the ,court of ,inquisition convened for the trial of the ,persian priest1 was held on ,monday last ,january #acth1 ,h4,e4 ,nejib ,pasha presiding1 and ,moola ,abdool ,azeez being also present1 to afford his countenance to the accused--,the perverted copy of the ,koran being produced in ,court1 was unanimously condemned as a blasphemous production1 and parties avowing a belief in the readings which it continued sic1 were declared to be liable to the punishment of death--,it was then argued whether or not the ,shirazee had thus avowed his belief in a blasphemous production--he himself distinctly repudiated the charge1 and although witnesses were brought forward1 who stated that he had in their presence declared his adoption of the spurious text1 of which he was the bearer1 yet as there was reason to suspect the fidelity of their evidence1 the ,sheeah divines were disposed to give him the benefit of his present disavowal--,after much discussion the ,soonee law-officers adjudged the culprit to be convicted of blasphemy passed sentence of death on him accordingly1 while the ,sheeahs returned a verdict1 that he was only guilty of the dissemination of blasphemy1 liable in consequence to no heavier punishment than imprisonment or banishment4444 ,to this ,rawlinson added3 ,i understand that considerable uneasiness is beginning to display itself at ,kerbela ,nejef1 in regard to the expected manifestation of the ,imam1 and ,i am apprehensive that the measures now in progress will rather increase than allay the excitement4,,bh#aj ,footnote ,,bh3 ,rawlinson's letter to ,sheil carries the statement that ,mull ,al abjured his faith4 ,apart from the evidence of the devotion and heroism of the disciples of the ,bb1 which history amply provides1 several factors must be considered4 ,major ,rawlinson was not present at that meeting of the divines1 which he termed 'the ,court of ,inquisition'4 ,therefore his information was secondhand4 ,the emergence of ,sunn-,shah antagonism was another factor which would certainly have clouded the issue4 ,the 'advent of the ,imam' need not1 necessarily1 have troubled the ,sunn conscience1 because ,sunns have never believed in the ,immate and the occultation of the ,twelfth ,imm4 ,furthermore1 that which ,mull ,al is supposed to have rejected1 according to ,rawlinson1 was a 'perverted copy of the ,koran'4 ,would ,mull ,al ever have an interpolated copy of the ,qur'n to announce the message he had to give1 or to prove it8 ,and then the question must also be asked3 if ,mull ,al1 the man who brought the news of the advent of the ,bb1 had recanted1 how was it that 'considerable uneasiness' was becoming perceptible in ,karbil and ,najaf1 'in regard to the expected manifestation of the ,imam'8 ,the personal intervention of ,najb ,psh had served also to influence the course of events in another way4 ,by referring the matter to the ,sublime ,porte1 he prevented the extradition of the ,persian prisoner to his native land1 as requested by the ,iranian ,prime ,minister1 j ,mrz qs4 ,a similar request for the transfer of ,mull ,al to ,persian jurisdiction was made to ,major ,rawlinson by the ,governor of ,kirmnshh1 ,muibb-,al ,khn1 for1 as he wrote3 ,in the first place it is improper to arrest and imprison anyone on a mere accusation1 which may be true or false1--and in the second place1 supposing that he 7the ,shirzee7 were guilty2 as a subject of the exalted ,govt4 of ,persia1 he ought not to be subject to arrest--if his crime were proved1 his punishment should be that of banishment from the ,turkish territory--,i have therefore considered it necessary to represent this matter to you my friend1 and to request that1 as a well wisher to the preservation of friendship between the two ,governments1 ,you will communicate with ,h4 ,excy4 ,nejib ,pasha on the subject1 and will suggest to him1 that if the guilt of the ,persian be fully substantiated1 he may be sent to ,kermanshah1 in order that ,i may transfer him to ,tehran for punishment--and if on the other hand1 the accusations against him prove to be malicious and without foundation1 he may be at once released and set at liberty4 ,under any circumstances his continued imprisonment is unbecoming and contrary 7to custom74#aa ,this request was duly submitted by ,rawlinson to ,najb ,psh but1 as the ,governor had already referred the matter to the ,sublime ,porte after the religious court's examination1 the prisoner remained in ,turkish custody4 ,it was on ,april #aeth that ,rawlinson reported to ,canning that ',nejib ,pasha received orders by yesterday's post to transmit to ,constantinople the ,persian priest who has been in confinement for the last #c months at ,bagdad4444 ,his ,excy4 is preparing to obey these instructions with all available despatch4' ,he also says in the same letter3 444 the more in fact these ,mujtiheds,,bi are degraded by the ,turkish ,govt41 the more complete1 ,i think1 will be their ascendancy over the minds of their disciples and the only results1 therefore1 which are likely to attend the proscription of their public duties1 are the more complete isolation of the ,persian community of this province1 and an increase of the rancorous feeling with which the dominant ,soonee party is regarded--#ab ,footnote ,,bi3 ,shah divines4 ,on the last day of ,april1 ,rawlinson wrote once more to ,canning3 ,i take this opportunity of reporting that the ,persian priest of ,shiraz so long detained in confinement at this place1 was sent a prisoner to ,constantinople in company with the ,tartar,,bj who conveyed the last ,bagdad post4#ac ,footnote ,,bj3 ,official courier4 ,meanwhile1 as early as ,february1 ,major ,rawlinson came to an erroneous conclusion about the ,bb1 which subsequent events belied4 ,he wrote to ,canning on the #ahth3 444 the excitement which has been for some time prevalent in this vicinity among the ,sheeah sect in connection with the expected manifestation of the ,imam ,mehdi1 is beginning gradually to subside1 the impostor who personated the character of the forerunner of the ,imam 444 having been deterred by a sense of personal danger from a further prosecution of the agitation1 which he set on foot at ,kerbela in the ,autumn on his passage from ,persia to ,mecca4#ad ,he was also in error in stating to ,sheil1 ten days later1 that 'the impostor 444 joined as a private individual the ,caravan of pilgrims which is travelling to ,persia by the route of ,damascus and ,aleppo'4#ae ,in considering this episode of the arrest1 imprisonment and banishment of the first ,bb martyr1 there are four aspects which deserve special note4 ,first is the fact that while the ,bbs in ,shrz were being punished by usayn ,khn1 ,governor of the province of ,frs1,,bk the ,persian ,government was trying to rescue ,mull ,al in ,baghdd4 ,secondly1 whereas the ,shah divines were demanding a light punishment1 the ,sunns were clamouring for the death penalty4 ,a third point1 important to students of the ,bb ,faith1 is that from the earliest stage of its history rumours and misinformation about the ,bb abounded4 ,it is also of considerable interest that this episode was reported to ,lord ,aberdeen1 the ,british ,foreign ,secretary in ,london4 ,footnote ,,bk3 ,mull ,al was before long caught up in a furore of agitation and oppression1 was apprehended1 put on trial and condemned to death4 ,it has always been assumed that he was put to death somewhere in ,irq 7either in ,mosul or beyond71 while being taken to ,istanbul1 because nothing more was ever heard of him after he reached ,mosul4 ,but recent research in official archives has established the fact that he arrived in the ,ottoman capital1 was once again put on trial and was condemned to hard labour in the dockyards1 where he died towards the end of #ahdf4 7,for most of this information the author is much indebted to ,mr ,sami ,doktoroglu47 ,as to ,mull ,al1 what precisely happened to him1 how and where he died and where he was interred1 have all remained mysteries4 ,it has been said that he died in the prison of ,karkk1 but no definite proof exists4 ,he was the first of the concourse of martyrs whose numbers were soon to swell into hundreds and thousands4 ,,chapter #e ,,pilgrimage ,,to ,,mecca3 ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,ka,,bah ,vaunt not thyself1 ,o thou who leadeth the pilgrims on their way1 ,that which thou seest is the ,house1 and that which ,i see is the ,lord of that ,house4 --fi ,the ,bb embarked for ,jiddah1 probably on an ,arab sailing-boat named ,fut-ar-,rasl--,victories of the ,messenger4 ,if so1 ,he had as fellow-passenger a maternal uncle of ,muammad ,shh1 ,muammad-,bqir ,khn1 the ,biglarbag,,bl of ihrn1 who was attended by ,shukru'llh ,khn-i-,nr1 a prominent official of the province of ,frs4 ,we know for certain that two of ,his fellow-townsmen on the boat were j ,abu'l-asan1 who pursued the same trade as the ,bb's father1 and ,shaykh ,ab-,hshim1 brother of ,shaykh ,ab-,turb1 the ,imm-,jumih of ,shrz4 ,the former was captivated by the charm and the sublime bearing of his compatriot1 the young ,siyyid of whose claim he was unaware1 and gave ,him his allegiance without the slightest hesitation when he learned of ,his claim4 ,shaykh ,ab-,hshim1 however1 was already jealous of the respect commanded by the ,bb and became ,his implacable enemy1 even though his brother1 the ,imm-,jumih1 served the interests of the ,bb to the best of his ability4#a ,footnote ,,bl3 ,the principal official responsible for public order in a town or city4 j ,abu'l-asan has related#b that during the voyage ,shaykh ,ab-,hshim became daily more arrogant and quarrelsome1 molesting the passengers and making the young ,siyyid a particular target for his invective4 ,when the ,arab captain could no longer tolerate his insolent behaviour1 he ordered him to be seized and thrown into the sea4 ,according to j ,abu'l-asan1 it was the ,bb who stepped forward to intercede for him4 ,however1 the captain was determined to be rid of the troublesome ,shaykh4 ,and when the ,bb noticed that the sailors were about to throw ,shaykh ,ab-,hshim overboard1 ,he hurled ,himself upon him1 caught hold of him and earnestly requested the captain to pardon the wrong-doer4 ,the ,arab captain was astonished1 because it had been the young ,siyyid who had suffered most from the ,shaykh's malice4 ,but the ,bb replied that1 since people who behaved in that manner harmed only themselves1 one should be tolerant and forgiving4 ,the rites of the ajj 7pilgrimage to ,mecca7 are to be performed on the ninth and tenth days of the month of ,dhi'l-ijjah1 the last month of the ,muslim lunar year4 ,on the tenth day the d-al-,a 7the ,festival of ,sacrifices7 is celebrated throughout the ,muslim world4,,bm ,it commemorates the sacrifice offered by ,abraham of ,his son4 ,whenever the d-al-,a falls on a ,friday1 the ajj of that year is termed the ajj-i-,akbar 7the ,greatest ajj74 ,in the year #abfj1 the tenth of ,dhi'l-ijjah was a ,friday 7,december #bjth #ahdd71 and therefore the number of pilgrims was commensurately greater4 ,an ,islamic tradition points to the appearance of the ,q'im in a year of the ajj-i-,akbar4 ,footnote ,,bm3 ,in ,persia this ,feast is usually called d-i-,qurbn4 ,another particularly notable pilgrim in that year #abfj was a divine of high repute1 ,siyyid ,jafar-i-,kashf1 whose son ,siyyid ,yay 7later known as ,vad7 was to become one of the most distinguished followers of the ,bb4 ,the journey to ,jiddah was long1 tedious and exhausting4 ,seas were rough and storms frequent4 ,an ,arab sailing-boat did not afford much comfort4 ',for days we suffered from the scarcity of water4 ,i had to content myself with the juice of sweet lemon1' the ,bb writes in the ,persian ,bayn4#c j ,abu'l-asan recounts3 ,during the entire period of approximately two months1 from the day we embarked at ,bshihr to the day when we landed at ,jaddih1 the port of ijz1 whenever by day or night ,i chanced to meet either the ,bb or ,qudds1 ,i invariably found them together1 both absorbed in their work4 ,the ,bb seemed to be dictating1 and ,qudds was busily engaged in taking down whatever fell from ,his lips4 ,even at a time when panic seemed to have seized the passengers of that storm-tossed vessel1 they would be seen pursuing their labours with unperturbed confidence and calm4 ,neither the violence of the elements nor the tumult of the people around them could either ruffle the serenity of their countenance or turn them from their purpose4#d ,at ,jiddah the ,bb and ,his companions put on the irm1,,bn the garb of the pilgrim4 ,he travelled to ,mecca on a camel1 but ,qudds would not mount and walked all the way1 keeping pace with it4 ,on the tenth day of ,dhi'l-ijjah the ,bb offered the prescribed sacrifice4 ,the meat of the nineteen lambs which ,he bought was all given to the poor and the needy2 nine of the animals were sacrificed on ,his own behalf1 seven on behalf of ,qudds and three for ,mubrak4#e ,footnote ,,bn3 sheet of cloth1 unstitched4 j ,mrz abbu'llh-i-,afnn1 quoting j ,abu'l-asan1 relates in his chronicle that after the completion of the rites of the ajj1 at a time when the court of the ,house of ,kabah and the roofs of adjoining houses teemed with pilgrims1 the ,bb stood against the structure of the ,kabah1 laid hold of the ring on its door and thrice repeated1 in a clear voice3 ,i am that ,q'im whose advent you have been awaiting4 j ,abu'l-asan recalled1 many years later1 that a sudden hush fell upon the audience4 ,the full implication of those momentous words must1 at the time1 have eluded that vast concourse of people4 ,but the news of the claim of the young ,siyyid soon spread in an ever-widening circle4 ,one day in ,mecca1 the ,bb came face to face with ,mrz ,muammad-usayn-i-,kirmn1 known as ,mu4,,bo ,they happened to meet close by the sacred ,black ,stone 7ajar al-,aswad74 ,the ,bb took ,mu's hand1 saying3 ,o ,mu6 ,you regard yourself as one of the most outstanding figures of the shaykh community and a distinguished exponent of its teachings4 ,in your heart you even claim to be one of the direct successors and rightful inheritors of those twin great ,lights1 those ,stars that have heralded the morn of ,divine guidance4 ,behold1 we are both now standing within this most sacred shrine4 ,within its hallowed precincts1 ,he whose ,spirit dwells in this place can cause ,truth immediately to be known and distinguished from falsehood1 and righteousness from error4 ,verily ,i declare1 none besides ,me in this day1 whether in the ,east or in the ,west1 can claim to be the ,gate that leads men to the knowledge of ,god4 ,my proof is none other than that proof whereby the truth of the ,prophet ,muammad was established4 ,ask ,me whatsoever you please2 now1 at this very moment1 ,i pledge ,myself to reveal such verses as can demonstrate the truth of ,my mission4 ,you must choose either to submit yourself unreservedly to ,my ,cause or to repudiate it entirely4 ,you have no other alternative4 ,if you choose to reject ,my message1 ,i will not let go your hand until you pledge your word to declare publicly your repudiation of the ,truth which ,i have proclaimed4 ,thus shall ,he who speaks the ,truth be made known1 and he that speaks falsely shall be condemned to eternal misery and shame4 ,then shall the way of ,truth be revealed and made manifest to all men4 ,footnote ,,bo3 ,he had pretensions to leadership of the ,shaykh sect after the death of ,siyyid ,kim4 ,mu was taken by surprise and was overwhelmed4 ,he replied to the ,bb3 ,my ,lord1 my ,master6 ,ever since the day on which my eyes beheld ,you in ,karbil1 ,i seemed at last to have found and recognised ,him who had been the object of my quest4 ,i renounce whosoever has failed to recognise ,you1 and despise him in whose heart may yet linger the faintest misgivings as to ,your purity and holiness4 ,i pray ,you to overlook my weakness1 and entreat ,you to answer me in my perplexity4 ,please ,god ,i may1 at this very place1 within the precincts of this hallowed shrine1 swear my fealty to ,you1 and arise for the triumph of ,your ,cause4 ,if ,i be insincere in what ,i declare1 if in my heart ,i should disbelieve what my lips proclaim1 ,i would deem myself utterly unworthy of the grace of the ,prophet of ,god1 and regard my action as an act of manifest disloyalty to ,al1 ,his chosen successor4 ,the ,bb knew how vacillating ,mu was1 and answered3 ,verily ,i say1 the ,truth is even now known and distinguished from falsehood4 ,o shrine of the ,prophet of ,god1 and you1 ,o ,qudds1 who have believed in ,me6 ,i take you both1 in this hour1 as ,my witnesses4 ,you have seen and heard that which has come to pass between ,me and him4 ,i call upon you to testify thereunto1 and ,god1 verily1 is1 beyond and above you1 ,my sure and ultimate ,witness4 ,he is the ,all-,seeing1 the ,all-,knowing1 the ,all-,wise4 ,o ,mu6 ,set forth whatsoever perplexes your mind1 and ,i will1 by the aid of ,god1 unloose ,my tongue and undertake to resolve your problems1 so that you may testify to the excellence of ,my utterance and realise that no one besides ,me is able to manifest ,my wisdom4#f ,mu presented his questions and then departed hurriedly for ,medina4 ,the ,bb1 in answer to them1 revealed the afiy-i-,baynu'l-aramayn1 which1 as its name ',the ,epistle ,between the ,two ,shrines' indicates1 was composed on the road to the city of the ,prophet 7,medina74 ,mu1 contrary to his promise1 did not remain long in ,medina1 but received the ,bb's treatise in ,karbil4 ,to the end of his days1 ,mu was shifty and irresolute1 and the headship of the ,shaykh community did not go to him1 but to j ,muammad-,karm ,khn-i-,kirmn4 ,the last act of the ,bb in ,mecca was to address a ,tablet to the ,sharf 7,sherif7 of ,mecca1 in which ,he proclaimed ,his advent and ,his ,divine mandate4 ,qudds delivered it together with a volume of the ,writings of the ,bb4 ,but the ,sharf was preoccupied and ignored the communication put in his hands4 j ,nyz-i-,baghdd recounts3 ,in the year #abfg ,a4,h4 ,a4,d4 #ahej-ea1 ,i undertook a pilgrimage to that holy city1 where ,i was privileged to meet the ,sherif4 ,in the course of his conversation with me1 he said3 ',i recollect that in the year '#fj1 during the season of pilgrimage1 a youth came to visit me4 ,he presented to me a sealed book which ,i readily accepted but was too much occupied at that time to read4 ,a few days later ,i met again that same youth1 who asked me whether ,i had any reply to make to his offer4 ,pressure of work had again detained me from considering the contents of that book4 ,i was therefore unable to give him a satisfactory reply4 ,when the season of pilgrimage was over1 one day1 as ,i was sorting out my letters1 my eyes fell accidentally upon that book4 ,i opened it and found1 in its introductory pages1 a moving and exquisitely written homily which was followed by verses the tone and language of which bore a striking resemblance to the ,qur'n4 ,all that ,i gathered from the perusal of the book was that among the people of ,persia a man of the seed of ,fimih and descendant of the family of ,hshim1 had raised a new call1 and was announcing to all people the appearance of the promised ,q'im4 ,i remained1 however1 ignorant of the name of the author of that book1 nor was ,i informed of the circumstances attending that call4' ',a great commotion1' ,i remarked1 'has indeed seized that land during the last few years4 ,a ,youth1 a descendant of the ,prophet and a merchant by profession1 has claimed that ,his utterance was the ,voice of ,divine inspiration4 ,he has publicly asserted that1 within the space of a few days1 there could stream from ,his tongue verses of such number and excellence as would surpass in volume and beauty the ,qur'n itself--a work which it took ,muammad no less than twenty-three years to reveal4 ,a multitude of people1 both high and low1 civil and ecclesiastical1 among the inhabitants of ,persia1 have rallied round ,his standard and have willingly sacrificed themselves in ,his path4 ,that ,youth has1 during the past year1 in the last days of the month of ,shabn ,july #ahej1 suffered martyrdom in ,tabrz1 in the province of dhirbyjn4 ,they who persecuted ,him sought by this means to extinguish the light which ,he kindled in that land4 ,since ,his martyrdom1 however1 ,his influence has pervaded all classes of people4' ,the ,sherif1 who was listening attentively1 expressed his indignation at the behaviour of those who had persecuted the ,bb4 ',the malediction of ,god be upon these evil people1' he exclaimed1 'a people who1 in days past1 treated in the same manner our holy and illustrious ancestors6' ,with these words the ,sherif concluded his conversation with me4#g ,the ,bb reached ,medina on the first day of the year ,a4,h4 #abfa3 ,friday1 ,january #ajth #ahde4h ,it was the first of ,muarram and the day of ,his birth4 ,from ,medina ,he proceeded to ,jiddah1 where ,he took a boat bound for the port of ,bshihr4 ,,chapter #f ,,forces ,,of ,,opposition ,,arrayed ,but man1 proud man1 ,drest in a little brief authority1 ,most ignorant of what he's most assured1 ,his glassy essence1 like an angry ape1 ,plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven ,as makes the angels weep4444 --,shakespeare ,the ,london ,times of ,wednesday1 ,november #aith #ahde1 carried this item of news on its third page1 taken from the ,literary ,gazette of the preceding ,saturday3 ,,mahometan ,,schism4--,a new sect has lately set itself up in ,persia1 at the head of which is a merchant who had returned from a pilgrimage to ,mecca1 and proclaimed himself a successor of the ,prophet4 ,the way they treat such matters at ,shiraz appears in the following account 7,june #bc73--;,four persons being heard repeating their profession of faith according to the form prescribed by the impostor1 were apprehended1 tried1 and found guilty of unpardonable blasphemy4 ,they were sentenced to lose their beards by fire being set to them4 ,the sentence was put into execution with all the zeal and fanaticism becoming a true believer in ,mahomet4 ,not deeming the loss of beards a sufficient punishment1 they were further sentenced the next day1 to have their faces blacked and exposed through the city4 ,each of them was led by a mirgazah,,bp 7executioner71 who had made a hole in his nose and passed through it a string1 which he sometimes pulled with such violence that the unfortunate fellows cried out alternately for mercy from the executioner and for vengeance from ,heaven4 ,it is the custom in ,persia on such occasions for the executioners to collect money from the spectators1 and particularly from the shopkeepers in the bazaar4 ,in the evening when the pockets of the executioners were well filled with money1 they led the unfortunate fellows to the city gate1 and there turned them adrift4 ,after which the mollahs at ,shiraz sent men to ,bushire1 with power to seize the impostor1 and take him to ,shiraz1 where1 on being tried1 he very wisely denied the charge of apostacy laid against him1 and thus escaped from punishment4 ,footnote ,,bp3 ,mr-,ghaab4 ,an ,american quarterly1 the ,eclectic ,magazine of ,foreign ,literature1 ,science1 and ,art1#a in its issue of ,january-,april #ahdf1 reproduced the same item of news which was again taken in full from the ,literary ,gazette of ,london4 ,as far as is known1 these were the earliest references to the ,faith of the ,bb in any ,western publication4 ,british merchants1 who then happened to be in ,shrz1 were responsible for that report1 which1 as we shall see1 although correct in its essentials1 was not devoid of error4 ,the ,bb1 returning from ,his pilgrimage to ,mecca1 arrived at ,bshihr sometime in the month of afar #abfa ,a4,h4 7,february-,march #ahde74 ,there ,he parted from ,qudds1 saying3 ,the days of your companionship with ,me are drawing to a close4 ,the hour of separation has struck1 a separation which no reunion will follow except in the ,kingdom of ,god1 in the presence of the ,king of ,glory4#b ,qudds left for ,shrz and took with him a letter from the ,bb addressed to ,his uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 ,meeting ,qudds and hearing all he had to impart convinced j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al of the truth of the ,cause of his ,nephew1 and he immediately pledged ,him his unqualified allegiance4 ,mull diq-i-,muqaddas now reached ,shrz1 accompanied by ,mull ,al-,akbar-i-,ardistn1 who had once been his pupil in ,ifahn4 ,mull diq established himself in a mosque known as ,bqir-bd1 where he led the congregation in prayer4 ,but as soon as he received a ,tablet from the ,bb1 sent from ,bshihr1 he moved to the mosque adjoining ,his house4 ,there he carried out the specific instruction of the ,bb to include in the traditional ,islamic ,call to ,prayer--the ,adhn--these additional words3 ',i bear witness that ,he whose name is ,al ,qabl-i-,muammad ,al preceding ,muammad1 the ,bb is the servant of ,baqyyatu'llh the ,remnant of ,god1 ,bah'u'llh4'#c ,then the storm broke4 ,shaykh ,ab-,hshim1 notorious for his behaviour on the pilgrim boat1 had already written to his compatriots in ,shrz to arouse their fury4 ,now the divines of that city1 led by ,shaykh usayn-i-,arab1,,bq j ,shaykh ,mihdy-i-,kujr and ,mull ,muammad-,aly-i-,maallt1 were demanding blood4 ,qudds1 ,muqaddas and ,mull ,al-,akbar were arrested1 hauled before the ,governor-,general1 and mercilessly beaten1 after which they suffered the punishments and indignities described in the ,london report already quoted 7see p4 #gf74 ,but there were three of them1 not four4,,br ,footnote ,,bq3 ,the ,nzimu'sh-,sharih1 who universally earned the epithet of 'lim'1 the ,tyrant4 ,footnote ,,br3 ,trkh-i-,jadd 7p4 #bjb7 names a fourth person1 a certain ,mull ,ab-lib1 a friend of ,mull diq-i-,muqaddas4 ,his identity is unknown4 ,a letter exists1 written by ,mull ,al-,akbar-i-,ardistn to the ,bb1 when he was seeking permission to visit ,him4 ,since their chastisement1 he says1 he had been living in ruins outside ,shrz4 ,the letter makes it absolutely certain that he was the only one who had remained and that both ,qudds and ,muqaddas had gone4 ,the ,governor-,general of the province of ,frs was usayn ,khn1 who was called jdn-,bsh 7the adjutant-major71 and had also the titles of ib-,ikhtyr and ,nimu'd-,dawlih4 usayn ,khn was a native of ,marghih in dharbyjn1 and had served as ,persian envoy both to ,london and ,paris4 ,in ,london1 in ,june #ahci1 ,lord ,palmerston was at first inclined not to meet him1 but then decided to receive him unofficially4 ,at that time relations between ,britain and rn had reached a low point4 ,captain ,hennell1 the ,british ,political ,agent1 had been forced to withdraw from ,bshihr1 and at the same time a ,british naval force had occupied the island of ,khrg 7,karrack74 ,palmerston thundered at usayn ,khn3 ',had the ,admiral on arriving on board turned his guns upon the town ,bshihr and knocked it about their ears1 in my opinion he would have been justified in so doing'4#d ,when the envoy returned home1 ,muammad ,shh was so displeased that he had him severely bastinadoed4 ,nor had usayn ,khn's mission to ,france1 it would seem1 been any more successful1 although some obscurity surrounds his dealings with the ,french4 ,in ,paris he engaged a number of officers to train the ,persian army1 and there were irregularities in the matter of their travelling expenses4 ,but more serious issues were involved1 which are described by ,sir ,henry ,layard,,bs in the following passage3 ,m4 ,bor1,,bt with all his learning and enlightenment1 was a religious fanatic and profoundly intolerant of heretics4 ,after residing with him for a fortnight1 and having been treated by him with great kindness and hospitality1 ,i found myself compelled1 to my great sorrow1 to leave his house in #ahdj under the following circumstances4 ,the ,embassy which the ,king of the ,french,,bu had sent to the ,shah had not succeeded in obtaining the object of its mission1 and had left ,persia much irritated at its failure1 which was mainly attributed by it and the ,french ,government to ,english intrigues4 ,the truth was1 ,i believe1 that they had been duped by ,hussein ,khan1 who had been sent as ambassador to ,paris4 ,the subject was an unpleasant one for me to discuss1 and ,i avoided it in conversation with my host4 ,one day1 however1 at dinner1 it was raised by ,m4 ,flandin1#e the ,french artist1 who denounced my country and countrymen in very offensive terms1 ,m4 ,bor himself joining in the abuse4 ,they accused the ,english ,government and ,english agents of having had recourse to poison to prevent ,frenchmen from establishing themselves and gaining influence in ,persia1 and of having actually engaged assassins to murder ,m4 ,outray1 when on his way on a diplomatic mission to ,tehran4 ,i denied1 with indignation1 these ridiculous and calumnious charges1 and high words having ensued1 ,i moved from ,m4 ,bor's house to a ruined building occupied by ,mr4 ,burgess4,,bv#f ,footnote ,,bs3 ,see note #i1 ,prologue4 ,footnote ,,bt3 ,m4 ,bor resided in ,julfa1 ,ifahn4 ,he was a layman sent by the ,french ,government to obtain a foothold for the ,french in rn4 ,later he became a ,jesuit priest1 and was the head of a ,jesuit establishment in ,galata when ,layard met him in ,constantinople4 ,it is likely he sent copious notes to his superiors about the ,bb and the ,bbs4 ,footnote ,,bu3 ,louis-,philippe4 ,footnote ,,bv3 ,an ,english merchant in ,tabrz4 ,failure in ,london and tortuosity in ,paris did not commend themselves to ,muammad ,shh2 and so1 for the next few years1 usayn ,khn lived under a cloud4 ,but in #ahde we find him riding high in the province of ,frs4 ,he had been given that governorship because he was reputed to be a man stern in his judgments1 and ,frs needed an iron hand4 ,indeed ,frs had been in a terrifying plight4 ,the people of ,shrz1 high and low alike1 had effectively played cat and mouse with the governors sent from ihrn to rule over them4 ,firaydn ,mrz1 the ,farmn-,farm1 ,muammad ,shh's own brother1 much favoured by j ,mrz qs and much detested by the ,shrzs1 was ousted by a combination of the grandees and the mob4 ,mrz ,nab ,khn-i-,qazvn1 the ,amr-i-,dvn1#g was also forced out1 not once1 but twice4 ,on the second occasion many leading citizens--headed by j ,qavmu'l-,mulk#h and ,muammad-,qul ,khn-i-lbag1 a powerful chieftain of the ,qashq' tribe--went to ihrn1 to demand the reinstatement of ,firaydn ,mrz1 whom they had previously challenged and maligned4 ,muammad ,shh kept them waiting in the capital4 ,mrz ,ri 7,meerza ,reza71 the acting ,british ,agent in ,shrz1 reported on ,august #gth #ahdd to ,captain ,hennell in ,bshihr3 ,on the ,evening of the #aath ,rajab ,july #bhth one of the ,king's ,chapurs couriers arrived at ,shiraz1 bringing two ,royal ,firmans edicts which had been issued at the instance of ,his ,excellency ,colonel ,sheil1 to be published at ,shiraz and ,bushire4444 ,one day the people1 consisting of the principal and respectable ,inhabitants and ,merchants1 were assembled in the ,mosque1 in order to hear the ,firman from the ,pulpit1 when the turbulent and evil sic disposed tumultuously rushed in to prevent its being read1 because addressed to the ,ameer ,amr1 the ,governor2 ,these were of the followers of the ,hajee ,kuwaum j ,qavm4 ,the ,ameer then gave the ,shiraz ,firman into the hands of ,resheed ,khan1 ,surteep ,rashd ,khn-i-,sartp1 who took it to the ,new ,mosque in the ,naamutee ,nimat-,khnih ,quarter1#i where it was published from the ,reading ,desks to the assembled ,moollahs1 respectable ,inhabitants1 and ,merchants4 ,on the following day when the ,ameer directed that the ,firman should be read in the ,dewan ,khaneh ,dvn-,khnih--the ,court1 the rioters fully armed again rushed in impetuously4 ,syed ,hussein ,khan and ,resheed ,khan then assembled their followers and topchees tpch3 gunner1 and complaining bitterly1 requested permission to meet them 444 nor was it without difficulty and much persuasion that the ,ameer could induce them to desist pending instructions from the ,capital4 ,the several ,quarters of ,shiraz are for the most part at feud--,thieving and disturbance are on the increase--,the ,ameer has not been dismissed nor has a new ,governor been appointed4#aj ,and matters went from bad to worse4 ,mrz ,ri's report to his chief1 the following ,november #bdth1 was one long catalogue of woes1 not totally devoid of amusing points3 ,last ,friday1 from the ten ,quarters of ,hyedree aydar and ,naamutte ,nimat a ,mob and ,crowd was again collected in the open plain1 which has ever been the scene of their conflicts1 for the purpose of fighting4 ,from ,midday to ,sunset they fought with slings and stones1 sticks and arms4444 ,as ,meerza ,mahomed ,ali1 the secretary of ,hajee ,kuwam j ,qavm1 a fine intelligent youth1 was leaving his dwelling about midday upon some business1 a drunken lootee1,,bw without reason or previous quarrel1 plunged a dagger into his right side 444 two cousins1 both young1 in a state of ,drunkenness1 were disputing regarding a woman1 no person not even the woman being present1 when one struck a dagger into the thigh of the other1 who expired two days after 444 some men of the ,fehlee,,bx ,tribe were sitting together one night1 talking over occurrences of former years1 when 444 an excellent horseman1 was shot in the side with a pistol1 and immediately yielded his life4#aa ,footnote ,,bw3 ',l'3 mobster1 bravo4 ,footnote ,,bx3 ,fayl3 a clan of the ,qashq's4 ,qubd ,khn1 a nephew of the lkhn 7the supreme head of the ,qashq' tribe71 who governed ,frzbd in the heart of the ,qashq' terrain1 had1 for a financial consideration1 put armed men at the disposal of some headmen of the village of ,maymand to settle a vendetta--and so the story trails on4 ,towards the end of the year #ahdd usayn ,khn was given the governorship of ,frs1 but as late as ,december #bast and ,december #bdth ,mrz ,ri was still pouring out tales of woe to ,captain ,hennell in ,bshihr4 ,matters had reached such a pitch1 he said1 that people were stripped naked in plain daylight in public thoroughfares1 and if anyone offered resistance he was repeatedly stabbed2 at night so many matchlocks were fired at random that no sleep was possible1 and in any case people had to keep awake to guard their homes4 ,the unpleasant yet humorous experience of a physician clearly shows the breakdown of law in ,shrz at that time3 444 some of the ,alwat,,by brought a horse to the door of a ,physician's ,dispensary1 whose equipment and clothes were of the best1 saying1 ',we have an invalid who is very ill1 take the trouble to come to him and we will attend you4' ,the ,poor ,physician starts for the sickman's sic dwelling1 and they take him through two or three streets when they desire him to be so good as to dismount from the horse2 he does so1 and they strip him from head to foot and go their way4#ab ,footnote ,,by3 ',alv'3 plural of ',l'4 ,during that period of anarchy the ,bb was on pilgrimage and absent from ,shrz4 usayn ,khn arrived at his post in the early part of #ahde1 when the ,bb was about halfway back to ,his native land4 ,the new ,governor set about with all dispatch to give the ,shrzs a lesson which he was certain they would take to heart4 ,there were mutilations and executions until order was finally restored4 ,but in little more than three years when ,muammad ,shh died1 ,shrzs1 headed once again by the astute j ,qavmu'l-,mulk and the headstrong ,muammad-,qul ,khn 7the lbag,,bz of the ,qashq's71 rebelled and forced the dismissal of usayn ,khn4 ,footnote ,,bz3 ,the chieftain next in rank to the lkhn4 ,the central government made these appointments4 99 99 99 99 99 usayn ,khn was the first official in ,persia to raise his hand against the ,bb and ,his people4 ,having meted out cruel punishments to ,qudds and the other two ,bbs1 and having acquainted himself with the identity of the ,bb and ascertained that ,he had arrived at ,bshihr1 usayn ,khn commissioned a body of horsemen to go to that port1 arrest the ,bb and bring ,him to ,shrz4 ,in the meantime the ,bb had completed ,his arrangements to return to the city of ,his birth4 ,at ,dlak1 some forty miles to the north-east of ,bshihr1 where the coastal plain ends and the plateau begins to rise1 usayn ,khn's horsemen encountered the ,bb4 ,he was the first to notice them and sent ,his ,ethiopian servant to call them to ,him4 ,they were reluctant to approach ,him1 but ,aln ,khn1 a man senior in their ranks1 accepted the invitation4 ,however1 to the ,bb's query regarding the purpose of their mission they evasively replied that the ,governor had sent them to make some investigation in that neighbourhood4 ,but the ,bb said to them3 ,the governor has sent you to arrest ,me4 ,here am ,i2 do with ,me as you please4 ,by coming out to meet you1 ,i have curtailed the length of your march1 and have made it easier for you to find ,me4#ac ,,chapter #g ,,belief ,,and ,,denial ,know then thyself1 presume not ,god to scan2 ,the proper study of ,mankind is ,man4 ,plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state1 ,a being darkly wise1 and rudely great3 99 99 99 ,created half to rise1 and half to fall2 ,great lord of all things1 yet a prey to all2 ,sole judge of ,truth1 in endless ,error hurl'd3 ,the glory1 jest and riddle of the world6 --,alexander ,pope ,the ,bb was now a captive1 and a captive1 apart from a few short months1 ,he remained to the very end4 ,the escort1 which should have arrested ,him and taken ,him in chains to the city of ,his birth1 was subdued and reverent4 ,he rode to ,shrz almost in triumph4 ,it would have been feasible to avoid usayn ,khn's horsemen and seek a safe retreat2 but ,he ,himself chose to reveal ,himself to ,his would-be captors4 ,even more1 ,he said to their spokesman who was enthralled by ,his unrivalled act1 and was entreating ,him to take the road to safety1 to go to ,mashhad and find refuge in the shrine of the eighth ,imm3 ,may the ,lord your ,god requite you for your magnanimity and noble intention4 ,no one knows the mystery of ,my ,cause2 no one can fathom its secrets4 ,never will ,i turn ,my face away from the decree of ,god4 ,he alone is ,my sure ,stronghold1 ,my ,stay and ,my ,refuge4 ,until ,my last hour is at hand1 none dare assail ,me1 none can frustrate the plan of the ,almighty4 ,and when ,my hour is come1 how great will be ,my joy to quaff the cup of martyrdom in ,his name6 ,here am ,i2 deliver ,me into the hands of your master4 ,be not afraid1 for no one will blame you4#a ,when the identity of the ,bb became known some members of ,his family felt concern1 even alarm1 lest great harm might come to ,him1 and they themselves suffer in the process4 ,only one uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,ali1 ,his former guardian1 who had reared ,him and established ,him in the world of commerce1 believed in ,his ,divine ,mission4 ,so did ,his wife4 ,but the rest1 even ,his mother1 were sceptical and one or two were definitely antagonistic4 ,when ,muammad1 the ,arabian ,prophet1 refused to bend to the dictates of ,his tribe1 the elders of ,quraysh went to ,his aged uncle1 ,ab-lib1 in whose home ,he had grown to manhood1 and demanded that ,muammad be put under restraint4 ,ab-lib urged his ,nephew to be moderate1 but finding ,muammad determined to pursue ,his course1 assured ,him that his protection would never waver4 ,the elders of ,quraysh then decided on a stratagem to erode the support that ,muammad received from ,his clan--the ,ban-,hshim4 ,a boycott was ordered1 but the descendants of ,hshim1 with the solitary exception of ,ab-,lahab1,,ca one of the several uncles of the ,prophet1 moved to a section at the edge of the town and lived for three years in a state of siege1 in defence of ,muammad1 although most of them still worshipped their old idols4 ,footnote ,,ca3 ,such was the verdict of the ,qur'n 7cxi7 on ,ab-,lahab3 ,perish the hands of ,ab ,lahab1 and perish he6 ,his wealth avails him not1 neither what he has earned2 he shall roast at a flaming fire and his wife1 the carrier of the firewood1 upon her neck a rope of palm-fibre4#b ,the relatives of the ,bb did as ,muammad's relatives before them4 ,whatever doubts they may have had1 they stood by ,him4 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad1 another maternal uncle of the ,bb1 did not come to believe in his ,nephew as the ,q'im of the ,house of ,muammad until more than a decade later1 when he presented his questions and his doubts to ,bah'u'llh and received in answer the ,kitb-i-qn--,the ,book of ,certitude4 ,yet1 such were the magnetic powers of the ,bb that when ,he reached ,bshihr and was welcomed by this uncle1 the latter wrote in these terms to his family in ,shrz3 ,it has gladdened our hearts that ,his ,honour the j the ,bb has arrived safely and is in good health4 ,i am at ,his service and honoured to be in ,his company4 ,it is deemed advisable that ,he should stay here for a while4 ,god willing1 ,he will1 before long1 honour those parts with ,his presence1 be assured4444 ,his blessed ,person is our glory4 ,be certain of ,his ,cause and do not let people's idle talk cause doubts to creep into your hearts4 ,and have no fear whatsoever4 ,the ,lord of the world is ,his ,protector and gives ,him victory4444 ,at the end of his letter j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad sent a message1 on behalf of his wife1 to the mother of the wife of the ,bb3 ',you have a son-in-law who is peerless in the world4 ,all the peoples of the world ought to obey ,him4'#c ,and in a letter written shortly after1 to j ,mrz ,muammad-,ali1 one of his sons1 the same j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad quoted the ,bb as saying3 ,my proof is ,my ,book--let him who can1 produce the like of these verses4 ,similarly1 ,muammad had said in the ,qur'n3#d ,say3 ',bring a ,book from ,god that gives better guidance than these1 and follow it1 if you speak truly4' ,then if they do not answer thee1 know that they are only following their caprices2 and who is further astray than he who follows his caprice without guidance from ,god8 ,surely ,god guides not the people of the evildoers4 --xxviii1 #di-ej4 ,those are the signs of ,god that ,we recite to thee in truth2 in what manner of discourse then1 after ,god and ,his signs1 will they believe8 --xlv1 #e4 ,the ,bb's entry into ,shrz was truly majestic4 ,it bore no resemblance to the condition envisaged by the ,governor4 ,he had ordered the ,bb to be brought to ,shrz in chains4 ,instead1 there was the ,bb riding1 calm and serene1 at the head of the horsemen4 ,they went straight to the citadel where the ,governor resided4 usayn ,khn received the ,bb with overbearing insolence3 ',do you realise what a great mischief you have kindled8 ,are you aware what a disgrace you have become to the holy ,faith of ,islm and to the august person of our sovereign8 ,are you not the man who claims to be the author of a new revelation which annuls the sacred precepts of the ,qur'n8'#e ,the ,bb spoke in reply these words from the ,qur'n3#f ,o believers1 if an ungodly man comes to you with a tiding1 make clear1,,cb lest you afflict a people unwittingly1 and then repent of what you have done4 --xlix1 #f4 ,footnote ,,cb3 ,rodwell translates this as 'clear it up at once4444' usayn ,khn was beside himself with rage1 and ordered an attendant to strike the ,bb's face4 ,his turban fell off but was replaced gently by ,shaykh ,ab-,turb1 the ,imm-,jumih1 who treated the ,bb with respect and consideration4 ,on the other hand1 ,shaykh usayn-i-,arab1 the ,tyrant1 who was also present1 following the example set by the arrogant ,governor of ,frs1 assailed the ,bb vehemently both with hand and tongue4 ,in the meantime news had reached the mother of the ,bb of this shameless behaviour towards her ,son4 ,moved by her pleadings1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al hurried to the citadel to demand the release of his ,nephew4 usayn ,khn agreed to let the ,bb go to ,his home1 if ,his uncle would promise that apart from the members of ,his family no one else would be allowed to meet ,him4 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,ali protested that he himself was a well-known merchant of the city1 with many connections and a host of friends and acquaintances1 all of whom would wish to visit his ,nephew1 who had just returned from pilgrimage to the holy cities of ,mecca and ,medina4 usayn ,khn1 realizing that an immediate ban was not possible1 set a time limit of three days1 after which the ,bb should be kept incommunicado4 ,the months during which the ,bb lived under surveillance in ,his native town saw the birth of the ,bb community4 ,hitherto ,his identity had remained unrevealed1 and only individuals1 here and there and unrelated to one another1 were ,bbs4 ,apart from the first few months of ,his ,ministry1 when the body of the ,letters of the ,living was gradually forming1 the ,bb had not had a group of disciples around ,him4 ,even then1 because of the condition which the ,bb had laid down for the attainment of those who were to be the first believers1,,cc cohesion as one firmly-knit body was not feasible4 ,and as soon as the requisite number was enrolled1 the ,bb sent them out into the world to spread the glad tidings of the ,new ,day4 ,but1 once again in ,shrz1 despite the oppressive measures of usayn ,khn1 an appreciable number of ,bbs came into the presence of the ,bb1 consorted with ,him and received instruction and ,tablets from ,him4 ,viewed in this light1 this ,shrz episode would seem the most fecund period in the short ,ministry of the ,bb4 ,footnote ,,cc3 ,they were to find ,him 'independently and of their own accord'4 j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil'1 who1 as we have seen1 had known the ,bb from ,his childhood1 now hurried to ,shrz2 and soon after came a man destined to achieve high fame in the ranks of the ',dawn-,breakers'4 ,he was ,siyyid ,yay of ,drb1 the son of the same greatly-revered ,siyyid ,jafari-,kashf1 whom we noted before as a fellow-pilgrim of the ,bb4 ,siyyid ,yay was a divine of great erudition1 and he thought that he could easily overcome the ,bb in argument4 ,as he lived in ihrn1 close to royal circles1 ,muammad ,shh asked ,siyyid ,yay to go to ,shrz and investigate the claim of the ,bb4 ,in ,shrz he was the guest of the ,governor4 j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil' arranged a meeting between the ,bb and ,siyyid ,yay in the house of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,ali4 ,at that first encounter ,siyyid ,yay1 proud of his vast knowledge1 brought out one abstruse point after another from the ,qur'n1 from ,traditions1 from learned works4 ,to all of them the ,bb listened calmly1 and gave answers concise and convincing4 ,siyyid ,yay was subdued1 but still he searched for a test which would relieve him from the necessity of giving his allegiance to the ,bb4 ,he told j ,siyyid ,javd-i-,karbil' that if only the ,bb would show forth a miracle1 his lingering doubts would vanish1 to which j ,siyyid ,javd replied that to demand the performance of a miracle1 when faced with the brilliance of the ,sun of ,truth1 was tantamount to seeking light from a flickering candle4 ,siyyid ,yay has himself related3 ,i resolved that in my third interview with the ,bb ,i would in my inmost heart request ,him to reveal for me a commentary on the ,srih of ,kawthar4,,cd ,i determined not to breathe that request in ,his presence4 ,should ,he1 unasked by me1 reveal this commentary in a manner that would immediately distinguish it in my eyes from the prevailing standards current among the commentators on the ,qur'n1 ,i then would be convinced of the ,divine character of ,his ,mission1 and would readily embrace ,his ,cause4 ,if not1 ,i would refuse to acknowledge ,him4 ,as soon as ,i was ushered into ,his presence1 a sense of fear1 for which ,i could not account1 suddenly seized me4 ,my limbs quivered as ,i beheld ,his face4 ,i1 who on repeated occasions had been introduced into the presence of the ,shh and had never discovered the slightest trace of timidity in myself1 was now so awed and shaken that ,i could not remain standing on my feet4 ,the ,bb1 beholding my plight1 arose from ,his seat1 advanced towards me1 and1 taking hold of my hand1 seated me beside ,him4 ',seek from ,me1' ,he said1 'whatever is your heart's desire4 ,i will readily reveal it to you4' ,i was speechless with wonder4 ,like a babe that can neither understand nor speak1 ,i felt powerless to respond4 ,he smiled as ,he gazed at me and said3 ',were ,i to reveal for you the commentary on the ,srih of ,kawthar1 would you acknowledge that ,my words are born of the ,spirit of ,god8 ,would you recognise that ,my utterance can in no wise be associated with sorcery or magic8' ,tears flowed from my eyes as ,i heard ,him speak these words4 ,all ,i was able to utter was this verse of the ,qur'n3 ',o our ,lord1 with ourselves have we dealt unjustly3 if ,thou forgive us not and have not pity on us1 we shall surely be of those who perish4' ,it was still early in the afternoon when the ,bb requested j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al to bring ,his pen-case and some paper4 ,he then started to reveal ,his commentary on the ,srih of ,kawthar4 ,how am ,i to describe this scene of inexpressible majesty8 ,verses streamed from ,his pen with a rapidity that was truly astounding4 ,the incredible swiftness of ,his writing1 the soft and gentle murmur of ,his voice1 and the stupendous force of ,his style1 amazed and bewildered me4 ,he continued in this manner until the approach of sunset4 ,he did not pause until the entire commentary of the ,srih was completed4 ,he then laid down ,his pen and asked for tea4 ,soon after1 ,he began to read it aloud in my presence4 ,my heart leaped madly as ,i heard ,him pour out1 in accents of unutterable sweetness1 those treasures enshrined in that sublime commentary4 ,i was so entranced by its beauty that three times over ,i was on the verge of fainting4 ,he sought to revive my failing strength with a few drops of rose-water which ,he caused to be sprinkled on my face4 ,this restored my vigour and enabled me to follow ,his reading to the end4#g ,footnote ,,cd3 ,qur'n1 cviii4 ,kawthar is said to be a river in ,paradise4 ,the ,bb's conquest of ,siyyid ,yay was total4 ,that night and the two following nights1 as instructed by the ,bb1 ,siyyid ,yay remained a guest in the house of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 until he himself and ,mull ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn1 the scribe1 7later known as ,mrz ,amad-i-,ktib71 completed the transcription of the ,bb's commentary4 ,siyyid ,yay has stated3 ,we verified all the traditions in the text and found them to be entirely accurate4 ,such was the state of certitude to which ,i had attained that if all the powers of the earth were to be leagued against me they would be powerless to shake my confidence in the greatness of ,his ,cause4#h ,siyyid ,yay had stayed away for such a long time from the ,governor's residence that usayn ,khn's suspicions were aroused4 ,to his impatient queries1 ,siyyid ,yay replied3 ,no one but ,god1 who alone can change the hearts of men1 is able to captivate the heart of ,siyyid ,yay4 ,whoso can ensnare his heart is of ,god1 and ,his word unquestionably the voice of ,truth4#i usayn ,khn was nonplussed and1 for the moment1 could only hold his peace2 but he wrote bitterly to ,muammad ,shh to denounce ,siyyid ,yay4 ,nabl-i-,aam states that ,muammad ,shh reprimanded his ,governor1 replying3 ,it is strictly forbidden to any one of our subjects to utter such words as would tend to detract from the exalted rank of ,siyyid ,yayy-i-,drb4 ,he is of noble lineage1 a man of great learning1 of perfect and consummate virtue4 ,he will under no circumstances incline his ear to any cause unless he believes it to be conducive to the advancement of the best interests of our realm and to the well-being of the ,faith of ,islm4#aj ,nabl has also recorded that ,muammad ,shh 444 was reported to have addressed these words to j ,mrz qs3 ',we have been lately informed that ,siyyid ,yayy-i-,drb has become a ,bb4 ,if this be true1 it behoves us to cease belittling the cause of that siyyid4'#aj ,abdu'l-,bah has stated that ,siyyid ,yay wrote without fear or care a detailed account of his observations to ,mrz ,luf-,al1 the chamberlain in order that the latter might submit it to the notice of the late king1 while he himself journeyed to all parts of ,persia1 and in every town and station summoned the people from the pulpit-tops in such wise that other learned doctors decided that he must be mad1 accounting it a sure case of bewitchment4#aa ,at the bidding of the ,bb1 ,siyyid ,yay went first to ,burjird in the province of ,luristn1 where his father lived1 to give that much-revered divine the tidings of the ,new ,day4 ,the ,bb expressly told him to treat his father with great gentleness4 ,siyyid ,jafar-i-,kashf,,ce did not wholly turn away from the ,faith which his illustrious son was fervently professing and advocating1 but showed no desire to identify himself with it4 ,siyyid ,yay1 as commanded by the ,bb1 did not burden his father more and went his own way which he had gladly chosen--the way that was to lead him to martyrdom4 ,siyyid ,yay is known as ,vad--the ,unique ,one--a designation given to him by the ,bb4,,cf ,footnote ,,ce3 ',the ,discloser'3 he was called ',kashf' because of the powers of divination attributed to him4 ,footnote ,,cf3 ,a letter has survived in the handwriting of ,vad1 addressed to j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad1 the uncle of the ,bb4 ,therein ,vad presents proof to convince him of the truth of the claim of his ,nephew4 ,see ,plate facing p4 #ha for an example of ,vad's handwriting4 ,the divines of ,shrz were insistent that the ,bb should attend a ,friday gathering in one of the mosques and clarify his position4 ,what they really demanded was the complete renunciation of any claim4 ,this attendance in a mosque on a ,friday did take place1 but the date of it is not known4 ,nabl-i-,aam thus describes the summoning of the ,bb to the ,mosque of ,vakl3#ab ,the ,bb1 accompanied by j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 arrived at the ,masjid at a time when the ,imm-,jumih had just ascended the pulpit and was preparing to deliver his sermon4 ,as soon as his eyes fell upon the ,bb1 he publicly welcomed ,him1 requested ,him to ascend the pulpit1 and called upon ,him to address the congregation4 ,the ,bb1 responding to his invitation1 advanced towards him and1 standing on the first step of the staircase1 prepared to address the people4 ',come up higher1' interjected the ,imm-,jumih4 ,complying with his wish1 the ,bb ascended two more steps4 ,as ,he was standing1 ,his head hid the breast of ,shaykh ,ab-,turb1 who was occupying the pulpit-top4 ,he began by prefacing ,his public declaration with an introductory discourse4 ,no sooner had ,he uttered the opening words of ',praise be to ,god1 who hath in truth created the heavens and the earth1' than a certain siyyid known as ,siyyid-i-,shish-,par1 whose function was to carry the mace before the ,imm-,jumih1 insolently shouted3 ',enough of this idle chatter6 ,declare1 now and immediately1 the thing you intend to say4' ,the ,imm-,jumih greatly resented the rudeness of the siyyid's remark4 ',hold your peace1' he rebuked him1 'and be ashamed of your impertinence4' ,he then1 turning to the ,bb1 asked ,him to be brief1 as this1 he said1 would allay the excitement of the people4 ,the ,bb1 as ,he faced the congregation1 declared3 ',the condemnation of ,god be upon him who regards me either as a representative of the ,imm or the gate thereof4 ,the condemnation of ,god be also upon whosoever imputes to me the charge of having denied the unity of ,god1 of having repudiated the prophethood of ,muammad1 the ,seal of the ,prophets1 of having rejected the truth of any of the messengers of old1 or of having refused to recognise the guardianship of ,al1 the ,commander of the ,faithful1 or of any of the imms who have succeeded him4' ,he then ascended to the top of the staircase1 embraced the ,imm-,jumih1 and1 descending to the floor of the ,masjid1 joined the congregation for the observance of the ,friday prayer4 ,the ,imm-,jumih intervened and requested ,him to retire4 ',your family1' he said1 'is anxiously awaiting your return4 ,all are apprehensive lest any harm befall you4 ,repair to your house and there offer your prayer2 of greater merit shall this deed be in the sight of ,god4' j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al also was1 at the request of the ,imm-,jumih1 asked to accompany his nephew to his home4 ,this precautionary measure which ,shaykh ,ab-,turb thought it wise to observe was actuated by the fear lest1 after the dispersion of the congregation1 a few of the evil-minded among the crowd might still attempt to injure the person of the ,bb or endanger ,his life4 ,but for the sagacity1 the sympathy1 and the careful attention which the ,imm-,jumih so strikingly displayed on a number of such occasions1 the infuriated mob would doubtless have been led to gratify its savage desire1 and would have committed the most abominable of excesses4 ,he seemed to have been the instrument of the invisible ,hand appointed to protect both the person and the ,mission of that ,youth4#ac ,regarding that gathering in the ,mosque of ,vakl1 ,abdu'l-,bah has written3 ,one day they summoned him to the mosque urging and constraining him to recant1 but he discoursed from the pulpit in such wise as to silence and subdue those present and to stablish and strengthen his followers4 ,it was then supposed that he claimed to be the medium of grace from ,his ,highness the ,lord of the ,age,,cg 7upon him be peace72 but afterwards it became known and evident that his meaning was the ,gate-hood ,bbiyyat of another city and the mediumship of the graces of another person whose qualities and attributes were contained in his books and treatises4#ad ,footnote ,,cg3 aibu'z-,zamn1 i4e41 the ,q'im1 the ,mihd 7,mahd74 j ,mrz abbu'llh-i-,afnn has this record in his chronicle3 ',the late j ,mrz ,muammad-,sdiq-i-,muallim ,teacher1 who was a man of good repute1 was relating the story of that day for the late ,andalb4#ae ,my brother1 j ,mrz ,buzurg1 and ,i were present4 ,this is the summary of what he said3 ,i was about twenty-five years old and able to judge an issue4 ,it was noised abroad that the ,governor1 by the request of the divines1 had ordered that the people of ,shrz1 of all classes1 should gather in the ,masjid-i-,vakl1 as the ,siyyid-i-,bb was going to renounce ,his claim4 ,i too went to the mosque to find a place near the pulpit so that ,i might hear well all that ,he had to say4 ,from the morning onwards1 people1 group by group1 thronged the mosque4 ,three hours before sunset there was such a press of people in the mosque that the cloisters and the courtyard and the roofs1 even the minarets1 were fully crowded4 ,the ,governor1 the divines1 the merchants and the notables were sitting in the cloisters1 near the stone pulpit4 7,this is a pulpit carved out of one piece of marble4 ,it has fourteen steps47 ,i was also sitting near it4 ,voices were heard in the courtyard1 saying3 ',he is coming4' ,he came through the gate1 accompanied by ten footmen and ,abdu'l-amd ,khn-i-,drghih chief of police1 and approached the pulpit4 ,he had ,his turban on and an ab on ,his shoulders4 ,he displayed such power and dignity and ,his bearing was so sublime that ,i cannot describe it adequately4 ,that vast gathering seemed as naught to ,him4 ,he paid no heed to that assemblage of the people4 ,he addressed usayn ,khn and the divines3 ',what is your intention in asking ,me to come here8' ,they answered3 ',the intention is that you should ascend this pulpit and repudiate your false claim so that this commotion and unrest will subside4' ,he said nothing and went up to the third step of the pulpit4 ,shaykh usayn1 the ,tyrant1 said with utmost vehemence3 ',go to the top of the pulpit so that all may see and hear you4' ,the ,bb ascended the pulpit and sat down at the top4 ,all of a sudden1 silence fell upon that assemblage4 ,it seemed as if there was not a soul in the mosque4 ,the whole concourse of people strained their ears4 ,he began to recite at the start a homily in ,arabic on ,divine ,unity4 ,it was delivered with utmost eloquence1 with majesty and power4 ,it lasted about half an hour1 and the concourse of people1 high and low1 learned and illiterate alike1 listened attentively and were fascinated4 ,the people's silence infuriated ,shaykh usayn1 who turned to the ,governor and said3 ',did you bring this ,siyyid here1 into the presence of all these people1 to prove ,his ,cause1 or did you bring ,him to recant and renounce ,his false claim8 ,he will soon with these words win over all these people to ,his side4 ,tell ,him to say what ,he has to say4 ,what are all these idle tales8' usayn ,khn1 the ib-,ikhtiyr1 told the ,bb3 ',o ,siyyid6 say what you have been told to say4 ,what is this idle chatter8' ,the ,bb was silent for a moment and then ,he addressed the crowd3 ',o people6 ,know this well that ,i speak what ,my ,grandfather1 the ,messenger of ,god1 spoke twelve hundred and sixty years ago1 and ,i do not speak what ,my ,grandfather did not4 ,what ,muammad made lawful remains lawful unto the ,day of ,resurrection and what ,he forbade remains forbidden unto the ,day of ,resurrection1,,ch and according to the ,tradition that has come down from the ,imms1 ,whenever the ,q'im arises that will be the ,day of ,resurrection4' ,the ,bb1 having spoken those words1 descended from the pulpit4 ,some of the people1 who had been inimical and hostile1 that day foreswore their antagonism4 ,but when the ,bb came face to face with ,shaykh usayn1 that enemy raised his walking-stick to strike ,him4 ,the late ,mrz ,abu'l-asan ,khn1 the ,mushru'l-,mulk1,,ci who was then a young man1 brought forward his shoulder to ward off the attack1 and it was his shoulder that was hit4 ,footnote ,,ch3 ,the ,bb was quoting a ,muslim ,tradition4 ,footnote ,,ci3 ,he and his father1 ,mrz ,muammad-,al1 the first ,mushru'l-,mulk1 were the ,viziers of ,frs1 in succession1 over a period of forty years4 ',that j j ,mrz ,muammad-diq1 who was not a believer but a well-wisher1 related this story to the late ,andalb4 ,his meaning was that the ,bb1 on that occasion1 affirmed ,his ,cause and completed ,his proof before the concourse of people4' j ,mrz ,habbu'llh goes on to say3 ',then the divines came together and passed a sentence of death on the ,bb4 ,they wrote out their verdict and affixed their seals to it4 ,the instigator of this move and the source of all mischief was ,shaykh usayn1 the ,tyrant1 who held the title of ,nim'ush-,sharyih4 ,their numbers included ,shaykh ,ab-,hshim1 ,shaykh ,asadu'llh1 ,shaykh ,mihdy-i-,kujr and ,mull ,muammad-,aly-i-,maallt4 ,next they took what they had written and sealed to the late ,shaykh ,ab-,turb1 the ,imm-,jumih1 because he had refused to heed their pleas and had declined to attend their meeting4 ,now they presented their paper to the ,imm-,jumih and asked him to put his seal on it that we may finish off this ,siyyid4 ,shaykh ,ab-,turb1 on perusing the verdict1 became very angry1 threw that piece of paper on the ground and said1 ,have you gone out of your minds8 ,i will never put my seal on this paper1 because ,i have no doubts about the lineage1 integrity1 piety1 nobility and honesty of this ,siyyid4 ,i see that this young ,man is possessed of all the virtues of ,islm and humanity and of all the faculties of intellect4 ,there can be only two sides to this question3 ,he either speaks the truth1 or ,he is1 as you allege1 a liar4 ,if ,he be truthful ,i cannot endorse such a verdict on a man of truth1 and if ,he be a liar1 as you aver1 tell me which one of us present here is so strictly truthful as to sit in judgment upon this ,siyyid4 ,away with you and your false imaginings1 away1 away6 ,no matter how hard they tried and how much they insisted1 the late ,shaykh ,ab-,turb did not grant them their wish2 and because he declined to put his seal on their paper1 their plan was brought to naught and they did not succeed in achieving their objective4' ,according to ,nicolas1 ,muammad ,shh asked ,siyyid ,yayy-i-,drb to go to ,shrz and investigate the ,cause of the ,bb1 when the account of the gathering in the ,mosque of ,vakl was presented to him4#af ,abdu'l-,bah tells us that when the news of the journeys of ,siyyid ,yayy-i-,drb and the anger provoked by them reached ,zanjn1 ,mull ,muammad ,al the divine1 who was a man of mark possessed of penetrating speech1 sent one of those on whom he could rely to ,shrz to investigate this matter4 ,this person1 having acquainted himself with the details of these occurrences in such wise as was necessary and proper1 returned with some of the ,bb's writings4 ,when the divine heard how matters were and had made himself acquainted with the writings1 notwithstanding that he was a man expert in knowledge and noted for profound research1 he went mad and became crazed as was predestined3 he gathered up his books in the lecture-room saying1 ',the season of spring and wine has arrived1' and uttered this sentence3-',search for knowledge after reaching the known is culpable4' ,then from the summit of the pulpit he summoned and directed all his disciples to embrace the doctrine1 and wrote to the ,bb his own declaration and confession4444 ,although the doctors of ,zanjn arose with heart and soul to exhort and admonish the people they could effect nothing4 ,finally they were compelled to go to ,tehern and made their complaint before the late king ,muammad ,shh1 requesting that ,mull ,muammad ,al be summoned to ,tehern4 ,now when he came to ,tehern they brought him before a conclave of the doctors 444 after many controversies and disputations nought was effected with him in that assembly4 ,the late king therefore bestowed on him a staff and fifty tmns for his expenses1 and gave him permission to return4#ag ,the confidant whom ,mull ,muammad-,al of ,zanjn1 better known as ujjat 7the ,proof71,,cj sent to ,shrz to investigate the ,cause of the ,bb was named ,mull ,iskandar4 ,nabl-i-,aam describes his return3 ,he arrived at a time when all the leading ulams of the city had assembled in the presence of ujjat4 ,as soon as he appeared1 ujjat enquired whether he believed in1 or rejected1 the new ,revelation4 ,mull ,iskandar submitted the writings of the ,bb 444 and asserted that whatever should be the verdict of his master1 the same would he deem it his obligation to follow4 ',what6' angrily exclaimed ujjat4 ',but for the presence of this distinguished company1 ,i would have chastised you severely4 ,how dare you consider matters of belief to be dependent upon the approbation or rejection of others8' ,receiving from the hand of his messenger the copy of the ,qayymu'l-,asm'1 he1 as soon as he had perused a page of that book1 fell prostrate upon the ground and exclaimed3 ',i bear witness that these words which ,i have read proceed from the same ,source as that of the ,qur'n4 ,whoso has recognised the truth of that sacred ,book must needs testify to the ,divine origin of these words1 and must needs submit to the precepts inculcated by their ,author4 ,i take you1 members of this assembly1 as my witnesses3 ,i pledge such allegiance to the ,author of this ,revelation that should ,he ever pronounce the night to be the day1 and declare the sun to be a shadow1 ,i would unreservedly submit to ,his judgment1 and would regard ,his verdict as the voice of ,truth4'#ah ,footnote ,,cj3 ,he was called ujjatu'l-,islm 7,the ,proof of ,islm71 an appellation given to highly-placed and well-recognized divines4 ,the ,bb gave him the designation3 ujjat-i-,zanjn4 ,mull ,muammad-,al of ,zanjn1 who1 like ,siyyid ,yay of ,drb1 was destined to become a brilliant star in the ,bb firmament1 was a practitioner of the ,akhbr school1#ai and that had placed him oftentimes at odds with other divines of his rank and station4 ,beyond that variance ,mull ,muammad-,al was always very forceful and emphatic in the expression of his views4 ,that forthrightness1 sustained by his vast knowledge and lucid speech1 had led to serious disputations with his peers4 ,time and again the mediation of no less a person than the monarch himself had saved the situation from deterioration into violence4 ,he had once before been summoned to ihrn1 where1 in the presence of ,muammad ,shh1 he had worsted his opponents4 ,as the common parlance has it1 he was not a man to mince his words4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there were a number of ,bbs in ,karbil eagerly awaiting the arrival of the ,bb4 ,the news that the ,bb had changed ,his route shook the faith of a few of them4 ,as instructed by the ,bb ,himself1 these ,bbs left ,karbil for ,ifahn4 ,at ,kangvar1 situated between ,kirmnshh and ,hamadn1 they encountered ,mull usayn1 the ,bbu'l-,bb1 and his brother and nephew1 whose destination was ,karbil4 ,but1 hearing what had happened1 ,mull usayn decided to accompany them to ,ifahn4 ,there he received the news from ,shrz that the ,bb was under constraint4 ,he determined to continue on to ,shrz1 accompanied1 as before1 by his brother and nephew4 ,he took off his turban and clerical robes and put on the accoutrements of a horseman of the ,hizrih tribe in ,khursn4 ,thus he entered the gate of ,shrz and reached the house of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 ,some days later ,mrz ,muammad-,aly-i-,nahr with his brother ,mrz ,hd1 and ,mull ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn arrived at ,shrz1 and with them were ,mull ,abdu'l-,aly-i-,hirt and ,mull ,javd-i-,baraghn1 who were fickle and deeply jealous of ,mull usayn4 ,in spite of ,mull usayn's disguise1 the enemies of the ,bb soon recognized him1 and the cry went up denouncing his presence in ,shrz4 ,then the ,bb directed ,mull usayn to ,yazd1 whence he was to proceed to ,khursn4 ,others ,he also told to leave2 only ,mull ,abdu'l-,karm remained to be ,his scribe4 ,those who had professed the ,faith of the ,bb to gain their own ends1 such as ,mull ,abdu'l-,aly-i-,hirt1 went to ,kirmn and attached themselves to j ,muammad-,karm ,khn-i-,kirmn1 who1 by this date1 had assumed the leadership of the ,shaykh community4 ,a number of other ,bbs1 as previously mentioned1 also repaired to ,shrz and attained the presence of the ,bb4 ,one of them was ,mull ,shaykh ,al of ,khursn1 whom the ,bb designated as ,am,,ck 7,great74 ,he was still in ,shrz when ,siyyid ,yayy-i-,drb came to make his investigation4 ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz was another4 ,moreover1 ,shrz itself had by this time a group of native ,bbs4 j ,abu'l-asan1 the ,bb's fellow-pilgrim1 was one2 another was a nephew of ,shaykh ,ab-,turb1 the ,imm-,jumih1 a youth named ,shaykh-,al ,mrz2 yet another1 j ,muammad-,bist1 a close friend of the same ,imm-,jumih2 and to name a few more3 ,mrz-qy-i-,rikb-,sz 7,stirrup-maker71 destined to fall a martyr1 one of the very few who quaffed the cup of martyrdom in ,shrz itself2 ,luf-,al ,mrz1 a descendant of the ,afshr kings 7#agcf-ie71 whom we shall meet in a subsequent chapter2 q ,muammad-,karm1 a merchant1 who was eventually compelled by continued persecution to abandon his native city2 ,mrz ,ram1 a baker1 who became an ardent teacher of the ,faith2 ,mrz ,abdu'l-,karm1 who had the office of key-holder to the shrine known as ,shh-,chirgh,,cl 7,king of the ,lamp7 where ,mr ,amad1 a brother of the eighth ,imm1 is buried2 ,mashhad ,abu'l-,qsim-i-,labbf 7,quilt-maker71 whose son ishmat achieved fame as a poet2 ,mrz ,mihd1 a poet of note1 whose soubriquet was bir 7,patient71 and his son1 ,mrz ,al-,akbar4 ,most of these native ,bbs of ,shrz embraced the ,faith after hearing the ,bb from the pulpit of the ,mosque of ,vakl4 ,footnote ,,ck3 ,am is numerically equivalent to ,shaykh ,al4 ,footnote ,,cl3 ,many of the relatives of the ,bb1 including ,his uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad1 were buried inside this shrine4 ,by the summer of #ahdf1 the ,bb had cleared the way for another chapter in the progress of ,his ,ministry4 ,he bequeathed all ,his property jointly to ,his mother and to ,his wife1 who was to inherit subsequently the whole estate4,,cm ,then ,he took up ,his residence in the house of ,his uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 ,that was the house where ,he was born and where ,he had spent much of ,his childhood4 ,at the time of this move1 ,he told those of ,his followers who had come to make their home in ,shrz to go to ,ifahn4 ,included in that group were ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd1 one of the ,letters of the ,living1 who later became the amanuensis of the ,bb1 ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz and ,mull ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn1 the scribe4 ,footnote ,,cm3 ,see ,plate facing p4 #aic4 ,one evening it was reported to the ,governor that a large number of ,bbs had gathered in the house of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 usayn ,khn ordered ,abdu'l-amd ,khn1 the ,drghih 7chief constable7 of ,shrz1 to rush the house of the uncle of the ,bb1 surprise its occupants and arrest everyone he found there4 ,according to ,nicolas1 j ,mrz qs had instructed the ,governor to put the ,bb to death in secret4 ,it was apparently usayn ,khn's intention to carry out the orders of the ,grand ,vizier that night4 ,however1 that very night a severe cholera epidemic swept the city1,,cn and usayn ,khn fled precipitately4 ,the chief constable and his men entered j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al's house by way of the roof-top1 but found no one with the ,bb1 except ,his uncle and one disciple1 ,siyyid ,kim-i-,zanjn4 ,with the ,governor gone1 the chief constable decided to take the ,bb to his own house4 ,reaching his home1 ,abdu'l-amd ,khn found1 to his horror and distress1 that within the few hours of his absence his sons had been struck by cholera4 ,he pleaded with the ,bb for their recovery4 ,it was now the hour of dawn and the ,bb was preparing to say ,his morning prayer4 ,he gave ,abdu'l-,hamd ,khn some of the water with which ,he was making ,his ablutions and told him to take it to his sons to drink2 they would recover1 the ,bb assured the chief constable4 ,they recovered indeed1 and ,abdu'l-,hamd ,khn was so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that he sought out the ,governor and begged usayn ,khn to permit him to release the ,bb4 ,abdu'l-,bah states in ,a ,traveller's ,narrative that usayn ,khn consented on condition that the ,bb agreed to depart from ,shrz4#bj ,footnote ,,cn3 ,on ,october #aeth #ahdf1 ,major ,hennell reported from ,bshihr to ,sheil in ihrn that cholera reached ,shrz about ,september #bbnd1 and that 'immediately the fact was ascertained' usayn ,khn left ,shrz and went well away4 ,at the time of his writing1 ,hennell states1 the ,governor had come back1 to ,bgh-i-,takht1 a garden and palace on the northern heights overlooking ,shrz4 ,on ,november #afth1 ,hennell reported that 'the cholera has ceased its ravages at ,shiraz'1 that it had spread as far away as ,fas and ,jahrum1 that there had been no fatal cases in ,bshihr1 and that ,barah and ,baghdd in ,turkish domains had suffered most1 deaths numbering up to #bjj a day in ,barah4 7,f4,o4 #bfh_/aac47 ,,note ,when this book had reached the stage of paginated proofs1 the writer received a number of very important documents1 one of which is a historical find of prime importance4 ,it is a letter from the ,bb to ,his uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 written at ,kunr-,takhtih1 a stage further from ,dlak1 on the ,bshihr-,shrz road4 ,it was at ,dlak that ,he encountered the horsemen sent to arrest ,him4 ,he mentions the esteem shown to ,him by those horsemen4 ,but the importance of this letter lies in the fact that it is precisely dated3 #bdth of the #bnd ,jamd #abfa1 which corresponds to ,june #cjth #ahde4 ,the date of the ,bb's departure from ,bshihr had nowhere been recorded and had remained unknown4 ,it must have taken ,him another week1 at least1 to reach ,shrz4 ,departing for ,ifahn in the last days of ,september #ahdf1 ,his sojurn in ,his native city was1 thus1 less than fifteen months4 ,,chapter #h ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,abb,s ,,the ,,great ,the garlands wither on your brow1 ,then boast no more your mighty deeds2 ,upon ,death's purple altar now ,see where the victor-victim bleeds3 ,your heads must come ,to the cold tomb2 ,only the actions of the just ,smell sweet and blossom in the dust4 --,james ,shirley ,autumn was setting in when the ,bb left the house of ,abdu'l-amd ,khn1 turned ,his back on ,shrz and took the road to ,ifahn4 ,he was attended by ,siyyid ,kim-i-,zanjn4#a ,no opportunity had there been for ,him to see ,his mother and ,his wife1 and they never met again4 ,but ,he said farewell to ,his uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 ,his family was in great distress1 and the confounded and frustrated ,governor turned upon them to give vent to his fury4 ,first he seized and chastised the venerable j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 then had his men break into the house of j ,mrz ,abu'l-,qsim1 the brother-in-law of the ,bb1 who was dangerously ill in bed4 ,he was dragged out1 carried to the ,governor's residence1 threatened1 reviled and fined4 ,porters took him back to his house1 slinging him over their shoulders since he was unable to walk4 ,the people of ,shrz were warned that if a single sheet of the writings of the ,bb was found in their possession1 they would be severely punished4 ,in their panic1 scores dashed to the house of j ,mrz ,abu'l-,qsim with bundles of the writings of the ,bb1 all written in ,his own hand1 threw them into the open portico of the house and dashed away1 lest they might be seen with the incriminating material4 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al advised the members of that household to wash away the ink and bury the sodden paper4,,co ,footnote ,,co3 ,the present writer remembers hearing from his mother her recollections of her paternal grandmother1 the wife of j ,mrz ,abu'l-,qsim1 which included an account of the washing away of the writings of the ,bb4 ,huge copper collanders were used for the purpose4 ,the paper was either buried or thrown into wells4 ,a day or two before the house of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al was raided1 j ,mrz ,abu'l-,qsim wrote to j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad1 who was still in ,bshihr1 in tones of great dismay3 opposition was mounting1 even a relative by marriage was vociferously denouncing the ,bb 7whom he names as j ,mrz ,al-,muammad throughout his letter7 and j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 ,as there were certain matters which j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al could not manage by himself1 he desired j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad to come as soon as possible from ,bshihr1 to do all that was needed to settle their affairs4 ',some people may feel ashamed and keep within bounds when they see you1' he wrote4 ,he wanted to be freed of their trading engagements so that he could take his family and leave ,shrz1 to avoid any further injustices4 99 99 99 99 99 ,ifahn1 towards which the ,bb set ,his face1 was and is1 par excellence1 the city of ,abbs the ,great1 the most illustrious of the afavid monarchs 7#aeja-agcb71 who is best known in the ,west because of his association with the ,sherley brothers and the ,east ,india ,company1 with whose aid he drove the ,portuguese out of the ,persian ,gulf4 ,he is ',the ,great ,sophy' of ,shakespeare4 ,ifahn had been the capital of the ,saljqs 7,seljucids71 centuries before1 but it had suffered neglect in the intervening years4 ,shah ,abbs moved his capital from ,qazvn to ,ifahn1 and began restoring the city which was to be styled1 erelong1 ,nif-i-,jahn--,half-the-,world4 ,magnificent mosques and colleges and pavilions1 and the largest public square in the world1 are prominent among that great ruler's works1 and are there today to inspire wonder and admiration4 ,but with the decline and eventual fall of the afavids1 ,ifahn1 too1 declined and met with repeated misfortunes in the days of the ,qjrs1 who pulled down or painted over afavid buildings4 ,in that autumn of #ahdf1 the ,governor-,general of ,ifahn was a ,georgian eunuch3 ,manchihr ,khn1 the ,mutamidu'd-,dawlih4 ,he had been1 writes ,layard1 purchased in his childhood as a slave1 had been brought up a ,musulman1 and reduced to his unhappy condition4 ,like many of his kind1 he was employed when young in the public service1 and had by his remarkable abilities risen to the highest posts4 ,he had for many years enjoyed the confidence and the favour of the ,shah4 ,considered the best administrator in the kingdom1 he had been sent to govern the great province of ,isfahan1 which included within its limits the wild and lawless tribes of the ,lurs and ,bakhtiyari1 generally in rebellion1 and the semi-independent ,arab population of the plains between the ,luristan ,mountains and the ,euphrates4 ,he was hated and feared for his cruelty1 but it was generally admitted that he ruled justly1 that he protected the weak from oppression by the strong1 and that where he was able to enforce his authority life and property were secure4#b ,layard established a close friendship with ,muammad-,taq ,khn1 the chieftain of the ,chahr-,lang section of the ,bakhtyrs4 ,manchihr ,khn captured this chieftain1 after lengthy manoeuvres1 and sent him with his family to ihrn1 where he died4 ,chiefly for that reason ,layard is not at all complimentary in his copious writings about ,manchihr ,khn4 ,there is no doubt that the ,bakhtyr chieftain was in rebellion against the central government and even intended to take himself and his territory out of its jurisdiction4 ,the proof is afforded by the fact that he sent ,henry ,layard to the island of ,khrg1 then occupied by ,british forces1 to sound the ,british authorities for support4 ,hennell told ,layard that although ,britain was in a state bordering on war with rn1 she would not countenance or encourage insurrection or secession4 ,disregarding ,layard's prejudices1 the fact remains that historical evidence exists in plenty to prove that ,manchihr ,khn had1 in the company of his peers1 his ample share of avarice and cruelty4 ,he had been a faithful servant of ,muammad ,shh1 had fought battles for him to make his throne secure1 and had1 in successive appointments1 pacified a vast area of the country1 stretching from ,kirmnshh in the west to ,ifahn in the central regions1 and to the waters of the ,persian ,gulf in the south4 ,when he served as the ,vizier of the province of ,frs1 he put down an uprising1 brought some seventy to eighty prisoners with him to ,shrz1 and outside the gate of ,bgh-i-,shh had a tower erected with their living bodies1 which was held firm by mortar4 ,the ,bb1 as ,he approached ,ifahn1 wrote a letter to ,manchihr ,khn in which he asked for shelter4 ,siyyid ,kim-i-,zanjn took the letter to the ,governor1 who1 greatly impressed by it1 sent it on to ,siyyid ,muammad1 the ,sulnu'l-,ulam1 the ,imm-,jumih of ,ifahn1 and requested that high dignitary to open his home to the ,bb4 ,the ,imm-,jumih dispatched a number of people close to himself1 amongst them his brother1,,cp some distance out of the city to escort the ,bb to ,ifahn1 and at the city-limits he himself welcomed the ,visitor with respect and reverence4 ,he went far beyond the usual marks of cordial hospitality1 even to the extent of pouring water from a ewer over the hands of the ,bb1 a task normally performed by attendants4 ,footnote ,,cp3 ,this man in future years proved so hostile1 bloodthirsty and rapacious that ,bah'u'llh designated him as ',raqsh'1 the ,she-,serpent4 ,there were1 by this time1 an appreciable number of ,bbs in ,ifahn1 many of them natives of the city and some directed there by the ,bb ,himself4 ,amongst the wider public the fame of the ,bb spread rapidly4 ,there was one occasion when people came to take away the water ,he had used for ,his ablutions1 so greatly did they value it4 ,his host was enthralled by the ,bb4 ,one night1 after the evening meal1 he asked his ,guest to write for him a commentary on the ,srih of ,v'al-,ar 7,afternoon--,qur'n ciii71 one of the shortest ,srihs3 ,by the afternoon6 ,surely ,man is in the way of loss1 save those who believe1 and do righteous deeds1 and counsel each other unto the truth1 and counsel each other to be steadfast4#c ,the ,bb took up ,his pen and wrote ,his commentary1 there and then1 to the astonishment and delight of all who were present4 ,it was past midnight when the assemblage broke up4 ,mull ,muammad-,taqy-i-,hirt1 one of the divines of ,ifahn1 was so overcome by the power of the ,bb's pen and voice that he said with great feeling3 ,peerless and unique as are the words which have streamed from this pen1 to be able to reveal1 within so short a time and in so legible a writing1 so great a number of verses as to equal a fourth1 nay a third1 of the ,qur'n1 is in itself an achievement such as no mortal1 without the intervention of ,god1 could hope to perform4#d ,people of all ranks flocked to the house of the ,imm-,jumih4 ,manchihr ,khn himself called there to meet the ,bb4 ,he was a proud man and a powerful ,governor1 ruling over an important section of the realm4 ,his visit to a young ,siyyid1 hitherto unknown1 indicates the measure of change wrought in him by that one letter which he had received from the ,bb4 ,indeed1 ,manchihr ,khn was to become a changed man under the influence of the ,bb1 who had been a fugitive and an exile at his door4 ,he now asked the ,bb for a treatise on ',nubuvvat-i-,khih'--the specific station and mission of the ,prophet ,muammad4 ,again surrounded by a number of the leading divines of ,ifahn1 the ,bb wrote instantaneously the treatise which the ,governor desired4 ,within two hours ,he produced a disquisition of fifty pages1 superbly reasoned1 proving unassailably the claim and the achievement of ,islm1 and ending ,his theme on the subject of the advent of the ,q'im and the ,return of ,imm usayn 7,rijat-i-usayn74 ,manchihr ,khn's immediate response was3 ,hear me6 ,members of this revered assembly1 ,i take you as my witnesses4 ,never until this day have ,i in my heart been firmly convinced of the truth of ,islm4 ,i can henceforth1 thanks to this exposition penned by this ,youth1 declare myself a firm believer in the ,faith proclaimed by the ,apostle of ,god4 ,i solemnly testify to my belief in the reality of the superhuman power with which this ,youth is endowed1 a power which no amount of learning can ever impart4#e ,it was inevitable that soon the jealousy of the clergy would be aroused4 q ,muammad-,mihd1,,cq the son of the renowned j ,muammad-,ibrhm-i-,kalbs1 began to use the pulpit to insult and disparage the ,bb4 ,when j ,mrz qs heard of the situation in ,ifahn1 he wrote to upbraid the ,imm-,jumih for having harboured the ,bb4 ,the ,grand ,vizier was afraid that ,manchihr ,khn1 because of the confidence that ,muammad ,shh reposed in him1 might succeed in arranging a meeting between the ,bb and the monarch4 ,the hold which j ,mrz qs had on ,muammad ,shh was chiefly due to the quasi-religious nature of their relationship4 ,he was the murshid 7spiritual guide7 and his king was the murd 7disciple74 ,the ,imm-,jumih1 still loyal1 took no step in opposition1 but endeavoured to reduce the number of visitors4 ,footnote ,,cq3 ,because of his stupidity q ,muammad-,mihd was mockingly called ,safhu'l-,ulam--the ,foolish ,one of the ,learned4 ,as the clamour of the opponents increased1 ,manchihr ,khn thought of a scheme to silence them4 ,he invited the leading divines to meet the ,bb at his home and argue their case4 j ,siyyid ,asadu'llh1 the son of the celebrated j ,siyyid ,muammad-,bqir-i-,rasht1 declined the invitation and advised the rest to do the same3 ,i have sought to excuse myself and ,i would most certainly urge you to do the same4 ,i regard it as most unwise of you to meet the ,siyyid-i-,bb face to face4 ,he will1 no doubt1 reassert his claim and will1 in support of his argument1 adduce whatever proof you may desire him to give1 and1 without the least hesitation1 will reveal as a testimony to the truth he bears1 verses of such a number as would equal half the ,qur'n4 ,in the end he will challenge you in these words3 ',produce likewise1 if ye are men of truth4' ,we can in no wise successfully resist him4 ,if we disdain to answer him1 our impotence will have been exposed4 ,if we1 on the other hand1 submit to his claim1 we shall not only be forfeiting our own reputation1 our own prerogatives and rights1 but will have committed ourselves to acknowledge any further claims that he may feel inclined to make in the future4#f ,only j ,muammad-,jafar-i-bdi' took j ,siyyid ,asadu'llh's advice and kept away4 ,in the presence of ,manchihr ,khn1 ,mrz asan-i-,nr was the first to pose a question4 ,mrz asan was a follower of the ,ishrq school 7,platonism71 and his question concerned certain elements of the philosophy of ,mull adr contained in his celebrated work3 the ikmatu'l-,arshyyah 7,celestial or ,divine ,philosophy74#g ,the ,bb's answers1 even though couched in simple terms1 were beyond the grasp of ,mrz asan's mind4 ',the ,foolish ,one of the ,learned' was the next to face the ,bb1 and he began to probe into points of ,islamic jurisprudence4 ,unable to withstand the force of the ,bb's exposition he started a verbal assault which the ,governor quickly brought to an end4 ,sensing the mood of the audience1 ,manchihr ,khn deemed it prudent that the ,bb should stay under the protection of his roof and not return to the house of the ,imm-,jumih1 where he had been a guest for forty days4 ,the next move came from the divines4 ,like their compatriots in ,shrz1 they gathered together and passed a verdict on the ,bb which carried with it the sentence of death4 ,both j ,siyyid ,asadu'llh-i-,rasht and j ,muammad-,jafar-i-bdi' refused to be identified with it1 but the ,imm-,jumih1 with an eye to his position1 wrote3 ,i testify that in the course of my association with this youth ,i have been unable to discover any act that would in any way betray his repudiation of the doctrines of ,islam4 ,on the contrary1 ,i have known him as a pious and loyal observer of its precepts4 ,the extravagance of his claims1 however1 and his disdainful contempt for the things of the world1 incline me to believe that he is devoid of reason and judgment4#h ,muammad ,shh had already instructed ,manchihr ,khn to send the ,bb to ihrn4 ,the transforming power of the ,bb can now be discerned4 ,manchihr ,khn had served the ,qjr monarch faithfully at all times4 ,his generalship had helped to secure ,muammad ,shh's position4 ,but1 once conquered by the ,bb and won over to ,his ,cause1 ,manchihr ,khn unhesitatingly availed himself of the ,shh's command1 not to send the ,bb immediately to the capital which would have put ,him at the mercy of j ,mrz qs1 but to shield ,him from ,his enemies4 ,under public gaze the ,bb was escorted out of ,ifahn1 guarded by five hundred horsemen4 ,nabl-i-,aam writes3 ,imperative orders had been given that at the completion of each farsang,,cr one hundred of this mounted escort should return directly to ,ifahn4 ,to the chief of the last remaining contingent1 a man in whom he placed implicit confidence1 the ,mutamid confidentially intimated his desire that at every maydn,,cs twenty of the remaining hundred should likewise be ordered by him to return to the city4 ,of the twenty remaining horsemen1 the ,mutamid directed that ten should be despatched to ,ardistn for the purpose of collecting the taxes levied by the government1 and that the rest1 all of whom should be of his tried and most reliable men1 should1 by an unfrequented route1 bring the ,bb back in disguise to ,ifahn4 ,they were1 moreover1 instructed so to regulate their march that before dawn of the ensuing day the ,bb should have arrived at ,ifahn and should have been delivered into his custody4444 ,at an unsuspected hour1 the ,bb re-entered the city1 was directly conducted to the private residence of the ,mutamid1 known by the name of ,imrat-i-,khurshd the ,sun-,house1 and was introduced1 through a side entrance reserved for the ,mutamid himself1 into his private apartments4 ,the governor waited in person on the ,bb1 served ,his meals1 and provided whatever was required for ,his comfort and safety4#i ,footnote ,,cr3 ,three miles roughly to a farsang or farsakh4 ,footnote ,,cs3 ,maydn is a public square or an arena2 as a measure of distance it was an indeterminate sub-division of a farsang4 ,abdu'l-,bah states in ,a ,traveller's ,narrative that ,manchihr ,khn gave secret orders for the return of the ,bb when ,he and ,his escort had reached ,mrchih-,khr1 some thirty-five miles to the north of ,ifahn4#aj ,wild rumours began to circulate regarding the fate of the ,bb4 ,it was believed that ,he had been executed in ihrn4 ,to allay the fears of the ,bbs of ,ifahn the ,bb allowed ,mull ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn1 ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd and ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz to be brought to meet ,him4 ,he entrusted them with the task of transcribing ,his ,writings4 ,not long afterwards1 ,he instructed them to tell the other ,bbs who had moved to ,ifahn to leave the city and go northwards1 to ,kshn1 or ,qum or ihrn4 ,not long before his death1 ,manchihr ,khn offered the ,bb all his immense fortune1,,ct and the resources of his army which were considerable1 that they might march to ihrn and approach the person of ,muammad ,shh4 ,manchihr ,khn was certain that the monarch1 who trusted him completely1 would listen to his plea1 recognize the truth of the ,revelation of the ,bb1 and whole-heartedly lend his support to the promotion of the new ,faith4 ,and ,manchihr ,khn looked even beyond the frontiers of rn1 for he told the ,bb3 '444 ,i hope to be enabled to incline the hearts of the rulers and kings of the earth to this most wondrous ,cause444' ,to this the ,bb replied3 ,may ,god requite you for your noble intentions4 ,so lofty a purpose is to ,me even more precious than the act itself4 ,your days and ,mine are numbered1 however2 they are too short to enable ,me to witness1 and allow you to achieve1 the realisation of your hopes4 ,not by the means which you fondly imagine will an almighty ,providence accomplish the triumph of ,his ,faith4 ,through the poor and lowly of this land1 by the blood which these shall have shed in ,his path1 will the omnipotent ,sovereign ensure the preservation and consolidate the foundation of ,his ,cause4 ,that same ,god will1 in the world to come1 place upon your head the crown of immortal glory1 and will shower upon you ,his inestimable blessings4 ,of the span of your earthly life there remain only three months and nine days1 after which you shall1 with faith and certitude1 hasten to your eternal abode4#ab ,footnote ,,ct3 ,according to ,nicolas1 the ,french envoy in ihrn 7,m4 de ,bonnire7 wrote to the ,ministry of ,foreign ,affairs in ,paris1 on ,march #dth #ahdg1 that ,mutamidu'd-,dawlih1 the ,governor of ,ifahn1 had died1 leaving a fortune estimated at #dj million francs4#aa ,the ,bb1 in ,his ,tablet addressed to ,muammad ,shh1 states that ,he foretold1 in a letter to two divines in ,yazd1 the date of the death of ,manchihr ,khn1 eighty-seven days before it occurred4 ,and ,he mentions that ,manchihr ,khn had offered ,him all that he possessed1 even taking off his rings and placing them before ,him4 ,manchihr ,khn had come to realize that his wealth was the product of oppression4 ,the ,bb accepted both his repentance and his wealth1 then returned to him his riches for his use until his death1 which occurred in the month of ,rabu'l-,avval #abfc ,a4,h4 7,february-,march #ahdg ,a4,d47 ,even though in his will ,manchihr ,khn left all his property to the ,bb1 his nephew and successor1 ,gurgn ,khn1 appropriated everything after his death1 and informed ,muammad ,shh that the ,bb was in ,ifahn1 having been kept1 well-protected1 by the late ,governor in the seclusion of ,imrat-i-,khurshd4 ,muammad ,shh's trust in ,manchihr ,khn was not shaken4 ,he felt certain that that wise man and faithful servant had guarded the ,bb against all possible harm until an opportune time when a meeting between himself and the ,bb could be arranged4 ,he issued orders for the removal of the ,bb to the capital in such wise that ,he should not be recognized en route4 ,those four months in the private residence of the ,governor of ,ifahn were the calmest that the ,bb was to experience throughout ,his ,ministry4#ac ,,chapter #i ,,the ,,antichrist ,,of ,,the ,b,b ,,revelation ,no6 by heav'n1 which ,he ,holds1 and the abyss and the immensity ,of worlds and life1 which ,i hold with ,him--,no6 ,i have a victor1 true1 but no superior4 ,homage he has from all1 but none from me4 ,i battle it against ,him1 as ,i battled ,in highest heav'n4 ,through all eternity ,and the unfathomable gulfs of ,hades ,and the interminable realms of space ,and the infinity of endless ages1 ,all1 all1 will ,i dispute4 ,and world by world ,and star by star and universe by universe ,shall tremble in the balance1 till the great ,conflict shall cease1 if ever it shall cease4444 --,lucifer in ,cain by ,lord ,byron j ,mrz qs1 the ,grand ,vizier and the spiritual guide of ,muammad ,shh1 has been called the ,antichrist of the ,bb ,revelation4#a ,he was a man bankrupt of ideas and bereft of graces4 ,a native of ravn,,cu in the ,caucasus1 his real name was ,mrz ,abbs4 ,from the day he learned of the advent of the ,bb1 he bore ,him intense enmity which never abated4 ,it was he who prevented a meeting between the ,bb and ,muammad ,shh1 when1 by the direct order of the ,shh himself1 the ,bb was moved from ,ifahn and it seemed that the cherished hope of ,manchihr ,khn for their meeting would at last be realized4 ,footnote ,,cu3 ,yerevan or ,erivan1 today the capital of the ,armenian ,socialist ,soviet ,republic4 ,following the instructions of ,muammad ,shh1 ,gurgn ,khn gave the custody of the ,bb to ,muammad ,big-i-,chprch 7the chief courier74 ,muammad ,big belonged to the sect of ,ahl-i-aqq 7the ,people of ,truth71 commonly known as the ,alyu'llh1 who have had a long tradition of tolerance1 liberalism and rectitude4#b ,abdu'l-,bah states in ,a ,traveller's ,narrative that the guards who escorted the ,bb1 on this journey to the north1 were ,nuayr horsemen4 ,nuayrs and ,alyu'llhs are almost identical4 ,the first town on their road to the capital was ,kshn4 j ,mrz ,jn1 the ,bb merchant of that town1 had dreamt that he beheld the ,bb approaching ,kshn by the ,ar 7,druggist7 ,gate4 ,keeping watch by that gate1 on the eve of ,naw-,rz1 he saw his dream fulfilled1 for there was the ,bb on horseback coming towards ,kshn4 ,as he went forward to kiss ,his stirrup1 the ,bb told him3 ',we are to be your ,guest for three nights4'#c ,this was exactly what he had heard the ,bb say to him in his dream4 ,muammad ,big1 noticing the warmth of their greeting1 thought that the young ,siyyid in his charge and the citizen of ,kshn were friends of long standing1 and he readily agreed to let the ,bb stay in the house of j ,mrz ,jn4 ,a colleague1 however1 refused to give his consent2 he had been told1 he said1 not to allow the ,bb to enter any city en route4 ,after a lengthy argument ,muammad ,big succeeded in persuading this colleague to withdraw his objection4 j ,mrz ,jn was prepared to invite the whole escort to be his guests1 but the ,bb did not permit it4 ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd1 who had already proceeded to ,kshn as bidden by the ,bb1 that night attained ,his presence4 ,while the ,bb was dictating a ,tablet to ,siyyid usayn1 in honour of j ,mrz ,jn1 a friend of the ,kshn merchant was announced4 ,his name was ,siyyid ,abdu'l-,bq1 and he was reputed for his erudition2 he sat and listened to the ,bb1 but failed to be moved by what he heard and noticed4 ,some days after the ,bb left ,kshn he learned who that young ,siyyid was4 ,he was sorrow-stricken that he had not recognized the powers of the ,bb and withdrew from society for the rest of his life4 ,on the second day after ,naw-,rz the ,bb rejoined ,his escort to journey towards ,qum1,,cv the next city on the road to ihrn4 ,they did not enter ,qum but went on to the village of ,qumrd1 where the entire population was ,alyu'llh4 ,nabl-i-,aam writes3 ,at the invitation of the headman of the village1 the ,bb tarried one night in that place and was touched by the warmth and spontaneity of the reception which those simple folk had accorded ,him4 ,ere ,he resumed ,his journey1 ,he invoked the blessings of the ,almighty in their behalf and cheered their hearts with assurances of ,his appreciation and love4#d ,footnote ,,cv3 ,qum is the second holy city of rn4 ,mashhad which holds the ,shrine of ,imm ,ri has pride of place4 ,two days later1 in the afternoon of ,march #bhth1 they reached the fortress of ,kinr-,gird1 only twenty-eight miles from ihrn4 ,the long journey from ,ifahn was almost over4 ,but here j ,mrz qs intervened and sent instructions to ,muammad ,big to take the ,bb to the village of ,kulayn1 where the great ,shah jurisconsult1 ,muammad ibn-i-,yaqb was born and is buried4,,cw j ,mrz qs himself was the owner of ,kulayn1 and a tent which belonged to him was pitched outside the village to accommodate the ,bb4 ,it was a delectable spot with lush vegetation1 orchards and running brooks4 ,the ,bb was delighted1 but uncertainties of the future overshadowed ,him4 ,days passed without further instruction from ihrn4 ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd and his brother ,siyyid asan1 as well as ,mull ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn and ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz1 came to ,kulayn to attend the ,bb4 ,and from ihrn came ,mull ,mihdy-i-,khu' accompanied by ,mull ,muammad-,mihdy-i-,kind1 the latter bearing a letter and presents from ,bah'u'llh4 ,receiving them brought the ,bb untold joy4#e ,footnote ,,cw3 ,commonly known as al-,kulayn1 he died in ,a4,d4 #ida4 ,he was the author of ,ul al-,kf 7,ul-i-,kf in ,persian usage71 one of the four books that form the compendium of the belief and practice of ,ithn-,ashars 7',twelvers'74 ,these are the ,shahs who believe in the major occultation of the ,twelfth ,imm1 ,muammad ibn-i-asan al-,askar4 ,according to ,a ,traveller's ,narrative the ,bb's sojourn in ,kulayn was lengthened into twenty days4#f ,during this time a remarkable incident occurred which ,mull ,abdu'l-,karm has thus related3 ,my companions and ,i were fast asleep in the vicinity of the tent of the ,bb when the trampling of horsemen suddenly awakened us4 ,we were soon informed that the tent of the ,bb was vacant and that those who had gone out in search of ,him had failed to find ,him4 ,we heard ,muammad ,big remonstrate with the guards4 ',why feel disturbed8' he pleaded4 ',are not ,his magnanimity and nobleness of soul sufficiently established in your eyes to convince you that ,he will never1 for the sake of ,his own safety1 consent to involve others in embarrassment8 ,he1 no doubt1 must have retired1 in the silence of this moonlit night1 to a place where ,he can seek undisturbed communion with ,god4 ,he will unquestionably return to ,his tent4 ,he will never desert us4' ,in his eagerness to reassure his colleagues1 ,muammad ,big set out on foot along the road leading to ihrn4 ,i1 too1 with my companions1 followed him4 ,shortly after1 the rest of the guards were seen1 each on horseback1 marching behind us4 ,we had covered about a maydn when1 by the dim light of the early dawn1 we discerned in the distance the lonely figure of the ,bb4 ,he was coming towards us from the direction of ihrn4 ',did you believe ,me to have escaped8' were ,his words to ,muammad ,big as ,he approached him4 ',far be it from me1' was the instant reply as he flung himself at the feet of the ,bb1 'to entertain such thoughts4' ,muammad ,big was too much awed by the serene majesty which that radiant face revealed that morning to venture any further remark4 ,a look of confidence had settled upon ,his countenance2 ,his words were invested with such transcendent power1 that a feeling of profound reverence wrapped our very souls4 ,no one dared to question ,him as to the course of so remarkable a change in ,his speech and demeanour4 ,nor did ,he ,himself choose to allay our curiosity and wonder4#g ,nearly three weeks had passed since ,his arrival at ,kulayn when the ,bb wrote to ,muammad ,shh to ask for a meeting4 ,and now j ,mrz qs made the move which consigned the ,bb to prison for the rest of his days4 ,according to ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 he persuasively told ,muammad ,shh3 ,the royal cavalcade is on the point of starting1 and to engage in such matters as the present will conduce to the disruption of the kingdom4 ,neither is there any doubt that the most notable doctors of the capital also will behave after the fashion of the doctors of ,isfahn1 which thing will be the cause of a popular outbreak1 or that1 according to the religion of the immaculate ,imm1 they will regard the blood of this ,seyyid as of no account1 yea1 as more lawful than mother's milk4 ,the imperial train is prepared for travel1 neither is there hindrance or impediment in view4 ,there is no doubt that the presence of the ,bb will be the cause of the gravest trouble and the greatest mischief4 ,therefore1 on the spur of the moment1 the wisest plan is this3--to place this person in the ,castle of ,mk during the period of absence of the royal train from the seat of the imperial throne1 and to defer the obtaining of an audience to the time of return4#h ,mrz ,abu'l-,fal states that j ,mrz qs played on the fears of ,muammad ,shh by instancing in particular the rebellion in ,khursn of ,muammad-asan ,khn1 the ,slr1 and the earlier defiance of the central government by asan-,ali ,khn1 ,aga ,khan ,i4,,cx ,whatever arguments the ,grand ,vizier used1 he succeeded in preventing a meeting between the ,bb and ,muammad ,shh in that spring of #ahdg4 ,and it was never to take place4 ,footnote ,,cx3 ,in the opinion of the present writer1 the second revolt of the ,aga ,khan1 in #ahdj1 was entirely due to the tortuous policies and the maladroitness of j ,mrz qs himself4 ,in ,april1 the ,shh sent a reply to the letter of the ,bb which1 according to ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 was couched in these terms3 ,since the royal train is on the verge of departure from ,tehern1 to meet in a befitting manner is impossible4 ,do you go to ,mk and there abide and rest for a while1 engaged in praying for our victorious state2 and we have arranged that under all circumstances they shall shew you attention and respect4 ,when we return from travel we will summon you specially4#i ,nabl-i-,aam1 in his narrative1 gives this version of the contents of ,muammad ,shh's letter3 ,much as we desire to meet you1 we find ourself unable1 in view of our immediate departure from our capital1 to receive you befittingly in ihrn4 ,we have signified our desire that you be conducted to ,mh-,k1 and have issued the necessary instructions to ,al ,khn1 the warden of the castle1 to treat you with respect and consideration4 ,it is our hope and intention to summon you to this place upon our return to the seat of our government1 at which time we shall definitely pronounce our judgment4 ,we trust that we have caused you no disappointment1 and that you will at no time hesitate to inform us in case any grievances befall you4 ,we fain would hope that you will continue to pray for our well-being and for the prosperity of our realm4#aj usayn ,khn1 the ,governor of ,frs1 was attending the ,shh in the capital at the very time that j ,mrz qs blocked the path of the ,bb and prevented ,his entry into ihrn4 ,,chapter #aj ,,where ,,the ,,aras ,,flows ,over the banks of ,aras shouldst thou1 ,o ,zephyr1 pass1 ,kiss the earth of that vale and refreshen thy breath thereby4 --fi ,mh-,k1,,cy a town of the province of dharbyjn1 is in the extreme north-west of rn1 close to the point where the ,russo-,turkish frontiers meet4 ,within a short distance of the town of ,mh-,k and its bleak fortress perched on a mountain peak above1 the ,aras flows1 the ,araxes of the ,greeks4 j ,mrz qs contrived to have the ,bb banished to this remote corner of the land1 well away from the capital1 and well away from the areas where ,his ,faith was born and nurtured4 ,but the road to ,mh-,k was through ,tabrz1 the second city of the realm and the seat of the ,crown ,prince4 ,footnote ,,cy3 ,also ,mk or ,m-,kh4 ,the same horsemen1 still under the command of ,muammad ,big1 were given the task of escorting the ,bb to ,tabrz4 ,they had1 by then1 become greatly devoted to ,him4 ,his utter kindness coupled with ,his majesty of bearing had totally captivated them4 ,two of the followers of the ,bb were allowed to remain with ,him3 ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd and his brother1 ,siyyid asan4 ,on the road north1 one of the halting-places was the village of ,syh-,dihn1 close by ,qazvn4 ,there the ,bb addressed a letter to the ,grand ,vizier1 and also wrote to some of the leading divines of ,qazvn1 including the father and the uncle of ,qurratu'l-,ayn4 ,a number of the ,bbs attained ,his presence in the village of ,syh-,dihn during ,his one night there1 and among these was ,mull ,iskandar of ,zanjn1 the same man who had visited ,shrz as ujjat's emissary to learn what he could about the ,bb4 ,now the ,bb entrusted to him a letter for j ,sulaymn ,khn-i-,afshr1 who happened to be in ,zanjn2 he had been a fervent supporter of ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht4 ,to him the ,bb wrote3 ,he whose virtues the late siyyid unceasingly extolled1 and to the approach of whose ,revelation he continually alluded1 is now revealed4 ,i am that promised ,one4 ,arise and deliver ,me from the hand of the oppressor4#a j ,sulaymn ,khn received the letter within three days1 but did not heed it and left for the capital4 ,at that time ,hujjat,,cz was in ihrn1 kept there under surveillance4 ,but the moment he heard of the ,bb's letter to ,sulaymn ,khn1 he sent a message to the ,bbs of ,zanjn to march out and rescue the ,bb4 ,a sizable number of ,bbs from ujjat's native town and from ,qazvn and ihrn came together and made a concerted effort to carry out their daring scheme4 ,at midnight they reached the spot where the ,bb and ,his escort were bivouacked4 ,the guards were asleep and there was every opportunity to escape4 ,but the ,bb told ,his would-be rescuers that ,he would not run away4 ',the mountains of ,adhirbyjn too have their claims4'#b ,footnote ,,cz3 ,see pp4 #ajj-ajb4 ,before ,his mission reached its end ,muammad ,big came to believe in the ,bb4,,da ,grief-stricken he went to the ,bb and asked to be forgiven3 ',the journey from ,ifahn has been long and arduous4 ,i have failed to do my duty and to serve ,you as ,i ought4 ,i crave ,your forgiveness1 and pray ,you to vouchsafe me ,your blessings4' ,to this the ,bb replied3 ',be assured4 ,i account you a member of ,my fold4 ,they who embrace ,my ,cause will eternally bless and glorify you1 will extol your conduct and exalt your name4'#c ,later1 ,muammad ,big met j ,mrz ,jn once again1 and recounted for him the story of that journey to ,tabrz4 ,the ,kshn merchant included ,muammad ,big's story in his chronicle1 and ,mrz usayn-i-,hamadn1 the author of the ,trkh-i-,jadd 7,the ,new ,history7 in turn made use of it in his own work3 444 we proceeded to ,mln1,,db where many of the inhabitants came to see ,his ,holiness1 and were filled with wonder at the majesty and dignity of that ,lord of mankind4 ,in the morning1 as we were setting out from ,mln1 an old woman brought a scald-headed child1 whose head was so covered with scabs that it was white down to the neck1 and entreated ,his ,holiness to heal him4 ,the guards would have forbidden her1 but ,his ,holiness prevented them1 and called the child to him4 ,then he drew a handkerchief over its head and repeated certain words2 which he had no sooner done than the child was healed4 ,and in that place about two hundred persons believed and underwent a true and sincere conversion 444 on leaving ,mln1 while we were on the road ,his ,holiness suddenly urged his horse into so swift a gallop that all the horsemen composing the escort were filled with amazement1 seeing that his steed was the leanest of all4 ,we galloped after him as hard as we could1 but were unable to come up with him1 though the horsemen were filled with apprehension lest he should effect his escape4 ,presently he reined in his horse of his own accord1 and1 so soon as we came up to him1 said with a smile1 ',were ,i desirous of escaping1 you could not prevent me4' ,and indeed it was even as he said2 had he desired in the least degree to escape1 none could have prevented him1 and under all circumstances he shewed himself endowed with more than human strength4 ,for example1 we were all practised horsemen inured to travel1 yet1 by reason of the cold and our weariness1 we were at times hardly able to keep our saddles1 while he1 on the other hand1 during all this period shewed no sign of faintness or weariness1 but1 from the time when he mounted till he alighted at the end of the stage1 would not so much as change his posture or shift his seat4#d ,footnote ,,da3 ,muammad ,big's son1 named ,al-,akbar ,big1 became1 in future years1 a follower of ,bah'u'llh4 ,mrz ,abu'l-,fal met him in ihrn and heard from him how it happened that his father came to accept the ,bb4 ,footnote ,,db3 ,a village in the vicinity of ,tabrz4 ,the stage beyond the village of ,mln was the city of ,tabrz itself4 ,as the news spread that the ,bb was approaching the city1 the ,bbs there tried to go out to meet him1 but they were stopped and sent back4 ,only a youth managed to break through the cordon of guards and soldiers4 ,barefooted1 he ran more than a mile till he reached the ,bb and ,his escort4 ,such was the state of his ecstasy that he flung himself forward in the path of one of the horsemen1 caught the hem of his cloak and eagerly and fervently kissed his stirrup4 ,addressing them all1 he cried out3 ',ye are the companions of my ,well-,beloved4 ,i cherish you as the apple of my eye4'#e ,and when he came into the presence of the ,bb1 he fell prostrate on the ground and unrestrainedly wept4 ,the ,bb dismounted1 raised him up1 embraced him and wiped his tears4 ,the ,bb's entry into ,tabrz1 the scene three years later of ,his martyrdom in its public square1 bears close resemblance to the entry of ,jesus into ,jerusalem on ,palm ,sunday1 less than a week before ,he was led to ,golgotha to be crucified4 ,and they that went before1 and they that followed1 cried1 saying1 ,hosanna6 ,blessed is he that cometh in the name of the ,lord6 ,blessed be the kingdom of our father ,david1 that cometh in the name of the ,lord6 ,hosanna in the highest6,,dc ,footnote ,,dc3 ,mark xi1 #i-aj4 ,that is how ,st4 ,mark recounts the joy of the people who gave ,jesus a regal welcome into ,jerusalem4 ,when the ,bb was brought into ,tabrz the streets were crowded1 and amongst the surging mass were ,bbs who had been deprived of coming close to their ,master2 but vast numbers were there who were not ,his followers4 ,those narrow thoroughfares echoed with the cry of ,allh-u-,akbar'--,god is the ,greatest--the opening line of the ,adhn1 the call to prayer which every devout ,muslim repeats time and again in the course of his devotions4 ,officials were alarmed by this wonderful and unprecedented reception1 and sent town criers to warn the people against attempting to gain access to the ,siyyid-i-,bb4 ,abdu'l-,bah states that the ,bb was kept for forty days in ,tabrz4#f ,during that time ,he was strictly secluded1 and ,his only visitors were j ,muammad-,taqy-i-,mln1 a well-known merchant1 and j ,al-,askar4,,dd ,when they first approached the house where the ,bb was lodged1 guards stopped them1 but ,siyyid ,hasan asserted the authority of the ,bb and gained them admittance4 ,after that no one ever tried to bar their way1 and they attained the presence of the ,bb several times4 ,footnote ,,dd3 ,persecution forced him to abandon ,tabrz4 ,with his family he went to ,adrianople and was exiled in the company of ,bah'u'llh to ,akk4 ,he features in the ,memorials of the ,faithful by ,abdu'l-,bah 7pp4 #afa-d74 ,at last came the orders for the removal of the ,bb to ,mh-,k4 ,that town was the birthplace of j ,mrz qs1 although he is generally known as ravn,,de because his family originated there4 ,the vast majority of the inhabitants of ,mh-,k and its environs were ,kurds who were ,sunn by persuasion4 ,al ,khn1 the warden of the castle1 was a ,kurd1 simple1 rough and uncouth4 ,he was arrogantly unbending at the start of the ,bb's incarceration1 and would not allow any follower of the ,bb to stay in the town1 even for one night4 ,when ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz reached ,mh-,k he found that the only shelter available to him was a mosque outside the town4 ,but he was able to meet and exchange letters and messages with ,siyyid asan1 who came into the town each day with a guard to buy provisions1 and thus for a while he maintained a link between the ,bb and ,his people4 ,footnote ,,de3 ,from ravn4 ,see p4 #aag and note4 ,but one day the ,bb advised ,siyyid asan that these secret contacts with ,shaykh asan were to end2 ,he ,himself would tell ,ali ,khn to permit visitors to come and go in peace4 ,both men were greatly astonished1 since they knew well the character and attitude of the warden1 who had even tried to prevent the people of ,mh-,k from coming to the foot of the mountain to obtain a glimpse of the ,bb4 ,by now the ,bb had won the love and esteem of these hardened frontiersmen1 who had shown such marked hostility when ,he was first brought to their fortress1 nor could ,ali ,khn prevent their gathering daily at the mountain's base to gaze upwards in the hope of receiving ,his blessing4 ,at an early hour on the morning following the ,bb's advice to ,siyyid asan1 the inmates of the castle were startled by an incessant and agitated knocking4 ,it was ,ali ,khn1 peremptorily pounding the gate and shouting at the guardsmen for admittance4 ,a guard rushed in to say that the warden wished to come immediately into the presence of the ,bb4 ,siyyid usayn presented the request1 and the ,bb replied that ,he would receive ,ali ,khn at once4 ,the warden was visibly shaking1 obviously caught up by some tremendous emotion4 ,he threw himself at the feet of the ,bb and begged to be relieved of his misery3 ',deliver me from my perplexity4 ,i adjure ,you1 by the ,prophet of ,god1 ,your illustrious ,ancestor1 to dissipate my doubts1 for their weight has well-nigh crushed my heart4 ,i was riding through the wilderness and was approaching the gate of the town1 when1 it being the hour of dawn1 my eyes suddenly beheld ,you standing by the side of the river engaged in offering ,your prayer4 ,with outstretched arms and upraised eyes1 ,you were invoking the name of ,god4 ,i stood still and watched ,you4 ,i was waiting for ,you to terminate ,your devotions that ,i might approach and rebuke ,you for having ventured to leave the castle without my leave4 ,in ,your communion with ,god1 ,you seemed so wrapt in worship that ,you were utterly forgetful of ,yourself4 ,i quietly approached ,you2 in ,your state of rapture1 ,you remained wholly unaware of my presence4 ,i was suddenly seized with great fear and recoiled at the thought of awakening ,you from ,your ecstasy4 ,i decided to leave ,you1 to proceed to the guards and to reprove them for their negligent conduct4 ,i soon found out1 to my amazement1 that both the outer and inner gates were closed4 ,they were opened at my request1 ,i was ushered into ,your presence1 and now find ,you1 to my wonder1 seated before me4 ,i am utterly confounded4 ,i know not whether my reason has deserted me4' ,the ,bb answered and said3 ',what you have witnessed is true and undeniable4 ,you belittled this ,revelation and have contemptuously disdained its ,author4 ,god1 the ,all-,merciful1 desiring not to afflict you with ,his punishment1 has willed to reveal to your eyes the ,truth4 ,by ,his ,divine interposition1 ,he has instilled into your heart the love of ,his chosen ,one1 and caused you to recognise the unconquerable power of ,his ,faith4'#g ,all the arrogance of the warden left him4 ,he was totally conquered4 ,he became humble4 ,the first words that he uttered were3 ,a poor man1 a shaykh1 is yearning to attain ,your presence4 ,he lives in a masjid mosque outside the gate of ,mh-,k4 ,i pray ,you that ,i myself be allowed to bring him to this place that he may meet ,you4 ,by this act ,i hope that my evil deeds may be forgiven1 that ,i may be enabled to wash away the stains of my cruel behaviour toward ,your friends4#h ,he went away and returned with ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz4 ,al ,khn's change of heart and attitude radically altered the situation4 ,the prison gates no longer barred the ,bb from ,his followers4 ,bbs came from everywhere to attain the presence of their ,lord1 among them ,mull usayn1 the ,bbu'l-,bb4 ,the ,bb received him at the gate of the castle and celebrated the ,feast of ,naw-,rz with him4 ,ere his departure1 the ,bb directed him to visit ,tabrz and other towns of the province of dharbyjn1 and then proceed to ,zanjn1 ,qazvn1 ihrn1 and finally to the province of ,mzindarn4 ,al ,khn's devotion to the person of the ,bb increased day by day4 ,he did everything possible to mitigate the rigours of prison life4 ,every ,friday he came up the mountain to offer his homage4 j ,mrz qs was alarmed by the news reaching him from ,mh-,k1 and so was the ,russian ,minister in ihrn1 ,prince ,dimitri ,ivanovich ,dolgorukov4 ,in dispatches to ,count ,nesselrode1 the ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs1 dated ,february #dth and ,december #bdth #ahdh1 he mentions that1 in the previous year1 the ,bb had been removed from the vicinity of the ,russian border by his demand4#i ,this assertion is borne out by a letter of ,mull ,amad-i-,ibdl1 one of the ,letters of the ,living1 written when he was in ,kimayn1 close to ,baghdd4 ,it is not clear to whom the letter is addressed1 most probably to one of the uncles of the ,bb4#aj ,mull ,amad writes3 ,these days1 ,god willing1 ,i intend to go and attain the presence of my ,lord4444 ,these days pilgrims arrived here from ,urmyyih4 ,i sought the news of my ,lord from them4 ,they said that ,he was in a district of ,urmyyih1 called ,chihrm ,chihrq84 ,the ,governor of ,urmyyih wished1 at first1 to keep ,him in the town itself1 but the clerics had taken fright lest disturbances might arise1 and had refused their consent2 curses of ,god rest upon them4 ,it is said that the ,governor is acting with kindness1 and from the towns of ,adharbyjn people come in large groups1 attain ,his presence and return believers4 ,according to what has been related there is a tremendous upsurge1 that is to say1 many1 many people have become devoted to ,him4444 ,and as to the reason for the departure of ,dhikr1 on ,him be peace from ,mh-,k1 it is this1 that the ,russian ,envoy had heard that ,he was in ,mh-,k1 and1 being afraid of disturbance1 told the ,vizier1 j ,mrz qs3 ',send the ,dhikr1 on whom be peace1 to some other area of your realms1 because ,mh-,k is on the frontier and close to our territory1 and we are afraid of disturbances2 a few years ago1 a certain ,mull diq claimed to be the deputy of the ,imm and within a month gathered #cj1jjj followers round him4' ,russians had witnessed that and had taken fright4 ,abdu'l-,bah states that the ,bb's incarceration in the castle of ,mh-,k lasted nine months4 ,according to ,nabl-i-,aam1 on the twentieth day after ,naw-,rz 7,april #ith #ahdh71 ,he left that mountain fastness on the ,russian and ,turkish frontiers4#aa ,at ,mh-,k the ,bb revealed the ,dal'il-i-,sabih 7,the ,seven ,proofs7 and began the composition of the ,persian ,bayn,,df 7,exposition or ,utterance74 ,nabl-i-,aam writes3 ,i have heard ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz bear witness to the following3 ',the voice of the ,bb1 as ,he dictated the teachings and principles of ,his ,faith1 could be clearly heard by those who were dwelling at the foot of the mountain4 ,the melody of ,his chanting1 the rhythmic flow of the verses which streamed from ,his lips caught our ears and penetrated into our very souls4 ,mountain and valley re-echoed the majesty of ,his voice4 ,our hearts vibrated in their depths to the appeal of ,his utterance4'#ab ,footnote ,,df3 ,a copy of the ,persian ,bayn1 in the handwriting of ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd1 to whom ,he dictated it1 exists in the ,international ,archives of the ,bah' ,faith4 ,,chapter #aa ,,the ,,grievous ,,mountain ,our little systems have their day2 ,they have their day and cease to be3 ,they are but broken lights of thee1 ,and thou1 ,o ,lord1 art more than they4 --,alfred1 ,lord ,tennyson ,the man chosen by j ,mrz qs to take the ,bb away from the castle of ,mh-,k was ,ri-,qul ,khn-i-,afshr1 an officer with the rank of ,sartp 7brigadier1 in today's usage74 ,he was the son of j ,sulaymn ,khn1 the official who1 in ,zanjn1 failed to heed the ,bb's message to him4 j ,sulaymn ,khn was intensely devoted to ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht1 who had told him that he would live to see the advent of the ,q'im2 he often expressed surprise that the ,q'im had not appeared for him to recognize1 despite this unequivocal promise4 ,although he met the ,bb in ,mecca1 he attached himself to j ,muammad-,karm ,khn-i-,kirmn and refused to listen to the ,bbs4 ,his devotion to ,siyyid ,kim was of such a character that1 having obtained the hand of a daughter of ,siyyid ,kim for his son1 he began his day by paying his respects in person to his daughter-in-law4 ,it was this son who was entrusted with the task of moving the ,bb from ,mh-,k to ,urmyyih and ,chihrq4,,dg ,and soon he too became captivated by the ,prisoner in his charge4 ,eventually1 ,ri-,qul ,khn became an avowed1 zealous ,bb1 and broke away from his father1 who persisted in his hostility to the ,bb4 ,footnote ,,dg3 ,the ,bb named ,chihrq ,jabal-i-,shadd'--the ,grievous ,mountain4 ',shadd' is numerically equal to ,chihrq4 ,he called ,mh-,k ',jabal-i-,bsi'--the ,open ,mountain4 ',bsi' is numerically equal to ,mh-,k4 ,the castle of ,chihrq is in the neighbourhood of ,urmyyih1 known today as ,ri'yyih4 ,its warden1 ,yay ,khn1 was a ,kurdish chieftain1 whose sister was married to ,muammad ,shh4 ,the son of this union was called ,abbs ,mrz1 after the ,shh's own father1 and bore also his title1 ,nyibu's-,salanih 7,viceroy or ,regent74 ,because this child was such a favourite of ,muammad ,shh1 the mother of the heir to the throne1 ,niri'd-,dn ,mrz1 was exceedingly jealous of him4 ,her jealousy put his life in jeopardy after the death of his father1 but ,colonel ,farrant's intervention saved him4,,dh ,he was exiled to ,qum1 but even then he was not secure1 for he was accused of being in league with the ,bbs4 ,mrz usayn-i-,mutavall 7,custodian7 of ,qum was forced1 under torture1 to sign a confession implicating ,abbs ,mrz in faked ,bb plots4,,di ,this unfortunate prince spent many years of his life in exile1 mostly in ,irq4 ,he was eventually allowed to return to rn and was given the title of ,mulk-r2 but he was always close to misfortune and danger4 ,footnote ,,dh3 ,abbs ,mrz was then nine years old4 ,farrant was the ,british charg d'affaires in the absence of ,sheil4 ,footnote ,,di3 ,this man was in the fortress of ,shaykh abars and betrayed his fellow-believers4 ,some years later in ,baghdd he fell on evil days and ,bah'u'llh gave him a monthly allowance4 ,yay ,khn1 the warden of ,chihrq1 was harsh and unpredictable1 but before long he too felt unable to keep the gates of his castle closed against the ,bbs4 ,the same power1 which had held ,al ,khn of ,mh-,k spellbound1 captured the heart of ,yay ,khn4 ,so many ,bbs came to ,chihrq that it was impossible to house them and rooms had to be found for them in ,isk-,shahr1 which was not far away4 ,food and all other necessities were purchased in ,isk-,shahr4 ,once some honey was bought there for the ,bb1 but ,he found the quality to be inferior and the price exorbitant and had it returned4 ,honey of a superior quality ,he said could no doubt have been purchased at a lower price4 ,i who am your example have been a merchant by profession4 ,it behoves you in all your transactions to follow in ,my way4 ,you must neither defraud your neighbour nor allow him to defraud you4 ,such was the way of your ,master4 ,the shrewdest and ablest of men were unable to deceive ,him1 nor did ,he on ,his part choose to act ungenerously towards the meanest and most helpless of creatures4#a ,khuy was another town of dharbyjn which was not far from ,chihrq4 ,not long had passed since the ,bb's arrival at ,chihrq when ,khuy became aware that a number of its prominent citizens among the siyyids1 divines and officials had become ,bbs4 ,mrz ,asadu'llh1 on whom the ,bb conferred the designation of ,dayyn1#b was one of them4 ,dayyn means the conqueror or the judge4 ,mrz ,asadu'llh1 a proud man1 high in the service of the government1 and a man of vast learning who wielded a fluent pen1,,dj had for long withstood the attempts of the ,bbs to convert him4 ,not only did he refuse to yield any ground to them1 he also proved a vociferous antagonist4 ,then he had a dream which induced him to write to the ,bb4 ,and when he received the answer to his letter he gave the ,bb his allegiance with a zeal and fervour that thoroughly alarmed his father1 who was a personal friend of the ,grand ,vizier4 ,he wrote to j ,mrz qs1 expatiating on his son's bewitchment and deploring his grave aberrations4,,dk ,footnote ,,dj3 ,he was a master of ,persian1 ,arabic1 ,turkish1 ,hebrew and ,syriac4 ,footnote ,,dk3 ,the ,bb revealed the ,law-i-urft 7,tablet of the ,letters7 in honour of ,mrz ,asadu'llh4 ',had the ,point of the ,bayn ,nuqiy-i-,bayn no other testimony with which to establish ,his truth1' ,he states1 'this were sufficient--that ,he revealed a ,tablet such as this1 a ,tablet such as no amount of learning could produce4'#c ,once again j ,mrz qs found himself thwarted4 ,the ,faith of the ,bb was spreading and he could not contain it4 ,and now the ,grand ,vizier had the additional anxiety of watching the rapid deterioration of ,muammad ,shh's health4 ,the monarch was only forty years old1 but as a sufferer from gout his malady was wearing him down4 ,at ,chihrq itself a dervish arrived from ,india4 ,who he truly was1 no one knew and no one knows even now4 ,the ,bb gave him the name ,qahru'llh 7the ,wrath of ,god74 ,all that this dervish would say about himself was3 ,in the days when ,i occupied the exalted position of a navvb in ,india1 the ,bb appeared to me in a vision4 ,he gazed at me and won my heart completely4 ,i arose1 and had started to follow ,him1 when ,he looked at me intently and said3 ',divest yourself of your gorgeous attire1 depart from your native land1 and hasten on foot to meet ,me in dhirbyjn4 ,in ,chihrq you will attain your heart's desire4' ,i followed ,his directions and have now reached my goal4#d ,the ,bb instructed him to go back to his native land1 the same way he had come1 as a dervish and on foot4 ,qahru'llh would have no companion on that long journey back4 ,his fate remains a mystery1 just as does the fate of ,shaykh ,sad1 the ,indian ,letter of the ,living4 ,the ,bb had been in ,chihrq for three months when j ,mrz qs decided ,he should be taken1 once more1 to ,tabrz4 ,before the summons came1 the ,bb sent away those ,bbs who had congregated in and around ,chihrq2 among them was the redoubtable ,am4,,dl ,at the same time1 ,he commissioned ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz to collect the ,writings ,he had revealed in the two castles1 and hand them for safe-keeping to ,siyyid ,ibrhm-i-,khall1 who resided in ,tabrz4 ,footnote ,,dl3 ,see p4 #ajc4 ,when the ,bb reached ,urmyyih1 on his way to ,tabrz1 the ,governor1 ,malik ,qsim ,mrz1 a descendant of ,fah-,al ,shh1 received ,him reverently4 ,nevertheless1 he decided to pose a test for his ,guest4 ,on a ,friday1 when the ,bb planned to go to the public bath1 he directed that a particularly unruly horse be brought to convey ,him4 ,those who knew of his plan awaited the outcome with bated breath4 ,miraculously1 the horse stood quietly for the ,bb1 who mounted and rode it to the bath with perfect control4 ,the ,prince-,governor1 ashamed and abashed1 walked on foot beside the ,bb's steed nearly to ,his destination1 until the ,bb asked him to return to his house4 ,the news spread and stunned the town4 ,when the ,bb came out of the bath and mounted the same horse again1 men1 women and children rushed in to take away every drop of the water ,he had used4 ,from now on the ,governor's residence was thronged daily by people who wished to meet the ,bb or just to catch a glimpse of ,him4 ,during this time1 q-,bl ,big1 the ,naqqsh-,bsh 7,chief ,painter7 made a portrait of the ,bb1 the only one ever drawn of ,him2 its story is of tremendous interest4 q-,bl ,big was a native of ,shshvn1 a village on the banks of ,lake ,urmyyih4 ,like scores of others1 he was attracted to ,government ,house to see the ,bb4 ,years later he related his experience to ,varq1 the ,bah' martyr-poet4 ,he had noticed that as soon as the ,bb's eyes alighted on him ,he arranged ,his ab neatly and looked at him intently4 ,this happened again the next day1 and q-,bl ,big realized that the ,bb was giving him a sign that he might draw ,his portrait4 ,the painter made a rough sketch there and then4 ,later1 he composed the portrait in black and white4 ,when ,varq informed ,bah'u'llh of this1 he was instructed to ask the painter to make two copies of the portrait in water colour1 one to be sent to the ,holy ,land and one to be kept by ,varq himself4 ,the copy taken to the ,holy ,land is in the ,international ,archives of the ,bah' ,faith4 ,the copy which the martyr-poet held was among his possessions1 looted at the time of his arrest4 ,the original black and white portrait was discovered years later by ,siyyid ,asadu'llh-i-,qum1 who conveyed it to the ,holy ,land and presented it to ,abdu'l-,bah4,,dm ,footnote ,,dm3 ,the present writer heard this account from ,valyu'llh ,varq1 the son of the martyr-poet1 who had the rank of a ,hand of the ,cause by appointment of the ,guardian of the ,bah' ,faith4 ,the ,bb must have reached ,tabrz in the last week of ,july #ahdh4 ,muammad ,shh's illness was1 by then1 giving concern to j ,mrz qs1 and the wily old ,grand ,vizier1 conscious of his approaching downfall1 was already seeking ways and means of softening the blow4 ,over the course of years he had grown to be a very rich man1 owning villages and farmlands and urban property4 ,he knew that with the death of ,muammad ,shh he would lose not only his position and power1 but also his enormous wealth4 ,when ,muammad ,shh was dying1 j ,mrz qs was no longer to be seen within the precincts of the palace1 for his powerful enemies in the ,court1 whom he had not been able to destroy1,,dn were ready to pounce on him4 ,he retired to his village of ,abbsbd4 ,there his body-guard1 recruited from his home town of ,mh-,k1 disintegrated4 ,the people of ihrn who had suffered so much at their hands now found opportunities to avenge themselves1 and j ,mrz qs found himself in such straits that he felt constrained to write to the boy-prince1 ,abbs ,mrz1 and a number of prominent courtiers1 to plead for harmony and friendship4 ,as no response was forthcoming from these quarters1 he put on a bold face and tried to regain his residence in ihrn4 ,but the artillery ,general1 who commanded the royal guard at the citadel1 let him know that his stay in ihrn was undesirable4 ,so he tried to reach dharbyjn1 the province to which he had exiled the ,bb1 to take refuge with the inhabitants of his native town4 ,he had not gone far from the capital when he was turned back4 ,deserted and mocked1 he had no course open but to seek sanctuary in the shrine of ,shh ,abdu'l-,am4 ,such was the end of all power for j ,mrz qs1 the ,antichrist of the ,bb ,revelation4 ,footnote ,,dn3 ,they included men such as ,mrz ,ysuf1 the ,mustawfu'l-,mamlik and ,abbs-,qul ,khn-i-,javnshr4 ,in ,tabrz the ,bb was brought before the ,crown ,prince1 ,niri'd-,dn ,mrz1 who was only seventeen years old and had recently been given the governorship of dharbyjn4 ,a panel of the prominent divines of ,tabrz gathered to examine the ,bb4 ,the leading men of that panel were3 j ,mrz ,mamd1 the ,nimu'l-,ulam1 who was the chief tutor of the ,crown ,prince2 ,mull ,muammad-i-,mmaqn1 a disciple of ,siyyid ,kim and an outstanding figure among the ,shaykhs2 j ,murti-,quly-i-,marand1 the ,alamu'l-,hud2 j ,mrz ,al-,aghar1 the ,shaykhu'l-,islm2,,do and ,mrz ,amad1 the ,imm-,jumih4 ,the procedures of that high tribunal were frivolous from beginning to end4 ,here were the shining lights of the religious hierarchy of ,tabrz1 assembled to learn from a young ,siyyid1 who claimed to be the bearer of a ,message from ,god1 what the nature of ,his claim was and what proofs ,he could adduce to substantiate it4 ,that they failed miserably to be just and to apply themselves to the problem before them need not be sought in the evidence of the followers of the ,bb4 ,two of the best known ,persian histories of the time plentifully provide that evidence4 ,these are the ,nsikhu't-,tavrkh by ,muammad-,taq ,khn of ,kshn#e and the ,supplement to the ,rawatu'-af of ,mrkhund,,dp by ,ri-,qul ,khn-i-,hidyat2 both works were written during the reign of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh4 ,from these two histories1 ,edward ,granville ,browne prepared a version of the procs-verbal of that infamous tribunal for the ,appendices to his translation of ,a ,traveller's ,narrative4 ,he also used another book1 the ,qiau'l-,ulam 7,chronicles of the ,divines7 written in #ahgc4 ,typical are these two questions1 said to have been put to the ,bb by ,nimu'l-,ulam3 ',as the ,prophet or some other wise man hath said ,knowledge is twofold--knowledge of bodies1 and knowledge of religions2 ,i ask1 then1 in ,medicine1 what occurs in the stomach when a person suffers from indigestion8 ,why are some cases amenable to treatment8 ,and why do some go on to permanent dyspepsia or syncope swooning1 or terminate in hypochondriasis8' 99 99 99 99 99 ',the science of ,applications is elucidated from the ,book and the ,code1 and the understanding of the ,book and the ,code the ,qur'n and the ,traditions depends on many sciences1 such as ,grammar1 ,rhetoric1 and ,logic4 ,do you who are the ,bb conjugate la8',,dq ,footnote ,,do3 ,like the ,imm-,jumih1 the ,shaykhu'l-,islm was a leading divine of a city1 who enjoyed certain privileges4 ,although the sovereign appointed the ,shaykhu'l-,islm1 there were many instances when the position passed from father to son4 ,footnote ,,dp3 ,also1 ,mrkhwand4 ,he died ,a4,h4 #ijc1 ,a4,d4 #adig-h4 ,footnote ,,dq3 ,qla1 the third person singular of 'to say'4 ,the ,bb is alleged to have replied that ,he had learned to conjugate ,arabic words in ,his childhood1 but had forgotten the rules4 ,this is supposed to have been the answer of a ,person who had revealed the ,qayymu'l-,asm'1 the ,commentary on the ,srih of ,kawthar1 the ,commentary on the ,srih of ,v'al-,ar--all in ,arabic4 ,when the ,bb stated clearly3 ',i am that person for whose appearance ye have waited a thousand years1' ,nizmu'l-,ulam retorted3 ',that is to say you are the ,mahd1 the ,lord of ,religion8' ',yes1' answered the ,bb4 ',the same in person1 or generically8' ',in person4' ',what is your name1 and what are the names of your father and mother8 ,where is your birthplace8 ,and how old are you8' ',my name is ,al ,muammad1' answered the ,bb4 ',my mother was named ,khadja and my father ,mrz ,ri the cloth-seller2 my birth-place is ,shrz2 and of my life1 behold1 thirty-five years have elapsed4',,dr ,footnote ,,dr3 ,critics such as ,mrz ,kim ,big 7,kazem-,beg7 have observed that giving the age of the ,bb as thirty-five indicates that the whole account is spurious4 ,furthermore1 it was not the mother of the ,bb who was named ,khadjih1 but ,his wife4 ',the name of the ,lord of ,religion is ,muammad2 his father was named asan and his mother ,narjis2 his birthplace was ,surra-man-,ra'a2 and his age is more than a thousand years4 ,there is the most complete variance4 ,and besides ,i did not send you4' ',do you claim to be ,god8' asked the ,bb4 ',such an ,imm is worthy of such a ,god1' replied ,nimu'l-,ulam4 ',i can in one day write two thousand verses4 ,who else can do this8' ',when ,i resided at the ,supreme ,shrines ,i had a secretary who used to write two thousand verses a day4 ,eventually he became blind4 ,you must certainly give up this occupation1 or else you too will go blind4'#f ,even from these few quotations the absurdity of the trial may be seen4 ,the authors of ,nsikhu't-,tavrkh1 the ,supplement to ,rawatu'-af and ,qiau'l-,ulam took their material from a tract written by the same ,nimu'l-,ulam who presided over the tribunal in ,tabrz4 ,but ,shaykh ,muammad-,taq1 the son of ,mull ,muammad-i-,mmaqn1 and no less an opponent of the ,faith of the ,bb than his father1 in a book written specifically to refute that ,faith1 took ,nimu'l-,ulam to task for having perverted the truth4 ,shaykh ,muammad-,taq was himself present at the tribunal2 in his book he underlined1 one by one1 ,nimu'l-,ulam's misrepresentations4 ,his testimony to the powers of the ,bb1 which he recorded despite his avowed1 unrelenting antagonism1 has recently been reprinted4 ,eventually1 ,nimu'l-,ulam collected as many copies as he could of his own tract and destroyed them4 ,nabl-i-,aam states1 on the authority of ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz1 that the person most insolent in the course of that mock trial was ,mull ,muammad-i-,mmaqn4,,ds ,the ,bb was sitting between him and the ,crown ,prince1 and when ,he affirmed that ,he was the ,q'im1 whose advent they expected1 ,mull ,muammad called out in anger3 ,footnote ,,ds3 ,it is of interest that another son of ,mull ,muammad1 named ,mrz ,isml1 embraced the new ,revelation4 ',you wretched and immature lad of ,shrz6 ,you have already convulsed and subverted ,irq2 do you now wish to arouse a like turmoil in dhirbyjn8' ,the ,bb's answer to his outburst was only this3 ',your ,honour1 ,i have not come hither of ,my own accord4 ,i have been summoned to this place4' ,mull ,muammad1 yet more haughty and disdainful1 shouted back3 ',hold your peace1 you perverse and contemptible follower of ,satan6' ,and the ,bb replied serenely3 ',your ,honour1 ,i maintain what ,i have already declared4' ,then1 according to ,nabl-i-,aam1 ,nimu'l-,ulam posed this challenge3 ',the claim which you have advanced is a stupendous one2 it must needs be supported by the most incontrovertible evidence4' ',his own word1' said the ,bb1 'is the most convincing evidence of the truth of the ,mission of the ,prophet of ,god4' ,and ,he quoted from the ,qur'n a verse in support of ,his argument3 ',is it not enough for them that ,we have sent down to ,thee the ,book8',,dt ,footnote ,,dt3 ,qur'n xxix1 #ea4 ,nimu'l-,ulam rejoined3 ',describe orally1 if you speak the truth1 the proceedings of this gathering in language that will resemble the phraseology of the verses of the ,qur'n so that the ,val-,ahd ,crown ,prince and the assembled divines may bear witness to the truth of your claim4' ,the ,bb had spoken no more than a few words in response to this request when ,mull ,muammad rudely intervened3 ',this self-appointed ,q'im of ours has at the very start of his address betrayed his ignorance of the most rudimentary rules of grammar6' ',the ,qur'n itself does in no wise accord with the rules and conventions current amongst men1' said the ,bb4 ',the ,word of ,god can never be subject to the limitations of ,his creatures4 ,nay1 the rules and canons which men have adopted have been deduced from the text of the ,word of ,god and are based upon it4 ,these men have1 in the very texts of that holy ,book1 discovered no less than three hundred instances of grammatical error1 such as the one you now criticise4 ,inasmuch as it was the ,word of ,god1 they had no other alternative except to resign themselves to ,his will4' ,but ,mull ,muammad turned a deaf ear to the ,bb1 and another divine interrupted with an absurd question about the tense of a verb4 ,then the ,bb spoke this verse of the ,qur'n3 ',far be the glory of thy ,lord1 the ,lord of all greatness1 from what they impute to ,him1 and peace be upon ,his ,apostles6' ,and ,he rose up from ,his seat and walked out4,,du#g ,footnote ,,du3 ,an undated letter has come to light in the handwriting of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh1 written during the ,ministry of ,bah'u'llh1 and addressed to ,alu'd-,dawlih1 a governor of ihrn4 ,the ,shh instructed the ,governor to put certain questions to the ',bbs' arrested by ,amnu's-,suln1 including q ,jaml-i-,burjird1 the only one he mentions by name4 ,only ,amnu's-,suln and j q ,muammad1 a divine1 should be present for the questioning1 he instructed1 and the replies of the ,bbs were to be recorded and presented to him4 ,he himself1 he said1 might then have to meet these ',bbs'1 to determine exactly what their aims and purposes were4 ,niri'd-,dn ,shh's language was abusive1 but two points are particularly worth noting in this long tirade3 first1 his admission that1 before the tribunal in ,tabrz1 the ,bb stood firmly by ,his claim that ,he was the ,q'im2 second1 his insistence that he wanted to know what were the beliefs and intentions of the ',bbs'4 ,during the governorship of ,alu'd-,dawlih1 q ,najaf-,al1 a ,bah' of ,tabrz1 was arrested1 resulting in the apprehension of a number of ,bah's in ihrn4 q ,najaf-,al had recently returned from ,akk and was the bearer of a number of ,tablets4 ,he lost his life but the other ,bah's were eventually freed4 ,shortly after these proceedings1 it was decided to inflict corporal punishment upon the ,bb1 and ,he was taken to the house of ,muammad-,kim ,khn1 the farrsh-bsh4,,dv ,as the guards refused to carry out the sentence1 ,mrz ,al-,aghar1 the ,shaykhu'l-,islm1 personally administered the bastinado4 ,when the news reached ,urmyyih that the ,bb had been subjected to such indignity1 many of those who had been attracted to ,his ,faith abandoned it4 ,in ,tabrz1 the ,bb was seen by ,dr4 ,cormick1 an ,english physician1 the only ,westerner ever to have met ,him4 ,the ,reverend ,benjamin ,labaree1 ,d4,d41 of the ,american ,presbyterian ,mission at ,urmyyih1 asked ,dr4 ,cormick for the particulars of his visit4 ,the ,english physician wrote in answer3 ,you ask me for some particulars of my interview with the founder of the sect known as ,bbs4 ,nothing of any importance transpired in this interview1 as the ,bb was aware of my having been sent with two other ,persian doctors to see whether he was of sane mind or merely a madman1 to decide the question whether to put him to death or not4 ,with this knowledge he was loth to answer any questions put to him4 ,to all enquiries he merely regarded us with a mild look1 chanting in a low melodious voice some hymns1 ,i suppose4 ,two other ,sayyids1 his intimate friends1 were also present1 who subsequently were put to death with him1,,dw besides a couple of government officials4 ,he only once deigned to answer me1 on my saying that ,i was not a ,musulmn and was willing to know something about his religion1 as ,i might perhaps be inclined to adopt it4 ,he regarded me very intently on my saying this1 and replied that he had no doubt of all ,europeans coming over to his religion4 ,our report to the ,shh at that time was of a nature to spare his life4 ,he was put to death some time after by the order of the ,amr-i-,nim ,mrz ,taq ,khn4 ,on our report he merely got the bastinado1 in which operation a farrsh1 whether intentionally or not1 struck him across the face with the stick destined for his feet1 which produced a great wound and swelling of the face4 ,on being asked whether a ,persian surgeon should be brought to treat him1 he expressed a desire that ,i should be sent for1 and ,i accordingly treated him for a few days1 but in the interviews consequent on this ,i could never get him to have a confidential chat with me1 as some ,government people were always present1 he being a prisoner4 ,he was very thankful for my attentions to him4 ,he was a very mild and delicate-looking man1 rather small in stature and very fair for a ,persian1 with a melodious soft voice1 which struck me much4 ,being a ,sayyid1 he was dressed in the habits of that sect1 as were also his two companions4 ,in fact his whole look and deportment went far to dispose one in his favour4 ,of his doctrine ,i heard nothing from his own lips1 although the idea was that there existed in his religion a certain approach to ,christianity4 ,he was seen by some ,armenian carpenters1 who were sent to make some repairs in his prison1 reading the ,bible1 and he took no pains to conceal it1 but on the contrary told them of it4 ,most assuredly the ,musulmn fanaticism does not exist in his religion1 as applied to ,christians1 nor is there that restraint of females that now exists4#h ,footnote ,,dv3 ,literally1 'chief-lictor'1 a ,roman officer who executed sentences on offenders4 ,footnote ,,dw3 ,this is a mistake4 ,the two brothers1 ,siyyid asan and ,siyyid usayn1 were not put to death with the ,bb1 contrary to ,browne's note accompanying this account4 ,it must have been sometime in the first days of ,august #ahdh that the ,bb was restored to ,chihrq4 ,from there1 ,he addressed a letter to j ,mrz qs3 ,o thou who hast disbelieved in ,god1 and hast turned thy face away from ,his signs6#i ,that letter1 stern and unsparing1 is known as the ,khubiy-i-,qahryyih 7,sermon of ,wrath74 ,the ,bb sent it to ujjat1 who was still in ihrn unable to return to his native town1 to give it in person to the ,grand ,vizier4 ,hujjat carried out the task entrusted to him4 ,by then j ,mrz qs had fallen from power1 to end his days in obscurity in ,irq4 ,muammad ,shh died on ,september #dth #ahdh4;,,dx ,less than a year later1 j ,mrz qs followed him to the grave4 ,footnote ,,dx3 ,there was a certain j ,riy-i-,qs#aj in ,shrz1 always ready to start a riot or head a revolt4 ,the present writer recalls being told by his paternal grandmother that one day1 at dawn1 j ,qs came galloping past their door1 rattling a long stick 7or a lance7 in a hole in the wall1 shouting3 ',o house of the ,siyyids1 may you rest in safety1 ,muammad ,shh has gone to hell4' ,she remembered that incident very well1 although at the time she was no more than seven or eight years old4 ,,chapter #ab ,,that ,,midsummer ,,noon ,transcendent ,star1 past mortal ken ,the glory of your ,life through all the spheres ,bathes the unending vista of the years4 ,the radiance of the ,light you brought to men ,has purified the planet's heart anew6 ,your blood was poured upon its dearth like dew1 ,ichor of ,god's decree1 let each drop shed ,raise up the nations1 and the living dead1 ,revive the vision of the spirit's youth3 ,auroral is the fountain of your ,truth4 --,beatrice ,irwin ,the death of ,muammad ,shh and the downfall of j ,mrz qs were events of far-reaching consequence4 ,the new monarch was very young and inexperienced1 while the man who now occupied the seat left vacant by the disappearance of j ,mrz qs was capable and uncorrupted1 but self-willed and headstrong4 ,mrz ,taq ,khn1 the ,amr-,nim 7better known by his later title ,amr-i-,kabr7 had by sheer force of his abilities raised himself from humble origins to a position of power4 ,his father had been a cook in the employment of the illustrious ,q'im-,maqm4 ,and it had been that great minister who had first noticed high promise in the young ,taq4 ,although ,niri'd-,dn ,shh now reigned over rn1 it was ,mrz ,taq ,khn who ruled it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,once again1 within the confines of ,chihrq1 the ,bb had uninterrupted communication with ,his followers4 ,mull d ,guzal1 a native of ,marghih 7dh-rbyjn71 acted as a courier1 often traversing vast distances on foot4 ,decades later ,abdu'l-,bah recalled a day when this indefatigable man arrived at ihrn1 dressed as a dervish and much travel-stained4 ,vad1 on learning who he was and from whence he had come1 bent low and kissed the mud-encrusted feet of the courier1 for he had been in the presence of the ,beloved4 ,one of this courier's journeys took him to ,qudds1 with the gift of a valuable pen-case and a silk turban sent by the ,bb4 ,and when ,qudds and ,mull usayn and their companions died as martyrs in ,mzindarn1 the ,bb chose this same faithful courier to go on pilgrimage in ,his stead to the land drenched with their blood4 ,thus ,mull d ,guzal was the first ,bb to set eyes on the scenes of that carnage4 ,he was also1 for two months1 the ,bb's personal attendant in the castle of ,chihrq4#a ,sulaymn ,khn1 the son of ,yay ,khn of ,tabrz1 was one of the prominent followers of the ,bb who attained ,his presence in this castle1 after making the journey in disguise4,,dy ,he had no liking for service at court1 and had gone to ,irq1 to live under the shadow of the ,shrine of ,imm usayn4 ,there he found himself attracted to the teachings of ,siyyid ,kim and1 hearing later of the advent of the ,bb1 gave ,him his allegiance4 ,the news of the plight of his fellow-believers1 who were hounded and besieged in ,mzindarn1 drew him back to his native land4 ,he reached ihrn dressed as a cleric4 ,mrz ,taq ,khn1 however1 made him discard his turban and long cloak1 and forced him to wear a military uniform4 ,but he could not prevail upon him to enter the service of the ,government4 ,sulaymn ,khn's primary purpose remained unfulfilled3 to give aid to ,qudds and the ,bbu'l-,bb proved impossible1 but his sudden departure from ,karbil was not to be in vain1 or barren of significant result4 ,footnote ,,dy3 ,the father of ,sulaymn ,khn was an attendant of ,abbs ,mrz1 and then of his son1 ,muammad ,shh4 ,another visitor to ,chihrq during the closing months of the life of the ,bb was ,his uncle1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al4 ,his life too was nearing its end1 to be laid down in the path of his ,nephew4 ,two years had passed since the day his ,nephew bade him farewell in ,shrz1 and j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al could no longer bear the pangs of separation4 ,he settled his accounts1 closed his books and took the road to dharbyjn4 ,having attained his heart's desire1 he wrote to his brother1 j ,mrz ,siyyid ,muammad1 to help him see the truth of their ,nephew's mission4 ,his letter was written on the fifth day of ,jamdu'l-l--the anniversary of the ,declaration of the ,bb4 ',on such a day1' he told his brother1 'the resplendent ,light of ,god shone forth4444 ,this is the day of ,resurrection 444 the day to behold the ,visage of ,god4'#b ,the ,one promised1 expected and awaited had indeed come1 he asserted1 and come with verses constituting the primal proof of all the ,manifestations of ,god4 ,he desired all the members of his family to see his letter4 ,one cannot but marvel at the quality of devotion and certainty that this letter reveals4 ,to meet1 after such a long interval1 the uncle who had stood in loco parentis to ,him when ,he was orphaned1 must have given the ,bb intense joy4 ,but within a few months,,dz of ,his uncle's visit1 news came that brought ,him unbearable sorrow4 ,at ,shaykh abars in ,mzindarn a large number of ,his followers had been massacred1 including nine of ,his first disciples1 the ,letters of the ,living2 amongst them were the ,bbu'l-,bb who had first believed in ,him1 and ,qudds1 ,his companion on the journey to ijz1 the beloved disciple whose primacy was unquestioned4 ,footnote ,,dz3 ,towards the end of ,june #ahdi4 ,according to ,his amanuensis3 ,the ,bb was heart-broken at the receipt of this unexpected intelligence4 ,he was crushed with grief1 a grief that stilled ,his voice and silenced ,his pen4 ,for nine days ,he refused to meet any of ,his friends4 ,i myself1 though ,his close and constant attendant1 was refused admittance4 ,whatever meat or drink we offered ,him1 ,he was disinclined to touch4 ,tears rained continually from ,his eyes1 and expressions of anguish dropped unceasingly from ,his lips4 ,i could hear ,him1 from behind the curtain1 give vent to ,his feelings of sadness as ,he communed1 in the privacy of ,his cell1 with ,his ,beloved4 ,i attempted to jot down the effusions of ,his sorrow as they poured forth from ,his wounded heart4 ,suspecting that ,i was attempting to preserve the lamentations ,he uttered1 ,he bade me destroy whatever ,i had recorded4 ,nothing remains of the moans and cries with which that heavy-laden heart sought to relieve itself of the pangs that had seized it4 ,for a period of five months ,he languished1 immersed in an ocean of despondency and sorrow4#c ,conscious that ,his own life was fast approaching its end1 the ,bb put all ,his ,writings1 ,his pen-case1 ,his seals and rings in a box which ,he entrusted to ,mull ,bqir-i-,tabrz1 one of the ,letters of the ,living1 with instructions to deliver it1 together with a letter1 to ,mrz ,amad-i-,ktib 7,mull ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn74 ,nabl-i-,aam writes3 ,mull ,bqir departed forthwith for ,qazvn4 ,within eighteen days he reached that town and was informed that ,mrz ,amad had departed for ,qum4 ,he left immediately for that destination and arrived towards the middle of the month of ,shabn4,,ea ,i was then in ,qum4444 ,i was living in the same house with ,mrz ,amad4444 ,in those days ,shaykh ,am1 ,siyyid ,isml1 and a number of other companions likewise were dwelling with us4 ,mull ,bqir delivered the trust into the hands of ,mrz ,amad1 who1 at the insistence of ,shaykh ,am1 opened it before us4 ,we marvelled when we beheld1 among the things which that coffer contained1 a scroll of blue paper1 of the most delicate texture1 on which the ,bb1 in ,his own exquisite handwriting1 which was a fine shikastih script1 had penned1 in the form of a pentacle1 what numbered about five hundred verses1 all consisting of derivatives from the word ',bah'4,,eb ,that scroll was in a state of perfect preservation1 was spotlessly clean4444 ,so fine and intricate was the penmanship that1 viewed at a distance1 the writing appeared as a single wash of ink on the paper4 ,we were overcome with admiration as we gazed upon a masterpiece which no calligraphist1 we believed1 could rival4 ,that scroll was replaced in the coffer and handed back to ,mrz ,amad1 who1 on the very day he received it1 proceeded to ihrn4 ,ere he departed1 he informed us that all he could divulge of that letter was the injunction that the trust was to be delivered into the hands of ,jinb-i-,bah,,ec in ihrn4#d ,footnote ,,ea3 ,towards the end of ,june #ahej4 ,footnote ,,eb3 ,there were #cfj derivatives4 7,browne1 ed41 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #db47 ,footnote ,,ec3 ,bah'u'llh4 ,it was also during the last few months of ,his life that the ,bb composed the ,arabic ,bayn1 which1 in the estimation of ,nicolas1 is the epitome of the teachings of the ,bb4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the man who took the decision to have the ,bb executed was ,mrz ,taq ,khn1 the ,grand ,vizier of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh4 ,his obdurate nature brooked no opposition4 ,mrz q ,khn-i-,nr1 who had a ministerial post1 made a faint protest1 but his voice went unheeded4 ,orders were sent to amzih ,mrz1 the ishmatu'd-,dawlih1 ,governor-,general of dharbyjn1 to bring the ,bb to ,tabrz4 ,when these were carried out further orders came from the ,grand ,vizier1 brought by no less a person than his brother1 ,mrz asan ,khn1 the ,vazr ,nizm4 ,they were to the effect that the ,bb should be executed by a firing squad1 in full public view4 ishmatu'd-,dawlih refused absolutely to be associated in any way with such a dastardly action4 ,his response was3 ',i am neither ,ibn-i-,zyd nor ,ibn-i-,sad,,ed that he should call upon me to slay an innocent descendant of the ,prophet of ,god4'#e ,footnote ,,ed3 ,men responsible for the tragedy of ,karbil1 and the martyrdom of ,imm usayn4 ,the ,grand ,vizier1 on being informed by ,mrz asan ,khn of this refusal1 instructed his brother to carry out the orders under his own authority4 ,divested of ,his turban and sash which indicated ,his lineage1 the ,bb and ,his attendants were taken on foot to the barracks1 from the house which the ,governor had put at their disposal4 ,on the way to the citadel1 a youth1 barefoot and dishevelled1 threw himself at the feet of the ,bb1 beseeching ,him3 ',send me not from ,thee1 ,o ,master4 ,wherever ,thou goest1 suffer me to follow ,thee4' ,to this the ,bb replied3 ',muammad-,al1 arise1 and rest assured that you will be with ,me4 ,tomorrow you shall witness what ,god has decreed4'#f ,this youth1 ,mrz ,muammad-,aly-i-,zunz1 had long been devoted to the ,bb1 but his stepfather,,ee had used every subterfuge to prevent him from meeting the ,bb and voicing his allegiance1 even going to the length of locking him up in his own house4 ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz was related to the family1 and thus had access to ,mrz ,muammad-,al4 ,visiting him one day1 ,shaykh asan found the youth transformed1 no longer wretched and bemoaning his fate1 but happy and at peace4 ',the eyes of my ,beloved1' he told ,shaykh asan1 'have beheld this face1 and these eyes have gazed upon ,his countenance4' ,he then recounted an experience he had had3 ,let me tell you the secret of my happiness4 ,after the ,bb had been taken back to ,chihrq1,,ef one day1 as ,i lay confined in my cell1 ,i turned my heart to ,him and besought ,him in these words3 ',thou beholdest1 ,o my ,best-,beloved1 my captivity and helplessness1 and knowest how eagerly ,i yearn to look upon ,thy face4 ,dispel the gloom that oppresses my heart1 with the light of ,thy countenance4' ,what tears of agonising pain ,i shed that hour6 ,i was so overcome with emotion that ,i seemed to have lost consciousness4 ,suddenly ,i heard the voice of the ,bb1 and1 lo6 ,he was calling me4 ,he bade me arise4 ,i beheld the majesty of ,his countenance as ,he appeared before me4 ,he smiled as ,he looked into my eyes4 ,i rushed forward and flung myself at ,his feet4 ',rejoice1' ,he said2 'the hour is approaching when1 in this very city1 ,i shall be suspended before the eyes of the multitude and shall fall a victim to the fire of the enemy4 ,i shall choose no one except you to share with ,me the cup of martyrdom4 ,rest assured that this promise which ,i give you shall be fulfilled4'#g ,footnote ,,ee3 ,siyyid ,aly-i-,zunz4 ,footnote ,,ef3 ,following his examination in the summer of #ahdh4 ,now1 two years later1 in a thoroughfare of ,tabrz1 ,mrz ,muammad-,aly-i-,zunz received the same promise and assurance from the ,bb4 ,that night the ,bb was joyous4 ,he knew that on the following day ,he would quaff the cup of martyrdom4 ,he also knew that ,his ,mission on this earth was totally accomplished1 despite fierce opposition mounted by the divines and rulers of the land1 and despite the tyrannies and indignities to which ,he had been mercilessly subjected4 ,no power had succeeded in quenching the flame of faith which ,his ,word had set ablaze4 ,he had knowingly sacrificed ,his life for the sake of the ,redeemer promised unto all ,faiths4 ,the near advent of ',him ,whom ,god shall make manifest' 7,man-,yuhiruhu'llh7 had been ,his constant theme4 ,he had made the acceptance of ,his own ,book--the mighty ,bayn--dependent upon the good pleasure of ',him ,whom ,god shall make manifest'1 ,whom ,he had addressed in the early days of ,his ,ministry3 ,o ,thou ,remnant of ,god6 ,i have sacrificed myself wholly for ,thee2 ,i have accepted curses for ,thy sake1 and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of ,thy love4#h ,and now on this night--,his last on earth--,he was happy and contented4 ,he told the faithful disciples who were with ,him that ,he preferred to meet ,his death at the hand of a friend rather than at the hands of enemies1 and invited them to fulfil ,his wish4 ,among those men who so dearly loved ,him1 only ,mrz ,muammad-,al dared to undertake that fearsome task1 but his companions restrained him4 ',this same youth who has risen to comply with ,my wish1' the ,bb said1 'will1 together with ,me1 suffer martyrdom4 ,him will ,i choose to share with ,me its crown4' ,and ,he added3 ',verily ,muammad-,al will be with ,us in ,paradise4'#i ,jesus was crucified with two criminals1 and ,st4 ,luke tells us3 ,and one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him1 saying1 ,if thou be ,christ1 save thyself and us4 ,but the other answering rebuked him1 saying1 ,dost not thou fear ,god1 seeing thou art in the same condemnation8 ,and we indeed justly2 for we receive the due reward of our deeds3 but this man hath done nothing amiss4 ,and he said unto ,jesus1 ,lord1 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom4 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,to day shalt thou be with me in paradise4,,eg ,footnote ,,eg3 xxiii1 #ci-dc4 ,in the morning they took the ,bb to the homes of the leading divines3 ,mull ,muammad-i-,mmaqn1 ,mull ,murti-,quly-i-,marand and ,mrz ,bqir1 to obtain the death-warrants4 ,these men needed no inducement3 they had the warrants written1 signed and sealed1 ready to deliver to the farrsh-bsh1 and did not even deign to show their faces to the ,prisoner4 ,again we are reminded of ,st4 ,luke3 ,and the men that held ,jesus mocked him1 and smote him4 ,and when they had blindfolded him1 they struck him on the face1 and asked him1 saying1 ,prophesy1 who is it that smote thee8 ,and many other things blasphemously spake they against him4 ,and as soon as it was day1 the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together1 and led him into their council1 saying1 ,art thou the ,christ8 tell us4 ,and he said unto them1 ,if ,i tell you1 ye will not believe3 ,and if ,i also ask you1 ye will not answer me1 nor let me go4 ,hereafter shall the ,son of man sit on the right hand of the power of ,god4 ,then said they all1 ,art thou then the ,son of ,god8 ,and he said unto them1 ,ye say that ,i am4 ,and they said1 ,what need we any further witness8 for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth4,,eh ,footnote ,,eh3 xxii1 #fc-ga4 ,the stepfather of ,mrz ,muammad-,al now made an attempt to save him4 ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd and his brother1 at the instructions of the ,bb ,himself1 had recanted so that they could take to the followers of the ,bb ,his last words and wishes4 ,mrz ,muammad-,al refused all blandishments1 declared his desire to die with his ,master1 and told ,mull ,muammad-i-,mmaqn to his face3 ',i am not mad4 ,such a charge should rather be brought against you who have sentenced to death a man no less holy than the promised ,q'im4 ,he is not a fool who has embraced ,his ,faith and is longing to shed his blood in ,his path4'#aj ,his young child was brought to him4 ,they thought that1 perchance1 the sight of the boy might soften his heart4 ,but ,mrz ,muammad-,al's resolve remained unshaken4 ,god would provide for his child and protect him4 ,so at noon they led the ,bb and ,his disciple to the square in front of the citadel of ,tabrz4 ,sm ,khn1 the commander of the ,armenian regiment detailed to execute them1 was ill at ease4 ,the ,prisoner looked kind and compassionate4 ,for what crime was ,he to be put to death8 ,unable to still the voice of his conscience1 ,sm ,khn approached the ,bb3 ',i profess the ,christian ,faith and entertain no ill will against you4 ,if your ,cause be the ,cause of ,truth1 enable me to free myself from the obligation to shed your blood4' ,to this the ,bb replied3 ',follow your instructions1 and if your intention be sincere1 the ,almighty is surely able to relieve you from your perplexity4'#aa ,the ,bb and ,his disciple were suspended by ropes from a nail in the wall1 the head of ,mrz ,muammad-,al resting on the breast of the ,bb4 ,seven hundred and fifty soldiers were positioned in three files4 ,roofs of the buildings around teemed with spectators4 ,each row of soldiers fired in turn4 ,the smoke from so many rifles clouded the scene4 ,when it lifted the ,bb was not there4 ,only ,his disciple could be seen1 standing under the nail in the wall1 smiling and unconcerned4 ,bullets had only severed the ropes with which they were suspended4 ,cries rang out from the onlookers3 ',the ,siyyid-i-,bb has gone from our sight6' ,a frantic search followed4 ,the ,bb was found1 sitting in the same room where ,he had been lodged the night before1 in conversation with ,his amanuensis4 ,that conversation had been interrupted earlier in the day4 ,now it was finished and ,he told the farrsh-bsh to carry out his duty4 ,but the farrsh-bsh was terror-stricken and ran away1 nor did he ever return to his post4 ,sm ,khn1 for his part1 told his superiors that he had carried out the task given to him2 he would not attempt it a second time4 ,so q ,jn ,khn-i-,khamsih and his ,nir regiment replaced the ,armenians1 and the ,bb and ,his disciple were suspended once again at the same spot4 ,now the ,bb addressed the multitude gathered to see ,him die3 ,had you believed in ,me1 ,o wayward generation1 every one of you would have followed the example of this youth1 who stood in rank above most of you1 and willingly would have sacrificed himself in ,my path4 ,the day will come when you will have recognised ,me2 that day ,i shall have ceased to be with you4#ab ,and ,st4 ,luke relates3 ,and there followed him a great company of people1 and of women1 which also bewailed and lamented him4 ,but ,jesus turning unto them said1 ,daughters of ,jerusalem1 weep not for me1 but weep for yourselves1 and for your children4 ,for1 behold1 the days are coming1 in the which they shall say1 ,blessed are the barren1 and the wombs that never bare1 and the paps which never gave suck4 ,then shall they begin to say to the mountains1 ,fall on us2 and to the hills1 ,cover us4,,ei ,footnote ,,ei3 xxiii1 #bg-cj4 ,the ,nir regiment fired4 ,the bodies of the ,bb and ,his disciple were shattered1 and their flesh was united4 ,but the face of the ,bb was untouched4 ,then a storm descended upon ,tabrz4 ,tempestuous winds blew and dust darkened the skies1 and the skies remained dark1 until the darkness of the day merged into the darkness of the night4 ,and it was about the sixth hour1 and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour4 ,and the sun was darkened1 and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst4 ,and when ,jesus had cried with a loud voice1 he said1 ,father1 into thy hands ,i commend my spirit3 and having said thus1 he gave up the ghost4,,ej ,footnote ,,ej3 ,luke xxiii1 #dd-f4 ,thus at noon1 one midsummer day--,sunday ,july #ith #ahej;,,ek--they put to death a ,manifestation of ,god1 just as at noon1 centuries before1 another ,manifestation of ,god was slain4 ,footnote ,,ek3 ,shabn #bhth1 #abff ,a4,h4 ,when night fell1 they dragged the bodies through the streets of ,tabrz1 and threw them on the edge of the moat surrounding the city4 ,soldiers were stationed there to guard over them1 lest the ,bbs attempt to retrieve the precious remains4 ,not far away1 two ,bbs1 feigning madness1 kept vigil throughout the night4 ,next morning the ,russian ,consul took an artist with him to make a drawing of the remains of the ,bb4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sulaymn ,khn1 that loyal disciple who attained the presence of the ,bb in ,chihrq1 reached ,tabrz the day after ,his martyrdom4 ,he had intended to rescue his ,master4 ,but that was not to be4 ,now1 he went straightway to j ,mrz ,mihd ,khn1 the ,kalntar 7,mayor7 of ,tabrz1 who was a friend of long standing1 and told him that he had decided to dare everything that very night and carry the bodies away by a surprise attack on the soldiers guarding them on the edge of the moat4 ,the ,kalntar told ,sulaymn ,khn to withdraw for the moment and assured him that there was a much safer and more reliable way to achieve his purpose4 ,there was in ,tabrz a certain j ,allh-,yr1 a confidant of the ,kalntar1 well-known for his exploits4 ,instructed by the ,kalntar1 j ,allh-,yr used such means as he knew best to take the bodies away from under the eyes of the soldiers4 ,he delivered the remains to ,sulaymn ,khn1 who had them moved to the silk factory of j ,amad1 a ,bb of ,mln4 ,there they were enshrouded and hidden under the bales of silk4 ,next day a casket was made to contain them1 and they were sent away to safety4 j ,allh-,yr refused to accept any reward for his service4#ac ,soldiers reported the disappearance of the bodies4 ,wild beasts had devoured the remains1 they alleged1 while they slept4 ,and the divines gave credence to that story and shouted for joy4 ,what better proof could there be to show how false the ,siyyid-i-,bb was8 ,beasts do not1 cannot consume the remains of the ,imm4,,el ,footnote ,,el3 ,see ,appendix #b for extracts from ,british official documents which report the execution and the disposition of the bodies4 ,,chapter #ac ,,the ,,dawn-,,breakers ,knowest thou what the seekers of life should seek8 ,death--and submitting cast their lives at the ,beloved's feet4 ,he who towards ,kabah his steps directs ,should not heed the wounding thorn in deserts forlorn4 --,azzu'llh ,mib ,the ,bb appeared in a country renowned for a glorious and envied past2 but since the beginning of the nineteenth century rn had declined rapidly4 ,the structure of the ,state had begun to falter under the afavid dynasty 7#aeja-agcb71 enjoying only a brief revival in the next two reigns4,,em ,but by the middle of the nineteenth century1 ,persia was materially impoverished1 intellectually stagnant1 spiritually moribund4 ,the condition of the peasantry was appalling4 ,corruption had eaten deep into the vitals of the nation and oppression and tyranny were widespread4 ,it is said that every man has his price2 the adage was particularly true of the ,persians of the mid-nineteenth century4 ,offices of ,state and governorships were shamelessly bought and sold4 ,taxes and customs revenues were farmed4 ,bribery1 peculation and extortion were legitimized under the respectable name of ,madkhil 7,perquisites74 ,historic cities and buildings were falling into ruin4 ,many a traveller has remarked on the magnificent aspect of famous cities1 towns and villages when seen from afar1 with their domes and minarets1 citadels and gateways1 groves and orchards2 but how miserable and dilapidated they were found to be when one entered them4 ,the toll of disease and neglect and insecurity had reduced the population of a country with an area the size of ,western ,europe to well below ten million4 ,footnote ,,em3 ,afshrid ,ndir ,shh 7#agcf-dg7 and the ,zand ruler1 ,karm ,khn 7#agej-gi74 ,the burden of a semi-feudal state was indeed onerous1 and no less so was the burden of the dominance established by the divines4 ,certainly1 they had in their ranks men of the calibre and quality of ,shaykh ,amad-i-,as'1 ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht1 j ,siyyid ,muammad-,bqir-i-,rasht,,en and ,shaykh ,murtiy-i-,anr1 men who had high regard for truth and righteousness2 just as there were in the service of the ,state men of enlightened vision and shining integrity4 ,but collectively the divines abused the power they had obtained with the advent of the afavid dynasty4 ,footnote ,,en3 ,known both as ,rasht and ,shaft4 ,the fall of a nation from the pinnacle of achievement is more marked than the decline from lesser heights4 ,the ,call to a ,new ,day ,the ,call of the ,bb was a call to awakening1 a claim that a ,new ,day had dawned4 ,but the magnitude of this claim was not easily realized2 one of the first to do so was ,qurratu'l-,ayn4 ,when ,mull ,aly-i-,basm was condemned and imprisoned in ,baghdd1 she was still at ,karbil4 ,because of complaints by the ,shah divines1 the ,government sent her back to ,baghdd1 where she lodged in the house of ,shaykh ,muammad ,shibl1 the father of q ,muammad ,muafy-i-,baghdd1 until the ,government moved her to the house of the ,muft of ,baghdd4,,eo ,so outspoken was she in her public statements that some of her fellow-believers from ,kimayn were alarmed and1 according to q ,muammad-,muaf1 agitated against her4 ,siyyid ,al ,bishr1 the most learned of them1 wrote a letter on their behalf to the ,bb1 which ,nawrz-,al1 once an attendant of ,siyyid ,kim1 took to ,him in ,mh-,k1 returning with ,his answer which rang with high praise of ,qurratu'l-,ayn4 ,it caused ,siyyid ,al ,bishr and his party from ,kimayn,,ep to withdraw from the ,faith they had previously espoused with enthusiasm4 ,the ,bb described ,qurratu'l-,ayn1 in that ,epistle1 as hirih1 the ,pure1 and iddqih1 the ,truthful1 and laid an injunction on ,his followers in ,irq to accept without question whatever she might pronounce1 for they were not in a position to understand and appreciate her station4 ,by this time a large number of ,bbs had assembled in ,baghdd1 and ,qurratu'l-,ayn was constantly and openly teaching the ,faith4 ,she had received a copy of the ,commentary on the ,srih of ,kawthar1 which the ,bb had revealed for ,vad1 and she made full use of it1 driving the opposing divines to desperation4 ,when she threw down a challenge to them to debate the issue with her1 their only reply was vehement denunciation4 ,footnote ,,eo3 ,in a book which the ,muft1 ,mamd al-ls1 wrote1 he spoke of ,qurratu'l-,ayn with great admiration4 ,footnote ,,ep3 ,these included ,siyyid h and ,siyyid ,muammad-,jafar4 ,najb ,psh was still at his post as ,vl of ,baghdd1 but he was now a chastened man4 ,moreover1 the opponents of ,qurratu'l-,ayn were the ,shah divines and ,najb ,psh1 being a ,sunn1 would take no action to please them1 but he reported to the ,sublime ,porte that ,qurratu'l-,ayn had challenged them4 ,the authorities in ,constantinople were also not prepared to give comfort to ,shahs by making a martyr of ,qurratu'l-,ayn4 ,at the same time they had no wish to champion her cause4 ,they told ,najb ,psh that1 as ,qurratu'l-,ayn was ,persian1 she should confine her challenge to the divines of her native land2 she should be sent to ,persia4,,eq ,so ,qurratu'l-,ayn 7or hirih as we shall call her71 accompanied by a number of ardent and prominent ,bbs1#a quitted ,baghdd and was escorted to the frontier by ,muammad q ,yvar1 an officer in the service of ,najb ,psh1 who became attracted to the ,cause she was advocating4 ,footnote ,,eq3 ,yet only two years before they had refused to hand over ,mull ,al to the ,persian ,government1 that he might reach safety4 ,various eventful stops were made by hirih and her companions in their journey across ,persia to ,qazvn4 ,in the small town of ,kirand1 her eloquence and the clarity of her disquisition so impressed the chiefs of that area that they offered to place twelve thousand men under her command1 to follow her wherever she went4 ,the great majority 7if not all7 of the inhabitants of ,kirand and its neighbourhood were ,alyu'llhs4 hirih gave them her blessing1 told them to keep to their homes1 and moved on to ,kirmnshh4 ,the challenge she presented to q ,abdu'llh-i-,bihbihn1 the leading divine of that town1 thoroughly discomfited him4 ,with the populace clamouring for a positive answer1 and the ,governor treating hirih with great respect1 the cornered divine sought to free himself from his dilemma by writing to her father in ,qazvn1 asking him to send some of his close relatives to remove her from ,kirmnshh4 q ,muammad-,muaf1 himself an eye-witness1 vividly describes how four men came from ,qazvn1 joined forces with a ,qazvn officer stationed in ,kirmnshh1 invaded the house where hirih's companions resided1 and beat and robbed them of all they possessed4 ,when the ,governor learned what had happened1 he ordered the arrest of the culprits and restored to the ,bbs their property4 ,it was soon known that q ,abdu'llh had conspired to bring about this situation4 ,from ,kirmnshh1 hirih and her companions moved on to fresh scenes of triumph in the small town of anih1 before reaching ,hamadn4 ,here her brothers arrived from ,qazvn to beg her to return with them to their native place4 ,she agreed on condition that she should stay in ,hamadn long enough to make the public cognizant of the ,faith of the ,bb4 ,during her days in ,hamadn1 she issued a challenge to ,ra'su'l-,ulam1 the leading divine of the city1 whose response was to have the bearer of her treatise1 ,mull ,ibrhm-i-,maallt1 himself a distinguished divine1 beaten and thrown out of his house4 ,mull ,ibrhm lingered between life and death for some days1 and although he recovered1 his martyrdom was not far off4 ,this reverse was outweighed by hirih's success in converting two ladies of the ,royal ,family1 married to scions of the aristocracy of ,hamadn1 and even more significant were her talks with two of the most learned ,jewish rabbis1,,er which led to attracting members of the ,jewish ,faith to the ,bb fold4,,es ,hamadn1 flourishing on the site of ancient ,ecbatana1 is the city where the tombs of ,esther and ,mordecai are situated4 ,footnote ,,er3 ,mull ,ilyh and ,mull ,llizr4 ,footnote ,,es3 ,the first ,jewish ,bah' was akm ,mas1 a doctor 7later to become court physician to ,muhammad ,shh7 who met hirih in ,baghdd1 and was deeply impressed by her eloquence and masterly exposition4 ,years later1 while attending his son1 he met ,mull diq-i-,muqaddas1 a survivor of ,shaykh abars1 to whom ,bah'u'llh had given the designation of ,ismu'llhu'l-,adaq 7the ,name of ,god1 the ,most ,truthful74 ,this encounter led akm ,mas to embrace the ,bah' ,faith4 ,he was the grandfather of ,dr4 ,lufu'llh akm4 7,see ,balyuzi1 ,abdu'l-,bah1 p4 #ghn47 ,as promised1 hirih then left for ,qazvn in the company of her brothers4 ,before departing1 she asked most of the ,arab ,bbs1 who were with her1 to return to ,irq4 ,only a few stayed behind1 to join her later in ,qazvn1 but within a month she requested all of her fellow-believers1 ,arab and ,persian alike1 who had travelled with her1 to leave her native town4 ,of the large company who had come from ,irq1 attending and supporting her1 only ,mull ,ibrhm-i-,maallt and ,shaykh li-al-,karm remained with her in ,qazvn4 ,three of the others,,et went on to ihrn1 where they met the ,bbu'l-,bb4 ,in ,april #ahij1 ,edward ,granville ,browne1 returning from ,akk1 met one of them1 q ,muammad-,muaf1 in ,beirut and inquired about that meeting and the appearance of ,mull usayn4 ,he learned that the ,bbu'l-,bb was ,lean and fragile to look at1 but keen and bright as the sword which never left his side4,,eu ,for the rest1 he was not more than thirty or thirty-five years old1 and his raiment was white4#b ,footnote ,,et3 ,they were ,shaykh ,muammad ,shibl and his son1 q ,muammad-,muaf1 and ,shaykh ,suln-i-,karbil'4 ,footnote ,,eu3 ,mull usayn's sword is in the ,international ,archives of the ,bah' ,faith4 ,at ,qazvn1 hirih refused to be reunited with her husband and went to her father's house4 ,her impetuous uncle1 j ,mull ,taq1 felt greatly insulted and his wrath knew no bounds4 ,his denunciation of those whom he considered to be responsible for his daughter-in-law's waywardness became fiercer than ever before4 ,shaykh ,amad and ,siyyid ,kim were the particular targets of his vilification4 ,then1 one morning at dawn1 he was found in the mosque1 fatally stabbed4 ,immediately the ,bbs were accused of his murder1 and even hirih was considered guilty1 was kept under close watch1 and her life was in danger4 ,although a ,shrz#c confessed that he had slain j ,mull ,taq because of his rabid animosity towards ,shaykh ,amad and ,siyyid ,kim1 three ,bbs1 totally innocent of the crime1 were put to death--,shaykh li-al-,karm in ihrn1 and ,mull ,ibrhm-i-,maallat and ,mull hir in ,qazvn4 ,these three were the first martyrs of the ,bb ,faith in ,persia itself1 and their deaths constituted the first public execution of ,bbs4,,ev j ,asadu'llh1 a well-known merchant of the ,farhd family1 was also martyred1 while in prison1 by partisans of hirih's husband1 the ,imm-,jumih of ,qazvn1 and a report was circulated that he had died from natural causes4 ,footnote ,,ev3 ,it is of interest that ,shaykh li1 martyred in ,persia1 was a native of ,irq1 while the first martyr of the ,bb ,faith1 ,mull ,aly-i-,basm1 was a ,persian who met his death in ,irq4 hirih was now totally isolated4 ,bah'u'llh gave the task of rescuing her to ,mrz ,hd1 the nephew of the martyred j ,asadu'llh4 ,this young man1 who had left ,qazvn at the outset of agitation against the ,bbs1 returned at the risk of his life and successfully carried out his mission4 hirih reached ihrn in safety4 ,thus it was that she could be at the conference of ,badasht1 where she rendered her most signal service to the ,faith of the ,bb4 ,the ,conference of ,badasht ,the gathering of the ,bbs at ,badasht coincided with the removal of the ,bb1 from the castle of ,chihrq to ,tabrz1 for ,his public examination4 ,contrary to certain allegations1 the ,bbs did not congregate in ,badasht to concert plans to rescue ,him4 ,they came there1 guided by ,bah'u'llh1 to settle a vital and cardinal issue3 was this persuasion of theirs just an offshoot of ,islm1 or was it an independent ,faith8 ,until then no public claim had been made that the ,bb1 as the ,q'im of the ,house of ,muammad1 was an ,inaugurator of a new theophany4 ,strange it seems1 in perspective1 that about the time when a decision was being reached in a tiny hamlet on the edge of ,khursn1 hundreds of miles away in the city of ,tabrz1 the ,bb was announcing ,his station before a tribunal summoned to question ,him4,,ew ,footnote ,,ew3 ,the station of the ,bb is discussed and defined by ,shoghi ,effendi1 the ,guardian of the ,bah' ,faith1 in ,the ,dispensation of ,bah'u'llh1 reprinted in the collection of his writings entitled ,the ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh1 to which the reader is referred4 ,abdu'l-,bah states that ,bah'u'llh and ,qudds had agreed that the time had come to declare the advent of a new ,dispensation4#d ,however1 there were faint hearts in the ,bb ranks1 as events were to prove4 hirih had met opposition from fellow-,bbs because she had always been bold enough to assert that this was indeed a new day4 ,any announcement at ,badasht would have to be emphatic and unhedged1 to make a persuasive impact4 ,and this it was1 in a most dramatic way4 ,bah'u'llh had rented three gardens in ,badasht3 ,qudds lived in one1 hirih in the second1 and ,bah'u'llh had a tent pitched in the third4 ,other ,bbs1 among whom were a number of the ,letters of the ,living such as ,mrz ,muammad-,al1 the brother-in-law of hirih1 and ,mull ,bqir-i-,tabrz1 lived under tents in the grounds facing the three gardens4,,ex ,footnote ,,ex3 ,mull usayn was prevented from reaching ,badasht4 ,during the three weeks of the conference1 argument and counter-argument were put forward1 and differences of view and approach arose between ,qudds and hirih4 ,at last it was hirih's unheard-of gesture1 courageous beyond belief and description1 followed by ,bah'u'llh's decisive intervention1 which made clear to all that a new ,dispensation had begun4 hirih's brave act was to cast aside her veil4 ,men were shaken to the depths of their being to see her thus4 ,some fled with horror from the scene4 ,one1 in desperation1 tried to cut his throat4 ,when the uproar subsided1 ,bah'u'llh called for a copy of the ,qur'n and directed a reciter to read the fifty-sixth srih1 'al-,wqia'3,,ey ,when the inevitable day of judgment shall suddenly come1 no soul shall charge the prediction of its coming with falsehood3 it will abase some1 and exalt others4 ,when the earth shall be shaken with a violent shock2 and the mountains shall be dashed in pieces1 and shall become as dust scattered abroad2 and ye shall be separated into three distinct classes3 the companions of the right hand 7how happy shall the companions of the right hand be671 and the companions of the left hand 7how miserable shall the companions of the left hand be671 and those who have preceded others in the faith shall precede them to paradise4 ,these are they who shall approach near unto ,god3 they shall dwell in gardens of delight4 ,footnote ,,ey3 ,literally1 ',the ,event'2 ,professor ,arberry has translated it as ',terror' and ,george ,sale as ',the ,inevitable'4 ,the present writer prefers in this instance ,sale's rendering of the whole srih to ,arberry's2 verses #a-ab are quoted4 ,the incident is taken from ,abdu'l-,bah1 ,the ,memorials of ,the ,faithful1 p4 #bja1 and ,cheyne1 ,the ,reconciliation of ,races and ,religions1 pp4 #aja-c4 ,at ,badasht the faint-hearted fell away4 ,and when those who had remained steadfast left the hamlet it was to go out into a world1 for them1 greatly changed4 ,that change was in a sense a reflection of the transformation they had experienced4 ,they were determined to assert their freedom from the fetters of the past4 ,in a country tightly wedded to blind1 rigid orthodoxy1 the deportment of the ,bbs would arouse bitter hostility4 ,there were ,bbs1 undoubtedly1 who in their newly-found consciousness of emancipation1 committed repellent excesses1 and they deserved rejection by their fellow-countrymen4 ,but for the majority1 the animosity now directed against them created a situation which was new1 and in turn required counter-measures to ensure their very existence4 ,the opposition they had met in the past was sporadic1 and not nation-wide1 depending on the character1 influence and power of the leaders1 directors and instigators of such opposition1 in any particular locality4 ,the open welcome which the ,bab had received when ,he reached ,ifahn1 following the barbaric treatment ,he had suffered at the hands of the ,governor-,general and the divines of ,frs2 the enthusiasm and eagerness with which the people had1 at first1 greeted ,him both in ,tabrz and ,urmyyih2 the friendly reception which ,qudds had found in ,kirmn1 after being humiliated in ,shrz2 the reverence shown conspicuously to hirih in ,kirand and ,kirmnshh2 the respect and kindly attention accorded to the ,bbu'l-,bb by amzih ,mrz1 the ,governor-,general of ,khursn,,ez--all were to become only memories1 sadly lacking counterparts in the era whose opening was marked by the ,bb's public declaration of ,his station as the promised ,q'im during ,his examination at ,tabrz1 the echoing affirmation of the dawning of a new and independent religious ,dispensation at the conference of ,badasht1 and by the death of ,muammad ,shh4 ,footnote ,,ez3 ,also known as ishmatu'd-,dawlih1 the brother of ,muammad ,shh1 who1 at a later date1 was the ,governor-,general of dharbyjn1 and refused to superintend the execution of the ,bab4 ,hardly had the conference of ,badasht ended when the people of the village of ,nyl attacked the ,bbs4 ,nabl-i-,aam heard the story from ,bah'u'llh ,himself3 ,we were all gathered in the village of ,nyl and were resting at the foot of a mountain1 when1 at the hour of dawn1 we were suddenly awakened by the stones which the people of the neighbourhood were hurling upon us from the top of the mountain4 ,the fierceness of their attack induced our companions to flee in terror and consternation4 ,i clothed ,qudds in my own garments and despatched him to a place of safety1 where ,i intended to join him4 ,when ,i arrived1 ,i found that he had gone4 ,none of our companions had remained in ,nyl except hirih and a young man from ,shrz1 ,mrz ,abdu'llh4 ,the violence with which we were assailed had brought desolation into our camp4 ,i found no one into whose custody ,i could deliver hirih except that young man1 who displayed on that occasion a courage and determination that were truly surprising4 ,sword in hand1 undaunted by the savage assault of the inhabitants of the village1 who had rushed to plunder our property1 he sprang forward to stay the hand of the assailants4 ,though himself wounded in several parts of his body1 he risked his life to protect our property4 ,i bade him desist from his act4 ,when the tumult had subsided1 ,i approached a number of the inhabitants of the village and was able to convince them of the cruelty and shamefulness of their behaviour4 ,i subsequently succeeded in restoring a part of our plundered property4#e ,the ,episode of ,shaykh abars ,it was mid-,july #ahdh when the ,bbs were scattered by the assault of the villagers of ,nyl4 ,they took different routes1 but many of them came together again4 ,bah'u'llh travelled to ,nr1 ,his home in ,mzindarn4 ,qudds was arrested and taken to the town of ,sr1 also in ,mzindarn1 where he was lodged1 under restraint1 in the home of ,mrz ,muammad-,taq1 the leading divine4 hirih also went to the same province1 and she too was arrested4 ,later1 she was sent to the capital and was given into the charge of ,mamd ,khn1 the ,kalntar 7,mayor7 of ihrn1 who detained her until the hour of her martyrdom in ,august #aheb4 ,mull usayn1 whose visit to the camp of amzih ,mrz had prevented him from attending the conference of ,badasht1 had in the meantime returned to ,mashhad1 and intended to go to ,karbil4 ,but an emissary of the ,bb overtook him with an urgent message4 ,the ,bb had conferred on him the name of ,siyyid ,al1 had sent him a green turban of ,his own to wear1 and had instructed him to go to the aid of ,qudds with the ,black ,standard unfurled before him--the ,standard of which the ,prophet ,muammad had said3 ,should your eyes behold the ,black ,standards proceeding from ,khursn1 hasten ye towards them1 even though ye should have to crawl over the snow1 inasmuch as they proclaim the advent of the promised ,mihd1 the ,vicegerent of ,god4#f ,mull usayn began his long march to ,mzindarn to rescue ,qudds1 accompanied by many of the ,bbs who had scattered after the incident in ,nyl1 and some of the newly-converted who ranged themselves behind the ,black ,standard4 ,their numbers1 on that journey1 swelled into hundreds4 ,on their way they raised the call of the ,new ,day1 finding eager supporters1 but also such venomous hostility that they could not take residence in any town or village4 ,yet they did not intend to engage in combat with anyone1 let alone the forces of the ,state4 ,they were only demonstrating their belief and their vision4 ,as they approached ,brfursh1 its leading divine1 ,sadu'l-,ulam1 was so vituperative in denouncing ,mull usayn that the whole town rose up to oppose the ,bbs4 ,clashes and casualties were inevitable4 ,mull usayn himself1 in the fray1 cut through the trunk of a tree and the barrel of a gun1 in one stroke of his sword1 to fell an adversary4,,fa ,the people of ,brfursh were worsted and asked for a truce1 and because of their unrest1 their leaders begged ,mull usayn to leave on the morrow for mul4 ,abbs-,qul ,khn-i-,lrjn1 whom ,nicolas names as 'the chief military personage of the province1'#g gave ,mull usayn a solemn promise1 fortified by an oath on the ,qur'n1 that ,khusraw-i-,qd-,kal' and his horsemen would escort the ,bbs to safety through the forests4 ,this military chief impressed on ,khusraw the need to do his duty by ,mull usayn1 and to show him respect and consideration4 ,but ,sadu'l-,ulam corrupted ,khusraw by telling him that he personally would accept responsibility before ,god and man for any injury1 or even death1 that might be inflicted on the ,bbs4 ,once in the depths of the forest1 ,khusraw and his hundred men treacherously attacked the ,bbs4 ,he received his desert at the hands of a man,,fb of learning1 not a hardened trooper1 who at the first opportunity stabbed and killed ,khusraw with a dagger4 ,footnote ,,fa3 ,the fame of this feat spread far and wide4 ,later1 when the ,grand ,vizier reprimanded ,prince ,mihd-,qul ,mrz1 commander of an army sent against the defenders of ,shaykh abars1 because he had fled before them1 the ,prince sent him pieces of the musket-barrel smashed by the sword of ,mull usayn1 with this message3 ',such is the contemptible strength of an adversary who1 with a single stroke of his sword1 has shattered into six pieces the tree1 the musket1 and its holder4'#h ,footnote ,,fb3 ,mrz ,muammad-,taqy-i-,juvayn4 ,the ,grand ,vizier was particularly irked and infuriated that the ,bbs could defeat and put to flight his force1 although1 for the most part1 they were untrained in the arts of war4 ,true1 one could find in their ranks men such as ,ri ,khn-i-,turkamn1,,fc an accomplished young courtier1 whose father was the ,master of the ,horse in the royal establishment4 ,but these were exceptions4 ,the vast majority were artisans1 small traders1 merchants1 students of theology1 divines4 ,footnote ,,fc3 ,a martyr of ,shaykh abars4 ,khusraw's treachery and death1 and raids by hostile villagers on the exposed flanks of the ,bb camp1 forced ,mull usayn to seek a place where the ,bbs could be safely lodged4 ,arriving on ,october #abth #ahdh at the shrine of ,shaykh ,amad ibn-i-,ab-lib-i-abars1 about fourteen miles south-east of ,brfursh1 he gave orders for the construction of a fortress round the shrine1 under the supervision of the builder of the ,bbyyih in ,mashhad 7see p4 #ef74 ,they were harassed at every stage by neighbouring villagers and had often to defend themselves4 ,no sooner was their work finished than they received a visit from ,bah'u'llh1 who advised ,mull usayn to seek the release of ,qudds1 that he might be with them4 ,this mission was soon accomplished and1 towards the end of that year1 ,qudds joined them in the newly-built fortress1 to be acknowledged by ,mull usayn as above him in rank4 ,on ,january #cjth #ahdi1 ,lt4-,col4 ,farrant1 then charg d'affaires in ihrn1 reported to ,lord ,palmerston that some five hundred persons1 'disciples of a ,fanatic1 who calls himself the door1 or gate of the true ,mahomedan ,religion'1 had assembled in ,mzindarn1 that fighting had broken out1 and that ,abbs-,qul ,khn-i-,lrjn had been ordered to proceed to that province and arrest the leaders4#i ,the ,bbs would gladly have lived peacefully within the four walls they had erected around the shrine of ,shaykh abars4 ,but the continuous clamouring of the divines1 led by ,sadu'l-,ulam of ,brfursh1 and the despotic1 obstinate and haughty nature of the ,grand ,vizier1 combined to deny them peace and security4 ,one army after another was sent to reduce them4 ,in sorties from their fortress they inflicted heavy losses on the besieging forces1 causing commanders to flee for their lives4 ,some of the commanders,,fd died on the battlefield1 while ,qudds1 during one of the sorties1 received a bullet wound in his mouth4 ,footnote ,,fd3 ,such as ,abdu'llh ,khn-i-,turkamn and abbu'llh ,khn-i-,afghn4 ,bah'u'llh1 accompanied by ,his brother ,mrz ,yay1 with j ,mrz ,jn of ,kshn1 and ,mull ,bqir of ,tabrz 7one of the ,letters of the ,living71 set out from ihrn to join the defenders of ,shaykh abars1 but they were intercepted and taken to mul4 ,bah'u'llh offered to bear the punishment intended for the others1 and was bastinadoed4 ,at dawn of ,february #bnd #ahdi1 ,mull usayn led his last sortie4 ,abbs-,qul ,khn1 in joint command of the ,government forces1 had climbed a tree and1 picking out the figure of ,mull usayn on horseback1 shot him in the chest4 ,he did not know whom he had mortally wounded1 until a timorous siyyid from ,qum,,fe turned traitor and informed him4 ,mull usayn was carried by his companions to the fort1 where he died and was buried inside the shrine4 ,he was thirty-five years old4 ,bah'u'llh wrote of him in the ,kitb-i-qn--,the ,book of ,certitude3--',but for him1 ,god would not have been established upon the seat of ,his mercy1 nor ascended the throne of eternal glory4'#aj ,footnote ,,fe3 ,mrz usayn-i-,mutavall4 ,now ,mrz ,muammad-,bqir-i-,q'in replaced ,mull usayn in leading the companions4 ,but the end could not be far off4 ,of the three hundred and thirteen defenders of the fortress1 a number had died1 many were wounded1 and a few wavered in their resolve4 ,the pressure of the forces arrayed against them increased4 ,cannon were levelled at them4 ,food became scarce and they ate grass1 leaves of trees1 the skin and ground bone of their slaughtered horses1 the boiled leather of their saddles4 ,abdu'l-,bah speaks of their sufferings in the ,memorials of the ,faithful3 ,for eighteen days they remained without food4 ,they lived on the leather of their shoes4 ,this too was soon consumed1 and they had nothing left but water4 ,they drank a mouthful every morning1 and lay famished and exhausted in their fort4 ,when attacked1 however1 they would instantly spring to their feet1 and manifest in the face of the enemy a magnificent courage and astonishing resistance4444 ,under such circumstances to maintain an unwavering faith and patience is extremely difficult1 and to endure such dire afflictions a rare phenomenon4#aa ,the end came not through abject surrender1 but through the perfidy of the foe4 ,prince ,mihd-,qul ,mrz1 brother of ,muammad ,shh1 took a solemn oath on the ,qur'n that their lives and property would be inviolate should they come out of the fortress and disperse in peace4 ,a horse was sent for ,qudds to take him to the camp of the ,prince4 ,but once the companions had been lured out of the fortress1 the oath was conveniently forgotten4 ,the ,bbs were massacred1 the fortress was pillaged and razed to the ground4 ,hideous outrages were committed upon the corpses of the slain1 and a vast area of the forest was strewn with their remains3 disembowelled1 hacked to pieces1 burned4 ,survivors were few4 ,no more than three or four were kept to be heavily ransomed4 ,a few who were left for dead recovered4 ,still a few others were sold into slavery and eventually found their way back to the company of their fellow-believers4 ,all the dead were ,persians except two ,arabs of ,baghdd who had come out with hirih from ,irq4#ab ,qudds was taken to ,brfursh1 his native town1 where ,sadu'l-,ulam1 his pitiless foe1 awaited him4 ,prince ,mihd-,qul ,mrz1 oblivious to his pledge1 forsook ,qudds and gave him into the hands of that bloodthirsty priest4 ,imprecations were heaped upon the head of the captive4 ,he was made to suffer refined tortures and searing agonies which an insanely jealous adversary had devised for him4 ,at the height of his torments he was heard to say3 ,forgive1 ,o my ,god1 the trespasses of this people4 ,deal with them in ,thy mercy1 for they know not what we already have discovered and cherish4#ac ,in the public square of ,brfursh 7the ,sabzih-,maydn71 ,sadu'l-,ulam struck ,qudds down with an axe1 and any instrument which a frenzied mob could lay its hands on was used to tear his flesh and dismember him4 ,then they threw his shattered1 mutilated body onto a blazing fire lit in the square4 ,that night1 when all were gone1 j ,muammad-,aly-i-amzih1 a divine1 humane and compassionate1 universally acclaimed for his integrity1 collected from the dying embers what remained of the body of the martyr1 and reverently buried it4 ,the martyrdom of ,qudds took place in the month of ,may #ahdi1 seven months after his fellow-,bbs had first taken refuge in the fort of ,shaykh abars4#ad ,it marked the end of an episode which had begun1 eleven months before1 with the raising of the ,black ,standard on the plain of ,khursn2 during which deeds of incredible heroism by some three hundred ,bbs had stunned and humiliated opposition forces vastly outnumbering them2 which had witnessed the deaths of half the ,letters of the ,living1 including the first1 the ,bbu'l-,bb1 and ,qudds1 the last and greatest2 and which closed with acts of treachery and atrocious cruelty4 ,words which ,qudds spoke during their occupation of the fort are a fitting commentary upon the spirit of those who defended it3 ,never 444 have we under any circumstances attempted to direct any offensive against our opponents4 ,not until they unchained their attack upon us did we arise to defend our lives4 ,had we cherished the ambition of waging holy war against them1 had we harboured the least intention of achieving ascendancy through the power of our arms over the unbelievers1 we should not1 until this day1 have remained besieged within these walls4 ,the force of our arms would have by now1 as was the case with the companions of ,muammad in days past1 convulsed the nations of the earth and prepared them for the acceptance of our ,message4 ,such is not our way1 however1 which we have chosen to tread4 ,ever since we repaired to this fort1 our sole1 our unalterable purpose has been the vindication1 by our deeds and by our readiness to shed our blood in the path of our ,faith1 of the exalted character of our mission4 ,the hour is fast approaching when we shall be able to consummate this task4#ae ,the ,year #ahej ,while ,qudds and his companions were defending themselves at ,shaykh abars1 ,bbs in other parts of ,persia were increasingly the victims of an intense and systematic persecution on the part of both civil and ecclesiastical authorities4 ,the reason was not far to seek and was stated by ,sheil1 once more at his post in ihrn after a long period of absence1 when he addressed ,lord ,palmerston on ,february #abth #ahej3 444 unluckily the proselytes are all of the ,mahommedan faith1 which is inflexible in the punishment of a relapsed ,mussulman4 ,thus both the temporal and religious authorities have an interest in the extermination of this sect4 ,it is conjectured that in ,teheran this religion has acquired votaries in every class1 not even excluding the artillery and regular ,infantry--,their numbers in this city1 it is supposed1 may amount to about two thousand4#af ,sheil's dispatches took note of four occurrences in particular1 in the year #ahej3 the execution of the ,bb1,,ff the episodes of ,nayrz and ,zanjn1 and the public martyrdom of seven ,bbs in ihrn4 ,footnote ,,ff3 ,see ch4 #ab4 ,the ,episode of ,nayrz ,the incomparable ,vad--,siyyid ,yayy-i-,drb--the trusted emissary whom ,muammad ,shh had sent to investigate the claims of the ,bb and who had returned ,his devoted supporter--was in ,yazd in the early weeks of #ahej1 fearlessly proclaiming the advent of the ,q'im in the person of the ,bb4 ,unwise acts by a purported fellow-believer put his life in danger in that city1 and he was forced to leave secretly for ,nayrz in the province of ,frs4,,fg ,on hearing of his approach1 the people of his native quarter of ,chinr ,skhtih who loved and honoured ,vad1 together with a number of the notables of ,nayrz1 went out to meet him1 thus bringing on their families threats of dire punishment by the ,governor of ,nayrz1 ,zaynu'l-bidn ,khn1 who was fearful and desired to prevent ,vad's entry to the town4#ag ,but these warnings went unheeded2 ,vad continued his journey and on arrival at his native quarter1 went straight to the ,masjid-i-,jumih where1 ascending the pulpit1 he addressed a congregation estimated to have numbered fifteen hundred4 ,he said3 ,my sole purpose in coming to ,nayrz is to proclaim the ,cause of ,god4 ,i thank and glorify ,him for having enabled me to touch your hearts with ,his ,message4 ,no need for me to tarry any longer in your midst1 for if ,i prolong my stay1 ,i fear that the governor will ill-treat you because of me4 ,he may seek reinforcement from ,shrz and destroy your homes and subject you to untold indignities4#ah ,footnote ,,fg3 ,see ,appendix #c4 ,vad1 as a man of influence1 possessed houses in ,yazd1 ,nayrz1 and his native town of ,drb4 ,but the people refused to let him go1 for they were willing and prepared1 they assured him1 to meet any misfortune and hardship that might overtake them4 ,zaynu'l-bidn ,khn1 thwarted in his efforts to prevent ,vad's entrance into ,nayrz1 and aroused to fury by the influence he was exerting on the populace1 schemed to entrap and arrest him4 ,for this purpose he recruited a thousand trained soldiers4 ,some of those who had joined ,vad now broke away and forsook him1 thus adding to the strength of his opponents4 ,the menace posed by the ,governor became so severe that ,vad could find no way to secure the safety of his people and himself1 other than by taking refuge with seventy-two of his companions in the fort of ,khjih outside ,nayrz4 ,the ,governor sent his brother1 ,al-,aghar ,khn1 to attack this small band with the force he had gathered4 ,they did not succeed1 but his brother was killed in the engagement4 ,the ,bbs now lived under conditions of siege1 and their water supply was cut off4 ,they built a water-cistern1 strengthened their fort1 and were reinforced by additional residents of ,nayrz4 ,meanwhile1 appeals were being made by ,zaynu'l-bidn ,khn for assistance from ,shrz1 until the ,governor-,general of ,frs1 ,prince ,frz ,mrz 7the ,nuratu'd-,dawlih71 who had ordered the extermination of the besieged ,bbs1 sent an army to conclude the affair4#ai ,even this large force could not overcome the resistance of the defenders of the fortress4 ,not only did victory elude it1 but heavy losses were suffered4,,fh ,footnote ,,fh3 ,sheil1 reporting to ,lord ,palmerston on ,july #bbnd #ahej1 stated that the defenders 'twice repulsed the ,shah's troops4' 7,f4,o4 #fj_/aeb47 ,what had happened at ,shaykh abars was now reenacted in ,nayrz4 ,zaynu'l-bidn ,khn and his associates resorted to fraud to overcome the ,bbs4 ,they suspended their attack and sent a written message to ,vad1 which said1 in effect3 ,hitherto1 as we were ignorant of the true character of your ,faith1 we have allowed the mischief-makers to induce us to believe that every one of you has violated the sacred precepts of ,islm4 ,therefore did we arise against you1 and have endeavoured to extirpate your ,faith4 ,during the last few days1 we have been made aware of the fact that your activities are untinged by any political motive1 that none of you cherish any inclination to subvert the foundations of the ,state4 ,we also have been convinced of the fact that your teachings do not involve any grave departure from the fundamental teachings of ,islm4 ,all that you seem to uphold is the claim that a man has appeared whose words are inspired and whose testimony is certain1 and whom all the followers of ,islm must recognise and support4 ,we can in no wise be convinced of the validity of this claim unless you consent to repose the utmost confidence in our sincerity1 and accept our request to allow certain of your representatives to emerge from the fort and meet us in this camp1 where we can1 within the space of a few days1 ascertain the character of your belief4 ,if you prove yourselves able to demonstrate the true claims of your ,faith1 we too will readily embrace it1 for we are not the enemies of ,truth1 and none of us wish to deny it4 ,your leader we have always recognised as one of the ablest champions of ,islm1 and we regard him as our example and guide4 ,this ,qur'n1 to which we affix our seals1 is the witness to the integrity of our purpose4 ,let that holy ,book decide whether the claim you advance is true or false4 ,the malediction of ,god and ,his ,prophet rest upon us if we should attempt to deceive you4 ,your acceptance of our invitation will save a whole army from destruction1 whilst your refusal will leave them in suspense and doubt4 ,we pledge our word that as soon as we are convinced of the truth of your ,message1 we shall strive to display the same zeal and devotion you already have so strikingly manifested4 ,your friends will be our friends1 and your enemies our enemies4 ,whatever your leader may choose to command1 the same we pledge ourselves to obey4 ,on the other hand1 if we fail to be convinced of the truth of your claim1 we solemnly promise that we shall in no wise interfere with your safe return to the fort1 and shall be willing to resume our contest against you4 ,we entreat you to refuse to shed more blood before attempting to establish the truth of your ,cause4#bj ,vad was well aware of the dishonesty of this message2 nevertheless1 he walked out in person1 with five attendants1 into the camp of his enemies1 where he was received for three days with great ceremony4 ,but all the while they were planning a stratagem to overcome the occupants of the fort4 ,under duress1 they compelled ,vad to write a letter to his people1 assuring them that a settlement had been reached1 and that they should abandon the fortress and return to their homes4 ,vad attempted to caution his companions against this treachery in a second letter which was never delivered to them4 ,thus1 within a month1 did the defenders of the fort of ,khjih meet the same fate as the defenders of ,shaykh abars4 ,four years later1 a divine of ,nayrz1,,fi a man who was just and truthful and courageous1 wrote the whole story of that episode high on an inner wall of the ,masjid-i-,jumih in the ,bzr quarter4 ,although he had to write with circumspection to avoid being denounced1 he composed his narrative in such a way that one can1 without difficulty1 read more of it between the lines4 ,his account bears out the fact that ,vad was given solemn assurances1 that he was received with great esteem and reverence1 that those who had pledged their word broke their pledges1 that the quarter of ,chinr-,skhtih1 which was then a stronghold of the ,bbs of ,nayrz1,,fj and the quarter of the ,bzr were sacked1 that houses were demolished1 huge sums of money extorted1 and ,nayrz was reduced to a state of desolation4 ,footnote ,,fi3 ,siyyid ,ibrhm1 the son of ,siyyid usayn4 ,footnote ,,fj3 ,it is populated today by ,bah's4 ,the circumstances of ,vad's martyrdom recall the tragedy of ,karbil4 ,all alone1 he was assailed in the streets of ,nayrz1 as ,imm usayn1 whose descendant he was1 had been assailed on the ,euphrates plain4 ,there the body of the ,imm had been trampled into the dust by the hooves of horses1 and in ,nayrz the corpse of ,vad suffered similar indignities4 ,when the victorious army marched back to ,shrz1 it took as prisoners women and children1 with the heads of the martyrs of ,nayrz raised aloft on lances4 ,damascus had witnessed a similar scene centuries before1 when the family of the martyred usayn1 which included his only surviving son1 was paraded in its streets1 to be led into the court of the tyrant ,yazd1 preceded by the head of the ,imm and those of his sons and brothers and nephews--the flower of the ,house of ,muammad4 ,the ,seven ,martyrs of ihrn ,at the beginning of #ahej1 seven ,bbs were arrested in ihrn1 charged with plotting to assassinate the ,grand ,vizier4 ,they are known as the ,seven ,martyrs of ihrn4 ,the accusation was palpably false4 ,there were many ,bbs in ihrn better equipped to engage in such an exercise4 ,but more significant1 all seven were men of outstanding character and repute1 and respected by their countrymen4 ,the real reason for their arrest was their espousal of the ,faith of the ,bb4 ,although efforts were made by men high in the professions they represented1 to persuade them to give lip-denial to their most sacred beliefs1 they steadfastly refused and were beheaded4 ,the ,guardian of the ,bah' ,faith has vividly described this terrible scene1 which was enacted in a public square of ihrn 7the ,sabzih-,maydn73 ,the defiant answers which they flung at their persecutors2 the ecstatic joy which seized them as they drew near the scene of their death2 the jubilant shouts they raised as they faced their executioner2 the poignancy of the verses which1 in their last moments1 some of them recited2 the appeals and challenges they addressed to the multitude of onlookers who gazed with stupefaction upon them2 the eagerness with which the last three victims strove to precede one another in sealing their faith with their blood2 and lastly1 the atrocities which a bloodthirsty foe degraded itself by inflicting upon their dead bodies which lay unburied for three days and three nights in the ,sabzih-,maydn1 during which time thousands of so-called devout ,shahs kicked their corpses1 spat upon their faces1 pelted1 cursed1 derided1 and heaped refuse upon them--these were the chief features of the tragedy of the ,seven ,martyrs of ihrn1 a tragedy which stands out as one of the grimmest scenes witnessed in the course of the early unfoldment of the ,faith of ,bah'u'llh4#ba j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 the uncle of the ,bb1 was one of these martyrs4 ,he had recently returned from his visit to the ,bb in ,chihrq 7see p4 #aej7 and could easily have left the capital1 when rumours were rife following the events of ,mzindarn and ,yazd4 ,but he fearlessly stayed on1 spurned all efforts made to induce him to recant1 and met death gladly in the path of his ,nephew4 ,the other six were3 ,mrz ,qurbn-,al of ,brfursh1 j ,mull ,isml-i-,qum1 ,siyyid usayn-i-,turshz1 j ,muammad-,taqy-i-,kirmn1 ,siyyid ,murtay-i-,zanjn and q ,muammad-usayn-i-,marghi'4 ,mrz ,qurbn-,al had been a ,nimatu'llh dervish1 and a leading figure of that mystic order4 ,he was well-known in the ruling circles of the capital and greatly respected4 ,mrz ,taq ,khn 7the ,grand ,vizier7 particularly wished to save him1 but the faith of the dervish remained unshakable4 ,at his execution1 the first blow of the executioner's sword only knocked his turban off his head1 whereupon he recited aloud3 ,happy he whom love's intoxication ,so hath overcome that scarce he knows ,whether at the feet of the ,beloved ,it be head or turban which he throws6#bb j ,mull ,isml had been a disciple of ,siyyid ,kim4 ,even at the moment of his execution1 someone came up to him with a message from a friend1 pleading with him to recant1 but his answer was3 ,zephyr1 prythee bear for me a message ,to that ,ishmael,,fk who was not slain1 ',living from the street of the ,beloved ,love permits not to return again4'#bc ,footnote ,,fk3 ,ishmael 7,isml71 the son of ,abraham1 by ,hagar4 j ,muammad-,taq and ,siyyid ,murta were merchants of note1 and ,siyyid usayn had been a divine famed for his piety4 ,siyyid ,murta was a brother of that ,siyyid ,kim-i-,zanjn who attended the ,bb during ,his journey to ,ifahn and later fell a martyr at ,shaykh abars4 q ,muammad-usayn had been tortured to betray his companions1 but he would not implicate innocent men in fictitious plots4 ,the ,bb1 from his remote prison in ,chihrq and already overwhelmed by calamity1 eulogized these heroic men as the ',seven ,goats' of ,islamic tradition1 who would precede the promised ,q'im1 their true ,shepherd1 to ,his own martyrdom4,,fl ,footnote ,,fl3 ,see ,appendix #d4 ,the ,episode of ,zanjn ,the fiercest and most devastating of the three military actions against the ,bbs began in ,zanjn1 in ,may #ahej1 after the return of ujjat from his detention in ihrn4 7,see p4 #abe47 ,although he had enjoyed the protection of ,muammad ,shh in his defence of the ,faith of the ,bb1 he was feared and hated as an infidel by the divines of ,zanjn4 ,with the death of the ,shh and the accession to power of ,mrz ,taq ,khn under the succeeding reign1 he was the object of a concealed hostility on the part of the authorities1 while enjoying the devoted loyalty and affection of countless men and women of his native town4 ,a small quarrel between children1 in which ujjat intervened to save the ,bb child1 sparked into flame the smouldering animosity against ujjat and a plan was made to seize and bring him before the ,governor4 ,failing in this1 his opponents subjected one of his companions to painful injury and death4 ,then1 by the ,governor's decree1 ,zanjn was split into two opposing camps1 a large number of men were recruited from surrounding villages1 and ujjat and his companions were forced to seek safety in the nearby fort of ,al-,mardn ,khn4 ,counting women and children1 about three thousand of ujjat's supporters entered the fort1 which they held against repeated attack and siege for almost nine months4 ,edward ,granville ,browne1 who visited ,zanjn nearly forty years later1 could find no natural advantages in the fort to account for the 'desperate resistance offered by the ,bbs'1 and concluded that their success in holding off the vastly superior regiments of the ,shh should 'be attributed less to the strength of the position which they occupied than to the extraordinary valour with which they defended themselves'4#bd ,they were sustained in their cruel ordeal by the indomitable ujjat1 whom no calamity could overcome1 and by the tenacity of their own devotion to the ,bb1 their promised ,q'im4 ,a ,british observer in the ',persian camp before ,zenjan' reported to ,sheil in ihrn3 ,they the ,bbs fight in the most obstinate and spirited manner1 the women even1 of whom several have been killed1 engaging in the strife--and they are such excellent marksmen that up to this time a good many have fallen of the ,government troops4#be ,the most celebrated of the women was a village girl1 ,zaynab1 who dressed as a man and1 for five months until her death in the struggle1 guarded the ramparts with the men4 ujjat gave her the name of ,rustam-,al4 ,finding that all efforts to defeat the ,bbs were fruitless1 the commander determined to adopt the same treacherous tactics as had succeeded at abars and ,nayrz4 ,he drew up a proposal for peace1 assuring the defenders of the forgiveness of the ,shh and pledging with a sealed copy of the ,qur'n the safety of all who would leave the fort4 ujjat1 fully conscious of their intentions but honouring the ,qur'n1 sent a delegation of nine young children and men over eighty to the camp of the commander4 ,they were insolently received and most were thrown into a dungeon4 ,it was the signal for a final month-long siege1 in which some eighteen regiments were brought into action1 subjecting the now famished and depleted ,bbs to a constant bombardment of cannon4 ,with the wounding of ujjat1 the fort was captured1 but its occupants continued their struggle from nearby houses1 throwing the opposing army into despair4 ,then ujjat's wife and baby son were killed1 and a few days later he himself died of his wounds4 ,there were left of the ,bbs only two hundred able-bodied men who were struck down in a fierce attack4 ,when the survivors had been inhumanly tortured1 killed and their bodies mutilated1 the body of ujjat was discovered and exposed for three days to dishonour in the public square4 ,hands unknown rescued and carried it away4 ,already ujjat's eight-year-old son had been 'literally cut into small pieces'1 and the wives and daughters of the ,bbs were handed over to the soldiers4#bf;,,fm ,footnote ,,fm3 ,see ,appendix #e4 ,yet never had the martyrs of ,zanjn sought a holy war1 nor contemplated disloyalty to their country and sovereign4 ,assailed by enemies who purposed only their destruction1 they had courageously defended themselves4 ,the spirit of their defence shines in these words of ujjat in his last days3 ,the day whereon ,i found ,thy beloved ,one1 ,o my ,god1 and recognised in ,him the ,manifestation of ,thy eternal ,spirit1 ,i foresaw the woes that ,i should suffer for ,thee4444 ,would that a myriad lives were mine1 would that ,i possessed the riches of the whole earth and its glory1 that ,i might resign them all freely and joyously in ,thy path4#bg ,on ,january #fth #ahea ,sheil closed his reports on ,zanjn3 ,for the present1 the doctrines of ,bb have received a check--,in every part of ,persia his disciples have been crushed or scattered--,but though there is a cessation of the open promulgation of his tenets1 it is believed that in secret they are not the less cherished4444#bh ,the ,dawn-,breakers had paid dearly with their lives that the ,faith of the ,bb might live on4 ,and it did live on1 to attain its efflorescence in the ,revelation of ,bah'u'llh4 ,,epilogue ,i am the ,primal ,point from which have been generated all created things4444 ,i am the ,countenance of ,god ,whose splendour can never be obscured1 the ,light of ,god ,whose radiance can never fade4444 ,i am one of the sustaining pillars of the ,primal ,word of ,god4 ,whosoever hath recognised ,me1 hath known all that is true and right1 and hath attained all that is good and seemly4 --,the ,bb ,on the third day after the martyrdom of the ,bb1 ,his remains1 inextricably united with those of ,his heroic1 faithful disciple1 were placed in a casket and taken to a locality which was safe and secure4 ,what happened1 during the next fifty years1 to the remains of the ,bb cannot be better summarized than in the words of ,shoghi ,effendi1 the ,guardian of the ,bah' ,faith3 ,subsequently1 according to ,bah'u'llh's instructions1 they were transported to ihrn and placed in the shrine of ,imm-,zdih asan4 ,they were later removed to the residence of j ,sulaymn ,khn,,fn himself in the ,sar-,chashmih quarter of the city1 and from his house were taken to the shrine of ,imm-,zdih ,mam1 where they remained concealed until the year #abhd ,a4,h4 7#ahfg-ahfh71 when a ,tablet1 revealed by ,bah'u'llh in ,adrianople1 directed ,mull ,al-,akbar-i-,shahmrzd,,fo and ,jaml-i-,burjird to transfer them without delay to some other spot1 an instruction which1 in view of the subsequent reconstruction of that shrine1 proved to have been providential4 ,unable to find a suitable place in the suburb of ,shh ,abdu'l-,am1 ,mull ,al-,akbar and his companion continued their search until1 on the road leading to ,chashmih-,al the ,al ,springs1 they came upon the abandoned and dilapidated ,masjd-i-,mash'u'llh1 where they deposited1 within one of its walls1 after dark1 their precious burden1 having first re-wrapt the remains in a silken shroud brought by them for that purpose4 ,finding the next day to their consternation that the hiding-place had been discovered1,,fp they clandestinely carried the casket through the gate of the capital direct to the house of ,mrz asan-i-,vazr1 a believer and son-in-law of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,aly-i-,tafrish1 the ,majdu'l-,ashrf1 where it remained for no less than fourteen months4,,fq ,the long-guarded secret of its whereabouts becoming known to the believers1 they began to visit the house in such numbers that a communication had to be addressed by ,mull ,al-,akbar to ,bah'u'llh1 begging for guidance in the matter4 j ,shh ,muammad-i-,manshd1 surnamed ,amnu'l-,bayn1 was accordingly commissioned to receive the ,trust from him1 and bidden to exercise the utmost secrecy as to its disposal4 ,assisted by another believer1 j ,shh ,muammad buried the casket beneath the floor of the inner sanctuary of the shrine of ,imm-,zdih ,zayd1 where it lay undetected until ,mrz ,asadu'llh-i-,ifahn was informed of its exact location through a chart forwarded to him by ,bah'u'llh4 ,instructed by ,bah'u'llh to conceal it elsewhere1 he first removed the remains to his own house in ihrn1 after which they were deposited in several other localities such as the house of usayn-,aly-i-,ifahn and that of ,muammad-,karm-i-,ar1 where they remained hidden until the year #acaf 7#ahii7 ,a4,h41 when1 in pursuance of directions issued by ,abdu'l-,bah1 this same ,mrz ,asadu'llh1 together with a number of other believers1 transported them by way of ,ifahn1 ,kirmnshh1 ,baghdd and ,damascus1 to ,beirut and thence by sea to ,akk1 arriving at their destination on the #aith of the month of ,raman #acaf ,a4,h4 7,january #ca1 #ahii71 fifty lunar years after the ,bb's execution in ,tabrz4#a ,footnote ,,fn3 ,he was1 as we have seen1 instrumental in rescuing the remains of the ,bb4 ,footnote ,,fo3 ,also known generally as j khund4 ,he was a ,hand of the ,cause1 appointed by ,bah'u'llh4 ,footnote ,,fp3 ,thieves must have seen j khund and ,jaml-i-,burjird place the casket in a niche and brick it up4 ,whoever they were1 they moved some of the bricks and broke open the casket1 but finding that it did not contain any valuables they left it alone4 ,footnote ,,fq3 ,in the house of ,mrz asan-i-,vazr1 the remains were either deposited in a new casket1 or the original broken casket was put inside a larger one4 ,some pieces of blood-stained and torn linen must have fallen out1 when the remains were being secured4 ,many years later1 ,dr4 ,ynis ,khn-i-,afrkhtih1 in the course of professional attendance upon the family of ,majdu'l-,ashrf1 learned that they had in their possession pieces of linen soaked with the blood of the ,bb4 ,dr4 ,afrkhtih persuaded them to part with those precious relics4 ,they are now in the ,international ,archives of the ,bah' ,faith4 ,forty years after the martyrdom of the ,bb1 on a day in spring1 ,bah'u'llh was standing under the shade of a cluster of cypress trees on the slopes of ,mount ,carmel4 ,in front of ,him stretched the curve of the ,bay of ,haifa1 beyond which loomed a sinister sight1 the grim citadel of ,akk--,his first abode when ,he was brought1 a ,prisoner and an ,exile1 to the ,holy ,land4 ,in darkest days ,he had told ,his people not to grieve1 the prison gates would open and ,he would raise ,his tent on the fair mountain across the bay4 ,he it was ,whose advent the ,bb had come to herald4 ,for ,him--,he ,whom ,god shall make manifest--the young ,martyr-,prophet had suffered tribulations1 had sacrificed ,his life4 ,in ,his ,dispensation1 the ,dispensation of ,his ,forerunner had found its fulfilment1 regained its splendour4 ,and now as ,bah'u'llh--the ,lord of ,hosts--looked at the expanse of rock below those cypress trees 7which today still stand1 firm and proud71 ,he told ,his ,son1 ,abdu'l-,bah1 who would shortly wield authority in ,his ,name1 that a mausoleum should be raised on that mountain-mass to receive the remains of the ,bb4 ,a decade went by before ,abdu'l-,bah could carry out that command4 ,the sons of ,bah'u'llh1 who had strayed away from ,his ,covenant1 strove hard to block the enterprise4 ,but at last the land was secured1 the access route was obtained1 the foundation-stone was laid1 and construction work had begun4 ,then the mischief wrought by those violators of the ,covenant of ,bah'u'llh led to the incarceration of ,abdu'l-,bah within the walls of ,akk4 ,his life was in peril1 but though1 for a while1 all ,his activities were either curtailed or stopped1 the work of constructing that mausoleum on ,mount ,carmel was never allowed to lapse4 ,in the year #aijh1 the despotism of the ,ottoman rulers came to an end1 and ,abdu'l-,bah found ,his freedom4 ,the next year on ,naw-,rz ,day--,march #bast--in a vault beneath the building which ,he had raised with undaunted resolution and with heart-ache1 ,he deposited the casket containing the remains of the ,bb within a marble sarcophagus1 the gift of the ,bah's of ,rangoon4 ,nearly forty years later1 ,shoghi ,effendi1 the ,guardian of the ,bah' ,faith1 undertook to adorn the ,shrine of the ,bb with a superstructure1 both strong and beautiful1 crowned with a golden dome4 ,today it shines dazzlingly in the heart of ,mount ,carmel--the ,mountain of ,god--a spiritual home for a flourishing world community and a beacon of hope for the whole of mankind4 ,,appendix ,i ,,the ,,siege ,,of ,,karbil ,the best and fullest account of the upheavals in ,karbil is contained in a sixty-six-page dispatch from ,lt4-,col4 ,farrant1 the ,british ,special ,commissioner1 to ,sir ,stratford ,canning 7later ,viscount ,stratford de ,redcliffe71 the ,british ,ambassador in ,istanbul4#a ,his description of the position and the condition of ,karbil is particularly worthy of note3 ',the town of ,kerbella is situated about four hours distance from the right bank of the ,euphrates on the confines of the ,syrian desert1 south south west of ,bagdad about #ee miles distant1 and is about #a-c_/d miles in circumference1 surrounded by a brick wall about #bd feet high with twenty nine bastions each of which is capable of containing one gun--it contains #cdjj houses of a very inferior description2 the houses closely crowded together approach within three yards of the wall--the streets are very narrow1 the tops of the houses are surrounded by a brick parapet and can be fired from without exposure1 it has six gates three of which are very small--,the tomb of ,imaum ,hossein is a fine building and stands nearly in the centre of the town1 that of his brother ,abbas in the ,south ,east quarter about two hundred and fifty yards from the ,najif gate4 ,the town is surrounded by gardens which approach close to the walls1 leaving only a small footpath4 ,the gardens are filled with huge date trees1 intersected with numerous ditches1 and extend to some distance from the town which is not perceptible until you are close under the walls4 ,its strength consists in its situation1 but it appeared to me that a few good troops ought to be able to take it in a short time4 ,the houses mostly belonged to ,persians who have left their country and settled there for generations4 ,many of the rich men in ,persia have houses and land there1 that in time of need they may have a safe place of refuge1 or wishing in their old age to retire to a place held in such veneration by them-- ',the population varies from ten thousand to twenty thousand and eighty thousand1 it is always fluctuating1 and ,i was informed that during the time the pilgrims arrive1 the streets are almost impassable--,the houses are mostly divided into several small courts1 occasionally one hundred persons are crowded into one of these houses1 which to outward appearance could with difficulty contain half that number--,the poorer pilgrims take up their abodes in the ,courts of the ,mosques-- ',the working classes at ,kerbella viz ,bakers small shopkeepers day labourers c were all ,persians4' ,najb ,psh had warned the ,persian1 the ,british and the ,french ,agents that he intended to attack ,karbil4 ,in a long letter addressed to the ,persian ,agent in ,baghdd dated ,shavvl #afth #abeh 7,november #ahth #ahdb71 he had1 after detailing the history of the rebellion in ,karbil and its consequences1 uttered this clear warning3 ',being1 however1 near the shrines of ,ali ,hoosein usayn ,i thought it my duty to visit them2 with this auspicious determination ,i proceeded thither1 when the rebel above named ,ibrhm ,zafarn,,fr declared that if ,i came with troops he would not permit my entrance2 and ,i ascertained that he had also prepared the means of opposition4 ,to withdraw in this position of affairs from my publickly announced purpose was a difficult step2 should the report of it spread abroad1 it might1 ,god forbid1 affect the whole order of government1 the rejection1 too1 of the petitions of loyal suffering subjects1 who are the most sacred charge of the deity to us1 is contrary to all the rules requirements of justice2 ,i therefore1 determined to proceed1 under the ,imperial shadow1 and the aid of the ,almighty to the punishment of the rebels1 as a warning example to his equals2 if1 as ,i hear1 he is prepared for resistance he shall submit to my entrance by force4 ,there are many subjects of ,iran in the town alluded to2 let there hereafter be no claims1 on the part of that high power1 in behalf of these persons2 let them come out with their children1 families and property 444 in fact they must not be in that town in the hour of hostility1 as this is quite inconsistent with the state of the town place4 ,you must therefore in compliance with your duty in such cases1 without delay1 inform1 all those whom it may concern1 of these facts2 for which friendly aid this letter is written and despatched2 and1 please ,god you will doubtless thus act on the receipt thereof1 without delay favour me with a reply to the same4'#b ,footnote ,,fr3 ,in the dispatch1 his name is spelt ,ibrahim ,zaffranee4 ,however1 no warning was given to the ,persians to quit ,karbil as ,farrant's report makes clear3 ',the ,mollahs also excited the religious feelings of the peoples1 making them believe it was a common cause1 a religious war1 a ,persian seyd who was present1 stated to me that many of the ,persians fought or gave assistance1 that he amongst many did not leave the town1 thinking it would not be taken1 and rumours were spread that the ,shah was sending a large force to their assistance1 he also stated that those ,persians who were unfitted or refused to bear arms were obliged to give money 444 likewise they considered themselves safe1 as their ,consul did not come to order them away4' ,instead1 ,farrant reports3 ',the ,persian ,consul in reply to the ,pacha begged him to postpone his intended attack1 that if the town was taken by assault many innocent people 7,persian subjects7 would suffer1 who at present were unable to come away 444 that if he would delay his expedition for four or six months to give the ,persians time to arrange their affairs1 he would proceed to ,kerbella1 and bring the ,persians away1 and arrange everything for him4 ',three days before receiving the ,pacha's letter1 the ,consul asserts he wrote privately to the ,chief ,priest ,hajee ,seid ,kausem saying we hear the ,pacha will move on ,kerbella1 and if he is determined1 he will certainly come1 he is not an ,ali ,pacha--tell the ,persians they had better come out-- ,after the receipt of the ,pacha's official letter he again wrote to the ,chief ,priest ,siyyid ,kim of the ,pacha's fixed determination1 and requested him to tell all the ,persians to quit the town--,this letter he sent by a confidential person1 but it appears it never reached1 as the ,chief ,priest declares he never wrote to him1 although he requested him to come to ,kerbella--' ,farrant goes on to say3 ',the ,pacha would not listen to the propositions of the ,consul--,h4,r4,h4 ,the ,zel-i ,sultan 7son of the late ,shah of ,persia1 a refugee7 accompanied by ,hajee ,seid ,kausem ,chief ,priest1 ,seid ,wahab ,governor,,fs of ,kerbella1 ,seid ,hossainee and ,seid ,nasseroola ,siyyid ,naru'llh1 influential people of ,kerbella1 came to the ,pacha's camp at ,mossaib and remained four days--,the ,pacha told them he did not wish to injure the people1 that ,kerbella was in rebellion and belonged to the ,sultan444' ,however1 he was willing to make concessions1 should the people of ,karbil submit to his rule and let soldiers be stationed in their city4 ,footnote ,,fs3 ,the nominal ,governor4 ,he was either willingly or by force of circumstances allied to the rebels4 ,farrant further relates3 ',the ,pacha told ,his ,r4,h4 the ,zel i ,sultan and ,chief ,priest before leaving his camp to warn all ,persians to separate themselves from the ,geramees 7and gave the ,prince a paper to that effect7 that if they could not leave the town1 they should retire altogether to one quarter of it1 or else with their families and property seek protection in the ,courts of the tombs of ,hoossein and ,abbas1 for he was determined to proceed to extremities if the ,kerbellai's refused to submit to his orders444' ,farrant reports a second excursion by j ,siyyid ,kim and ,al-,shh1 the illu's-,suln1 on behalf of the people of ,karbil1 this time to the camp of ,sadu'llh ,psh1 the ,colonel commissioned by ,najb ,psh to invest the city4 ',about the #ast ,january #ahdc1' writes ,farrant1 'the ,persian ,consul accompanied by ,seid ,ibrahim ,kasveenee,,ft arrived at ,najib ,pacha's camp at ,mossaib from ,bagdad--,the army had now been eleven days before ,kerbella and much fighting had taken place1 and many on both sides had been killed4' ,the talks which ,mull ,abdu'l-,azz 7,persian ,consul7 and ,siyyid ,ibrhm had with ,najb ,psh bore no result1 and as ,farrant reports3 ',the ,consul and ,chief ,priest returned to ,bagdad1 they had been four or five days in the ,pacha's camp--,the ,chief ,priest in ,kerbella ,hajee ,seid ,kausem it is said 7he told me also the same thing7 wrote to the ,persian ,consul and ,seid ,ibrahim ,kasveenee begging the former to come on to ,kerbella1 that his presence was necessary1 it was the hour of danger--,this letter was received by them after they had quitted the ,pacha's camp about two hours4 ,rumours in the town were very prevalent1 that the ,shah of ,persia was sending an army of twenty thousand men to their assistance1 which gave great confidence to the ,persians inside--,persians have informed me that they heard these reports and many believed them1 also they have most positively assured me that their ,consul never wrote or communicated with them1 and on learning1 that he had returned to ,bagdad1 did not consider there was any danger4 ,the ,consul asserts he wrote to the ,chief ,priest ,hajee ,seid ,kausem1 which the latter most positively denies4444 ,footnote ,,ft3 ,siyyid ,ibrhm-i-,qazvn1 the adversary of ,siyyid ,kim1 who had left ,karbil altogether during this turbulent period4 '444 ,the walls were daily crowded1' ,farrant writes1 'by the inhabitants who vented the grossest abuse on the ,sultan1 and cursed the soldiers and their religion4 ,the chief people in ,kerbella did all in their power to excite the religious feelings of the ,sheeahs against the ,soonies1 the ,priests also were most active1 ,i have been told1 and as they could not fight1 repaired any damages the walls might receive4 ,they prayed also in the ,mosques encouraging and exciting the people by telling them it was a religious war4' ,and then came the final assault4 ,farrant reports3 ',before daylight on the #ac ,january the storming party moved from ,camp accompanied by the main body which halted at the battery1 a soldier advanced and clambered up the breach1 observing that the guards had left their posts1 and the few who remained were asleep at the bottom of the wall round a fire--he returned to the ,seraskier and reported what he had seen-- ',the storming party was then ordered to move forward444' ,there was panic and slaughter4 ,farrant states that the sanctuary of the tomb of ,abbs was violated1 but ,sadu'llh ,psh personally intervened to prevent the desecration of the ,shrine of ,imm usayn4 ,the boastful leaders fled the city and as ,farrant puts it3 ',the principal cause of the late affair at ,kerbella may be ascribed to the chiefs of that place who supported the ,geramees in opposition to the ,government1 and in the time of danger withdrew from the contest and left the innocent and helpless to the fury of the soldiers4' ',many flung themselves over the walls and were dashed to pieces1' ,farrant reports1 'whilst others sought shelter in the houses of ,h4,r4,h4 ,the ,zil i ,sultan and ,hajee ,seid ,kausem ,siyyid ,kim ,chief ,priest1 the latter shewed me a court in his house where #ff persons of all ages and sexes were suffocated1 or crushed to death flying from the fury of the soldiers444' ,farrant further reports3 ',no ,prince of the ,royal blood nor any ,persian of rank were sic killed1 the sufferers were all of the poorer classes1 small shopkeepers and labourers1 also a few learned men--,the wife of ,prince ,holakoo ,meerza ,hulk ,mrz was severely wounded by a soldier 7she is closely connected with the ,shah of ,persia being a daughter of the late ,hoossein ,ali ,meerza ,prince ,governor of ,fars74444 ,the ,secretary of ,seid ,ibrahim ,kasveenee ,chief ,priest2 ,seid ,mahomed ,ali ,moosvee ,siyyid ,muammad-,aly-i-,msav was seized by the soldiers and forced to carry outside the walls some plunder for them1 he stated who he was1 but it was of no avail1 on arriving outside the gate1 they cut off his head and took it to the cashier of the ,seraskier ,pacha for a reward--he was a young man much respected4444 ,the house of ,alee ,werdee ,khan ,al-,vird ,khn 7an uncle of the present ,shah7 was also entered by the soldiers1 this house was defended by the ,arabs4 ,the ,khan jumped into a well to save his life1 one of his servants went and informed the ,seraskier who immediately sent some men to his relief--,the ,khan was taken to the ,seraskier nearly dead with cold1 who sent him into the haram ,shrine of ,hoossein for safety--,why the ,khan did not leave the town before the siege is a mystery1 it is said that he was very active in advising the ,persians to remain in the town--' ,the exaggerated reports from ,mull ,abdu'l-,azz1 the ,persian ,agent in ,baghdd1 had served to heighten the crisis4 ,he had apparently been slack in the exercise of his duties and when the siege was over1 alarmed by the magnitude of the disaster1 he endeavoured to make a quick getaway from ,baghdd4 ,although the following report which he made to the ,prime ,minister of rn1 j ,mrz qs1 is unreliable and highly-coloured1 it is of sufficient interest to reproduce4 ',in short1' he wrote1 'there is no one left in ,kerbelah1 and of those who are alive1 they are either wounded1 naked or destitute of property4 ,according to what is described1 about #e1jjj persons were killed in the shrine of ,abbass1,,fu and property pillaged is beyond estimate--no one has anything left4 ,whatever the people of ,persia possessed was brought to this place2 afterwards it will become known1 what quantity of ,persian property was there4444 ,whatever ,ali ,nakee ,meerza ,al-,naq ,mrz and ,imam ,verdee ,meerza ,imm-,vird ,mrz 7sons of ,fatteh ,ali ,shah ,fat-,al ,shh7 possessed was plundered even to the stripping naked their wives4444 ,the wives of the people who were not killed were made captives4444 ,moollah ,ali a person belonging to ,ali ,pasha1 who is at present in the service of ,mahomed ,nejeeb ,pasha1 interceded for the women--,sadoollah ,pasha 7,colonel7 replied1 that the troops being without women1 they must remain some nights with them1 after which we will dismiss them444 ,footnote ,,fu3 ,abbs was a brother of ,imm usayn4 ',besides what ,i have related1 the two shrines were converted into barracks1 and all the troops which are in ,kerbelah have been quartered in the two shrines with their horses and cattle--,they have tied their cattle in the apartments of the shrine and the college1 and the troops have made their own quarters in the corridor and private apartments1 and twice a day their drums and band play within the shrine--,on whatever persons they wish to inflict punishment1 it is done within the shrine of ,imam ,hoossein4444 ,the remainder of the ,sheeahs1 who are in ,nejeff1 ,hillah1 ,kazimeyn and ,bagdad are dispirited to such a degree1 that they have not the courage to weep at this calamity-- ',all those who were in the private apartments of ,hajee ,syed ,kazim 7,chief ,priest7 and in the house of ,ali ,shah 7,zil4e4,sultan7 remained in safety--at the most about #bjj persons were killed in the outer apartments of ,hajee ,syed ,kazim4444 ',from the commencement to the close of the siege occupied #bd days--and from the day that the ,pasha informed me1 he would send troops against ,kerbelah until they arrived there occupied #ae days1 and notwithstanding my wishes that he would delay1 until the people of ,persia should quit ,kerbelah1 he neither gave any delay nor opportunity for their doing so4444 ',on account of these circumstances1 the stay of your devoted servant in ,bagdad is needless--,as yet ,i have received no money from ,kermanshah1 if you were graciously pleased to grant it1 and wrote to the ,shoojah ood4 dowleh ,shuju'd-,dawlih1 to send some money speedily to me your devoted servant1 to pay some of my debts1,,fv it is possible that ,i might be able to bring the ,zil4i4,sultan,,fw along with me4'#c ,footnote ,,fv3 ,mull ,abdu'l-,azz dared not go to ,karbil because he feared his creditors4 ,siyyid ,kim had urged him to visit the holy city4 ,footnote ,,fw3 illu's-,suln was not in a distressed condition1 and his presence in rn was not welcomed4 99 99 99 99 99 ',the latest accounts from ,kerbella1' wrote ,lt4-,col4 ,farrant at the end of his long report on the siege1 'state the town to be perfectly quiet and its population daily increasing4' ,,appendix #b ,,the ,,martyrdom ,,of ,,the ,b,b ,the martyrdom of the ,bb was reported by ,lt4-,col4 ,sheil to ,lord ,palmerston1 the ,british ,foreign ,secretary1 on ,july #bbnd #ahej3 ',the founder of this sect has been executed at ,tabreez--,he was killed by a volley of musketry1 and his death was on the point of giving his religion a lustre which would have largely increased its proselytes4 ,when the smoke and dust cleared away after the volley1 ,bb was not to be seen1 and the populace proclaimed that he had ascended to the skies--,the balls had broken the ropes by which he was bound1 but he was dragged from the recess where after some search1 he was discovered1 and shot4 ',his death according to the belief of his disciples will make no difference1 as ,bb must always exist4'#a ,at the time of the martyrdom of the ,bb1 ,r4 ,w4 ,stevens1 the ,british ,consul1 was absent from ,tabrz1 and his brother1 ,george1 was left in charge of the ,consulate4 ,the latter had failed to report the event to ,sheil4 ,on ,july #bdth1 ,r4 ,w4 ,stevens1 back at his post1 rectified that omission and added that the body of the ,bb and ,his disciple had been 'thrown into the ,town ditch where they were devoured by dogs4'#b ,sheil wrote to ,palmerston1 on ,august #aeth1 that ',although the advice and opinions of foreign agents are generally unpalatable to the ,persian ,minister1 ,i nevertheless think it my duty to bring under his observation any flagrant abuse or outrage that reaches my knowledge4 ,i persuade myself that on such occasions notwithstanding the absence of acknowledgement on the part of the ,ameer-i-,nizam ,mrz ,taq ,khn1 the ,grand ,vizier1 he may perhaps privately take steps for applying a remedy4' ,he went on to say that the ,consul at ,tabrz had reported that the body of the ,bb1 'by order of the ,ameer-i-,nizam's brother1 was thrown into the ditch of the town to be devoured by dogs1 which actually happened4'#c ,he enclosed the copy of the letter he had written to the ,grand ,vizier on this subject4 ,this is what he wrote to ,mrz ,taq ,khn3 ',your ,excellency is aware of the warm interest taken by the ,british ,government in all that concerns the honor1 respectability and credit of this ,government1 and it is on this account ,i make you acquainted with a recent occurrence in ,tabreez which perhaps has not been brought to ,your ,excellency's knowledge--,the execution of the ,pretender ,bab in that city was accompanied by a circumstance which if published in the ,gazettes of ,europe would throw the utmost discredit on the ,persian ,ministers4 ,after that person was put to death1 his body by orders of the ,vezeer4i4,nizam was thrown into the ditch of the town to be devoured by dogs1 which actually happened--,this act resembles the deeds of bye gone ages1 and could not ,i believe now occur in any country between ,china and ,england--,feeling satisfied that it did not receive ,your ,excellency's sanction1 and knowing what sentiments it would excite in ,europe1 ,i have thought it proper to write this friendly communication1 not to let you remain in ignorance of the occurrence4'#d ,palmerston wrote back on ,october #hth3 '444 ,her ,majesty's ,government approve of your having called the attention of the ,ameer-i-,nizam 444 to the manner in which the corpse of the ,pretender ,bb was treated after his execution at ,tabreez4'#e ,,appendix #c ,,prelude ,,to ,,the ,,episode ,,of ,,nayr,z ,on ,february #abth #ahej1 ,lt4-,col4 ,sheil1 back at his post in ihrn after a long leave of absence1 reported to ,lord ,palmerston3 '444 a serious outbreak lately took place at ,yezd1 which however the ,governor of that city with the assistance of the priesthood succeeded in quelling-- ',the exciters of the insurrection were the partizans of the new ,sect called ,babee1 who assembled in such numbers as to force the ,governor to take refuge in the citadel1 to which they laid siege--,the ,moollas conscious that the progress of ,babeeism is the decay of their own supremacy determined to rescue the ,governor1 and summoning the populace in the name of religion to attack this new ,sect of infidels1 the ,babees were overthrown and forced to take flight to the adjoining province of ,kerman4444 ',the tenets of this new religion seem to be spreading in ,persia--,bab the founder1 a native of ,sheeraz1 who has assumed this fictitious name1 is imprisoned in ,azerbijan1 but in every large town he has disciples1 who with the fanaticism or fortitude so often seen among the adherents of new doctrines1 are ready to meet death4444 ,bab declares himself to be ,imam ,mehdee1 the last ,imam1 who disappeared from human sight but is to reappear on earth--,his decrees supersede the ,koran among his disciples1 who not only revere him as the head of their faith1 but also obey him as the temporal ,sovereign of the world1 to whom all other monarchs must submit--,besides this inconvenient doctrine1 they have adopted other tenets pernicious to society4444 ',conversion by the sword is not yet avowed1 argument and inspiration from heaven being the present means of instilling or attaining faith in the ,mission of ,bab--,if left to their own merits the not novel doctrines of this ,preacher will doubtless sink into insignificancy1 it is persecution only which can save them from neglect and contempt1 and unluckily the proselytes are all of the ,mahommedan faith1 which is inflexible in the punishment of a relapsed ,mussulman--,thus both the temporal and religious authorities have an interest in the extermination of this ,sect4 ',it is conjectured that in ,teheran this religion has acquired votaries in every class1 not even excluding the artillery and regular ,infantry--,their numbers in this city1 it is supposed1 may amount to about two thousand4'#a;,,fx ,footnote ,,fx3 ,part of this passage is also quoted on p4 #agh4 ,the incident at ,yazd1 which the ,british ,minister was reporting to the ,foreign ,secretary1 concerned the activities of a man named ,muammad-,abdu'llh1 who professed belief in the new ,revelation4 ,vad was in ,yazd at the time1 fearlessly proclaiming the advent of the ,q'im4 ,navvb-i-,raav1 an influential man of the city1 who hated ,vad as much as ,sadu'l-,ulam had hated ,qudds1,,fy was plotting to destroy him4 ,despite ,vad's injunction1 ,muammad-,abdu'llh went ahead with his own schemes which resulted in clashes with the civil authority1 and his own death4 ,vad was forced to leave ,yazd in the dead of night1 on foot4 ,his house in ,yazd was pillaged1 and his servant asan was seized and put to death4 ,while horsemen sent by his adversaries were searching for him1 he hid in the mountains2 and by mountain tracks made his way to ,bavnt in the province of ,frs4 ,there were many in that area who gave him whole-hearted support1 among them the renowned j ,siyyid ,isml1 the ,shaykhu'l-,islm of ,bavnt4 ,then by way of ,fas he approached the city of ,nayrz4 ,footnote ,,fy3 ,see p4 #agf4 ,,appendix #d ,,the ,,seven ,,martyrs ,,of ,,ihr,n ,in the course of #ahdi1 ,prince ,dolgorukov1 the ,russian ,minister in ihrn1 had protested to the ,persian ,government that while going into the presence of the ,shh he had been forced to witness the dragging away of the writhing corpses of eight criminals1 executed in front of the ,shh4 ,dolgorukov considered it an affront to him1 the envoy of the ,tsar1 to be presented with such a spectacle4 ,sheil had backed ,dolgorukov's protest4#a ,palmerston had1 in turn1 approved ,sheil's action4 ,on ,february #abth #ahej1 ,prince ,dolgorukov sent this report to ,count ,nesselrode in ,st4 ,petersburg3 ',minds are in an extraordinarily excited state due to the execution which has just taken place in the great square of ,tihran4 ,i have already once expressed my opinion that the method by which last year the troops of the ,shah under the command of ,prince ,mahdi ,quli ,mirza exterminated the ,babis will not lessen their fanaticism4 ',from that time on the ,government has learned that ,tihran is full of these dangerous sectaries who do not recognize civil statutes and preach the partitioning of the property of those who do not join their doctrine4 ,becoming fearful for the social peace1 the ministers of ,persia decided to arrest some of these sectaries and1 according to the common version1 having received during the interrogation their confession of their faith1 executed them4 ,these persons1 numbering seven1 and arrested at random1 since the ,babis are counted already by thousands within the very capital1 would by no means deny their faith and met death with an exultation which could only be explained as fanaticism brought to its extreme limit4 ,the ,assistant ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs1 ,mirza ,muhammad ,ali1 on the contrary affirms that those people have confessed nothing and that their silence was interpreted as a sufficient proof of their guilt4 ',one can only regret the blindness of the ,shah's authorities who imagine that such measures could extinguish religious fanaticism1 as well as the injustice which guides their actions when examples of cruelty1 with which they are trying to frighten the people1 are committed without distinction against the first passer-by who falls into their hands444'#b ,ten days later 7,february #bbnd #ahej71 ,sheil wrote to ,palmerston that apparently the advice tendered by ,her ,majesty's ,government that criminals should not be executed in the presence of the ,sovereign had had some effect1 because a few days before1 seven ,bbs1 accused of conspiring to assassinate the ,grand ,vizier1 had been put to death in public with no untoward incident4 ,sheil asserted that this fact proved the feasibility of public executions4 ,mrz ,taq ,khn had earlier stated that with executions in public there was the risk of a malefactor being snatched and spirited away4 ,sheil felt1 however1 that on this occasion there was sympathy for the executed1 because the story of a conspiracy to murder the ,grand ,vizier was not generally believed4 ,he further observed that the ,bbs had been offered their lives1 were they to recant1 and they had firmly refused to do so4 ,his own comment to the ,grand ,vizier had been that executing the ,bbs was the surest way of propagating their doctrines4#c ,lord ,palmerston in answer to ,sheil stated that ,her ,majesty's ,government was pleased to learn that ,niri'd-,dn ,shh had agreed with the advice not to have executions carried out in his presence1 but added1 'the punishment of men for religious belief1 besides being unjust and cruel1 is also an erroneous practice1 and tends to encourage and propagate the belief which it is intended to suppress4'#d ,,appendix #e ,,the ,,episode ,,of ,,zanj,n ,the episode of ,zanjn covered the period from ,may to ,december #ahej1 and much engaged the attention of the ,british and ,russian envoys4 ,on ,may #beth ,sheil reported to ,palmerston3 ',at ,zenjan 444 an attempt at insurrection was made by the ,sect of the ,babees whose leader is the chief priest of the town--,five hours after the receipt of this intelligence a ,battalion of ,infantry #djj horse and three guns marched towards ,zenjan--,this is an instance unexampled in ,persia of military celerity1 which perhaps would not be surpassed in many countries of ,europe4'#a ,a month later1 ,sheil reported3 ',the insurrection at ,zenjan has not yet been quelled4 ,the ,bbees of that city continue to defend themselves with the zeal of proselytes and the contempt of life inculcated by their faith444'#b ,prince ,dolgorukov1 the ,russian ,minister1 commented on ,july #cast3 ',the ,government has exhausted all possible means to compel the ,babis to submit voluntarily4 ,muhammad ,ali who heads the two or three hundred of these fanatics in ,zanjan1 has fortified himself in one of the quarters of the said town and terrifies the inhabitants4 ,the ,amir was finally forced to take energetic measures1 and the former beglerbegi of ,tabriz1 ,muhammad ,khan1 has just been sent against them with an army of #bjjj men and four cannons4'#c ,dolgorukov had grossly underestimated the number of the ,bbs4 7,see pp4 #ahe-f47 ,sheil wrote on ,august #bbnd3 ',the ,bbees of ,zenjan still continue to maintain that nearly defenceless city against the ,shah's troops4'#d ,on ,september #eth he reported3 '444 these fanatics are reduced to a few hundred fighting men1 they continue to maintain a hopeless contest1 with undaunted resolution1 refusing submission on any terms444'#e ,dolgorukov reported on ,september #adth3 ',the ,babis1 who are engaged there in a life and death struggle against the troops of the ,shah1 are still resisting the attacks of ,muhammad ,khan1 and one can only wonder at the fierceness with which they meet the danger of their situation4 ,their leader ,mulla ,muhammad ,ali1 has appealed to the ,turkish ,minister1 ,sami ,effendi1 and also to ,colonel ,sheil for their mediation4 ,however1 my ,english colleague is of the opinion that it would be very difficult to force the ,persian ,government to consent to foreign intervention in favor of the above mentioned sectaries4'#f ,on ,october #fth1 the ,russian ,minister was in a petulant mood3 ',i think it would have been better if they the ,persian ,government had given more serious attention to the affairs of ,zanjan4 ,the ,babis have been fighting against #fjjj of the ,shah's best troops for almost five months now1 and ,muhammad ,khan1 who is already master of three quarters of the city1 cannot take the quarter which they have fortified themselves and are defending 444 with a heroism and a fury worthy of a better application4'#g ,in his dispatch of ,november #ith1 ,dolgorukov wrote3 ',new military units have just been dispatched against the ,babis of ,zanjan4 ,this time the ,governor of that city1 a brother of the ,shah's mother1 ,amir ,aslan ,khan1 is accused of provoking the resistance1 which the ,babis offer the ,shah's army1 by his incautious behavior4'#h ,and1 at last1 on ,december #bfth ,dolgorukov could report3 ',the ,zanjan disturbances have ended4 ,after a siege which lasted for almost six months the ,shah's troops have destroyed the center of the rebellion4 ,the ,babis who defended themselves to the last1 and whose numbers were finally reduced to twenty men1 who sought refuge in a cellar1 were torn to pieces4 ,in addition to monetary expenditures1 this struggle has cost ,persia #aejj in killed and disabled4'#i ,meanwhile ,sheil had been reporting on ,september #beth3 ',the disciples of ,bb have barricaded a portion of that town1 from which they cannot be expelled without a greater loss of life than the assailants seem willing to encounter4'#aj ,and he wrote on ,october #beth3 ',contrary to all rational expectation the small portion of ,zenjan occupied by the ,bbees continues to set at defiance the efforts of the ,shah's troops to expel that sect from the ,city4' ,in the same dispatch he stated that ',general ,sir ,henry ,bethune who visited the scene of operations1 expressed a conviction that three hours with ordinary troops would finish the affair444'#aa ,bethune was the man who had helped ,muammad ,shh to his throne4 ,sheil seems to have become wearied of reporting on ,zanjn1 for on ,november #bcrd he wrote3 ',i continue unable to make any variation in my reports relative to ,zenjan--,the same feeble ineffectual attempts at assault1 the same repulses still mark the progress of the siege4' ,then he made the extraordinary assertion that it had been affirmed that the defenders of ,zanjn were not ,bbs at all1 that they had been heard to 'proclaim from the walls in hearing of the troops1 the creed that there is no ,god but ,god1 and ,mahomed is his prophet4' ,those men were fighting1 it was said1 because of the enormities perpetrated by the troops4 ,even more extraordinary is this fantastic and incredibly false statement in that same dispatch of ,november #bcrd3 ',moolla ,mahomed ,ali1 their chief1 has the reputation of having proclaimed himself to be the true ,bb1 and his predecessor to have been an impostor4'#ab ,on ,december #afth ,sheil wrote to ,palmerston3 ',her ,majesty's ,consul at ,tabreez having informed me that great atrocities are committed at ,zenjan by the soldiery particularly by their shocking treatment of such women as have been captured1 ,i brought the circumstances to the knowledge of the ,persian ,minister--,the ,ameer-i4,nizam thanked me for the information1 and said he would take immediate steps for preventing such barbarous proceedings1 which are entirely opposed to his sentiments and feelings--' '444 the mode in which my communication was received by the ,ameer4 i4 ,nizam shows an improvement in his tone1 and in the temper with which he listens to suggestions of the above nature4'#ac ,on ,december #bdth1 ,sheil reported to ,palmerston3 ',this protracted siege1 if siege it can be called1 is inexplicable--,an ,english gentleman who lately passed through ,zenjan informed me a few days ago that the portion of the town occupied by the ,bbees is confined to three or four houses1 and that their numbers are utterly insignificant--,they have adopted a mode of defence which seems to exceed the military skill of the ,persian commanders--,the entire of the space included within these houses is mined or excavated and connected by passages4 ,here the ,bbees live in safety from the shot and shells of the assailants1 who evidently have no predilection for underground warfare4'#ad ,lord ,palmerston on ,february #aath #ahea wrote to ,sheil that '444 ,her ,majesty's ,government approve of your having called the attention of the ,ameer-i-,nizam 444 to the acts of violence committed by the ,persian ,troops against ,zenjan4'#ae ,and finally1 here is the last report of ,sheil on the episode of ,zanjn4 ,it is dated ,january #fth #ahea4 ',i have the honor to report to ,your ,lordship that ,zenjan has been at length captured--,moolla ,mahomed ,ali1 the leader of the insurgents1 had received a wound in the arm1 which terminated in his death--,his followers dismayed by the loss of their chief1 yielded to an assault which their relaxation in the energy of their defence encouraged the commander of the ,shah's troops to make--,this success was followed by a great atrocity--,the pusillanimity of the troops1 which the events of this siege had rendered so notorious1 was equalled by their ferocity--,all the captives were bayonetted by the soldiers in cold blood1 to avenge 444 the slaughter of their comrades--,religious hatred may have conspired with the feelings excited by a blood feud1 which among the tribes are very strong1 to cause this ruthless act--,four hundred persons are said to have perished in this way1 among whom it is believed were some women and children--,of the fact itself there can be no doubt1 as it is admitted by the ,government in its notification of the reduction of the city1 though it may be presumed that in the number there is exaggeration4'#af ,,appendix #f ,,lord ,,palmerston',s ,,enquiry ,lord ,palmerston wrote to ,sheil on ,may #bnd #ahej3 ',i have to instruct you to furnish me with a more detailed account than that contained in your despatch ,no4 #bj1 of the #abth of ,february1 of the difference between the tenets of the new sect of ,bab1 and those of the established religion of ,persia4'#a ,sheil answered ,lord ,palmerston on ,june #bast3 ',in conformity with ,your ,lordship's instructions ,i have the honor to enclose an account of the new ,sect of ,bab--,the statement contained in the enclosure numbered ,no4 #a is taken from an account given to me by a disciple of ,bab1 and which ,i have no doubt is correct4 ,the other is extracted from a letter from a chief ,priest in ,yezd1 and cannot be trusted-- ',this is the simplest of religions4 ,its tenets are summed up in materialism1 communism1 and the absolute indifference of good and evil1 and of all human actions4'#b ,unfortunately both accounts sent to ,palmerston are highly inaccurate4 ,moreover1 ,sheil's own comments indicate that he himself did not have an open mind4 ,plainly the account given to him1 as he had stated1 'by a disciple of ,bab'1 was not a verbatim rendering into ,english1 but a reconstruction with interpolations1 as witnessed by these two sentences3 ',they believe in ,mahomed as a ,prophet and in the divine origin of the ,koran3 but ,bb contends that until this moment only the apparent meaning of the ,koran was understood and that he has come to explain the real secret and divine essence of ,god's word4 ,but it will be seen in a subsequent part of this account that the words ,prophet and ,divine origin have no signification4' ,further evidence is provided by ,sheil's rough notes with marginal additions#c from which the account by a ,bb is drawn4 ,what disciple of the ,bb would say3 ',the intercourse of the sexes is very nearly promiscuous--,there is no form of marriage2 a man and woman live together as long as they please and no longer1 and if another man desires to have possession of that woman1 it rests with her1 not with the man who has been her husband1 if he can be so termed3--,a man may have wives without limit2 a woman has a similar licence4' ,this ,bb1 unless his account was garnished1 was either a nihilist of sorts1 or totally ignorant of what the teaching of the ,bb was4 ,equally extraordinary1 confused and contrary to the ,writings of the ,bb in the ,persian and ,arabic ,bayn are the following lines in that account by a ,bb3 ',there is no hell or heaven1 therefore there is no hereafter--annihilation is man's doom in fact--he with every living and vegetable thing1 in short everything whatever1 will be absorbed in the ,divinity--,everything is ,god1 and therefore absorbed1 which is the phrase of the ,soofees1 who consider every thing is a reflection of ,god--,hell is suffered and heaven is enjoyed in this world2 but there is no such thing as crime1 nor of course virtue1 only as they concern the relations of man and man in this world4 ,a man's will is his ,law in all things4444 ',the most absolute materialism seems to form the essence of their belief--,god is one--,every individual substance and particle1 living or not1 is ,god1 and the whole is ,god--and every individual thing1 always was1 always is1 and always will be4'#d ,the account by the ,chief ,priest of ,yazd1 which was a vitriolic attack on the ,bb and ,vad1 and which ,sheil had ruled out in his letter to the ,foreign ,secretary as 'cannot be trusted'1 was not dissimilar1 in some respects1 to the account by 'a disciple of ,bab'4 ,these extracts make it clear how misinformed was ,lord ,palmerston1 the ,british ,foreign ,secretary1 by the reports of his representative in ihrn4 ,,appendix #g ,,myth-,,making ,the volume of writing in the ,west about the ,bb and ,bah' ,faiths is not insignificant4 ,there are copious scholarly works on the subject in ,russian1 ,french and ,english4 ,we have the works of ,alexander ,toumansky1 ,baron ,rosen1 ,mrz ,kazem-,beg1 ,count ,gobineau1 ,a4-,l4-,m4 ,nicolas1 and ,edward ,granville ,browne4 ,we also have attacks and refutations1 but these latter categories belong to more recent years1 when the ,bah' ,faith has been making considerable headway in the ,western world4 ,there is another genre of writing which merits attention1 if only for a negative reason4 ,these writings do not enlighten2 they create myths4 ,generally speaking1 remarks by travellers and casual visitors to rn fall within this category1 but are by no means confined to such writers4 ,a sizable book could be compiled of the remarks and observations which are myth-making4 ,here we must be content with only a few extracts4 ,some of these solemn pronunciations are highly amusing1 as with the following which is taken from a book by ,arthur ,arnold3,,fz ,footnote ,,fz3 #ahcc-aijb1 a radical politician and writer4 ,m4,p4 for ,salford and editor of ,echo4 ',the measure of injustice and oppression which these courts of the ,koran inflict upon the ,christians may seem mild1 in comparison with the treatment by which they suppress nonconformity within the pale of their own community4 ,we have seen an example in the sentence of a hundred sticks1 which the incautious expression of liberal views brought upon the friend of the ,zil-i-,sultan illu's-,suln1,,ga who added to free speech the wickedness of wearing trousers of ,european cut4 ,there is1 however1 in ,ispahan a surviving heresy1 the most notable in ,persia1 which1 when proved against a man1 is almost a death warrant4,,gb ,footnote ,,ga3 ,prince ,suln ,masd ,mrz1 the eldest son of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh1 ,governor-,general of ,ifahn and the adjoining provinces4 ,footnote ,,gb3 ,at the time of ,arnold's visit1 ,mrz ,asadu'llh ,khn1 a ,bah'1 was the ,vizier of ,ifahn4 ',early in the present century1 a boy was born at ,shiraz1 the son of a grocer1 whose name has not been preserved4 ,arrived at manhood1 this grocer's son expounded his idea of a religion even more indulgent than that of ,mahommed4 ,he is known by the name of ,bb 7the gate71 and his followers are called ,bbis4 ,in #ahej1 ,bb had established some reputation as a prophet1 and was surrounded by followers as ready to shed their blood in his defence as any who formed the body-guard of ,mahommed in those early days at ,medina1 when he had gained no fame in battle1 and had not conceived the plan of the ,koran4 ,bb was attacked as an enemy of ,god and man1 and at last taken prisoner by the ,persian ,government1 and sentenced to death4 ,he was to be shot4 ,tied to a stake in ,tabriz1 he confronted the firing party and awaited death4 ,the report of the muskets was heard1 and ,bb felt himself wounded1 but at liberty4 ,he was not seriously hurt1 and the bullets had cut the cord which bound him4 ,clouds of smoke hung about the spot where he stood1 and probably he felt a gleam of hope that he might escape when he rushed from the stake into a neighbouring guardhouse4 ,he had a great reputation1 and very little was necessary to make soldiers and people believe that his life had been spared by a genuine miracle4 ,half the population of ,persia would perhaps have become ,bbis1 had that guardhouse contained the entrance to a safe hiding place4 ,but there was nothing of the sort4 ,the poor wretch was only a man1 and the soldiers saw he had no supernatural powers whatever4 ,he was dragged again to the firing place and killed4 ,but dissent is not to be suppressed by punishment1 and of course ,bbism did not die with him4 ,two years afterwards1 when the present ,shah was enjoying his favourite sport1 and was somewhat in advance of his followers1 three men rushed upon his ,majesty and wounded him in an attempted assassination4 ,the life of ,nazr-ed-deen ,niri'd-,dn ,shah1 ,kajar1 was saved by his own quickness and by the arrival of his followers1 who made prisoners of the assassins4 ,they declared themselves ,bbis1 and gloried in their attempt to avenge the death of their leader and to propagate their doctrines by the murder of the ,shah4 ,the baffled criminals were put to death with the cruelty which the offences of this sect always meet with4 ,lighted candles were inserted in slits cut in their living bodies1 and1 after lingering long in agony1 their tortured frames were hewn in pieces with hatchets4 ',in most countries1 the theory of punishment is1 that the ,state1 on behalf of the community1 must take vengeance upon the offender4 ,but in ,persia it is otherwise4 ,there1 in accordance with the teaching of the ,koran1 the theory and basis of punishment is1 that the relations of the victim must take revenge upon the actual or would-be murderers4 ,in conformity with this idea1 the ,shah's chamberlain executed on his ,majesty's behalf1 and with his own hand1 one of the conspirators4 ,yet the ,bbis remain the terror and trouble of the ,government of ,ispahan1 where the sect is reputed to number more followers than anywhere else in ,persia4 ,but many of them have1 in the present day1 transferred their allegiance from ,bb to ,behar1 a man who was lately1 and may be at present1 imprisoned at ,acca1 in ,arabia1 by the ,turkish ,government4 ,behar represents himself as ,god the ,father in human form1 and declares that ,bb occupies the same position1 in regard to himself1 that ,john the ,baptist held to ,jesus ,christ4 ,we were assured that there were respectable families in ,ispahan who worship this imprisoned fanatic1 who endanger their property and their lives by a secret devotion1 which1 if known1 would bring them to destitution1 and probably to a cruel death4'#a 99 99 99 99 99 ,our second extract is from a much weightier book written by an ,american diplomat1 ,mr4 ,s4 ,g4 ,w4 ,benjamin1 the first ,united ,states ,minister accredited to rn3,,gc ,footnote ,,gc3 ',in the winter of #ahhb-ahhc the author was appointed by ,president ,arthur to the ,legation in ,persia1 just created by ,act of ,congress4 ,in #ahhe1 with the accession of the ,democratic party to power1 he returned to private life1 in accordance with the practice of the diplomatic service of the ,united ,states4'#b ',but the most remarkable sect now in ,persia is probably that of the ,bbees1 or followers of the ,bb4 ,their importance is not so much due to their numbers or political influence1 as to the fact that the sect is of recent origin1 full of proselyting zeal1 and gaining converts every day in all parts of ,persia1 and latterly also in ,turkey4 ,the ,bbees present one of the most important religious phenomena of the age4 ,it must be admitted1 however1 that they very strongly resemble in their communistic views the doctrines enounced sic by the famous ,mazdk ,mazdak1 who was executed by ,chosroes ,i after bringing the empire to the verge of destruction by the spread of his anarchical tenets4 ',in #ahaj was born ,seyed ,alee ,mohammed1 at ,shirz4444 ,like all the founders of oriental religions1 he began his career with a period of seclusion and meditation4 ,he accepted ,mahomet and ,alee in the creed which he considered himself predestined to proclaim2 but he added to this the declaration that their spirits had in turn entered into his own soul1 and that he was therefore a great prophet1--the ,bb1 who was to bring their gospel to a legitimate conclusion4 ,it became his mission1 therefore1 to announce that all things were divine1 and that he1 the ,bb1 was the incarnate presentment of the universal life4 ,to this doctrine was added a socialism which formulated the equality of all1 sweeping away social classes and distinctions1 and ordaining a community of property1 and also1 at first1 of wives4 ,the new doctrines took hold of the heart of the masses2 men and women of all ranks hastened to proclaim their yearning for something that promised to better their condition1 by embracing the wild teachings of the ,bb 444 the ,government could not long remain blind to the possible results if the movement were allowed to spread unchecked4 ,therefore1 after several serious tumults1 the ,bb was seized and executed at ,tabreez4 ,this only served to add fuel to the fire4 ,a fierce persecution broke forth2 but the ,bbees were not willing to submit tamely to suppression4444 ,the ,bbees are now obliged to practise their faith in secret1 all of those in ,persia being outwardly of the ,sheh sect4 ,but their activity does not cease1 and their numbers are increasing rapidly4 ,the sect has also extended to ,turkey4 ,the leader of the ,turkish branch resides at ,constantinople4 ',in ,persia the title of the present head of the sect is ,sob-e-,azl ub-i-,azal4 ,as his belief in the ,bb is a secret1 his name is not mentioned in this connection4444 ,just now there seems to be unusual activity among the ,bbees1 emissaries or missionaries are secretly pervading the country1 not only seeking to make proselytes but also presenting modifications in belief4 ,the community in wives is no longer a practised tenet of the ,bb sect1 while it is proclaimed with increasing emphasis that the ,bb is none other than ,god himself made manifest in the flesh4'#c 99 99 99 99 99 ,the next extract is by another diplomat1 ,general ,sir ,thomas ,edward ,gordon1 who had once been the ,military ,attach and ,oriental ,secretary of ,queen ,victoria's ,legation in ihrn1 and wrote his book after a second visit to rn3 ',the ,babi sect of ,mohammedans1 regarded as seceders from ,islam1 but who assert their claim to be only the advocates for ,mohammedan ,church reform1 are at last better understood and more leniently treated--certainly at ,tehran4 ,they have long been persecuted and punished in the cruellest fashion1 even to torture and death1 under the belief that they were a dangerous body which aimed at the subversion of the ,state as well as the ,church4 ,but better counsels now prevail1 to show that the time has come to cease from persecuting these sectarians1 who1 at all events in the present day1 show no hostility to the ,government2 and the ,government has probably discovered the truth of the ,babi saying1 that one martyr makes many proselytes4444 ',an acknowledged authority on the ,bab1 the founder of this creed1 has written that he directed the thoughts and hopes of his disciples to this world1 not to an unseen world4 ,from this it was inferred he did not believe in a future state1 nor in anything beyond this life4 ,of course1 among the followers of a new faith1 liberal and broad in its views1 continued fresh developments of belief must be expected2 and with reference to the idea that the ,babis think not of a hereafter1 ,i was told that they believe in the reincarnation of the soul1 the good after death returning to life and happiness1 the bad to unhappiness4 ,a ,babi1 in speaking of individual pre-existence1 said to me1 ,you believe in a future state2 why1 then1 should you not believe in a pre-existent state8 ,eternity is without beginning and without end4 ,this idea of re-incarnation1 generally affecting all ,babis1 is1 of course1 an extension of the original belief regarding the re-incarnation of the ,bab1 and the eighteen disciple-prophets who compose the sacred college of the sect4444 ',the ,babi reform manifests an important advance upon all previous modern ,oriental systems in its treatment of woman4 ,polygamy and concubinage are forbidden1 the use of the veil is discouraged1 and the equality of the sexes is so thoroughly recognised that one1 at least1 of the nineteen sovereign prophets must always be a female4 ,this is a return to the position of woman in early ,persia1 of which ,malcolm speaks when he says that ,quintus ,curtius told of ,alexander not seating himself in the presence of ,sisygambis till told to do so by that matron1 because it was not the custom in ,persia for sons to sit in presence of their mother4'#d ,it must be said that ,sir ,thomas ,gordon's long account of the ,bbs 7from which only a few passages are taken7 is good in many respects2 nevertheless1 it perpetuates myths4 99 99 99 99 99 ,finally1 here are two extracts from a book,,gd so highly rated that1 when it was published in #aiae1 it was put on the ',secret ,list' of the ,british ,foreign ,office1 and kept there for more than a decade3 ,footnote ,,gd3 ,lorimer1 ,gazetteer of the ,persian ,gulf4 ,gordon ,lorimer was one of the ablest members of the ,indian ,political ,department1 and held various posts in the area of the ,persian ,gulf4 ,in #aijd1 he was commissioned by the ,government of ,india to prepare the ,gazetteer4 ,at the end of #aiac1 ,lorimer replaced ,sir ,percy ,z4 ,cox as ,consul-,general in ,bshihr and ,political ,resident in the ,persian ,gulf4 ,in ,february a mishap with a revolver caused his untimely death4 ,the present writer well remembers the event4 ,the ,gazetteer was made ready for publication by ,capt4 ,r4 ,l4 ,birdwood4 ',a religious heresy which was destined to produce serious political consequences in ,persia made its appearance during the later years of ,muhammad ,shh3 this was ,bbism1 the creed of the ,bbis or followers of the ,bb4 ,the founder was ,saiyid ,ali ,muhammad1 the son of a grocer of ,shrz1 who1 being sent as a youth to represent his father at ,bshehr1 soon left that place on pilgrimage to ,makkah and afterwards sat as a student at the feet of ,hji ,saiyid ,kzim1 the greatest ,mujtahid of the day at ,karbala4 ,on the death of his teacher he returned to ,bshehr1 where he proclaimed himself a prophet1 the #bcrd ,may #ahdd being accounted the date of his manifestation in that character4 ',he now assumed the title of the ,bb1 or gate1 through whom knowledge of the ,twelfth ,imam ,mahdi could alone be attained4 ,his pretensions undoubtedly became more extravagant as time proceeded1 and he successfully announced himself as the ,mahdi1 as a re-incarnation of the prophet1 and as a ,revelation or ,incarnation of ,god himself4,,ge ,the ,bbi faith was ecclesiastically proscribed throughout ,persia2 and massacres of its adherents1 with counter-assassinations of leading persecutors1 became the order of the day4' ,footnote ,,ge3 ,curzon1 ,persia and the ,persian ,question1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #dig4 99 99 99 99 99 ',the new ,bbi religion in ,persia1 of which the institution may be dated from #ahdd1 the year in which ,mrza ,ali ,muhammad1 commonly known as the ,bb1 declared his mission1 does not appear to have obtained as yet much hold on the coast of the ,persian ,gulf1 notwithstanding that the ,bb visited ,bshehr at an early stage in his public career4 ,it was reported that at ,bshehr there were in #aije only about #ej ,bbis1 chiefly employed in the ,customs ,department or in the ,artillery2 a very few others were found at the ports of ,bandar ,abbas and ,lingeh1 and possibly at ,shehr-i-,vrn in the ,lrvi district2 but at ,baghdd1 which was the headquarters of the ,bbi religion from #ahec to #ahfd1 it did not appear that there are any4 ,it is probable1 however1 that ,bbis are to be found in places where their existence has not been ascertained4'#e ,,bibliography ,,abdu',l-,,bah4 ,memorials of the ,faithful4 ,translated from the original ,persian text and annotated by ,marzieh ,gail4 ,wilmette1 ,illinois3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiga4 ,,arberry1 ,,arthur ,j4 ,the ,koran ,interpreted4 ,vol4 ,one1 ,suras ,i-,,xx2 ,vol4 ,two1 ,suras ,,xxi-,,cxiv4 ,london3 ,george ,allen ,unwin ,ltd41 #aiee2 #bnd imp4 #aifc4 ,,arnold1 ,,arthur4 ,through ,persia by ,caravan4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,london3 ,tinsley ,brothers1 #ahgg4 ,bah' ,world1 ,the4 ,an ,international ,record4 ,vol4 ,,viii1 #aich-aidj4 ,wilmette1 ,illinois3 ,bah' ,publishing ,committee1 #aidb4 ,,bah',u',,ll,h4 ,gleanings from the ,writings of ,bah'u'llh4 ,trans1 by ,shoghi ,effendi4 ,wilmette1 ,illinois3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aice2 rev4 ed4 #aieb2 repr4 #aifi4 ,london3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aidi4 ---- ,the ,kitb-i-qn4 ,the ,book of ,certitude4 ,trans4 by ,shoghi ,effendi4 ,wilmette1 ,illinois3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aica2 #bnd ed4 #aiej2 #crd repr4 #aifj4 ,london3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #bnd ed4 #aifa4 ,,balyuzi1 ,h4 ,m4 ,abdu'l-,bah4 ,the ,centre of the ,covenant of ,bah'u'llh4 ,london3 ,george ,ronald1 #aiga2 #bnd repr4 #aigb 7,oxford74 ---- ,bah'u'llh1 a brief life1 followed by an essay entitled ,the ,word ,made ,flesh4 ,london3 ,george ,ronald1 #aifc2 #dth repr4 #aigc 7,oxford74 ---- ,edward ,granville ,browne and the ,bah' ,faith4 ,london3 ,george ,ronald1 #aigj4 ,,benjamin1 ,s4 ,g4 ,w4 ,persia and the ,persians4 ,london3 ,john ,murray1 #ahhg4 ,,browne1 ,e4 ,g4 ,a ,literary ,history of ,persia4 ,in four volumes4 ,vol4 ,,iv3 ,persian ,literature in ,modern ,times4 ,cambridge ,university ,press1 #aibd4 ---- 7ed47 ,materials for the ,study of the ,bb ,religion4 ,cambridge ,university ,press1 #aiah2 repr4 #aifa4 ---- 7ed47 ,the ,trkh-i-,jadd or ,new ,history of ,mrz ,al ,muammad the ,bb1 by ,mrz useyn of ,hamadn1 trans4 from the ,persian1 with an ,introduction1 ,illustrations1 and ,appendices4 ,cambridge ,university ,press1 #ahic4 ---- 7ed47 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative written to illustrate the ,episode of the ,bb4 ,edited in the original ,persian1 and translated into ,english1 with an ,introduction and ,explanatory ,notes4 ,vol4 ,i1 ,persian ,text4 ,vol4 ,,ii1 ,english ,translation and ,notes4 ,cambridge ,university ,press1 #ahia4 ---- ,a ,year ,amongst the ,persians3 ,impressions as to the ,life1 ,character and ,thought of the ,people of ,persia1 received during twelve months' residence in that country in the years #ahhg-h4 ,london3 ,a4 ,c4 ,black1 #ahic4 #bnd ed4 ,cambridge ,university ,press1 #aibf4 #crd ed4 ,london3 ,a4 ,c4 ,black1 #aiei4 ,,cheyne1 ,t4 ,k4 ,the ,reconciliation of ,races and ,religions4 ,london3 ,adam ,charles ,black1 #aiad4 ,,curzon1 ,g4 ,n4 ,persia and the ,persian ,question4 ,in two volumes4 ,london3 ,longmans1 ,green and ,co41 #ahib4 ,frank ,cass ,co4 ,ltd41 #aiff4 ,,flandin1 ,,eug,,ne-,,napol,,on and ,,coste1 ,,pascal4 ,voyage en ,perse pendant les annes #ahdj et #ahda4 ,paris1 #ahea4 ,,gobineau1 ,m4 ,,le ,,comte ,,de4 ,les ,religions et les ,philosophies dans l',asie ,centrale4 ,paris1 #ahfe and #ahff4 ,,gordon1 ,,sir ,,thomas ,,edward4 ,persia ,revisited 7#ahie74 ,london3 ,edward ,arnold1 #ahif4 ,,kazemzadeh1 ,,firuz4 ,russia and ,britain in ,persia1 #ahfd-aiad4 ,new ,haven and ,london3 ,yale ,university ,press1 #aifh4 ,,kelly1 ,j4 ,b4 ,britain and the ,persian ,gulf4 #agie-ahhj4 ,oxford3 ,the ,clarendon ,press1 #aifh4 ,,layard1 ,,sir ,,henry4 ,early ,adventures in ,persia1 ,susiana1 and ,babylonia4 ,in two volumes4 ,london3 ,john ,murray1 #ahhg4 ,,lorimer1 ,j4 ,g4 ,gazetteer of the ,persian ,gulf1 ',oman1 and ,central ,arabia4 ,in two volumes4 ,calcutta1 #aiae and #aijh4 ,repr4 ,farnborough1 ,hants4 and ,shannon1 ,ireland3 ,gregg ,international ,publishers ,ltd and ,irish ,university ,press1 #aigj4 ,,nab,l-,i-,a,,am 7,muammad-i-,zarand74 ,the ,dawn-,breakers4 ,nabl's ,narrative of the ,early ,days of the ,bah' ,revelation4 ,wilmette1 ,illinois3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aicb2 ,repr4 #aiec4 ,london3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiec4 ,,nicolas1 ,a4-,l4-,m4 ,seyyd ,ali ,mohammed dit le ,bb4 ,paris3 ,dujarric ,cie41 #aije4 ,,sale1 ,,george 7ed47 ,the ,korn4 ,trans4 into ,english from the ,original ,arabic1 with ,explanatory ,notes4 ,london3 ,frederick ,warne and ,co4 ,ltd41 #aibg4 ,,sheil1 ,,lady ,,mary ,,leonora4 ,glimpses of ,life and ,manners in ,persia4 ,london3 ,john ,murray1 #ahef4 ,,shoghi ,,effendi4 ,god ,passes ,by4 ,wilmette1 ,illinois3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aidd2 #eth repr4 #aife4 ---- ,the ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh4 ,wilmette1 ,illinois3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aich2 rev4 #aiee2 #bnd imp4 #aife4 ,,sohr,b1 ,a,,mad4 ,risliy-i-,tisa-,asharyyih4 ,nineteen ,discourses on the ,bb and ,his two heralds3 ,shaykh ,amad-i-,as' and ,siyyid ,kim-i-,rasht4 ,cairo1 #aiai4 ,the reader is also referred to bibliographies contained in the following works 7listed above73 ,balyuzi1 ,edward ,granville ,browne and the ,bah' ,faith1 pp4 #abc-e4 ,browne1 ,materials for the ,study of the ,bb ,religion1 ,sec4 ,,iii1 pp4 #age-bdc4 ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 ,note ,a1 pp4 #agc-baa4 ,nabl-i-,aam1 ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #dia-c 7,brit471 pp4 #ffi-ga 7,u4,s474 ,,notes ,full details of authors and titles are given in the bibliography4 ,page numbers are given for the ,american and ,british editions of ,nabl-i-,aam1 ,the ,dawn-,breakers4 ,all ,foreign ,office documents 7reference ,f4,o47 are held by the ,public ,record ,office1 ,london4 ,they are ,crown copyright and appear verbatim by kind permission of the ,controller of ,her ,majesty's ,stationery ,office4 ,,prologue ,i ,,and ,,ii #a ,see ,sohrb1 ,risliy-i-,tisa-,asharyyih1 p4 #ac1 for an account of ,shaykh ,amad's discourses4 7,this source is discussed in ,balyuzi1 ,abdu'l-,bah1 p4 #dag47 #b ibid41 p4 #ad4 #c ,see note #a above1 pp4 #ai-bj4 #d ,f4,o4 #bdh_/ajh of ,may #aeth #ahdc1 enclosed in letter of ,may #bjth #ahdc to ,sheil4 #e ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #cc 7,brit471 p4 #de 7,u4,s474 #f ,sheil served as the ,british ,minister in ihrn from ,august #ahdb to ,february #ahec1 except for a period of leave from ,october #ahdg to ,november #ahdi1 when ,col4 ,farrant deputised for him4 ,sheil was knighted in #ahee4 #g ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aac4 #h ,the other pretenders were usayn-,al ,mrz1 the ,farmn-,farm1 ,governor-,general of ,frs1 and asan-,al ,mrz1 the ,shuju's-,salanih1 ,governor ,general of ,kirmn1 both sons of ,fat-,al ,shh4 ,three of the sons of the ,farmn-,farm managed to take themselves to ,london4 #i ,sir ,henry ,layard 7#ahag-ahid7 was the discoverer of the ancient city of ,nineveh4 ,he was elected to the ,british parliament as a ,liberal1 and served a term as the ,under-,secretary of ,state for ,foreign ,affairs4 ,in #ahgg he was appointed ,ambassador in ,constantinople4 ,his account is taken from ,early ,adventures in ,persia1 ,susiana1 and ,babylonia1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #beg-fa4 #aj ,the ,ambassador recalled was ,sir ,john ,mac,neill and the quarrel between rn and ,britain was over the city of ,hirt4 ,this beautiful city had always been considered an integral part of the province of ,khursn1 but since the assassination of ,ndir ,shh1 the ,afshr king1 in #agdg1 ,hirt had passed into possession of ,afghn rulers4 ,muammad ,shh was intent on regaining irt1 but ,anglo-,russian rivalry and the ,british fear of ,russian designs on ,india1 hitherto almost non-existent1 had become dominant factors in the international scene1 bound to shadow the destiny of rn2 the ,british believed that the acquisition of ,hirt by the ,persians would1 in the main1 benefit ,russia4 ,they took counter-measures in the ,persian ,gulf and occupied the island of ,khrg1 close to ,bshihr4 #aa ,f4,o4 #fj_/ie of ,february #adth #ahdc4 #ab ibid4 ,,chapter #a3 ,,all ,,hail ,,sh,r,z ,opening quotation3 ,gertrude ,lowthian ,bell 7#ahfh-aibf71 ,poems from the ,divan of ,hafiz1 ,wm4 ,heinemann ,ltd41 ,london1 #ahig1 ,no4 xxx4 #a ,browne1 ,a ,year ,amongst the ,persians1 7#aibf ed471 p4 #bhd4 #b ,curzon1 ,persia and the ,persian ,question1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #dig1 n4 #b4 #c ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cji4 #d ,since they originated from the small town of ,baraghn1 they were known as ,baraghn4 #e ,qurratu'l-,ayn's words are quoted in ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #ef 7,brit471 pp4 #ha-b 7,u4,s472 and in verse form in ,a ,persian ,anthology1 trans4 by ,e4 ,g4 ,browne1 ed4 by ,e4 ,denison ,ross1 ,methuen ,co41 ,london1 #aibg1 p4 #gb4 ,,chapter #b3 ,,he ,,whom ,,they ,,sought ,opening quotation3 ,t4 ,k4 ,cheyne1 ,the ,reconciliation of ,races and ,religions1 p4 #gd4 #a ,mr ,muammad-,ri's father was named ,mr ,naru'llh1 his grandfather ,mr ,fatu'llh1 and his great-grandfather ,mr ,ibrhm4 #b ,for details of this unedifying transaction1 see ,kazemzadeh1 ,russia and ,britain in ,persia1 #ahfd-aiad1 ch4 #d4 ,the contract was signed on ,march #hth #ahij4 #c ,translated by ,h4 ,m4 ,balyuzi4 #d ,shaykh ,muammad was known as ,shaykh bid1 and also as ,shaykhun and ,shaykh-i-,anm4 ,that his real name was ,muammad is attested by this verse in the ,arabic ,bayn1 one of the last works of the ,bb3 ',say ,o ,muammad1 ,my teacher1 do not beat me ere my years have gone beyond five4' ,his school was in the quarter called ,bzr-i-,murgh 7,poultry ,market71 housed in a mosque-like structure which went by the name of ,qahviy-i-,awly'4 ,it was close to the house of j ,mrz ,siyyid ,al1 the uncle-guardian of the ,bb4 ,in its courtyard were a number of graves3 three were particularly revered as those of saintly personages1 one of whom was called ,awly'--though no one really knew whose were the graves4 ,it is known that ,shaykh bid wrote a monograph on the childhood of the ,bb1 but the manuscript has always been in the possession of people not well-disposed to the ,faith of the ,bb and ,bah'u'llh1 and they have persistently refused to give it up or to divulge its contents4 ,shaykh bid was also destined in later years to accept the ,faith proclaimed by his former ,pupil4 #e ,account taken from ,mrz ,abu'l ,fal's unpublished writings4 #f ,nicolas1 ,seyyd ,ali ,mohammed ,dit le ,bb1 pp4 #ahi-ij4 #g ,written in several volumes during the reign of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh by ,lisnu'l-,mulk of ,kshn1 whose soubriquet was ,sipihr4 #h ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #bj-b 7,brit471 pp4 #be-i 7,u4,s474 #i ibid41 pp4 #bb-c 7,brit471 p4 #cj 7,u4,s474 #aj j ,mrz ,al's father was named ,mrz bid4 #aa ,by ,dhikr1 he means ,himself4 ,repeatedly in the ,qayymu'l-,asm'1 the ,bb refers to ,himself as ,dhikr1 and was known to ,his followers as ,dhikru'llh-al-,aam 7,mention of ,god1 the ,most ,great71 or ,dhikru'llh-al-,akbar 7,mention of ,god1 the ,greatest71 and sometimes as arat-i-,dhikr4 'arat' prefixed to the name of a ,manifestation of ,god has been translated as ',his ,holiness'4 ,but this ,english rendering is totally inadequate1 for 'arat' has no ,english equivalent when placed prior to the name of a ,manifestation of ,god4 ,it conveys also the sense of ,his ,honour1 ,his ,eminence1 ,his ,excellency1 and the like4 #ab ,from the ,qayymu'l-,asm'1 translated by ,h4 ,m4 ,balyuzi4 ,,chapter #c3 ,,ihr,n ,opening quotations3 ,bah'u'llh1 7#a7 ,gleanings1 ,,lvi 7#b7 ,kitb-i-qn1 p4 #afa 7,brit471 p4 #beb 7,u4,s474 #a ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #eh 7,brit471 pp4 #hf-g 7,u4,s474 #b ibid41 p4 #ff 7,brit471 p4 #if 7,u4,s474 #c ,two works of the ,bb are entitled ,bayn 7,utterance73 the larger one is in ,persian1 and the other which is much shorter is in ,arabic4 #d ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #fi 7,brit471 p4 #ii 7,u4,s474 #e ibid41 p4 #gj 7,brit471 pp4 #ajj-a 7,u4,s474 #f ibid41 pp4 #ga-d 7,brit471 pp4 #ajd-h 7,u4,s474 #g ,see ,foreword1 paragraph #d4 #h ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,god ,passes ,by1 p4 #i4 ,,chapter #d3 ,,the ,,first ,,martyr ,opening quotation3 ,t4 ,s4 ,eliot1 ',choruses from ,the ,rock'1 ,i4 ',the ,eagle soars in the summit of ,heaven'4 ,collected ,poems #aiji-aifb1 ,faber ,faber ,ltd41 ,london1 #aifc4 #a ,london #ahef1 p4 #agg4 #b ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #fa-b 7,brit471 pp4 #ij-a 7,u4,s474 #c ,throughout his life q ,muammad-,muaf served the ,faith which he had embraced1 with zeal and distinction4 ,he spent many years in ,beirut where he attended to the needs and requirements of pilgrims4 ,his son1 q usayn ,iqbl1 did the same in subsequent years1 with great devotion4 ,another son1 ,dr4 ,zia ,bagdadi 7,dr4 y ,baghdd7 resided in the ,united ,states1 where his services were inestimable4 #d ',there gathered ,shaykh ,najaf1 the son of ,shaykh ,jafar1 and ,shaykh ,ms from ,najaf2 ,siyyid ,ibrhm al-,qazvn from ,karbil2 ,shaykh ,muammad-asan ,ysn and ,shaykh asan ,asadu'llh from ,kimyyah2 ,siyyid ,muammad al-ls and ,siyyid ,al1 the ,naqb-al-,ashrf1 and ,muammad-,amn al-,wiz and ,shaykh ,muammad-,sad1 the ,shfi ,muft from ,baghdd4 ,there were others also besides these4' 7q ,muammad-,muafy-i-,baghdd47 #e ,translated by ,h4 ,m4 ,balyuzi4 q ,muammad-,muafy-i-,baghdd's autobiography is no more than #bd pages long4 ,it is the second of two booklets printed together in ,cairo4 ,there is no publication date4 #f ,major-,general ,sir ,henry ,rawlinson 7#ahaj-ie7 was one of the outstanding ,european figures in the nineteenth century4 ,it was he who transcribed the cuneiform inscriptions on the rocks of ,bsitn in ,western rn1 which record the achievements of the great ,darius4 ,he discovered the key to decipher them4 ,like ,sir ,john ,malcolm1 he entered the service of the ,east ,india ,company at the age of seventeen4 ,six years later1 he went with two other ,british officers to train the ,persian army1 but after two years he was dismissed because ,muammad ,shh had begun to quarrel with the ,british4 ,next he served in ,qandahr4 ,by his own wish he was transferred to ,irq1 because he wanted to be close to ,western rn and continue his research4 ,he also continued the unfinished work of ,layard at ,nineveh4 ,the ,british ,museum has a wealth of archaeological finds donated by him4 ,from #ahei-fj1 he briefly occupied the post of ,british ,minister in ihrn4 ,then to the end of his life he served on the ,india ,council in ,london and devoted his time to writing and to scientific pursuits4 ,from #ahgj-hd1 the ,trustees of the ,british ,museum issued four volumes of cuneiform inscriptions under his close supervision4 #g ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aad of ,january #hth #ahde1 enclosed in ,rawlinson's letter to ,sheil of ,january #afth #ahde4 #h ibid4 #i ibid4 #aj ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aad of ,january #afth #ahde4 #aa ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aad 7undated74 ,translation by ,rawlinson1 enclosed in his letter to ,sheil of ,january #afth #ahde4 #ab ,f4,o4 #aie_/bcg of ,april #aeth #ahde4 #ac ,f4,o4 #aie_/bcg of ,april #cjth #ahde4 #ad ,f4,o4 #aie_/bcg of ,february #ahth #ahde4 #ae ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aad of ,february #bhth #ahde4 ,,chapter #e3 ,,pilgrimage ,,to ,,mecca ,opening quotation3 translation by ,h4 ,m4 ,balyuzi4 #a ,his son1 j ,shaykh ,yay1 succeeded him as ,imm-,jumih1 and lived till #aiai to an advanced age4 ,he extended his protection to the ,bah's on every possible occasion4 #b j ,mrz abbu'llh's narrative4 #c ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #ia 7,brit471 p4 #aca 7,u4,s474 #d ibid41 pp4 #ij-a 7,brit471 p4 #acj 7,u4,s474 #e ibid41 p4 #ib 7,brit471 pp4 #acb-c 7,u4,s474 #f ibid41 pp4 #ic-e 7,brit471 pp4 #acd-f 7,u4,s474 #g ibid41 pp4 #if-g 7,brit471 pp4 #ach-dj 7,u4,s474 #h ibid41 p4 #ig 7,brit471 p4 #adj 7,u4,s474 ,,chapter #f3 ,,forces ,,of ,,opposition ,,arrayed ,opening quotation3 ,isabella in ,measure for ,measure1 ,act ,,ii1 sc4 ii4 #a ,published by ,leavitt1 ,trow ,co41 ,new ,york ,philadelphia4 #b ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #ii 7,brit471 p4 #adb 7,u4,s474 #c ibid41 pp4 #ajj-a 7,brit471 p4 #add 7,u4,s474 #d ,cited ,kelly1 ,britain and the ,persian ,gulf1 p4 #caj4 #e ,eugne-,napolon ,flandin 7#ahji-gf7 was an archaeologist and painter of note4 ,he and ,coste1 an architect1 were members of the suite of ,m4 de ,sercey1 ,louis-,philippe's envoy to the ,court of ,muammad-,shh4 ,they stayed in rn1 after the envoy's departure1 to draw her ancient monuments4 ,the result of their labours1 ,voyage en ,perse1 was published in #ahea by the ,french ,government4 #f ,early ,adventures in ,persia1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #cbf-h4 #g ,father of ,mrz usayn ,khn1 the ,mushru'd-,dawlih and ,sipahslr1 who was the ,persian ambassador in ,constantinople in #ahfc1 at the time of ,bah'u'llh's exile to ,adrianople4 ,mrz usayn ,khn later rose to be the adr-i-,aam 7,grand ,vizier74 #h j ,mrz ,al-,akbar1 the ,qavmu'l-,mulk1 was a younger son of j ,ibrhm ,khn1 the ,grand ,vizier who concluded a treaty with ,sir ,john ,malcolm1 and later fell into disgrace and was barbarously put to death by ,fat-,al ,shh4 ,most of his family perished with him4 ,however1 the young ,mrz ,al-,akbar survived to be restored to favour in later years and given the title of ,qavmu'l-,mulk4 ,he and his descendants1 over several generations1 greatly influenced the destinies of the inhabitants of ,frs4 #i ,sartp was a high rank in those days both in the civil and the military establishment2 today it means brigadier4 ,the ,farmn 7,firman7 was to be read in the ,masjid-i-,naw4 ,quarters of a city either belonged to the ,nimat-,khnih or the ,haydar-,khnih4 #aj ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aac of ,august #gth #ahdd1 enclosed in a letter of ,august #adth #ahdd1 from ,hennell to ,sheil4 #aa ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aac of ,november #bdth #ahdd1 enclosed in ,hennell's letter to ,sheil of ,december #aath #ahdd4 #ab ,f4,o4 #bdh_/aac of ,december #bdth #ahdd1 enclosed in ,hennell's letter to ,sheil of ,january #dth #ahde4 #ac ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #ajd 7,brit471 pp4 #adh-i 7,u4,s474 ,,chapter #g3 ,,belief ,,and ,,denial ,opening quotation3 ,an ,essay on ,man1 ,epistle ,,ii4 #a ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #aje 7,brit471 pp4 #adi-ej 7,u4,s474 #b ,arberry 7ed471 ,the ,koran ,interpreted4 #c ,see ,foreword1 paragraph #d4 #d ,arberry 7ed471 ,the ,koran ,interpreted4 ,verse numbers for the first extract are #di-ej1 although ,arberry gives #ej-a4 #e ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #aje-f 7,brit471 p4 #aej 7,u4,s474 #f ,arberry 7ed471 ,the ,koran ,interpreted4 #g ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #abe-f 7,brit471 pp4 #agd-f 7,u4,s474 #h ibid41 p4 #abf 7,brit471 p4 #agf 7,u4,s474 #i ibid41 pp4 #abf-g 7,brit471 p4 #agf 7,u4,s474 #aj ibid41 p4 #abg 7,brit471 p4 #agg 7,u4,s474 #aa ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #h4 #ab ,masjid-i-,vakl3 built by ,karm ,khn-i-,vakl1 the founder of the ,zand dynasty4 #ac ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #ajg-i 7,brit471 pp4 #aec-d 7,u4,s474 #ad ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #g4 #ae ,andalb 7,nightingale7 was the soubriquet of ,mrz ,al-,ashraf of ,lhjn in the ,caspian province of ,gln4 ,andalb was a poet of superb accomplishment and an eloquent teacher4 ,he met ,edward ,granville ,browne in ,yazd in the year #ahhh4 ,a very long letter exists1 in his handwriting1 addressed to ,edward ,browne1 in which he cites proofs from the ,bible1 in support of the ,bah' ,faith1 and encourages ,browne to visit ,bah'u'llh in ,akk4 ,it is not known whether a copy of the letter ever reached ,browne4 #af ,nicolas1 ,seyyd ,ali ,mohammed dit le ,bb1 p4 #bcc4 #ag ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #i-aj4 #ah ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #abh-i 7,brit471 p4 #agi 7,u4,s474 #ai ,see footnote ch4 #d1 p4 #fb4 #bj ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #aa4 ,,chapter #h3 ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,abb,s ,,the ,,great ,opening quotation3 ,the ,contention of ,ajax and ,ulysses1 #afei4 #a ,it has been stated by one writer that q ,muammad-usayn-i-,ardistn was also with the ,bb on this journey4 #b ,layard1 ,early ,adventures in ,persia1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #caa-ab4 #c ,arberry 7ed471 ,the ,koran ,interpreted4 #d ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #ade 7,brit471 p4 #bjb 7,u4,s474 #e ibid41 p4 #adf 7,brit471 p4 #bjd 7,u4,s474 #f ibid41 p4 #adh 7,brit471 pp4 #bje-g 7,u4,s474 #g adru'd-,dn ,muammad of ,shrz1 who died in the year ,a4,h4 #ajej 7,a4,d4 #afdj-a7 is generally known as ,mull adr4 ,shaykh ,amad-i-,as' wrote commentaries on two of his works3 ikmatu'l-,arshyyah 7,divine ,philosophy7 and ,mashir 7,faculties74 #h ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #aej 7,brit471 p4 #bji 7,u4,s474 #i ibid41 pp4 #aej-a 7,brit471 pp4 #bji-aa 7,u4,s474 #aj ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #ac4 #aa ,nicolas1 ,seyyd ,ali ,mohammed ,dit le ,bb1 p4 #bdb1 n4 #aib4 #ab ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #aeb-c 7,brit471 p4 #bac 7,u4,s474 #ac ,abdu'l-,bah states in ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #ac1 that the ,bb's sojourn in the private residence of ,manchihr ,khn lasted four months4 ,,chapter #i3 ,,the ,,antichrist ,,of ,,the ,b,b ,,revelation ,opening quotation3 ,act ,,ii1 sc4 ii4 #a ,see ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,god ,passes ,by1 p4 #afd4 #b ,in the early days of ,islm1 these people were ranked with those groups of zealots who had earned the generic term of ,ghult 7,extremists1 or 'those who exaggerate'74 ,they identified ,al1 the first ,imm1 with the ,godhead4 ,abdu'llh ,ibn-,sab1 a ,jewish convert to ,islm who originated this doctrine1 was put to death by ,al himself4 ',al is not ,god but is not separate from ,him either' is the statement attributed to them today4 #c ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #aef 7,brit471 p4 #bag 7,u4,s474 #d ibid41 p4 #afa 7,brit471 pp4 #bbd-e 7,u4,s474 #e ,the account of this journey is given in ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #aef-fb 7,brit471 pp4 #bag-bg 7,u4,s474 #f ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #ad4 #g ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #afb-c 7,brit471 pp4 #bbh-i 7,u4,s474 #h ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #ad-ae4 #i ibid41 pp4 #ae-af4 #aj ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #afc 7,brit471 pp4 #bcj-a 7,u4,s474 ,,chapter #aj3 ,,where ,,the ,,aras ,,flows ,opening quotation3 translation by ,h4 ,m4 ,balyuzi4 #a ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #afe-f 7,brit471 p4 #bce 7,u4,s474 #b ibid41 p4 #aff 7,brit471 p4 #bcf 7,u4,s474 #c ibid4 #d ,browne 7ed471 ,the ,trkh-i-,jadd1 pp4 #bbj-a4 #e ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #afg 7,brit471 p4 #bch 7,u4,s474 #f ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #af4 #g ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #agc-d 7,brit471 p4 #bdg 7,u4,s474 #h ibid41 p4 #agd 7,brit471 pp4 #bdg-h 7,u4,s474 #i ,dossier ,no4 #agg1 ihrn1 #ahdh1 pp4 #di-ej and p4 #cfj4 ,see ,appendix #e1 n4 #b4 #aj ,see ,foreword1 paragraph #d4 #aa ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #af4 #ab ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #age 7,brit471 p4 #bdi 7,u4,s474 ,,chapter #aa3 ,,the ,,grievous ,,mountain ,opening quotation3 ,in ,memoriam ,a4,h4,h4 7,prologue1 v4 #e47 #a ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #bai 7,brit471 p4 #cjc 7,u4,s474 #b ,after the martyrdom of the ,bb1 a number of ,his followers turned to ,dayyn for guidance4 ,they were known as ',dayynyyih'4 ,most of them lived in the provinces of dharbyjn and ,gln4 ,it has been thought that ,dayyn claimed to be ',he ,whom ,god shall make manifest'1 but ,bah'u'llh refuted this in his ,kitb-i-,bad4 ,when ,dayyn came into the presence of ,bah'u'llh in ,irq1 ,he fully recognized ,his station4 #c ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #bbj 7,brit471 p4 #cjd 7,u4,s474 #d ibid41 pp4 #ba-b 7,brit471 p4 #cje 7,u4,s474 #e ,see ch4 #b1 n4 #g4 #f ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #bgh-hi4 ,the questions and replies are extracted from this much longer report of the trial4 #g ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #bcj-a 7,brit471 pp4 #caf-ai 7,u4,s474 ,the quotations are taken from these pages2 one reply of the ,bb is paraphrased4 #h ,browne1 ,materials for the ,study of the ,bb ,religion1 pp4 #bfj-b4 #i ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #bcd 7,brit471 p4 #cbc 7,u4,s474 #aj j ,qs's end was sad4 ,some seventeen years later1 in spite of assurances given to him1 he was strangled on the platform of ,persepolis1 and his corpse was left dangling there1 by the orders of an uncle of ,niri'd-,dn ,shh1 j ,suln ,murd ,mrz1 the ismu's-,salanih1 who was on his way to take up the reins of governorship in ,shrz4 ,,chapter #ab3 ,,that ,,midsummer ,,noon ,opening quotation3 ',the ,bb' in ,the ,bah' ,world1 ,vol4 ,,viii1 p4 #ide4 ,beatrice ,irwin 7#ahgg-aief7 was a ,british ,bah' of ,irish descent1 who lived a good part of her life in the ,united ,states1 but travelled both in her work and as a ,bah' teacher to many parts of the world4 ,educated at ,cheltenham ,college and ,oxford1 she was a pioneer in the field of lighting engineering1 and also devoted much of her life to advancing the cause of world peace4 ,her writings include ,the ,gates of ,light1 ,the ,new ,science of ,colour1 and ,heralds of ,peace4 #a ,in later years he became known as ,mrz ,aly-i-,sayya 7,traveller71 married a daughter of ,shaykh asan-i-,zunz and made his home in ,karbil4 ,he was one of the four ,bah's sent with ub-i-,azal to ,cyprus1 by the ,ottoman ,government4 ,he died there on ,august #dth #ahga4 #b ,see ,foreword1 paragraph #d4 #c ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #cad 7,brit471 pp4 #dcj-a 7,u4,s474 ,account of ,siyyid usayn-i-,yazd 7or ,azz74 #d ibid41 pp4 #cgj-a 7,brit471 p4 #eje 7,u4,s474 #e ibid41 p4 #cga 7,brit471 p4 #ejf 7,u4,s474 #f ibid41 p4 #cgb 7,brit471 p4 #ejg 7,u4,s474 #g ibid41 pp4 #bbc-d 7,brit471 pp4 #cjg-h 7,u4,s474 #h ,cited ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,the ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh1 p4 #aja4 #i ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #cgc 7,brit471 p4 #ejh 7,u4,s471 and ,sohrb1 ,risliy-i-,tisa-,asharyyih1 p4 #gd4 #aj ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #cgd 7,brit471 pp4 #eji-aj 7,u4,s474 #aa ibid41 p4 #cge 7,brit471 p4 #eab 7,u4,s474 #ab ibid41 p4 #cgf 7,brit471 p4 #ead 7,u4,s474 #ac ibid41 p4 #cgh 7,brit471 pp4 #eah-ai 7,u4,s474 ,,chapter #ac3 ,,the ,,dawn-,,breakers ,opening quotation3 ,dvn-i-,mib4 ,azzu'llh ,mib 7#ahgf-aide71 poet1 educationalist1 master of belles-lettres1 was an eminent ,bah' of rn4 ,a book of his prose3 ,munshi't-i-,mib1 reprinted many times1 became a textbook1 for use in schools4 #a ,shaykh ,muammad ,shibl and his son1 q ,muammad-,muaf 7then about ten years old72 ,shaykh ,suln-i-,karbil'2 ,siyyid ,amad-i-,yazd1 the father of ,siyyid usayn 7the amanuensis of the ,bb72 ,shaykh ali-i-,karm and ,mull ,ibrhm-i-,maallt were of that number4 #b ,browne 7ed471 ,a ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 xliii4 #c ,he was variously named as ,mull ,abdu'llh1 ,mrz lih1 and ,mrz hir1 the ,baker4 #d ,abdu'l-,bah1 ,memorials of the ,faithful1 p4 #bja4 #e ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #bae-af 7,brit471 p4 #bii 7,u4,s474 #f ibid41 p4 #bec 7,brit471 p4 #cea 7,u4,s474 #g ,nicolas1 ,seyyd ,ali ,mohammed dit le ,bb1 p4 #bif4 #h ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #bdj 7,brit471 p4 #ccb 7,u4,s474 #i ,f4,o4 #fj_/add4 #aj ,bah'u'llh1 ,kitb-i-qn1 p4 #adb 7,brit471 p4 #bbc 7,u4,s474 #aa ,cited ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #bhdn 7,brit471 p4 #cien4 7,u4,s474 ,also in another translation in ,abdu'l-,bah's ,memorials of the ,faithful1 p4 #g4 #ab ,they were al-j ,muammad al-,karrad and ,sad al-,jabbw4 j ,muammad was nearly eighty years old4 ,in his younger days1 he had led a hundred men in the war between the ,ottomans and ,ibrhm ,psh1 son of the celebrated ,muammad-,al ,psh of ,egypt4 #ac ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #bih 7,brit471 p4 #daa 7,u4,s474 #ad ,in #aigj1 the present writer received1 through the good offices of his cousin1 ,abu'l-,qsim ,afnn1 the photostatically-produced copy of a manuscript describing this episode in ,bb history4 ,it is in the handwriting of q ,muammad-,bqir-i-ihrn1 a merchant1 whose brother1 ,mushiru't-,tujjr1 was one of the ',five ,martyrs' of ,sr4 7,these five were murdered in the early years of the ,constitutional ,movement in ,persia3 see ,balyuzi1 ,edward ,granville ,browne and the ,bah' ,faith47 q ,muammad-,bqir states1 in a short introduction1 that he visited ,brfursh sometime in the year #acai ,a4,h4 7,april #bjth #aija-;,april #ith #aijb71 where he chanced upon a manuscript of the history of the ,bbs at ,shaykh abars1 written by one of them1 which he copied for himself and the benefit of others4 ,he does not mention the name of the owner of the original4 ,this history begins with an account of the author joining ,mull usayn2 by this he can be identified1 although he nowhere names himself4 ,there is no doubt that he was ,mrz ,luf-,al or ,luf-,al ,mrz of ,shrz1 a descendant of the ,afshrid monarchs of the #ahth century ,a4,d4 ,he was one of the few survivors of ,shaykh abars1 who managed to escape in the company of ,mull diq-i-,muqaddas-i-,khursn1 but in the holocaust of ,august #aheb 7see ,balyuzi1 ,bah'u'llh1 p4 #ah7 he died a martyr's death4 ,on receiving and examining this chronicle1 the present writer recalled that ,e4 ,g4 ,browne mentions1 in his ,materials for the ,study of the ,bb ,religion1 a manuscript history of the episode of ,shaykh abars by ,luf-,al ,mrz1 sent to him by ,mrz ,muaf1 the ,azal scribe4 ,as this manuscript is now in ,cambridge ,university ,library1 a photostatic reproduction was obtained by the kindness of the ,librarian4 ,according to the scribe 7whose real name was ,isml-i-abbgh-i-,sidih71 the manuscript which he copied for ,prof4 ,browne was faulty1 but he could find no other for comparison4 ,luf-,al ,mrz's chronicle ends abruptly1 and q ,muammad-,bqir1 the copyist1 incorrectly concludes that the author must have died of starvation1 since the last lines of his chronicle describe the state of famine caused by the siege4 ,the present writer is currently engaged in collating the two manuscripts4 #ae ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #bhe 7,brit471 p4 #cif 7,u4,s474 #af ,f4,o4 #fj_/aej1 ,see ,appendix #c4 #ag ,mull ,bqir1 the imm of the ,chinr-,skhtih quarter2 ,mrz usayn-i-,qutb1 the ,kad ,khud 7,headman7 of the ,bzr quarter2 and j ,muammad-,taq1 a prominent and wealthy merchant1 who later earned the surname of ,ayyb 7,job7 from ,bah'u'llh1 because of his intense sufferings1 his patience in tribulation and his steadfastness--these were among the notables who went out to the village of ,runz in the district of ,fas to meet ,vad4 #ah ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #cec-d 7,brit471 pp4 #dgi-hj 7,u4,s474 #ai ,they were commanded by ,mihr-,al ,khn-i-,nr1 the ,shuju'l-,mulk1 and ,muaf-,qul ,khn-i-,qarguzl1 the ,itimadu's-,salanih4 #bj ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 pp4 #cfa-b 7,brit471 pp4 #dhh-i 7,u4,s474 #ba ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,god ,passes ,by1 p4 #dg4 #bb ,browne 7ed471 ,the ,trkh-i-,jadd1 p4 #bee4 #bc ibid41 p4 #bec4 #bd ,browne1 ,a ,year ,amongst the ,persians1 p4 #ha4 7#aibf ed474 #be ,f4 ,o4 #fj_/aec4 ,k4 ,w4 ,abbott's dispatch of ,august #cjth #ahej1 enclosed with ,sheil's report of ,september #eth #ahej to ,palmerston4 #bf ,f4 ,o4 #bdh_/adb of ,december #ith #ahej1 ,r4 ,w4 ,stevens1 ,consul at ,tabrz to ,sheil4 #bg ,the ,dawn-,breakers1 p4 #dai 7,brit471 p4 #egb 7,u4,s474 #bh ,f4,o4 #fj_/aeh of ,january #fth #ahea4 ,,epilogue #a ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,god ,passes ,by1 pp4 #bgc-d4 ,,appendix #a3 ,,the ,,siege ,,of ,,karbil #a ,f4,o4 #bdh_/ajh1 of ,may #aeth #ahdc1 enclosed in ,farrant's letter to ,sheil of ,may #bjth #ahdc4 ,all quotations unidentified by a number in this ,appendix are taken from this document4 #b ,f4,o4 #bdh_/ajh1 of ,november #ahth #ahdb1 enclosed in ,farrant's letter to ,sheil of ,may #bnd #ahdc4 #c ,f4,o4 #fj_/ie 7undated71 enclosed in ,sheil's letter to ,aberdeen of ,february #dth #ahdc4 ,,appendix #b3 ,,the ,,martyrdom ,,of ,,the ,b,b #a ,f4,o4 #fj_/aeb4 #b ,f4,o4 #bdh_/adb1 of ,july #bdth #ahej4 #c ,f4,o4 #fj_/aec4 #d ,f4,o4 #fj_/aec1 of ,august #crd #ahej1 translated by ,taylour ,thomson4 #e ,f4,o4 #bdh_/adj4 ,,appendix #c3 ,,prelude ,,to ,,the ,,episode ,,of ,,nayr,z #a ,f4,o4 #fj_/aej1 of ,february #abth #ahej4 ,,appendix #d3 ,,the ,,seven ,,martyrs ,,of ,,ihr,n #a ,f4,o4 #fj_/ade1 of ,july #bgth #ahdi4 #b ,dossier ,no4 #acc1 ihrn1 #ahej2 pp4 #ajj-e4 ,translation by ,dr4 ,firuz ,kazemzadeh in ',excerpts from ,dispatches ,written ,during #ahdh-aheb' by ,prince ,dolgorukov1 ,russian ,minister to ,persia2 quoted by kind permission of ,world ,order1 ,a ,bah' ,magazine1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,no4 #a1 #aiff4 ,the dispatches were published as an appendix to ,m4 ,s4 ,ivanov's book1 ,the ,babi ,uprisings in ,iran4 #c ,f4,o4 #fj_/aej4 ,see ,appendix #c4 #d ,f4,o4 #bdh_/adj1 of ,may #bnd #ahej4 ,,appendix #e3 ,,the ,,episode ,,of ,,zanj,n #a ,f4,o4 #fj_/aea1 of ,may #beth #ahej4 #b ,f4,o4 #fj_/aeb1 of ,june #beth #ahej4 #c ,dossier ,no4 #acc1 ihrn1 #ahej2 pp4 #dgj-a4 ,see ,appendix #d1 note #b1 for details4 #d ,f4,o4 #fj_/aec4 #e ibid4 #f ,dossier ,no4 #acd1 ihrn1 #ahej2 p4 #efb4 ,see ,appendix #d1 note #b1 for details4 #g ,dossier ,no4 #acc1 ihrn1 #ahej2 p4 #ehb4 op4 cit4 #h ,dossier ,no4 #acd1 ihrn1 #ahej2 p4 #ii4 op4 cit4 #i ,dossier ,no4 #acd1 ihrn1 #ahea2 p4 #aef4 op4 cit4 #aj ,f4,o4 #fj_/aec4 #aa ibid4 #ab ,f4,o4 #fj_/aed4 #ac ibid41 of ,december #afth #ahej4 #ad ibid41 of ,december #bdth #ahej4 #ae ,f4,o4 #bdh_/adc4 #af ,f4,o4 #fj_/aeh4 ,,appendix #f3 ,,lord ,,palmerston',s ,,enquiry #a ,f4,o4 #bdh_/adj4 #b ,f4,o4 #fj_/aeb4 #c ,f4,o4 #bdh_/ada4 #d ,f4,o4 #fj_/aeb1 enclosed with ,sheil's letter to ,palmerston4 ,,appendix #g3 ,,myth-,,making #a ,arnold1 ,through ,persia by ,caravan1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #cb-e4 #b ,benjamin1 ,persia and the ,persians1 ,preface4 #c ibid41 pp4 #cec-e4 #d ,gordon1 ,persia ,revisited1 pp4 #ha-ia4 #e ,lorimer1 ,gazetteer of the ,persian ,gulf1 ,vol4 ,i1 part #b1 pp4 #aiff-g and #bchd4 ,,index ,ab1 #e1 #ach ,abbas 7,abbs71 brother of ,imm usayn1 #aic1 #aig1 #aih1 #bjj ,abbs the ,great1 ,shh1 #ajf1 #ajg ,abbs1 ,shaykh1 of ,irq1 #fj ,abbs ,effendi1 see ,abdu'l-,bah ,abbs ,mrz1 ,prince 7the ,nyibu's-,salanih71 #h1 #i1 #aj1 #adi ,abbs ,mrz ,mulk-r 7the ,nyibu's-,salanih71 #ace1 #aci ,abbs-,qul ,khn-i-,lrjn1 #agb1 #agd ,abbsbd1 #aci ,abdu'l-,aly-i-,hirt1 ,mull1 #ajb ,abdu'l-,azz1 ,mull1 #fd1 #aig1 #aii1 #bja ,abdu'l-,bah 7,abbs ,effendi71 #e1 #cb1 #ic1 #ie1 #if1 #ii1 #aje1 #aad1 #aah1 #abh1 #acb1 #aci1 #adi1 #afg1 #afh1 #age1 #aia1 #aib ,abdu'l-,bq1 ,siyyid1 #aah ,abdu'l-,hd1 of ,irq1 #fj ,abdu'l-amd ,khn-i-,drghih1 #ig1 #ajd1 #aje ,abdu'l-,karm1 ,mrz1 of ,shrz1 #ajc ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn1 ,mull 7,mrz ,amad-i-,ktib71 #ib1 #ajb1 #ajd1 #aae1 #abj1 #aea1 #aeb ,abdu'l-,vahhb1 ,hj ,mrz1 #bg ,abdu'llh1 ,mrz1 of ,shrz1 #agj ,abdu'llh ,ibn-,sab1 #bcf ,abdu'llh ,khn-i-,turkaman1 #agd ,abdu'llh-i-,bihbihn1 q1 #afd ,aberdeen1 the ,earl of1 xi1 #ab1 #fc1 #fh bid1 ,mrz 7grandfather of the ,bb's wife71 #bca bid1 ,shaykh1 #cd1 #ce1 #cf1 #bcj1 #bca ,abraham1 #ca1 #gj1 #ahd ,ab-,hshim1 ,shaykh1 #fi1 #gj1 #gh1 #ii ,ab-,lahab1 #hf ,ab-lib 7uncle of the ,prophet ,muammad71 #hf ,ab-alib1 ,mull1 #gh ,ab-,turb1 ,shaykh 7,imm-,jumih1 of ,shrz71 #fi1 #hi1 #id1 #ie1 #ii1 #ajc ,abu'l-,fal-i-,gulpygn1 ,mrz1 #cb1 #ci1 #abe1 #bca ,abu'l-asan1 j1 #fi1 #gj1 #ga1 #ajc ,abu'l-asan ,khn1 ,mrz 7the #bnd ,mushru'l-,mulk71 #ih ,abu'l-,qsim1 j ,mrz 7brother-in-law of the ,bb71 #df1 #ajf1 #ajg ,abu'l-,qsim1 ,mrz 7,q'im-,maqm-i-,farhn71 see ,q'im-,maqm ,abu'l-,qsim-i-,labbf1 ,mashhad1 #ajc ,adhn1 #gh1 #abh dharbyjn1 #gi1 #abd1 #abe1 #aca1 #acb1 #acf1 #acg1 #adj1 #adc1 #adi1 #aeb1 #agj1 #bjd1 #bcg d ,guzal1 ,mull 7,mrz ,aly-i-,sayy71 #adi1 #bch dil ,shh1 see ,al-,shh ,adrianople1 #abh1 #ahi1 #bcd ,afghn1 #bcj ,afnn1 #df ,afshr1 ,afshrid 7kings71 #ajc1 #afa1 #bcj1 #bci ,aga ,khan ,i 7,haan-,al ,khn71 #abb ,ahl-i-aqq1 #aah ,amad 7son of the ,bb71 #df1 #dg ,amad1 j1 of ,mln1 #afj ,amad1 ,mrz 7,imm-,jumih1 of ,tabrz71 #adj ,amad1 ,siyyid ,mr 7brother of #hth ,imm71 #ajc ,amad-i-,as'1 ,shaykh 7founder of ,shaykhi sect73 early years1 #a2 pilgrimage and death1 #b2 teaching1 #ai1 #afb1 #aff1 #bbi1 #bcf ,amad-i-,azghand1 ,mrz1 #ef ,amad-i-,ibdl-i-,marghi'1 ,mull 7,letter of the ,living71 #bf1 #aca ,amad-i-,ktib1 ,mrz1 see ,abdu'l-,karm-i-,qazvn1 ,mull ,amad-i-,muallim1 ,mull1 #ef ,as1 #a jdn-,bsh1 see usayn ,khn ,akhbr1 #fb1 #aja ,akhund1 j1 #ahi1 #aij ,akk1 #abh1 #ade1 #aff1 #aia1 #aib1 #bai1 #bce ,alu'd-,dawlih1 #ade ,aleppo1 #fh ,alexander1 #bbc ,alexander ,i1 ,tsar1 #h ,al 7,al ibn ,ab alib1 the first ,imm71 #ah1 #ie1 #aid1 #bjj1 #bcf ,al1 j ,mrz 7father of the ,bb's wife71 #df ,al1 j ,mrz ,siyyid 7uncle of the ,bb71 #cc1 #aje1 #aej1 #ahc-d1 #bca ,al1 j ,mull1 #be ,al an-,naq1 ,imm1 #da ,al ,bishr1 ,siyyid1 #fj1 #afb1 #afc ,al ,khn 7warden of ,mh-,k71 #abb1 #abh1 #abi1 #aca1 #ace ,ali ,pasha1 #bjj ,al-,qabl-i-,muammad 7the ,bb71 #gh ,al-,akbar1 ,mrz1 of ,shrz1 #ajc ,al-,akbar ,big1 #abe ,al-,akbar-i-,ardistn1 ,mull1 #gh ,al-,akbar-i-,shahmrzd1 j ,mull 7j khund71 #ahi1 #aij ,al-,aghar1 ,mrz 7,shaykhu'l-,islm1 of ,tabrz71 #adj1 #ade ,al-,aghar ,khn1 of ,nayrz1 #agi ,al-,ashraf1 ,mrz1 see ,andalb ,al-,askar1 j1 #abh ,al-,mardn ,khn1 fort of1 #ahe ,al-,naq1 ,mrz1 #bjj ,al-,shh 7the illu's-,suln71 #e1 #aj1 #ab1 #aif-h1 #bjj1 #bja1 #bah ,al ,vird ,khn1 #aii ,aly-i-,basm1 ,mull 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg1 #bh1 #cg-h1 ch4 #d1 #afb1 #aff1 #bcb ,aly-i-,rz1 ,mull1 see ,khud-,bakhsh-i-,qchn1 ,mull ,aly-i-,sayy1 ,mrz1 see d ,guzal1 ,mull ,aly-i-,tafrish1 j ,mrz ,siyyid 7the ,majdu'l-,ashrf71 #aij ,aly-i-,zunz1 ,siyyid1 #aec ,alyu'llhs1 #aah1 #afd ,allh-u-,akbar1 pass of1 #af2 invocation1 #abh ,allh-,yr1 j1 #aei ,allh-,yr ,khn 7afu'd-,dawlih71 #i ,alv 7pl4 of ,l71 #hc ,america1 ,american1 #a1 #gg1 #ade1 #bbj ,amnu's-,suln1 #ade ,amr ,nim1 see ,taq ,khn1 ,mrz ,amr-i-,dvn1 see ,nab ,khn-i-,qazvn1 ,mrz ,amr-i-,kabr1 see ,taq ,khn1 ,mrz mul1 #agb1 #agd ,andalb 7,mrz ,al-,ashraf of ,lhjn1 poet71 #if1 #bce ,antichrist1 of the ,bb ,revelation1 #aag1 #adj2 see also qs1 j ,mrz ,applications1 science of1 #ada q ,jn ,khn-i-,khamsih1 #aeh q ,muammad ,khn1 #g q-,bl ,big 7the ,naqqsh-,bsh71 #ach qy-i-,kalm1 see ,ms1 ,mrz qs1 j ,mrz 7,grand ,vizier71 #aa-ab1 #ac1 #ic1 #aaa-aab1 #aad1 #aag1 #aai1 #aba-c1 #abh1 #aca1 #acb1 #acf1 #acg1 #aci-dj1 #adg1 #adh1 #aii ,arab1 ,arabic1 #ajh1 #acf1 #ada1 #afe1 #agf ,arabia1 #bai ,aras 7,araxes1 river71 #i1 #abd ,arberry1 ,prof4 ,a4 ,j41 #c ,archives1 see ,international ,archives ,ardistn1 #aad ,armenians1 #adg1 #aeh ,armenian ,socialist ,soviet ,republic1 #aag ,arnold1 ,arthur1 #bag1 #bah ,arthur1 ,president1 of the ,u4,s4,a41 #bbj ,asadu'llh1 j1 #afg ,asadu'llh ,khn-i-,vazr1 ,mrz1 #bah ,asadu'llh1 ,mrz1 of ,khuy1 see ,dayyn ,asadu'llh1 ,shaykh1 of ,shrz1 #ii ,asadu'llh-i-,ifahn1 ,mrz1 #aia ,asadu'llh-i-,qum1 ,siyyid1 #aci ,asadu'llh-i-,rasht1 j ,siyyid1 #ej1 #aab1 #aac ,aln ,khn1 #hd ,ar1 gate1 #aah ,azal scribe1 #bdj ,am1 see ,shaykh ,al1 ,mull1 of ,khursn ,bb1 ,the 7,siyyid ,al-,muammad73 meeting with ,mull usayn and declaration1 #ag-bb2 arrival of ,qudds1 #bc-d2 accepts ,qurratu'l-,ayn1 #bd-f2 ,his disciples1 #bd1 #bf-g2 sends ,mull ,al to ,irq1 #bh2 addresses ,letters of ,living1 #bh-ca2 family1 youth1 education1 #cb-g2 merchant in ,bushihr1 #cg1 #ci-da2 journey to holy cities and meeting with ,siyyid ,kim1 #da-f2 marriage and son1 #df-g2 sends ,mull usayn to ,bah'u'llh1 #dh-ej1 #eb-g2 letter to wife1 #eg2 pilgrimage to ,mecca1 #eg1 #fi-ga2 declaration in ,mecca1 #ga2 challenge to ,muit1 #gb-d2 ,tablet to ,sharif of ,mecca1 #gd-e2 returns to ,irn1 #gg2 advance contacts with ,shrz1 #gg-h2 arrest at ,dlak1 #hd1 #aje2 returns to ,shrz1 #he1 #hh-i2 birth of ,bb community1 #hi-ij1 #ajc2 ,vahd accepts1 #ij-d2 at ,vakl mosque1 #id-h2 ujjat accepts1 #ajj-a2 leaves ,shrz1 #ajd-f2 resides at ,ifahn1 #aji-af2 ,shh calls to ihrn1 #aaf1 #aah2 stops at ,kshn1 #aah-ai1 ,qumrd1 #aai1 ,kulayn1 #aai-ba2 receives communication from ,bah'u'llh1 #abj2 meeting with ,shh prevented1 #aba-c2 consigned to ,mh-,k1 #abb1 #abd1 #abh2 arrives ,mln1 #abf-g2 stays at ,tabrz1 #abg-h2 events at ,mh-,k1 #abh-cc2 removal to ,chihrq1 #aca-b1 #acd-g2 summoned to ,tabrz1 #acg2 stops in ,urmyyih1 #ach2 ,his portrait1 #ach-i2 examination at ,tabrz1 #adj-e2 bastinadoed1 #ade-g2 returned to ,chihrq1 #adg-h2 followers visit1 #adh-ej2 receives news of persecutions1 #aej-a2 sends ,writings1 etc41 to ,bah'u'llh1 #aea-b2 composes ,arabic ,bayn1 #aeb2 martyrdom1 #aeb-i1 #bjb2 remains rescued1 concealed1 #aei-fj1 #ahi-ia2 final mission to ,mull usayn1 #aga2 anticipates ',seven ,martyrs'1 #ahe2 ,his ,shrine1 #aia-b2 inaccurate reports of life1 teachings1 #bjc1 #bjd-e1 #bad-af1 appendix #g2 claim and station1 #ah-ai1 #ga1 #ada-b1 #adc-d1 #afg1 #ahi2 ,writings1 #bj1 #ci1 #gc1 #ia-b1 #aaj1 #acb1 #acf1 #ada1 #adg1 #afc1 see index for ,bayn1 ,qayymu'l-,asm' ,bbs1 #bf-g1 #hi-ij1 #acd-f1 #ade1 #adf1 #aei1 #afd-g1 #afi-gh1 #ahj-g passim1 #bjd-ab passim1 #bae1 #bai-bd1 #bci ,bb ,faith1 #bbd ,bbyyat 7,gatehood71 #if ,bbyyih1 #ef1 #agc ,bbul1 see ,brfursh ,bbu'l-,bb1 see usayn-i-,bushr'1 ,mull ,badasht1 conference of1 #afg-ga ,bagdadi1 ,dr4 ,zia 7,baghdd1 y71 #bcb ,baghdd1 #da1 #ei1 #fj-a1 #fc1 #fd1 #ff1 #fg1 #fh1 #aca1 #ace1 #afb1 #afc1 #afd1 #agf1 #aia1 #aic1 #aig1 #aii-bja1 #bbd1 #bcb ,bgh-i-,shh1 gate1 #aji ,bgh-i-,takht1 palace1 #ajd ,bah1 #aeb2 see also ,bah'u'llh ,bah'1 ,bah's1 #ach1 #ade1 #ahb1 #aib1 #bah1 #bcc1 #bch ,bah' ,faith1 #bce ,bah'u'llh 7,mrz usayn ,al73 receives communication from ,bb1 #ee1 #aeb2 sends message to ,bb1 #abj2 rescues hirih1 #afg2 arranges ,badasht conference1 #afg-h2 attacked at ,nyl1 #agj-a2 goes to ,nr1 #aga2 visits ,shaykh abars1 #agc2 attempts to join defenders1 #agd2 protects remains of ,bb1 #ahi-ia2 chooses site for ,shrine of ,bb1 #aia-b2 quotations from1 #dh1 #agd-e2 mentioned1 #i1 #bg1 #ef1 #gh1 #aji1 #abj1 #abe1 #abh1 #ace1 #ach1 #ade1 #aed1 #afe1 #ahc1 #ahh1 #bce1 #bcg1 #bdj2 see also ',he ,whom ,god shall manifest' ,barayn1 #a ,baru'l-,ulm1 #cf ,bakhtyr1 #ajh1 #aji ,bandar-,abbs1 #bbd ,ban-,sakhr1 #a ,bqir-bd1 mosque1 #gh ,bqir1 ,mrz1 of ,tabrz1 #aee ,bqir1 ,mull1 imm1 #bdj ,bqir-i-,tabrz1 ,mull 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg1 #aea1 #afh1 #agd ,baqyatu'llh 7,remnant of ,god71 #gh1 #aee ,baraghn1 #bcj ,brfursh 7,bbul71 #bc1 #agb1 #agc1 #agf1 #ahd1 #bci ,bashr an-,najaf1 ,shaykh1 #fj ,barah1 #ajd ,bavnt1 #bje ,bayn3 ,arabic1 #aeb1 #bae1 #bca1 #bcb2 ,persian1 #ej1 #ga1 #acb1 #aed1 #bae1 #bcb ,bzr-i-,murgh1 #bca ,bzr quarter1 of ,nayrz1 #ahb ,beirut1 #aff1 #aia ,bell1 ,gertrude ,lowthian1 #bcj ,benjamin1 ,s4 ,g4 ,w41 #bbj ,bethune1 ,sir ,henry ,lindesay1 #aj1 #baa ,bible1 #adg1 #bce2 ,new ,testament quoted1 #abg1 #aee1 #aef1 #aeh-i ,birdwood1 ,capt4 ,r4 ,l41 #bbc ,bsitn1 #bcb ,black ,standard1 #aga1 #agb1 #agf ,bombay1 #cg1 #eg ,bonaparte 7,napoleon ,i71 #g1 #h ,bonnire1 ,m4 de1 #aae ,bor1 ,m41 #gi1 #hj ,british ,museum1 #bcc ,britain1 ,british1 #a1 #h-aj1 #ab1 #eh1 #fa1 #fc1 #gg1 #gi1 #aji1 #ahf1 #aic1 #aid1 #bjb1 #bjc1 #bje1 #bji1 #baf1 #bbc1 #bcj1 #bcc2 see also ,england ,browne1 ,edward ,granville1 #af1 #ada1 #adf1 #aeb1 #aff1 #ahf1 #bag1 #bce1 #bci1 #bdj ,burgess1 ,mr41 #hj ,burjird1 #ic ,bshihr 7,bushire71 #b1 #ae1 #af1 #cg1 #ci-da1 #eg1 #ga1 #ge1 #gg1 #gh1 #gi1 #ha1 #hc1 #hd1 #hg1 #ajd1 #aje1 #ajg1 #bbc1 #bbd1 #bcj ,bushryih1 #d ,buzurg1 j ,mrz1 #if ,buzurg-i-,nr1 ,mrz 7,mrz ,abbs1 father of ,bah'u'llh71 #ed ,byron1 ,lord1 #aag ,cain 7by ,byron71 #aag ,campbell1 ,sir ,john1 #aj ,canning1 ,sir ,stratford 7first ,viscount ,stratford de ,redcliffe71 #f1 #fa1 #fc1 #ff1 #fg1 #aic ,carmel1 ,mount1 #aia1 #aib ,caspian ,sea1 #c1 #i ,caucasus1 #i1 #aag ,chahr-,lang1 #ajh ,chashmih-,al 7tribe71 #aij ,cheltenham ,college1 #bch ,cheyne1 ,t4 ,k41 #cb1 #afh1 #bcj ,chihrq1 #acb1 #acd-g1 #adg-ej1 #aec1 #aei1 #afg1 #ahc1 #ahe ,china1 #bjc ,chinr ,skhtih 7quarter of ,nayrz71 #agh1 #ahb ,cholera1 #ajd1 #aje ,chosroes ,i1 #bbj ,christ1 see ,jesus ,christian1 #adg1 #bag ,communism 7-istic71 #bad1 #bbj ,congress1 ,act of 7,u4,s4,a471 #bbj ,constantinople 7,istanbul71 #e1 #fc1 #ff1 #fg1 #gi1 #afc1 #aic1 #bba1 #bcd ,cormick1 ,dr41 #ade ,cox1 ,sir ,percy ,z41 #bbc ,cyprus1 #bch ,dal'il-i-,sabib 7,the ,seven ,proofs71 #acb ,dlak1 #hd1 #aje ,damascus1 #fh1 #ahb1 #aia ,drb1 #ij1 #aja1 #agh ,darius1 #bcb ,david1 #abg ,dawn-,breakers 7followers of the ,bb71 #ij1 #afa1 #ahh ,dayyn 7,asadu'llh1 ,mrz1 of ,khuy71 #acf1 #bcg ,dayynyyih1 #bcg ,declaration1 of the ,bb 7anniversary71 #bj1 #aej ',deliverer of the ,latter ,days'1 #c ,democratic ,party 7,u4,s4,a471 #bbj ,dhikr 7the ,bb1 also ,dhikru'llh-al-,aam1 ,dhikru'llh-al-,akbar1 arat-i-,dhikr71 #df1 #acb1 #bca ,dhi'l-ijjah1 month of1 #gj1 #ga ,dispensation of ,bah'u'llh1 ,the1 #afg ,dvn-,khnih 7the ,court71 #ha ,divine origin1 ,divinity1 #bae ,dolgorukov1 ,prince ,dimitri ,ivanovich1 #aca1 #bjf1 #bji1 #baj1 #bda ,east ,india ,company1 #bcc ,ecbatana1 see amadn ,echo 7,english publication71 #bag ,eclectic ,magazine of ,foreign ,literature1 ,science and ,art1 #gg ,eliot1 ,t4 ,s41 #eh ,england1 ,english1 #hj1 #ade1 #bjc1 #baj1 #bad1 #bag2 see also ,britain ,erivan1 see ravn ,esther1 #afe ,ethiopian servant1 of the ,bb1 #ag1 #di1 #eg1 #ga1 #hd ,euphrates1 #ajh1 #ahb1 #aic ,europe1 ,european1 #adf1 #bji1 #bag ,far'id 7by ,mrz ,abu'l-,fal71 #ci ,farmn-,farm1 see ,firaydn ,mrz and usayn-,al ,mrz ,farrant1 ,lt4-,col4 ,t41 #e1 #ace1 #agc1 #aic1 #aie-i1 #bja1 #bbi ,farrsh 7farrsh-bsh1 lictor71 #ade1 #adf1 #aef1 #aeg ,frs1 #di1 #aji1 #afi1 #agh1 #aii1 #bje1 #bcd ,farsakh 7farsang71 #aad ,fas1 #ajd1 #bje1 #bdj ,fat-,al ,shh1 #g1 #h1 #i1 #ach1 #bjj1 #bbi1 #bcd ,fatu'llh1 ,mr 7great-grandfather of the ,bb71 #bcj ,fimih 7daughter of the ,prophet ,muammad71 #dg1 #gd ,fimih-,bagum 7mother of the ,bb71 #cc1 #ajc ,fayl 7a clan71 #hb ,finkenstein1 treaty of1 #h ,firaydn ,mrz 7the ,farmn-,farm71 #hj1 #ha ,firman 7royal edict71 #ha1 #bcd ,frz ,mrz1 ,prince 7the ,nuratu'd-,dawlih71 #ahj ,frzbd1 #hb ',five ,martyrs'1 of ,sr1 #bci ,flandin1 ,m41 #hj1 #bcd ,foreign ,ministers1 ,british1 see ,aberdeen1 ,palmerston ,france1 ,french1 #a1 #g1 #h1 #gi1 #hj1 #aid1 #bag1 #bcd ,fut-ar-,rasl 7boat71 #fi ,galata1 #gi ,gandum-,pk-,kun1 see ,jafar1 ,mull ,gardanne1 ,general1 #g1 #h ,gazetteer of the ,persian ,gulf1 #bbc ,george ,,iii1 #h ,georgian1 #ajh ',geramees'1 #f1 #aif1 #aih ,ghult1 #bcf ,gln1 #bcg ,gobineau1 ,count1 #bag ,golgotha1 #abg ,gordon1 ,sir ,thomas ,edward1 #bba1 #bbc ',great ,sophy'1 #ajg ,greeks1 #abd ,guardian of the ,bah' ,faith1 see ,shoghi ,effendi ,gulistn1 treaty of1 #h ,gulpygn1 #d ,gurgn ,khn1 #aaf1 #aag abbu'llh 7the ,prophet ,muammad71 #df abbu'llh ,khn-i-,afghn1 #agd abbu'llh-i-,afnn1 j ,mrz1 #cb1 #cd1 #ce1 #ci1 #da1 #de1 #ga1 #if1 #ih ,hd1 ,mrz1 #afg ,hdy-i-,nahr1 ,mrz1 #ea1 #ajb ,hdy-i-,qazvn1 ,mrz 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg arat1 #bca fi1 #ae1 #af1 #ce1 #fi1 #abd ,hagar1 #ahd ,haifa1 #aia ajar al-,aswad 7,the ,black ,stone71 #gb j 7the ,bb71 #hg j-,bby-i-,afshr1 ,mrz 7j ,bb1 ,mrz71 #i ajj1 #gj1 #ga ajj-i-,akbar1 #gj akm1 ,dr4 ,lutfu'llh1 #afe akm ,mas1 #afe ,hamadn1 #ab1 #ajb1 #afd1 #afe amzih ,mrz 7the ishmatu'd-,dawlih71 #aeb1 #aec1 #agj1 #aga1 #agb anaf1 #ac anbal1 #ac ,hand of the ,cause1 #aci1 #ahi aram1 see ,masjid asan1 servant of ,vad1 #bje asan1 j ,mrz ,siyyid 7brother-in-law of the ,bb71 #df asan1 ,siyyid1 #abd1 #abh1 #abi1 #adf1 #aef asan al-,askar1 ,imm1 #da1 #aai1 #adb asan ,jafar1 ,siyyid1 #fj asan-,al1 j ,mrz 7uncle of the ,bb71 #cc asan-,al ,khn 7,aga ,khan ,i71 #abb asan-,al ,mrz 7the ,shujau's-,salanih71 #bbi asan-i-,bajistn1 ,mull 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg asan-i-,nr1 ,mrz1 #aab asan-i-,vazr1 ,mrz1 #aij asan-i-,zunz1 ,shaykh1 #ajc1 #ajd1 #aae1 #abj1 #abi1 #acb1 #acg1 #adc1 #aec ,hshim1 ,hshimite1 #dd1 #ei1 #gd1 #hf aydar 7aydar-,khnih71 #hb1 #bcd ',he 7,him7 ,whom ,god shall make manifest' 7,man-,yuhiruhu'llh71 #aed1 #aia1 #bcg2 see also ,bah'u'llh ,hebrew1 #acf ,hennell1 ,captain 7later ,colonel7 ,samuel1 #gi1 #ha1 #hc1 #ajd1 #aji ijz1 #di ikmatu'l-,arshyyah1 #aac1 #bcf illah1 #bjj ,hirt1 #bcj ishmat1 poet1 #ajc ,hizrih1 tribe1 #ajb ,holy ,land1 #aci1 #aia ujjat 7ujjat-i-,zanjn1 ujjatu'l-,islm71 #ajj1 #abe1 #adg1 #ahe-g1 #bji-ab ,hulk ,mrz1 ,prince1 #aii urf-i-ayy 7,letters of the ,living71 #bd2 see also ,letters of the ,living usayn1 ,imm1 #a1 #f1 #cb1 #da1 #dc1 #aaa1 #ahb1 #aic1 #aid1 #aig-bjj usayn1 ,siyyid1 of ,nayrz1 #ahb usayn ,khn 7jdn-,bsh1 ,niamu'd-,dawlih1 aib-,ikhtyr71 #fh1 #gi1 #hc1 #he1 #hh1 #hi1 #ij1 #ib1 #ic1 #ig1 #ih1 #ajd1 #aje1 #abc usayn ,khn1 ,mrz 7the ,mushru'd-,dawlih71 #bcd usayn ,khn1 ,siyyid 7,syed ,hussein ,khan71 #ha usayn-,al1 ,mrz1 see ,bah'u'llh usayn-,al ,mrz 7,hoosein ,ali ,meerza1 the ,farmn-,farm71 #aii1 #bbi usayn-,aly-i-,ifahn1 #aia usayn-i-,arab1 ,shaykh 7the ,ni-mu'sh-,shrih1 lim71 #gh1 #hi1 #ig1 #ih1 #ii usayn-i-,bushr'1 ,mull 7,bbu'l-,bb73 mission from ,siyyid ,kim1 #d1 #g1 #ac1 #ae1 #af2 meeting with ,bb and ,his declaration1 #ag-bb2 encounters ,qudds1 #bc-d2 ,letter of the ,living1 #bf2 mission to ,bah'u'llh1 ch4 #c2 returns to ,shirz1 #ajb2 visits ,mh-,k1 #aca2 description of1 #aff2 ,bb sends to rescue ,qudds1 #aga-c2 besieged at ,shaykh abars1 #agc-d2 death and ,bah'u'llh's tribute1 #agd-e2 mentioned1 #adi1 #aej1 #afh1 #agj1 #bci usayn-i-,hamadn1 ,mrz1 #abf usayn-i-,mutavall1 ,mrz1 of ,qum1 #ace1 #agd usayn-i-,qutb1 ,mull1 of ,nayrz1 #bdj usayn-i-,turshz1 ,siyyid1 #ahd usayn-i-,yazd1 ,siyyid 7also ,ktib1 ,azz2 ,letter of the ,living71 #bg1 #aae1 #aah1 #abd1 #abi1 #acb1 #adf1 #aef usayn1 ,siyyid 7,seid ,hossainee71 #aif ,ibn-i-,sad1 #aec ,ibn-i-,zyd1 #aec ,ibrhm1 ,mr 7great-great-grandfather of the ,bb71 #bcj ,ibrhm1 ,siyyid1 of ,nayrz1 #ahb ,ibrhm ,khan1 j 7the ,itimdu'd-,dawlih71 #h1 #bcd ,ibrhm ,psh1 #bci ,ibrhm-i-,khall1 ,siyyid1 #ach ,ibrhm-i-,maallt1 ,shaykh1 #afe1 #aff ,ibrhm-i-,qazvn1 ,siyyid1 #f1 #ei1 #aig1 #aii d-al-,a 7d-i-,qurbn71 #gj ,irm1 #ga ,ijtihd1 #ac lbag1 #hd lkhn1 #hb1 #hd ,ilyh1 ,mull1 #afe ,imm7s71 #aa1 #ac1 #da1 #fb1 #fe1 #ie1 #ih1 #aai1 #aba1 #acb1 #adb1 #afj1 #aid1 #bjj1 #bcf2 see also usayn1 ,ri1 ,imms ,immate1 #fe ,imm-,jumih3 of ,ifahn1 #aji-ac passim2 of ,kirmn1 #cc2 of ,shrz1 #bcc1 see ,ab-,turb1 ,shaykh2 of ,tabrz1 #adj ,imm ,mehdi 7,mihd71 #fg2 see also ,mihd ,imm-,vird ,mrz1 #bjj ,imm-,zdih asan1 shrine of1 #ahi ,imm-,zdih ,maum1 shrine of1 #ahi ,imm-,zdih ,zayd1 shrine of1 #aia ,imrat-i-,khurshd1 #aaf ,india1 #bg1 #cg1 #acg1 #bbc1 #bcj ,international ,archives1 of the ,bah' ,faith1 #acb1 #aci1 #aff1 #aij ,iqbl1 q usayn1 #bcb rn1 #c1 #aac1 #afa1 #aff1 #aid1 #aii1 #bja1 #bjd1 #bjf1 #bji1 #bag-ba1 #bbc1 #bbd1 #bcj1 #bcc1 #bch ,irq1 #a1 #d1 #bg1 #bh1 #cg1 #da1 #de1 #eh1 #fj1 #ace1 #adg1 #afc1 #afe1 #aff1 #agf1 #bcg ravn 7,erivan71 #aag1 #abh ,irish1 #bch ,irwin1 ,beatrice1 #adh1 #bch ,ifahn 7,ispahan71 #di1 #ej1 #aje1 #ajf-aa1 #aad-ag passim1 #afi1 #aia1 #bah-bj passim ,ishmael 7,isml71 #ahd ,ishrq ,school 7,platonism71 #aab ,iskandar1 ,mull1 #ajj1 #aja1 #abe ,isk-,shahr1 #ace ,islm1 ,islamic1 #ac1 #gh1 #hh1 #ic1 #ii1 #aaa1 #afg1 #ahj1 #aha1 #ahb1 #ahe1 #bcf ,isml1 j ,siyyid 7,shaykhu'l-,islm of ,bavnt71 #bje ,isml1 ,mrz 7,mmaqn71 #adc ,isml1 ,siyyid1 #aea ,isml-i-,qum1 ,hj ,mull1 #ahd ,isml-i-,sabbagh-i-,sidih 7,muaf1 ,mrz71 #bdj ,ismu'llhu'l-,adaq1 see diq-i-,muqaddas1 ,mull ,istanbul1 see ,constantinople ,ithn-,ashars 7,twelvers71 #aai ,jabal-i-,bsi 7,mh-,k71 #acd ,jabal-i-,shadd 7,chihrq71 #acd al-,jabbw1 ,sad1 #bci ,jacob1 #ai ,jaddih1 see ,jiddah ,jafar1 ,mull 7,gandum-,pk-,kun1 the ',sifter of ,wheat'71 #ea ,jafar-i-,kashf1 ,siyyid1 #gj1 #ij1 #id ,jall-i-,urm1 ,mull 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg ,jamdu'l-l1 month of1 #aej ,jaml-i-,burjird1 q1 #ade1 #ahi1 #aij ,jn1 j ,mrz1 #dj1 #eb1 #aah1 #abf1 #agd ,javd1 j ,siyyid 7,imm-,jumih of ,kirmn71 #cc ,javd1 ,mull 7cousin of hirih71 #be ,javd-i-,baraghn1 ,mull1 #ajb ,javd-i-,karbil'1 j ,siyyid1 #ce-dj passim1 #df1 #ij ,javnshr1 ,abbs-,qul ,khn-i-1 #aci ,jerusalem1 #c1 #abg1 #abh1 #aeh ,jesuit1 #gi ,jesus1 #ca1 #ce1 #abg1 #abh1 #aee1 #aef1 #aeh1 #aei1 #bbj ,jewish1 #ca1 #afe ,jiddah 7,jaddih71 #eg1 #fi1 #ge ,john1 the ,baptist1 #bbj ,jones1 ,sir ,harford1 #h ,joseph1 ,srih of1 see ,qayymu'l-,asm' ,julfa1 #gi ,kabih 7,kabah71 #fi1 #ga ,kalntar1 ,mamd ,khn-i-1 #aga ,kangvar1 #ajb ,karbil1 #a-g passim1 #ab1 #ae1 #bc1 #be1 #bf1 #cf1 #cg1 #da1 #db1 #ea1 #eh-fe passim1 #gc1 #gd1 #ajb1 #aej1 #afb1 #aga1 #bbd1 #bch2 siege of1 #aic-bja2 tragedy of 7martyrdom of ,imm usayn71 #aec1 #ahb ,karm ,khn4 ,zand ruler1 #afa ,karkk1 #fh al-,karrd1 al-j ,muammad1 #bci ,kshn1 #di1 #eb1 #aah ,kashf1 see ,jafar-i-1 ,siyyid ,ktib1 see usayn-i-,yazd1 ,siyyid ,kawthar1 ,srih of1 the ,bb's commentary on1 #ia-b1 #ada1 #afc ,kim ,big1 ,mrz 7,kazem-,beg71 #adb ,kim-i-,rasht1 ,siyyid3 joins ,shaykh ,ahmad and succeeds him1 #b1 #c2 role in siege of ,karbil1 and death1 #d-g2 anticipates ,promised ,one1 #ae1 #ah1 #ai1 #bc1 #acd2 ,qurratu'l-,ayn contacts1 #be-f2 mentioned1 #ac1 #cf1 #ej1 #ei1 #adj1 #afb1 #aff1 #ahd1 #bja1 #bbc-d ,kim-i-,zanjn1 ,siyyid1 #ajd1 #ajf1 #aji1 #ahe ,kimayn 7,kimyyah71 #da1 #eh1 #fj1 #aca1 #afb1 #bjj ,khadjih-,bagum 7wife of the ,bb71 #df1 #ajc1 #adb ,khjih1 fort of1 #agi1 #aha ,khrg 7,karrack71 #gi1 #aji1 #bcj ,khud-,bakhsh-i-,qchn1 ,mull 7,aly-i-,rz1 ,mull1 ,letter of the ,living71 #bg ,khursn1 #d1 #di1 #ef1 #abb1 #afg1 #agj1 #aga1 #agf1 #bcj ,khusraw-i-,qd-,kal'1 #agb1 #agc ,khubiy-i-,qahryyih 7,sermon of ,wrath71 #adg ,khuy1 #acf ,kinr-,gird1 #aai ,kirand1 #afd1 #afi ,kirmn1 #cc1 #afi1 #bjd ,kirmnshh1 #b1 #ajb1 #afd1 #afi1 #aia1 #bja ,kitb-i-qn 7,the ,book of ,certitude71 #dh1 #hg1 #agd ,koran1 see ,qur'n ,kfih1 #af1 #ej1 #fj ,kulayn1 #aai1 #abj1 #aba al-,kulayn1 ,muhammad ibn ,yaqb1 #aai ,kunr-,takhtih1 #aje ,kurds1 ,kurdish1 #aa1 #abh1 #ace ,labaree1 ,rev4 ,benjamin1 #ade ,llizr1 ,mull1 #afe ,law-i-urft 7,tablet of the ,letters71 #acf ,layard1 ,sir ,henry1 #aa1 #gi1 #ajh1 #aji1 #bcj1 #bcc ,letters of the ,living 7urf-i-ayy73 meaning1 #bd2 list of names1 #bf-g2 also #ea1 #hi1 #ajd1 #aca1 #aej1 #aea1 #afh1 #agd1 #agg ,lingeh 7,lingih71 #bbd ,lrv1 district1 #bbd ,literary ,gazette1 ,the1 #gf1 #gg ,london1 #fh1 #gi ,lord of ,hosts1 #aia2 of the ,age1 or ,religion1 see ibu'z-,zamn ,lorimer1 ,gordon1 #bbc ,louis-,philippe1 ,french king1 #hj1 #bcd ,lucifer1 #aag ,luke1 ,st41 #aee1 #aef1 #aeh1 #aei ,luristn1 #ic1 #ajh ,luf-,al1 ,mrz 7chamberlain71 #ic ,luf-,al ,khn1 ,zand ruler1 #g ,luf-,al ,mrz1 #ajc1 #bci1 #bdj ,l1 #hb ,macneill1 ,sir ,john1 #bcj ,madkhil 7perquisites71 #afa ,madrisih 7school71 of ,pminr1 #ec2 of ,mrz lih1 #eb ,mh-,k 7,mk71 #aba1 #abb1 #abd1 #abh-ce passim1 #aci1 #afc ,mamd1 j ,mull 7the ,nimu'l-,ulam71 #adj-dd passim ,mamd1 ,mrz 7uncle of the ,bb's father71 #cc ,mamd1 ,mull1 of ,irq1 #fj ,mamd al-ls 7,muft of ,baghdd71 #afb ,mamd-i-,khu'1 ,mull 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg ,mahomet1 see ,muammad ',mahometan schism'1 #gf ,makkah1 see ,mecca ,malcolm1 ,sir ,john1 #h1 #bbc1 #bcc1 #bcd ,malik ,qsim ,mrz1 #ach ,mlik1 #ac ,man-,yuhiruhu'llh1 see ',he ,whom ,god shall manifest' ,manifestations of ,god1 #aej ,manchihr ,khn 7the ,mutamidu'd-,dawlih71 #ej1 #ajh-ag passim ,marghih1 #gi1 #adi ,maryyih 7sister of hirih71 #bf ,mark1 ,st41 #abg1 #abh ,mashir 7by ,mull adr71 #bcf ,mashhad 7,meshed71 #b1 #ef1 #he1 #aai1 #aga ,mashyyatu'llh 7martyr71 #bg ,masjid3 al-,aq1 #c2 al-arm1 #c2 i-lkhn1 #ah2 i-,jumih 7of ,nayrz71 #agi1 #ahb2 i-,msh'u'llh1 #aij2 i-,naw1 #bcd2 i-,vakl 7of ,shrz71 #id1 #if1 #ii ,masd ,mrz1 ,prince ,suln 7illu's-,suln71 #aj1 #bah ,mamih 7sister of ,imm ,ri71 #eb ,materialism1 #bad ,maydn1 #aad ,maymand1 #hc ,mazdak1 #bbj ,mzindarn1 #bg1 #aca1 #adi1 #aej1 #aga1 #agd1 #ahd ,mecca1 #b1 #ba1 #fi1 #gj1 #ga1 #gb1 #gd1 #gg1 #hi1 #acd1 #bbc ,medina1 #b1 #ba1 #gc1 #gd1 #ge1 #hi1 #bah ,memorials of the ,faithful1 #abh1 #afh1 #age ,menchikov1 ,prince1 #i ,messenger of ,god 7,raslu'llh71 see ,muammad 7,the ,prophet7 ,mihd 7,mahd71 #c1 #fa1 #fg1 #if1 #adb1 #aga1 #bjd1 #bbd ,mihd 7,bb of ,irq71 #fj ,mihd1 ,mrz 7bir1 the poet71 #ajc ,mihd ,khn1 j ,mrz1 #aei1 #afj ,mihdy-i-,khu'1 ,mull1 #abj ,mihdy-i-,kujr1 j ,shaykh1 #gh1 #ii ,mihd-,qul ,mrz1 ,prince1 #agb1 #age1 #agf1 #bjf ,mihr-,al ,khn-i-,nr 7the ,shujau'l-,mulk71 #bdj ,mln1 #abf1 #abg ,mr-,ghaab 7executioner71 #gf ,mirj1 #c ,mrkhund 7,mrkhwand71 #ada ,mrz q ,khn-i-,nr1 #aeb ,mrz-q1 q 7nephew of wife of the ,bb71 #cb ,mrz-qy-i-,rikb-,sz1 #ajc ,mrzy-i-,shrz1 see ,muammad-asan1 j ,mrz ,mibh1 ,azzu'llh1 #afa1 #bch ,mohammedans1 see ,muslims ,mordecai1 #afe ,morier1 ,james1 #i ,moses1 #ca ,mosul1 #fa ,mubrak1 see ,ethiopian servant ,muammad1 the ,prophet1 #c1 #dd-h passim1 #hf1 #ie1 #ih1 #aaa1 #afg1 #aga1 #agg1 #aha1 #ahb1 #baa1 #bad1 #bah1 #bbj ,muammad1 j q1 #ade ,muammad1 j ,mrz ,siyyid 7uncle of the ,bb71 #cc1 #dj1 #ajg ,muammad1 ,mull 7husband of hirih71 #be ,muammad1 ,shaykh1 see ,shaykh bid ,muammad1 ,siyyid1 of ,shrz1 #cf ,muammad1 ,siyyid 7,sulnu'l-,ulam71 see ,imm-,jumih1 of ,ifahn ,muammad-,abdu'llh1 #bje ,muammad ,ali1 ,mirza 7,persian minister71 #bjg ,muammad-,al1 j ,mrz 7cousin of the ,bb71 #hg ,muammad-,al1 ,mrz 7#ast ,mushru'l-,mulk71 #ih ,muammad-,al1 ,mrz 7secretary of j ,qavm71 #hb ,muammad-,al1 ,mull1 of ,zanjn1 see ujjat ,muammad-,aly-i-,brfursh1 j ,mull1 see ,qudds ,muammad-,aly-i-amzih1 j1 #agf ,muammad-,aly-i-,maallt1 ,mull1 #gh1 #ii ,muammad-,al ,mrz 7,rukni'd-,dawlih71 #b ,muammad-,aly-i-,msv1 ,siyyid1 #aii ,muammad-,aly-i-,nahr1 ,mrz1 #ea1 #ajb ,muammad-,al ,psh1 #bci ,muammad-,aly-i-,qazvn1 ,mrz 7,letter of the ,living71 #bf1 #afh ,muammad-,aly-i-,zunz1 ,mrz1 #aec-h ,muammad q ,yvar1 #afd ,muammad-,bqir1 ,mrz 7,letter of the ,living71 #bf ,muammad-,bqir ,khn 7the ,biglarbag71 #fi ,muammad-,bqir-i-,q'in1 ,mrz1 #ef1 #agc1 #age ,muammad-,bqir-i-,rasht1 j ,siyyid1 #d1 #ac1 #ej1 #afb ,muammad-,bqir-i-ihrn1 q1 #bci1 #bdj ,muammad ,big-i-,chprch1 #aah1 #abj1 #aba1 #abd-f ,muammad-,bis1 j1 #ajc ,muammad-i-,furgh1 ,mull ,mrz1 #ef ,muammad-asan1 j ,mrz 7,mrzy-i-,shrz71 #cc ,muammad ibn-i asan al-,askar1 see ,twelfth ,imm ,muammad-asan-i-,bushr'1 ,mrz 7,letter of the ,living71 #bf ,muammad-asan ,khn 7the ,slr71 #abb ,muammad-asan-i-,najaf1 ,shaykh1 #ei ,muammad-usayn1 ,mrz 7father of the ,bb's mother71 #cc ,muammad-usayn-i-,ardistn1 q1 #bce ,muammad-usayn-i-,kirmn1 ,mrz1 see ,mut-i-,kirmn ,muammad-usayn-i-,marghi'1 q1 #ahd1 #ahe ,muammad-,ibrhm-i-,isml ,bag1 q1 #cd1 #ce ,muammad-,ibrhm-i-,kalbs1 j1 #ej ,muammad-,isml-i-,gulpygn1 j1 #c ,muammad-,jafar1 ,siyyid1 #fj1 #afc ,muammad-,jafar-i-bdi'1 j1 #aab1 #aac ,muammad-,karm1 q1 of ,shrz1 #ajc ,muammad-,karm-i-,ar1 #aia ,muammad-,karm ,khn-i-,kirmn1 j ,mrz1 #eb1 #ajb1 #acd ,muammad-,kim ,khn 7farrsh-bsh71 #ade ,muammad ,khn 7former ,biglarbag of ,tabrz71 #bji1 #baj ,muammad-i-,khursn1 j ,mrz1 #ec ,muammad-i-,mmaqn1 ,mull1 #adj1 #adc1 #add1 #aee1 #aef ,muammad-,mihd1 q1 #aaa ,muammad-,mihdy-i-,kind1 ,mull1 #abj ,muammad ,muallim-i-,nr1 ,mull1 #ec ,muammad-,muafy-i-,baghdd1 q1 #fj1 #afb1 #aff1 #bcb ,muammad-,qul ,khn-i-lbag1 #ha1 #hd ,muammad ,rawih-,khn-i-,yazd1 ,mrz 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg ,muammad-,ri1 ,siyyid 7or ,mr1 father of the ,bb71 #cb1 #cc1 #adb1 #bcj ,muammad-diq-i-,muallim1 j ,mrz1 #if1 #ih ,muammad-li1 q1 #bc ,muammad ,shh1 #aj1 #ab1 #hj1 #ha1 #hc1 #ij1 #ic1 #ii1 #ajj1 #ajb1 #aji1 #aab1 #aac1 #aae1 #aag1 #aba1 #abb-c 7letter to the ,bb71 #ace1 #acg1 #aci1 #adg1 #adh1 #adi1 #afe1 #agj1 #age1 #agh1 #ahe1 #baa1 #bba1 #bcj1 #bcc ,muammad ,shibl1 ,shaykh1 #fj1 #afb1 #aff ,muammad-,taq1 j ,mull 7uncle of hirih71 #be1 #aff ,muammad at-,taq1 ,imm1 #da ,muammad-,taq1 ,mrz1 of ,sr1 #aga ,muammad-,taq1 ,shaykh 7,mmaqn71 #adc ,muammad-,taqy-i-,ayyb1 j1 #bdj ,muammad-,taqy-i-,hirt1 ,mull1 #aaj ,muammad-,taqy-i-,juvayn1 ,mrz1 #agc ,muammad-,taq ,khn 7,bakhtyr chief71 #ajh ,muammad-,taq ,khn 7,lisnu'l-,mulk-i-,sipihr71 #ada1 #bca ,muammad-,taqy-i-,kirmn1 j1 #ahd ,muammad-,taqy-i-,mln1 j1 #abh ,muammad-i-,zarand1 ,mull 7,nabl-i-,aam71 #dj1 #ic1 #id1 #ajj1 #aad1 #aai1 #abb1 #acb ,muarram1 month of1 #cb1 #ga ,muibb-,al ,khn1 #ff ,mut-i-,kirmn1 ,mrz 7,muammad-usayn1 ,mrz71 #gb1 #gc1 #gd ,musin al-,kim1 ,siyyid1 #fj ,munu's-,salanih1 j1 #da ,mujtahid1 #a1 #ej1 #fj1 #fg1 #bbd ,mulk1 ,srih of1 #bj ,mulk-r1 see ,abbs ,mrz ,muqaddas1 see diq-i-,muqaddas-i-,khursn1 ,mull ,murd ,mrz1 j ,suln 7ismu's-,salanih71 #bcg ,mrchih-,khr1 #aae ,murd 7disciple71 #aab ,murshid 7guide71 #dj1 #aab ,murtay-i-,zanjn1 ,siyyid1 #ahd1 #ahe ,murtiy-i-,anr1 ,shaykh1 #afb ,murti-,quly-i-,marand1 ,mull 7,alamu'l-,hud71 #adj1 #aee ,ms1 ,mrz 7qy-i-,kalm1 brother of ,bah'u'llh71 #ee ,ms al-,kim1 ,imm1 #da ,musayyib1 #d1 #aif1 #aig ,mushru'l-,mulk1 #ih ,mushru't-,tujjr1 #bci ,muslim 7,musulman71 #ih1 #ajh1 #adf1 #adg1 #agh1 #bje1 #bbb ,muaf1 ,mrz 7,isml-i-,sabbgh-i-,sidih71 #bdj ,muaf-,qul ,khn-i-,qarguzl 7,itimadu's-,salanih71 #bdj ,mutamid1 see ,manchihr ,khn ,nab ,khn-i-,qazvn1 ,mrz 7,amr-i-,dvn71 #ha1 #hb ,nabl-i-,aam1 see ,muammad-i-,zarand1 ,mull ,ndir ,shh1 #afa1 #bcj ,najaf1 #a1 #da1 #de1 #di1 #ei1 #fj1 #fd1 #fe1 #aic1 #bjj ,najaf-,al1 q1 #ade ,najb ,psh1 #d1 #e1 #ab1 #fj1 #fc1 #fd1 #ff1 #afc1 #aid1 #aif1 #aig1 #bjj ,narjis 7mother of #abth ,imm71 #adb ,nsikhu't-,tavrkh1 #dj1 #ada1 #adb ,nir regiment1 #aeh ,niri'd-,dn ,shh1 #i1 #cc1 #ace1 #adj1 #ada1 #ade1 #adh1 #aeb1 #bjg1 #bah1 #bai1 #bcg ,naru'llh1 ,mr 7grandfather of the ,bb71 #bcj ,naru'llh1 ,siyyid1 #aif ,navvb-i-,raav1 #bje ,naw-,rz1 #aah1 #aai1 #aca1 #acb1 #aib ,nawrz-,al1 #afc ,nyibu's-,salanih1 see ,abbs ,mrz1 ,prince1 and ,abbs ,mrz ,mulk-r ,nayrz1 #agh-hb1 #ahf1 #bjd-e ,nzimu'sh-,sharih1 see usayn-i-,arab1 ,shaykh ,nesselrode1 ,count1 #aca1 #bjf ,new ,day1 ,dispensation1 #bj1 #ij1 #afb1 #agb ,nicolas1 ,a4-,l4-,m41 #ci1 #ii1 #ajd1 #aae1 #aeb1 #agb1 #bag ,nimat-,khnih1 #ha1 #bcd ,nimatu'llh dervish1 #ahd ,nimrod1 #ca ,nineveh1 #bbi1 #bcc ,nif-i-,jahn1 #ajh2 see also ,ifahn ,nyl1 #agj-b passim ,nyz-i-,baghdd1 j1 #gd ,nimu'd-,dawlih1 see usayn ,khn ,nimu'l-,ulam1 see ,mamd1 j ,mull ,nubuvvat-i-,khih1 #aaa ,nuqiy-i-,bayn1 #acg2 -i-l1 #dh 7,the ,bb7 ,nr1 #ec1 #aga ,nuayr1 #aah ,ottoman1 #ab1 #ei1 #fc1 #bch1 #bci ,outray1 ,m41 #hj ,oxford1 #bch ,palm ,sunday1 #abg ,palmerston1 ,viscount1 xi1 #ab1 #gi1 #agc1 #agh1 #ahj1 #bjb1 #bjd1 #bjf1 #bjg1 #bji1 #baa1 #bab1 #bad1 #baf ,pminr 7,py-i-,minr71 #ec ,paris1 #gi1 #hj ,peel1 ,sir ,robert1 xi ,persepolis1 #bcg ,persia1 see rn ,persian7s71 #acf1 #adj1 #adf1 #adg1 #afc1 #afe1 #agf1 #aid-g1 #aii1 #bjf1 #baj-ab1 #bah1 #bcj1 #bcd ,persian ,gulf1 #aji1 #bbc1 #bcj ,platonism1 #aac ,polygamy1 #bbc ,pope1 ,alexander1 #he ,portuguese1 #ajg ,presbyterian ,mission1 ,american1 #ade ,primal ,point 7,the ,bb71 #ahi ,qahru'llh 7a dervish71 #acg ,qahviy-i-,awly'1 #ci1 #bca ,q'im1 #c1 #ah1 #cc1 #dh1 #ej1 #ea1 #gj1 #ga 7,bb's declaration in ,mecca71 #gd1 #hg1 #if1 #ih1 #aaa1 #acd1 #adc1 #add1 #ade1 #aef1 #afg1 #agj1 #agh1 #ahe1 #ahf1 #bje ,q'im-,maqm 7,abu'l-,qsim1 ,mrz71 #h-i1 #aj1 #adh ,qjr1 #g1 #ajh1 #aac1 #bai ,qandahr1 #bcc ,qashq'1 tribe1 #ha1 #hb1 #hd ,qsim1 ,siyyid1 of ,rasht1 #c ,qavmu'l-,mulk1 j1 #ha1 #hb1 #hd1 #bcd ,qayymu'l-,asm' 7,commentary on ,srih of ,joseph71 #ai1 #bj1 #ba1 #df1 #dg1 #eh1 #ii1 #aja1 #ada1 #baa ,qazvn1 #ajh1 #abd1 #abe1 #aca1 #afd-g ,qiau'l-,ulam 7,chronicles of the ,divines71 #ada1 #adb ,qubd ,khn1 #hb ,qudds 7,muammad-,aly-i-,brfursh1 j ,mull71 ,letter of the ,living3 recognises the ,bb1 #bc-d1 #bf1 #cc2 accompanies ,him to ,mecca1 #dh-i1 #ga1 #gd2 is separated from ,him1 #gg1 #gh1 #adi1 #aej2 at ,badasht1 #afg-gj2 arrest1 #aga2 at ,shaykh abars1 #agc1 #age1 #agg2 martyrdom1 #aej1 #agf1 #bje ,quintus ,curtius1 #bbc ,qum1 #di1 #ea1 #aai1 #ace1 #aea1 #agd ,qumrd1 #aai ,qur'n 7,koran71 #ac1 #bh1 #bi1 #cj1 #fa1 #fb1 #fd1 #fe1 #gd1 #ge1 #hg1 #hh1 #ij1 #ia1 #aja1 #aaj1 #ada1 #add1 #agb1 #age1 #aha1 #ahf1 #bjd1 #bad1 #bag1 #bah1 #bai ,quraysh1 #hf ,qurbn-,al1 ,mrz1 #ahd ,qurratu'l-,ayn 7the ,bb71 #dg ,qurratu'l-,ayn1 see hirih ,rabu'l-,avval1 month of1 #aaf ,ram1 ,mrz1 of ,shrz1 #ajc ,ra'su'l-,ulam1 of ,hamadn1 #afe ,raman1 month of1 #eg1 #aia ,rangoon1 #aib ,raqsh' 7',she-,serpent'71 #aji ,rashd ,khn-i-,sartp1 #ha ,rasht1 ,rasht1 #c1 #afb ,rawatu'-af1 ,supplement to1 #ada1 #adb ,rawlinson1 ,sir ,henry1 #fa-g1 #bcb ',remnant of ,god'1 see ,baqyatu'llh ,resurrection1 ,day of1 #ih1 #aej ,ri1 ,imm1 #eb1 #ef1 #he1 #ajc1 #aai ,ri1 ,mrz 7,british ,agent71 #ha1 #hb1 #hc ,ri ,khn-i-,turkamn1 #agc ,riy-i-,qs1 j1 #adg1 #bcg ,ri-,qul ,khn-i-,afshr1 #acd ,ri-,qul ,khn-i-,hidyat1 #ada ,ri'yyih1 #ace2 see ,urmyyih ,risliy-i-,fiqhyyih1 #ci ,risliy-i-,tisa-,asharyyih 7,nineteen ,discourses71 #bbi1 #bch ,rodwell1 ,j4 ,m41 #hh ,rosen1 ,baron1 #bag ,ruknbd 7fountain overlooking ,shrz71 #ae ,rukni'd-,dawlih 7,muammad-,al ,mrz71 #b ,runz 7,frs71 #bdj ,russell1 ,lord ,john1 xi ,russia1 ,russian1 #g-aj1 #abd1 #aca1 #acb1 #aei1 #bjf1 #bji1 #baj1 #bag1 #bcj ,rustam-,al see ,zaynab bir1 see ,mihd1 ,mrz ,sabzih-,maydn1 of ,brfursh1 #agf2 of ihrn1 #ahc ,sad1 #af diq1 ,mull 7a pretender71 #acb diq-i-,muqaddas-i-,khursn1 ,mull1 #ea1 #gh1 #afe1 #bci adr1 ,mull1 #aac1 #bcf adr-i-,aam1 see usayn ,khn ,sadu'llh ,psh1 ,saraskar1 #d1 #e1 #aig-bjj afar1 month of1 #gg afavid1 #ajg1 #ajh1 #afa1 #afb ,safhu'l-,ulam1 see ,muammad-,mihd1 q hib-,ikhtyr1 see usayn ,khn hibu'z-,zamn 7,lord of the ,age1 or ,religion71 #ac1 #ae1 #ah1 #bd1 #ej1 #if1 #adb afiy-i-,baynu'l-aramayn 7,epistle between the ,two ,shrines71 #gc anih1 #afd ,sad-i-,hind1 ,shaykh 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg1 #acg ,sadu'l-,ulam1 of ,brfursh1 #agb1 #agd1 #agf ,st4 ,petersburg 7,leningrad71 #i ,sale1 ,george1 #afh ,salford1 #bag li1 ,hj ,mull1 #be li1 ,mrz1 #bci li-al-,karm1 ,shaykh1 #fj1 #afe1 #aff ,saljqs 7,seljucids71 #ajg ,sm ,khn1 #aeg ,smarr1 #da1 #adb ,sami ,effendi 7,turkish minister71 #baj ,sar-,chishmih1 #ahi ,sary-i-,amr 7a caravanserai71 #cf ,sr1 #aga ,sartp1 #acd1 #bcd ',seal of the ,prophets' 7,muammad71 #ie ,sercey1 ,m4 de1 #bcd ',seven ,goats'1 see ',seven ,martyrs' ',seven ,martyrs of ihrn'1 #ahb-e1 #bjf-h ,shabn1 month of1 #ge1 #aea ,shfi1 #ac ,shaft1 #afb ,shh ,abdu'l-,am1 #adj1 #aij ,shh ,chirgh 7a shrine71 #ajc ,shh ,muammad-i-,manshd1 j 7,amnu'l-,bayn71 #aij1 #aia ,shahr 7,shehr7-i-,vrn1 #bbd ,shakespeare1 #gf1 #ajg ,sharf 7,sherif71 of ,mecca1 #ba1 #gd1 #ge ,shavvl1 month of1 #aid ,shaykh ,al1 ,mull1 of ,khursn 7,am71 #eg1 #ajc1 #acg1 #aea ,shaykh-,al ,mrz1 #ajc ,shaykh-i-,anm1 see bid1 ,shaykh2 #bca ,shaykh1 #a1 #e1 #ch1 #db1 #ec1 #ei1 #fb1 #gb1 #gd1 #adj ,shaykhu'l-,islm1 of ,tabrz1 #adj ,shaykhun1 see bid1 ,shaykh2 #bca ,sheil1 ,lady1 #eh ,sheil1 ,lt4-,col4 7later ,sir ,justin71 #fc1 #fd1 #ha1 #ace1 #agg1 #ahj1 #ahf1 #ahg1 #bjb-ae passim1 #bbi ,sherley brothers1 #ajg ,shiah1 #a1 #ab1 #ac1 #cc1 #ej1 #ei1 #fb-h passim1 #afb1 #afc1 #aih1 #bjj1 #bba ,shikastih ,nastalq 7a script71 #ed ,shrz1 ,shrz1 #b1 #af-ah passim1 #bb1 #bc1 #cb-dj passim1 #de1 #df1 #dh-eb passim1 #ef1 #eg1 #fa1 #fb1 #fg-i passim1 #gf-hh passim1 #ij1 #id1 #ii-ajg passim1 #adc1 #adg1 #aej1 #aff1 #afi1 #agj1 #agi1 #ahb1 #bjd1 #bbj1 #bbc1 #bcg1 #bci ,shirley1 ,james1 #ajf ,shish-,par1 ,siyyid-i-1 #ie ,shshvn1 #ach ,shoghi ,effendi 7,guardian of the ,bah' ,faith71 #aci1 #afg1 #ahc1 #ahi1 #aib ,shuju'd-,dawlih1 #bja ,shukru'llh ,khn-i-,nr1 #fi iddqih 7the ,truthful71 #afc2 see also hirih ,sipihr1 see ,muammad-,taq ,khn ,sisygambis1 #bbc ,syh-,dahn1 #abd ,siyyid1 #ag1 #bc1 #ea1 #gj1 #gb1 #ii1 #aba1 #acf1 #adj1 #adf1 #adg ,siyyid ,al1 #aga2 see also usayn-i-,bushr'1 ,mull ,siyyidu'sh-,shuhad1 see usayn1 ,imm ,stevens1 ,r4 ,w41 #bjb ub-i-,azal1 see ,yay1 ,mrz ,sublime ,porte1 #fa1 #fc1 #ff1 #afc f1 #bae ,sulaymn ,khn1 of ,tabrz1 #adi1 #aei1 #afj1 #ahi ,sulaymn ,khn-i-,afshr1 j1 #abe1 #acd ,suln al-,karbil'1 ,shaykh1 #fj1 #aff ,sulnu'l-,ulam1 see ,imm-,jumih1 of ,ifahn ,sunn1 #ab1 #ac1 #fc1 #fd1 #fe1 #fh1 #afc1 #aih ,surra-man-,ra'a1 see ,smarr ,srih 7,srah71 #ai2 see also 7,srihs of7 ,joseph1 ,kawthar1 ,v'al-,ar1 al-,wqiah ,syria1 ,syrians1 #h1 #aic ,syriac1 #acf abars1 ,shaykh1 #bi1 #ea1 #ace1 #aej1 #afe1 #aga-g1 #ahj1 #ahe1 #ahf1 #bci abas1 #eg ,tabrz1 #aj1 #abd1 #abf-h1 #ach1 #adj1 #ade1 #aeb1 #aed1 #aeg-i1 #afg1 #afi1 #bjb1 #bjc1 #bji1 #baa1 #bah1 #bba ah1 ,siyyid1 #afc hir1 ,mrz 7the ,baker71 #bci hir1 ,mull1 #aff hirih 7,qurratu'l-,ayn1 ,letter of the ,living71 #bd-g1 #eh1 #abd1 #afb-ga1 #agf1 #bcj ,talbot1 ,major ,gerald ,f41 #cc ,taq ,khn1 ,mrz 7,amr ,nim1 ,amr-i-,kabr71 #adf1 #adh1 #aeb1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #bjc1 #bjg1 #bji1 #bab ,trkh-i-,jadd 7,new ,history of the ,bb71 #gh1 #abf ,tennyson1 ,alfred1 ,lord1 #acd ihrn1 #bf1 #cf1 ch4 #c1 #fc1 #ff1 #fi1 #ha1 #ij1 #ajb1 #ajd1 #aac1 #aae1 #aai-be passim1 #aca1 #adj1 #ade1 #adg1 #adi1 #aeb1 #aff1 #afg1 #agg1 #agh1 #ahc1 #ahe1 #ahi1 #bje1 #bbb1 #bcc ,tilsit1 #h ,times1 ,the 7,london71 #gg ,titow1 ,m4 de1 #fc ,tobacco ,rgie1 #cc ,toumansky1 ,alexander1 #bag ,traditions1 of ,islm1 #ac1 #ij1 #ih1 #ada ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,a1 #aje1 #aad1 #aah1 #abj1 #aba1 #ada1 #aeb ,tsar1 of ,russia1 #h1 #aj1 #bjf ,tpch 7gunner71 #ha ,turkumanchy1 treaty of1 #i ,turkey1 ,turkish1 #fc1 #ajd1 #abd1 #acb1 #acf1 #baj1 #bai-ba passim2 see also ,ottoman ,twelfth ,imm1 #fe1 #aai ,umm-,salamih1 see hirih ,united ,states1 #bbj1 #bch ,urmyyih 7,ri'yyih71 #aca-e passim1 #ach1 #ade1 #afi ,ul-i7al7-,kf1 #aai ,uls1 #fb1 #fd ,vad 7,siyyid ,yayy-i-,drb71 #gj1 #ij-d1 #ii1 #aja1 #ajc1 #agh-hb1 #bje1 #bae1 #bdj ,vakl1 mosque of 7,shrz71 #id1 #if1 #ii1 #ajc ,v'al-,ar1 ,srih of1 ,commentary on1 #aaj1 #ada ,val-,ahd 7,crown ,prince71 #add2 see also ,niri'd-,dn ,shh ,varq 7martyr-poet71 #ach ,varq1 ,valyu'llh1 #aci ,vazr ,nizm 7,mrz ,hasan ,khn71 #aeb1 #aec1 #bjc ,vicegerent of ,god1 #ba ,victoria1 ,queen1 #bba ,wahab1 ,siyyid 7,seid ,wahab71 #aif al-,wqiah1 ,srih of 7,the ,event71 #afh ,wellesley1 ,marquis of1 #h ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh1 ,the1 #afg ,yay1 j ,shaykh 7,imm-,jumih1 of ,shirz71 #bcc ,yay1 ,mrz 7ub-i-,azal71 #agd1 #bch ,yay ,khn 7warden of ,chihrq71 #ace ,yay ,khn1 of ,tabrz1 #adi ,yayy-i-,drb1 ,siyyid1 see ,vad ,yazd1 #d1 #ajb1 #aaf1 #agh1 #ahd1 #bje1 #bad1 #bae ,yazd1 #ahb ,ynis ,khn-i-,afrkhtih1 ,dr41 #aij ,ysuf1 ,mrz 7the ,mustawfu'l-,mamlik71 #aci ,ysuf-i-,ardibl1 ,mull 7,letter of the ,living71 #bg ,ysuf1 ,srih of1 see ,qayymu'l-,asm' ,zafarn1 ,ibrhm1 #aid lim1 see usayn-i-,arab1 ,shaykh ,zand1 #g1 #afa ,zanjn1 #ajj1 #aja1 #abe1 #aca1 #acd1 #agh1 #ahe-h1 #bji-ac ,zarrn-,tj1 see hirih ,zaynab 7,rustam-,al71 #ahf ,zayni'd-,dn1 ,shaykh1 #a ,zaynu'l-bidn1 q ,mrz 7cousin of the ,bb's father71 #cb ,zaynu'l-bidn ,khn1 #agh-hj illu's-,suln1 see ,ali-,shh and ,masd ,mrz1 ,prince ,suln ,the writer is very grateful to ,farhang ,afnan for his valuable help in compiling the index4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,the following conventions are used in this e-text3 - ,words surrounded by underscores are italicized1 e4g4 text2 - ,words surrounded by square brackets and underscores are underlined1 e4g4 text2 - ,small capitals are presented as all capitals2 ,obvious printer's errors have been repaired1 other inconsistent spellings have been kept1 including inconsistent use of hyphen 7e4g4 above mentioned and above-mentioned71 diacritical marks 7e4g4 ,shiraz and ,shrz71 and proper name 7e4g4 ,zil4i4,sultan and ,zil4e4,sultan74