,illustration3 ,lafayette1 ,manchester4 ,,the ,,rev4 ,t4 ,k4 ,,cheyne1 ,d4 ,,litt1 ,d4 ,d4 ,,the ,,reconciliation ,,of ,,races ,,and ,,religions ,,by ,,thomas ,,kelly ,,cheyne1 ,d4 ,,litt41 ,d4 ,d4 ,,fellow ,,of ,,the ,,british ,,academy1 ,,member ,,of ,,the ,,nava ,,vidhan 7,,lahore71 ,,the ,,bahai ,,community1 ,,etc4 ,,ru,,ani2 ,,priest ,,of ,,the ,,prince ,,of ,,peace ,to my dear wife in whose poems are combined an ardent faith1 an universal charity1 and a simplicity of style which sometimes reminds me of the poet seer ,william ,blake may she accept and enjoy the offering and may a like happiness be my lot when the little volume reaches the hands of the ambassador of peace4 ,,preface ,the primary aim of this work is twofold4 ,it would fain contribute to the cause of universal peace1 and promote the better understanding of the various religions which really are but one religion4 ,the union of religions must necessarily precede the union of races1 which at present is so lamentably incomplete4 ,it appears to me that none of the men or women of good-will is justified in withholding any suggestions which may have occurred to him4 ,for the crisis1 both political and religious1 is alarming4 ,the question being ultimately a religious one1 the author may be pardoned if he devotes most of his space to the most important of its religious aspects4 ,he leaves it open to students of ,christian politics to make known what is the actual state of things1 and how this is to be remedied4 ,he has1 however1 tried to help the reader by reprinting the very noble ,manifesto of the ,society of ,friends1 called forth by the declaration of war against ,germany by ,england on the fourth day of ,august #aiad4 ,in some respects ,i should have preferred a ,manifesto representing the lofty views of the present ,head of another ,society of ,friends--the ,bahai ,fraternity4 ,peace on earth has been the ideal of the ,bbs and ,bahais since the ,bbs time1 and ,professor ,e4 ,g4 ,browne has perpetuated ,baha-'ullah's noble declaration of the imminent setting up of the kingdom of ,god1 based upon universal peace4 ,but there is such a thrilling actuality in the ,manifesto of the ,disciples of ,george ,fox that ,i could not help availing myself of ,mr4 ,isaac ,sharp's kind permission to me to reprint it4 ,it is indeed an opportune setting forth of the eternal riches1 which will commend itself1 now as never before1 to those who can say1 with the ,grandfather in ,tagore's poem1 ',i am a jolly pilgrim to the land of losing everything4' ,the rulers of this world certainly do not cherish this ideal2 but the imminent reconstruction of international relations will have to be founded upon it if we are not to sink back into the gulf of militarism4 ,i have endeavoured to study the various races and religions on their best side1 and not to fetter myself to any individual teacher or party1 for 'out of ,his fulness have all we received4' ,max ,mller was hardly right in advising the ,brahmists to call themselves ,christians1 and it is a pity that we so habitually speak of ,buddhists and ,mohammedans4 ,i venture to remark that the favourite name of the ,bahais among themselves is ',friends4' ,the ordinary name ,bahai comes from the divine name ,baha1 ',glory 7of ,god71' so that ,abdu'l ,baha means ',servant of the ,glory 7of ,god74' ,one remembers the beautiful words of the ,latin collect1 ',cui servire regnare est4' ,abdu'l ,baha 7when in ,oxford7 graciously gave me a 'new name4' ,footnote3 ,ruani 7'spiritual'74 ,evidently he thought that my work was not entirely done1 and would have me be ever looking for help to the ,spirit1 whose 'strength is made perfect in weakness4' ,since then he has written me a ,tablet 7letter71 from which ,i quote the following lines3-- ',o thou1 my spiritual philosopher1 ',thy letter was received4 ,in reality its contents were eloquent1 for it was an evidence of thy literary fairness and of thy investigation of ,reality4444 ,there were many ,doctors amongst the ,jews1 but they were all earthly1 but ,st4 ,paul became heavenly because he could fly upwards4 ,in his own time no one duly recognized him2 nay1 rather1 he spent his days amidst difficulties and contempt4 ,afterwards it became known that he was not an earthly bird1 he was a celestial one2 he was not a natural philosopher1 but a divine philosopher4 ',it is likewise my hope that in the future the ,east and the ,west may become conscious that thou wert a divine philosopher and a herald to the ,kingdom4' ,i have no wish to write my autobiography1 but may mention here that ,i sympathize largely with ,vambry1 a letter from whom to ,abdu'l ,baha will be found farther on2 though ,i should express my own adhesion to the ,bahai leader in more glowing terms4 ,wishing to get nearer to a 'human-catholic' religion ,i have sought the privilege of simultaneous membership of several brotherhoods of ,friends of ,god4 ,it is my wish to show that both these and other homes of spiritual life are1 when studied from the inside1 essentially one1 and that religions necessarily issue in racial and world-wide unity4 ,,ru,,ani4 ,,oxford1 ,august #aiad4 ,,contents ,,preface ,,introduction ,i4 ,,the ,,jewels ,,of ,,the ,,faiths ,,ii4 ,,biographical ,,and ,,historical ,,iii4 ,,biographical ,,and ,,historical 7continued7 ,,iv4 ,,biographical ,,and ,,historical2 ,,ambassador ,,to ,,humanity ,v4 ,a ,,series ,,of ,,illustrative ,,studies ,,bearing ,,on ,,comparative ,,religion ,,bahai ,,bibliography ,,introduction ,,to ,,men ,,and ,,women ,,of ,,goodwill ,,in ,,the ,,british ,,empire ,a ,message 7reprinted by permission7 from the ,religious ,society of ,friends ,we find ourselves to-day in the midst of what may prove to be the fiercest conflict in the history of the human race4 ,whatever may be our view of the processes which have led to its inception1 we have now to face the fact that war is proceeding upon a terrific scale and that our own country is involved in it4 ,we recognize that our ,government has made most strenuous efforts to preserve peace1 and has entered into the war under a grave sense of duty to a smaller ,state1 towards which we had moral and treaty obligations4 ,while1 as a ,society1 we stand firmly to the belief that the method of force is no solution of any question1 we hold that the present moment is not one for criticism1 but for devoted service to our nation4 ,what is to be the attitude of ,christian men and women and of all who believe in the brotherhood of humanity8 ,in the distress and perplexity of this new situation1 many are so stunned as scarcely to be able to discern the path of duty4 ,in the sight of ,god we should seek to get back to first principles1 and to determine on a course of action which shall prove us to be worthy citizens of ,his ,kingdom4 ,in making this effort let us remember those groups of men and women1 in all the other nations concerned1 who will be animated by a similar spirit1 and who believe with us that the fundamental unity of men in the family of ,god is the one enduring reality1 even when we are forced into an apparent denial of it4 ,although it would be premature to make any pronouncement upon many aspects of the situation on which we have no sufficient data for a reliable judgment1 we can1 and do1 call ourselves and you to a consideration of certain principles which may safely be enunciated4 #a4 ,the conditions which have made this catastrophe possible must be regarded by us as essentially unchristian4 ,this war spells the bankruptcy of much that we too lightly call ,christian4 ,no nation1 no ,church1 no individual can be wholly exonerated4 ,we have all participated to some extent in these conditions4 ,we have been content1 or too little discontented1 with them4 ,if we apportion blame1 let us not fail first to blame ourselves1 and to seek the forgiveness of ,almighty ,god4 #b4 ,in the hour of darkest night it is not for us to lose heart4 ,never was there greater need for men of faith4 ,to many will come the temptation to deny ,god1 and to turn away with despair from the ,christianity which seems to be identified with bloodshed on so gigantic a scale4 ,christ is crucified afresh to-day4 ,if some forsake ,him and flee1 let it be more clear that there are others who take their stand with ,him1 come what may4 #c4 ,this we may do by continuing to show the spirit of love to all4 ,for those whose conscience forbids them to take up arms there are other ways of serving1 and definite plans are already being made to enable them to take their full share in helping their country at this crisis4 ,in pity and helpfulness towards the suffering and stricken in our own country we shall all share4 ,if we stop at this1 'what do we more than others8' ,our ,master bids us pray for and love our enemies4 ,may we be saved from forgetting that they too are the children of our ,father4 ,may we think of them with love and pity4 ,may we banish thoughts of bitterness1 harsh judgments1 the revengeful spirit4 ,to do this is in no sense unpatriotic4 ,we may find ourselves the subjects of misunderstanding4 ,but our duty is clear--to be courageous in the cause of love and in the hate of hate4 ,may we prepare ourselves even now for the day when once more we shall stand shoulder to shoulder with those with whom we are now at war1 in seeking to bring in the ,kingdom of ,god4 #d4 ,it is not too soon to begin to think out the new situation which will arise at the close of the war4 ,we are being compelled to face the fact that the human race has been guilty of a gigantic folly4 ,we have built up a culture1 a civilization1 and even a religious life1 surpassing in many respects that of any previous age1 and we have been content to rest it all upon a foundation of sand4 ,such a state of society cannot endure so long as the last word in human affairs is brute force4 ,sooner or later it was bound to crumble4 ,at the close of this war we shall be faced with a stupendous task of reconstruction4 ,in some ways it will be rendered supremely difficult by the legacy of ill-will1 by the destruction of human life1 by the tax upon all in meeting the barest wants of the millions who will have suffered through the war4 ,but in other ways it will be easier4 ,we shall be able to make a new start1 and to make it all together4 ,from this point of view we may even see a ground of comfort in the fact that our own nation is involved4 ,no country will be in a position which will compel others to struggle again to achieve the inflated standard of military power existing before the war4 ,we shall have an opportunity of reconstructing ,european culture upon the only possible permanent foundation--mutual trust and good-will4 ,such a reconstruction would not only secure the future of ,european civilization1 but would save the world from the threatened catastrophe of seeing the great nations of the ,east building their new social order also upon the sand1 and thus turning the thought and wealth needed for their education and development into that which could only be a fetter to themselves and a menace to the ,west4 ,is it too much to hope for that we shall1 when the time comes1 be able as brethren together to lay down far-reaching principles for the future of mankind such as will ensure us for ever against a repetition of this gigantic folly8 ,if this is to be accomplished it will need the united and persistent pressure of all who believe in such a future for mankind4 ,there will still be multitudes who can see no good in the culture of other nations1 and who are unable to believe in any genuine brotherhood among those of different races4 ,already those who think otherwise must begin to think and plan for such a future if the supreme opportunity of the final peace is not to be lost1 and if we are to be saved from being again sucked down into the whirlpool of military aggrandizement and rivalry4 ,in time of peace all the nations have been preparing for war4 ,in the time of war let all men of good-will prepare for peace4 ,the ,christian conscience must be awakened to the magnitude of the issues4 ,the great friendly democracies in each country must be ready to make their influence felt4 ,now is the time to speak of this thing1 to work for it1 to pray for it4 #e4 ,if this is to happen1 it seems to us of vital importance that the war should not be carried on in any vindictive spirit1 and that it should be brought to a close at the earliest possible moment4 ,we should have it clearly before our minds from the beginning that we are not going into it in order to crush and humiliate any nation4 ,the conduct of negotiations has taught us the necessity of prompt action in international affairs4 ,should the opportunity offer1 we1 in this nation1 should be ready to act with promptitude in demanding that the terms suggested are of a kind which it will be possible for all parties to accept1 and that the negotiations be entered upon in the right spirit4 #f4 ,we believe in ,god4 ,human free will gives us power to hinder the fulfilment of ,his loving purposes4 ,it also means that we may actively co-operate with ,him4 ,if it is given to us to see something of a glorious possible future1 after all the desolation and sorrow that lie before us1 let us be sure that sight has been given us by ,him4 ,no day should close without our putting up our prayer to ,him that ,he will lead ,his family into a new and better day4 ,at a time when so severe a blow is being struck at the great causes of moral1 social1 and religious reform for which so many have struggled1 we need to look with expectation and confidence to ,him1 whose cause they are1 and find a fresh inspiration in the certainty of ,his victory4 ,august #g1 #aiad4 ',in time of war let all men of good-will prepare for peace4' ,german1 ,french1 and ,english scholars and investigators have done much to show that the search for truth is one of the most powerful links between the different races and nations4 ,it is absurd to speak--as many ,germans do habitually speak--of 'deutsche ,wissenschaft1' as if the glorious tree of scientific and historical knowledge were a purely ,german production4 ,many wars like that which closed at ,sedan and that which is still1 most unhappily1 in progress will soon drive lovers of science and culture to the peaceful regions of ,north ,america6 ,the active pursuit of truth is1 therefore1 one of those things which make for peace4 ,but can we say this of moral and religious truth8 ,in this domain are we not compelled to be partisans and particularists8 ,and has not liberal criticism shown that the religious traditions of all races and nations are to be relegated to the least cultured classes8 ,that is the question to the treatment of which ,i 7as a ,christian student7 offer some contributions in the present volume4 ,but ,i would first of all express my hearty sympathy with the friends of ,god in the noble ,russian ,church1 which has appointed the following prayer among others for use at the present crisis3 ,footnote3 ,church ,times1 ,sept4 #d1 #aiad4 ',deacon4 ,stretch forth ,thine hand1 ,o ,lord1 from on high1 and touch the hearts of our enemies1 that they may turn unto ,thee1 the ,god of peace ,who lovest ,thy creatures3 and for ,thy ,name's sake strengthen us who put our trust in ,thee by ,thy might1 we beseech ,thee4 ,hear us and have mercy4' ,certainly it is hardness of heart which strikes us most painfully in our 7we hope7 temporary enemies4 ,the only excuse is that in the ,book which ,christian nations agree to consider as in some sense and degree religiously authoritative1 the establishment of the rule of the ,most ,high is represented as coincident with extreme severities1 or--as we might well say--cruelties4 ,i do not1 however1 think that the excuse1 if offered1 would be valid4 ,the ,gospels must overbear any inconsistent statement of the ,old ,testament4 ,but the greatest utterances of human morality are to be found in the ,buddhist ,scriptures1 and it is a shame to the ,european peoples that the ,buddhist ,indian king ,asoka should be more ,christian than the leaders of ',german culture4' ,i for my part love the old ,germany far better than the new1 and its high ideals would ,i hand on1 filling up its omissions and correcting its errors4 ',o house of ,israel1 come ye1 let us walk in the light of the ,lord4' ,thou art 'the ,god of peace ,who lovest ,thy creatures4' ,,part ,i ,,the ,,jewels ,,of ,,the ,,faiths ,a ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,chief ,,religions ,,on ,,their ,,best ,,side ,,with ,a ,,view ,,to ,,their ,,expansion ,,and ,,enrichment ,,and ,,to ,,an ,,ultimate ,,synthesis ,,and ,,to ,,the ,,final ,,union ,,of ,,races ,,and ,,nations ,,on ,a ,,spiritual ,,basis ,the crisis in the ,christian ,church is now so acute that we may well seek for some mode of escape from its pressure4 ,the ,old ,broad ,church position is no longer adequate to ,english circumstances1 and there is not yet in existence a thoroughly satisfactory new and original position for a ,broad ,church student to occupy4 ,shall we1 then1 desert the old historic ,church in which we were christened and educated8 ,it would certainly be a loss1 and not only to ourselves4 ,or shall we wait with drooping head to be driven out of the ,church8 ,such a cowardly solution may be at once dismissed4 ,happily we have in the ,anglican ,church virtually no excommunication4 ,our only course as students is to go forward1 and endeavour to expand our too narrow ,church boundaries4 ,modernists we are2 modernists we will remain2 let our only object be to be worthy of this noble name4 ,but we cannot be surprised that our ,church rulers are perplexed4 ,for consider the embarrassing state of critical investigation4 ,critical study of the ,gospels has shown that very little of the traditional material can be regarded as historical2 it is even very uncertain whether the ,galilean prophet really paid the supreme penalty as a supposed enemy of ,rome on the shameful cross4 ,even apart from the problem referred to1 it is more than doubtful whether critics have left us enough stones standing in the life of ,jesus to serve as the basis of a christology or doctrine of the divine ,redeemer4 ,and yet one feels that a theology without a theophany is both dry and difficult to defend4 ,we want an avatr1 i4e4 a 'descent' of ,god in human form2 indeed1 we seem to need several such 'descents1' appropriate to the changing circumstances of the ages4 ,did not the author of the ,fourth ,gospel recognize this8 ,certainly his portrait of ,jesus is so widely different from that of the ,synoptists that a genuine reconciliation seems impossible4 ,i would not infer from this that the ,jesus of the ,fourth ,gospel belonged to a different age from the ,jesus of the ,synoptists1 but ,i would venture to say that the ,fourth ,evangelist would be easier to defend if he held this theory4 ,the ,johannine ,jesus ought to have belonged to a different aeon4 ,,another ,,image ,,of ,,god ,well1 then1 it is reasonable to turn for guidance and help to the ,east4 ,there was living quite lately a human being of such consummate excellence that many think it is both permissible and inevitable even to identify him mystically with the invisible ,godhead4 ,let us admit1 such persons say1 that ,jesus was the very image of ,god4 ,but he lived for his own age and his own people2 the ,jesus of the critics has but little to say1 and no redemptive virtue issues from him to us4 ,but the ',blessed ,perfection1' as ,baha'ullah used to be called1 lives for our age1 and offers his spiritual feast to men of all peoples4 ,his story1 too1 is liable to no diminution at the hands of the critics1 simply because the facts of his life are certain4 ,he has now passed from sight1 but he is still in the ideal world1 a true image of ,god and a true lover of man1 and helps forward the reform of all those manifold abuses which hinder the firm establishment of the kingdom of ,god4 ,i shall return to this presently4 ,meanwhile1 suffice it to say that though ,i entertain the highest reverence and love for ,baha'ullah's son1 ,abdul ,baha1 whom ,i regard as a ,mahatma--'a great-souled one'--and look up to as one of the highest examples in the spiritual firmament1 ,i hold no brief for the ,bahai community1 and can be as impartial in dealing with facts relating to the ,bahais as with facts which happen to concern my own beloved mother-church1 the ,church of ,england4 ,i shall first of all ask1 how it came to pass that so many of us are now seeking help and guidance from the ,east1 some from ,india1 some from ,persia1 some 7which is my own case7 from ,india and from ,persia4 ,,baha',,ullah',s ,,precursors1 e4g4 ,,the ,b,b1 ,,ufism1 ,,and ,,sheykh ,a,,mad ,so far as ,persia is concerned1 the reason is that its religious experience has been no less varied than ancient4 ,zoroaster1 ,manes1 ,christ1 ,muammad1 ,dh'u-,nun 7the introducer of ufism71 ,sheykh ,amad 7the forerunner of ,babism71 the ,bb himself and ,baha'ullah 7the two ,manifestations71 have all left an ineffaceable mark on the national life4 ,the ,bb1 it is true1 again and again expresses his repugnance to the 'lies' of the ufis1 and the ,bbs are not behind him2 but there are traces enough of the influence of ufism on the new ,prophet and his followers4 ,the passion for martyrdom seems of itself to presuppose a tincture of ufism1 for it is the most extreme form of the passion for ,god1 and to love ,god fervently but steadily in preference to all the pleasures of the phenomenal world1 is characteristically ufite4 ,what is it1 then1 in ufism that excites the ,bb's indignation8 ,it is not the doctrine of the soul's oneness with ,god as the ,one ,absolute ,being1 and the reality of the soul's ecstatic communion with ,him4 ,several passages are quoted by ,mons4 ,nicolas ,footnote3 ,beyan arabe1 pp4 #c-ah4 on the attitude of the ,bb towards ufism2 suffice it here to quote one of them4 ',others 7i4e4 those who claim1 as being identified with ,god1 to possess absolute truth7 are known by the name of ufis1 and believe themselves to possess the internal sense of the ,shari'at ,footnote3 ,the orthodox ,law of ,islam1 which many ,muslims seek to allegorize4 when they are in ignorance alike of its apparent and of its inward meaning1 and have fallen far1 very far from it6 ,one may perhaps say of them that those people who have no understanding have chosen the route which is entirely of darkness and of doubt4' ,ignorance1 then1 is1 according to the ,bb1 the great fault of the ufis ,footnote3 ,yet the title ufi connotes knowledge4 ,it means probably 'one who 7like the ,buddha on his statues7 has a heavenly eye4' ,prajnparamit 7,divine ,wisdom7 has the same third eye 7,havell1 ,indian ,sculpture and ,painting1 illustr4 ,,xlv474 whom he censures1 and we may gather that that ignorance was thought to be especially shown in a crude pantheism and a doctrine of incarnation which1 according to the ,bb1 amounts to sheer polytheism4 ,footnote #d3 ,the technical term is 'association4' ,god in ,himself1 says the ,bb1 cannot be known1 though a reflected image of ,him is attainable by taking heed to ,his manifestations or perfect portraitures4 ,some variety of ufism1 however1 sweetly and strongly permeates the teaching of the ,bb4 ,it is a ufism which consists1 not in affiliation to any ufi order1 but in the knowledge and love of the ,source of the ,eternal ,ideals4 ,through detachment from this perishable world and earnest seeking for the ,eternal1 a glimpse of the unseen ,reality can be attained4 ,the form of this only true knowledge is subject to change2 fresh 'mirrors' or 'portraits' are provided at the end of each recurring cosmic cycle or aeon4 ,but the substance is unchanged and unchangeable4 ,as ,prof4 ,browne remarks1 'the prophet of a cycle is naught but a reflexion of the ,primal ,will1--the same sun with a new horizon4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #cce4 ,,the ,b,b ,such a prophet was the ,bb2 we call him 'prophet' for want of a better name2 'yea1 ,i say unto you1 a prophet and more than a prophet4' ,his combination of mildness and power is so rare that we have to place him in a line with super-normal men4 ,but he was also a great mystic and an eminent theosophic speculator4 ,we learn that1 at great points in his career1 after he had been in an ecstasy1 such radiance of might and majesty streamed from his countenance that none could bear to look upon the effulgence of his glory and beauty4 ,nor was it an uncommon occurrence for unbelievers involuntarily to bow down in lowly obeisance on beholding ,his ,holiness2 while the inmates of the castle1 though for the most part ,christians and ,sunnis1 reverently prostrated themselves whenever they saw the visage of ,his ,holiness4 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 pp4 #bda1 #bdb4 ,such transfiguration is well known to the saints4 ,it was regarded as the affixing of the heavenly seal to the reality and completeness of ,bb's detachment4 ,and from the ,master we learn ,footnote3 ,mirza ,jani 7,,nh1 p4 #bdb74 that it passed to his disciples in proportion to the degree of their renunciation4 ,but these experiences were surely characteristic1 not only of ,bbism1 but of ufism4 ,ecstatic joy is the dominant note of ufism1 a joy which was of other-worldly origin1 and compatible with the deepest tranquillity1 and by which we are made like to the ,ever-rejoicing ,one4 ,the mystic poet ,far'idu'd-din writes thus1-- ,joy6 joy6 ,i triumph now2 no more ,i know ,myself as simply me4 ,i burn with love4 ,the centre is within me1 and its wonder ,lies as a circle everywhere about me4 a ,footnote a3 ,hughes1 ,dict4 of ,islam1 p4 #fah b4 ,and of another celebrated ufi ,sheykh 7,ibnu'l ,far'id7 his son writes as follows3 ',when moved to ecstasy by listening to devotional recitations and chants his face would increase in beauty and radiance1 while the perspiration dripped from all his body until it ran under his feet into the ground4' ,footnote3 ,browne1 ,literary ,history of ,persia1 ii4 #ejc4 ,,effect ,,of ,,ufism ufism1 however1 which in the outset was a spiritual pantheism1 combined with quietism1 developed in a way that was by no means so satisfactory4 ,the saintly mystic poet ,abu ,sa'id had defined it thus3 ',to lay aside what thou hast in thy head 7desires and ambitions71 and to give away what thou hast in thy hand1 and not to flinch from whatever befalls thee4' ,footnote3 ,ibid4 ii4 #bjh4 ,this is1 of course1 not intended as a complete description1 but shows that the spirit of the earlier ufism was profoundly ethical4 ,count ,gobineau1 however1 assures us that the ufism which he knew was both enervating and immoral4 ,certainly the later ufi poets were inclined to overpress symbolism1 and the luscious sweetness of the poetry may have been unwholesome for some--both for poets and for readers4 ,still ,i question whether1 for properly trained readers1 this evil result should follow4 ,the doctrine of the impermanence of all that is not ,god and that love between two human hearts is but a type of the love between ,god and ,his human creatures1 and that the supreme happiness is that of identification with ,god1 has never been more alluringly expressed than by the ufi poets4 ,the ufis1 then1 are true forerunners of the ,bb and his successors4 ,there are also two men1 ,muslims but no ufis1 who have a claim to the same title4 ,but ,i must first of all do honour to an ,indian ufi4 ,,inayat ,,khan ,the message of this noble company has been lately brought to the ,west4 ,footnote3 ,message ,soufi de la ,libert ,spirituelle 7,paris1 #aiac74 ,the bearer1 who is in the fulness of youthful strength1 is ,inayat ,khan1 a member of the ufi ,order1 a practised speaker1 and also devoted to the traditional sacred music of ,india4 ,his own teacher on his death-bed gave him this affecting charge3 ',goest thou abroad into the world1 harmonize the ,east and the ,west with thy music2 spread the knowledge of ufism1 for thou art gifted by ,allah1 the ,most ,merciful and ,compassionate4' ,so1 then1 ,vivekananda1 ,abdu'l ,baha1 and ,inayat ,khan1 not to mention here several ,buddhist monks1 are all missionaries of ,eastern religious culture to ,western1 and two of these specially represent ,persia4 ,we cannot do otherwise than thank ,god for the concordant voice of ,bahaite and ufite4 ,both announce the ,evangel of the essential oneness of humanity which will one day--and sooner than non-religious politicians expect--be translated into fact1 and1 as the first step towards this 'desire of all nations1' they embrace every opportunity of teaching the essential unity of religions3 ,pagodas1 just as mosques1 are homes of prayer1 ',tis prayer that church-bells chime unto the air2 ,yea1 ,church and ,ka'ba1 ,rosary and ,cross1 ,are all but divers tongues of world-wide prayer4 a ,footnote a3 ,whinfield's translation of the quatrains of ,omar ,khayym1 ,no4 #bb 7#cd74 ,so writes a poet 7,omar ,khayym7 whom ,inayat ,khan claims as a ufi1 and who at any rate seems to have had ufi intervals4 ,unmixed spiritual prayer may indeed be uncommon1 but we may hope that prayer with no spiritual elements at all is still more rare4 ,it is the object of prophets to awaken the consciousness of the people to its spiritual needs4 ,of this class of men ,inayat ,khan speaks thus1-- ',the prophetic mission was to bring into the world the ,divine ,wisdom1 to apportion it to the world according to that world's comprehension1 to adapt it to its degree of mental evolution as well as to dissimilar countries and periods4 ,it is by this adaptability that the many religions which have emanated from the same moral principle differ the one from the other1 and it is by this that they exist4 ,in fact1 each prophet had for his mission to prepare the world for the teaching of the prophet who was to succeed him1 and each of them foretold the coming of his successor down to ,mahomet1 the last messenger of the divine ,wisdom1 and as it were the look-out point in which all the prophetic cycle was centred4 ,for ,mahomet resumed the divine ,wisdom in this proclamation1 ,nothing exists1 ,god alone is1--the final message whither the whole line of the prophets tended1 and where the boundaries of religions and philosophies took their start4 ,with this message prophetic interventions are henceforth useless4 ',the ufi has no prejudice against any prophet1 and1 contrary to those who only love one to hate the other1 the ufi regards them all as the highest attribute of ,god1 as ,wisdom herself1 present under the appearance of names and forms4 ,he loves them with all his worship1 for the lover worships the ,beloved in all ,her garments4444 ,it is thus that the ufis contemplate their ,well-beloved1 ,divine ,wisdom1 in all her robes1 in her different ages1 and under all the names that she bears1--,abraham1 ,moses1 ,jesus1 ,mahomet4' ,footnote3 ,message ,soufi de la ,libert 7,paris1 #aiac71 pp4 #cd1 #ce4 ,the idea of the equality of the members of the world-wide prophethood1 the whole body of prophets being the unique personality of ,divine ,wisdom1 is1 in my judgment1 far superior to the corresponding theory of the exclusive ,muammadan orthodoxy4 ,that theory is that each prophet represents an advance on his predecessor1 whom he therefore supersedes4 ,now1 that ,muammad as a prophet was well adapted to the ,arabians1 ,i should be most unwilling to deny4 ,i am also heartily of opinion that a ,christian may well strengthen his own faith by the example of the fervour of many of the ,muslims4 ,but to say that the ur'an is superior to either the ,old ,testament or the ,new is1 surely1 an error1 only excusable on the ground of ignorance4 ,it is true1 neither of ,judaism nor of ,christianity were the representatives in ,muammad's time such as we should have desired2 ignorance on ,muammad's part was unavoidable4 ,but unavoidable also was the anti-,islamic reaction1 as represented especially by the ,order of the ufis4 ,one may hope that both action and reaction may one day become unnecessary4 ,that will depend largely on the ,bahais4 ,it is time1 however1 to pass on to those precursors of ,bbism who were neither ufites nor ,zoroastrians1 but who none the less continued the line of the national religious development4 ,the majority of ,persians were ,shi'ites2 they regarded ,ali and the ',imms' as virtually divine manifestations4 ,this at least was their point of union2 otherwise they fell into two great divisions1 known as the ',sect of the ,seven' and the ',sect of the ,twelve' respectively4 ,mirza ,ali ,muammad belonged by birth to the latter1 which now forms the ,state-religion of ,persia1 but there are several points in his doctrine which he held in common with the former 7i4e4 the ,ishma'ilis74 ,these are--'the successive incarnations of the ,universal ,reason1 the allegorical interpretation of ,scripture1 and the symbolism of every ritual form and every natural phenomenon4 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 introd4 p4 xiii4 ,the doctrine of the impermanence of all that is not ,god1 and that love between two human hearts is but a type of the love between ,god and his human creatures1 and the bliss of self-annihilation1 had long been inculcated in the most winning manner by the ufis4 ,,sheykh ,a,,mad ,yet they were no ufis1 but precursors of ,bbism in a more thorough and special sense1 and both were ,muslims4 ,the first was ,sheykh ,amad of ,asa1 in the province of ,barein4 ,he knew full well that he was chosen of ,god to prepare men's hearts for the reception of the more complete truth shortly to be revealed1 and that through him the way of access to the hidden twelfth ,imm ,mahdi was reopened4 ,but he did not set this forth in clear and unmistakable terms1 lest 'the unregenerate' should turn again and rend him4 ,according to a ,shi'ite authority he paid two visits to ,persia1 in one of which he was in high favour with the ,court1 and received as a yearly subsidy from the ,shah's son the sum of #gjj tumans1 and in the other1 owing chiefly to a malicious colleague1 his theological doctrines brought him into much disrepute4 ,yet he lived as a pious ,muslim1 and died in the odour of sanctity1 as a pilgrim to ,mecca4 ,footnote3 ,see ,,amb 7,nicolas71 pp4 #bfd-bgb2 ,,nh1 pp4 #bce1 #bcf4 ,one of his opponents 7,mull ',ali7 said of him that he was 'an ignorant man with a pure heart4' ,well1 ignorant we dare not call him1 except with a big qualification1 for his aim required great knowledge2 it was nothing less than the reconciliation of all truth1 both metaphysical and scientific4 ,now he had certainly taken much trouble about truth1 and had written many books on philosophy and the sciences as understood in ,islamic countries4 ,we can only qualify our eulogy by admitting that he was unaware of the limitations of human nature1 and of the weakness of ,persian science4 ,pure in heart1 however1 he was2 no qualification is needed here1 except it be one which ,mull ',ali would not have regarded as requiring any excuse4 ,for purity he 7like many others7 understood in a large sense4 ,it was the reward of courageous 'buffeting' and enslaving of the body2 he was an austere ascetic4 ,he had a special devotion to ,ja'far-i-adi1 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #big4 the sixth ,imm1 whose guidance he believed himself to enjoy in dreams1 and whose words he delighted to quote4 ,of course1 ',ali was the director of the council of the ,imms1 but the councillors were not much less1 and were equally faithful as mirrors of the ,supreme4 ,this remains true1 even if ',ali be regarded as himself the ,supreme ,god ,footnote3 ,the ,sheykh certainly tended in the direction of the sect of the ',ali-,ilabis 7,,nh1 p4 #adb2 ,kremer1 ,herrschende ,ideen des ,islams1 p4 #ca71 who belonged to the ghulat or extreme ,shi'ites 7,browne1 ,lit4 ,hist4 of ,persia1 p4 #caj74 identical with ,allah or with the ,ormazd 7,ahura-,mazda7 of the ,zoroastrians4 ,for the twelve ,imms were all of the rank of divinities4 ,not that they were 'partners' with ,god2 they were simply manifestations of the ,invisible ,god4 ,but they were utterly veracious ,manifestations2 in speaking of ,allah 7as the ,sheykh taught7 wer may venture to intend ',ali4 ,footnote3 ,the ,sheykh held that in reciting the opening sura of the ur'an the worshipper should think of ',ali1 should intend ',ali1 as his ,god4 ,this explains how the ,sheykh can have taught that the ,imms took part in creation and are agents in the government of the world4 ,in support of this he quoted ur'an1 ,sur4 xxiii4 #ad1 ',god the best of ,creators1' and1 had he been a broader and more scientific theologian1 might have mentioned how the ,amshaspands 7,ameshaspentas7 are grouped with ,ormazd in the creation-story of ,zoroastrianism1 and how1 in that of ,gen4 i41 the ,director of the ,heavenly ,council says1 ',let us make man4' ,footnote3 ,genesis i4 #bb4 ,the ,sheykh also believed strongly in the existence of a subtle body which survives the dissolution of the palpable1 material body1 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #bcf4 and will alone be visible at the ,resurrection4 ,nothing almost gave more offence than this2 it seemed to be only a few degrees better than the absolute denial of the resurrection-body ventured upon by the ,akhbaris4 ,footnote3 ,gobineau1 pp4 #ci1 #dj4 ,and yet the notion of a subtle1 internal body1 a notion which is ,indian as well as ,persian1 has been felt even by many ,westerns to be for them the only way to reconcile reason and faith4 ,,seyyid ,,ka,,im--,,islam--,,parsiism--,,buddhis m ,on ,amad's death the unanimous choice of the members of the school fell on ,seyyid 7,sayyid7 ,kaim of ,resht1 who had been already nominated by the ,sheykh4 ,he pursued the same course as his predecessor1 and attracted many inquirers and disciples4 ,among the latter was the lady ,kurratu'l ',ayn1 born in a town where the ,sheykhi sect was strong1 and of a family accustomed to religious controversy4 ,he was not fifty when he died1 but his career was a distinguished one4 ,himself a ,gate1 he discerned the successor by whom he was to be overshadowed1 and he was the teacher of the famous lady referred to4 ,to what extent ',ali ,muammad 7the subsequent ,bb7 was instructed by him is uncertain4 ,it was long enough no doubt to make him a ,sheykhite and to justify ',ali ,muammad in his own eyes for raising ,sheykh ,amad and the ,seyyid ,kaim to the dignity of ,bb4 ,footnote3 ,,amb1 pp4 #ia1 #ie2 cp4 ,,nh1 p4 #cdb4 ,there seems to be conclusive evidence that ,seyyid ,kaim adverted often near the close of life to the divine ,manifestation which he believed to be at hand4 ,he was fond of saying1 ',i see him as the rising sun4' ,he was also wont to declare that the ',proof' would be a youth of the race of ,hashim1 i4e4 a kinsman of ,muammad1 untaught in the learning of men4 ,of a dream which he heard from an ,arab 7when in ,turkish ,arabia71 he said1 ',this dream signifies that my departure from the world is near at hand'2 and when his friends wept at this1 he remonstrated with them1 saying1 ',why are ye troubled in mind8 ,desire ye not that ,i should depart1 and that the truth in person should appear8' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #ca4 ,i leave it an open question whether ,seyyid ,kaim had actually fixed on the person who was to be his successor1 and to reflect the ,supreme ,wisdom far more brilliantly than himself4 ,but there is no reason to doubt that he regarded his own life and labours as transitional1 and it is possible that by the rising sun of which he loved to speak he meant that strange youth of ,shiraz who had been an irregular attendant at his lectures4 ,very different1 it is true1 is the ,muammadan legend4 ,it states that ',ali ,muammad was present at ,karbala from the death of the ,master1 that he came to an understanding with members of the school1 and that after starting certain miracle-stories1 all of them proceeded to ,mecca1 to fulfil the predictions which connected the ,prophet-,messiah with that ,holy ,city1 where1 with bared sabre1 he would summon the peoples to the true ,god4 ,this will1 ,i hope1 suffice to convince the reader that both the ufi ,order and the ,sheykhite ,sect were true forerunners of ,bbism and ,bahaism4 ,he will also readily admit that1 for the ufis especially1 the connexion with a church of so weak a historic sense was most unfortunate4 ,it would be the best for all parties if ,muslims both within and without the ufi ,order accepted a second home in a church 7that of ,abha7 whose historical credentials are unexceptionable1 retaining membership of the old home1 so as to be able to reform from within1 but superadding membership of the new4 ,whether this is possible on a large scale1 the future must determine4 ,it will not be possible if those who combine the old home with a new one become themselves thereby liable to persecution4 ,it will not even be desirable unless the new-comers bring with them doctrinal 7,i do not say dogmatic7 contributions to the common stock of ,bahai truths--contributions of those things for which alone in their hearts the immigrant ,muslim brothers infinitely care4 ,it will be asked1 ,what are1 to a ,muslim1 and especially to a ,shi'ite ,muslim1 infinitely precious things8 ,i will try to answer this question4 ,first of all1 in time of trouble1 the ,muslim certainly values as a 'pearl of great price' the ,mercifulness and ,compassion of ,god4 ,those who believingly read the ur'an or recite the opening prayer1 and above all1 those who pass through deep waters1 cannot do otherwise4 ,no doubt the strict justice of ,god1 corresponding to and limited by ,his compassion1 is also a true jewel4 ,we may admit that the judicial severity of ,allah has received rather too much stress2 still there must be occasions on which1 from earthly caricatures of justice pious ,muslims flee for refuge in their thoughts to the ,one ,just ,judge4 ,indeed1 the great final ,judgment is1 to a good ,muslim1 a much stronger incentive to holiness than the sensuous descriptions of ,paradise1 which indeed he will probably interpret symbolically4 ,the true ,muslim will be charitable even to the lower animals4 ,footnote3 ,nicholson1 ,the ,mystics of ,islam1 p4 #ajh4 ,neither poor-law nor ,society for the ,protection of ,animals is required in ,muslim countries4 ,how soon organizations arose for the care of the sick1 and1 in war-time1 of the wounded1 it would be difficult to say2 for ,buddhists and ,hindus were of course earlier in the field than ,muslims1 inheriting as they did an older moral culture4 ,in the ,muslim world1 however1 the twelfth century saw the rise of the ,kadirite ,order1 with its philanthropic procedure4 ,footnote3 ,d4 ,s4 ,margoliouth1 ,mohammedanism1 pp4 #baa-bab4 ,into the ideal of man1 as conceived by our ,muslim brothers1 there must therefore enter the feature of mercifulness4 ,we cannot help sympathizing with this1 even though we think ,abdul ,baha's ideal richer and nobler than any as yet conceived by any ,muslim saint4 ,there is also the idea--the realized idea--of brotherhood1 a brotherhood which is simply an extension of the equality of ,arabian tribesmen4 ,there is no caste in ,islam2 each believer stands in the same relation to the ,divine ,sovereign4 ,there may be poor1 but it is the rich man's merit to relieve them4 ,there may be slaves1 but slaves and masters are religiously one1 and though there are exceptions to the general kindliness of masters and mistresses1 it is in ,east ,africa that these lamentable inconsistencies are mostly found4 ,the ,muslim brothers who may join the ,bahais will not find it hard to shake off their moral weaknesses1 and own themselves brothers of their servants4 ,are we not all 7they will say7 sons of ,adam8 ,lastly1 there is the character of ,muammad4 ,perfect he was not1 but ,baha'ullah was hardly quite fair to ,muammad when 7if we may trust a tradition7 he referred to the ,arabian prophet as a camel-driver4 ,it is a most inadequate description4 ,he had a 'rare beauty and sweetness of nature' to which he joined a 'social and political genius' and 'towering manhood4' ,footnote3 ,sister ,nivedita1 ,the ,web of ,indian ,life1 pp4 #bdb1 #bdc4 ,these are the chief contributions which ,muslim friends and lovers will be able to make2 these1 the beliefs which we shall hold more firmly through our brothers' faith4 ,will ,muslims accept as well as proffer gifts8 ,speaking of a ,southern ,morocco ,christian mission1 ,s4 ,l4 ,bensusan admits that it does not make ,christians out of ,moors1 but claims that it 'teaches the ,moors to live finer lives within the limits of their own faith4' ,footnote3 ,morocco 7,a4 ,c4 ,black71 p4 #afd4 ,i should like to say something here about the sweetness of ,muammad4 ,it appears not only in his love for his first wife and benefactress1 ,khadijah1 but in his affection for his daughter1 ,fatima4 ,this affection has passed over to the ,muslims1 who call her very beautifully 'the ,salutation of all ,muslims4' ,the ,bbis affirm that ,fatima returned to life in their own great heroine4 ,there is yet another form of religion that ,i must not neglect--the ,zoroastrian or ,parsi faith4 ,far as this faith may have travelled from its original spirituality1 it still preserved in the ,bb's time some elements of truth which were bound to become a beneficial leaven4 ,this high and holy faith 7as represented in the ,gathas7 was still the religion of the splendour or glory of ,god1 still the champion of the ,good ,principle against the ,evil4 ,as if to show his respectful sympathy for an ancient and persecuted religion the ,bb borrowed some minor points of detail from his ,parsi neighbours4 ,not on these1 however1 would ,i venture to lay any great stress1 but rather on the doctrines and beliefs in which a ,parsi connexion may plausibly be held4 ,for instance1 how can we help tracing a parallel between ',ali and the ,imams on the one hand and ,ahura-,mazda 7,ormazd7 and his council of ,amshaspands 7,amesha-spentas7 on the other8 ,the founders of both religions conceived it to be implied in the doctrine of the ,divine ,omnipresence that ,god should be represented in every place by ,his celestial councillors1 who would counteract the machinations of the ,evil ,ones4 ,for ,evil ,ones there are2 so at least ,islam holds4 ,their efforts are foredoomed to failure1 because their kingdom has no unity or cohesion4 ,but strange mystic potencies they have1 as all pious ,muslims think1 and we must remember that ',ali ,muammad 7the ,bb7 was bred up in the faith of ,islam4 ,well1 then1 we can now proceed further and say that our ,parsi friends can offer us gifts worth the having4 ,when they rise in the morning they know that they have a great warfare to wage1 and that they are not alone1 but have heavenly helpers4 ,this form of representation is not indeed the only one1 but who shall say that we can dispense with it8 ,even if evil be but the shadow of good1 a ,maya1 an appearance1 yet must we not act as if it had a real existence1 and combat it with all our might8 ,may we also venture to include ,buddhism among the religions which may directly or indirectly have prepared the way for ,bahaism8 ,we may2 the evidence is as follows4 ,manes1 or ,mani1 the founder of the widely-spread sect of the ,manichaeans1 who lived in the third century of our era1 writes thus in the opening of one of his books1-- ,footnote3 ,literary ,history of ,persia1 i4 #ajc4 ',wisdom and deeds have always from time to time been brought to mankind by the messengers of ,god4 ,so in one age they have been brought by the messenger of ,god called ,buddha to ,india1 in another by ,zoroaster to ,persia1 in another by ,jesus to the ,west4 ,thereafter this revelation has come down1 this prophecy in this last age1 through me1 ,mani1 the ,messenger of the ,god of ,truth to ,babylonia' 7',irak74 ,this is valid evidence for at least the period before that of ,mani4 ,we have also adequate proofs of the continued existence of ,buddhism in ,persia in the eleventh1 twelfth1 and thirteenth centuries2 indeed1 we may even assert this for ,bactria and ,e4 ,persia with reference to nearly #ajjj years before the ,muammadan conquest4 ,footnote3 ,r4 ,a4 ,nicholson1 ,the ,mystics1 p4 #ah4 ,cp4 ,e4 ,g4 ,browne1 ,lit4 ,hist4 of ,persia1 ii4 #ddj ff4 ,buddhism1 then1 battled for leave to do the world good in its own way1 though the intolerance of ,islam too soon effaced its footprints4 ,there is still some chance1 however1 that ufism may be a record of its activity2 in fact1 this great religious upgrowth may be of ,indian rather than of ,neoplatonic origin1 so that the only question is whether ufism developed out of the ,vedanta or out of the religious philosophy of ,buddhism4 ,that1 however1 is too complex a question to be discussed here4 ,all honour to ,buddhism for its noble effort4 ,in some undiscoverable way ,buddhists acted as pioneers for the destined ,deliverer4 ,let us1 then1 consider what precious spiritual jewels its sons and daughters can bring to the new ,fraternity4 ,there are many most inadequate statements about ,buddhism4 ,personally1 ,i wish that such expressions as 'the cold metaphysic of ,buddhism' might be abandoned2 surely metaphysicians1 too1 have religious needs and may have warm hearts4 ,at the same time ,i will not deny that ,i prefer the northern variety of ,buddhism1 because ,i seem to myself to detect in the southern ,buddhism a touch of a highly-refined egoism4 ,self-culture may or may not be combined with self-sacrifice4 ,in the case of the ,buddha it was no doubt so combined1 as the following passage1 indited by him1 shows-- ',all the means that can be used as bases for doing right are not worth one sixteenth part of the emancipation of the heart through love4 ,that takes all those up into itself1 outshining them in radiance and in glory4' ,footnote3 ,mrs4 ,rhys ,davids1 ,buddhism1 p4 #bbi4 ,what1 then1 are the jewels of the ,buddhist which he would fain see in the world's spiritual treasury8 ,he will tell you that he has many jewels1 but that three of them stand out conspicuously--the ,buddha1 the ,dharma1 and the ,sangha4 ,of these the first is ',sakya ,muni1 called the ,buddha 7the ,awakened ,one74' ,his life is full of legend and mythology1 but how it takes hold of the reader6 ,must we not pronounce it the finest of religious narratives1 and thank the scholars who made the ,lalita ,vistara known to us8 ,the ,buddha was indeed a supernormal man2 morally and physically he must have had singular gifts4 ,to an extraordinary intellect he joined the enthusiasm of love1 and a thirst for service4 ,the second of the ,buddhist brother's jewels is the ,dharma1 i4e4 the ,law or ,essential ,rightness revealed by the ,buddha4 ,that the ,master laid a firm practical foundation for his religion cannot be denied1 and if ,jews and ,christians reverence the ,ten ,words given through ',moses1' much more may ,buddhists reverence the ten moral precepts of ,sakya ,muni4 ,those1 however1 whose aim is ,buddhaship 7i4e4 those who propose to themselves the more richly developed ideal of northern ,buddhists7 claim the right to modify those precepts just as ,jesus modified the ,law of ,moses4 ,while1 therefore1 we recognize that good has sometimes come even out of evil1 we should also acknowledge the superiority of ,buddhist countries and of ,india in the treatment both of other human beings and of the lower animals4 ,the ,sangha1 or ,monastic ,community1 is the third treasure of ,buddhism1 and the satisfaction of the ,buddhist laity with the monastic body is said to be very great4 ,at any rate1 the cause of education in ,burma owes much to the monks1 but it is hard to realize how the ,monastic ,community can be in the same sense a 'refuge' from the miseries of the world as the ,buddha or ,dharmakya4 ,the name ,dharmakya ,footnote3 ,johnston1 ,buddhist ,china1 p4 #gg4 7,body of ,dharma1 or system of rightness7 may strike strangely upon our ears1 but northern ,buddhism makes much of it1 and even though it may not go back to ,sakya ,muni himself1 it is a development of germs latent in his teaching2 and to my own mind there is no more wonderful conception in the great religions than that of ,dharmakya4 ,if any one attacks our ,buddhist friends for atheism1 they have only to refer 7if they can admit a synthesis of northern and southern doctrines7 to the conception of ,dharmakya1 of ,him who is 'for ever ,divine and ,eternal1' who is 'the ,one1 devoid of all determinations4' ',this ,body of ,dharma1' we are told1 'has no boundary1 no quarters1 but is embodied in all bodies4444 ,all forms of corporeality are involved therein2 it is able to create all things4 ,assuming any concrete material form1 as required by the nature and condition of karma1 it illuminates all creations4444 ,there is no place in the universe where this ,body does not prevail4 ,the universe becomes dust2 this ,body for ever remains4 ,it is free from all opposites and contraries1 yet it is working in all things to lead them to ,nirvana4' ,footnote3 ,suzuki1 ,outlines1 pp4 #bbc-bd4 ,in fact1 this ,dharmakya is the ultimate principle of cosmic energy4 ,we may call it principle1 but it is not1 like ,brahman1 absolutely impersonal4 ,often it assumes personality1 when it receives the name of ,tathagata4 ,it has neither passions nor prejudices1 but works for the salvation of all sentient beings universally4 ,love 7karun7 and intelligence 7bodhi7 are equally its characteristics4 ,it is only the veil of illusion 7maya7 which prevents us from seeing ,dharmakya in its magnificence4 ,when this veil is lifted1 individual existences as such will lose their significance2 they will become sublimated and ennobled in the oneness of ,dharmakya4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #agi4 ,will the reader forgive me if ,i mention some other jewels of the ,buddhist faith8 ,one is the ,buddha ,ami'tbha1 and the other ,kuanyin or ,kwannon1 his son or daughter2 others will be noted presently4 ,the latter is especially popular in ,china and ,japan1 and is generally spoken of by ,europeans as the ',goddess of ,mercy4' ',goddess1' however1 is incorrect1 ,footnote3 ,johnston1 ,buddhist ,china1 p4 #abc4 just as ',god' would be incorrect in the case of ,ami'tbha4 ,sakya ,muni was considered greater than any of the gods4 ,all such ,beings were saviours and helpers to man1 just as ,jesus is looked up to by ,christian believers as a saviour and deliverer1 and perhaps ,i might add1 just as there are1 according to the seer-poet ,dante1 three compassionate women 7donne7 in heaven4 ,footnote3 ,dante1 ,d4,c41 ,inf4 ii4 #abd f4 ,the 'blessed women' seem to be ,mary 7the mother of ,christ71 ,beatrice1 and ,lucia4 ,kwannon and her ,father may surely be retained by ,chinese and ,japanese1 not as gods1 but as gracious bodhisatts 7i4e4 ,beings whose essence is intelligence74 ,i would also mention here as 'jewels' of the ,buddhists 7#a7 their tenderness for all living creatures4 ,legend tells of ,sakya ,muni that in a previous state of existence he saved the life of a doe and her young one by offering his own life as a substitute4 ,in one of the priceless panels of ,brbudr in ,java this legend is beautifully used4 ,footnote3 ,havell1 ,indian ,sculpture and ,painting1 p4 #abc4 ,it must indeed have been almost more impressive to the ,buddhists even than ,buddha's precept4 ,e'en as a mother watcheth o'er her child1 ,her only child1 as long as life doth last1 ,so let us1 for all creatures great or small1 ,develop such a boundless heart and mind1 ,ay1 let us practise love for all the world1 ,upward and downward1 yonder1 thence1 ,uncramped1 free from ill-will and enmity4a ,footnote a3 ,mrs4 ,rhys ,davids1 ,buddhism1 p4 #bai4 7#b and #c7 ,faith in the universality of inspiration and a hearty admission that spiritual pre-eminence is open to women4 ,as to the former1 ,suzuki has well pointed out that ,christ is conceived of by ,buddhists quite as the ,buddha himself4 ,footnote3 ,suzuki1 ,outlines of the ,mahyna ,buddhism4 ',the ,dharmakya revealed itself as ,sakya ,muni to the ,indian mind1 because that was in harmony with its needs4 ,the ,dharmakya appeared in the person of ,christ on the ,semitic stage1 because it suited their taste best in this way4' ,as to the latter1 there were women in the ranks of the ,arahats in early times2 and1 as the ,psalms of the ,brethren show1 there were even child-,arahats1 and1 so one may presume1 girl-,arahats4 ,and if it is objected that this refers to the earlier and more flourishing period of the ,buddhist religion1 yet it is in a perfectly modern summary of doctrine that we find these suggestive words1 ,footnote3 ,omoro in ,oxford ,congress of ,religions1 ,transactions1 i4 #aeb4 ',with this desire even a maiden of seven summers ,footnote3 ',the age of seven is assigned to all at their ordination' 7,psalms of the ,brethren1 p4 xxx47 ,the reference is to child-,arahats4 may be a leader of the four multitudes of beings4' ,that spirituality has nothing to do with the sexes is the most wonderful law in the teachings of the ,buddhas4' ,india being the home of philosophy1 it is not surprising either that ,indian religion should take a predominantly philosophical form1 or that there should be a great variety of forms of ,indian religion4 ,this is not to say that the feelings were neglected by the framers of ,indian theory1 or that there is any essential difference between the forms of ,indian religion4 ,on the contrary1 love and intelligence are inseparably connected in that religion and there are fundamental ideas which impart a unity to all the forms of ,hindu religion4 ,that form of religion1 however1 in which love 7karun7 receives the highest place1 and becomes the centre conjointly with intelligence of a theory of emancipation and of perfect ,buddhahood1 is neither ,vedantism nor primitive ,buddhism1 but that later development known as the ,mahyna4 ,germs indeed there are of the later theory2 and how should there not be1 considering the wisdom and goodness of those who framed those systems8 ,how beautiful is that ancient description of him who would win the joy of living in ,brahma 7,tagore1 ,sadhan1 p4 #ajf71 and not much behind it is the following passage of the ,bhagavad-,gita1 ',he who hates no single being1 who is friendly and compassionate to all 444 whose thought and reason are directed to ,me1 he who is thus devoted to ,me is dear to ,me' 7,discourse xii4 #ac1 #ad74 ,this is a fine utterance1 and there are others as fine4 ,one may therefore expect that most ,indian ,vedantists will1 on entering the ,bahai ,society1 make known as widely as they can the beauties of the ,bhagavad-,gita4 ,i cannot myself profess that ,i admire the contents as much as some ,western readers1 but much is doubtless lost to me through my ignorance of ,sanskrit4 ,prof4 ,garbe and ,prof4 ,hopkins1 however1 confirm me in my view that there is often a falling off in the immediateness of the inspiration1 and that many passages have been interpolated4 ,it is important to mention this here because it is highly probable that in future the ,scriptures of the various churches and sects will be honoured by being read1 not less devotionally but more critically4 ,not the ,bibles as they stand at present are revealed1 but the immanent ,divine ,wisdom4 ,many things in the outward form of the ,scriptures are1 for us1 obsolete4 ,it devolves upon us1 in the spirit of filial respect1 to criticize them1 and so help to clear the ground for a new prophet4 ,a few more quotations from the fine ,indian ,scriptures shall be given4 ,their number could be easily increased1 and one cannot blame those ,western admirers of the ,gita who display almost as fervent an enthusiasm for the unknown author of the ,gita as ,dante had for his savio duca in his fearsome pilgrimage4 ,,the ,,bhagavad-,,gita ,,and ,,the ,,upanishads ,such criticism was hardly possible in ,england1 even ten or twenty years ago1 except for the ,old ,testament4 ,some scholars1 indeed1 had had their eyes opened1 but even highly cultured persons in the lay-world read the ,bhagavad-,gita with enthusiastic admiration but quite uncritically4 ,much as ,i sympathize with ,margaret ,noble 7,sister ,nivedita71 ,jane ,hay 7of ,st4 ,abb's1 ,berwickshire1 ,n4,b471 and ,rose ,r4 ,anthon1 ,i cannot desire that their excessive love for the ,gita should find followers4 ,i have it on the best authority that the apparent superiority of the ,indian ,scriptures to those of the ,christian world influenced ,margaret ,noble to become ',sister ,nivedita'--a great result from a comparatively small cause4 ,and ,miss ,anthon shows an excess of enthusiasm when she puts these words 7without note or comment7 into the mouth of an ,indian student3-- ',but now1 ,o sire1 ,i have found all the wealth and treasure and honour of the universe in these words that were uttered by the ,king of ,kings1 the ,lover of ,love1 the ,giver of ,heritages4 ,there is nothing ,i ask for2 no need is there in my being1 no want in my life that this ,gita does not fill to overflowing4' ,footnote3 ,stories of ,india1 #aiad1 p4 #ach4 ,there are in fact numerous passages in the ,gita which1 united1 would form a ,holy ,living and a ,holy ,dying1 if we were at the pains to add to the number of the passages a few taken from the ,upanishads4 ,vivekananda and ,rabindranath ,tagore have already studded their lectures with jewels from the ,indian ,scriptures4 ,the ,hindus themselves delight in their holy writings1 but if these writings are to become known in the ,west1 the grain must first be sifted4 ,in other words1 there must be literary and perhaps also 7,i say it humbly7 moral criticism4 ,i will venture to add a few quotations3-- ',whenever there is a decay of religion1 ,o ,bhratas1 and an ascendency of irreligion1 then ,i manifest myself4 ',for the protection of the good1 for the destruction of evildoers1 for the firm establishment of religion1 ,i am born in every age4' ,the other passages are not less noble4 ',they also who worship other gods and make offering to them with faith1 ,o son of ,kunti1 do verily make offering to me1 though not according to ordinance4' ',never have ,i not been1 never hast thou1 and never shall time yet come when we shall not all be4 ,that which pervades this universe is imperishable2 there is none can make to perish that changeless being4 ,this never is born1 and never dies1 nor may it after being come again to be not2 this unborn1 everlasting1 abiding1 ,ancient1 is not slain when the body is slain4 ,knowing ,this to be imperishable1 everlasting1 unborn1 changeless1 how and whom can a man make to be slain or slay8 ,as a man lays aside outworn garments1 and takes others that are new1 so the ,body-,dweller puts away outworn bodies and goes to others that are new4 ,everlasting is ,this1 dwelling in all things1 firm1 motionless1 ancient of days4' ,,judaism ,judaism1 too1 is so rich in spiritual treasures that ,i hesitate to single out more than a very few jewels4 ,it is plain1 however1 that it needs to be reformed1 and that this need is present in many of the traditional forms which enshrine so noble a spiritual experience4 ,the ,sabbath1 for instance1 is as the apple of his eye to every true-hearted ,jew2 he addresses it in his spiritual songs as a ,princess4 ,and he does well2 the title ,princess belongs of right to ',shabbath4' ,for the name--be it said in passing--is probably a corruption of a title of the ,mother-goddess ,ashtart1 and it would1 ,i think1 have been no blameworthy act if the religious transformers of ,israelite myths had made a special myth1 representing ,shabbath as a man4 ,when the ,messiah comes1 ,i trust that ,he will do this4 ,for 'the ,son of ,man is ,lord also of the ,sabbath4' ,the faith of the ,messiah is another of ,israel's treasures4 ,or rather1 perhaps ,i should say1 the faith in the ,messiahs1 for one ,messiah will not meet the wants of ,israel or the world4 ,the ,messiah1 or the ,being-like-a-man 7,dan4 vii4 #ac71 is a supernatural ,being1 who appears on earth when he is wanted1 like the ,logos4 ,we want ,messiah badly now2 specially1 ,i should say1 we ,christians want 'great-souled ones' 7,mahatmas71 who can 'guide us into all the truth' 7,john xvi4 #ac74 ,that they have come in the past1 ,i doubt not4 ,god could not have left his human children in the lurch for all these centuries4 ,one thousand ,jews of ,tihran are said to have accepted ,baha'ullah as the expected ,messiah4 ,they were right in what they affirmed1 and only wrong in what they denied4 ,and are we not all wrong in virtually denying the ,messiahship of women-leaders like ,kurratu'l ',ayn2 at least1 ,i have only met with this noble idea in a work of ,fiona ,macleod4 ,,christianity ,and what of our own religion8 ,what precious jewels are there which we can share with our ,oriental brethren8 ,first of all one may mention that wonderful picture of the divine-human ,saviour1 which1 full of mystery as it is1 is capable of attracting to its ,hero a fervent and loving loyalty1 and melting the hardest heart4 ,we have also a portrait 7implicit in the ,synoptic ,gospels7--the product of nineteenth century criticism--of the same ,jesus ,christ1 and yet who could venture to affirm that ,he really was the same1 or that a subtle aroma had not passed away from the ,life of lives8 ,in this re-painted portrait we have1 no longer a divine man1 but simply a great and good ,teacher and a noble ,reformer4 ,this portrait too is in its way impressive1 and capable of lifting men above their baser selves1 but it would obviously be impossible to take this great ,teacher and ,reformer for the ,saviour and ,redeemer of mankind4 ,we have further a pearl of great price in the mysticism of ,paul1 which presupposes1 not the ,jesus of modern critics1 nor yet the ,jesus of the ,synoptics1 but a splendid heart-uplifting ,jesus in the colours of mythology4 ,in this ,jesus ,paul lived1 and had a constant ecstatic joy in the everlasting divine work of creation4 ,he was 'crucified with ,christ1' and it was no longer ,paul that lived1 but ,christ that lived in him4 ,and the universe--which was ,paul's1 inasmuch as it was ,christ's--was transformed by the same mysticism4 ',it was1' says ,evelyn ,underhill1 ,footnote3 ,the ,mystic ,way1 p4 #aid 7chap4 iii4 ',st4 ,paul and the ,mystic ,way'74 'a universe soaked through and through by the ,presence of ,god3 that transcendent-immanent ,reality1 above all1 and through all1 and in you all as fontal ,father1 energising ,son1 indwelling ,spirit1 in whom every mystic1 ,christian or non-,christian1 is sharply aware that we live and move and have our being4 ,to his extended consciousness1 as first to that of ,jesus1 this ,reality was more actual than anything else--,god is all in all4' ,it is true1 this view of the ,universe as ,god-filled is probably not ,paul's1 for the ,epistles to the ,ephesians and ,colossians are hardly that great teacher's work4 ,but it is none the less authentic1 ',god is all and in all'2 the whole ,universe is temporarily a symbol by which ,god is at once manifested and veiled4 ,i fear we have largely lost this4 ,it were therefore better to reconquer this truth by ,india's help4 ,probably indeed the initial realization of the divinity of the universe 7including man7 is due to an increased acquaintance with the ,east and especially with ,persia and ,india4 ,and ,i venture to think that ,catholic ,christians have conferred a boon on their ,protestant brethren by emphasizing the truth of the feminine element 7see pp4 #ca1 #cg7 in the manifestation of the ,deity1 just as the ,chinese and ,japanese ,buddhists have done for ,china and ,japan1 and the modern reformers of ,indian religion have done for ,india4 ,this too is a 'gem of purest ray4' ,,part ,,ii ,,biographical ,,and ,,historical ,,seyyid ',,ali ,,mu,,ammad 7,,the ,b,b7 ,seyyid ',ali ,muammad was born at ,hafiz' city4 ,it was not his lot1 however1 to rival that great lyric poet2 ,god had far other designs for him4 ,like ,st4 ,francis1 he had a merchant for his father1 but this too was widely apart from ',,ah ,muammad's destiny1 which was neither more nor less than to be a manifestation of the ,most ,high4 ,his birthday was on the #ast ,muarrem1 ,a4,h4 #abcf 7,march #bf1 ,a4,d4 #ahba74 ,his maternal uncle1 ,footnote3 ,this relative of the ,bb is mentioned in ,baha-'ullah's ,book of ,ighan1 among the men of culture who visited ,baha-'ullah at ,baghdad and laid their difficulties before him4 ,his name was ,seyyid ',ali ,muammad 7the same name as the ,bb's74 however1 had to step in to take a father's place2 he was early left an orphan4 ,when eighteen or nineteen years of age he was sent1 for commercial reasons1 to ,bushire1 a place with a villainous climate on the ,persian ,gulf1 and there he wrote his first book1 still in the spirit of ,shi'ite orthodoxy4 ,it was in ,a4,d4 #ahdd that a great change took place1 not so much in doctrine as in the outward framework of ,ali ,muammad's life4 ,that the twelfth ,imam should reappear to set up ,god's beneficent kingdom1 that his ',gate' should be born just when tradition would have him to be born1 was perhaps not really surprising2 but that an ordinary lad of ,shiraz should be chosen for this high honour was exciting1 and would make ,may #bcrd a day memorable for ever4 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 pp4 #c 7n4#a71 #bbj f42 cp4 ,,amb1 p4 #bjd4 ,it was1 in fact1 on this day 7at #b4e ,a4,m47 that1 having turned to ,god for help1 he cried out1 ',god created me to instruct these ignorant ones1 and to save them from the error into which they are plunged4' ,and from this time we cannot doubt that the purifying west wind breathed over the old ,persian land which needed it so sadly4 ,it is probable1 however1 that the reformer had different ideas of discipleship4 ,in one of his early letters he bids his correspondent take care to conceal his religion until he can reveal it without fear4 ,among his chief disciples were that gallant knight called the ',gate's ,gate1' uddus1 and his kind uncle4 ,like most religious leaders he attached great worth to pilgrimages4 ,he began by journeying to the ,shi'ite holy places1 consecrated by the events of the ,persian ,passion-play4 ,then he embarked at ,bushire1 accompanied 7probably7 by uddus4 ,the winds1 however1 were contrary1 and he was glad to rest a few days at ,mascat4 ,it is probable that at ,mecca 7the goal of his journey7 he became completely detached from the ,muammadan form of ,islam4 ,there too he made arrangements for propaganda4 ,unfavourable as the times seemed1 his disciples were expected to have the courage of their convictions1 and even his uncle1 who was no longer young1 became a fisher of men4 ,this1 it appears to me1 is the true explanation of an otherwise obscure direction to the uncle to return to ,persia by the overland route1 via ,baghdad1 'with the verses which have come down from ,god4' ,the overland route would take the uncle by the holy places of ',irak2 ',ali ,muh4ammad's meaning therefore really is that his kinsman is to have the honour of evangelizing the important city of ,baghdad1 and of course the pilgrims who may chance to be at ,karbala and ,nejef4 ,these were1 to ,shi'ites1 the holiest of cities1 and yet the reformer had the consciousness that there was no need of searching for a kibla4 ,god was everywhere1 but if one place was holier than another1 it was neither ,jerusalem nor ,mecca1 but ,shiraz4 ,to this beautiful city he returned1 nothing loth1 for indeed the manners of the pilgrims were the reverse of seemly4 ,his own work was purely spiritual3 it was to organize an attack on a foe who should have been1 but was no longer1 spiritual4 ,among his first steps was sending the ',first to ,believe' to ,isfahan to make a conquest of the learned ,mull ,muaddas4 ,his expectation was fully realized4 ,muaddas was converted1 and hastened to ,shiraz1 eager to prove his zeal4 ,his orders were 7according to one tradition7 to introduce the name of ',ali ,muammad into the call to prayer 7azan7 and to explain a passage in the commentary on the ,sura of ,joseph4 ,this was done1 and the penalty could not be delayed4 ,after suffering insults1 which to us are barely credible1 ,muaddas and his friend found shelter for three days in ,shiraz in the ,bb's house4 ,it should be noted that ,i here employ the symbolic name 'the ,bb4' ,there is a traditional saying of the prophet ,muammad1 ',i am the city of knowledge1 and ',ali is its ,gate4' ,it seems1 however1 that there is little1 if any1 difference between ',gate' 7,bb7 and ',point' 7nukta71 or between either of these and 'he who shall arise' 7ka'im7 and 'the ,imm ,mahdi4' ,but to this we shall return presently4 ,but safety was not long to be had by the ,bb or by his disciples either in ,shiraz or in ,bushire 7where the ,bb then was74 ,a fortnight afterwards twelve horsemen were sent by the governor of ,fars to ,bushire to arrest the ,bb and bring him back to ,shiraz4 ,such at least is one tradition1 ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #bbf4 but some ,bbs1 according to ,nicolas1 energetically deny it4 ,certainly it is not improbable that the governor1 who had already taken action against the ,bb missionaries1 should wish to observe the ,bb within a nearer range1 and inflict a blow on his growing popularity4 ,unwisely enough1 the governor left the field open to the mullas1 who thought by placing the pulpit of the great mosque at his disposal to be able to find material for ecclesiastical censure4 ,but they had left one thing out of their account--the ardour of the ,bb's temperament and the depth of his conviction4 ,and so great was the impression produced by the ,bb's sermon that the ,shah ,muammad1 who heard of it1 sent a royal commissioner to study the circumstances on the spot4 ,this step1 however1 was a complete failure4 ,one may doubt indeed whether the ,sayyid ,yaya was ever a politician or a courtier4 ,see below1 p4 #ij4 ,the state of things had now become so threatening that a peremptory order to the governor was sent from the court to put an end to such a display of impotence4 ,it is said that the aid of assassins was not to be refused2 the death of the ,bb might then be described as 'a deplorable accident4' ,the ,bb himself was liable at any moment to be called into a conference of mullas and high state-officers1 and asked absurd questions4 ,he got tired of this and thought he would change his residence1 especially as the cholera came and scattered the population4 ,six miserable months he had spent in ,shiraz1 and it was time for him to strengthen and enlighten the believers elsewhere4 ,the goal of his present journey was ,isfahan1 but he was not without hopes of soon reaching ,tihran and disabusing the mind of the ,shah of the false notions which had become lodged in it4 ,so1 after bidding farewell to his relatives1 he and his secretary and another well-tried companion turned their backs on the petty tyrant of ,shiraz4 ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #cgj4 ,the ,bb1 however1 took a very wise precaution4 ,at the last posting station before ,isfahan he wrote to ,minuchihr ,khan1 the governor 7a ,georgian by origin71 announcing his approach and invoking the governor's protection4 ,minuchihr ,khan1 who was religiously openminded though not scrupulous enough in the getting of money1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #cdf4 granted this request1 and sent word to the leading mull 7the ,imm-,jam'a7 that he should proffer hospitality to this eminent new-comer4 ,this the ,imm did1 and so respectful was he for 'forty days' that he used to bring the basin for his guest to wash his hands at mealtimes4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #cgb4 ,the rapidity with which the ,bb indited 7or revealed7 a commentary on a sura of the ur'an greatly impressed him1 but afterwards he gave way to the persecuting tendencies of his colleagues1 who had already learned to dread the presence of ,bbite missionaries4 ,at the bidding of the governor1 however1 who had some faith in the ,bb and hoped for the best1 a conference was arranged between the mulls and the ,bb 7poor man67 at the governor's house4 ,the result was that ,minuchihr ,khan declared that the mulls had by no means proved the reformer to be an impostor1 but that for the sake of peace he would at once send the ,bb with an escort of horsemen to the capital4 ,this was to all appearance carried out4 ,the streets were crowded as the band of mounted men set forth1 some of the ,isfahanites 7especially the mulls7 rejoicing1 but a minority inwardly lamenting4 ,this1 however1 was only a blind4 ,the governor cunningly sent a trusty horseman with orders to overtake the travellers a short distance out of ,isfahan1 and bring them by nightfall to the governor's secret apartments or 7as others say7 to one of the royal palaces4 ,there the ,bb had still to spend a little more than four untroubled halcyon months4 ,but a storm-cloud came up from the sea1 no bigger than a man's hand1 and it spread1 and the destruction wrought by it was great4 ,on ,march #d1 #ahdg1 the ,french ambassador wrote home stating that the governor of ,isfahan had died1 leaving a fortune of #dj million francs4 ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #bdb4 ,he could not be expected to add what the ,bbite tradition affirms1 that the governor offered the ,bb all his riches and even the rings on his fingers1 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 pp4 #ab1 #ac1 #bfd-h2 ,,nh1 p4 #djb 7ub-i-,ezel's narrative71 cp4 pp4 #baa1 #cdf4 to which the prophet refers in the following passage of his famous letter to ,muammad ,shah1 written from ,maku3 ',the other question is an affair of this lower world4 ,the late ,meu'timed a title of ,minuchihr ,khan1 one night1 made all the bystanders withdraw1 444 then he said to me1 ,i know full well that all that ,i have gained ,i have gotten by violence1 and that belongs to the ,lord of the ,age4 ,i give it therefore entirely to thee1 for thou art the ,master of ,truth1 and ,i ask thy permission to become its possessor4 ,he even took off a ring which he had on his finger1 and gave it to me4 ,i took the ring and restored it to him1 and sent him away in possession of all his goods4444 ,i will not have a dinar of those goods1 but it is for you to ordain as shall seem good to you4444 ,as witnesses send for ,sayyid ,yaya ,footnote3 ,see above1 p4 #dg4 and ,mull ,abdu'l-,khalik4444 ,footnote3 ,a disciple of ,sheykh ,amad4 ,he became a ,bb1 but grew lukewarm in the faith 7,,nh1 pp4 #bca1 #cdb n4#a74 ,the one became acquainted with me before the ,manifestation1 the other after4 ,both know me right well2 this is why ,i have chosen them4' ,footnote3 ,,amb1 pp4 #cgb1 #cgc4 ,it was not likely1 however1 that the legal heir would waive his claim1 nor yet that the ,shah or his minister would be prepared with a scheme for distributing the ill-gotten riches of the governor among the poor1 which was probably what the ,bb himself wished4 ,it should be added 7but not1 of course1 from this letter7 that ,minuchihr ,khan also offered the ,bb more than #ejjj horsemen and footmen of the tribes devoted to his interests1 with whom he said that he would with all speed march upon the capital1 to enforce the ,shah's acceptance of the ,bb's mission4 ,this offer1 too1 the ,bb rejected1 observing that the diffusion of ,god's truth could not be effected by such means4 ,but he was truly grateful to the governor who so often saved him from the wrath of the mulls4 ',god reward him1' he would say1 'for what he did for me4' ,of the governor's legal heir and successor1 ,gurgin ,khan1 the ,bb preserved a much less favourable recollection4 ,in the same letter which has been quoted from already he says3 ',finally1 ,gurgin made me travel during seven nights without any of the necessaries of a journey1 and with a thousand lies and a thousand acts of violence4' ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #cga4 ,in fact1 after trying to impose upon the ,bb by crooked talk1 ,gurgin1 as soon as he found out where the ,bb had taken refuge1 made him start that same night1 just as he was1 and without bidding farewell to his newly-married wife1 for the capital4 ',so incensed was he the ,bb at this treatment that he determined to eat nothing till he arrived at ,kashan a journey of five stages1 and in this resolution he persisted444 till he reached the second stage1 ,murchi-,khur4 ,there1 however1 he met ,mull ,sheykh ,ali444 and another of his missionaries1 whom he had commissioned two days previously to proceed to ,tihran2 and then1 on learning from his guards how matters stood1 succeeded in prevailing on him to take some food4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 pp4 #cdh1 #cdi4 ,certainly it was a notable journey1 diversified by happy meetings with friends and inquirers at ,kashan1 ,khanli1 ,zanjan1 ,milan1 and ,tabriz4 ,at ,kashan the ,bb saw for the first time that fervent disciple1 who afterwards wrote the history of early ,bbism1 and his equally true-hearted brother--merchants both of them4 ,in fact1 ,mirza ,jani bribed the chief of the escort1 to allow him for two days the felicity of entertaining ,god's ,messenger4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 pp4 #bac1 #bad4 ,khanli has also--though a mere village--its honourable record1 for there the ,bb was first seen by two splendid youthful heroes ,footnote3 ,ibid4 pp4 #if-aja4--,riza ,khan 7best hated of all the ,bbis7 and ,mirza useyn ',ali 7better known as ,baha-'ullah74 ,at ,milan 7which the ,bb calls 'one of the regions of ,paradise'71 as ,mirza ,jani states1 'two hundred persons believed and underwent a true and sincere conversion4' ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #bba4 ,surely these conversions were due1 not to a supposed act of miraculous healing1 but to the 'majesty and dignity' of ,god's ,messenger4 ,the people were expecting a ,messiah1 and here was a ,personage who came up to the ideal they had formed4,what meetings took place at ,zanjan and ,tabriz1 the early ,bbi historian does not report2 later on1 ,zanjan was a focus of ,bbite propagandism1 but just then the apostle of the ,zanjan movement was summoned to ,tihran4 ,from ,tabriz a remarkable cure is reported1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #bbf4 and as a natural consequence we hear of many conversions4 ,the ,bb was specially favoured in the chief of his escort1 who1 in the course of the journey1 was fascinated by the combined majesty and gentleness of his prisoner4 ,his name was ,muammad ,beg1 and his moral portrait is thus limned by ,mirza ,jani3 ',he was a man of kindly nature and amiable character1 and became so sincere and devoted a believer that whenever the name of ,his ,holiness was mentioned he would incontinently burst into tears1 saying1 ,i scarcely reckon as life the days when to me thou wert all unknown1 ,but by faithful service for what remains ,i may still for the past atone4' ,it was the wish1 both of the ,bb and of this devoted servant1 that the ,master should be allowed to take up his residence 7under surveillance7 at ,tabriz1 where there were already many ,friends of ,god4 ,but such was not the will of the ,shah and his vizier1 who sent word to ,khanli ,footnote3 ,khanli is situated 'about six parasangs' from ,tihran 7,,nh1 p4 #baf74 ,it is in the province of ,azarbaijan4 that the governor of ,tabriz 7,prince ,bahman ,mirza7 should send the ,bb in charge of a fresh escort to the remote mountain-fortress of ,maku4 ,the faithful ,muammad ,beg made two attempts to overcome the opposition of the governor1 but in vain2 how1 indeed1 could it be otherwise8 ,all that he could obtain was leave to entertain the ,bb in his own house1 where some days of rest were enjoyed4 ',i wept much at his departure1' says ,muammad4 ,no doubt the ,bb often missed his respectful escort2 he had made a change for the worse1 and when he came to the village at the foot of the steep hill of ,maku1 he found the inhabitants 'ignorant and coarse4' ,it may1 however1 be reasonably surmised that before long the ,point of ,wisdom changed his tone1 and even thanked ,god for his sojourn at ,maku4 ,for though strict orders had come from the vizier that no one was to be permitted to see the ,bb1 any one whom the illustrious captive wished to converse with had free access to him4 ,most of the time which remained was occupied with writing 7his secretary was with him72 more than #ajj1jjj 'verses' are said to have come from that ,supreme ,pen4 ,by miracles the ,bb set little store2 in fact1 the only supernatural gift which he much valued was that of inditing 'signs or verses1 which appear to have produced a similar thrilling effect to those of the great ,arabian ,prophet4 ,but in the second rank he must have valued a power to soothe and strengthen the nervous system which we may well assign to him1 and we can easily believe that the lower animals were within the range of this beneficent faculty4 ,let me mention one of the horse-stories which have gathered round the gentle form of the ,bb4 ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #cga4 ,it is given neither in the ,bb nor in the ,muslim histories of this period4 ,but it forms a part of a good oral tradition1 and it may supply the key to those words of the ,bb in his letter to ,muammad ,shah3 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 pp4 #bdi1 #bej4 ',finally1 the ,sultan i4e4 the ,shah ordered that ,i should journey towards ,maku without giving me a horse that ,i could ride4' ,we learn from the legend that an officer of the ,shah did call upon the ,bb to ride a horse which was too vicious for any ordinary person to mount4 ,whether this officer was really 7as the legend states7 ',ali ,khan1 the warden of ,maku1 who wished to test the claims of ',ali ,muammad by offering him a vicious young horse and watching to see whether ',ali ,muammad or the horse would be victorious1 is not of supreme importance4 ,what does concern us is that many of the people believed that by a virtue which resided in the ,bb it was possible for him to soothe the sensitive nerves of a horse1 so that it could be ridden without injury to the rider4 ,there is no doubt1 however1 that ',ali ,khan1 the warden of the fortress1 was one of that multitude of persons who were so thrilled by the ,bb's countenance and bearing that they were almost prompted thereby to become disciples4 ,it is highly probable1 too1 that just now there was a heightening of the divine expression on that unworldly face1 derived from an intensification of the inner life4 ,in earlier times ',ali ,muammad had avoided claiming ,mahdiship 7,messiahship7 publicly2 to the people at large he was not represented as the manifested ,twelfth ,imm1 but only as the ,gate1 or means of access to that more than human1 still existent being4 ,to disciples of a higher order ',ali ,muammad no doubt disclosed himself as he really was1 but1 like a heavenly statesman1 he avoided inopportune self-revelations4 ,now1 however1 the religious conditions were becoming different4 ,owing in some cases to the indiscretion of disciples1 in others to a craving for the revolution of which the ,twelfth ,imm was the traditional instrument1 there was a growing popular tendency to regard ,mirza ',ali ,muammad as a 'return' of the ,twelfth ,imm1 who was1 by force of arms1 to set up the divine kingdom upon earth4 ,it was this1 indeed1 which specially promoted the early ,bb propagandism1 and which probably came up for discussion at the ,badasht conference4 ,in short1 it had become a pressing duty to enlighten the multitude on the true objects of the ,bb4 ,even we can see this--we who know that not much more than three years were remaining to him4 ,the ,bb1 too1 had probably a presentiment of his end2 this was why he was so eager to avoid a continuance of the great misunderstanding4 ,he was indeed the ,twelfth ,imm1 who had returned to the world of men for a short time4 ,but he was not a ,mahdi of the ,islamic type4 ,a constant stream of ,tablets 7letters7 flowed from his pen4 ,in this way he kept himself in touch with those who could not see him in the flesh4 ,but there were many who could not rest without seeing the divine ,manifestation4 ,pilgrims seemed never to cease2 and it made the ,bb still happier to receive them4 ,this stream of ,tablets and of pilgrims could not however be exhilarating to the ,shah and his ,minister4 ,they complained to the castle-warden1 and bade him be a stricter gaoler1 but ',ali ,khan1 too1 was under the spell of the ,gate of ,knowledge2 or--as one should rather say now--the ,point or ,climax of ,prophetic ,revelation1 for so the ,word of ,prophecy directed that he should be called4 ,so the order went forth that ',ali ,muammad should be transferred to another castle--that of ,chihri4 ,footnote3 ,strictly1 six or eight months 7,feb4 or ,april to ,dec4 #ahdg7 at ,maku1 and two-and-a-half years at ,chihri 7,dec4 #ahdg to ,july #ahej74 ,at this point a digression seems necessary4 ,the ,bb was well aware that a primary need of the new fraternity was a new ur'an4 ,this he produced in the shape of a book called ,the ,bayan 7,exposition74 ,unfortunately he adopted from the ,muslims the unworkable idea of a sacred language1 and his first contributions to the new ,divine ,library 7for the new ur'an ultimately became this7 were in ,arabic4 ,these were a ,commentary on the ,sura of ,yusuf 7,joseph7 and the ,arabic ,bayan4 ,the language of these1 however1 was a barrier to the laity1 and so the 'first believer' wrote a letter to the ,bb1 enforcing the necessity of making himself intelligible to all4 ,this seems to be the true origin of the ,persian ,bayan4 ,a more difficult matter is ',ali ,muammad's very peculiar consciousness1 which reminds us of that which the ,fourth ,gospel ascribes to ,jesus ,christ4 ,in other words1 ',ali ,muammad claims for himself the highest spiritual rank4 ',as for ,me1' he said1 ',i am that ,point from which all that exists has found existence4 ,i am that ,face of ,god which dieth not4 ,i am that ,light which doth not go out4 ,he that knoweth ,me is accompanied by all good2 he that repulseth ,me hath behind him all evil4' ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #cfi4 ,it is also certain that in comparatively early writings1 intended for stedfast disciples1 ',ali ,muammad already claims the title of ,point1 i4e4 ,point of ,truth1 or of ,divine ,wisdom1 or of the ,divine ,mercy4 ,footnote3 ,beyan ,arabe1 p4 #bjf4 ,it is noteworthy that just here we have a very old contact with ,babylonian mythology4 ',point' is1 in fact1 a mythological term4 ,it springs from an endeavour to minimize the materialism of the myth of the ,divine ,dwelling-place4 ,that ancient myth asserted that the earth-mountain was the ,divine ,throne4 ,not so1 said an early school of ,theosophy1 ,god1 i4e4 the ,god who has a bodily form and manifests the hidden glory1 dwells on a point in the extreme north1 called by the ,babylonians 'the heaven of ,anu4' ,the ,point1 however1 i4e4 the ,god of the ,point1 may also be entitled ',the ,gate1' i4e4 the ,avenue to ,god in all ,his various aspects4 ,to be the ,point1 therefore1 is also to be the ,gate4 ',ali1 the cousin and son-in-law of ,muammad1 was not only the ,gate of the ,city of ,knowledge1 but1 according to words assigned to him in a adith1 'the guardian of the treasures of secrets and of the purposes of ,god4' ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #adb4 ,it is also in a book written at ,maku--the ,persian ,bayan--that the ,bb constantly refers to a subsequent far greater ,person1 called ',he whom ,god will make manifest4' ,altogether the harvest of sacred literature at this mountain-fortress was a rich one4 ,but let us now pass on with the ,bb to ,chihri--a miserable spot1 but not so remote as ,maku 7it was two days' journey from ,urumiyya74 ,as ub-i-,ezel tells us1 ',the place of his captivity was a house without windows and with a doorway of bare bricks1' and adds that 'at night they would leave him without a lamp1 treating him with the utmost lack of respect4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #djc4 ,in the ,persian manner the ,bb himself indicated this by calling ,maku 'the ,open ,mountain1' and ,chihri 'the ,grievous ,mountain4' ,footnote3 ,cp4 ,,tn1 p4 #bgf4 ,stringent orders were issued making it difficult for friends of the ,beloved ,master to see him2 and it may be that in the latter part of his sojourn the royal orders were more effectually carried out--a change which was possibly the result of a change in the warden4 ,certainly ,yaya ,khan was guilty of no such coarseness as ub-i-,ezel imputes to the warden of ,chihri4 ,and this view is confirmed by the peculiar language of ,mirza ,jani1 ',yaya ,khan1 so long as he was warden1 maintained towards him an attitude of unvarying respect and deference4' ,this 'respect and deference' was largely owing to a dream which the warden had on the night before the day of the ,bb's arrival4 ,the central figure of the dream was a bright shining saint4 ,he said in the morning that 'if1 when he saw ,his ,holiness1 he found appearance and visage to correspond with what he beheld in his dream1 he would be convinced that ,he was in truth the promised ,proof4' ,and this came literally true4 ,at the first glance ,yaya ,khan recognized in the so-called ,bb the lineaments of the saint whom he had beheld in his dream4 ',involuntarily he bent down in obeisance and kissed the knee of ,his ,holiness4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #bdj4 ,a slight alteration has been made to draw out the meaning4 ,it has already been remarked that such 'transfiguration' is not wholly supernatural4 ,persons who have experienced those wonderful phenomena which are known as ecstatic1 often exhibit what seems like a triumphant and angelic irradiation4 ,so--to keep near home--it was among the ,welsh in their last great revival4 ,such1 too1 was the brightness which1 ,yaya ,khan and other eye-witnesses agree1 suffused the ,bb's countenance more than ever in this period4 ,many adverse things might happen1 but the ',point' of ,divine ,wisdom could not be torn from ,his moorings4 ,in that miserable dark brick chamber ,he was 'in ,paradise4' ,the horrid warfare at ,sheykh ,tabarsi and elsewhere1 which robbed him of ,bbu'l ,bb and of uddus1 forced human tears from him for a time2 but one who dwelt in the ',heaven of ,pre-existence' knew that ',returns' could be counted upon1 and was fully assured that the gifts and graces of uddus had passed into ,mirza ,yaya 7ub-i-,ezel74 ,for himself he was free from anxiety4 ,his work would be carried on by another and a greater ,manifestation4 ,he did not therefore favour schemes for his own forcible deliverance4 ,we have no direct evidence that ,yaya ,khan was dismissed from his office as a mark of the royal displeasure at his gentleness4 ,but he must have been already removed and imprisoned1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #cec4 when the vizier wrote to the ,crown ,prince 7,nasiru'd-,din1 afterwards ,shah7 and governor of ,azarbaijan directing him to summon the ,bb to ,tabriz and convene an assembly of clergy and laity to discuss in the ,bb's presence the validity of his claims4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #bhd4 ,the ,bb was therefore sent1 and the meeting held1 but there is 7as ,browne has shown7 no trustworthy account of the deliberations4 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 ,note ,m1 ',bb ,examined at ,tabriz4' ,of course1 the ,bb had something better to do than to record the often trivial questions put to him from anything but a simple desire for truth1 so that unless the great ,accused had some friend to accompany him 7which does not appear to have been the case7 there could hardly be an authentic ,bb narrative4 ,and as for the ,muslim accounts1 those which we have before us do not bear the stamp of truth3 they seem to be forgeries4 ,knowing what we do of the ,bb1 it is probable that he had the best of the argument1 and that the doctors and functionaries who attended the meeting were unwilling to put upon record their own fiasco4 ,the result1 however1 is known1 and it is not precisely what might have been expected1 i4e4 it is not a capital sentence for this troublesome person4 ,the punishment now allotted to him was one which marked him out1 most unfairly1 as guilty of a common misdemeanour--some act which would rightly disgust every educated person4 ,how1 indeed1 could any one adopt as his teacher one who had actually been disgraced by the infliction of stripes8 ,footnote3 ,cp4 ,isaiah liii4 #e4 ,if the ,bb had been captured in battle1 bravely fighting1 it might have been possible to admire him1 but1 as ,court politicians kept on saying1 he was but 'a vulgar charlatan1 a timid dreamer4' ,footnote3 ,gobineau1 p4 #beg4 ,according to ,mirza ,jani1 it was the ,crown ,prince who gave the order for stripes1 but his 'farrashes declared that they would rather throw themselves down from the roof of the palace than carry it out4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #bij4 ,therefore the ,sheykhu'l ,islam charged a certain ,sayyid with the 'baleful task1' by whom the ,messenger of ,god was bastinadoed4 ,it seems clear1 however1 that there must have been a difference of opinion among the advisers of the ,shah1 for shortly before ,shah ,muammad's death 7which was impending when the ,bb was in ,tabriz7 we are told that ,prince ,mahdi-,kuli dreamed that he saw the ,sayyid shoot the ,shah at a levee4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #cee4 ,evidently there were some ,court politicians who held that the ,bb was dangerous4 ,probably ,shah ,muammad's vizier took the disparaging view mentioned above 7i4e4 that the ,bb was a mere mystic dreamer71 but ,shah ,muammad's successor dismissed ,mirza ,aasi1 and appointed ,mirza ,tai ,khan in his place4 ,it was ,mirza ,tai ,khan to whom the ,great ,catastrophe is owing4 ,when the ,bb returned to his confinement1 now really rigorous1 at ,chihri1 he was still under the control of the old1 capricious1 and now doubly anxious grand vizier1 but it was not the will of ,providence that this should continue much longer4 ,a release was at hand4 ,it was the insurrection of ,zanjan which changed the tone of the courtiers and brought near to the ,bb a glorious departure4 ,not1 be it observed1 except indirectly1 his theosophical novelties2 the penalty of death for deviations from the ,true ,faith had long fallen into desuetude in ,persia1 if indeed it had ever taken root there4 ,footnote3 ,gobineau1 p4 #bfb4 ,only if the ,kingdom of ,righteousness were to be brought in by the ,bb by material weapons would this heresiarch be politically dangerous2 mere religious innovations did not disturb high ,court functionaries4 ,but could the political leaders any longer indulge the fancy that the ,bb was a mere mystic dreamer8 ,such was probably the mental state of ,mirza ,tai ,khan when he wrote from ,tihran1 directing the governor to summon the ,bb to come once more for examination to ,tabriz4 ,the governor of ,azarbaijan at this time was ,prince ,hamz ,mirza4 ,the end of the ,bb's earthly ,manifestation is now close upon us4 ,he knew it himself before the event1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 pp4 #bce1 #cji-caa1 #dah 7ub-i-,ezel74 and was not displeased at the presentiment4 ,he had already 'set his house in order1' as regards the spiritual affairs of the ,bb community1 which he had1 if ,i mistake not1 confided to the intuitive wisdom of ,baha-'ullah4 ,his literary executorship he now committed to the same competent hands4 ,this is what the ,baha'is ,history 7,the ,travellers ,narrative7 relates1-- ',now the ,sayyid ,bb 444 had placed his writings1 and even his ring and pen-case1 in a specially prepared box1 put the key of the box in an envelope1 and sent it by means of ,mull ,bair1 who was one of his first associates1 to ,mull ',abdu'l ,karim of ,kazwin4 ,this trust ,mull ,bair delivered over to ,mull ',abdu'l ,karim at um in presence of a numerous company4444 ,then ,mull ',abdu'l ,karim conveyed the trust to its destination4' ,footnote3 ,,tn1 pp4 #da1 #db4 ,the destination was ,baha-'ullah1 as ,mull ,bair expressly told the 'numerous company4' ,it also appears that the ,bb sent another letter to the same trusted personage respecting the disposal of his remains4 ,it is impossible not to feel that this is far more probable than the view which makes ub-i-,ezel the custodian of the sacred writings and the arranger of a resting-place for the sacred remains4 ,i much fear that the ,ezelites have manipulated tradition in the interest of their party4 ,to return to our narrative4 ,from the first no indignity was spared to the holy prisoner4 ,with night-cap instead of seemly turban1 and clad only in an under-coat1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #bid4 he reached ,tabriz4 ,it is true1 his first experience was favourable4 ,a man of probity1 the confidential friend of ,prince ,hamz ,mirza1 the governor1 summoned the ,bb to a first non-ecclesiastical examination4 ,the tone of the inquiry seems to have been quite respectful1 though the accused frankly stated that he was 'that promised deliverer for whom ye have waited #abfj years1 to wit the a'im4' ,next morning1 however1 all this was reversed4 ,the 'man of probity' gave way to the mulls and the populace1 ,footnote3 ,see ,new ,history1 pp4 #bif f41 a graphic narration4 who dragged the ,bb1 with every circumstance of indignity1 to the houses of two or three well-known members of the clergy4 ',these reviled him2 but to all who questioned him he declared1 without any attempt at denial1 that he was the a'im he that ariseth4 ,at length ,mull ,muammad ,mama-ghuri1 one of the ,sheykhi party1 and sundry others1 assembled together in the porch of a house belonging to one of their number1 questioned him fiercely and insultingly1 and when he had answered them explicitly1 condemned him to death4 ',so they imprisoned him who was athirst for the draught of martyrdom for three days1 along with ,aa ,sayyid useyn of ,yezd1 the amanuensis1 and ,aa ,sayyid asan1 which twain were brothers1 wont to pass their time for the most part in the ,bb's presence4444 ',on the night before the day whereon was consummated the martyrdom 444 he the ,bb said to his companions1 ,to-morrow they will slay me shamefully4 ,let one of you now arise and kill me1 that ,i may not have to endure this ignominy and shame from my enemies2 for it is pleasanter to me to die by the hands of friends4 ,his companions1 with expressions of grief and sorrow1 sought to excuse themselves with the exception of ,mirza ,muammad ',ali1 who at once made as though he would obey the command4 ,his comrades1 however1 anxiously seized his hand1 crying1 ,such rash presumption ill accords with the attitude of devoted service4 ,this act of mine1 replied he1 is not prompted by presumption1 but by unstinted obedience1 and desire to fulfil my ,master's behest4 ,after giving effect to the command of ,his ,holiness1 ,i will assuredly pour forth my life also at ,his feet4 ',his ,holiness smiled1 and1 applauding his faithful devotion and sincere belief1 said1 ,to-morrow1 when you are questioned1 repudiate me1 and renounce my doctrines1 for thus is the command of ,god now laid upon you4444 ,the ,bb's companions agreed1 with the exception of ,mirza ,muammad ',ali1 who fell at the feet of ,his ,holiness and began to entreat and implore4444 ,so earnestly did he urge his entreaties that ,his ,holiness1 though 7at first7 he strove to dissuade him1 at length graciously acceded4 ',now when a little while had elapsed after the rising of the sun1 they brought them1 without cloak or coat1 and clad only in their undercoats and nightcaps1 to the ,government ,house1 where they were sentenced to be shot4 ,aa ,sayyid useyn1 the amanuensis1 and his brother1 ,aa ,sayyid asan1 recanted1 as they had been bidden to do1 and were set at liberty2 and ,aa ,sayyid useyn bestowed the gems of wisdom treasured in his bosom upon such as sought for and were worthy of them1 and1 agreeably to his instructions1 communicated certain secrets of the faith to those for whom they were intended4 ,he 7subsequently7 attained to the rank of martyrdom in the ,catastrophe of ,tihran4 ',but since ,mirza ,muammad ',ali1 athirst for the draught of martyrdom1 declared 7himself7 in the most explicit manner1 they dragged him along with that 7,central7 ,point of the ,universal ,circle ,footnote3 i4e4 the ,supreme ,wisdom4 to the barrack1 situated by the citadel1 and1 opposite to the cells on one side of the barrack1 suspended him from one of the stone gutters erected under the eaves of the cells4 ,though his relations and friends cried1 ,our son is gone mad2 his confession is but the outcome of his distemper and the raving of lunacy1 and it is unlawful to inflict on him the death penalty1 he continued to exclaim1 ,i am in my right mind1 perfect in service and sacrifice4 4444 ,now he had a sweet young child2 and they1 hoping to work upon his parental love1 brought the boy to him that he might renounce his faith4 ,but he only said1-- ,begone1 and bait your snares for other quarry2 ,the ',anka's nest is hard to reach and high4 ,so they shot him in the presence of his ,master1 and laid his faithful and upright form in the dust1 while his pure and victorious spirit1 freed from the prison of earth and the cage of the body1 soared to the branches of the ,lote-tree beyond which there is no passing4 ,and the ,bab cried out with a loud voice1 ,verily thou shalt be with me in ,paradise4 ',now after this1 when they had suspended ,his ,holiness in like manner1 the ,shaai regiment received orders to fire1 and discharged their pieces in a single volley4 ,but of all the shots fired none took effect1 save two bullets1 which respectively struck the two ropes by which ,his ,holiness was suspended on either side1 and severed them4 ,the ,bb fell to the ground1 and took refuge in the adjacent room4 ,as soon as the smoke and dust of the powder had somewhat cleared1 the spectators looked for1 but did not find1 that ,jesus of the age on the cross4 ',so1 notwithstanding this miraculous escape1 they again suspended ,his ,holiness1 and gave orders to fire another volley4 ,the ,musulman soldiers1 however1 made their excuses and refused4 ,thereupon a ,christian regiment ,footnote3 ,why a ,christian regiment8 ,the reason is evident4 ,christians were outside the ,bb movement1 whereas the ,musulman population had been profoundly affected by the preaching of the ,bb1 and could not be implicitly relied upon4 was ordered to fire the volley4444 ,and at the third volley three bullets struck him1 and that holy spirit1 escaping from its gentle frame1 ascended to the ,supreme ,horizon4' ,it was in ,july #ahej4 ,it remained for ,holy ,night to hush the clamour of the crowd4 ,the great square of ,tabriz was purified from unholy sights and sounds4 ,what1 we ask1 was done then to the holy bodies--that of ,bb himself and that of his faithful follower8 ,the enemies of the ,bb1 and even ,count ,gobineau1 assert that the dead body of the ,bb was cast out into the moat and devoured by the wild beasts4 ,footnote3 ,a similar fate is asserted by tradition for the dead body of the heroic ,mull ,muammad ',ali of ,zanjan4 ,we may be sure1 however1 that if the holy body were exposed at night1 the loyal ,bbs of ,tabriz would lose no time in rescuing it4 ,the ,new ,history makes this statement1-- ',to be brief1 two nights later1 when they cast the most sacred body and that of ,mirza ,muammad ',ali into the moat1 and set three sentries over them1 ,haji ,suleyman ,khan and three others1 having provided themselves with arms1 came to the sentries and said1 ,we will ungrudgingly give you any sum of money you ask1 if you will not oppose our carrying away these bodies2 but if you attempt to hinder us1 we will kill you4 ,the sentinels1 fearing for their lives1 and greedy for gain1 consulted1 and as the price of their complaisance received a large sum of money4 ',so ,haji ,suleyman ,khan bore those holy bodies to his house1 shrouded them in white silk1 placed them in a chest1 and1 after a while1 transported them to ,tihran1 where they remained in trust till such time as instructions for their interment in a particular spot were issued by the ,sources of the will of the ,eternal ,beauty4 ,now the believers who were entrusted with the duty of transporting the holy bodies were ,mull useyn of ,khurasan and ,aa ,muammad of ,isfahan1 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #aaj1 n4 #c2 ,,nh1 p4 #cab1 n4 #a4 and the instructions were given by ,baha-'ullah4' ,so far our authority4 ,different names1 however1 are given by ,nicolas1 ,,amb1 p4 #cha4 ,the account here given from the ,new ,history is in accordance with a letter purporting to be written by the ,bb to ,haji ,suleyman ,khan exactly six months before his martyrdom2 and preserved in the ,new ,history1 pp4 #caj1 #caa4 ',two nights after my martyrdom thou must go and1 by some means or other1 buy my body and the body of ,mirza ,muammad ',ali from the sentinels for #djj tumns1 and keep them in thy house for six months4 ,afterwards lay ,aa ,muammad ',ali with his face upon my face the two 7dead7 bodies in a strong chest1 and send it with a letter to ,jenab-i-,baha 7great is his majesty674 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #df1 n4 #a ,baha is1 of course1 the short for ,baha-'ullah1 and1 as ,prof4 ,browne remarks1 the modest title ,jenab-i-,baha was1 even after the presumed date of this letter1 the title commonly given to this personage4 ,the instructions1 however1 given by the ,bb elsewhere are widely different in tendency4 ,he directs that his remains should be placed near the shrine of ,shah ',abdu'l-',azim1 which 'is a good land1 by reason of the proximity of ,wahid 7i4e4 ub-i-,ezel74' ,footnote3 ,the spot is said to be five miles south of ,tihran4 ,one might naturally infer from this that ,baha-'ullah's rival was the guardian of the relics of the ,bb4 ,this does not appear to have any warrant of testimony4 ,but1 according to ub-i-,ezel himself1 there was a time when he had in his hands the destiny of the bodies4 ,he says that when the coffin 7there was but one7 came into his hands1 he thought it unsafe to attempt a separation or discrimination of the bodies1 so that they remained together 'until both were stolen4' ,it will be seen that ub-i-,ezel takes credit 7#a7 for carrying out the ,bb's last wishes1 and 7#b7 leaving the bodies as they were4 ,to remove the relics to another place was tantamount to stealing4 ,it was ,baha-'ullah who ordered this removal for a good reason1 viz41 that the cemetery1 in which the niche containing the coffin was1 seemed so ruinous as to be unsafe4 ,there is1 however1 another version of ub-i-,ezel's tradition2 it has been preserved to us by ,mons4 ,nicolas1 and contains very strange statements4 ,the ,bb1 it is said1 ordered ub-i-,ezel to place his dead body1 if possible1 in a coffin of diamonds1 and to inter it opposite to ,shah ',abdu'l-',azim1 in a spot described in such a way that only the recipient of the letter could interpret it4 ',so ,i put the mingled remains of the two bodies in a crystal coffin1 diamonds being beyond me1 and ,i interred it exactly where the ,bb had directed me4 ,the place remained secret for thirty years4 ,the ,baha'is in particular knew nothing of it1 but a traitor revealed it to them4 ,those blasphemers disinterred the corpse and destroyed it4 ,or if not1 and if they point out a new burying-place1 really containing the crystal coffin of the body of the ,bb which they have purloined1 we ,ezelites could not consider this new place of sepulture to be sacred4' ,the story of the crystal coffin 7really suggested by the ,bayan7 is too fantastic to deserve credence4 ,but that the sacred remains had many resting-places can easily be believed2 also that the place of burial remained secret for many years4 ,baha-'ullah1 however1 knew where it was1 and1 when circumstances favoured1 transported the remains to the neighbourhood of aifa in ,palestine4 ,the mausoleum is worthy1 and numerous pilgrims from many countries resort to it4 ,,eulogium ,,on ,,the ,,master ,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 ',his sorrowful and persecuted life2 his purity of conduct and youth2 his courage and uncomplaining patience under misfortune2 his complete self-negation2 the dim ideal of a better state of things which can be discerned through the obscure mystic utterances of the ,bayn2 but most of all his tragic death1 all serve to enlist our sympathies on behalf of the young prophet of ,shiraz4' ',il sentait le besoin d'une rforme profonde introduire dans les moeurs publiques4444 ,il s'est sacrifi pour l'humanit2 pour elle il a donn son corps et son me1 pour elle il a subi les privations1 les affronts1 les injures1 la torture et le martyre4' 7,mons4 ,nicolas47 ,in an old ,persian song1 applied to the ,bb by his followers1 it is written3-- ,in what sect is this lawful8 ,in what religion is this lawful8 ,that they should kill a charmer of hearts6 ,why art thou a stealer of hearts8 ,,mull ,,useyn ,,of ,,bushraweyh ,mull useyn of ,bushraweyh 7in the province of ,mazarandan7 was the embodied ideal of a ,bb chief such as the primitive period of the faith produced--,i mean1 that he distinguished himself equally in profound theosophic speculation and in warlike prowess4 ,this combination may seem to us strange1 but ,mirza ,jani assures us that many students who had left cloistered ease for the sake of ,god and the ,bb developed an unsuspected warlike energy under the pressure of persecution4 ,and so that ardour1 which in the case of the ,bb was confined to the sphere of religious thought and speculation and to the unlocking of metaphorical prison-gates1 was displayed in the case of ,mull useyn both in voyages on the ocean of ,truth1 and in warfare4 ,yes1 the ,mull's fragile form might suggest the student1 but he had also the precious faculty of generalship1 and a happy perfection of fearlessness4 ,like the ,bb himself in his preparation-period1 he gave his adhesion to the ,sheykhi school of theology1 and on the decease of the former leader 7,sayyid ,kaim7 he went1 like other members of the school1 to seek for a new spiritual head4 ,now it so happened that ,sayyid ,kaim had already turned the eyes of useyn towards ',ali ,muammad2 already this eminent theosophist had a presentiment that wonderful things were in store for the young visitor from ,shiraz4 ,it was natural1 therefore1 that useyn should seek further information and guidance from ',ali ,muammad himself4 ,no trouble could be too great2 the object could not be attained in a single interview1 and as ',ali ,muammad was forbidden to leave his house at ,shiraz1 secrecy was indispensable4 useyn1 therefore1 was compelled to spend the greater part of the day in his new teacher's house4 ,the concentration of thought to which the constant nearness of a great prophet 7and 'more than a prophet'7 naturally gave birth had the only possible result4 ,all barriers were completely broken down1 and useyn recognized in his heaven-sent teacher the ,gate 7,bb7 which opened on to the secret abode of the vanished ,imm1 and one charged with a commission to bring into existence the world-wide ,kingdom of ,righteousness4 ,to seal his approval of this thorough conversion1 which was hitherto without a parallel1 the ,bb conferred on his new adherent the title of ',the ,first to ,believe4' ,this honourable title1 however1 is not the only one used by this ,hero of ,god4 ,still more frequently he was called ',the ,gate of the ,gate1' i4e4 the ,introducer to ,him through ,whom all true wisdom comes2 or1 we may venture to say1 the ,bb's ,deputy4 ,two other titles maybe mentioned4 ,one is ',the ,gate4' ,those who regarded ',ali ,muammad of ,shiraz as the ',point' of prophecy and the returned ,imm 7the a'im7 would naturally ascribe to his representative the vacant dignity of ',the ,gate4' ,indeed1 it is one indication of this that the ub-i-,ezel designates ,mull useyn not as the ,gate's ,gate1 but simply as the ,gate4 ,and now the 'good fight of faith' begins in earnest4 ,first of all1 the ,bb's ,deputy 7or perhaps 'the ,bb' ,footnote3 ,some ,bb writers 7including ub-i-,ezel7 certainly call ,mulluseyn 'the ,bb4'--but this might confuse the reader7 is sent to ,khurasan1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #dd4 taking ,isfahan and ,tihran in his way4 ,i need not catalogue the names of his chief converts and their places of residence4 ,footnote3 ,see ,nicolas1 ,,amb4 ,suffice it to mention here that among the converts were ,baha-'ullah1 ,muammad ',ali of ,zanjan1 and ,haji ,mirza ,jani1 the same who has left us a much 'overworked' history of ,bbism 7down to the time of his martyrdom74 ,also that among the places visited was ,omar ,khayym's ,nishapur1 and that two attempts were made by the ',gate's ,gate' to carry the ,evangel into the ,shi'ite ,holy ,land 7,mash-had74 ,but it was time to reopen communications with the 'lord from ,shiraz' 7the ,bb74 ,so his ,deputy resolved to make for the castle of ,maku1 where the ,bb was confined4 ,on the ,deputy's arrival the ,bb foretold to him his own 7the ,bb's7 approaching martyrdom and the cruel afflictions which were impending4 ,at the same time the ,bb directed him to return to ,khurasan1 adding that he should 'go thither by way of ,mazandaran1 for there the doctrine had not yet been rightly preached4' ,so the ,deputy went first of all to ,mazandaran1 and there joined another eminent convert1 best known by his ,bb name uddus 7sacred74 ,i pause here to notice how intimate were the relations between the two friends--the ',gate's ,gate' and ',sacred4' ,originally the former was considered distinctly the greater man4 ,people may have reasoned somewhat thus3--,it was no doubt true that uddus had been privileged to accompany the ,bb to ,mecca1 ,footnote3 ,for the divergent tradition in ,nicolas1 see ,,amb1 p4 #bjf4 but was not the ,bb's ,deputy the more consummate master of spiritual lore8 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #dc1 cp4 p4 #djd4 ,it was at any rate the latter ,hero of ,god who 7according to one tradition7 opened the eyes of the majority of inquirers to the truth4 ,it is also said that on the morning after the meeting of the friends the chief seat was occupied by uddus1 while the ,gate's ,deputy stood humbly and reverentially before him4 ,this is certainly true to the spirit of the brother-champions1 one of whom was conspicuous for his humility1 the other for his soaring spiritual ambition4 ,but let us return to the evangelistic journey4 ,the first signs of the approach of uddus were a letter from him to the ,bb's ,deputy 7the letter is commonly called ',the ,eternal ,witness'71 together with a white robe ,footnote3 ,white was the ,bbite colour4 ,see ,,nh1 p4 #ahi2 ,,tn1 p4 xxxi1 n4 #a4 and a turban4 ,in the letter1 it was announced that he and seventy other believers would shortly win the crown of martyrdom4 ,this may possibly be true1 not only because circumstantial details were added1 but because the chief leaders of the ,bbs do really appear to have had extraordinary spiritual gifts1 especially that of prophecy4 ,one may ask1 ,did uddus also foresee the death of his friend8 ,he did not tell him so in the letter1 but he did direct him to leave ,khurasan1 in spite of the encyclical letter of the ,bb1 bidding believers concentrate1 if possible1 on ,khurasan4 ,so1 then1 we see our ,bb apostles and their followers1 with changed route1 proceeding to the province of ,mazandaran1 where uddus resided4 ,on reaching ,miyami they found about thirty believers ready to join them--the first-fruits of the preaching of the ,kingdom4 ,unfortunately opposition was stirred up by the appearance of the apostles4 ,there was an encounter with the populace1 and the ,bbs were defeated4 ,the ,bbs1 however1 went on steadily till they arrived at ,badasht1 much perturbed by the inauspicious news of the death of ,muammad ,shah1 #dth ,september #ahdh4 ,we are told that the ',gate's ,gate' had already foretold this event1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #de4 which involved increased harshness in the treatment of the ,bb4 ,we cannot greatly wonder that1 according to the ,bbs1 ,muammad ,shah's journey was to the infernal regions4 ,another consequence of the ,shah's death was the calling of the ,council of ,badasht4 ,it has been suggested that the true cause of the summoning of that assembly was anxiety for the ,bb1 and a desire to carry him off to a place of safety4 ,but the more accepted view--that the subject before the ,council was the relation of the ,bbs to the ,islamic laws--is also the more probable4 ,the abrogation of those laws is expressly taught by urratu'l ',ayn1 according to ,mirza ,jani4 ,how many ,bbs took part in the ,meeting8 ,that depends on whether the ordinary ,bbs were welcomed to the ,meeting or only the leaders4 ,if the former were admitted1 the number of ,bbs must have been considerable1 for the ',gate's ,gate' is said to have gathered a band of #bcj men1 and uddus a band of #cjj1 many of them men of wealth and position1 and yet ready to give the supreme proof of their absolute sincerity4 ,the notice at the end of ,mirza ,jani's account1 which glances at the antinomian tendencies of some who attended the ,meeting1 seems to be in favour of a large estimate4 ,elsewhere ,mirza ,jani speaks of the 'troubles of ,badasht1' at which the gallant ,ria ,khan performed 'most valuable services4' ,nothing is said1 however1 of the part taken in the quieting of these troubles either by the ',gate's ,gate' or by uddus4 ,greater troubles1 however1 were at hand2 it is the beginning of the ,mazandaran insurrection 7,a4,d4 #ahdh-ahdi74 ,the place of most interest in this exciting episode is the fortified tomb of ,sheykh ,tabarsi1 twelve or fourteen miles south of ,barfurush4 ,the ,bbs under the ',gate's ,gate' made this their headquarters1 and we have abundant information1 both ,bbite and ,muslim1 respecting their doings4 ,the ',gate's ,gate' preached to them every day1 and warned them that their only safety lay in detachment from the world4 ,he also 7probably as ,bb1 ',ali ,muammad having assumed the rank of ,nua1 ,point7 conferred new names 7those of prophets and saints7 on the worthiest of the ,bbs1 ,footnote3 ,this is a ,muslim account4 ,see ,,nh1 p4 #cjc4 which suggests that this ,hero of ,god had felt his way to the doctrine of the equality of the saints in the ,divine ,bosom4 ,of course1 this great truth was very liable to misconstruction1 just as much as when the having all things in common was perverted into the most objectionable kind of communism4 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #ee4 ',thus1' the moralist remarks1 'did they live happily together in content and gladness1 free from all grief and care1 as though resignation and contentment formed a part of their very nature4' ,of course1 the new names were given with a full consciousness of the inwardness of names4 ,there was a spirit behind each new name2 the revival of a name by a divine representative meant the return of the spirit4 ,each ,bb who received the name of a prophet or an ,imm knew that his life was raised to a higher plane1 and that he was to restore that heavenly ,being to the present age4 ,these re-named ,bbs needed no other recompense than that of being used in the ,cause of ,god4 ,they became capable of far higher things than before1 and if within a short space of time the ,bb1 or his ,deputy1 was to conquer the whole world and bring it under the beneficent yoke of the ,law of ,god1 much miraculously heightened courage would be needed4 ,i am therefore able to accept the ,muslim authority's statement4 ,the conferring of new names was not to add fuel to human vanity1 but sacramentally to heighten spiritual vitality4 ,not all ,bbs1 it is true1 were capable of such insight4 ,from the ,bb account of the night-action1 ordered on his arrival at ,sheykh ,tabarsi by uddus1 we learn that some ,bbs1 including those of ,mazandaran1 took the first opportunity of plundering the enemy's camp4 ,for this1 the ,deputy reproved them1 but they persisted1 and the whole army was punished 7as we are told7 by a wound dealt to uddus1 which shattered one side of his face4 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 #fh f4 ,it was with reference to this that the ,deputy said at last to his disfigured friend1 ',i can no longer bear to look upon the wound which mars your glorious visage4 ,suffer me1 ,i pray you1 to lay down my life this night1 that ,i may be delivered alike from my shame and my anxiety4' ,so there was another night-encounter1 and the ,deputy knew full well that it would be his last battle4 ,and he 'said to one who was beside him1 ,mount behind me on my horse1 and when ,i say1 ',bear me to the ,castle1' turn back with all speed4 ,so now1 overcome with faintness1 he said1 ,bear me to the ,castle4 ,thereupon his companion turned the horse's head1 and brought him back to the entrance of the ,castle2 and there he straightway yielded up his spirit to the ,lord and ,giver of life4' ,frail of form1 but a gallant soldier and an impassioned lover of ,god1 he combined qualities and characteristics which even in the spiritual aristocracy of ,persia are seldom found united in the same person4 ,,mull ,,mu,,ammad ',,ali ,,of ,,barfurush ,he was a man of ,mazandaran1 but was converted at ,shiraz4 ,he was one of the earliest to cast in his lot with ,god's prophet4 ,no sooner had he beheld and conversed with the ,bb1 than1 'because of the purity of his heart1 he at once believed without seeking further sign or proof4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #ci4 ,after the ,council of ,badasht he received among the ,bbs the title of ,jenb-i-uddus1 i4e4 ',his ,highness the ,sacred1' by which it was meant that he was1 for this age1 what the sacred prophet ,muammad was to an earlier age1 or1 speaking loosely1 that holy prophet's 're-incarnation4' ,it is interesting to learn that that heroic woman urratu'l ',ayn was regarded as the 'reincarnation' of ,fatima1 daughter of the prophet ,muammad4 ,certainly uddus had enormous influence with small as well as great4 ,certainly1 too1 both he and his greatest friend had prophetic gifts and a sense of oneness with ,god1 which go far to excuse the extravagant form of their claims1 or at least the claims of others on their behalf4 ,extravagance of form1 at any rate1 lies on the surface of their titles4 ,there must be a large element of fancy when ,muammad ',ali of ,barfurush 7i4e4 uddus7 claims to be a 'return' of the great ,arabian prophet and even to be the a'im 7i4e4 the ,imm ,mahdi71 who was expected to bring in the ,kingdom of ,righteousness4 ,there is no exaggeration1 however1 in saying that1 together with the ,bb1 uddus ranked highest 7or equal to the highest7 in the new community4 ,footnote3 ,in ,,nh1 pp4 #cei1 #cii1 ,kuddus is represented as the 'last to enter1' and as 'the name of the last4' ,we call him here uddus1 i4e4 holy1 sacred1 because this was his ,bb name1 and his ,bb period was to him the only part of his life that was worth living4 ,true1 in his youth1 he 7like 'the ,deputy'7 had ,sheykhite instruction1 ,footnote3 ,we may infer this from the inclusion of both persons in the list of those who went through the same spiritual exercises in the sacred city of ,kufa 7,,nh1 p4 #cc74 but as long as he was nourished on this imperfect food1 he must have had the sense of not having yet 'attained4' ,he was also like his colleague 'the ,deputy' in that he came to know the ,bb before the young ,shirazite made his ,arabian pilgrimage2 indeed 7according to our best information71 it was he who was selected by ',ali ,muammad to accompany him to the ,arabian ,holy ,city1 the ',gate's ,gate1' we may suppose1 being too important as a representative of the ',gate' to be removed from ,persia4 ,the ,bb1 however1 who had a gift of insight1 was doubtless more than satisfied with his compensation4 ,for uddus had a noble soul4 ,the name uddus is somewhat difficult to account for1 and yet it must be understood1 because it involves a claim4 ,it must be observed1 then1 first of all1 that1 as the early ,bbs believed1 the last of the twelve ,imms 7cp4 the ,zoroastrian ,amshaspands7 still lived on invisibly 7like the ,jewish ,messiah71 and communicated with his followers by means of personages called ,bbs 7i4e4 ,gates71 whom the ,imm had appointed as intermediaries4 ,as the time for a new divine manifestation approached1 these personages 'returned1' i4e4 were virtually re-incarnated1 in order to prepare mankind for the coming great epiphany4 ,such a ',gate' in the ,christian cycle would be ,john the ,baptist2 ,footnote3 ,john the ,baptist1 to the ,israelites1 was the last ,imm before ,jesus4 such ',gates' in the ,muammadan cycle would be ,waraa ibn ,nawfal and the other anfs1 and in the ,bb cycle ,sheikh ,amad of ,asa1 ,sayyid ,kaim of ,resht1 ,muammad ',ali of ,shiraz1 and ,mull useyn of ,bushraweyh1 who was followed by his brother ,muammad asan4 ',ali ,muammad1 however1 whom we call the ,bb1 did not always put forward exactly the same claim4 ,sometimes he assumed the title of ,zikr ,footnote3 ,and when ,god wills ,he will explain by the mediation of ,his ,zikr 7the ,bb7 that which has been decreed for him in the ,book4--,early ,letter to the ,bb's uncle 7,,amb1 p4 #bbc74 7i4e4 ,commemoration1 or perhaps ,reminder72 sometimes 7p4 #ha7 that of ,nua1 i4e4 ,point 7 ,climax of prophetic revelation74 ,humility may have prevented him from always assuming the highest of these titles 7,nua74 ,he knew that there was one whose fervent energy enabled him to fight for the ,cause as he himself could not4 ,he can hardly1 ,i think1 have gone so far as to 'abdicate' in favour of uddus1 or as to affirm with ,mirza ,jani ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #ccf4 that 'in this 7the present7 cycle the original ,point was azrat-i-uddus4' ,he may1 however1 have sanctioned ,muammad ',ali's assumption of the title of ',point' on some particular occasion1 such as the ,assembly of ,badasht4 ,it is true1 ,muammad ',ali's usual title was uddus1 but ,muammad ',ali himself1 we know1 considered this title to imply that in himself there was virtually a 'return' of the great prophet ,muammad4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #cei4 ,we may also1 perhaps1 believe on the authority of ,mirza ,jani that the ,bb 'refrained from writing or circulating anything during the period of the ,manifestation of azrat-i-uddus1 and only after his death claimed to be himself the a'im4' ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #cfh4 ,it is further stated that1 in the list of the nineteen 787 ,letters of the ,living1 uddus stood next to the ,bb himself1 and the reader has seen how1 in the defence of ,tabarsi1 uddus took precedence even of that gallant knight1 known among the ,bbs as 'the ,gate's ,gate4' ,on the whole1 there can hardly be a doubt that ,muammad ',ali1 called uddus1 was 7as ,i have suggested already7 the most conspicuous ,bb next to the ,bb himself1 however hard we may find it to understand him on certain occasions indicated by ,prof4 ,browne4 ,he seems1 for instance1 to have lacked that tender sense of life characteristic of the ,buddhists1 and to have indulged a spiritual ambition which ,jesus would not have approved4 ,but it is unimportant to pick holes in such a genuine saint4 ,i would rather lay stress on his unwillingness to think evil even of his worst foes4 ,and how abominable was the return he met with6 ,weary of fighting1 the ,bbs yielded themselves up to the royal troops4 ,as ,prof4 ,browne says1 'they were received with an apparent friendliness and even respect which served to lull them into a false security and to render easy the perfidious massacre wherein all but a few of them perished on the morrow of their surrender4' ,the same historian tells us that uddus1 loyal as ever1 requested the ,prince to send him to ,tihran1 there to undergo judgment before the ,shah4 ,the ,prince was at first disposed to grant this request1 thinking perhaps that to bring so notable a captive into the ,royal ,presence might serve to obliterate in some measure the record of those repeated failures to which his unparalleled incapacity had given rise4 ,but when the ,sa'idu'l-',ulama heard of this plan1 and saw a possibility of his hated foe escaping from his clutches1 he went at once to the ,prince1 and strongly represented to him the danger of allowing one so eloquent and so plausible to plead his cause before the ,king4 ,these arguments were backed up by an offer to pay the ,prince a sum of #djj 7or1 as others say1 of #ajjj7 tumns on condition that ,jenb-i-uddus should be surrendered unconditionally into his hands4 ,to this arrangement the ,prince1 whether moved by the arguments or the tumns of the ,sa'idu'l-',ulama1 eventually consented1 and ,jenb-i-uddus was delivered over to his inveterate enemy4 ',the execution took place in the meydan1 or public square1 of ,barfurush4 ,the ,sa'idu'l-',ulama first cut off the ears of ,jenb-i-uddus1 and tortured him in other ways1 and then killed him with the blow of an axe4 ,one of the ,sa'idu'l-',ulama's disciples then severed the head from the lifeless body1 and others poured naphtha over the corpse and set fire to it4 ,the fire1 however1 as the ,bbs relate 7for ub-i-,ezel corroborates the ,parikh-i-,jadid in this particular71 refused to burn the holy remains2 and so the ,sa'idu'l-',ulama gave orders that the body should be cut in pieces1 and these pieces cast far and wide4 ,this was done1 but1 as ,haji ,mirza ,jani relates1 certain ,bbs not known as such to their fellow-townsmen came at night1 collected the scattered fragments1 and buried them in an old ruined madrasa or college hard by4 ,by this madrasa1 as the ,bb historian relates1 had ,jenb-i-uddus once passed in the company of a friend with whom he was conversing on the transitoriness of this world1 and to it he had pointed to illustrate his words1 saying1 ,this college1 for instance1 was once frequented1 and is now deserted and neglected2 a little while hence they will bury here some great man1 and many will come to visit his grave1 and again it will be frequented and thronged with people4' ,when the ,baha'is are more conscious of the preciousness of their own history1 this prophecy may be fulfilled1 and uddus be duly honoured4 ,,sayyid ,,ya,,ya ,,darabi ,sayyid ,yaya derived his surname ,darabi from his birthplace ,darab1 near ,shiraz4 ,his father was ,sayyid ,ja'far1 surnamed ,kashfi1 i4e4 discloser 7of the divine secrets74 ,neither father nor son1 however1 was resident at ,darab at the period of this narrative4 ,the father was at ,buzurg1 and the son1 probably1 at ,tihran4 ,so great was the excitement caused by the appearance of the ,bb that ,muammad ,shah and his minister thought it desirable to send an expert to inquire into the new ,teacher's claims4 ,they selected ,sayyid ,yaya1 'one of the best known of doctors and ,sayyids1 as well as an object of veneration and confidence1' even in the highest quarters4 ,the mission was a failure1 however1 for the royal commissioner1 instead of devising some practical compromise1 actually went over to the ,bb1 in other words1 gave official sanction to the innovating party4 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 pp4 #g1 #hed2 ,nicolas1 ,,amb1 pp4 #bcc1 #chh4 ,the tale is an interesting one4 ,the ,bb at first treated the commissioner rather cavalierly4 ,a ,bb theologian was told off to educate him2 the ,bb himself did not grant him an audience4 ,to this ,bb representative ,yaya confided that he had some inclination towards ,bbism1 and that a miracle performed by the ,bb in his presence would make assurance doubly sure4 ,to this the ,bb is said to have answered1 ',for such as have like us beheld a thousand marvels stranger than the fabled cleaving of the moon to demand a miracle or sign from that ,perfect ,truth would be as though we should seek light from a candle in the full blaze of the radiant sun4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #abb4 ,indeed1 what marvel could be greater than that of raising the spiritually dead1 which the ,bb and his followers were constantly performing8 ,footnote3 ,accounts of miracles were spiritualized by the ,bb4 ,it was already much to have read the inspired signs1 or verses1 communicated by the ,bb1 but how much more would it be to see his ,countenance6 ,the time came for the ,sayyid's first interview with the ,master4 ,there was still1 however1 in his mind a remainder of the besetting sin of mulls'--arrogance1--and the ,bb's answers to the questions of his guest failed to produce entire conviction4 ,the ,sayyid was almost returning home1 but the most learned of the disciples bade him wait a little longer1 till he too1 like themselves1 would see clearly4 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #aad4 ,the truth is that the ,bb committed the first part of the ,sayyid's conversion to his disciples4 ,the would-be disciple had1 like any novice1 to be educated1 and the ,bb1 in his first two interviews with the ,sayyid1 was content to observe how far this process had gone4 ,it was in the third interview that the two souls really met4 ,the ,sayyid had by this time found courage to put deep theological questions1 and received correspondingly deep answers4 ,the ,bb then wrote on the spot a commentary on the #ajhth ,sura of the ur'an4 ,footnote3 ,nicolas1 p4 #bcc4 ,in this commentary what was the ,sayyid's surprise to find an explanation which he had supposed to be his own original property6 ,he now submitted entirely to the power of attraction and influence ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #aae4 exercised so constantly1 when ,he willed1 by the ,master4 ,he took the ,bb for his glorious model1 and obtained the martyr's crown in the second ,niriz war4 ,,mull ,,mu,,ammad ',,ali ,,of ,,zanjan ,he was a native of ,mazandaran1 and a disciple of a celebrated teacher at the holy city of ,karbala1 decorated with the title ,sharifu-'l ,ulama 7'noblest of the ,ulama'74 ,he became a mujtahd 7'an authority on hard religious questions'7 at ,zanjan1 the capital of the small province of ,khamsa1 which lay between ,ira and ,azarbaijan4 ,muslim writers affirm that in his functions of mujtahd he displayed a restless and intolerant spirit1 ,footnote3 ,gobineau2 ,nicolas4 and he himself confesses to having been 'proud and masterful4' ,we can1 however1 partly excuse one who had no congeniality with the narrow ,shi'ite system prevalent in ,persia4 ,it is clear1 too1 that his teaching 7which was that of the sect of the ,akhbaris71 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 pp4 #ach1 #cdi4 was attractive to many4 ,he declares that two or three thousand families in ,khamsa were wholly devoted to him4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #cej4 ,at the point at which this brief sketch begins1 our mull was anxiously looking out for the return of his messenger ,mash-hadi ,amad from ,shiraz with authentic news of the reported ,divine ,manifestation4 ,when the messenger returned he found ,mull ,muammad ',ali in the mosque about to give a theological lecture4 ,he handed over the letter to his ,master1 who1 after reading it1 at once turned to his disciples1 and uttered these words3 ',to search for a roof after one has arrived at one's destination is a shameful thing4 ,to search for knowledge when one is in possession of one's object is supererogatory4 ,close your lips in surprise1 for the ,master has arisen2 apprehend the news thereof4 ,the sun which points out to us the way we should go1 has appeared2 the night of error and of ignorance is brought to nothing4' ,with a loud voice he then recited the prayer of ,friday1 which is to replace the daily prayer when the ,imm appears4 ,the conversion ,footnote3 ,for ,muammad ',ali's own account1 see ,nicolas1 ,,amb1 pp4 #cdi1 #cej4 of ,mull ,muammad ',ali had important results1 though the rescue of the ,bb was not permitted to be one of them4 ,the same night on which the ,bb arrived at ,zanjan on his way to ,tabriz and ,maku1 ,mull ,muammad ',ali was secretly conveyed to ,tihran4 ,in this way one dangerous influence1 much dreaded at court1 was removed4 ,and in ,tihran he remained till the death of ,muammad ,shah1 and the accession of ,nasiru'd-din ,shah4 ,the new ,shah received him graciously1 and expressed satisfaction that the ,mull had not left ,tihran without leave4 ,he now gave him express permission to return to ,zanjan1 which accordingly the ,mull lost no time in doing4 ,the hostile mulls1 however1 were stirred up to jealousy because of the great popularity which ,muammad ',ali had acquired4 ,such was the beginning of the famous episode of ,zanjan4 ,,urratu',l ',,ayn ,among the ,heroes of ,god was another glorious saint and martyr of the new society1 originally called ,zarrin ,taj 7',golden ,crown'71 but afterwards better known as urratu'l ',ayn 7',refreshment of the ,eyes'7 or ,jenab-i-,tahira 7',her ,excellency the ,pure1 ,immaculate'74 ,she was the daughter of the 'sage of ,kazwin1' ,haji ,mull ,salih1 an eminent jurist1 who 7as we shall see7 eventually married her to her cousin ,mull ,muammad4 ,her father-in-law and uncle was also a mull1 and also called ,muammad2 he was conspicuous for his bitter hostility to the ,sheykhi and the ,bb sects4 urratu'l ',ayn herself had a flexible and progressive mind1 and shrank from no theological problem1 old or new4 ,she absorbed with avidity the latest religious novelties1 which were those of the ,bb1 and though not much sympathy could be expected from most of her family1 yet there was one of her cousins who was favourable like herself to the claims of the ,bb4 ,her father1 too1 though he upbraided his daughter for her wilful adhesion to 'this ,shiraz lad1' confessed that he had not taken offence at any claim which she advanced for herself1 whether to be the ,bb or even more than that4 ,now ,i cannot indeed exonerate the 'sage of ,kazwin' from all responsibility for connecting his daughter so closely with a bitter enemy of the ,bb1 but ,i welcome his testimony to the manifold capacities of his daughter1 and his admission that there were not only extraordinary men but extraordinary women qualified even to represent ,god1 and to lead their less gifted fellow-men or fellow-women up the heights of sanctity4 ,the idea of a woman-,bb is so original that it almost takes one's breath away1 and still more perhaps does the view--modestly veiled by the ,haji--that certain men and even women are of divine nature scandalize a ,western till it becomes clear that the two views are mutually complementary4 ,indeed1 the only difference in human beings is that some realize more1 and some less1 or even not at all1 the fact of the divine spark in their composition4 urratu'l ',ayn certainly did realize her divinity4 ,on one occasion she even reproved one of her companions for not at once discerning that she was the ibla towards which he ought to pray4 ,this is no poetical conceit2 it is meant as seriously as the phrase1 'the ,gate1' is meant when applied to ,mirza ',ali ,muammad4 ,we may compare it with another honorific title of this great woman--',the ,mother of the ,world4' ,the love of ,god and the love of man were in fact equally prominent in the character of urratu'l ',ayn1 and the ,glorious ,one 7el-,abha7 had endowed her not only with moral but with high intellectual gifts4 ,it was from the head of the ,sheykhi sect 7,haji ,sayyid ,kaim7 that she received her best-known title1 and after the ,sayyid's death it was she who 7see below7 instructed his most advanced disciples2 she herself1 indeed1 was more advanced than any1 and was essentially1 like ,symeon in ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 a waiting soul4 ,as yet1 it appears1 the young ,shiraz ,reformer had not heard of her4 ,it was a letter which she wrote after the death of the ,sayyid to ,mull useyn of ,bushraweyh which brought her rare gifts to the knowledge of the ,bb4 useyn himself was not commissioned to offer urratu'l ',ayn as a member of the new society1 but the ,bb 'knew what was in man1' and divined what the gifted woman was desiring4 ,shortly afterwards she had opportunities of perusing theological and devotional works of the ,bb1 by which1 says ,mirza ,jani1 'her conversion was definitely effected4' ,this was at ,karbala1 a place beyond the limits of ,persia1 but dear to all ,shi'ites from its associations4 ,it appears that urratu'l ',ayn had gone thither chiefly to make the acquaintance of the great ,sheykhite teacher1 ,sayyid ,kaim4 ,great was the scandal of both clergy and laity when this fateful step of urratu'l ',ayn became known at ,kazwin4 ,greater still must it have been if 7as ,gobineau states7 she actually appeared in public without a veil4 ,is this true8 ,no1 it is not true1 said ub-i-,ezel1 when questioned on this point by ,browne4 ,now and then1 when carried away by her eloquence1 she would allow the veil to slip down off her face1 but she would always replace it4 ,the tradition handed on in ,baha-'ullah's family is different1 and considering how close was the bond between ,bha and urratu'l ',ayn1 ,i think it safer to follow the family of ,bh1 which in this case involves agreeing with ,gobineau4 ,this noble woman1 therefore1 has the credit of opening the catalogue of social reforms in ,persia4 ,presently ,i shall have occasion to refer to this again4 ,mirza ,jani confirms this view4 ,he tells us that after being converted1 our heroine 'set herself to proclaim and establish the doctrine1' and that this she did 'seated behind a curtain4' ,we are no doubt meant to suppose that those of her hearers who were women were gathered round the lecturer behind the curtain4 ,it was not in accordance with conventions that men and women should be instructed together1 and that--horrible to say--by a woman4 ,the governor of ,karbala determined to arrest her1 but1 though without a passport1 she made good her escape to ,baghdad4 ,there she defended her religious position before the chief mufti4 ,the secular authorities1 however1 ordered her to quit ,turkish territory and not return4 ,the road which she took was that by ,kirmanshah and ,hamadan 7both in ,ira2 the latter1 the humiliated representative of ,ecbatana74 ,of course1 urratu'l ',ayn took the opportunity of preaching her ,gospel1 which was not a scheme of salvation or redemption1 but 'certain subtle mysteries of the divine' to which but few had yet been privileged to listen4 ,the names of some of her hearers are given2 we are to suppose that some friendly theologians had gathered round her1 partly as an escort1 and partly attracted by her remarkable eloquence4 ,two of them we shall meet with presently in another connection4 ,it must not1 of course1 be supposed that all minds were equally open4 ,there were some who raised objections to urratu'l ',ayn1 and wrote a letter to the ,bb1 complaining of her4 ,the ,bb returned discriminating answers1 the upshot of which was that her homilies were to be considered as inspired4 ,we are told that these same objectors repented1 which implies apparently that the ,bb's spiritual influence was effectual at a distance4 ,other converts were made at the same places1 and the idea actually occurred to her that she might put the true doctrine before the ,shah4 ,it was a romantic idea 7,muammad ,shah was anything thing but a devout and believing ,muslim71 not destined to be realized4 ,her father took the alarm and sent for her to come home1 and1 much to her credit1 she gave filial obedience to his summons4 ,it will be observed that it is the father who issues his orders2 no husband is mentioned4 ,was it not1 then1 most probably on this return of urratu'l ',ayn that the maiden was married to ,mull ,muammad1 the eldest son of ,haji ,mull ,muammad ,tai4 ,mirza ,jani does not mention this1 but unless our heroine made two journeys to ,karbala1 is it not the easiest way of understanding the facts8 ,the object of the 'sage of ,kazwin' was1 of course1 to prevent his daughter from traversing the country as an itinerant teacher4 ,that object was attained4 ,i will quote from an account which claims to be from ,haji ,muammad ,hamami1 who had been charged with this delicate mission by the family4 ',i conducted urratu'l ',ayn into the house of her father1 to whom ,i rendered an account of what ,i had seen4 ,haji ,mull ,tai1 who was present at the interview1 showed great irritation1 and recommended all the servants to prevent this woman from going out of the house under any pretext whatsoever1 and not to permit any one to visit her without his authority4 ,thereupon he betook himself to the traveller's room1 and tried to convince her of the error in which she was entangled4 ,he entirely failed1 however1 and1 furious before that settled calm and earnestness1 was led to curse the ,bb and to load him with insults4 ,then urratu'l ',ayn looked into his face1 and said to him1 ,woe unto thee1 for ,i see thy mouth filling with blood4' ,such is the oral tradition which our informant reproduces4 ,in criticizing it1 we may admit that the gift of second sight was possessed by the ,bb and ,bahai leaders4 ,but this particular anecdote respecting our heroine is 7may ,i not say87 very improbable4 ,to curse the ,bb was not the way for an uncle to convince his erring niece4 ,one may1 with more reason1 suppose that her father and uncle trusted to the effect of matrimony1 and committed the transformation of the lady to her cousin ,mull ,muammad4 ,true1 this could not last long1 and the murder of ,tai in the mosque of ,kazwin must have precipitated urratu'l ',ayn's resolution to divorce her husband 7as by ,muammadan law she was entitled to do7 and leave home for ever4 ,it might1 however1 have gone hardly with her if she had really uttered the prophecy related above4 ,evidently her husband1 who had accused her of complicity in the crime1 had not heard of it4 ,so she was acquitted4 ,the ,bb1 too1 favoured the suggestion of her leaving home1 and taking her place among his missionaries4 ,footnote3 ,nicolas1 ,,amb1 p4 #bgg4 ,at the dead of night1 with an escort of ,bbs1 she set out ostensibly for ,khurasan4 ,the route which she really adopted1 however1 took her by the forest-country of ,mazandaran1 where she had the leisure necessary for pondering the religious situation4 ,the sequel was dramatic4 ,after some days and nights of quietude1 she suddenly made her appearance in the hamlet of ,badasht1 to which place a representative conference of ,bbs had been summoned4 ,the object of the conference was to correct a widespread misunderstanding4 ,there were many who thought that the new leader came1 in the most literal sense1 to fulfil the ,islamic ,law4 ,they realized1 indeed1 that the object of ,muammad was to bring about an universal kingdom of righteousness and peace1 but they thought this was to be effected by wading through streams of blood1 and with the help of the divine judgments4 ,the ,bb1 on the other hand1 though not always consistent1 was moving1 with some of his disciples1 in the direction of moral suasion2 his only weapon was 'the sword of the ,spirit1 which is the word of ,god4' ,when the a'im appeared all things would be renewed4 ,but the a'im was on the point of appearing1 and all that remained was to prepare for his ,coming4 ,no more should there be any distinction between higher and lower races1 or between male and female4 ,no more should the long1 enveloping veil be the badge of woman's inferiority4 ,the gifted woman before us had her own characteristic solution of the problem4 ,so1 doubtless1 had the other ,bb leaders who were present1 such as uddus and ,baha-'ullah1 the one against1 the other in favour of social reforms4 ,it is said1 in one form of tradition1 that urratu'l ',ayn herself attended the conference with a veil on4 ,if so1 she lost no time in discarding it1 and broke out 7we are told7 into the fervid exclamation1 ',i am the blast of the trumpet1 ,i am the call of the bugle1' i4e4 ',like ,gabriel1 ,i would awaken sleeping souls4' ,it is said1 too1 that this short speech of the brave woman was followed by the recitation by ,baha-'ullah of the ,sura of the ,resurrection 7lxxv474 ,such recitations often have an overpowering effect4 ,the inner meaning of this was that mankind was about to pass into a new cosmic cycle1 for which a new set of laws and customs would be indispensable4 ,there is also a somewhat fuller tradition4 urratu'l ',ayn was in ,mazandaran1 and so was also ,baha'ullah4 ,the latter was taken ill1 and urratu'l ',ayn1 who was an intimate friend of his1 was greatly concerned at this4 ,for two days she saw nothing of him1 and on the third sent a message to him to the effect that she could keep away no longer1 but must come to see him1 not1 however1 as hitherto1 but with her head uncovered4 ,if her friend disapproved of this1 let him censure her conduct4 ,he did not disapprove1 and on the way to see him1 she proclaimed herself the trumpet blast4 ,at any rate1 it was this bold act of urratu'l ',ayn which shook the foundations of a literal belief in ,islamic doctrines among the ,persians4 ,it may be added that the first-fruits of urratu'l ',ayn's teaching was no one less than the heroic uddus1 and that the eloquent teacher herself owed her insight probably to ,baha-'ullah4 ,of course1 the supposition that her greatest friend might censure her is merely a delightful piece of irony4 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 pp4 #ceg-ceh4 ,i have not yet mentioned the long address assigned to our heroine by ,mirza ,jani4 ,it seems to me1 in its present form1 improbable1 and yet the leading ideas may have been among those expressed by the prophetess4 ,if so1 she stated that the laws of the previous dispensation were abrogated1 and that laws in general were only necessary till men had learnt to comprehend the ,perfection of the ,doctrine of the ,unity4 ',and should men not be able to receive the ,doctrine of the ,unity at the beginning of the ,manifestation1 ordinances and restrictions will again be prescribed for them4' ,it is not wonderful that the declaration of an impending abrogation of ,law was misinterpreted1 and converted into a licence for ,antinomianism4 ,mirza ,jani mentions1 but with some reticence1 the unseemly conduct of some of the ,bbs4 ,there must1 however1 have been some who felt the spell of the great orator1 and such an one is portrayed by ,mme4 ,h4 ,dreyfus1 in her dramatic poem ,god's ,heroes1 under the name of ',ali4 ,i will quote here a little speech of ',ali's1 and also a speech of urratu'l ',ayn1 because they seem to me to give a more vivid idea of the scene than is possible for a mere narrator4 ,footnote3 ,god's ,heroes1 by ,laura ,clifford ,barney ,paris1 #aiji1 p4 #fd1 ,act ,,iii4 ',,ali ',soon we shall leave ,badasht3 let us leave it filled with the ,gospel of life6 ,let our lives show what we1 sincere ,muammadans1 have become through our acceptance of the ,bb1 the ,mahdi1 who has awakened us to the esoteric meaning of the ,resurrection ,day4 ,let us fill the souls of men with the glory of the revealed word4 ,let us advance with arms extended to the stranger4 ,let us emancipate our women1 reform our society4 ,let us arise out of our graves of superstition and of self1 and pronounce that the ,day of ,judgment is at hand2 then shall the whole earth respond to the quickening power of regeneration6' ,,qurratu',l-',,ain 7,deeply moved and half to herself47 ',i feel impelled to help unveil the ,truth to these men assembled4 ,if my act be good the result will be good2 if bad1 may it affect me alone6 '7,advances majestically with face unveiled1 and as she walks towards ,baha-'ullah's tent1 addresses the men47 ,that sound of the trumpet which ushers in the ,day of ,judgment is my call to you now6 ,rise1 brothers6 ,the ,quran is completed1 the new era has begun4 ,know me as your sister1 and let all barriers of the past fall down before our advancing steps4 ,we teach freedom1 action1 and love4 ,that sound of the trumpet1 it is ,i6 ,that blast of the trumpet1 it is ,i6 7,exit ,qurratu'l ',ain47' ,on the breaking up of the ,council our heroine joined a large party of ,bbs led by her great friend uddus4 ,on their arrival in ,nr1 however1 they separated1 she herself staying in that district4 ,there she met ub-i-,ezel1 who is said to have rendered her many services4 ,but before long the people of ,mazandaran surrendered the gifted servant of truth to the ,government4 ,we next meet with her in confinement at ,tihran4 ,there she was treated at first with the utmost gentleness1 her personal charm being felt alike by her host1 ,mamd the ,kalantar1 and by the most frigid of ,persian sovereigns4 ,the former tried hard to save her4 ,doubtless by using ,ketman 7i4e4 by pretending to be a good ,muslim7 she might have escaped4 ,but her view of truth was too austere for this4 ,so the days--the well-filled days--wore on4 ,her success with inquirers was marvellous2 wedding-feasts were not half so bright as her religious soires4 ,but she herself had a bridegroom1 and longed to see him4 ,it was the attempt by a ,bb on the ,shah's life on ,august #ae1 #aheb1 which brought her nearer to the desire of her heart4 ,one of the servants of the house has described her last evening on earth4 ,i quote a paragraph from the account4 ',while she was in prison1 the marriage of the ,kalantar's son took place4 ,as was natural1 all the women-folk of the great personages were invited4 ,but although large sums had been expended on the entertainments usual at such a time1 all the ladies called loudly for urratu'l ',ayn4 ,she came accordingly1 and hardly had she begun to speak when the musicians and dancing-girls were dismissed1 and1 despite the counter attractions of sweet delicacies1 the guests had no eyes and ears save for urratu'l ',ayn4 ',at last1 a night came when something strange and sad happened4 ,i had just waked up1 and saw her go down into the courtyard4 ,after washing from head to foot she went back into her room1 where she dressed herself altogether in white4 ,she perfumed herself1 and as she did this she sang1 and never had ,i seen her so contented and joyous as in this song4 ,then she turned to the women of the house1 and begged them to pardon the disagreeables which might have been occasioned by her presence1 and the faults which she might have committed towards them2 in a word1 she acted exactly like some one who is about to undertake a long journey4 ,we were all surprised1 asking ourselves what that could mean4 ,in the evening1 she wrapped herself in a chadour1 which she fixed about her waist1 making a band of her chargud1 then she put on again her chagchour4 ,her joy as she acted thus was so strange that we burst into tears1 for her goodness and inexhaustible friendliness made us love her4 ,but she smiled on us and said1 ,this evening ,i am going to take a great1 a very great journey4 ,at this moment there was a knock at the street door4 ,run and open1 she said1 for they will be looking for me4 ',it was the ,kalantar who entered4 ,he went in1 as far as her room1 and said to her1 ,come1 ,madam1 for they are asking for you4 ,yes1 said she1 ,i know it4 ,i know1 too1 whither ,i am to be taken2 ,i know how ,i shall be treated4 ,but1 ponder it well1 a day will come when thy ,master will give thee like treatment4 ,then she went out dressed as she was with the ,kalantar2 we had no idea whither she was being taken1 and only on the following day did we learn that she was executed4' ,one of the nephews of the ,kalantar1 who was in the police1 has given an account of the closing scene1 from which ,i quote the following3 ',four hours after sunset the ,kalantar asked me if all my measures were taken1 and upon the assurances which ,i gave him he conducted me into his house4 ,he went in alone into the endern1 but soon returned1 accompanied by urratu'l ',ayn1 and gave me a folded paper1 saying to me1 ,you will conduct this woman to the garden of ,ilkhan1 and will give her into the charge of ,aziz ,khan the ,serdar4 ',a horse was brought1 and ,i helped urratu'l ',ayn to mount4 ,i was afraid1 however1 that the ,bbs would find out what was passing4 ,so ,i threw my cloak upon her1 so that she was taken for a man4 ,with an armed escort we set out to traverse the streets4 ,i feel sure1 however1 that if a rescue had been attempted my people would have run away4 ,i heaved a sigh of relief on entering the garden4 ,i put my prisoner in a room under the entrance1 ordered my soldiers to guard the door well1 and went up to the third story to find the ,serdar4 ',he expected me4 ,i gave him the letter1 and he asked me if no one had understood whom ,i had in charge4 ,no one1 ,i replied1 and now that ,i have performed my duty1 give me a receipt for my prisoner4 ,not yet1 he said2 you have to attend at the execution2 afterwards ,i will give you your receipt4 ',he called a handsome young ,turk whom he had in his service1 and tried to win him over by flatteries and a bribe4 ,he further said1 ,i will look out for some good berth for you4 ,but you must do something for me4 ,take this silk handkerchief1 and go downstairs with this officer4 ,he will conduct you into a room where you will find a young woman who does much harm to believers1 turning their feet from the way of ,muammad4 ,strangle her with this handkerchief4 ,by so doing you will render an immense service to ,god1 and ,i will give you a large reward4 ',the valet bowed and went out with me4 ,i conducted him to the room where ,i had left my prisoner4 ,i found her prostrate and praying4 ,the young man approached her with the view of executing his orders4 ,then she raised her head1 looked fixedly at him and said1 ,oh1 young man1 it would ill beseem you to soil your hand with this murder4 ',i cannot tell what passed in this young man's soul4 ,but it is a fact that he fled like a madman4 ,i ran too1 and we came together to the serdar1 to whom he declared that it was impossible for him to do what was required4 ,i shall lose your patronage1 he said4 ,i am1 indeed1 no longer my own master2 do what you will with me1 but ,i will not touch this woman4 ',aziz ,khan packed him off1 and reflected for some minutes4 ,he then sent for one of his horsemen whom1 as a punishment for misconduct1 he had put to serve in the kitchens4 ,when he came in1 the serdar gave him a friendly scolding3 ,well1 son of a dog1 bandit that you are1 has your punishment been a lesson to you8 and will you be worthy to regain my affection8 ,i think so4 ,here1 take this large glass of brandy1 swallow it down1 and make up for going so long without it4 ,then he gave him a fresh handkerchief1 and repeated the order which he had already given to the young ,turk4 ',we entered the chamber together1 and immediately the man rushed upon urratu'l ',ayn1 and tied the handkerchief several times round her neck4 ,unable to breathe1 she fell to the ground in a faint2 he then knelt with one knee on her back1 and drew the handkerchief with might and main4 ,as his feelings were stirred and he was afraid1 he did not leave her time to breathe her last4 ,he took her up in his arms1 and carried her out to a dry well1 into which he threw her still alive4 ,there was no time to lose1 for daybreak was at hand4 ,so we called some men to help us fill up the well4' ,mons4 ,nicolas1 formerly interpreter of the ,french ,legation at ,tihran1 to whom we are indebted for this narrative1 adds that a pious hand planted five or six solitary trees to mark the spot where the heroine gave up this life for a better one4 ,it is doubtful whether the ruthless modern builder has spared them4 ,the internal evidence in favour of this story is very strong2 there is a striking verisimilitude about it4 ,the execution of a woman to whom so much romantic interest attached cannot have been in the royal square2 that would have been to court unpopularity for the ,government4 ,moreover1 there is a want of definite evidence that women were among the public victims of the 'reign of ,terror' which followed the attempt on the ,shah's life 7cp4 ,,tn1 p4 #ccd74 ,that urratu'l ',ayn was put to death is certain1 but this can hardly have been in public4 ,it is true1 a ,european doctor1 quoted by ,prof4 ,browne 7,,tn1 p4 #cac71 declares that he witnessed the heroic death of the 'beautiful woman4' ,he seems to imply that the death was accompanied by slow tortures4 ,but why does not this doctor give details8 ,is he not drawing upon his fancy8 ,let us not make the persecutors worse than they were4 ,count ,gobineau's informant appears to me too imaginative1 but ,i will give his statements in a somewhat shortened form4 ',the beauty1 eloquence1 and enthusiasm of urratu'l ',ayn exercised a fascination even upon her gaoler4 ,one morning1 returning from the royal camp1 he went into the endern1 and told his prisoner that he brought her good news4 ,i know it1 she answered gaily2 you need not be at the pains to tell me4 ,you cannot possibly know my news1 said the alantar2 it is a request from the ,prime ,minister4 ,you will be conducted to ,niyavaran1 and asked1 'urratu'l ',ayn1 are you a ,bb8' ,you will simply answer1 ',no4' ,you will live alone for some time1 and avoid giving people anything to talk about4 ,the ,prime ,minister will keep his own opinion about you1 but he will not exact more of you than this4' ,the words of the prophetess came true4 ,she was taken to ,niyavaran1 and publicly but gently asked1 ',are you a ,bb8' ,she answered what she had said that she would answer in such a case4 ,she was taken back to ,tihran4 ,her martyrdom took place in the citadel4 ,she was placed upon a heap of that coarse straw which is used to increase the bulk of woollen and felt carpets4 ,but before setting fire to this1 the executioners stifled her with rags1 so that the flames only devoured her dead body4 ,an account is also given in the ,london manuscript of the ,new ,history1 but as the ,mirza suffered in the same persecution as the heroine1 we must suppose that it was inserted by the editor4 ,it is very short4 ',for some while she was in the house of ,mamd ,khan1 the ,kalantar1 where she exhorted and counselled the women of the household1 till one day she went to the bath1 whence she returned in white garments1 saying1 ,to-morrow they will kill me4 ,next day the executioner came and took her to the ,nigaristan4 ,as she would not suffer them to remove the veil from her face 7though they repeatedly sought to do so7 they applied the bow-string1 and thus compassed her martyrdom4 ,then they cast her holy body into a well in the garden4 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 pp4 #bhc f4 ,my own impression is that a legend early began to gather round the sacred form of ,her ,highness the ,pure4 ,retracing his recollections even ,dr4 ,polak mixes up truth and fiction1 and has in his mind's eye something like the scene conjured up by ,count ,gobineau in his description of the persecution of ,tihran3-- ',on vit s'avancer1 entre les bourreaux1 des enfants et des femmes1 les chairs ouvertes sur tout le corps1 avec des mches allumes flambantes fiches dans les blessures4' ,looking back on the short career of urratu'l ',ayn1 one is chiefly struck by her fiery enthusiasm and by her absolute unworldliness4 ,this world was1 in fact1 to her1 as it was said to be to uddus1 a mere handful of dust4 ,she was also an eloquent speaker and experienced in the intricate measures of ,persian poetry4 ,one of her few poems which have thus far been made known is of special interest1 because of the belief which it expresses in the divine-human character of some one 7here called ,lord71 whose claims1 when once adduced1 would receive general recognition4 ,who was this ,personage8 ,it appears that urratu'l ',ayn thought ,him slow in bringing forward these claims4 ,is there any one who can be thought of but ,baha-'ullah8 ,the ,bahaite tradition confidently answers in the negative4 ,baha-'ullah1 it declares1 exercised great influence on the second stage of the heroine's development1 and urratu'l ',ayn was one of those who had pressed forward into the innermost sanctum of the ,bb's disclosures4 ,she was aware that ',the ,splendour of ,god' was ',he whom ,god would manifest4' ,the words of the poem1 in ,prof4 ,browne's translation1 refer1 not to ,ezel1 but to his brother ,baha-'ullah4 ,they are in ,,tn1 p4 #cae4 ',why lags the word1 ,am ,i not your ,lord8 ,yea1 that thou art1 let us make reply4' ,the poetess was a true ,bahaite4 ,more than this2 the harvest sown in ,islamic lands by urratu'l ',ayn is now beginning to appear4 ,a letter addressed to the ,christian ,commonwealth last ,june informs us that forty ,turkish suffragettes are being deported from ,constantinople to ,akka 7so long the prison of ,baha-'ullah73 ',during the last few years suffrage ideas have been spreading quietly behind in the harems4 ,the men were ignorant of it2 everybody was ignorant of it2 and now suddenly the floodgate is opened and the men of ,constantinople have thought it necessary to resort to drastic measures4 ,suffrage clubs have been organized1 intelligent memorials incorporating the women's demands have been drafted and circulated2 women's journals and magazines have sprung up1 publishing excellent articles2 and public meetings were held4 ,then one day the members of these clubs--four hundred of them--cast away their veils4 ,the staid1 fossilized class of society were shocked1 the good ,mussulmans were alarmed1 and the ,government forced into action4 ,these four hundred liberty-loving women were divided into several groups4 ,one group composed of forty have been exiled to ,akka1 and will arrive in a few days4 ,everybody is talking about it1 and it is really surprising to see how numerous are those in favour of removing the veils from the faces of the women4 ,many men with whom ,i have talked think the custom not only archaic1 but thought-stifling4 ,the ,turkish authorities1 thinking to extinguish this light of liberty1 have greatly added to its flame1 and their high-handed action has materially assisted the creation of a wider public opinion and a better understanding of this crucial problem4 ,the other question exercising opinion in aifa is the formation of a military and strategic quarter out of ,akka1 which in this is resuming its bygone importance4 ,six regiments of soldiers are to be quartered there4 ,many officers have already arrived and are hunting for houses1 and as a result rents are trebled4 ,it is interesting to reflect1 as our ,baha correspondent suggests1 on the possible consequence of this projection of militarism into the very centre fount of the ,bahai faith in universal peace4' ,,baha-',,ullah 7,,mirza ,,useyn ,,ali ,,of ,n,r7 ,according to ,count ,gobineau1 the martyrdom of the ,bb at ,tabriz was followed by a ,council of the ,bb chiefs at ,teheran 7,tihran74 ,what authority he has for this statement is unknown1 but it is in itself not improbable4 ,formerly the members of the ,two ,unities must have desired to make their policy as far as possible uniform4 ,we have already heard of the ,council of ,badasht 7from which1 however1 the ,bb1 or1 the ,point1 was absent72 we now have to make room in our mind for the possibilities of a ,council of ,tihran4 ,it was an important occasion of which ,gobineau reminds us1 well worthy to be marked by a ,council1 being nothing less than the decision of the succession to the ,pontificate4 ,at such a ,council who would as a matter of course be present8 ,one may mention in the first instance ,mirza useyn ',ali1 titled as ,baha-'ullah1 and his half-brother1 ,mirza ,yaya1 otherwise known as ub-i-,ezel1 also ,jenb-i-',azim1 ,jenb-i-,bazir1 ,mirza ,asadu'llah ,footnote3 ,gobineau1 however1 thinks that ,mirza ,asadu'llah was not present at the 7assumed7 ,council4 7,dayyan71 ,sayyid ,yaya 7of ,darab71 and others similarly honoured by the original ,bb4 ,and who were the candidates for this terribly responsible post8 ,several may have wished to be brought forward1 but one candidate1 according to the scholar mentioned1 overshadowed the rest4 ,this was ,mirza ,yaya 7of ,nr71 better known as ub-i-,ezel4 ,the claims of this young man were based on a nomination-document now in the possession of ,prof4 ,browne1 and have been supported by a letter given in a ,french version by ,mons4 ,nicolas4 ,forgery1 however1 has played such a great part in written documents of the ,east that ,i hesitate to recognize the genuineness of this nomination4 ,and ,i think it very improbable that any company of intensely earnest men should have accepted the document in preference to the evidence of their own knowledge respecting the inadequate endowments of ub-i-,ezel4 ,no doubt the responsibilities of the pontificate would be shared4 ,there would be a ',gate' and there would be a ',point4' ,the deficiencies of the ',gate' might be made good by the ',point4' ,moreover1 the ',letters of the ,living' were important personages2 their advice could hardly be rejected4 ,still the gravity and variety of the duties devolving upon the ',gate' and the ',point' give us an uneasy sense that ub-i-,ezel was not adequate to either of these posts1 and cannot have been appointed to either of them by the ,council4 ,the probability is that the arrangement already made was further sanctioned1 viz4 that ,baha-'ullah was for the present to take the private direction of affairs and exercise his great gifts as a teacher1 while ub-i-,ezel 7a vain young man7 gave his name as ostensible head1 especially with a view to outsiders and to agents of the government4 ,it may be this to which allusion is made in a tradition preserved by ,behah ,khanum1 sister of ,abbas ,effendi ,abdul ,baha1 that ub-i-,ezel claimed to be equal to his half-brother1 and that he rested this claim on a vision4 ,the implication is that ,baha-'ullah was virtually the head of the ,bb community1 and that ub-i-,ezel was wrapt up in dreams1 and was really only a figurehead4 ,in fact1 from whatever point of view we compare the brothers 7half-brothers71 we are struck by the all-round competence of the elder and the incompetence of the younger4 ,as leader1 as teacher1 and as writer he was alike unsurpassed4 ,it may be mentioned in passing that1 not only the ,hidden ,words and the ,seven ,valleys1 but the fine though unconvincing apologetic arguments of the ,book of ,ighan flowed from ,baha-'ullah's pen at the ,baghdad period4 ,but we must now make good a great omission4 ,let us turn back to our hero's origin and childhood4 useyn ',ali was half-brother of ,yaya1 i4e4 they had the same father but different mothers4 ,the former was the elder1 being born in ,a4,d4 #ahag1 whereas the latter only entered on his melancholy life in ,a4,d4 #ahcj4 ,footnote3 ,it is a singular fact that an ,ezelite source claims the name ,baha-'ullah for ,mirza ,yaya4 ,but one can hardly venture to credit this4 ,see ,,tn1 p4 #cgc n4 #a4 ,both embraced the ,bb faith1 and were called respectively ,baha-'ullah 7,splendour of ,god7 and ub-i-,ezel 7,dawn of ,eternity74 ,their father was known as ,buzurg 7or1 ,abbas71 of the district of ,nr in ,mazandaran4 ,the family was distinguished2 ,mirza ,buzurg held a high post under government4 ,like many men of his class1 ,mirza useyn ',ali had a turn for mysticism1 but combined this--like so many other mystics--with much practical ability4 ,he became a ,bb early in life1 and did much to lay the foundations of the faith both in his native place and in the capital4 ,his speech was like a 'rushing torrent1' and his clearness in exposition brought the most learned divines to his feet4 ,like his half-brother1 he attended the important ,council of ,badasht1 where1 with ,god's ,heroine--urratu'l ',ayn--he defended the cause of progress and averted a fiasco4 ,the ,bb--'an ambassador in bonds'--he never met1 but he corresponded with him1 using 7as it appears7 the name of his half-brother as a protecting pseudonym4 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #cgc n4 #a4 ,the ,bb was 'taken up into heaven' in #ahej upon which 7according to a ,tradition which ,i am compelled to reject7 ub-i-,ezel succeeded to the ,supreme ,headship4 ,the appointment would have been very unsuitable1 but the truth is 7pace ,gobineau7 that it was never made1 or rather1 ,god did not will to put such a strain upon our faith4 ,it was1 in fact1 too trying a time for any new teacher1 and we can now see the wisdom of ,baha-'ullah in waiting for the call of events4 ,the ,bb community was too much divided to yield a new ,head a frank and loyal obedience4 ,many ,bbs rose against the government1 and one even made an attempt on the ,shah's life4 ,baha-'ullah 7to use the name given to useyn ',ali of ,nr by the ,bb7 was arrested near ,tihran on a charge of complicity4 ,he was imprisoned for four months1 but finally acquitted and released4 ,no wonder that ,baha-'ullah and his family were anxious to put as large a space as possible between themselves and ,tihran4 ,together with several ,bb families1 and1 of course1 his own nearest and dearest1 ,baha-'ullah set out for ,baghdad4 ,it was a terrible journey in rough mountain country and the travellers suffered greatly from exposure4 ,on their arrival fresh misery stared the ladies in the face1 unaccustomed as they were to such rough life4 ,they were aided1 however1 by the devotion of some of their fellow-believers1 who rendered many voluntary services2 indeed1 their affectionate zeal needed to be restrained1 as ,st4 ,paul doubtless found in like circumstances4 ,baha-'ullah himself was intensely1 divinely happy1 and the little band of refugees--thirsty for truth--rejoiced in their untrammelled intercourse with their ,teacher4 ,unfortunately religious dissensions began to arise4 ,in the ,bb colony at ,baghdad there were some who were not thoroughly devoted to ,baha-'ullah4 ,the ,teacher was rather too radical1 too progressive for them4 ,they had not been introduced to the simpler and more spiritual form of religion taught by ,baha-'ullah1 and probably they had had positive teaching of quite another order from some one authorized by ub-i-,ezel4 ,the strife went on increasing in bitterness1 until at length it became clear that either ,baha-'ullah or ub-i-,ezel must for a time vanish from the scene4 ,for ub-i-,ezel 7or1 for shortness1 ,ezel7 to disappear would be suicidal2 he knew how weak his personal claims to the pontificate really were4 ,but ,baha-'ullah's disappearance would be in the general interest2 it would enable the ,bbs to realize how totally dependent they were1 in practical matters1 on ,baha-'ullah4 ',accordingly1 taking a change of clothes1 but no money1 and against the entreaties of all the family1 he set out4 ,many months passed2 he did not return1 nor had we any word from him or about him4 ',there was an old physician at ,baghdad who had been called upon to attend the family1 and who had become our friend4 ,he sympathized much with us1 and undertook on his own account to make inquiries for my father4 ,these inquiries were long without definite result1 but at length a certain traveller to whom he had described my father said that he had heard of a man answering to that description1 evidently of high rank1 but calling himself a dervish1 living in caves in the mountains4 ,he was1 he said1 reputed to be so wise and wonderful in his speech on religious things that when people heard him they would follow him2 whereupon1 wishing to be alone1 he would change his residence to a cave in some other locality4 ,when we heard these things1 we were convinced that this dervish was in truth our beloved one4 ,but having no means to send him any word1 or to hear further of him1 we were very sad4 ',there was also then in ,baghdad an earnest ,bb1 formerly a pupil of urratu'l ',ayn4 ,this man said to us that as he had no ties and did not care for his life1 he desired no greater happiness than to be allowed to seek for him all loved so much1 and that he would not return without him4 ,he was1 however1 very poor1 not being able even to provide an ass for the journey2 and he was besides not very strong1 and therefore not able to go on foot4 ,we had no money for the purpose1 nor anything of value by the sale of which money could be procured1 with the exception of a single rug1 upon which we all slept4 ,this we sold and with the proceeds bought an ass for this friend1 who thereupon set out upon the search4 ',time passed2 we heard nothing1 and fell into the deepest dejection and despair4 ,finally1 four months having elapsed since our friend had departed1 a message was one day received from him saying that he would bring my father home on the next day4 ,the absence of my father had covered a little more than two years4 ,after his return the fame which he had acquired in the mountains reached ,baghdad4 ,his followers became numerous2 many of them even the fierce and untutored ,arabs of ,irak4 ,he was visited also by many ,bbs from ,persia4' ,this is the account of the sister of our beloved and venerated ,abdul ,baha4 ,there are1 however1 two other accounts which ought to be mentioned4 ,according to the ,traveller's ,narrative1 the refuge of ,baha-'ullah was generally in a place called ,sarkalu in the mountains of ,turkish ,kurdistan2 more seldom he used to stay in ,suleymaniyya1 the headquarters of the ,sunnites4 ,before long1 however1 'the most eminent doctors of those regions got some inkling of his circumstances and conditions1 and conversed with him on the solution of certain difficult questions connected with the most abstruse points of theology4 ,in consequence of this1 fragmentary accounts of this were circulated in all quarters4 ,several persons therefore hastened thither1 and began to entreat and implore4' ,footnote3 ,,tn1 pp4 #fd1 #fe4 ,if this is correct1 ,baha-'ullah was more widely known in ,turkish ,kurdistan than his family was aware1 and debated high questions of theology as frequently as if he were in ,baghdad or at the ,supreme ,shrine4 ,nor was it only the old physician and the poor ,bb disciple who were on the track of ,baha-'ullah1 but 'several persons'--no doubt persons of weight1 who were anxious for a settlement of the points at issue in the ,bb community4 ,a further contribution is made by the ,ezeli historian1 who states that ub-i-,ezel himself wrote a letter to his brother1 inviting him to return4 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #cei4 ,one wishes that letter could be recovered4 ,it would presumably throw much light on the relations between the brothers at this critical period4 ,about #ahfb representations were made to the ,shah that the ,bb preaching at ,baghdad was injurious to the true ,faith in ,persia4 ,the ,turkish ,government1 therefore1 when approached on the subject by the ,shah1 consented to transfer the ,bbs from ,baghdad to ,constantinople4 ,an interval of two weeks was accorded1 and before this grace-time was over a great event happened--his declaration of himself to be the expected ,messiah 7,him whom ,god should manifest74 ,as yet it was only in the presence of his son 7now best known as ,abdul ,baha7 and four other specially chosen disciples that this momentous declaration was made4 ,there were reasons why ,baha-'ullah should no longer keep his knowledge of the will of ,god entirely secret1 and also reasons why he should not make the declaration absolutely public4 ,the caravan took four months to reach ,constantinople4 ,at this capital of the ,muammadan world their stay was brief1 as they were 'packed off' the same year to ,adrianople4 ,again they suffered greatly4 ,but who would find fault with the ,great ,compassion for arranging it so8 ,and who would deny that there are more important events at this period which claim our interest8 ,these are 7#a7 the repeated attempts on the life of ,baha-'ullah 7or1 as the ,ezelis say1 of ub-i-,ezel7 by the machinations of ub-i-,ezel 7or1 as the ,ezelis say1 of ,baha-'ullah71 and 7#b7 the public declaration on the part of ,baha-'ullah that he1 and no one else1 was the ,promised ,manifestation of ,deity4 ,there is some obscurity in the chronological relation of these events1 i4e4 as to whether the public declaration of ,baha-'ullah was in definite opposition1 not only to the claims of ub-i-,ezel1 but to those of ,zabi1 related by ,mirza ,jani1 ,footnote3 ,see ,,nh1 pp4 #che1 #cid2 ,,tn1 p4 #ceg4 ,the ,ezelite historian includes ,dayyan 7see above74 and of others1 or whether the reverse is the case4 ,at any rate ,baha-'ullah believed that his brother was an assassin and a liar4 ,this is what he says1--',neither was the belly of the glutton sated till that he desired to eat my flesh and drink my blood4444 ,and herein he took counsel with one of my attendants1 tempting him unto this4444 ,but he1 when he became aware that the matter had become publicly known1 took the pen of falsehood1 and wrote unto the people1 and attributed all that he had done to my peerless and wronged ,beauty4' ,footnote3 ,,tn1 pp4 #cfh1 #cfi4 ,these words are either a meaningless extravagance1 or they are a deliberate assertion that ub-i-,ezel had sought to destroy his brother1 and had then circulated a written declaration that it was ,baha-'ullah who had sought to destroy ub-i-,ezel4 ,it is1 ,i fear1 certain that ,baha-'ullah is correct1 and that ub-i-,ezel did attempt to poison his brother1 who was desperately ill for twenty-two days4 ,another attempt on the life of the much-loved ,master was prevented1 it is said1 by the faithfulness of the bath-servant4 ',one day while in the bath ub-i-,ezel remarked to the servant 7who was a believer7 that the ,blessed ,perfection had enemies and that in the bath he was much exposed4444 ub-i-,ezel then asked him whether1 if ,god should lay upon him the command to do this1 he would obey it4 ,the servant understood this question1 coming from ub-i-,ezel1 to be a suggestion of such a command1 and was so petrified by it that he rushed screaming from the room4 ,he first met ,abbas ,effendi and reported to him ub-i-,ezel's words4444 ,abbas ,effendi1 accordingly1 accompanied him to my father1 who listened to his story and then enjoined absolute silence upon him4' ,footnote3 ,phelps1 pp4 #ch1 #ci4 ,such is the story as given by one who from her youthful age is likely to have remembered with precision4 ,she adds that the occurrence 'was ignored by my father and brother1' and that 'our relations with ub-i-,ezel continued to be cordial4' ,how extremely fine this is6 ,it may remind us of ',father1 forgive them1' and seems to justify the title given to ,baha-'ullah by his followers1 ',blessed ,perfection4' ,the ,ezelite historian1 however1 gives a different version of the story4 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 pp4 #cei1 #cfj4 ,according to him1 it was ub-i-,ezel whose life was threatened4 ',it was arranged that ,muammad ,ali the barber should cut his throat while shaving him in the bath4 ,on the approach of the barber1 however1 ub-i-,ezel divined his design1 refused to allow him to come near1 and1 on leaving the bath1 instantly took another lodging in ,adrianople1 and separated himself from ,mirza useyn ',ali and his followers4' ,evidently there was great animosity between the parties1 but1 in spite of the ,eight ,paradises1 it appears to me that the ,ezelites were chiefly in fault4 ,who can believe that ,baha-'ullah spread abroad his brother's offences8 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 ,on the other hand1 ub-i-,ezel and his advisers were capable of almost anything from poisoning and assassination to the forging of spurious letters4 ,i do not mean to say that they were by any means the first persons in ,persian history to venture on these abnormal actions4 ,it is again ub-i-,ezel who is responsible for the disturbance of the community4 ,it was represented--no doubt by this bitter foe--to the ,turkish ,government that ,baha-'ullah and his followers were plotting against the existing order of things1 and that when their efforts had been crowned with success1 ,baha-'ullah would be designated king4 ,footnote3 ,for another form of the story1 see ,phelps1 ,abbas ,effendi1 p4 #df4 ,this may really have been a dream of the ,ezelites 7we must substitute ub-i-,ezel for ,baha-'ullah72 the ,bahaites were of course horrified at the idea4 ,but how should the ,sultan discriminate8 ,so the punishment fell on the innocent as well as the guilty1 on the ,bahaites as well as the ,ezelites4 ,the punishment was the removal of ,baha-'ullah and his party and ub-i-,ezel and his handful of followers1 the former to ,akka 7,acre7 on the coast of ,syria1 the latter to ,famagusta in ,cyprus4 ,the ,bahaites were put on board ship at ,gallipoli4 ,a full account is given by ,abbas ,effendi's sister of the preceding events4 ,it gives one a most touching idea of the deep devotion attracted by the magnetic personalities of the ,leader and his son4 ,i have used the expression ',leader1' but in the course of his stay at ,adrianople ,baha-'ullah had risen to a much higher rank than that of ',leader4' ,we have seen that at an earlier period of his exile ,baha-'ullah had made known to five of his disciples that he was in very deed the personage whom the ,bb had enigmatically promised4 ,at that time1 however1 ,baha-'ullah had pledged those five disciples to secrecy4 ,but now the reasons for concealment did not exist1 and ,baha-'ullah saw 7in #ahfc7 that the time had come for a public declaration4 ,this is what is stated by ,abbas ,effendi's sister3-- ,footnote3 ,phelps1 pp4 #dd-df4 ',he then wrote a tablet1 longer than any he had before written1 which he directed to be read to every ,bb1 but first of all to ub-i-,ezel4 ,he assigned to one of his followers the duty of taking it to ub-i-,ezel1 reading it to him1 and returning with ub-i-,ezel's reply4 ,when ub-i-,ezel had heard the tablet he did not attempt to refute it2 on the contrary he accepted it1 and said that it was true4 ,but he went on to maintain that he himself was co-equal with the ,blessed ,perfection1 ,footnote3 ,see p4 #abh4 affirming that he had a vision on the previous night in which he had received this assurance4 ',when this statement of ub-i-,ezel was reported to the ,blessed ,perfection1 the latter directed that every ,bb should be informed of it at the time when he heard his own tablet read4 ,this was done1 and much uncertainty resulted among the believers4 ,they generally applied to the ,blessed ,perfection for advice1 which1 however1 he declined to give4 ,at length he told them that he would seclude himself from them for four months1 and that during this time they must decide the question for themselves4 ,at the end of that period1 all the ,bbs in ,adrianople1 with the exception of ub-i-,ezel and five or six others1 came to the ,blessed ,perfection and declared that they accepted him as the ,divine ,manifestation whose coming the ,bb had foretold4 ,the ,bbs of ,persia1 ,syria1 ,egypt1 and other countries also in due time accepted the ,blessed ,perfection with substantial unanimity4 ,baha-'ullah1 then1 landed in ,syria not merely as the leader of the greater part of the ,bbs at ,baghdad1 but as the representative of a wellnigh perfect humanity4 ,he did not indeed assume the title ',the ,point1' but ',the ,point' and ',perfection' are equivalent terms4 ,he was1 indeed1 ',fairer than the sons of men1' ,footnote3 ,ps4 xlv4 #b4 and no sorrow was spared to him that belonged to what the ,jews and ,jewish ,christians called 'the pangs of the ,messiah4' ,it is true1 crucifixion does not appear among ,baha-'ullah's pains1 but he was at any rate within an ace of martyrdom4 ,this is what ,baha-'ullah wrote at the end of his stay at ,adrianople3--,footnote3 ,browne1 ,a ,year among the ,persians1 p4 #eah4 ',by ,god1 my head longeth for the spears for the love of its ,lord1 and ,i never pass by a tree but my heart addresseth it saying1 ',oh would that thou wert cut down in my name1 and my body were crucified upon thee in the way of my ,lord6' ,the sorrows of his later years were largely connected with the confinement of the ,bahaites at ,acre 7,akka74 ,from the same source ,i quote the following4 ',we are about to shift from this most remote place of banishment 7,adrianople7 unto the prison of ,acre4 ,and1 according to what they say1 it is assuredly the most desolate of the cities of the world1 the most unsightly of them in appearance1 the most detestable in climate1 and the foulest in water4' ,it is true1 the sanitary condition of the city improved1 so that ,bahaites from all parts visited ,akka as a holy city4 ,similar associations belong to aifa1 so long the residence of the saintly son of a saintly father4 ,if there has been any prophet in recent times1 it is to ,baha-'ullah that we must go4 ,pretenders like ub-i-,ezel and ,muammad are quickly unmasked4 ,character is the final judge4 ,baha-'ullah was a man of the highest class--that of prophets4 ,but he was free from the last infirmity of noble minds1 and would certainly not have separated himself from others4 ,he would have understood the saying1 ',would ,god all the ,lord's people were prophets4' ,what he does say1 however1 is just as fine1 ',i do not desire lordship over others2 ,i desire all men to be even as ,i am4' ,he spent his later years in delivering his message1 and setting forth the ideals and laws of the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,in #ahib he passed within the veil4 ,,part ,,iii ,,biographical ,,and ,,historical 7continued7 ,,ub-,i-,,ezel 7,,or ,,azal7 ',he is a scion of one of the noble families of ,persia4 ,his father was accomplished1 wealthy1 and much respected1 and enjoyed the high consideration of the ,king and nobles of ,persia4 ,his mother died when he was a child4 ,his father thereupon entrusted him to the keeping of his honourable spouse1 ,footnote3 ,,nh1 pp4 #cgd ff4 saying1 ,do you take care of this child1 and see that your handmaids attend to him properly4' ,this 'honourable spouse' is1 in the context1 called 'the concubine'--apparently a second wife is meant4 ,at any rate her son was no less honoured than if he had been the son of the chief or favourite wife2 he was named useyn ',ali1 and his young half-brother was named ,yaya4 ,according to ,mirza ,jani1 the account which the history contains was given him by ,mirza useyn ',ali's half-brother1 who represents that the later kindness of his own mother to the young child ,yaya was owing to a prophetic dream which she had1 and in which the ,apostle of ,god and the ,king of ,saintship figured as the child's protectors4 ,evidently this part of the narrative is imaginative1 and possibly it is the work of ,mirza ,jani4 ,but there is no reason to doubt that what follows is based more or less on facts derived from ,mirza useyn ',ali4 ',i busied myself1' says the latter1 'with the instruction of ,yaya4 ,the signs of his natural excellence and goodness of disposition were apparent in the mirror of his being4 ,he ever loved gravity of demeanour1 silence1 courtesy1 and modesty1 avoiding the society of other children and their behaviour4 ,i did not1 however1 know that he would become the possessor of so high a station4 ,he studied ,persian1 but made little progress in ,arabic4 ,he wrote a good nasta'lik hand1 and was very fond of the poems of the mystics4' ,the facts may be decked out4 ,mirza ,jani himself only met ,mirza ,yaya once4 ,he describes him as 'an amiable child4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #cgf4 ,certainly1 we can easily suppose that he retained a childlike appearance longer than most1 for he early became a mystic1 and a mystic is one whose countenance is radiant with joy4 ,this1 indeed1 may be the reason why they conferred on him the name1 ',dawn of ,eternity4' ,he never saw the ,bb1 but when his 'honoured brother' would read the ,master's writings in a circle of friends1 ,mirza ,yaya used to listen1 and conceived a fervent love for the inspired author4 ,at the time of the ,manifestation of the ,bb he was only fourteen1 but very soon after1 he1 like his brother1 took the momentous step of becoming a ,bb1 and resolved to obey the order of the ,bb for his followers to proceed to ,khurasan4 ,so1 'having made for himself a knapsack1 and got together a few necessaries1' he set out as an evangelist1 'with perfect trust in his ,beloved1' somewhat as ,s4 ,teresa started from her home at ,avila to evangelize the ,moors4 ',but when his brother was informed of this1 he sent and prevented him4' ,footnote3 ,,nh1 p4 #dd4 ,compensation1 however1 was not denied him4 ,some time after1 ,yaya made an expedition in company with some of his relations1 making congenial friends1 and helping to strengthen the ,bb cause4 ,he was now not far off the turning-point in his life4 ,not long after occurred a lamentable set-back to the cause--the persecution and massacre which followed the attempt on the ,shah's life by an unruly ,bb in ,august #aheb4 ,he himself was in great danger1 but felt no call to martyrdom1 and set out in the disguise of a dervish ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #cgd4 in the same direction as his elder brother1 reaching ,baghdad somewhat later4 ,there1 among the ,bb refugees1 he found new and old friends who adhered closely to the original type of theosophic doctrine2 an increasing majority1 however1 were fascinated by a much more progressive teacher4 ,the ,ezelite history known as ,hasht ,bihisht 7',eight ,paradises'7 gives the names of the chief members of the former school1 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #cef4 including ,sayyid ,muammad of ,isfahan1 and states that1 perceiving ,mirza useyn ',ali's innovating tendencies1 they addressed to him a vigorous remonstrance4 ,it was1 in fact1 an ecclesiastical crisis1 as the authors of the ,traveller's ,narrative1 as well as the ,ezelite historian1 distinctly recognize4 ,baha-'ullah1 too1--to give him his nobler name--endorses this view when he says1 ',then1 in secret1 the ,sayyid of ,isfahan circumvented him1 and together they did that which caused a great calamity4' ,it was1 therefore1 indeed a crisis1 and the chief blame is laid on ,sayyid ,muammad4 ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #id4 ',he 7i4e4 ,sayyid ,muammad7 commenced a secret intrigue1 and fell to tempting ,mirza ,yaya1 saying1 ,the fame of this sect hath risen high in the world2 neither dread nor danger remaineth1 nor is there any fear or need for caution before you4' ub-i-,ezel is still a mere youth and easily imposed upon2 the ,sayyid ought to have known better than to tempt him1 for a stronger teacher was needed in this period of disorganization than the ,ezelites could produce4 ,mirza ,yaya was not up to the leadership1 nor was he entitled to place himself above his much older brother1 especially when he was bound by the tie of gratitude4 ',remember1' says ,baha-'ullah1 'the favour of thy master1 when we brought thee up during the nights and days for the service of the ,religion4 ,fear ,god1 and be of those who repent4 ,grant that thine affair is dubious unto me2 is it dubious unto thyself8' ,how gentle is this fraternal reproof6 ,there is but little more to relate that has not been already told in the sketch of ,baha-'ullah4 ,he was1 at any rate1 harmless in ,cyprus1 and had no further opportunity for religious assassination4 ,one cannot help regretting that his sun went down so stormily4 ,i return therefore to the question of the honorific names of ,mirza ,yaya1 after which ,i shall refer to the singular point of the crystal coffin and to the moral character of ub-i-,ezel4 ,among the names and titles which the ,ezelite book called ,eight ,paradises declares to have been conferred by the ,bb on his young disciple are ub-i-,ezel 7or ,azal71 ,baha-'ullah1 and the strange title ,mir'at 7,mirror74 ,the two former--',dawn of ,eternity' and ',splendour of ,god'--are referred to elsewhere4 ,the third properly belongs to a class of persons inferior to the ',letters of the ,living1' and to this class ub-i-,ezel1 by his own admission1 belongs4 ,the title ,mir'at1 therefore1 involves some limitation of ,ezel's dignity1 and its object apparently is to prevent ub-i-,ezel from claiming to be ',he whom ,god will make manifest4' ,that is1 the ,bb in his last years had an intuition that the eternal day would not be ushered into existence by this impractical nature4 ,how1 then1 came the ,bb to give ,mirza ,yaya such a name8 ,purely from cabbalistic reasons which do not concern us here4 ,it was a mistake which only shows that the ,bb was not infallible4 ,mirza ,yaya had no great part to play in the ushering-in of the new cycle4 ,elsewhere the ,bb is at the pains to recommend the elder of the half-brothers to attend to his junior's writing and spelling4 ,footnote3 ,the ,tablets 7letters7 are in the ,british ,museum collection1 in four books of ,ezel1 who wrote the copies at ,baha-'ullah's dictation4 ,the references are--,i41 ,no4 #fbea1 p4 #afb2 ,,ii41 ,no4 #eaaa1 p4 #bec1 to which copy ,rizwan ,ali1 son of ,ezel1 has appended ',the brother of the ,fruit' 7,ezel72 ,,iii41 ,no4 #fbed1 p4 #bcf2 ,,iv41 ,no4 #fbeg1 p4 #aeh4 ,now it was1 of course1 worth while to educate ,mirza ,yaya1 whose feebleness in ,arabic grammar was scandalous1 but can we imagine ,baha-'ullah and all the other 'letters' being passed over by the ,bb in favour of such an imperfectly educated young man8 ,the so-called 'nomination' is a bare-faced forgery4 ,the statement of ,gobineau that ub-i-,ezel belonged to the ',letters of the ,living' of the ,first ,unity is untrustworthy4 ,footnote3 ,fils du ,loup1 p4 #aef n4#c4 ,m4 ,hippolyte ,dreyfus has favoured me with a reliable list of the members of the ,first ,unity1 which ,i have given elsewhere1 and which does not contain the name of ,mirza ,yaya4 ,at the same time1 the ,bb may have admitted him into the second hierarchy of #ahai4 ,footnote3 ,fils du ,loup1 p4 #afc n4#a4 ',the eighteen ,letters of ,life had each a mirror which represented it1 and which was called upon to replace it if it disappeared4 ,there are1 therefore1 #ah ,letters of ,life and #ah ,mirrors1 which constituted two distinct ,unities4' ,considering that ,mirza ,yaya was regarded as a 'return' of uddus1 some preferment may conceivably have found its way to him4 ,it was no contemptible distinction to be a member of the ,second ,unity1 i4e4 to be one of those who reflected the excellences of the older ',letters of the ,living4' ,as a member of the ,second ,unity and the accepted reflexion of uddus1 ub-i-,ezel may have been thought of as a director of affairs together with the obviously marked-out agent 7wali71 ,baha-'ullah4 ,we are not told1 however1 that ,mirza ,yaya assumed either the title of ,bb 7,gate7 or that of ,nua 7,point74 ,footnote3 ,others1 however1 give it him 7,,tn1 p4 #cec74 ,i must confess that ub-i-,ezel's account of the fortune of the ,bb's relics appears to me1 as well as to ,m4 ,nicolas1 ,footnote3 ,,amb1 p4 #chj n4 unsatisfactory and 7in one point7 contradictory4 ,how1 for instance1 did he get possession of the relics8 ,and1 is there any independent evidence for the intermingling of the parts of the two corpses8 ,how did he procure a crystal coffin to receive the relics8 ,how comes it that there were ,bahaites at the time of the ,bb's death1 and how was ub-i-,ezel able to conceal the crystal coffin1 etc41 from his brother ,baha-'ullah8 ,evidently ub-i-,ezel has changed greatly since the time when both the brothers 7half-brothers7 were devoted1 heart and soul1 to the service of the ,bb4 ,it is this moral transformation which vitiates ub-i-,ezel's assertions4 ,can any one doubt this8 ,surely the best authorities are agreed that the sense of historical truth is very deficient among the ,persians4 ,now ub-i-,ezel was in some respects a typical ,persian2 that is how ,i would explain his deviations from strict truth4 ,it may be added that the detail of the crystal coffin can be accounted for4 ,in the ,arabic ,bayan1 among other injunctions concerning the dead1 ,footnote3 ,le ,beyan ,arabi 7,nicolas71 p4 #beb2 similarly1 p4 #ed4 it is said3 ',as for your dead1 inter them in crystal1 or in cut and polished stones4 ,it is possible that this may become a peace for your heart4' ,this precept suggested to ub-i-,ezel his extraordinary statement4 ub-i-,ezel had an imaginative and possibly a partly mystic nature4 ,as a ,manifestation of ,god he may have thought himself entitled to remove harmful people1 even his own brother4 ,he did not ask himself whether he might not be in error in attaching such importance to his own personality1 and whether any vision could override plain morality4 ,he was mistaken1 and ,i hold that the ,bb was mistaken in appointing 7if he really did so7 ub-i-,ezel as a nominal head of the ,bbs when the true1 although temporary vice-gerent was ,baha-'ullah4 ,for ub-i-,ezel was a consummate failure2 it is too plain that the ,bab did not always1 like ,jesus and like the ,buddha1 know what was in man4 ,,subsequent ,,discoveries ,the historical work of the ,ezelite party1 called ,the ,eight ,paradises1 makes ,ezel nineteen years of age when he came forward as an expounder of religious mysteries and wrote letters to the ,bb4 ,on receiving the first letter1 we are told that the ,bb 7or1 as we should rather now call him1 the ,point7 instantly prostrated himself in thankfulness1 testifying that he was a mighty ,luminary1 and spoke by the ,self-shining ,light1 by revelation4 ,imprisoned as he was at ,maku1 the ,point of ,knowledge could not take counsel with all his fellow-workers or disciples1 but he sent the writings of this brilliant novice 7if he really was so brilliant7 to each of the ',letters of the ,living1' and to the chief believers1 at the same time conferring on him a number of titles1 including ub-i-,ezel 7',dawn of ,eternity'7 and ,baha-'ullah 7',splendour of ,god '74 ,if this statement be correct1 we may plausibly hold with ,professor ,e4 ,g4 ,browne that ub-i-,ezel 7,mirza ,yaya7 was advanced to the rank of a ',letter of the ,living1' and even that he was nominated by the ,point as his successor4 ,it has also become much more credible that the thoughts of the ,point were so much centred on ub-i-,ezel that1 as ,ezelites say1 twenty thousand of the words of the ,bayan refer to ,ezel1 and that a number of precious relics of the ,point were entrusted to his would-be successor4 ,but how can we venture to say that it is correct8 ,since ,professor ,browne wrote1 much work has been done on the 7real or supposed7 written remains of ub-i-,ezel1 and the result has been 7,i think7 that the literary reputation of ub-i-,ezel is a mere bubble4 ,it is true1 the ,bb himself was not masterly1 but the confusion of ideas and language in ,ezel's literary records beggars all comparison4 ,a friend of mine confirms this view which ,i had already derived from ,mirza ,ali ,akbar4 ,he tells me that he has acquired a number of letters mostly purporting to be by ub-i-,ezel4 ,there is also1 however1 a letter of ,baha-'ullah relative to these letters1 addressed to the ,muammadan mull1 the original possessor of the letters4 ,in this letter ,baha-'ullah repeats again and again the warning3 ',when you consider and reflect on these letters1 you will understand who is in truth the writer4' ,i greatly fear that ,lord ,curzon's description of ,persian untruthfulness may be illustrated by the career of the ,great ,pretender4 ,the ,ezelites must1 of course1 share the blame with their leader1 and not the least of their disgraceful misstatements is the assertion that the ,bb assigned the name ,baha-'ullah to the younger of the two half-brothers1 and that ,ezel had also the non-existent dignity of ',second ,point4' ,this being so1 ,i am strongly of opinion that so far from confirming the ,ezelite view of subsequent events1 the ,ezelite account of ub-i-,ezel's first appearance appreciably weakens it4 ,something1 however1 we may admit as not improbable4 ,it may well have gratified the ,bb that two representatives of an important family in ,mazandaran had taken up his cause1 and the character of these new adherents may have been more congenial to him than the more martial character of uddus4 ,,dayyan ,we have already been introduced to a prominent ,bb1 variously called ,asadu'llah and ,dayyan2 he was also a member of the hierarchy called 'the ,letters of the ,living4' ,he may have been a man of capacity1 but ,i must confess that the event to which his name is specially attached indisposes me to admit that he took part in the so-called ',council of ,tihran4' ,to me he appears to have been one of those ,bbs who1 even in critical periods1 acted without consultation with others1 and who imagined that they were absolutely infallible4 ,certainly he could never have promoted the claims of ub-i-,ezel1 whose defects he had learned from that personage's secretary4 ,he was well aware that ,ezel was ambitious1 and he thought that he had a better claim to the supremacy himself4 ,it would have been wiser1 however1 to have consulted ,baha-'ullah1 and to have remembered the prophecy of the ,bb1 in which it was expressly foretold that ,dayyan would believe on ',him whom ,god would make manifest4' ub-i-,ezel was not slow to detect the weak point in ,dayyan's position1 who could not be at once the ,expected ,one and a believer in the ,expected ,one4 ,footnote3 ,see ,ezel's own words in ,mustaikaz1 p4 #f4 ,dayyan1 however1 made up as well as he could for his inconsistency4 ,he went at last to ,baha-'ullah1 and discussed the matter in all its bearings with him4 ,the result was that with great public spirit he retired in favour of ,baha4 ,the news was soon spread abroad2 it was not helpful to the cause of ,ezel4 ,some of the ,ezelites1 who had read the ,christian ,gospels 7translated by ,henry ,martyn71 surnamed ,dayyan 'the ,judas ,iscariot of this people4' ,footnote3 ,,tn1 p4 #ceg4 ,others1 instigated probably by their leaders1 thought it best to nip the flower in the bud4 ,so by ,ezelite hands ,dayyan was foully slain4 ,it was on this occasion that ,ezel vented curses and abusive language on his rival4 ,the proof is only too cogent1 though the two books which contain it are not as yet printed4 ,footnote3 ,they are both in the ,british ,museum1 and are called respectively ,mustaikaz 7,no4 #fbef7 and ,asar-el-,ghulam 7,no4 #fbef74 ,i am indebted for facts 7partly7 and references to ,,mss4 to my friend ,mirza ',ali ,akbar4 ,,mirza ,,haydar ',,ali ,a delightful ,bahai disciple--the ,fra ,angelico of the brethren1 as we may call him1--,mirza ,haydar ',ali was especially interesting to younger visitors to ,abdul ,baha4 ,one of them writes thus3 ',he was a venerable1 smiling old man1 with long ,persian robes and a spotlessly white turban4 ,as we had travelled along1 the ,persian ladies had laughingly spoken of a beautiful young man1 who1 they were sure1 would captivate me4 ,they would make a match between us1 they said4 ',this now proved to be the aged ,mirza1 whose kindly1 humorous old eyes twinkled merrily as he heard what they had prophesied1 and joined in their laughter4 ,they did not cover before him4 ,afterwards the ladies told me something of his history4 ,he was imprisoned for fourteen years during the time of the persecution4 ,at one time1 when he was being transferred from one prison to another1 many days' journey away1 he and his fellow-prisoner1 another ,bahai1 were carried on donkeys1 head downwards1 with their feet and hands secured4 ,haydar ',ali laughed and sang gaily4 ,so they beat him unmercifully1 and said1 ,now1 will you sing8 ,but he answered them that he was more glad than before1 since he had been given the pleasure of enduring something for the sake of ,god4 ',he never married1 and in ,akka was one of the most constant and loved companions of ,baha-'ullah4 ,i remarked upon his cheerful appearance1 and added1 ,but all you ,bahais look happy4 ,mirza ,haydar ',ali said3 ,sometimes we have surface troubles1 but that cannot touch our happiness4 ,the heart of those who belong to the ,malekoot 7,kingdom of ,god7 is like the sea3 when the wind is rough it troubles the surface of the water1 but two metres down there is perfect calm and clearness4' ,the preceding passage is by ,miss ,e4 ,s4 ,stevens 7,fortnightly ,review1 ,june #aiaa74 ,a friend1 who has also been a guest in ,abdul ,baha's house1 tells me that ,haydar ',ali is known at ,akka as 'the ,angel4' ,,abdul ,,baha 7,,abbas ,,effendi7 ,the eldest son of ,baha-'ullah is our dear and venerated ,abdul ,baha 7',servant of the ,splendour'71 otherwise known as ,abbas ,effendi4 ,he was born at the midnight following the day on which the ,bb made his declaration4 ,he was therefore eight years old1 and the sister who writes her recollections five1 when1 in ,august #aheb1 an attempt was made on the life of the ,shah by a young ,bb1 disaffected to the ruling dynasty4 ,the future ,abdul ,baha was already conspicuous for his fearlessness and for his passionate devotion to his father4 ,the gamins of ,tihran 7,teheran7 might visit him as he paced to and fro1 waiting for news from his father1 but he did not mind--not he4 ,one day his sister--a mere child--was returning home under her mother's care1 and found him surrounded by a band of boys4 ',he was standing in their midst as straight as an arrow--a little fellow1 the youngest and smallest of the group--firmly but quietly commanding them not to lay their hands upon him1 which1 strange to say1 they seemed unable to do4' ,footnote3 ,phelps1 pp4 #ad1 #ae4 ,this love to his father was strikingly shown during the absence of ,baha-'ullah in the mountains1 when this affectionate youth fell a prey to inconsolable paroxysms of grief4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #bj4 ,at a later time--on the journey from ,baghdad to ,constantinople--,abdul ,baha seemed to constitute himself the special attendant of his father4 ',in order to get a little rest1 he adopted the plan of riding swiftly a considerable distance ahead of the caravan1 when1 dismounting and causing his horse to lie down1 he would throw himself on the ground and place his head on his horse's neck4 ,so he would sleep until the cavalcade came up1 when his horse would awake him by a kick1 and he would remount4' ,footnote3 ,phelps1 pp4 #ca1 #cb4 ,in fact1 in his youth he was fond of riding1 and there was a time when he thought that he would like hunting1 but 'when ,i saw them killing birds and animals1 ,i thought that this could not be right4 ,then it occurred to me that better than hunting for animals1 to kill them1 was hunting for the souls of men to bring them to ,god4 ,i then resolved that ,i would be a hunter of this sort4 ,this was my first and last experience in the chase4' ',a seeker of the souls of men4' ,this is1 indeed1 a good description of both father and son4 ,neither the one nor the other had much of what we call technical education1 but both understood how to cast a spell on the soul1 awakening its dormant powers4 ,abdul ,baha had the courage to frequent the mosques and argue with the mulls2 he used to be called 'the ,master' par excellence1 and the governor of ,adrianople became his friend1 and proved his friendship in the difficult negotiations connected with the removal of the ,bahaites to ,akka4 ,footnote3 ,ibid4 p4 #bj1 n4#b4 ,but no one was such a friend to the unfortunate ,bahaites as ,abdul ,baha4 ,the conditions under which they lived on their arrival at ,akka were so unsanitary that 'every one in our company fell sick excepting my brother1 my mother1 an aunt1 and two others of the believers4' ,footnote3 ,phelps1 pp4 #dg-ea4 ,happily ,abdul ,baha had in his baggage some quinine and bismuth4 ,with these drugs1 and his tireless nursing1 he brought the rest through1 but then collapsed himself4 ,he was seized with dysentery1 and was long in great danger4 ,but even in this prison-city he was to find a friend4 ,a ,turkish officer had been struck by his unselfish conduct1 and when he saw ,abdul ,baha brought so low he pleaded with the governor that a akm might be called in4 ,this was permitted with the happiest result4 ,it was now the physician's turn4 ,in visiting his patient he became so fond of him that he asked if there was nothing else he could do4 ,abdul ,baha begged him to take a tablet 7i4e4 letter7 to the ,persian believers4 ,thus for two years an intercourse with the friends outside was maintained2 the physician prudently concealed the tablets in the lining of his hat6 ,it ought to be mentioned here that the hardships of the prison-city were mitigated later4 ,during the years #ahie-aijj he was often allowed to visit aifa4 ,observing this the ,american friends built ,baha-'ullah a house in aifa1 and this led to a hardening of the conditions of his life4 ,but upon the whole we may apply to him those ancient words3 ',he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him4' ,in #aiad ,abdul ,baha visited ,akka1 living in the house of ,baha-'ullah1 near where his father was brought with wife and children and seventy ,persian exiles forty-six years ago4 ,but his permanent home is in aifa1 a very simple home where1 however1 the call for hospitality never passes unheeded4 ',from sunrise often till midnight he works1 in spite of broken health1 never sparing himself if there is a wrong to be righted1 or a suffering to be relieved4 ,his is indeed a selfless life1 and to have passed beneath its shadow is to have been won for ever to the ,cause of ,peace and ,love4' ,since #aijh ,abdul ,baha has been free to travel2 the political victory of the ,young ,turks opened the doors of ,akka1 as well as of other political 'houses of restraint4' ,america1 ,england1 ,france1 and even ,germany have shared the benefit of his presence4 ,it may be that he spoke too much2 it may be that even in ,england his most important work was done in personal interviews4 ,educationally valuable1 therefore1 as ,some ,answered ,questions 7#aijh7 may be1 we cannot attach so much importance to it as to the story--the true story--of the converted ,muammadan4 ,when at home1 ,abdul ,baha only discusses ,western problems with visitors from the ,west4 ,the ,legacy left by ,baha-'ullah to his son was1 it must be admitted1 an onerous educational duty4 ,it was contested by ,muammad ,effendi--by means which remind us unpleasantly of ub-i-,ezel1 but unsuccessfully4 ,undeniably ,baha-'ullah conferred on ,abbas ,effendi 7,abdul ,baha7 the title of ,centre of the ,covenant1 with the special duty annexed of the ',expounder of the ,book4' ,i venture to hope that this 'expounding' may not1 in the future1 extend to philosophic1 philological1 scientific1 and exegetical details4 ,just as ,jesus made mistakes about ,moses and ,david1 so may ,baha-'ullah and ,abdul ,baha fall into error on secular problems1 among which it is obvious to include ,biblical and uranic exegesis4 ,it appears to me that the essence of ,bahaism is not dogma1 but the unification of peoples and religions in a certain high-minded and far from unpractical mysticism4 ,i think that ,abdul ,baha is just as much devoted to mystic and yet practical religion as his father4 ,in one of the reports of his talks or monologues he is introduced as saying3 ',a moth loves the light though his wings are burnt4 ,though his wings are singed1 he throws himself against the flame4 ,he does not love the light because it has conferred some benefits upon him4 ,therefore he hovers round the light1 though he sacrifice his wings4 ,this is the highest degree of love4 ,without this abandonment1 this ecstasy1 love is imperfect4 ,the ,lover of ,god loves ,him for ,himself1 not for his own sake4'--,from ',abbas ,effendi1' by ,e4 ,s4 ,stevens1 ,fortnightly ,review1 ,june #aiaa1 p4 #ajfg4 ,this is1 surely1 the essence of mysticism4 ,as a characteristic of the ,church of 'the ,abha' it goes back1 as we have seen1 to the ,bb4 ,as a characteristic of the ,brotherhood of the ',new ,dispensation' it is plainly set forth by ,keshab ,chandra ,sen4 ,it is also ,christian1 and goes back to ,paul and ,john4 ,this is the hidden wisdom--the pearl of great price4 ,,part ,,iv ,,biographical ,,and ,,historical2 ,,ambassador ,,to ,,humanity ,,ambassador ,,to ,,humanity ,after the loss of his father the greatest trouble which befell the authorized successor was the attempt made independently by ub-i-,ezel and the half-brother of ,abdul ,baha1 ,mirza ,muammad ',ali1 to produce a schism in the community at ,akka4 ,some little success was obtained by the latter1 who did not shrink from the manipulation of written documents4 ,badi-'ullah1 another half-brother1 was for a time seduced by these dishonest proceedings1 but has since made a full confession of his error 7see ,star of the ,west74 ,it is indeed difficult to imagine how an intimate of the saintly ,abdul ,baha can have 'lifted up his foot' against him1 the more so as ,abdul ,baha would never defend himself1 but walked straight forward on the appointed path4 ,that path must have differed somewhat as the years advanced4 ,his public addresses prove that through this or that channel he had imbibed something of humanistic and even scientific culture2 he was a much more complete man than ,st4 ,francis of ,assisi1 who despised human knowledge4 ,it is true he interpreted any facts which he gathered in the light of revealed religious truth4 ,but he distinctly recognized the right of scientific research1 and must have had some one to guide him in the tracks of modern inquiry4 ,the death of his father must have made a great difference to him ,in the disposal of his time4 ,it is to this second period in his life that ,mr4 ,phelps refers when he makes this statement3 ',his general order for the day is prayers and tea at sunrise1 and dictating letters or tablets1 receiving visitors1 and giving alms to the poor until dinner in the middle of the day4 ,after this meal he takes a half-hour's siesta1 spends the afternoon in making visits to the sick and others whom he has occasion to see about the city1 and the evening in talking to the believers or in expounding1 to any who wish to hear him1 the uran1 on which1 even among ,muslims1 he is reputed to be one of the highest authorities1 learned men of that faith frequently coming from great distances to consult him with regard to its interpretation4 ',he then returns to his house and works until about one o'clock over his correspondence4 ,this is enormous1 and would more than occupy his entire time1 did he read and reply to all his letters personally4 ,as he finds it impossible to do this1 but is nevertheless determined that they shall all receive careful and impartial attention1 he has recourse to the assistance of his daughter ,ruha1 upon whose intelligence and conscientious devotion to the work he can rely4 ,during the day she reads and makes digests of letters received1 which she submits to him at night4' ,in his charities he is absolutely impartial2 his love is like the divine love--it knows no bounds of nation or creed4 ,most of those who benefit by his presence are of course ,muslims2 many true stories are current among his family and intimate friends respecting them4 ,thus1 there is the story of the ,afghan who for twenty-four years received the bounty of the good ,master1 and greeted him with abusive speeches4 ,in the twenty-fifth year1 however1 his obstinacy broke4 ,many ,american and ,english guests have been entertained in the ,master's house4 ,sometimes even he has devoted a part of his scanty leisure to instructing them4 ,we must remember1 however1 that of ,bahaism as well as of true ,christianity it may be said that it is not a dogmatic system1 but a life4 ,no one1 so far as my observation reaches1 has lived the perfect life like ,abdul ,baha1 and he tells us himself that he is but the reflexion of ,baha-'ullah4 ,we need not1 therefore1 trouble ourselves unduly about the opinions of ,god's heroes2 both father and son in the present case have consistently discouraged metaphysics and theosophy1 except 7,i presume7 for such persons as have had an innate turn for this subject4 ,once more1 the love of ,god and the love of humanity--which ,abdul ,baha boldly says is the love of ,god--is the only thing that greatly matters4 ,and if he favours either half of humanity in preference to the other1 it is women folk4 ,he has a great repugnance to the institution of polygamy1 and has persistently refused to take a second wife himself1 though he has only daughters4 ,baha-'ullah1 as we have seen1 acted differently2 apparently he did not consider that the ,islamic peoples were quite ripe for monogamy4 ,but surely he did not choose the better part1 as the history of ,bahaism sufficiently shows4 ,at any rate1 the ,centre of the ,covenant has now spoken with no uncertain sound4 ,as we have seen1 the two schismatic enterprises affected the sensitive nature of the true ,centre of the ,covenant most painfully2 one thinks of a well-known passage in a ,hebrew psalm4 ,but he was more than compensated by several most encouraging events4 ,the first was the larger scale on which accessions took place to the body of believers2 from ,england to the ,united ,states1 from ,india to ,california1 in surprising numbers1 streams of enthusiastic adherents poured in4 ,it was1 however1 for ,russia that the high honour was reserved of the erection of the first ,bahai temple4 ,to this the ,russian ,government was entirely favourable1 because the ,bahais were strictly forbidden by ,baha-'ullah and by ,abdul ,baha to take part in any revolutionary enterprises4 ,the temple took some years to build1 but was finished at last1 and two ,persian workmen deserve the chief praise for willing self-sacrifice in the building4 ,the example thus set will soon be followed by our kinsfolk in the ,united ,states4 ,a large and beautiful site on the shores of ,lake ,michigan has been acquired1 and the construction will speedily be proceeded with4 ,it is1 in fact1 the outward sign of a new era4 ,if ,baha-'ullah be our guide1 all religions are essentially one and the same1 and all human societies are linked ,by a covenant of brotherhood4 ,of this the ,bahai temples--be they few1 or be they many--are the symbols4 ,no wonder that ,abdul ,baha is encouraged and consoled thereby4 ,and yet ,i1 as a member of a great world-wide historic church1 cannot help feeling that our 7mostly7 ancient and beautiful abbeys and cathedrals are finer symbols of union in ,god than any which our modern builders can provide4 ,our ,london people1 without distinction of sect1 find a spiritual home in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 though this is no part of our ancient inheritance4 ,another comfort was the creation of a mausoleum 7on the site of ,mt4 ,carmel above ,haifa7 to receive the sacred relics of the ,bb and of ,baha-'ullah1 and in the appointed time also of ,abdul ,baha4 ,footnote3 ,see the description given by ,thornton ,chase1 ,in ,galilee1 pp4 #fc f4 ,this too must be not only a comfort to the ,master1 but an attestation for all time of the continuous development of the ,modern ,social ,religion4 ,it is this sense of historical continuity in which the ,bahais appear to me somewhat deficient4 ,they seem to want a calendar of saints in the manner of the ,positivist calendar4 ,bahai teaching will then escape the danger of being not quite conscious enough of its debt to the past4 ,for we have to reconcile not only divergent races and religions1 but also antiquity and 7if ,i may use the word7 modernity4 ,i may mention that the beloved ,master has deigned to call me by a new name4,footnote3 ',spiritual ,philosopher4' ,he will bear with me if ,i venture to interpret that name in a sense favourable to the claims of history4 ,the day is not far off when the details of ,abdul ,baha's missionary journeys will be admitted to be of historical importance4 ,how gentle and wise he was1 hundreds could testify from personal knowledge1 and ,i too could perhaps say something--,i will only1 however1 give here the outward framework of ,abdul ,baha's life1 and of his apostolic journeys1 with the help of my friend ,lotfullah4 ,i may say that it is with deference to this friend that in naming the ,bahai leaders ,i use the capital ,h 7,he1 ,his1 ,him74 ,abdul ,baha was born on the same night in which ,his ,holiness the ,bb declared his mission1 on ,may #bc1 ,a4,d4 #ahdd4 ,the ,master1 however1 eager for the glory of the forerunner1 wishes that that day 7i4e4 ,may #bc7 be kept sacred for the declaration of ,his ,holiness the ,bb1 and has appointed another day to be kept by ,bahais as the ,feast of ,appointment of the ,,centre ,,of ,,the ,,covenant--,nov4 #bf4 ,it should be mentioned that the great office and dignity of ,centre of the ,covenant was conferred on ,abdul ,baha ,abbas ,effendi by ,his father4 ,it will be in the memory of most that the ,master was retained a prisoner under the ,turkish ,government at ,akka until ,sept4 #aijh1 when the doors of ,his prison were opened by the ,young ,turks4 ,after this ,he stayed in ,akka and ,haifa for some time1 and then went to ,egypt1 where ,he sojourned for about two years4 ,he then began ,his great ,european journey4 ,he first visited ,london4 ,on ,his way thither ,he spent some few weeks in ,geneva4 ,footnote3 ,mr4 ,h4 ,holley has given a classic description of ,abdul ,baha1 whom he met at ,thonon on the shores of ,lake ,leman1 in his ,modern ,social ,religion1 ,appendix ,i4 ,on ,monday1 ,sept4 #c1 #aiaa1 ,he arrived in ,london2 the great city was honoured by a visit of twenty-six days4 ,during ,his stay in ,london ,he made a visit one afternoon to ,vanners' in ,byfleet on ,sept4 #i1 where ,he spoke to a number of working women4 ,he also made a week-end visit to ,clifton 7,bristol7 from ,sept4 #bc1 #aiaa1 to ,sept4 #be4 ,on ,sept4 #bi1 #aiaa1 ,he started from ,london and went to ,paris and stayed there for about two months1 and from there ,he went to ,alexandria4 ,his second journey consumed much time1 but the fragrance of ,god accompanied ,him4 ,on ,march #be1 #aiab1 ,he embarked from ,alexandria for ,america4 ,he made a long tour in almost all the more important cities of the ,united ,states and ,canada4 ,on ,saturday1 ,dec4 #ad1 #aiab1 the ,master--,abdul ,baha--arrived in ,liverpool from ,new ,york4 ,he stayed there for two days4 ,on the following ,monday1 ,dec4 #af1 #aiab1 ,he arrived in ,london4 ,there ,he stayed till ,jan4 #ba1 #aiac1 when ,his ,holiness went to ,paris4 ,during ,his stay in ,london ,he visited ,oxford 7where ,he and ,his party--of ,persians mainly--were the guests of ,professor and ,mrs4 ,cheyne71 ,edinburgh1 ,clifton1 and ,woking4 ,it is fitting to notice here that the audience at ,oxford1 though highly academic1 seemed to be deeply interested1 and that ,dr4 ,carpenter made an admirable speech4 ,on ,jan4 #f1 #aiac1 ,abdul ,baha went to ,edinburgh1 and stayed at ,mrs4 ,alexander ,whyte's4 ,in the course of these three days ,he addressed the ,theosophical ,society1 the ,esperanto ,society1 and many of the students1 including representatives of almost all parts of the ,east4 ,he also spoke to two or three other large meetings in the bleak but receptive 'northern ,athens4' ,it is pleasant to add that here1 as elsewhere1 many seekers came and had private interviews with ,him4 ,it was a fruitful season1 and ,he then returned to ,london4 ,on ,wednesday1 ,jan4 #ae1 #aiab1 ,he paid another visit to ,clifton1 and in the evening spoke to a large gathering at #h4cj ,p4,m4 at ,clifton ,guest ,house4 ,on the following day ,he returned to ,london4 ,on ,friday1 ,jan4 #ag1 ,abdul ,baha went to the ,muhammadan ,mosque at ,woking4 ,there1 in the ,muhammadan ,mosque ,he spoke to a large audience of ,muhammadans and ,christians who gathered there from different parts of the world4 ,on ,jan4 #ba1 #aiac1 this glorious time had an end4 ,he started by express train for ,paris from ,victoria ,station4 ,he stayed at the ,french capital till the middle of ,june1 addressing 7by the help of ,his interpreter7 'all sorts and conditions of men4' ,once more ,paris proved how thoroughly it deserved the title of 'city of ideas4' ,during this time ,he visited ,stuttgart1 ,budapest1 and ,vienna4 ,at ,budapest ,he had the great pleasure of meeting ,arminius ,vambery1 who had become virtually a strong adherent of the cause4 ,will the ,master be able to visit ,india8 ,he has said ,himself that some magnetic personality might draw ,him4 ,will the ,brahmaists be pleased to see ,him8 ,at any rate1 our beloved ,master has the requisite tact4 ,could ,indians and ,english be really united except by the help of the ,bahais8 ,the following ,tablet 7,epistle7 was addressed by the ,master to the ,bahais in ,london1 who had sent ,him a ,new ,year's greeting on ,march #ba1 #aiad3-- ',,he ,,is ,,god6 ',o shining ,bahais6 ,your ,new ,year's greeting brought infinite joy and fragrance1 and became the cause of our daily rejoicing and gladness4 ',thanks be to ,god6 that in that city which is often dark because of cloud1 mist1 and smoke1 such bright candles 7as you7 are glowing1 whose emanating light is ,god's guidance1 and whose influencing warmth is as the burning ,fire of the ,love of ,god4 ',this your social gathering on the ,great ,feast is like unto a ,mother who will in future beget many ,heavenly ,feasts4 ,so that all eyes may be amazed as to what effulgence the true ,sun of the ,east has shed on the ,west4 ',how ,it has changed the ,occidentals into ,orientals1 and illumined the ,western ,horizon with the ,luminary of the ,east6 ',then1 in thanksgiving for this great gift1 favour1 and grace1 rejoice ye and be exceeding glad1 and engage ye in praising and sanctifying the ,lord of ,hosts4 ',hearken to the song of the ,highest ,concourse1 and by the melody of ,abha's ,kingdom lift ye up the cry of ,ya ,baha-'ul-,abha6 ',so that ,abdul ,baha and all the ,eastern ,bahais may give themselves to praise of the ,loving ,lord1 and cry aloud1 ,most ,pure and ,holy is the ,lord1 ,who has changed the ,west into the ,east with lights of ,guidance6 ',upon you all be the ,glory of the ,most ,glorious ,one6' ,alas6 the brightness of the day has been darkened for the ,bahai ,brotherhood all over the world4 ,words fail me for the adequate expression of my sorrow at the adjournment of the hope of ,peace4 ,yet the idea has been expressed1 and cannot return to the ,thinker void of results4 ,the estrangement of races and religions is only the fruit of ignorance1 and their reconciliation is only a question of time4 ,sursum corda4 ,,part ,v ,a ,,series ,,of ,,illustrative ,,studies ,,bearing ,,on ,,comparative ,,religion ,a ,,series ,,of ,,illustrative ,,studies ,,bearing ,,on ,,comparitive ,,religion ,,eighteen 7,,or1 ,,with ,,the ,b,b1 ,,nineteen7 ,,letters ,,of ,,the ,,living ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,unity ,the ,letters of the ,living were the most faithful and most gifted of the disciples of the so-called ,gate or ,point4 ,see ,traveller's ,narrative1 ,introd4 p4 xvi4 ,babu'l ,bb4 ,a4 ,muammad ,hasan1 his brother4 ,a4 ,muammad ,baghir1 his nephew4 ,a4 ,mulla ,ali ,bustani4 ,janabe ,mulla ,khodabacksh ,qutshani4 ,janabe ,hasan ,bajastani4 ,janabe ,a4 ,sayyid ,hussain ,yardi4 ,janabe ,mirza ,muammad ,ruzi ,khan4 ,janabe ,sayyd ,hindi4 ,janabe ,mulla ,mamud ,khoy4 ,janabe ,mulla ,jalil ,urumiyi4 ,janabe ,mulla ,muammad ,abdul ,maragha4 ,janabe ,mulla ,baghir ,tabrizi4 ,janabe ,mulla ,yusif ,ardabili4 ,mirza ,hadi1 son of ,mirza ,abdu'l ,wahab ,qazwini4 ,janabe ,mirza ,muammad ',ali ,qazwini4 ,janabi ,tahirah4 ,hazrati ,quddus4 ,,titles ,,of ,,the ,b,b1 ,,etc4 ,there is a puzzling variation in the claims of ',ali ,muammad4 ,originally he represented himself as the ,gate of the ,city of ,knowledge1 or--which is virtually the same thing--as the ,gate leading to the invisible twelfth ,imm who was also regarded as the ,essence of ,divine ,wisdom4 ,it was this ,imm who was destined as a'im 7he who is to arise7 to bring the whole world by force into subjection to the true ,god4 ,now there was one person who was obviously far better suited than ',ali ,muammad 7the ,bb7 to carry out the programme for the a'im1 and that was ,hazrat-i'-uddus 7to whom ,i have devoted a separate section74 ,for some time1 therefore1 before the death of uddus1 ',ali ,muammad abstained from writing or speaking ex cathedra1 as the returned a'im2 he was probably called 'the ,point4' ,after the death of this heroic personage1 however1 he undoubtedly resumed his previous position4 ,on this matter ,mr4 ,leslie ,johnston remarks that the alternation of the two characters in the same person is as foreign to ,christ's thought as it is essential to the ,bb's4 ,footnote3 ,some ,alternatives to ,jesus ,christ1 p4 #aag4 ,this is perfectly true4 ,the divine-human ,being called the ,messiah has assumed human form2 the only development of which he is capable is self-realization4 ,the ,immate is little more than a function1 but the ,messiahship is held by a person1 not as a mere function1 but as a part of his nature4 ,this is not an unfair criticism4 ,the alternation seems to me1 as well as to ,mr4 ,johnston1 psychologically impossible4 ,but all the more importance attaches to the sublime figure of ,baha-'ullah1 who realized his oneness with ,god1 and whose forerunner is like unto him 7the ,bb74 ,the following utterance of the ,bb is deserving of consideration3 ',then1 verily1 if ,god manifested one like thee1 he would inherit the cause from ,god1 the ,one1 the ,unique4 ,but if he doth not appear1 then know that verily ,god hath not willed that he should make himself known4 ,leave the cause1 then1 to him1 the educator of you all1 and of the whole world4' ,the reference to ,baha-'ullah is unmistakable4 ,he is 'one like thee1' i4e4 ,ezel's near kinsman1 and is a consummate educator1 and ,god's ,manifestation4 ,another point is also important4 ,the ,bb expressed a wish that his widow should not marry again4 ub-i-,ezel1 however1 who was not1 even in theory1 a monogamist1 lost no time in taking the lady for a wife4 ,he cannot have been the ,bb's successor4 ,,letter ,,of ,,one ,,expecting ,,martyrdom ,footnote3 ,the letter is addressed to a brother4 ',he is the ,compassionate superscription4 ,o thou who art my ibla6 ,my condition1 thanks to ,god1 has no fault1 and to every difficulty succeedeth ease4 ,you have written that this matter has no end4 ,what matter1 then1 has any end8 ,we1 at least1 have no discontent in this matter2 nay1 rather we are unable sufficiently to express our thanks for this favour4 ,the end of this matter is to be slain in the way of ,god1 and ,o6 what happiness is this6 ,the will of ,god will come to pass with regard to ,his servants1 neither can human plans avert the ,divine decree4 ,what ,god wishes comes to pass1 and there is no power and no strength1 but in ,god4 ,o thou who art my ibla6 the end of the world is death3 every soul tastes of death4 ,if the appointed fate which ,god 7mighty and glorious is ,he7 hath decreed overtake me1 then ,god is the guardian of my family1 and thou art mine executor3 behave in such wise as is pleasing to ,god1 and pardon whatever has proceeded from me which may seem lacking in courtesy1 or contrary to the respect due from juniors3 and seek pardon for me from all those of my household1 and commit me to ,god4 ,god is my portion1 and how good is ,he as a guardian6' ,,the ,,bahai ,,view ,,of ,,religion ,the practical purpose of the ,revelation of ,baha-'ullah is thus described on authority3 ,to unite all the races of the world in perfect harmony1 which can only be done1 in my opinion1 on a religious basis4 ,warfare must be abolished1 and international difficulties be settled by a ,council of ,arbitration4 ,this may require further consideration4 ,it is commanded that every one should practise some trade1 art1 or profession4 ,work done in a faithful spirit of service is accepted as an act of worship4 ,mendicity is strictly forbidden1 but work must be provided for all4 ,a brilliant anticipation6 ,there is to be no priesthood apart from the laity4 ,early ,christianity and ,buddhism both ratify this4 ,teachers and investigators would1 of course1 always be wanted4 ,the practice of ,asceticism1 living the hermit life or in secluded communities1 is prohibited4 ,monogamy is enjoined4 ,baha-'ullah1 no doubt1 had two wives4 ,this was 'for the hardness of men's hearts'2 he desired the spread of monogamy4 ,education for all1 boys and girls equally1 is commanded as a religious duty--the childless should educate a child4 ,the equality of men and women is asserted4 ,a universal language as a means of international communication is to be formed4 ,abdul ,baha is much in favour of ,esperanto1 the noble inventor of which sets all other inventors a worthy example of unselfishness4 ,gambling1 the use of alcoholic liquors as a beverage1 the taking of opium1 cruelty to animals and slavery1 are forbidden4 ,a certain portion of a man's income must be devoted to charity4 ,the administration of charitable funds1 the provision for widows and for the sick and disabled1 the education and care of orphans1 will be arranged and managed by elected ,councils4 ,,the ,,new ,,dispensation ,the contrast between the ,old and the ,new is well exemplified in the contrasting lives of ,rammohan ,roy1 ,debendranath ,tagore1 and ,keshab ,chandra ,sen4 ,as an ,indian writer says3 ',the sweep of the ,new ,dispensation is broader than the ,brahmo ,samaj4 ,the whole religious world is in the grasp of a great purpose which1 in its fresh unfolding of the new age1 we call the ,new ,dispensation4 ,the ,new ,dispensation is not a local phenomenon2 it is not confined to ,calcutta or to ,india2 our ,brotherhood is but one body whose thought it functions to-day2 it is not topographical1 it is operative in all the world-religions4' ,footnote3 ,cp4 ,auguste ,sabatier on the ,religion of the ,spirit1 and ,mozoomdar's work on the same subject4 ',no full account has yet been given to the ,new ,brotherhood's work and experiences during that period4 ,men of various ranks came1 drawn together by the magnetic personality of the man they loved1 knowing he loved them all with a larger love2 his leadership was one of love1 and they caught the contagion of his conviction4444 ,and so1 if ,i were to write at length1 ,i could cite one illustration after another of transformed lives--lives charged with a new spirit shown in the work achieved1 the sufferings borne1 the persecutions accepted1 deep spiritual gladness experienced in the midst of pain1 the fellowship with ,god realized day after day' 7,benoyendra ,nath ,sen1 ,the ,spirit of the ,new ,dispensation74 ,the test of a religion is its capacity for producing noble men and women4 ,,manifestation ,god ,himself in ,his inmost essence cannot be either imagined or comprehended1 cannot be named4 ,but in some measure ,he can be known by ,his ,manifestations1 chief among whom is that ,heavenly ,being known variously as ,michael1 the ,son of man1 the ,logos1 and ,sofia4 ,these names are only concessions to the weakness of the people4 ,this ,heavenly ,being is sometimes spoken of allusively as the ,face or ,name1 the ,gate and the ,point 7of ,knowledge74 ,see p4 #agd4 ,the ,manifestations may also be called ,manifesters or ,revealers4 ,they make ,god known to the human folk so far as this can be done by ,mirrors1 and especially 7as ,tagore has most beautifully shown7 in ,his inexhaustible love4 ,they need not have the learning of the schools4 ,they would mistake their office if they ever interfered with discoveries or problems of criticism or of science4 ,the ,bb announced that he himself owed nothing to any earthly teacher4 ,a heavenly teacher1 however1 if he touched the subject1 would surely have taught the ,bb better ,arabic4 ,it is a psychological problem how the ,bb can lay so much stress on his 'signs' 7ayt7 or verses as decisive of the claims of a prophet4 ,one is tempted to surmise that in the ,bb's ,arabic work there has been collaboration4 ,what constitutes 'signs' or verses8 ,prof4 ,browne gives this answer3 ,footnote3 ,e4 ,g4 ,browne1 ,,jras1 #ahhi1 p4 #aee4 ',eloquence of diction1 rapidity of utterance1 knowledge unacquired by study1 claim to divine origin1 power to affect and control the minds of men4' ,i do not myself see how the possession of an ,arabic which some people think very poor and others put down to the help of an amanuensis1 can be brought within the range of ,messianic lore4 ,it is spiritual truth that we look for from the ,bb4 ,secular wisdom1 including the knowledge of languages1 we turn over to the company of trained scholars4 ,spiritual truth1 then1 is the domain of the prophets of ,bahaism4 ,a prophet who steps aside from the region in which he is at home is fallible like other men4 ,even in the sphere of exposition of sacred texts the greatest of prophets is liable to err4 ,in this way ,i am bound to say that ,baha-'ullah himself has made mistakes1 and can we be surprised that the almost equally venerated ,abdul ,baha has made many slips8 ,it is necessary to make this pronouncement1 lest possible friends should be converted into seeming enemies4 ,the claim of infallibility has done harm enough already in the ,roman ,church6 ,baha-'ullah may no doubt be invoked on the other side4 ,this is the absolutely correct statement of his son ,abdul ,baha4 ',he 7,baha-'ullah7 entered into a ,covenant and ,testament with the people4 ,he appointed a ,centre of the ,covenant1 ,he wrote with his own pen 444 appointing him the ,expounder of the ,book4' ,footnote3 ,star of the ,west1 #aiac1 p4 #bch4 ,but ,baha-'ullah is as little to be followed on questions of philology as ,jesus ,christ1 who is not a manifester of science but of heavenly lore4 ,the question of ,sinlessness ,i postpone4 ,,great ,,manifestation2 ,,when8 ,i do not myself think that the interval of nineteen years for the ,great ,manifestation was meant by the ,bb to be taken literally4 ,the number #ai may be merely a conventional sacred number and have no historical significance4 ,i am therefore not to be shaken by a reference to these words of the ,bb1 quoted in substance by ,mirza ,abu'l ,fazl1 that after nine years all good will come to his followers1 or by the ,mirza's comment that it was nine years after the ,bb's ,declaration that ,baha-'ullah gathered together the ,bbs at ,baghdad1 and began to teach them1 and that at the end of the nineteenth year from the ,declaration of the ,bb1 ,baha-'ullah declared his ,manifestation4 ,another difficulty arises4 ,the ,bb does not always say the same thing4 ,there are passages of the ,persian ,bayan which imply an interval between his own theophany and the next parallel to that which separated his own theophany from ,muammad's4 ,he says1 for instance1 in ,waid ,,ii4 ,bb #ag1 according to ,professor ,browne1 ',if he whom ,god shall manifest shall appear in the number of ,ghiyath 7#aeaa7 and all shall enter in1 not one shall remain in the ,fire4 ,if ,he tarry until the number of ,mustaghath 7#bjja71 all shall enter in1 not one shall remain in the ,fire4' ,footnote3 ,history of the ,bbs1 edited by ,e4 ,g4 ,browne2 ,introd4 p4 xxvi4 ,traveller's ,narrative 7,browne71 ,introd4 p4 xvii4 ,i quote next from ,waid ,,iii4 ,bb #ae3-- ',none knoweth the time of the ,manifestation save ,god3 whenever it takes place1 all must believe and must render thanks to ,god1 although it is hoped of ,his ,grace that ,he will come ere the number of ,mustaghath1 and will raise up the ,word of ,god on his part4 ,and the ,proof is only a sign or verse1 and ,his very ,existence proves ,him1 since all also is known by ,him1 while ,he cannot be known by what is below ,him4 ,glorious is ,god above that which they ascribe to ,him4' ,footnote3 ,history of the ,bbs1 ,introd4 p4 xxx4 ,elsewhere 7vii4 #i71 we are told vaguely that the ,advent of the ,promised ,one will be sudden1 like that of the ,point or ,bb 7iv4 #aj72 it is an element of the great ,oriental myth of the winding-up of the old cycle and the opening of a new4 ,footnote3 ,cheyne1 ,mines of ,isaiah ,re-explored1 ,index1 ',myth4' ,a ,bahai scholar furnishes me with another passage-- ',god knoweth in what age ,he will manifest him4 ,but from the springing 7beginning7 of the manifestation to its head 7perfection7 are nineteen years4' ,footnote3 ,bayan1 ,waid1 ,,iii41 chap4 iii4 ,this implies a preparation period of nineteen years1 and if we take this statement with a parallel one1 we can1 ,i think1 have no doubt that the ,bb expected the assumption1 not immediate however1 of the reins of government by the ,promised ,one4 ,the parallel statement is as follows1 according to the same ,bahai scholar4 ',god only knoweth his age4 ,but the time of his proclamation after mine is the number ,waid 7#ai1 cabbalistically71 and whenever he cometh during this period1 accept him4' ,footnote3 ,bayan1 ,brit4 ,mus4 ,text1 p4 #aea4 ,another passage may be quoted by the kindness of ,mirza ',ali ,akbar4 ,it shows that the ,bb has doubts whether the ,great ,manifestation will occur in the lifetime of ,baha-'ullah and ub-i-,ezel 7one or other of whom is addressed by the ,bb in this letter74 ,the following words are an extract3-- ',and if ,god hath not manifested ,his greatness in thy days1 then act in accordance with that which hath descended 7i4e4 been revealed71 and never change a word in the verses of ,god4 ',this is the order of ,god in the ,sublime ,book2 ordain in accordance with that which hath descended1 and never change the orders of ,god1 that men may not make variations in ,god's religion4' ,,non-,,finality ,,of ,,revelation ,not less important than the question of the ,bb's appointment of his successor is that of his own view of the finality or non-finality of his revelation4 ,the ,bayan does not leave this in uncertainty4 ,the ur'an of the ,bbs expressly states that a new ,manifestation takes place whenever there is a call for it 7ii4 #i1 vi4 #ac72 successive revelations are like the same sun arising day after day 7iv4 #ab1 vii4 #ae1 viii4 #a74 ,the ,bb's believers therefore are not confined to a revelation constantly becoming less and less applicable to the spiritual wants of the present age4 ,and very large discretionary powers are vested in ',him whom ,he will make manifest1' extending even to the abrogation of the commands of the ,bayan 7iii4 #c74 ,,early ,,christianity ,,and ,,bahaism ,,and ,,buddhism ,the comparisons sometimes drawn between the history of nascent ,christianity and that of early ,bahaism are somewhat misleading4 ',ali ,muammad of ,shiraz was more than a mere forerunner of the ,promised ,saviour2 he was not merely ,john the ,baptist--he was the ,messiah1 ,all-wise and ,almighty1 himself4 ,true1 he was of a humble mind1 and recognized that what he might ordain would not necessarily be suitable for a less transitional age1 but the same may be said--if our written records may be trusted--of ,jesus ,christ4 ,for ,jesus was partly his own forerunner1 and antiquated his own words4 ,it is no doubt a singular coincidence that both ',ali ,muammad and ,jesus ,christ are reported to have addressed these words to a disciple3 ',to-day thou shalt be with me in ,paradise4' ,but if the ,crucifixion is unhistorical--and there is1 ,i fear1 considerable probability that it is--what is the value of this coincidence8 ,more important is it that both in early ,christianity and in early ,bahaism we find a conspicuous personage who succeeds in disengaging the faith from its particularistic envelope4 ,in neither case is this personage a man of high culture or worldly position4 ,footnote3 ,leslie ,johnston's phraseology 7,some ,alternatives to ,jesus ,christ1 p4 #aad7 appears to need revision4 ,this1 ,i say1 is most important4 ,paul and ,baha-'ullah may both be said to have transformed their respective religions4 ,yet there is a difference between them4 ,baha-'ullah and his son ,abdul-,baha after him were personal centres of the new covenant2 ,paul was not4 ,this may perhaps suffice for the parallels--partly real1 partly supposed--between early ,christianity and early ,bahaism4 ,i will now refer to an important parallel between the development of ,christianity and that of ,buddhism4 ,it is possible to deny that the ,christianity of ,augustine ,footnote3 ,professor ,anesaki of ,tokio regards ,augustine as the ,christian ,nagarjuna4 deserves its name1 on the ground of the wide interval which exists between his religious doctrines and the beliefs of ,jesus ,christ4 ,similarly1 one may venture to deny that the ,mahyna developments of ,buddhism are genuine products of the religion because they contain some elements derived from other ,indian systems4 ,in both cases1 however1 grave injustice would be done by any such assumption4 ,it is idle 'to question the historical value of an organism which is now full of vitality and active in all its functions1 and to treat it like an archaeological object1 dug out from the depths of the earth1 or like a piece of bric--brac1 discovered in the ruins of an ancient royal palace4 ,mahynaism is not an object of historical curiosity4 ,its vitality and activity concern us in our daily life4 ,it is a great spiritual organism4 ,what does it matter1 then1 whether or not ,mahynaism is the genuine teaching of the ,buddha8' ,footnote3 ,suzuki1 ,outlines of ,mahyna ,buddhism1 p4 #ae4 ,the parallel between the developments of these two great religions is unmistakable4 ,we ,christians insist--and rightly so--on the 'genuineness' of our own religion in spite of the numerous elements unknown to its ',founder4' ,the northern ,buddhism is equally 'genuine1' being equally true to the spirit of the ,buddha4 ,it is said that ,christianity1 as a historical religion1 contrasts with the most advanced ,buddhism4 ,but really it is no loss to the ,buddhist ,fraternity if the historical element in the life of the ,buddha has retired into the background4 ,a cultured ,buddhist of the northern section could not indeed admit that he has thrust the history of ,gautama entirely aside1 but he would affirm that his religion was more philosophical and practically valuable than that of his southern brothers1 inasmuch as it transcended the boundary of history4 ,in a theological treatise called ,chin-kuang-ming we read as follows3 ',it would be easier to count every drop of water in the ocean1 or every grain of matter that composes a vast mountain than to reckon the duration of the life of ,buddha4' ',that is to say1 ,buddha's life does not belong to the time-series3 ,buddha is the ,i ,am who is above time4' ,footnote3 ,johnston1 ,buddhist ,china1 p4 #aad4 ,and is not the ,christ of ,christendom above the world of time and space8 ,lastly1 must not both ,christians and ,buddhists admit that among the ,christs or ,buddhas the most godlike are those embodied in narratives as ,jesus and ,gautama8 ,,western ,,and ,,eastern ,,religion ,religion1 as conceived by most ,christians of the ,west1 is very different from the religion of ,india4 ,three-quarters of it 7as ,matthew ,arnold says7 has to do with conduct2 it is a code with a very positive and keen divine sanction4 ,few of its adherents1 indeed1 have any idea of the true position of morality1 and that the code of ,christian ethics expresses barely one half of the religious idea4 ,the other half 7or even more7 is expressed in assurances of holy men that ,god dwells within us1 or even that we are ,god4 ,a true morality helps us to realize this--morality is not to be tied up and labelled1 but is identical with the cosmic as well as individual principle of ,love4 ,sin 7i4e4 an unloving disposition7 is to be avoided because it blurs the outlines of the ,divine ,form reflected1 however dimly1 in each of us4 ,there are1 no doubt1 a heaven where virtue is rewarded1 and a hell where vice is punished1 for the unphilosophical minds of the vulgar4 ,but the only reward worthy of a lover of ,god is to get nearer and nearer to ,him4 ,till the indescribable goal 7,nirvana7 is reached1 we must be content with realizing4 ,this is much easier to a ,hindu than to an ,englishman1 because the former has a constant sense of that unseen power which pervades and transcends the universe4 ,i do not understand how ,indian seekers after truth can hurry and strive about sublunary matters4 ,surely they ought to feel 'that this tangible world1 with its chatter of right and wrong1 subserves the intangible4' ,hard as it must be for the adherents of such different principles to understand each other1 it is not1 ,i venture to think1 impossible4 ,and1 as at once an ,anglican ,christian and an adopted ,brahmaist1 ,i make the attempt to bring ,east and ,west religiously together4 ,,religious ,,teachers ,,of ,,the ,,east ,the greatest religious teachers and reformers who have appeared in recent times are 7if ,i am not much mistaken7 ,baha-'ullah the ,persian and ,keshab ,chandra ,sen the ,indian4 ,the one began by being a reformer of the ,muammadan society or church1 the other by acting in the same capacity for the ,indian community and more especially for the ,brahmo ,samaj--a very imperfect and loosely organized religious society or church founded by ,rammohan ,roy4 ,by a natural evolution the objects of both reformers were enlarged2 both became the founders of world-churches1 though circumstances prevented the extension of the ,brotherhood of the ,new ,dispensation beyond the limits of ,india4 ,in both cases a doubt has arisen in the minds of some spectators whether the reformers have anything to offer which has not already been given by the ,hebrew prophets and by the finest efflorescence of these--,jesus ,christ4 ,i am bound to express the opinion that they have4 ,just as the author of the ,fourth ,gospel looks forward to results of the ,dispensation of the ,spirit which will outdo those of the ,ministry of ,jesus 7,john xiv4 #ab71 so we may confidently look forward to disclosures of truth and of depths upon depths of character which will far surpass anything that could1 in the ,nearer or ,further ,east1 have been imagined before the time of ,baha-'ullah4 ,i do not say that ,baha-'ullah is unique or that ,his revelations are final4 ,there will be other ,messiahs after ,him1 nor is the race of the prophets extinct4 ,the supposition of finality is treason to the ever active1 ever creative ,spirit of ,truth4 ,but till we have already entered upon a new aeon1 we shall have to look back in a special degree to the prophets who introduced our own aeon1 ,baha-'ullah and ,keshab ,chandra ,sen1 whose common object is the spiritual unification of all peoples4 ,for it is plain that this union of peoples can only be obtained through the influence of prophetic personages1 those of the past as well as those of the present4 ,,qualities ,,of ,,the ,,men ,,of ,,the ,,coming ,,religion 7,gal4 v4 #bb7 #a4 ,love4 ,what is love8 ,let ,rabindranath ,tagore tell us4 ',in love all the contradictions of existence merge themselves and are lost4 ,only in love are unity and duality not at variance4 ,love must be one and two at the same time4 ',only love is motion and rest in one4 ,our heart ever changes its place till it finds love1 and then it has its rest4444 ',in this wonderful festival of creation1 this great ceremony of self-sacrifice of ,god1 the lover constantly gives himself up to gain himself in love4444 ',in love1 at one of its poles you find the personal1 and at the other the impersonal4' ,footnote3 ,tagore1 ,sadhana 7#aiac71 p4 #aad4 ,i do not think this has been excelled by any modern ,christian teacher1 though the vivid originality of the ,buddha's and of ,st4 ,paul's descriptions of love cannot be denied4 ,the subject1 however1 is too many-sided for me to attempt to describe it here4 ,suffice it to say that the men of the coming religion will be distinguished by an intelligent and yet intense altruistic affection--the new-born love4 #b and #c4 ,joy and ,peace4 ,these are fundamental qualities in religion1 and especially1 it is said1 in those forms of religion which appear to centre in incarnations4 ,this statement1 however1 is open to criticism4 ,it matters but little how we attain to joy and peace1 as long as we do attain to them4 ,christians have not surpassed the joy and peace produced by the best and safest methods of the ,indian and ,persian sages4 ,i would not belittle the tranquil and serene joy of the ,christian saint1 but ,i cannot see that this is superior to the same joy as it is exhibited in the ,psalms of the ,brethren or the ,sisters in the ,buddhistic ,order4 ,nothing is more remarkable in these songs than the way in which joy and tranquillity are interfused4 ,so it is with ,god1 whose creation is the production of tranquillity and utter joy1 and so it is with godlike men--men such as ,st4 ,francis of ,assisi in the ,west and the poet-seers of the ,upanishads in the ,east4 ,all these are at once joyous and serene4 ,as ,tagore says1 ',joy without the play of joy is no joy2 play without activity is no play4' ,footnote3 ,tagore1 ,sadhana 7#aiac71 p4 #aca4 ,and how can he act to advantage who is perturbed in mind8 ,in the coming religion all our actions will be joyous and tranquil4 ,meantime1 transitionally1 we have much need both of long-suffering ,footnote3 ,this quality is finely described in chap4 vi4 of ,the ,path of ,light 7,wisdom of the ,east series74 and of courage2 'quit you like men1 be strong4' 7,i write in ,august #aiad47 ,,reform ,,of ,,islam ,and what as to ,islam8 ,is any fusion between this and the other great religions possible8 ,a fusion between ,islam and ,christianity can only be effected if first of all these two religions 7mutually so repugnant7 are reformed4 ,thinking ,muslims will more and more come to see that the position assigned by ,muammad to himself and to the ur'an implies that he had a thoroughly unhistorical mind4 ,in other words he made those exclusive and uncompromising claims under a misconception4 ,there were true apostles or prophets1 both speakers and writers1 between the generally accepted date of the ministry of ,jesus and that of the appearance of ,muammad1 and these true prophets were men of far greater intellectual grasp than the ,arabian merchant4 ,muslim readers ought therefore to feel it no sacrilege if ,i advocate the correction of what has thus been mistakenly said4 ,muammad was one of the prophets1 not the prophet 7who is virtually the ,logos71 and the ur'an is only adapted for ,arabian tribes1 not for all nations of the world4 ,one of the points in the exhibition of which the ,arabian ,bible is most imperfect is the love of ,god1 i4e4 the very point in which the ufi classical poets are most admirable1 though indeed an ,arabian poetess1 who died #ace ,hij41 expresses herself already in the most thrilling tones4 ,footnote3 ,von ,kremer's ,herrschende ,ideen des ,islams1 pp4 #fd1 etc4 ,perhaps one might be content1 so far as the ur'an is concerned1 with a selection of ,suras1 supplemented by extracts from other religious classics of ,islam4 ,i have often thought that we want both a ,catholic ,christian lectionary and a ,catholic prayer-book4 ,to compile this would be the work not of a prophet1 but of a band of interpreters4 ,an exacting work which would be its own reward1 and would promote1 more perhaps than anything else1 the reformation and ultimate blending of the different religions4 ,meantime no persecution should be allowed in the reformed ,islamic lands4 ,thankful as we may be for the ,christian and ,bahaite heroism generated by a persecuting fanaticism1 we may well wish that it might be called forth otherwise4 ,heroic was the imprisonment and death of ,captain ,conolly 7in ,bukhara71 but heroic also are the lives of many who have spent long years in unhealthy climates1 to civilize and moralize those who need their help4 ,,synthesis ,,of ,,religions ',there is one ,god and ,father of all1 who is over all1 and through all1 and in all4' ,these words in the first instance express the synthesis of ,judaism and ,oriental pantheism1 but may be applied to the future synthesis of ,islam and ,hinduism1 and of both conjointly with ,christianity4 ,and the subjects to which ,i shall briefly refer are the exclusiveness of the claims of ,christ and of ,muammad1 and of ,christ's ,church and of ,muammad's1 the image-worship of the ,hindus and the excessive development of mythology in ,hinduism4 ,with the lamented ,sister ,nivedita ,i hold that1 in ,india1 in proportion as the two faiths pass into higher phases1 the easier it becomes for the one faith to be brought into a synthesis combined with the other4 ufism1 for instance1 is1 in the opinion of most1 'a ,muammadan sect4' ,it must1 at any rate1 be admitted to have passed through several stages1 but there is1 ,i think1 little to add to fully developed ufism to make it an ideal synthesis of ,islam and ,hinduism4 ,that little1 however1 is important4 ,how can the ,hindu accept the claim either of ,christ or of ,muammad to be the sole gate to the mansions of knowledge8 ,the most popular of the ,hindu ,scriptures expressly provides for a succession of avatrs2 how1 indeed1 could the ,eternal ,wisdom have limited ,himself to raising up a single representative of ,messiahship4 ,for were not ,sakya ,muni1 ,kabir and his disciple ,nanak1 ,chaitanya1 the ,tamil poets 7to whom ,dr4 ,pope has devoted himself7 ,messiahs for parts of ,india1 and ,nisiran for ,japan1 not to speak here of ,islamic countries8 ,it is true1 the exclusive claim of ,christ 7,i assume that they are adequately proved7 is not expressly incorporated into the ,creeds1 so that by mentally recasting the ,christian can rid himself of his burden4 ,and a time must surely come when1 by the common consent of the ,muslim world the reference to ,muammad in the brief creed of the ,muslim will be removed4 ,for such a removal would be no disparagement to the prophet1 who had1 of necessity1 a thoroughly unhistorical mind 7p4 #aic74 ,the 'one true ,church' corresponds of course with the one true ,god4 ,hinduism1 which would willingly accept the one1 would as naturally accept the other also1 as a great far-spreading caste4 ,there are in fact already monotheistic castes in ,hinduism4 ,as for image-worship1 the ,muslims should not plume themselves too much on their abhorrence of it1 considering the immemorial cult of the ,black ,stone at ,mecca4 ,if a conference of ,vedantists and ,muslims could be held1 it would appear that the former regarded image-worship 7not idolatry7 ,footnote3 ,idols and images are not the same thing2 the image is1 or should be1 symbolic4 ,so1 at least1 ,i venture to define it4 simply as a provisional concession to the ignorant masses1 who will not perhaps always remain so ignorant4 ,so1 then1 ,image-worship and its attendant ,mythology have naturally become intertwined with high and holy associations4 ,thus that delicate poetess ,mrs4 ,naidu 7by birth a ,parsi7 writes3 ,who serves her household in fruitful pride1 ,and worships the gods at her husband's side4 ,i do not see1 therefore1 why we ,christians 7who have a good deal of myth in our religion7 should object to a fusion with ,islam and ,hinduism on the grounds mentioned above4 ,only ,i do desire that both the ,hindu and the ,christian myths should be treated symbolically4 ,on this 7so far as the former are concerned7 ,i agree with ,keshab ,chandra ,sen in the last phase of his incomplete religious development4 ,that the myths of ,hinduism require sifting1 cannot1 ,i am sure1 be denied4 ,from myths to image-worship is an easy step4 ,what is the meaning of the latter8 ,the late ,sister ,nivedita may help us to find an answer4 ,she tells us that when travelling ascetics go through the villages1 and pause to receive alms1 they are in the habit of conversing on religious matters with the good woman of the house1 and that thus even a bookless villager comes to understand the truth about images4 ,we cannot think1 however1 that all will be equally receptive1 calling to mind that even in our own country multitudes of people substitute an unrealized doctrine about ,christ for ,christ ,himself 7i4e4 convert ,christ into a church doctrine71 while others invoke ,christ1 with or without the saints1 in place of ,god4 ,considering that ,christendom is to a large extent composed of image-worshippers1 why should there not be a synthesis between ,hinduism and ,islam on the one hand1 and ,hinduism1 ,buddhism1 ,islam1 and ,christianity on the other8 ,the differences between these great religions are certainly not slight4 ,but when we get behind the forms1 may we not hope to find some grains of the truth8 ,i venture1 therefore1 to maintain the position occupied above as that to which ,indian religious reformers must ultimately come4 ,i do not deny that ,mr4 ,farquhar has made a very good fight against this view4 ,the process of the production of an image is1 to us1 a strange one4 ,it is enough to mention the existence of a rite of the bringing of life into the idol which marks the end of that process4 ,but there are many very educated ,hindus who reject with scorn the view that the idol has really been made divine1 and the passage quoted by ,mr4 ,farquhar 7p4 #cce7 from ,vivekananda ,footnote3 ,sister ,nivedita's teacher4 seems to me conclusive in favour of the symbol theory4 ,it would certainly be an aesthetic loss if these artistic symbols disappeared4 ,but the most precious jewel would still remain1 the ,being who is in ,himself unknowable1 but who is manifested in the ,divine ,logos or ,sofia and in a less degree in the prophets and ,messiahs4 ,,incarnations ,there are some traces both in the ,synoptics and in the ,fourth ,gospel of a ,docetic view of the ,lord's ,person1 in other words that ,his humanity was illusory1 just as1 in the ,old ,testament1 the humanity of celestial beings is illusory4 ,the ,hindus1 however1 are much more sure of this4 ,the reality of an incarnation would be unworthy of a ,god4 ,and1 strange as it may appear to us1 this ,docetic theory involves no pain or disappointment for the believer1 who does but amuse himself with the sports ,footnote3 ,see quotation from the poet ,tulsi ,das in ,farquhar1 ,the ,crown of ,hinduism1 p4 #dca4 of his ,patron4 ,at the same time he is very careful not to take the ,god as a moral example2 the result of this would be disastrous4 ,the avatr is super-moral4 ,footnote3 ,see ,farquhar1 p4 #dcd4 ,what1 then1 was the object of the avatr8 ,not simply to amuse4 ,it was1 firstly1 to win the heart of the worshipper1 and secondly1 to communicate that knowledge in which is eternal life4 ,and what is to be done1 in the imminent sifting of ,scriptures and ,traditions1 with these stories8 ,they must be rewritten1 just as1 ,i venture to think1 the original story of the ,god-man ,jesus was rewritten by being blended with the fragments of a biography of a great and good early ,jewish teacher4 ,the work will be hard1 but ,sister ,nivedita and ,miss ,anthon have begun it4 ,it must be taken as a part of the larger undertaking of a selection of rewritten myths4 ,is ,baha-'ullah an avatr8 ,there has no doubt been a tendency to worship him4 ,but this tendency need not be harmful to sanity of intellect4 ,there are various degrees of divinity4 ,baha-'ullah's degree maybe compared to ,st4 ,paul's4 ,both these spiritual heroes were conscious of their superiority to ordinary believers2 at the same time their highest wish was that their disciples might learn to be as they were themselves4 ,every one is the temple of the holy 7divine7 ,spirit1 and this ,spirit-element must be deserving of worship4 ,it is probable that the ,western training of the objectors is the cause of the opposition in ,india to some of the forms of honour lavished1 in spite of his dissuasion1 on ,keshab ,chandra ,sen4 ,footnote3 ,life and ,teachings of ,keshub ,chunder ,sen1 pp4 ,,iii ff4 ,,is ,,jesus ,,unique8 ,one who has 'learned ,christ' from his earliest years finds a difficulty in treating the subject at the head of this section4 ',the disciple is not above his ,master1' and when the ,master is so far removed from the ordinary--is1 in fact1 the regenerator of society and of the individual1--such a discussion seems almost more than the human mind can undertake4 ,and yet the subject has to be faced1 and if ,paul 'learned' a purely ideal ,christ1 deeply tinged with the colours of mythology1 why should not we follow ,paul's example1 imitating a ,christ who put on human form1 and lived and died for men as their ,saviour and ,redeemer8 ,why should we not go even beyond ,paul1 and honour ,god by assuming a number of ,christs1 among whom--if we approach the subject impartially--would be ,socrates1 ,zarathustra1 ,gautama the ,buddha1 as well as ,jesus the ,christ8 ,why1 indeed1 should we not8 ,if we consider that we honour ,god by assuming that every nation contains righteous men1 accepted of ,god1 why should we not complete our theory by assuming that every nation also possesses prophetic 7in some cases more than prophetic7 revealers8 ,some rather lax historical students may take a different view1 and insist that we have a trustworthy tradition of the life of ,jesus1 and that 'if in that historical figure ,i cannot see ,god1 then ,i am without ,god in the world4' ,footnote3 ,leslie ,johnston1 ,some ,alternatives to ,jesus ,christ1 p4 #aii4 ,it is1 however1 abundantly established by criticism that most of what is contained even in the ,synoptic ,gospels is liable to the utmost doubt1 and that what may reasonably be accepted is by no means capable of use as the basis of a doctrine of ,incarnation4 ,i do not1 therefore1 see why the ,life of ,jesus should be a barrier to the reconciliation of ,christianity and ,hinduism4 ,both religions in their incarnation theories are1 as we shall see 7taking ,christianity in its primitive form71 frankly ,docetic1 both assume a fervent love for the manifesting ,god on the part of the worshipper4 ,i cannot1 however1 bring myself to believe that there was anything1 even in the most primitive form of the life of the ,god-man ,jesus1 comparable to the unmoral story of the life of ,krishna4 ,small wonder that many of the ,vaishnavas prefer the avatr of ,rama4 ,it will be seen1 therefore1 that it is impossible to discuss the historical character of the ,life of ,jesus without soon passing into the subject of ,his uniqueness4 ,it is usual to suppose that ,jesus1 being a historical figure1 must also be unique1 and an ,oxford theologian remarks that 'we see the ,spirit in the ,church always turning backwards to the historical revelation and drawing only thence the inspiration to reproduce it4' ,footnote3 ,leslie ,johnston1 op4 cit4 pp4 #bjj f4 ,he thinks that for the ,christian consciousness there can be only one ,christ1 and finds this to be supported by a critical reading of the text of the ,gospels4 ,only one ,christ6 ,but was not the ,buddha so far above his contemporaries and successors that he came to be virtually deified8 ,how is not this uniqueness8 ,it is true1 ,christianity has1 thus far1 been intolerant of other religions1 which contrasts with the 'easy tolerance' of ,buddhism and ,hinduism and1 as the author may wish to add1 of ,bahaism4 ,but is the ,christian intolerance a worthy element of character8 ,is it consistent with the ,beatitude pronounced 7if it was pronounced7 by ,jesus on the meek8 ,may we not1 with ,mr4 ,l4 ,johnston's namesake1 fitly say1 ',such notions as these are a survival from the bad old days'8 ,footnote3 ,johnston1 ,buddhist ,china1 p4 #cjf4 ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,god ,another very special jewel of ,christianity is the doctrine of the ,spirit4 ,the term1 which etymologically means 'wind1' and in ,gen4 i4 #b and ,isa4 xl4 #ac appears to be a fragment of a certain divine name1 anciently appropriated to the ,creator and ,preserver of the world1 was later employed for the ,god who is immanent in believers1 and who is continually bringing them into conformity with the divine model4 ,with the ,brahmaist theologian1 ,p4,c4 ,mozoomdar1 ,i venture to think that none of the old divine names is adequately suggestive of the functions of the ,spirit4 ,the ,spirit's work is1 in fact1 nothing short of re-creation2 ,his creative functions are called into exercise on the appearance of a new cosmic cycle1 which includes the regeneration of souls4 ,i greatly fear that not enough homage has been rendered to the ,spirit in this important aspect4 ,and yet the doctrine is uniquely precious because of the great results which have already1 in the ethical and intellectual spheres1 proceeded from it1 and of the still greater ones which faith descries in the future4 ,we have1 ,i fear1 not yet done justice to the spiritual capacities with which we are endowed4 ,i will therefore take leave to add1 following ,mozoomdar1 that no name is so fit for the indwelling ,god as ,living ,presence4 ,footnote3 ,mozoomdar1 ,the ,spirit of ,god 7#ahih71 p4 #fd4 ,his gift to man is life1 and ,he ,himself is ,fullness of ,life4 ,the idea therefore of ,god1 in the myth of the ,dying and ,reviving ,saviour1 is1 from one point of view1 imperfect4 ,at any rate it is a more constant help to think of ,god as full1 not of any more meagre satisfaction at ,his works1 but of the most intense joy4 ,let us1 then1 join our ,indian brethren in worshipping ,god the ,spirit4 ,in honouring the ,spirit we honour ,jesus1 the mythical and yet real incarnate ,god4 ,the ,muammadans call ,jesus ruu'llah1 'the ,spirit of ,god1' and the early ,bahais followed them4 ,one of the latter addressed these striking words to a traveller from ,cambridge3 ',you 7i4e4 the ,christian ,church7 are to-day the ,manifestation of ,jesus2 you are the ,incarnation of the ,holy ,spirit2 nay1 did you but realize it1 you are ,god4' ,footnote3 ,e4,g4 ,browne1 ,a ,year among the ,persians1 p4 #dib4 ,i fear that this may go too far for some1 but it is only a step in advance of our ,master1 ,st4 ,paul4 ,if we do not yet fully realize our blessedness1 let us make it our chief aim to do so4 ,how ,god's ,spirit can be dwelling in us and we in ,him1 is a mystery1 but we may hope to get nearer and nearer to its meaning1 and see that it is no ,maya1 no illusion4 ,as an illustration of the mystery ,i will quote this from one of ,vivekananda's lectures4 ,footnote3 ,jnana ,yoga1 p4 #aed4 ',young men of ,lahore1 raise once more that wonderful banner of ,advaita1 for on no other ground can you have that all-embracing love1 until you see that the same ,lord is present in the same manner everywhere2 unfurl that banner of love4 ,arise1 awake1 and stop not till the goal is reached4 ,arise1 arise once more1 for nothing can be done without renunciation4 ,if you want to help others1 your own little self must go4444 ,at the present time there are men who give up the world to help their own salvation4 ,throw away everything1 even your own salvation1 and go and help others4' ,,chinese ,,and ,,japanese ,,religion ,it is much to be wished that ,western influence on ,china may not be exerted in the wrong way1 i4e4 by an indiscriminate destruction of religious tradition4 ,hitherto the three religions of ,china--,confucianism1 ,taoism1 and ,buddhism--have been regarded as forming one organism1 and as equally necessary to the national culture4 ,now1 however1 there is a danger that this hereditary union may cease1 and that1 in their disunited state1 the three cults may be destined in course of time to disappear and perish4 ,shall they give place to dogmatic ,christianity or1 among the most cultured class1 to agnosticism8 ,would it not be better to work for the retention at any rate of ,buddhism and ,confucianism in a purified form8 ,my own wish would be that the religious-ethical principles of ,buddhism should be applied to the details of civic righteousness4 ,the work could only be done by a school1 but by the co-operation of young and old it could be done4 ,taoism1 however1 is doomed1 unless some scientifically trained scholar 7perhaps a ,buddhist7 will take the trouble to sift the grain from the chaff4 ,as ,mr4 ,johnston tells us1 ,footnote3 ,buddhist ,china1 p4 #ab4 the opening of every new school synchronizes with the closing of a ,taoist temple1 and the priests of the cult are not only despised by others1 but are coming to despise themselves4 ,lao-,tze1 however1 has still his students1 and accretions can hardly be altogether avoided4 ,chinese ,buddhism1 too1 has accretions1 both philosophic and religious1 and unless cleared of these1 we cannot hope that ,buddhism will take its right place in the ,china of the future4 ,suzuki1 however1 in his admirable ,outlines of ,mahyna ,buddhism1 has recognized and expounded 7as ,i at least think7 the truest ,buddhism1 and it is upon him ,i chiefly rely in my statements in the present work4 ,there is no accretion1 however1 in the next point which ,i shall mention4 ,the noble altruism of the ,buddhism of ,china and ,japan must at no price be rejected from the future religion of those countries1 but rather be adopted as a model by us ,western ,christians4 ,now there are three respects in which 7among others7 the ,chinese and ,japanese may set us an example4 ,firstly1 their freedom from self1 and even from pre-occupying thoughts of personal salvation4 ,secondly1 the perception that in the ,divine ,manifestation there must be a feminine element 7das ewig-weibliche74 ,and thirdly1 the possibility of vicarious moral action4 ,on the first1 ,i need only remark that one of those legends of ,sakya ,muni1 which are so full of moral meaning1 is beautified by this selflessness4 ,on the second1 that ,kuan-yin or ,kwannon1 though formerly a god1 ,footnote3 ',god' and ',goddess' are of course unsuitable4 ,read pusa4 the son of the ,buddha ,amitbha1 is now regarded as a goddess1 'the ,all-compassionate1 ,uncreated ,saviour1 the ,royal ,bodhisat1 who 7like the ,madonna7 hears the cries of the world4' ,footnote3 ,johnston1 ,buddhist ,china1 pp4 #aja1 #bgc4 ,but it is the third point which chiefly concerns us here because of the great spiritual comfort which it conveys4 ,it is the possibility of doing good in the name of some beloved friend or relative and to 'turn over' 7parimarta7 one's karma to this friend4 ,the extent to which this idea is pressed may1 to some1 be bewildering4 ,even the bliss of ,nirvana is to be rejected that the moral and physical sufferings of the multitude may be relieved4 ,this is one of the many ways in which the ,living ,presence is manifested4 ,,god-,,man ,tablet of ,ishrakat 7p4 #e74--,praise be to ,god who manifested the ,point and sent forth from it the knowledge of what was and is 7i4e4 all things72 who made it 7the ,point7 the ,herald in ,his ,name1 the ,precursor to ,his ,most ,great ,manifestation1 by which the nerves of nations have quivered with fear and the ,light has risen from the horizon of the world4 ,verily it is that ,point which ,god hath made to be a ,sea of ,light for the sincere among ,his servants1 and a ball of fire for the deniers among ,his creations and the impious among ,his people4--,this shows that ,baha-'ullah did not regard the so-called ,bb as a mere forerunner4 ,the want of a surely attested life1 or extract from a life1 of a ,god-man will be more and more acutely felt4 ,there is only one such life2 it is that of ,baha-'ullah4 ,through ,him1 therefore1 let us pray in this twentieth century amidst the manifold difficulties which beset our social and political reconstructions2 let ,him be the prince-angel who conveys our petitions to the ,most ,high4 ,the standpoint of ,immanence1 however1 suggests a higher and a deeper view4 ,does a friend need to ask a favour of a friend8 ,are we not in ,baha'ullah 7'the ,glory of ,god'71 and is not ,he in ,god8 ,therefore1 'ye shall ask what ye will1 and it shall be done unto you' 7,john xv4 #g74 ,far be it that we should even seem to disparage the ,lord ,jesus1 but the horizon of ,his early worshippers is too narrow for us to follow them1 and the critical difficulties are insuperable4 ,the mirage of the ideal ,christ is all that remains1 when these obstacles have been allowed for4 ,we read much about ,god-men in the narratives of the ,old ,testament1 where the name attached to a manifestation of ,god in human semblance is 'malak ,yahw 7,jehovah7' or 'malak ,elohim'--a name of uncertain meaning which ,i have endeavoured to explain more correctly elsewhere4 ,in the ,new ,testament too there is a large ,docetic element4 ,apparently a supernatural ,being walks about on earth--,his name is ,jesus of ,nazareth1 or simply ,jesus1 or with a deifying prefix ',lord' and a regal appendix ',christ4' ,he has doubtless a heavenly message to individuals1 but ,he has also one to the great social body4 ,christ1 says ,mr4 ,holley1 is a perfect revelation for the individual1 but not for the social organism4 ,this is correct if we lay stress on the qualifying word 'perfect1' especially if we hold that ,st4 ,paul has the credit of having expanded and enriched the somewhat meagre representation of ,christ in the ,synoptic ,gospels4 ,it must be conceded that ,baha-'ullah had a greater opportunity than ,christ of lifting both ,his own and other peoples to a higher plane1 but the ideal of both was the same4 ,baha-'ullah and ,christ1 therefore1 were both 'images of ,god'2 ,footnote3 ,bousset1 ,kyrios-,christos1 p4 #add4 ,christ is the 'image of ,god' 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #d2 ,col4 i4 #ae72 or simply 'the image' 7,rom4 viii4 #bi74 ,god is the ,god of the human people as well as of individual men1 so too is the ,god of whom ,baha-'ullah is the reflection or image4 ,only1 we must admit that ,baha-'ullah had the advantage of centuries more of evolution1 and that he had also perhaps more complex problems to solve4 ,and what as to ',ali ,muammad of ,shiraz8 ,from a heavenly point of view1 did he play a great rle in the ,persian ,reformation8 ,let us listen to ,baha-'ullah in the passage quoted above from the ,tablet of ,ishrakat4 ,,prayer ,,to ,,the ,,perpetual ,,creator ,o giver of thyself6 at the vision of thee as joy let our souls flame up to thee as the fire1 flow on to thee as the river1 permeate thy being as the fragrance of the flower4 ,give us strength to love1 to love fully1 our life in its joys and sorrows1 in its gains and losses1 in its rise and fall4 ,let us have strength enough fully to see and hear thy universe1 and to work with full vigour therein4 ,let us fully live the life thou hast given us1 let us bravely take and bravely give4 ,this is our prayer to thee4 ,let us once for all dislodge from our minds the feeble fancy that would make out thy joy to be a thing apart from action1 thin1 formless and unsustained4 ,wherever the peasant tills the hard earth1 there does thy joy gush out in the green of the corn2 wherever man displaces the entangled forest1 smooths the stony ground1 and clears for himself a homestead1 there does thy joy enfold it in orderliness and peace4 ,o worker of the universe6 ,we would pray to thee to let the irresistible current of thy universal energy come like the impetuous south wind of spring1 let it come rushing over the vast field of the life of man1 let it bring the scent of many flowers1 the murmurings of many woodlands1 let it make sweet and vocal the lifelessness of our dried-up soul-life4 ,let our newly awakened powers cry out for unlimited fulfilment in leaf and flower and fruit6--,tagore1 ,sdhan 7p4 #acc74 ,,the ,,opportuneness ,,of ,,bahaism ,the opportuneness of the ,baha movement is brought into a bright light by the following extract from a letter to the ,master from the great ,orientalist and traveller1 ,arminius ,vambry4 ,though born a ,jew1 he tells us that believers in ,judaism were no better than any other professedly religious persons1 and that the only hope for the future lay in the success of the efforts of ,abdul ,baha1 whose supreme greatness as a prophet he fully recognizes4 ,he was born in ,hungary in ,march #ahcb1 and met ,abdul ,baha at ,buda-,pest in ,april #aiac4 ,the letter was written shortly after the interview2 some may perhaps smile at its glowing ,oriental phraseology1 but there are some ,oriental writers who really mean what they seem to mean1 and one of these 7an ,oriental by adoption7 is ,vambry4 '444 ,the time of the meeting with your excellency1 and the memory of the benediction of your presence1 recurred to the memory of this servant1 and ,i am longing for the time when ,i shall meet you again4 ,although ,i have travelled through many countries and cities of ,islam1 yet have ,i never met so lofty a character and so exalted a personage as ,your ,excellency1 and ,i can bear witness that it is not possible to find such another4 ,on this account ,i am hoping that the ideals and accomplishments of ,your ,excellency may be crowned with success and yield results under all conditions1 because behind these ideals and deeds ,i easily discern the eternal welfare and prosperity of the world of humanity4 ',this servant1 in order to gain first-hand information and experience1 entered into the ranks of various religions2 that is1 outwardly ,i became a ,jew1 ,christian1 ,mohammedan1 and ,zoroastrian4 ,i discovered that the devotees of these various religions do nothing else but hate and anathematize each other1 that all these religions have become the instruments of tyranny and oppression in the hands of rulers and governors1 and that they are the causes of the destruction of the world of humanity4 ',considering these evil results1 every person is forced by necessity to enlist himself on the side of ,your ,excellency and accept with joy the prospect of a fundamental basis for a universal religion of ,god being laid through your efforts4 ',i have seen the father of ,your ,excellency from afar4 ,i have realized the self-sacrifice and noble courage of his son1 and ,i am lost in admiration4 ',for the principles and aims of ,your ,excellency ,i express the utmost respect and devotion1 and if ,god1 the ,most ,high1 confers long life1 ,i will be able to serve you under all conditions4 ,i pray and supplicate this from the depths of my heart4--,your servant1 ,,vambery4' 7,published in the ,egyptian ,gazette1 ,sept4 #bd1 #aiac1 by ,mrs4 ,j4 ,stannard47 ,,bahai ,,bibliography ,,browne1 ,prof4 ,e4 ,g4--,a ,traveller's ,narrative4 ,written to illustrate the ,episode of the ,bb4 ,cambridge1 #aija4 ,the ,new ,history4 ,cambridge1 #ahic4 ,history of the ,bbs4 ,compiled by ,hjji ,mrz ,jn of ,kshn between the years ,a4,d4 #ahej and #aheb4 ,leyden1 #aiaj4 ',babism1' article in ,encyclopaedia of ,religions4 ,two ,papers on ,bbsm in ,,jras4 #ahhi4 ,,chase1 ,,thornton4--,in ,galilee4 ,chicago1 #aijh4 ,,dreyfus1 ,,hippolyte4--,the ,universal ,religion2 ,bahaism4 #aiji4 ,,gobineau1 ,m4 ,,le ,,comte ,,de4--,religions et ,philosophies dans l',asie ,centrale4 ,paris4 #bnd edition1 ,paris1 #ahff4 ,,hammond1 ,,eric4--,the ,splendour of ,god4 #aiji4 ,,holley1 ,,horace4--,the ,modern ,social ,religion4 #aiac4 ,,huart1 ,,clement4--,la ,religion du ,bab4 ,paris1 #ahhi4 ,,nicolas1 ,a4 ,l4 ,m4--,seyy'ed ,ali ,mohammed1 dit ,le ,bab4 ,paris1 #aije4 ,le ,byn ,arabe4 ,paris1 #aije4 ,,phelps1 ,,myron ,h4--,life and ,teachings of ,abbas ,effendi4 ,new ,york1 #aiad4 ,r,,mer1 ,,hermann4--,die ,bb-,beh'1 ,die jngste muhammedanische ,sekte4 ,potsdam1 #aiab4 ,,rice1 ,w4 ,a4--',bahaism from the ,christian ,standpoint1' ,east and ,west1 ,january #aiac4 ,,skrine1 ,f4 ,h4--,bahaism1 the ,religion of ,brotherhood and its place in the ,evolution of ,creeds4 #aiab4 ,,wilson1 ,s4 ,g4--',the ,claims of ,bahaism1' ,east and ,west1 ,july #aiad4 ,works of the ,b,b1 ,,baha-',,ullah1 ,,abdul ,,baha1 and ,,abu',l ,,fazl3 ,l'ptre au ,fils du ,loup4 ,baha-'ullah4 ,traduction franaise par ,h4 ,dreyfus4 ,paris1 #aiac4 ,le ,beyan arabe4 ,nicolas4 ,paris1 #aije4 ,the ,hidden ,words4 ,chicago1 #aije4 ,the ,seven ,valleys4 ,chicago4 ,livre de la ,certitude4 ,dreyfus4 ,paris1 #aijd4 ,the ,book of ,ighan4 ,chicago4 ,works of ,,abdul ,,baha3 ,some ,answered ,questions4 #aijh4 ,tablets4 ,vol4 i4 ,chicago1 #aiab4 ,work by ,,mirza ,,abu',l ,,fazl3 ,the ,brilliant ,proof4 ,chicago1 #aiac4 ,,laus ,,deo