CHAPTER II THE MISSION OF SIYYID KAZIM-I-RASHTI |
|
1 |
THE news of the passing of his beloved master brought
unspeakable sorrow to the heart of Siyyid Kázim.
Inspired by the verse of the Qur'án, "Fain would
they put out God's light with their mouths; but
God only desireth to perfect His light, albeit the infidels
abhor it," he arose with unswerving purpose to consummate
the task with which Shaykh |
2 |
Mullá |
3 |
He continued in this manner, in the presence of the
assembled disciples, to expound the teachings of Shaykh
|
4 |
No sooner had Mullá |
5 |
Having fulfilled the first part of his mission, Mullá |
6 |
In those days Siyyid Kázim became increasingly aware of
the approach of the Hour at which the promised One was to
be revealed.
[7]
He realised how dense were those veils that
hindered the seekers from apprehending the glory of the concealed
Manifestation. He accordingly exerted his utmost endeavour
to remove gradually, with caution and wisdom, whatever
barriers might stand in the way of the full recognition
of that Hidden Treasure of God. He repeatedly urged his
disciples to bear in mind the fact that He whose advent they
were expecting would appear neither from Jabúlqá nor from
Jabúlsá.'
[8]
He even hinted at His presence in their very midst.
"You behold Him with your own eyes," he often observed,
"and yet recognise Him not!" To his disciples who questioned
him regarding the signs of the Manifestation, he would
say: "He is of noble lineage. He is a descendant of the
Prophet of God, of the family of Hashim. He is young in
age, and is possessed of innate knowledge. His learning is
derived, not from the teachings of Shaykh |
7 |
Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí, himself, informed me that he too
entertained such doubts, that he prayed to God that if his
supposition was well founded he should be confirmed in his
belief, and if not that he should be delivered from such idle
fancy. "I was so perturbed," he once related to me, "that
for days I could neither eat nor sleep. My days were spent
in the service of Siyyid Kázim, to whom I was greatly attached.
One day, at the hour of dawn, I was suddenly
awakened by Mullá Naw-ruz, one of his intimate attendants,
who, in great excitement, bade me arise and follow him.
We went to the house of Siyyid Kázim, where we found him
fully dressed, wearing his `abá, and ready to leave his home.
He asked me to accompany him. `A highly esteemed and
distinguished Person,' he said, `has arrived. I feel it incumbent
upon us both to visit Him.' The morning light had
just broken when I found myself walking with him through
the streets of Kárbilá. We soon reached a house, at the door
of which stood a Youth, as if expectant to receive us. He
wore a green turban, and His countenance revealed an expression
of humility and kindliness which I can never describe.
He quietly approached us, extended His arms towards Siyyid
Kázim, and lovingly embraced him. His affability and loving-kindness
singularly contrasted with the sense of profound
reverence that characterised the attitude of Siyyid Kázim
towards him. Speechless and with bowed head, he received
the many expressions of affection and esteem with which that
Youth greeted him. We were soon led by Him to the upper
floor of that house, and entered a chamber bedecked with
flowers and redolent of the loveliest perfume. He bade us
be seated. We knew not, however, what seats we actually
occupied, so overpowering was the sense of delight which
seized us. We observed a silver cup which had been placed
in the centre of the room, which our youthful Host, soon
after we were seated, filled to overflowing, and handed to
Siyyid Kázim, saying: `A drink of a pure beverage shall
their Lord give them.'
[10]
Siyyid Kázim held the cup with
both hands and quaffed it. A feeling of reverent joy filled
his being, a feeling which he could not suppress. I too was
presented with a cupful of that beverage, though no words
were addressed to me. All that was spoken at that memorable
gathering was the above-mentioned verse of the Qur'án.
Soon after, the Host arose from His seat and, accompanying
us to the threshold of the house, bade us farewell. I was
mute with wonder, and knew not how to express the cordiality
of His welcome, the dignity of His bearing, the charm of
that face, and the delicious fragrance of that beverage. How
great was my amazement when I saw my teacher quaff
without the least hesitation that holy draught from a silver
cup, the use of which, according to the precepts of Islám, is
forbidden to the faithful. I could not explain the motive
which could have induced the Siyyid to manifest such profound
reverence in the presence of that Youth--a reverence
which even the sight of the shrine of the Siyyidu'sh-Shuhada'
had failed to excite. Three days later, I saw that same
Youth arrive and take His seat in the midst of the company
of the assembled disciples of Siyyid Kázim. He sat close
to the threshold, and with the same modesty and dignity of
bearing listened to the discourse of the Siyyid. As soon as
his eyes fell upon that Youth, the Siyyid discontinued his
address and held his peace. Whereupon one of his disciples
begged him to resume the argument which he had left unfinished.
`What more shall I say?' replied Siyyid Kázim, as
he turned his face toward the Báb. `Lo, the Truth is more
manifest than the ray of light that has fallen upon that lap!'
I immediately observed that the ray to which the Siyyid
referred had fallen upon the lap of that same Youth whom
we had recently visited. `Why is it,' that questioner enquired,
`that you neither reveal His name nor identify His
person?' To this the Siyyid replied by pointing with his
finger to his own throat, implying that were he to divulge
His name, they both would be put to death instantly. This
added still further to my perplexity. I had already heard my
teacher observe that so great is the perversity of this generation,
that were he to point with his finger to the promised
One and say: `He indeed is the Beloved, the Desire of your
hearts and mine,' they would still fail to recognise and acknowledge
Him. I saw the Siyyid actually point out with
his finger the ray of light that had fallen on that lap, and
yet none among those who were present seemed to apprehend
its meaning. I, for my part, was convinced that the Siyyid
himself could never be the promised One, but that a mystery
inscrutable to us all, lay concealed in that strange and attractive
Youth. Several times I ventured to approach Siyyid
Kázim and seek from him an elucidation of this mystery.
Every time I approached him, I was overcome by a sense of
awe which his personality so powerfully inspired. Many a
time I heard him remark: `O Shaykh Hasan, rejoice that
your name is Hasan [praiseworthy]; Hasan your beginning,
and Hasan your end. You have been privileged to attain
to the day of Shaykh |
8 |
"I often felt the urge to seek alone the presence of that
Háshimite Youth and to endeavour to fathom His mystery.
I watched Him several times as He stood in an attitude of
prayer at the doorway of the shrine of the Imám |
9 | "When later on I journeyed from Kárbilá to Shíráz, I found that He had set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. I met Him on His return and endeavoured, despite the many obstacles in my way, to remain in close association with Him. When subsequently He was incarcerated in the fortress of Máh-Kú, in the province of Ádhirbayján, I was engaged in transcribing the verses which He dictated to His amanuensis. Every night, for a period of nine months, during which He was a prisoner in that fort, He revealed, after He had offered His evening prayer, a commentary on a juz' [11] of the Qur'án. At the end of each month a commentary on the whole of that sacred Book was thus completed. During His incarceration in Máh-Kú, nine commentaries on the whole of the Qur'án had been revealed by Him. The texts of these commentaries were entrusted, in Tabríz, to the keeping of a certain Siyyid Ibráhím-i-Khalíl, who was instructed to conceal them until the time for their publication might arrive. Their fate is unknown until now. |
10 | "In connection with one of these commentaries, the Báb one day asked me: `Which do you prefer, this commentary which I have revealed, or the Ahsánu'l-Qisás, My previous commentary on the Súrih of Joseph? Which of the two is superior, in your estimation?' `To me,' I replied, `the Ahsánu'l-Qisás seems to be endowed with greater power and charm.' He smiled at my observation and said: `You are as yet unfamiliar with the tone and tenor of this later commentary. The truths enshrined in this will more speedily and effectively enable the seeker to attain the object of his quest.' |
11 |
"I continued to be closely associated with Him until that
great encounter of Shaykh Tabarsí. When informed of that
event, the Báb directed all His companions to hasten to that
spot, and extend every assistance in their power to Quddús,
His heroic and distinguished disciple. Addressing me one
day, He said: `But for My incarceration in the Jabál-i-Shadíd,
the fortress of Chihríq, it would have been incumbent
upon Me to lend My personal assistance to My beloved
Quddús. Participation in that struggle is not enjoined upon
you. You should proceed to Kárbilá and should abide in
that holy city, inasmuch as you are destined to behold, with
your own eyes, the beauteous countenance of the promised
|
12 |
"Soon after, I journeyed to Kárbilá and lived, as bidden,
in that holy city. Fearing that my prolonged stay in that
centre of pilgrimage might excite suspicion, I decided to
marry. I started to earn my livelihood as a scribe. What
afflictions befell me at the hands of the Shaykhís, those who
professed to be the followers of Shaykh |
13 |
"Sixteen lunar months, less twenty and two days, had
elapsed since the day of the martyrdom of the Báb, when,
on the day of Árafih,
[12]
in the year 1267 A.H.,
[13]
while I was
passing by the gate of the inner courtyard of the shrine of
the Imám |
14 | I now return, after this digression, to my theme. I had been referring to the eagerness with which Siyyid Kázim had determined to rend asunder those veils which intervened between the people of his day and the recognition of the promised Manifestation. In the introductory pages of his works, entitled Sharh-i-Qasidih and Sharh-i-Khutbih, [14] he, in veiled language, alludes to the blessed name of Bahá'u'lláh. In a booklet, the last he wrote, he explicitly mentions the name of the Báb by his reference to the term "Dhikru'llah-i-A'zam." In it he writes: "Addressing this noble `Dhikr,' [15] this mighty voice of God, I say: `I am apprehensive of the people, lest they harm you. I am apprehensive of my own self, lest I too may hurt you. I fear you, I tremble at your authority, I dread the age in which you live. Were I to treasure you 1. Sharh-i-Khutbiy-i-Tutunjiyyih. |
15 | 2. Sharh-i-Qasidih. |
16 | 3. Tafsirih Ayatu'l-Kursi. |
17 |
4. Dar Asrar-i-Shihihadat-i-Imam |
18 | 5. Cosmography. |
19 | 6. Dalilu'l-Mutahayyirin. as the apple of my eye until the Day of Resurrection, I would not sufficiently have proved my devotion to you.'" [16] |
20 | How grievously Siyyid Kázim suffered at the hands of the people of wickedness! What harm that villainous generation inflicted upon him! For years he suffered silently, and endured with heroic patience all the indignities, the calumnies, the denunciations that were heaped upon him. He was destined, however, to witness, during the last years of his life, how the avenging hand of God "destroyed with utter destruction" those that opposed, vilified, and plotted against him. In those days the followers of Siyyid Ibráhím, that notorious enemy of Siyyid Kázim, banded themselves together for the purpose of stirring up sedition and mischief and endangering the life of their formidable adversary. By every means at their disposal, they sought to poison the minds of his admirers and friends, to undermine his authority, and to discredit his name. No voice was raised in protest against the agitation that was being sedulously prepared by that ungodly and treacherous people, each of whom professed to be the exponent of true learning and the repository of the mysteries of the Faith of God. No one sought to warn or awaken them. They gathered such force and kindled such strife that they succeeded in evicting from Kárbilá, in a disgraceful manner, the representative official of the Ottoman government, and appropriated for their own sordid aims whatever revenues accrued to him. Their menacing attitude aroused the central government at Constantinople, which despatched a military official to the scene of agitation, with full instructions to quench the fires of mischief. With the force at his command, that official besieged the city, and despatched a communication to Siyyid Kázim in which he entreated him to pacify the minds of the excited populace. He appealed to him to counsel moderation to its inhabitants, to induce them to relax their stubbornness, and to surrender voluntarily to his rule. Were they to heed his counsels, he promised that he would undertake to ensure their safety and protection, would proclaim a general amnesty, and would strive to promote their welfare. If they refused, however, to submit, he warned them that their lives would be in danger, that a great calamity would surely befall them. |
21 | Upon the receipt of this formal communication, Siyyid Kázim summoned to his presence the chief instigators of the movement, and, with the utmost wisdom and affection, exhorted them to cease their agitation and surrender their arms. He spoke with such persuasive eloquence, such sincerity and detachment, that their hearts were softened and their resistance was subdued. They solemnly undertook to throw open, the next morning, the gates of the citadel and to present themselves, in the company of Siyyid Kázim, to the officer in command of the besieging forces. It was agreed that the Siyyid would intervene in their behalf, and secure for them whatever would ensure their tranquillity and welfare. No sooner had they left the presence of the Siyyid than the `ulamás, the chief instigators of the rebellion, unanimously arose to frustrate this plan. Fully aware that such intervention on the part of the Siyyid, who had already excited their envy, would serve to enhance his prestige and consolidate his authority, they determined to persuade a number among the foolish and excitable elements of the population to sally forth at night and attack the forces of the enemy. They assured them of victory on the strength of a dream in which one of their members had seen Abbás, [17] who had charged him to incite his followers to wage holy war against the besiegers and had given him the promise of ultimate success. |
22 | Deluded by this vain promise, they rejected the advice tendered by that wise and judicious counsellor, and arose to execute the designs of their foolish leaders. Siyyid Kázim, who was well aware of the evil influence that actuated that revolt, addressed a detailed and faithful report on the situation to the Turkish commander, who again wrote to Siyyid Kázim and reiterated his appeal for a peaceful settlement of the issue. He, moreover, declared that at a given time he would force the gates of the citadel, and would regard the home of the Siyyid as the only place of refuge for a defeated enemy. This declaration the Siyyid caused to be spread throughout the city. It served only to excite the derision and contempt of the population. When informed of the reception accorded that declaration, the Siyyid remarked: "Verily, that with which they are threatened is for the morning. Is not the morning near?" [18] |
23 |
At daybreak, the appointed hour, the forces of the enemy
bombarded the ramparts of the citadel, demolished its walls,
entered the city, and pillaged and massacred a considerable
number of its population. Many fled in consternation to the
courtyard of the shrine of the Imám |
24 |
What consternation seized the residents and visitors of
the holy city! With what severity did the victors treat their
terrified enemy! With what audacity they ignored those
sacred rights and prerogatives with which the piety of countless
Muslim pilgrims had invested the holy sites of Kárbilá!
They refused to recognise alike the shrine of the Imám |
25 | It is admittedly evident that in every age and dispensation those whose mission it is either to proclaim the Truth or to prepare the way for its acceptance, have invariably been opposed by a number of powerful adversaries, who challenged their authority and attempted to pervert their teachings. These have, either by fraud or pretence, calumny or oppression, succeeded for a time in beguiling the uninformed and in misleading the feeble. Desirous of maintaining their hold over the thoughts and consciences of men, they have, so long as the Faith of God remained concealed, been able to enjoy the fruits of a fleeting and precarious ascendancy. No sooner was the Faith proclaimed, however, than they found, to their utter dismay, the effects of their dark plottings pale before the dawning light of the new Day of God. Before the fierce rays of that rising Orb all their machinations and evil deeds faded into nothingness and were soon a thing forgotten. |
26 |
Around Siyyid Kázim were likewise gathered a number of
vain and ignoble people who feigned devotion and attachment
to his person; who professed to be devout and pious, and who
claimed to be the sole repositories of the mysteries enshrined
in the utterances of Shaykh |
27 |
I have heard Shaykh Abú-Turáb
[22]
recount the following:
"I, together with a number of the disciples of Siyyid Kázim,
regarded the allusions to these deficiencies, from which the
Siyyid declared the promised One to be free, as specifically
directed toward three individuals amongst our fellow-disciples.
We even designated them by such appellations as indicated
their bodily defects. One of them was |
28 |
"I was present in the library of Siyyid Kázim when, one
day, an attendant of |
29 |
And as the days of Siyyid Kázim drew to a close, he, whenever
he met his disciples, whether in private converse or public
discourse, exhorted them, saying: "O my beloved companions!
Beware, beware, lest after me the world's fleeting vanities
beguile you. Beware lest you wax haughty and forgetful of
God. It is incumbent upon you to renounce all comfort,
all earthly possessions and kindred, in your quest of Him
who is the Desire of your hearts and of mine. Scatter far
and wide, detach yourselves from all earthly things, and
humbly and prayerfully beseech your Lord to sustain and
guide you. Never relax in your determination to seek and
find Him who is concealed behind the veils of glory. Persevere
till the time when He, who is your true Guide and
Master, will graciously aid you and enable you to recognise
Him. Be firm till the day when He will choose you as the
companions and the heroic supporters
of the promised Qá'im.
Well is it with every one of
you who will quaff the cup of
martyrdom in His path. Those
of you whom God, in His wisdom,
will preserve and keep
to witness the setting of the
Star of Divine guidance, that
Harbinger of the Sun of Divine
Revelation, must needs be patient,
must remain assured and
steadfast. Such ones amongst
you must neither falter nor
feel dismayed. For soon after
the first trumpet-blast which
is to smite the earth with extermination
and death, there
shall be sounded again yet another
call, at which all things
will be quickened and revived.
Then will the meaning of these
sacred verses be revealed: `And
there was a blast on the trumpet,
and all who are in the heavens and all who are in
the earth expired, save those whom God permitted to live.
Then was there sounded another blast, and, lo! arising, they
gazed around them. And the earth shone with the light of
her Lord, and the Book was set, and the Prophets were
brought up, and the witnesses; and judgment was given between
them with equity; and none was wronged.'
[24]
Verily I
say, after the Qá'im the Qayyúm
[25]
will be made manifest. For
when the star of the Former has set, the sun of the beauty
of |
30 |
Every year, in the month of Dhi'l-Qádih, the Siyyid
would proceed from Kárbilá to Kazímayn
[26]
in order to visit
the shrines of the imáms. He would return to Kárbilá in
time to visit, on the day of Árafih, the shrine of the Imám
|
31 |
This strange event was noised abroad. It brought sadness
to the heart of the true lovers of Siyyid Kázim. To
these he, with infinite tenderness and joy, addressed words
of cheer and comfort. He calmed their troubled hearts, fortified
their faith, and inflamed their zeal. With dignity and
calm he completed his pilgrimage and returned to Kárbilá.
The very day of his arrival he fell ill, and was confined to bed.
His enemies spread the rumour that he had been poisoned
by the Governor of Baghdád. This was sheer calumny and
downright falsehood, inasmuch as the Governor himself had
placed his unqualified confidence in Siyyid Kázim, and had
always regarded him as a highly talented leader endowed
with keen perception and possessed of irreproachable character.
[29]
On the day of Árafih, in the year 1259 A.H., at the
ripe age of sixty, Siyyid Kázim, in accordance with the vision
of that lowly shepherd, bade farewell to this world, leaving
behind him a band of earnest and devoted disciples who,
purged of all worldly desire, set out in quest of their promised
Beloved. His sacred remains were interred within the precincts
of the shrine of the Imám |
1. [He was the first to believe in the Báb, who gave him this title.]
2. ["The Madrisih or Persian colleges are entirely in the hands of the clergy and there are several in every large town. They generally consist of a court, surrounded by buildings containing chambers for students and masters, with a gate on one side; and frequently a garden and a well in the centre of the court.... Many of the madrisihs have been founded and endowed by kings or pious persons." (C. R. Markham's "A General Sketch of the History of Persia," p. 365.)]
3. [A loose outer garment, resembling a cloak, commonly made of camel's hair.]
4. [Worth approximately one hundred dollars, a substantial sum in those days.]
6. [The Báb, in the "Dalá'il-i-Sab`ih," refers to Mullá
7. [The Báb in this connection reveals the following in the "Dalá'il-i-Sab`ih": "That which he was still saying at the time of his last journey, that which you, yourself, have heard, is it not being spoken of? And likewise the account of Mírzá
8. [See note, at the beginning of the book, on "Distinguishing Features of Shí'ah Islám."]
9. ["There seems to be conclusive evidence that Siyyid Kázim adverted often near the close of life to the divine Manifestation which he believed to be at hand. He was fond of saying, `I see him as the rising sun.'" (Dr. T. K. Cheyne's the Reconciliation of Races and Religions," p. 19.)]
10. [Qur'án, 76:21.]
11. [A juz' is one-thirtieth of the Qur'án.]
12. [The ninth day of the month of Dhi'l-Hijjih.]
14. [Chapter 2 of A. L. M. Nicolas' "Essai sur le Shaykhisme," II, is entirely devoted to a detailed enumeration of the hundred and thirty-five works composed by Siyyid Kázim, among which the following are of outstanding interest:His works are said to exceed 300 volumes. ("A Traveller's Narrative," Note E, p. 238.)]
15. ["Dhikr" means "mention," "remembrance."]
16. [A. L. M. Nicolas quotes in Chapter 3 of his "Essai sur le Shaykhisme," II, p. 43, the following extract from the Sharh-i-Qasidih of Siyyid Kázim: "I have announced that every hundred years there are a chosen few who spread and sow the precepts which explain that which is lawful and that which is unlawful; who tell of the things that were hidden during the hundred preceding years. In other words, in every century a learned and perfect man is found who causes the tree of religious law to revive and bloom; who regenerates its trunk to such an extent that at last the book of Creation comes to its end in a period of twelve hundred years. At that moment, a certain number of perfect men will appear who will reveal certain very intimate things which were hidden.... Therefore, when the twelve hundred years will have been completed, when the first cycle is ended, which depended upon the appearance of the Sun of the Prophet and of the Moon of the Vilayat, then the influence of that cycle is ended and a second cycle begins in which the intimate precepts and hidden meanings of the former cycle are explained." He himself then adds these words: "In other words, and in order to render clearer this amazing statement which truly needs no interpretation, Siyyid Kázim tells us that the first cycle which lasts twelve hundred years is solely for the education of the bodies and of the spirits which are dependent upon them. It is like a child in the womb of the mother. The second cycle is for the education of the pure spirits, the souls which have no relation to the world of matter. It is as though God wished to elevate the spirit by means of the performance of its duty in this world. Therefore, when the first cycle is completed, the glory of which is the name of
17. [Brother of the Imám
18. [Qur'án, 11:81.]
19. [A. L. M. Nicolas, in his "Essai sur le Shaykhisme," II, pp. 29-30, describes the event as follows: "It was in the year 1258 (1842) that this event took place, on the day of the Feast of Qadr. The armies of Baghdád, under the leadership of Najíb Páshá, took possession of Kárbilá whose inhabitants they massacred and whose rich Mosques they pillaged. About nine thousand people were killed, the majority of whom were Persians.
21. [A. L. M. Nicolas, in his "Essai sur le Shaykhisme," Il, pp. 60-61, gives the following extract from the writings of Siyyid Kázim: "You have understood, I think, that the religious law and the precepts of morality are the food of the Spirit. It is then necessary that these religious laws be diverse; it is necessary that sometimes the older regulations be annulled; it is necessary that these precepts contain some things which are doubtful and some things which are certain; some things general and some things specific; some things absolute and some things finite; some of appearances and some of inner realities, so that the child may reach adolescence and may be perfect in his power and his capacity. "It is, at that time, that the Qá'im will appear and after his manifestation the length of his days will come to an end and he will be martyred, and when he is martyred, the world will have reached its eighteenth year."]
22. [According to Samandar (p. 32), Shaykh Abú-Turáb was a native of Ishhtihad, and ranked among the leading disciples of Siyyid Kázim. He married the sister of Mullá
23. ["The Báb wrote to
24. [Qur'án, 39:68.]
25. [References to the Báb and to Bahá'u'lláh, respectively.]
27. [November 23--December 23, 1843 A.D.]
29. ["Karím Khán, regarding the taking of Kárbilá, speaks emphatically of the respect which the attacking troops showed to the Shaykhís and to Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí. He declares, without the least hesitation, that it is very likely that Siyyid Kázim was poisoned in Baghdád by this infamous Najíb Páshá who, he says, gave him a potion to drink which caused such intense thirst that it brought about the death of Siyyid Kázim. It is thus that the Persians record history!" (A. L. M. Nicolas' "Essai sur le Shaykhisme," II, pp. 30-31.)]
30. ["He was buried behind the window in the corridor of the tomb of the Lord of the Confessors. This tomb was built on an incline toward the interior of the forbidden precincts." (Ibid., p. 31.)]
31. ["During the lifetime of Siyyid Kázim, the doctrine of the Shaykhís spread over all Persia so well that in the Province of `Iráq alone there were more than a hundred thousand murids." (Journal Asiatique, 1866, tome 7, p. 463.)]
32. ["Here ends the history of the establishment of Shaykhísm, or at least of its unity, for, after the death of Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí, it became divided into two branches. One branch, under the name of Bábism, flowered as foreshadowed by the strength of the movement created by Shaykh