CHAPTER XV TÁHIRIH'S JOURNEY FROM KARBILA TO KHURASAN |
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1 | AS THE appointed hour approached when, according to the dispensations of Providence, the veil which still concealed the fundamental verities of the Faith was to be rent asunder, there blazed forth in the heart of Khurásán a flame of such consuming intensity that the most formidable obstacles standing in the way of the ultimate recognition of the Cause melted away and vanished. [1] That fire caused such a conflagration in the hearts of men that the effects of its quickening power were felt in the most outlying provinces of Persia. It obliterated every trace of the misgivings and doubts which had still lingered in the hearts of the believers, and had hitherto hindered them from apprehending the full measure of its glory. The decree of the enemy had condemned to perpetual isolation Him who was the embodiment of the beauty of God, and sought thereby to quench for all time the flame of His love. The hand of Omnipotence, however, was busily engaged, at a time when the host of evil-doers were darkly plotting against Him, in confounding their schemes and in nullifying their efforts. In the easternmost province of Persia, the Almighty had, through the hand of Quddús, lit a fire that glowed with the hottest flame in the breasts of the people of Khurásán. And in Kárbilá, beyond the western confines of that land, He had kindled the light of Táhirih, a light that was destined to shed its radiance upon the whole of Persia. From the east and from the west of that country, the voice of the Unseen summoned those twin great lights to hasten to the land of Tá, [2] the day-spring of glory, the home of Bahá'u'lláh. He bade them each seek the presence, and revolve round the person of that Day-Star of Truth, to seek His advice, to reinforce His efforts, and to prepare the way for His coming Revelation. |
2 | In pursuance of the Divine decree, in the days when Quddús was still residing in Mashhad, there was revealed from the pen of the Báb a Tablet addressed to all the believers of Persia, in which every loyal adherent of the Faith was enjoined to "hasten to the Land of Khá," the province of Khurásán. [3] The news of this high injunction spread with marvellous rapidity and aroused universal enthusiasm. It reached the ears of Táhirih, who, at that time, was residing in Kárbilá and was bending every effort to extend the scope of the Faith she had espoused. [4] She had left her native town of Qazvín and had arrived, after the death of Siyyid Kázim, at that holy city, in eager expectation of witnessing the signs which the departed siyyid had foretold. In the foregoing pages we have seen how instinctively she had been led to discover the Revelation of the Báb and how spontaneously she had acknowledged its truth. Unwarned and uninvited, she perceived the dawning light of the promised Revelation breaking upon the city of Shíráz, and was prompted to pen her message and plead her fidelity to Him who was the Revealer of that light. |
3 | The Báb's immediate response to her declaration of faith which, without attaining His presence, she was moved to make, animated her zeal and vastly increased her courage. She arose to spread abroad His teachings, vehemently denounced the corruption and perversity of her generation, and fearlessly advocated a fundamental revolution in the habits and manners of her people.' Her indomitable spirit was quickened by the fire of her love for the Báb, and the glory of her vision was further enhanced by the discovery of the inestimable blessings latent in His Revelation. The innate fearlessness and the strength of her character were reinforced a hundredfold by her immovable conviction of the ultimate victory of the Cause she had embraced; and her boundless energy was revitalised by her recognition of the abiding value of the Mission she had risen to champion. All who met her in Kárbilá were ensnared by her bewitching eloquence and felt the fascination of her words. None could resist her charm; few could escape the contagion of her belief. All testified to the extraordinary traits of her character, marvelled at her amazing personality, and were convinced of the sincerity of her convictions. |
4 |
She was able to win to the Cause the revered widow of
Siyyid Kázim, who was born in Shíráz, and was the first
among the women of Kárbilá to recognise its truth. I have
heard Shaykh |
5 |
Among the men who in Kárbilá eagerly embraced, through
the efforts of Táhirih, the Cause of the Báb, was a certain
Shaykh |
6 | The Báb's appeal, which was originally addressed to His followers in Persia, was soon transmitted to the adherents of His Faith in `Iráq. Táhirih gloriously responded. Her example was followed immediately by a large number of her faithful admirers, all of whom expressed their readiness to journey forthwith to Khurásán. The `ulamás of Kárbilá sought to dissuade her from undertaking that journey. Perceiving immediately the motive which prompted them to tender her such advice, and aware of their malignant design, she addressed to each of these sophists a lengthy epistle in which she set forth her motives and exposed their dissimulation. [5] |
7 | From Kárbilá she proceeded to Baghdád. [6] A representative delegation, consisting of the ablest leaders among the shí'ah, the sunní, the Christian and Jewish communities of that city, sought her presence and endeavoured to convince her of the folly of her actions. She was able, however, to silence their protestations, and astounded them with the force of her argument. Disillusioned and confused, they retired, deeply conscious of their own impotence. [7] |
8 |
The `ulamás of Kirmansháh respectfully received her and
presented her with various tokens of their esteem and admiration.
[8]
In Hamadán,
[9]
however, the ecclesiastical leaders
of the city were divided in their attitude towards her. A
few sought privily to provoke the people and undermine her
prestige; others were moved to extol openly her virtues and
applaud her courage. "It behoves us," these friends declared
from their pulpits, "to follow her noble example and reverently
to ask her to unravel for us the mysteries of the Qur'án
and to resolve the intricacies of the holy Book. For our
highest attainments are but a drop compared to the immensity
of her knowledge." While in Hamadán, Táhirih was met by
those whom her father, |
9 |
On her arrival at the house of her father, her cousin, the
haughty and false-hearted Mullá [Illustrations: HOUSES IN WHICH TÁHIRIH LIVED IN QAZVIN] |
10 |
So stern and unyielding a reply roused both Mullá |
11 |
This state of tension continued until the time when a
certain Mullá `Abdu'lláh, a native of Shíráz and fervent admirer
of both Shaykh |
12 | I was amazed at the explanation given me. How could a shaykhí, I thought to myself, be regarded as a heretic and be deemed worthy of such cruel treatment? Desirous of ascertaining from Mullá Taqí himself the truth of this report, I betook myself to his school and asked whether he had actually pronounced such a condemnation against him. `Yes,' he bluntly replied, `the god whom the late Shaykh Ahmad-i-Bahrayni worshipped is a god in whom I can never believe. Him as well as his followers I regard as the very embodiments of error.' I was moved that very moment to smite his face in the presence of his assembled disciples. I restrained myself, however, and vowed that, God willing, I would pierce his lips with my spear so that he would never be again able to utter such blasphemy. |
13 | "I straightway left his presence and directed my steps towards the market, where I bought a dagger and a spear-head of the sharpest and finest steel. I concealed them in my bosom, ready to gratify the passion that burned within me. I was waiting for my opportunity when, one night, I entered the masjid in which he was wont to lead the congregation in prayer. I waited until the hour of dawn, at which time I saw an old woman enter the masjid, carrying with her a rug, which she spread over the floor of the mihrab. [14] Soon after, I saw Mullá Taqí enter alone, walk to the mihrab, and offer his prayer. Cautiously and quietly, I followed him and stood behind him. He was prostrating himself on the floor, when I rushed upon him, drew out my spear-head, and plunged it into the back of his neck. He uttered a loud cry. I threw him on his back and, unsheathing my dagger, drove it hilt-deep into his mouth. With the same dagger, I struck him at several places in his breast and side, and left him bleeding in the mihrab. |
14 | "I ascended immediately the roof of the masjid and watched the frenzy and agitation of the multitude. A crowd rushed in and, placing him upon a litter, transported him to his house. Unable to identify the murderer, the people seized the occasion to gratify their basest instincts. They rushed at one another's throats, violently attacked and mutually accused one another in the presence of the governor. Finding out that a large number of innocent people had been gravely molested and thrown into prison, I was impelled by the voice of my conscience to confess my act. I accordingly besought the presence of the governor and said to him: `If I deliver into your hands the author of this murder, will you promise me to set free all the innocent people who are suffering his place?' No sooner had I obtained from him the necessary assurance than I confessed to him that I had committed the deed. He was not disposed at first to believe me. At my request, he summoned the old woman who had spread the rug in the mihrab, but refused to be convinced by the evidence which she gave. I was finally conducted to the bedside of Mullá Taqí, who was on the point of death. As soon as he saw me, he recognised my features. In his agitation, he pointed with his finger to me, indicating that I had attacked him. He signified his desire that I be taken away from his presence. Shortly after, he expired. I was immediately arrested, was convicted of murder, and thrown into prison. The governor, however, failed to keep his promise and refused to release the prisoners." |
15 | The candour and sincerity of Mullá `Abdu'lláh greatly pleased the Sahib-Divan. He gave secret orders to his attendants to enable him to escape from prison. At the hour of midnight, the prisoner took refuge in the home of Ridá Khán-i-Sardár, who had recently been married to the sister of the Sipah-Salar, and remained concealed in that house until the great struggle or Shaykh Tabarsí, when he determined to throw in his lot with the heroic defenders of the fort. He, as well as Ridá Khán, who followed him to Mazindarán, quaffed eventually the cup of martyrdom. |
16 | The circumstances of the murder fanned to fury the wrath of the lawful heirs of Mullá Taqí, who now determined to wreak their vengeance upon Táhirih. They succeeded in having her placed in the strictest confinement in the house of her father, and charged those women whom they had selected to watch over her, not to allow their captive to leave her room except for the purpose of performing her daily ablutions. They accused her of really being the instigator of the crime. "No one else but you," they asserted, "is guilty of the murder of our father. You issued the order for his assassination." Those whom they had arrested and confined were conducted by them to Tihrán and were incarcerated in the home of one of the kad-khudás [15] of the capital. The friends and heirs of Mullá Taqí scattered themselves in all directions, denouncing their captives as the repudiators of the law of Islám and demanding that they be immediately put to death. |
17 | Bahá'u'lláh who was at that time residing in Tihrán, was informed of the plight of these prisoners who had been the companions and supporters of Táhirih. As He was already acquainted with the kad-khudá in whose home they were incarcerated, He decided to visit them and intervene in their behalf. That avaricious and deceitful official, who was fully aware of the extreme generosity of Bahá'u'lláh, greatly exaggerated in the hope of deriving a substantial pecuniary advantage for himself, the misfortune that had befallen the unhappy captives. "They are destitute of the barest necessities of life," urged the kad-khudá. "They hunger for food, and their clothing is wretchedly scanty." Bahá'u'lláh extended immediate financial assistance for their relief, and urged the kad-khudá to relax the severity of the rule under which they were confined. The latter consented to relieve a few who were unable to support the oppressive weight of their chains, and for the rest did whatever he could to alleviate the rigour of their confinement. Prompted by greed, he informed his superiors of the situation, and emphasised the fact that both food and money were being regularly supplied by Bahá'u'lláh for those who were imprisoned in his house. |
18 | These officials were in their turn tempted to derive every possible advantage from the liberality of Bahá'u'lláh. They summoned Him to their presence, protested against His action, and accused Him of complicity in the act for which the captives had been condemned. "The kad-khudá," replied Bahá'u'lláh, "pleaded their cause before Me and enlarged upon their sufferings and needs. He himself bore witness to their innocence and appealed to Me for help. In return for the aid which, in response to his invitation, I was impelled to extend, you now charge Me with a crime of which I am innocent." Hoping to intimidate Bahá'u'lláh by threatening immediate punishment, they refused to allow Him to return to His home. The confinement to which He was subjected was the first affliction that befell Bahá'u'lláh in the path of the Cause of God; the first imprisonment He suffered for the sake of His loved ones. He remained in captivity for a few days, until Ja'far-Qulí Khán, the brother of Mírzá Áqá Khán-i-Núrí, who at a later time was appointed Grand Vazír of the Sháh, and a number of other friends intervened in His behalf and, threatening the kad-khudá in severe a language, were able to effect His release. Those who had been responsible for His confinement had confidently hoped to receive, in return for His deliverance, the sum of one thousand tumans, [16] but they soon found out that they were forced to comply with the wishes of Ja'far-Qulí Khán without the hope of receiving, either from him or from Bahá'u'lláh, the slightest reward. With profuse apologies and with the utmost regret, they surrendered their Captive into his hands. |
19 |
The heirs of Mullá Taqí were in the meantime bending
every effort to avenge the blood of their distinguished kinsman.
Unsatisfied with what they had already accomplished,
they directed their appeal to |
20 |
The uncompromising attitude of the Sháh induced them
to abandon the hopes which they had cherished. They declared
Shaykh |
21 |
The unsatiable hatred that animated those who had been
responsible for the martyrdom of Shaykh |
22 |
The Sadr-i-Ardibili was sore afraid, and in his impotence
sought to beguile his sovereign. He addressed the following
request to |
23 |
No sooner were the captives delivered into the hands of
the mischief-makers than they set about gratifying their feelings
of implacable hatred towards them. On the first night
after they had been handed over to their enemies, |
24 | The rest of his companions, among whom were Mullá Tahir-i-Shirazi and Mullá Ibrahim-i-Mahallati, both of whom were greatly esteemed for their learning and character, were savagely put to death immediately after their arrival at Qazvín. The entire population, which had been sedulously instigated beforehand, clamoured for their immediate execution. A band of shameless scoundrels, armed with knives, swords, spears, and axes, fell upon them and tore them to pieces. They mutilated their bodies with such wanton barbarity that no fragment of their scattered members could be found for burial. |
25 | Gracious God! Acts of such incredible savagery have been perpetrated in a town like Qazvín, which prides itself on the fact that no less than a hundred of the highest ecclesiastical leaders of Islám dwell within its gates, and yet none could be found among all its inhabitants to raise his voice in protest against such revolting murders! No one seemed to question their right to perpetrate such iniquitous and shameless deeds. No one seemed to be aware of the utter incompatibility between such ferocious deeds committed by those who claimed to be the sole repositories of the mysteries of Islám, and the exemplary conduct of those who first manifested its light to the world. No one was moved to exclaim indignantly: "O evil and perverse generation! To what depths of infamy and shame you have sunk! Have not the abominations which you have wrought surpassed in their ruthlessness the acts of the basest of men? Will you not recognise that neither the beasts of the field nor any moving thing on earth has ever equalled the ferociousness of your acts? How long is your heedlessness to last? Is it not your belief that the efficacy of every congregational prayer is dependent upon the integrity of him who leads that prayer? Have you not again and again declared that no such prayer is acceptable in the sight of God until and unless the imám who leads the congregation has purged his heart from every trace of malice? And yet you deem those who instigate and share in the performance of such atrocities to be the true leaders of your Faith, the very embodiments of fairness and justice. Have you not committed to their hands the reins of your Cause and regarded them as the masters of your destinies?" |
26 |
The news of this outrage reached Tihrán and spread with
bewildering rapidity throughout the city. |
27 |
The failure of the Sháh and of his government to inflict
immediate punishment upon the malefactors encouraged
them to seek further means for the gratification of their relentless
hatred towards their opponents. They now directed
their attention to Táhirih herself, and resolved that she
should suffer at their hands the same fate that had befallen
her companions. While still in confinement, Táhirih, as soon
as she was informed of the designs of her enemies, addressed
the following message to Mullá |
28 |
In those days, ere the hour which Táhirih had fixed for
her deliverance had struck, Bahá'u'lláh signified His wish
that she should be delivered from her captivity and brought
to Tihrán. He determined to establish, in the eyes of the
adversary, the truth of her words, and to frustrate the schemes
which her enemies had conceived for her death. Muhammad-Hadiy-i-Farhadi
was accordingly summoned by Him and was
entrusted with the task of effecting her immediate transference
to His own home in Tihrán. |
29 |
Fortified by the assurance of Bahá'u'lláh, |
30 |
The hour which Táhirih had fixed for her deliverance
found her already securely established under the sheltering
shadow of Bahá'u'lláh. She knew full well into whose presence
she had been admitted; she was profoundly aware of
the sacredness of the hospitality she had been so graciously
accorded.
[19]
As it was with her acceptance of the Faith proclaimed
by the Báb when she, unwarned and unsummoned,
had hailed His Message and recognised its truth, so did she
perceive through her own intuitive knowledge the future glory
of Bahá'u'lláh. It was in the year '60, while in Kárbilá, that
she alluded in her odes to her recognition of the Truth He
was to reveal. I have myself been shown in Tihrán, in the
home of Siyyid |
31 | A few days after Táhirih's arrival at Tihrán, Bahá'u'lláh decided to send her to Khurásán in the company of the believers who were preparing to depart for that province. He too had determined to leave the capital and take the same direction a few days later. He accordingly summoned Aqáy-i-Kalím and instructed him to take immediately the necessary measures to ensure the removal of Táhirih, together with her woman attendant, Qanitih, to a place outside the gate of the capital, from whence they were, later on, to proceed to Khurásán. He cautioned him to exercise the utmost care and vigilance lest the guards who were stationed at the entrance of the city, and who had been ordered to refuse the passage of women through the gates without a permit, should discover her identity and prevent her departure. |
32 | I have heard Aqáy-i-Kalím recount the following: "Putting our trust in God, we rode out, Táhirih, her attendant, and I, to a place in the vicinity of the capital. None of the guards who were stationed at the gate of Shimírán raised the slightest objection, nor did they enquire regarding our destination. At a distance of two farsangs [20] from the capital, we alighted in the midst of an orchard abundantly watered and situated at the foot of a mountain, in the centre of which was a house that seemed completely deserted. As I went about in search of the proprietor, I chanced to meet an old man who was watering his plants. In answer to my enquiry, he explained that a dispute had arisen between the owner and his tenants, as a result of which those who occupied the place had deserted it. `I have been asked by the owner,' he added, `to keep guard over this property until the settlement of the dispute.' I was greatly delighted with the information he gave me, and asked him to share with us our luncheon. When, later in the day, I decided to depart for Tihrán, I found him willing to watch over and guard Táhirih and her attendant. As I committed them to his care, I assured him that I would either myself return that evening or send a trusted attendant whom I would follow the next morning with all the necessary requirements for the journey to Khurásán. |
33 | "Upon my arrival at Tihrán, I despatched Mullá Báqir, one of the Letters of the Living, together with an attendant, to join Táhirih. I informed Bahá'u'lláh of her safe departure from the capital. He was greatly pleased at the information I gave Him, and named that orchard `Bagh-i-Jannat.' [21] `That house,' He remarked, `has been providentially prepared for your reception, that you may entertain in it the loved ones of God.' |
34 | "Táhirih tarried seven days in that spot, after which she set out, accompanied by Muhammad-Hasan-i-Qazvini, surnamed Fata, and a few others, in the direction of Khurásán. I was commanded by Bahá'u'lláh to arrange for her departure and to provide whatever might be required for her journey." |
1. ["It will surprise no one to learn," writes Clement Huart, "that the new sect spread more rapidly in Khurásán than it had anywhere else. Khurásán has been singularly fortunate in that she has always offered to new ideas the most propitious field. It is out of this province that came many evolutions which caused fundamental changes in the
2. [Tihrán.]
3. ["It is believed," writes Lieut.-Col. P. M. Sykes, "that the twelfth Imám never died, but in A.H. 260 (873) disappeared into miraculous concealment, from which he will reappear on the Day of Judgment in the mosque of Gawhar-Shad at Mashhad, to be hailed as the Mihdí or `Guide' and to fill the earth with justice." ("A History of Persia," vol. 2, p. 45.)]
4. [According to . "It was in her own family that she heard, for the first time, of the preaching of the Báb at Shíráz and learned the meaning of his doctrines. This knowledge, even incomplete and imperfect as it was, pleased her extremely; she began to correspond with the Báb and soon espoused all his ideas. She did not content herself with a passive sympathy but confessed openly the faith of her Master. She denounced not only polygamy but the use of the veil and showed her face uncovered in public to the great amazement and scandal of her family and of all the sincere Mussulmans but to the applause of many other fellow citizens who shared her enthusiasm and whose numbers grew as a result of her preaching. Her uncle the doctor, her father the jurist, and her husband tried in every way to bring her back at least to a conduct more calm and more reserved. She rebuffed them with arguments inspired by a faith incapable of placid resignation." (Comte de Gobineau's "Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale," pp. 137-138.)]
5. [According to Samandar (manuscript, p. 9), the main reason for the agitation of the people of Kárbilá which induced them to accuse Táhirih before the governor of Baghdád was her bold action in disregarding the anniversary of the martyrdom of
6. [According to
7. [According to
8. [According to
9. [According to the "Memorials of the Faithful" (p. 275), Táhirih tarried two months in Hamadán.]
10. [According to
11. [See Glossary.]
13. [August 13-September 12, 1847 A.D.]
14. [See Glossary.]
15. [See Glossary.]
16. [See Glossary.]
17. [Qur'án, 9:33.]
18. [According to the "Kashfu'l-Ghiti'" (p. 110), Mullá
19. [`Abdu'l-Bahá relates, in the "Memorials of the Faithful" (p. 306), the circumstances of a visit paid by Vahíd to Táhirih, while the latter was staying in the home of Bahá'u'lláh in Tihrán. "Táhirih," He writes, "was listening from behind the veil to the utterances of Vahíd, who was discoursing with fervour and eloquence on the signs and verses that bore witness to the advent of the new Manifestation. I was then a child and was sitting on her lap, as she followed the recital of the remarkable testimonies which flowed ceaselessly from the lips of that learned man. I well remember interrupted him, and, raising her voice, vehemently declared: `O
20. [See Glossary.]