CHAPTER XVIII EXAMINATION OF THE BÁB AT TABRIZ |
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1 | THE Báb, in anticipation of the approaching hour of His affliction, had dispersed His disciples who had gathered in Chihríq and awaited with calm resignation the order which was to summon Him to Tabríz. Those into whose custody He was delivered thought it inadvisable to pass through the town of Khúy, which lay on their route to the capital of Ádhirbayján. They decided to go by way of Urúmíyyih and thus avoid the demonstrations which the excited populace in Khúy were likely to make as a protest against the tyranny of the government. When the Báb arrived at Urúmíyyih, Malik Qásim Mírzá ceremoniously received Him and accorded Him the warmest hospitality. In His presence, the prince acted with extraordinary deference and refused to allow the least disrespect on the part of those who were allowed to meet Him. |
2 |
On a certain Friday when the Báb was going to the
public bath, the prince, who was curious to test the courage
and power of his Guest, ordered his groom to offer Him
one of his wildest horses to ride. Apprehensive lest the
Báb might suffer any harm, the attendant secretly approached
Him and tried to induce Him to refuse to mount a horse that
had already overthrown the bravest and most skilful of
horsemen. "Fear not," was His reply. "Do as you have
been bidden, and commit Us to the care of the Almighty."
The inhabitants of Urúmíyyih, who had been informed of
the intention of the prince, had filled the public square,
eager to witness what might befall the Báb. As soon as
the horse was brought to Him, He quietly approached it
and, taking hold of the bridle which the groom had offered
Him, gently caressed it and placed His foot in the stirrup.
The horse stood still and motionless beside Him as if conscious
of the power which was dominating it. The multitude
that watched this most unusual spectacle marvelled at the
[Illustration: THE HOUSE OCCUPIED BY THE BÁB IN URUMIYYIH. THE BALA-KHANIH (UPPER ROOM) MARKED X IS THE ROOM IN WHICH HE STAYED] |
3 | No sooner had the Báb left the bath than the people of Urúmíyyih rushed to take away, to the last drop, the water which had served for His ablutions. Great excitement prevailed on that day. The Báb, as He observed these evidences of unrestrained enthusiasm, was reminded of the well-known tradition, commonly ascribed to the Imám `Alí, the Commander of the Faithful, which specifically referred to Ádhirbayján. The lake of Urúmíyyih, that same tradition asserts in its concluding passages, will boil up, will overrun its banks, and inundate the town. When He was subsequently informed how the overwhelming majority of the people had spontaneously arisen to proclaim their undivided allegiance to His Cause, He calmly observed: "Think men that when they say, `We believe,' they shall be let alone and not be put to the proof?" [1] This comment was fully justified by the attitude which that same people assumed towards Him when the news of the dreadful treatment meted out to Him in Tabríz reached them. Hardly a handful among those who had so ostentatiously professed their faith in Him persevered, in the hour of trial, in their allegiance to His Cause. Foremost among these was Mullá Imam-Vardi, the tenacity of whose faith no one except Mullá Jalil-i-Urumi, a native of Urúmíyyih and one of the Letters of the Living, could surpass. Adversity served but to intensify the ardour of his devotion and to reinforce his belief in the righteousness of the Cause he had embraced. He subsequently attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, the truth of whose Mission he readily recognised, and for the advancement of which he strove with the same fevered earnestness that had characterised his earlier strivings for the promotion of the Cause of the Báb. In recognition of his long-standing services, he, and also his family, were honoured with numerous Tablets from the pen of Bahá'u'lláh in which He extolled his achievements and invoked the blessings of the Almighty upon his efforts. With unflinching determination, he continued to labour for the furtherance of the Faith until past eighty years of age, when he departed this life. |
4 | The tales of the signs and wonders which the Báb's unnumbered admirers had witnessed were soon transmitted from mouth to mouth, and gave rise to a wave of unprecedented enthusiasm which spread with bewildering rapidity over the entire country. It swept over Tihrán and roused the ecclesiastical dignitaries of the realm to fresh exertions against Him. They trembled at the progress of a Movement which, if allowed to run its course, they felt certain would soon engulf the institutions upon which their authority, nay their very existence, depended. They saw on every side increasing evidences of a faith and devotion such as they themselves had been powerless to evoke, of a loyalty which struck at the very root of the fabric which their own hands had reared and which all the resources at their command had as yet failed to undermine. |
5 | Tabríz, in particular, was in the throes of the wildcat excitement. The news of the impending arrival of the Báb had inflamed the imagination of its inhabitants and had kindled the fiercest animosity in the hearts of the ecclesiastical leaders of Ádhirbayján. These alone, of all the people of Tabríz, abstained from sharing in the demonstrations with which a grateful population hailed the return of the Báb to their city. Such was the fervour of popular enthusiasm which that news had evoked that the authorities decided to house the Báb in a place outside the gates of the city. Only those whom He desired to meet were allowed the privilege of approaching Him. All others were strictly refused admittance. |
6 | On the second night after His arrival, the Báb summoned Azím to His presence and, in the course of His conversation with him, asserted emphatically His claim to be none other than the promised Qá'im. He found him, however, reluctant to acknowledge this claim unreservedly. Perceiving his inner agitation, He said: "To-morrow I shall, in the presence of the Valí-`Ahd, [2] and in the midst of the assembled `ulamás and notables of the city, proclaim My Mission. Whoso may feel inclined to require from Me any other testimony besides the verses which I have revealed, let him seek satisfaction from the Qá'im of his idle fancy." |
7 |
I have heard Azím testify to the following: "That night
I was in a state of great perturbation. I remained awake
and restless until the hour of sunrise. As soon as I had
offered my morning prayer, however, I realised that a great
change had come over me. A new door seemed to have been
unlocked and set open before my face. The conviction soon
dawned upon me that if I were loyal to my faith in
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8 |
The detention of the Báb outside the gate of Tabríz
failed to allay the excitement which reigned in the city.
Every measure of precaution, every restriction, which the
authorities had imposed, served only to aggravate a situation
which had already become ominous and menacing.
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9 |
Upon His arrival, the Báb observed that every seat in
that hall was occupied except one which had been reserved
for the Valí-`Ahd. He greeted the assembly and, without
the slightest hesitation, proceeded to occupy that vacant
seat. The majesty of His
gait, the expression of overpowering
confidence which
sat upon His brow--above
all, the spirit of power which
shone from His whole being,
appeared to have for a moment
crushed the soul out
of the body of those whom
He had greeted. A deep, a
mysterious silence, suddenly
fell upon them. Not one
soul in that distinguished
assembly dared breathe a
single word. At last the
stillness which brooded over
them was broken by the
Nizamu'l-'Ulama'. "Whom
do you claim to be," he
asked the Báb, "and what
is the message which you
have brought?" "I am,"
thrice exclaimed the Báb,
"I am, I am, the promised
One! I am the One whose
name you have for a thousand
years invoked, at whose
mention you have risen,
whose advent you have
longed to witness, and the
hour of whose Revelation
you have prayed God to
hasten. Verily I say, it is
incumbent upon the peoples
of both the East and the
West to obey My word and
to pledge allegiance to My
person." No one ventured
to reply except Mullá
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10 |
"The Nizamu'l-'Ulama' uthought it best to challenge His
Mission openly. `The claim which you have advanced,' he
told the Báb, `is a stupendous one; it must needs be supported
by the most incontrovertible evidence.' `The mightiest,
the most convincing evidence of the truth of the Mission
of the Prophet of God,' the Báb replied, `is admittedly His
own Word. He Himself testifies to this truth: "Is it not
enough for them that We have sent down to Thee the Book?"
[6]
The power to produce such evidence has been given to Me
by God. Within the space of two days and two nights, I
declare Myself able to reveal verses of such number as will
equal the whole of the Qur'án.' `Describe orally, if you
speak the truth,' the Nizamu'l-'Ulama' requested, `the proceedings
of this gathering in language that will resemble the
phraseology of the verses of the Qur'án so that the Valí-`Ahd
and the assembled divines may bear witness to the truth of
your claim.' The Báb readily acceded to his wish. No
sooner had He uttered the words, `In the name of God, the
Merciful, the Compassionate, praise be to Him who has
created the heaven and the earth,' than Mullá |
11 |
"He then repeated the same-words He had uttered, to
which Mullá |
12 |
The Nizamu'l-'Ulama' was sorely displeased at the manner
in which the meeting had been conducted. "How shameful,"
he was heard to exclaim later, "is the discourtesy of
the people of Tabríz! What could possibly be the connection
between these idle remarks and the consideration of such
weighty, such momentous issues?" A few others were likewise
inclined to denounce the disgraceful treatment meted
out to the Báb on that occasion. Mullá |
13 |
The persistent denunciations of that evil plotter excited
the apprehensions of the authorities of Tabríz. Those who
held the reins of power in their grasp took counsel together
as to the most effective measures to be taken to resist the
progress of His Faith. Some urged that in view of the marked
disrespect which the Báb had shown to the Valí-`Ahd in
occupying his seat without his leave, and because of His
failure to obtain the consent of the chairman of that gathering
when He arose to depart, He should be summoned again
to a like gathering and should receive from the hands of
its members a humiliating punishment. Násiri'd-Dín Mírzá,
however, refused to entertain this proposal. Finally it was
decided that the Báb should be brought to the home of
Mírzá |
14 | That same year this insolent tyrant was struck with paralysis, and, after enduring the most excruciating pain, died a miserable death. His treacherous, avaricious, and self-seeking character was universally recognised by the people of Tabríz. Notoriously cruel and sordid, he was feared and despised by the people who groaned under his yoke and prayed for deliverance. The abject circumstances of his death reminded both his friends and his opponents of the punishment which must necessarily await those whom neither the fear of God nor the voice of conscience can deter from behaving with such perfidious cruelty towards their fellow men. After his death the functions of the Shaykhu'l-Islám were abolished in Tabríz. Such was his infamy that the very name of the institution with which he had been associated came to be abhorred by the people. |
15 | And yet his behaviour, base and treacherous as it was, was only one instance of the villainous conduct which characterised the attitude of the ecclesiastical leaders among his countrymen towards the Báb. How far and how grievously have these erred from the path of fairness and justice! How contemptuously have they cast away the counsels of the Prophet of God and the admonitions of the imáms of the Faith! Have not these explicitly declared that "should a Youth from Baní-Háshim [10] be made manifest and summon the people to a new Book and to new laws, all should hasten to Him and embrace His Cause"? Although these same imáms have clearly stated that "most of His enemies shall be the `ulamás," yet these blind and ignoble people have chosen to follow the example of their leaders and to regard their conduct as the pattern of righteousness and justice. They walk in their footsteps, implicitly obey their orders, and deem themselves the "people of salvation," the "chosen of God," and the "custodians of His Truth." |
16 |
From Tabríz the Báb was taken back to Chihríq, where
He was again entrusted to the keeping of |
17 |
No sooner had the Báb returned to Chihríq than He wrote
in bold and moving language a denunciation of the character
and action of |
18 |
I was privileged to hear the following account from the
lips of Bahá'u'lláh while in the prison-city of Akká: "Mullá
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3. [Literally meaning "great."]
4. [Born July 17, 1831; began to reign September, 1848, died 1896. "This Prince left Tihrán to return to his government the twenty-third of January, 1848. His father having died the fourth of September, he returned to assume the title of Sháh on the eighteenth of September of the same year." (A. L. M. Nicolas' "Siyyid
5. ["A Traveller's Narrative" (p. 19) mentions in addition the name Mírzá
6. [Qur'án 29:51]
7. ["If anyone should raise an objection to the grammar or syntax of these verses, this objection is vain, because the rules of grammar should be taken from the verses and not the verses written in compliance with the rules of grammar. There is no doubt that the Master of these verses denied these rules, denied that he, himself, was ever aware of them." ("Le Bayán Persan," vol. 1, pp. 45-46.)]
8. ["And as for the Muslim accounts, those which we have before us do not bear the stamp of truth: they seem to be forgeries. Knowing what we do of the Báb it is probable that he had the best of the argument and that the doctors and functionaries who attended the meeting were unwilling to put upon record their own fiasco." (Dr. T. K. Cheyne's "The Reconciliation of Race and Religions," p. 62.) "It is difficult to decide to what measure of credence the above narrative [the
9. [The following is Dr. Cormick's account of his personal impressions of Mírzá
10. [Hashim was the great-grandfather of
11. [Literally "Sermon of Wrath."]