Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Lowell Johnson, Quddus, bahai-library.com.
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Golden Crowns Series
Quddús
by
Lowell Johnson
The National Spiritual Assembly
Bahá’ís of South and West Africa
Johannesburg
Revised edition, Copyright © 1982 by the
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of South and West Africa
(Incorporated Association not for Gain)
Extracts from the following works reprinted by permission:
By Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Copyright 1939, 1952, © 1976 by the
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States;
by Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam: The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative
of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation,
published by the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States.
Illustrated by Michele Gregory.
Set in 11 on 13 pt Monotype Baskerville by
Monotype Composing Service (Pty.) Ltd., Cape Town
and printed in South Africa by
Budd and Thomson (Pty.) Ltd., Cape Town.
ISBN 0 908420 31 5
ii
Introduction to the Golden Crowns Series
In these next pages you will read of great sacrifices. Anyone reading
the stories of the early believers in the Bahá’í Faith will wonder why
these people sacrificed so much. What was different about the
Messages of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh which made ordinary people
rise to the heights of heroism and die gloriously for their Faith?
The teachings of the Báb* and Bahá’u’lláh† repeat the divine
principles announced by the Prophets of the past. You can read these
teachings in a very small book entitled The Hidden Words. It was
written by Bahá’u’lláh. But added to these eternal truths, the Báb
and Bahá’u’lláh have given new teachings never announced by any
Prophet of God before. Here are some of them:
The first teaching of the Bahá’í Faith is that all men belong to one
human family. Speaking to all men, Bahá’u’lláh says, ‘Ye are the
fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.’ By this He means that
the world of men is like a tree, the nations and peoples are the
different branches of that tree, and the men and women are as the
fruits and blossoms of that tree. In all past religions, the world of
men was divided into two parts—one part known as the people of
the Book of God or the pure tree, and the other known as the lost
people or the evil tree. Bahá’u’lláh has changed this teaching by
announcing that the world is one world and all people in it members
of one family. This is a special teaching of Bahá’u’lláh not to be
found in any other religion. Some people are asleep, He says, and
they need to be awakened; some are sick, they need to be healed;
some are like children, they need to be taught; but all receive the
bounty and gifts of God.
* The Báb is the title given to the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh. He was born in
Shíráz, Írán (Persia) on the 20th of October 1819 and was martyred in Tabríz,
Írán on the 9th of July 1850. The ‘Báb’ means the ‘Gate’.
† Bahá’u’lláh is the name of God’s newest Manifestation on earth. He was born
in Ṭihrán, Írán on the 12th of November 1817 and died near Haifa, Israel on
the 29th of May 1892. ‘Bahá’u’lláh’ means the ‘Glory of God’.
Another new principle in the Bahá’í Faith is the need to investigate
truth. That is to say, no man should blindly follow his ancestors and
forefathers. Each man must see with his own eyes, hear with his own
ears, and investigate truth for himself.
Another teaching is this: that the foundation of all the religions
of God is one. There is only one God. Therefore, there can be only
one religion—the Religion of God. All the past Prophets have taught
the same basic truths, which have all come from the same mouth of
God. This teaching is a new teaching and is special in the Bahá’í
Faith.
A new principle is that religion must be the cause of unity, har-
mony and agreement amongst men. If religion becomes the cause
of disagreement and hatred, if it leads to separation and fighting,
then it would be better if there were no religion in the world.
The Bahá’í Faith also teaches that religion must agree with
science and reason. If it does not agree with science and reason then
it is superstition. Down to the present day it has been the custom for
a man to accept a religious teaching even if it does not agree with
his reason and judgement. The agreement of religious belief with
reason and science opens new windows to the soul of man.
Bahá’u’lláh has taught the equality of men and women. This is
special to the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, for all other religions
have placed men above women.
A new religious principle is that prejudices, whether religious,
racial, patriotic or political, destroy the solid foundation for a
peaceful life. Therefore, men must overcome their prejudices so that
they can see the underlying truth, that the family of man is one
family and not divided into separate parts.
Universal peace is promised in the Bahá’í teachings. This universal
peace will be accomplished by putting into practice the principles
of Bahá’u’lláh. Peace shall come to all nations, governments, peoples,
religions, races, and all parts of mankind. No other Prophet has
ever promised peace to the world during His ministry, but this is
one of the special teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh have taught that every man must gain
knowledge and receive an education. It is a religious law in the
Bahá’í Faith that both girls and boys must be educated.
Bahá’u’lláh has set forth the solution and provided the remedy for
the economic question. The solution of the economic problem, He
says, lies in the realm of the spirit. No religious books of the past
Prophets speak of this important human problem.
The greatest new principle of the new religion is the establishment
and appointment of the Centre of the Covenant. This is another
teaching not given by any of the Prophets of the past. Bahá’u’lláh
has appointed a Centre of the Covenant* to carry on His work and
hold the Bahá’ís together after His passing. When a person becomes
a Bahá’í, he must agree to follow the laws contained in the Covenant.
In this way, Bahá’u’lláh has protected the religion of God against
differences and splits. He has made it impossible for anyone to create
a new sect or faction of belief. To make sure of the unity of the
believers, He has entered into a Covenant with all the people of the
world, including the Interpreter and Explainer of His teachings, so
that no one may interpret or explain the religion of God according
to his own ideas or opinion, and thus create a sect founded upon his
own understanding of the divine words.
These are some of the principles of religion brought by the Báb
and Bahá’u’lláh which are different from the religions of the past.
Thousands of men and women died during the nineteenth century
rather than give up their faith in these teachings. Today, in the
twentieth century, millions of Bahá’ís live their lives so that they
can demonstrate these teachings and bring them to all people,
everywhere.
In the Golden Crowns series, Lowell Johnson tells the stories of some
of these early believers who won the crown of martyrdom. One of
these believers was Quddús. Quddús’ story now follows.
* Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest Son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the Centre of the
Covenant. He guided the Bahá’ís until He passed away in Haifa, Israel, on the
28th of November 1921. ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ means the ‘Servant of Bahá’ or the
‘Servant of the Glory’.
Note
For this edition, these stories have
been extensively revised. They may
be read aloud effectively, or else
used for private reading.
Quddús
Mullá Ḥusayn* was the first to believe in the Báb, but Muḥammad-
‘Alí (later known as Quddús) was His favourite disciple. ‘Quddús’
means ‘Holy’, or the ‘Most Holy’.
Through his mother, Quddús was a direct descendant of the
Prophet Muḥammad. He was born in the town of Bárfurúsh, in the
northern part of Írán. His mother died when he was very young, and
his father died while Quddús was a boy studying at school in the city
of Mashhad. Therefore, he was raised by his stepmother, who loved
him very much. He was an intelligent boy and a very good scholar.
When he was eighteen years old, Quddús heard about Siyyid
Káẓim and his new teachings, so he travelled all the way to Karbilá,
near Baghdád in ‘Iráq, to sit in Siyyid Káẓim’s classes. Siyyid
Káẓim was the one who foretold the coming of the Báb. Very soon,
Quddús became Siyyid Káẓim’s favourite student. He always took
the lowliest seat in the room. He was very quiet, very modest, and he
seldom spoke to the rest of his companions.
Siyyid Káẓim was often heard to remark that certain ones amongst
his disciples, although they sat in the lowliest of seats and were
always very quiet, were greater in the sight of God than Siyyid
Káẓim was himself. But even though Siyyid Káẓim made it quite
clear to them, none of the other disciples realized that the man whom
Siyyid Káẓim was talking about was Quddús.
Quddús was an independent seeker after the Promised One.
Therefore, when several of his companions came to Mullá Ḥusayn
in Shíráz and asked if Mullá Ḥusayn had found the Promised One,
Quddús was not with them. He was out seeking his Beloved by
himself.
One evening, on his search for the Promised One, Quddús came
to the city of Shíráz. There he saw Mullá Ḥusayn, whom he had
met in Siyyid Káẓim’s classes, walking in the street. Quddús was
* See the booklet on Mullá Ḥusayn [online at bahai-library.com/johnson_mulla_husayn].
tired and dirty from his journey, but when he saw Mullá Ḥusayn,
he became very excited. He took Mullá Ḥusayn into his arms and
begged him to tell him if he had yet found the Promised One. Mullá
Ḥusayn tried to calm him down, and told him he must rest for a
while, and then they would talk. But Quddús would not calm down.
At that moment Quddús started looking at a Young Man walking
a short distance away from Mullá Ḥusayn. Quddús turned to Mullá
Ḥusayn and said, ‘Why do you try to hide Him from me? I can
recognize Him by His walk. I swear by God that no one except Him,
whether in the East or in the West, can claim to be the Truth. No one
else in the whole world can have the power which I see in that holy
person.’
Mullá Ḥusayn was surprised by Quddús’ words, so he excused
himself for a minute and went to talk to the Young Man. Mullá
Ḥusayn told the Báb what Quddús had said, and the Báb told him
not to be surprised, as He had been talking with him through the
spirit, and knew him already. He had been waiting for him to come.
So the Báb asked Mullá Ḥusayn to go to him, and bring him into
His presence immediately.
It was in this remarkable way that Quddús became the last of the-
eighteen Letters of the Living to recognize the Báb. These eighteen,
together with the Báb, made up the first nineteen believers in the new
Revelation.
When Quddús arrived in Shíráz and recognized the Báb as the
Promised One, he was only twenty-two years of age. Although he was
young in years, no one showed as much courage and faith as Quddús
during the difficult years which were to follow. When the Báb
called each of the Letters of the Living into His presence and gave
each one a special command to carry out, it was Quddús whom the
Báb chose to stay with Him and be His companion.
When the Báb received the message from Mullá Ḥusayn that
Bahá’u’lláh had become one of His followers Quddús was with Him.
From that moment, Quddús noticed that the Báb showed a new
spirit and new hope. It was clear that the Báb had great faith in this
new believer, Bahá’u’lláh, and He told Quddús that the time had
now come for Him to start on His pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina.
He chose Quddús to accompany Him.
The Báb and Quddús, together with the Báb’s Ethiopian servant,
joined a group of pilgrims who were leaving Shíráz for Mecca and
Medina. They first went to the town of Búshihr where the Báb had
worked in former years as a humble merchant with His uncle.
After making the final arrangements for the trip, they climbed
aboard a sailing ship and spent two months travelling on stormy
seas. The weather was very bad, and many of the pilgrims became
sick from the motion of the sea. But nothing could keep the Báb from
His prayers and His writing. Quddús was His secretary during the
whole time. At all times during the day lie was busy taking down
every word which the Báb told him to write. The Báb and Quddús
were always calm and peaceful while the others on the ship were sick
and afraid.
When the Báb and Quddús arrived at the end of their sea trip,
they landed at the city of Jeddah. It was here that the Báb put on the
proper clothes for a pilgrim and set out on His journey by camel
across the desert to Mecca. Although the Báb asked Quddús to ride
a camel as well, he refused. Quddús preferred to walk ahead of the
Báb’s camel holding the camel’s bridle so he could protect the Báb
in case anything might happen. Quddús walked all the way from
Jeddah to Mecca, happily taking care of his Master’s needs and
completely forgetting that he was tired, and his feet were sore. Every
night Quddús would sacrifice his sleep, and stay awake beside his
Beloved, ready at a moment’s notice to protect Him and keep Him
safe.
While they were in Mecca the most important work for Quddús
was to deliver a message from the Báb to the Sharíf, the keeper of the
most holy House of God. In this letter, the Báb set forth in clear
words the purpose of His Message and called upon the Sharíf to
accept the Truth of His Cause. He also sent some of His other
Writings so that the Sharíf could recognize the power of His Words.
It was the Báb’s purpose in writing this letter to inform the head
Chief of the Muslim Faith that the Promised One had arrived, the
Promised One that all the faithful Muslims were waiting for.
The Báb gave this very important letter to Quddús to deliver to the
Sharíf. Quddús followed his Master’s instructions and delivered it,
sealed, into the Sharíf’s own hands.
The Sharíf was a good man. However, he was very busy and had
no time to read. A few days later Quddús went back to the Sharíf
and asked him if he had any answer for the Báb. The Sharíf told him
that he was too busy at the moment. He would read the message and
answer it at a later time. Little did the Sharíf know that he was too
busy to read a Message from God.
From Mecca the Báb and Quddús went on to Medina, and from
there they returned to Jeddah, once more made the sea voyage for
two months, and landed again at Búshihr. Altogether, their
pilgrimage lasted for nine months. And that was the end of Quddús’
companionship with the Báb.
When the Báb and Quddús arrived at Búshihr, the Báb called
Quddús into His presence and said to him, ‘The days of your com-
panionship with Me are drawing to a close. The hour of separation
has struck, a separation which no reunion will follow except in the
Kingdom of God, in the presence of the King of Glory. … The hand
of destiny will ere long plunge you into an ocean of tribulation for
His sake. … I, too, will be immersed beneath its depths. Rejoice …
for you have been chosen as the standard-bearer … of the noble
army that will suffer martyrdom in His name. In the streets of
Shíráz … the severest injuries will afflict your body. You will
survive … The hosts of the Unseen will hasten forth to assist you,
and will proclaim to all the world your heroism and glory.’
With these words, the Báb said goodbye to Quddús. He gave
Quddús a letter to deliver to His uncle, and also some of His
Writings. He then told Quddús to give His loving greetings to
wife, His mother and all His loved ones in Shíráz.
And so Quddús set out on his journey to Shíráz to carry out His
beloved Master’s wishes. Arriving in Shíráz, he was greeted with
love by the Báb’s uncle, Ḥájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, who insisted that
he stay with him in his own home. The Báb’s uncle had known for
some time about the Báb and His Message, but never the complete
story. When Quddús explained it fully to him, he immediately saw
the Truth and became the first follower of the Báb in Shíráz since
the Báb’s Eighteen Letters of the Living. So strong became his faith,
and so great his love for the Báb, that he gave his whole life to His
service. He was an outstanding business man in the city of Shíráz,
but he never let anything stand in the way of telling people about the
new Message, or of protecting the Faith and the Báb Himself. So
great was his love that he later gave his life as one of the Seven
Martyrs of Ṭihrán.
The next person whom Quddús met in Shíráz was Mullá Ṣádiq
Mullá Ṣádiq became so on fire with the love of the Báb that one day
when he was leading the faithful Muslims in prayer at the mosque,
he added to the Muslim call to prayer certain words which the Báb
had written and commanded to be used. The other men of the clergy
were so angry that they reported Mullá Ṣádiq to the Governor of the
province. The Governor ordered the arrest of both Quddús and
Mullá Ṣádiq.
After questioning Mullá Ṣádiq, the Governor cursed him and
ordered his servants to remove all his clothes and to beat him a
thousand times with a whip. He then commanded that the beards
of both Quddús and Mullá Ṣádiq should be burned, their noses
pierced, that a rope be put through the hole, and that they be led
through the streets of the city for everyone to see.
This was done as the Governor had commanded, and no one tried
to help them out of their trouble. Quddús and Mullá Ṣádiq bravely
put themselves into the hands of God, and Mullá, Ṣádiq even had a
smile on his face while he was being whipped, for he knew he had
done nothing wrong. Soon after this they were ordered to leave the
city of Shíráz and warned that if they ever tried to return, they would
both be killed.
Do you remember the last words of the Báb to Quddús? ‘In the
streets of Shíráz … the severest injuries will afflict your body. …
The hosts of the Unseen will hasten forth to assist you, and will
proclaim to all the world your heroism and glory.’
In this way Quddús and Mullá, Ṣádiq were the first to suffer on
Persian soil for the sake of their beloved Faith.
From Shíráz, Quddús went on to Kirmán where he brought Ḥájí
Siyyid Javád, a very great scholar, into the Faith. From Kirmán,
Quddús went to many other cities, always teaching, always in-
spiring others to give their lives to the Báb.
While Quddús was in Ṭihrán, he was brought into the presence of
Bahá’u’lláh. The thoughts of Bahá’u’lláh about Quddús at that time
are not known, but Bahá’u’lláh’s brother, Áqáy-i-Kalím, was very
impressed. He told a friend, ‘The charm of Quddús, his easy manner,
his courtesy, his grace, combined with a dignity of bearing, was liked
by everyone. We watched him one day as he prepared for his prayers,
and we noticed how different he was, how much more graceful he
was, than anyone else who was present. He seemed to be, in our eyes,
everything that was graceful and pure.’
From Ṭihrán, Quddús went on to his home in Bárfurúsh, in the
province of Mázindarán, where he spent many months with his
family and relatives. His stepmother gave Quddús as much kindness
and care as his own mother could have given. She looked forward
with great hope to the day when Quddús would be married. That
was what would make her happier than anything else, she said.
Quddús was then about twenty-five years of age, and she often said
to him, ‘I am afraid I will go to my grave without having my
happiness made complete.’
Quddús told her, ‘The day of my wedding is not yet come. That
day will be the most glorious. It will not be in this house, it will be
out in the open air. It will be in the midst of the Sabzih-Maydán,
while thousands of people look on. There I shall celebrate my
wedding and see all my hopes come true.’ His stepmother did not
understand what he meant by these words until three years later
when Quddús was killed in the Sabzih-Maydán, and he sacrificed
his life for the Báb.
For about two years Quddús lived in Bárfurúsh. He talked with all
classes of people and, by the gentleness of his character and his great
knowledge, he became greatly loved by everyone in the town.
One day, Mullá Ḥusayn came to Quddús’ home, and reported that
he had just returned from visiting the Báb in the prison of Máh-Kú.
It was wonderful for Quddús to see Mullá Ḥusayn. He took him into
his arms lovingly, waited upon his guest, and did everything to make
Mullá Ḥusayn comfortable. With his own hands he washed the
blisters on Mullá Ḥusayn’s feet and removed the dust from Mullá
Ḥusayn’s clothes. He gave Mullá Ḥusayn the seat of honour at his
table, and invited all his friends to meet him.
After dinner, when all the guests had left, Quddús asked to hear
all the news about the Báb. After a long talk, Mullá, Ḥusayn said
finally, ‘But He gave me no definite directions about what I should
do next to spread the Cause. He told me that in Mázindarán a
hidden treasure would be revealed to me, and I would know what to
do.’
Now we know that Quddús was the favourite disciple of the Báb.
We also know that the Báb chose Quddús to be with Him for fourteen
months of His life so that He could prepare Quddús to carry on His
work while He was in prison. While Quddús was with the Báb, he
learned many things which the other Letters of the Living were not
privileged to learn. Quddús was also given a special spiritual power
which made him the greatest of all the Bábís next to the Báb Himself.
When Quddús heard that Mullá Ḥusayn was looking for a hidden
treasure, he showed Mullá Ḥusayn a piece of writing which he had
completed. Mullá Ḥusayn read the writing and immediately recog-
nized the special power which the Báb had given to Quddús.
Without hesitation he said, ‘It is Quddús who is the hidden treasure
which the Báb promised I would find. Although my Master is now
in prison in the mountains of Ádhirbáyján, the reflection of His glory
now stands before me.’ From that moment on, Mullá Ḥusayn
accepted Quddús as his new leader, and he did whatever Quddús
asked him to do, just as if it were the Báb Who was commanding him.
Quddús thus became the new leader of the Bábís, while the Báb was
in the prison of Máh-Kú and the castle of Chihríq.
The next morning, when Quddús’ friends gathered at his home a
second time, they heard Quddús say to Mullá Ḥusayn, ‘Now, at this
very hour, you should arise, and go to Khurásán. In the city of
Mashhad, you should build a house in which we can live and receive
guests. To this house you shall invite every pure soul, and we shall
prepare them to join together to teach the Cause of God.’
Mullá Ḥusayn departed. Soon the house in Mashhad was finished.
It was named the Bábíyyih after the Báb, a name which it still has to
this day. Soon after it was built, Quddús went to Mashhad to live
with Mullá Ḥusayn. Together they worked as a team. Mullá Ḥusayn
would go out amongst the people and interest them in the Faith. He
would then bring the people to the Bábíyyih to listen to Quddús.
Quddús would teach them, accept their declarations, and send them
out to teach others. In this way, a wonderful spirit was spread
throughout the whole city of Mashhad. So many people came to the
house to be taught that the Chief Constable of the city couldn’t
control the traffic. And the news of the Faith spread from Mashhad
to all parts of the province, and even beyond.
It was during this time, when the Faith was spreading rapidly all
over Írán that the Báb sent a Message from His prison to all the
believers asking them to hold a conference in the province of
Khurásán. It was especially important for Quddús to be there, as he
was the leader of the Bábís while the Báb was in prison. Before
leaving Mashhad, Quddús called the believers of Mashhad into his
presence, and said to them, ‘From now on, you must look to Mullá
Ḥusayn as your leader. You must obey whatever he tells you to do
without question. There are going to be very difficult times for you
in the near future. The days when you will he tested greatly are soon
coming. But, if you obey Mullá Ḥusayn, he will see that you are
saved when the troubles are at their worst.’
With these words, Quddús left the believers in the city of Mashhad,
and started for the little village of Badasht. On his way to Badasht,
he was met by Bahá’u’lláh in the village of Sháh-Rúd, and they
went to the conference together.
It was then the beginning of summer. When Bahá’u’lláh arrived
in Badasht, He rented three gardens—one for the use of Quddús, one
for Ṭáhirih and her servant, and one for Himself. Ṭáhirih, you may
remember, was the only woman to be named a Letter of the Living.
Altogether there were eighty-one Bábís who attended this first
conference in Bahá’í history. All eighty-one of those present were the
guests of Bahá’u’lláh. The conference lasted for twenty-two days.
The purpose of this conference was to break with the old laws and
explain the new Age to the &ibis. Until then they had mostly been
following the laws of Muḥammad. But the time had come for them
to follow the new teachings of the Báb. As you will see, it was to be
a time of testing the pure hearts and the sincere believers.
At that time, Bahá’u’lláh was not the leader of the Faith. Most of
the Bábís looked to Quddús as their leader, because he was the
closest to the Báb. The conference had been called by the Báb, but
since He was still in prison, He could not be there.
Little by little, however, it became clear that Bahá’u’lláh was
really the most important Person at the conference. Every day,
Bahá’u’lláh revealed a new Tablet which was chanted to the
believers. In these Tablets, He gave each person present a new name
for the new Day. Qurratu’l-‘Ayn was given the new name ‘Ṭáhirih’,
Muḥammad-‘Alí was given the name ‘Quddús’, and so on. Even
Bahá’u’lláh, Who had always been known as Ḥusayn-‘Alí, accepted
the name which the Báb had already given to Him, the name ‘Bahá’.
One day at the conference, Bahá’u’lláh took ill, and had to stay in
bed in His tent. As soon as Quddús heard of the illness, he hurried to
Bahá’u’lláh side. Soon, the rest of the believers also came to
Bahá’u’lláh’s tent, and they gathered around Him. No sooner had
they arrived than a messenger came from Ṭáhirih, asking Quddús
to come to her in her garden. Quddús was very angry to be given an
order by a woman, so he said, ‘I have cut myself entirely off from
Ṭáhirih. I refuse to go.’ With that answer, the messenger went back
to Ṭáhirih, but she sent him back again to Quddús. ‘Ṭáhirih insists
that you come to see her in her garden’, he said. ‘If you do not come
to her, she will come to you.’
Now, in those days, it was not proper for a woman to appear with
the men. No man must ever look at the face of a woman, unless it
were his wife. And certainly no man was supposed to look at Ṭáhirih,
because she was supposed to be the return of Fáṭimih, the daughter
of the Prophet Muḥammad, a pure and holy woman. Because of
this, Quddús did not believe that Ṭáhirih would do such a thing. So
he said, will not go with you.’ Then, the messenger said to Quddús,
‘Either you must come with me to Ṭáhirih, or else you must cut off
my head with this sword.’ What a surprise this was to Quddús,
especially when the messenger laid his sword at Quddús’ feet and
leaned over for Quddús to cut off his head! But nothing was going to
stop Quddús now, so he lifted the sword and said, ‘All right, if it be
your wish to have your head cut off, I will cut it off.’ But just at that
moment, there was Ṭáhirih standing in front of them!
What a shock for everyone! And what a terrible thing for a
woman to do! She had not only come into the tent with the men, but
she was no longer wearing her veil, and she was very beautifully
dressed. No man had ever seen anything like this before! One man
was so shocked he cut his own throat. With blood on his face and
body, he ran away from the meeting. Several others left the meeting
and the Faith, too. The others could not speak, they could not believe
their eyes!
Ṭáhirih stepped forward and seated herself to the right of Quddús.
She spoke some words to everyone present, and announced that she
was the promised Trumpet-blast. She then turned to Quddús and
said, ‘You were not very careful about the way you taught the Faith
in Khurásán.’ Quddús was very angry and said, ‘I can do as I
please. I do not have to follow the will and good-pleasure of my
fellow-disciples.’
That was the beginning of a quarrel between Ṭáhirih and Quddús
which lasted for several days. Ṭáhirih would say to the Bábís,
‘Quddús has made many mistakes, and I was sent here by the Báb
to teach him what to do.’ Quddús would then answer, ‘Ṭáhirih is the
one who is wrong. She is not telling you the truth. Anyone who
follows Ṭáhirih is following the wrong path.’ Some of the Bábís
agreed with Ṭáhirih, some agreed with Quddús. A few believed that
both of them were right, and that the believers were being tested to
see how strong their faith was.
After a few days, Bahá’u’lláh was able to stop the argument in a
beautiful way. Ṭáhirih and Quddús were brought together, and
Quddús admitted that Ṭáhirih was right. He and Ṭáhirih then
became the best of friends again, and the believers were called upon
by Bahá’u’lláh to accept the teachings of the Báb.
Although the Bábís at that time did not know it, it seems that
Quddús and Ṭáhirih had planned this whole argument
together. Ṭáhirih had taken her instructions from Bahá’u’lláh. He
had told her what she must do. He had also told Quddús that he
must argue with Ṭáhirih. Why did Bahá’u’lláh choose this way of
introducing the new teachings? Because the Báb wanted everyone
present to think for himself and decide for himself whether to follow
the old way of Islam, or the new way of life brought by the Báb.
It was to be a time of great testing of hearts. Between Ṭáhirih and
Quddús, they brought up all the arguments for and against the new
teachings of the Báb, so that everyone would have a chance to think
about them and arrive at a clear decision. So, although it looked as if
Quddús and Ṭáhirih were very angry with each other during the
conference, they were, in fact, only following Bahá’u’lláh’s in-
structions.
When the Conference of Badasht had ended, the believers set out
for Mázindarán. Quddús and Ṭáhirih rode in the same carriage.
While Bahá’u’lláh, Ṭáhirih and Quddús and some of’ the believers
were resting on the way, at the village of Níyálá, some people started
throwing stones down at them from the top of the mountain. Because
of the danger, Bahá’u’lláh dressed Quddús in His own clothes, and
sent him away. After the attack had died down, Bahá’u’lláh spoke
to the people of Níyálá and made them see that they were doing
wrong.
Quddús was saved from being killed, but was caught by the
enemy anyway, and placed under guard at the home of a relative
in the town of Sárí. For ninety-five days he was kept in this house,
and although he was treated well, he could not do the thing he
wanted to do most—he could not go out and teach his beloved
Faith.
At this time it became very difficult for the Bábís in Írán. More and
more of the Iranians were accepting the Bib as the return of Jesus
and Muḥammad. More and more people were hearing that the Báb
had ended some of the laws of Muḥammad at the Conference of
Badasht. And so, more and more, the leaders of the Muslim Faith
came to hate the Bábís, and wanted to stop the spread of this new
religion. It even became dangerous for the Bábís to leave their
homes, either by day or by night. The Muslims tried to kill as man)
Bábís as they could. They would go into the Bábí homes while the
men were away during the day and kill the women and children.
At night, the Muslims would attack the Bábís on their way home, or
while they were walking on the roads or in the streets, and kill them
or put them in gaol.
After a time, the Báb sent a message to Mullá Ḥusayn that he
must go to help Quddús, who was still under guard in the house of
his relative in the town of Sari. So Mullá Ḥusayn gathered his men
together and set out. On the way, Mullá Ḥusayn and his men were
attacked so many times that he decided he must stop at the Shrine
of Shaykh Ṭabarsí and build a fort where he could protect himself
and his men from being killed.
As soon as the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí was built, Bahá’u’lláh
came to inspect it. After inspecting the Fort, Bahá’u’lláh gave His
approval, made a few suggestions to improve it and make it more
comfortable and then He said to Mullá Ḥusayn, ‘The one thing this
fort and company require is the presence of Quddús.’ Bahá’u’lláh
knew that if Quddús were there, everything would be perfect. So He
told Mullá Ḥusayn to send Mullá Mihdí with six men to Sari to
fetch Quddús. It would be very simple, He said. All they would have
to do was tell his relative that he must hand Quddús over to them,
that was all. ‘The fear of God and the dread of His punishment’, said
Bahá’u’lláh, ‘will prompt him to surrender unhesitatingly his
captive.’
The men went immediately to the town of Sari, and it was as
Bahá’u’lláh had said. They demanded Quddús, and the relative let
him go, with no trouble or argument. Such was the power of God.
As Quddús was coming up to the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí, Mullá
Ḥusayn called all his men together at the Fort and told them that
both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh wanted Quddús to be there. They must
think of Quddús as being the Báb Himself. ‘As for myself,’ he said,
‘you must consider me his lowly servant. You must obey Quddús so
completely that even if he were to tell you that you must kill me, you
must immediately obey. If you hesitate, you will be untrue to your
Faith. You must not go to him unless he invites you. You must give
up your own wishes and desires, and follow his plans and his
commands. You must act in such a way that I will be proud of you.’
Then, Mullá Ḥusayn took about a hundred of his men to meet
Quddús. In the hands of each man he put two candles, and they
went out into the night. What a joy for them to see their beloved
Quddús! Still holding their candles, they followed their new leader
back to the fort, singing the hymn, ‘Holy, holy, the Lord our God,
the Lord of the angels and the spirit!’ And ‘quddús’ means ‘holy’.
As Quddús climbed off his horse at Shaykh Ṭabarsí, his first
question was about Bahá’u’lláh. Mullá Ḥusayn told him that, if
God willed, Bahá’u’lláh would visit the fort again. Quddús then
asked how many men were in the fort. According to a Muslim
tradition, there should have been three hundred and thirteen to
fulfil an ancient prophecy about the New Day. One by one, Mullá
Ḥusayn counted the men as they walked through the gate of the
fort. In all, he counted three hundred and twelve. As he left the gate
to report the number to Quddús, a young man suddenly rushed into
the fort. He had run all the way from Bárfurúsh so he could join the
men at the fort, and give his life for the beloved Báb. When Mullá
Ḥusayn told Quddús that there were now three hundred and
thirteen, Quddús said, ‘Whatever the tongue of the Prophet of God
has spoken concerning the promised One must be fulfilled.’ In this
way, it would be proved that the New Day had come and the people
would recognize the truth.
The leadership which Quddús gave to the men at Shaykh Ṭabarsí
was a spiritual leadership. One of the most interesting things about
the Bábís in the fort is that they were not fighters or soldiers trained
in warfare. Most of them were students and teachers, and men of
gentle occupation. They were intelligent men who had studied the
Qur’án. They got their strength from the spirit and not from their
muscles. What they were hungry for was more spiritual under-
standing of this New Day. Therefore, Quddús was the perfect man
to be in the fort to give them new life at every turn. He was a scholar.
When he arrived at the fort, he gave Mullá Ḥusayn some talks he
had written down, and asked that they be read aloud to the believers.
One was all about the Báb, the second was about Bahá’u’lláh, and the
third about Ṭáhirih. Some wondered why Quddús had written such
wonderful things about Bahá’u’lláh, because they didn’t know at that
time how important Bahá’u’lláh was. When Quddús was told this,
he said they would understand in due time, if God willed it.
Quddús had also been writing a beautiful explanation of part of
the Qur’án. In spite of all the difficulties, he completed it while in
the fort, and the Bábís were thrilled with its power. It was six times
as long as the Qur’án.
For a time every morning and every afternoon during those days,
Quddús would ask Mullá Ḥusayn and some of his other companions
to chant to him the Writings of the Báb. Quddús would seat himself
in an open square next to the fort, and with his friends sitting
around him, lie would listen to the words of his beloved Master.
Even while the battles were raging around him, he always spent this
time listening to the words of the Báb. Completely calm, he would let
the bullets fall anywhere they wanted to. He would only pray, ‘I
glory in that I was the first to suffer for Thy sake in Shíráz. I long to
be the first to suffer in Thy path a death that shall be worthy of Thy
Cause.’
That is the kind of knowledge and the kind of faith which Quddús
had. When his companions saw his courage and listened to his
wisdom, their faith became stronger, they themselves became more
brave. At first they had thought that Mullá Ḥusayn showed so much
attention to Quddús because the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh had told him
that Quddús must be there. But gradually, they came to love
Quddús so much themselves that they gave their hearts to him as
completely as they had to Mullá Ḥusayn.
Day after day the enemy attacked the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí. Each
time the Bábís would raise the cry of ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’* and
they would ride out to the battle. Although the Bábís were small in
number, untrained in the ways of making war, and often hungry
because of lack of food, they always beat off the armies attacking
them. Quddús and Mullá Ḥusayn would ride ahead of the others,
and they showed so much courage that the others fought bravely
behind and beside them.
One day the enemy cut off their supply of water. Anyone who left
the fort to fetch water would surely be killed. Quddús therefore
ordered his men not to leave the fort. One of the men said to him,
‘Our bread has already been cut off by the enemy. What will happen
now if our water should be cut off as well?’
When asked this question, Quddús turned to Mullá Ḥusayn and
said, ‘God willing, this very night we shall have a downpour of rain,
followed by a heavy fall of snow. This will help us turn back the
attack they are planning.’
That very night so much rain fell at the Fort and around it that
much of the ammunition of the enemy was completely ruined, and
the Bábís had enough water to last many, many weeks. The next
night there was a very heavy snowfall and Quddús said to the man
who had complained, ‘Praise be to God Who has answered our
prayer and caused both rain and snow to fall upon our enemies. It
has brought trouble to them and refreshment to our fort.’
The attacks of the enemy continued, however, and so Quddús
ordered a moat (a deep wide ditch) to be dug around the fort as a
further protection. For nineteen days they worked hard digging the
moat, and then it was finished. Soon after, the enemy sent a large
army against the fort. This time the army was headed by Prince
Mihdí-Qulí Mírzá. The Prince camped on a hill above the fort, and
* O Lord of the Age.
ordered his soldiers to fire in that direction. It was not yet daybreak,
when Quddús gave the signal, ‘Mount your steeds, O heroes of
God!’ and the gates of the fort were thrown open. Two hundred
and two men on horses followed Quddús and Muller Ḥusayn in the
direction of the army. Although the army had many more men than
the two hundred and two Bábís, the Bábís rode through it as though
there were no army there. They rode right up to the headquarters
of the Prince, and into his private rooms. The Prince was so surprised
and so afraid that he threw himself out the back window of his
room, and ran away without even stopping to put on his shoes.
As the Bábís went through the headquarters of the Prince, they
found boxes filled with gold and silver and many expensive things.
But they refused to touch any of it, except a pot of gunpowder, and
the favourite sword of the Prince. After the battle, they all gathered
around Quddús while Mullá Ḥusayn kept watch. Suddenly, the
army attacked again. Quddús was hit in the mouth by a bullet. It
knocked out several of his teeth and wounded his tongue and throat.
He was unable to speak. When Muller Ḥusayn saw blood dripping
from Quddús’ mouth, he was horrified, and was about to beat
himself on the head, but Quddús stopped him in time. Then Muller
Ḥusayn took both the sword of Quddús and the favourite sword of
the Prince, and went after the army himself. The whole army quickly
turned around and ran the other way.
With pain and regret, they carried Quddús back to the fort.
Everyone was sad because he had been hurt. When he saw that they
were sad, Quddús took a piece of paper and wrote on it, because he
could not speak. He wrote on the paper, ‘We should accept the will
of God. We should stand firm and steadfast in the hour of trial. …
Although my body is in pain, my soul is happy. I am so thankful to
God. If you love me, do not be sad, for that will sadden me too.’ This
is how Quddús taught the Bábís to be happy while serving God, no
matter how much pain it causes.
Soon Quddús recovered, but he was unable to help during the next
attack on the fort a few days later. Mullá Ḥusayn, therefore, had to
lead the men by himself. He knew it was his last battle. As he rode
out of the fort with his men behind him, they shouted again, ‘Yá
Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’, but during the fighting, Mullá Ḥusayn’s horse
got caught in a rope, and he was shot in the chest. A few hours later
he died, but before he died, he was carried back to the fort, and a
wonderful thing happened.
As soon as Mullá Ḥusayn was brought to his room, Quddús
ordered the rest of the men to leave. He said to them, ‘Leave me
alone with him. There are certain things which I want only him to
know.’ Everyone left Mullá Ḥusayn and Quddús alone in his room,
but they stood outside the door and waited. One of the men was
looking through a crack in the door, and heard Quddús call Mullá
Ḥusayn’s name. He was surprised to see Mullá Ḥusayn rise up and
seat himself on his knees in front of Quddús in his usual manner.
With his head lowered and his eyes down, Mullá Ḥusayn listened to
every word Quddús said. The man heard Quddús say to Mullá
Ḥusayn, ‘You have hurried to leave this world, and you are leaving
me to face the enemy. If it pleases God, I will join you in a short
time, and I shall also taste the sweetness of being in heaven.’
For two hours, Mullá Ḥusayn and Quddús conversed with each
other, but no one knows what they said. After a long time, Quddús
opened the door to his companions and said, ‘I have said my last
goodbye to Mullá Ḥusayn. I have told him many things which I
could not tell him before.’ When they went to where Mullá Ḥusayn
lay, he was dead. But there was a little smile still on his face, and lie
looked so peaceful it seemed as though he had only fallen asleep.
Quddús himself took care of Mullá Ḥusayn’s body. He put his
own shirt on Mullá, Ḥusayn and gave the order for him to be buried
to the south of, and next to, the Shrine of Shaykh Ṭabarsí. Quddús’
last words before Mullá Ḥusayn was buried were these: ‘Well is it
with you to have remained to your last hour faithful to the Covenant
of God. I pray God that there will never be a division between you
and me.’ He then kissed the eyes and the forehead of Mullá Ḥusayn,
and himself laid the body in the grave. Then he told everyone
standing near that they must keep secret the place where Mullá
Ḥusayn was buried. He then commanded that the thirty-six men
who had been martyred that day be buried on the north side of the
Shrine—all in one grave. And his final word to them was: ‘Let the
loved ones of God learn from the example of these martyrs of our
Faith. Let them be and remain as united in life as these are now in
death.’
No less than ninety of the companions of Quddús were wounded
on that night, most of whom died as a result. Quddús had Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir take Mullá Ḥusayn’s place as organizer of the
men. Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir was the man who had built the
Fort and the Bábíyyih so well.
So badly was the enemy beaten that night that it was forty-five
days before they could make another attack. During this time, how-
ever, the Bábís were not allowed out of the fort to get any food.
They even ground up bones to make some flour and cooked Mullá
Ḥusayn’s horse for meat. When this was finished and the men came
near to starving again, Quddús had Mírzá, Muḥammad-Báqir
distribute the last of the rice amongst the men. When everyone had
received his share, Quddús said, ‘Whoever feels himself strong
enough to stand the troubles soon to come may remain with us in this
fort. If any one amongst you has the slightest fear, he must leave here
at once. Soon the enemy will strike us again, and this time there will
be no way for anyone to escape the coming hardships.’
That very night one of the men in the fort betrayed his friends and
sent the news to ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán, the officer in charge of the
enemy’s army, that Mullá Ḥusayn had been killed, as well as many
others. He urged ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán to attack the Bábís now, while
they were hungry and going through these terrible tests. When
‘Abbás-Qulí Khán heard the news that Mullá Ḥusayn had been
killed, he was overjoyed. He was sure that now he would have no
trouble in capturing the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí and getting a
promotion from the Sháh for his good work. He killed the messenger
who had brought him the news, and prepared to make another attack.
On the day of the attack, he marched with two regiments of men
toward the fort. Quddús saw them coming and said to Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir, ‘Take eighteen men beside yourself, and march
out to meet these two regiments. Teach ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán that,
although Mullá Ḥusayn is no longer with us, God’s power still gives
his friends strength to overcome the enemy.’
Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir quickly chose eighteen of his men, and
as they rode out of the fort shouting ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’, the whole
army ran for their lives. They rushed all the way to Bárfurúsh before
stopping. ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán was so shaken with fear that he fell off
his horse, leaving one of his boots still in the stirrup. With only one
boot on, he ran off, following the army which was running away
even faster than he was.
And so it happened that nineteen men won over a whole army,
through the help and protection of God. This victory was a great
relief for the Bábís. It reminded them once more of the power of God,
and it gave them a feeling of unity which they had not had since the
death of Mullá Ḥusayn. Once again, however, they were running out
of food. They pulled some dead horses off the battlefield and cooked
their meat.
There was one cow left in the fort, but the man in charge of the
caw would not kill it. He used the milk every day to make a pudding
for Quddús. As the men became more and more hungry, however,
Quddús could no longer eat more than a few teaspoonfuls of the
dish, and then he would always give the rest of it to the men. ‘I have
stopped enjoying food,’ he would say, ‘since Mullá Ḥusayn has left
us. My heart bleeds when I see my hungry companions around me.’
In spite of his sadness, however, he would always continue to write
his explanation of the Qur’án, and encourage his men to be brave
and patient to the very end.
One man, Mullá Mírzá Muḥammad, tells this story about Quddús
and those days in the fort: ‘God knows’, he said, ‘that although we
were hungry, we no longer thought about food. Our thoughts were
no longer about our daily bread. We were so carried away by the
words which Quddús would read and say to us that we wouldn’t
even be tired. We could have gone on like that for years. Nothing
could make us unhappy. Whenever the lack of food made us lose
our strength, Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir would hurry to Quddús.
Quddús would then walk amongst us, say a few words to each of us,
and our spirits would return with great joy. We only needed to see
his face, and we would feel ourselves so strong that, if the enemy
were to attack us at that moment, we would feel ourselves ready to
rush into the battle and win another victory.’
While their enemies were getting ready for another attack, the
Bábís went on with their lives inside the fort, happily preparing
for the coming of Naw-Rúz.* During Naw-Rúz of that year (1849),
they sang praises to God with the hymn ‘Holy, holy, the Lord our
God, the Lord of the angels and the spirit.’ They sang songs and
were happy. They thanked God for the many blessings which the
Almighty had given to them. Nothing could stop their happiness at
being in the presence of Quddús and serving God as His heroes.
On the very day of Naw-Rúz, Quddús wrote a message to his
companions in which he said that the time was now coming when
many of them would be martyred for the Cause. On the ninth day
after Naw-Rúz, four armies started to fire their guns on the little
fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí. When the guns began to sound, Quddús
came out of his room and walked to the centre of the fort. His face
was filled with smiles, and he had never appeared to be so calm. As
he was walking across the floor, a cannon-ball suddenly fell before
him. He calmly rolled it over with his foot, and said, ‘How little
these enemies realize the power of God! Have they forgotten that
God can do anything He wants? Do they try to frighten the heroes
of God—these heroes who care nothing for royalty or honour or
earthly reward?’
* New Year in Írán.
He then turned to his men and said these wonderful words: ‘Do
not be afraid of anything which comes from the enemy. You are the
ones whom Muḥammad spoke about in the Qur’án when He said:
“Oh, how I long to behold the countenance of my brethren; my
brethren who will appear in the end of the world! Blessed are we,
blessed are they; greater is their blessedness than ours.” You must
not be afraid today, or you will lose the honour Muḥammad has
given you. Each one of you has his own time when he will die. When
that time comes, nothing and no one can change it. No matter how
anyone tries, he can never make your life shorter or longer than it is
meant to be. Only God knows, and we must abide by His plan. If you
should become afraid for one moment of the booming of these guns
which will continue to fire on this fort, you will lose the protection of
God.’
Although the men were becoming more and more thirsty and
hungry, this speech put new life into their hearts. They prepared
themselves for the new attack. As the shells fell inside the fort during
the next few days, the Bábís chanted the verses of the Qur’án so
loudly that the army could hear them outside. The Prince was
surprised that they did not give up and surrender. Instead, the Bábís
sang hymns and prayed.
Finally, Ja‘far-Qulí Khán, the leader of one of the four armies,
built a high tower and put his cannon on top of it, so he could fire
it right inside the fort. When Quddús saw the tower being built, he
said to Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir, ‘Go out and give this new general
a severe beating as you did ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán. Let him know that
God’s lion-hearted warriors, even when they are tired and hungry,
can show such great strength that only God could have given them.
Let him know that the more hungry they become, the more harm
they will do the enemy.’
Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir again rode out of the fort with eighteen
men. So fiercely did they raise the cry of ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’ that
the enemy panicked. Ja‘far-Qulí Khán and thirty of his men fell
before the swords of the ‘Bábís, and the guns on their tower were
thrown to the ground. Then the Bábís started to break down the
walls the enemy had built, but darkness came, and it was wise to
return inside the fort. None of the Bábís was hurt in this battle.
Instead, they brought back with them into the fort a number of the
enemy’s strongest and best-fed horses.
Shortly after this attack, there was an explosion in the enemy’s
camp, which killed several of their officers and men. Because of this
there was no further attack on the Bábís for a whole month. During
this time, Quddús gave permission for the men to go outside the fort
and gather all the grass they could find. This grass they boiled and
made into soup. It was the only food that they had left. Quddús
spent more and more of his time talking with the men, giving them
words of cheer and helping to make their hearts lighter.
After a month, the cannons started firing again. This time the
army was also storming the fort, so Quddús sent Mírzá Muḥammad-
Báqir into battle with thirty-six men instead of only eighteen. As he
sent them out to fight, these were the words he spoke, ‘Never since
we came into this fort have we started any of the battles we have
fought. Only after they have attacked us, have we gone out to defend
ourselves. If we had wanted to wage a holy war against them, if we
had wanted to bring people into our Faith through the power of
force, we could easily have done so. By now we could have stirred up
all the peoples of the world and prepared them to accept our
Message. Such is not the way, however, which we have chosen to
follow. Our only way of converting the people is by showing them
our faith, our good deeds, and our willingness to die in the path of
our Faith. The hour is fast approaching when we shall be able to
complete this task.’
Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir jumped on his horse, and followed by
the thirty-six men, raised the cry of ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’ The
Bábís rode forward into the army, and five of them were killed in the
lighting. The enemy gave up the fight, however, and ran away,
leaving their flag on the ground behind them. The Bábís returned to
the fort with the five martyrs, who were all buried in one grave
beside the others who had been killed in other battles. Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir gave the flag to Quddús.
For several days, all was quiet. Then the Prince sent a message to
Quddús that he wanted to stop the fighting and make peace. Quddús
sent two men to represent him at the Prince’s headquarters. The
Prince received them courteously, and offered them some tea which
they refused, because they did not wish to have more food or drink
than the men in the fort. They did not wish to suffer any less than the
other men. Then the Prince said, ‘The fighting between us has been
going on too long. On both sides we have fought long and hard. It is
enough: let us find a way to settle our differences. With these words,
he took his Holy Qur’án and wrote the following words on one of the
pages, ‘I swear by this most holy Book, by the righteousness of God
who has revealed it, that I have no other purpose than to bring about
peace and friendliness between us. Come out of your fort and be sure
that no one will hurt you. You, yourself, and your companions, I
solemnly declare, are under the protection of the Almighty, of
Muḥammad His Prophet, and of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh, our King. I
promise that no man, either in the army or in the neighbourhood,
will ever attack you. May God damn me forever, if I have any other
wish than the one I have stated!’ He then put his seal on the state-
ment, gave the Qur’án to the men, and told them to give his best
greetings to Quddús. Then, he added, ‘This very afternoon, I will
send a number of horses to the gate of the fort which I hope Quddús
and his companions will use to ride to my camp. I shall put up a
special tent for them to use, and they will be my guests until I can
arrange for them to return to their homes, at my expense.’
When the men gave the Qur’án to Quddús, he kissed it reverently
and said, ‘O our Lord, decide between us and between our people
with truth, for the best to decide art Thou.’ Immediately after that,
he told his companions that they must prepare to leave the fort.
‘We shall accept the Prince’s invitation,’ he said, ‘so they can show
if they are sincere.’
At the appointed hour, the horses arrived. Quddús put on the
green turban given to him by the Báb, and he and his companions
left the fort carrying all that was left of their arms and belongings.
They were taken to the tent, and soon after they arrived Quddús
said to his men, ‘From now on, you must accept whatever happens
in the name of God. You must not let anything happen to spoil the
good name you have had up until now. Pray to the Almighty that He
will help you to be faithful to Him, even to your last hour.’
A few hours after sunset they were served a poor and small meal
furnished by the Prince. Quddús, and nine of his men who were with
him in his private tent, refused to eat it. The next morning the Prince
sent for Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir to come to him. Quddús told him
to go, and report what happened when he returned. Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir met the Prince and received another promise
that none of the men would be hurt. A plan was also made to furnish
a horse for each of Quddús’ men as far as the town of Sang-Sar. Then,
they would be permitted to leave for their homes, wherever they
were.
When Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir returned to Quddús, he said,
‘I believe that what his tongue says, his heart does not believe.’
Quddús agreed.
Quddús then went to his companions and told them they must not
wait for their horses the next day. They must leave for their homes
that very night. He, himself, was soon to go to Bárfurúsh. They
begged him not to leave them, but he said, ‘Do not cry. We shall
soon be together again—this time never to part. We have given our
Cause into the care of God. Whatever is His will, we will joyously
accept.’ Again, he told them to leave for their homes that very night.
It was still morning, so Quddús returned to his tent. Very soon he
received orders from the Prince to report to him. When he arrived at
the tent, Quddús became a prisoner of the Prince, and he was unable
to speak again to his men. The Prince then sent a message to Quddús’
men that Quddús wanted them to join him at the army head-
quarters. Some of the men believed the message, and when they
arrived at the headquarters they were captured, and later sold as
slaves. These few men are almost the only ones who lived to tell the
rest of the world what happened in the Fort at Shaykh Ṭabarsí.
Almost all the rest of the men were killed. First, some of the
Prince’s men forced Mullá Yúsuf, one of Quddús’ most trusted men,
to go to the Bábís and tell them that Quddús wanted them to give
up their guns. After giving him his instructions, the men asked
Mullá Yúsuf what he was going to tell the Bábís. He answered, ‘I
shall tell them what you told me to tell them, and then I shall say,
“It is nothing but a lie”!’ Almost before these words were finished,
he was killed.
Next, the army turned its attention to the Fort. They turned their
guns on it and completely destroyed it. They even burned every part
of it, and made the ground completely level around the Shrine, so it
would look as though nothing had ever happened there.
And finally, after the Bábís had no fort to protect themselves with,
the armies attacked them in their tents and killed almost every man.
Even as they died they sang the hymn they had sung so very often,
‘Holy, holy, O Lord our God, Lord of the angels and the spirit.’ A
few men were taken as captives and three men were saved by the
Prince, because they were very famous in Írán. If they had been
killed, the Prince would have been very unpopular with the people.
The captives were then tortured for fun by the Prince’s men. A few
were cut to pieces with knives, others were pulled apart, a number
were tied to trees and filled with bullets, and still others were blown
from the mouths of cannons. The whole world marvelled at their
sacrifices, and today we wonder how they were able to do it.
As soon as all these men were killed, the Prince took Quddús to his
home town of Bárfurúsh. There the Prince was welcomed by the
Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’, the Chief of the Muslim religion in that town. All
the clergy came out to welcome the Prince. The people had hung
flags across the streets and made big fires at night to celebrate the
victory over the Bábís. For three days the Prince said nothing to
anyone about what he intended to do with Quddús. He was afraid
to do anything to him, himself. His plan was to take Quddús to
Ṭihrán and hand him over to the Sháh, and let the Sháh decide
what should be done. But the Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ had other plans. He
had hated Mullá Ḥusayn, and now he hated Quddús. When he
discovered the Prince’s plans, he argued and argued with him against
the idea. When he found that the Prince would not give in, he called
everyone to the mosque. The Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ called upon the
people of Bárfurúsh to help him prove to the Prince that he must not
take Quddús to the Sháh. He said to them, swear before God that
I will take neither food nor sleep until I am able to end the life of
this man Quddús with my own hands.’
When the Prince learned that the people of Bárfurúsh were against
him, he became afraid for his own life. Therefore, he called a meeting
of all the priests of Bárfurúsh, so they could decide together what they
should do. As soon as the priests were gathered together, the Prince
gave orders for Quddús to be brought into their presence. When
Quddús appeared, the Prince invited him to be seated beside
himself. Then the Prince turned to the Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ and said,
‘Your discussions of this problem must be based on the Qur’án and
the sayings of Muḥammad. Only in this way can you decide what is
true and what is false.’
The Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ was the first to speak. He looked at Quddús’
green turban, and said, ‘Why are you wearing a green turban?
Don’t you know that only a true descendant of the Prophet
Muḥammad can wear a green turban? Anyone else who does so is
damned by God.’
Quddús calmly replied, ‘Was Siyyid Murtaḍá, whom all the
priests praise and admire, a descendant of the Prophet through his
father or his mother?’
One of the priests immediately said, ‘Through his mother only.’
‘Then’, said Quddús, ‘why do you object to me? My mother was
always recognized by the people of this town as a direct descendant
of the Imám Ḥasan. Does this not make her a descendant of the
Prophet Muḥammad? She was always honoured by every one of you
as such in the past.’
No one dared to argue with him. They all knew that what he said
was the truth. But that did not stop the Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’. He
became so angry at his priests because Quddús was more clever than
they, that he threw his turban on the ground and said, ‘This man
has succeeded in proving to you that he is a descendant of the Imam
Ḥasan. Soon he will prove to you that he is the Prophet of God
Himself!’
By now, the Prince had no more courage. Fearing for his own life,
he did something very much like what Pontius Pilate had done when
Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin, just before His crucifixion.
The Prince said to the priests, ‘I wash my hands of all responsibility
for what you do to this man. You are free to do what you like with
him. You will yourselves have to answer to God on the Day of
judgement.’
With these words, the Prince called for his horse and left for the
town of Sari. No sooner had the Prince left the meeting than the
Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ gave orders for Quddús to be put to death in a way
which was even worse than the death of Jesus.
First, Quddús was stripped of his clothes, and his green turban
given to him by the Báb was dirtied in the mud. Next, he was led
through the streets barefooted, bareheaded, loaded with chains, with
all the people of the town following him and spitting upon him. The
worst women of the town then attacked him with knives and axes.
While all this was happening to Quddús, he whispered his forgive-
ness to the people: ‘Forgive them, O my God’, he cried. ‘Show them
Thy mercy, for they do not know what we have already learned and
love. I have tried to show them the path that leads to their salvation;
but see how they have risen to kill me! Show them, O God, the way
of Truth, and turn their ignorance into faith.’ His last words were:
‘Would that my mother were with me, and could see with her own
eyes the glory of my wedding!’
No sooner had he said these words than he was torn to pieces and
thrown into the fire. In the middle of the night, a friend went to the
place where he was burned, and gathered up the last few pieces of
his body which had not burned, and buried them not far from the
place where he was killed. So ended the life of the noble-hearted
Quddús.
So terrible was the way in which Quddús had been killed that
when the Báb heard the news in the castle of Chihríq where He was
in prison, He did not write for five whole months. His deep grief and
sadness caused the Pen of Revelation to stop.
Epilogue
First and most important of the martyrs of the Fort of Shaykh
Ṭabarsí was Quddús, whom the Báb called the ‘Last Name of God’.
Quddús, the eighteenth Letter of the Living, was the Báb’s chosen
companion on His pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, and was the
first to suffer persecution on Iranian soil for the Cause of God. He
was only eighteen years of age when he left his home town of
Bárfurúsh for Karbilá in ‘Iráq. For about four years he was a student
of Siyyid Káẓim, and at the age of twenty-two he met and recognized
the Báb in Shíráz. Five years later, on the 16th of May 1849, he was
killed by the people of his own town.
Both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh have written many Tablets and
prayers about Quddús, praising him for his services to the Faith.
Bahá’u’lláh even gave him the title the ‘Last Point’, which shows that
Bahá’u’lláh considered Quddús the most important Bábí next to the
the Báb Himself.
Sources
The following books were consulted in the writing of this story of Quddús:
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith (Wilmette, 1956)
H. M. Balyuzi, The Báb (Oxford, 1973)
Nabíl, The Dawn-Breakers (Wilmette, 1932)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Golden Crowns Series
Quddús
by
Lowell Johnson
The National Spiritual Assembly
Bahá’ís of South and West Africa
Johannesburg
Revised edition, Copyright © 1982 by the
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of South and West Africa
(Incorporated Association not for Gain)
Extracts from the following works reprinted by permission:
By Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Copyright 1939, 1952, © 1976 by the
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States;
by Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam: The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative
of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation,
published by the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States.
Illustrated by Michele Gregory.
Set in 11 on 13 pt Monotype Baskerville by
Monotype Composing Service (Pty.) Ltd., Cape Town
and printed in South Africa by
Budd and Thomson (Pty.) Ltd., Cape Town.
ISBN 0 908420 31 5
ii
Introduction to the Golden Crowns Series
In these next pages you will read of great sacrifices. Anyone reading
the stories of the early believers in the Bahá’í Faith will wonder why
these people sacrificed so much. What was different about the
Messages of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh which made ordinary people
rise to the heights of heroism and die gloriously for their Faith?
The teachings of the Báb* and Bahá’u’lláh† repeat the divine
principles announced by the Prophets of the past. You can read these
teachings in a very small book entitled The Hidden Words. It was
written by Bahá’u’lláh. But added to these eternal truths, the Báb
and Bahá’u’lláh have given new teachings never announced by any
Prophet of God before. Here are some of them:
The first teaching of the Bahá’í Faith is that all men belong to one
human family. Speaking to all men, Bahá’u’lláh says, ‘Ye are the
fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.’ By this He means that
the world of men is like a tree, the nations and peoples are the
different branches of that tree, and the men and women are as the
fruits and blossoms of that tree. In all past religions, the world of
men was divided into two parts—one part known as the people of
the Book of God or the pure tree, and the other known as the lost
people or the evil tree. Bahá’u’lláh has changed this teaching by
announcing that the world is one world and all people in it members
of one family. This is a special teaching of Bahá’u’lláh not to be
found in any other religion. Some people are asleep, He says, and
they need to be awakened; some are sick, they need to be healed;
some are like children, they need to be taught; but all receive the
bounty and gifts of God.
* The Báb is the title given to the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh. He was born in
Shíráz, Írán (Persia) on the 20th of October 1819 and was martyred in Tabríz,
Írán on the 9th of July 1850. The ‘Báb’ means the ‘Gate’.
† Bahá’u’lláh is the name of God’s newest Manifestation on earth. He was born
in Ṭihrán, Írán on the 12th of November 1817 and died near Haifa, Israel on
the 29th of May 1892. ‘Bahá’u’lláh’ means the ‘Glory of God’.
Another new principle in the Bahá’í Faith is the need to investigate
truth. That is to say, no man should blindly follow his ancestors and
forefathers. Each man must see with his own eyes, hear with his own
ears, and investigate truth for himself.
Another teaching is this: that the foundation of all the religions
of God is one. There is only one God. Therefore, there can be only
one religion—the Religion of God. All the past Prophets have taught
the same basic truths, which have all come from the same mouth of
God. This teaching is a new teaching and is special in the Bahá’í
Faith.
A new principle is that religion must be the cause of unity, har-
mony and agreement amongst men. If religion becomes the cause
of disagreement and hatred, if it leads to separation and fighting,
then it would be better if there were no religion in the world.
The Bahá’í Faith also teaches that religion must agree with
science and reason. If it does not agree with science and reason then
it is superstition. Down to the present day it has been the custom for
a man to accept a religious teaching even if it does not agree with
his reason and judgement. The agreement of religious belief with
reason and science opens new windows to the soul of man.
Bahá’u’lláh has taught the equality of men and women. This is
special to the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, for all other religions
have placed men above women.
A new religious principle is that prejudices, whether religious,
racial, patriotic or political, destroy the solid foundation for a
peaceful life. Therefore, men must overcome their prejudices so that
they can see the underlying truth, that the family of man is one
family and not divided into separate parts.
Universal peace is promised in the Bahá’í teachings. This universal
peace will be accomplished by putting into practice the principles
of Bahá’u’lláh. Peace shall come to all nations, governments, peoples,
religions, races, and all parts of mankind. No other Prophet has
ever promised peace to the world during His ministry, but this is
one of the special teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh have taught that every man must gain
knowledge and receive an education. It is a religious law in the
Bahá’í Faith that both girls and boys must be educated.
Bahá’u’lláh has set forth the solution and provided the remedy for
the economic question. The solution of the economic problem, He
says, lies in the realm of the spirit. No religious books of the past
Prophets speak of this important human problem.
The greatest new principle of the new religion is the establishment
and appointment of the Centre of the Covenant. This is another
teaching not given by any of the Prophets of the past. Bahá’u’lláh
has appointed a Centre of the Covenant* to carry on His work and
hold the Bahá’ís together after His passing. When a person becomes
a Bahá’í, he must agree to follow the laws contained in the Covenant.
In this way, Bahá’u’lláh has protected the religion of God against
differences and splits. He has made it impossible for anyone to create
a new sect or faction of belief. To make sure of the unity of the
believers, He has entered into a Covenant with all the people of the
world, including the Interpreter and Explainer of His teachings, so
that no one may interpret or explain the religion of God according
to his own ideas or opinion, and thus create a sect founded upon his
own understanding of the divine words.
These are some of the principles of religion brought by the Báb
and Bahá’u’lláh which are different from the religions of the past.
Thousands of men and women died during the nineteenth century
rather than give up their faith in these teachings. Today, in the
twentieth century, millions of Bahá’ís live their lives so that they
can demonstrate these teachings and bring them to all people,
everywhere.
In the Golden Crowns series, Lowell Johnson tells the stories of some
of these early believers who won the crown of martyrdom. One of
these believers was Quddús. Quddús’ story now follows.
* Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest Son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the Centre of the
Covenant. He guided the Bahá’ís until He passed away in Haifa, Israel, on the
28th of November 1921. ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ means the ‘Servant of Bahá’ or the
‘Servant of the Glory’.
Note
For this edition, these stories have
been extensively revised. They may
be read aloud effectively, or else
used for private reading.
Quddús
Mullá Ḥusayn* was the first to believe in the Báb, but Muḥammad-
‘Alí (later known as Quddús) was His favourite disciple. ‘Quddús’
means ‘Holy’, or the ‘Most Holy’.
Through his mother, Quddús was a direct descendant of the
Prophet Muḥammad. He was born in the town of Bárfurúsh, in the
northern part of Írán. His mother died when he was very young, and
his father died while Quddús was a boy studying at school in the city
of Mashhad. Therefore, he was raised by his stepmother, who loved
him very much. He was an intelligent boy and a very good scholar.
When he was eighteen years old, Quddús heard about Siyyid
Káẓim and his new teachings, so he travelled all the way to Karbilá,
near Baghdád in ‘Iráq, to sit in Siyyid Káẓim’s classes. Siyyid
Káẓim was the one who foretold the coming of the Báb. Very soon,
Quddús became Siyyid Káẓim’s favourite student. He always took
the lowliest seat in the room. He was very quiet, very modest, and he
seldom spoke to the rest of his companions.
Siyyid Káẓim was often heard to remark that certain ones amongst
his disciples, although they sat in the lowliest of seats and were
always very quiet, were greater in the sight of God than Siyyid
Káẓim was himself. But even though Siyyid Káẓim made it quite
clear to them, none of the other disciples realized that the man whom
Siyyid Káẓim was talking about was Quddús.
Quddús was an independent seeker after the Promised One.
Therefore, when several of his companions came to Mullá Ḥusayn
in Shíráz and asked if Mullá Ḥusayn had found the Promised One,
Quddús was not with them. He was out seeking his Beloved by
himself.
One evening, on his search for the Promised One, Quddús came
to the city of Shíráz. There he saw Mullá Ḥusayn, whom he had
met in Siyyid Káẓim’s classes, walking in the street. Quddús was
* See the booklet on Mullá Ḥusayn [online at bahai-library.com/johnson_mulla_husayn].
tired and dirty from his journey, but when he saw Mullá Ḥusayn,
he became very excited. He took Mullá Ḥusayn into his arms and
begged him to tell him if he had yet found the Promised One. Mullá
Ḥusayn tried to calm him down, and told him he must rest for a
while, and then they would talk. But Quddús would not calm down.
At that moment Quddús started looking at a Young Man walking
a short distance away from Mullá Ḥusayn. Quddús turned to Mullá
Ḥusayn and said, ‘Why do you try to hide Him from me? I can
recognize Him by His walk. I swear by God that no one except Him,
whether in the East or in the West, can claim to be the Truth. No one
else in the whole world can have the power which I see in that holy
person.’
Mullá Ḥusayn was surprised by Quddús’ words, so he excused
himself for a minute and went to talk to the Young Man. Mullá
Ḥusayn told the Báb what Quddús had said, and the Báb told him
not to be surprised, as He had been talking with him through the
spirit, and knew him already. He had been waiting for him to come.
So the Báb asked Mullá Ḥusayn to go to him, and bring him into
His presence immediately.
It was in this remarkable way that Quddús became the last of the-
eighteen Letters of the Living to recognize the Báb. These eighteen,
together with the Báb, made up the first nineteen believers in the new
Revelation.
When Quddús arrived in Shíráz and recognized the Báb as the
Promised One, he was only twenty-two years of age. Although he was
young in years, no one showed as much courage and faith as Quddús
during the difficult years which were to follow. When the Báb
called each of the Letters of the Living into His presence and gave
each one a special command to carry out, it was Quddús whom the
Báb chose to stay with Him and be His companion.
When the Báb received the message from Mullá Ḥusayn that
Bahá’u’lláh had become one of His followers Quddús was with Him.
From that moment, Quddús noticed that the Báb showed a new
spirit and new hope. It was clear that the Báb had great faith in this
new believer, Bahá’u’lláh, and He told Quddús that the time had
now come for Him to start on His pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina.
He chose Quddús to accompany Him.
The Báb and Quddús, together with the Báb’s Ethiopian servant,
joined a group of pilgrims who were leaving Shíráz for Mecca and
Medina. They first went to the town of Búshihr where the Báb had
worked in former years as a humble merchant with His uncle.
After making the final arrangements for the trip, they climbed
aboard a sailing ship and spent two months travelling on stormy
seas. The weather was very bad, and many of the pilgrims became
sick from the motion of the sea. But nothing could keep the Báb from
His prayers and His writing. Quddús was His secretary during the
whole time. At all times during the day lie was busy taking down
every word which the Báb told him to write. The Báb and Quddús
were always calm and peaceful while the others on the ship were sick
and afraid.
When the Báb and Quddús arrived at the end of their sea trip,
they landed at the city of Jeddah. It was here that the Báb put on the
proper clothes for a pilgrim and set out on His journey by camel
across the desert to Mecca. Although the Báb asked Quddús to ride
a camel as well, he refused. Quddús preferred to walk ahead of the
Báb’s camel holding the camel’s bridle so he could protect the Báb
in case anything might happen. Quddús walked all the way from
Jeddah to Mecca, happily taking care of his Master’s needs and
completely forgetting that he was tired, and his feet were sore. Every
night Quddús would sacrifice his sleep, and stay awake beside his
Beloved, ready at a moment’s notice to protect Him and keep Him
safe.
While they were in Mecca the most important work for Quddús
was to deliver a message from the Báb to the Sharíf, the keeper of the
most holy House of God. In this letter, the Báb set forth in clear
words the purpose of His Message and called upon the Sharíf to
accept the Truth of His Cause. He also sent some of His other
Writings so that the Sharíf could recognize the power of His Words.
It was the Báb’s purpose in writing this letter to inform the head
Chief of the Muslim Faith that the Promised One had arrived, the
Promised One that all the faithful Muslims were waiting for.
The Báb gave this very important letter to Quddús to deliver to the
Sharíf. Quddús followed his Master’s instructions and delivered it,
sealed, into the Sharíf’s own hands.
The Sharíf was a good man. However, he was very busy and had
no time to read. A few days later Quddús went back to the Sharíf
and asked him if he had any answer for the Báb. The Sharíf told him
that he was too busy at the moment. He would read the message and
answer it at a later time. Little did the Sharíf know that he was too
busy to read a Message from God.
From Mecca the Báb and Quddús went on to Medina, and from
there they returned to Jeddah, once more made the sea voyage for
two months, and landed again at Búshihr. Altogether, their
pilgrimage lasted for nine months. And that was the end of Quddús’
companionship with the Báb.
When the Báb and Quddús arrived at Búshihr, the Báb called
Quddús into His presence and said to him, ‘The days of your com-
panionship with Me are drawing to a close. The hour of separation
has struck, a separation which no reunion will follow except in the
Kingdom of God, in the presence of the King of Glory. … The hand
of destiny will ere long plunge you into an ocean of tribulation for
His sake. … I, too, will be immersed beneath its depths. Rejoice …
for you have been chosen as the standard-bearer … of the noble
army that will suffer martyrdom in His name. In the streets of
Shíráz … the severest injuries will afflict your body. You will
survive … The hosts of the Unseen will hasten forth to assist you,
and will proclaim to all the world your heroism and glory.’
With these words, the Báb said goodbye to Quddús. He gave
Quddús a letter to deliver to His uncle, and also some of His
Writings. He then told Quddús to give His loving greetings to
wife, His mother and all His loved ones in Shíráz.
And so Quddús set out on his journey to Shíráz to carry out His
beloved Master’s wishes. Arriving in Shíráz, he was greeted with
love by the Báb’s uncle, Ḥájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, who insisted that
he stay with him in his own home. The Báb’s uncle had known for
some time about the Báb and His Message, but never the complete
story. When Quddús explained it fully to him, he immediately saw
the Truth and became the first follower of the Báb in Shíráz since
the Báb’s Eighteen Letters of the Living. So strong became his faith,
and so great his love for the Báb, that he gave his whole life to His
service. He was an outstanding business man in the city of Shíráz,
but he never let anything stand in the way of telling people about the
new Message, or of protecting the Faith and the Báb Himself. So
great was his love that he later gave his life as one of the Seven
Martyrs of Ṭihrán.
The next person whom Quddús met in Shíráz was Mullá Ṣádiq
Mullá Ṣádiq became so on fire with the love of the Báb that one day
when he was leading the faithful Muslims in prayer at the mosque,
he added to the Muslim call to prayer certain words which the Báb
had written and commanded to be used. The other men of the clergy
were so angry that they reported Mullá Ṣádiq to the Governor of the
province. The Governor ordered the arrest of both Quddús and
Mullá Ṣádiq.
After questioning Mullá Ṣádiq, the Governor cursed him and
ordered his servants to remove all his clothes and to beat him a
thousand times with a whip. He then commanded that the beards
of both Quddús and Mullá Ṣádiq should be burned, their noses
pierced, that a rope be put through the hole, and that they be led
through the streets of the city for everyone to see.
This was done as the Governor had commanded, and no one tried
to help them out of their trouble. Quddús and Mullá Ṣádiq bravely
put themselves into the hands of God, and Mullá, Ṣádiq even had a
smile on his face while he was being whipped, for he knew he had
done nothing wrong. Soon after this they were ordered to leave the
city of Shíráz and warned that if they ever tried to return, they would
both be killed.
Do you remember the last words of the Báb to Quddús? ‘In the
streets of Shíráz … the severest injuries will afflict your body. …
The hosts of the Unseen will hasten forth to assist you, and will
proclaim to all the world your heroism and glory.’
In this way Quddús and Mullá, Ṣádiq were the first to suffer on
Persian soil for the sake of their beloved Faith.
From Shíráz, Quddús went on to Kirmán where he brought Ḥájí
Siyyid Javád, a very great scholar, into the Faith. From Kirmán,
Quddús went to many other cities, always teaching, always in-
spiring others to give their lives to the Báb.
While Quddús was in Ṭihrán, he was brought into the presence of
Bahá’u’lláh. The thoughts of Bahá’u’lláh about Quddús at that time
are not known, but Bahá’u’lláh’s brother, Áqáy-i-Kalím, was very
impressed. He told a friend, ‘The charm of Quddús, his easy manner,
his courtesy, his grace, combined with a dignity of bearing, was liked
by everyone. We watched him one day as he prepared for his prayers,
and we noticed how different he was, how much more graceful he
was, than anyone else who was present. He seemed to be, in our eyes,
everything that was graceful and pure.’
From Ṭihrán, Quddús went on to his home in Bárfurúsh, in the
province of Mázindarán, where he spent many months with his
family and relatives. His stepmother gave Quddús as much kindness
and care as his own mother could have given. She looked forward
with great hope to the day when Quddús would be married. That
was what would make her happier than anything else, she said.
Quddús was then about twenty-five years of age, and she often said
to him, ‘I am afraid I will go to my grave without having my
happiness made complete.’
Quddús told her, ‘The day of my wedding is not yet come. That
day will be the most glorious. It will not be in this house, it will be
out in the open air. It will be in the midst of the Sabzih-Maydán,
while thousands of people look on. There I shall celebrate my
wedding and see all my hopes come true.’ His stepmother did not
understand what he meant by these words until three years later
when Quddús was killed in the Sabzih-Maydán, and he sacrificed
his life for the Báb.
For about two years Quddús lived in Bárfurúsh. He talked with all
classes of people and, by the gentleness of his character and his great
knowledge, he became greatly loved by everyone in the town.
One day, Mullá Ḥusayn came to Quddús’ home, and reported that
he had just returned from visiting the Báb in the prison of Máh-Kú.
It was wonderful for Quddús to see Mullá Ḥusayn. He took him into
his arms lovingly, waited upon his guest, and did everything to make
Mullá Ḥusayn comfortable. With his own hands he washed the
blisters on Mullá Ḥusayn’s feet and removed the dust from Mullá
Ḥusayn’s clothes. He gave Mullá Ḥusayn the seat of honour at his
table, and invited all his friends to meet him.
After dinner, when all the guests had left, Quddús asked to hear
all the news about the Báb. After a long talk, Mullá, Ḥusayn said
finally, ‘But He gave me no definite directions about what I should
do next to spread the Cause. He told me that in Mázindarán a
hidden treasure would be revealed to me, and I would know what to
do.’
Now we know that Quddús was the favourite disciple of the Báb.
We also know that the Báb chose Quddús to be with Him for fourteen
months of His life so that He could prepare Quddús to carry on His
work while He was in prison. While Quddús was with the Báb, he
learned many things which the other Letters of the Living were not
privileged to learn. Quddús was also given a special spiritual power
which made him the greatest of all the Bábís next to the Báb Himself.
When Quddús heard that Mullá Ḥusayn was looking for a hidden
treasure, he showed Mullá Ḥusayn a piece of writing which he had
completed. Mullá Ḥusayn read the writing and immediately recog-
nized the special power which the Báb had given to Quddús.
Without hesitation he said, ‘It is Quddús who is the hidden treasure
which the Báb promised I would find. Although my Master is now
in prison in the mountains of Ádhirbáyján, the reflection of His glory
now stands before me.’ From that moment on, Mullá Ḥusayn
accepted Quddús as his new leader, and he did whatever Quddús
asked him to do, just as if it were the Báb Who was commanding him.
Quddús thus became the new leader of the Bábís, while the Báb was
in the prison of Máh-Kú and the castle of Chihríq.
The next morning, when Quddús’ friends gathered at his home a
second time, they heard Quddús say to Mullá Ḥusayn, ‘Now, at this
very hour, you should arise, and go to Khurásán. In the city of
Mashhad, you should build a house in which we can live and receive
guests. To this house you shall invite every pure soul, and we shall
prepare them to join together to teach the Cause of God.’
Mullá Ḥusayn departed. Soon the house in Mashhad was finished.
It was named the Bábíyyih after the Báb, a name which it still has to
this day. Soon after it was built, Quddús went to Mashhad to live
with Mullá Ḥusayn. Together they worked as a team. Mullá Ḥusayn
would go out amongst the people and interest them in the Faith. He
would then bring the people to the Bábíyyih to listen to Quddús.
Quddús would teach them, accept their declarations, and send them
out to teach others. In this way, a wonderful spirit was spread
throughout the whole city of Mashhad. So many people came to the
house to be taught that the Chief Constable of the city couldn’t
control the traffic. And the news of the Faith spread from Mashhad
to all parts of the province, and even beyond.
It was during this time, when the Faith was spreading rapidly all
over Írán that the Báb sent a Message from His prison to all the
believers asking them to hold a conference in the province of
Khurásán. It was especially important for Quddús to be there, as he
was the leader of the Bábís while the Báb was in prison. Before
leaving Mashhad, Quddús called the believers of Mashhad into his
presence, and said to them, ‘From now on, you must look to Mullá
Ḥusayn as your leader. You must obey whatever he tells you to do
without question. There are going to be very difficult times for you
in the near future. The days when you will he tested greatly are soon
coming. But, if you obey Mullá Ḥusayn, he will see that you are
saved when the troubles are at their worst.’
With these words, Quddús left the believers in the city of Mashhad,
and started for the little village of Badasht. On his way to Badasht,
he was met by Bahá’u’lláh in the village of Sháh-Rúd, and they
went to the conference together.
It was then the beginning of summer. When Bahá’u’lláh arrived
in Badasht, He rented three gardens—one for the use of Quddús, one
for Ṭáhirih and her servant, and one for Himself. Ṭáhirih, you may
remember, was the only woman to be named a Letter of the Living.
Altogether there were eighty-one Bábís who attended this first
conference in Bahá’í history. All eighty-one of those present were the
guests of Bahá’u’lláh. The conference lasted for twenty-two days.
The purpose of this conference was to break with the old laws and
explain the new Age to the &ibis. Until then they had mostly been
following the laws of Muḥammad. But the time had come for them
to follow the new teachings of the Báb. As you will see, it was to be
a time of testing the pure hearts and the sincere believers.
At that time, Bahá’u’lláh was not the leader of the Faith. Most of
the Bábís looked to Quddús as their leader, because he was the
closest to the Báb. The conference had been called by the Báb, but
since He was still in prison, He could not be there.
Little by little, however, it became clear that Bahá’u’lláh was
really the most important Person at the conference. Every day,
Bahá’u’lláh revealed a new Tablet which was chanted to the
believers. In these Tablets, He gave each person present a new name
for the new Day. Qurratu’l-‘Ayn was given the new name ‘Ṭáhirih’,
Muḥammad-‘Alí was given the name ‘Quddús’, and so on. Even
Bahá’u’lláh, Who had always been known as Ḥusayn-‘Alí, accepted
the name which the Báb had already given to Him, the name ‘Bahá’.
One day at the conference, Bahá’u’lláh took ill, and had to stay in
bed in His tent. As soon as Quddús heard of the illness, he hurried to
Bahá’u’lláh side. Soon, the rest of the believers also came to
Bahá’u’lláh’s tent, and they gathered around Him. No sooner had
they arrived than a messenger came from Ṭáhirih, asking Quddús
to come to her in her garden. Quddús was very angry to be given an
order by a woman, so he said, ‘I have cut myself entirely off from
Ṭáhirih. I refuse to go.’ With that answer, the messenger went back
to Ṭáhirih, but she sent him back again to Quddús. ‘Ṭáhirih insists
that you come to see her in her garden’, he said. ‘If you do not come
to her, she will come to you.’
Now, in those days, it was not proper for a woman to appear with
the men. No man must ever look at the face of a woman, unless it
were his wife. And certainly no man was supposed to look at Ṭáhirih,
because she was supposed to be the return of Fáṭimih, the daughter
of the Prophet Muḥammad, a pure and holy woman. Because of
this, Quddús did not believe that Ṭáhirih would do such a thing. So
he said, will not go with you.’ Then, the messenger said to Quddús,
‘Either you must come with me to Ṭáhirih, or else you must cut off
my head with this sword.’ What a surprise this was to Quddús,
especially when the messenger laid his sword at Quddús’ feet and
leaned over for Quddús to cut off his head! But nothing was going to
stop Quddús now, so he lifted the sword and said, ‘All right, if it be
your wish to have your head cut off, I will cut it off.’ But just at that
moment, there was Ṭáhirih standing in front of them!
What a shock for everyone! And what a terrible thing for a
woman to do! She had not only come into the tent with the men, but
she was no longer wearing her veil, and she was very beautifully
dressed. No man had ever seen anything like this before! One man
was so shocked he cut his own throat. With blood on his face and
body, he ran away from the meeting. Several others left the meeting
and the Faith, too. The others could not speak, they could not believe
their eyes!
Ṭáhirih stepped forward and seated herself to the right of Quddús.
She spoke some words to everyone present, and announced that she
was the promised Trumpet-blast. She then turned to Quddús and
said, ‘You were not very careful about the way you taught the Faith
in Khurásán.’ Quddús was very angry and said, ‘I can do as I
please. I do not have to follow the will and good-pleasure of my
fellow-disciples.’
That was the beginning of a quarrel between Ṭáhirih and Quddús
which lasted for several days. Ṭáhirih would say to the Bábís,
‘Quddús has made many mistakes, and I was sent here by the Báb
to teach him what to do.’ Quddús would then answer, ‘Ṭáhirih is the
one who is wrong. She is not telling you the truth. Anyone who
follows Ṭáhirih is following the wrong path.’ Some of the Bábís
agreed with Ṭáhirih, some agreed with Quddús. A few believed that
both of them were right, and that the believers were being tested to
see how strong their faith was.
After a few days, Bahá’u’lláh was able to stop the argument in a
beautiful way. Ṭáhirih and Quddús were brought together, and
Quddús admitted that Ṭáhirih was right. He and Ṭáhirih then
became the best of friends again, and the believers were called upon
by Bahá’u’lláh to accept the teachings of the Báb.
Although the Bábís at that time did not know it, it seems that
Quddús and Ṭáhirih had planned this whole argument
together. Ṭáhirih had taken her instructions from Bahá’u’lláh. He
had told her what she must do. He had also told Quddús that he
must argue with Ṭáhirih. Why did Bahá’u’lláh choose this way of
introducing the new teachings? Because the Báb wanted everyone
present to think for himself and decide for himself whether to follow
the old way of Islam, or the new way of life brought by the Báb.
It was to be a time of great testing of hearts. Between Ṭáhirih and
Quddús, they brought up all the arguments for and against the new
teachings of the Báb, so that everyone would have a chance to think
about them and arrive at a clear decision. So, although it looked as if
Quddús and Ṭáhirih were very angry with each other during the
conference, they were, in fact, only following Bahá’u’lláh’s in-
structions.
When the Conference of Badasht had ended, the believers set out
for Mázindarán. Quddús and Ṭáhirih rode in the same carriage.
While Bahá’u’lláh, Ṭáhirih and Quddús and some of’ the believers
were resting on the way, at the village of Níyálá, some people started
throwing stones down at them from the top of the mountain. Because
of the danger, Bahá’u’lláh dressed Quddús in His own clothes, and
sent him away. After the attack had died down, Bahá’u’lláh spoke
to the people of Níyálá and made them see that they were doing
wrong.
Quddús was saved from being killed, but was caught by the
enemy anyway, and placed under guard at the home of a relative
in the town of Sárí. For ninety-five days he was kept in this house,
and although he was treated well, he could not do the thing he
wanted to do most—he could not go out and teach his beloved
Faith.
At this time it became very difficult for the Bábís in Írán. More and
more of the Iranians were accepting the Bib as the return of Jesus
and Muḥammad. More and more people were hearing that the Báb
had ended some of the laws of Muḥammad at the Conference of
Badasht. And so, more and more, the leaders of the Muslim Faith
came to hate the Bábís, and wanted to stop the spread of this new
religion. It even became dangerous for the Bábís to leave their
homes, either by day or by night. The Muslims tried to kill as man)
Bábís as they could. They would go into the Bábí homes while the
men were away during the day and kill the women and children.
At night, the Muslims would attack the Bábís on their way home, or
while they were walking on the roads or in the streets, and kill them
or put them in gaol.
After a time, the Báb sent a message to Mullá Ḥusayn that he
must go to help Quddús, who was still under guard in the house of
his relative in the town of Sari. So Mullá Ḥusayn gathered his men
together and set out. On the way, Mullá Ḥusayn and his men were
attacked so many times that he decided he must stop at the Shrine
of Shaykh Ṭabarsí and build a fort where he could protect himself
and his men from being killed.
As soon as the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí was built, Bahá’u’lláh
came to inspect it. After inspecting the Fort, Bahá’u’lláh gave His
approval, made a few suggestions to improve it and make it more
comfortable and then He said to Mullá Ḥusayn, ‘The one thing this
fort and company require is the presence of Quddús.’ Bahá’u’lláh
knew that if Quddús were there, everything would be perfect. So He
told Mullá Ḥusayn to send Mullá Mihdí with six men to Sari to
fetch Quddús. It would be very simple, He said. All they would have
to do was tell his relative that he must hand Quddús over to them,
that was all. ‘The fear of God and the dread of His punishment’, said
Bahá’u’lláh, ‘will prompt him to surrender unhesitatingly his
captive.’
The men went immediately to the town of Sari, and it was as
Bahá’u’lláh had said. They demanded Quddús, and the relative let
him go, with no trouble or argument. Such was the power of God.
As Quddús was coming up to the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí, Mullá
Ḥusayn called all his men together at the Fort and told them that
both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh wanted Quddús to be there. They must
think of Quddús as being the Báb Himself. ‘As for myself,’ he said,
‘you must consider me his lowly servant. You must obey Quddús so
completely that even if he were to tell you that you must kill me, you
must immediately obey. If you hesitate, you will be untrue to your
Faith. You must not go to him unless he invites you. You must give
up your own wishes and desires, and follow his plans and his
commands. You must act in such a way that I will be proud of you.’
Then, Mullá Ḥusayn took about a hundred of his men to meet
Quddús. In the hands of each man he put two candles, and they
went out into the night. What a joy for them to see their beloved
Quddús! Still holding their candles, they followed their new leader
back to the fort, singing the hymn, ‘Holy, holy, the Lord our God,
the Lord of the angels and the spirit!’ And ‘quddús’ means ‘holy’.
As Quddús climbed off his horse at Shaykh Ṭabarsí, his first
question was about Bahá’u’lláh. Mullá Ḥusayn told him that, if
God willed, Bahá’u’lláh would visit the fort again. Quddús then
asked how many men were in the fort. According to a Muslim
tradition, there should have been three hundred and thirteen to
fulfil an ancient prophecy about the New Day. One by one, Mullá
Ḥusayn counted the men as they walked through the gate of the
fort. In all, he counted three hundred and twelve. As he left the gate
to report the number to Quddús, a young man suddenly rushed into
the fort. He had run all the way from Bárfurúsh so he could join the
men at the fort, and give his life for the beloved Báb. When Mullá
Ḥusayn told Quddús that there were now three hundred and
thirteen, Quddús said, ‘Whatever the tongue of the Prophet of God
has spoken concerning the promised One must be fulfilled.’ In this
way, it would be proved that the New Day had come and the people
would recognize the truth.
The leadership which Quddús gave to the men at Shaykh Ṭabarsí
was a spiritual leadership. One of the most interesting things about
the Bábís in the fort is that they were not fighters or soldiers trained
in warfare. Most of them were students and teachers, and men of
gentle occupation. They were intelligent men who had studied the
Qur’án. They got their strength from the spirit and not from their
muscles. What they were hungry for was more spiritual under-
standing of this New Day. Therefore, Quddús was the perfect man
to be in the fort to give them new life at every turn. He was a scholar.
When he arrived at the fort, he gave Mullá Ḥusayn some talks he
had written down, and asked that they be read aloud to the believers.
One was all about the Báb, the second was about Bahá’u’lláh, and the
third about Ṭáhirih. Some wondered why Quddús had written such
wonderful things about Bahá’u’lláh, because they didn’t know at that
time how important Bahá’u’lláh was. When Quddús was told this,
he said they would understand in due time, if God willed it.
Quddús had also been writing a beautiful explanation of part of
the Qur’án. In spite of all the difficulties, he completed it while in
the fort, and the Bábís were thrilled with its power. It was six times
as long as the Qur’án.
For a time every morning and every afternoon during those days,
Quddús would ask Mullá Ḥusayn and some of his other companions
to chant to him the Writings of the Báb. Quddús would seat himself
in an open square next to the fort, and with his friends sitting
around him, lie would listen to the words of his beloved Master.
Even while the battles were raging around him, he always spent this
time listening to the words of the Báb. Completely calm, he would let
the bullets fall anywhere they wanted to. He would only pray, ‘I
glory in that I was the first to suffer for Thy sake in Shíráz. I long to
be the first to suffer in Thy path a death that shall be worthy of Thy
Cause.’
That is the kind of knowledge and the kind of faith which Quddús
had. When his companions saw his courage and listened to his
wisdom, their faith became stronger, they themselves became more
brave. At first they had thought that Mullá Ḥusayn showed so much
attention to Quddús because the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh had told him
that Quddús must be there. But gradually, they came to love
Quddús so much themselves that they gave their hearts to him as
completely as they had to Mullá Ḥusayn.
Day after day the enemy attacked the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí. Each
time the Bábís would raise the cry of ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’* and
they would ride out to the battle. Although the Bábís were small in
number, untrained in the ways of making war, and often hungry
because of lack of food, they always beat off the armies attacking
them. Quddús and Mullá Ḥusayn would ride ahead of the others,
and they showed so much courage that the others fought bravely
behind and beside them.
One day the enemy cut off their supply of water. Anyone who left
the fort to fetch water would surely be killed. Quddús therefore
ordered his men not to leave the fort. One of the men said to him,
‘Our bread has already been cut off by the enemy. What will happen
now if our water should be cut off as well?’
When asked this question, Quddús turned to Mullá Ḥusayn and
said, ‘God willing, this very night we shall have a downpour of rain,
followed by a heavy fall of snow. This will help us turn back the
attack they are planning.’
That very night so much rain fell at the Fort and around it that
much of the ammunition of the enemy was completely ruined, and
the Bábís had enough water to last many, many weeks. The next
night there was a very heavy snowfall and Quddús said to the man
who had complained, ‘Praise be to God Who has answered our
prayer and caused both rain and snow to fall upon our enemies. It
has brought trouble to them and refreshment to our fort.’
The attacks of the enemy continued, however, and so Quddús
ordered a moat (a deep wide ditch) to be dug around the fort as a
further protection. For nineteen days they worked hard digging the
moat, and then it was finished. Soon after, the enemy sent a large
army against the fort. This time the army was headed by Prince
Mihdí-Qulí Mírzá. The Prince camped on a hill above the fort, and
* O Lord of the Age.
ordered his soldiers to fire in that direction. It was not yet daybreak,
when Quddús gave the signal, ‘Mount your steeds, O heroes of
God!’ and the gates of the fort were thrown open. Two hundred
and two men on horses followed Quddús and Muller Ḥusayn in the
direction of the army. Although the army had many more men than
the two hundred and two Bábís, the Bábís rode through it as though
there were no army there. They rode right up to the headquarters
of the Prince, and into his private rooms. The Prince was so surprised
and so afraid that he threw himself out the back window of his
room, and ran away without even stopping to put on his shoes.
As the Bábís went through the headquarters of the Prince, they
found boxes filled with gold and silver and many expensive things.
But they refused to touch any of it, except a pot of gunpowder, and
the favourite sword of the Prince. After the battle, they all gathered
around Quddús while Mullá Ḥusayn kept watch. Suddenly, the
army attacked again. Quddús was hit in the mouth by a bullet. It
knocked out several of his teeth and wounded his tongue and throat.
He was unable to speak. When Muller Ḥusayn saw blood dripping
from Quddús’ mouth, he was horrified, and was about to beat
himself on the head, but Quddús stopped him in time. Then Muller
Ḥusayn took both the sword of Quddús and the favourite sword of
the Prince, and went after the army himself. The whole army quickly
turned around and ran the other way.
With pain and regret, they carried Quddús back to the fort.
Everyone was sad because he had been hurt. When he saw that they
were sad, Quddús took a piece of paper and wrote on it, because he
could not speak. He wrote on the paper, ‘We should accept the will
of God. We should stand firm and steadfast in the hour of trial. …
Although my body is in pain, my soul is happy. I am so thankful to
God. If you love me, do not be sad, for that will sadden me too.’ This
is how Quddús taught the Bábís to be happy while serving God, no
matter how much pain it causes.
Soon Quddús recovered, but he was unable to help during the next
attack on the fort a few days later. Mullá Ḥusayn, therefore, had to
lead the men by himself. He knew it was his last battle. As he rode
out of the fort with his men behind him, they shouted again, ‘Yá
Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’, but during the fighting, Mullá Ḥusayn’s horse
got caught in a rope, and he was shot in the chest. A few hours later
he died, but before he died, he was carried back to the fort, and a
wonderful thing happened.
As soon as Mullá Ḥusayn was brought to his room, Quddús
ordered the rest of the men to leave. He said to them, ‘Leave me
alone with him. There are certain things which I want only him to
know.’ Everyone left Mullá Ḥusayn and Quddús alone in his room,
but they stood outside the door and waited. One of the men was
looking through a crack in the door, and heard Quddús call Mullá
Ḥusayn’s name. He was surprised to see Mullá Ḥusayn rise up and
seat himself on his knees in front of Quddús in his usual manner.
With his head lowered and his eyes down, Mullá Ḥusayn listened to
every word Quddús said. The man heard Quddús say to Mullá
Ḥusayn, ‘You have hurried to leave this world, and you are leaving
me to face the enemy. If it pleases God, I will join you in a short
time, and I shall also taste the sweetness of being in heaven.’
For two hours, Mullá Ḥusayn and Quddús conversed with each
other, but no one knows what they said. After a long time, Quddús
opened the door to his companions and said, ‘I have said my last
goodbye to Mullá Ḥusayn. I have told him many things which I
could not tell him before.’ When they went to where Mullá Ḥusayn
lay, he was dead. But there was a little smile still on his face, and lie
looked so peaceful it seemed as though he had only fallen asleep.
Quddús himself took care of Mullá Ḥusayn’s body. He put his
own shirt on Mullá, Ḥusayn and gave the order for him to be buried
to the south of, and next to, the Shrine of Shaykh Ṭabarsí. Quddús’
last words before Mullá Ḥusayn was buried were these: ‘Well is it
with you to have remained to your last hour faithful to the Covenant
of God. I pray God that there will never be a division between you
and me.’ He then kissed the eyes and the forehead of Mullá Ḥusayn,
and himself laid the body in the grave. Then he told everyone
standing near that they must keep secret the place where Mullá
Ḥusayn was buried. He then commanded that the thirty-six men
who had been martyred that day be buried on the north side of the
Shrine—all in one grave. And his final word to them was: ‘Let the
loved ones of God learn from the example of these martyrs of our
Faith. Let them be and remain as united in life as these are now in
death.’
No less than ninety of the companions of Quddús were wounded
on that night, most of whom died as a result. Quddús had Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir take Mullá Ḥusayn’s place as organizer of the
men. Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir was the man who had built the
Fort and the Bábíyyih so well.
So badly was the enemy beaten that night that it was forty-five
days before they could make another attack. During this time, how-
ever, the Bábís were not allowed out of the fort to get any food.
They even ground up bones to make some flour and cooked Mullá
Ḥusayn’s horse for meat. When this was finished and the men came
near to starving again, Quddús had Mírzá, Muḥammad-Báqir
distribute the last of the rice amongst the men. When everyone had
received his share, Quddús said, ‘Whoever feels himself strong
enough to stand the troubles soon to come may remain with us in this
fort. If any one amongst you has the slightest fear, he must leave here
at once. Soon the enemy will strike us again, and this time there will
be no way for anyone to escape the coming hardships.’
That very night one of the men in the fort betrayed his friends and
sent the news to ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán, the officer in charge of the
enemy’s army, that Mullá Ḥusayn had been killed, as well as many
others. He urged ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán to attack the Bábís now, while
they were hungry and going through these terrible tests. When
‘Abbás-Qulí Khán heard the news that Mullá Ḥusayn had been
killed, he was overjoyed. He was sure that now he would have no
trouble in capturing the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí and getting a
promotion from the Sháh for his good work. He killed the messenger
who had brought him the news, and prepared to make another attack.
On the day of the attack, he marched with two regiments of men
toward the fort. Quddús saw them coming and said to Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir, ‘Take eighteen men beside yourself, and march
out to meet these two regiments. Teach ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán that,
although Mullá Ḥusayn is no longer with us, God’s power still gives
his friends strength to overcome the enemy.’
Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir quickly chose eighteen of his men, and
as they rode out of the fort shouting ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’, the whole
army ran for their lives. They rushed all the way to Bárfurúsh before
stopping. ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán was so shaken with fear that he fell off
his horse, leaving one of his boots still in the stirrup. With only one
boot on, he ran off, following the army which was running away
even faster than he was.
And so it happened that nineteen men won over a whole army,
through the help and protection of God. This victory was a great
relief for the Bábís. It reminded them once more of the power of God,
and it gave them a feeling of unity which they had not had since the
death of Mullá Ḥusayn. Once again, however, they were running out
of food. They pulled some dead horses off the battlefield and cooked
their meat.
There was one cow left in the fort, but the man in charge of the
caw would not kill it. He used the milk every day to make a pudding
for Quddús. As the men became more and more hungry, however,
Quddús could no longer eat more than a few teaspoonfuls of the
dish, and then he would always give the rest of it to the men. ‘I have
stopped enjoying food,’ he would say, ‘since Mullá Ḥusayn has left
us. My heart bleeds when I see my hungry companions around me.’
In spite of his sadness, however, he would always continue to write
his explanation of the Qur’án, and encourage his men to be brave
and patient to the very end.
One man, Mullá Mírzá Muḥammad, tells this story about Quddús
and those days in the fort: ‘God knows’, he said, ‘that although we
were hungry, we no longer thought about food. Our thoughts were
no longer about our daily bread. We were so carried away by the
words which Quddús would read and say to us that we wouldn’t
even be tired. We could have gone on like that for years. Nothing
could make us unhappy. Whenever the lack of food made us lose
our strength, Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir would hurry to Quddús.
Quddús would then walk amongst us, say a few words to each of us,
and our spirits would return with great joy. We only needed to see
his face, and we would feel ourselves so strong that, if the enemy
were to attack us at that moment, we would feel ourselves ready to
rush into the battle and win another victory.’
While their enemies were getting ready for another attack, the
Bábís went on with their lives inside the fort, happily preparing
for the coming of Naw-Rúz.* During Naw-Rúz of that year (1849),
they sang praises to God with the hymn ‘Holy, holy, the Lord our
God, the Lord of the angels and the spirit.’ They sang songs and
were happy. They thanked God for the many blessings which the
Almighty had given to them. Nothing could stop their happiness at
being in the presence of Quddús and serving God as His heroes.
On the very day of Naw-Rúz, Quddús wrote a message to his
companions in which he said that the time was now coming when
many of them would be martyred for the Cause. On the ninth day
after Naw-Rúz, four armies started to fire their guns on the little
fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí. When the guns began to sound, Quddús
came out of his room and walked to the centre of the fort. His face
was filled with smiles, and he had never appeared to be so calm. As
he was walking across the floor, a cannon-ball suddenly fell before
him. He calmly rolled it over with his foot, and said, ‘How little
these enemies realize the power of God! Have they forgotten that
God can do anything He wants? Do they try to frighten the heroes
of God—these heroes who care nothing for royalty or honour or
earthly reward?’
* New Year in Írán.
He then turned to his men and said these wonderful words: ‘Do
not be afraid of anything which comes from the enemy. You are the
ones whom Muḥammad spoke about in the Qur’án when He said:
“Oh, how I long to behold the countenance of my brethren; my
brethren who will appear in the end of the world! Blessed are we,
blessed are they; greater is their blessedness than ours.” You must
not be afraid today, or you will lose the honour Muḥammad has
given you. Each one of you has his own time when he will die. When
that time comes, nothing and no one can change it. No matter how
anyone tries, he can never make your life shorter or longer than it is
meant to be. Only God knows, and we must abide by His plan. If you
should become afraid for one moment of the booming of these guns
which will continue to fire on this fort, you will lose the protection of
God.’
Although the men were becoming more and more thirsty and
hungry, this speech put new life into their hearts. They prepared
themselves for the new attack. As the shells fell inside the fort during
the next few days, the Bábís chanted the verses of the Qur’án so
loudly that the army could hear them outside. The Prince was
surprised that they did not give up and surrender. Instead, the Bábís
sang hymns and prayed.
Finally, Ja‘far-Qulí Khán, the leader of one of the four armies,
built a high tower and put his cannon on top of it, so he could fire
it right inside the fort. When Quddús saw the tower being built, he
said to Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir, ‘Go out and give this new general
a severe beating as you did ‘Abbás-Qulí Khán. Let him know that
God’s lion-hearted warriors, even when they are tired and hungry,
can show such great strength that only God could have given them.
Let him know that the more hungry they become, the more harm
they will do the enemy.’
Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir again rode out of the fort with eighteen
men. So fiercely did they raise the cry of ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’ that
the enemy panicked. Ja‘far-Qulí Khán and thirty of his men fell
before the swords of the ‘Bábís, and the guns on their tower were
thrown to the ground. Then the Bábís started to break down the
walls the enemy had built, but darkness came, and it was wise to
return inside the fort. None of the Bábís was hurt in this battle.
Instead, they brought back with them into the fort a number of the
enemy’s strongest and best-fed horses.
Shortly after this attack, there was an explosion in the enemy’s
camp, which killed several of their officers and men. Because of this
there was no further attack on the Bábís for a whole month. During
this time, Quddús gave permission for the men to go outside the fort
and gather all the grass they could find. This grass they boiled and
made into soup. It was the only food that they had left. Quddús
spent more and more of his time talking with the men, giving them
words of cheer and helping to make their hearts lighter.
After a month, the cannons started firing again. This time the
army was also storming the fort, so Quddús sent Mírzá Muḥammad-
Báqir into battle with thirty-six men instead of only eighteen. As he
sent them out to fight, these were the words he spoke, ‘Never since
we came into this fort have we started any of the battles we have
fought. Only after they have attacked us, have we gone out to defend
ourselves. If we had wanted to wage a holy war against them, if we
had wanted to bring people into our Faith through the power of
force, we could easily have done so. By now we could have stirred up
all the peoples of the world and prepared them to accept our
Message. Such is not the way, however, which we have chosen to
follow. Our only way of converting the people is by showing them
our faith, our good deeds, and our willingness to die in the path of
our Faith. The hour is fast approaching when we shall be able to
complete this task.’
Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir jumped on his horse, and followed by
the thirty-six men, raised the cry of ‘Yá Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán!’ The
Bábís rode forward into the army, and five of them were killed in the
lighting. The enemy gave up the fight, however, and ran away,
leaving their flag on the ground behind them. The Bábís returned to
the fort with the five martyrs, who were all buried in one grave
beside the others who had been killed in other battles. Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir gave the flag to Quddús.
For several days, all was quiet. Then the Prince sent a message to
Quddús that he wanted to stop the fighting and make peace. Quddús
sent two men to represent him at the Prince’s headquarters. The
Prince received them courteously, and offered them some tea which
they refused, because they did not wish to have more food or drink
than the men in the fort. They did not wish to suffer any less than the
other men. Then the Prince said, ‘The fighting between us has been
going on too long. On both sides we have fought long and hard. It is
enough: let us find a way to settle our differences. With these words,
he took his Holy Qur’án and wrote the following words on one of the
pages, ‘I swear by this most holy Book, by the righteousness of God
who has revealed it, that I have no other purpose than to bring about
peace and friendliness between us. Come out of your fort and be sure
that no one will hurt you. You, yourself, and your companions, I
solemnly declare, are under the protection of the Almighty, of
Muḥammad His Prophet, and of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh, our King. I
promise that no man, either in the army or in the neighbourhood,
will ever attack you. May God damn me forever, if I have any other
wish than the one I have stated!’ He then put his seal on the state-
ment, gave the Qur’án to the men, and told them to give his best
greetings to Quddús. Then, he added, ‘This very afternoon, I will
send a number of horses to the gate of the fort which I hope Quddús
and his companions will use to ride to my camp. I shall put up a
special tent for them to use, and they will be my guests until I can
arrange for them to return to their homes, at my expense.’
When the men gave the Qur’án to Quddús, he kissed it reverently
and said, ‘O our Lord, decide between us and between our people
with truth, for the best to decide art Thou.’ Immediately after that,
he told his companions that they must prepare to leave the fort.
‘We shall accept the Prince’s invitation,’ he said, ‘so they can show
if they are sincere.’
At the appointed hour, the horses arrived. Quddús put on the
green turban given to him by the Báb, and he and his companions
left the fort carrying all that was left of their arms and belongings.
They were taken to the tent, and soon after they arrived Quddús
said to his men, ‘From now on, you must accept whatever happens
in the name of God. You must not let anything happen to spoil the
good name you have had up until now. Pray to the Almighty that He
will help you to be faithful to Him, even to your last hour.’
A few hours after sunset they were served a poor and small meal
furnished by the Prince. Quddús, and nine of his men who were with
him in his private tent, refused to eat it. The next morning the Prince
sent for Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir to come to him. Quddús told him
to go, and report what happened when he returned. Mírzá
Muḥammad-Báqir met the Prince and received another promise
that none of the men would be hurt. A plan was also made to furnish
a horse for each of Quddús’ men as far as the town of Sang-Sar. Then,
they would be permitted to leave for their homes, wherever they
were.
When Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir returned to Quddús, he said,
‘I believe that what his tongue says, his heart does not believe.’
Quddús agreed.
Quddús then went to his companions and told them they must not
wait for their horses the next day. They must leave for their homes
that very night. He, himself, was soon to go to Bárfurúsh. They
begged him not to leave them, but he said, ‘Do not cry. We shall
soon be together again—this time never to part. We have given our
Cause into the care of God. Whatever is His will, we will joyously
accept.’ Again, he told them to leave for their homes that very night.
It was still morning, so Quddús returned to his tent. Very soon he
received orders from the Prince to report to him. When he arrived at
the tent, Quddús became a prisoner of the Prince, and he was unable
to speak again to his men. The Prince then sent a message to Quddús’
men that Quddús wanted them to join him at the army head-
quarters. Some of the men believed the message, and when they
arrived at the headquarters they were captured, and later sold as
slaves. These few men are almost the only ones who lived to tell the
rest of the world what happened in the Fort at Shaykh Ṭabarsí.
Almost all the rest of the men were killed. First, some of the
Prince’s men forced Mullá Yúsuf, one of Quddús’ most trusted men,
to go to the Bábís and tell them that Quddús wanted them to give
up their guns. After giving him his instructions, the men asked
Mullá Yúsuf what he was going to tell the Bábís. He answered, ‘I
shall tell them what you told me to tell them, and then I shall say,
“It is nothing but a lie”!’ Almost before these words were finished,
he was killed.
Next, the army turned its attention to the Fort. They turned their
guns on it and completely destroyed it. They even burned every part
of it, and made the ground completely level around the Shrine, so it
would look as though nothing had ever happened there.
And finally, after the Bábís had no fort to protect themselves with,
the armies attacked them in their tents and killed almost every man.
Even as they died they sang the hymn they had sung so very often,
‘Holy, holy, O Lord our God, Lord of the angels and the spirit.’ A
few men were taken as captives and three men were saved by the
Prince, because they were very famous in Írán. If they had been
killed, the Prince would have been very unpopular with the people.
The captives were then tortured for fun by the Prince’s men. A few
were cut to pieces with knives, others were pulled apart, a number
were tied to trees and filled with bullets, and still others were blown
from the mouths of cannons. The whole world marvelled at their
sacrifices, and today we wonder how they were able to do it.
As soon as all these men were killed, the Prince took Quddús to his
home town of Bárfurúsh. There the Prince was welcomed by the
Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’, the Chief of the Muslim religion in that town. All
the clergy came out to welcome the Prince. The people had hung
flags across the streets and made big fires at night to celebrate the
victory over the Bábís. For three days the Prince said nothing to
anyone about what he intended to do with Quddús. He was afraid
to do anything to him, himself. His plan was to take Quddús to
Ṭihrán and hand him over to the Sháh, and let the Sháh decide
what should be done. But the Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ had other plans. He
had hated Mullá Ḥusayn, and now he hated Quddús. When he
discovered the Prince’s plans, he argued and argued with him against
the idea. When he found that the Prince would not give in, he called
everyone to the mosque. The Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ called upon the
people of Bárfurúsh to help him prove to the Prince that he must not
take Quddús to the Sháh. He said to them, swear before God that
I will take neither food nor sleep until I am able to end the life of
this man Quddús with my own hands.’
When the Prince learned that the people of Bárfurúsh were against
him, he became afraid for his own life. Therefore, he called a meeting
of all the priests of Bárfurúsh, so they could decide together what they
should do. As soon as the priests were gathered together, the Prince
gave orders for Quddús to be brought into their presence. When
Quddús appeared, the Prince invited him to be seated beside
himself. Then the Prince turned to the Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ and said,
‘Your discussions of this problem must be based on the Qur’án and
the sayings of Muḥammad. Only in this way can you decide what is
true and what is false.’
The Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ was the first to speak. He looked at Quddús’
green turban, and said, ‘Why are you wearing a green turban?
Don’t you know that only a true descendant of the Prophet
Muḥammad can wear a green turban? Anyone else who does so is
damned by God.’
Quddús calmly replied, ‘Was Siyyid Murtaḍá, whom all the
priests praise and admire, a descendant of the Prophet through his
father or his mother?’
One of the priests immediately said, ‘Through his mother only.’
‘Then’, said Quddús, ‘why do you object to me? My mother was
always recognized by the people of this town as a direct descendant
of the Imám Ḥasan. Does this not make her a descendant of the
Prophet Muḥammad? She was always honoured by every one of you
as such in the past.’
No one dared to argue with him. They all knew that what he said
was the truth. But that did not stop the Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’. He
became so angry at his priests because Quddús was more clever than
they, that he threw his turban on the ground and said, ‘This man
has succeeded in proving to you that he is a descendant of the Imam
Ḥasan. Soon he will prove to you that he is the Prophet of God
Himself!’
By now, the Prince had no more courage. Fearing for his own life,
he did something very much like what Pontius Pilate had done when
Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin, just before His crucifixion.
The Prince said to the priests, ‘I wash my hands of all responsibility
for what you do to this man. You are free to do what you like with
him. You will yourselves have to answer to God on the Day of
judgement.’
With these words, the Prince called for his horse and left for the
town of Sari. No sooner had the Prince left the meeting than the
Sa‘idu’l-‘Ulamá’ gave orders for Quddús to be put to death in a way
which was even worse than the death of Jesus.
First, Quddús was stripped of his clothes, and his green turban
given to him by the Báb was dirtied in the mud. Next, he was led
through the streets barefooted, bareheaded, loaded with chains, with
all the people of the town following him and spitting upon him. The
worst women of the town then attacked him with knives and axes.
While all this was happening to Quddús, he whispered his forgive-
ness to the people: ‘Forgive them, O my God’, he cried. ‘Show them
Thy mercy, for they do not know what we have already learned and
love. I have tried to show them the path that leads to their salvation;
but see how they have risen to kill me! Show them, O God, the way
of Truth, and turn their ignorance into faith.’ His last words were:
‘Would that my mother were with me, and could see with her own
eyes the glory of my wedding!’
No sooner had he said these words than he was torn to pieces and
thrown into the fire. In the middle of the night, a friend went to the
place where he was burned, and gathered up the last few pieces of
his body which had not burned, and buried them not far from the
place where he was killed. So ended the life of the noble-hearted
Quddús.
So terrible was the way in which Quddús had been killed that
when the Báb heard the news in the castle of Chihríq where He was
in prison, He did not write for five whole months. His deep grief and
sadness caused the Pen of Revelation to stop.
Epilogue
First and most important of the martyrs of the Fort of Shaykh
Ṭabarsí was Quddús, whom the Báb called the ‘Last Name of God’.
Quddús, the eighteenth Letter of the Living, was the Báb’s chosen
companion on His pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, and was the
first to suffer persecution on Iranian soil for the Cause of God. He
was only eighteen years of age when he left his home town of
Bárfurúsh for Karbilá in ‘Iráq. For about four years he was a student
of Siyyid Káẓim, and at the age of twenty-two he met and recognized
the Báb in Shíráz. Five years later, on the 16th of May 1849, he was
killed by the people of his own town.
Both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh have written many Tablets and
prayers about Quddús, praising him for his services to the Faith.
Bahá’u’lláh even gave him the title the ‘Last Point’, which shows that
Bahá’u’lláh considered Quddús the most important Bábí next to the
the Báb Himself.
Sources
The following books were consulted in the writing of this story of Quddús:
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith (Wilmette, 1956)
H. M. Balyuzi, The Báb (Oxford, 1973)
Nabíl, The Dawn-Breakers (Wilmette, 1932)
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