# Babism

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: E. G. Browne, Babism, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Babism
> 
> E. G. Browne
> published in Religious Systems of the World: A Contribution to the Study of Comparative Religion pp. 333-353
> 
> London: Swann Sonnenschein, 1890/1901
> 
> 1. Text (see PDF below)
> 
> p. 333
> 
> The religious system which we are about to consider is
> deserving of an attentive examination for several reasons. It is no mere
> local superstition confined to a few families or tribes; neither is it a
> national religion, whereof the origin is lost in the mists of antiquity; nor yet
> is it a scheme of philosophy born in the sanctum of the student, and
> moving in a sphere of abstract thought far remote from the active world.
> Seventy years ago [1820] its founder
> was an infant only a few months old; fifty years ago [1840] his summons was yet unspoken and his doctrine yet
> unformed; forty years ago [1850] he
> terminated a prophet's life with a martyrs death, leaving behind him as his
> legacy to mankind a faith which now numbers its adherents not by
> hundreds but by thousands, which reckons its martyrs not by scores but
> by hundreds, and which, whatever its actual destiny may be, is of that
> stuff whereof world-religions are made. And to this rank does it lay claim,
> demanding nothing less than universal acceptance and undisputed sway,
> not only in Persia, where it was first preached and where it underwent
> that baptism of blood which was the terror and wonder even of those
> who proscribed and persecuted it, but throughout the whole world. A
> mighty claim indeed, but a claim which, if devotion even unto death and
> fervour which neither fire nor sword can quell go for aught, has at least
> established its right to be heard.
> 
> Before proceeding further in the examination of the history and
> doctrine of this new world-religion, it is necessary to glance briefly at the
> spiritual condition of the country which gave it birth. Persia, it is almost
> needless to state is a Muhammadan country. Other religions are, indeed,
> represented: there are a good many native Christians, either Armenians
> or Syrians; there are a considerable number of Jews; and there are a
> remnant who still, after the lapse of twelve centuries, hold firm to the
> fallen faith of Zoroaster. Relatively to the sum-total of the population,
> however, these are a mere handful, and the nation as such is a
> Muhammadan nation. But the Muhammadanism of Persia is a very
> different thing from that which prevails elsewhere. The Roman Catholic
> differs less from the Protestant than does the Persian Shí'ite
> from the Turkish or Egyptian Sunní. It is neither necessary nor
> possible to consider here in detail all these differences; one feature only
> of Shí'ite belief - the doctrine of the Imámate - demands
> notice. To the Sunní, the caliph, or visible head of the
> Muhammadan Church, is nothing more than a defender of the faith,
> elected by the suffrage of the majority for the safe-guarding of the
> temporal and spiritual interests of
> 
> p. 334
> 
> Islám. His appointment is human rather than divine, and his
> function is that of an administrator of the laws rather than that of a
> prophet or inspired teacher. Not so does the Shi'ite regard the
> Imáms, whom he recognises as the sole successors of the
> prophet. The Imám is divinely called to his lofty office; with his
> selection and appointment the choice of men has nothing to do; he is
> endowed with supernatural powers and virtues; his decision is in all things
> absolutely authoritative; and, in a word, he is an open channel of grace
> between God and mankind. Abú Bekr, 'Umar and
> 'Othmán, the first three caliphs of the Sunnís, are in the
> eyes of the Shi'ites detestable usurpers, who snatched from 'Ali, the
> lawful Imám, a power to which they had no right and a position
> which they were not qualified to hold. They, and the Ommayad and
> 'Abbásid caliphs, who persecuted and slew the lawful
> Imáms of the family of 'Ali whom they had first despoiled and
> disputed, are solemnly cursed bye every true Shi'ite. The Imáms
> of the race of 'Ali are, on the other hand, loved, revered, almost adored;
> they are given a rank hardly inferior to that of the prophet himself, nay,
> hardly short of divinity; and the well-being of mankind is made dependent
> on their existence.
> 
> These Imáms were twelve in number. The eleventh,
> Hasan 'Askarí, died in the year A.D. 874, and was succeeded by
> his son, who is generally known as the "Imám Mahdí,"
> "the Proof," or "the Absent Imám." This Imám
> Mahdí was from the first involved in mystery, and communicated
> with his followers only indirectly through certain chosen and trusty
> representatives, who were called "Gates" or "Doors" (Abwáb,
> pl. of Báb). Of these "Gates" or
> "Bábs" there were four successively. When the last of
> them died, no one was appointed to succeed him, and then began that
> period of the "Greater Occultation," in which, as the Shi'ites believe, we
> now are. But the Imám Mahdí though no longer
> accessible to his Church did not die. He disappeared from the eyes of
> men in the year A.H. 329 (A.D. 940-941), but he still lives, hidden in the
> mysterious city of Jábulká, whence, in the fullness of
> time, when faith waxes weakest and the world is full of woe and
> oppression, he will issue forth to restore the true religion, fill the earth
> with justice, and inaugurate the millennium. For this long-expected day do
> all Shi'ites wait and watch eagerly and anxiously, and ever when they
> mention the sacred name of the Imám they add thereto the
> prayer, "May God hasten his glad advent!"
> 
> It is in the year A.H. 1260 (A.D. 1844), exactly one thousand
> years after the Imám Mahdí's first retirement into
> seclusion, or "Lesser Occultation," that the history of the religion which
> we are about to consider properly begins. Before we proceed to speak of
> this, however, let us glance briefly at the meagre details which have
> reached us of the early life of its founder. Mirzá 'Alí
> Muhammad, afterwards known as the Báb or "Gate"
> (from which title his followers derive the name of
> Bábí which they bear), was born at
> Shíraz in southern Persia on October 9th, A.D. 1820. His father,
> Mírzá Rizá, was by trade a cloth seller; but,
> though in comparatively humble
> 
> p. 335
> 
> circumstances, he enjoyed that respect which is almost invariably
> accorded in Persia to a seyyid, or reputed descendent of the
> prophet. Mírzá 'Alí Muhammad was in the
> ordinary course of things sent to school, but he seems not to have
> remained there long. His removal thence may have been occasioned by
> the cruelty of his teacher, at whose hands he seems to have suffered
> much. He never forgot the unhappiness of his childhood, and when in
> later days he was framing the ordinances of his religion, he insisted most
> strenuously on the duty of treating children with the utmost tenderness
> and consideration, enacting heavy fines against such as should cruelly
> beat or ill-use them. "The object of these commands," he says, "is that
> men may not bring sorrow on that Spirit from the ocean of whose bounty
> they enjoy existence; for the teacher knoweth not Him who is his own
> and all men's teacher."
> 
> On his removal from school Mírzá 'Alí
> Muhammad was for a while engaged in helping his father
> Mírzá Rizá in his business. He was still but a
> boy, however, when his father died. and thenceforth he was taken under
> the care of his maternal uncle, Háji Seyyid 'Alí. After a
> while, but at what precise date we cannot say, he left
> Shíráz and took up abode at Bushire on the Persian Gulf,
> where he still carried on the trade for which he was destined. So far
> there was nothing specially noticeable in him save a gravity unusual at his
> years, a remarkable purity of life, a somewhat dreamy temperament, an a
> sweetness of manner which attracted all with whom he came in contact.
> At the age of twenty-two he married, and by this marriage he had one
> son named Ahmad, who died in infancy.
> 
> About this time, there dwelt and taught at Kerbelá, a spot
> most hallowed in the eyes of every Persian Shi'ite by reason of the
> martyrdom of Huseyn, the third Imám, which there took place, a
> certain Hájí Seyyid Kázim of Resht, the disciple
> and successor of Sheykh Ahmad of Ahsá, who had founded a
> new school or sect called after him Sheykhís. Of the
> Sheykhís' doctrine the most notable feature was the extreme
> veneration - remarkable even amongst the Shi'ites - in which they held
> the Imáms, and the eagerness wherewith they awaited the
> advent of the Twelfth Imám or Imám Mahdí.
> One day the circle of those who sat at the feet of Seyyid Kázim
> was augmented by a fresh arrival. The new comer, who took his seat
> modestly by the door in the lowest place, was none other than
> Mírzá 'Alí Muhammad, who, impelled by a pious
> desire to visit the Holy Shrines, had left his business at Bushire to come to
> Kerbelá. During the next few months the face of the young
> Shírází became familiar to all the disciples of
> Seyyid Kázim, and the teacher himself did not fail to notice and
> appreciate the earnest but modest demeanour of the youthful stranger.
> Then all of a sudden Mírzá 'Alí Muhammad
> departed as unexpectedly as he had come, and once more returned to
> Shíráz, his native city. Not long after this Seyyid
> Kázim died without nominating any successor. To some of his
> disciples whom he had seem weeping over his approaching death he had
> said, "Do you not then desire that I should go, so that the
> 
> p. 336
> 
> Truth may become manifest?" How this Truth should be revealed
> was a matter whereat he had but darkly hinted, and so it was that his
> disciples, distressed and doubtful, met together after his death to fast and
> pray. Then they dispersed, each in his own way, to seek what they
> desired and await what they expected.
> 
> Amongst these disciples was one, Mullá Huseyn by name, of
> Bushraweyh in Khurásán, who had enjoyed a special
> intimacy with the departed teacher, and who had been regarded by many
> as likely to succeed him. On the dispersal of the Sheykhís to
> which I have just alluded, this Mullá Huseyn went to
> Shíráz, and on his arrival there he remembered that
> Mírzá 'Alí Muhammad, his former fellow-
> student, dwelt in this city. Anxious to renew his acquaintance with one
> whose amiable disposition had exercised over him a singular charm, he
> inquired after and soon discovered the man in person, and when the first
> greetings were over the two fell to talking of Seyyid Kázim and
> his recent death. At first it was Mullá Huseyn who spoke,
> detailing the events of Seyyid Kázím's last days, and the
> hopes and fears which occupied the minds of his followers. But soon it
> was Mullá Huseyn's turn to listen in amazement to a declaration
> which Mírzá' Alí Muhammad now for the first
> time made, to wit, that he himself was the promised guide and teacher,
> the "Truth" foretold by the departed Seyyid, the channel of a new
> outpouring of Divine Grace; in a word, the Báb or Gate
> whereby men might once again commune with the Imám from
> whom for a thousand years they had been separated. The amazement
> and incredulity which this declaration first evoked in Mullá
> Huseyn's mind was soon changed by further conversation with
> Mírzá 'Alí Muhammad (or to give him the title to
> which he had now laid claim, the Báb) into a belief whereof the
> sincerity was attested by every subsequent action of this first convert to
> the new faith.
> 
> In spite of the absence of many facilities of communication which we
> enjoy in Europe, news travels fast in the East; and no great while had
> elapsed since the "manifestation" (which took place on May 23rd, 1844)
> ere the Báb was surrounded by a considerable number of eager
> disciples. Amongst these were included many of the late Seyyid
> Kázím's followers, who, apprised by Mullá
> Husayn of what had taken place, hastened with all speed to
> Shíráz. The zeal of the little band of believers was great.
> In the circles of their own assemblies they read with eagerness and
> rapture the Commentary on the Súra of Joseph, the
> Ziyárat náma or "Book of Visitation," and the
> few other works which the Báb had then composed; while from
> time to time each one of them was privileged to listen to the words of the
> Master himself as he depicted in vivid language the worldliness and
> immorality of the mullás, or Muhammadan clergy, and the
> injustice and rapacity of the civil authorities, or spoke with a conviction
> which compelled belief of the era of justice and happiness now at hand
> and the certain triumph of the new truth which he was commissioned to
> 
> p. 337
> 
> proclaim. Already the Báb's fame was in every one's mouth
> and the Bábís were beginning to attract general attention
> (an attention which, in the case of the government authorities and the
> clergy, was largely mixed with suspicion and dislike), when the young
> prophet once more left Shíráz secretly, accompanied only
> by one intimate disciple, and set out to perform the pilgrimage to
> Mecca.
> 
> When the Báb returned from Mecca and again landed at
> Bushire, in August 1845, the complexion of affairs was considerably
> altered. On the one hand, his ideas had doubtless become more clearly
> defined; on the other hand, the government and the clergy had decided
> that this new movement was altogether dangerous to them and must at
> once be checked as sharply as possible. Accordingly, when some of the
> Báb's disciples, who had preceded him to Shíráz,
> entered the city, they were seized by the governor Husayn Khán,
> bastinadoed, and forbidden to preach. to ensure the effectiveness of this
> prohibition, one or two of them were hamstrung, so that they should be
> unable to quit their houses. Horsemen were also despatched to Bushire to
> arrest the Báb, who was brought in to Shíráz in
> the latter part of September, 1845. He was examined before the governor
> by some of the chief clergy, who declared him to be a heretic, and
> ordered that he should be punished with the bastinado and then confined
> in the house of 'Abdu'l-Hamíd Khán, the dár
> úghá, or chief constable. In spite of these measures,
> however, the new faith continued to spread rapidly, for many of the
> Báb's disciples were scattered throughout all parts of Persia
> engaged in teaching his doctrine, while those who remained in
> Shíráz did not fail to find means of approaching him even
> in his confinement. The chief constable, indeed, seems to have submitted
> to the charm of his prisoner's gentle and amiable manner, and, according
> to one of the Bábí historians, he was actually brought to
> believe in the divine mission of the captive, to whose prayers he
> considered himself indebted for the recovery of his son from a mortal
> sickness. At all events, when, in the spring of 1846, Manúchihr
> Khán, the governor of Isfahán, anxious to see one of
> whom he had heard so much, sent messengers to Shíráz
> to discover whether he could by any means deliver the Báb from
> his captivity and bring him to Isfahán, the chief constable
> connived at, if he did not actually assist, the escape of his prisoner, who at
> once set out in company with two of his disciples for the latter city, where
> he arrived about May, 1846.
> 
> For nearly a year the Báb remained at Isfahán, and
> during this period he enjoyed the last days of comparative peace and
> security allotted to him. He was under the protection of the most
> powerful nobles of the time, who was both able and willing to protect him
> from the malice of his enemies, amongst whom the clergy were most
> malignant. But early in 1847 his protector died, and Gurgín
> Khán, who succeeded to the government of Isfahán, not
> sharing the feelings of his predecessor, at once sent the Báb off
> under an armed escort to Teherán, that the then-reigning King
> Muhammad Sháh and his ill advised minister Hájí
> Mírzá Ákásí might deal
> 
> p. 338
> 
> with the reformer as they pleased. The King would seem to have
> desired to see the Báb; but the minister, fearful lest his sovereign
> should yield to the potent influence of the young prophet, vigorously
> combated this proposal, pointing out the impudence of allowing one whose
> doctrines had already made such progress amongst all classes to enter
> the capital and be seen by its inhabitants. The minister's advice finally
> prevailed, and orders were issued for the transference of the Báb
> to the remote frontier-fortress of Mákú, whereof the
> governor, 'Alí Khán, was a creature of the minister,
> wholly devoted to his interests. Thither accordingly was the Báb
> conveyed, but such was the sympathy of the people with him and their
> anxiety to behold him, that it was found necessary to avoid as much as
> possible all towns and large villages, and even amongst the escort
> appointed to guard him several conversations took place.
> 
> Soon after his arrival at Mákú, the Báb was
> summoned to Tabríz and again examined concerning his doctrine
> by a number of the chief clergy, presided over by the present Shah of
> Persia, then Crown-Prince. Concerning what passed there we have only
> the Muhammadan accounts; but even from these, partial and one-sided as
> they are, we can clearly perceive that, so far from there being any
> attempt at serious investigation, the proceedings were characterized
> throughout by the most shameful levity and unfairness. "If you are the
> 'Gate of Knowledge.'" they said to him, "you must of course be able to
> answer any questions we choose to ask you"; and thereupon they fell to
> interrogating him about the technicalities of medicine, grammar,
> philosophy, login and the like. To these senseless and insolent questions,
> the Báb, perceiving that he had been brought thither, not to be
> judged but to be mocked, returned no answer; and his persecutors,
> wearying of their sport, ordered him to be beaten and sent back to his
> prison at Mákú. significant of the sympathy towards him
> which animated the common people, is the fact that the priests could find
> no one willing to execute their mandate, and were finally compelled to
> inflict the punishment themselves.
> 
> So far from suffering himself to be discouraged by this harsh
> treatment, the Báb continued to write down and codify his
> doctrines and ordinances with unabated diligence. Two brothers, Siyyid
> Huseyn and Siyyid Hasan, of Yezd, shared his captivity. The former of
> these was continually occupied in transcribing and arranging his master's
> words; and, in spite of the strict injunctions of the Prime Minister, means
> were found to convey these precious writings into the hands of the
> faithful. The Báb's doctrines, too, underwent considerable
> development. He declared that he was not merely the "Gate"
> leading to the Imám Mahdi, but the Imám himself; that he
> was indeed the "Point" or Primal Truth once more revealed in
> man, and that what in previous revelations had been set forth darkly and
> in riddles he now proclaimed openly and without reserve. At the same
> time he claimed no finality for his revelation, declaring that after him one
> yet greater (whom he named "He whom God shall manifest")
> 
> p. 339
> 
> should appear for the perfecting of that which he had begun. In the
> books composed by the Báb at this time it is curious to perceive
> that his chief anxiety was not for his own fate, but for the reception
> which should be accorded by his followers to "Him whom God shall
> manifest." Again and again, almost in every page, he entreats these
> not to behave in the next manifestation as the Muhammadans have
> behaved in this, and to remember that no revelation is final, but only
> represents the measure of truth which the state of human progress has
> rendered mankind capable of receiving. For about six months the
> Báb remained at Mákú, and then the
> Government, perceiving that his disciples still succeeded in ganing access
> to him, transferred him to the closer imprisonment of Chihrík.
> Here is was only by means of letters concealed in walnuts, or sewn up in
> waterproof and sunk in milk, and the like, that correspondence between
> the Báb and his followers was any longer possible.
> 
> We must now leave the Báb for a while, and turn our
> attention tot he efforts of his disciples to spread the new faith, and the
> tragic events wherein these efforts culminated. Mullá Huseyn,
> whom I have already mentioned as the first to believe, was conspicuous,
> even amongst the devoted missionaries who went forth into every quarter
> of Persia, for his fiery energy and indomitable spirit. Night and day, now
> on Ispahán, now in Káshán, now in
> Teherán, now in Mash-had, was he occupied in persuading
> inquirers, confirming waverers, and encouraging the faithful. Weariness
> and despair were alike unknown to the ardent spirit which animated that
> fragile-looking frame. Expelled from Teherán, he went to Mash-
> had; arrested there by Hamzé Mírzá, one of the
> uncles of the present Sháh, he nevertheless succeeded in
> effecting his escape, and, in company with a small but ever-increasing
> band of followers, again set out westwards, intending, as it would appear,
> to proceed to Mákú and attempt to liberate the
> Báb. Now at length the enmity between the Muhammadans and
> the Bábís threatened to break out in open warfare, and at
> the village of Sháhrúd a serious collision seemed
> inevitable, when suddenly a messenger arrived announcing that
> Muhammad Sháh had breathed his last. This was in September,
> 1848.
> 
> When a king dies in Persia, a period of anarchy and lawlessness
> ensues, to which European countries are fortunately strangers. The local
> authorities, uncertain of the continued tenure of their offices, hasten to the
> capital to make favour with the new government, or else employ the days
> of disorder for their own ends. The mechanism of the State is for the
> time being unhinged and thrown out of gear, laws are practically
> suspended, plunder and rapine are rife, and life and property are
> imperilled. Such was the state of things which Mullá Huseyn was
> called upon to confront. It demanded all his judgement and all his
> energies; for if on the one hand there was a hope that the new
> government might prove more favourably disposed towards the
> Báb than its predecessor had been, there was on the other hand
> great immediate danger to be apprehended from the
> 
> p. 340
> 
> unrestrained lawlessness of the ill-disposed, from which almost ever
> check had for the present been removed. Mullá Huseyn
> accordingly pushed on rapidly to the village of Badasht, situated near the
> borders of the province of Mázandarán, and there
> effected a junction with another band of his co-religionists under the
> leadership of Mullá Muhammad `Alí of
> Bárfurúsh. Amongst these was one person so
> remarkable as to merit at least a passing notice.
> 
> Rarely indeed does it happen in a Muhammadan country that a
> woman attains distinction and fame. Yet if ever a woman deserved not
> fame only but immortality, that woman was Zarrín-
> Táj the daughter of Hájí Mullá
> Muhammad Sálih of Kazvín, better known by the name
> of Kurralu'l-`Ayn ("Freshness" or
> "Delight" of the Eyes"), which the
> Bábís bestowed on her. Endowed with rare beauty and
> yet rarer intellectual gifts, she was well versed in Arabic, the
> Kur'án, the traditions, and philosophy, besides which she was in
> her own language eloquent beyond measure, and a poetess of no mean
> order. Indescribably galling to such a woman must have been the
> condition of dependence and intellectual stagnation in which her sex are
> doomed by the ordinances of Islám to dwell; and it was probably
> on learning that the Báb sought amongst other social reforms to
> raise women to the rank of equality with men that she became first
> attracted towards his teaching. Once persuaded of its truth, she
> embraced the new doctrine with all the vehemence of an enthusiastic
> nature; and began, in spite of the violent opposition of here relatives
> (almost all of whom belonged to the clerical or priestly class), to profess
> and preach the Bábí faith. Compelled finally by
> circumstances which it would take too long to detail to fly from her native
> town of Kazvín, she now appears amongst the
> Bábís in council in Badasht.
> 
> It was decided that to this beautiful, courageous, and eloquent woman
> should be committed the task of encouraging the faithful and confirming
> the lukewarm by an address delivered from a rude pulpit, hastily
> constructed of stones and logs heaped together. Every other sound was
> hushed and every ear was strained as that clear sweet voice began to
> speak of the new dispensation inaugurated upon earth, of the reign of
> universal justice and love which was at hand, of the approaching downfall
> of tyranny, bigotry, and oppression. As she proceeded, exhorting them not
> to stand back at this most critical moment, not to allow a craven fear to
> keep them aloof from the glorious enterprise, not to fail in the coming
> struggle for faith and freedom, the silence was broken by sobs of
> heartfelt emotion and cries of "Ey Ján!"
> ("O my life!"), "Ey Táhira!"
> ("O pure one!"), "Kurbánat
> gardam!" ("May I be thy sacrifice!"), and the like.
> The most listless and apathetic were roused; the wavering became
> assured, strong men wept. No hesitation or half-heartedness now; all
> were resolved to stand firm even to the death, and their later deeds bore
> abundant testimony to the unshakeable firmness of their purpose. And
> now let Kurratu'l-`Ayn, having wrought her great work, depart for a
> while to
> 
> p. 341
> 
> wander in the highlands of Núr, and to be betrayed into the
> hands of her ruthless foes. We shall meet her once again on that terrible
> day in 1852 when the storm of fire and steel and tortures not to be
> described or imagined broke impotent against a courage and steadfast
> endurance which has made the very name of Bábí a
> word which no Persian can utter without a certain involuntary awe and
> admiration.
> 
> It would take far more time than we have at our disposal to follow in
> detail the occurrences of those eventful days. Let us therefore pass on
> quickly to the ultimate fate of Mullá Huseyn and his companions.
> Eight months or so have elapsed since the events above recorded, and it
> is now the summer of 1849. You must try to picture yourselves a flat
> fenny country covered with tall reeds and grasses or occasional swampy
> rice-fields, and sparingly traversed by narrow, muddy paths. To the north,
> dim and grey, lies the Caspian Sea. To the south, fen passes gradually
> into forest, which slopes upwards towards the vast black wall formed by
> the Elburz mountains. Just where the fens end and the forest begins,
> isolated amidst swamps and thickets, stands the tomb of Sheykh
> Tarbarsí, a holy man of bygone days. The little building which
> marks the site of the tomb stands in the midst of a grassy sward about
> 100 yards long and 70 yards wide. This enclosure contains a few wild
> pomegranate trees, and is surrounded by rude earthworks and palisades.
> These, as well as the buildings of the shrine, are riddled with shot and
> stained with gore, while the grassy sward is marked with many a freshly-
> made grave. The forms of men emaciated to skeletons with drawn faces
> and sunken eyes (wherein nevertheless still glows the light of an
> enthusiasm which neither privation nor suffering can quench) pass
> occasionally across the enclosure. These are the remnants of the
> Bábís whom we last saw at Badasht hanging on the
> words of Kurratu'l-`Ayn, and this is their last retreat. Here for eight
> weary months have they held at bay the royal army, and, by dint of
> courage and skill incredible in men trained for the most part to peaceful
> avocations, again and again inflicted on it defeats and losses which had
> caused even the less sanguine amongst the besieged to hope for ultimate
> victory. But now at length the end has come. Their brave leader,
> Mullá Huseyn, is dead, killed in the very moment of an heroic
> exploit by a stray bullet fired from some hidden ambush. Their provisions
> are all used up. A few days previously a desperate but unsuccessful
> attempt had been made to cut through the ever-tightening cordon of
> troops. To give them strength for this final effort, they had been
> compelled to exhume the bones of the horse which had carried their
> gallant leader through his last fray, and from these to make a sort of broth
> which might at least serve to keep body and soul together. Absolute
> starvation now stares them in the face and further resistance appears
> impossible. Yet, in spite of their miserable plight, so great is the dread
> with which their valour has inspired the royal troops, that even at this
> eleventh hour a message has come from the royalist officers promising
> them life and liberty if they will yield up their fortress.
> 
> p. 342
> 
> To deliberate on this proposal the Bábí leaders are
> now assembled together in the mausoleum of the departed Sheykh. At
> length it is decided to accept the terms offered and evacuate the fortress.
> A written promise signed by the royalist leaders and confirmed by oaths
> sworn on the Kur'án lulls all suspicion of treachery; and now at
> length in slow procession the survivors of the Bábí
> garrison emerge from their stronghold, and pass through the wondering
> ranks of the besiegers to the place allotted to them.
> 
> At first all seems fair enough. Food is set before the starving
> Bábí's, and their leaders are invited to take their
> breakfast with Prince Mahdí-Kulf Mírzá and 'Abbás-Kulí
> Khán, of Láriján, the royalist generals. As the
> meal proceeds, the latter artfully turn the conversation on to religious
> topics. The unsuspecting Bábís speak freely and boldly of
> that which is nearest their hearts. The prince listens attentively, smiling
> now and then a false and cruel smile as he marks the success of his
> stratagem. Suddenly he springs to his feet, claps his hands, and cries out
> that his guests have uttered blasphemy, in that they make the Báb
> not only equal to but greater than Muhammad. Promises plighted to
> infidels are not binding, and shall not avert the vengeance of outraged
> orthodoxy. The soldiers rush in and seize the unarmed and helpless
> Bábí chiefs. Another party of soldiers fall suddenly upon
> the other Bábís, who, in the quarters assigned to them,
> have scarce as yet stretched out their hands to taste the first good food
> they have seen for many weeks. The captives are dragged before the
> royalist generals, and, at their command, cast down on the ground and cut
> open with knives. Five or six of the chief Bábís only are
> reserved from the massacre to grace the prince's triumphal entry into
> Bárfurúsh; and, bearing with them these and the heads of
> the slain set on spears, the victorious army sets out with beating drums
> and blowing trumpets for the town. On their way thither they are met by
> deputations of the Mullás, who congratulate them on their
> prowess and clamour loudly for the blood of the few remaining prisoners.
> The royalist generals had entertained the idea of carrying these with them
> to Teherán, that they might show to the young Sháh
> those who had dared for so long to withstand his armies. The
> Mullás, however, are importunate; the point is yielded;
> and Hájí Mullá Muhammad 'All and his four or
> five surviving comrades are handed over to their inveterate foes, who
> tear them limb from limb in the market-place of
> Bárfurúsh. They meet death unflinchingly, as brave men
> should, and night settles down over the blood-stained and mangled
> remains of the last survivors of Sheykh Tabarsí.
> 
> The temporary lull which followed the suppression of the
> Mázandarán insurrection was soon broken by a similar
> struggle at Zanján in the north-west of Persia. Into the details of
> this struggle it is impossible to enter here. The scene is changed from
> fens and forests to the narrow, tortuous, mud-walled streets of a Persian
> town, lying, amidst pleasant poplar-gardens, which mark the course of a
> little river, in the stony, sun-baked table-land
> 
> p. 343
> 
> of central Persia. But though the scene is changed, the incidents of
> the struggle are otherwise much the same. There is the same desperate
> and indomitable courage on the part of the Bábís; the
> same carelessness, cowardice, and mismanagement on the part of the
> besiegers. The Bábí women cut off their long hair to bind
> round the crazy guns which have begun to gape and crack under the
> constant firing, and are continually on the ramparts encouraging their
> husbands and brothers in the attempt to avert the inevitable doom. But
> soon, as at Sheykh Tabarsí, the attack by storm is succeeded by
> the blockade, and the horrors of famine stare the besieged in the face.
> Then come the same treacherous promises, resulting in a surrender
> followed, as before, by a perfidious massacre of the too confiding
> Bábís.
> 
> This summer Of 1850 was marked by other events not less fateful.
> While the siege of Zanján was still in progress, another
> Bábí rising took place at Níríz far away
> in the south of Persia. The Government, thoroughly alarmed, determined
> on a measure which, as it believed, could not fail to deal a death-blow to
> the Bábí movement. The Báb, who had now
> been subjected for more than three years to a rigorous imprisonment,
> could not, indeed, be considered as directly responsible for the attitude of
> armed resistance assumed by his followers; nevertheless the
> Government, regarding him as the fountain-head of those doctrines which
> had convulsed the whole Persian empire, determined that he should die.
> With his death, as they imagined, the whole movement must collapse.
> Had they been better acquainted with the Báb's doctrine, they
> might have hesitated before taking a step which could have no 'Certain
> result' save that of exasperating his followers beyond all measure. For, as
> a matter of fact, the Báb had striven to render his religion as far
> as possible independent of his personality in two ways. First of all, as we
> have already seen, he had declared that it was in no sense final, and had
> foretold the coining of "Him whom God shall manifest" to complete and
> perfect the religion which he had founded. Secondly, he had not centred
> the spiritual authority even during his lifetime in himself alone, but
> in what he called the "Unity" — a sort of hierarchy consisting of
> himself," the Point," and eighteen other persons called "Letters of the
> Living." Why the number nineteen was chosen as the sacred
> number and employed as such, not only here, but in all the relations of life,
> it would take too long to explain. Suffice it to say that certain curious
> facts connected with the numerical values of the letters composing
> certain words indicating Divine attributes seemed to the Báb to
> point it out as a number essentially sacred, mysterious, and worthy of
> being made the basis whereon all things should be arranged. Now this "
> Unity " was in its very nature permanent; for, when any one of the
> " Letters " composing it died, the grace and virtue inherent in him
> passed to some other Bábí, who thereupon became
> incorporated in the "Unity," which in this way remained constant.
> After the "Point", (i.e. the Báb) the two chief "Letters"
> of the "Unity" had been Mullá
> 
> p. 344
> 
> Huseyn and Mullá Muhammad 'Alí. Both of these
> having been killed at Sheykh Tabarsí, a youth named
> Mírzá Yahyá, and entitled by the
> Bábís "Subh-i-Ezel" ("the Morning of
> Eternity"), now occupied the highest rank in the Unity after the
> Báb himself. Of this, however, as of all else appertaining to the
> Bábí doctrine, the Musulmáns were quite
> ignorant, and they confidently expected that the new faith would expire
> with its founder, on whose destruction they were now bent.
> 
> The Báb, therefore, was haled from Chihrík to
> Tabriz, and once more arraigned before judges whose sentence was a
> foregone conclusion. The trial which he now underwent was nothing but
> a protracted series of insults and indignities. One result, however, his
> tormentors were anxious to attain, and that was to induce the
> Báb formally to renounce the doctrine which he had taught. This,
> however, they were unable to accomplish. In reply to all their threats and
> promises, he continued to assert that in him was fulfilled what they
> understood by the coming of the Imám Mahdí. They
> scoffed at his pretensions, and told him that the Imám they
> expected was that same Imám who had disappeared more than
> twelve centuries ago in Surra-man-ra'a, and that when he came he would
> come as a mighty conqueror to slay and subdue the infidels, and establish
> the faith of Islám throughout the world. "Through just such vain
> superstitions," he replied, "did all former peoples reject and slay the
> prophets sent unto them. Did not the Jews profess to be expecting their
> promised Messiah when Jesus the Son of Mary appeared in their midst?
> And did not they reject and slay Him who was indeed their Messiah,
> because they falsely imagined that the Messiah must come as a great
> Conqueror and King to re-establish the faith of Moses, and give it
> currency throughout the world? Now the Muhammadans were acting as
> the Jews had acted, because, like them, they clung to their own vain
> superstitions, refusing to see that the kingdom and the victory spoken of
> were spiritual and not material."
> 
> The fatal sentence was pronounced by the civil and ratified by the
> religious authorities, and Mírzá `Alí Muhammad
> was led back to prison. His last night on earth was not spent in solitude.
> With him were Aká Seyyid Huseyn, of Yezd, his amanuensis,
> and a young merchant of Tabríz, named Aká Muhammad
> 'Alí, who was his devoted disciple. The latter belonged to a good
> family, by whom every effort was made to induce him to save his life by
> renouncing his master. The following letter, written by him the very night
> before his martyrdom, contains his reply to a last appeal of this nature
> addressed to him by his elder brother:
> 
> "My condition, thanks be to God, hath naught of ill, and 'to
> every trouble succeedeth rest." You wrote that this matter hath no end.
> What matter, then, hath any end? We, at least, have no discontent therein,
> and, indeed, cannot fitly express our thankfulness. The end of this matter
> is, to be slain in God's cause and what happiness is this! The will of God
> will be accomplished on is servants, nor can any human being avert the
> Divine decree. What God wills comes to pass, and there is no
> 
> p. 345
> 
> power and no strength save in God. 0 brother, the end of the world is
> death; `every soul tasteth of death.' Should the appointed fate which God
> (mighty and glorious is He !) hath decreed overtake me, then God is the
> Guardian of my family, and thou art mine executor. Behave in whatever
> way is agreeable to God's good pleasure, and pardon whatever has been
> wrought by me which seemeth lacking in courtesy, or contrary to the
> demands of that respect due to you from your younger brother, and ask
> pardon for me from all my family, and commit me to God. God is my
> portion, and how good is He as a Guardian!"
> 
> Little by little the night ebbed away, and the sky grew bright with the
> dawn of July 9th, 1850. Ere the prisoners were led out, all Tabríz
> was astir, and when at length they were brought forth by their
> executioners, every street and lane through which they were to
> pass teemed with crowds of expectant onlookers. Of these, some were
> attracted by sympathy, or a hope that even now some opportunity for
> effecting a rescue might arise; others, drawn merely by curiosity to
> behold one so famous, were moved to pity by the pale gentle face, white
> delicate hands, and simple but spotless raiment of the sufferer ; but the
> brutal rabble, urged on by the malignant and implacable clergy, cast
> stones and mud at the helpless captives, and gave vent to shouts of joy
> whenever a missile took effect. For several hours were the prisoners
> dragged thus through the endless streets and bazaars of Tabríz,
> until at length Seyyid Huseyn, his powers of endurance utterly exhausted,
> fell to the ground fainting with fatigue and pain. He was dragged to his
> feet and told that he might yet save his life and gain his freedom if he
> would renounce and repudiate his Master. And thereupon Seyyid Huseyn,
> whether impelled by a momentary fear which his exhausted strength
> could not combat (as asserted by the Muhammadans), or acting on
> instructions from the Báb, whereof the object was to preserve
> and convey to the faithful the last writings and injunctions of their prophet
> (as stated by the Bábís), did that which he was bidden to
> do, and as the price thereof received his freedom. No sooner had the
> crowd passed on than he gathered himself together, and at once set out
> for Teherán. On his arrival there he at once made his way to his
> co-religionists, who, whether convinced that he had acted under his
> master's orders, or moved by his sincere and evident contrition, received
> him back into their midst. That he was not unworthy of their confidence,
> he found the opportunity to prove when two years later the cup of
> martyrdom was for the second time presented to him.
> 
> Encouraged by the recantation of Seyyid Huseyn, the
> executioners made another attempt to induce Aká Muhammad
> 'Alí to follow his example. His wife and little children were
> brought before him in the hope that their tears and entreaties might
> conquer his resolution. Even against this most cruel trial he was proof,
> and only asked that he might be killed before his master. The soldiers,
> finding all efforts to move him fruitless, and being wearied to boot, led the
> two prisoners to the great square by the citadel
> 
> p. 346
> 
> (called, by a strange coincidence, the " Square of the Lord of the
> age") and there suspended them with ropes from staples set in one of the
> walls. As the firing-party took up its position Aká Muhammad
> 'Alí was heard to say to the Báb, "Master, art thou
> content with me?" To this the Báb replied in Arabic, "Verily Muhammad 'Alí is with us in paradise!" Hardly had the
> words left his lips when the crash of musketry rang out, and for a
> moment the rolling cloud of smoke hid the bodies of the victims. As it
> lifted a great cry of wonder and awe rose from the spectators. The
> lifeless body of the disciple, indeed, riddled with bullets, swung to and fro
> in the air, but of the Báb no trace nor sign was visible. A murmur
> arose that this was a miracle, and the authorities perceived with terror
> that the fickle populace was ready to veer round and declare for one
> whom but an hour ago they had jeered and pelted. Had it been so, it might
> well have been that then and there the faith of the Báb would
> have won a definitive victory over the religion of Muhammad; and for an
> instant the fate of the Kájár dynasty and the faith of
> Islám hung trembling in the balance. But not so was it ordained.
> Ere the crowd had recovered from their first amaze, a soldier perceived
> the Báb (whose bonds by some strange chance had been cut by
> the bullets which passed harmlessly by his body) taking shelter in an
> adjacent guard-house, followed him thither, and made a cut at him with
> his sword. When the others saw the red blood flow from their unresisting
> victim, their fear was gone, and they hastened to complete their work of
> death. The two bodies were dragged through the streets and cast out of
> the gate to feed the dogs and jackals; but by night came
> Suleymán Khán, and one or two others, with gold in one
> hand and a sword in the other, offering the choice between these to the
> guards appointed to prevent the burial of the bodies. The guards took the
> gold and surrendered the bodies, which were wrapped in fine silk, placed
> in one coffin, and conveyed secretly to Teherán, to be there
> bestowed in a place of safety. So ended the short and sorrowful but noble
> career of Mirzá 'Alí Muhammad the Báb. When
> we reflect on all that he suffered during the six years of his mission, we
> can well believe that, as he says in the Beyán, "the days of his
> gladness were the days preceding his manifestation."
> 
> The tragedies of this fatal year were not yet ended. On the very day
> of the Báb's martyrdom the Níríz insurrection,
> and a few weeks later the Zanján siege, were quenched in
> streams of blood. Between these two events took place at
> Teherán the martyrdom of seven Bábís, accused
> without shadow of proof of harbouring designs against the Prime
> Minister, Mirzá Takí Khán. Amongst all classes,
> as we learn from the diary, of an English lady whose husband at that time
> occupied a responsible position in the British Embassy, their faith aroused
> general commiseration, and amongst their fellow-believers they received
> the title of the "Seven Martyrs."
> 
> p. 347
> 
> Amongst them was the Báb's uncle, Hájí
> Seyyid 'Alí, to whose care tile Báb had been committed
> on the death of his father. It is worth remarking that in this case the
> prophet was not without honour in his own country, for amongst his
> immediate relatives the Báb found some of his staunchest
> supporters, and even at the present day many of the most influential and
> devoted Bábís belong to his family. At the last moment,
> almost as he knelt beneath the knife of the headsman,
> Hájí Seyyid 'Alí received an offer of pardon if he
> would consent to renounce his faith. This offer he unhesitatingly rejected,
> concluding his words with this quotation:
> 
> "0 Zephyr, say from me to Ishmael destined for sacrifice, 'It is
> not a condition of love to return alive from the street of the Friend.'
> 
> Every one of the seven met death with like firmness. Amongst them
> was an old dervish, named Kurbán 'Alí, who also refused
> to save his life by recantation. The first blow struck at him by the
> headsman only wounded his neck slightly and cast his turban to the
> ground, whereupon he cried out as he stood awaiting the second :
> 
> "0 happy that intoxicated lover, who at the feet of the Friend
> Knows not whether it be head or turban which he casts ! "
> 
> A year elapsed after this, unmarked by any very noteworthy event,
> so far as the Bábís are concerned. Persecution went on
> steadily in all parts of the country; but the general attention was
> somewhat diverted from the Bábís by the sudden
> disgrace and fall of Mírzá Takí Khán,
> the minister by whose advice the Báb had been put to death.
> >From disgrace to death is for a fallen minister but a short step in Eastern
> lands, and even the fact that he was married to the Sháh's sister,
> who continually watched over his safety with loving anxiety, could not
> save the once powerful noble. He was enticed by a cruel stratagem out
> of his wife's sight, she being informed that the Sháh had once
> more taken him into favour; and even while she was rejoicing in his
> imagined safety his life-blood was flowing slowly from his open veins.
> That no drop of bitterness might be lacking from the cup, the executioner,
> whose specious promises had for a moment lulled to rest the unwearying
> watchfulness of the minister's wife, was one who had been raised to the
> Sháh's favour solely by him whose fainting soul now realized the
> meed of those who put their trust in princes, and slay the holy ones of
> God. So perished Mírzá Takí Khán in the
> month of January, 1852; and we can scarcely wonder that the
> Bábís see in the fate which overtook him a signal
> instance of Divine vengeance.
> 
> Six months more elapsed, and then, in August, 1852, an event
> happened which brought down upon the Bábís a
> persecution fiercer than any which they had yet experienced. A certain
> youth named Sádik, of Zanján, whose
> 
> p. 348
> 
> attachment to the Báb had amounted almost to a passion,
> conceived in his mind a plan of taking vengeance on the tyrant who had
> slain his beloved master and ruthlessly persecuted all who held the
> Bábí faith. This plan he communicated to two of his
> fellow-believers, and, early on the morning of August 15th, the three,
> armed with pistols charged with shot, stood at the gate of the
> Sháh's palace of Niyávarán, awaiting the
> moment when the king, surrounded by his nobles, should go forth to the
> chase. That moment came at length, and, in the guise of suppliants, the
> avengers approached. Two successive pistol shots rang out on the air,
> and then, drawing their knives, the three Bábís rushed on
> the Sháh and tried to drag him from his horse. Ere they could
> effect their object the royal attendants were upon them. Sádik
> was stricken dead to the ground, and his two companions were seized
> and bound. The Sháh, slightly wounded in the back, had no
> sooner recovered from his alarm than he was filled with terrible wrath.
> The two surviving Bábís were put to the torture; but,
> though they avowed their faith and their object, they refused to disclose
> the names of any of their co-religionists, or to divulge their places of
> meeting. Their stubborn reticence was, however, unavailing, for a
> vigorous search, instituted by the secret police of Teherán,
> resulted in the capture of some forty Bábís, of whom a
> large number were surprised in the house of Suleymán
> Khán, the recoverer of the Bábs body. Five or six of
> these, including Behá'u'lláh, who now claims the
> allegiance of the great majority of the Bábís, were
> spared, but all the rest were doomed to die. Yet such was the fear in
> which the new Prime Minister stood of incurring the vengeance of the
> sect, that he resolved to make all classes partners in the slaughter of the
> prisoners. To this end he distributed these amongst the different
> departments of the Government, guilds of tradesmen, and other sections
> of the community, at the same time hinting to each that the Sháh
> would be able to judge of their loyalty and orthodoxy by the manner in
> which they dealt with their victims. The war-office, the secretaries of
> State, the merchants, the clergy, the dervishes, the pages in waiting, even
> the students of the University-then recently founded on a European
> model-each received their allotted prisoner. Terrible were the modes of
> inflicting death which some of these, impelled either by savage fanaticism,
> fear of suspicion, or mere love of cruelty, devised. Of the unfortunate
> Bábís, some were hewn in pieces, some were sawn
> asunder, some were flayed with whips, some were blown from the
> mouths of mortars. Suleymán Khán was marked out by
> his rank, and by the shelter which his house had afforded to the
> proscribed sect, for tortures yet more horrible. Lighted wicks were
> inserted in gashes inflicted on his limbs and body, and his teeth were
> wrenched from his mouth and driven into the crown of his head. Yet
> even in his anguish he continued to testify such rapturous joy at the
> thought of his pre-eminence in suffering and martyrdom, that his
> executioners asked him in bitter mockery why he did not sing. "Sing!" he
> cried, "and so I will." And thereupon he began to sing,
> 
> p. 349
> 
> "In one hand the wine-cup, in the other the locks of the Friend,
> 
> Such a dance in the midst of the market-place is my
> desire."
> 
> Amongst the victims of that terrible day were two with whom we
> have already become acquainted. One was Seyyid Huseyn of Yezd, who,
> consumed with the anguish of that day when, in appearance at least, he
> had renounced his master, met death not only with resignation, but with
> uncontrollable eagerness. The other was the beautiful and gifted Kurratu-
> 1'Ayn, who, though for more than a year she had been in close
> confinement, and could not, therefore, have had any part or lot in the
> conspiracy against the Sháh, was too notable an adherent of the
> new faith to look for immunity. Dr. Polak, an Austrian physician then in
> the Sháh's service, actually witn essed her execution, concerning
> which he writes: 2 "The beautiful woman endured the lingering
> death with superhuman fortitude." Certain lines in some of the poems
> attributed to her authorship, and still passionately cherished by the
> Bábís, would tempt us to believe that she had long
> foreseen the inevitable doom which awaited her. The following translation
> of one of the most celebrated of these poems (of which I received a copy
> from a Bábí at Yezd in the summer of 1888) will suffice
> as an illustration. In it I have attempted to preserve the original metre and
> rhyme, and also to adhere strictly to the sense. Let it be borne in mind
> that by "the Loved One," "the Darling," and other such terms, the
> Báb is throughout intended, just as the Sufís in their
> poems address God as the "Friend," and the "Beloved."
> 
> "The thralls of yearning love constrain in the bonds of pain and
> calamity
> 
> These broken-hearted lovers of thine to yield their lives in their zeal for
> thee.
> 
> Though with sword in hand my Darling stand with intent to slay, though I
> sinless be,
> 
> If it pleases him, this tyrant's whim, I am well content with his
> tyranny.
> 
> As in sleep I lay at the break of day that cruel Charmer came to
> me,
> 
> And in the grace of his form and face the dawn of the morn 1 seemed to
> see.
> 
> The musk of Cathay might perfume gain from the scent those fragrant
> tresses rain,
> 
> While his eyes demolish a faith in vain attacked by the pagans of
> Tartary.
> 
> With you, -who contemn both love and wine for the hermit's cell and the
> zealot's shrine,
> 
> What can I do ? For our faith divine you hold as a thing of infamy.
> 
> The tangled curls of thy darling's hair, and thy saddle and steed are
> thine only care,
> 
> In thy heart the Infinite bath no share, nor the thought of the poor man's
> poverty.
> 
> Sikandar's pomp and display be thine, the Kalanda's habit and
> way be mine;
> 
> That, if it please thee, I resign, while this, though bad, is enough for
> me.
> 
> The country of `I' and 'We' forsake; thy home in Annihilation make,
> 
> Since fearing not this step to take thou shalt gain the highest Felicity."
> 
> Thus far I have traced the progress of the Bábí
> movement in a fairly continuous manner, although the need of confining
> myself within certain limits has compelled me to omit much of which I
> would fain have spoken.
> 
> p. 350
> 
> We have now reached a point where the scene and the characters
> are in great measure changed; and indeed it would hardly be too much to
> say that we have now entered on a new epoch in the history of the faith.
> That I should strive to make clear the beginnings of that faith was
> essential, but space does not permit me to do more than sketch in outline
> its more recent developments. My desire at present is rather to awaken
> your interest and sympathy in an heroic struggle, which I do not hesitate
> to call the greatest religious movement of the century, than to
> communicate to you the latest results of research.
> 
> The centre of the movement, then, is transferred from Persian to
> Turkish territory ; to be more precise, Baghdad becomes for the next
> eleven years the abode of such of the Bábí leaders as
> escaped the terrible devastation of 1852. Thither fled Mirzá
> Yahyá Subh-i-Ezel," who, as I have already mentioned,
> became, on the death of the Báb, the chief "Letter" of the
> "Unity." He was soon followed by his half-brother, Behá'u'lláh (also a member of the Unity), who, having narrowly escaped
> death, now found release from the prison into which he had been cast. In
> Persia persecution continued with varying severity, and continually was
> the Bábí colony at Baghdad recruited by exiles forced to
> fly from their own homes. Every effort was made by the Persian
> authorities to molest and injure the fugitives, who, as a last resource,
> enrolled themselves as Turkish subjects. By this device they at length
> obtained some peace and security, for, whatever prejudiced persons may
> assert to the contrary, the Turkish Government is on the whole both
> tolerant and just, at all events in comparison with Persia. For twelve
> years, then, the Bábí leaders dwelt. here, engaged in
> writing, codifying, and diffusing their religion, and exhorting their followers
> to refrain from all resistance to the authorities and, by virtuous lives,
> patient resignation, and kindly dealing with all men, to commend their faith
> to the whole world. So far did they succeed that from the year 1852 until
> the present time, the Bábís have patiently and
> unresistingly submitted to all the persecutions which they have suffered
> and still do suffer.
> 
> In the year 1864, the Persian Government induced the Turkish
> authorities to transfer the Bábí exiles farther from their
> frontier-first to Constantinople and then to Adrianople. Now while they
> were at Adrianople a great event took place, which had the effect of
> dividing the Bábís into two antagonistic parties. Subh-i-
> Ezel, as I have explained, had hitherto been generally acknowledged as
> the legitimate successor of the Báb, and the visible head of the
> Bábí faith. But, as I have also explained, the Báb
> had declared that his revelation was not final, and that he would, at some
> future time not specified, be succeeded by "Him whom God shall
> manifest." It was generally believed that this new manifestation would not
> take place for at least a thousand years, ere the lapse of which many
> countries should have accepted the religion of the Báb. At the
> same time the Báb had laid it down that the time of this promised
> deliverer's advent was known only to God, that no one could falsely claim
> to be him, that he would appear
> 
> p. 351
> 
> suddenly and unexpectedly, and that when he appeared the fullest
> authority to confirm or annul, to bind or to loose, was his indisputable
> prerogative. So, when Behá'u'lláh suddenly declared that
> he was their promised deliverer, whose manifestation they so eagerly
> expected, and warned all the Bábís not to remain "veiled," as the Muhammadans had done, the greater number at once
> acknowledged his authority, received his words as divinely inspired, and
> yielded to him an implicit and unqualified submission. So for these
> Behá'ís, as they are now called, the writings of the
> Báb became an old testament, and the ordinances of the
> Beyán an abrogated law. But not all of the Bábís
> were content to accept this superseding of a law not yet much more than
> twenty years old. Subh-i-Ezel himself declined to acknowledge
> Behá'u'lláh's claim, or to abdicate in his favour, and a
> minority of the Bábís (now called Ezelís) refused
> to withdraw their allegiance from him or acknowledge another chief
> Dissensions naturally arose, which culminated in the interference of the
> Turkish government and the final separation of the rival heads. Subh-i-
> Ezel was sent to Famagusta in Cyprus, and Behá 'u
> 'lláh to Acre in Syria, and there they remain to the present day,
> the former surrounded by a very few, the latter by many devoted
> adherents. Less than a year ago I visited both places, and heard both
> sides of a long and tangled controversy. But the upshot of the whole
> matter is, that out of every hundred Bábís probably not
> more than three or four are Ezelís, all the rest accepting
> Behá'u'lláh as the final and most perfect manifestation of
> the Truth.
> 
> Having now traced very briefly the later history of the sect, I must
> add some few words as to the most salient features of their faith. To
> discuss this fully would need more time than has been allotted to me
> altogether, and I am therefore forced to enumerate such points as have
> not already been alluded to in the merest outline. God-one, eternal,
> incomprehensible-reveals to man so much as he can apprehend of truth
> by means of an endless but intermittent succession of prophets. The
> essence of their teaching is, in reality, one and the same; for the same
> universal wisdom speaks, and the same divine will acts through all of
> them. But as man advances and evolves his latent potentialities, he needs
> a fuller light, and can bear a clearer teaching. We tell a child that
> knowledge is sweet. "Is it sweet like sugar?" it asks. And we,
> because we wish to teach it to love knowledge, are compelled to speak in
> that language which it can understand, and which, to it, is the nearest
> approach to absolute truth attainable, and answer, "Yes; sweet
> like sugar." So it is with man, for the human race has an infancy, a
> childhood, a youth, a maturity. And now, in its maturity, those illustrations
> -sufficient for and adapted to its infancy are no longer suitable. Heaven is
> true, but it is a state, not a place." If to-day any one believes in the
> Beyán," says the Báb, "he is seated on a throne of glory,
> though he be seated in the dust." So too wherever an unbeliever dwells,
> there is the `"Land of Fire." There is a resurrection, but it is not that which
> men have imagined; each "manifestation" of the divine wisdom in
> human form is
> 
> p. 352
> 
> the "resurrection" of that which preceded it, wherein the fruit is
> reaped of the seed then sown. That is the "judgment," that is the "
> meeting with God," and the angels are the reapers who go forth to gather
> in what is ripe and good. And thus it is that, according to whether they
> are addressing a Muhammadan, a Christian, *or a Jew, the
> Bábís say that the Imám Mahdí has
> come, that Christ has returned, or that Moses has reappeared on earth ;
> for to them all these phrases signify the same thing. As to the belief in a
> future life, it is there, but it is not prominent. A universal reign of peace,
> love, freedom, and unity of belief and effort is the thing primarily aimed at; for Bábíism, in spite of the mystic enthusiasm which
> pervades it, differs from Sufíism. in the essentially practical
> objects which it has in view. A material resurrection is denied, and the
> immaterial future of the spirit must not divert our thoughts from the work
> of regenerating the world. War must cease, nations must mingle in
> friendship, justice must become universal, all men must be as brothers.
> "Ye are all the fruit of one tree," says Behá, "and the
> leaves of one branch. Walk, then, with perfect charity, concord, affection,
> and agreement, for I swear by the Sun of Truth that the light of
> agreement shall brighten and illumine the horizons." So again he says,
> "Pride is not for him who loveth his country, but rather for him who loveth
> the whole world." As for those who commit sin and cling to the world," he
> says elsewhere, they are assuredly not of the people of
> Behá"
> 
> Religious hatred and rancour is a world-consuming fire," we read in
> another place," and the quenching thereof most arduous, unless the hand
> of Divine Might give man deliverance from this unfruitful calamity."
> People of all creeds are to be associated with in a fair and friendly spirit,
> not shunned as unclean or treated as foes. Persuasion may be used to
> gain converts, but the employment of force is hateful to God. "If ye be
> slain, it is better for you than that ye should slay." The diffusion of
> knowledge is a most laudable thing, for, says Behá, "he who
> educateth his son, or one of the sons of another, it is as though he had
> educated one of my sons." But studies like logic and philosophy, which
> conduce only to disputation, are discouraged. The study of living
> languages is, on the other hand, encouraged, since it conduces to the
> closer union of diverse peoples. It is, however, recommended that in
> course of time one language (either one of those at present existing, or a
> new universal language) and one writing be chosen by the assembled
> representatives of the different nations, and that these be taught to every
> one, so that thenceforth there may be no obstacle to the free intercourse
> of all mankind.
> 
> I trust that I have told you enough to make it clear that the objects at
> which this religion aims are neither trivial nor unworthy of the noble self-
> devotion and heroism of the Founder and his followers. It is the lives and
> deaths of these, their hope which knows no despair, their love which
> knows no cooling, their steadfastness which knows no wavering, which
> stamp this wonderful movement with a character entirely its own. For
> whatever may
> 
> p. 353
> 
> be the merits or demerits of the doctrines for which these scores and
> hundreds of our fellow-men died, they have at least found something
> which. made them ready to
> 
> "leave all things under the sky,
> 
> And go forth naked under sun and rain,
> 
> And work and wait and watch out all their years."
> 
> It is not a small or easy thing to endure what these have endured, and
> surely what they deemed worth life itself is worth trying to understand. 1
> say nothing of the mighty influence which, as I believe, the
> Bábí faith will exert in the future, nor of the new life it
> may perchance breathe into a dead people; for, whether it succeed or fail,
> the splendid heroism of the Bábí martyrs is a thing
> eternal and indestructible.
> 
> He whose soul by love is quickened never can to death be hurled
> Written is their life immortal in the records of the world."
> 
> But what I cannot hope to have conveyed to you is the terrible
> earnestness of these men, and the indescribable influence which this
> earnestness, combined with other qualities, exerts on any one who has
> actually been brought in contact with them. That you must take my word
> for, or else
> 
> Chú dar rah bi-biní buridí sarí,
> 
> Ki ghaltán shavad sú-yi-meydán-i-
> má,
> 
> Azú purs, azú purs asrár-i-má,
> 
> Kazú bishnaví sirr-i-panhán-i-má."
> 
> "When thou seest in the path a severed head
> 
> Which is rolling towards our field,
> 
> Ask of it, ask of it our secrets,
> 
> For from it thou may'st hear our hidden mystery."
> 
> From the Díván of Shams-i-
> Tabríz.
> 
> 2. PDF scan
> 
> Download: browne_babism_religious_systems.pdf.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views25251 views since posted 1999; last edit 2024-06-04 20:05 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../browne_babism_religious_systems;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
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