HE summer of the year 1262 A.H.(1)
was drawing to a close when the Bab bade His last farewell to His native city
of Shiraz, and proceeded to Isfahan. Siyyid Kazim-i-Zanjani accompanied Him on
that journey. As He approached the outskirts of the city, He wrote a letter to
the governor of the province, Manuchihr Khan, the Mu'tamidu'd-Dawlih,(2)
in which He requested him to signify his wish as to the place where He could dwell.
The letter, which He entrusted to Siyyid Kazim, was expressive of such courtesy
and revealed such exquisite penmanship that the Mu'tamid was moved to instruct
the Sultanu'l-'Ulama, the Imam-Jum'ih of Isfahan,'(3)
the foremost ecclesiastical authority of that province, to receive the Bab in
his own home and to accord Him a kindly and generous
Such were the honours accorded to the Bab
in those days that when, on a certain Friday, He was returning from the public
bath to the house, a multitude of people were seen eagerly clamouring for the
water which He had used for His ablutions. His fervent admirers firmly believed
in its unfailng virtue and power to heal their sicknesses and ailments. The Imam-Jum'ih
himself had, from the very first night, become so enamoured with Him who was the
object of such devotion, that, assuming the functions of an attendant, he undertook
to minister to the needs and wants of his beloved Guest. Seizing the ewer from
the hand of the chief steward and utterly ignoring the customary dignity of his
rank, he proceeded to pour out the water over the hands of the Bab. One night, after supper, the Imam-Jum'ih,
whose curiosity had been excited by the extraordinary traits of character which
his youthful Guest had revealed, ventured to request Him to reveal a commentary
on the Surih of Va'l-'Asr.(2)
His request was readily granted. Calling for pen and paper, the Bab, with astonishing
rapidity and without the least premeditation, began to reveal, in the presence
of His host, a most illuminating interpretation of the aforementioned Surih. It
was nearing midnight when the Bab found Himself engaged in the exposition of the
manifold implications involved in the first letter of that Surih. That letter,
the letter ` vav' upon which Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i had already laid such emphasis
in his writings, symbolised for the Bab the advent of a new cycle of Divine Revelation,
and has since been alluded to by Baha'u'llah in the "Kitab-i-Aqdas" in such passages
as "the mastery of the Great Reversal" and "the Sign of the Sovereign." The Bab
soon after began to chant, in the presence of His host and his companions, the
homily with which He had prefaced His commentary on the Surih. Those words of
power confounded His hearers with wonder.
As the Bab's fame was being gradually diffused
over the entire city of Isfahan, an unceasing stream of visitors flowed from every
quarter to the house of the Imam-Jum'ih: a few to satisfy their curiosity, others
to obtain a deeper understanding of the fundamental verities of His Faith, and
still others to seek the remedy for their ills and sufferings. The
Mu'tamid himself came one day to visit the Bab and, while seated in the midst
of an assemblage of the most brilliant and accomplished divines of Isfahan, requested
Him to expound the nature and demonstrate the validity of the Nubuvvat-i-Khassih.(1)
He had previously, in that same gathering, called upon those who were present
to adduce such proofs and evidences in support of this fundamental article of
their Faith as would constitute an unanswerable testimony for those who were inclined
to repudiate its truth. No one, however, seemed capable of responding to his invitation.
"Which do you prefer," asked the Bab, "a verbal or a written answer to your question?"
"A written reply," he answered, "not only would please those who are present at
this meeting, but would edify and instruct both the present and future generations."
The Bab instantly took up His pen and began
to write. In less than two hours, He had filled about fifty pages with a most
refreshing and circumstantial enquiry into the origin, the character, and the
pervasive influence of Islam. The originality of His dissertation, the vigour
and vividness of
The growing popularity of
the Bab aroused the resentment of the ecclesiastical authorities of Isfahan, who
viewed with concern and envy the ascendancy which an unlearned Youth was slowly
acquiring over the thoughts and consciences of their followers. They firmly believed
that unless they rose to stem the tide of popular enthusiasm, the very foundations
of their existence would be undermined. A few of the more sagacious among them
thought it wise to abstain from acts of direct hostility to either the person
or the teachings of the Bab, as such action, they felt, would serve only to enhance
His prestige and consolidate His position. The mischief-makers, however, were
busily engaged in disseminating the wildest reports concerning the character and
claims of the Bab. These reports soon reached Tihran and were brought to the attention
of Haji Mirza Aqasi, the Grand Vazir of Muhammad Shah. This haughty and overbearing
minister viewed with apprehension the possibility that his sovereign might one
day feel inclined to befriend the Bab, an inclination which he felt sure would
precipitate his own downfall. The Haji was, moreover, apprehensive lest the Mu'tamid,
who enjoyed the confidence of the Shah, should succeed in arranging an interview
between the sovereign and the Bab. He was well aware that should such an interview
take place, the impressionable and tender-hearted Muhammad Shah would be completely
won over by the attractiveness and novelty of that creed. Spurred on by
As soon as the Mu'tamid was informed of these
developments, he sent a message to the Imam-Jum'ih in which he reminded him of
the visit he as governor had paid to the Bab, and extended to him as well as to
his Guest an invitation to his home. The Mu'tamid invited Haji Siyyid Asadu'llah,
son of the late Haji Siyyid Muhammad Baqir-i-Rashti, Haji Muhammad-Ja'far-i-Abadiyi,
Muhammad-Mihdi, Mirza Hasan-i-Nuri, and a few others to be present at that meeting.
Haji Siyyid Asadu'llah refused the invitation and endeavoured to dissuade those
who had been invited, from participating in that gathering. "I have sought to
excuse myself," he informed them, "and I would most certainly urge you to do the
same. I regard it as most unwise of you to meet the Siyyid-i-Bab face to face.
He will, no doubt, reassert his claim and will, in support of his argument, adduce
whatever proof you may desire him to give, and, without the least hesitation,
will reveal as a testimony to the truth he bears, verses of such a number as would
equal half the Qur'an. In the end he will challenge you in these words: `Produce
likewise,
Haji Muhammad-Ja'far heeded this counsel and
refused to accept the invitation of the governor. Muhammad Mihdi, Mirza Hasan-i-Nuri,
and a few others who disdained such advice, presented themselves at the appointed
hour at the home of the Mu'tamid. At the invitation of the host, Mirza Hasan,
a noted Platonist, requested the Bab to elucidate certain abstruse philosophical
doctrines connected with the Arshiyyih of Mulla Sadra,(1)
the meaning of which only a few had been able to unravel.(2)
In simple and unconventional language, the Bab replied to each of his questions.
Mirza Hasan, though unable to apprehend the meaning of the answers which he had
received, realised how inferior was the learning of the so-called exponents of
the Platonic and the Aristotelian schools of thought of his day to the knowledge
displayed by that Youth. Muhammad Mihdi ventured in his turn to question the Bab
regarding certain aspects of the Islamic law. Dissatisfied with the explanation
he received, he began to contend idly with the Bab. He was soon silenced by the
Mu'tamid, who, cutting short his conversation, turned to an attendant and, bidding
him light the lantern, gave the order that Muhammad Mihdi be immediately conducted
to his home. The Mu'tamid subsequently
The Bab had tarried forty
days at the residence of the Imam-Jum'ih. While He was still there, a certain
Mulla Muhammad-Taqiy-i-Harati, who was privileged to meet the Bab every day, undertook,
with His consent, to translate one of His works, entitled Risaliy-i-Furu'-i-'Adliyyih,
from the original Arabic into Persian. The service he thereby rendered to the
Persian believers was marred, however, by his subsequent behaviour. Fear suddenly
seized him, and he was induced eventually to sever his connection with his fellow-believers.
Ere the Bab had transferred
His residence to the house of the Mu'tamid, Mirza Ibrahim, father of the Sultanu'sh-Shuhada'
and elder brother of Mirza Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Nahri, to whom we have already referred,
invited the Bab to his home one night. Mirza Ibrahim was a friend of the Imam-Jum'ih,
was intimately associated with him, and controlled the management of all his affairs.
The banquet which was spread for the Bab that night was one of unsurpassed magnificence.
It was commonly observed that neither the officials nor the notables of the city
had offered a feast of such magnitude and splendour. The Sultanu'sh-Shuhada' and
his brother, the Mahbubu'sh-Shuhada', who were lads of nine and eleven, respectively,
served at that banquet and received special attention from the Bab. That night,
during dinner, Mirza Ibrahim turned to his Guest and said: "My brother, Mirza
Muhammad-'Ali, has no child. I beg You to intercede in his behalf and to grant
his heart's desire." The Bab took a portion of the food with which He had been
served, placed it with His own hands on a platter, and handed it to His host,
asking him to take it to Mirza Muhammad-'Ali and his wife. "Let them both partake
of this," He said; "their wish will be fulfilled." By virtue of that portion which
the Bab had chosen to bestow upon her, the wife of Mirza
The high honours accorded
to the Bab served further to inflame the hostility of the ulamas of Isfahan. With
feelings of dismay, they beheld on every side evidences of His all-pervasive influence
invading the stronghold of orthodoxy and subverting their foundations. They summoned
a gathering, at which they issued a written document, signed and sealed by all
the ecclesiastical leaders of the city, condemning the Bab to death.(2)
They all concurred in this condemnation with the exception of Haji Siyyid Asadu'llah
and Haji Muhammad-Ja'far-i-Abadiyi, both of whom refused to associate themselves
with the contents of so glaringly abusive a document. The Imam-Jum'ih, though
declining to endorse the death-warrant of the Bab, was induced, by reason of his
extreme cowardice and ambition, to add to that document, in his own handwriting,
the following testimony: "I testify that in the course of my association with
this youth I have been unable to discover any act that would in any way betray
his repudiation of the doctrines of Islam. On the contrary, I have known him as
a pious and loyal observer of its precepts. The extravagance of his claims, however,
and his disdainful contempt for the things of the world, incline me to believe
that he is devoid of reason and judgment." No sooner had the Mu'tamid been informed of
the condemnation pronounced by the ulamas of Isfahan than he determined, by a
plan which he himself conceived, to nullify the effects of that cruel verdict.
He issued immediate instructions that towards the hour of sunset the Bab, escorted
by five hundred horsemen of the governor's own mounted body-guard, should leave
the gate of the city and proceed in the direction of Tihran. Imperative orders
had been given that at the completion of each farsang(3)
one hundred of this mounted escort should return directly to Isfahan.
| remaining hundred should likewise be ordered by him to return to the city. Of the twenty remaining horsemen, the Mu'tamid directed that ten should be despatched to Ardistan for the purpose of collecting the taxes levied by the government, and that the rest, all of whom should be of his tried and most reliable men, should, by an unfrequented route, bring the Bab back in disguise to Isfahan.(1) They were, moreover, instructed so to regulate their march that before dawn of the ensuing day the Bab should have arrived at Isfahan and should have been delivered into his custody. This plan was immediately taken in hand and duly executed. At an unsuspected hour the Bab re-entered the city, was directly conducted to the private residence of the Mu'tamid, known by the name of Imarat-i-Khurshid,(2) and was introduced, through a side entrance reserved for the Mu'tamid himself, into his private apartments. The governor waited in person on the Bab, served His meals, and provided whatever was required for His comfort and safety.(3) |  |
Meanwhile the wildest conjectures obtained currency in the city regarding the
journey of the Bab to Tihran, the sufferings which He was made to endure on His
way to the capital, the verdict which had been pronounced against Him, and the
penalty which He had suffered. These rumours greatly distressed the believers
who were residing in Isfahan. The Mu'tamid, who was well aware of their grief
and anxiety, interceded with the Bab in their behalf and begged to be allowed
to introduce them into His presence. The Bab addressed a few words in His own
handwriting to Mulla Abdu'l-Karim-i-Qazvini, who had taken up his quarters in
the madrisih of Nim-Avard, and instructed the Mu'tamid to send it to him by a
trusted messenger. An hour later, Mulla Abdu'l-Karim was ushered into the presence
of the Bab. Of his arrival no one except the Mu'tamid was informed. He received
from his Master some of His writings, and was instructed to transcribe them in
collaboration with Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdi and Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi. To these he
soon returned, bearing the welcome news of the Bab's well-being and safety. Of
all the believers residing in Isfahan, these three alone were allowed to see Him.
One day, while seated with the Bab in his
private garden within the courtyard of his house, the Mu'tamid, taking his Guest
into his confidence, addressed Him in these words: "The almighty Giver has endowed
me with great riches.(1) I know not how best to use
them. Now that I have, by the aid of God, been led to recognise this Revelation,
it is my ardent desire to consecrate all my possessions to the furtherance of
its interests and the spread of its fame. It is my intention to proceed, by Your
leave, to Tihran, and to do my best to win to this Cause Muhammad Shah, whose
confidence in me is firm and unshaken. I am certain that he will eagerly embrace
it, and will arise to promote it far and wide. I will also endeavour to induce
the Shah to dismiss the profligate Haji Mirza Aqasi, the folly of whose administration
has well-nigh brought this land to the verge of ruin. Next, I will strive to obtain
for You the hand of one of the As the days of his earthly life were drawing
to a close, the Mu'tamid increasingly sought the presence of the Bab, and, in
his hours of intimate fellowship with Him, obtained a deeper realisation of the
spirit which animated His Faith. "As the hour of my departure approaches," he
one day told the Bab, "I feel an undefinable joy pervading my soul. But I am apprehensive
for You, I tremble at the thought of being compelled to leave You to the mercy
of so ruthless a successor as Gurgin Khan. He will, no doubt, discover Your presence
in this home, and will, I fear, grievously ill-treat You." "Fear not," remonstrated
the Bab; "I have
As the life of the Mu'tamid
was approaching its end, the Bab summoned to His presence Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdi
and Mulla Abdu'l-Karim, acquainted them with the nature of His prediction to His
host, and bade them tell the believers who had gathered in the city, to scatter
throughout Kashan, Qum, and Tihran, and await whatever Providence, in His wisdom,
might choose to decree. A few days after the death of the Mu'tamid,
a certain person who was aware of the design which he had conceived and carried
out for the protection of the Bab, informed his successor, Gurgin Khan,(3)
of the actual residence of the Bab in the Imarat-i-Khurshid, and described to
him the honours which his predecessor had lavished upon his Guest in the privacy
of his own home. On the receipt of this unexpected intelligence, Gurgin Khan despatched
his messenger to Tihran and instructed him to deliver in person the following
The Shah, who was firmly convinced
of the loyalty of the Mu'tamid, realised, when he received this message, that
the late governor's sincere intention had been to await a favourable occasion
when he could arrange a meeting between him and the Bab, and that his sudden death
had interfered with the execution of that plan. He issued an imperial mandate
summoning the Bab to the capital. In his written message to Gurgin Khan, the Shah
commanded him to send the Bab in disguise, in the company of a mounted escort(1)
headed by Muhammad Big-i-Chaparchi,(2)
of the sect of the Aliyu'llahi, to Tihran; to exe rcise the utmost consideration
towards Him in the course of His journey, and strictly to maintain the secrecy
of His departure.(3) Gurgin Khan went immediately to the Bab and
delivered into His hands the written mandate of the sovereign. He then summoned
Muhammad Big, conveyed to him the behests of Muhammad Shah, and ordered him to
undertake immediate preparations for the journey. "Beware," he warned him, "lest
anyone discover his identity or suspect the nature of your mission. No one but
you, not even the members of his escort, should be allowed to recognise him. Should
anyone question you concerning him, say that he is
