| From The Dawn Breakers pp.408-429 |
{408} As soon as his work was completed, the prince, accompanied by Quddus, returned to Barfurush. They arrived on Friday afternoon, the eighteenth of Jamadiyu'th-Thani. The Sa'idu'l-'Ulama', together with all the ulamas of the town, came out to welcome the prince and to extend their congratulations on his triumphal return. The whole town was beflagged to celebrate the victory, and the bonfires which blazed at night witnessed to the joy with which a grateful population greeted the return of the prince. Three days of festivities elapsed during which he gave no indication as to his intention regarding the fate of Quddus. He vacillated in his policy, and was extremely reluctant to ill-treat his captive. He at first refused to allow the people to gratify their feelings of unrelenting hatred, and was able to restrain their fury. He had originally intended to conduct him to Ṭihrán and, by delivering him into the hands of his sovereign, to relieve himself of the responsibility which weighed upon him. |
| The Sa'idu'l-'Ulama''s unquenchable hostility, however, interfered with the execution of this plan. The hatred with which Quddus and his Cause inspired him blazed into furious rage as he witnessed the increasing evidences of the prince's inclination to allow so formidable an opponent to slip from his grasp. Day and night he remonstrated with him and, with every cunning that his resourceful brain could devise, sought to dissuade him from pursuing a policy which he thought to be at once disastrous and cowardly. In the fury of his despair, he appealed to the mob and sought, by inflaming their passions, to awaken the basest sentiments of revenge in their hearts. The whole of Barfurush had been aroused by the persistency of his call. His diabolical skill {409} soon won him the sympathy and support of the masses. "I have vowed," he imperiously protested, "to deny myself both food and sleep until such time as I am able to end the life of Ḥájí Muḥammad-'Ali with my own hands!" The threats of an agitated multitude reinforced his plea and succeeded in arousing the apprehensions of the prince. Fearing that his own life might be endangered, he summoned to his presence the leading ulamas of Barfurush for the purpose of consulting as to the measures that should be taken to allay the tumult of popular excitement. All those who had been invited responded with the exception of Mulla Muḥammad-i-Hamzih, who pleaded to be excused from attending that meeting. He had previously, on several occasions, endeavoured, during the siege of the fort, to persuade the people to refrain from violence. To him Quddus, a few days before his abandonment of the fort, had committed, through one of his trusted companions of Mazindaran, a locked saddlebag containing the text of his own interpretation of the Sad of Samad as well as all his other writings and papers that he had in his possession, the fate of which remains unknown until the present day. |
| No sooner had the ulamas assembled than the prince gave orders for Quddus to be brought into their presence. Since the day of his abandoning the fort, Quddus, who had been delivered into the custody of the Farrash-Bashi, had not been summoned to his presence. As soon as he arrived, the prince arose and invited him to be seated by his side. Turning to the Sa'idu'l-'Ulama', he urged that his conversations with him be dispassionately and conscientiously conducted. "Your discussions," he asserted, "must revolve around, and be based upon, the verses of the Qur'an and the traditions of Muḥammad, by which means alone you can demonstrate the truth or falsity of your contentions." "For what reason," the Sa'idu'l-'Ulama' impertinently enquired, "have you, by choosing to place a green turban upon your head, arrogated to yourself a right which only he who is a true descendant of the Prophet can claim? Do you not know that whoso defies this sacred tradition is accursed of God?" "Was Siyyid Murtada," Quddus calmly replied, "whom all the recognised ulamas praise and esteem, a descendant of {410} the Prophet through his father or his mother?" One of those present at that gathering instantly declared the mother alone to have been a siyyid. "Why, then, object to me," retorted Quddus, "since my mother was always recognised by the inhabitants of this town as a lineal descendant of the Imam Ḥasan? Was she not, because of her descent, honoured, nay venerated, by every one of you?" |
| No one dared to contradict him. The Sa'idu'l-'Ulama' burst forth into a fit of indignation and despair. Angrily he flung his turban to the ground and arose to leave the meeting. "This man," he thundered, ere he departed, "has succeeded in proving to you that he is a descendent of the Imam Ḥasan. He will, ere long, justify his claim to be the mouthpiece of God and the revealer of His will!" The prince was moved to make this declaration: "I wash my hands of all responsibility for any harm that may befall this man. You are free to do what you like with him. You will yourselves be answerable to God on the Day of Judgment." Immediately after he had spoken these words, he called for his horse and, accompanied by his attendants, departed for Sari. Intimidated by the imprecations of the ulamas and forgetful of his oath, he abjectly surrendered Quddus to the hands of an unrelenting foe, those ravening wolves who panted for the moment when they could pounce, with uncontrolled violence, upon their prey, and let loose on him the fiercest passions of revenge and hate. |
| No sooner had the prince freed them from the restraints which he had exercised than the ulamas and the people of Barfurush, acting under orders from the Sa'idu'l-'Ulama', arose to perpetrate upon the body of their victim acts of such atrocious cruelty as no pen can describe. By the testimony of Baha'u'llah, that heroic youth, who was still on the threshold of his life, was subjected to such tortures and suffered {411} such a death as even Jesus had not faced in the hour of His greatest agony. The absence of any restraint on the part of the government authorities, the ingenious barbarity which the torture-mongers of Barfurush so ably displayed, the fierce fanaticism which glowed in the breasts of its shi'ah inhabitants, the moral support accorded to them by the dignitaries of Church and State in the capital--above all, the acts of heroism which their victim and his companions had accomplished and which had served to heighten their exasperation, all combined to nerve the hand of the assailants and to add to the diabolical ferocity which characterised his martyrdom. |
| Such were its circumstances that the Bab, who was then confined in the castle of Chihriq, was unable for a period of six months either to write or to dictate. The deep grief which he felt had stilled the voice of revelation and silenced His pen. How deeply He mourned His loss! What cries of anguish He must have uttered as the tale of the siege, the untold sufferings, the shameless betrayal, and the wholesale massacre of the companions of Shaykh Ṭabarsí reached His ears and was unfolded before His eyes! What pangs of sorrow He must have felt when He learned of the shameful treatment which His beloved Quddus had undergone in his hour of martyrdom at the hands of the people of Barfurush; how he was stripped of his clothes; how the turban which He had bestowed upon him had been befouled; how, barefooted, bareheaded, and loaded with chains, he was paraded through the streets, followed and scorned by the entire population of the town; how he was execrated and spat upon by the howling mob; how he was assailed with the knives and axes of the scum of its female inhabitants; how his body was pierced and mutilated, and how eventually it was delivered to the flames! |
Amidst his torments, Quddus was heard whispering forgiveness to his foes. "Forgive, O my God," he cried, "the trespasses of this people. Deal with them in Thy mercy, for they know not what we already have discovered and cherish. I have striven to show them the path that leads to their salvation; behold how they have risen to overwhelm and kill me! Show them, O God, the way of Truth, and turn their ignorance into faith." In his hour of agony, the Siyyid-i- {412} Qumi, who had so treacherously deserted the fort, was seen passing by his side. Observing his helplessness, he smote him in the face. "You claimed," he cried in haughty scorn,
"that your voice was the voice of God. If you speak the truth, burst your bonds asunder and free yourself from the hands of your enemies." Quddus looked steadfastly into his {413} face, sighed deeply, and said: "May God requite you for your deed, inasmuch as you have helped to add to the measure of my afflictions." Approaching the Sabzih-Maydan, he raised his voice and said: "Would that my mother were with me, and could see with her own eyes the splendour of my nuptials!" He had scarcely spoken these words when the enraged multitude fell upon him and, tearing his body to pieces, threw the scattered members into the fire which they had kindled far that purpose. In the middle of the night, what still remained of the fragments of that burned and mutilated body was gathered by the hand of a devoted friend and interred in a place not far distant from the scene of his martyrdom. |
| It would be appropriate at this juncture to place on record the names of those martyrs who participated in the defence of the fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí, in the hope that generations yet to come may recall with pride and gratitude the names, no less than the deeds, of those pioneers who, by their life and death, have so greatly enriched the annals of God's immortal Faith. Such names as I have been able to collect from various sources, and for which I am particularly indebted {414} to Ismu'llahu'l-Mim, Ismu'llahu'l-Javad, and Ismu'llahu'l-Asad, I now proceed to enumerate, trusting that even as in the world beyond their souls have been invested with the light of unfading glory, their names may likewise linger for ever on the tongues of men; that their mention may continue to evoke a like spirit of enthusiasm and devotion in the hearts of those to whom this priceless heritage has been transmitted. From my informants I not only have been able to gather the names of most of those who fell in the course of that memorable siege, but have also succeeded in obtaining a representative, though incomplete, list of all those martyrs who, from the year '60 until the present day, the latter part of the month of Rabi'u'l-Avval in the year 1306 A.H., have laid down their lives in the path of the Cause of God. It is my intention to make mention of each of these names in connection with the particular event with which it is chiefly connected. As to those who quaffed the cup of martyrdom while defending the fort of Ṭabarsí, their names are as follows: |
| 1. |
First and foremost among them stands Quddus, upon whom the Bab bestowed the name of Ismu'llahu'l-Akhar. He, the Last Letter of the Living and the Bab's chosen companion {415} on His pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, was, together with Mulla Ṣádiq and Mulla Ali-Akbar-i-Ardistani, the first to suffer persecution on Persian soil for the sake of the Cause of God. He was only eighteen years of age when he left his native town of Barfurush for Karbila. For about four years he sat at the feet of Siyyid Kazim, and at the age of twenty-two met and recognised his Beloved in S̲h̲íráz. Five years later, on the twenty-third day of Jamadiyu'th-Thani in the year 1265 A.H., he was destined to fall, in the Sabzih-Maydan of Barfurush, a victim of the most refined and wanton barbarity at the hands of the enemy. The Bab and, at a later time, Baha'u'llah have mourned in unnumbered Tablets and prayers his loss, and have lavished on him their eulogies. Such was the honour accorded to him by Baha'u'llah that in His commentary on the verse of Kullu't-Ta'am, which He revealed while in Baghdad, He conferred upon him the unrivalled station of the Nuqtiy-i-Ukhra, a station second to none except that of the Bab Himself. |
| 2. |
Mulla Ḥusayn, surnamed the Babu'l-Bab, the first to recognise and embrace the new Revelation. At the age of eighteen, he, too, departed from his native town of Bushruyih in Khurasan for Karbila, and for a period of nine years {416} remained closely associated with Siyyid Kazim. Four years prior to the Declaration of the Bab, acting according to the instructions of Siyyid Kazim, he met in Iṣfáhán the learned mujtahid Siyyid Baqir-i-Rashti and in Mashhad Mirza Askari, to both of whom he delivered with dignity and eloquence the messages with which he had been entrusted by his leader. The circumstances attending his martyrdom evoked the Bab's inexpressible sorrow, a sorrow that found vent in eulogies and prayers of such great number as would be equivalent to thrice the volume of the Qur'an. In one of His visiting Tablets, the Bab asserts that the very dust of the ground where the remains of Mulla Ḥusayn lie buried is endowed with such potency as to bring joy to the disconsolate and healing to the sick. In the Kitab-i-Iqan, Baha'u'llah extols with still greater force the virtues of Mulla Ḥusayn. "But for him," He writes, "God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor have ascended the throne of eternal glory!" |
| 3. |
Mirza Muḥammad -Ḥasan, the brother of Mulla Ḥusayn. |
| 4. |
Mirza Muḥammad-Baqir, the nephew of Mulla Ḥusayn. He, as well as Mirza Muḥammad-Ḥasan, accompanied Mulla Ḥusayn from Bushruyih to Karbila and from thence to S̲h̲íráz, where they embraced the Message of the Bab and were enrolled among the Letters of the Living. With the exception of the journey of Mulla Ḥusayn to the castle of Mah-Ku, they continued to be with him until the time they suffered martyrdom in the fort of Ṭabarsí. |
| 5. |
The brother-in- law of Mulla Ḥusayn, the father of Mirza Abu'l-Ḥasan and Mirza Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, both of whom are now in Bushruyih, and into whose hands the care of the Varaqatu'l-Firdaws, Mulla Ḥusayn's sister, is committed. Both are firm and devoted adherents of the Faith. |
| 6. |
The son of Mulla Ahmad, the elder brother of Mulla Mirza Muḥammad-i-Furughi. He, unlike his uncle, Mulla Mirza Muḥammad, suffered martyrdom and was, as testified by the latter, a youth of great piety and distinguished for his lea rning and his integrity of character. |
| {417} 7. |
Mirza Muḥammad-Baqir, known as Harati, though originally a resident of Qayin. He was a close relative of the father of Nabil-i-Akbar, and was the first in Mashhad to embrace the Cause. It was he who built the Babiyyih, and who devotedly served Quddus during his sojourn in that city. When Mulla Ḥusayn hoisted the Black Standard, he, together with his child, Mirza Muḥammad-Kazim, eagerly enrolled under his banner and went forth with him to Mazindaran. That child was saved eventually, and has now grown up into a fervent and active supporter of the Faith in Mashhad. It was Mirza Muḥammad-Baqir who acted as the standard-bearer of the company, who designed the plan of the fort, its walls and turrets and the moat which surrounded it, who succeeded Mulla Ḥusayn in organising the forces of his companions and in leading the charge against the enemy, and who acted as the intimate companion, the lieutenant and trusted counsellor of Quddus until the hour when he fell a martyr in the path of the Cause. |
| 8. |
Mirza Muḥammad-Taqiy-i-Juvayni, a native of Sabzihvar, who was distinguished for his literary accomplishments and was often entrusted by Mulla Ḥusayn with the task of leading the charge against the assailants. His head and th at of his fellow-companion, Mirza Muḥammad-Baqir, were impaled on spears and paraded through the streets of Barfurush, amid the shouts and howling of an excited populace. |
| 9. |
Qambar-'Ali, the fearless and faithful servant of Mulla Ḥusayn, who accompanied him on his journey to Mah-Ku and who suffered martyrdom on the very night on which his master fell a victim to the bullets of the enemy. |
| 10. |
Ḥasan and |
| 11. |
Quli, who, together with a man named Iskandar, a native of Zanjan, bore the body of Mulla Ḥusayn to the fort on the night of his martyrdom and placed it at the feet of Quddus. He it was, the same Ḥasan, who, by the orders of the chief constable of Mashhad, was led by a halter through the streets of that city. |
| 12. |
Muḥammad-Ḥasan, the brother of Mulla Ṣádiq, whom the comrades of Khusraw slew on the way between Barfurush and the fort of Ṭabarsí. He distin guished himself {418} by his unwavering constancy, and had been one of the servants of the shrine of the Imam Rida. |
| 13. |
Siyyid Rida, who, with Mulla Yusuf-i-Ardibili, was commissioned by Quddus to meet the prince, and who brought back with him the sealed copy of the Qur'an bearing the oath which the prince had written. He was one of the well-known siyyids of Khurasan, and was recognised for his learning as well as for the integrity of his character. |
| 14. |
Mulla Mardan-'Ali, one of the noted companions from Khurasan, a resident of the village of Miyamay, the site of a well-fortified fortress situated between Sabzihvar and Shah-Rud. |
| |
He, together with thirty-three companions, enlisted under the banner of Mulla Ḥusayn on the day of the latter's passage through that village. It was in the masjid of Miyamay, to which Mulla Ḥusayn had repaired in order to offer the Friday congregational prayer, that he delivered his soul-stirring appeal in which he laid stress upon the fulfilment of the tradition relating to the hoisting of the Black Standard in Khurasan, and in which he declared himself to be its bearer. His eloquent address profoundly impressed his hearers, so much so that on that very day the majority of those who heard him, most of whom were men of distinguished merit, arose and followed him. Only one of those thirty-three companions, a Mulla Isa, survived, whose sons are at present in the village of Miyamay, actively engaged in the service of the Cause. The names of the martyred companions of that village are as follows: |
| 15. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Mihdi, |
| 16. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Ja'far, |
| 17. |
Mulla Muḥammad-ibn-i-Mulla Muḥammad, |
| 18. |
Mulla Rahim, |
| 19. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Rida, |
| 20. |
Mull a Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, |
| 21. |
Mulla Muḥammad, |
| 22. |
Mulla Yusuf, |
| 23. |
Mulla Ya'qub, |
| 24. |
Mulla Ali, |
| 25. |
Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin, |
| 26. |
Mulla Muḥammad, son of Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin, |
| 27. |
Mulla Baqir, |
| {419} 28. |
Mulla Abdu'l-Muḥammad, |
| 29. |
Mulla Abu'l-Ḥasan, |
| 30. |
Mulla Isma'il, |
| 31. |
Mulla Abdu'l-'Ali, |
| 32. |
Mulla Aqa-Baba, |
| 33. |
Mulla Abdu'l-Javad, |
| 34. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, |
| 35. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Baqir, |
| 36. |
Mulla Muhamma d, |
| 37. |
Ḥájí Ḥasan, |
| 38. |
Karbila'i Ali, |
| 39. |
Mulla Karbila'i Ali, |
| 40. |
Karbila'i Nur-Muḥammad, |
| 41. |
Muḥammad-Ibrahim, |
| 42. |
Muḥammad-Sa'im, |
| 43. |
Muḥammad-Hadi, |
| 44. |
Siyyid Mihdi, |
| 45. |
Abu-Muḥammad. |
| |
Of the companions of the village of Sang-Sar, which forms part of the district of Simnan, eighteen were martyred. Their names are as follows: |
| 46. |
Siyyid Ahmad, whose body was cut to pieces by Mirza Muḥammad-Taqi and the seven ulamas of Sar i. He was a noted divine and greatly esteemed for his eloquence and piety. |
| 47. |
Siyyid Ahmad, whose body was cut to pieces by Mirza Muḥammad-Taqi and the seven ulamas of Sar i. He was a noted divine and greatly esteemed for his eloquence and piety. |
| 48. |
Mir Mihdi, the paternal uncle of Siyyid Ahmad, |
| 49. |
Mir Ibrahim, the brother-in-law of Siyyid Ahmad, |
| 50. |
Safar-'Ali,the son of Karbila'i Ali, who, together with Karbila'i Muḥammad, had so strenuously endeavoured to awaken the people of Sang-Sar from their sleep of heedlessness. Both of them, owing to their infirmities, were unable to proceed to the fort of Ṭabarsí. |
| 51. |
Muḥammad-'Ali, the son of Karbila'i Abu-Muḥammad, |
| 52. |
Abu'l-Qasim, the brother of Muḥammad-'Ali, |
| 53. |
Karbila'i Ibrahim, |
| 54. |
Ali-Ahmad, |
| {420} 55. |
Mulla Ali-Akbar, |
| 56. |
Mulla Ḥusayn-'Ali, |
| 57. |
Abbas-'Ali, |
| 58. |
Ḥusayn-'Ali, |
| 59. |
Mulla Ali-Asghar, |
| 60. |
Karbila'i Isma'il, |
| 61. |
Ali K̲h̲án, |
| 62. |
Muḥammad-Ibrahim, |
| 63. |
Abdu'l-'Azim. |
| |
From the village of Shah-Mirzad, two fell in defending the fort: |
| 64. |
Mulla Abu-Rahim and |
| 65. |
Karbila'i Kazim. |
| |
As to the adherents of the Faith in Mazindaran, twenty-seven martyrs have thus far been recorded: |
| 66. |
Mulla Riday-i-Shah, |
| 67. |
Azim, |
| 68. |
Karbila'i Muḥammad-Ja'far, |
| 69. |
Siyyid Ḥusayn, |
| 70. |
Muḥammad-Baqir, |
| 71. |
Siyyid Razzaq, |
| 72. |
Ustad Ibrahim, |
| 73. |
Mulla Sa'id-i-Zirih-Kinari, |
| 74. |
Riday-i-' Arab, |
| 75. |
Rasul-i-Bahnimiri, |
| 76. |
Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, the brother of Rasul-i-Bahnimiri, |
| 77. |
Tahir, |
| 78. |
Shafi', |
| 79. |
Qasim, |
| 80. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Jan, |
| 81. |
Masih, the brother of Mulla Muḥammad-Jan, |
| 82. |
Ita-Baba, |
| 83. |
Yusuf, |
| 84. |
Fadlu'llah, |
| 85. |
Baba, |
| 86. |
Safi-Quli, |
| 87. |
Nizam, |
| 88. |
Ruhu'llah, |
| 89. |
Ali-Quli, |
| {421} 90. |
Sulṭán, |
| 91. |
Ja'far, |
| 92. |
Khalil. |
| |
Of the believers of Savad-Kuh, the five following names have thus far been ascertained: |
| 93. |
Karbila'i Qambar-Kalish, |
| 94. |
Mulla Nad-'Aliy-i-Mutavalli, |
| 95. |
Abdu'l-Ḥaqq, |
| 96. |
Itabaki-Chupan, |
| 97. |
Son of Itabaki-Chupan. |
| |
From the town of Ardistan, the foll owing have suffered martyrdom: |
| 98. |
Mirza Ali-Muḥammad, son of Mirza Muḥammad-Sa'id, |
| 99. |
Mirza Abdu'-Vasi', son of Ḥájí Abdu'l-Vahhab, |
| 100. |
Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, son of Ḥájí Muḥammad-Ṣádiq, |
| 101. |
Muḥammad-Mihdi, son of Ḥájí Muḥammad-I brahim, |
| 102. |
Mirza Ahmad, son of Muhsin, |
| 103. |
Mirza Muḥammad, son of Mir Muḥammad-Taqi. |
| |
From the city of Iṣfáhán, thirty have thus far been recorded: |
| 104. |
Mulla Ja'far, the sifter of wheat, whose name has been mentioned by the Bab in the Persian Bayan. |
| 105. |
Ustad Aqa, surnamed Buzurg-Banna, |
| 106. |
Ustad Ḥasan, son of Ustad Aqa, |
| 107. |
Ustad Muḥammad, son of Ustad Aqa, |
| 108. |
Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, son of Ustad Aqa, whose younger brother Ustad Ja'far was sold seve ral times by his enemies until he reached his native city, where he now resides. |
| 109. |
Ustad Qurban-'Aliy-i-Banna, |
| 110. |
Ali-Akbar, son of Ustad Qurban-'Aliy-i-Banna, |
| 111. |
Abdu'llah, son of Ustad Qurban-'Ali-i-Banna, |
| 112. |
Muḥammad- i-Baqir-Naqsh, the maternal uncle of Siyyid Yaḥyá, son of Mirza Muḥammad-'Aliy-i-Nahri. He was fourteen years old and was martyred the very night that Mulla Ḥusayn met his death. |
| 113. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Taqi, |
| 114. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Rida, both brothers of the late Abdu's-Salih, the gardener of the Ridvan at Akka. |
| 115. |
Mulla Ahmad-i-Saffar, |
| {422} 116. |
Mulla Ḥusayn-i-Miskar, |
| 117. |
Ahmad-i-Payvandi, |
| 118. |
Ḥasan-i-Sha'r-Baf-i-Yazdi, |
| 119. |
Muḥammad-Taqi, |
| 120. |
Muḥammad-'Aṭṭar, brother of Ḥasan-i-Sha'r-Baf, |
| 121. |
Mulla Abdu'l-Khaliq, who cut his throat in Badasht and whom Ṭáhirih named Dhabih. |
| 122. |
Ḥusayn, |
| 123. |
Abu'l-Qasim, brother of Ḥusayn, |
| 124. |
Mirza Muḥammad-Rida, |
| 125. |
Mulla Haydar, brother of Mirza Muḥammad-Rida, |
| 126. |
Mirza Mihdi, |
| 127. |
Muḥammad-Ibrahim, |
| 128. |
Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, surnamed Dastmal-Girih-Zan, |
| 129. |
Muḥammad-Ḥasan-i-Chit-Saz, a well-known cloth manufacturer who attained the presence of the Bab. |
| 130. |
Muḥammad-Ḥusayn-i-'Aṭṭar, |
| 131. |
Ustad Ḥájí Muḥammad-i-Banna, |
| 132. |
Mahmud-i-Muqari'i, a note d cloth dealer. He was newly married and had attained the presence of the Bab in the castle of Chihriq. The Bab urged him to proceed to the Jaziriy-i-Khadra and to lend his assistance to Quddus. While in Ṭihrán, he received a letter from his brother announcing the birth of a son and entreating him to hasten to Iṣfáhán to see him, and then to proceed to whichever place he felt inclined. "I am too much fired," he replied, "with the love of this Cause tobe able to devote any attention to my son. I am impatient to join Quddus and to enlist under his banner." |
| 133. |
Siyyid Muḥammad-Riday-i-Pa-Qal'iyi, a distinguished siyyid and a highly esteemed divine, whose declared purpose to enlist under the banner of Mulla Ḥusayn caused a great tumu lt among the ulamas of Iṣfáhán. |
| |
Among the believers of S̲h̲íráz, the following attained the station of martyrdom: |
| 134. |
Mulla Abdu'llah, known also by the name of Mirza Salih, |
| 135. |
Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin, |
| 136. |
Mirza Muḥammad. |
| |
Of the adherents of the Faith in Yazd, only four have thus far been recorded: |
| {423} 137. |
The siyyid who walked on foot all the way from Khurasan to Barfurush, where he fell a victim to the bullet of the enemy. |
| 138. |
Siyyid Ahmad, the father of Siyyid Ḥusayn-i-'Aziz, the amanuensis of the Bab, |
| 139. |
Mirza Muḥammad-'Ali, son of Siyyid Ahmad, whose head was blown off by the ball from a cannon as he was standing at the entrance of the fort, and who, because of his t ender age, was greatly loved and admired by Quddus. |
| 140. |
Shaykh Ali, son of Shaykh Abdu'l-Khaliq-i-Yazdi, a resident of Mashhad, a youth whose enthusiasm and untiring energy were greatly praised by Mulla Ḥusayn and Quddus. |
| |
Of the believers of Qazvin, the following were martyred: |
| 141. |
Mirza Muḥammad-'Ali, a noted divine, whose father, Ḥájí Mulla Abdu'l-Vahhab, was one of the most distinguished mujtahids in Qazvin. He attained the presence of the Bab in S̲h̲íráz, and was enroll ed as one of the Letters of the Living. |
| 142. |
Muḥammad-Hadi, a noted merchant, son of Ḥájí Abdu'l-Karim, surnamed Baghban-Bashi, |
| 143. |
Siyyid Ahmad, |
| 144. |
Mirza Abdu'l-Jalil, a noted divine, |
| 145. |
Mirza Mihdi. |
| 146. |
From the v illage of Lahard, a man named Ḥájí Muḥammad-'Ali, who had greatly suffered as a result of the murder of Mulla Taqi in Qazvin. |
| |
Of the believers of Khuy, the following have suffered martyrdom: |
| 147. |
Mulla Mihdi, a distinguished divine, who had been one of the esteemed disciples of Siyyid Kazim. He was noted for his learning, his eloquence, and his staunchness of faith. |
| 148. |
Mulla Mahmud-i-Khu'i, brother of Mulla Mihdi, one of the Letters of the Living and a distinguished divine. |
| 149. |
Mulla Yusuf-i-Ardibili, one of the Letters of the Living, noted for his learning, his enthusiasm and eloquence. It was he who had aroused the apprehensions of Ḥájí Karim K̲h̲án on his arrival at Kirman, and who struck terror to the hearts of his adversaries. "This man," Ḥájí Karim K̲h̲án was heard to say to his congregation, "must needs be expelled from this town, for if he be allowed to remain, he will as- {424} suredly cause the same tumult in Kirman as he has already done in S̲h̲íráz. The injury he will inflict will be irreparable. The magic of his eloquence and the force of his personality, if they do not already excel those of Mulla Ḥusayn, are certainly not inferior to them." By this means he was able to force him to curtail his stay in Kirman and to prevent him from addressing the people from the pulpit. The Bab gave him the following instructions: "You must visit the towns and cities of Persia and summon their inhabitants to the Cause of God. On the first day of the month of Muharram in the year 1265 A.H., you must be in Mazindaran and must arise to lend every assistance in your power to Quddus." Mulla Yusuf, faithful to the instructions of his Master, refused to prolong his stay beyond a week in any of the towns and cities which he visited. On his arrival in Mazindaran, he was made captive by the forces of Prince Mihdi-Quli Mirza, who immediately recognised him and gave orders that he be imprisoned. He was eventually released, as we have already observed, by the companions of Mulla Ḥusayn on the day of the battle of Vas-Kas. |
| 150. |
Mulla Jalil-i-Urumi, one of the Letters of the Living, noted for his learning, his eloquence, and tenacity of fai th. |
| 151. |
Mulla Ahmad, a resident of Maraghih, one of the Letters of the Living, and a distinguished disciple of Siyyid Kazim. |
| 152. |
Mulla Mihdiy-i-Kandi, a close companion of Baha'u'llah, and a tutor to the children of His household. |
| 153. |
Mulla Baqir, brother of Mulla Mihdi, both of whom were men of considerable learning, to whose great attainments Baha'u'llah testifies in the "Kitab-i-Iqan." |
| 154. |
Siyyid Kazim, a resident of Zanjan, and one of its noted merchants. He attained the presence of the Bab in S̲h̲íráz, and accompanied Him to Iṣfáhán. His brother, Siyyid Murtada, was one of the Seven Martyrs of Ṭihrán. |
| 155. |
Iskandar, also a resident of Zanjan, who, together with Ḥasan and Quli, bore the body of Mull a Ḥusayn to the fort. |
| 156. |
Isma'il, |
| 157. |
Karbila'i Abdu'l-'Ali, |
| {425} 158. |
Abdu'l-Muḥammad, |
| 159. |
Ḥájí Abbas, |
| 160. |
Siyyid Ahmad--all residents of Zanjan |
| 161. |
Siyyid Ḥusayn-i-Kulah-Duz, a resident of Barf urush, whose head was impaled on a lance and was paraded through its streets. |
| 162. |
Mulla Ḥasan-i-Rashti, |
| 163. |
Mulla Ḥasan-i-Bayajmandi, |
| 164. |
Mulla Ni'matu'llah-i-Barfurushi, |
| 165. |
Mulla Muḥammad-Taqiy-i-Qarakhili, |
| 166. |
Ustad Zaynu'l-'Abidin, |
| 167. |
Ustad Qasim, son of Ustad Zaynu'l-'Abidin, |
| 168. |
Ustad Ali-Akbar, brother of Ustad Zaynu'l-'Abidin. |
| |
The last three were masons by profession, were natives of Kirman, and resided in Qayin in the province of Khurasan |
| 169. |
and 170. Mulla Riday-i-Shah and a young man from Bahnimir were slain two days after the abandonment of the fort by Quddus, in the Panj-Shanbih-Bazar of Barfurush. Ḥájí Mulla Muḥammad-i-Hamzih, surnamed the Shari'at-Madar, succeeded in burying their bodies in the neighbourhood of the Masjid-i-Kazim-Big, and in inducing their murderer to repent and ask forgiveness. |
| 171. |
Mulla Muḥammad-i-Mu'allim-i-Nuri, an intimate companion of Baha'u'llah who was closely associate d with Him in Nur, in Ṭihrán, and in Mazindaran. He was famed for his intelligence and learning, and was subjected, Quddus only excepted, to the severest atrocities that have ever befallen a defender of the fort of Ṭabarsí. The prince had promised that he would release him on condition that he would execrate the name of Quddus, and had pledged his word that, should he be willing to recant, he would take him back with him to Ṭihrán and make him the tutor of his sons. "Never will I consent," he replied, "to vilify the beloved of God at the bidding of a man such as you. Were you to confer upon me the whole of the kingdom of Persia, I would not for one moment turn my face from my beloved leader. My body is at your mercy, my soul you are powerless to subdue. Torture me as you will, that I may be enabled to demonstrate to you the truth of the verse, `Then, wish for death, if ye be men of {426} truth.'" The prince, infuriated by his answer, gave orders that his body be cut to pieces and that no effort be spared to inflict upon him a most humiliating punishment. |
| 172. |
Ḥájí Muḥammad-i-Karradi, whose home was situated in one of the palm groves adjoining the old city of Bag hdad, a man of great courage who had fought and led a hundred men in the war against Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt. He had been a fervent disciple of Siyyid Kazim, and was the author of a long poem in which he expatiated upon the virtues and merits of the siyyid. He was seventy-five years old when he embraced the Faith of the Bab, whom he likewise eulogised in an eloquent and detailed poem. He distinguished himself by his heroic acts during the siege of the fort, and eventually became a victim of the bullets of the enemy. |
| 173. |
Sa'id-i-Jabbavi, a native of Baghdad, who displa yed extraordinary courage during the siege. He was shot in the abdomen, and, though severely wounded, managed to walk until he reached the presence of Quddus. He joyously threw himself at his feet and expired. |
|
The circumstances of the martyrdom of these last two companions were related by Siyyid Abu-Talib-i-Sang-Sari, one of those who survived that memorable siege, in a communication he addressed to Baha'u'llah. In it he relates, in addition, his own story, as well as that of his two brothers, Siyyid Ahmad and Mir Abu'l-Qasim, both of whom were martyred while defending the fort. "On the day on which Khusraw was slain," he wrote, "I happened to be the guest of a certain Karbila'i Ali-Jan, the kad-khuda of one of the villages in the neighbourhood of the fort. He had gone to assist in the protection of Khusraw, and had returned and was relating to me the circumstances attendi ng his death. On that very day, a messenger informed me that two Arabs had arrived at that village and were anxious to join the occupants of the fort. They expressed their fear of the people of the village of Qadi-Kala, and promised that they would amply reward whoever would be willing to conduct them to their destination. I recalled the counsels of my f ather, Mir Muḥammad-'Ali, who exhorted me to arise and {427} help in the promotion of the Cause of the Bab. I immediately decided to seize the opportunity that had presented itself to me, and, together with these two Arabs, and with the aid and assistance of the Kad-khuda, reached the fort, met Mulla Ḥusayn, and determined to consecrate the remaining
days of my life to the service of the Cause he had chosen to follow." |
| The names of some of the officers who distinguished themselves among the opponents of the companions of Quddus are as follows: |
- Prince Mihdi-Quli Mirza, brother of the late Muḥammad Shah, {428}
- Sulayman K̲h̲án-i-Afshar,
- Ḥájí Mustafa K̲h̲án-i-Sur-Tij,
- Abdu'llah K̲h̲án, brother of Ḥájí Mustafa K̲h̲án,
- Abbas-Quli K̲h̲án-i-Larijani, who shot Mulla Ḥusayn,
- Nuru'llah K̲h̲án-i-Afghan,
- Habibu'llah K̲h̲án-i-Afghan,
- Dhu'l-Faqar K̲h̲án-i-Karavuli,
- A li-Asghar K̲h̲án-i-Du-Dungi'i,
- Khuda-Murad K̲h̲án-i-Kurd,
- Khalil K̲h̲án-i-Savad-Kuhi,
- Ja'far-Quli K̲h̲án-i-Surkh-Karri'i,
- The Sartip of the Fawj-i-Kalbat, {429}
- Zakariyyay-i-Qadi-Kala'i, a cousin of Khusraw, and his successor.
|
| As to those believers who participated in that memorable siege and survived its tragic end, I have been thus far unable to ascertain in full either their names or their number. I have contented myself with a representative, though incomplete, list of the names of its martyrs, trusting that in the days to come the valiant promoters of the Faith will arise to fill this gap, and will, by their research and industry, be able to remedy the imperfections of this altogether inadequate description of what must ever remain as one of the most moving episodes of modern times. |
| |
| Footnotes: |
| ^ |
383-1 |
Ch. XX, p.383, f.1 |
"Among them was Mulla Ḥusayn, who was made the recipient of the effulgent glory of the Sun of Revelation. But for him, God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory." (The "Kitab-i-Iqan," p. 188.) See note 5, p. 23. "Frail of form, but a gallant soldier and an impassioned lover of God he combined qualities and characteristics which even in the spiritual aristocracy of Persia are seldom found united in the same person." (Dr. T. K. Cheyne's "The Reconciliation of Races and Religions," p. 83.) "At last," writes Gobineau, "he passed away. The new religion, which found in him its first martyr, lost, in the same stroke, a man whose moral strength and ability would have been of great value to it, had he lived longer. The Muḥammadans naturally feel a hatred for the memory of this leader, which is as deep as the love and veneration shown for him by the Babis. They can both justify their opposing sentiments. What is certain is that Mulla Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i was the first to give to Babism, in the Persian empire, the status which a religious or political body acquires in the eyes of the people only after it has demonstrated its warlike strength." (Comte de Gobineau's "Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale," p. 176.) "The late Ḥájí Mirza Jani writes: `I myself met him [Mirza Muḥammad-Ḥasan, the younger brother of Mulla Ḥusayn] when he was bringing his mother and sister from Karbila to Qazvin and from Qazvin to Ṭihrán. His sister was the wife of Shaykh Abu-Turab of Qazvin, who was a scholar and philosopher such at is rarely met with and believed with the utmost sincerity and purity of purpose, while such was his love and devotion to the Bab that if anyone did so much as mention the name of His Supreme Holiness (the souls of all beside him be His sacrifice) he could not restrain his tears. Often have I seen him, when engaged in the perusal of the writings of His Supreme Holiness, become almost beside himself with rapture, and nearly faint with joy. Of his wife he used to say: "I married her three years ago in Karbila. She was then but an indifferent scholar even in Persian, but now she can expound texts from the Qur'an and explain the most difficult questions and most subtle points of the doctrine of the Divine Unity in such wise that I have never seen a man who was her equal in this, or in readiness of apprehension. These gifts she has obtained by the blessing of His Holiness the Supreme and through converse with her holiness the Pure (Qurratu'l-'Ayn). I have seen in her a patience and resignation rare even in the most self-denying men, for during these three years, though I have not sent her a single dinar for her expenses and she has supported herself only with the greatest difficulty, she has never uttered a word; and now that she has come to Ṭihrán, she refrains altogether from speaking of the past, and though, in accordance with the wishes of Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab, she now desires to proceed to Khurasan, and has literally nothing to put on save one well-worn dress which she wears, she never asks for clothes or travelling-money, but ever seeks reasonable excuses wherewith to set me at my ease and prevent me from feeling ashamed. Her purity, chastity, and virtue are boundless, and during all this while no unprivileged person hath so much as heard her voice." But the virtues of the daughter were surpassed by those of the mother, who possessed rare attainments and accomplishments, and had composed many poems and eloquent elegies on the afflictions of her sons. Although Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab had warned her of his approaching martyrdom and foretold to her all the impending calamities, she still continued to exhibit the same eager devotion and cheerful resignation, rejoicing that God had accepted the sacrifice of her sons, and even praying that they might attain to this great dignity and not be deprived of so great blessedness. It is indeed wonderful to meditate on this virtuous and saintly family, the sons so conspicuous for their single-minded devotion and self-sacrifice, the mother and daughter so patient and resigned. When I, Mirza Jani, met Mirza Muḥammad-Ḥasan, he was but seventeen years of age, yet I observed in him a dignity, gravity, composure, and virtue which amazed me. After the death of Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab, Hadrat-i-Quddus bestowed on him the sword and turban of that glorious martyr, and made him captain of the troops of the True King. As to his martyrdom, there is a difference of opinion as to whether he was slain at the breakfast-table in the camp, or suffered martyrdom with Jinab-i-Quddus in the square of Barfurush.'" (The "Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. 93-5.) The sister of Mulla Ḥusayn was surnamed "Varaqatu'l-Firdaws" and was intimately associated, while in Karbila, with Ṭáhirih. ("Memorials of the Faithful," p. 270.) |
| ^ |
408-1 |
Ch. XX, p.408, f.1 |
May 11, 1849 A.D. |
| ^ |
410-1 |
Ch. XX, p.410, f.1 |
"The Babis call attention to the fact that shortly afterwards a strange disease afflicted Sa'idu'l-'Ulama'. In spite of the furs which he wore, in spite of the fire which burned constantly in his room, he shivered with cold yet, at the same time, his fever was so high, that nothing could quench his intolerable thirst. He died, and his house, which was very beautiful, was abandoned and finally crumbled into ruins. Little by little, the practice grew of dumping refuse on the site where it had once so proudly stood. This so impressed the Mazindaranis that when they quarrel among themselves, the final insult frequently is, `May thy house meet the same fate as the house of Sa'idu'l-'Ulama!'" (A. L. M. Nicolas' "Siyyid Ali-Muḥammad dit le Bab," p. 330.) |
| ^ |
413-1 |
Ch. XX, p.413, f.1 |
"At all events it appears that after the martyrdom of Jinab-i-Quddus a pious divine Ḥájí Muḥammad-'Aliy-i-Hamzih by name, whose skill in exegesis and spiritual gifts was recognised by all, secretly sent several persons to bury the mutilated remains in the ruined college already mentioned. And he, far from approving the Sa'idu'l-'Ulama''s conduct, used to curse and revile him, and never himself pronounced sentence of death against any Babi, but, on the contrary used to obtain decent burial for those slain by the Sa'idu'l-'Ulama'. And when men questioned him concerning the garrison of the castle, he would reply: `I do not condemn them or speak evil of them.' For this reason half of Barfurush remained neutral, for at first he used to forbid men to traduce or molest the Babis, though later when the trouble waxed great, he deemed it prudent to be silent and shut himself up in his house. Now his austerity of life, piety, learning, and virtue were as well known to the people of Mazindaran as were the irreligion immorality and worldliness of the Sa'idu'l-'Ulama'." (The "Tarikh-i-Jadid," p. 92.) |
| ^ |
413-2 |
Ch. XX, p.413, f.2 |
"He who knew Quddus and who made the pilgrimage with him is the one upon whom `eight unities' have passed and God honored him among His angels in the heavens, because of the way in which he had withdrawn himself from all and because he was without blame in the sight of God." ("Le Bayan Persan," vol. 2, p. 164.) "Yet more wonderful than the events above described is the account of them given by Abbas-Quli K̲h̲án, with many expressions of admiration to Prince Ahmad Mirza. The late Ḥájí Mirza Jani writes: `About two years after the disaster of Shaykh Ṭabarsí, I heard one, who, though not a believer, was honest, truthful, and worthy of credit, relate as follows: "We were sitting together when some allusion was made to the war waged by some of those present against Hadrat-i-Quddus and Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab. Prince Ahmad Mirza and Abbas-Quli K̲h̲án were amongst the company. The prince questioned Abbas-Quli K̲h̲án about the matter, and he replied thus: `The truth of the matter is that anyone who had not seen Karbila would, if he had seen Ṭabarsí, not only have comprehended what there took place, but would have ceased to consider it and had he seen Mulla Ḥusayn of Bushruyih he would have been convinced that the Chief of Martyrs had returned to earth; and had he witnessed my deeds he would assuredly have said: "This is Shimr come back with sword and Lance." I swear by the sacred plume of His Majesty the Centre of the Universe that one day Mulla Ḥusayn, having on his head a green turban, and over his shoulder a shroud, came forth from the castle, stood forth in the open field, and, leaning on a lance which he held in his hand said: "O people, why, without enquiry and under the influence of passion and prejudiced misrepresentation, do ye act so cruelly towards us, and strive without cause to shed innocent blood? Be ashamed before the Creator of the universe, and at last give us passage, that we may depart out of this land." Seeing that the soldiers were moved, I opened fire and ordered the troops to shout so as to drown his voice. Again I saw him lean on his lance and heard him cry: "Is there any who will help me?" three times so that all heard his cry. At that moment all the soldiers were silent and some began to weep, and many of the horsemen were visibly affected. Fearing that the army might be seduced from their allegiance, I again ordered them to fire and shout. Then I saw Mulla Ḥusayn unsheathe his sword raise his face towards heaven, and heard him exclaim: "O God I have completed the proof to this host, but it availeth not.' Then he began to attack us on the right and on the left. I swear by God that on that day he wielded the sword in such wise as transcends the power of man. Only the horsemen of Mazindaran held their ground and refused to flee. And when Mulla Ḥusayn was well warmed to the fray, he overtook a fugitive soldier. The soldier sheltered himself behind a tree, and further strove to shield himself with his musket. Mulla Ḥusayn dealt him such blow with his sword that he clave him and the tree and the musket into six pieces. And, during that war not once was his sword-stroke at fault, but every blow that he struck fell true. And by the nature of their wounds I could recognise all whom Mulla Ḥusayn had cut down with his sword, and since I had heard and knew that none could rightly wield the sword save the Chief of Believers, and that it was well-nigh impossible for sword to cut so true, therefore I forbade all who were aware of this thing to mention it or make it known, lest the troops should be discouraged and should wax faint in the fight. But in truth I know not what had been shown to these people, or what they had seen, that they came forth to battle with such alacrity and joy, and engaged so eagerly and gladly in the strife, without displaying in their countenance any trace of fear or apprehension. One would imagine that in their eyes the keen sword and blood-spilling dagger were but means to the attainment of everlasting life, so eagerly did their necks and bosoms welcome them as they circled like salamanders round the fiery hail of bullets. And the astonishing thing was that all these men were scholars and men of learning, sedentary recluses of the college and the cloister, delicately nurtured and of weakly frame, inured indeed to austerities, but strangers to the roar of cannon, the rattle of musketry, and the field of battle. During the last three months of the siege, moreover, they were absolutely without bread and water, and were reduced to the extreme of weakness through lack of even such pittance of food as is sufficient to sustain life. Notwithstanding this, it seemed as if in time of battle a new spirit were breathed into their frames, insomuch that the imagination of man cannot conceive the vehemence of their courage and valour. They used to expose their bodies to the bullets and cannon-balls not only fearlessly and courageously, but eagerly and joyously, seeming to regard the battle-field as a banquet, and to be bent on casting away their lives.'"'" (The "Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. 106-9.) |
| ^ |
414-1 |
Ch. XX, p.414, f.1 |
1844 A.D. |
| ^ |
414-2 |
Ch. XX, p.414, f.2 |
November-December 1888 A.D. |
| ^ |
414-3 |
Ch. XX, p.414, f.3 |
Literally "The Last Name of God." |
| ^ |
415-1 |
Ch. XX, p.415, f.1 |
May 16 1849 A.D. |
| ^ |
415-2 |
Ch. XX, p.415, f.2 |
Qur'an, 3:93. |
| ^ |
415-3 |
Ch. XX, p.415, f.3 |
Literally "The Last Point." |
| ^ |
424-1 |
Ch. XX, p.424, f.1 |
November 27, 1848 A.D. |
| ^ |
426-1 |
Ch. XX, p.426, f.1 |
Qur'an, 9:94. |
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