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Bahá'u'lláh
and the
New
Era
An Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'u'lláh
and the
New
Era
J.E. Esslemont
BAHÁ'Í PUBLISHING TRUST
WILMETTE, ILLINOIS
Copyright 1950, c1970, 1976, 1980 by the
National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá'ís of the United States
All rights reserved
Library of Congress
Esslemont, John Ebenezer, 1874-1925.
Bahá'u'lláh and the new era.
Bibliography:p.
Includes index.
1. Bahaism. 2. Bahá Ulláh, 1817-1892.
I. Title.
BP365.E8 1980 297'.89 80-24305
First edition, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, 1923
First revised edition, Bahá'í Publishing Committee, New York, 1937
Second revised edition, Bahá'í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, 1950
Third revised edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1970
Fourth revised paper edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1976
Fourth revised cloth edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1980
Fifth revised paper edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1980
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
PAGE
Preface to 1937 Edition............................... vii
Preface to 1950 Edition............................... ix
Preface to 1970 Edition............................... xi
Introduction.......................................... xiii
CHAPTER
1. The Glad Tidings.................................. 1
2. The Báb: The Forerunner......................... 11
3. Bahá'u'lláh: The Glory of God................... 23
4. `Abdu'l-Bahá: The Servant of Bahá............... 51
5. What Is a Bahá'í?............................... 71
6. Prayer............................................ 88
7. Health and Healing................................ 101
8. Religious Unity................................... 116
9. True Civilization................................. 133
10. The Way to Peace.................................. 156
11. Various Ordinances and Teachings.................. 175
12. Religion and Science.............................. 197
13. Prophecies Fulfilled by the Bahá'í Movement..... 211
14. Prophecies of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá..... 234
15. Retrospect and Prospect........................... 252
16. Epilogue.......................................... 283
Basic References on the Bahá'í Faith............ 287
Index............................................. 289
Preface to 1937 Edition
With the publication of "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era" more
than ten years ago, the Bahá'í Faith was given its first well-
conceived, thorough exposition by a student of the teachings.
Recognizing its value as the most satisfactory introduction to
the Cause, Bahá'ís in both East and West have found Dr.
Esslemont's book so helpful that it has been translated into
some thirty different languages.
As Dr. Esslemont himself recognized, the Faith entered a
new phase of its history after the ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
The result is that the author's views, some of them written
prior to 1921, no longer, on certain aspects of the subject, correspond
to the evolutionary character of the Faith. His treatment
of events and social conditions then existing, moreover,
no longer appears fully relevant. Unavoidably, a few errors of
fact had entered his text, while his explanation of the stations
of the Báb and of `Abdu'l-Bahá have been replaced in the
minds of Bahá'ís by the authoritative interpretations since
made by the first Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.
The present edition therefore represents a revision made by
the American National Spiritual Assembly, acting under the
advice and approval of Shoghi Effendi.
These revisions in no respect alter the original plan of Dr.
Esselmont's book, nor affect the major portion of his text.
Their purpose has been to amplify the author's discussion in a
few passages by the addition of material representing the fuller
knowledge available since his lamented death, and newer translations
of his quotations from Bahá'í Sacred Writings.
Bahá'í Publishing Committee
January, 1937
Preface to 1950 Edition
With this edition the American Bahá'í Publishing Committee
takes over copyright and other interests in "Bahá'u'lláh
and the New Era" from Messrs. George Allen & Unwin Ltd., of
London, England, through whom the late Dr. J. E. Esslemont
published his famous book more than twenty years ago. Under
arrangement with the British publishers, the Committee has
since 1928 brought out eleven printings, in addition to the first
American edition imported by Brentano's of New York.
This edition does not displace the text as it has appeared
since major revision was made in the book under the direction
of the Guardian of the Faith in 1937, as the time has not come
for anything like a thorough recasting of the book to make its
references to world conditions completely contemporaneous.
Dr. Esslemont's work endures as a trustworthy introduction to
the history and teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. Its translation
into some thirty different languages attests its appeal to
students in the East as well as the West.
It should be added that any further revision of the text in
the future is subject to approval by Shoghi Effendi. The Committee
has no authority to pass upon revisions which may be
desired by Bahá'ís of other countries for their particular need.
Bahá'í Publishing Committee
December, 1950
Preface to 1970 Edition
Since 1937 no revision has been made to the text of Dr.
Esslemont's book, although in 1950 some minor corrections
were introduced. On the other hand, the diffusion and development
of the Bahá'í Faith since that time have been tremendous,
and there has been added to Bahá'í bibliography a rich legacy
of incomparable expositions, translations and historical accounts
from the pen of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Faith
and the appointed interpreter of its Sacred Writings.
It has therefore been deemed necessary to bring the book up
to date in order to maintain its usefulness for modern readers.
This has been done with a minimum of alteration to the text,
and chiefly by the use of footnotes and of an epilogue giving
the current statistics and new developments in the organic
unfoldment of the Bahá'í Faith.
Dr. Esslemont's book continues to be one of the most
widely used introductory books on the Bahá'í Faith, as evidenced
by the fact that since 1937 the number of its translations
has increased from thirty to fifty-eight.
Bahá'í Publishing Trust
Introduction
In December 1914, through a conversation with friends who
had met `Abdu'l-Bahá, and the loan of a few pamphlets, I
first became acquainted with the Bahá'í teachings. I was at
once struck by their comprehensiveness, power and beauty.
They impressed me as meeting the great needs of the modern
world more fully and satisfactorily than any other presentation
of religion which I had come across -- an impression
which subsequent study has only served to deepen and confirm.
In seeking for fuller knowledge about the movement I
found considerable difficulty in obtaining the literature I
wanted, and soon conceived the idea of putting together the
gist of what I learned in the form of a book, so that it might
be more easily available for others. When communication with
Palestine was reopened after the war, I wrote to `Abdu'l-Bahá
and enclosed a copy of the first nine chapters of the book,
which was then almost complete in rough draft. I received a
very kind and encouraging reply, and a cordial invitation to visit
Him in Haifa and bring the whole of my manuscript with
me. The invitation was gladly accepted, and I had the great
privilege of spending two and a half months as the guest of
`Abdu'l-Bahá during the winter of 1919-1920. During this
visit `Abdu'l-Bahá discussed the book with me on various occasions.
He gave several valuable suggestions for its improvement
and proposed that, when I had revised the manuscript,
He would have the whole of it translated into Persian so that
He could read it through and amend or correct it where necessary.
The revisal and translation were carried out as suggested,
and `Abdu'l-Bahá found time, amid His busy life, to
correct some three and a half chapters (Chapters I, II, V and
part of III) before He passed away. It is a matter of profound
regret to met that `Abdu'l-Bahá was not able to complete
the correction of the manuscript, as the value of the book
would thereby have been greatly enhanced. The whole of the
manuscript has been carefully revised, however, by a committee
of the National Bahá'í Assembly of England, and its
publication approved by that Assembly.
I am greatly indebted to Miss E. J. Rosenberg, Mrs. Claudia
S. Coles, Mírzá Lutfu'lláh S. Hakím, Messrs. Roy Wilhelm
and Mountfort Mills and many other kind friends for valuable
help in the preparation of the work.
As regards the transliteration of Arabic and Persian names
and words, the system adopted in this book is that recently
recommended by Shoghi Effendi for use throughout the
Bahá'í World.
J. E. ESSLEMONT
Fairford, Cults,
By Aberdeen.
Bahá'u'lláh
and the
New
Era
+P 1
The Glad Tidings/1
The Promised One of all the peoples of the world hath appeared.
All peoples and communities have been expecting a
Revelation, and He, Bahá'u'lláh, is the foremost teacher and
educator of all mankind. -- `ABDU'L-BAHÁ.
The Greatest Event in History
If we study the story of the "ascent of man" as recorded in
the pages of history, it becomes evident that the leading factor
in human progress is the advent, from time to time, of men
who pass beyond the accepted ideas of their day and become
the discoverers and revealers of truths hitherto unknown
among mankind. The inventor, the pioneer, the genius, the
Prophet -- these are the men on whom the transformation of
world primarily depends. As Carlyle says: --
The plain truth, very plain, we think is, that ... one
man that has a higher Wisdom, a hitherto unknown
spiritual Truth in him, is stronger, not than ten men that
have it not, or than ten thousand, but than all men that
have it not; and stands among them with a quite ethereal,
angelic power, as with a sword out of Heaven's own armory,
sky-tempered, which no buckler, and no tower of
brass, will finally withstand. -- Sign of the Times
In the history of science, of art, of music, we see abundant
illustrations of this truth, but in no domain is the supreme importance
of the great man and his message more clearly evident
than in that of religion. All down the ages, whenever the
spiritual life of men has become degenerate and their morals
corrupt, that most wonderful and mysterious of men, the
Prophet, makes His appearance. Alone against the world, without
a single human being capable of teaching, of guiding, of
fully understanding Him, or of sharing His responsibility, He
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arises, like a seer among blind men, to proclaim His gospel of
righteousness and truth.
Amongst the Prophets some stand out with special pre-eminence.
Every few centuries a great Divine Revealer -- a
Krishna, a Zoroaster, a Moses, a Jesus, a Muhammad -- appears
in the East, like a spiritual Sun, to illumine the darkened
minds of men and awaken their dormant souls. Whatever our
views as to the relative greatness of these religion-founders
we must admit that They have been the most potent factors in
the education of mankind. With one accord these Prophets
declare that the words They utter are not from "Themselves,
but are a Revelation through Them, a Divine message of which
They are the bearers. Their recorded utterances abound, too,
in hints and promises of a great world teacher Who will appear
"in the fullness of time" to carry on Their work and bring
it to fruition, One Who will establish a reign of peace and
justice upon earth, and bring into one family all races, religions,
nations, and tribes, that "there may be one fold and
one shepherd" and that all may know and love God "from the
least even unto the greatest."
Surely the advent of this "Educator of Mankind," in the latter
days, when He appears, must be the greatest event in
human history. And the Bahá'í Movement is proclaiming to the
world the glad tidings that this Educator has in fact appeared,
that His Revelation has been delivered and recorded and may
be studied by every earnest seeker, that the "Day of the Lord"
has already dawned and the "Sun or Righteousness" arisen. As
yet only a few on the mountaintops have caught sight of the
Glorious Orb, but already its rays are illumining heaven and
earth, and erelong it will rise above the mountains and shine
with full strength on the plains and valleys too, giving life and
guidance to all.
The Changing World
That the world, during the nineteenth and the early part of the
twentieth centuries,+F1 has been passing through the death
------------------------
1. Written shortly after the First World War.
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pangs of an old era and the birth pangs of a new, is evident to
all. The old principles of materialism and self-interest, the old
sectarian and patriotic prejudices and animosities, are perishing,
discredited, amidst the ruins they have wrought, and in all
lands we see signs of a new spirit of faith, of brotherhood, of
internationalism, that is bursting the old bonds and overrunning
the old boundaries. Revolutionary changes of unprecedented
magnitude have been occurring in every department of
human life. The old era is not yet dead. It is engaged in a life
and death struggle with the new. Evils there are in plenty,
gigantic and formidable, but they are being exposed, investigated,
challenged and attacked with new vigor and hope.
Clouds there are in plenty, vast and threatening, but the light
is breaking through, and is illumining the path of progress and
revealing the obstacles and pitfalls that obstruct the onward
way.
In the eighteenth century it was different. Then the spiritual
and moral gloom that enshrouded the world was relieved by
hardly a ray of light. It was like the darkest hour before the
dawn, when the few lamps and candles that remain alight do
little more than make the darkness visible. Carlyle in his
Frederick the Great writes of the eighteenth century thus: --
A century which has no history and can have little or
none. A century so opulent in accumulated falsities ...
as never century before was! Which had no longer the
consciousness of being false, so false had it grown; and
was so steeped in falsity, and impregnated with it to the
very bone, that -- in fact the measure of the thing was full,
and a French Revolution had to end it. ... A very fit
termination, as I thankfully fell, for such a century. ...
For there was need once more of a Divine Revelation to
the torpid, frivolous children of men, if they were not to
sink altogether into the ape condition. -- Frederick the
Great, Book I, Chap. I.
Compared with the eighteenth century the present time is
as the dawn after darkness, or as the spring after winter. The
world is stirring with new life, thrilling with new ideals and
hopes. Things that but a few years ago seemed impossible
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dreams are now accomplished facts. Others that seemed centuries
ahead of us have already become matters of "practical
politics." We fly in the air and make voyages under the sea.
We send messages around the world with the speed of lightning.
Within a few decades we have seen miracles too numerous
to mention.
The Sun of Righteousness
What is the cause of this sudden awakening throughout the
world? Bahá'ís believe that it is due to a great outpouring of
the Holy Spirit through the Prophet Bahá'u'lláh, Who was born
in Persia in 1817 and passed away in the Holy Land in 1892.
Bahá'u'lláh taught that the Prophet, or "Manifestation of
God," is the Light-bringer of the spiritual world, as the sun is
the light-bringer of the natural world. Just as the material sun
shines over the earth and causes the growth and development
of material organisms, so also, through the Divine Manifestation,
the Sun of Truth shines upon the world of heart and soul,
and educates the thoughts, morals and characters of men. And
just as the rays of the natural sun have an influence which
penetrates into the darkest and shadiest corners of the world,
giving warmth and life even to creatures that have never seen
the sun itself, so also, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through
the Manifestation of God influences the lives of all, and inspires
receptive minds even in places and among peoples where
the name of the Prophet is quite unknown. The advent of the
Manifestation is like the coming of the Spring. It is a day of
Resurrection in which the spiritually dead are raised to new
life, in which the Reality of the Divine Religions is renewed and
reestablished, in which appear "new heaves and a new earth."
But, in the world of nature, the Spring brings about not only
the growth and awakening of new life but also the destruction
and removal of the old and effete; for the same sun, that makes
the flowers to spring and the trees to bud, causes also the decay
and disintegration of what is dead and useless; it loosens the
ice and melts the snow of winter, and sets free the flood and
the storm that cleanse and purify the earth. So is it also in the
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spiritual world. The spiritual sunshine causes similar commotion
and change. Thus the Day of Resurrection is also the Day
of Judgment, in which corruptions and imitations of the truth
and outworn ideas and customs are discarded and destroyed,
in which the ice and snow of prejudice and superstition, which
accumulated during the season of winter, are melted and transformed,
and energies long frozen and pent up are released to
flood and renovate the world.
The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh declared, plainly and repeatedly, that He was
the long-expected educator and teacher of all peoples, the
channel of a wondrous Grace that would transcend all previous
outpourings, in which all previous forms of religion would become
merged, as rivers merge in the ocean. He laid a foundation
which affords a firm basis for Unity throughout the whole
world and the inauguration of that glorious age of peace on
earth, goodwill among men, of which prophets have told and
poets sung.
Search after truth, the oneness of mankind, unity of religions,
of races, of nations, of East and West, the reconciliation of
religion and science, the eradication of prejudices and superstitions,
the equality of men and women, the establishment of
justice and righteousness, the setting up of a supreme international
tribunal, the unification of languages, the compulsory
diffusion of knowledge -- these, and many other teachings like
these, were revealed by the pen of Bahá'u'lláh during the latter
half of the nineteenth century in innumerable books and
epistles several of which were addressed to the Kings and Rulers
of the world.
His message, unique in its comprehensiveness and scope, is
wonderfully in accord with the signs and needs of the times.
Never were the new problems confronting men so gigantic and
complex as now. Never were the proposed solutions so numerous
and conflicting. Never was the need of a great world
teacher so urgent or so widely felt. Never, perhaps, was the
expectancy of such a teacher so confident or so general.
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Fulfillment of Prophecies
`Abdu'l-Bahá writes: --
When Christ appeared, twenty centuries ago, although
the Jews were eagerly awaiting His Coming, and prayed
ever day, with tears, saying: "O God, hasten the Revelation
of the Messiah," yet when the Sun of Truth dawned,
they denied Him and rose against Him with the greatest
enmity, and eventually crucified that divine Spirit, the
Word of God, and named Him Beelzebub, the evil one, as
is recorded in the Gospel. The reason for this was that
they said: "The Revelation of Christ, according to the
clear text of the Torah, will be attested by certain signs,
and so long as these signs have not appeared, whoso
layeth claim to be a Messiah is an impostor. Among these
signs is this, that the Messiah should come for an unknown
place, yet we all know this man's house in Nazareth,
and can any good thing come out of Nazareth? The
second sign is that He shall rule with a rod of iron, that is,
He must act with the sword, but this Messiah has not even
a wooden staff. Another of the conditions and signs is
this: He must sit upon the throne of David and establish
David's sovereignty. Now, far from being enthroned, this
man has not even a mat to sit on. Another of the conditions
is this: the promulgation of all the laws of the Torah;
yet this man has abrogated these laws, and has even
broken the sabbath day, although it is the clear text of the
Torah that whosoever layeth claim to prophethood and
revealeth miracles and breaketh the sabbath day, must be
put to death. Another of the signs is this, that in His reign
justice will be so advanced that righteousness and well-doing
will extend from the human even to the animal
world -- the snake and the mouse will share one hold, and
the eagle and the partridge one nest, the lion and the
gazelle shall dwell in one pasture, and the wolf and the kid
shall drink from one fountain. Yet now, injustice and
tyranny have waxed so great in his time that they have
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crucified him! Another of the conditions is this, that in
the days of the Messiah the Jews will prosper and triumph
over all the peoples of the world, but now they are living
in the utmost abasement and servitude in the Empire of
the Romans. Then how can this be the Messiah promised
in the Torah?
In this wise did they object to that Sun of Truth, although
that Spirit of God was indeed the One promised in
the Torah. But as they did not understand the meaning of
these signs, they crucified the Word of God. Now the
Bahá'ís hold that the recorded signs did come to pass in
the Manifestation of Christ, although not in the sense
which the Jews understood, the description in the Torah
being allegorical. For instance, among the signs is that of
sovereignty. For Bahá'ís say that the sovereignty of Christ
was a heavenly, divine, everlasting sovereignty, not a
Napoleonic sovereignty that vanisheth in a short time. For
well-nigh two thousand years this sovereignty of Christ
hath been established, and until now it endureth, and to
all eternity that Holy Being will be exalted upon an ever-lasting
throne.
In like manner all the other signs have been made manifest,
but the Jews did not understand. Although nearly
twenty centuries have elapsed since Christ appeared with
divine splendor, yet the Jews are still awaiting the coming
of the Messiah and regard themselves as true and Christ
as false. -- Written by `Abdu'l-Bahá for this chapter.
Had the Jews applied to Christ He would have explained to
them the true meaning of the prophecies concerning Himself.
Let us profit by their example, and before deciding that the
prophecies concerning the Manifestation of the Latter-Day
Teacher have not been fulfilled, let us turn to what Bahá'u'lláh
Himself has written regarding their interpretation, for many
of the prophecies are admittedly "sealed" sayings, and the True
Educator Himself is the only One Who can break the seals and
show the real meaning contained in the casket of words.
Bahá'u'lláh has written much in explanation of the prophecies
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of old, but it is not on these that He depends for proof of
His Prophethood. The sun is its own proof, to all that have the
power of perception. When it rises we need no ancient predictions
to assure us of its shining. So with the Manifestation of
God when He appears. Were all the former prophecies swept
into oblivion, He would still be His own abundant and sufficient
proof to all whose spiritual sense are open.
Proofs of Prophethood
Bahá'u'lláh asked no one to accept His statements and His
tokens blindly. On the contrary, He put in the very forefront
of His teachings emphatic warnings against blind acceptance
of authority, and urged all to open their eyes and ears, and use
their own judgement, independently and fearlessly, in order to
ascertain the truth. He enjoined the fullest investigation and
never concealed Himself, offering, as the supreme proofs of
His Prophethood, His words and works and their effects in
transforming the lives and characters of men. The tests He
proposed are the same as those laid down by His great predecessors.
Moses said: --
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if
the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing
which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath
spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of
him. -- Deut. xviii, 22.
Christ put His test just as plainly, and appealed to it in proof
of His own claim. He said: --
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil
fruit. ... Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
-- Matt. vii, 15-17, 20
In the chapters that follow, we shall endeavor to show
whether Bahá'u'lláh's claim to Prophethood stands or falls by
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application of these tests: whether the things that He had
spoken have followed and come to pass, and whether His fruits
have been good or evil; in other words, whether His prophecies
are being fulfilled and His ordinances established, and whether
His lifework has contributed to the education and upliftment
of humanity and the betterment of morals, or the contrary.
Difficulties of Investigation
There are, of course, difficulties in the way of the student
who seeks to get at the truth about this Cause. Like all great
moral and spiritual reformations, the Bahá'í Faith has been
grossly misrepresented. About the terrible persecutions and
sufferings of Bahá'u'lláh and His followers, both friends and
enemies are in entire agreement. About the value of the Movement,
however, and the character of its Founders, the statements
of the believers and the accounts of the deniers are utterly
at variance. It is just as in the time of Christ. Concerning
the crucifixion of Jesus and the persecution and martyrdom of
His followers both Christian and Jewish historians are in agreement,
but whereas the believers say that Christ fulfilled and
developed the teachings of Moses and the prophets, the deniers
declare that He broke the laws and ordinances and was worthy
of death.
In religion, as in science, truth reveals her mysteries only to
the humble and reverent seeker, who is ready to lay aside every
prejudice and superstition -- to sell all that he has, in order
that he may buy the "one pearl of great price." To understand
the Bahá'í Faith in its full significance, we must undertake its
study in the spirit of sincere and selfless devotion to truth,
persevering in the path of search and relying on divine guidance.
In the Writings of its Founders we shall find the master
key to the mysteries of this great spiritual awakening, and the
ultimate criterion of its value. Unfortunately, here again there
are difficulties in the way of the student who is unacquainted
with the Persian and Arabic languages in which the teachings
are written. Only a small proportion of the Writings has been
translated into English, and many of the translations which
have appeared leave much to be desired, both in accuracy and
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style. But despite the imperfection and inadequacy of historical
narratives and translations, the greatest essential truths which
form the massive and firm foundations of this Cause stand out
like mountains from the mists of uncertainty.+F1
Aim of Book
The endeavor in the following chapters will be to set forth,
as far as possible, fairly and without prejudice, the salient
features of the history and more especially of the teachings of
the Bahá'í Cause, so that readers may be enabled to form an
intelligent judgment as to their importance, and perhaps be
induced to search into the subject more deeply for themselves.
Search after truth, however, important though it be, is not
the whole aim and end of life. The truth is no dead thing, to be
placed in a museum when found -- to be labeled, classified,
catalogued, exhibited and left there, dry and sterile. It is something
vital which must take root in men's hearts and bear fruit
in their lives ere they reap the full reward of their search.
The real object, therefore, in spreading the knowledge of a
prophetic revelation is that those who become convinced of its
truth may proceed to practice its principles, to "lead the life"
and diffuse the glad tidings, thus hastening the advent of that
blessed day when God's Will shall be done on earth as it is in
Heaven.
------------------------
1. There are now the incomparable translations by Shoghi Effendi from
the Persian and Arabic, of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá.
These, together with his own considerable writings covering the history of
the Faith, the statements and implications of its fundamental verities and
the unfoldment of its Administrative Order, make the modern inquirer's
task infinitely easier than in Dr. Esslemont's time.
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The Báb:+F1 The Forerunner/2
Verily the oppressor hath slain the Beloved of the worlds
that he might thereby quench the Light of God amidst His
creatures and withhold mankind from the Stream of Celestial
Life in the days of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bountiful. --
BAHÁ'U'LLÁH, Tablet to Ra'ís.
Birthplace of the New Revelation
Persia, the birthplace of the Bahá'í Revelation, has occupied
a unique place in the history of the world. In the days of her
early greatness she was a veritable queen among nations, unrivaled
in civilization, in power and in splendor. She gave to
the world great kings and statesmen, prophets and poets, philosophers
and artists. Zoroaster, Cyrus and Darius, Háfiz and
Firdawsí, Sa'dí and `Umar Khayyám are but a few of her many
famous sons. Her craftsmen were unsurpassed in skill; her
carpets were matchless, her steel blades unequaled, her pottery
world famous. In all parts of the Near and Middle East she has
left traces of her former greatness.
Yet, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries she had sunk
to a condition of deplorable degradation. Her ancient glory
seemed irretrievably lost. Her government was corrupt and in
desperate financial straits; some of her rulers were feeble, and
other monsters of cruelty. Her priests were bigoted and intolerant,
her people ignorant and superstitious. Most of them
belonged to the Shí'ih sect,+F2 of Muhammadans, but there were
also considerable numbers of Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians,
------------------------
1. The "a" pronounced as in Sháh.
2. One of the two great factions -- Shí'ih and Sunní -- into which Islám
fell soon after the death of Muhammad, was the first legitimate successor
of the Prophet, and that only his descendants are the rightful caliphs.
+P 12
of diverse and antagonistic sects. All professed to follow
sublime teachers who exhorted them to worship the one God
and to live in love and unity, yet they shunned, detested and
despised each other, each sect regarding the others as unclean,
as dogs or heathens. Cursing and execration were indulged in
to a fearful extent. It was dangerous for a Jew or a Zoroastrian
to walk in the street on a rainy day, for if his wet garment
should touch a Muhammadan, the Muslim was defiled, and the
other might have to atone for the offense with his life. If a
Muhammadan took money from a Jew, Zoroastrian or Christian
he had to wash it before he could put it in his pocket. If a
Jew found his child giving a glass of water to a poor Muhammadan
beggar he would dash the glass from the child's hand,
for curses rather than kindness should be the portion of infidels!
The Muslims themselves were divided into numerous
sects, among whom strife was often bitter and fierce. The Zoroastrians
did not join much in these mutual recriminations, but
lived in communities apart, refusing to associate with their
fellow countrymen of other faiths.
Social as well as religious affairs were in a state of hopeless
decadence. Education was neglected. Western science and art
were looked upon as unclean and contrary to religion. Justice
was travestied. Pillage and robbery were of common occurrence.
Roads were bad and unsafe for travel. Sanitary arrangements
were shockingly defective.
Yet, notwithstanding all this, the light of spiritual life was
not extinct in Persia. Here and there, amid the prevailing
worldliness and superstition, could still be found some saintly
souls, and in many a heart the longing for God was cherished,
as in the hearts of Anna and Simeon before the appearance of
Jesus. Many were eagerly awaiting the coming of a promised
Messenger of God, and confident that the time of His advent
was at hand. Such was the state of affairs in Persia when the
Báb, the Herald of a new era, set all the country in commotion
with His message.
+P 13
Early Life
Mírzá `Alí Muhammad, Who afterwards assumed the title
of Báb (i.e. Gate), was born at Shíráz, in the south of Persia,
on the 20th of October 1819 A.D.+F1 He was a Siyyid, that is, a
descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. His father, a well-known
merchant, died soon after His birth, and He was then
placed under the care of a maternal uncle, a merchant of
Shíráz, who brought Him up. In childhood He learned to read,
and received the elementary education customary for children.+F2
At the age of fifteen He went into business, at first with His
guardian, and afterward with another uncle who lived at
Búshihr, on the shore of the Gulf of Persia.
As a youth He was noted for great personal beauty and
charm of manner, and also for exceptional piety, and nobility
of character. He was unfailing in His observance of the prayers,
fasts and other ordinances of the Muhammadan religion, and
not only obeyed the letter, but lived in the spirit of the Prophet's
teachings. He married when about twenty-two years of age.
Of this marriage one son was born, who died while still an
infant, in the first year of the Báb's public ministry.
------------------------
1. First day of Muharram, 1235 A.H.
2. On this point a historian remarks: "The belief of many people in the
East, especially the believers in the Báb (now Bahá'ís) was this:
that the Báb received no education, but that the Mullás, in order to
lower him in the eyes of the people, declared that such knowledge and
wisdom as he possessed were accounted for by the education he had
received. After deep search into the truth of this matter we have found
evidence to show that in childhood for a short time he used to go to the
house of Shaykh Muhammad (also known as 'Ábid) where he was taught
to read and write in Persian. It was this to which the Báb referred
when he wrote in the book of Bayán: `O Muhammad, O my teacher! ...'
"The remarkable thing is this, however, that this Shaykh, who was his
teacher, became a devoted disciple of his own pupil, and the uncle of the
Báb who was like a father to him, whose name was Hájí Siyyid `Alí,
also became a devout believer and was martyred as a Bábí.
"The understanding of these mysteries is given to seekers after truth,
but we know this, that such education as the Báb received was but
elementary, and that whatever signs of unusual greatness and knowledge
appeared in him were innate and from God."
+P 14
Declaration
On reaching His twenty-fifth year, in response to divine
command, He declared that "God the Exalted had elected Him
to the station of Bábhood." In "A Traveller's Narrative"+F1 we
read that: -- "What he intended by the term Báb was this,
that he was the channel of grace from some great Person still
behind the veil of glory, who was the possessor of countless
and boundless perfections, by whose will he moved, and to
the bond of whose love he clung." -- A Traveller's Narrative
(Episode of the Báb), p. 3.
In those days belief in the imminent appearance of a Divine
Messenger was especially prevalent among a sect known as
the Shaykhí, and it was to a distinguished divine belonging to
this sect, called Mullá Husayn Bushrú'í, that the Báb first announced
His mission. The exact date of this announcement is
given in the Bayán, one of the Báb's Writings, as two hours
and eleven minutes after sunset on the eve preceding the fifth
day of the month of Jamádiyu'l-Avval 1260 A.H.+F2 `Abdu'l-Bahá
was born in the course of the same night, but the exact hour of
His birth has not been ascertained. After some days of anxious
investigation and study, Mullá Husayn became firmly convinced
that the Messenger long expected by the Shí'ihs had
indeed appeared. His eager enthusiasm over this discovery was
soon shared by several of his friends. Before long the majority
of the Shaykhí accepted the Báb, becoming known as Bábís;
and soon the fame of the young Prophet began to spread like
wildfire throughout the land.
Spread of the Bábí Movement
The first eighteen disciples of the Báb (with Himself as
nineteenth) became known as "Letters of the Living." These
------------------------
1. A Traveller's Narrative Written to Illustrate the Episode of the Báb
with an introduction by E. G. Browne, referred to subsequently as A
Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the Báb).
2. i.e. May 23, 1844 A.D.
+P 15
disciples He sent to different parts of Persian and Turkistán to
spread the news of His advent. Meantime He Himself set out
on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where He arrived in December
1844, and there openly declared His mission. On His return to
Búshihr great excitement was caused by the announcement of
His Bábhood. The fire of His eloquence, the wonder of His
rapid and inspired writings, His extraordinary wisdom and
knowledge, His courage and zeal as a reformer, aroused the
greatest enthusiasm among His followers, but excited a corresponding
degree of alarm and enmity among the orthodox
Muslims. The Shí'ih doctors vehemently denounced Him, and
persuaded the Governor of Fárs, namely Husayn Khán, a
fanatical and tyrannical ruler, to undertake the suppression of
the new heresy. Then commenced for the Báb a long series of
imprisonments, deportations, examinations before tribunals,
scourgings and indignities, which ended only with His martyrdom
in 1850.
Claims of the Báb
The hostility aroused by the claim of Bábhood was redoubled
when the young reformer proceeded to declare that
He was Himself the Mihdí (Mahdi) Whose coming Muhammad
had foretold. The Shí'ihs identified this Mihdí with the
12th Imám+F1 who, according to their beliefs, had mysteriously
disappeared from the sight of men about a thousand years
previously. They believed that he was still alive and would reappear
in the same body as before, and they interpreted in a
material sense the prophecies regarding his dominion, his
glory, his conquests and the "signs" of his advent, just as the
Jews in the time of Christ interpreted similar prophecies regarding
------------------------
1. The Imám of the Shí'ihs is the divinely ordained successor of the
Prophet whom all the faithful must obey. Eleven persons successively held
the office of Imám, the first being `Alí, the cousin and son-in-law of
the Prophet. The majority of the Shí'ihs hold that the twelfth Imám,
called by them the Imám Mihdí, disappeared as a child into an underground
passage in 329 A.H., and that in the fullness of time he will come forth,
overthrow the infidels and inaugurate an era of blessedness.
+P 16
the Messiah. They expected that he would appear with
earthly sovereignty and an innumerable army and declare his
revelation, that he would raise dead bodies and restore them
to life, and so on. As these signs did not appear, the Shí'ihs
rejected the Báb with the same fierce scorn which the Jews
displayed towards Jesus. The Bábís, on the other hand, interpreted
many of the prophecies figuratively. They regarded the
sovereignty of the Promised One, like that of the Galilean
"Man of Sorrows," as a mystical sovereignty; His glory as
spiritual, not earthly glory; His conquests as conquests over
the cities of men's hearts' and they found abundant proof of
the Báb's claim in His wonderful life and teachings, His unshakable
faith, His invincible steadfastness, and His power of
raising to newness of spiritual life those who were in the graves
of error and ignorance.
But the Báb did not stop even with the claim of Mihdíhood.
He adopted the sacred title of "Nuqtiyiula" or "Primal Point."
This was a title applied to Muhammad Himself by His followers.
Even the Imáms were secondary in importance to the
"Point," from Whom they derived their inspiration and authority.
In assuming this title, the Báb claimed to rank, like
Muhammad, in the series of great Founders of Religion, and
for this reason, in the eyes of the Shí'ihs, He was regarded as
an impostor, just as Moses and Jesus before Him had been regarded
as impostors. He even inaugurated a new calendar, restoring
the solar year, and dating the commencement of the
New Era from the year of His own Declaration.
Persecution Increases
In consequence of these declarations of the Báb and the
alarming rapidity with which people of all classes, rich and
poor, learned and ignorant, were eagerly responding to His
teaching, attempts at suppression became more and more ruthless
and determined. Houses were pillaged and destroyed.
Women were seized and carried off. In Tihrán, Fárs, Mazindarán,
and other places great numbers of the believers were
+P 17
put to death. Many were beheaded, hanged, blown from the
mouths of cannon, burnt or chopped to pieces. Despite all attempts
at repression, however, the movement progressed. Nay,
through this very oppression the assurance of the believers
increased, for thereby many of the prophecies concerning the
coming of the Mihdí were literally fulfilled. Thus in a tradition
recorded by Jabír, which the Shí'ihs regard as authentic, we
read: --
In him shall be the perfection of Moses, the preciousness
of Jesus, and the patience of Job; his saints shall be
abased in his time, and their heads shall be exchanged as
presents, even as the heads of the Turk and the Deylamite
are exchanged as presents; they shall be slain and burned,
and shall be afraid, fearful and dismayed; the earth shall
be dyed with their blood, and lamentation shall prevail
amongst their women; these are my saints indeed. -- New
History of the Báb, translated by Prof. E. G. Browne,
p. 132.
Martyrdom of the Báb
On the 9th of July, 1850,+F1 the Báb Himself, Who was then
in His thirty-first year, fell a victim to the fanatical fury of
His persecutors. With a devoted young follower name Áqá
Muhammad `Alí, who had passionately begged to be allowed
to share His martyrdom, He was led to the scaffold in the old
barrack square of Tabríz. About two hours before noon the
two were suspended by ropes under their armpits in such a way
that the head of Muhammad `Alí rested against the breast of
his beloved Master. A regiment of Armenian soldiers was
drawn up and received the order to fire. Promptly the volleys
rang out, but when the smoke cleared, it was found that the
Báb and His companion were still alive. The bullets had but
severed the ropes by which they were suspended, so that they
dropped to the ground unhurt. The Báb proceeded to a room
------------------------
1. Friday, 28th Sha'bán, 1266 A.H.
+P 18
nearby, where He was found talking to one of His friends.
About noon they were again suspended. The Armenians, who
considered the result of their volleys a miracle, were unwilling
to fire again, so another regiment of soldiers had been brought
on the scene, who fired when ordered. This time the volleys
took effect. The bodies of both victims were riddled by bullets
and horribly mutilated, although their faces were almost untouched.
By this foul deed the Barrack Square of Tabríz became a
second Calvary. The enemies of the Báb enjoyed a guilty thrill
of triumph, thinking that this hated tree of the Bábí faith was
now severed at the root, and its complete eradication would be
easy! But their triumph was short-lived! They did not realize
that the Tree of Truth cannot be felled by any material ax. Had
they but known, this very crime of theirs was the means of
giving greater vigor to the Cause. The martyrdom of the Báb
fulfilled His own cherished wish and inspired His followers
with increased zeal. Such was the fire of their spiritual enthusiasm
that the bitter winds of persecution but fanned it to a
fiercer blaze: The greater the efforts at extinction, the higher
mounted the flames.
Tomb on Mount Carmel
After the Báb's martyrdom, His remains, with those of His
devoted companion, were thrown on the edge of the moat outside
the city wall. On the second night they were rescued at
midnight by some of the Bábís, and after being concealed for
years in secret depositories in Persia, were ultimately brought,
with great danger and difficulty, to the Holy Land. There they
are now interred in a tomb beautifully situated on the slope of
Mount Carmel, not far from the Cave of Elijah, and only a
few miles from the spot where Bahá'u'lláh spent His last years
and where His remains now lie. Among the thousands of
pilgrims from all parts of the world who come to pay homage
at the Holy Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh, none omit to offer a prayer
also at the shrine of His devoted lover and forerunner, the Báb.
+P 19
Writings of Báb
The Writings of the Báb were voluminous, and the rapidity
with which, without study or premeditation, He composed
elaborate commentaries, profound expositions or eloquent
prayers was regarded as one of the proofs of His divine inspiration.
The purport of His various Writings has been summarized
as follows: --
Some of these [the Báb's Writings] were commentaries
on, and interpretations of the verses of the Kur'an;
some were prayers, homilies, and hints of [the true significance
of certain] passages; other were exhortations,
admonitions, dissertations on the different branches of the
doctrine of the Divine Unity ... encouragements to
amendment of character, severance from worldly states,
and dependence on the inspirations of God. But the essence
and purport of his compositions were the praises
and descriptions of that Reality soon to appear which was
his only object and aim, his darling, and his desire. For
he regarded his own appearance as that of a harbinger of
good tidings, and considered his own real nature merely
as a means for the manifestation of the greater perfections
of that One. And indeed he ceased not from celebrating
Him by night or day for a single instant, but used to
signify to all his followers that they should expect His
arising: in such wise that he declares in his writings, "I
am a letter out of that most might book and a dew-drop
from that limitless ocean, and, when He shall appear,
my true nature, my mysteries, riddles, and intimations
will become evident, and the embryo of this religion
shall develop through the grades of its being and ascent,
attain to the station of `the most comely of forms,' and
become adorned with the robe of `blessed be God, the
Best of Creators.' ... and so inflamed was he with His flame
that commemoration of Him was the bright candle of
+P 20
his dark nights in the fortress of Mákú, and remembrance
of Him was the best of companions in the straits
of the prison of Chihrik. Thereby he obtained spiritual
enlargements; with His wine was he inebriated; and at
remembrance of Him did he rejoice. -- A Traveller's
Narrative (Episode of the Báb), pp. 54-56.
He Whom God Shall Make Manifest
The Báb has been compared to John the Baptist, but the
station of the Báb is not merely that of the herald or forerunner.
In Himself the Báb was a Manifestation of God, the
Founder of an independant religion, even though that religion
was limited in time to a brief period of years. The Bahá'ís believe
that the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh were Co-Founders of their
Faith, the following words of Bahá'u'lláh testifying to this
truth: "That so brief a span should have separated this most
mighty and wondrous Revelation from Mine own previous
Manifestation, is a secret that no man can unravel and a
mystery such as no mind can fathom. Its duration had been
foreordained, and no man shall ever discover its reason unless
and until he be informed of the contents of My Hidden Book."
In His references to Bahá'u'lláh, however, the Báb revealed an
utter selflessness, declaring that, in the day of "Him whom
God shall manifest": -- "If one should hear a single verse from
Him and recite it, it is better that he should recite the
Beyan [i.e. the Revelation of the Báb] a thousand times." --
A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the Báb), p. 349.
He counted Himself happy in enduring any affliction, if by
so doing He could smooth the path, be ever so little, for "Him
Whom God shall make manifest," Who was, He declared, the
sole source of His inspiration as well as the sole object of His
love.
Resurrection, Paradise, and Hell
An important part of the Báb's teaching is His explanation of
the terms Resurrection, Day of Judgment, Paradise and
+P 21
Hell. By the Resurrection is meant, He said, the appearance of
a new Manifestation of the Sun of Truth. The raising of the
dead means the spiritual awakening of those who are asleep
in the graves of ignorance, heedlessness and lust. The Day of
Judgment is the Day of the new Manifestation, by acceptance
or rejection of Whose Revelation the sheep are separated from
the goats, for the sheep know the voice of the Good Shepherd
and follow Him. Paradise is the joy of knowing and loving
God, as revealed through His Manifestation, thereby attaining
to the utmost perfection of which one is capable, and, after
death, obtaining entrance to the Kingdom of God and the life
everlasting. Hell is simply deprivation of that knowledge of
God with consequent failure to attain divine perfection, and
loss of the Eternal Favor. He definitely declared that these terms
have no real meaning apart from this; and that the prevalent
ideas regarding the resurrection of the material body, a material
heaven and hell, and the like, are mere figments of the
imagination. He taught that man has a life after death, and
that in the afterlife progress towards perfection is limitless.
Social and Ethical Teachings
In His Writings the Báb tells His followers that they must
be distinguished by brotherly loved and courtesy. Useful arts
and crafts must be cultivated. Elementary education should be
general. In the new and wondrous Dispensation now commencing,
women are to have fuller freedom. The poor are to be provided
for out of the common treasury, but begging is strictly
forbidden, as is the use of intoxicating liquors for beverage
purposes.
The guiding motive of the true Bábí must be pure love,
without hope of reward or fear of punishment. Thus says
in the Bayán: --
So worship God that if the recompense of thy worship of
Him were to be the Fire, no alteration in thy worship of
Him would be produced. If you worship from fear, that is
unworthy of the threshold of the holiness of God. ...
+P 22
So also, if your gaze is on Paradise, and if you worship
in hope of that; for then you have made God's creation a
Partner with Him. -- Bábís of Persia, II, Prof. E. G.
Browne, J.R.A.S., vol. xxi, p. 931.
Passion and Triumph
This last quotation reveals the spirit which animated
the Báb's whole life. To know and love God, to mirror forth
His attributes and to prepare the way for His coming Manifestation
-- these were the sole aim and object of His being.
For Him life had no terrors and death no sting, for love had
cast out fear, and martyrdom itself was but the rapture of
casting His all at the feet of His Beloved.
Strange! that this pure and beautiful soul, this inspired
teacher of Divine Truth, this devoted lover of God and of His
fellowmen should be so hated, and done to death by the professedly
religious of His day! Surely nothing but unthinking or
willful prejudice could blind men to the fact that here was indeed
a Prophet, a Holy Messenger of God. Worldly greatness
and glory He had none, but how can spiritual Power and Dominion
be proved except by the ability to dispense with all
earthly assistance, and to triumph over all earthly opposition,
even the most potent and virulent? How can Divine Love be
demonstrated to an unbelieving world save by its capacity to
endure to the uttermost the blows of calamity and darts of
affliction, the hated of enemies and the treachery of seeming
friends, to rise serene above all these and, undismayed and
unembittered, still to forgive and bless?
The Báb has endured and the Báb has triumphed. Thousands
have testified to the sincerity of their love for Him by sacrificing
their lives and their all in His service. Kings might well
envy His power over men's hearts and lives. Moreover, "He
Whom the Lord shall make manifest" has appeared, has confirmed
the claims and accepted the devotion of His forerunner,
and made Him partaker of His Glory.
+P 23
Bahá'u'lláh: The Glory of God/3
O thou who art waiting, tarry no longer, for He is come.
Behold His Tabernacle and His Glory dwelling therein. It is
the Ancient Glory, with a new Manifestation. -- BAHÁ'U'LLÁH.
Birth and Early Life
Mírzá Husayn `Alí, Who afterwards assumed the title of
Bahá'u'lláh (i.e. Glory of God), was the eldest son of Mírzá
Abbás of Núr, a Vazír or Minister of State. His family was
wealthy and distinguished, many of its members having occupied
important positions in the Government and in the Civil
and Military Services of Persia. He was born in Tihrán (Teheran),
the capital city of Persia, between dawn and sunrise
on the 12th of November, 1817.+F2 He never attended school or
college, and what little teaching He received was given at
home. Nevertheless, even as a child He showed wonderful
wisdom and knowledge. While He was still a youth His father
died, leaving Him responsible for the care of His younger
brothers and sisters, and for the management of the extensive
family estates.
On one occasion `Abdu'l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh,
related to the writer the following particulars about His
Father's early days: --
From childhood He was extremely kind and generous.
He was a great lover of outdoor life, most of His time being
spent in the garden or the fields. He had an extraordinary
power of attraction, which was felt by all. People
------------------------
1. Pronounced with the accent on the second and fourth syllables, the
first syllable being almost mute and both l's distinctly sounded.
2. 2nd of Muharram, 1233 A.H.
+P 24
always crowded around Him. Ministers and people of the
Court would surround Him, and the children also were
devoted to Him. When He was only thirteen of fourteen
years old He became renowned for His learning. He
would converse on any subject and solve any problem
presented to Him. In large gatherings He would discuss
matters with the `Ulamá (leading mullás) and would
explain intricate religious questions. All of them used to
listen to Him with the greatest interest.
When Bahá'u'lláh was twenty-two years old, His father
died, and the Government wished Him to succeed to His
father's position in the Ministry, as was customary in
Persia, but Bahá'u'lláh did not accept the offer. Then the
Prime Minister said: "Leave him to himself. Such a
position is unworthy of him. He has some higher aim in
view. I cannot understand him, but I am convinced that
he is destined for some lofty career. His thought are not
like ours. Let him alone."
Imprisoned as Bábí
When the Báb declared His mission in 1844, Bahá'u'lláh,
Who was then in His twenty-seventh year, boldly espoused the
Cause of the new Faith, of which He soon became recognized
as one of the most powerful and fearless exponents.
He had already twice suffered imprisonment for the Cause,
and on one occasion had undergone the torture of the bastinado,
when in August 1852, an event occurred fraught with
terrible consequences for the Bábís. One of the Báb's followers,
a youth named Sádiq, had been so affected by the martyrdom
of his beloved Master, of which he was an eyewitness, that his
mind became deranged, and, in revenge, he waylaid the Sháh
and fired a pistol at him. Instead of using a bullet, however,
he charged his weapon with small shot, and although a few
pellets struck the Sháh, no serious harm was done. The youth
dragged the Sháh from his horse, but was promptly seized by
the attendants of his Majesty and put to death on the spot.
The whole body of Bábís was unjustly held responsible for the
+P 25
deed, and frightful massacres ensued. Eighty of them were
forthwith put to death in Tihrán with the most revolting
tortures. Many others were seized and put into prisons,
among them being Bahá'u'lláh. He afterwards wrote: --
By the righteousness of God! We were in no wise
connected with that evil deed, and Our innocence was indisputably
established by the tribunals. Nevertheless,
they apprehended Us, and from Níyávarán, which was
then the residence of His Majesty, conducted Us, on foot
and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the
dungeon of Tihrán. A brutal man, accompanying Us on
horseback, snatched off Our hat, whilst We were being
hurried along by a troop of executioners and officials. We
were consigned for four months to a place foul beyond
comparison. As to the dungeon in which this Wronged
One and other similarly wronged were confined, a dark
and narrow pit were preferable. Upon Our arrival We
were first conducted along a pitch-black corridor, from
whence We descended three steep flights of stairs to the
place of confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was
wrapped in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered
nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins
and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet
than the passage by which We entered. No pen can
depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome
smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding
to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most
foul-smelling and gloomy place!
Day and night, while confined in that dungeon, We
meditated upon the deeds, the condition, and the conduct
of the Bábís, wondering what could have led a
people so high-minded, so noble, and of such intelligence,
to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act
against the person of His Majesty. This Wronged One,
thereupon, decided to arise, after His release from prison,
and undertake, with the utmost vigor, the task of regenerating
this people.
+P 26
One night, in a dream these exalted words were heard
on every side: "Verily, We shall render Thee victorious
by Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that
which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for
Thou art in safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures
of the earth -- men who will aid Thee through Thyself
and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived
the hearts of such as have recognized Him." -- Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf, pp. 20-21.
Exile to Baghdád
This terrible imprisonment lasted four months, but Bahá'u'lláh
and His companions remained zealous and enthusiastic,
in the greatest of happiness. Almost every day one or more of
them was tortured or put to death and the others reminded that
their turn might come next. When the executioners came to
fetch one of the friends, the one whose name was called would
literally dance with joy, kiss the hands of Bahá'u'lláh, embrace
the rest of his fellow believers and then hasten with glad
eagerness to the place of martyrdom.
It was conclusively proved that Bahá'u'lláh had no share
in the plot against the Sháh, and the Russian Minister testified
to the purity of His character. He was, moreover, so ill that it
was thought He would die. Instead, therefore, of sentencing
Him to death, the Sháh ordered that He should be exiled to
`Iráq-i-`Arab, in Mesopotamia; and thither, a fortnight later,
Bahá'u'lláh set out, accompanied by His family and a number
of other believers. They suffered terribly from cold and other
hardships on the long winter journey and arrived in Baghdád
in a state of almost utter destitution.
As soon as His health permitted, Bahá'u'lláh began to teach
inquirers and to encourage and exhort the believers, and soon
peace and happiness reigned among the Bábís.+F1 This, however,
was short-lived. Bahá'u'lláh's half brother, Mírzá Yahyá, also
------------------------
1. This was early in the year 1853, or nine years after the Báb's
Declaration, thus fulfilling certain prophecies of the Báb concerning
"the year nine."
+P 27
known as Subh-i-Azal, arrived in Baghdád, and soon afterwards
differences, secretly instigated by him, began to grow,
just as similar divisions had arisen among the disciples of
Christ. These differences (which later, in Adrianople, became
open and violent) were very painful to Bahá'u'lláh, Whose
whole aim in life was the promotion of unity among the
people of the world.
Two Years in the Wilderness
About a year after coming to Baghdád, He departed alone
into the wilderness of Sulaymáníyyih, taking with Him nothing
but a change of clothes. Regarding this period He write in the
Book of Íqán+F1 as follows: --
In the early days of Our arrival in this land, when
We discerned the signs of impending events, We decided,
wilderness, and there, separated and alone, led for two
years a life of complete solitude. From Our eyes there
rained tears of anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there
surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night We had
no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body found
no rest. by Him Who hath My being between His hands!
nothwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing
calamities, Our soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our
whole being evinced an ineffable gladness. For in Our
solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the
health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with
Our spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is therein.
We knew not, however, that the mesh of divine destiny
exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the dart
of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs.
None can escape the snares He setteth, and no soul can
find release except through submission to His will. By the
righteousness of God! Our withdrawal contemplated no
+P 28
return, and Our separation hoped for no reunion. The one
object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a subject
of discord among the faithful, a source of disturbance
unto Our companions, the means of injury to any soul,
or the cause of sorrow to any heart. Beyond these, We
cherished no other intention, and apart from them, We
had no end in view. And yet, each person schemed after
his own desire, and pursued his own idle fancy, until the
hour when, from the Mystic Source, there came the summons
bidding Us return whence We came. Surrendering
Our will to His, We submitted to His injunction.
What pen can recount the things We beheld upon Our
return! Two years have elapsed during which Our
enemies have ceaselessly and assiduously contrived to
exterminate Us, whereunto all witness. -- Kitáb-i-Íqán,
pp. 250-252.
Opposition of Mullás
After His return from this retirement, His fame became
greater than ever and people flocked to Baghdád from far and
near to see Him and hear His teachings. Jews, Christians and
Zoroastrians, as well as Muhammadans, became interested in
the new message. The Mullás (Muhammadan doctors), however,
took up a hostile attitude and persistently plotted to effect
His overthrow. On a certain occasion they sent one of their
number to interview Him and submit to Him certain questions.
The envoy found the answers of Bahá'u'lláh so convincing and
His wisdom so amazing, although evidently not acquired by
study, that he was obliged to confess that in knowledge and
understanding Bahá'u'lláh was peerless. In order, however,
that the Mullás who had sent him should be satisfied as to the
reality of Bahá'u'lláh's Prophethood, he asked that some miracle
should be produced as proof. Bahá'u'lláh expressed His
willingness to accept the suggestion on certain conditions,
declaring that if the Mullás would agree regarding some
miracle to be performed, and would sign and seal a document
to the effect that on performance of this miracle they would
confess the validity of His mission and cease to oppose Him,
+P 29
He would furnish the desired proof or else stand convicted of
imposture. Had the aim of the Mullás been to get at the truth,
surely here was their opportunity; but their intention was far
otherwise. Rightly or wrongly, they meant to secure a decision
in their own favor. They feared the truth and fled from the
daring challenge. This discomfiture, however, only spurred
them on to devise fresh plots for the eradication of the oppressed
sect. The Consul General of Persia in Baghdád came
to their assistance and sent repeated messages to the Sháh to
the effect that Bahá'u'lláh was injuring the Muhammadan religion
more than ever, still exerting a malign influence on
Persia, and that He ought therefore to be banished to some
more distant place.
It was characteristic of Bahá'u'lláh that, at this crisis,
when at the instigation of the Muhammadan Mullás the Persian
and Turkish Governments were combining their efforts to
eradicate the Movement, He remained calm and serene, encouraging
and inspiring His followers and writing imperishable
words of consolation and guidance. `Abdu'l-Bahá relates how
the Hidden Words were written at this time. Bahá'u'lláh would
often go for a walk along the bank of the Tigris. He would
come back looking very happy and write down those lyric
gems of wise counsel which have brought help and healing to
thousands of aching and troubled hearts. For years, only a
few manuscript copies of the Hidden Words were in existence,
and these had to be carefully concealed lest they should fall
into the hands of the enemies that abounded, but now this
little volume is probably the best known of all Bahá'u'lláh's
works, and is read in every quarter of the globe. The Book of
Íqán is another well-known work of Bahá'u'lláh's written about
the same period, towards the end of His sojourn at Baghdád
(1862-1863 A.D.)
Declaration at Ridván+F1 near Baghdád
After much negotiation, at the request of the Persian
Government, an order was issued by the Turkish Government
------------------------
1. Pronounced Rizwan.
+P 30
summoning Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople. On receipt of this
new His followers were in consternation. They besieged the
house of their beloved Leader to such an extent that the family
encamped in the Garden of Najíb Páshá outside the town for
twelve days, while the caravan was being prepared for the long
journey. It was during these twelve days (April 22 to May 3,
1863, i.e. nineteen years after the Báb's Declaration) that
Bahá'u'lláh announced to several of His followers the glad
tidings that He was the One Whose coming had been foretold
by the Báb -- the Chosen of God, the Promised One of all the
Prophets. The Garden where this memorable Declaration took
place has become known to Bahá'ís as the "Garden of Ridván,"
and the days Bahá'u'lláh spent there are commemorated in the
"Feast of Ridván," which is held annually on the anniversary
of those twelve days. During those days Bahá'u'lláh, instead
of being sad or depressed, showed the greatest joy, dignity and
power. His followers became happy and enthusiastic, and great
crowds came to pay their respects to Him. All the notables of
Baghdád, even the Governor himself, came to honor the departing
prisoner.
Constantinople and Adrianople
The journey to Constantinople lasted between three and
four months, the party consisting of Bahá'u'lláh with members
of His family and twenty-six disciples. Arrived in Constantinople
they found themselves prisoners in a small house in
which they were very much overcrowded. Later they got somewhat
better quarters, but after four months they were again
moved on, this time to Adrianople. The journey to Adrianople,
although it lasted but a few days, was the most terrible they had
yet undertaken. Snow fell heavily most of the time, and as they
were destitute of proper clothing and food, their sufferings were
extreme. For the first winter in Adrianople, Bahá'u'lláh and
His family, numbering twelve persons, were accommodated
in a small house of three rooms, comfortless and vermin
infested. In the spring they were given a more comfortable
abode. They remained in Adrianople over four and a half
years. Here Bahá'u'lláh resumed His teaching and gathered
+P 31
about Him a large following. He publicly announced His
mission and was enthusiastically accepted by the majority of
the Bábís, who were known thereafter as Bahá'ís. A minority,
however, under the leadership of Bahá'u'lláh's half brother,
Mírzá Yahyá, become violently opposed to Him and joined
with their former enemies, the Shí'ihs, in plotting for His overthrow.
Great troubles ensued, and at last the Turkish Government
banished both Bábís and Bahá'ís from Adrianople, exiling
Bahá'u'lláh and His followers to `Akká, in Palestine, where
they arrived (according to Nabíl)+F1 on August 31, 1868, while
Mírzá Yahyá and his party were sent to Cyprus.
Letters to Kings
About this time Bahá'u'lláh wrote His famous letter to the
Sultán of Turkey, many of the crowned heads of Europe, the
Pope, and the Sháh of Persia. Later, in His Kitáb-i-Aqdas+F2 He
addressed other sovereigns, the rulers and Presidents of
America, the leaders of religion in general and the generality
of mankind. To all, He announced His mission and called upon
them to bend their energies to the establishment of true religion,
just government and international peace. In His letter
to the Sháh He powerfully pleaded the cause of the oppressed
Bábs and asked to be brought face to face with those who had
instigated their persecution. Needless to say, this request was
not complied with; Badí', the young and devoted Bahá'í who
delivered the letter of Bahá'u'lláh, was seized and martyred
with fearful tortures, hot bricks being pressed on his flesh!
In the same letter Bahá'u'lláh gives a most moving account
of His own sufferings and longings: --
O King, I have seen in the way of God what no eye hath
seen and no ear hath heard. Friends have disclaimed me;
------------------------
1. Author of an early history of the Faith, The Dawn-Breakers, Nabíl was
a participant in some of the scenes he describes and was personally
acquainted with many of the early believers.
2. The Aqdas, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, The Book of Aqdas, and The Most Holy Book all
refer to the same book.
+P 32
ways are straitened unto me; the pool of safety is dried
up; the plain of ease is [scorched] yellow. How many
calamities have descended, and how many will descend!
I walk advancing toward the Mighty, the Bounteous,
while behind me glides the serpent. My eyes rain down
tears until my bed is drenched; but my sorrow is not for
myself. By God, my head longeth for the spears for the
love of its Lord, and I never pass by a tree but my heart
addresseth it [saying], "O would that thou wert cut down
in my name and my body were crucified upon thee in
the way of my Lord;" yea, because I see mankind going
astray in their intoxication, and they know it not: they
have exalted their lusts, and put aside their God, as though
they took the command of God for a mockery, a sport,
and a plaything; and they think that they do well, and
that they are harboured in the citadel of security. The
matter is not as they suppose: to-morrow they shall see
what they [now] deny.
We are about to shift from this most remote place of
banishment [Adrianople] unto the prison of Acre. And,
according to what they say, it is assuredly the most
desolate of the cities of the world, the most unsightly of
them in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and
the foulest in water; it is as though it were the metropolis
of the owl; there is not heard from its regions aught save the
sound of its hooting. And in it they intend to imprison the
servant, and to shut in our faces the doors of leniency
and take away from us the good things of the life of the
world during what remaineth of our days. By God,
though weariness should weaken me, and hunger should
destroy me, though my couch should be made of the
hard rock and my associates of the beasts of the desert, I
will not blench, but will be patient, as the resolute and
determined are patient, in the strength of God, the King
of Pre-existence, the Creator of the nations; and under
all circumstances I give thanks unto God. And we hope
of His graciousness (exalted is He) ... that He will
render [all men's] faces sincere toward Him, the Mighty,
+P 33
the Bounteous. Verily He answereth him who prayeth
unto Him, and is near unto him who calleth on Him. And
we ask Him to make this dark calamity a buckler for
the body of His saints, and to protect them thereby from
sharp swords and piercing blades. Through affliction
hath His light shone and His praise been bright unceasingly:
this hath been His method through past ages and
bygone times. A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the
Báb), pp. 145-147.
Imprisonment in `Akká
At that time `Akká (Acre) was a prison city to which
the worst criminals were sent from all parts of the Turkish
Empire. On arriving there, after a miserable sea journey,
Bahá'u'lláh and His followers, about eighty to eighty-four in
number, including men, women and children, were imprisoned
in the army barracks. The place was dirty and cheerless in the
extreme. There were no beds or comforts of any sort. The food
supplied was wretched and inadequate, so much so that after
a time the prisoners begged to be allowed to buy their food
for themselves. During the first few days the children were
crying continually, and sleep was almost impossible. Malaria,
dysentery and other diseases soon broke out, and everyone in
the company fell sick, with the exception of two. Three succumbed
to their sickness, and the sufferings of the survivors
were indescribable.+F1
This rigorous imprisonment lasted for over two years,
during which time none of the Bahá'ís were allowed outside
the prison door, except four men, carefully guarded, who went
out daily to buy food.
During the imprisonment in the barracks, visitors were
rigidly excluded. Several of the Bahá'ís of Persia came all the
way on foot for the purpose of seeing their beloved leader, but
------------------------
1. In order to bury two of those who died, Bahá'u'lláh gave His own
carpet to be sold for the expenses of their burial, but instead of
using this money for that purpose the soldiers appropriate it, and thrust
the bodies into a hole in the ground.
+P 34
were refused admittance within the city walls. They used to
got to a place on the plain outside the third moat, from which
they could see the windows of Bahá'u'lláh's quarters. He would
show Himself to them at one of the windows and after gazing on
Him from afar, they would weep and return to their homes, fired
with new zeal for sacrifice and service.
Restrictions Relaxed
At last the imprisonment was mitigated. A mobilization of
Turkish troops occurred and the barracks were required for
soldiers. Bahá'u'lláh His family were transferred to a
house by themselves and the rest of the party were accommodated
in a caravanserai in the town. Bahá'u'lláh was confined
for seven more years in this house. In a small room near that
in which He was imprisoned, thirteen of His household, including
both sexes, had to accommodate themselves as best they
could! In the earlier part of their stay in this house they suffered
greatly from insufficiency of accommodation, inadequate
food supply and lack of the ordinary conveniences of life.
After a time, however, a few additional rooms were placed at
their disposal and they were able to live in comparative comfort.
From the time Bahá'u'lláh and His companions left the
barracks, visitors were allowed to see them, and gradually
the severe restrictions imposed by the Imperial firmans were
more and more left in abeyance, although now and then reimposed
for a time.
Prison Gates Opened
Even when the imprisonment was at its worst, the Bahá'ís
were not dismayed, and their serene confidence was never
shaken. While in the barracks at `Akká, Bahá'u'lláh wrote to
some friends, "Fear not. These doors shall be opened. My tent
shall be pitched on Mount Carmel, and the utmost joy shall be
realized." This declaration was a great source of consolation
to His followers, and in due course it was literally fulfilled. The
story of how the prison doors were opened had best be told
+P 35
in the words of `Abdu'l-Bahá, as translated by His grandson,
Shoghi Effendi: --
Bahá'u'lláh loved the beauty and verdure of the country.
One day He passed the remark: "I have not gazed on
verdure for nine years. The country is the world of the
soul, the city is the world of bodies." When I heard indirectly
of this saying I realized that He was longing for
the country, and I was sure that whatever I could do
towards the carrying out of His wish would be successful.
There was in `Akká at that time a man called Muhammad
Páshá Safwat, who was very much opposed to us. He had
a palace called Mazra'ih, about four miles north of the
city, a lovely place, surrounded by gardens and with a
stream of running water. I went and called on this
Páshá at his home. I said: "Páshá, you have left the palace
empty, and are living in `Akká." He replied: "I am an
invalid and cannot leave the city. If I go there it is lonely
and I am cut off from my friends." I said: "While you are
not living there and the place is empty, let it to us." He
was amazed at the proposal, but soon consented. I got
the house at a very low rent, about five pounds per annum,
paid him for five years and made a contract. I sent
laborers to repair the place and put the garden in order
and had a bath built. I also had a carriage prepared for
the use of the Blessed Beauty.+F1 One day I determined to
go and see the place for myself. Notwithstanding the repeated
injunctions given in successive firmans that we
were on no account to pass the limits of the city walls, I
walked out through the City Gate. Gendarmes were on
guard, but they made no objection, so I proceeded
straight to the palace. The next day I again went out, with
some friends and officials, unmolested and unopposed,
although the guards and sentinels stood on both sides of
the city gates. Another day I arranged a banquet, spread
a table under the pine trees of Bahjí, and gathered round
------------------------
1. Jamál-i-Mubárak (lit. Blessed Beauty) was a title frequently applied to
Bahá'u'lláh by His followers and friends.
+P 36
it the notables and officials of the town. In the evening
we all returned to the town together.
One day I went to the Holy Presence of the Blessed
Beauty and said: "the palace at Mazra'ih is ready for
You, and a carriage to drive You there." (At that time
there were no carriages in `Akká or Haifa.) He refused to
go, saying: "I am a prisoner." Later I requested Him
again, but got the same answer. I went so far as to ask
Him a third time, but He still said "No!" and I did not
dare to insist further. There was, however, in `Akká a
certain Muhammadan Shaykh, a well-known man with
considerable influence, who loved Bahá'u'lláh and was
greatly favored by Him. I called this Shaykh and explained
the position to him. I said, "You are daring. Go
tonight to His Holy Presence, fall on your knees before
Him, take hold of His hands and do not let go until He
promises to leave the city!" He was an Arab. ... He
went directly to Bahá'u'lláh and sat down close to His
knees. He took hold of the hands of the Blessed Beauty
and kissed them and asked: "Why do you not leave the
city?" He said: "I am a prisoner." The shaykh replied:
"God forbid! Who has the power to make you a prisoner?
You have kept yourself in prison. It was your own will to
be imprisoned, and now I beg you to come out and go to
the palace. It is beautiful and verdant. The trees are lovely,
and the oranges like balls of fire!" As often as the Blessed
Beauty said: "I am a prisoner, it cannot be," the Shaykh
took His hands and kissed them. For a whole hour he kept
on pleading. At last Bahá'u'lláh said, "Khaylí khúb (very
good)" and the Shaykh's patience and persistence were
rewarded. He came to me with great joy to give the glad
news of His Holiness's consent. In spite of the strict firman
of `Abdu'l-`Azíz which prohibited my meeting or
having any intercourse with the Blessed Perfection, I took
the carriage the next day and drove with Him to the palace.
No one made any objection. I left Him there and returned
myself to the city.
For two years He remained in that charming and
+P 37
lovely spot. Then it was decided to remove to another
place, at Bahjí. It so happened than an epidemic disease
had broken out at Bahjí, and the proprietor of the house
fled away in distress, with all his family, ready to offer the
house free of charge to any applicant. We took the house
at a very low rent, and there the doors of majesty and true
sovereignty were flung wide open. Bahá'u'lláh was
nominally a prisoner (for the drastic firmans of Sultán
`Abdu'l-'Aziz were never repealed), yet in reality He
showed forth such nobility and dignity in His life and
bearing that He was reverenced by all, and the Rulers of
Palestine envied His influence and power. Governors and
Mutisárrif, generals and local officials, would humbly
request the honor of attaining His presence -- a request to
which He seldom acceded.
On one occasion a Governor of the city implored this
favor on the ground of his being ordered by higher authorities
to visit, with a certain general, the Blessed Perfection.
The request being granted, the general, who was
a very corpulent individual, a European, was so impressed
by the majestic presence of Bahá'u'lláh that he remained
kneeling on the ground near the door. Such was
the diffidence of both visitors that it was only after repeated
invitations from Bahá'u'lláh that they were induced
to smoke the narguileh (hubble-bubble pipe) offered
to them. Even then they only touched it with their
lips, and then, putting it aside, folded their arms and sat
in an attitude of such humility and respect as to astonish
all those who were present.
The loving reverence of friends, the consideration and
respect that were shown by all officials and notables, the
inflow of pilgrims and seekers after truth, the spirit of
devotion and service that was manifest all around, the
majestic and kingly countenance of the Blessed Perfection,
the effectiveness of His command, the number of
His zealous devotees-all bore witness to the fact that
Bahá'u'lláh was in reality no prisoner, but a King of
Kings. Two despotic sovereigns were against Him, two
+P 38
powerful autocratic rulers, yet, even when confined in
their own prisons, He addressed them in very austere
terms, like a king addressing his subjects. Afterwards, in
spite of severe firmans, He lived at Bahjí like a prince.
Often He would say: "Verily, verily, the most wretched
prison has been converted into a Paradise of Eden."
Surely, such a thing has not been witnessed since the
creation of the world.
Life at Bahjí
Having in His earlier years of hardship shown how to glorify
God in a state of poverty and ignominy, Bahá'u'lláh in His
later years at Bahjí showed how to glorify God in a state of
honor and affluence. The offering of hundreds of thousands
of devoted followers placed at His disposal large funds which
He was called upon to administer. Although His life at Bahjí
has been described as truly regal, in the highest sense of the
word, yet it must not be imagined that it was characterized by
material splendor or extravagance. The Blessed Perfection and
His family lived in very simple and modest fashion, and expenditure
on selfish luxury was a think unknown in that household.
Near His home the believers prepared a beautiful garden
called Ridván, in which He often spent many consecutive days
or even weeks, sleeping at night in a little cottage in the garden.
Occasionally He went further afield. He made several visits
to `Akká and Haifa, and on more than one occasion pitched
His tent on Mount Carmel, as He had predicted when imprisoned
in the barracks at `Akká. The time of Bahá'u'lláh was
spent for the most part in prayer and meditation, in writing
the Sacred Books, revealing Tablets, and in spiritual education
of the friends. In order to give Him entire freedom for
this great work, `Abdu'l-Bahá undertook the arrangement of
all other affairs, even meeting the Mullás, poets, and members
of the Government. All of these were delighted and happy
through meeting `Abdu'l-Bahá, and entirely satisfied with His
explanation and talks, and although they had not met Bahá'u'lláh
Himself, they became full of friendly feeling towards Him,
+P 39
through their acquaintanceship with His son, for `Abdu'l-Bahá's
attitude caused them to understand the station of His father.
The distinguished orientalist, the late Professor Edward G.
Browne, of the University of Cambridge, visited Bahá'u'lláh at
Bahjí in the year 1890, and recorded his impressions as follows: --
... my conductor paused for a moment while I removed
my shoes. Then, with a quick movement of the hand, he
withdrew, and, as I passed, replaced the curtain; and I
found myself in a large apartment, along the upper end of
which ran a low divan, while on the side opposite to the
door were placed two or three chairs. Though I dimly
suspected whither I was going and whom I was to behold
(for no distinct intimation had been given to me),
a second or two elapsed ere, with a throb of wonder and
awe, I became definitely conscious that the room was not
untenanted. In the corner where the divan met the wall
sat a wondrous and venerable figure, crowned with a felt
head-dress of the kind called 1taj1 by dervishes (but of unusual
height and make), round the base of which was
wound a small white turban. The face of him on whom I
gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it.
Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul;
power and authority sat on that ample brow; while the
deep lines on the forehead and face implied an age which
the jet-black hair and beard flowing down in indistinguishable
luxuriance almost to the waist seemed to belie.
No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed
myself before one who is the object of a devotion and
love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in
vain!
A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then
continued: -- "Praise be to God that thou has attained!
... Thou has come to see a prisoner and an exile. ...
We desire but the good of the world and happiness of
the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer up of strife and sedition
+P 40
worthy of bondage and banishment. ... That all
nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers;
that the bonds of affection and unity between the
sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion
should cease, and differences of race be annulled --
what harm is there in this? ... Yet so it shall be; these
fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and
the `Most Great Peace' shall come. ... Do not you in
Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ foretold?
... Yet do we see your kings and rulers lavishing
their treasures more freely on means for the destruction
of the human race than on that which would conduce to
the happiness of mankind. ... These strifes and this
bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one
kindred and one family. ... Let not a man glory in this,
that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that
he loves his kind. ..."
Such, so far as I can recall them, were the words
which, besides many others, I heard from Beha. Let those
who read them consider well with themselves whether
such doctrines merit death and bonds, and whether the
world is more likely gain or lose by their diffusion. --
Introduction to A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the
Báb), pp. xxxix-xl.
Ascension
Thus simply and serenely did Bahá'u'lláh pass the evening
of His life on earth until, after an attack of fever, He passed
away on the 29th of May, 1892, at the age of seventy-five.
Among the last Tablets He revealed was His Will and Testament,
which He wrote with His own hand and duly signed
and sealed. Nine days after His death the seals were broken by
His eldest son, in the presence of members of the family and a
few friends, and the contents of the short but remarkable document
were made known. By this will `Abdu'l-Bahá was constituted
His father's representative and the expounder of His
teachings, and the family and relatives of Bahá'u'lláh and all
+P 41
believers were instructed to turn to Him and obey Him. By
this arrangement sectarianism and division were provided
against and the unity of the Cause assured.
Prophethood of Bahá'u'lláh
It is important to have clear ideas of Bahá'u'lláh's Prophethood.
His utterances, like those of other divine "Manifestations,"
may be divided into two classes, in one of which He
writes or speaks simply as a man who has been charged by
God with a message to His fellows, while in the other class the
words purport to be the direct utterance of God Himself.
He writes in the Book of Íqán: --
We have already in the foregoing pages assigned two
stations unto each of the Luminaries arising from the
Daysprings of eternal holiness. One of these stations, the
station of essential unity, We have already explained. "No
distinction do We make between any of them." [Qur'án
2:136] The other is the station of distinction, and pertaineth
to the world of creation and to be the limitations
thereof. In this respect, each Manifestation of God hath a
distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a
predestined Revelation, and specially designated limitations.
Each one of them is known by a different name, is
characterized by a special attribute, fulfils a definite Mission,
and is entrusted with a particular Revelation. Even
as He saith: "Some of the Apostles We have caused to
excel the others. To some God hath spoken, some He hath
raise and exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We gave
manifest signs, and We strengthen Him with the Holy
Spirit." [Qur'án 2:253] ...
Thus, viewed from the standpoint of their oneness and
sublime detachment, the attributes of Godhead, Divinity,
Supreme Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been and
are applicable to those Essences of being, inasmuch as
they all abide on the throne of divine Revelation, and
are established upon the seat of divine Concealment.
+P 42
Through their appearance the Revelation of God is
made manifest, and by their countenance the Beauty of
God is revealed. Thus it is that the accents of God Himself
have been heard uttered by these Manifestations of
the divine Being.
Viewed in the light of their second station -- the station
of distinction, differentiation, temporal limitations,
characteristics and standards, -- they manifest absolute
servitude, utter destitution and complete self-effacement.
Even as He saith: "I am the servant of God. I am but a
man like you." ...
Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God
to declare: "I am God!" He verily speaketh the truth, and
no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly
demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes
and names, the Revelation of God, His name and
His attributes, are made manifest in the world. Thus, He
hath revealed: "Those shafts were God's, not Thine!"
[Qur'án 8:17] And also He saith: "In truth, they who
plighted fealty unto thee, really plighted that fealty unto
God." [Qur'án 48:10] And were any of them to voice
the utterance: "I am the Messenger of God," He also
speaketh the truth, the indubitable truth. Even as He
saith: "Muhammad is not the father of any man among
you, but He is the Messenger of God." Viewed in this
light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King, that
unchangeable Essence. And were they all to proclaim: "I
am the Seal of Prophets," they verily utter but the
truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they are
all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one
revelation. They are all the manifestation of the "Beginning"
and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the
"Seen" and "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who
is the innermost Spirit of Spirits and eternal Essence of
Essences. And were they to say: "We are the servants of
God," [Qur'án 33:40] this also is a manifest and indisputable
fact. For they have been made manifest in the
uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of which
+P 43
no man can possibly attain. Thus in moments in which
these Essences of being were deeply immersed beneath
the oceans of ancient and everlasting holiness, or when
they soared to the loftiest summits of divine mysteries,
they claimed their utterance to be the Voice of divinity,
the Call of God Himself. Were the eye of discernment to
be opened, it would recognize that in this very state, they
have considered themselves utterly effaced and non-existent
in the face of Him Whom is the All-Pervading, the
incorruptible. Methinks, they have regarded themselves
as utter nothingness, and deemed their mention in that
Court an act of blasphemy. For the slightest whisperings
of self, within such a Court, is an evidence of self-assertion
and independent existence. In the eyes of them that
have attained unto that Court, such a suggestion is itself
a grievous transgression. How much more grievous would
it be, were aught else to be mentioned in that Presence,
were man's heart, his tongue, his mind, or his soul, to be
busied with anyone but the Well-Beloved, were his eyes
to behold any countenance other than His beauty, were
his ear to be inclined to any melody but His voice, and
were his feet to tread any way but His way.
In this day the breeze of God is wafted, and His Spirit
hath pervaded all things. Such is the outpouring of His
grace that the pen is stilled and the tongue is speechless.
By virtue of this station, they have claimed for themselves
the Voice of Divinity and the like, whilst by virtue
of their station of Messengership, they have declared
themselves the Messengers of God. In every instance
they have voiced an utterance that would conform to the
requirements of the occasion, and have ascribed all these
declarations to Themselves, declarations ranging from
the divine Revelation to the realm of creation,
and from the domain of Divinity even unto the domain of
earthly existence. Thus it is that whatsoever be their utterance,
whether it pertain to the realm of Divinity, Lordship,
Prophethood, Messengership, Guardianship, Apostelship
or Servitude, all is true, beyond the shadow of a
+P 44
doubt. Therefore, these sayings which We have quoted in
support of Our argument must be attentively considered,
that the divergent utterances of the Manifestations of the
Unseen and Daysprings of Holiness may cease to agitate
the soul and perplex the mind. -- Kitáb-i-Íqán, 176-181.
When Bahá'u'lláh speaks as a man, the station He claims for
Himself is that of utter humility, of "annihilation in God."
What distinguishes the Manifestation, in His human personality,
from other men is the completeness of His self-abnegation
as well as the perfection of His powers. Under all circumstances
He is able to say, as did Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane,
"nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." Thus
in His epistle to the Sháh, Bahá'u'lláh says: --
O king! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My
couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were
wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that
hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who
is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up
My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there
befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding
to flow. The learning current amongst men I
studied not; their schools I entered not. ... This is but a
leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Praised have stirred. Can it be still when
the tempestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is
the Lord of all Names and Attributes! They move it as
they list. The evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is
the Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons hath
reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst
all people. I was indeed as one dead when His behest was
uttered. The hand of the will of thy Lord, the Compassionate,
the Merciful, transformed Me. Can any one
speak forth of his own accord that for which all men,
both high and low, will protest against him? Nay, by Him
Who taught the Pen the eternal mysteries, save him whom
the grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, hath
+P 45
strengthened. -- Lawh-i-Sultán (Tablet to the King of Persia),
as quoted in The Promised Day Is Come, pp. 40-41.
As Jesus washed His disciples' feet, so Bahá'u'lláh used
sometimes to cook food and perform other lowly offices for
His followers. He was a servant of the servants, and gloried
only in servitude, content to sleep on a bare floor if need be,
to live on bread and water, or even, at times, on what He called
"the divine nourishment, that is to say, hunger!" His perfect
humility was seen in His profound reverence for nature, for
human nature, and especially for the saints, prophets and
martyrs. To Him, all things spoke of God, from the meanest to
the greatest.
His human personality had been chosen by God to become
the Divine Mouthpiece and Pen. It was not of His own will that
He had assumed this position of unparalleled difficulty and
hardship. As Jesus said: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup
pass from me," so Bahá'u'lláh said: "Had another exponent or
speaker been found, We would not have made Ourself an object
of censure, derision and calumnies on the part of the people"
(Tablet of Ishráqát). But the divine call was clear and
imperative and He obeyed. God's will became His will, and
God's pleasure, His pleasure; and with "radiant acquiescence"
He declared: -- "Verily I say: Whatever befalleth in the path
of God is the beloved of the soul and the desire of the heart.
Deadly poison in His path is pure honey, and every tribulation
a draught of crystal water." -- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
p. 17.
At other times, as we have mentioned, Bahá'u'lláh speaks
"from the station of Deity." In these utterances His human
personality is so completely subservient that it is left out of
account altogether. Through Him God addresses His creatures
proclaiming His love for them, teaching them His attributes,
making known His will, announcing His laws for
their guidance and pleading for their love, their allegiance
and service.
In the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the utterance frequently
changes from one of these forms to another. Sometimes it is
+P 46
evidently the man who is discoursing, then without a break the
writing continues as if God were speaking in the first person.
Even when speaking as a man, however, Bahá'u'lláh speaks as
God's messenger, as a living example of entire devotion to
God's will. His whole life is actuated by the Holy Spirit. Hence
no hard and fast line can be drawn between the human and divine
elements in His life or teachings. God tells Him: --
Say: "Naught is seen in my temple but the Temple of
God, and in my beauty but His Beauty, and in my being
but His Being, and in myself but Himself, and in my
movement but His Movement, and in my acquiescence
but His Acquiescence, and in my pen but His Pen, the
Precious, the Extolled."
Say: "There hath not been in my soul but the Truth,
and in myself naught could be seen but God." -- Súratu'l-Haykal.
His Mission
Bahá'u'lláh's mission in the world is to bring about Unity --
Unity of all mankind in and through God. He says: -- "Of the
Tree of Knowledge the All-glorious fruit is this exalted word:
Of one Tree are all ye the fruits and of one Bough the leaves.
Let not man glory in this that he loves his country, but let him
rather glory in this that he loves his kind."
Previous Prophets have heralded an age of peace on earth,
goodwill among men, and have given Their lives to hasten its
advent, but each and all of Them have plainly declared that
this blessed consummation would be reached only after the
"Coming of the Lord" in the latter days, when the wicked
would be judged and righteous rewarded.
Zoroaster foretold three thousand years of conflict before
the advent of Sháh Bahrám, the world-savior, Who would
overcome Ahrman the spirit of evil, and establish a reign of
righteousness and peace.
Moses foretold a long period of exile, persecution and oppression
for the children of Israel, before the Lord of Hosts
+P 47
would appear to gather them from all the nations, to destroy
the oppressors and establish His Kingdom upon earth.
Christ said: "Think not that I am come to send peace on
earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword" (Matt. x, 34),
and He predicted a period of wars and rumors of wars, of tribulations
and afflictions that would continue till the coming of
the Son of Man "in the glory of the Father."
Muhammad declared that, because of their wrongdoings,
Alláh had put enmity and hatred among both Jews and Christians
that would last until the Day of Resurrection, when He
would appear to judge them all.
Bahá'u'lláh, on the other hand, announces that He is the
Promised One of all these Prophets -- the Divine Manifestation
in Whose era the reign of peace will actually be established.
This statement is unprecedented and unique, yet it fits in wonderfully
with the signs of the times, and with the prophecies of
all the great Prophets. Bahá'u'lláh revealed with incomparable
clearness and comprehensiveness the means for bringing about
peace and unity amongst mankind.
It is true that, since the advent of Bahá'u'lláh, there have
been, until now, war and destruction on an unprecedented
scale, but this is just what all the prophets have said would
happen at the dawn of the "great and terrible Day of the
Lord," and is, therefore, but a confirmation of the view that
the "Coming of the Lord" is not only at hand, but is already an
accomplished fact. According to the parable of Christ, the
Lord of the Vineyard must miserably destroy the wicked husbandmen
before He gives the Vineyard to others who will render
Him the fruits in their seasons. Does not this mean that at
the coming of the Lord dire destruction awaits those despotic
governments, avaricious and intolerant priests, mullás, or tyrannical
leaders who through the centuries have, like wicked
husbandmen, misruled the earth and misappropriated its
fruits?
There may be terrible events, and unparalleled calamities
yet awhile on the earth, but Bahá'u'lláh assures us that erelong,
"these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away,
and the `Most Great Peace' shall come." War and strife have become
+P 48
so intolerable in their destructiveness that mankind must
find deliverance from them or perish.
"The fullness of time" has come and with it the Promised
Deliverer!
His Writings
The Writings of Bahá'u'lláh are most comprehensive in their
range, dealing with every phase of human life, individual and
social, with things material and things spiritual, with the interpretation
of ancient and modern scriptures, and with prophetic
anticipations of both the near and distant future.
The range and accuracy of His knowledge was amazing. He
could quote and expound the Scriptures of the various religions
with which He correspondents or questions were familiar, in
convincing the authoritative manner, although apparently He
had never had the ordinary means of access to many of the
books referred to. He declares, in Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, that He had never read the Bayán, although in His own
Writings He shows the most perfect knowledge and understanding
of the Báb's Revelation. (The Báb, as we have seen,
declared that His Revelation, the Bayán, was inspired by and
emanated from "Him Whom God shall make Manifest"!) With
the single exception of a visit from Professor Edward Granville
Browne, to whom in the year 1890 He accorded four interviews,
each lasting twenty to thirty minutes, He had no opportunities
of intercourse with enlightened Western thinkers, yet
His Writings show a complete grasp of the social, political and
religious problems of the Western World, and even His enemies
had to admit that His wisdom and knowledge were incomparable.
The well-known circumstances of His long imprisonment
render it impossible to doubt that the wealth of knowledge
shown in His Writings must have been acquired from some
spiritual source, quite independent of the usual means of study
or instruction and the help of books or teachers.+F1
------------------------
1. When asked whether Bahá'u'lláh had made a special study of Western
writings and founded His teachings in accordance with them `Abdu'l-Bahá
said that the books of Bahá'u'lláh, written and printed as long ago as
the 1870's, contained the ideals now so familiar to the West, although
at that time these ideas had not been printed or thought of in the West.
+P 49
Sometimes He wrote in modern Persian, the ordinary language
of His fellow countrymen, which is largely admixed with
Arabic. At other times, as when addressing learned Zoroastrians,
He wrote in the purest classical Persian. He also wrote
with equal fluency in Arabic, sometimes in very simple language,
sometimes in classical style somewhat similar to that of
the Qur'án. His perfect mastery of these different languages
and styles was remarkable because of His entire lack of literary
education.
In some of His Writings the way of holiness is pointed out in
such simple terms that "the wayfaring men, though fools, shall
not err therein" (Isaiah xxv, 8). In others there is a wealth
of poetic imagery, profound philosophy and allusions to Muhammadan,
Zoroastrian and other scriptures, or to Persian
and Arabic literature and legends, such as only the poet, the
philosopher or the scholar can adequately appreciate. Still
others deal with advanced stages of the spiritual life and are to
be understood only by those who have already passed through
the earlier stages. His works are like a bountiful table provided
with foods and delicacies suited to the needs and tastes of all
who are genuine truth seekers.
It is because of this that His Cause had effect among the
learned and culture, spiritual poets and well-known writers.
Even some of the leaders of the Súfís and of other sects, and
some of the political ministers who were writers, were attracted
by His words, for they exceeded those of all other writers
in sweetness and depth of spiritual meaning.
The Bahá'í Spirit
From His place of confinement in distant `Akká, Bahá'u'lláh
stirred His native land of Persia to its depths; and not only
Persia; He stirred and is stirring the world. The spirit that animated
Him and His followers was unfailingly gentle, courteous
and patient, yet it was a force of astonishing vitality and
transcendent power. It achieved the seemingly impossible. It
changed human nature. Men who yielded to its influence became
new creatures. They were filled with a love, a faith, and
enthusiasm, compared with which earthly joys and sorrows
+P 50
were but as dust in the balance. They were ready to face lifelong
suffering or violent death with perfect equanimity, nay,
with radiant joy, in the strength of fearless dependence on
God.
Most wonderful of all, their hearts were so brimming over
with the joy of a new life as to leave no room for thoughts of
bitterness or vindictiveness against their oppressors. They entirely
abandoned the use of violence in self-defense, and instead
of bemoaning their fate, they considered themselves the
most fortunate of men in being privileged to receive this new
and glorious Revelation and to spend their lives or shed their
blood testifying to its truth. Well might their hearts sing
with joy, for they believed that God, the Supreme, the Eternal,
the Beloved, had spoken to them through human lips, had
called them to be His servants and friends, had come to establish His Kingdom
upon earth and to bring the priceless boon of
Peace to a warworn, strife-stricken world.
Such was the faith inspired by Bahá'u'lláh. He announced
His own mission, as the Báb had foretold that He would, and,
thanks to the devoted labors of His great Forerunner, there
were thousands ready to acclaim His Advent -- thousands who
had shaken off superstitions and prejudices, and were waiting
with pure hearts and open minds for the Manifestation of
God's Promised Glory. Poverty and chains, sordid circumstances
and outward ignominy could not hide from them the
Spiritual Glory of their Lord -- nay, these dark earthly surroundings
only served to enhance the brilliance of His real
Splendor.
+P 51
`Abdu'l-Bahá: The Servant of Bahá/4
When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of
My Revelation is ended, turn your faces towards Him Whom
God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient
Root. -- BAHÁ'U'LLÁH, Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
Birth and Childhood
Abbás Effendi, Who afterwards assumed the title of `Abdu'l-Bahá
(i.e. Servant of Bahá), was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh.
He was born in Tihrán before midnight on the eve of the 23rd
of May, 1844,+F1 the very same night in which the Báb declared
His mission.
He was nine years of age when His father, to Whom even
then He was devotedly attached, was thrown into the dungeon
in Tihrán. A mob sacked their house, and the family were
stripped of their possessions and left in destitution. `Abdu'l-Bahá
tells how one day He was allowed to enter the prison
yard to see His beloved father when He came out for His daily
exercise. Bahá'u'lláh was terribly altered, so ill He could
hardly walk, His hair and beard unkempt, His neck galled and
swollen from the pressure of a heavy steel collar, His body
bent by the weight of His chains, and the sight made a never-
to-be-forgotten impression on the mind of the sensitive boy.
During the first year of their residence in Baghdád, ten years
before the open Declaration by Bahá'u'lláh of His Mission, the
keen insight of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Who was then but nine years of
age, already led Him to the momentous discovery that His father
was indeed the Promised One Whose Manifestation all the
Bábís were awaiting. Some sixty years afterwards He thus described
the moment in which this conviction suddenly overwhelmed
His whole nature: --
------------------------
1. Thursday, 5th Jamadi I, 1260 A.H.
+P 52
I am the servant of the Blessed Perfection. In Baghdád
I was a child. Then and there He announced to me the
Word, and I believed in Him. As soon as He proclaimed
to me the Word, I threw myself at His Holy Feet and implored
and supplicated Him to accept my blood as a sacrifice
in His Pathway. Sacrifice! How sweet I find that
word! There is no greater Bounty for me than this! What
greater glory can I conceive than to see thick neck chained
for His sake, these feet fettered for His love, this body
mutilated or thrown into the depths of the sea for His
Cause! If in reality we are His sincere lovers -- if in reality
I am His sincere servant, then I must sacrifice my life,
my all at His Bless Threshold. -- Diary of Mírzá Ahmad
Sohrab, January 1914.
About this time He began to be called by His friends, "Th