z \b Sage 1S91 .A.ssriifd9 ^lU.9if THE TARIKH-I-JADID, OB NEW HISTORY OF MIRZA 'ALI MUHAMMAD THE BAB. aonHon: 0. J. CLAY and SONS, CAMBEIDGE UNIVEBSITY PBESS WABBHOUSE, AVE MABIA LANE. fflamStaise: DEIGHTON, BELL AND CO. Icipjig: F. A. BEOCKHATJS. i^eSn liotfe: MACMILLAN AND CO. SUBH-I-EZEL, FBOM A PHOTOGRAPH BV CAPTAIN YOUNG. THE TAKIKH-I-JADID OE NEW HISTOEY OF MIEZA 'ALf MUHAMMAD THE BAB, BY MIEZA' HUSEYN OF HAMADAN, TRANSLATED PEOM THE PEESIAN, With an Introduction, Illnstrations, and Appendices, by EDWARD G. BROWNE, M.A., M.B„ FELLOW OP FBHBBOEE COLLEGE*, CAMBBIDGE, AND LECTUBEB IN PEBSIAN TO THE UNIVEBSm OE CAMBBIDGE. EDITED FOE TEE SYNDICS OF THE UNIVERSITT PRESS. CAMBRIDGE : AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 1893 [All Bights reserved.] A. 55^' Cambrilige: FEINTED BY 0. J. CLAY, M.A. AND SONS, AT THE UNIVBBSITY PRESS. CONTENTS. PAOB Inieoduction, by the Tbanslatok . . . . . vii Tkanslaiion of the Authok's Pkefaoe .... 1 Tbanslation or the New Histoey ...... 31 Appendix I. Abridgement of omitted digressions . . 320 Appendix n. H4jl Mirz4 Jani's History .... 327 Appendix in. Translation of Subh-i-Ezel's Narrative . . 397 Appendix IV. Texts and Translations of Original Documents published in fae-simile 420 Index 443 Pbesian Text of Sdbh-i-Ezel's Naekaiive . . j-v ^t f ILLUSTEATIONS. Portrait of Subh-i-Ezel .... Frontis'piece. Plans and Sketches of the Castle of Sheykh Tabarsi 56 North Gate of Zanj4n 146 Fac-simile of Letter from the Bib to Mull4 Sheykh 'Ali 424 Nomination of Snbh-i-Ezel as the B4b's successor (fac-simUe of Subh-i-Ezel's transcript) . . 426 Facsimile of Letter from Seyyid Huseyn of Yezd to Haji Seyyid 'Ali 437 Fac-simile of Letter from Kurratn'l-'Ayp to Miill4 Sheykh 'AU 434 N. H. INTRODUCTION. Half a century has not yet elapsed since Mfrzd. 'Ali ^Muhammad, the young Seer of Shlrdz, first began to preach the religion which now counts its martyrs by hundreds and its adherents by hundreds of thousands'; which seemed at one time to menace the supremacy alike of the KAjd,r dynasty and of the Muhammadan faith in Persia, and may still not improbably prove an important factor in the history of Western Asia; and which, within the memory of men not yet arrived at an age in any way unusual, has passed successively, through the Prophetic and Apostolic periods, and entered on that phase of intestinal dissension and political opportunism whither, sooner or later, every religion (be the Idea which gave life and strength to the teaching of its Pounder never so pure and lofty, and the devotion, self-abnegation, and brotherly concord subsisting amongst his early disciples never so perfect) inevitably comes. Thus it is that, quite apart from the political significance which it may acquire in the future, and the influence which it may exert over the destinies of Persia and the neighbouring states, the Bdbf movement cannot fail to attract the atten- ' See Curzon's Persia, vol. i, p. 499. " The lowest estimate,'' says he, "places the present number of Bdbfs in Persia at half a million. I am disposed to think, from conversations with persons well qualified to judge, that the total number is nearer one million." 62 vm INTRODUCTION. tion and awaken the curiosity of every student of the Comparative History of Religions. Now the study of the origin and evolution of any religion, ancient or modem, especially of one which aims at effecting a great change in the thought, life, or political organisation of the people amongst whom it arises, is, though invested with a singular charm, fraught with peculiar difficulties. For, at the outset, such religion finds arrayed against itself every vested interest and every deep-rooted prejudice of the dominant djraasty and hierarchy, as well as of all who are, whether by conviction, habit, or considerations of personal advantage, attached to these; and, whether or no it be called upon to face the sword of a t3rrant, the sentence of an inquisition, or the rack, the stake, and the axe of the headsman, it is certain to be exposed to the misrepresenta- tions of court-chroniclers and ecclesiastical historians, who wiU spare no effort to pourtray it under the most sombre and lurid colours with which their imaginations can invest it. Pacts wiU be suppressed or distorted ; vague rumours and unfounded slanders will be recorded as assured and indis- putable facts; charges of communism, anarchy, free-love, and worse, will be hurled against the innovators; and while, on the one side, occasional excesses and casual acts of violence are represented as the natural and logical outcome of doctrines subversive alike of morality and humanity, on the other, deeds of treachery and cruelty are passed over in silence, elevated to the dignity of righteous reprisals for inexpiable iniquities, or condoned as measures which, though harsh indeed, were rendered not only ex- cusable but inevitable by the exigencies of the time. Should the nascent faith lack strength to outlive this stormy period of probation and persecution, the name of its founder and his adherents will almost certainly be branded with a stigma of infamy from which oblivion alone will free INTRODUCTION. IX them. How diiferent a complexion might the life of Moseylima or the teaching of Mazdak wear if we could but hear the case for the defence, or learn aught about them save that which their triumphant opponents have recorded ! But even should the young religion survive this fiery ordeal, and secure for itself a permanent footing amongst the theological systems of the world, new dangers and new sources of misrepresentation of a yet more subtle kind than any to which it has been heretofore exposed spring into being. Hitherto these have been wholly or chiefly from without. That whole-hearted devotion to the founder which alone could induce his early disciples to disregard wealth, position, ease, family ties, and even life itself for his sake, and that unquestioning faith in his teachings and un- hesitating obedience to his commands which is the natural and necessary outcome of this devotion, maintain the com- munity, at least during his lifetime, in concord, harmony, and fraternal love. Persecution from without, the sense of common danger, and the still fresh remembrance of the beloved Master's words and wishes, expressed or implied, may combine to prolong this period for a time, even for a considerable time, after his death; but, sooner or later, dissensions, schisms, and internecine strifes are sure to arise. A cessation or abatement of the persecutions which have hitherto compelled the members of the community to combine all their powers in resisting the common foe, and to present a united front towards their oppressors, now at length gives them leisure to examine more minutely and critically the doctrines bequeathed to them ; attempts are made to weld these doctrines into a logical and coherent system ; differences of temperament, training, and aspira- tion, hitherto latent, become manifest ; ambitions, hitherto held in check, burst forth; rival claimants arise to contest the supremacy; new circumstances and altered relations X INTEODUCTION. to the environment suggest to the bolder and more active spirits modifications and developments of the primitive doctrine, of which, perhaps, the founder never dreamed ; and an energy and tenacity of purpose which were de- veloped by the need of uniting the young church against a common foe are expended in dividing it against itself. Now, alas ! the golden age of the new religion is past, or all but past ; the heaven-inspired prophet, the loving, untiring, undoubting apostle, and the pale martyr, who, with the smile of victory on his lips, and widely opened eyes fixed on the far distance, as though to discern through the lurid flames of the bale-fire some glimpse of the promised Utopia, fade from the page of its history, which henceforth is filled with pitiful tales of dissension and disruption; of anathemas and accusations of heresy and apostasy reiterated and reciprocated with increasing bitter- ness; of suppressions of unwelcome records and corrup- tions of inconvenient texts ; of fratricidal assassinations and persecutions. Of this golden age of faith the records are usually scanty, but, in their primitive form, simple, truthful, and worthy of Credence in the main, though not improbably one-sided, exaggerated, confused, and rude in style. The enemies of a new religion do not corrupt its records, they destroy them ; and what escapes destruction at their hands, and subsequent corruption at the hands of partisans, may be trusted to give a tolerably faithful narrative of its early history. For the earliest historians of a religion are, as a rule, so full of faith, so lacking in critical or sceptical habits, so ready to accept whatever new ideals may be set before them, so prone to discover a hidden wisdom in every act, not only the most trivial, but the most questionable, which emanates from their Master and his immediate dis- ciples, that they will chronicle with scrupulous fidelity inci- INTBODXTCTIOK. XI dents which a later and more critical generation of believers would be strongly tempted "to suppress or to transfigure. When Ibn Hishdm came to re-write Ibn Is-hd.k's biography of the Prophet Muhammad, he judged it expedient to omit certain details which appeared to him unedifying and likely to cause scandal to the faithful; and when a modern Musulmdn, like Syed Ameer Ali, composes a history of Isldm for English readers, he is tempted to touch very lightly on certain matters which Ibn Hishdm saw no cause "to include in this category. To take another instance alto- gether, might not a modern Buddhist, especially if he were an European, feel disposed to allow the fact that Buddha's death was accelerated by eating pork to sink into oblivion, although this fact casts no reflection on the life of that great and virtuous teacher, but only contravenes our ideas of what is graceful and artistic ? " But," it will be asked, " does it often happen that these earliest records of a religious movement, supposing them to be written with this perfect candour, and to escape destruction at the hands of foes, retain for long their primi- tive fonn? If the doctrines of the teacher whose life, deeds, and words they chronicle prevail, and so the records survive, what guarantee can we have that they have not undergone mutilation or received embeUishment at the hands of his later followers, from whom almost necessarily we must receive them?" Generally, from the very nature of the case, such assurance is difiicult to obtain, and, indeed, can only be obtained in its most satisfactory form when the early records pass within a short time after their compilation into the hands of strangers, who, while interested in their preservation, have no desire to alter them for better or. worse. That this should happen at all obviously requires a very unusual combination of circumstances. So far as my knowledge goes,. it never has happened save in XU INTRODUCTION. the case of the Bdhf religion; and this is one of the facts which invest the history of this religion with so special an interest. Fifty years ago Persia belonged to all intents and pur- poses (as, indeed, she still belongs, notwithstanding the attempts recently made, to the huge delight of certain nostrum-mongers and vendors of universal panaceas, to overlay the court and capital of her present rulers with a thin veneer of tawdry European civilisation) to the ancient world. There hardly an3^hing is impossible, and not very many things even grossly improbable. That a young visionary should arise proclaiming a new religion designed to replace and supersede all existing creeds; that many persons of learning, virtue, and position should eagerly embrace and boldly proclaim his doctrines ; that gorgeous but unsubstantial visions of a New Creation wherein there should be neither injustice nor discord, of a Reign of God's Saints on earth, and of a Universal Theocracy conformed in every detail to a mystical Theosophy (wherein are blended, under the guise of an ultra-Shi'ite nationalism, theories of numbers more fantastic than those of Pythagoras or Plotinus, with theories of the Divine Names and Attri- butes more intangible than those of the Cabbala or of Spinoza) should exercise so powerful an influence, not only over philosophers and scholars, but over peasants and arti- sans, as to make them ready and eager to meet death in its most terrible forms not by scores, but by hundreds; that this new faith, set forth, for the most part, not in the lan- guage of the people, but in Arabic treatises of interminable length, at once florid and incorrect in style, teeming with grammatical errors the most glaring, iterations the most wearisome, and words the rarest and most incomprehensible, should have power to inspire its votaries with a courage so stubborn as to threaten for several years the very existence INTRODUCTION. XUl of the established religion and the reigning d3Tiasty, and should stir up an insurrection which all the armed forces of the Persian king, all the anathemas of the Muhammadan clergy, aU the tortures which an Asiatic tjrrant could devise or his myrmidons execute, could, by dint of ruthless and repeated massacres, only check for a while, but not per- manently subdue; all this, however strange it may seem to an European, is in the history of the East not much more remarkable than is the accession of a new dynasty, the partition of a principality, or the annexation of a province in the history of the West. The doctrines of the Bd.b, it is true, formed together a system bold, original, and, to the Persian mind, singularly attractive ; but, taken sepa- rately, there was hardly one of which he could claim to be the author, and not very many which did not remount to a remote antiquity. The title of Bab ("Gate") had been already assumed, not only by the four intimates of the Twelfth Imdm, but by a heresiarch who was put to death in the tenth century of our era by the Caliph er-Rddhf Bi'lldh'. The theories advanced by Mlrzd, 'All Muhammad concerning the successive incarnations of the Universal Reason, the allegorical interpretation of Scripture, and the _S3Tnbolism of every ritual form and every natural pheno- menon, differ in no essential particular from those held by the Isma'iHs. Even the virtues of the number nineteen, the mysterious " Number of the Unity," had been already signalized, and that, probably, not for the first time, by Sheykh Muhiyyu 'd-Dfn ibnu'l-'Arabf, a renowned Stiff teacher who flourished in the twelfth century of our era'. The personal influence of the Bdb ; the extraordinary steadfastness and devotion of his followers under perse- ■ See Travdlei'i Narrative, vol. ii, p. 229. 2 See J. R. A. S. for 1889, pp. 909, n. 2, and 919—920. XIV INTRODUCTION. cution of a severity almost unparalleled in modern times ; the dramatic circumstances attending the earlier history of the sect, from its foundation in a.d. 1844 tiU the martyrdom of its Pounder in a.d. 1850, and of all but a very few of his original apostles in a.d. 1852, were indeed exceptional ; yet, notwithstanding all this, it might easily have happened that the materials for a continuous and authentic history of the movement should have been wanting, in which case we should have had to trust the inaccurate and garbled accounts of the court-historians, lAsdnu'l-Mulk and Rizd- KuH KhdnS till such time as the scarcely more impartial " Traveller's Narrative'^," written anonymously (as I have learned only since its publication) by the son of one aspirant to the supreme authority in the now divided Church to discredit the perfectly legitimate claims and to disparage the perfectly blameless character of his less successful rival, came to increase our mystification and plunge us into further uncertainties. Fortunately for science a happy combination of circum- stances averted a too probable, but none the less deplorable, contingency. Amongst the early disciples of the Bdb was a certain merchant of Kdshdn, Hdjl Mi'rzd. Jdnf by name, who, together with two of his three brothers, Hdjl Mfrzd, Ismdi'il and Hiji Mfrzd Ahmad^ was remarkable for his enthusiastic devotion to the new religion. When, in the year 1847, the Bdb passed by Kd,shd,n on the way to his prison at Mdkii, Mlrzd Jdnl bribed the escort to allow their illustrious captive to be a guest in his house for two days 1 Cf. Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. 173—4, 186—8, and 192. 2 Presented to me by the author during my visit to Acre in April 1890 ; published in facsimile, with English translation, Introduction, and Notes, by the Cambridge University Press in 1891. 2 See Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, p. 332. INTRODUCTION. XV and nights ^ While the Mdzandardn insurrection was in progress (a.d. 1848—9), he, in company with BehA'u'Udh, Subh-i-Ezel, and several other prominent Bdbis^ at- tempted, but failed, to join the garrison of Sheykh Tabarsf, fell into the hands of the enemy, and was imprisoned for some while at Amul. "We find him, always impelled, as it would appear, by religious zeal, now at BMuriish, now at Mash-had, now at Teherdn. He appears to have been personally acquainted not only with the Mh, Subh-i-Ezel, and Behd'u'Uih, but with Hdjf Suleymdn Khin, Mulld, Muhammad 'AH of Zanjdn, Seyyid Yahyd of D^rdb, MulU Sheykh ;Ali " Jendb-i-'Azim," Kurratu'l-'Ayn, " Hasrat-i- Kudd'As," and almost aU the early apostles of the Bdbl religion. Finally, in company with twenty-seven of his co-religionists, he sufi'ered martyrdom for the faith at Teherdn on September 15th, 18521 He was therefore heart and soul a BdW; he had the best possible oppor- tunities for obtaining detailed and accurate information about every event connected with the movement during the first eight years of its existence (a.d. 1844 — 1852) ; and he enjoyed a high reputation for truthfulness, intelli- gence, and integrity^- Most fortunately, also, he occupied his leisure moments during the two years which elapsed between the martyrdom of his Master (July 9th, 1850). and his own death (Sept. 15tt, 1852) in composing a voluminous work, to which, from considerations of a mystical and not very comprehensible character, he gave the rather fanciful name of Nuktatul-Kdf ("The Point of KAf," i.e., as it would appear, "of Kdshdn")", on the doctrines and history ' See pp. 213 — 216 infra, and footnotes. 2 Cf. pp. 64—5 and 378—9 infra. 3 See Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. 323 — 334. * Cf. pp. xxxix and 57 infra. '° See n. 1 on p. 391 infra. The passage in wMch the title of XVI INTRODUCTION. of the religion for which, probably only a few months after the completion of his labours, he suffered death. It is superfluous to say that Mfrzd. Jdnf's work never existed save in manuscript, and that any copies which passed into the hands of the royalist or orthodox party were without doubt at once destroyed. For there was nothing of caution, compromise or concealment about the honest Kishini merchant. The Bdbfs of his time looked rather for an immediate triumph over all existing powers, culminating in the universal establishment of the True Faith and the Reign of God's Saints on Earth, than for the book is given occurs near the beginning of the work and runs as follows : — tjLy) j ^Aj fO tCwjJ jLw1«^ ^JJli J.ot A^ i'»^ 3 3JU >»J|>«^ i^UJI aini'i tjw^U^ ^^t >ftU Hi W Ul HI INTRODUCTION. XVU a Heaven of Glory, a far-distant Millennium, or " the Most Great Peace" on which Behd and his followers love to dilate'. They did not make any profession of loyalty to, or love for, the reigning dynasty; nor did they attempt to exonerate the Shdh from the responsibility of the perse- cutions which they suffered at the expense of his ministers or the Musulmd,n divines, as later Bdbi historians have done'', ^ey hated the Muhammadan clergy, it is true, with an intense and bitter hatred, and Mirz^ J&ni antici- pates with exultation a day whereon the K^'im, or Messiah, of the Family of Muhammad shall behead seventy thou- sand mullAs "like dogs"; but they entertained for the Kdjdr rulers an equal hatred, which Mfrzd Jdnl is at no pains to disguise. To Ndsiru'd-Dfn, the present Sh^, and to his father, Muhammad Shd,h, such terms as "tyrant" (^Ui), "scoundrel" (otj-«tj-«-), "unrightful king" (JJab ^^jUaJ-j), and "progeny of Abli Sofydn" (^1 Jt ^Ui-i) are freely applied. Teherdn is compared to Damascus, the capital of the wicked Mu'dviya and his yet more wicked son Yazid ; while MuUd, Huseyn is likened to the martyred Imd,m Huseyn, Sheykh Tabarsi to the immortal plain of Kerbeld,, and Bdrfurtish, whither the B4W captives were brought after the conclusion of the siege, to Klfa. The battle-cry of the royalist soldiers, " Yd Ndsiru'd-Din Shah!" is described as "a foul watch-word" (>»!ilA w«**i.) ; the death of Muhammad Shdh is noted in the words "when Muhammad Shdh went to hell'"; and the unbelievers are flouted with scorn because they suppose that the Promised Deliverer whom they expect will confirm 1 Of. Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. xl. 2 Of. Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. xlv — xlvi ; and, amongst many other similar passages in this book, pp. 172, 180 — 182, 189-190, 278—279, 291—293, and 315—316. 3 See n. 1 on p. 291 infra. xviii INTEODTJCTION. the authority of the existing rulers and governors, and will subdue the world for the benefit of Nd,siru'd-Din Shdh. Now if this were all, Mfrzd, Jdnl's history, though it would certainly have been destroyed as far as possible by the Muhammadans and the royalists, might well, with sundry emendations and expurgations, have been preserved almost iutact, like many other proscribed books, in the bosom of the Bdbf Church. But it is not all. Events which I have elsewhere discussed at length^, and shall here, for the benefit of the general reader, briefly recapitulate, brought about the seemingly strange result that a large majority of the Bdbfs themselves came to have a direct interest in the suppression of this precious record. One of the chief doctrines of the Bdb, one which he never wearies of repeating and emphasising, is that his revelation is not final; that he is not the last of the Theophanies which, at longer or shorter intervals, shine forth in the Phenomenal World for the guidance of mankind; and that after him a greater Revealer, whom he calls "Man yudh-hiruhu'lldh" ("He whom God shall manifest"), shall appear for the consolation of his followers. Now a year before his martjrrdom, on the fall of Sheykh Tabarsf and the death of Ha^at-i-Kuddm (July or August, 1849)", the Bdb nominated Mfrzd YahyA (then a lad of nineteen') to succeed him under the title of Svhh-i-Ezel ("the Morn- ing of Eternity"), or Hazrat-i-Ezel ("His Holiness the Eternal"). The nomination was explicit and notorious, and, on the death of the Founder in July 1850, the youth- ful vicegerent at once received the almost unanimous ' Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. xv — x\aii and 349 ct seq. 2 See pp. 380—2 infra. ' See Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, p. 373 and note. INTRODUCTION. XIX recognition and homage of the whole BdW conimunity\ Till the. catastrophe of September 1852, which proved fatal, not only to Mfrzd, Jdnl, but to nearly all the principal apostles of the new faith who had survived the earlier persecutions, he remained for the most part in the neigh- bourhood of Teherd,n in the summer, and in the district of Niir in Mdzandardn in the winter, actively occupied in arranging, transcribing, and circulating the B^bl books, preaching and expounding the Bdbf doctrine, and com- forting and edifying the Bd.bl Churchl It was during this period, and, as internal evidence renders probable, during the year a.h. 1267^ (Nov. 1850— Oct. 1851) that Mirzi Jini composed his work, in which, as was only natural, he inserted a long notice on Subh-i-EzeP, whom he most certainly, and his contemporaries in the faith most probably, believed to be none other than "He whom God shall manifest'." The evidence that at this period, and for some considerable time afterwards, Subh-i-Ezel, now living in almost solitary exile at Famagusta in Gjrprus, a pensioner ' Cf. Gobineau's Religions et Philosophies dansl'AsieCentrale, pp. 277—8. 2 See Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, p. 374. 5 The clearest allusion iu MfrzS Jtof s work to the date of its composition is contained in the words (occurring on f. 48 r of Suppl. Pers. 1071, and f. 335 r of Suppl. Pers. 1070) Mission of God's Apostle..." The Bihis generally date not from the hijra or Flight of the Prophet, but from his Call {ha'that), which they place ten years earlier. Hence this date corresponds to a.h. 1267. * See pp. 374—394 infra. * See pp. 381—2 infra. XX INTRODUCTION. of the British Government, held undisputed and absolute sway over the Bihi Church is absolutely conclusive. Immediately after the great persecution and massacre of 1852, Subh-i-Ezel fled to Baghdad, so as to be beyond the reach of the Persian Government. Hither a few months later (at the end of 1852 or beginning of 1853') he was followed by his half-brother, Mfrzd Huseyn 'Alf Behd'u'lldh, who was thirteen years his senior, and who, arrested on suspicion of complicity in the attempt made by the Bdbfs on the Shdh's life, had just been acquitted and released from an imprisonment of four months' dura- tion. At this time and for some years later (at any rate till 1858) Behd,'u'Udh was, as his own writings prove^, to aU appearance as loyal a follower of Subh-i-Ezel as he had previously been of the Bd,b. The Bibi Church was still, in spite of the attempts made by sundry ambitious persons to advance claims to the supreme authority', united under Subh-i-Ezel, and its members no doubt continued to read with edification the pages of Mlrzd JAnl's history. About 1862 the Turkish Government, acting, as it would appear, on the representations of the Shah's minis- ters, decided to transfer the Bd.bi exiles from Baghdad to Adrianople, whither, it would seem, they were actually brought in December 1863^ Here they remained till July or August 1868, when signs of renewed and increased activity amongst them attracted the notice of the Ottoman authorities, who, learning that a schism had divided them 1 See J. R. A. S. for 1892, pp. 304—6. 2 See J. R. A. S. for 1892, pp. 304—6 and 436—8. 2 See Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. 356 — 8 and 365. * The chronology of these events is less certain than that of the earlier ones. I have done my best to reconcile and combine the various and sometimes conflicting data at pp. 306 — 8 of the J. R. A. S. for 1892. INTEODUCTION. XXI into two hostile sections, the one headed by Behd'u'Udh, the other by Subh-i-Ezel, packed them off without more ado, and probably without troubling to enquire much into the rights and wrongs of the matter, the former to Acre, the latter to Famagusta in C3rprus. About the subsequent history of the BdWs, of which full accounts will be found, by such as it may interest, in the Traveller's Na/rrative, I do not propose to say any- thing in this place. Concerning the schism itself, however, a few words are necessary. A community like that which had existed at Adrianople, consisting almost entirely of actual exiles and potential martyrs, and in large part of religious enthusiasts, revolutionary visionaries, and specu- lative mystics, whose restless activity, debarred from ex- ternal action, is pent up within limits too narrow for its free exercise, requires a firm hand to control and direct its energies. Such firmness Subh-i-Ezel, a peace-loving, contemplative, gentle soul, wholly devoted to the memory of his beloved Master, caring little for authority, and in- capable of self-assertion, seems to have altogether lacked. Even while at Baghdad he lived a life of almost complete seclusion, leaving the direction of affairs in the hands of his half-brother Behd.'u'Udh\ a man of much more resolute and ambitious character, who thus gradually became the most prominent figure and the moving spirit of the sect. For a considerable time Beh^'u'lUh continued to do all that he did in the name, and ostensibly by the instruc- tions, of Subh-i-Ezel; but after a while, though at what precise date is still uncertain, the idea seems to have entered his mind that he might as well become actually, as he already was virtually, the Pontiff of the Church whose destinies he controlled. It was not, however, till ^ See Travellet's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. 356 — 8. N. H. C XXU INTRODUCTION. the Bdbfs had been for two or three years at Adrianople that, most probably in the summer of 1866', he threw oif all disguise, publicly proclaimed himself to be "Him whom God shall manifest," and called upon Subh-i-Ezel and aU the Bdbf Churches throughout Persia, Turkey, Egypt and Syria to acknowledge his supreme authority, and to accept as God's Word the revelations which he forthwith began to promulgate, and continued tiU his death on May 16th of last year (1892) to publish. Amongst the Bihis the effect of this announcement (for which, no doubt, the way had been already prepared) was Httle short of stupendous. From Constantinople to Kirmdn and from Cairo to Khurdsd,n the communities of the faith- ful were rent asunder by a schism which every subsequent year has rendered wider and more permanent, and which nothing short of the complete extinction of one of the two rival factions can possibly heal. At Adrianople itself the struggle was short and the triumph of Behd complete. Subh-i-Bzel was so completely deserted that, as he himself informed me, he and his little boy had to go themselves to the bazaar to buy their food. Elsewhere, though active and astute emissaries^ were at once despatched in all directions by Behd, the conflict, though its issue was from the first hardly doubtful, was longer maintained. For the question at issue was not merely whether one leader should be replaced by another, whether certain doctrines should be understood in this way or in that, or whether the ethics, practices, or forms of worship of the sect should be re- formed or modified (all of which things, as we well know, have again and again in the history of religions proved sufiicient to create the fiercest enmities, the profoundest 1 See J. R. A. 8. for 1892, p. 304. . ^ Cf. J. R. A. S. for 1892, pp. 311—312. INTRODUCTION. XXlll heart-searcMags, and the bitterest dissensions), but whether the doctrines and writings of the beloved Master, for which his followers had been ready to suffer death or exile, were to be regarded as abrogated and cancelled in favour of a new revelation ; whether his chosen vicegerent, whom they had so long regarded as their Supreme Pontiff and as the incarnation of all purity, virtue, and heavenly wisdom, was to be cast down from this high position, and branded as " the First Letter of Denial " of the New Dispensation ; and whether the Bih himself was henceforth to be looked upon, not as the " Point of Revelation," a veritable Mani- festation of the Divine, but as a mere harbinger and pre- cursor of a more perfect Theophany. Bdbfs who remember that time cannot easily be induced to speak of it ; only once, so far as I can remember, did I hear a follower of Behd explicitly allude to it. " I was long torn with doubts," said he, "which were finally removed by this verse on which one day I chanced in the Beydn : ' Thou takest Divinity from whomsoever Thou pleasest, and givest Di- vinity to whomsoever Thou pleasest: verily Thou art the Almighty, the Wise.'" How long the contest was maintained by the EzeHs, or old Bdbfs, against the innovators it is impossible to say, for on no portion of the history of the sect is our infor- mation so scanty or our light so dim. At first not a few prominent Bd.bis, including even several "Letters of the Living " and personal friends of the Bdb, adhered faithfully to Subh-i-Ezel. One by one these disappeared, most of them, as I fear cannot be doubted, by foul play on the part of too zealous Behd'fs. H^jf Seyyid Muhammad of Isfahan, one of the B^b's " Companions " (as-Mb), Mfrzd Rizd,-Kuh and his brother Mfrzd Nasru'lldh of Tafrish, Akd Jdn Beg of Kdshdin, and other devoted EzeHs, were stabbed or poisoned at Adrianople and Acre. Two of the " Letters c2 XXIV INTRODUCTION. of the Living," Aki Seyyid 'AH the Arab, and MuUd Kajab 'Alf Kahir, were assassinated, the one at Tabriz, the other at KerbeM. The brother of the latter, AkA 'AH Muhammad, was also murdered in Baghdad ; and, indeed, of the more prominent Bdbfs who espoused the cause of Ezel, Seyyid JawM of Kerbeld (who died at Kirmdn about 1884)' seems to have been almost the only one, with the exception of Ezel himself, who long survived what the EzeHs call " the Direful Mischief " {fitna-i-saylam). From that time forwards, while the BehA'ls have been ever waxing in power and influence, so that their numbers now probably reach or even exceed half a million souls, the EzeHs have been ever waning, until at the present time it is doubtful whether in all they amount to more than a few hundreds. It is even doubtful whether the recent death of Behd, will contribute in any sensible measure to the restoration of their failing fortunes, though Ezel still lives, and numbers amongst his supporters at least one or two men of energy and ability. At the present day, therefore, the vast majority of Bd,bfs are Behd'fe, whose doctrines, sentiments, and ideals are already far removed from those of the primitive Bdbis or modem EzeHs. No sooner was Behd firmly established in his authority than he began to make free use of the privilege accorded by the Bdb to " Him whom God shall 1 Of. J. R. A. S. for 1892, pp. 443—4 and 684 ; and Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, p. 342, n. 2. That Seyyid Jawdd was a follower of Ezel is, however, categorically denied by Mjfrzd Abii'1-Fazl of Gulpd,yagd,n in a letter addressed to M. Toumansky, the text of which will be found on pp. 44 — 5 of vol. viii of the Zapisski of the Oriental Section of the Imperial Eussian Archaeological Society. As, however, this is affirmed equally positively by Subh- i-Ezel and Sheykh A the Ezelf, I have allowed these words to stand. INTRODUCTION. Kxv manifest" to abrogate, change, cancel, and develop the earlier doctrines. His chief aim seems to have been to introduce a more settled order, to discourage speculation, to direct the attention of his followers to practical reforms pursued in a prudent and unobtrusive fashion, to exalt ethics at the expense of metaphysics, to check mysticism, to con- ciliate existing authorities, including even the Shdh of Persia, the Nero of the Bihi faith, to abolish useless, un- practical, and irksome regulations and restrictions, and, in general, to adapt the religion at the head of which he now found himself to the ordinary exigencies of life, and to render it more capable of becoming, what he intended to make it, a universal system suitable to all mankind ^ A remembrance of all the wrongs which he and his co-religi- onists had suffered at the hands of the Musulmdns further caused him gradually but steadily to eliminate the tinge of Muhammadan, and more especially of Shi'ite, thought which the Bdbl doctrine stiU maintained, while ever seek- ing a better understanding with the Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, with all of whom he recommended his fol- lowers to consort on friendly terms. Now once admitting Behd's right to assume this posi- tion of supremacy at all, there can be no question that these changes were beneficial and salutary. The original ^ See especially the summary of contents of the Kitab-ir Ahdas at pp. 972—981 of the J.R.A.8. for 1889; and the Lawh-i- Bashdrdt, of which the text (with the exception of the 15th and last clause, recommending constitutional government, which the Beh^'fe appear to have thought it expedient to suppress in the copy of the tract forwarded to Russia) has been published by Baron Eosen with a Russian translation at pp. 183 — 192 of vol. vii of the Zapisshi of the Oriental Section of the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society (St Petersburg, 1893). The substance of this latter document has been stated in English by myself at pp. 678—9 of the J. R. A. S. for 1892. XXVI INTRODUCTION. doctrine of the Bdb, fascinating as it was to Persians of a certain disposition, was utterly unfitted for the bulk of mankind, and could never by any possibility have taken any root outside Persia. In the sacred books wherein it was set forth, precept bore but a small proportion to dogma, and dogma a still smaller proportion to doxologies and mystical rhapsodies of almost inconceivable incompre- hensibility. Not only were the positive precepts few, but they were generally quite unpractical, and not rarely extremely inconvenient. What, for instance, could be more unpractical than the adoption of the number 19 as the basis of all measures and calculations ; the command that all books when they had been in existence for 202 years should be copied out afresh, and the originals de- stroyed or given away; or the elaborate ceremonies pre- scribed for the interment of the dead ? What more incon- venient than the exclusion of all unbelievers from five of the chief provinces of Persia, and, save in the case of merchants and others following a useful profession, from all lands in which the BdW faith prevailed ; the discourage- ment of sea-voyages and of the acquisition of foreign lan- guages ; and the command to destroy all works treating of Logic, Jurisprudence, and Philosophy ? Great conceptions, noble ideals, subtle metaphysical conceptions, and splendid, though iU-defined, aspirations do, indeed, exist in the Bey^n ; but they are so lost in trackless mazes of rhapsody and mysticism, so weighed down by trivial injunctions and impracticable ordinances, that no casual reader, but only a student of considerable diligence and perseverance, can hope to find them'. That the development of Behd's doctrines proceeded 1 For a summary account of the teachings of the Persian Eeycm, the most systematic and comprehensible of the Bdb's many works, see pp. 911—933 of the J. R. A. S. for 1889. INTRODUCTION. XXVll gradually there can be little doubt, for a system sucH as he elaborated could not be worked out, much less imposed on a scattered church not always remarkable for docility, in a brief space of time. Prom the moment that his claims were generally recognized by the B^bfs, however, the whole of the earlier literature of the sect, including the writings of the B^b himself, began to suffer neglect and to sink into oblivion. Without admitting the assertion made by the Ezehs, that Behi and his followers deliberately de- stroyed, or fraudulently tampered with, the books belonging to the older dispensation on a large scale, it is clear that the conditions which could alone secure the continual transcription and circulation of these books had ceased to exist. They were, for the most part, voluminous, hard to comprehend, uncouth in style, unsystematic in arrange- ment, filled with iterations and solecisms, and not un- frequently quite incoherent and unintelligible to any ordinary reader. Hitherto, less on their own merits than by reason of the enthusiastic devotion inspired by their authors, they had been regarded by all the Bdbfs as price- less gems. Of this enthusiastic devotion Behd now became the object; and to his writings (which, at any rate in comparison with those of his predecessors, were terse, lucid, vigorous, and eloquent) was this sentiment of admiration diverted. The energies of the Behd'l scribes were fiiUy occupied in transcribing the new revelations ; and the older books, no longer regarded as the final expression of Divine Truth and Wisdom, ceased to be renewed, and for the most part reposed undisturbed and forgotten in the shelves and boxes to which they had been consigned. All" this, of course, applies only to the Beh^'fs ; but the Ezelfs, to whom the old books still retained their pristine value, were few in number, isolated, fearful alike of the Mu- hammadans and the Behd'ls, and altogether incapable of XXVIU INTRODUCTION. mamtaining the currency of the discarded literature. Be- sides this, many of the older writings at the time of the schism were probably preserved only at the Bihi head- quarters in Adrianople, where, as we have seen, Subh-i- Ezel was left entirely without supporters. What he could, he saved, and bore with him to Cyprus ; but there can be no doubt that the lion's share feU to Behd,, and was con- veyed by him and his followers to Acre. And, from my own experience, I can affirm that, hard as it is to obtain from the Behd'fs in Persia the loan or gift of Bihi books belonging to the earlier period of the faith, at Acre it is harder still even to get a glimpse of them. They may be, and probably are, still preserved there, but, for all the good the enquirer is likely to get from them, they might almost as well have suffered the fate which the Ezelis believe to have overtaken them. The history composed by K&ji Miizi J&ni, however, belongs to a different category from the writings which we have hitherto been discussing. Without sharing the sacred character of these, it was incomparably more dan- gerous to the pretensions and plans of Behd, as any one may see by referring to Appendix II of this volume. Its tone towards all beyond the pale of the Bihi Church, and more especially towards the Shdh of Persia and his govern- ment, was irreconcilably hostile. The doctrines set forth in it, though undoubtedly those held by the early Bihis, were eminently calculated to encourage mysticism and metaphysical speculation of the boldest kind, and to main- tain in ftiU activity that pantheistic fermentation which Behi was so desirous to check. Worst of all, it suppUed the EzeHs with a most powerful weapon not of defence oidy, but of attack. And withal it was interesting, pro- foundly and intensely interesting; the most interesting book, perhaps, in the whole range of Bihi literature. To INTRODUCTION. XXIX suppress it and withdraw it from circulation, at any rate while those on whom had been thrown the glamour of the young Shirdzf Seer and of the beautiful Kurratu'l-'Ayn, the martyred heroine and poetess of Kazvfn, constituted the majority of the faithful, was almost impossible ; to let it continue to circulate in its present form would be dis- astrous. Only one plan offered any chance of success. Often in the literary history of the East has the disappear- ance and extinction of works both valuable and of general interest been brought about, either accidentally or inten- tionally, by the compilation from them of a more concise and popular abridgement which has gradually superseded them. As the Biography of the Prophet Muhammad composed by Ibn Is-Mk was superseded by the recension of Ibn Hishdm, so should Mfrzd, Jdnl's old history of the Bdb and his Apostles be superseded by a revised, expurgated, and emended "New Histoey" {Tdrikh-i-Jadid), which, while carefully omitting every fact, doctrine, and expression calcu- lated to injure the policy of Beh^ or to give offence to his followers, should preserve, and even supplement with new material derived from fresh sources, the substance of the earlier chronicle. Only by the merest accident, so far as our present knowledge goes, did this scheme fail of complete success. Most fortunately for science, there resided at Teherdn in the years 1855 — 8 a French diplomatist, the Oomte de Gobineau, who, animated by a keen and insatiable curiosity, devoted himself with rare success to the study of the Bd,bf religion, which was at that time still in its primitive state, neither rent asunder by the schism which now divides it, nor modified by the policy which that schism has intro- duced. The results of his labours, so far as the Bd,bls are concerned, were a masterly sketch of their history and doctrines in his classical Religions et Philosophies dam XXX INTRODUCTION. I'Asie Centrale, and a small but most precious collection of Bdbf manuscripts; this, after his death, was bought by the Bibliothfeque Nationale at Paris, where, since the year 1884, it has been deposited. Of these volumes one {Suppl. Persan, 1,071) contains the whole, and another {Suppl. Persan, 1,070) the iirst third, of Hijl Mfrzd, Jdni's invaluable history, of which, so far as I know, no other copy is extant in Europe or Asia. It is not too much to say that but for M. de Gobineau's exertions in the cause of science it would have been impossible to reconstruct faithfully and in detail the early history of Bdbiism. At this point I shall perhaps do well to answer two questions which may suggest themselves to the reader. "Why," he may ask in the first place, "have you chosen to translate this later ' New Histm-y ' in preference to Mfrzd J^nl's contemporary record, to which you evidently attach a much greater importance ? " This question can be answered in very few words. I did not discover the existence of the Paris manuscripts of MfrzA Jdni's history till this translation of the New His- tory had been completed, and the arrangements for its publication finally concluded. That there was such a work, I had learned from the New History itself ; and, as may be supposed, I made many efforts to procure a copy, or to discover whether any still existed. After repeated disappointments, I finally came to the conclusion that the work was probably lost. When, in the Easter Vacation of 1892, I finally chanced on it in the Bibliothfeque Na- tionale during a short stay in Paris, it was too late to substitute a translation of it for the present history. It only remained for me to procure a transcript of it (firom the complete manuscript, Suppl. Pers. 1,071), to compare this carefully with the New History, and to epitomize in an appendix the results yielded by this comparison. The INTRODUCTION. XXXI transcript was made for me by my friend Ahmed Beg Agaeff, to whom I here tender my sincere thanks ; and the variants and additional matter obtained by the comparison of this with the New History will be found fally stated in Appendix II (pp. 327—396) at the end of this volume. For the present this must suffice ; but, if the history of Bdbfism is to be seriously studied, the text of Mfrzd. Jdnl's history will, sooner or later, have to be published in ex- tenso. For this reason I now deem it a most fortunate circumstance that the Syndics of the University Press, when they accepted the present translation, were re- luctant to incur the great expense which the publica- tion of the text of the Tarikh-i-Jadid would have involved. The second question which may be asked is this. "What relation exists between the history of the Bdbf religion entitled 'A Traveller's Na/rrative written to illustrate the Episode of tlm Bab,' of which you published the text and translation rather more than a year ago, and these two histories which you have just been discuss- ing?"_ This question also I must answer very briefly. The Traveller's Narrative, composed by Behd,'u'lldh's son 'Abbds Efendf so recently as a.d. 1886, represents a further de- velopment of the tendency, to which I have already alluded, to glorify Behd'u'Udh and his Neo-Bd.bf doctrine at the expense of the Bib and the primitive Bdbf theology. In the New History it is stiU the Bdb and his apostles, and the early martyrs of the cause, whose words and deeds form the subject-matter of the work. In the Traveller's Narrative this is no longer the case ; it is Behd'u'lldh who is the hero, and it is his words and precepts which are quoted with admiration and reverence, while the Bdb has been reduced from his high station of " Point," " Kd'im," XXXll INTRODUCTION. and "Imdm Mahdf" to that of a mere precursor and harbinger of a more perfect dispensation". Having now, as I trust, made sufficiently clear the relations which subsist between these three histories, to wit, the Niihtatu'l-Kdf composed by MfrzA Jdnl in a.d. 1851; the Tdrikh-i-Jadid, or "New History," composed (as win presently be set forth in greater detail) under the supervision of Mdnakjf the Zoroastrian by Mfrz^ Huseyn of Hamaddn, assisted by Mfrzd Abii'l-Fad of GulpAyagdn, in A.H. 1297 — 8 (a.d. 1880) ; and the MaTcdla-i-shahhsi sayyak, or "Traveller's Narrative," composed by Behd'u 'lldh's son 'Abbds Efendf in or about the year a.d. 1886, I shaU now discuss more minutely the date and author- ship of the second of these works, here offered in transla- tion to the English-reading public, and describe the manner in which I &st became acquainted with it, the manu- scripts which I have had at my disposal, and my labours in re-establishing and translating the text. First, as regards the date and authorship. Concerning these something can be gleaned from internal evidence. As to the date, the allusion to the Ik&n on p. 26 proves that the New History was written subsequently to that work, which was composed in a.d. 1858% the allusion to Behd'u'lldh's "Manifestation" on p. 64 carries the date down to A.D. 1866 ; while the reference to the Shdh's tour in Europe (presumably the first) on p. 181 brings it down to A.D. 1873. This last date would in any case be the earliest admissible, for on p. 174 the B4bis are said to have endured nearly thirty years of persecution, while on 1 For further details as to the peculiar features of this latter history, see the Introduction to vol. ii of the Traveller's Narrative, pp. xLv — xlvi. 2 See J.R.A. S. for 1892, p. 305. INTRODUCTION. XXXUl p. 321 this number is raised to ihirty-fiw by one manu- script. As to the internal evidences of authorship, they are somewhat conflictiag and misleading. In some pas- sages the author implies that he is a Christian (p. 3), an European (p. 17) and not a Persian (p. 23), and a French- man (p. 318). Certain expressions on pp. 2 — 3 would suggest that he was a believer in the Bdbi religion ; certain others on p. 30 would seem to imply that he was only a sympathetic onlooker; while the verse cited on p. 17 would lead us to suppose that he was a free-thinker. Several passages {e.g. on pp. 323, 324, and 326) indicate familiarity with Zoroastrian ideas and writings ; others {e.g. on pp. 6 — 7, and 308 — 9) shew a strange ignorance of the history and customs of Europe with which he professes to be so familiar. Lastly, there are several passages and episodes (some of them occurring in one manuscript only) which have evidently been added to the original work by other hands ; e.g. the paragraph on p. 48 beginning, " The reviser of this history says . . . " ; the rationalistic remarks on p. 89 by "the writer (or transcriber) of these pages"; and the narratives of the second NMz war (pp. 128 — 131) and the Zanjdn siege (pp. 139 — 168) attributed respectively to Nabll and Zablh. Fortunately we have something better than internal evidence to go upon. Thanks to Lieutenant Toumansky of the Russian Artillery, to whose energetic and successful researches amongst the Bdbfs of 'IshkAbdd science owes so much, a fuU account of the circumstances which gave rise to the composition of the New History^ and the manner in which its composition was effected, has been obtained from one of the three persons (the only one still living) concerned therein, to wit, Mfrz4 Abt'l-Pazl Muhammad ibn Muhammad RizA of Gulpdyagdn, whose acquaintance M. Toumansky made at 'Ishkdbdd. The XXXIV INTRODUCTION. substance of what M. Toumansky learned from Mfrzd, Abt'l-Fazl lie most kindly communicated to me tlirough Baron Rosen, with full permission to make use of it. Of this permission I availed myself in describing my manuscript of the Tdrtkh-i-Jadid in my Catalogue and Description of 27 Bdbi MSS. published in the July and October numbers of the /. R. A. S. for 1892, where, at pp. 442—3, Baron Rosen's words will be found cited. A little while before the conclusion of my Catalogue went to press, I received certain books and letters {Cat. and Des., pp. 663 — 5. and 701 et seq.) from a Persian Jew of Mash-had named Ak^ 'Aalzu'Udh, a Bdbl, and a friend of Mfrzd, Abii'1-Fazl. In answering one of his letters I asked several questions, one of which referred to the com- position of the Tdrihh-i-Jadid. He promised to refer this question to Mfrzd, Abil'1-Fazl, and there for the time the matter dropped. It now appears, however, that my questions were duly transmitted to Ml-rzd Abii'1-Fazl, who thereupon composed in reply to them a treatise which he entitled Risdle-i- Ishandariyya (" the Epistle of Alexander") in honour of M. Alexander Toumansky, to whom, in virtue of a long- standing friendship, the book was dedicated. Of this treatise, as he himself says, he wrote four copies with his own hand : one for transmission to Acre, one for M. Toumansky, one for himself, and one for me. The last was sent to Bombay to be thence forwarded to me, but has not yet reached me. This, however, is of the less consequence inasmuch as M. Toumansky is publishing an account of this important treatise at pp. 33 — 45 of the forthcoming (eighth) volume of the Zapisshi of the Oriental Section of the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society. Of this article Baron Rosen, with his usual kindness, has sent me the proofs, from which I shall now translate what Mi'rzd INTRODUCTION. XXXV Abii'1-Fazl says about the composition and authorship of the Tdrikh-i-Jadid. The copy of the treatise in question forwarded to M. Toumansky bears the following inscription : " The Epistle of Alexander was compiled and composed as a gift to His Most Honourable Excellency Mirza Alexander Toumanshy {may God Almighty prolong the days of his glory and his fortune /')." The cause of its compilation is thus stated : — " The immediate cause of the composition of this his- torical pamphlet was as foUows. When I was in Hamaddn in the year A.H. 1305 (a.d. 1887 — 8), I wrote, at the request of certain elders of the Jews, a treatise entitled Bis&le-i- Ayy&biyya'^ ('The Epistle of Job'), copies of which were disseminated everywhere. Some while ago, when Akd, 'Azfzu'Ud,h was in Bombay, a copy of this treatise feU into the hands of Mr Browne, who wrote to Aki 'Azizu'lldh, saying, 'Since you are in correspondence with Mfrzd Abii'l- Fazl, ask of him three questions. Firstly, in this treatise he has fixed the date of the second restoration of the Holy Temple at four hundred and thirty years, whereas other chronologists have stated it to be about six hundred years'. Secondly, let him make known the chronological data which he possesses touching the life of His Holiness Behd'- 1 Zapisski, loc. cit, p. 33, n. 1. 2 This is the work described on pp. 701 — 5 of the J. R. A. S. for 1892 under the title IstidlAliyyi. 3 The objection which I raised to Mfrzd Abu'l-Fazl's chrono- logy is neither very clearly nor very accurately stated here. His contention was that the 2300 days (ie. years) during which the sanctuary shall be trodden under foot, as mentioned in the book of Daniel (oh. viii, v. 14), came to an end at the time of Behd'- u'llah's "Manifestation" in a.h. 1285 (a.d. 1868), and the question raised bore reference to the terminus a quo. XXXVl INTRODUCTION. u'lldh (may the life of all the denizens of the world be his sacrifice!); for the date which he assigns in his treatise to the Blessed Theophany is a.h. 1285, whereas in the Traveller's Narrative it is given as a.h. 1269 ^ Thirdly, who is the author of the Tdrilch-i-Jadid ("New History"), for some ascribe it to Mfrzd Abli'1-Fazl, others to Md,nakjf?' In short, it became necessary to compose in reply to him this treatise, which consists for the most part of such facts connected with the Blessed Theophany from first to last as have come within my own knowledge. Now al- though this treatise is addressed to Akd, 'Azfzu'Udh, and was written in consequence of the enquiries of Mr Browne, yet was it primarily composed in accordance with a promise which I made to M. Toumansky when I was present with him, and therefore is it named after his name. And the cause of this delay was that, in the absence of an assistant, I was obliged to write four copies with my own hand ; one for transmission to the Supreme Horizon^: one for transmission to Bombay, that it might thence be forwarded to Mr Browne; and one for M. Toumansky ; while one must needs remain in my possession." The text of the reply to the third question (touching the authorship of the Tdrihh-i-Jadid) is given in fuU by M. Toumansky (loc. cii., pp. 36 — 8), and, before proceeding to translate it, it only remains to observe that the tran- scription of his manuscript by Mfrzd Abii'1-Fazl was con- cluded on the 11th of JumddA II, a.h. 1310 (=Dec. 31st, A.D. 1892). 1 See Traveller's Narrative, vol. i, pp. 71 and 80 — 81 ; voL ii, p. 55 and n. 3, and p. 63. See also the J. R. A. S. for 1892, p. 703, n. 1. 2 i.e. to Behd'u'llah at Acre. INTRODUCTION. XXXvii " Third Question. " Enquiry was made touching the author of the Tdrikh-i- Jadid (New History). The writer and author of the Tdrikh-i-Jadid was the late Mlrzd, Huseyn of Hamaddn. He was a youth of the kinsfolk of Eizd, Khdn the son of Muhammad Khdn the Turcoman, who is reckoned amongst the martyrs of the Castle of Sheykh Tabarsf, and whose name is recorded in the Tdrikh-i-Jadid^ . The aforesaid author, in consequence of the calligraphic and epistolary skUl which he shewed in drafting letters, was at first secretary to one of the ministers of the Persian Govern- ment. At the time of His Majesty Nd,siru'd- Dfn Sh^'s first journey to Europe he too visited those countries in the Royal Suite. On his homeward journey he remained for some time at Constantinople. After his return to Persia, he was amongst those imprisoned in consequence of the , troubles of the year a.h. 1291 (a.d. 1874), when His Reverence Akd Jemdl of Burtijird was committed to the prison of His Majesty the King after his dispute with the clergy of Teherdn^ " After his release from the prison of Teherdn, he ob- tained employment in the office of Md,nakjf the Zoroastrian, well known as an author and writer'. Mdnakjf treated 1 See pp. 96—101, and 365 infra. 2 A fuU account of this discussion will be found at pp. 170 — 180 infra. This account, as appears from p. 172, last paragraph, was originally written by Akd Jemdl himself in Arabic, and trans- lated by Mfrzd, Abii'l Fazl of Gulpdyagdn into Persian. The conjecture which I hazarded in n. 1 on p. 170 as to the identity of " the Letter J " proves to be correct. 3 The full name of M4nakjf, late Zoroastrian Agent at Teherdn, was Mdnakjf the son of Lfmji Hilshang HAtarydrl Kiydnf, sur- named DarvUh-i-Fani ((J^jLj-jU i^-w^A^ ^ ^ .e J j^ i-aJuU ^Ij ,_^jj ju t_..sALe (^LSs). Thus it is given by himself in N. H. d XXXVlll INTKODUCTION. tim with great respect, for had he not become notorious as a Biloi, he would never have engaged in this work. Now it chanced one night that he and Muhammad Isma'll Khd,n the Zend, who was a writer skilful in Persian com- position, were Mdnakjl's guests at supper; and Mdnakjf requested each one of them to write a book (for he was most zealous in book-collecting, and whomsoever he deemed capable of writing and composing he would urge to write a book or compose a treatise). So on this night he re- quested Muhammad Isma'fl Khdn to write a history of the kings of Persia, and begged Mirzi Huseyn to compile a history of the Bdbf s. "To be brief, Muhammad Isma'il Khd,n wrote the book called Firazistan, on the ancient empire of Persia from Mah-dbdd till the fall of the Sdsdnians, in pure Per- sian, which, as a matter of fact, he made a veritable rag- bag of legends and myths from the Shdhndma, the Chahdr Ghiman, and the Dasdtir. But Mfrzd Huseyn came to the writer and asked his assistance, saying, ' Since hitherto no fall and correct history has been written treating of the events of this Theophany, to collect and compile the the preface which he wrote to the Farhang-i-Anjuman-dra-yi Ndsirl of Rizd-Kuli Khdn Ldld-bdshi, and at the beginning of the Persian translation of the account of his travels in Persia published under the title tjljjl C^rfc U ij ^tyJal c4.»a^ saJU/j at Bombay in A.H. 1280 (a.d. 1863). He appears to have come to Persia from India in 1854, for the German missionaries Petermann and Briihl travelled with him, his son Ormazdjl, a Miibad or Zoroas- trian priest, a secretary named Key Khusraw, and a cook named Shipiirjl, from ShMz to Yezd in July of that year. (See an article by F. Justi on the dialect of Yezd in the Z. D. M. G. for 1881, vol. sxv, pp. 327—8, and a foot-note on p. 328, according to which Milnakjl acted for a while as French consul at Yezd.) He died a year or two ago. INTRODUCTION. XXXIX various episodes thereof ia a fitting manner is a very diffi- cult matter. For what Sipikr and Hiddyat^ nave written touching its circumstances is, by reason of, their extreme obsequiousness and their utter error, altogether sheer calumny and downright falsehood.. And the accounts given by narrators, too, are so diverse and different that the reconciliation of them is not free from difficulty.' "To this I replied, 'There is in the hands of the Friends a history by the late Hdjf Mfrzd J^nf of Kdshdn, who was one of the martyrs of Teherdn, and one of the best men of that time. But he was a man engaged in business and without sldJl in historiography, neither did he record the dates of the years and months. At most he, being a God-fearing man, truthfully set down the record of events as he had seen and heard them. Obtain this book, and take the episodes from it, and the dates of the years and months from the Ndsikhu't-Tawdrikh and the ap- pendices of the Bawzatu's-Safa; and, having incorporated these in your rough draft, read over each sheet to His Reverence Hdji Seyyid Jawdd of Kerbeld (whose name has been repeatedly mentioned in these pages), for he, from the beginning of the Manifestation of the First Point [i.e. the Bd,b] until the arrival of His Holiness Behd,'u'lldh in Acre, accompanied the Friends everywhere in person, and is thoroughly informed and cognizant of all events. Thus diligently correct the history, in order that this book may, by the wiU of God, be well finished, and may win the approbation of the learned throughout the world.' "Then he requested the writer to indite the introduc- ' Concerning Sipihr (better known as Lis&nii-l-MvlJc) and Hiddyat (Riz^-Kulf Kh&a Zdld-basM), and their histories, the Ndsikhu't-Tawdrikh and the supplement to the Bawzatu's- iSafd, see voL ii of my Traveller's N^arrative, pp. 173 — 192. d2 xl INTKODTJCTION. tory preface, and so open for Mm the path of composition. So I, agreeably to his request, wrote two pages at the beginning of that book, and embellished this introduction " with prefatory exhortations and incitements to strive after truths Now it was his intention to compose this book in two volumes', the first volume about the events con- nected with the Manifestation of the First Point [i.e. the Bib], and the second volume about the circumstances of the Most Holy and Most Splendid Bawn°. But after he had completed the first volume, fate granted him no further respite, for he died in the city of Resht in the year a.h. 1299 [=A.D. 1881—2]. "But Md,nakji would not suffer this history to be finished in the manner which the writer had suggested, but compelled the chronicler to write what he dictated. For Mdnakjf's custom was to bid his secretary write down some matter and afterwards read the rough draft over to him. So first of all the secretary used to read over to him the rough draft which he had made in accordance with his own taste and agreeably to the canons of good style ; and then, after Minakjf had made additions here and excisions there, and had docked and re-arranged the matter, he used to make a fair copy. And since Mdnakjl had no great skill or scieiice in the Persian tongue, the style of most of the books and treatises attributed to him is disconnected and broken, good and bad being mingled together. In addition to this defect,- ignorant scribes and I Cf. J. B. A. S. for 1892, p. 442. According to Baron Rosen's letter there cited, the portion of the Preface of the New History composed by Mfrzd Abiil-Fazl extends from the beginning to 1. 3 of p. 3 infra. ^ See pp. 318—319 infra. 3 By this expression ((_^l |j«»Jk5l c^U?) the Manifestation of Beh4'u'lldh is meant. INTKODUCTION. xU illiterate writers have, in accordance with their own fancies, so altered the Tmkh-i-Jadid^ that at the present day every copy of it appears like a defaced portrait or a restored ■ temple, to such a degree that one cannot obtain a correct copy of it, unless it were the author's own transcript; other- wise no copy can be relied upon. " As for Hdjf Mfrzd Jdni of Kdshdn, he was one of the most highly respected merchants of that town, and believed in the blessed mission of the First Point [i.e. the Bdb] at the very beginning of the Theophany. He was brother to Jen&b-i-Zabih (who is mentioned in the Lavch-i-Bdis^, and was honoured with the title of Anis). He it was who, when the First Point (exalted be his Supreme Name !) was being conveyed, by command of Muhammad Shdh, from Isfahan to Teherdn, entertained His Holiness for three nights in his house at Kdshd,n'. Some while afterwards he came from Kd,shdn to Teherd,n, and abode in Shd.h 'Abdu'l- 'Azfm^, where he wrote his history. He was involved in the catastrophe of the year a.h. 1268 (a.d. 1852, Aug. — Sept.), and in prison shared the same cell with His Holiness Behd'u'lldh, and was bound by the same iron chain. Some days later he was put to death, an innocent victim, in this massacre", and attained to the rank of martyrdom. 1 The multitude of variants and divergences in the two MSS. of which I made use in preparing this translation fully hears out this statement. 2 See index, s.v. ZaUh; and the J.R.A.S. for 1892, p. 311, where my conjecture as to the identity of Zabfh seems to have been erroneous. 3 See pp. 213—214, and 349 infra. * The celebrated shrine and city of refuge, distant about 5 or 6 miles from Teheran to the south. ' On September 15th, a.d. 1852. See Traveller's Narrative, voL ii, p. 332. xlii INTRODUCTION. But of his history I, the writer, cannot now procure a copy; for from Samarkand to Teherdn is very far, and fortune frowns on the People of Behi, and is beyond measure jealous of them. " God Almighty best knoweth the truth of aU matters. "Written on the twenty- first day of the month of Babi'u'th-tMm a.h. 1310, corresponding to the thirty-first of Tashrin-i-cmial [October]' a.d. 1892, by the pen of the author of this treatise, Abl'l-Fazl Muhammad ibn Mu- hammad Rizd of Gulpdyagd,n." This full and detailed account of the authorship and composition of the Tdrikh-i-Jadtd, for which both Mfrzd, Abli'1-Pazl and M. Toumansky are entitled to our warmest gratitude, the one for writing and the other for publishing it, renders it unnecessary for me to say much more on this head. We cannot but regret that one capable of writing so clear, succinct, and pertinent a statement had not a larger share in the compilation of the TdrikJi-i-Jadid, which would undoubtedly have gained much more from the co-operation of MfrzA Abu'l-Fazl than it has from that of Mdnakjl. One point, however, I must again briefly allude to : I mean the share in the work here ascribed to Seyyid Jawdd of KerbeM. In my Catalogue and Descrip- tion ofn BdhiMSS. {J. B. A. S. for 1892, pp. 443—4 and 683—5) I expressed a doubt as to the correctness of this portion of Mfrzd, Abii'l-Fazl's statement, my grounds for this doubt being the ascription to Seyyid Jawd,d of the Hasht Bihisht, a controversial work of strongly-marked EzeH proclivities, and assurances given to me by Subh-i-Ezel to the effect that Seyyid JawM was one of his staunchest 1 This date is given according to the old style prevalent in Russia. The corresponding date according to our style is No- vember 12th. INTEODUCTION. xliii adherents'. What I wrote on this matter was shown by M. Toumansky to Mfrzd , Abii'1-Fazl, who, in letters pub- lished in the article in the ZapissM already cited, cate- gorically and absolutely denies that Seyyid Jawdd was an Ezelf, or was other than a most devoted and loyal adherent of Behd. I have not space to quote either the rateresting biographical details about this illustrious man, nor the epistle addressed to him by Behd'u'Uih, nor the denial of his sympathy with the Ezelfs made by Mfrzd Abii'l-Pazl to M. Toumansky, and published by the latter in vol. viii of the ZapissM (pp. 41, and '43 — 5), to which I refer such as desire fuller information. The sum of the matter is this : Seyyid JawAd was a man equally re- markable for his illustrious descent, his learning, and his piety ; he was brought up in the Sheykhf doctrines, followed the lectures of Seyyid Kdzim, and was one of the earliest believers in the BAb, whom he knew personally. His nature was so gentle and temperate that, according to Mfrzd Ab, I at once on reach- ing Shlrdz sought out his abode. As I approached the door I desired inwardly to tarry there some few days. So I knocked at the door. *[Before he had opened it or seen me, I heard his voice exclaiming, ' Is it you, MulUHuseyn ?']* *[[As it chanced he came to the door in person.]]* 1 See Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, pp. 241, 250. CONVERSION OF MULLA HUSEYN. 35 Then he opened the door. [It did not at the time strike me how strange it was that without having seen me he should know I was there.] When he *[had opened the door]* he smiled and said, 'AH day I have felt disinclined to go. to the caravansaray, and now I know that it was because of your coming.' So we entered the house and sat down, and after we had exchanged the customary enquiries he said, ' Do not you Sheykhfs believe that some one must take the place occupied by the late Seyyid Kdzim ? Five months have now elapsed since his deatL Whom do you now recognize as your Master V 'As yet,' I replied, ' we have recognized no one.' 'What manner of man,' asked he, ' must the Master be ? ' Thereupon I enumerated some of the requisite qualifications and characteristics. ' Do you observe these in me?' he asked. Now during the two months he abode at KerbeU I had not observed in him any .signs of special knowledge, and I knew that he had not studied in the colleges nor attended the lectures of any teacher, so I answered, ' I see in you none of these quali- ties.' To this he replied nothing. After a while I observed several books lying on a shelf. I picked up one of them, and found it to be a commentary on the Suratu'l-Bakara^. After reading a Uttle I perceived it to be a commentary of remarkable merit, and demanded in astonishment who the author might be. 'A mere youthful beginner,' answered he, ' who nevertheless lays claim to a high degree of know- ledge and greatness.' I again asked who and where the ■writer was. ' Thou seest him,' he replied ; but I did not at the time apprehend his meaning, and continued to read *[[had seen and recognized mej* 1 See my Catalogue of 27 BdU MSS. in the J. R. A. S. for 1892, where the text of this passage is quoted in a description of the work in question. 3—2 36 THE NEW HISTORY. on till I came to a passage where it was written, 'the expla- nation of the inmost of the inmost.' This appeared to me to be aii error, and I remarked, 'Here it should be "the in- most," and " the inmost of the inmost" is written.' ' What can I say ? ' he answered, ' the author of this Commentary- lays claim to more even than this of greatness and know- ledge. Consider the passage attentively.' I did so, and said, ' It is quite correct. But I am wearied. Do you read, and I will listen.' He read for a time, and then, as men are wont, I said, 'It is enougL Do not trouble yourself further.' Towards evening tea was brought, and several learned Sheykhls and merchants who had been informed of my arrival came to see me. In the course of conversation they, supported by Miizi 'AH Muhammad, made me promise to deliver a lecture, and arranged to assemble on the morrow in the Ilkhdnf mosque to hear it. Next morning, agreeably to this arrangement, they assembled in the mosque, whither I also repaired. When, however, I desired to begin my dis- course, I found that in place of the ready flow of language and easy delivery generally at my command I was as though tongue-tied and unable to speak. This filled me with amazement, for I was persuaded that so unusual an occurrence must be due to some unusual cause, and won- dered much who it was that exercised this secret control over me, and what might be his object. Such was the astonishment and emotion which took possession of me that I was obUged to make the best excuses I could for cutting short my discourse. Thereupon the assembly broke up, and I returned to my lodging deeply meditating. Next day when I wished to preach precisely the same thing happened, and so again a third time. On this last occasion I came out from the mosque in a state of the utmost misery and astonishment. Mlrzd 'AH Muhammad said, ' Let the rest of our friends go to their own houses, and do CONVERSION OF mullI huseyn. 37 you alone accompany me.' When we readied liis house he said, ' By what sign canst thou recognize the Master, and what proof dost thou deem most effectual to convince thee that thou hast attained the object of thy search?' I answered, 'The possession of the Point of Knowledge, which is the source and centre of all the wisdom of past and future prophets and saints.' ' Do you perceive this in me?' he asked ; ' How if I were so endowed ?' ' That you are devout, godly, and holy of life,' I answered, ' is true ; but only knowledge derived directly from God can admit to this lofty rank' At this he was silent for a whUe as though in wonder, while I thought to myself, 'What idea can this devout youth be harbouring in his mind that he so persistently introduces this topic ? I must at all events ask some question of him which he has never heard dis- cussed and cannot answer, so that he may be turned aside from his vain imaginings.' I therefore put to him a ques- tion which appeared to me very difScult of solution, and which had always been in my mind during the life-time of the late Seyyid , though I had never found an opportunity of propounding it in such wise as to have my difficulties removed in a satisfactory manner. Without hesitation he gave me a fuU and sufficient answer. I was filled with amazement, and proceeded to propound to him several other hard questions, each of which, to my utter astonishment, he answered in the most conclusive way. Yet withal I reflected within myself, ' Is not this he who but a few days ago blundered over a sentence in the Com- mentary on the Suratu'lrBakara ? How is it that he has now become the source and weU-spring of this divine wisdom ? ' Even as I thus thought, I looked up, and saw him sitting in a most dignified and majestic attitude, the left hand laid on the left knee and the right hand over it ; and, even as I looked, he began to utter most wondrous 38 THE NEW HISTORY. verses containing answers to every thought which passed through my mind, until seventy or eighty verses had been revealed. During all this time I waited anxiously for him to be silent, so strong was the fear and awe which possessed me. At length he ceased, and I, in the extremity of terror, rose up to flee, as some delinquent might flee from before a mighty king. But he withheld me, saying, ' Sit down I Whither goest thou ? Anyone who should see thee in this state would think thee mad.' So I was constrained to sit down as he bade me, while he withdrew to his private room. During his absence I was a prey to most anxious thoughts. Care for my worldly interests and fear of incurring suffering alike urged me to draw back ; and yet, ponder as I might, I could find no pretext whereby I might excuse myself, neither did I perceive any course save confession and acceptance. So was I greatly perturbed, and troubled beyond aU measure. After some while MirzA 'Ali Mu- hammad returned, and, contrary to his usual custom, him- self brought in the tea. Having set tea before me, he seated himseK by my side, and continued to behave towards me most graciously. I remained, however, as one dis- traught, and presently again asked permission to depart. ' Thou art still,' said he, ' in a state of extreme bewilder- ment, though thou art not thyself aware of it. Should anyone see thee thus he would assuredly deem thee mad.' A little while afterwards, however, he suffered me to depart. On the occasion of another visit I saw a commentary which he had written on the Tradition of the Handmaiden'. Now the late Seyyid had been wont to say when he was alive that the Proof who was to appear would compose a full explanation of this tradition, and that sign I now 1 See Rieu's Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the British Museum, vol. i, p. 30, where an outline of the story here alluded to is given. CONVERSION OF JENAB-I-IilUDDtJS. 39 witnessed. Moreover one day, when I was alone with the late Seyyid in his library, I enquired the reason why the Swra-i-Yusuf was entitled in the Kur'dn 'the Best of Stories/ to which he replied that it was not then the proper occasion for explaining the reason. This incident remained concealed in my mind, neither had I mentioned it to any- one. One day Mlrzd 'AH Muhammad said to me, 'Dost thou recoUect enquiring once of the late Seyyid why the Sura-i- Yusuf was called " the Best of Stories," and how he replied that the proper occasion for explaining this had not yet come? The time for this explanation has now arrived.' Thereupon he shewed me a Commentary of the most perfect lucidity and eloquence, [whereat I was utterly astounded, perceiving that my trained intelligence was incompetent to grasp aU the subtle mysteries and lofty ideas contained therein]." ' " The account given by HAji Mirzi Jdnf of MuUd, Huseyn's conversion is much more detailed than this, but were I to repeat a tithe of what I have heard on the most trustworthy evidence weak reason would fail to comprehend it. "Should I attempt to write or utter it, The mind would stagger and the pen would split." But Hdjl MuUd Muhammad 'Alf of Bdriurtish, a man of singular excellence, and noted for his piety and godliness, had no sooner seen and conversed with the Bdb than, because of the purity of his heart, he at once believed without seeking further sign or proof; for "to demand a sign after attaining the thing signified is unseemly'." So, because he recognized the Proof by its very nature [[without any further sign|, he received the title of Jenab-i- 1 Cf. TraveUei's Narrative, vol. i, p. 12 ; voL ii, p. 9. 40 THE NEW HISTORY. ^uddus, and became the companion of His Holiness on the journey to Mecca, and the possessor in a high degree of all manner of miraculous powers and divine illuminations. To be brief, other learned and eager seekers after truth who were wandering amazed in the path of search were drawn unwittingly to Shirdz by the attraction of the True Beloved, and there, each in a different way, were brought to see and apprehend the Truth. Each of these, according to the measure of his strength and his capacity, drank of the wine of faith and wisdom; forgot all ties and obstacles, and, indeed, his very being ; rent asunder the veils of name, fame, and worldly position; purified his heart from the stain of apprehension; and, resolute in the pursuit of the desired object, set off, each in a different direction, to spread the good tidings of the Manifestation and to convey the signs' of it to aU. And, because of the love and fervour which possessed them, they thought not of the enmity of the stubborn, neither did they anticipate the opposition and rejection which they were to encounter at the hands of the froward. So, briefly, the matter came to the ears of most men, great and small ; of whom some believed, though the more part turned aside, [while many set themselves to stir up trouble]. At this time MuUA Huseyn [of Bushraweyh, who was entitled Bdhu'l-Bdh,] set out for Isfahan, where he fell in with MuUd Muhammad Sddik [generally known as the saint] of Khurd.sdn, a professor in that city, who, when he had heard the matter, and considered the proofs and signs thereof, believed. The circumstances of his conversion (which I heard directly from himself) were thus told by His Excellency the Saint of Khurdsdn : — " When I had considered the clear signs and proofs set 1 i.e. the saored writings, to which alone the Bdb appealed in proof of his divine mission. Cf. Gobineau, p. 158. CONVERSION OF JENIB-I-MUKADDAS. 41 before me, I ■ could see no possible way of rejecting or denying tbem. For the Merciful Lord hath plainly said in the Kur'dn that though aU genii and men should combine together they could not produce a sign like unto it^ and, during these twelve hundred and sixty years which had elapsed since that time, none, however skilled in rhetoric and eloquence, had presumed even to make this attempt. But these verses were incomparably superior to the Kur'dn in point of eloquence and beauty, so that it was im- possible to take exception to them or deny them. Never- theless I remained overwhelmed with amazement, wonder- ing how such verses could be poured forth like copious showers by this simple and unlettered youth*. ' God ! ' I cried in my heart, ' in face of such ample proofs how is denial possible? Yet how can I confess and accept this illiterate and uneducated young merchant as Bdb and Kd,'im?' So for a while I subjected myself to a severe discipline, keeping continual vigils during the night, and prajdng God for help and guidance; until one night, when I had been engaged in prayer and self-abasement till near the morning, a little before dawn t[[I came somewhat to myself, and began to reproach myself, saying,]]t 'Wherefore these plaints and prayers, and this tarrying in the world of form ? Why be blinded by the limitations of the common- place, and kept back by the restrictions of the nominal ? Is God's hand shortened, then, or is He unable to accomplish His will ? Is He not one who " doeth what He pleaseth and ordaineth what He willeth?'" At this inward com- *[whom in his childhood they had brought to me for instruction, though he attended my class only one day.]* t [being wide awake, I plainly saw His Holiness appear to me saying,]t 1 Kur'^n, ivii, 90; 42 THE NEW HISTORY. muning I was overcome with fear; but when I came to myself the veil was Kfted, and I beheld within myself a state of freedom and peace transcending description." Now although I have myself with mine own eyes beheld greater wonders than those above recorded, yet am I fain to excuse myself from relating or publishing them ; for that Gem of created essences was in no wise eager or desirous for the disclosure" of such occurrences, neither did he seek to make known such evidences of power as were manifested in him, since he regarded his nature as his proof and his verses as his sign. [ So much was this the case that Mulld, Miizi Muhammad, one of the most eminent of those divines and highly-gifted men who hastened to accept the new Manifestation, one who had, moreover, himself witnessed the greater part of the occurrences con- nected with it, and who was amongst the remnant who escaped the sword at Sheykh Tabarsf, at the request of a certain learned and eminent enquirer set down in writing two thousand four hundred occurrences of a miraculous character which he had witnessed on the part of His Holiness, and, during the siege of the Castle of Sheykh Tabarsf, on the part of Jendh-i-Kuddus and his companions and supporters. But when he had completed this, he became aware that His Holiness in no wise regarded these miracles, wonders, and supernatural occurrences as a proof of his mission, and did not desire them to be published ; wherefore he effaced what he had recorded in that precious book, and refrained from publishing it. Somewhat of the nobility of nature and eminence of this great man we shall describe, if God so please, when we come to speak of the learned doctors and eminent divines who entered into this new dispensation.] Let us return, however, to MulU Huseyn of Bushraweyh entitled Bdbu'l-Bdb. In every part of the country which THE babIs in mIzandaran. 43 he visited he made converts amongst men of learning and discernment, until at length he reached Khurds^n, where also he guided many to the truth. The late Hdjf Mfrzd 3&ni writes [[in his book]] as follows : — "MuUd, Huseyn of Bushraweyh, who was entitled Bdbu'l-Bdb, set out from Blurdsdn [after he had remained there some while] with the intention of visiting His Holi- ness the Supreme. So great was his devotion, and the sense of unworthiness which possessed him, that he went on foot to Mdkii (where at that time His Holiness abode), conducting himself everywhere on the way with caution and prudence. After he had been honoured by admission to the Blessed Presence, the Bih informed him of his approaching martyrdom and the many cruel afflictions which were impending, ordering him at the same time to return to Khur^sdn, and adding, ' Go thither by way of Mdzandardn, for there the doctrine has not yet been rightly preached.' So, agreeably to these instructions, he came to Mdzandardn, and there joined Jendh-i-Kvddm. Such of the faithful as were present at that meeting relate that on the first day of his arrival Jendb-i-Babu'l-Bdb sat, as befitted his rank, in the place of honour, while Jendb-i- Kvddus took a lower place ; for Jendb-i-Bdhu'l-Bdb was unrivalled in excellence and learning, while Jendh-i-Kuddus appeared to possess no special merit or distinction, save that he had accompanied His Holiness the Supreme on the pilgrimage to Mecca. But on the following morning they beheld Jendh-i-Kuddus seated on the chief seat, and MuUd Huseyn standing humbly and reverentially before him. Until that time the virtues and extent of spiritual know- ledge possessed by the former had been suspected by none, but during that night such evidences of hidden wisdom and knowledge of divine mysteries had been witnessed in him by Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdh that on the morrow he was 44 THE NEW HISTORY. fain to stand humbly before one who had neither studied deeply, nor, to all outward appearance, attained any very high degree of excellence. Be this as it may, they relate that in a single night Jenah-i-Kuddus wrote a sublime commentary of some three thousand verses on the words "God the Eternal'," and that in a brief space of time nearly thirty thousand verses of learned discourses, homilies, and supplications proceeded from him^." To return, however, to our narrative. After a while Jenab-i-Babu'l-Bdb set out for Khurdsdn, and shortly after this the faithful were honoured with an Epistle firom the Fountain-head of the Faith, bidding them, in case it should be possible, to proceed to Khurd,sin. In the letter addressed to Mfrzd, Ahmad of A^kand, one of the chief disciples of the late Seyyid, the impending catastrophe of Mdzandardn was made known. So Jenab-i-Kuddus, ac- companied by several of the faithful, set out towards Khuri.sd,n, but after a while turned back into Mdzandardn. On arriving there, he despatched a letter to Jenab-i-Bdbu- 'l-Bah announcing the news of his approaching [death, along with seventy believers ^ as well as the circum- stances of his own] martjrrdom, and bidding him depart out of Khurdsdn. Jendb-i-Bdbul-Bdb, on receiving this letter (which is known as "the Eternal Witness"), came out from that holy sanctuary with a number of his com- panions, and set out for M4zandardn. On reaching Mi- ydml, these were further reinforced by a band of about thirty believers. The leader of these was a devout and saintly old man named MulU Zeynu'l-'Abidln, a disciple of 1 Kur'dn, cxii, 2. 2 Concerning the writings of Jen^b-i-Kuddds, see Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, p. 30, n. 1 ; and /. R. A. S. for 1892, p. 485 et seq. 3 Of. Traveller's Narrative, vol. ii, p. 308. THE BlBfS IN mIZANDAEIN. 45 the late Sheykh Ahmad AhsA'f. So great was his devotion and the ardour of his affection that he had said to his re- cently-wedded son, a lad eighteen years of age, "Come with me, my son, for this journey is to the Hereafter, and I imagine for thee a right goodly marriage." And every- where this white-bearded old man went on foot. Now when Jendb-i-Babu'l-Bab had reached the con- fines of MdzandarAn, he began to tarry on the way, and even when he advanced it was but a parasang or half a parasang a day. His companions enquired of him whether he was expecting aught that he thus loitered and lingered, to which he replied that they would soon know the reason. After some days the news of the decease of His Majesty Muhammad Sh4h arrived, whereupon JenM-i-Bahu'l-Bdb recommenced his march, saying, "It was this news which I was awaiting." They were at that time at Aiim, one of the villages of SawAd-Klih, for which latter place they at once set out, and there performed the daily prayers in- cumbent on them. Now it was the custom of Jenab-i- Babu'l-Bdh to preach to the faithful twice a day, exhorting them to remember God, to purify their hearts, and to hold themselves aloof from the world. So he ascended into the pulpit, and, after delivering a homily containing many ex- hortations, counsels, and disparagements of this transitory world, thus addressed them : — "Know, people, that, according to the dictates of sound reason, it is impossible to combine things essentially opposed, and that therefore the pursuit of worldly pros- perity is incompatible with the perfecting of religious life, and that the amassing of wealth is antagonistic to the working out of faith. For, from the very creation of the world until now, such as were guided by Divine Grace and fitted by their natural dispositions for the search after true wisdom and the attempt to perfect themselves in faith and 46 THE NEW HISTORY. service, if they did not at the first step close their eyes to wealth, wife and child, nay, life itself, could in no wise take a second step in advance. Thus it is that, in every past age down to the present time, until the prophets, the saints, and the elect had themselves crossed over the Bridge' of attachment to this Old Inn"; displayed, along with their companions and followers, the utmost constancy and stead- fastness in supporting aU manner of sharp afflictions and grievous trials ; and advanced with eager steps towards mart3Tdom, they did not succeed in delivering their be- nighted people from the abyss of error and the snare of unbelief, or in guiding them into the city of assurance and the haven of faith. For this it was that the Chief of Martyrs ^ together with his supporters and adherents, stood so firm in that plain of self-sacrifice*, and bore active witness to the truth, for the gniidance of mankind and the establishment of the faith ; whereby, long years after the consummation of their martjrrdom, the Law of the Prophet ^ Whether the report of MulU Huseyn's address to his followers here given be literally correct or no, it at least shews an evident reflex of his Master's doctrines and phraseology. The Bdb distinctly taught that Heaven, Hell, the Questioning of the Tomb, Hades {Barzakh), and the Bridge {Sirdt) here alluded to, were not to be understood in a material sense, as by the Muham- madans, but metaghorically. This doctrine is elaborated in detail in the second V&hid of the Persian Beydn, whereof the twelfth chapter, treating of "the Bridge," begins thus: — "What has at all times been intended by 'the Bridge' is the manifesta- tion of God and His religion. Whosoever is steadfast is on the Bridge of God, else is he not on the Bridge." Of J. R. A. S. (new series), vol. xxi, p. 930. 2 1.6. the world, often likened to a caravansaray or inn where the traveller sojourns but a few days. 3 i.e. Huseyn b. 'Alf b. Abi Tdlib, the third Imim. * i.e. the plain of KerbeU. MULLA HUSETN'S EXHORTATION. 47 was matured, and the ordinances of his holy religion established. And now we likewise, for the awakening of our feUow-men, be they rich in virtues or beset with faults, intelligent or heedless, wise or simple ; for the removal of the doubts and objections of the obdurate ; and for the admonition of the careless and indifferent, are constrained by the good pleasure of the Beloved to bear witness by our deeds to the truth of this new revelation, to prove our sincerity by disregarding all earthly considerations, to undergo sufferings transcending human imagination and endurance, and to lay down dear life itself for the es- tablishment of this great truth and the perfecting of the proof to our perverse and benighted opponents. Know, then, for a surety, that once arrived in Mdzandardn aU paths of escape will be closed to us ; that we shaU without doubt be slain with most grievous torments ; and that the land beyond Bdrfuriish shall be dyed with the blood of these our comrades. Indeed our supreme object in pressing forward to the goal of this our journey of woe is naught else than to bear witness to the truth and attain to the lofty rank of martyrdom. Whosoever feeleth himself able to bear steadfastly, contentedly, nay, rapturously, this heavy burden, let him remain ; but if there be any who perceive in themselves, be it even in the least degree, signs of weakness, they are enjoined to depart, for it is not meet to lay on anyone more than he can bear. Let these, then (if such there be), bid a last fareweU to their friends and comrades, and turn back even from this place." On hearing these words those faithful companions wept much, and repKed, " When we entered on this journey we shut our eyes to all worldly considerations and earthly ties, firmly resolving not to shrink from laying down our lives." And there were present in this assembly two hundred and thirty persons, all distinguished for learning and virtue. 48 THE NEW HISTORY. many of them being also men of wealth and position. Of these, two hundred unhesitatingly agreed to endure even unto death. The other thirty, by reason of diverse im- pediments, felt constrained to excuse themselves, and asked permission to depart. And these turned back from that place. [[The reviser of this history says: — "Several persons worthy of credence affirm that it was on this occasion that Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb informed his companions of the im- pending death of Muhammad Shdh, who was at that time stiU aHve ; even as he had previously, while in the Most Holy Land', made the same announcement, along with others bearing reference to the calamities and afflictions which God had decreed to take place in the Most Holy Land, to a certain great and eminent man of Khurd,sd,n who is now present."]]^ After this, Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb and his remaining com- panions mounted and proceeded towards B^rfuriish. But when news of their advent reached the Sa'idu'l-'Ulamd, he, because of a former difference which he had had with Jendb-i-Kuddus, whose devoted friend he knew Jendb-i- Bdbu'l-Bdb to be, issued orders that they should not be suffered to approach the city. Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bab, who, with some of his companions, was a little in advance of the others, said to those who would oppose their advance, "Because of the King's death and the disturbed state of the roads and highways we come to you as guests seeking shelter. In accordance with the tradition, 'Honour the guest even though he be an infidel,' suffer us to abide for a few days in your land of safety, and seek not to injure 1 i.e. Mash-had, the place of martyrdom and burial of the Imd,m Bizd.. 2 This paragraph, which occurs only in C, is evidently an addition to the original text. Cf. p. 45, supra. ENCOUNTER IN bIeFUEIJsH. 49 US. For according to no creed is it lawfiil and right to molest strangers, or to spurn such as come seeking protec- tion." Yet, notwithstanding the arguments thus advanced, and the efforts made to induce a kindlier feeling, these pretended followers of the Prophet of God, instigated by their clergy in general and the Sa'idu'l-'Ulamd in par- ticular, refused to be turned from their purpose; nay rather in face of this gentleness and forbearance they waxed yet more insolent, and grew bolder in their attempts on the life and property of the strangers. So Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb, determined to complete the proof, and, if possible, to avert strife, submitted and turned back, while these devout and godly professors of the holy religion of IsMm continued to foUow them, tiU at length one feUow, more insolent than the rest', discharged his musket. Now Aki Seyyid Rizd, a man eminent for his piety and virtue, was wont, by reason of the ardour of his devotion, to walk everjrwhere by the stirrup of Jendh-i- Bahu'l-Bab; and he, thus running by his leader's side, received that fatal shot, and forthwith gave up the ghost. And so, in like manner, were two others amongst the faithful slain. Then Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb turned himself about, saying, "Now have they made it our duty to protect ourselves;" grasped the hilt of his sword ; and, acquiescing in that which the providence of God had ordained, began to defend himself. Notwithstanding his slender and fragile frame and trembling hand, such was his valour and prowess on that day that whosoever had eyes to discern the truth could clearly see that such strength and courage could only be from God, being beyond human capacity. ^ L. reads shahhsi khabhdzi, "a certain fellow who was a baker," instead of shakhsijdbhdH which is C.'s reading. N. H. 4 50 THE NEW HISTORY. So the Bdbfs, obediently to their leader's command, began to defend themselves and to wage battle until they came to the city. One of their opponents fired a shot which did not take effect, and Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb made as though he would punish the attempt, but nevertheless spared the offender because of his entreaties. The action was, however, again repeated; the foolish wretch fired a charge of shot fiiU at Jendb-i-B&hu'l-Bdb's face, and inflicted on him a serious injury. At this the latter was filled with wrath, and rushed upon his antagonist, who took shelter behind a tree, striving to guard himself with the barrel of his musket. So Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb, perceiv- ing that with the right hand he could not reach him, smote him with his sword a left-handed blow beneath the arm-pit and clave him in twain. After this he pushed on to the door of the Sa'idu'l-'Ulamd's house; but, though he could easily have entered it (for most of the combatants, on beholding the last blow dealt by him, had taken to flight or hidden themselves, while such as remained kept crying out afar off in terror for their Hves), he refrained for several reasons from doing so, in order that this man and his deeds might remain on the page of time as a warning to such as are endowed with discernment. So he spoke him fair, and turned back thence to the Herb Market, in which is a caravansaray wherein they took up their quarters. Again the townspeople attacked them, surrounding the caravan- saray and striving to set fire to it, until at length some of the faithful sallied forth and put them to flight. Now when these were come back, Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb said, "Let one among you go up and sound the call to prayer." So one went up, but ere he had uttered more than a few words he was stricken down by a bullet. Then Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb said, "The caU to prayer must be completed." Another went up, but, before he had finished. THE FATAL AzXN. 51 he too was shot. Forthwith a third went up, and completed the remainder of the call, but, even as he did so, he also fell a martyr, and was united to his comrades who had preceded him. The object of Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb in thus insisting ■on the completion of the call was, as it would appear, to make apparent to those benighted people the steadfastness and self-devotion of himself and his companions in pro- claiming the word of God, and to demonstrate conclusively to all mankind the absence of all piety, mercy, and tnie religion in those pretended Muslims. Although in this age there are but few who are im- partial or disposed to believe, those of the time to come wiU meditate on these events diligently and without prejudice, and these will distinguish the oppressed from the oppressor, the wise from the foolish, and the true from the false. It is related that [four hundred, or, according to another tradition] seventy doctors and divines of repute signed the warrant authorizing the murder of the Chief of Mart3rrs' and declaring him a heretic. But now, after the lapse of a thousand years, they admit their wrong-doing, and vainly beat their breasts and heads in mourning for that broken troth and the desertion of that holy one whom they left alone in the plain of KerbeU, crying out continually, " would that we had been with you ! " Yet withal, because of their heedlessness and blind prejudice, they continue to act towards the saints of this dispensation, and even towards the Proof foretold to this ignorantly-expectant people, in such wise as hath happened in no former age, and with a cruelty and injustice never heretofore witnessed. And, on the other hand, there hath never been any people so patient under the most cruel wrongs, or of like forti- tude under afflictions so grievous. Every sound under- standing must admit that men so reasonable and so learned 1 Huseyn b. 'AU b. Ahi Tilib, the third Im&m. 4—2 52 THE NEW HISTORY. would not thus cast tlie coin of life into the crucible of tribulation, or plunge their wives and children into the abyss of woe, unless they had first seen visibly before them that which they sought, and experienced within themselves a peace and power from God. "When saints behold the Hour of Union nigh Then seemeth it to them most sweet to die ; E'en those magicians, stirred with gratitude To Moses, passed with rapture to the rood'." To return, however, to our narrative. The Sa'idu'l- ' Ulama gathered together from all quarters a great multi- tude, who laid siege to the caravansaray, so that for the space of five or six days there was strife and battle. At the end of this time 'Abbds-Kuh Khdn of Lirijdn entered Bdriurdsh, and, having heard what had taken place on either side, sent his son-in-law to wait upon Jendb-i- Bdbu'l-Bdb with a message to this effect: — "Although the people of this place have acted wrongly and foolishly in not observing the respect due to you, who came unto them as ' See Pur'dn, sf&ra vii (pp. 115 — 117 in Sale's translation). According to the Muhammadan account, the magicians sum- moned by Pharaoh to oppose Moses were so overcome by witnessing the true miracles wrought by him that they fell on their faces crying, " We believe in the Lord of all creatures, the Lord of Moses and Aaron." Thereat was Pharaoh very wroth, and said, "Have ye believed on Him ere I have given you permission so to do? Verily this is a plot which ye have contrived in the city, that ye may drive out thence the inha- bitants thereof. But ye shall know for a surety I will cause your hands and your feet to be cut off on opposite sides, then will I cause you all to be crucified." They answered, " We shall assuredly return unto our Lord ; for thou takest vengeance on us only because we have believed in the signs of our Lord when they came unto us. Lord, pour on us patience, and cause us to die Muslims.' TREACHERY OF KHUSRAW. 53 strangers seeking hospitality, and in further seeking to do you injury, yet since, owing to the death of His Majesty the late King, the pubHc order is disturbed, it is desirable, especially having regard to the fact that blood has been shed between you, that you shoiild depart out of this city." To this message Jendb-i^Bdbu'l-Bab thus replied : — "On condition that they suffer us to depart without harm, we have no objection to go. If you will promise that no fresh attempt shall be made to cause bloodshed and provoke strife, we wUl not refuse to withdraw." To this the chief pledged himself, and sent his son-in-law' Sa'Mat-KuK Beg to bear them company tiU they should reach a place of safety. Their antagonists, however, conspired with a cer- tain Khusraw of Kddd-kald,, a matchless and notorious scoundrel, to follow and treacherously rob and murder them in a certain part of the forest. So Khusraw of KM^- kaU, taking with him a hundred horsemen, rode off with [the Sarddr's son-in-law]] Sa'ddat-Kulf Beg. When they had proceeded a short distance *|['Abbd,s-Kuh Khd,n's son- in-lawj* took leave of them and turned back, while Khusraw continued to accompany them tUl he came near to his own home, to a place hard by the Tomb of Sheykh Tabarsl'. When they were come there, some of the faithful *[Sa'Mat-KuhBeg]* 1 L. adds "and," thus making Sa'^dat-KuK Beg a different person from the chief's son-in-law. According to §ubh-i-Ezel, Sa'^at-KuH Beg was himself a Bdbf. He had a yomig daughter whom he used occasionally to dress in boy's clothes. 2 The Tomb of Sheykh Tabarsf lies to the south of the road leading from B^rfunish to Sd,rf, some twelve or fifteen miles S.E. of the former town. I visited it on September 26th, 1888, in the company of a very intelligent tradesman of BdrfuriSsh. Yet, though he was intimately aoquaiated with the country, so intri- cate are the paths leading to it, and so uncertain the state of the 54 THE NEW HISTORY. observed to Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb that it was the time for [the noon-tide] prayer, whereupon he alighted to pray. Khusraw, seeing his opportunity, approached him, saying, "We wish to turn back; give us a present." So, in ac- cordance with the instructions of Jmah-i-Bdhu'l-Bdb, they gave him a sum of one hundred tvmdns in money, besides other articles. He then demanded Jendh-i-Bdbul-Bdb's horse and sword, but the latter replied, "Make not this • request, for these were given to me by a certain holy man, and I cannot part with them to anyone." "If you will not give them up," returned Khusraw, " I am authorized [by the clergy] to kill you; your [hves and] possessions are lawful to us." As he continued to speak after this un- seemly fashion, Mfrzd Muhammad Takl [of Juveyn] caught hold of his hand and drew him back a few paces, gently remonstrating with him, and even offering to add to the sum of money which he had already received if he would but refrain from molesting Jendb-i-Bdhu'l-Bdb. Eemon- strances and offers, however, proved equally unavailing ; and Mfrzd. Muhammad Takf, having completed the proof, and being reduced to despair, with a blow of his dagger freed mankind from Khusraw's malice. On seeing their leader fall, the others took to flight, but, their viUage being near at hand, soon returned with a great multitude, over- took the Bdbfs in a narrow path, and prepared to attack and plunder them. So Jendb-i-Bdbu'l-Bdb, seeing that in that forest-path there was neither room to pass nor to fight, commanded his companions to abandon their baggage and retreat. In obedience to his command, therefore, they quagmires and marshes which must be traversed to reach the forest on the edge of which it lies, that we were continually pbUged to ask the road and to change our course wherever the swampy rice-fields proved impassable. Altogether, a worse ride of three hours I never saw. OCCUPATION OF SHEYKH TABARSt 55 retired into the tomb of Sheykh Tabarsf. When they reached it, he said to them, "Here shall we attain our object, and here also will the purpose of the froward and unrighteous be fulfilled." And in passing this spot on his way to Bdrfurlish he had similarly said, "In this place will the blood of God's soldiers and saints be shed, and many a pure spirit shall be quenched in dust and gore." And most of his companions knew what he intended to signify. After this several mounted men were sent to collect the baggage, and they gathered it together and brought it in. Then JenAb-i-Bdhu'l-Bdb said, "If ye be united in spirit, it is contrary to the dictates of self-devotion and single- heartedness to make any distinction in these perishable possessions during the few brief days for which a respite may be granted to you. Forsake, then, all such distinc- tions, and, for this short while, share what ye have in common." So they appointed a steward and a cook ; and at breakfast and supper they sat round like brethren, one plate containing a uniform portion being placed before every two of them. Thus did they live happily together in content and gladness, free from aU grief and care, as though resignation and contentment formed a part of their very nature. For about twenty days and nights did they thus tran- quilly await the fulfilment of divine destiny, but during all this time the continuous rain suffered none to leave his house. When the weather cleared, the comrades of Khusraw of KM^-kald, banding themselves together, surrounded the Castle with a great host of horsemen and footmen, deter- mined to shed the blood of its inmates. When news of this was brought to Jenah-i-B&bul-B