Memorials of the Faithful Part 16

SHAMSU'D-?U?a

_Kh_ur_sh_id Begum, who was given the t.i.tle of _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a,(105) the Morning Sun, was mother-in-law to the King of Martyrs. This eloquent, ardent handmaid of G.o.d was the cousin on her father's side of the famous Mu?ammad-Baqir of I?fahan, widely celebrated as chief of the 'ulamas in that city. When still a child she lost both her parents, and was reared by her grandmother in the home of that famed and learned mujtahid, and well trained in various branches of knowledge, in theology, sciences and the arts.

Once she was grown, she was married to Mirza Hadiy-i-Nahri; and since she and her husband were both strongly attracted to the mystical teachings of that great luminary, the excellent and distinguished Siyyid Kazim-i-Ra_sh_ti,(106) they left for Karbila, accompanied by Mirza Hadi's brother, Mirza Mu?ammad-'Aliy-i-Nahri.(107) Here they used to attend the Siyyid's cla.s.ses, imbibing his knowledge, so that this handmaid became thoroughly informed on subjects relating to Divinity, on the Scriptures and on their inner meanings. The couple had two children, a girl and a boy. They called their son Siyyid 'Ali and their daughter Fatimih Begum, she being the one who, when she reached adolescence, was married to the King of Martyrs.

_Sh_amsu'd-?u?a was there in Karbila when the cry of the exalted Lord was raised in _Sh_iraz, and she shouted back, "Yea, verily!" As for her husband and his brother, they immediately set out for _Sh_iraz; for both of them, when visiting the Shrine of Imam ?usayn, had looked upon the beauty of the Primal Point, the Bab; both had been astonished at what they saw in that transplendent face, in those heavenly attributes and ways, and had agreed that One such as this must indeed be some very great being.

Accordingly, the moment they learned of His Divine summons, they answered: "Yea, verily!" and they burst into flame with yearning love for G.o.d.

Besides, they had been present every day in that holy place where the late Siyyid taught, and had clearly heard him say: "The Advent is nigh, the affair most subtle, most elusive. It behoves each one to search, to inquire, for it may be that the Promised One is even now present among men, even now visible, while all about Him are heedless, unmindful, with bandaged eyes, even as the sacred traditions have foretold."

When the two brothers arrived in Persia they heard that the Bab had gone to Mecca on a pilgrimage. Siyyid Mu?ammad-'Ali therefore left for I?fahan and Mirza Hadi returned to Karbila. Meanwhile _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a had become friends with the "Leaf of Paradise," sister to Mulla Husayn, the Babu'l-Bab.(108) Through that lady she had met Tahirih, Qurratu'l-'Ayn,(109) and had begun to spend most of her time in close companions.h.i.+p with them both, occupied in teaching the Faith. Since this was in the early days of the Cause, the people were not yet afraid of it.

From being with Tahirih, _Sh_ams profited immeasurably, and was more on fire with the Faith than ever. She spent three years in close a.s.sociation with Tahirih in Karbila. Day and night, she was stirred like the sea by the gales of the All-Merciful, and she taught with an eloquent tongue.

As Tahirih became celebrated throughout Karbila, and the Cause of His Supreme Holiness, the Bab, spread all over Persia, the latter-day 'ulamas arose to deny, to heap scorn upon, and to destroy it. They issued a fatva or judgment that called for a general ma.s.sacre. Tahirih was one of those designated by the evil 'ulamas of the city as an unbeliever, and they mistakenly thought her to be in the home of _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a. They broke into _Sh_ams's house, hemmed her in, abused and vilified her, and inflicted grievous bodily harm. They dragged her out of the house and through the streets to the bazar; they beat her with clubs; they stoned her, they denounced her in foul language, repeatedly a.s.saulting her. While this was going on, ?aji Siyyid Mihdi, the father of her distinguished husband, reached the scene. "This woman is not Tahirih!" he shouted at them. But he had no witness to prove it,(110) and the farra_sh_es, the police and the mob would not let up. Then, through the uproar, a voice screamed out: "They have arrested Qurratu'l-'Ayn!" At this, the people abandoned _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a.

Guards were placed at the door of Tahirih's house and no one was allowed to enter or leave, while the authorities waited for instructions from Ba_gh_dad and Constantinople. As the interval of waiting lengthened out, Tahirih asked for permission to leave for Ba_gh_dad. "Let us go there ourselves," she told them. "We are resigned to everything. Whatever happens to us is the best that can happen, and the most pleasing." With government permission, Tahirih, the Leaf of Paradise, her mother and _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a all left Karbila and traveled to Ba_gh_dad, but the snake-like ma.s.s of the populace followed them for some distance, stoning them from a little way off.

When they reached Ba_gh_dad they went to live at the house of _Sh_ay_kh_ Mu?ammad-i-_Sh_ibl, the father of Mu?ammad-Mu??afa; and since many crowded the doors there was an uproar throughout that quarter, so that Tahirih transferred her residence elsewhere, to a lodging of her own, where she continually taught the Faith, and proclaimed the Word of G.o.d. Here the 'ulamas, _sh_ay_kh_s and others would come to listen to her, asking their questions and receiving her replies, and she was soon remarkably well known throughout Ba_gh_dad, expounding as she would the most recondite and subtle of theological themes.

When word of this reached the government authorities, they conveyed Tahirih, _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a and the Leaf to the house of the Mufti, and here they remained three months until word as to their case was received from Constantinople. During Tahirih's stay at the Mufti's, much of the time was spent in conversations with him, in producing convincing proofs as to the Teachings, a.n.a.lyzing and expounding questions relative to the Lord G.o.d, discoursing on the Resurrection Day, on the Balance and the Reckoning,(111) unraveling the complexities of inner truths.

One day the Mufti's father came in and belabored them violently and at length. This somewhat discomfited the Mufti and he began to apologize for his father. Then he said: "Your answer has arrived from Constantinople.

The Sovereign has set you free, but on condition that you quit his realms." The next morning they left the Mufti's house and proceeded to the public baths. Meanwhile _Sh_ay_kh_ Mu?ammad-i-_Sh_ibl and _Sh_ay_kh_ Sul?an-i-'Arab made the necessary preparations for their journey, and when three days had pa.s.sed, they left Ba_gh_dad; that is, Tahirih, _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a, the Leaf of Paradise, the mother of Mirza Hadi, and a number of Siyyids from Yazd set out for Persia. Their travel expenses were all provided by _Sh_ay_kh_ Mu?ammad.

They arrived at Kirman_sh_ah, where the women took up residence in one house, the men in another. The work of teaching went on at all times, and as soon as the 'ulamas became aware of it they ordered that the party be expelled. At this the district head, with a crowd of people, broke into the house and carried off their belongings; then they seated the travelers in open howdahs and drove them from the city. When they came to a field, the muleteers set them down on the bare ground and left, taking animals and howdahs away, leaving them without food or luggage, and with no roof over their heads.

Tahirih thereupon wrote a letter to the Governor of Kirman_sh_ah. "We were travelers," she wrote, "guests in your city. 'Honor thy guest,' the Prophet says, 'though he be an unbeliever.' Is it right that a guest should be thus scorned and despoiled?" The Governor ordered that the stolen goods be restored, and that all be returned to the owners.

Accordingly the muleteers came back as well, seated the travelers in the howdahs again, and they went on to Hamadan. The ladies of Hamadan, even the princesses, came every day to meet with Tahirih, who remained in that city two months.(112) There she dismissed some of her traveling companions, so that they could return to Ba_gh_dad; others, however, accompanied her to Qazvin.

As they journeyed, some hors.e.m.e.n, kinsfolk of Tahirih's, that is, her brothers, approached. "We have come," they said, "at our father's command, to lead her away, alone." But Tahirih refused, and accordingly the whole party remained together until they arrived in Qazvin. Here, Tahirih went to her father's house and the friends, those who had ridden and those who had traveled on foot, put up at a caravanserai. Mirza Hadi, the husband of _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a, had gone to Mah-Ku, seeking out the Bab. On his return, he awaited the arrival of _Sh_ams in Qazvin, after which the couple left for I?fahan, and when they reached there, Mirza Hadi journeyed on to Bada_sh_t. In that hamlet and its vicinity he was attacked, tormented, even stoned, and was subjected to such ordeals that finally, in a ruined caravanserai, he died. His brother, Mirza Mu?ammad-'Ali, buried him there, along the roadside.

_Sh_ams-i-?u?a remained in I?fahan. She spent her days and nights in the remembrance of G.o.d and in teaching His Cause to the women of that city.

She was gifted with an eloquent tongue; her utterance was wonderful to hear. She was highly honored by the leading women of I?fahan, celebrated for piety, for G.o.dliness, and the purity of her life. She was chast.i.ty embodied; all her hours were spent in reciting Holy Writ, or expounding the Texts, or unraveling the most complex of spiritual themes, or spreading abroad the sweet savors of G.o.d.

It was for these reasons that the King of Martyrs married her respected daughter and became her son-in-law. And when _Sh_ams went to live in his princely house, day and night the people thronged its doors, for the leading women of the city, whether friends or strangers, whether close to her or not, would come and go. For she was a fire lit by the love of G.o.d, and she proclaimed the Word of G.o.d with great ardor and verve, so that she became known among the non-believers as Fatimih, the Baha'is' Lady of Light.(113)

And so time pa.s.sed, until the day when the "She-Serpent" and the "Wolf"

conspired together and issued a decree, a fatva, that sentenced the King of Martyrs to death. They plotted as well with the Governor of the city so that among them they could sack and plunder and carry off all that vast treasure he possessed. Then the _Sh_ah joined forces with those two wild animals; and he commanded that the blood of both brothers, the King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs, be spilled out. Without warning, those ruthless men: the She-Serpent, the Wolf, and their brutal farra_sh_es and constabulary-attacked; they chained the two brothers and led them off to prison, looted their richly furnished houses, wrested away all their possessions, and spared no one, not even infants at the breast. They tortured, cursed, reviled, mocked, beat the kin and others of the victims'

household, and would not stay their hands.

In Paris, Zillu's-Sul?an(114) related the following, swearing to the truth of it upon his oath: "Many and many a time I warned those two great scions of the Prophet's House, but all to no avail. At the last I summoned them one night, and with extreme urgency I told them in so many words: 'Gentlemen, the _Sh_ah has three times condemned you to death. His farmans keep on coming. The decree is absolute and there is only one course open to you now: you must, in the presence of the 'ulamas, clear yourselves and curse your Faith.' Their answer was: 'Ya Baha'u'l-Abha! O Thou Glory of the All-Glorious! May our lives be offered up!' Finally I agreed to their not cursing their Faith. I told them all they had to say was, 'We are not Baha'is.' 'Just those few words,' I said, 'will be enough; then I can write out my report for the _Sh_ah, and you will be saved.' 'That is impossible,' they answered, 'because we are Baha'is. O Thou Glory of the All-Glorious, our hearts hunger for martyrdom! Ya Baha'u'l-Abha!' I was enraged, then, and I tried, by being harsh with them, to force them to renounce their Faith, but it was hopeless. The decree of the rapacious She-Serpent and Wolf, and the _Sh_ah's commands, were carried out."

After those two were martyred, _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a was hunted down, and had to seek a refuge in her brother's house. Although he was not a believer, he was known in I?fahan as an upright, pious and G.o.dly man, a man of learning, an ascetic who, hermit-like, kept to himself, and for these reasons he was highly regarded and trusted by all. She stayed there with him, but the Government did not abandon its search, finally discovered her whereabouts and summoned her to appear; the evil 'ulamas had a hand in this, joining forces with the civil authorities. Her brother was therefore obliged to accompany _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a to the Governor's house. He remained without, while they sent his sister into the women's apartments; the Governor came there, to the door, and he kicked and trampled her so savagely that she fainted away. Then the Governor shouted to his wife: "Princess! Princess! Come here and take a look at the Baha'is' Lady of Light!"

The women lifted her up and put her in one of the rooms. Meanwhile her brother, dumbfounded, was waiting outside the mansion. Finally, trying to plead with him, he said to the Governor: "This sister of mine has been beaten so severely that she is at the point of death. What is the use of keeping her here? There is no hope for her now. With your permission I can get her back to my house. It would be better to have her die there, rather than here, for after all, she is a descendant of the Prophet, she is of Mu?ammad's n.o.ble line, and she has done no wrong. There is nothing against her except her kins.h.i.+p to the son-in-law." The Governor answered: "She is one of the great leaders and heroines of the Baha'is. She will simply cause another uproar." The brother said: "I promise you that she will not utter a word. It is certain that within a few days she will not even be alive. Her body is frail, weak, almost lifeless, and she has suffered terrible harm."

Since the brother was greatly respected and trusted by high and low alike, the Governor released _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a in his custody, letting her go. She lived for a while in his house, crying out, grieving, shedding her tears, mourning her dead. Neither was the brother at peace, nor would the hostile leave them alone; there was some new turmoil every day, and public clamor.

The brother finally thought it best to take _Sh_ams away on a pilgrimage to Ma_sh_had, hoping that the fire of civil disturbances would die down.

They went to Ma_sh_had and settled in a vacant house near the Shrine of the Imam Ri?a.(115)

Because he was such a pious man the brother would leave every morning to visit the Shrine, and there he would stay, busy with his devotions until almost noon. In the afternoon as well, he would hasten away to the Holy Place, and pray until evening. The house being empty, _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a managed to get in touch with various women believers and began to a.s.sociate with them; and because the love of G.o.d burned so brightly in her heart she was unable to keep silent, so that during those hours when her brother was absent the place came alive. The Baha'i women would flock there and absorb her lucid and eloquent speech.

In those days life in Ma_sh_had was hard for the believers, with the malevolent always on the alert; if they so much as suspected an individual, they murdered him. There was no security of any kind, no peace. But _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a could not help herself: in spite of all the terrible ordeals she had endured, she ignored the danger, and was capable of flinging herself into flames, or into the sea. Since her brother frequented no one, he knew nothing of what was going on. Day and night he would only leave the house for the Shrine, the Shrine for the house; he was a recluse, had no friends, and would not so much as speak to another person. Nevertheless there came a day when he saw that trouble had broken out in the city, and he knew it would end in serious harm. He was a man so calm and silent that he did not reproach his sister; he simply took her away from Ma_sh_had without warning, and they returned to I?fahan. Here, he sent her to her daughter, the widow of the King of Martyrs, for he would no longer shelter her under his roof.

_Sh_amsu'd-?u?a was thus back in I?fahan, boldly teaching the Faith and spreading abroad the sweet savors of G.o.d. So vehement was the fiery love in her heart that it compelled her to speak out, whenever she found a listening ear. And when it was observed that once again the household of the King of Martyrs was about to be overtaken by calamities, and that they were enduring severe afflictions there in I?fahan, Baha'u'llah desired them to come to the Most Great Prison. _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a, with the widow of the King of Martyrs and the children, arrived in the Holy Land. Here they were joyously spending their days when the son of the King of Martyrs, Mirza 'Abdu'l-?usayn, as a result of the awful suffering he had been subjected to in I?fahan, came down with tuberculosis and died in Akka.

_Sh_amsu'd-?u?a was heavy of heart. She mourned his absence, she wasted away with longing for him, and it was all much harder because then the Supreme Affliction came upon us, the crowning anguish. The basis of her life was undermined; candle-like, she was consumed with grieving. She grew so feeble that she took to her bed, unable to move. Still, she did not rest, nor keep silent for a moment. She would tell of days long gone, of things that had come to pa.s.s in the Cause, or she would recite from Holy Writ, or she would supplicate, and chant her prayers-until, out of the Most Great Prison, she soared away to the world of G.o.d. She hastened away from this dust gulf of perdition to an unsullied country; packed her gear and journeyed to the land of lights. Unto her be salutations and praise, and most great mercy, sheltered in the compa.s.sion of her omnipotent Lord.

TaHIRIH

A woman chaste and holy, a sign and token of surpa.s.sing beauty, a burning brand of the love of G.o.d, a lamp of His bestowal, was Jinab-i-Tahirih.(116) She was called Umm-Salma; she was the daughter of ?aji Mulla ?ali?, a mujtahid of Qazvin, and her paternal uncle was Mulla Taqi, the Imam-Jum'ih or leader of prayers in the cathedral mosque of that city. They married her to Mulla Mu?ammad, the son of Mulla Taqi, and she gave birth to three children, two sons and a daughter; all three were bereft of the grace that encompa.s.sed their mother, and all failed to recognize the truth of the Cause.

When she was still a child her father selected a teacher for her and she studied various branches of knowledge and the arts, achieving remarkable ability in literary pursuits. Such was the degree of her scholars.h.i.+p and attainments that her father would often express his regret, saying, "Would that she had been a boy, for he would have shed illumination upon my household, and would have succeeded me!"(117)

One day she was a guest in the home of Mulla Javad, a cousin on her mother's side, and there in her cousin's library she came upon some of the writings of _Sh_ay_kh_ A?mad-i-Ahsa'i.(118) Delighted with what he had to say, Tahirih asked to borrow the writings and take them home. Mulla Javad violently objected, telling her: "Your father is an enemy of the Twin Luminous Lights, _Sh_ay_kh_ A?mad and Siyyid Kazim. If he should even dream that any words of those two great beings, any fragrance from the garden of those realities, had come your way, he would make an attempt against my life, and you too would become the target of his wrath."

Tahirih answered: "For a long time now, I have thirsted after this; I have yearned for these explanations, these inner truths. Give me whatever you have of these books. Never mind if it angers my father." Accordingly, Mulla Javad sent over the writings of the _Sh_ay_kh_ and the Siyyid.

One night, Tahirih sought out her father in his library, and began to speak of _Sh_ay_kh_ A?mad's teachings. The very moment he learned that his daughter knew of the _Sh_ay_kh_i doctrines, Mulla ?ali?'s denunciations rang out, and he cried: "Javad has made you a lost soul!" Tahirih answered, "The late _Sh_ay_kh_ was a true scholar of G.o.d, and I have learned an infinity of spiritual truths from reading his books.

Furthermore, he bases whatever he says on the traditions of the Holy Imams. You call yourself a mystic knower and a man of G.o.d, you consider your respected uncle to be a scholar as well, and most pious-yet in neither of you do I find a trace of those qualities!"

For some time, she carried on heated discussions with her father, debating such questions as the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment, the Night-Ascent of Mu?ammad to Heaven, the Promise and the Threat, and the Advent of the Promised One.(119) Lacking arguments, her father would resort to curses and abuse. Then one night, in support of her contention, Tahirih quoted a holy tradition from the Imam Ja'far-i-?adiq;(120) and since it confirmed what she was saying, her father burst out laughing, mocking the tradition. Tahirih said, "Oh my father, these are the words of the Holy Imam. How can you mock and deny them?"

From that time on, she ceased to debate and contend with her father.

Meanwhile she entered into secret correspondence with Siyyid Kazim, regarding the solution of complex theological problems, and thus it came about that the Siyyid conferred on her the name "Solace of the Eyes"

(Qurratu'l-'Ayn); as for the t.i.tle Tahirih ("The Pure One"), it was first a.s.sociated with her in Bada_sh_t, and was subsequently approved by the Bab, and recorded in Tablets.

Tahirih had caught fire. She set out for Karbila, hoping to meet Siyyid Kazim, but she arrived too late: ten days before she reached that city, he pa.s.sed away. Not long before his death the Siyyid had shared with his disciples the good news that the promised Advent was at hand. "Go forth,"

he repeatedly told them, "and seek out your Lord." Thus the most distinguished of his followers gathered for retirement and prayer, for fasts and vigils, in the Masjid-i-Kufih, while some awaited the Advent in Karbila. Among these was Tahirih, fasting by day, practicing religious disciplines, and spending the night in vigils, and chanting prayers. One night when it was getting along toward dawn she laid her head on her pillow, lost all awareness of this earthly life, and dreamed a dream; in her vision a youth, a Siyyid, wearing a black cloak and a green turban, appeared to her in the heavens; he was standing in the air, reciting verses and praying with his hands upraised. At once, she memorized one of those verses, and wrote it down in her notebook when she awoke. After the Bab had declared His mission, and His first book, "The Best of Stories,"(121) was circulated, Tahirih was reading a section of the text one day, and she came upon that same verse, which she had noted down from the dream. Instantly offering thanks, she fell to her knees and bowed her forehead to the ground, convinced that the Bab's message was truth.

This good news reached her in Karbila and she at once began to teach. She translated and expounded "The Best of Stories," also writing in Persian and Arabic, composing odes and lyrics, and humbly practicing her devotions, performing even those that were optional and supernumerary.

When the evil 'ulamas in Karbila got wind of all this, and learned that a woman was summoning the people to a new religion and had already influenced a considerable number, they went to the Governor and lodged a complaint. Their charges, to be brief, led to violent attacks on Tahirih, and sufferings, which she accepted and for which she offered praise and thanks. When the authorities came hunting for her they first a.s.saulted _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a, mistaking her for Tahirih. As soon, however, as they heard that Tahirih had been arrested they let _Sh_ams go-for Tahirih had sent a message to the Governor saying, "I am at your disposal. Do not harm any other."

The Governor set guards over her house and shut her away, writing Ba_gh_dad for instructions as to how he should proceed. For three months, she lived in a state of siege, completely isolated, with the guards surrounding her house. Since the local authorities had still received no reply from Ba_gh_dad, Tahirih referred her case to the Governor, saying: "No word has come from either Ba_gh_dad or Constantinople. Accordingly, we will ourselves proceed to Ba_gh_dad and await the answer there." The Governor gave her leave to go, and she set out, accompanied by _Sh_amsu'd-?u?a and the Leaf of Paradise (the sister of Mulla ?usayn) and her mother. In Ba_gh_dad she stayed first in the house of _Sh_ay_kh_ Mu?ammad, the distinguished father of aqa Mu?ammad-Mu??afa. But so great was the press of people around her that she transferred her residence to another quarter, engaged night and day in spreading the Faith, and freely a.s.sociated with the inhabitants of Ba_gh_dad. She thus became celebrated throughout the city and there was a great uproar.

Tahirih also maintained a correspondence with the 'ulamas of Kazimayn; she presented them with unanswerable proofs, and when one or another appeared before her she offered him convincing arguments. Finally she sent a message to the _Sh_i'ih divines, saying to them: "If you are not satisfied with these conclusive proofs, I challenge you to a trial by ordeal."(122) Then there was a great outcry from the divines, and the Governor was obliged to send Tahirih and her women companions to the house of Ibn-i-alusi, who was mufti of Ba_gh_dad. Here she remained about three months, waiting for word and directions from Constantinople. Ibn-i-alusi would engage her in learned dialogues, questions would be asked and answers given, and he would not deny what she had to say.

On a certain day the mufti related one of his dreams, and asked her to tell him what it meant. He said: "In my dream I saw the _Sh_i'ih 'ulamas arriving at the holy tomb of Imam ?usayn, the Prince of Martyrs. They took away the barrier that encloses the tomb, and they broke open the resplendent grave, so that the immaculate body lay revealed to their gaze.

They sought to take up the holy form, but I cast myself down on the corpse and I warded them off." Tahirih answered: "This is the meaning of your dream: you are about to deliver me from the hands of the _Sh_i'ih divines." "I too had interpreted it thus," said Ibn-i-alusi.