Shaykh Ahmad visits Shiraz

Having achieved his purpose in those cities, [Najaf and Karbilá] and inhaling the fragrance which wafted upon him from Persia, he felt in his heart an irrepressible yearning to hasten to that country. He concealed from his friends, however, the real motive that impelled him to direct his steps towards that land. By way of the Persian Gulf, he hastened unto the land of his heart’s desire, ostensibly for the purpose of visiting the shrine of the Imám Riḍá in Mashhad. [1]  He was filled with eagerness to unburden his soul, and searched zealously for those to whom he could deliver the secret which to no one he had as yet divulged. Upon his arrival at Shíráz, the city which enshrined that concealed Treasure of God, and from which the voice of the Herald of a new Manifestation was destined to be proclaimed, he repaired to the Masjid-i-Jum’ih, a mosque which in its style and shape bore a striking resemblance to the holy shrine of Mecca. Many a time did he, whilst gazing upon that edifice, observe: “Verily, this house of God betokens such signs as only those who are endowed with understanding can perceive. Methinks he who conceived and built it was inspired of God.”  How often and how passionately he extolled that city! Such was the praise he lavished upon it that his hearers, who were only too familiar with its mediocrity, were astonished at the tone of his language. “Wonder not,” he said to those who were surprised, “for ere long the secret of my words will be made manifest to you. Among you there shall be a number who will live to behold the glory of a Day which the prophets of old have yearned to witness.” So great was his authority in the eyes of the ‘ulamás who met and conversed with him, that they professed themselves incapable of comprehending the meaning of his mysterious allusions and ascribed their failure to their own deficient understanding. 

(‘The Dawn-Breakers’, Chapter 1)

[1] In the ninth century the remains of the Imám Riḍá, son of the Imám Músá and eighth of the twelve Imáms, were interred in Mashhad

Uniqueness of the views of Shaykh Ahmad

The chief peculiarities of Shaykh Ahmad’s views seem to have been as follows. He declared that all knowledge and all sciences were contained in the Qur’án, and that therefore to understand the inner meanings of the latter in their entirety, a knowledge of the former must be acquired. To develop this doctrine, he used to apply cabalistic methods of interpretation to the sacred text, and exerted himself to acquire familiarity with the various sciences known to the Muslim world. He entertained the most exaggerated veneration for the Imáms, especially the Imám Ja’far-i-Sádiq, the sixth of them in succession, whose words he would often quote.... About the future life, and the resurrection of the body also, he held views which were generally considered to be heterodox, as previously mentioned. He declared that the body of man was composed of different portions, derived from each of the four elements and the nine heavens, and that the body wherewith he was raised in the resurrection contained only the latter components, the former returning at death to their original sources. This subtle body, which alone escaped destruction, he called Jism-i-Huriqliya, the latter being supposed to be a Greek word. He asserted that it existed potentially in our present bodies, ‘like glass in stone.’ Similarly he asserted that, in the case of the Night-ascent of the Prophet to Heaven, it was this, and not his material body, which performed the journey. On account of these views, he was pronounced unorthodox by the majority of the ‘ulamás, and accused of holding the doctrines of Mullá Sadrá, the greatest Persian philosopher of modern times.

(Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1889, article 12, pp. 890–91; Footnotes included in Chapter 1 by Shoghi Effendi)

At forty years of age Shaykh Ahmad proceeded to Najaf and Karbilá

Najaf, 1914 (Wikipedia)

Bereft of all earthly possessions, and detached from all save God, he, in the early days of the thirteenth century of the Hegira, when forty years of age, arose to dedicate the remaining days of his life to the task he felt impelled to shoulder. He first proceeded to Najaf and Karbilá, [1] where in a few years he acquired familiarity with the prevailing thoughts and standards current among the learned men of Islám. There he came to be recognised as one of the authorised expounders of the Islámic Holy Writ, was declared a mujtahid, and soon obtained an ascendancy over the rest of his colleagues, who either visited or were residing in those holy cities. These came to regard him as one initiated into the mysteries of Divine Revelation, and qualified to unravel the abstruse utterances of Muhammad and of the imáms of the Faith. As his influence increased, and the scope of his authority widened, he found himself besieged on every side by an ever-increasing number of devoted enquirers who asked to be enlightened regarding the intricacies of the Faith, all of which he ably and fully expounded. By his knowledge and fearlessness he struck terror to the hearts of the Súfís and Neo-Platonists and other kindred schools of thought, who envied his learning and feared his ruthlessness. Thereby he acquired added favour in the eyes of those learned divines, who looked upon these sects as the disseminators of obscure and heretical doctrines. Yet, great as was his fame and universal as was the esteem in which he was regarded, he despised all the honours which his admirers lavished upon him. He marvelled at their servile devotion to dignity and rank, and refused resolutely to associate himself with the objects of their pursuits and desires. 

(‘The Dawn-Breakers’, Chapter 1)

[1] “Karbilá is about 55 miles S.W. of Baghdád on the banks of the Euphrates.... The tomb of Husayn is in the centre of the city, and of his brother Abbás in the S.E. quarter are the chief buildings.” (C. R. Markham’s “A General Sketch of the History of Persia,’ p. 486.) Najaf is revered by the shí’ahs, as it enshrines the tomb of Imám ‘Alí.

Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá’í – “that luminous Star of Divine guidance”

Born Rajab, 1166 A.H., 24th of April-24th of May, 1753, in town of Ahsá in district of Ahsá, northeast of Arabian Peninsula. (A. L. M. Nicolas’ “Essai sur le Shaykhisme,” I, p. 1.) Born a shí’ah, though his ancestors were sunnís. (Ibid., p. 2.) According to E. G. Browne (‘A Traveller’s Narrative,’ Note E, p. 235), Shaykh Ahmad was born in the year 1157 A.H. [1744 A.D.] and died in 1242. [1827 A.D.]

Siyyid Kázim, in his book entitled “Dalílu’l-Mutaháyyirín,” writes as follows: “Our master [Shaykh Ahmad], one night, saw the Imám Hasan; [the Third Shi’ih Imam] upon him may the blessing of God rest! His Holiness put in his mouth his blessed tongue. From the adorable saliva of His Holiness he drew forth the sciences and the assistance of God. To the taste it was sweeter even than honey, more perfumed than the musk. It was also quite warm. When he came to himself and wakened from his dream, he inwardly radiated the light of divine contemplation; his soul overflowed with the blessings of God and became entirely severed from everything save God.

His faith, his trust in God and his resignation to the Will of the Most High grew apace. Because of a great love and an ardent desire which arose in his heart, he forgot to eat or to clothe himself except barely enough to sustain life. (A. L. M. Nicolas’ “Essai sur le Shaykhisme,” I, p. 6.) He [Shaykh Ahmad] knew full well that he was chosen of God to prepare men’s hearts for the reception of the more complete truth shortly to be revealed, and that through him the way of access to the hidden twelfth Imám Mihdí was reopened. But he did not set this forth in clear and unmistakable terms, lest ‘the unregenerate’ should turn again and rend him.” (Dr. T. K. Cheyne’s ‘The Reconciliation of Races and Religions,’ p. 15.)

(From footnotes included in Chapter 1 by Shoghi Effendi)

Shaykh Ahmad started unravelling mysteries of certain Islamic Scriptures

Forsaking his home and kindred, on one of the islands of Bahrayn, to the south of the Persian Gulf, he set out, as bidden by an almighty Providence, to unravel the mysteries of those verses of Islamic Scriptures which foreshadowed the advent of a new Manifestation. He was well aware of the dangers and perils that beset his path; he fully realised the crushing responsibility of his task. There burned in his soul the conviction that no reform, however drastic, within the Faith of Islám, could achieve the regeneration of this perverse people. He knew, and was destined by the Will of God to demonstrate, that nothing short of a new and independent Revelation, as attested and foreshadowed by the sacred Scriptures of Islám, could revive the fortunes and restore the purity of that decadent Faith. 

(‘The Dawn-Breakers’, Chapter 1)

circa 1793: Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá’í called on Muslims to “prepare the way for Him [the Báb] who must needs be made manifest in the fulness of time”

At a time when the shining reality of the Faith of Muhammad had been obscured by the ignorance, the fanaticism, and perversity of the contending sects into which it had fallen, there appeared above the horizon of the East  that luminous Star of Divine guidance, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá’í. He observed how those who professed the Faith of Islám had shattered its unity, sapped its force, perverted its purpose, and degraded its holy name. His soul was filled with anguish at the sight of the corruption and strife which characterised the Shí’ah sect of Islám. Inspired by the light that shone within him, he arose with unerring vision, with fixed purpose, and sublime detachment to utter his protest against the betrayal of the Faith by that ignoble people. Aglow with zeal and conscious of the sublimity of his calling, he vehemently appealed not only to shí’ah Islám but to all the followers of Muhammad throughout the East, to awaken from the slumber of negligence and to prepare the way for Him who must needs be made manifest in the fulness of time, whose light alone could dissipate the mists of prejudice and ignorance which had enveloped that Faith. 

(‘The Dawn-Breakers’, Chapter 1)

Individuals acknowledged by the Guardian for their assistance with the book

Lady Blomfield

Emogene Hoagg

Grateful acknowledgment is made to Lady Blomfield for her valuable suggestions; to an English correspondent for his help in the preparation of the Introduction; to Mrs. E. Hoagg for the typing of the manuscript; to Miss Effie Baker for the photographs used in illustrating this book. 

- Shoghi effendi  (‘The Dawn-Breakers’)

Effie Baker

Nabil’s intention for writing the chronicle

Nabil-i-'Azam

It is my intention, by the aid and assistance of God, to devote the introductory pages of this narrative to such accounts as I have been able to obtain regarding those twin great lights, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá’í and Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí, after which it is my hope to recount, in their chronological order, the chief events that have happened since the year ’60, [1260 A.H., 1844 A.D.] the year that witnessed the declaration of the Faith by the Báb, until the present time, the year 1305 A.H. [1887-8 A.D.]

In certain instances I shall go into some detail, in others I shall content myself with a brief summary of events. I shall place on record a description of the episodes I myself have witnessed, as well as those that have been reported to me by trustworthy and recognised informants, specifying in every case their names and standing. Those to whom I am primarily indebted are the following: Mírzá Ahmad-i-Qazvíní, the Báb’s amanuensis; Siyyid Ismá’íl-i-Dhabíh; Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí; Shaykh Abú-Turáb-i-Qazvíní; and, last but not least, Mírzá Músá, Áqáy-i-Kalím, brother of Bahá’u’lláh.

I render thanks to God for having assisted me in the writing of these preliminary pages, and for having blessed and honoured them with the approval of Bahá’u’lláh, who has graciously deigned to consider them and who signified, through His amanuensis Mírzá Áqá Ján, who read them to Him, His pleasure and acceptance. I pray that the Almighty may sustain and guide me lest I err and falter in the task I have set myself to accomplish.

Muhammad-i-Zarandi [his full title is Nabil-i-‘Azam]
Akká, Palestine,

1305 A.H.

(The Dawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

1841: Masjed-i-Shah, (Shah Mosque) Isfahan, Persia

Theory and Administration of Law in the Middle of the Nineteenth Century Persia: - “the ‘Urf, or Common Law”

From the Shar’, I pass to the ‘Urf, or Common Law. Nominally this is based on oral tradition, on precedent, and on custom. As such, it varies in different parts of the country. But, there being no written or recognised code, it is found to vary still more in practice according to the character or caprice of the individual who administers it.... The administrators of the ‘Urf are the civil magistrates throughout the kingdom, there being no secular court or bench of judges after the Western model. In a village the case will be brought before the kad-khudá, or headman; in a town before the darúghih, or police magistrate. To their judgment are submitted all the petty offences that occupy a city police-court or a bench of country magistrates in England. The penalty in the case of larceny, or assault, or such like offences, is, as a rule, restitution, either in kind or in money value; while, if lack of means renders this impossible, the criminal is soundly thrashed. All ordinary criminal cases are brought before the hakím, or governor of a town; the more important before the provincial governor or governor-general. The ultimate court of appeal in each case is the king, of whose sovereign authority these subordinate exercises of jurisdiction are merely a delegation, although it is rare that a suppliant at any distance from the capital call make his complaint heard so far.... Justice, as dispensed in this fashion by the officers of government in Persia, obeys no law and follows no system. Publicity is the sole guarantee for fairness; but great is the scope, especially in the lower grades, for pishkash and the bribe. The darugis have the reputation of being both harsh and venal, and there are some who go so far as to say that there is not a sentence of an official in Persia, even of the higher ranks, that cannot be swayed by a pecuniary consideration. 

- Lord Curzon’s (Excerpts from “Persia and the Persian Question,” vol. 1, pp. 452–55; quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to the Dawn-Breakers’)

Theory and Administration of Law in the Middle of the Nineteenth Century Persia: - “that which is administered by ecclesiastical, and that which is administered by civil tribunals”

...The law in Persia, and, indeed, among Musulman peoples in general, consists of two branches: the religious, and the common law that which is based upon the Muhammadan Scriptures, and that which is based on precedent; that which is administered by ecclesiastical, and that which is administered by civil tribunals. In Persia, the former is known as the Shar’, the latter as the ‘Urf. From the two is evolved a jurisprudence which, although in no sense scientific, is yet reasonably practical in application and is roughly accommodated to the needs and circumstances of those for whom it is dispensed. The basis of authority in the case of the Shar’, or Ecclesiastical Law, consists of the utterances of the Prophet in the Qur’án; of the opinions of the Twelve Holy Imáms, whose voice in the judgment of the Shí’ah Muhammadans is of scarcely inferior weight; and of the commentaries of a school of pre-eminent ecclesiastical jurists. The latter have played much the same part in adding to the volume of the national jurisprudence that the famous juris consulti did with the Common Law of Rome, or the Talmudic commentators with the Hebrew system. The body of law so framed has been roughly codified and divided into four heads, dealing respectively with religious rites and duties, with contracts and obligations, with personal affairs, and with sumptuary rules and judicial procedure. This law is administered by an ecclesiastical court, consisting of mullás, i.e. lay priests and mujtahids, i.e. learned doctors of the law, assisted sometimes by qádís or judges, and under the presidency of an official, known as the Shaykhu’l-Islám, one of whom is, as a rule, appointed to every large city by the sovereign. In olden days, the chief of this ecclesiastical hierarchy was the Sadru’s-Sudur, or Pontifex Maximus, a dignitary who was chosen by the king and placed over the entire priesthood and judicial bench of the kingdom. But this office was abolished in his anti-clerical campaign by Nadir Sháh, and has never been renewed. In smaller centres of population and villages, the place of this court is taken by the local mullá or mullás, who, for a consideration, are always ready with a text from the Qur’án.

1946: A village in Northwestern Iran

(National Geographic)

Distinguishing Features of Shi’ah Islam: - The Twelve Imáms

• 1. ‘Alí-ibn-i-Ábí-Tálib, the cousin and first disciple of the Prophet, assassinated by Ibn-i-Muljam at Kúfih, A.H. 40 (A.D. 661).
• 2. Hasan, son of ‘Alí and Fátimih, born A.H. 2, poisoned by order of Mu’áviyih I, A.H. 50 (A.D. 670).
• 3. Husayn, son of ‘Alí and Fátimih, born A.H. 4, killed at Karbilá on Muharram 10, A.H. 61 (Oct. 10, A.D. 680).
• 4. ‘Alí, son of Husayn and Shahribánú (daughter of Yazdigird, the last Sásáníyán king), generally called Imám Zaynu’l-Ábidín, poisoned by Valíd.
• 5. Muhammad-Báqir, son of the above-mentioned Zaynu’l-Ábidín and his cousin Umm-i-’Abdu’llah, the daughter of Imám Hasan, poisoned by Ibráhím ibn-i-Valíd.
• 6. Ja’far-i-Ṣádiq, son of Imám Muhammad-Báqir, poisoned by order of Mansur, the Abbáside Khalífih.
• 7. Músá-Kázim, son of Imám Ja’far-I Sádiq, born A.H. 129, poisoned by order of Harunu’r-Rashíd, A.H. 183.
• 8. ‘Alí-ibn-i-Musa’r-Ridá, generally called Imám Ridá, born A.H. 153, poisoned near Tus, in Khurásán, by order of the Khalífih Ma’mun, A.H. 203, and buried at Mashhad, which derives its name and its sanctity from him.
• 9. Muhammad-Taqí, son of Imám Ridá, born A.H. 195, poisoned by the Khalífih Mu’tasim at Baghdád, A.H. 220.
• 10. ‘Alí-Naqí, son of Imám Muhammad-Taqí, born A.H. 213, poisoned at Surra-man-Ra’a, A.H. 254.
• 11. Hasan-i-’Askarí, son of Imám ‘Alí-Naqí, born A.H. 232, poisoned A.H. 260.

Distinguishing Features of Shi’ah Islam: - the doctrine of the Imámate

The cardinal point wherein the Shí’ahs (as well as the other sects included under the more general term of Imámites) differ from the Sunnís is the doctrine of the Imámate. According to the belief of the latter, the vicegerency of the Prophet (Khilafat) is a matter to be determined by the choice and election of his followers, and the visible head of the Musulman world is qualified for the lofty position which he holds less by any special divine grace than by a combination of orthodoxy and administrative capacity. According to the Imámite view, [the Shí’ahs] on the other hand, the vicegerency is a matter altogether spiritual; an office conferred by God alone, first by His Prophet, and afterwards by those who so succeeded him, and having nothing to do with the popular choice or approval. In a word, the Khalífih of the Sunnís is merely the outward and visible Defender of the Faith: the Imám of the Shí’ahs is the divinely ordained successor of the Prophet, one endowed with all perfections and spiritual gifts, one whom all the faithful must obey, whose decision is absolute and final, whose wisdom is superhuman, and whose words are authoritative. The general term Imámate is applicable to all who hold this latter view without reference to the way in which they trace the succession, and therefore includes such sects as the Báqirís and Isma’ílís as well as the Shí’ah or ‘Church of the Twelve’ (Madhhab-i-Ithna-‘Asharíyyih), as they are more specifically termed, with whom alone we are here concerned. According to these, twelve persons successively held the office of Imám. 

(Excerpt from “A Traveller’s Narrative,” Note O, pp. 296–99, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to the Dawn-Breakers’)

Baha’u’llah’s Tribute to the Báb and His Chief Disciples: - “that Essence of Essences and Sea of Seas”; “All these stainless hearts and sanctified souls have, with absolute resignation, responded to the summons of His decree.”

...No sooner had that eternal Beauty revealed Himself in Shíráz, in the year sixty, and rent asunder the veil of concealment, than the signs of the ascendancy, the might, the sovereignty, and power emanating from that Essence of Essences and Sea of Seas, were manifest in every land. So much so, that from every city there appeared the signs, the evidences, the tokens, and testimonies of that Divine Luminary. How many were those pure and kindly hearts which faithfully reflected the light of that eternal Sun! And how manifold the emanations of knowledge from that Ocean of Divine Wisdom which encompassed all beings! ln every city, all the divines and nobles rose to hinder and repress them, and girded up the loins of malice, of envy, and tyranny for their suppression. How great the number of those holy souls, those essences of justice, who, accused of tyranny, were put to death! And how many embodiments of purity, who showed forth naught but true knowledge and stainless deeds, suffered an agonising death! Notwithstanding all this, each of these holy beings, up to his last moment, breathed the name of God and soared in the realm of submission and resignation. Such was the potency and transmuting influence which He exercised over them, that they ceased to cherish any desire but His Will, and wedded their souls to His remembrance.

Baha’u’llah’s Tribute to the Báb and His Chief Disciples: - “what steadfastness He, the Beauty of God, hath revealed!”

...And now consider how this Sadrih of the Ridván of God hath, in the prime of youth, risen to proclaim the Cause of God. Behold, what steadfastness He, the Beauty of God, hath revealed! The whole world rose to hinder Him, yet it utterly failed! The more severe the persecution they inflicted on that Sadrih of Blessedness, the more His fervour increased, and the brighter burned the flame of His love. All this is evident, and none disputeth its truth. Finally, He surrendered His soul, and winged His flight unto the realms above. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to Dawn-Breakers)

Baha’u’llah’s Tribute to the Báb and His Chief Disciples: - He walked “the way of God” and “yearned for aught else except His good-pleasure”

…in His interpretation of the letter “Há,” He [the Báb] craved martyrdom, saying: “Methinks I heard a Voice calling in my inmost being: ‘Do thou sacrifice the thing which Thou lovest most in the path of God, even as Husayn, peace be upon him, hath offered up his life for My sake.’ And were I not regardful of this inevitable mystery, by Him, Who hath my being between His hands even if all the kings of the earth were to be leagued together they would be powerless to take from me a single letter, how much less can these servants who are worthy of no attention, and who verily are of the outcast... That all may know the degree of My patience, My resignation, and self-sacrifice in the path of God.”

Could the Revealer of such utterance be regarded as walking any way but the way of God, and as having yearned for aught else except His good-pleasure? In this very verse there lieth concealed a breath of detachment, which if it were to be breathed full upon the world, all beings would renounce their lives, and sacrifice their souls. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to Dawn-Breakers)

Baha’u’llah’s Tribute to the Báb and His Chief Disciples: - “He prophesied His own martyrdom”

Gracious God! In His Book, which He hath entitled ‘Qayyúmu’l-Asmá ‘—the first, the greatest, and mightiest of all books—He prophesied His own martyrdom. In it is this passage: ‘O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake; and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient Witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days!’ 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to Dawn-Breakers)

Baha’u’llah’s Tribute to the Báb and His Chief Disciples: - “so great a Revelation”

Though young and tender of age, and though the Cause He revealed was contrary to the desire of all the peoples of the earth, both high and low, rich and poor, exalted and abased, king and subject, yet He arose and steadfastly proclaimed it. All have known and heard this. He feared no one; He was reckless of consequences. Could such a thing be made manifest except through the power of a Divine Revelation, and the potency of God’s invincible Will? By the righteousness of God! Were anyone to entertain so great a Revelation in his heart, the thought of such a declaration would alone confound him! Were the hearts of all men to be crowded into his heart, he would still hesitate to venture upon so awful an enterprise. He could achieve it only by the permission of God, only if the channel of his heart were to be linked with the Source of Divine grace, and his soul be assured of the unfailing sustenance of the Almighty. To what, We wonder, do they ascribe so great a daring? Do they accuse Him of madness as they accused the Prophets of old? Or do they maintain that His motive was none other than leadership and the acquisition of earthly riches? 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to the Dawn-Breakers)

Persia in mid-19th Century: - Need for “a radical twist to the national character and institutions”

...Under a twofold governing system, such as that of which I have now completed the description—namely, an administration in which every actor is, in different aspects, both the briber and the bribed; and a judicial procedure, without either a law or a law court—it will readily be understood that confidence in the Government is not likely to exist, that there is no personal sense of duty or pride of honour, no mutual trust or co-operation (except in the service of ill-doing), no disgrace in exposure, no credit in virtue, above all no national spirit or patriotism. Those philosophers are right who argue that moral must precede material, and internal exterior, reform in Persia. It is useless to graft new shoots on to a stem whose own sap is exhausted or poisoned. We may give Persia roads and railroads; we may work her mines and exploit her resources; we may drill her army and clothe her artisans; but we shall not have brought her within the pale of civilised nations until we have got at the core of the people, and given a new and a radical twist to the national character and institutions. I have drawn this picture of Persian administration, which I believe to be true, in order that English readers may understand the system with which reformers, whether foreigners or natives, have to contend, and the iron wall of resistance, built up by all the most selfish instincts in human nature, that is opposed to progressive ideas. The Sháh himself, however genuine his desire for innovation, is to some extent enlisted on the side of this pernicious system, seeing that he owes to it his private fortune; while those who most loudly condemn it in private are not behind their fellows in outwardly bowing their heads in the temple of Rimmon. In every rank below the sovereign, the initiative is utterly wanting to start a rebellion against the tyranny of immemorial custom; and if a strong man like the present king can only tentatively undertake it, where is he who shall preach the crusade? 

- Lord Curzon  (Extract from “Persia and the Persian Question”, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to the Dawn-Breakers)

circa 1908: The Anderoon Palace, Tehran

The home of the Shah’s harem where each wife and favorite has her own household establishment, thus forming a big family of several hundred women. (National Geographic)

Persia in mid-19th Century: - Penalties and Prisons

Before I quit the subject of the Persian law and its administration, let me add a few words upon the subject of penalties and prisons. Nothing is more shocking to the European reader, in pursuing his way through the crime-stained and bloody pages of Persian history during the last and, in a happily less degree, during the present century, than the record of savage punishments and abominable tortures, testifying alternately to the callousness of the brute and the ingenuity of the fiend. The Persian character has ever been fertile in device and indifferent to suffering; and in the field of judicial executions it has found ample scope for the exercise of both attainments. Up till quite a recent period, well within the borders of the present reign, condemned criminals have been crucified, blown from guns, buried alive, impaled, shod like horses, torn asunder by being bound to the heads of two trees bent together and then allowed to spring back to their natural position, converted into human torches, flayed while living. 

- Lord Curzon  (Extract from “Persia and the Persian Question”, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to the Dawn-Breakers)

Persia’s state of decadence in the middle of the 19th Century: “provision… for the material solace” of pilgrims to the Shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Shi'ih Imam, in the city of Mashhad

Shrine of Imam Reza 1939 (National Geographic)

...Perhaps the most extraordinary feature of Mashhad life, before I leave the subject of the shrine and the pilgrims, is the provision that is made for the material solace of the letter during their stay in the city. In recognition of the long journeys which they have made, of the hardships which they have sustained, and of the distances by which they are severed from family and home, they are permitted, with the connivance of the ecclesiastical law and its officers, to contract temporary marriages during their sojourn in the city. There is a large permanent population of wives suitable for the purpose. A mullá is found, under whose sanction a contract is drawn up and formally sealed by both parties, a fee is paid, and the union is legally accomplished. After the lapse of a fortnight or a month, or whatever be the specified period, the contract terminates; the temporary husband returns to his own lares et penates in some distant clime, and the lady, after an enforced celibacy of fourteen days’ duration, resumes her career of persevering matrimony. In other words, a gigantic system of prostitution, under the sanction of the Church, prevails in Mashhad. There is probably not a more immoral city in Asia; and I should be sorry to say how many of the unmurmuring pilgrims who traverse seas and lands to kiss the grating of the Imám’s tomb are not also encouraged and consoled upon their march by the prospect of an agreeable holiday and what might be described in the English vernacular as ‘a good spree.’ 

- Lord Curzon  (Extract from “Persia and the Persian Question”, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to the Dawn-Breakers)

Persia’s state of decadence in the middle of the 19th Century: - the plight of the Jews

...As a community, the Persian Jews are sunk in great poverty and ignorance.... Throughout the Musulman countries of the East these unhappy people have been subjected to the persecution which custom has taught themselves, as well as the world, to regard as their normal lot. Usually compelled to live apart in a Ghetto, or separate quarter of the towns, they have from time immemorial suffered from disabilities of occupation, dress, and habits, which have marked them out as social pariahs from their fellow-creatures. ...In Isfáhán, where there are said to be 3,700, and where they occupy a relatively better status than elsewhere in Persia, they are not permitted to wear the ‘kuláh’ or Persian head-dress, to have shops in the bazaar, to build the walls of their houses as high as a Muslim neighbour’s, or to ride in the streets.... As soon, however, as any outburst of bigotry takes place in Persia or elsewhere, the Jews are apt to be the first victims Every man’s hand is then against them; and woe betide the luckless Hebrew who is the first to encounter a Persian street mob. 

- Lord Curzon  (Extract from “Persia and the Persian Question”, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the Introduction to the Dawn-Breakers)

Persia's Prime Minister: 1848-1851

Amir Kabir (1848–1851) - Mirza Taghi Khan, chief minister to Nasiri’d-Din Shah for the first three years of his reign (Wikipedia)