According to Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl, about seventy eminent ‘ulamás and notables had set their seal to a document which condemned the Báb as a heretic, and which declared Him to be deserving of the penalty of death.
(Footnote to chapter 10 provided by Shoghi Effendi)
The high honours accorded to the Báb served further to inflame the hostility of the ‘ulamás of Isfáhán. With feelings of dismay, they beheld on every side evidences of His all-pervasive influence invading the stronghold of orthodoxy and subverting their foundations. They summoned a gathering, at which they issued a written document, signed and sealed by all the ecclesiastical leaders of the city, condemning the Báb to death. They all concurred in this condemnation with the exception of Hájí Siyyid Asadu’lláh and Hájí Muhammad-Ja’far-i-Abadiyí, both of whom refused to associate themselves with the contents of so glaringly abusive a document. The Imám-Jum’ih, though declining to endorse the death-warrant of the Báb, was induced, by reason of his extreme cowardice and ambition, to add to that document, in his own handwriting, the following testimony: “I testify that in the course of my association with this youth I have been unable to discover any act that would in any way betray his repudiation of the doctrines of Islám. On the contrary, I have known him as a pious and loyal observer of its precepts. The extravagance of his claims, however, and his disdainful contempt for the things of the world, incline me to believe that he is devoid of reason and judgment.”
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
Ere the Báb had transferred His residence to the house of the Mu’tamíd, Mírzá Ibráhím, father of the Sulṭánu’sh-Shuhudá’ and elder brother of Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Nahrí, to whom we have already referred, invited the Báb to his home one night. Mírzá Ibráhím was a friend of the Imám-Jum’ih, was intimately associated with him, and controlled the management of all his affairs. The banquet which was spread for the Báb that night was one of unsurpassed magnificence. It was commonly observed that neither the officials nor the notables of the city had offered a feast of such magnitude and splendour. The Sultánu’sh-Shuhudá’ and his brother, the Mahbúbu’sh-Shuhadá’, who were lads of nine and eleven, respectively, served at that banquet and received special attention from the Báb. That night, during dinner, Mírzá Ibráhím turned to his Guest and said: “My brother, Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, has no child. I beg You to intercede in his behalf and to grant his heart’s desire.” The Báb took a portion of the food with which He had been served, placed it with His own hands on a platter, and handed it to His host, asking him to take it to Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí and his wife. “Let them both partake of this,” He said; “their wish will be fulfilled.” By virtue of that portion which the Báb had chosen to bestow upon her, the wife of Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí conceived and in due time gave birth to a girl, who eventually was joined in wedlock with the Most Great Branch, a union that came to be regarded as the consummation of the hopes entertained by her parents.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
The Báb had tarried forty days at the residence of the Imám-Jum’ih. While He was still there, a certain Mullá Muhammad-Taqíy-i-Haratí, who was privileged to meet the Báb every day, undertook, with His consent, to translate one of His works, entitled Risáliy-i-Furú-i-‘Adlíyyih, from the original Arabic into Persian. The service he thereby rendered to the Persian believers was marred, however, by his subsequent behaviour. Fear suddenly seized him, and he was induced eventually to sever his connection with his fellow-believers.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
The Mu’tamíd subsequently confided his apprehensions to the Imám-Jum’ih. “I fear the machinations of the enemies of the Siyyid-i-Báb,” he told him. “The Sháh has summoned Him to Tihrán. I am commanded to arrange for His departure. I deem it more advisable for Him to stay in my home until such time as He can leave this city.” The Imám-Jum’ih acceded to his request and returned alone to his house.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
“Muhammad having grown silent, Mírzá Muhammad-Ḥasan, who followed the philosophical doctrine of Mullá Sadrá, questioned the Báb in order to induce him to explain three miracles which it would suffice to relate in order to enlighten the reader. The first one was the Tiyyu’l-Ard, or the immediate transfer of a human being from one part of the world to another very distant point. The Shiites are convinced that the third Imám, Javád, had adopted this easy and economical way of traveling. For example, he betook himself, in the twinkling of an eye, from Medina in Arabia to Tus in Khurásán.
“The second miracle was the multiple and simultaneous presence of the same person in many different places. ‘Alí was, at the same moment, host to sixty different people.
“The third miracle was a problem of cosmography which I submit to our astronomers who will certainly relish it. It is said that, during the reign of a tyrant, the heavens revolve rapidly, while during that of an Imám they revolve slowly. First, how could the heavens have two movements and then, what were they doing during the reign of the Umayyads and the Abbassids? It was the solution of these insanities that they proposed to the Báb!
“I shall not dwell on them any longer but I believe I must here make clear the mentality of the learned Moslems of Persia. And if one should consider that, for nearly one thousand years, the science of Írán rests upon such trash, that men exhaust themselves in continuous research upon such matters, one will easily understand the emptiness and arrogance of all these minds.
“Be that as it may, the reunion was interrupted by the announcement of dinner of which each one partook, after which they returned to their respective homes.”
- A. L. M. Nicolas ('Siyyid ‘Alí-Muḥammad dit le Báb,' pp. 239–240; footnotes to chapter 10 provided by Shoghi Effendi)
Hájí Muhammad-Ja’far heeded this counsel and refused to accept the invitation of the governor. Muhammad Mihdí, Mírzá Hasan-i-Núrí, and a few others who disdained such advice, presented themselves at the appointed hour at the home of the Mu’tamíd. At the invitation of the host, Mírzá Hasan, a noted Platonist, requested the Báb to elucidate certain abstruse philosophical doctrines connected with the Arshíyyih of Mullá Sadrá, the meaning of which only a few had been able to unravel. In simple and unconventional language, the Báb replied to each of his questions. Mírzá Hasan, though unable to apprehend the meaning of the answers which he had received, realised how inferior was the learning of the so-called exponents of the Platonic and the Aristotelian schools of thought of his day to the knowledge displayed by that Youth. Muhammad Mihdí ventured in his turn to question the Báb regarding certain aspects of the Islámic law. Dissatisfied with the explanation he received, he began to contend idly with the Báb. He was soon silenced by the Mu’tamíd, who, cutting short his conversation, turned to an attendant and, bidding him light the lantern, gave the order that Muhammad Mihdí be immediately conducted to his home.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
Hájí Siyyid Asadu’lláh refused the invitation and endeavoured to dissuade those who had been invited, from participating in that gathering. “I have sought to excuse myself,” he informed them, “and I would most certainly urge you to do the same. I regard it as most unwise of you to meet the Siyyid-i-Báb face to face. He will, no doubt, reassert his claim and will, in support of his argument, adduce whatever proof you may desire him to give, and, without the least hesitation, will reveal as a testimony to the truth he bears, verses of such a number as would equal half the Qur’án. In the end he will challenge you in these words: ‘Produce likewise, if ye are men of truth.’ We can in no wise successfully resist him. If we disdain to answer him, our impotence will have been exposed. If we, on the other hand, submit to his claim, we shall not only be forfeiting our own reputation, our own prerogatives and rights, but will have committed ourselves to acknowledge any further claims that he may feel inclined to make in the future.”
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
As soon as the Mu’tamíd was informed of these developments, he sent a message to the Imám-Jum’ih in which he reminded him of the visit he as governor had paid to the Báb, and extended to him as well as to his Guest an invitation to his home. The Mu’tamíd invited Hájí Siyyid Asadu’lláh, son of the late Hájí Siyyid Muhammad Báqir-i-Rashtí, Hájí Muhammad-Ja’far-i-Abadiyí, Muhammad-Mihdí, Mírzá Hasan-i-Núrí, and a few others to be present at that meeting.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
Muhammad-Mihdí, surnamed the Safihu’l-’Ulama’, son of the late Hájí Kalbásí, in his desire to gratify the wish and to earn the esteem of Hájí Mírzá Aqásí, began to calumniate the Báb from the pulpit in the most unseemly language.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
The Imám-Jum’ih, while refusing to alter his respectful attitude towards his Guest, was induced by the tone of the message he had received from the Grand Vazír, to instruct his associates to devise such means as would tend to lessen the ever-increasing number of visitors who thronged each day to the presence of the Báb.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
The mischief-makers, however, were busily engaged in disseminating the wildest reports concerning the character and claims of the Báb. These reports soon reached Ṭihrán and were brought to the attention of Hájí Mírzá Aqásí, the Grand Vazír of Muhammad Sháh. This haughty and overbearing minister viewed with apprehension the possibility that his sovereign might one day feel inclined to befriend the Báb, an inclination which he felt sure would precipitate his own downfall. The Hájí was, moreover, apprehensive lest the Mu’tamíd, who enjoyed the confidence of the Sháh, should succeed in arranging an interview between the sovereign and the Báb. He was well aware that should such an interview take place, the impressionable and tender-hearted Muhammad Sháh would be completely won over by the attractiveness and novelty of that creed. Spurred on by such reflections, he addressed a strongly worded communication to the Imám-Jum’ih, in which he upbraided him for his grave neglect of the obligation imposed upon him to safeguard the interests of Islám. “We have expected you,” Hájí Mírzá Aqásí wrote him, “to resist with all your power every cause which conflicts with the best interests of the government and people of this land. You seem instead to have befriended, nay to have glorified, the author of this obscure and contemptible movement.” He likewise wrote a number of encouraging letters to the ‘ulamás of Isfáhán, whom he had previously ignored but upon whom he now lavished his special favours.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
The growing popularity of the Báb aroused the resentment of the ecclesiastical authorities of Isfáhán, who viewed with concern and envy the ascendancy which an unlearned Youth was slowly acquiring over the thoughts and consciences of their followers. They firmly believed that unless they rose to stem the tide of popular enthusiasm, the very foundations of their existence would be undermined. A few of the more sagacious among them thought it wise to abstain from acts of direct hostility to either the person or the teachings of the Báb, as such action, they felt, would serve only to enhance His prestige and consolidate His position.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
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| Manuchihr Khan the Governor of Isfahan |
The Báb instantly took up His pen and began to write. In less than two hours, He had filled about fifty pages with a most refreshing and circumstantial enquiry into the origin, the character, and the pervasive influence of Islám. The originality of His dissertation, the vigour and vividness of its style, the accuracy of its minutest details, invested His treatment of that noble theme with an excellence which no one among those who were present on that occasion could have failed to perceive. With masterly insight, He linked the central idea in the concluding passages of this exposition with the advent of the promised Qá’im and the expected “Return” of the Imám Husayn. He argued with such force and courage that those who heard Him recite its verses were astounded by the magnitude of His revelation. No one dared to insinuate the slightest objection—much less, openly to challenge His statements. The Mu’tamíd could not help giving vent to his enthusiasm and joy. “Hear me!” he exclaimed. “Members of this revered assembly, I take you as my witnesses. Never until this day have I in my heart been firmly convinced of the truth of Islám. I can henceforth, thanks to this exposition penned by this Youth, declare myself a firm believer in the Faith proclaimed by the Apostle of God. I solemnly testify to my belief in the reality of the superhuman power with which this Youth is endowed, a power which no amount of learning can ever impart.” With these words he brought the meeting to an end.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
As the Báb’s fame was being gradually diffused over the entire city of Isfáhán, an unceasing stream of visitors flowed from every quarter to the house of the Imám-Jum’ih: a few to satisfy their curiosity, others to obtain a deeper understanding of the fundamental verities of His Faith, and still others to seek the remedy for their ills and sufferings.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
One night, after supper, the Imám-Jum’ih, whose curiosity had been excited by the extraordinary traits of character which his youthful Guest had revealed, ventured to request Him to reveal a commentary on the Súrih of Va’l-‘Asr. His request was readily granted. Calling for pen and paper, the Báb, with astonishing rapidity and without the least premeditation, began to reveal, in the presence of His host, a most illuminating interpretation of the aforementioned Súrih. It was nearing midnight when the Báb found Himself engaged in the exposition of the manifold implications involved in the first letter of that Súrih. That letter, the letter ‘váv’ upon which Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá’í had already laid such emphasis in his writings, symbolised for the Báb the advent of a new cycle of Divine Revelation, and has since been alluded to by Bahá’u’lláh in the “Kitab-i-Aqdas” in such passages as “the mastery of the Great Reversal” and “the Sign of the Sovereign.” The Báb soon after began to chant, in the presence of His host and his companions, the homily with which He had prefaced His commentary on the Súrih. Those words of power confounded His hearers with wonder. They seemed as if bewitched by the magic of His voice. Instinctively they started to their feet and, together with the Imám-Jum’ih, reverently kissed the hem of His garment. Mullá Muḥammad-Taqíy-i-Haratí, an eminent mujtahid, broke out into a sudden expression of exultation and praise. “Peerless and unique,” he exclaimed, “as are the words which have streamed from this pen, to be able to reveal, within so short a time and in so legible a writing, so great a number of verses as to equal a fourth, nay a third, of the Qur’án, is in itself an achievement such as no mortal, without the intervention of God, could hope to perform. Neither the cleaving of the moon nor the quickening of the pebbles of the sea can compare with so mighty an act.”
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
The Imám-Jum’ih himself had, from the very first night, become so enamoured with Him who was the object of such devotion, that, assuming the functions of an attendant, he undertook to minister to the needs and wants of his beloved Guest. Seizing the ewer from the hand of the chief steward and utterly ignoring the customary dignity of his rank, he proceeded to pour out the water over the hands of the Báb.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
Such were the honours accorded to the Báb in those days that when, on a certain Friday, He was returning from the public bath to the house, a multitude of people were seen eagerly clamouring for the water which He had used for His ablutions. His fervent admirers firmly believed in its unfailng virtue and power to heal their sicknesses and ailments.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
According to Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl (manuscript, p. 66), the name of the Imám-Jum’ih of Isfáhán was Mír Siyyid Muhammad, and his title “Suitánu’l-‘Ulamá’.” “The office of Sadru’s-Sudur, or chief priest of Safaví times, was abolished by Nadir Sháh, and the Imám-Jum’ih of Isfáhán is now the principal ecclesiastical dignitary of Persia.”
- C. R. Markham’s (“A General Sketch of the History of Persia,” p. 365.; Footnotes to chapter 10 of ‘The Dawn-Breakers provided by Shoghi Effendi)
The letter, which He [the Báb] entrusted to Siyyid Kázim, [to be delivered to the governor] was expressive of such courtesy and revealed such exquisite penmanship that the Mu’tamíd was moved to instruct the Sulṭánu’l-‘Ulamá, the Imám-Jum’ih of Isfáhán, the foremost ecclesiastical authority of that province, to receive the Báb in his own home and to accord Him a kindly and generous reception. In addition to his message, the governor sent the Imám-Jum’ih the letter he had received from the Báb. The Sulṭánu’l-‘Ulamá accordingly bade his own brother, whose savage cruelty in later years earned him the appellation of Raqsha’ from Bahá’u’lláh, to proceed with a number of his favourite companions to meet and escort the expected Visitor to the gate of the city. As the Báb approached, the Imám-Jum’ih went out to welcome Him in person, and conducted Him ceremoniously to his house
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
- C. R. Markham’s (“A General Sketch of the History of Persia,” p. 487: Footnotes to chapter 10 of ‘The Dawn-Breakers provided by Shoghi Effendi)
As He [the Báb] approached the outskirts of the city, He wrote a letter to the governor of the province, Manúchihr Khán, the Mu’tamídu’d-Dawlih, in which He requested him to signify his wish as to the place where He could dwell.
- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, chapter 10)
