Persian prime minister’s intent for sending the Báb to Máh-Kú

Háji Mírzá Aqásí had deliberately contrived to relegate the Báb to so remote, so inhospitable and dangerously situated a corner of the territory of the Sháh, with the sole purpose of stemming the tide of His rising influence and of severing every tie that bound Him to the body of His disciples throughout the country. Confident that few, if any, would venture to penetrate that wild and turbulent region, occupied by so rebellious a people, he fondly imagined that this forced seclusion of his Captive from the pursuits and interests of His followers would gradually tend to stifle the Movement at its very birth and would lead to its final extinction. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 13)  

The Báb’s reference to the inhabitants of Máh-Kú

“He dwells in a mountain of which the inhabitants could not even pronounce the name ‘Jannat’ (Paradise) which is an Arabic word; how then could they understand its meaning? Imagine then what can happen in the matter of the essential truths!” 

- The Báb  (“Le Bayán Persan,” translated by A. L. M. Nicolas, vol. 4, p. 14; Footnotes to chapter 13 provided by Shoghi Effendi)

Description of castle of Máh-Kú, its strategic location, and the sunni population of the town of Máh-Kú

The castle, a solid, four-towered stone edifice, occupies the summit of a mountain at the foot of which lies the town of Máh-Kú. The only road that leads from it passes into that town, ending at a gate which adjoins the seat of government and is invariably kept closed. This gate is distinct from that of the castle itself. Situated on the confines of both the Ottoman and Russian empires, this castle has been used, in view of its commanding position and strategic advantages, as a centre for reconnoitring purposes. The officer in charge of that station observed, in time of war, the movements of the enemy, surveyed the surrounding regions, and reported to his government such cases of emergency as came under his observation. The castle is bounded on the west by the river Araxes, which marks the frontier between the territory of the Sháh and the Russian empire. To the south extends the territory of the Sultán of Turkey; the frontier town of Báyazíd being at a distance of only four farsangs  from the mountain of Máh-Kú. The frontier officer, in charge of the castle, was a man named ‘Alí Khán. The residents of the town are all Kurds and belong to the sunní sect of Islám. The shí’ahs, who constitute the vast majority of the inhabitants of Persia, have always been their avowed and bitter enemies. These Kurds particularly abhor the siyyids of the shí’ah denomination, whom they regard as the spiritual leaders and chief agitators among their opponents. ‘Alí Khán’s mother being a Kurd, the son was held in great esteem and was implicitly obeyed by the people of Máh-Kú. They regarded him as a member of their own community and placed the utmost confidence in him. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 13)

The Báb told His companion (one of the Letters of the Living) what was going to happen to Him after Tabriz

Siyyid Husay-i-Yazdí has been heard to relate the following: “During the first ten days of the Báb’s incarceration in Tabríz, no one knew what would next befall Him. The wildest conjectures were current in the city. One day I ventured to ask Him whether He would continue to remain where He was or would be transferred to still another place. ‘Have you forgotten,’ was His immediate reply, ‘the question you asked me in Isfáhán? For a period of no less than nine months, we shall remain confined in the Jabál-i-Basít, [Literally “the Open Mountain,” allusion to Máh-Kú. The numerical value of “Jabál-i-Basít equivalent to that of “Máh-Kú.”] from whence we shall be transferred to the Jabál-i-Shadíd. [Literally “the Grievous Mountain,” allusion to Chihríg. The numerical value of “Jabál-i-Shadíd” is equivalent to that of “Chihríg.”] Both these places are among the mountains of Khúy and are situated on either side of the town bearing that name.’ Five days after the Báb had uttered this prediction, orders were issued to transfer Him and me to the castle of Máh-Kú and to deliver us into the custody of ‘Alí Khán-i-Máh-Kú’í.” 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 13)

The Báb’s prison room in Tabriz

The Báb was imprisoned in Tabriz in 1848 in this now (1953) crumbling prison room of the old brick Citadel (Ark). 

(The Baha'i World 1950-1954)

circa 1930s: The citadel of Tabríz where the Báb was confined

(Baha'i Media Bank)

The amazing circumstances through which a noted Bábí merchant in Tabriz was able to visit the Báb seven time when He was under house arrest - and - Mulla Husayn’s earlier prediction

On the day after the Báb’s arrival, Hájí Muhammad-Taqíy-i-Milání, a noted merchant of the city, ventured, together with Hájí ‘Alí-‘Askar, to interview the Báb. They were warned by their friends and well-wishers that by such an attempt they would not only be risking the loss of their possessions but would also be endangering their lives. They refused, however, to heed such counsels. As they approached the door of the house in which the Báb was confined, they were immediately arrested. Siyyid Hasan, who at that moment was coming out from the presence of the Báb, instantly intervened. “I am commanded by the Siyyid-i-Báb,” he vehemently protested, “to convey to you this message: ‘Suffer these visitors to enter, inasmuch as I Myself have invited them to meet Me.’” I have heard Ḥájí ‘Alí-‘Askar testify to the following: “This message immediately silenced the opposers. We were straightway ushered into His presence. He greeted us with these words: ‘These miserable wretches who watch at the gate of My house have been destined by Me as a protection against the inrush of the multitude who throng around the house. They are powerless to prevent those whom I desire to meet from attaining My presence.’ For about two hours, we tarried with Him. As He dismissed us, He entrusted me with two cornelian ringstones, instructing me to have carved on them the two verses which He had previously given to me; to have them mounted and brought to Him as soon as they were ready. He assured us that at whatever time we desired to meet Him, no one would hinder our admittance to His presence. Several times I ventured to go to Him in order to ascertain His wish regarding certain details connected with the commission with which He had entrusted me. Not once did I encounter the slightest opposition on the part of those who were guarding the entrance of His house. Not one offensive word did they utter against me, nor did they seem to expect the slightest remuneration for their indulgence. 

It was reported that there were numerous Bábís in Tabríz before the arrival of the Báb

“The success of this energetic man, Mullá Yúsúf-i-Ardibílí, [a Bábí travel teacher] was so great and so swift that, at the very gates of Tauris (Tabríz), the inhabitants of this populous village acknowledged him as their leader and took the name of Bábí’s. Needless to say that, in the town itself, the Bábí’s were quite numerous, even though the government was taking steps to convict the Báb, to punish him and thereby justify itself in the eyes of the people.” 

(Journal Asiatique, 1866, tome 7, pp. 357–358; Footnotes to chapter 12 provided by Shoghi Effendi)

The arrival of the Báb in Tabríz caused a significant stir provoking a warning from the government

The circumstances of His arrival had stirred the people in Tabríz profoundly. A tumultuous concourse of people had gathered to witness His entry into the city.  Some were impelled by curiosity, others were earnestly desirous of ascertaining the veracity of the wild reports that were current about Him, and still others were moved by their faith and devotion to attain His presence and to assure Him of their loyalty. As He walked along the streets, the acclamations of the multitude resounded on every side. The great majority of the people who beheld His face greeted Him with the shout of “Alláh-u-Akbar,” [God is the Most Great] others loudly glorified and cheered Him, a few invoked upon Him the blessings of the Almighty, others were seen to kiss reverently the dust of His footsteps. Such was the clamour which His arrival had raised that a crier was ordered to warn the populace of the danger that awaited those who ventured to seek His presence. “Whosoever shall make any attempt to approach the Siyyid-i-Báb,” went forth the cry, “or seek to meet him, all his possessions shall forthwith be seized and he himself condemned to perpetual imprisonment.” 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

The Báb “remained forty days in Tabríz”

According to “A Traveller’s Narrative” (p. 16), the Báb remained forty days in Tabríz. According to Hájí Mu’inu’s-Saltanih’s manuscript (p. 138), the Báb spent the first night, on His arrival in Tabríz, in the home of Muhammad Big. From there He was transferred to a room in the Citadel (the Ark) which adjoined the Masjid-i-‘Alí Sháh. 

Footnotes to chapter 12 provided by Shoghi Effendi)

A detachment of soldiers stood guard at the entrance of one of the chief houses in Tabríz which had been reserved for the Báb’s confinement

When the Báb arrived at Tabríz, He was conducted to one of the chief houses in that city, which had been reserved for His confinement. A detachment of the Násirí regiment stood guard at the entrance of His house. With the exception of Siyyid Ḥusayn and his brother, neither the public nor His followers were allowed to meet Him. This same regiment, which had been recruited from among the inhabitants of Khamsíh, and upon which special honours had been conferred, was subsequently chosen to discharge the volley that caused His death. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

A youth from Tabriz was the only believer that “succeeded in offering his homage to the Báb and in being blessed by the touch of His hand” as the Báb accompanied by mounted escort approached the city of Tabriz

The news of the approaching arrival of the Báb at Tabríz bestirred the believers in that city. They all set out to meet Him, eager to extend to so beloved a Leader their welcome. The officials of the government into whose custody the Báb was to be delivered refused to allow them to draw near and to receive His blessings. One youth, however, unable to restrain himself, rushed forth barefooted, through the gate of the city, and, in his impatience to gaze upon the face of his Beloved, ran out a distance of half a farsang (about 1.5 miles) towards Him. As he approached the horsemen who were marching in advance of the Báb, he joyously welcomed them and, seizing the hem of the garment of one among them, devoutly kissed his stirrups. “Ye are the companions of my Well-Beloved,” he tearfully exclaimed. “I cherish you as the apple of my eye.” His extraordinary behaviour, the intensity of his emotion, amazed them. They immediately granted him his request to attain the presence of his Master. As soon as his eyes fell upon Him, a cry of exultation broke from his lips. He fell upon his face and wept profusely. The Báb dismounted from His horse, put His arms around him, wiped away his tears, and soothed the agitation of his heart. Of all the believers of Tabríz, that youth alone succeeded in offering his homage to the Báb and in being blessed by the touch of His hand. All the others had perforce to content themselves with a distant glimpse of their Beloved, and with that view sought to satisfy their longing. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

City of Tabriz, circa 1930s

(The Dawn-Breakers)

‘Alí-Akbar Big, the son of Muhammad Big, the leader of the mounted escort that accompanied the Báb from Isfahan to Tabriz became a fervent believer in the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh

Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl states in his writings that he himself, while in Tihrán, met the son of Muhammad Big, and heard him recount the remarkable experiences his father had had in the course of his journey to Tabríz in the company of the Báb. ‘Alí-Akbar Big was a fervent believer in the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and was known as such by the Bahá’ís of Persia. 

(Footnotes to chapter 12 provided by Shoghi Effendi)

An amazingly touching and heartwarming scene: - The Báb’s mounted escort saying their last farewell to their Prisoner

Approaching the gate of Tabríz, Muhammad Big, feeling that the hour of his separation from his Prisoner was at hand, besought His presence and with tearful eyes begged Him to overlook his shortcomings and transgressions. “The journey from Isfáhán,” he said, “has been long and arduous. I have failed to do my duty and to serve You as I ought. I crave Your forgiveness, and pray You to vouchsafe me Your blessings.” “Be assured,” the Báb replied, “I account you a member of My fold. They who embrace My Cause will eternally bless and glorify you, will extol your conduct and exalt your name.”  The rest of the guards followed the example of their chief, implored the blessings of their Prisoner, kissed His feet, and with tears in their eyes bade Him a last farewell. To each the Báb expressed His appreciation of his devoted attentions and assured him of His prayers in his behalf. Reluctantly they delivered Him into the hands of the governor of Tabríz, the heir to the throne of Muhammad Sháh. To those with whom they were subsequently brought in contact, these devoted attendants of the Báb and eye-witnesses of His superhuman wisdom and power, recounted with awe and admiration the tale of those wonders which they had seen and heard, and by this means helped to diffuse in their own way the knowledge of the new Revelation. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

Muhammad Big, the leader of the mounted escort that accompanied the Báb from Isfahan to Tabriz, related a healing miracle by the Báb

In the “Taríkh-i-Jadíd,” Muhammad Big is reported to have related the following account to Hájí Mírzá Jání: 

“So we mounted and rode on till we came to a brick caravanserai distant two parsangs from the city. Thence we proceeded to Milán, where many of the inhabitants came to see His Holiness, and were filled with wonder at the majesty and dignity of that Lord of mankind. In the morning, as we were setting out from Milán, an old woman brought a scald-headed child, whose head was so covered with scabs that it was white down to the neck, and entreated His Holiness to heal him. The guards would have forbidden her but His Holiness prevented them, and called the child to Him. Then He drew a handkerchief over its head and repeated certain words; which he had no sooner done than the child was healed. And in that place about two hundred persons believed and underwent a true and sincere conversion.” 

(Pp. 222–21.; Footnotes to chapter 12 provided by Shoghi Effendi)

A number of believers from Zanján, Qazvín and Tihrán attempted to rescue the Báb when the He was near the city of Qazvín – the Báb “lovingly advised them to abandon their project and return to their homes”

One of them [a number of the believers of Qazvín] was Mullá Iskandar, who had been delegated by Hujjat to visit the Báb in Shíráz, and to investigate His Cause. The Báb commissioned him to deliver the following message to Sulaymán Khán-i-Afshar, who was a great admirer of the late Siyyid Kázim: “He whose virtues the late siyyid unceasingly extolled, and to the approach of whose Revelation he continually alluded, is now revealed. I am that promised One. Arise and deliver Me from the hand of the oppressor.” When the Báb entrusted this message to Mullá Iskandar, Sulaymán Khán was in Zanján and was preparing to leave for Tihrán. Within the space of three days, that message reached him. He failed, however, to respond to that appeal. 

Two days later, a friend of Mullá Iskandar had acquainted Hujjat, who, at the instigation of the ‘ulamás of Zanján, had been incarcerated in the capital, with the appeal of the Báb. Hujjat immediately instructed the believers of his native city to undertake whatever preparations were required and to collect the necessary forces to achieve the deliverance of their Master. He urged them to proceed with caution and to attempt, at an appropriate moment, to seize and carry Him away to whatever place He might desire. These were shortly joined by a number of believers from Qazvín and Tihrán, who set out, according to the directions of Hujjat, to execute the plan. They overtook the guards at the hour of midnight and, finding them fast asleep, approached the Báb and begged Him to flee. “The mountains of Ádhirbayján too have their claims,” was His confident reply as He lovingly advised them to abandon their project and return to their homes. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

“In the course of that journey, He [the Báb] is reported to have revealed several Tablets addressed to the leading ‘ulamás in Qazvín”

According to Samandar (manuscript, pp. 45), the Báb tarried in the village of Síyáh-Dihán, in the neighbourhood of Qazvín, on His way to Ádhirbayján. In the course of that journey, He is reported to have revealed several Tablets addressed to the leading ‘ulamás in Qazvín among whom were the following: Hájí Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb, Hájí Mullá Sáliḥ, Hájí Mullá Taqí, and Ḥájí Siyyid Taqí. These Tablets were conveyed to their recipients through Ḥájí Mullá Aḥmad-i-Ibdal. Several believers, among whom were the two sons of Hájí Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb were able to meet the Báb during the night He spent in that village. It is from this village that the Báb is reported to have addressed His epistle to Hájí Mírzá Aqásí. 

(Footnotes to chapter 12 provided by Shoghi Effendi)

The Báb ““wrote a letter, in the course of the journey, to the Prime Minister”

According to “A Traveller’s Narrative” (p. 16), the Báb “wrote a letter, in the course of the journey, to the Prime Minister, saying: ‘You summoned me from Isfáhán to meet the doctors and for the attainment of a decisive settlement. What has happened now that this excellent intention has been changed for Máh-Kúh and Tabríz?’” 

(Footnotes to chapter 12 provided by Shoghi Effendi)

The Báb proceeded to Tabriz accompanied by two of His followers

The Báb was accordingly ordered to proceed to Tabríz.  The same escort, under the command of Muḥammad Big, attended Him on His journey to the northwestern province of Ádhirbayján. He was allowed to select one companion and one attendant from among His followers to be with Him during His sojourn in that province. He selected Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdí and Siyyid Hasan, his brother. He refused to expend on Himself the funds provided by the government for the expense of that journey. All the allowances that were given by the State He bestowed upon the poor and needy, and devoted to His own private needs the money which He, as a merchant, had earned in Búshihr and Shíráz. As orders had been given to avoid entering the towns in the course of the journey to Tabríz, a number of the believers of Qazvín, informed of the approach of their beloved Leader, set out for the village of Síyáh-Dihán and were there able to meet Him. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

Reasons that prompted Hájí Mírzá Aqásí not to allow the Báb to go to Tihran

According to Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl, Hájí Mírzá Aqásí sought, by his reference to the rebellion of Muhammad Hasan Khán, the Salar, in Khurásán, and the revolt of Áqá Khán-i-Isma’ílí, in Kirmán, to induce the sovereign to abandon the project of summoning the Báb to the capital, and to send Him instead to the remote province of Ádhirbayján.

Fearing that the presence of the Báb in Tihrán would occasion new disturbances (there were plenty of them due to his whims and his poor administration), he altered his plans and the escort, charged to take the Báb from Isfáhán to Tihrán, received, when about thirty kilometers from the city, the order to take the prisoner directly to Máh-Kú. This town, in the mind of the prime minister, would offer nothing to the impostor because its inhabitants, out of gratitude for the favors and protection they had received from him, would take steps to suppress any disturbances which might break out.” (Journal Asiatique, 1866, tome 7, p. 356.)

(Footnotes to chapter 12 of The Dawn-Breakers provided by Shoghi Effendi)

Additional historical information about Hájí Mírzá Aqásí by European diplomats in Persia

Gobineau writes regarding his fall: “Hájí Mírzá Aqásí, robbed of the power which he had constantly ridiculed, had retired to Karbilá and he spent his remaining days playing tricks on the Mullás and scoffing even at the holy martyrs.” (“Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l’Asie Centrale,” p. 160.) 

“This shrewd man had gained such power over the late Sháh that one could truly say that the minister was the real sovereign; he could not therefore survive the loss of his good fortune. At the death of Muhammad Sháh, he had disappeared and had gone to Karbilá where, under the protection of the sainted Imám, even a state criminal could find an inviolable asylum. He was soon overcome by gnawing grief which, more than his remorse; shortened his life.” (Journal Asiatique, 1866, tome 7, pp. 367–36; Footnotes to chapter 12 of The Dawn-Breakers provided by Shoghi Effendi)

“Hájí Mírzá Aqásí, the half crazy old Prime Minister, had the whole administration in his hands, and obtained complete control over the Sháh. The misgovernment of the country grew worse and worse, while the people starved, and cursed the Qájár dynasty.... The condition of the province was deplorable and every man with any pretension to talent or patriotism was driven into exile by the old haji, who was sedulously collecting wealth for himself at Tihrán, at the expense of the wretched country. The governorships of provinces were sold to the highest bidders, who oppressed the people in a fearful manner.” (C. R. Markham’s “A General Sketch of the History of Persia,” pp. 486–7; Footnotes to chapter 12 of The Dawn-Breakers provided by Shoghi Effendi)

“The state of Persia, however, was not satisfactory; for Hájí Mírzá Aqásí, who had been its virtual ruler for thirteen years, ‘was utterly ignorant of statesmanship or of military science, yet too vain to receive instruction and too jealous to admit of a coadjutor; brutal in his language; insolent in his demeanour; indolent in his habits; he brought the exchequer to the verge of bankruptcy and the country to the brink of revolution. The pay of the army was generally from three to five years in arrears. ‘The cavalry of the tribes was a almost annihilated.’ Such—to adopt the weighty words of Rawlinson—was the condition of Persia in the middle of the nineteenth century.” (P. M. Sykes’ “A History of Persia,” vol. 2, pp. 439–40; Footnotes to chapter 12 of The Dawn-Breakers provided by Shoghi Effendi)

The fall of Hájí Mírzá Aqásí “two years after he had issued his decree condemning the Báb to a cruel incarceration in the inhospitable mountains of Ádhirbayján”

The numerous properties which he forcibly seized from the humble and law-abiding subjects of the Sháh, the costly furnitures with which he embellished them, the vast expenditures of labour and treasure which he ordered for their improvement—all were irretrievably lost two years after he had issued his decree condemning the Báb to a cruel incarceration in the inhospitable mountains of Ádhirbayján. All his possessions were confiscated by the State. He himself was disgraced by his sovereign, was ignominiously expelled from Tihrán, and fell a prey to disease and poverty. Bereft of hope and sunk in misery, he languished in Karbilá until the hour of his death.  

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

By “his incessant intrigues” Hájí Mírzá Aqásí withheld “from his king and country the incomparable benefits of a Divine Revelation which alone had the power to deliver the land from the appalling state of degradation into which it had fallen”

How stupendous was his mistake, how grievous his blunder! Little did he realise, at that moment, that by his incessant intrigues he was withholding from his king and country the incomparable benefits of a Divine Revelation which alone had the power to deliver the land from the appalling state of degradation into which it had fallen. By his act that short-sighted minister did not only withhold from Muhammad Sháh the supreme instrument with which he could have rehabilitated a fast-declining empire, but also deprived him of that spiritual Agency which could have enabled him to establish his undisputed ascendancy over the peoples and nations of the earth. By his folly, his extravagance and perfidious counsels, he undermined the foundations of the State, lowered its prestige, sapped the loyalty of his subjects, and plunged them into an abyss of misery. Incapable of being admonished by the example of his predecessors, he contemptuously ignored the demands and interests of the people, pursued, with unremitting zeal, his designs for personal aggrandisement, and by his profligacy and extravagance involved his country in ruinous wars with its neighbours. Sa’d-i-Ma’adh, who was neither of royal blood nor invested with authority, attained, through the uprightness of his conduct and his unsparing devotion to the Cause of Muhammad, so exalted a station that to the present day the chiefs and rulers of Islám have continued to reverence his memory and to praise his virtues; whereas Buzurg-Mihr, the ablest, the wisest and most experienced administrator among the vazírs of Nushiravan-i-’Adil, in spite of his commanding position, eventually was publicly disgraced, was thrown into a pit, and became the object of the contempt and the ridicule of the people. He bewailed his plight and wept so bitterly that he finally lost his sight. Neither the example of the former nor the fate of the latter seemed to have awakened that self-confident minister to the perils of his own position. He persisted in his thoughts until he too forfeited his rank, lost his riches,  and sank into abasement and shame. 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers, chapter 12)

Additional reasons that caused Hájí Mírzá Aqásí not to allow the Báb to come to Tihran

According to Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl, Hájí Mírzá Aqásí sought, by his reference to the rebellion of Muhammad Ḥasan Khán, the Salar, in Khurásán, and the revolt of Áqá Khán-i-Isma’ílí, in Kirmán, to induce the sovereign to abandon the project of summoning the Báb to the capital, and to send Him instead to the remote province of Ádhirbayján. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Footnotes to chapter 12 of 'The Dawn-Breakers')