|
CHAPTER XIII: THE BÁB’S INCARCERATION IN THE CASTLE OF MÁH-KÚ
|
SIYYID HUSAYN-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 Isfahán? For a period of no less than nine months,
we shall remain confined in the Jabál-i-Basít,
from whence
we shall be transferred to the Jabál-i- Shadíd.
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.”
|
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
244
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.
|
Hájí 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.
He was soon made to realise, however, that he
had gravely mistaken the nature of the Revelation of the
Báb and had underrated the force of its influence. The
turbulent spirits of this unruly people were soon subdued by
the gentle manners of the Báb, and their hearts were softened
245
by the ennobling influence of His love. Their pride was
humbled by His unexampled modesty, and their unreasoning
arrogance mellowed by the wisdom of His words. Such was
the fervour which the Báb had kindled in those hearts that
their first act, every morning, was to seek a place whence
they could catch a glimpse of His face, where they could
commune with Him and beseech His blessings upon their
daily work. In cases of dispute, they would instinctively
hasten to that spot and, with their gaze fixed upon His
prison, would invoke His name and adjure one another to
declare the truth. ‘Alí Khán several times attempted to
induce them to desist from this practice but found himself
powerless to restrain their enthusiasm. He discharged his
functions with the utmost severity and refused to allow any
of the avowed disciples of the Báb to reside, even for one
night, in the town of Máh-Kú.
|
“For the first two weeks,” Siyyid Husayn further related,
“no one was permitted to visit the Báb. My brother and I
alone were admitted to His presence. Siyyid Hasan would,
every day, accompanied by one of the guards, descend to
the town and purchase our daily necessities. Shay kh Hasan-i-Zunúzí,
who had arrived at Máh-Kú, spent the nights in a
masjid outside the gate of the town. He acted as an intermediary
between those of the followers of the Báb who
occasionally visited Máh-Kú and Siyyid Hasan, my brother,
who would in turn submit the petitions of the believers to
their Master and would acquaint Shay kh Hasan with His
reply.
246
|
“One day the Báb charged my brother to inform Shay kh
Hasan that He would Himself request ‘Alí Khán to alter
his attitude towards the believers who visited Máh-Kú and
to abandon his severity. ‘Tell him,’ He added, ‘I will to-morrow
instruct the warden to conduct him to this place.’
I was greatly surprised at such a message. How could the
domineering and self-willed ‘Alí Khán, I thought to myself,
be induced to relax the severity of his discipline? Early the
next day, the gate of the castle being still closed, we were
surprised by a sudden knock at the door, knowing full well
that orders had been given that no one was to be admitted
before the hour of sunrise. We recognised the voice of ‘Alí
Khán, who seemed to be expostulating with the guards, one
of whom presently came in and informed me that the warden
of the castle insisted on being allowed admittance into the
presence of the Báb. I conveyed his message and was commanded
to usher him at once into His presence. As I was
stepping out of the door of His antechamber, I found ‘Alí
Khán standing at the threshold in an attitude of complete
submission, his face betraying an expression of unusual humility
and wonder. His self-assertiveness and pride seemed
to have entirely vanished. Humbly and with extreme courtesy,
he returned my salute and begged me to allow him to
enter the presence of the Báb. I conducted him to the room
which my Master occupied. His limbs trembled as he followed
me. An inner agitation which he could not conceal
247
brooded over his face. The Báb arose from His seat and
welcomed him. Bowing reverently, ‘Alí Khán approached
and flung himself at His feet. ‘Deliver me,’ he pleaded, ‘from
my perplexity. I adjure You, by the Prophet of God, Your
illustrious Ancestor, to dissipate my doubts, for their weight
has well-nigh crushed my heart. I was riding through the
wilderness and was approaching the gate of the town, when,
it being the hour of dawn, my eyes suddenly beheld You
standing by the side of the river engaged in offering Your
prayer. With outstretched arms and upraised eyes, You were
invoking the name of God. I stood still and watched You.
I was waiting for You to terminate Your devotions that I
might approach and rebuke You for having ventured to leave
the castle without my leave. In Your communion with God,
You seemed so wrapt in worship that You were utterly forgetful
of Yourself. I quietly approached You; in Your state
of rapture, You remained wholly unaware of my presence.
I was suddenly seized with great fear and recoiled at the
thought of awakening You from Your ecstasy. I decided to
leave You, to proceed to the guards and to reprove them for
their negligent conduct. I soon found out, to my amazement,
that both the outer and inner gates were closed. They were
opened at my request, I was ushered into Your presence, and
now find You, to my wonder, seated before me. I am utterly
confounded. I know not whether my reason has deserted
me.’ The Báb answered and said: ‘What you have witnessed
is true and undeniable. You belittled this Revelation
and have contemptuously disdained its Author. God, the
All-Merciful, desiring not to afflict you with His punishment,
has willed to reveal to your eyes the Truth. By His Divine
interposition, He has instilled into your heart the love of
His chosen One, and caused you to recognise the unconquerable
power of His Faith.’”
|
This marvellous experience completely changed the heart
of ‘Alí Khán. Those words had calmed his agitation and
subdued the fierceness of his animosity. By every means in
his power, he determined to atone for his past behaviour.
‘A poor man, a shay kh, he hastily informed the Báb, “is
yearning to attain Your presence. He lives in a masjid
outside the gate of Máh-Kú. I pray You that I myself be
248
allowed to bring him to this place that he may meet You.
By this act I hope that my evil deeds may be forgiven, that
I may be enabled to wash away the stains of my cruel behaviour
toward Your friends.” His request was granted,
whereupon he went straightway to Shay kh Hasan-i-Zunúzí
and conducted him into the presence of his Master.
|
‘Alí Khán set out, within the limits imposed upon him,
to provide whatever would tend to alleviate the rigour of
the captivity of the Báb. At night the gate of the castle
was still closed; in the daytime, however, those whom the
Báb desired to see were allowed to enter His presence, were
able to converse with Him and to receive His instructions.
|
As He lay confined within the walls of the castle, He devoted
His time to the composition of the Persian Bayán, the
most weighty, the most illuminating and comprehensive of all
His works.
In it He laid down the laws and precepts of
His Dispensation, plainly and emphatically announced the
advent of a subsequent Revelation, and persistently urged
His followers to seek and find “Him whom God would make
manifest,”
warning them lest they allow the mysteries and
allusions in the Bayán to interfere with their recognition of
His Cause.
249
|
I have heard Shay kh Hasan-i-Zunúzí bear witness to the
following: “The voice of the Báb, as He dictated the teachings
and principles of His Faith, could be clearly heard by
those who were dwelling at the foot of the mountain. The
melody of His chanting, the rhythmic flow of the verses
which streamed from His lips caught our ears and penetrated
into our very souls. Mountain and valley re-echoed the
majesty of His voice. Our hearts vibrated in their depths
to the appeal of His utterance.”
250
|
The gradual relaxation of the stern discipline imposed
upon the Báb encouraged an increasing number of His disciples
from the different provinces of Persia to visit Him in
the castle of Máh-Kú. An unceasing stream of eager and
devout pilgrims was directed to its gates through the gentleness
and leniency of ‘Alí Khán.
After a stay of three days,
they would invariably be dismissed by the Báb, with instructions
to return to their respective fields of service and to
resume their labours for the consolidation of His Faith. ‘Alí
251
Khán himself never failed to pay his respects to the Báb
each Friday, and to assure Him of his unswerving loyalty
and devotion. He often presented Him with the rarest and
choicest fruit available in the neighbourhood of Máh-Kú,
and would continually offer Him such delicacies as he thought
would prove agreeable to His taste and liking.
|
In this manner the Báb spent the summer and autumn
within the walls of that castle. A winter followed of such
252
exceptional severity that even the copper implements were
affected by the intensity of the cold. The beginning of that
season coincided with the month of Muharram of the year
1264 A.H.
The water which the Báb used for His ablutions
was of such icy coldness that its drops glistened as they froze
upon His face. He would invariably, after the termination
of each prayer, summon Siyyid Husayn to His presence and
would request him to read aloud to Him a passage from the
Muhriqu’l-Qulub, a work composed by the late Hájí Mullá
Mihdí, the great-grandfather of Hájí Mírzá Kamálu’d-Dín-i-Naráqí,
in which the author extols the virtues, laments the
death, and narrates the circumstances of the martyrdom of
the Imám Husayn. The recital of those sufferings would
provoke intense emotion in the heart of the Báb. His tears
would keep flowing as He listened to the tale of the unutterable
indignities heaped upon him, and of the agonising pain
which he was made to suffer at the hands of a perfidious
enemy. As the circumstances of that tragic life were unfolded
before Him, the Báb was continually reminded of that
still greater tragedy which was destined to signalise the advent
of the promised Husayn. To Him those past atrocities
were but a symbol which foreshadowed the bitter afflictions
which His own beloved Husayn was soon to suffer at the
hands of His countrymen. He wept as He pictured in His
mind those calamities which He who was to be made manifest
was predestined to suffer, calamities such as the Imám
Husayn, even in the midst of his agonies, was never made
to endure.
253
|
In one of His writings revealed in the year ’60 A.H., the
Báb declares the following: “The spirit of prayer which animates
My soul is the direct consequence of a dream which
I had in the year before the declaration of My Mission. In
My vision I saw the head of the Imám Husayn, the Siyyidu’ sh- Shuhada’,
which was hanging upon a tree. Drops of
blood dripped profusely from His lacerated throat. With
feelings of unsurpassed delight, I approached that tree and,
stretching forth My hands, gathered a few drops of that
sacred blood, and drank them devoutly. When I awoke, I
felt that the Spirit of God had permeated and taken possession
of My soul. My heart was thrilled with the joy of His
Divine presence, and the mysteries of His Revelation were
unfolded before My eyes in all their glory.”
|
No sooner had Muhammad Sháh condemned the Báb to
captivity amid the mountain fastnesses of Á dhirbayján than
he became afflicted with a sudden reverse of fortune, such
as he had never known before and which struck at the very
foundations of his State. Appalling disaster surprised his
forces that were engaged in maintaining internal order
throughout the provinces.
The standard of rebellion was
254
hoisted in Khurásán, and so great was the consternation
provoked by that rising that the projected campaign of the
Sháh to Hirát was immediately abandoned. Hájí Mírzá
Aqásí’s recklessness and prodigality had fanned into flame
the smouldering fires of discontent, had exasperated the
masses and encouraged them to stir up sedition and mischief.
The most turbulent elements in Khurásán that inhabited the
regions of Quchán, Bujnurd, and Shíraván leagued themselves
with the Salar, son of the Asifu’d-Dawlih, the elder
maternal uncle of the Sháh and governor of the province,
and repudiated the authority of the central government.
Whatever forces were despatched from the capital met with
immediate defeat at the hands of the chief instigators of the
rebellion. Ja’far-Qulí Khán-i-Namdar and Amír Arslán Khán,
son of the Salar, who conducted the operations against the
forces of the Sháh, displayed the utmost cruelty and, having
repulsed the attacks of the enemy, mercilessly put their
captives to death.
|
Mullá Husayn was at that time residing at Ma shhad,
and was endeavouring, despite the tumult which that revolt
had occasioned, to spread the knowledge of the new Revelation.
No sooner had he discovered that the Salar, in his
desire to extend the scope of the rebellion, had determined
to approach him and obtain his support, than he promptly
decided to leave the city in order to avoid implicating himself
255
self in the plots of that proud and rebellious chief. In the
dead of night, with only Qambar-‘Alí as his attendant, he
proceeded on foot in the direction of Tihrán, from which
place he was determined to visit Á dhirbayján, where he
hoped to meet the Báb. His friends, when they learned of
the manner of his departure, immediately provided whatever
would be conducive to the comforts of his long and arduous
journey and hastened to overtake him. Mullá Husayn declined
their help. “I have vowed,” he said, “to walk the
whole distance that separates me from my Beloved. I shall
not relax in my resolve until I shall have reached my destination.”
He even tried to induce Qambar-‘Alí to return
to Ma shhad, but was finally obliged to yield to his entreaty
to allow him to act as his servant throughout his pilgrimage to
Á dhirbayján.
|
On his way to Tihrán, Mullá Husayn was enthusiastically
greeted by the believers in the different towns through which
he passed. They addressed to him the same request and
received from him the same reply. I have heard the following
testimony from the lips of Áqáy-i-Kalím: “When Mullá
Husayn arrived at Tihrán, I, together with a large number
of believers, went to visit him. He seemed to us the very
embodiment of constancy, of piety and virtue. He inspired
us with his rectitude of conduct and passionate loyalty.
Such were the force of his character and the ardour of his
faith that we felt convinced that he, unaided and alone,
would be capable of achieving the triumph of the Faith of
God.” He was, with secrecy, ushered into the presence of
Bahá’u’lláh, and, soon after his interview, proceeded to
Á dhirbayján.
|
The night before his arrival at Máh-Kú, which was the
eve of the fourth Naw-Rúz after the declaration of the
256
Mission of the Báb, and which fell in that year, the year
1264 A.H.,
on the thirteenth of the month of Rabí’u’ th- Thání,
‘Alí Khán dreamed a dream. “In my sleep,” he
thus relates his story, “I was startled by the sudden intelligence
that Muhammad, the Prophet of God, was soon to
arrive at Máh-Kú, that He was to proceed directly to the
castle in order to visit the Báb and to offer Him His congratulations
on the advent of the Naw-Rúz festival. In my
dream, I ran out to meet Him, eager to extend to so holy a
Visitor the expression of my humble welcome. In a state
of indescribable gladness, I hastened on foot in the direction
of the river, and as I reached the bridge, which lay at a
distance of a maydán
from the town of Máh-Kú, I saw two
men advancing towards me. I thought one of them to be
the Prophet Himself, while the other who walked behind
Him I supposed to be one of His distinguished companions.
I hastened to throw myself at His feet, and was bending to
kiss the hem of His robe, when I suddenly awoke. A great
joy had flooded my soul. I felt as if Paradise itself, with all
its delights, had been crowded into my heart. Convinced of
the reality of my vision, I performed my ablutions, offered
my prayer, arrayed myself in my richest attire, anointed
myself with perfume, and proceeded to the spot where, the
night before in my dream, I had gazed upon the countenance
of the Prophet. I had instructed my attendants to saddle
three of my best and swiftest steeds and to conduct them
immediately to the bridge. The sun had just risen when,
alone and unescorted, I walked out of the town of Máh-Kú
in the direction of the river. As I approached the bridge, I
discovered, with a throb of wonder, the two men whom I
had seen in my dream walking one behind the other, and
advancing towards me. Instinctively I fell at the feet of
the one whom I believed to be the Prophet, and devoutly
kissed them. I begged Him and His companion to mount
the horses which I had prepared for their entry into Máh-Kú.
‘Nay,’ was His reply, ‘I have vowed to accomplish the whole
of my journey on foot. I will walk to the summit of this
mountain and will there visit your Prisoner.’”
|
This strange experience of ‘Alí Khán brought about a
257
deepening of reverence in his attitude towards the Báb. His
faith in the potency of His Revelation became even greater,
and his devotion to Him was vastly increased. In an attitude
of humble surrender, he followed Mullá Husayn until
they reached the gate of the castle. As soon as the eyes of
Mullá Husayn fell upon the countenance of his Master, who
was seen standing at the threshold of the gate, he halted
instantly and, bowing low before Him, stood motionless by
His side. The Báb stretched forth His arms and affectionately
embraced him. Taking him by the hand, He conducted
him to His chamber. He then summoned His friends into
His presence and celebrated in their company the feast of
Naw-Rúz. Dishes of sweetmeats and of the choicest fruits
had been spread before Him. He distributed them among
His assembled friends, and as He offered some of the quinces
and apples to Mullá Husayn, He said: “These luscious fruits
have come to us from Milán, the Ard-i-Jannat,
and have
been specially plucked and consecrated to this feast by the
Ismu’lláhu’l-Fatiq, Muhammad-Taqí.”
|
Until that time no one of the disciples of the Báb but
Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdí and his brother had been allowed to
spend the night within the castle. That day ‘Alí Khán
went to the Báb and said: “If it be Your desire to retain
258
Mullá Husayn with You this night, I am ready to abide
by Your wish, for I have no will of my own. However long
You desire him to stay with You, I pledge myself to carry
out Your command.” The disciples of the Báb continued
to arrive in increasing numbers at Máh-Kú, and were immediately
and without the least restriction admitted to His
presence.
|
One day, as the Báb, in the company of Mullá Husayn,
was looking out over the landscape of the surrounding country
from the roof of the castle, He gazed towards the west and,
as He saw the Araxes winding its course far away below
Him, turned to Mullá Husayn and said: “That is the river,
and this is the bank thereof, of which the poet Háfiz has
thus written: ‘O zephyr, shouldst thou pass by the banks
of the Araxes, implant a kiss on the earth of that valley and
make fragrant thy breath. Hail, a thousand times hail, to
thee, O abode of Salma! How dear is the voice of thy camel-drivers,
how sweet the jingling of thy bells!’
The days of
your stay in this country are approaching their end. But
for the shortness of your stay, we would have shown you
the ‘abode of Salma,’ even as we have revealed to your eyes
the ‘banks of the Araxes.’” By the “abode of Salma” the
Báb meant the town of Salmas, which is situated in the
neighbourhood of Chihríq and which the Turks designate as
Salmas. Continuing His remarks, the Báb said: “It is the
immediate influence of the Holy Spirit that causes words
such as these to stream from the tongue of poets, the significance
of which they themselves are oftentimes unable to
apprehend. The following verse is also divinely inspired:
‘ Shíráz will be thrown into a tumult; a Youth of sugar-tongue
will appear. I fear lest the breath of His mouth should
agitate and upset Ba ghdád.’ The mystery enshrined
within this verse is now concealed; it will be revealed in the
year after Hin.”
The Báb subsequently quoted this well-known
tradition: “Treasures lie hidden beneath the throne
259
of God; the key to those treasures is the tongue of poets.”
He then, one after the other, related to Mullá Husayn those
events which must needs transpire in the future, and bade
him not to mention them to anyone.
“A few days after
your departure from this place,” the Báb informed him,
“they will transfer Us to another mountain. Ere you arrive
at your destination, the news of Our departure from Máh-Kú
will have reached you.”
|
The prediction which the Báb had uttered was promptly
fulfilled. Those who had been charged to watch secretly
the movements and conduct of ‘Alí Khán submitted to
Hájí Mírzá Aqásí a detailed report in which they expatiated
upon his extreme devotion to his Prisoner and described such
incidents as tended to confirm their statements. “Day and
night,” they wrote him, “the warden of the castle of Máh-Kú
is to be seen associating with his captive in conditions of
unrestrained freedom and friendliness. ‘Alí Khán, who obstinately
refused to wed his daughter with the heir to the
throne of Persia, pleading that such an act would so infuriate
the sunní relatives of his mother that they would unhesitatingly
put him and his daughter to death, now with the keenest
eagerness desires that same daughter to be espoused to the
Báb. The latter has refused, but ‘Alí Khán still persists in
his entreaty. But for the prisoner’s refusal, the nuptials of
the maiden would have been already celebrated.” ‘Alí Khán
had actually made such a request and had even begged Mullá
Husayn to intercede in his behalf with the Báb but had
failed to obtain His consent.
|
These malevolent reports had an immediate influence
upon Hájí Mírzá Aqásí. Fear and resentment again impelled
that capricious minister to issue a peremptory order for the
transference of the Báb to the castle of Chihríq.
|
Twenty days after Naw-Rúz, the Báb bade farewell to
the people of Máh-Kú, who, in the course of His nine months’
captivity, had recognised to a remarkable degree the power
260
of His personality and the greatness of His character. Mullá
Husayn, who had already, at the bidding of the Báb, departed
from Máh-Kú, was still in Tabríz when the news of his
Master’s predicted transference to Chihríq reached him. As
the Báb bade His last farewell to Mullá Husayn, He addressed
him in these words: “You have walked on foot all the way
from your native province to this place. On foot you likewise
must return until you reach your destination; for your
days of horsemanship are yet to come. You are destined
to exhibit such courage, such skill and heroism as shall
eclipse the mightiest deeds of the heroes of old. Your daring
exploits will win the praise and admiration of the dwellers
in the eternal Kingdom. You should visit, on your way, the
believers of Khúy, of Urúmíyyih, of Mará ghih, of Milán, of
Tabríz, of Zanján, of Qazvín, and of Tihrán. To each you
will convey the expression of My love and tender affection.
You will strive to inflame their hearts anew with the fire of
the love of the Beauty of God, and will endeavour to fortify
their faith in His Revelation. From Tihrán you should proceed
to Mázindarán, where God’s hidden treasure will be
made manifest to you. You will be called upon to perform
deeds so great as will dwarf the mightiest achievements of
the past. The nature of your task will, in that place, be
revealed to you, and strength and guidance will be bestowed
upon you that you may be fitted to render your service to
His Cause.”
|
On the morning of the ninth day after Naw-Rúz, Mullá
Husayn set forth, as bidden by his Master, on his journey
to Mázindarán. To Qambar-‘Alí the Báb addressed these
parting words: “The Qambar-‘Alí of a bygone age would
glory in that his namesake has lived to witness a Day for
which even He
who was the Lord of his lord sighed in
vain; of which He, with keen longing, has spoken: ‘Would
that My eyes could behold the faces of My brethren who
have been privileged to attain unto His Day!’”
261
|
|
Back To Reference]