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A new version of the Bahá’í Reference Library is now available. This ‘old version’ of the Bahá’í Reference Library will be replaced at a later date.
The new version of the Bahá’i Reference Library can be accessed here »
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Imprisoned as Bábí |
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He had already twice suffered imprisonment for the Cause,
and on one occasion had undergone the torture of the bastinado,
when in August 1852, an event occurred fraught with
terrible consequences for the Bábís. One of the Báb’s followers,
a youth named Ṣádiq, had been so affected by the martyrdom
of his beloved Master, of which he was an eyewitness, that his
mind became deranged, and, in revenge, he waylaid the Sháh
and fired a pistol at him. Instead of using a bullet, however,
he charged his weapon with small shot, and although a few
pellets struck the Sháh, no serious harm was done. The youth
dragged the Sháh from his horse, but was promptly seized by
the attendants of his Majesty and put to death on the spot.
The whole body of Bábís was unjustly held responsible for the
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deed, and frightful massacres ensued. Eighty of them were
forthwith put to death in Ṭihrán with the most revolting
tortures. Many others were seized and put into prisons,
among them being Bahá’u’lláh. He afterwards wrote:—
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By the righteousness of God! We were in no wise
connected with that evil deed, and Our innocence was indisputably
established by the tribunals. Nevertheless,
they apprehended Us, and from Níyávarán, which was
then the residence of His Majesty, conducted Us, on foot
and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the
dungeon of Ṭihrán. A brutal man, accompanying Us on
horseback, snatched off Our hat, whilst We were being
hurried along by a troop of executioners and officials. We
were consigned for four months to a place foul beyond
comparison. As to the dungeon in which this Wronged
One and other similarly wronged were confined, a dark
and narrow pit were preferable. Upon Our arrival We
were first conducted along a pitch-black corridor, from
whence We descended three steep flights of stairs to the
place of confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was
wrapped in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered
nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins
and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet
than the passage by which We entered. No pen can
depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome
smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding
to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most
foul-smelling and gloomy place!
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Day and night, while confined in that dungeon, We
meditated upon the deeds, the condition, and the conduct
of the Bábís, wondering what could have led a
people so high-minded, so noble, and of such intelligence,
to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act
against the person of His Majesty. This Wronged One,
thereupon, decided to arise, after His release from prison,
and undertake, with the utmost vigor, the task of regenerating
this people.
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One night, in a dream these exalted words were heard
on every side: “Verily, We shall render Thee victorious
by Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that
which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for
Thou art in safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures
of the earth—men who will aid Thee through Thyself
and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived
the hearts of such as have recognized Him.”—Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf, pp. 20–21.
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