The Chosen Highway/The Azalís in ‘Akká

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THE CHOSEN HIGHWAY

Tue Azacis In ‘AKKA

The high claims of Subh-i-Azal have already been explained and their absurdity shown.

Nevertheless his mischievous intrigues continued to harass the band of exiles in ‘Akka.

Subh-i-Azal, with the few who elected to follow him, was sent to Cyprus when the exiles came to ‘Akka; two or three of the Baha’i friends were ordered to proceed to Cyprus with that party, and three Azalis were told off to live in ‘Akka with the Baha'is. These three, Siyyid Muhammad, Rida-Quli, and Aqa-Jan, continuing the Azali tactics, caused trouble from the first days of danger and difficulty.

The Muhammadan population of ‘Akka, being of the Sunni division of Islam, had no love for the Shi‘ah world, the other chief Muslims. There was a feud between these two communities.

This dislike was seized upon by the Azalis as a great help in their intrigues against the Baha’is.

They, obtaining some Tablets of Baha’u’llah, altered some of the words, entirely perverting the meaning, thereby making it appear to support their accusation that Baha’u’lla4h was a fanatical Shi‘ite and a bitter enemy of the Sunnis.

These enemies posed as devoted Sunnis, telling the already suspicious mullas that ‘“We used to be Babis, but now we are better informed of the truth of religion, we desire to become Sunni Muslims. We are no friends of Baha’u’llah, who is your deadly enemy. These Babis are spies, and are always plotting against the true religion! The pilgrims who come from Persia are in reality fanatic Shi‘ites, for ever working against the Sunnis.”

They, the Azalis, being spies and full of cunning, sometimes were able to lay their hands upon Tablets revealed by Baha’u’llah; for this reason the names of the recipients were often omitted, as formerly in the case of the Bab, to avoid danger to the friends.

Another plan was to watch for pilgrims arriving from Persia;

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they would hasten to give information to the Governor, with lists of false accusations against these innocent, devoted, and very tired Baha’i friends, who would often be arrested, and rigorously treated.

Altogether these Azalis continued to create an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust, as harsh and uncomprehending as unwarrantable.

Several of the devoted Baha’is decided that these stirrers-up of mischief should be silenced.

No more should these traitors bring trouble and persecution and added hardships upon their Beloved One and the friends.

“If these spies and traitors kill us, then we shall have sacrificed our lives to protect the Holy Ones. If we kill them we shall have delivered the Baha’is from their most pernicious enemies. Baha’u’llah will excommunicate us—that is terrible! We shall then have sacrificed our souls! But this evil shall be destroyed! It shall be destroyed!”

In pursuance of their solemn determination they went to the house where the Azalis lived—called upon them to give up their wickedness. They refused.

“Then you must be killed,” sternly said the Baha’is!

There was a fierce fight, and the three Azalis were killed.

The avengers gave themselves up to the authorities, who were full of perplexity, thinking it highly improbable that either Baha’u’ll4h or the Master would instigate such a crime.

But the people caused a great turmoil, being incited by such fanatics as were enemies of the Baha’is.

They were encouraged to believe that it was a case of Sunni versus Shi‘ah, that the Shi‘ites, amongst whom they counted all the exiles, from Baha’u’ll4h down to the humblest of the friends, had conspired to kill three Sunnis, because of their devotion to their religion. The tumult was violent. The people rushed towards Baha’u’llah’s house, yelling with rage!

Baha’u’llah, in a letter to a friend in Persia, tells how one day, sitting in His room in the “little house,” engaged in dictating Tablets to His amanuensis, sounds of a violent commotion were heard.

The Governor, a company of soldiers with drawn swords,

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and a crowd of people shouting and yelling, were outside the house. The Master was in the Biriini (reception room) on the opposite side of the street.

Hearing the turmoil, he came out. The Governor was calling to Baha’u’llah to come down.

With much difficulty the Master got through the crowd, which was growing denser and denser, and said to Baha’u’llah:

“The Governor is summoning you and me to come down to him. I know not why. Something must have happened.”

They were both taken to the Governor’s room at the Court House.

The officials present rose respectfully and conducted them to seats of honour.

The Governor and his officials were excitedly talking together. The former came to Baha’u’llah and the Master, saying:

“You will be more comfortable in another room whilst our consultation takes place.”

They were accordingly conducted into the next room. Here they found a number of the Baha’is, who had also been arrested.

In this room they were detained for five hours.

During this time, a secretary tells us, the dictation of the Tablets, interrupted by the arrest, was continued.

About one o’clock in the morning the friends were taken to the horrible town prison.

At a later date I visited this prison. It is a vault-like, long, low room, very damp, with slime-covered walls and sticky mud floor. There is no light except that coming through the door when it is open, and the glimmer of a small lantern.

Across the end of the door is a stone seat; on this the jailer sat with a brutal scourge of thongs, weighted with lead, in his hand, ready for use on the slightest provocation, for instance, if a prisoner coughed too persistently, or spoke, or complained.

The prisoners, often too numerous to be able to lie down, were herded together in torturing, ghastly, unrestful misery, their chains eating into their flesh, causing excruciating agony as they and those to whom they were chained writhed in their wretchedness upon the filth of the floor—there were no beds. Sometimes a poor fellow, unable to bear his anguish any

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longer, would go mad and shriek out. The jailer would then stride to him, trampling on the bodies of those who were in his path, and ruthlessly beat him till he lay still, or, as often happened, he died. When he, the jailer, felt inclined, he would unchain him from those to whom he was fettered, drag the pitifully bruised and mutilated body to the door, and cast it out into the prison yard.

I cannot describe the expressions on the faces of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the dear Holy Mother, and the daughters of the Master, as they stood in this abode of horror. It was surely one of the most agonizing landmarks of all their memories of the miseries heaped year after year upon their Beloved Ones, Who were spending their lives for that humanity which, unworthy as it was, despised and tortured and scorned Them, and whom these Great Ones loved in spite of all, praying without ceasing for their pardon.

The old man, Aqd4 Husayn-i-Ashchi, who went with us when we visited this prison, was one of those Baha’is who had been imprisoned here at the time of the Azali affair; he was, therefore, well qualified to describe the conditions of the time and place.

Into this evil dungeon the Master was cast, whilst Baha’u’llah was confined in a room on the upper floor.

The next night a telegram arrived from the chief Vali (Governor) of Syria who was in Damascus, ordering that Baha’u’llah should be removed from the prison to an upper room, where He remained for thirty-eight hours.

The Master, all this time, was kept in the horror of the prison in chains!

On the third day Baha’u’llah was again taken to the Court House to be interrogated.

When He came into the assembly, He said:

“You obey your own law, and disregard the Law of God. Why have you not understood?”

The Governor said:

“Will you excuse me if I ask you some questions? We are compelled to do so. Otherwise we should be ourselves reprimanded. What is your name, and from what country do you come?”

Baha’u’llah replied:

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“You will find my description in your records. Read them and you will know who I am.”

“Nay, but we wish that you should tell us your name, and from what country you come.”

“My name is Baha’u’lla4h, and my country is Nur.”

“Why are you gathered together? If it be your wish to find occasion against me whereby to take my life, my desire is as your desire. When I pass a tree, I say ‘Would that thou wert a cross, Oh, tree! and that I were nailed upon thee.’ If only you could understand, I would make you hear the melody of the nightingale, who is chanting on a branch of the tree of the Lord, then would it become manifest to you that Servitude is the Essence of Worship.”

The Governor said:

‘Now we know that the accusation is false, therefore thou shalt be set free to return to thine own house.”

“T should prefer to go back to my prison and abide with my friends until the time of their release.”

“We cannot set them free,”’ said the Governor, “‘because of the turmoil of the people; they must remain yet a few more days.”

Baha’u’llah therefore returned to His house.

But the Master was left in the prison!

To Him, officials came demanding keys, saying:

“We must search the house for weapons.”

The Master said:

“There are ladies there alone; you must take me with you.” They did not object, but took Him through the streets with chains on His neck and on His feet.

He held His ‘abd close, as He went into His mother’s room, that she might not see the chains, but they could not be hidden from her loving eyes; she saw them and wept bitterly.

When no weapons were found, the Master explained to the officials how the tragic occurrence came to take place, and, when they understood, the Master was set free.

The men who had been concerned in the affray were tried by the court and sentenced to varying periods of imprisonment. After a short time further investigations were made; the authorities found out what disturbers of the peace those men,

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the Azalis, were, and what great provocation the prisoners had endured; therefore because of these extenuating circumstances, the length of the sentences was shortened.

Such was the end of the malicious plotting of the Azalis at ‘Akka.

(In another part of her manuscript, Lady Blomfield has the following account of this incident, with the notation: “Told by Tuba Khanum’’; evidently when she visited this prison in company with the ladies of the Family.—Ep.)

When the Master was told, whilst here in this terrible place, that His house was to be searched, He said:

“T will go with you. You may search freely, but I go with you, that the ladies be not frightened.”

The officials seemed too astonished by the authority in His voice to make any objection.

So our Beloved came to us, bearing still those heavy chains. He walked, thus manacled, through the streets of ‘Akka.

When He came to His mother’s room, He hid the chains under His ‘abd, but she and I saw them, and our hearts were so sore that, weeping bitterly, we felt that we could bear no more.

He cheered us, telling us that He would very soon be with us again. He left us, and this is the place to which He returned. His very heart was wounded as He saw the intolerable sufferings of the prisoners. These poor, ignorant children of God! Not a word of His own sufferings, but: “Oh, the prisoners! Surely of all the sorrowful sons of men, the most unhappy, the most

hopeless!””

• * *

How often, in the years that were to come, did the Master intercede for prisoners, obtaining at least some amelioration of their condition; again, as frequently happened, He instituted enquiries which resulted in release or shortening of the sentence, according to the facts elicited by the investigations set on foot by Him. The Master spared Himself no trouble, and rested not day nor night whilst any bope remained for these pitifully helpless victims, as they sometimes proved to be, of ill-organized law administration or of a harsh and ruthless officialdom.

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