The Chosen Highway/The Azalís in ‘Akká

The Chosen Highway by Lady Blomfield

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[Page 250]

THE AZALÍS IN 'AKKÁ

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

Nevertheless his mischievous intrigues continued to harass the band of exiles in 'Akká.

Subh-i-Azal, with the few who elected to follow him, was sent to Cyprus when the exiles came to 'Akká; two or three of the Bahá’í friends were ordered to proceed to Cyprus with that party, and three Azalís were told off to live in 'Akká with the Bahá’ís. These three, Siyyid Muḥammad, Riḍá-Qulí, and Aqá-Ján, continuing the Azalí tactics, caused trouble from the first days of danger and difficulty.

The Muḥammadan population of 'Akká, being of the Sunní division of Islám, 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 Azalís as a great help in their intrigues against the Bahá’ís.

They, obtaining some Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, altered some of the words, entirely perverting the meaning, thereby making it appear to support their accusation that Bahá’u’lláh was a fanatical Shi'ite and a bitter enemy of the Sunnís.

These enemies posed as devoted Sunnís, telling the already suspicious mullás that "We used to be Bábís, but now we are better informed of the truth of religion, we desire to become Sunní Muslims. We are no friends of Bahá’u’lláh, who is your deadly enemy. These Bábís are spies, and are always plotting against the true religion! The pilgrims who come from Persia are in reality fanatic Shí'ites, for ever working against the Sunnís."

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

Another plan was to watch for pilgrims arriving from Persia; [Page 251]

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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 Bahá’í friends, who would often be arrested, and rigorously treated.

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

Several of the devoted Bahá’ís 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 Bahá’ís from their most pernicious enemies. Bahá’u’lláh 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 Azalís lived-called upon them to give up their wickedness. They refused. "Then you must be killed," sternly said the Bahá’ís!

There was a fierce fight, and the three Azalís were killed. The avengers gave themselves up to the authorities, who were full of perplexity, thinking it highly improbable that either Bahá’u’lláh 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 Bahá’ís. They were encouraged to believe that it was a case of Sunní versus Shi’ah, that the Shi’ites, amongst whom they counted all the exiles, from Bahá’u’lláh down to the humblest of the friends, had conspired to kill three Sunnís, because of their devotion to their religion. The tumult was violent. The people rushed towards Bahá’u’lláh’s house, yelling with rage!

Bahá’u’lláh, 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, [Page 252] and a crowd of people shouting and yelling, were outside the house. The Master was in the Bírúní (reception room) on the opposite side of the street.

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

With much difficulty the Master got through the crowd, which was growing denser and denser, and said to Bahá’u’lláh: "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 Bahá’u’lláh 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 Bahá’ís, 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 [Page 253]

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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, Aqá Husayn-i-Ashchí, who went with us when we visited this prison, was one of those Bahá’ís who had been imprisoned here at the time of the Azalí affair; he was, therefore, well qualified to describe the conditions of the time and place.

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

The next night a telegram arrived from the chief Válí (Governor) of Syria who was in Damascus, ordering that Bahá’u’lláh 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 Bahá’u’lláh 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 repri- manded. What is your name, and from what country do you come?"

Bahá’u’lláh replied: [Page 254] "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 Bahá’u’lláh, and my country is Núr."

"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."

"I 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."

Bahá’u’lláh 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 ‘abá 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, [Page 255]

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the Azalís, 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 Azalís at ‘Akká.

(In another part of her manuscript, Lady Blomfield has the following account of this incident, with the notation: "Told by Túbá Khánum"; evidently when she visited this prison in company with the ladies of the Family.—ED.)

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

"I 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 ‘Akká.

When He came to His mother’s room, He hid the chains under His ‘abá, 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 hope remained for these pitifully helpless victims, as they sometimes proved to be, of ill-organized law administration or of a harsh and ruthless officialdom.