The Chosen Highway/The Intrigues of Ṣubḥ-i-Azal

CHAPTER II

The Intrigues of Subh-1-Azal

Meanwhile, Mirza Yahya (Subh-i-Azal), a younger halfbrother of Baha’u’llah, who was afterwards the cause of many of our troubles and difficulties, arrived in Baghdad.

He had fled into hiding at Mazindaran, at the time of the episode of the mad youth shooting at the Shah, and remained hidden for some time, then he thought that Baghdad might be a safer abode for him than any part of Persia, and for that reason he came.

Now Mirza Yahya was filled with pride, arrogance, and fierce jealousy of Baha’u’ll4h. When he arrived at Baghdad he much resented the attitude of reverence shown by all the friends to his majestic elder brother. He claimed the leadership of the Babis, asserting that His Holiness the Bab had named him His successor.

This was manifestly an untruth.

Mirza Husayn-‘Ali Nuri wrote on one occasion a letter to the Bab, at the request of His young half-brother, he being too illiterate to write it himself. The Bab, in His reply, referred to this youth as ‘‘a Mirror.’ Thereupon Subh-i-Azal assumed the title of “‘the Mirror,” as being particularly bestowed upon him; the fact being that the title, if not quite a general one, at least had been given to a number of the Babis.

Now the Bab had thought out a plan of protecting Baha’u’ll4h by veiling Him from general recognition until the “appointed time.” For, if it had been noised abroad prematurely that He was the “One Whom God should make Manifest,” the opposing

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forces would undoubtedly have plotted to put Him to death, and the Great Design would, for that reason, have suffered delay. It was therefore above all things necessary to make sure and certain plans in two matters:

(1) Baha’u’ll4h must be known (eventually by all the world) to have been recognized by the Bab as “Him Whom God shall make Manifest,” of Whom He was the Forerunner, the Herald! Of this recognition there must be no shadow of a doubt, no possibility of uncertainty—no ground for controversy in the future. This was the sublime meaning of the Mission, for which He, the Bab, endured scorn and persecution and imprisonment, and would in a short time sacrifice His life.

(2) The proclamation must not be made prematurely.

The ‘“‘Great One” must, for obvious reasons, be veiled until the ‘“‘appointed time.”

In order that these two most important plans should be successful, the Bab confided in Mirza ‘Abdu’l-Karim Qazvini. , Lhe Bab gave into his custody His remaining papers, His last Tablets, in which Mirza Husayn-‘Ali Nuri was referred to again and again as ““Him Whom God shall make Manifest”— in which also the name of “Baha’u’llah” was given to Him.

The Bab also entrusted this devoted disciple with His seal and His qalam-dan (pencil-box), charging him to deliver all into the hands of Mirza Husayn-‘Ali Nuri, Baha’u’llah, when “an event”? should have happened to Himself.

This charge was faithfully carried out by Mirza ‘Abdu’lKarim Qazvini, and these precious things remained in the possession of Baha’u’llah until the days of Adrianople.

When Subh-i-Azal asked to be permitted to see them Baha’u’llah consented—but they were never returned. Subh-iAzal kept them to support his claim to leadership, asserting that the Bab had given them to him!

To return to the arrangements made by the Bab for the protection of Baha’u’llah, by veiling His recognition until the “appointed time.”

Subh-i-Azal, not one of the nineteen Letters of the Living (he was one of the “‘Mirrors’”—not the Mirror, as he afterwards declared), might well be thought by the uninitiated of these days of confusion, as well as by the uncomprehending open

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enemies of the Cause, to be a sort of leader of the Babis after the death of the Herald, the Bab. He certainly could be counted upon to assume that position, so overwhelming was his vanity.

Subh-i-Azal would thus, unconsciously, serve as a screen in attracting the attention of the people to himself, thus preventing the premature recognition of “Him Whom God should make Manifest”’ until His Own appointed time.

One point has been raised, i.e., the danger to Subh-i-Azal himself of such a prominent position.

Now it was his own arrogance which prompted him to seize the leadership, for which he was ludicrously unfitted, both by nature and by training—his character being weak, his intelligence small, and his indolence great. Moreover, he could be relied upon to hide himself very effectively when danger threatened, till it should be overpast!

The Babis, in general, concerned themselves very little with the pretensions of Subh-i-Azal, and the true disciples looked upon him as an ignorant and presumptuous’ youth, whose claims were absurd, but they had the desired effect of diverting attention from the personality of Baha’u’llah.

When Subh-i-Azal arrived in Baghdad he tried to get the friends to acknowledge him as their leader. They paid scant attention to him, and just laughed at his haughty airs.

He asserted that Jamal-i-Mubarak (Baha’u’llah) was preventing the acknowledgment of his position by the people.

At length my father decided to leave Baghdad for a time.

During his absence, Subh-i-Azal could convince himself whether or no the Babis desired to turn their faces to him as their leader, as he, in the petty conceit of a small mind and undisciplined nature, asserted, would, if given an opportunity, prove to be the case.

Before my father left for his retreat into the wilderness, he commanded the friends to treat Subh-i-Azal with consideration. He offered him and his family the shelter and hospitality of our house.

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He asked Mirza Musa, my mother and me, to care for them and to do everything in our power to make them comfortable.

Our grief was intense when my father left us. He told none of us either where he was going or when he would return. He took no luggage, only a little rice, and some coarse bread.

So we, my mother, my brother ‘Abbas and I, clung together in our sorrow and anxiety.

Subh-i-Azal rejoiced, hoping to gain his ends, now that Jamal-i-Mubarak was no longer present.

Meanwhile, he was a guest in our house. He gave us much trouble, complaining of the food. Though all the best and most dainty things were invariably given to him.

He became at this time more than ever terrified lest he should one day be arrested. He hid himself, keeping the door of our house locked, and stormed at anybody who opened it.

As for me, I led a very lonely life, and would have liked sometimes to make friends with other children. But Subh-i-Azal would not permit any little friends to come to the house, neither would he let me go out!

Two little girls about my own age lived in the next house. I used to peep at them; but our guest always came and shouted at me for opening the door, which he promptly locked. He was always in fear of being arrested, and cared for nothing but his own safety.

We led a very difficult life at this time as well as a lonely one. He would not even allow us to go to the Hammam to take our baths. Nobody was permitted to come to the house to help us, and the work therefore was very hard.

For hours every day I had to stand drawing water from a deep well in the house; the ropes were hard and rough, and the bucket was heavy. My dear mother used to help, but she was not very strong, and my arms were rather weak. Our guest never helped.

My father having told us to respect and obey this tyrannical person, we tried to do so, but this respect was not easy, as our lives were made so unhappy by him.

During this time the darling baby brother, born after our arrival in Baghdad, became seriously ill. Our guest would not allow a doctor, or even any neighbour to come to our help.

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My mother was heart-broken when the little one died; even then we were not allowed to have anybody to prepare him for burial.

The sweet body of our beautiful baby was given to a man, who took it away, and we never knew even where he was laid. I remember so clearly the sorrow of those days.

A little while after this, we moved into a larger house— fortunately Subh-i-Azal was too terrified of being seen, if he came with us—so he preferred to occupy a little house behind ours. We still sent his food to him, also provided for his family, now increased, as he had married another wife, a girl from a neighbouring village.

His presence was thus happily removed from our daily life; we were relieved and much happier.

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