Translation of French Foot-Notes of the Dawn-Breakers/Chapter VII

CHAPTER VII

Pages 129-130, Note 2

“He retained the most disagreeable impression of his voyage. ‘Know that the sea voyages are hard. We do not favor them for the faithful; travel by land,’ he wrote in the Kitab-i-Baynu’l-Ḥaramayn in addressing himself to his uncle, as we shall soon see. He elaborates upon this subject also in the Bayan. Do not consider this childish, the feelings which moved the Báb in his horror of the sea are far more noble.

“Struck by the selfishness of the pilgrims which was heightened by the discomforts of a long and dangerous sea voyage, equally shocked by the unclean conditions that the pilgrims were obliged to endure on board, he wished to prevent men from yielding to their lower instincts and treating one another harshly. We know that the Báb especially commended politeness and the most refined courtesy in all social relations. ‘Never sadden anyone, no matter whom, for no matter what,’ he enjoined, and during this voyage he experienced the meanness of man and his brutality when in the presence of difficulties. ‘The saddest thing that I saw on my pilgrimage to Mecca was the constant disputes of the pilgrims between themselves, disputes which took away the moral benefit of the pilgrimage?‘ (Bayan, 4:16.) i

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[Page 18]SUPPLEMENT TO THE DAWN-BREAKERS

“In time he arrived at Mascate where he rested for several days during which he sought to convert the people of that country but without success. He spoke to one among them, a religious man probably, one of high rank, whose conversion might also have been followed by that of his fellow citizens, at least so I believe, though he gives us no details upon this subject. Evidently he did not attempt to convert the first comer who would have had no influence on the other inhabitants of the city. That he attempted a conversion and did not succeed is an indisputable fact because he himself affirms it: ‘The mention of God, in truth, descended upon the earth of Mascate and made the way of God come to one of the inhabitants of the country. It may be possible that he understood our verses and became one of those who are guided. Say: This man obeyed his passions after having read our verses and in truth this man is by the rules of the Book, among the transgressors. Say: We have not seen in Mascate men of the Book willing to help him, because they are lost in ignorance. And the same was true of all these voyagers on the boat with the exception of one who believed in our verses and became one of those who fear God.’ ” (A. L. M. Nicolas’ “Siyyid ‘Ali—Mul_1ammad dit le Báb,” pp. 207-208.)

Pages 130-131, Note 1

“It is thus that I myself saw, on the voyage to Mecca, a notable who was spending considerable sums of money but who hesitated to spend the price of a glass of water for his fellow-traveler. This happened on the boat where the water was scarce, so scarce in fact, during the voyage from B1’1§_llihr to Mascate, which lasted twelve days with no opportunity to get water, that I had to content myself with sweet lemons.” (“Le Bayén Persan,” vol. 2, p. 154.)

“One cannot imagine on the sea anything but discomfort. One cannot have all the necessities as in land travel. The mariners are obliged to live thus but by their services they come nearer to God, and God rewards actions performed on the land and on the sea but He grants a two—fold recompense for those services accomplished by one of the servants on the sea, because their work is more arduous.” (Ibid., pp. 155-156.) I

“I have seen (on the way to Mecca) acts of the vilest kind, in the eyes of God, which were sufl-icient to undo the good resulting from the pilgrimage. These were the quarrels among the pilgrims! Verily, the House of God has no need of such people!” (Ibid., p. 1 5 5.)