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

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TRANSLATION OF FRENCH FOOT-NOTES

CHAPTER VIII

Page I48, Note I

“This city became the arena for passionate discussions which profoundly troubled the general peace. The curious, the pilgrims, the scandalmongers met there commenting upon the news, approving or blaming, exaltlng the young Siyyid, or, on the contrary, heaping upon him maledictions and insults. Everyone was excited and enervated. The Mullas saw with bitter anxiety the growing number of adherents to the new doctrine and their resources diminished correspondingly. It became necessary to act, as prolonged tolerance would empty the Mosques of their believers who were convinced that since Islam did not defend itself, it acknowledged defeat. On the other hand, Husayn I__{_l;ain, governor of Shíráz, Nizamu’dDawlih, feared that, in letting things drift, the scandal would become such that later it would be impossible to suppress it; that would be to court disgrace. Besides, the Báb did not content himself with preaching, he called to himself men of good-will. ‘He who knows the Word of God and does not come to His assistance in the days of violence is exactly like those who turned away from the testimony of his holiness Husayn, son of ‘Ali, at Karbila. Those are the impious ones!’ (Kitáb—i-Baynu’l-Ḥaramayn.) The civil interests concurring with the interests of heaven, Niza’Lmu’dDawlih and §_l;aykl_1_ Abfi-Turéb, the Imam-]um‘ih agreed that humiliation should be inflicted upon the innovator such as would discredit him in the eyes of the populace; perhaps thus they might succeed in quieting things.” (A. L. M. Nicolas’ “Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad dit le Báb,” pp. 229-230.)

Page I 54, Note I

“Following this public seance provoked by the folly of the Mullás and which won for him numerous partisans, the trouble became serious in all the provinces of Persia; the dispute grew into such a grave situation that Muhammad Sháh sent to Shíráz a man in whom he had complete confidence, instructing him to make a report of everything he saw and understood. This envoy was Siyyid Yal_1yé.y-i-Darabi.” (A. L. M. Nicolas’ “Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad dit le Báb,” pp. 232-233.)

Pages 157-1 58, Note I

“Be that as it may, the resultant impression was immense in §_l_1_iréz and all the learned and religious gathered around ‘Ali-Muhammad. As soon as he appeared in the Mosque, they surrounded him and, as soon as he was seated in the pulpit, everyone was silent in order to listen to him.

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[Page 20]SUPPLEMENT TO THE DAWN-BREAKERS

His public talks never attacked the essentials of the Faith of Islam, they respected most of its ritual; in fact, the Kitmén dominated. Nevertheless, they were daring discourses. The clergy was not spared; its vices were cruelly lashed. The sad and painful destiny of humanity was generally the theme. Here and there, certain allusions, the obscurity of which irritated the passions of some while it flattered the pride of others already initiated as a whole or only in part, gave to his prophecies such a bitter truth that the crowd was growing day by day and so, in all Persia, they were beginning to talk of ‘Ali-Muhammad.

“The Mullas of Shíráz had not waited for all this agitation to unite against this young detractor. From his first public appearances, they sent to him their most able Mullás to argue with him and confuse him, and these public debates were held either in the Mosques or in the colleges in the presence of the Governor, the military chiefs, the clergy, the people, in fact before everyone. But, instead of benefiting the clergy, they contributed quite a little to spread and exalt, at their own expense, the renown of this enthusiastic teacher. It is a fact that he defeated his adversaries, he condemned them-—which was not very difficult—with the Qur’án in hand. It was an easy matter for him to show before all these crowds who knew the Mullás well, at which point their conduct, their precepts, and to what extent their beliefs, even their theology, were in flagrant contradiction with the Book, which they could not deny.

“Possessed of extraordinary daring and exaltation, he flayed unsparingly the vices of his antagonists, disregarding all ordinary conventions. After having proven their infidelity to their own doctrine, he shamed them in their lives and threw them at pitch and toss to the indignation or the contempt of the auditors.

“At _S_l_;ira’1z, his first appearances, when he preached, were so profoundly moving that even, the orthodox Muhammadans who were present have retained an indelible memory of them and never recall them without a sort of terror. They agreed unanimously that the eloquence of ‘Ali-Muhammad was of an incomparable kind, such that, without having been an eyewitness, one could not possibly imagine. Soon the young theologian no longer appeared in public without being surrounded with many partisans. His house was always filled with them and he not only taught in the Mosques and in the colleges, but it was principally at his house and in the evenings that, withdrawn in a room with the élite of his admirers, he lifted for them the veils of a doctrine which even for himself he had not yet fully established. “It seemed in these early days that he was occupied with polemics rather than with dogmatic statements and nothing is more natural. In

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[Page 21]TRANSLATION OF FRENCH FOOT-NOTES

these secret talks, his bold declarations which were much more frequent than in the public addresses, grew each day and tended so clearly to a oomplete overthrow of Islam that they were a prelude to a new profession of Faith. The little congregation was ardent, brave, carried away, ready for anything; they were fanatical in the true and noble sense of the word, that is to say, that every one of its members thought himself of no importance and burned with a desire to sacrifice his life-blood and his belongings for the cause of Truth.” (Comte de Gobineau’s “Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l’Asie Centrale,” pp. 120, 122.)

“These ethics taught by a young man at an age when passions were intense, deeply impressed an audience, religious to the point of fanaticism, above all when the words of the preacher were in perfect harmony with his conduct. No one doubted the continence and the firmness of Karbila'1’i Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad; he spoke little, meditated constantly and most of the time fled from the presence of men, which all the more aroused their curiosity. He was sought after everywhere.” (7ourmzl Asiatique, 1866, tome 7, p. 341.)

“By the uprightness of his life the young Siyyid served as an example to those about him. He was willingly listened to when, in his ambiguous and interrupted talks, he condemned the abuses evident in all classes of society. His words were repeated and elaborated upon and they spoke of him-as the true Master and gave themselves to him unreservedly.” (Ibid.)