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

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CHAPTER XIII

Page 244, Note 2

“He dwells in a mountain of which the inhabitants could not even pronounce the name ‘Jannat’ (Paradise) which is an Arabic word; how then could they understand its meaning? Imagine then what can happen in the matter of the essential truths!” (“Le Bayan Persan,” vol. 4., p. I4.)

Page 244, Note 3

“The countryof the first minister on the Adhirbéyjan frontier, this village was lifted out of obscurity under the administration of this minister and many citizens of Méh-K1’: were raised to the highest offices in the state, because of their slavish attitude toward Hájí Mirzá Aqasi.” (_‘7ournal zlsiatique, 1866, tome 7, p. 3 56, note 1.)

Pages 245-246, Note I

“The Báb himself tells us how he spent his days in the prison in which he was held captive. His lamentations, so frequent in the Bayén, were, I believe, due to the discipline Which, from time to time, grew more severe at the command from Tihran. All the historians, in fact, Bábis as well as Moslem, tell us that in spite of the strict orders to keep the Báb from communicating with the outer world, the Báb received great numbers of disciples and strangers in his prison. (The author of Mutanabbiyyin writes: ‘The Bábis from all parts of the earth went to Adhirbayjén on a pilgrimage to their chief.’)

“‘Oh! How great is your blindness, O my children! That which you do, you do believing to please me! And in spite of these verses which prove my being, these verses which flow from my power, the treasure of which is the very being of . this personage (the Báb), in spite of these verses which come from his lips only by my permission, behold that, without any right whatsoever, you have placed him on the summit of a mountain whose inhabitants are not even worthy of mention. Close to him, which is close to me, there is no one except one of the Letters of the Living of my book. In his hands, which are my hands, there is not even a servant to light the lamp at night. And behold! The men who are upon the earth have been created only for his own existence: it is through his good will _that has come all their joy and they do not give him even a light!’ (Unité 2, porte I.)

“ ‘The fruit of the religion of Islam is faith in the Manifestation (of the Báb) and behold they imprison him in Méh—K1’1.’ (Unité 2, porte 7.)

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‘All that belongs to the divinely Chosen One is in heaven. Thissolitary room (wherein I am) which has not even a door, is today the greatest of the gardens of Paradise, for the Tree of Truth is planted herein. All the atoms of which it is composed cry out, “In truth, there is no other God but God, and there is no other God beside me, the Lord of the Universe!” ’ (Unité 2, porte 16.)

“ ‘The fruit of this door is that men, seeing that it is permitted to do all that for the Bayan (that is, spend so much money) which is only the foreshadowing of Him whom God shall make manifest, must realize what should be done for Him whom God shall make manifest, when he will appear, so that he will be spared what is happening to me on this day. That is to say, that there are throughout the world many Qur’a’1ns worth thousands of tfimans, while He who has showered verses (the Báb) is imprisoned on a mountain, in a room built of bricks baked in the sun. And, notwithstanding, that room is the Arch itself (9th heaven, the abode of Divinity). Let this be an example to the Bayanis so that they may not act toward Him as the believers in the Qur’a'.n have acted toward me.’ (Unité 3, porte 19.)” (A. L. M. Nicolas’ “Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad dit le 3515,” PP- 355-357-) '

“All believe in Him, and still they have imprisoned him on a mountain! All are made glad in Him and they have abandoned him! No fire is fiercer for those who have acted thus than their very works; likewise for the believers no heaven is higher than their own faith!” (“Le Bayén Persan,” vol. I, pp. 126-127.)

Page 248, Note 1

• * * “Behold, that about one hundred thousand lines similar to these

verses have been scattered among men not to mention the prayers and questions of science and philosophy.” (“Le Bayan Persan,” vol. 1, p. 43.) “Consider also the Point of the Bayan. Those who are familiar with it know how great its importance was before the manifestation; but thereafter, and although it has revealed more than five hundred thousand verses upon diverse subjects, attacks are made upon it which are so violent that

no writer would wish to relate them.” (“Le Bayén Persan,” vol. 3, p. 1 I 3.)

• 1! *

Pages 248-251, Note 3

“It is always in the same line of thought that when imprisoned in Mah-K6 he addressed a long letter to the fihah (Muhammad Sháh) which we are about to analyze here. The document begins like nearly all the literary documents of the Báb with exalted praise of Divine Unity. The

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Bab continues in praising, as is fitting, Muhammad, the twelve Imaims, who, as we shall see in the second volume of this work, are cornerstones of the Bayan edifice. ‘I affirm,’ he exclaims, ‘that everything which is in this world of possibilities other than they, is, in comparison, as absolute nothingness, and if one could express it at all, all that is but a shadow of a shadow. I ask God to pardon me for assigning to them such limits. In truth, the highest degree of praise which one can confer upon them is to confess in their very presence that it is impossible to praise them. . . .

“ ‘This iswhy God has created me out of a clay from which no one else has been created. And God has given me what the learned, with all their science, are unable to understand, What no one can know unless he be completely humbled before my revelation. . . . Know then in truth, I am a pillar of the first word; whosoever knows that first word has known God wholly, and has entered into the universal good. Whosoever has

‘refused to know it has remained in ignorance of God and has entered into

the universal evil.

“ ‘I take God as witness, the Master of the two worlds, he who here below lives as long as nature permits and remains all his life the servant of God in all the works prescribed by true religion, if he entertains in his heart any enmity towards me, even so little that God alone might be aware of it, he is useless and God will prepare for him a punishment; he will be among those destined to die. God has determined the good which is implied in obedience to me, and all the evil which follows disobedience to my commands. In truth, today I see all that I have just said; I see the children of my love, the obedient ones in the highest heaven, while my enemies are thrust into the depths of eternal fire!

“‘By my life, I swear, if I had not been obliged to accept the station of the Hujjat of God, I would not have warned you!’ . . .

I “It is evident that the Báb re-states his affirmations made in the Kité.bi-baynu’i-Ḥaramayn without addition ‘or retraction. ‘I am,’ he says, ‘the Point from which all being flows. I am that Face of God which never dies! I am that Light which is never extinguished! He who knows me is accompanied with all good, he who rejects me is pursued by evil. In truth, when Moses besought God that he might gaze upon Him, God radiated upon the mountain and as the hadijir explains, “this light, I solemnly affirm was my light.” Do you not see that the numerical value of the letters which make up my name is equal to the value of those which compose the word Rabb (Lord)? But has not God said in the Qur’án, “And when your Rabb radiates upon the mountain”?

“The Báb continues with a study of the prophecies contained in the Qur’e'1n and in some of the hadiths concerning the manifestation of the

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[Page 33]TRANSLATION OF FRENCH~FOOT-NOTES Mihdi. He relates the celebrated l_1adi_t_h of Mufaddal which is one of the

strongest arguments in favor of the truth of his mission.

“It is said in the Qur’án, chapter 32, verse 4: ‘From the heaven to the earth, He governeth all things; hereafter shall they come up to Him on a day whose length shall be a thousand of such years as ye reckon.’ (Note: I. M. Rodwell’s translation.)

“On the other hand, the last Imam disappeared in the year 260 of the Hegira; it is at that time that the prophetic manifestation is completed and that ‘The door of science is closed.’ But Mufaddal questioned the Imam Sadiq as to the signs of the coming of the Mihdi and the Imam answered: ‘He will appear in the year sixty and his name will be glorified.’ This means in the year 1260 which is precisely the year of the manifestation of the Báb.

“On this subject Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad said: ‘I declare before God I have never been taught and my education has been that of a merchant. In the year sixty, I felt my heart filled with potent verses, with true knowledge and with the testimony of God and I proclaimed my mission that very year. . . . That same year I sent you a messenger (Mullá Ḥusayn-iBu_s_llr1’1’i) carrying a‘ Book, so that the government might fulfill its duty towards the Hujjat. But the will of God being that civil war should break out which would deafen the ears of men, blind their eyes and crush their hardened hearts, the messenger was not permitted to reach you. Those who considered themselves patriots intervened and, even today, after a lapse of four years, no one has told you the truth regarding this occurrence. And now as my time is near and my work is not human but divine, I have written briefly to you.

“‘If you could know how during these four years your officials and delegates have treated me! If you knew, the fear of God would choke you unless you would decide immediately to obey the Hujjat and make amends for the harm done.

“‘I was in ghiraz and I suffered from this evil and accursed governor such tyrannies that, if you knew even the least of them, your sense of justice would exact revenge, because his cruelty has drawn the punishment of heaven even unto the judgment day on the entire empire. This man, very proud and always inebriated, never gave an intelligent order. I was forced to leave _SJ1_iraz and was on my way to visit you in Tihran, but the late Mu‘tamidu’d-Dawlih understood my mission and did what respect for God’s elect demands. The ignorant of the city started an uprising and I, therefore, hid myself in the Palace of Sadr until the death of Mu‘tamidu’dDawlih. May God reward him! There is no doubt that his salvation from eternal fire is due to what he has done for me. Then Gurgin forced

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me to travel during seven nights with five other men, exposed to every discomfort and brutality and deprived of every necessity. At last, the Sultan ordered that I should be taken to Mah-K1’1 without even providing me with a mount. I finally reached that village whose inhabitants are ignorant and coarse. I affirm before God,!if you knew in what place I dwell, you would be the first to pity me. It is a dungeon on a mountain top and I owe that to your kindness! My companions are two men and four dogs. Imagine how I spend my days! I thank God as He should be thanked, and I declare before God that he who has thus imprisoned me is satisfied with himself. And if he only knew who it is he has so treated he would never again taste happiness!

“‘And now I reveal a secret to you! This man in imprisoning me has imprisoned all of the prophets, all the saints and him who is filled with

divine wisdom. There is no sin which has not brought me affliction.

When I learned of your command (to take me to Mah-Kú) I wrote to Sadr-i-A‘zam: “Kill me and send my head wherever you please, because to live without sin among sinners does not please me.” He did not reply and I am convinced that he did not understand the matter, because to sadden without reason the hearts of the believers is worse than to destroy the very house of God; but I declare that it is I who am today the house of God! Reward comes to him who is good to me; it is as though he were good to God, to His angels and to His saints. But perhaps God and His saints are too high above us for the good or evil of men to reach their threshold, but what happens to God, happens to me. I declare before God that he who has imprisoned me has imprisoned himself; only that which is the will of God can happen to me. Woe to him whose hand works evil! Blessed is he who scatters good!

“ ‘At last, .to sum up this letter already too long: The late Mu‘tamid, one night, dismissed all his guests to retire, even Haji Mulla Ahmad, and then he said to me: “I know very well that all I have acquired has been obtained through force and all that I have belongs to the $éhibu’z-Zamam. I therefore give it all to thee, thou art the Master of Truth and I ask of thee the privilege of ownership.” He even took the ring off his finger and gave it to me. I took it and gave it back to him and I sent him away in possession of all his goods. God is witness of the truth of this testimony. I do not wish for a dinar of his wealth, that is for you to dispose of; but as, in any dispute, God requires the testimony of two witnesses, from the midst of all the learned, call Siyyid Yaḥyá and Al_<_h1’1nd Mullá ‘Abdu’l_I§_l_1aliq. They will show you and will explain my verses and the truth of my testimony will appear.

‘.“Of these two personages, one knew me before the manifestation,

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the other afterward; I have chosen them because they both know me well!’ i “The letter ends with cabalistic proofs and some hadi_t_lls. It is clear therefore that the Báb was very unhappy in his prison. He evidently remained there a long time, as the document which we have quoted dates back to 1264, and the execution of the martyr took place only on the twenty-seventh of _S_»_l_1a‘bén of the year 1266 (July 8, 1850).” (A. L. M.

‘ Nicolas’ “Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad dit le Báb,” pp. 367-373.)

Page 249, Note I

This is the prayer which the Báb Himself quotes in the “Dala'1’il-iSab‘ih” as His supplication during the months of His captivity in the castle of Mah-kfi: °

“O my God! Grant to him, to his descendants, to his family, to his friends, to his subjects, to his relatives and all the inhabitants of the earth the light which will clarify their vision and facilitate their task; grant that they may partake of the noblest works here and hereafter!

“In truth, nothing is impossible to Thee.

“O my God! give him the power to bring about a revival of Thy religion and give life by him to what Thou hast changed in Thy Book. Manifest through him Thy new commandments so that through him Thy religion may blossom again! Put into his hands a new Book, pure and holy, that this Book may be free from all doubt and uncertainty and that no one may be able to alter or destroy it.

“O my God! Dispel through Thy splendor all darkness and through his evident power do awa with the antiquated laws. ’ By his preeminence ruin those who have not ollowed the ways of God. Through him destro all tyrants, put an end, through his sword, to all discord; annihilate, through his justice, all forms of oppression; render the rulers obedient to his commandments; subordinate all the empires of the world to his empire!

.“O my God! Humble everyone who desires to humble him; destroy all his enemies; deny anyone who denies him and confuse anyone who ipurns the truth, resists his orders, endeavors to darken his light and blot

IS name.

The Báb then adds these words:

“Repeat these benedictions often and, if time to recite them all be lacking, do not fail to say at least the last. Be awake on the day of the apparition of Him whom God will manifest because this prayer has come down from heaven for Him, although I hope no sorrow awaits Him; I have taught the believers in my religion never to rejoice over the misfortune of anyone. It is possible therefore that at the time of the appearance of the Sun of Truth no suffering may fall upon Him.” (“Le Livre des Sept Preuves,” translation of A. L. M. Nicolas, pp. 64-6 5.)

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Page 252, Note 2

“During his sojourn in Mah-Kfi, the Báb composed a great number of works amongst the most important of which may be especially mentioned the Persian Bayén and the Seven Proofs, (Dalé.’il-i-Sab‘ih) both of which contain ample internal evidence of having been written at this period. Indeed, if we may credit a statement made in the Tarik_l_;-i-Jadid, on the authority of Mirza ‘Abdu’l-Vahhéb, the various writings of the Báb, current in Tabríz alone, amounted in all to not less than a million verses 1" (“A Traveller’s Narrative” Note L, p. 200.)

Regarding the “Dala’1’il-i-Sab‘ih,” Nicolas writes as follows: “‘The Book of Seven Proofs’ ” is the most important of the polemical works from the pen of Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, dit le Báb.” (Preface, page 1.)

“His correspondent evidently asked him for the proofs of his mission and his answer is admirable for its precision and clearness. It rests upon two verses of the Qur’án; according to the first, no one can reveal verses even though assisted by the entire world of men and evil spirits; according to the second, no one can understand the meaning of the verses of the Qur’án except God, and men of solid learning.” (Preface, p. 5.)

“Clearly the arguments of the Báb are new and original and one can see, by this brief reference, of what profound interest must be his literary work. The scope of my work does not permit me to expound, even briefly, the principal dogmas of a bold doctrine the form of which is both brilliant and attractive. I hope to do so in the future but I wish to make another comment upon the ‘Book of the Seven Proofs’: toward the end of his book, the Báb speaks of the miracles which have accompanied his manifestation. This will probably astonish the readers, as we have seen the new apostle deny clearly the truth of the physical miracles which the Muhammadan imagination attributes to Muhammad. He affirms that, for himself as well as for the Arabian Prophet, the only proof of his mission was the outpouring of the verses. He offers no other proof, not because he is unable to perform miracles, (God being all—powerful) but simply because physical marvels are of inferior order in comparison with spiritual miracles.” (Preface, pp. 12-1 3) (“Le Livre des Sept Preuves,” translation by A. L. M. Nicolas.)

Pages 253-254, Note I

“The province had been for some years the scene of serious uprisings. At the end of 184.4 or at the beginning of 1845, the governor of Bujnfird had revolted against the authority of the Shah and had made an alliance with the Turkomans against Persia. The Prince Asifu’d-Dawlih, governor of Khurasén, asked the capital for assistance. The general _I_{_hé.n Bábai

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_Ifl1_:in, commander—in-chief of the Persian army, was ordered to send a thousand men against the rebels but the scarcity of public funds prevented the expedition. The Shah, therefore, planned to head personally a campaign in the spring. The preparations began immediately. Soon ten battalions, of one thousand men each, were ready awaiting the arrival of Prince Hamzih Mirza, appointed general-in-chief of the expedition. All of a sudden, the governor of _I§hure’1sa’1n, Asifu’d-Dawlih, brother of the Kings mother, feeling that his security was threatened by the suspicions of the authorities at Tihran, arrived at the Court humbly to protest at the feet of the King and to assure him of his complete devotion, and demand that his defamers be punished.

“It so happened that the principal one among his adversaries was Haji Mirzá Áqásí, the all-powerful prime minister. A long trial took place

. which ended with the defeat of the governor and he was ordered to go on a

pilgrimage to Mecca with the mother of the King. ‘

“The son of Asifu’d-Dawlih, Salar, guardian of the mosque at Mashhad, wealthy in his own right, confident because of his alliance with the chief Kurd, ]a‘far-Quli Khan, il_l_<_l_1a'.ni of the tribe of Qzijar, assumed a hostile attitude. Thereupon 3ooo men and 12 pieces of artillery were sent in retaliation and the government of _I§11_ura'.sa'1n was given into the hands of I-;Iamzih Mirzá.

“The news that ]a‘far-Quli K_l1_én, heading a large troop of cavalry, had attacked the royal expedition, caused five more regiments and eighteen additional field pieces to be sent. On the twenty-eighth of October, 1847, this uprising was completely crushed, through the victory of Sháh-rL’1d (September I 5) and the defeat and flight of Ja‘far-Qulizlfihén and of Salar.” (A. L. M. Nicolas’ “Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad dit le Báb,” pp. 257-258.)

Pages 254-2 5 5, Note I

“Mashhad is the greatest place of pilgrimage in all Persia, Karbila being, as everyone knows, in -Ottoman territory. It is in Mashhad that the holy shrine of the Imém'Ric_lé is located. I shall not enlarge upon the hundreds of miracles that have taken place and still take place at this shrine; it is enough to know that every year thousands of pilgrims visit the

‘tomb and return home only after the shrewd exploiters of that productive

business have separated them from their last penny. The stream of gold flows on and on for the benefit of the greedy officials; but these officials need the cooperation of many partners to catch their innumerable dupes in their nets. This is, without doubt, the best organized industry in Persia. If one half of the city derives its living from the Mosque, the other half is likewise keenly interested in the great concourse of pilgrims.

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The merchants, the restaurant and hotel keepers, even the young women who find among the visitors an abundant supply of ‘husbands for a day’!

“All these people were naturally allied against a missionary whose teachings were threatening their livelihood. To denounce these abuses in any other city was tolerable but it was quite improper to denounce them where everyone of every class was thriving upon them. The Imam Mihdi had undoubtedly the right to come but he certainly was a public nuisance. It may have been very thrilling to undertake with him the conquest of the world, but there was fatigue, risk and danger in the enterprise while now they were enjoying perfect peace in a fine city where one could earn a living with ease and security.” (Ibid., pp. 258-259.)

Page 2 59, Note I

In the “Dala’t’il-i-Sab‘ih” the Báb reveals the following: “The hadifl ‘Adhirbayj an’ referring to this matter says: ‘The things which will happen in ‘Aghirbéyj an are necessary for us, nothing can prevent their occurrence. Remain therefore in your homes, but if you hear that an agitator has appeared then hasten towards him.’ And the hadith continues, saying: ‘Woe to the Arabs, for the civil war is near!’ If, in speaking these last

words, the Prophet had intended to refer to his own mission, his statement.

would have been vain and worthless.” (“The Book of Seven Proofs,” Nicolas’ translation, p. 47.)