Companions of the Crimson Ark

Contents Introduction 1 Whither Can a Lover Go: The Story of ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb 2 A Deed Whose Fragrance Shall Endure: The Story of Ashraf and His Mother 3 Beyond the Narrow Straits of Names: The Story of Nabíl-i-Akbar 4 The Wayfarer: The Story of Áqá ‘Azízu’lláh-i-Jadhdháb Chronology Glossary Bibliography References

2 A Deed Whose Fragrance Shall Endure The Story of Ashraf and His Mother God willing, thou mayest accomplish a deed whose fragrance shall endure as long as the Names of God – exalted be His glory – will endure.

By the righteousness of God! The title ‘O My handmaiden’ far excelleth aught else that can be seen in the world. Ere long the eyes of mankind shall be illumined and cheered by recognizing that which Our Pen of Glory hath revealed. Bahá’u’lláh9

In the time of the Bábís, a storm of conflict built up in the town of Zanján. One of the best-loved and most respected mullás of Zanján, who was given the title H@ujjat by the Báb, declared himself a follower of the Promised Qá’im.

This led to many people in that town also accepting the new Faith and raised fear in the minds of the local clergy, who saw how swiftly the Bábí Faith was spreading. They saw that many of the most spiritual men and women from their own congregations were being attracted to H@ujjat and the religion he was teaching. Among those who became Bábís were a courageous, well-born young man, Mír Jalíl, and his steadfast wife, ‘Anbar Khánum. They had been married for only a few years but they were soon to face an extraordinary test of their love and loyalty to each other and to their new-found belief.

At first the progress of the Bábí Faith in Zanján was rapid. Hearing of the events that had begun to unfold in Persia as a whole, H@ujjat decided to travel to Tehran. He hoped to rescue the Báb from His persecutors but soon discovered that this was impossible. He then found himself held in the capital city. He was not imprisoned in any official way and yet the authorities managed to make it impossible for him to leave. The only thing that made this time bearable for him was talking with Bahá’u’lláh, who was also in Tehran at that time.

The believers in Zanján had almost none of the writings of the Báb to read.

Without their trusted leader, they were left wondering how they were now supposed to behave as followers of this new Faith. After some thought, they wrote to H@ujjat, asking him to teach them the laws and principles that were 13

to guide their lives.

H@ujjat wrote back, carefully explaining the laws and concepts that were a part of the revelation of the Báb. Many of the laws and observances he introduced them to were quite different from the traditional ways they had followed in the past. For the Bábís to give up practices that were familiar to them and their Muslim neighbours and adopt new ways of behaving would be difficult for them. It would also challenge the tolerance of the surrounding Muslim culture. H@ujjat urged the community to follow the laws of God with loyalty and obedience, and told them that the Báb was ‘Himself . . . the first to practise the observances He has enjoined upon the faithful.’10 His letter was received in Zanján with great relief and enthusiasm. The Bábís lost no time in giving up their old attitudes and prejudices. The children of the community were educated in the teachings of the Báb and the newlyrevealed laws of God began to be put into action. The children were taught to say ‘Our beloved Master Himself is the first to practise them. Why should we who are His privileged disciples hesitate to make them the ruling principle of our lives?’ If any were to ask even these young ones the reason for the difference in their lives, they were able to give an answer.

At last H@ujjat was able to return to Zanján. Hearing of his arrival, all the Bábís, men, women and children, crowded out into the streets to welcome him and celebrate his homecoming. Both the size of the crowd and its joyfulness caused unease and suspicion to rise in the heart of the governor of Zanján. He did not see a beloved leader returning to guide the young Bábí community of Zanján; he only saw a potential rival for his own position of importance in the town. He had political power as governor but could never be sure of keeping it from one day to the next. Governors in Persia could be removed from their positions overnight. He knew that any unrest in the city he ruled would be blamed on him, and was greatly afraid that this could be about to happen. He decided to watch for any opportunity to divide and weaken the untried community of Bábís.

With the return of H@ujjat, the Bábís of Zanján were filled with a new energy and purpose. They taught anyone who would listen of the coming of the Promised Qá’im. Forthright and eager, they attracted many people. The Muslim clergy did not know what to do. The community of Bábís seemed to grow larger and more confident every day. Tensions rose in Zanján between those who had chosen the new Faith and those who clung to the safety of the old.

With the town divided and a slow fuse of frustration and fear burning 14

in the hearts of those who could neither tolerate nor accept an unfamiliar Faith, it only took one trivial incident to trigger an explosion. In the streets of Zanján a quarrel broke out between two children, and one of those children was from the family of a Bábí.

The governor was swift to seize this opportunity to damage the Bábí community. He ordered that the second child, whose only real wrong-doing was that he was related to a Bábí, should be thrown into prison. The prisons of Persia in that time were filthy and dangerous places, terrifying even for adults. People could be confined underground, held in chains and placed in the company of thieves, murderers or worse.

The Bábí community, horrified at the thought of a child in such a place, immediately offered sum of money to the governor in the hope that he would release the boy. He flatly refused to do so. H@ujjat wrote to him, clearly explaining that the child was ‘too young to be held responsible for his behaviour’, but this appeal was completely ignored.

Finally H@ujjat asked Mír Jalíl, whom he trusted entirely, to take a second written protest and place it directly into the hands of the governor. The guards wanted to refuse to let Mír Jalíl through the gates but he would not take ‘no’ for an answer. Stepping forward, he placed his hand threateningly on the hilt of his sword, loosening it in its scabbard, and demanded that they let him through. His determined manner alarmed the guards, who hastily backed down. Once he had made his way through the gate, he confronted the governor and would not leave until the young boy was released. The governor’s effort to weaken the Bábí community had failed completely.

Unfortunately, this event gave the mullás of the town the excuse they had been waiting for. They descended on the governor, loudly criticizing his weakness in giving in to H@ujjat. Before long they had persuaded him that he must make a show of strength and arrest the Bábí leader if he wanted to have any hope of keeping his own position of power in the town. The governor knew that if he did not act, complaints about his inability to control H@ujjat would be sent to the Shah, which could result in unpleasant consequences for himself.

The governor decided to send a pair of local thugs to carry out the arrest, men who were well known in Zanján for their cruelty and violence. After all, if H@ujjat were to die while being arrested, the whole situation could be resolved quite easily. When these two appeared in full armour, brandishing their weapons, a gang of ruffians quickly gathered behind them, excited by the possibility of joining in, or at least watching a vicious beating. But when 15

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