Chapter XII: Bahaism in America 263 (7)

A variation of this story is found in a work by an American Bahai, Mary H. Ford, called "The Oriental Rose."[537] She narrates that Kurrat-ul-Ayn heard the Mujtihid cursing the Bab, and gazing upon him she exclaimed, "How unfortunate you are! For I see your mouth filled with blood!" "The following morning, as he was crossing the threshold of the mosque, he was struck upon the mouth by the lance of a hidden assailant. The attack was followed up by five or six other assassins, who beat the life out of his mangled body." "The strange insight of Kurrat-ul-Ayn had foreseen it." "The assassination removed a serious obstacle from her pathway."

From these narratives, both from the pens of "Friends," it is evident that the Bab and Kurrat-ul-Ayn each spoke words which were direct instigations and incitements to their fanatical followers to commit murder. The chief murderer fled and "joined himself to the people of God" at Sheikh Tabarsi. Disregarding his crime, they welcomed him to their ranks as a "follower of God, and he attained to martyrdom."[538]

We can admire the courage and devotion of the Babis, but certainly their hatred and fanaticism carry them on to retaliation and revenge which are far from pure religion. Witness their deeds! Farrukh Khan, a prisoner of war, was first skinned alive and then roasted,[539] and twenty-two prisoners of war were put to death at the same time, at Zanjan. At Sheikh Tabarsi, by order of Janab-i-Kuddus, His Excellency the Holy, the enemies slain in battle were decapitated and their heads set on posts around the ramparts.[540]

The attempt to assassinate Nasr-i-Din Shah (1852) shows also the murderous spirit of the Babis. From seven to twelve[541] Babis were engaged in the plot, and four of them started out to take part in the assault. It was not, as is commonly represented by Bahais, the act of an unbalanced, weak-minded individual, but the revengeful plot of a number. The spirit of vengeance was very strong within them. Of this we have a witness from a very unexpected quarter, namely, the celebrated Bahai apologist, Mirza Abul Fazl. He writes,[542] "Numerous historical and tangible evidences can be furnished to prove that it was the pen of Baha Ullah which protected from death his own enemies, such as Subh-i-Azal, Nasr-i-Din Shah and certain great doctors and divines. Otherwise the Babis _would not have allowed a single one of these people to have escaped alive_." He certainly must include Bahais, for the Babis would not have desired to kill Subh-i-Azal. But the assertion of M. Abul Fazl, that Baha was as the "Prince of Peace" among a lot of untrained, untamed disciples, will not stand investigation. For Baha's history shows the contrary.

6. _Baha also commends suicide for his sake._ It is narrated by Abdul Baha[543] that rather than be separated in exile from Baha, "Haji Jafar was moved to lamentation, and with his own hand cut his throat." Baha, in the Lawh-i-Raiz, alluded to this event, saying, "One from amongst the Friends sacrificed himself for myself and _cut his throat with his own hand for the love of God_. This is such that we have not heard from former ages. This is that which God hath set apart for this dispensation." Another disciple attempted suicide about the same time.[544] This "old and faithful follower seized a knife and exclaiming, 'If I must be separated from my Lord, I will go and join my God,' cut his throat. With the aid of a physician, his life was saved. Again when the ship bearing the exiles reached Haifa, Abdul Ghaffar, finding himself to be separated from his Lord, determined to sacrifice his life, and threw himself into the sea from the steamer, exclaiming, 'O Baha! O Baha!'" The sailors rescued him.[545] This tendency to suicide reveals an astonishing degree of fanaticism among the Bahais. But suicide is so rare among the Persian Shiahs that these reports arouse suspicion and call for further investigation. I was informed of one person whom the Bahais at Acca reported as a suicide, but who in reality had been murdered by them. Of another, named Haji Mirza Riza, who would have written a history favourable to Azal, the latter wrote to Professor Browne that "they (the Bahais) sought to slay him, and at length gave out that, on the first night of his imprisonment, he had bound a cord about his throat and destroyed himself and so became a martyr."[546] The celebrated Nabil, Bahai poet and historian, is reported to have committed suicide by throwing himself into the sea, shortly after the death of Baha Ullah. "He could stay on earth no longer--he loved and yearned so for Baha Ullah."[547] As this same Nabil had himself claimed to be the Manifestation,[548] it was very convenient that he should make away with himself at that time, instead of renewing his pretensions.

These instances of suicide are cited as proofs of the truth of the religion by M. Mohammed Husain Shirazi, who says,[549] "More faithful and devoted (than the early Christians), some martyrs of our day have killed themselves with their own hands out of devotion to their Lord Baha." Again Baha sent Badi, the messenger, to the Shah, with the "Epistle" from Acca, assuring him beforehand that he was going to death.[550] The letter could easily have been sent through one of the foreign consulates without sacrifice of life.

Doctor Jessup says:[551] "They teach unscrupulous persecution of those obnoxious to them. I had a friend, a learned Mohammedan of Bagdad, called Ibrahim Effendi, of scholarly bearing, refined and courteous--a brother of the wife of Abbas Effendi. His father, a wealthy man, died when he was young and his uncle determined to bring him up as a Babite (Bahai). But the boy refused to accept it. His uncle then robbed him of his property," and threatened him. He fled and came to Beirut. He professed Christianity and was baptized at Alexandria, Egypt. While at Beirut, "he went down to Acca to visit. One night he found that his life was in great danger if he stayed through the night and he escaped to Beirut in great terror."[552]

7. _Psychological attestation of the accusation_ against the Bahais, of assassination, is seen in their doctrine of the power and prerogative of the "Manifestation," and the inference made by the Bahais from that doctrine. This is set forth in the Tablet of Ishrakat,[553] "Verily He (Baha) hath come from the Heaven of the Unseen, and with Him the standard of 'He doeth whatsoever He willeth,' and the hosts of power and authority. As to all else save Him: It is incumbent upon them to cling unto that which he hath commanded." "Woe unto those who denied and turned away from Him." "The Most Great Infallibility" is applied only to one (the Manifestation), whose station is sanctified above commands or prohibitions. He is proof against error. Verily if he declares heaven to be earth, right to be left, or south to be north, it is true, and there is no doubt of it." "No one has a right to oppose him, or to say, 'Why or wherefore'; and he who disputes Him is verily of the opposers." "He doeth whatsoever he willeth, and commandeth whatsoever he desireth."

In like manner Abdul Baha states the authority of the Manifestation,[554] "He is not under the shadow of the former laws. Whatever he performs is an upright action. No believer has any right to criticize." "If some people do not understand the hidden secret of one of his commands or actions, they ought not to oppose it."

These principles are boldly interpreted and applied by the Bahais to the subject under discussion. Sayid Kamil, a Bahai of Shiraz, said to Professor Browne[555] with a look of supreme surprise, "You surely cannot pretend to deny that a prophet, who is an incarnation of the Universal Intelligence, has a right to inflict death, openly or _secretly_, on those who stubbornly opposed him. A prophet is no more to be blamed for removing an obdurate opponent that a surgeon for an amputation of a gangrenous limb." This opinion prevailed among the Bahais. At Yezd they said,[556] "A divine messenger has as much right to kill and compel as a surgeon to amputate." The Bahai missionaries maintained[557] that, "A prophet has a right to slay if he knows it necessary; if he sees that the slaughter of a few will prevent many from going astray, he is justified in commanding such slaughter. No one can question his right to destroy the bodies of a few that the souls of many may live." A Bahai acquaintance of Doctor Frame, of Resht, told him[558] "without any appearance of shame, that he paid so much to have a persecutor removed."

8. In connection with all the above facts, it must be kept in mind that "_religious assassination has been freely practiced since the beginning of Islam_, and that the prophet Mohammed gave it the sanction of his example on numerous occasions." Professor Browne,[559] who thus emphasizes this fact, and gives instances from the Moslem biographies of Mohammed, points out its bearing on our judgment regarding the assassinations alleged against the Bahais, and concludes, "In Asia a different standard of morality prevails in this matter." Certain facts regarding the Imams revealed in the dark annals of Islam show what historical precedents the Babis and Bahais had back of them. Consider the deaths of the twelve Imams. Ali was[560] assassinated with a dagger, Husain killed after battle, nine other Imams were _poisoned_, and the last one mysteriously disappeared.

To sum up. Our investigation has led to the conclusion that the Bahais were guilty of these assassinations as charged. The evidence is both direct and circumstantial, with names and places. Some of the witnesses are still living. Some have given their testimony in writing, some in conversation with Europeans, who have reported it accurately to the world. The environment in which they lived, and the historical and theological traditions on which they fed, strengthen the direct proofs.

The answer to these charges by Mirza Abul Fazl in his "Brilliant Proof"[561] is, that we should hear both sides, and that it is not right to accept the witness of enemies against the Bahais, which is as that of Protestants against the Catholics and _vice-versa_. Our reply is, that both sides have been heard, and examined, and that some of the most damaging testimony is from Bahais themselves. It should be noted that the testimony is altogether from the followers of the Bab, of various kinds and not from Moslem writers. Mr. Phelps, like many Bahai writers, would ignore the charges. He says,[562] "I do not think that it would be time well employed to advert to them in detail." He pronounces them "incredible" and "flatly in contradiction to the spirit, lives and teachings of Baha Ullah and his successor," and destined "quickly to fade away and be forgotten, if left to themselves." No indeed! Lovers of truth will not overlook and forget such a record. They will judge Bahais by their deeds, not by their professions.

The conclusions of Professor Browne, who was undoubtedly a favourably-inclined judge, who investigated impartially and heard the testimony on both sides, has the greatest weight in determining the judgment of the world.[563] In the "Traveller's Narrative," his first volume on Babism and Bahaism, he states that it is only with great reluctance and solely in the interest of truth, that he sets down these grave accusations against the Bahais, and adds,[564] "If they are true, of what use are the noblest and most humane utterances, if they are associated with such deeds? If they are false, further investigation will, without doubt, conclusively prove their falsity." In the "New History," which was published two years later, after further investigation and calm deliberation, he wrote,[565] "At first not a few prominent Babis,[566] including even several 'Letters of the Living' and personal friends of the Bab, adhered faithfully to Subh-i-Azal. One by one these disappeared, most of them as, I fear, _cannot be doubted, by foul play on the part of too zealous Bahais_."

FOOTNOTES:

[494] "Bahai Proofs," p. 12.

[495] "The Modern Social Religion," p. 167.

[496] Phelps, pp. 19-20.

[497] Pages 178-181.

[498] "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 356-358.

[499] "Bahai Proofs," p. 51.

[500] Manuscript "Life of Beha Ullah," p. 20.

[501] Professor Browne, afterwards in Persia, found the attitude of the Bahais towards the Azalis "unjust and intolerant" and reprimanded them for "their violence and unfairness." They cursed and reviled in the presence of Professor Browne ("A Year Among the Persians," pp. 525-530).

[502] "New Hist.," p. 200, Note 4.

[503] _Jour. Roy. As. Soc._, 1892, p. 296, by Professor Browne. Also "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 359.

[504] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 369.

[505] Phelps, "Life of Abbas Effendi," pp. 40-44.

[506] "Brilliant Proof," p. 11.

[507] Chicago Edition, pp. 20-23; and "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 368, 369.

[508] Phelps, _Ibid._, p. 40.

[509] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 359.

[510] Phelps, p. 39.

[511] Phelps, p. 38.

[512] "Trav.'s Narr.," p, 361.

[513] _Ibid._, p. 362.

[514] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 361.

[515] _Ibid._, p. 361.

[516] _Ibid._, p. 371.

[517] "A Year Among the Persians," pp. 513-517.

[518] Possibly he counts those who afterwards left their allegiance to Baha.

[519] "Haifa, etc.," p. 107; "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 370.

[520] Phelps, p. 75.

[521] _Jour. Roy. As. Soc._, 1889, p. 519; "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 94, 370.

[522] "Brigham Young," by Cannon, p. 271. "Brigham failed to punish or even condemn those criminals who served him too well."

[523] Manuscript, pp. 41-48.

[524] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 362.

[525] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 359; _Jour. Roy. As. Soc._, 1889, p. 519; 1892, pp. 995-996.

[526] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 363.

[527] _Ibid._, p. 332. Also "New Hist.," p. 391.

[528] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 363.

[529] _Ibid._, pp. 357, 365.

[530] "Religions et Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale," pp. 277-278.

[531] _Jour. Roy. As. Soc._, 1889, p. 996.

[532] Page xxiii.

[533] "A Year Among the Persians," p. 530.

[534] The Bab asked his fellow prisoner to kill him ("Mirza Jani," p. xlvii.).

[535] "New Hist.," pp. 274, 275; "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 198, 199, 311.

[536] The "Kasas-ul-Ulema," the Shiah history, says, "Certain Babis, stung by his words, fell upon him early one morning as he was praying in the mosque, and with knives and daggers inflicted on him eight wounds from which he died two days later" ("Trav.'s Narr.," p. 198).

[537] Pages 61, 62.

[538] "New Hist.," pp. 82, 278.

[539] "New Hist.," p. 115 and note, p. 411.

[540] _Ibid._, p. 73; "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 178.

[541] _Ibid._, p. 323.

[542] "The Brilliant Proof," p. 11.

[543] "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 100-101.

[544] Phelps, p. 50.

[545] Manuscript Life, p. 36.

[546] Compare "History by Mirza Jani," p. xvi.

[547] "Notes taken at Acca," by Mrs. C. True, p. 27.

[548] "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 357-358.

[549] "Facts for Behaists," p. 42.

[550] "Oriental Rose," p. 186.

[551] "Fifty-three Years in Syria," pp. 637, 605.

[552] Doctor Kheiralla believes that assassination is to be feared at the present time. He told me that a prominent follower of M. Mohammed Ali had been poisoned at Jiddah. Doctor Pease said to me, "Until now Doctor Kheiralla is afraid of assassination. A Bahai told me, 'We want only one thing from Kheiralla, _i. e._, the translation of the "Kitab-ul-Akdas," then we will get rid of him.'" When Hasan Khorasani came to Chicago, Kheiralla was warned from Syria to beware of him and he put himself under special police protection.

[553] Chicago Edition, 1908, pp. 11-14.

[554] "Answered Questions," by Barney, pp. 199-201.

[555] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 372; "A Year in Persia," p. 328.

[556] _Ibid._, p. 406.

[557] "A Year in Persia," p. 306.

[558] _Moslem World_, 1912, p. 237.

[559] "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 371-373.

[560] _Ibid._, p. 296.

[561] A Reply to Rev. P. Z. Easton's article in the _Evangelical Christendom_.

[562] "Life of Abbas Effendi," p. 43.

[563] Mr. A. J. Stenstrand, of Chicago, was convinced by the facts. He wrote, "When I studied the Babi history and read about the terrible cruelty and assassinations which the followers of Beha perpetrated upon Subh-i-Azal's supporters which made no resistance, this broke the backbone of my Behai faith." In conversation he told me that Doctor Kheiralla had informed the Chicago assembly that the account of the assassinations as narrated by Professor Browne was true and that the Manifestation had a right to slay them."

[564] Page 364.

[565] "New Hist.," p. xxiii.

[566] One of these was the author of "Hasht Behesht." If the Bahais had the longer dagger, the Azalis did not lack the bitter pen. Professor Browne translates from this work as follows, "The misleadings of black darkness brought me into the city of blood (Acca). I met Abbas Effendi, the whisperer of evil thoughts, one of the manifestations of infidelity. Afterwards I saw the rest of the Wicked One's followers. Their words and arguments consist of a farrago of names, baseless stories, calumnies, falsehoods and lies, and not one of them had any knowledge of the first principles of the religion of the 'Bayan.' They are all devoid of knowledge, ignorant, short-sighted, of common capacity, hoodwinked, people of darkness, spurned of nature, hypocrites, corrupters of texts, blind imitators. God hath taken away from them His light and hath left them in the darkness of the Wicked One and hath destroyed them in the abysses of vain imaginings." He was admitted to audience with Baha and narrates, "When I came there and looked upon the Arch-Idol, that Greatest Talisman, that personified Revolt, that rebellious Lucifer, the envious Iblis, I saw a form upon the throne and heard the lowing of the Calf (Baha--Golden Calf). Then did I see how the light of the Most Great Name shone on Ahriman the accursed, and how the fingers of the demon wore the ring. (Alluding to the theft of Solomon's ring by the demon.) For they had written the name Baha-ul-Abha on divers writings and called it 'the Most Great Name.' Thereat there came to my mind the verse of Hafiz:

Efficient is the name divine: be of good cheer, O heart!
The div becomes not Solomon by guile and cunning art."

XI

The Quarrel over the Succession

The confusion, the reaction, and the spiritual division usually
attendant upon a prophet's death were in this case happily averted
(!?).--_Holley, a Bahai, "The Modern Social Religion," p. 169._

The last schism and the bitterness to which it gave rise lead me to
inquire, where is the compelling and constraining power which they
regard as the essential and incontrovertible sign of the divine word
as in the text, "Associate with all religions with spirituality and
fragrance," when they can show such bitter animosity against those of
their own household.--_Professor Browne._

Whosoever claimeth a mission before the completion of a full thousand
years from this manifestation is a lying impostor; whosoever
interpreteth or explaineth this text different from what is obviously
revealed, is bereft of the Spirit of God and His
mercy.--"_Kitab-ul-Akdas._"

The claims of Bahais in regard to the conduct of Abdul Baha must be further considered. Mr. Phelps describes him as a man "who proves that self can be utterly forgotten: that all-embracing love can be substituted for egotism: the recorded love of Buddha and Christ may indeed be realized." M. Asad Ullah writes: "He sees the Moslem, the Christian and the Bahai, all with one eye,--he is equally kind to all." Mr. Sprague affirms: "Abdul Baha manifests universal love in every word and act." Mr. Chase says: "Bahaism does bring men into loving unity with each other." Abdul Baha said in his address at Denver, Col., "All other nations ... inquire as to the character of this love. What love exists among the Bahais! What unity obtains among these Bahais! What agreement there is among these Bahais! All envy it."[567] Again let the light of history shine forth and these claims be justified or refuted by the facts.

Baha Ullah died at Acca in May, 1892, in his seventy-fifth year. The death of the father was the signal for a bitter quarrel among his sons. The occasion was the succession to the leadership. The cause, no doubt, lay partly in that jealousy which results from a polygamous household. This polygamy was the occasion of misfortune even at the time, for the Persian consul at Bagdad, named Mirza Buzurk Khan Kasvini, had desired to wed one of the women and vented his disappointment on the Bahai community by making accusation against them before the Persian and Turkish Governments.[568]

Baha Ullah had twelve children. The four sons who grew to manhood received "great swelling" titles. Abbas was entitled "The Greatest (Azam) Branch of God" and regarded as the "return" of Jesus; Mohammed Ali, "The Mightiest (Akbar) Branch of God" and the "return" of Mohammed; Ziah Ullah, "The Purest Branch and as Abraham" (died 1898); Badi Ullah, "The Most Luminous Branch and as Moses."

Abbas Effendi was the son of Aseyeh. The other three were sons of Ayesha or Madh Ulya. Abbas Effendi claimed the succession, basing his right and title on the Will of Baha, called the Kitab-il-Ahd and on previous declarations. His right was disputed by the other brothers. I have a manuscript by a lifelong Bahai which gives the following account: "Nine days after the 'ascension' of Baha, Abbas Effendi desired nine of the chief men to come to the house of Mohammed Ali Effendi. He opened the will. It was in Baha's own handwriting and two pages long. The nine men saw it. On the second page, over a part of the writing, Abbas had put a blue paper that it might not be read, and he refused to have it read. On the same day, the whole congregation (men) gathered to the palace of Baha. Mirza Majd-i-Din (Abbas' sister's son) rose and read the will up to the blue paper. Later the women were called to the Kasr Bahja and the will was again read, but the concealed portion was not made known. It was evident that it was for his own selfish purposes that Abbas concealed it, because the future authority did not pertain to him. From Persia and India many wrote, saying: 'Show the last portion; it is the writing of His Holiness.' He refused. To this day it is concealed."

Abbas assumed authority as the Supreme Ruler of the new dispensation, the Centre of the Covenant, and the Infallible Interpreter of its teachings. His claim is clearly set forth in a Tablet[569] wherein, speaking in the third person, he declares: "All Bahais must obey the Centre of the Covenant and must not _deviate one hair's breadth_ from obedience to Him." "He should be looked upon as authority by all." "Obedience and submission must be shown Him and the face turned to Him completely." He was given such titles as[570] "His Holiness the Master," "Our Lord," "The Centre of the Cause of God," "Dawning Place of the Divine Light," "Dayspring of the Light of the Covenant." Indeed his first Apostles to Persia bore the message, "I am the Manifestation of God. My paps are full of the milk of Godhead. Whosoever will, let him come and suck freely."

His claims to headship were strenuously opposed by his brothers and some of the nearest disciples. A bitter quarrel began as a consequence and has raged to the present time. Letters were sent by each party to the Persian Bahais, involving them in the quarrel. Mohammed Ali composed a book, called the "Ityan-i-Dallil," presenting proofs of the invalidity of Abbas' claims, from the writings of Baha. They charge[571] Abbas with concealing and annulling Baha's will, perverting his teachings, changing the writings of Baha, publishing expurgated and interpolated editions of them, and attempting to suppress the authorized Bombay editions. Specifically they accuse him of publishing a Lawh-i-Beirut, a Tablet in which Abbas is greatly exalted, and attributing it to Baha, though it is spurious; that he has inserted verses into letters written in the hand of Baha's amanuensis and published them as genuine; has omitted verses from the "Tablet of Command"; made up the "Treasure Tablet" from parts of several others; appropriated to himself Tablets pertaining to Mirza Mohammed Ali; and commanded to destroy all Tablets of Baha which have not his (Abbas') seal upon them.[572]

Per contra the party of Abbas accused his brothers of intemperance and profligacy[573] and of heresy, covenant-breaking and fraud. Mr. Hadad reported M. Mohammed Ali and Badi Ullah as "being profligate and wanton, frequenting wine shops and being spendthrifts." Mr. Getsinger said he had seen Badi Ullah in the street intoxicated and being helped home by two servants, that he and his brother had taken and pawned the effects of Baha, rugs, hand-bags, etc., and a pearl rosary belonging to Baha which was valued at $10,000 (!) and had squandered the money." Abbas said to Mrs. Grundy,[574] "Mohammed Ali has appropriated many papers and tablets written by the Blessed Perfection (Baha). It is possible for these writings to be altered, as the meanings in Persian are greatly changed by a single dot here and there. Before His Ascension, the Blessed Perfection said to me, 'I have given you all the papers.' He put them in two satchels and sent them to me. After His Ascension, Mohammed Ali said, 'You had better give me the two satchels to take care of.' He took them away and never returned them." He said that Mohammed Ali deceives, "for the Will was also written by Mohammed Ali's own hand from dictation of the Blessed Perfection. By violating the Covenant (Will) he has become a _fallen_ branch. All the beautiful blossoms upon the Tree of Life were destroyed by Mohammed Ali."

Abbas proceeded to the use of boycott and anathema. He[575] ordered that no one of the Acca community should send any letters anywhere without first showing them to him, and commanded the Bahais in Persia not to receive any letters that were not sealed by him, but to send them back to him, and that in writing to Acca they should send their letters open. These restrictions on freedom gave great offense. Abbas also prohibited his followers from associating with his brothers and their followers, strictly ordering them "not to sit, meet, speak or correspond with them, not even to trade or associate with them in any profession."[576] Khadim reports that "once in his own house, Abbas rose up and furiously attacked" his stepmother, who, in return, reviled him and fled from the house, wailing. "At the sacred tomb he used cruelly to treat the brothers and sisters."[577] "On one occasion he repeatedly struck his youngest (half) sister in the presence of her little ones and many believers," scolding her "with a loud voice, uttering many harsh words."[578] On another occasion he "insulted and beat Khadim (Mirza Aga Jan, Baha's amanuensis) at the sacred place" and afterwards "ordered his followers to imprison and cruelly beat him, which they did."[579] He sent adrift Abdul Gaffar Ispahani, called Abdullah, one of the first believers on Baha, in such destitute condition that he died of hunger and was buried in a potter's field at Damascus.[580]

"Alas! Alas!" exclaims Mirza Aga Jan, "Abbas Effendi has caused his followers to display such vehemence of hatred and rancour, the like of which has never been shown by barbarous nations, and even by the most ignorant tribes."[581] Of Abbas, Mrs. Templeton[582] writes: "His pride, alas, is great.... He seems to be blinded.... With regard to business matters Abbas Effendi has not been just to his brothers, who have suffered a good deal in consequence."[583]

Abbas Effendi cut off the living of his stepmothers, brothers and their dependents. Baha Ullah and his household had a stipend from the Turkish Government, as Azal and the Babis in Cyprus had, and it was not an ungenerous allowance.[584]

"The family had an income from the Government, as well as a revenue from three villages."[585] "These funds Abbas Effendi appropriated and with these made his charitable gifts (?) leaving the forty dependents of the younger brothers to live as best they could."[586] This excluding the protesters from their share of the income and offerings embittered the strife, at the same time weakening their ability to propagate their contention. Bitterness and enmity increased; recriminations and accusations inflamed the passions of both sides.

Mirza Abul Fazl, the philosopher of the movement, gives, as a partisan of Abbas Effendi, an account of these times in his "Bahai Proofs."[587] He describes the "ruinous discords and divisions," "the world-consuming flame of jealousy and hatred of the people of error," "the hard hearts of the men of hostility," "the animosity and groundless pride," "the senseless hatred, degradation and shame of the violators of the covenant." He gives the opprobrious title of _Nakhazeen_ to Mohammed Ali's party. He continues, "The evil intrigues, calumnies, false pamphlets and accusations, evil tongues and cursings of the Nakhazeen divided the community and filled it with foul odours." Several outside parties tried to act as mediators and bring about a reconciliation. Among these were the British Consul at Haifa and Mrs. Templeton. The younger brothers agreed to the terms. Abbas Effendi was formally requested to show the Will before impartial witnesses and all were to abide by its word. "This he resolutely refused to do and he must stand condemned for this before all impartial men."[588] After the failure of these efforts at reconciliation, the anger and bitterness waxed hotter. To quote Abul Fazl again: "The Nakhazeen cursed and insulted the visitors to the tomb of the Blessed Perfection," so that there was danger of its desecration. "Consequently Abbas Effendi asked the local (Turkish) Government to supply a guard to accompany and protect" his party. Abbas also went to Tiberias and made complaint to the Government there.[589] As a result of all these conditions, "The people of hostility and violation," says Abul Fazl, "availed themselves of political machinations," in other words, Mohammed Ali's party, "those dwellers in hellfire,"[590] appealed to the "fanatical men of those lands," _i.e._, those same Turkish Authorities. Mohammed Ali formally complained to the Governor of Damascus, Nazim Pasha, sending Mirza Majd-ud-Din as his special messenger.[591] They accused Abbas of retaining their stipends, of confiscating their patrimony, including the father's gold watch which had been donated to Mohammed Ali. Above all, according to the interesting narrative of Abbas' sister, Bahiah Khanum,[592] they made accusation that the shrine which was being erected on Mount Carmel "was intended as a fort, in which Abbas and his followers would intrench themselves, defy the Government, and endeavour to gain possession of this part of Syria." To use the words of Abbas, they said that "he had hoisted the banner of independence; upon that he had inscribed 'Ya Baha-ul Abha': that he had summoned all to assemble that he might found a new monarchy." Therefore "an inquisitorial body (a Commission) was appointed by the Government. To them the copartners of my brothers confirmed them (the reports) and added to them."[593] After the report of the Commission and in consequence of these charges and counter-charges of the "Greatest Branch of God" and the "Mightiest Branch of God," a telegram was received from the Sultan to the Governor "issuing a firman, decreeing the original order, by which Baha's family were confined within the walls of Acca." After _nine_ years of quarrelling (_nine_ being the sacred number of Bahais) this order was put in force, 1901 A.D. They were still confined to Acca in 1906 when I visited Haifa. I saw the shrine and the fine residence of Baha at Haifa, just beside the English Mission. It deserves to be emphasized that the _cause of the Bahai leaders being restricted to Acca_ was not religious persecution by Moslems but _their own quarrellings_.

So completely had the suspicions of Abdul Hamid's government been aroused by their accusations against each other that the death sentence was feared. Pilgrimages were stopped and terror rested on the followers.[594] Abdul Baha wrote to his American disciples of these conditions in the following hyperbolic words: "Verily, by God, I would not change this prison for the throne nor for all the gardens of the earth. Verily I hope to be suspended in the air, and that my breast may become the target to be pierced by thousands of bullets: or that I may be cast into the bottomless seas or thrown into the wilderness.... If I could taste the cup of the great martyrdom, my greatest desire would be fulfilled. This is my utmost aim, the animation of my spirit, the healing of my bosom, the sight of my eyes." But when the establishment of the Constitution in Turkey gave him freedom, he was quick to take advantage of it. He went to Egypt and took up his residence there.[595]

The history I have narrated above refutes these various pretensions of Bahaism, its claims, its "great swelling words" more forcibly than logic or the judgments and opinions of myself and others. The conduct of Abdul Baha and his followers towards the brothers and their followers, as well as that of Bahais to the Azalis, contradicts their fine professions of toleration and love to all religions and all men. Well may we exclaim with Professor Browne: "Where is the restraining power, when they can show such _bitter animosity_ against those of their own household!" The numbers of Bahais living at Acca then was about ninety,[596] and of them thirty[597] or forty[598] were of the opponents of Abbas.

In Persia, where Bahais number a hundred thousand, a small, but influential minority rejected the authority of Abbas Effendi. These were placed under the ban, anathematized, and ostracized. For example, one of them, Mirza Jalil of Khoi, was driven out of his house, which was destroyed by Shiahs, instigated by new Bahais. Another adherent of Mohammed Ali, Mirza Khalil of Tabriz, was completely ostracized, according to command received from Acca. His daughter, who was married to a new Bahai, was allowed to visit her parents only once a year, though living in the same city, and when she died they did not give them word till six days after the funeral. Another Bahai libelled this man to his employers in hope of injuring him.

Another result in Persia was the permanent estrangement of a considerable number of Bahais who lapsed into scepticism.

Abbas Effendi, influenced by the opposition, put a veil over his high claims and instructed his followers to speak of him as simply Abdul Baha, "the Servant of Baha," which is usually translated by them "the servant of God." The protesters replied, "Rather let the title be Abdul-Hawa, 'the servant of air,'" _i.e._, windy and bombastic. But notwithstanding his disavowals Abdul Baha allows himself to be assigned a position both inconsistent with his own words and with the teachings of Baha. Mr. Phelps, his disciple and biographer, says,[599] "Abdul Baha, styled 'Our Lord,' 'Our Master,' is regarded with a love and a _veneration_ second only, _if indeed second_, to that which they bestow upon Baha Ullah. He is classed as the third or last of the Divine Messengers of the present Dispensation." The Bab, Baha and Abbas constitute, as it were, the Bahai trinity. Abdul Baha commended and approved for publication an ode written by Thornton Chase in which he is glorified with the following epithets among many others.

"O Thou Enlightener of the Spirits of Men! Thou Heart of the World!

"Thou Physician of Souls! Thou Prince of Peace!

"Thou Right Arm of the Almighty! Thou Lord of the Sabbath of Ages!

"Thou Mystery of God!"

Another disciple, Mrs. Grundy,[600] writes, "Abdul Baha is the Bazaar of God, where everything humanity needs may be found without money and without price." Mr. Remey (a Bahai) writes,[601] "The Divine Spirit is manifested in Abdul Baha--_the Branch_. He is the unique channel through which the Power of God is conveyed to each individual believer. He is the intermediary. The spiritual well-being of every Bahai depends on his connection with Abdul Baha."

The outcome of this quarrel in America is told in the following chapter. An interesting sequel is the recantation of Mirza Badi Ullah. Doubtless helped thereto by poverty, he made his submission to Abdul Baha, and published a confession, called "An Epistle to the Bahai World." Concerning it Doctor Pease told me that Badi Ullah is not the author of the whole of that which is published in English under his name. The Epistle says, I Badi Ullah "turn my face to the appointed station, Abdul Baha--May the life of all existent beings be a sacrifice to Him." Against M. Mohammed Ali, with whom he had associated himself for a decade, he makes accusation of untrustworthiness, of purloining the papers and books of Baha and interpolating and falsifying them, of cursing and execrating Abdul Baha through jealousy. He turns on his former supporters and says, "they (the Nakhazeen) have no God save passion, no object save personal interest."[602] Doctor Jessup says:[603] "Badi not long ago was threatening to kill Abbas, and assassination is an old fashion of Persian fanatics.... He has become reconciled but I would not guarantee that his main object is not to gain his share of the money." Better had Badi stuck to his former plan when he petitioned the Governor of Damascus and the Sultan to be sent as a prisoner to Rhodes. Doubtless then he would have had an independent pension.

FOOTNOTES:

[567] _S. W._, Nov. 4, 1913, p. 230; Phelps, pp. 255, 133.

[568] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 84, note 2.

[569] _S. W._, July 13, 1912.

[570] Abul Fazl's "Bahai Proofs," pp. 109-122.

[571] See "Facts for Behaists."

[572] We can well believe that these accusations are true, in view of what we know from Professor Browne of the way Abbas Effendi perverted facts of the history of the Bab and Subh-i-Azal, in the "Traveller's Narrative" of which he was the author ("New Hist.," pp. xiv., xxxi.).

[573] "Facts for Behaists," pp. 8, 9.

[574] "Ten Days in the Light at Acca," p. 63.

[575] Persian Manuscript.

[576] "Facts, etc.," p. 45.

[577] _Ibid._, p. 59.

[578] _Ibid._, p. 60.

[579] _Ibid._, p. 25.

[580] Persian Manuscript.

[581] "Facts," p. 54.

[582] Mrs. Templeton was Mrs. Laurence Oliphant and had resided at Acca and in intimate relations with the family of Baha for ten years.

[583] "Facts," pp. 6-7.

[584] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 378.

[585] Mrs. Templeton's letter to Doctor Pease in "Facts," p. 9.

[586] Mrs. Templeton, p. 9.

[587] Pages 116-118.

[588] Mrs. Templeton.

[589] See "Facts, etc.," Khadim's letter.

[590] Page 136.

[591] "An Epistle to the Bahai World," by M. Badi Ullah, p. 19, and Mr. Howard MacNutt's Interview with Badi Ullah, _S. W._, July 13, 1912.

[592] Phelps' "Life," p. 81.

[593] "Letters to the Friends in Persia," pp. 2-3. Comp. "Tablets of Abdul Baha," Vol. I, pp. 45-47.

[594] "Daily Lessons," by Goodall, pp. 27-29 and the "Bahai Movement," pp. 106-108.

[595] "Tablets," Vol. I, pp. 4, 94.

[596] Phelps, p. 109.

[597] Abul Fazl, p. 118.

[598] Mrs. Templeton, "Facts, etc.," p. 9.

[599] Page xxxiv.

[600] "Ten Days at Acca," p. 105.

[601] _Star_, Sept. 8, 1913.

[602] Page 28.

[603] "Fifty-three Years in Syria," p. 687.

XII

Bahaism in America

I speak from the point of view of Persian Bahaism and not from that
American fantasy which bears its name.--_Nicolas, "Beyan Persan," Vol.
I, p. II._

Abbas is an elderly and venerable man, very similar to a score of
venerable Druse and Moslem Sheikhs I have met.... The Lord deliver
them (American Christians) from the delirious blasphemies.... The
claim that the Acca Sheikh is God is quite enough to condemn
them.--_H. H. Jessup, "Fifty-three Years in Syria," p. 638._

Pray for my return to America and say: O Baha Ullah! Confirm Him in
the servitude of the East; so that He may not spend all his time in
the Orient; that He may return to America and occupy His time in the
Western world.--_Prayer of Bahais._

It is doubtless this mystical, allegorical character of Bahaism which
attracts a certain type of mind in America, in the main probably, the
same type which follows after spiritualism, esoteric Buddhism, Swamis
from India, theosophy, and other movements which play around the edges
of the occult and magical, and help to dull the edge of present
realities with the things which are neither present nor real....
Indeed it is probably this soft compliance with anything and the
absence of the robustness of definite truth and solid principle which
makes Bahaism attractive to many moral softlings in the West.... It
will run a brief course and amount to little in America.... The
novelty will soon be over and the people who did not have sufficient
discernment to discover the truth that will satisfy them in
Christianity, will not find it in Baha Ullah or Abbas Effendi.--_R. E.
Speer, "Miss. and Mod. Hist.," Vol. I, pp. 143, 162-168._

Bahaism, as distinguished from Babism, was, to a certain extent, introduced to public notice in America by Christian missionaries, who reported about it as a movement likely to break the solidarity of Shiahism and facilitate the evangelization of Persia. With the same thought in mind, Professor Browne's translations of "The New History" and "The Traveller's Narrative" attracted attention. In the Congress of Religions, at the Chicago Exposition in 1893, the eminent missionary, Rev. H. H. Jessup, D. D., described Baha Ullah as "a famous Persian sage,--the Babi saint, named Baha Ullah (the glory of God), the head of that vast reform party of Persian Moslems, who accept the New Testament as the word of God and Christ as the deliverer of men; who regard all nations as one and all men as brothers."[604] Shortly after the Exposition a Syrian, named Ibrahim G. Kheiralla, began a propaganda in favour of Bahaism. He was of Christian parentage, born in Mount Lebanon, and educated in Beirut College. At Cairo, under the tutelage of Mirza Karim of Teheran, he accepted the Bahai faith. He was engaged in business, to which he joined faith healing and lecturing. He was given a fake degree of Doctor of something by a night school in Chicago. This he rightly despised, but considered that he was entitled to the degree because M. Mohammed Ali had addressed him as Doctor! I had several interviews with him. He showed me a trunk full of Bahai manuscripts and documents, and allowed me to read his translation into English of the "Kitab-ul-Akdas." He is a man of strong mind, acute argumentative faculties, fine conversational powers and altogether an interesting personality. He first taught Bahaism in secret lessons, as a religion of mysteries, a secret order, a doctrine for truth-seekers only, not for the masses. "The secret teaching gives us the key to the truth."[605]

Mr. S. K. Vatralsky was among the private pupils at Kenosha. He did not become a believer, but learned the esoteric doctrine and published an interesting account of the cult under the title, "Mohammedan Gnosticism in America."[606] Of the method used he writes, "In their secret lessons they allegorize and explain away; in public by means of mental reservation and the use of words in a double sense, they appear as they wish to appear." Doctor Kheiralla published in 1897 a booklet called "Bab-ed-Din, The Door of the True Religion--Revelation from the East." It has two parts (1) On the Individuality of God and (2) A Refutation of the Christian doctrine of the atonement. Later (1900), in conjunction with Mr. Howard MacNutt, he published "Beha Ullah" in two volumes. It is the theology and apologetics of Bahaism. Its Preface informs us that its purpose is to "demonstrate that the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, has appeared in human form and established His kingdom on earth." The propaganda met with considerable success in Chicago and its vicinity. In 1897 Doctor Kheiralla went to New York City and in a short time "140 souls" were persuaded. In this same year two of his pupils were married in his house in Chicago, receiving his blessing. These were Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Getsinger. They "taught seekers" in Ithaca, N. Y., and afterwards in California. There they converted Mrs. H----, a woman of great wealth, to the faith. Mr. Vatralsky narrates that Doctor Kheiralla converted no less than 2,000 Americans during the first two years of his labour. Of these 700 were living in Chicago (Doctor Kheiralla told me 840), between 250 and 300 in Wisconsin, about 400 in New York, the rest in Boston, etc. In his "Beha Ullah" Doctor Kheiralla says, "Over seven years ago I began to preach the message. Since then thousands of people of this country have believed and accepted the glad tidings of the appearance of the Lord of Hosts, the Incarnation of Deity, and the glorious message is rapidly spreading in the United States." Speaking of this period Mr. Vatralsky writes: "It would not have had its success, had it come flying its own native colours. It has succeeded because, like a counterfeit coin, it has passed for what it is not."

A curious incident occurred on May 6, 1906. Mr. August J. Stenstrand was exscinded from the "First Central Church of the Manifestation," because he rejected Baha Ullah and accepted Subh-i-Azal. He was led to this step by investigating the history as recorded in Professor Browne's translations. He subsequently published three pamphlets, "Calls to Behaists" (1907, 1910, 1913) setting forth the claims of Azal. I had interesting interviews with him in 1914.

In the winter of 1898-99 pilgrimages were organized to visit the shrine and leaders at Acca.[607] One party consisted of Mrs. H----, who bore the expenses, Doctor and Mrs. Kheiralla, Mr. and Mrs. Getsinger, Mr. Hadad and others. The pilgrimage turned out unfortunately. They found the "holy household" divided. They saw only Abbas Effendi and one sister. They were kept from even a sight of the others. Doctor Kheiralla was bold enough to dispute with Abbas Effendi and he told me that for this reason the latter conceived a grudge against him. Of this Dr. F. O. Pease writes: "Doctor Kheiralla had some discussion with Abbas in the presence of native guests and teachers at which Abbas took umbrage."[608] The Getsingers accused Kheiralla of immoral conduct and Abbas Effendi reported these stories to Mrs. Kheiralla and her daughter, with the result that they repudiated Kheiralla. Certain financial irregularities of the party further disgusted Mrs. H---- and chilled her faith. So animosity and dissension sprang up.

Mr. Getsinger, on his return to America, announced that he was to be the representative of Abbas Effendi, because Doctor Kheiralla's teachings were erroneous and his conduct immoral. Doctor Kheiralla responded with counter charges against his accuser, of a private and personal nature, and declared him qualified for the Ananias club by his accounts of himself in California. The Chicago and Kenosha assemblies were rent asunder. In the correspondence, some of which I have in my possession, they hurl at each other such terms as falsehood, lie, malevolence, injustice, maliciousness, deluding, laying traps, etc. Thornton Chase was accused of dishonesty in money matters. Doctor N----, the treasurer of the "Assembly" in Chicago, was denounced for embezzling its funds. Mirza Abdul Karim arrived from Acca to quiet matters but he poured oil on the flames. Kheiralla was first informed that if he would submit and cooeperate, "he would never want anything." He writes:[609] "Abdul Karim promised me plenty of money, and when I refused, he denounced me and prohibited believers from buying or reading my book." He ordered a social and business boycott against him and his party. Stenstrand says,[610] "They have ousted, given bad names, and thrown mud at each other both in their sermons and in print worse than any Christian or heathen religions have done." The spirit of Abdul Karim may be seen from one of his addresses: "O nakhiz (violator), thou spotted snake, thou shalt be seized with a great torture and punishment and thou, O sister serpent, who art wagging thy sinuous way and trailing thy deceitful slime over another region, know thy fate." He declared that he would call to God for vengeance against Kheiralla. Hasan Khorasani, too, threatened him, saying, "He would be smitten of God in two weeks," and "a sword shall cleave the sky and cut his neck." He was greatly frightened. Doctor Pease said to him, "Do not be afraid, you have nothing to fear." Kheiralla answered him, "I know these Orientals better than you do. I know what they did to the Azalis." Before they came to the next discussion, he had policemen concealed in his house for his protection. The upshot of the whole matter was that protesters repudiated Abbas Effendi, after a conference in Chicago on May 27, 1900, finding "increasing evidence of falsity and double dealing in him." Indeed, says Doctor Pease, "Why should we not inquire whether Abbas is not _a_ son, if not _the_ son of perdition." They entered into correspondence and became one with the party of M. Mohammed Ali. After this the controversy took on a doctrinal aspect and all questions of Abbas' supremacy and misconduct were thrashed out between the American Behaists and Bahais. This controversy from the side of the Behaists is contained in "The Three Questions" and "Facts for Behaists" (Chicago, 1901); from the other side in "Letters of Abdul Baha Abbas to the Friends in Persia" and "An Epistle to the Bahai World," by M. Badi Ullah, after his recantation. The details of the schism have been given already. To heal the schism different leaders were sent to America successively by Abbas Effendi. Following M. Abdul Karim, came M. Asad Ullah, 1901. He published, in New York, "The Sacred Mysteries" in which he anathematizes the Behaists. He organized a "House of Justice" in Chicago, a step which had been previously taken by the other party. Next came the learned Mirza Abul Fazl, 1901-1902. But their efforts were unavailing though each was willing to acknowledge the faults of his predecessor. The quarrel gave a great setback to the cause. Doctor Pease wrote in 1902:[611] "About 1,700 have left us because of the dissension and false teaching, and because they would not engage in religious scandal. The whole number in the country is now 600 or 700. Of these 300 are Behaists; the others are Abbasites of one sect or another, holding belief that Abbas is Lord and Master." Doctor Kheiralla says, "Many grew cold, few remained." With this agrees the word of Thornton Chase:[612] "We have seen too many, when the first winds of testing blew, show faith of shallow depth." Abdul Baha says:[613] "Chicago, in comparison with the cities of America, was in advance and numerically contained more Bahais, but when the stench or vile odour of the Nakhazeen was spread in that city there was stagnation." In Chicago Bahaism never recovered from these quarrels. In 1914 Mr. F. A. Slack, "Spiritual Guide of the Behaist Assembly of Kenosha," wrote to me "of the bitter invectives and false accusations and persecutions we are subjected to" by the followers of Abbas Effendi. The Behaists had dwindled to 40, according to their own report to the U. S. Census in 1906, while the Bahais reported 1,280 in U. S. A. of whom 492 were in Illinois, 23 in two Assemblies in New York State, 58 in New Jersey, 52 in Pennsylvania. One of the largest Assemblies was in Washington, D. C., with 74 members, white and coloured. These organized local "spiritual assemblies" were 27 in 1913, a very small increase.[614] There are also "assemblies of teaching" for the women. There are Annual Conventions with delegates from the different groups. These conventions are "unique and peerless among the assemblies of mankind," in the mind of their imaginative reporter, "because of the divine favour of Baha Ullah which gathers them together.... All other meetings in the world are for worldly or selfish purposes. These alone are spiritual."[615] They also hold a summer conference at Eliot, Maine.

The Bahai propaganda is carried on by means of these assemblies, by parlour meetings, by personal intercourse and by letters (tablets) from Abdul Baha. Their publicity bureau is most active and supplies many articles to magazines and newspapers. They make use of the Chautauquas, Peace Congresses, etc., to promulgate their peculiar tenets. Their press at Chicago publishes the _Star of the West_, formerly the _Bahai News_. It is issued monthly, that is, every nineteen days, according to the Bahai calendar. For example, the issue of September 27, 1914, is dated Masheyat 1, Year 70. It is printed in English and Persian, the latter being lithographed. It is confined to Bahai subjects, giving many of Abdul Baha's "revelations." Their literature, so far issued, is (1) The Works of Baha Ullah, in six or more books. (2) The Tablets and Addresses of Abdul Baha. (3) The Apologetics of Bahai writers, American or translations from the Persian. (4) Journals of pilgrims to Acca. (5) Tracts and reports. Of his own Tablets, Abdul Baha says:[616] "In course of time, the light of these Tablets will dawn, the greatness, the importance will be known. The truth I say unto thee, that each leaflet will be a wide-spread book, nay rather a glistening Gem on the Glorious Crown. Know then its value and hold great its station." These Tablets are, for the most part, letters to individuals.