Chapter I: Front Matter

THE BÁB

The Herald of
the Day of Days

_By the same author_

`ABDU'L-BAHÁ
The Centre of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh

BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
The King of Glory

BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
A brief life, followed by an essay entitled THE WORD MADE FLESH

[_KH_]ADÍJIH BAGUM
The Wife of the Báb

EDWARD GRANVILLE BROWNE AND THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH

EMINENT BAHÁ'ÍS IN THE TIME OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH

MUḤAMMAD AND THE COURSE OF ISLÁM

THE BÁB

_The Herald of the Day of Days_

by
H. M. BALYUZI

GEORGE RONALD
OXFORD

First published 1973 by George Ronald
46 High Street, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 2DN
Reprinted 1973 and 1974
Paper edition 1975
Reprinted 1994

© H. M. BALYUZI 1973

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. It may
not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (except
for fair dealing for the purposes of private study,
research, criticism or review as permitted under the
Copyright Act, 1956) without written permission from the
publisher.

ISBN 0 85398 054 3

EXTRACTS FROM

Nabíl, _The Dawn-Breakers_
Copyright © 1932 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
of the United States

Shoghi Effendi, _God Passes By_
Copyright © 1944, 1971 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
of the United States

WORLD ORDER, A Bahá'í Magazine
Copyright © 1966 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
of the United States

Printed by The Cromwell Press,
Broughton Gifford, Melksham,
Wiltshire SN12 8PH

Contents

Foreword ix

A Note on the Construction of Persian Names xi

Prologue 1

1. All Hail [_Sh_]íráz 15

2. He Whom They Sought 32

3. Ṭihrán 48

4. The First Martyr 58

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca 69

6. Forces of Opposition Arrayed 76

7. Belief and Denial 85

8. The City of `Abbás the Great 106

9. The Antichrist of the Bábí Revelation 117

10. Where the Aras Flows 124

11. The Grievous Mountain 134

12. That Midsummer Noon 148

13. The Dawn-Breakers 161

Epilogue 189

APPENDICES

1. The Siege of Karbilá 193

2. The Martyrdom of the Báb 202

3. Prelude to the Episode of Nayríz 204

4. The Seven Martyrs of Ṭihrán 206

5. The Episode of Zanján 209

6. Lord Palmerston's Enquiry 214

7. Myth-Making 217

Bibliography 225

Notes 229

Index 243

TO
THE SHINING MEMORY
OF
A LONE AND NOBLE WOMAN
WHO SUFFERED IN SILENCE
FOR FORTY YEARS
THIS STORY OF HER BELOVED HUSBAND
IS DEDICATED

_Foreword_

The present book completes the trilogy on the lives of the Founders of the Bahá'í Faith. However, now that additional material is at my disposal, it is my hope to expand at a future date the volume on the life of Bahá'u'lláh, and also to write a supplement to the volume on the life of `Abdu'l-Bahá.

This book is the first in the range of Bahá'í literature to make extensive use of official documents from governmental archives. I am greatly indebted to Moojan Momen who has generously shared with me the results of his able research in the Public Record Office of London and elsewhere.

The two British Foreign Secretaries who received news and dispatches regarding the Báb and the Bábís were the Earl of Aberdeen, who held office from September 1841 to July 1846, under Sir Robert Peel; and Viscount Palmerston, whose tenure of office extended from July 1846 to January 1852, under Lord John Russell. The British envoy chiefly involved in forwarding such reports to London was Lt.-Col. (later Sir Justin) Sheil, the Minister in Ṭihrán. Lord Palmerston's letters to him (F.O. 248/134) state that his dispatches concerning the Báb and the Bábís were 'laid before the Queen'.

My deep gratitude goes to Abul-Qasim Afnan, who has unstintingly made available to me the chronicle-history and the autobiography of his father, the late Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥabíbu'lláh, as well as letters written by and to the relatives of the Báb, together with many other documents of inestimable value.

It should be borne in mind that apart from quotations from the Writings of the Báb, speeches attributed to Him or to anyone else in these pages must not be taken as exact reportage of words spoken at the time. They only convey the sense and purport of what was said on those occasions. Obviously no one was taking notes. It is possible, however, that a few short sentences here and there, which immediately engrave themselves on the mind, are exact utterances, the very words spoken.

As the bibliography indicates I have consulted a number of books; but of printed works, the main sources have been _God Passes By_ and Nabíl's Narrative, _The Dawn-Breakers_. I am much indebted to the Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, for permission to quote from these and other sources, as well as to Cambridge University Press, the Public Record Office, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., A. & C. Black Ltd., Faber & Faber Ltd., William Heinemann Ltd., Methuen & Co. Ltd., and _World Order_, A Bahá'í Magazine. Full acknowledgment is made in the bibliography and notes.

I am profoundly grateful to the Hands of the Cause Paul Haney and Abul-Qasim Faizi for reading the manuscript and for their review and advice. As in the past Marion Hofman's generous help has smoothed the path to publication. My indebtedness to her is immense. And without my wife's assistance and support I could not have completed my task.

I should also like to thank Miss Dorothy Wigington, Mr. Farhang Afnan and Mr. Rustom Sabit for their care in reading the proofs, and Mr. Horst W. Kolodziej for his excellent reproduction of a number of old documents and photographs.

Finally, a word as to the Prologue; this in my view provides a necessary background for the story of the Báb. But should the reader find in it too many unfamiliar facts, he may turn immediately to the first chapter.

H. M. BALYUZI
_London_
_October 1972_

_A Note on the Construction of Persian Names_

In times past the people of Persia had no surnames, but in many instances they were known by the name of the district, city, town, or even the village from which they came: for example, [_Kh_]urásání, Mázindarání, Ṭihrání, Iṣfahání, and [_Sh_]írází.

There were also various honorific prefixes and suffixes by which a person was distinguished. A descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad had (and has) the prefix of 'Siyyid'. At times, 'Mírzá' took the place of 'Siyyid', and at times the two were used together. 'Mírzá' by itself did not denote any particular ancestry, except when placed after a proper name to mark royal descent.

The suffix '[_Kh_]án' served at one time as a title, but with passing years, it became merely honorific, even meaningless, and at no time was it a surname.

The prefix 'Ḥájí' or 'Ḥáj' indicated then, as now, one who had made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Ma[_sh_]hadí and Karbilá'í, as prefixes, marked pilgrimage to Ma[_sh_]had or Karbilá, but as suffixes pointed out nativity.

There were also innumerable titles conferred by the sovereign in Írán, consisting of diverse combinations, sometimes ludicrous, sometimes grammatically impossible. Occasionally they indicated a definite rank and profession. As time passed, these titles multiplied absurdly, until they were swept away by legislation in the 1920's.

Finally, a person was often distinguished from others by a combination of prefixes and suffixes attached to his name which, if omitted, might cause him to be taken for another person.

Today the situation is much changed, but for the period described in this book, the author can identify people only by the names they then used, however difficult they may be.

* * * * *

Quotations are reproduced in their original form, even though differing from the spelling and transliteration of Persian words adopted in this book. Translations from Persian sources are by the author unless otherwise attributed.

The text of the Authorised Version of the Bible is Crown copyright and the extracts used herein are reproduced by permission.

* * * * *

The Báb, the Exalted One, is the Morn of Truth,
Whose Light shineth throughout all regions.
`ABDU'L-BAHÁ

O people of the Báb! sorely persecuted,
compelled to silence, but steadfast now as at
Sheykh Ṭabarsí and Zanján, what destiny is
concealed for you behind the veil of the Future?
EDWARD GRANVILLE BROWNE