I Knew
the Báb
His
Early Life through Remembrances of Those Who Knew Him
A
Dramatic Reading in Commemoration of His Birthday
Compiled
by Marlene Macke
St.
Marys, Ontario, Canada
1
November 2016
Cast
Fátimih Bagum, The
mother of the Báb
Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí,
known as Khál-i-A‘zam, The
uncle of the Báb
Shaykh ‘Abid, The
teacher of the Báb
Khadíjih Bagum, The
wife of the Báb
Narrator
I Knew
the Báb
His
Early Life through the Remembrances of Those Who Knew Him
A
Dramatic Reading in Commemoration of His Birthday
Fátimih Bagum
I am the mother of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. My family descended from the
lineage of the Imám Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The family of
my husband, Siyyid Muhammad-Ridá, also descended from the Prophet, and Nabíl
who chronicled the history of the Bábí Faith later wrote that our house was
renowned for its nobility. We lived in the city of Shíráz in Persia.
No one paid attention to the women of my society, so in future, no
one will know where or when I was born nor how I was raised. These details are
of no importance today. Suffice to say, I was married young – likely in my
early teens – but my first children died in infancy. My husband and I prayed
fervently for the birth of a healthy child, and our prayers were answered. On
the twentieth day of October, 1819, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. We
named him Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. You can imagine how joyful we were but we never
guessed our infant was born to follow a divine destiny.
Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, known as Khál-i-A‘zam
I am the uncle of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad and the brother of Fátimih
Bagum. It was a terrible blow when her husband died so suddenly, leaving her a
young single mother with an infant son. As is our custom, a male relative takes
over to act as the legal guardian of under-aged fatherless children, and so I
took responsibility for my nephew who was barely past infanthood.
When he turned six, I enrolled the boy in the school of Shaykh
‘Abid where he remained for some five or six years. He was taught the
curriculum of the era, especially reciting from the Holy Qur’án, and the
rudiments of the Persian language, arithmetic and handwriting.
Since I was a merchant by profession, I intended to take him into
business with me as soon as he finished his studies. Did I notice that he
exhibited extraordinary promise as a little boy? No, not really. Men of my time
paid little attention to youngsters; it was the women who raised the children.
However, I did love him as if he were my own son.
Shaykh ‘Abid
I am Shaykh ‘Abid and I followed the Shaykhí
movement, led by Shaykh Ahmad and later by Siyyid Kázim. I owned a school for youngsters and also
taught theology to some older students. Khál-i-A‘zam asked me to tutor
his nephew in my small school.
One day ‘Alí-Muhammad astonished me with an insightful explanation of
the opening words of the Qur’án. The beauty and power of his words made me
realize there was nothing I could teach this child. I took ‘Alí-Muhammad home
and committed him to his uncle’s vigilant protection. I explained the boy stood
in no need of teachers such as I. Khál-i-A‘zam was annoyed by this. He
instructed his nephew to return to my school, to observe silence and to listen
attentively to every word spoken by his teacher. While ‘Alí-Muhammad was always
courteous and humble, I knew he possessed an extraordinary wisdom and knowledge
gained neither from books nor human teachers.
Fátimih Bagum
The first sixteen years of my boy’s life were the very most precious
years in all my life. My brother, Khál-i-A‘zam, was good to us, taking
us into his own home, and of course I doted on my son. He and I had an
extraordinarily strong bond. He was always so loving, considerate and dutiful
towards me. He was such a pure and sweet
child, so courteous to everyone. But he had a solemn streak that sometimes
amused me. And he was astonishingly devout in his prayers and meditations, far
beyond his years. Of course every mother thinks her first-born is the apple of
her eye, and I surely adored my incomparable child. But I had not yet come to
comprehend the unique man he would become.
Shaykh ‘Abid
‘Alí-Muhammad came late to school one day. When I asked him why, he
said he had been in the house of his ‘Grandfather’. The Siyyids, the
descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, refer to the Prophet as their
‘Grandfather’. I told ‘Alí-Muhammad he
was only a child and that he need not spend so much of his time in prayer. He
replied quietly, “I wish to be like my Grandfather.”
With his innate knowledge of our Holy Book, and this latest spoken
desire, I marveled to think what his future might hold. Despite following the
teachings of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim, it’s ironic I didn’t
make the connection between my own student and the coming Promised One. My only
excuse is that one does not readily expect such a tiny child to be the Qá’im!
Khál-i-A‘zam
When ‘Alí-Muhammad turned thirteen years of age, he joined my
business. I patiently trained him for three years and he learned quickly. At
sixteen, he was more than ready to move to Búshihr to manage our
commercial interests in that city. He lived there for about five years and
worked very hard in building up our trading house. ‘Alí-Muhammad gained an
enviable reputation for nothing but scrupulous honesty in every business
dealing. I was so proud of him.
However dutiful my nephew was in his work, however, I had long sensed
that his true vocation lay not in business and commerce. And then in the spring
of 1841, he fulfilled a personal dream in setting off to the holy cities of
Najaf and Karbilá in Iraq. He drew to a close all our business affairs in Búshihr,
gave the keys to a trusted friend in the bazaar with instructions to turn them
over to me or one of his other uncles, and he set off. In retrospect, I realize
this was a tangible beginning of the spiritual journey that would take him far
from his origins as a merchant in a family business.
Fátimih Bagum
I missed my son so much during his years in Búshihr. It was
out of the question for me to visit him there because women simply didn’t
travel in those days, what with no good means of transport except by mules over
very bad roads. And safety on the road could be very insecure. But
‘Alí-Muhammad was a faithful correspondent, thank God, and he did return to Shíráz
on occasion. But it wasn’t enough for me. I had a premonition that his
impending travels to the holy cities might take him away from me permanently.
Khál-i-A‘zam
His mother and I shared the same misgivings over ‘Alí-Muhammad’s
travels. His sojourn in Iraq stretched into nearly seven months. Fátimih wanted nothing more than for my
nephew to return to Shíráz, marry and settle down. She begged me to go
to Iraq and convince him to return. When I arrived, ‘Alí-Muhammad was reluctant
to leave the holy places, but at last he consented to comply with his mother’s
wishes. I am certain only his desire to ameliorate the sadness of his beloved
mother could have moved him to accompany me back to Shíráz. And then
after just a few months at home, he began to talk about returning to Iraq.
Khadíjih Bagum
I am Khadíjih Bagum and I became the wife of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. My
father, Hájí Mírzá ‘Alí, was Fátimih Bagum’s paternal uncle, meaning the two of
us were first cousins, although she was older than I. And my older half-sister
was married to ‘Alí-Muhammad’s uncle, the one who had been his guardian. There
were many marriages between our two families. As well, our homes were side by
side and as young children, ‘Alí-Muhammad and I were playmates, although I was
three years younger than he was.
After he moved to Búshihr, I began to have dreams about him.
In one of them, ‘Alí-Muhammad was in a verdant plain, with flowers in
profusion. He faced towards the Qiblih in an attitude of prayer. His outer coat
was embroidered with verses of the Qur’án embroidered with threads of gold. His
face was radiant. In this particular dream ‘Alí-Muhammad was only about sixteen
years old, and would be in Búshihr five more years before his pilgrimage
to the holy cities in Iraq.
Fátimih Bagum
I realized I had to move quickly to forestall my son’s return to
Iraq. Our families had an informal
agreement that he and Khadíjih might marry when the time came. The time was
now. I went to her home and followed all the protocols of proposing the
marriage. When that sweet young woman entered the room, I kissed her on the
forehead and gave her my most loving embrace. Within mere days the families had
agreed to the engagement and we delivered gifts to formalize the arrangements.
She was twenty years old. Some girls in those days were married as young as
nine years old, but I had always hoped they would marry and so it came to pass.
Khadíjih Bagum
I was so happy to be engaged to Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. We married in
August of 1842. Before the wedding, I had another dream vision. I dreamed it
was our wedding night. He was wearing a green cloak, again embroidered with
verses from the Qur’án. Light was shining from his body. The intensity of my
happiness at seeing him in this dream woke me up. I knew then he was not just a
man but a great personage. My gratitude that he wanted me for his wife
increased my love for him, although it hardly seems possible that I could love
him more. After our marriage, from his behaviour, his words, his tranquillity
and dignity, I realized even more that he was different than every other man.
But I never imagined that he was the Promised One.
Fátimih Bagum
All my hopes were fulfilled. Khadíjih proved to be the perfect
daughter-in-law. She would often say that no words could every convey her
feelings of good fortune. Of my son, she told me that his kindness towards her
and his care for her were indescribable, and she was overwhelmed with gratitude
at the kindness and consideration that my son and I showered on her. They
started their married life with such serenity and love. I truly believed
‘Alí-Muhammad’s life was now complete with this felicitous marriage. And soon
Khadíjih was expecting her first baby! You can well imagine how joyfully we
embraced this news. I couldn’t wait to be a grandmother.
Khadíjih Bagum
But then I had a terrifying dream. A fearsome lion was standing in
the courtyard of our house and I had my arms around its neck. This beast
dragged me around the whole perimeter of the courtyard two and a half times. I
awoke thoroughly frightened and related the dream to my husband. He told me the
dream foretold that our life together would not last for more than two and a
half years. That compounded my distress! But his affection and words of comfort
consoled me and prepared me to accept every adversity in the path of God.
Fátimih Bagum
Alas, such woe was soon visited upon us. Khadíjih had a very
difficult and dangerous pregnancy and on the fateful night of her delivery, I
rushed to my son to tell him that his beloved wife was on the point of death.
‘Alí-Muhammad took up a mirror and wrote a prayer on it. He instructed me to
hold the mirror in front of his wife. The child was safely delivered – a son! –
and Khadíjih recovered too. However, our gladness turned to piercing grief as
little Ahmad, for that is what they named him, died soon thereafter. All of us
were devastated by the tragic loss of the infant.
I am not proud of what I did next – I berated my son, telling him if
he could save the life of his wife, why couldn’t he also have saved his own
son, and spared his wife and his mother such pain. He told me he was destined
to leave no children, an answer that left me even more angry. It took many a
year before I began to finally understand his purpose and his station.
Khadíjih Bagum
I had always sensed that my husband, ‘Alí-Muhammad, had a profound
spiritual nature. My dreams and his words to me and the events that began to
crowd our lives – our too short two-and-a-half years together – all seemed to
be a part of the destiny he was to fulfil. Here’s how I finally came to know
his station.
One night I awoke at midnight to find ‘Alí-Muhammad was not in our
chamber. I went to look for him and found him in an upper guest room of our
house. It was immersed in light but seemed brighter than mere lamps could
provide. I saw him standing in the middle of the room with his hands raised
heavenward, with the dazzling light emanating from his very being. I wanted to
withdraw unseen, but was frozen in awe and fear. Then he said to me “Go back”
and I retreated to our bedroom. I did not sleep for the rest of the night but
prayed to God, saying, “O my God, what power and grandeur! What greatness and
glory! What is the wisdom in your revealing to me that effulgent Sun? Is He my
Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad? Will I henceforth be able to live with that luminous Sun?
Nay, nay, the rays of this Resplendent Sun will consume me, and will reduce me
to ashes. I possess not the power to withstand it.”
When I joined him for breakfast the next morning, I was trembling and
could not lift my head. The Exalted Being poured tea and offered it to me. He
enquired, “What is the matter with you?” I replied, “What was the condition I
saw you in?” He said, “Know thou that the Almighty God is manifested in Me. I
am the One whose advent the people of Islam have expected for over a thousand
years. God has created Me for a great Cause and you witnessed the divine revelation.
Although I had not wished that you see Me in that state, yet God had so willed
that there may not be any place in your heart for doubt and hesitation.” I came
to know that His mission was to fulfil the prophecies concerning the return of
the Qá’im and to proclaim the near advent of ‘He Whom God shall manifest’. My
Beloved also told me not to share the news of this revelation with his mother,
Fátimih Bagum.
Fátimih Bagum
When my husband died and Khál-i-A‘zam assumed guardianship of
my son, we moved into his house. But once ‘Alí-Muhammad and Khadíjih were
married, the three of us moved back into my family home. It was a spacious home
with several rooms on the lower and upper floors and a small courtyard. My room
was on the lower floor, quite near the front door. Khadíjih and my son usually
took their meals with me in my room. Those first couple years of their marriage
were idyllic.
From my vantage point near the front door, I enjoyed watching the comings
and goings of the household and the visitors to our home. I couldn’t help but
notice that after about the third week of May 1844, more and more visitors were
coming to see my beloved son, often at night. But ‘Alí-Muhammad was silent as
to the purpose of those visits. I felt something momentous might be happening
but had no idea of what it was. Then a fresh worry for me – at the end of
September, ‘Alí-Muhammad decided to take his pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. He
didn’t return until July of 1845, but at least I did get letters from him.
Khál-i-A‘zam
According to one of the traditions of our faith, when the Qá’im or
Promised One appeared, He would announce Himself at the Kabba, or Point of
Adoration, in the courtyard of the Great Mosque at Mecca. This is what my
beloved nephew did. He declared His station as the Promised One at the Kabba.
One of my bothers was living in Búshihr. He welcomed the
arrival of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad who stopped in Búshihr on His return
from Mecca. My brother wrote to the
family in Shíráz to update them on the news. His letter gave the family
further intimation of the station of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad, whom the world would
come to know by the title ‘the Gate’ or the Báb. The letter said, in part, “You must have
perused our previous letters and felt elated that in truth His Self, the source
of munificence, is the light of the eye of this world and the next. He is our
pride. Praised be God, praised be God!”
Sadly, the family was split by the declaration of my nephew. Only his
wife, Khadíjih, and I unreservedly accepted His claim. My dear sister, Fátimih,
could not accept His claim. To her, He simply remained her beloved son.
Fátimih Bagum
When my son finally returned to Shíráz, word of his claim to
be the Qá’im had preceded him and the city’s religious leaders interrogated him
and passed a verdict of death on him. My son! The death sentence just needed
the signature of the Imám-Jum‘ih. He happened to be an old family friend, and
had presided at the marriage of my son and Khadíjih. Two of the other ladies of
the family joined me, and we persuaded Imám-Jum‘ih to stay the order. My son
was given house arrest in the home of his uncle, Khál-i-A‘zam. My daughter-in-law and I also removed
ourselves to Khál-i-A‘zam’s home, and the four of us lived a quiet life.
No visitors were permitted.
My son continued to be so loving and tender to his wife and me. He
cheered our hearts and I for one felt my apprehensions melt away. Then at
Naw-Rúz he gave us unexpected gifts. ‘Ali-Muhammad bequeathed all his
possessions, including his property, to Khadíjih and me. He must have had some
intuitive feeling about his immediate future because soon after he was arrested
and taken away. He was released again but was informed he must leave Shíráz.
I wept and wept.
Khadíjih Bagum
One day, to our indescribable joy, my husband came home and stayed
two or three days. But these were the last days of my life with Him. A few days
before the arrival of the month of Ramadán, in the last days of September 1846,
He announced that His sojourn in Shíráz was no longer advisable and that
He would leave the city that very night. I, who had known how much He had
suffered in Shíráz, was actually happy and contented that He could now
reach a place of safety. Two hours after sunset, all alone, He left the house.
His clothes and the necessities for the journey had been sent out of the city
earlier. Accompanied by one of the believers, He took the road to Isfahán.
Fátimih Bagum
Again I was deprived of the presence of my son, but I consoled myself
with the remembrance that he had always returned to Shíráz from his
previous journeys. At first we did receive letters from family members who knew
his whereabouts, and sometimes we even received letters directly from him. Then
several months passed with no news, until we heard that he had been imprisoned
in the north of the country not far from the Russian border. I begged my
brother, Khál-i-A‘zam, to travel to that far-off prison. I never saw my
son again, and my beloved brother never came home again either. It wasn’t until
1851 that I was finally told both were dead.
Nearly all the rest of the family blamed me for the death of my
brother, who would not have gone away if I had not begged him to travel to my
son’s prison. And most of them openly scoffed at the claim of prophethood by my
son, and, presumably in fear of the authorities, they actively avoided me. They
were spiteful and bitterly hostile toward me. I could no longer sustain the
enormous weight of the loss of Khál-i-A‘zam and my cherished son. I
decided to move to Najaf and Karbilá, the twin holy cities in Iraq, and devote
the rest of my life to meditation and prayer.
Khadíjih Bagum
These days of desolation burdened me with indescribable grief. My
beloved husband was gone from this earthly plane. And then Fátimih Bagum
departed from Shíráz. Her absence greatly added to my sorrow. No longer
would my dear mother-in-law whose comfort, love, sympathy and care had
sustained me over the years be by my side.
My only solace was letters my Lord had written to me. One letter
said: “O well-beloved! Value highly the grace of the Great Remembrance for it
cometh from God, the Loved One. Thou shalt not be a woman, like other women, if
thou obeyest God in the Cause of Truth, the greatest Truth. Know thou the great
bounty conferred upon thee by the Ancient of Days, and take pride in being the
consort of the Well-Beloved, Who is loved by God, the Greatest. Sufficient unto
thee is this glory which cometh unto thee from God, the All-Wise, the
All-Praised. Be patient in all that God hath ordained concerning the Báb and
His Family. Verily, thy son, Ahmad, is with Fátimih, the Sublime, in the
sanctified Paradise.”
Another time He confided to me the secret of His future sufferings
and unfolded to my eyes the significance of the events that were to transpire
in His Day. He counseled me to be patient and resigned to the will of God. He
revealed a special prayer for me, the reading of which, He assured me, would
remove my difficulties and lighten the burden of my woes. My Beloved told me to
recite this prayer before going to sleep and He Himself would appear to me and
banish my anxiety. “Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised
be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His bidding!”
NARRATOR
Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, known as Khál-i-A‘zam, was the
brother of Fátimih Bagum. He raised her son, his nephew, Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad,
later known as the Báb. Khál-i-A‘zam was the second member of the Afnán family,
after Khadíjih Bagum, to accept the station of the Báb. After visiting his
nephew in the mountain prison of Chihríq, he travelled to Tihrán where
he was executed with six other Bábís. These seven martyrs were known thereafter
as the Seven Goats, referencing an hadith or tradition in Islám that they would
walk in front of their True Shepherd, the Qá’im, and their deaths would precede
the martyrdom of the Qá’im. Khál-i-A‘zam was martyred in 1850.
Khadíjih Bagum was the wife of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. She had the
distinction of being the first to recognize the Sun of Reality that shone
through His Person. One of her greatest gifts was the capacity to understand
and accept things others could not bear to hear. Her steadfastness, courage,
purity of heart, unswerving obedience, patience and resignation to God’s Will
were characteristics that she wore like gems in a crown.
Khadíjih continued to live in Shíráz after the Martyrdom of
the Báb. Some years later Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed Himself ‘He Whom God shall
manifest’ or the next Promised One Who had been foretold by the Báb. Nábil
himself was the one who travelled to Shíráz and shared the news of
Bahá’u’lláh’s station with the Bábís in that city. Khadíjih recounted that she laid her forehead
on the ground in adoration and thanksgiving, and whispered, “Offer at His
sacred threshold my most humble devotion.” Not hesitating for a moment to
recognize Bahá’u’lláh, her submission was instantaneous and total.
After Khadíjih died, Bahá’u’lláh revealed a Tablet in her honour that
confirmed ‘before the creation of the world of being’, she had ‘found the
fragrance of the garment of the Merciful’. Bahá’u’lláh also referred to her as
‘the immaculate virgin’, ‘the consort of the Most High’, ‘the most chaste’ and
‘Leaf of Eternity’. Khadíjih Bagum was the only female member of the Báb’s
family honoured by Bahá’u’lláh with the station of a martyr. She died in 1882
and lies at rest in Shíráz.
Fátimih Bagum was the mother of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad. After His
Declaration, she suffered unendurable sorrows at the hands of most of her
family. She moved to Najaf which is not far distant from Baghdád.
Bahá’u’lláh sent two friends to teach Fátimih the truth of her beloved son’s
station. For many years she had failed to recognize the significance of His
Mission but as she neared the end of her life, she finally perceived the
inestimable quality of that Treasure, her son, whom she had given to the world.
She accepted His claim and was eventually fully aware of the bountiful gifts
which the Almighty had chosen to confer upon her.
Bahá’u’lláh bestowed on Fátimih Bagum the distinction of the title
‘Most Virtuous of All Women’. He wrote, “This is that which hath been now sent
down from the Highest Realm of Glory: O people! Know ye that We have singled
out for special favour the mother of the Primal Point, who hath been mentioned
before the Throne as the most virtuous of all handmaids.” Fátimih Bagum’s
greatest and most lasting glory is that she bore and raised the martyred Herald
of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation and that she recognized the station of her son and
of the one whose advent He heralded.
She died in 1882, the same year as her beloved daughter-in-law. At
some point in the future, according to Shoghi Effendi’s wishes expressed as a
goal of the Ten Year Crusade, her remains will be transferred to the Bahá’í
cemetery in Baghdád.
This ends the stories of the early life of the Báb through the
memories of those who associated with Him most closely in His formative years.
o00o
Script taken primarily from Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, An In-Depth Study of the Lives of
Women Closely Related to the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh by Baharieh Rouhani
Ma‘ani, George Ronald, Oxford, 2008.
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