Chapter XX: The Mazindaran Upheaval (Continued)

CHAPTER XX

THE &MAZINDARAN UPHEAVAL

(Continued)

THE forces under the command of Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza meanwhile had recovered from the state of utter demoralisation into which they had sunk, and were now diligently preparing to renew their attack upon the occupants of the fort of &Tabarsi. The latter found themselves again encompassed by a numerous host, at the head of which marched &Abbas-Quli &Khan-i-Larijani and &Sulayman &Khan-i-Afshar-i-Shahriyari, who, together with several regiments of infantry and cavalry, had hastened to reinforce the company of the prince's soldiers.+F1 Their combined forces encamped in the neighbourhood of the fort,+F2 and proceeded to erect a series of seven barricades around it. With the utmost arrogance, they sought at first to display the extent of the forces at their command, and indulged with increasing zest in the daily exercise of their arms. +F1 "Thus perplexed and not knowing which way to turn, &Shahzadih, poor man, +F1 gave orders to gather together new soldiers and raise another army. The +F1 population was not eager to serve under a chief whose worth and intrepidity +F1 had not brilliantly stood the test. Nevertheless, by the help of money and +F1 through promises, the &Mullas particularly, who did not lose sight of their +F1 interests, and who had the most at stake, displayed such zeal that in the +F1 end a fair number of &tufang-chis were assembled. As for the mounted +F1 soldiers of the various tribes, from the moment their chiefs mount their +F1 horses, they do likewise without even asking why. +F1 "&Abbas-Quli &Khan-i-Larijani obeyed without hesitation the order to send +F1 new recruits. This time however, either through distrust of a Prince whose +F1 ineptitude might endanger the lives of his relatives and subjects, or +F1 because ambitious to distinguish himself, he no longer gave anyone the +F1 command of his forces. He led them himself by a daring move and, instead +F1 of rejoining the royal army, he went straight on to attack the &Babis in +F1 their refuge. Then he gave notice to the Prince that he had arrived at the +F1 fortress of &Shaykh &Tabarsi and that he was besieging it. Besides, he +F1 notified him that he had no need of assistance nor of support, that his +F1 forces were more than adequate and that, if his royal highness would see +F1 for himself how he, &Abbas-Quli &Khan-i-Larijani was about to treat the +F1 rebels, he would be both honored and gratified." (Comte de Gobineau's "Les +F1 Religions et les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale," pp. 170-171.) +F2 "&Mihdi-Quli &Mirza could not pass for a bold warrior, as we have just +F2 seen, but he substituted for an excessive intrepidity another quality very +F2 useful to a general, he did not take literally the boastings of his +F2 lieutenants. Therefore, fearing that ill might befall this impudent nomad, +F2 he sent him reinforcements immediately. Thus departed in great haste +F2 &Muhsin &Khan-i-Ashrafi with his cavalry, a troop of &Afghans, +F2 &Muhammad-Karim &Khan-i-Ashrafi with some of the &tufang-chis of the town, +F2 and &Khalil &Khan of &Savad-Kuh with the men of &Qadi-Kala." (Ibid., +F2 p. 171.) +P379

The scarcity of water had, in the meantime, compelled those who were besieged to dig a well within the enclosure of the fort. On the day the work was to be completed, the eighth day of the month of &Rabi'u'l-Avval,+F1 &Mulla &Husayn, who was watching his companions perform this task, remarked: "To-day we shall have all the water we require for our bath. Cleansed of all earthly defilements, we shall seek the court of the Almighty, and shall hasten to our eternal abode. Whoso is willing to partake of the cup of martyrdom, let him prepare himself and wait for the hour when he can seal with his life-blood his faith in his Cause. This night, ere the hour of dawn, let those who wish to join me be ready to issue forth from behind these walls and, scattering once again the dark forces which have beset our path, ascend untrammelled to the heights of glory."

That same afternoon, &Mulla &Husayn performed his ablutions, clothed himself in new garments, attired his head with the &Bab's turban, and prepared for the approaching encounter. An undefinable joy illumined his face. He serenely alluded to the hour of his departure, and continued to his last moments to animate the zeal of his companions. Alone with &Quddus, who so powerfully reminded him of his Beloved, he poured forth, as he sat at his feet in the closing moments of his earthly life, all that an enraptured soul could no longer restrain. Soon after midnight, as soon as the morning-star had risen, the star that heralded to him the dawning light of eternal reunion with his Beloved, he started to his feet and, mounting his charger, gave the signal that the gate of the fort be opened. As he rode out at the head of three hundred and thirteen of his companions to meet the enemy, the cry of "&Ya &Sahibu'z-Zaman!"+F2 again broke forth, a cry so intense and powerful that forest, fort, and camp vibrated to its resounding echo. &Mulla &Husayn first charged the barricade which was defended by &Zakariyyay-i-Qadi-Kala'i, one of the enemy's most valiant officers. Within a short space of time, he had broken +F1 February 1, 1849 A.D. +F2 See Glossary. +P380 through that barrier, disposed of its commander, and scattered his men. Dashing forward with the same swiftness and intrepidity, he overcame the resistance of both the second and third barricades, diffusing, as he advanced, despair and consternation among his foes. Undeterred by the bullets which rained continually upon him and his companions, they pressed forward until the remaining barricades had all been captured and overthrown. In the midst of the tumult which ensued, &Abbas-&Quli &Khan-i-Larijani had climbed a tree, and, hiding himself in its branches, lay waiting in ambush for his opponents. Protected by the darkness which surrounded him, he was able to follow from his hiding place the movements of &Mulla &Husayn and his companions, who were exposed to the fierce glare of the conflagration which they had raised. The steed of &Mulla &Husayn suddenly became entangled in the rope of an adjoining tent, and ere he was able to extricate himself, he was struck in the breast by a bullet from his treacherous assailant. Though the shot was successful, &Abbas-Quli &Khan was unaware of the identity of the horseman he had wounded. &Mulla &Husayn, who was bleeding profusely, dismounted from his horse, staggered a few steps, and, unable to proceed further, fell exhausted upon the ground. Two of his young companions, of &Khurasan, &Quli, and &Hasan, came to his rescue and bore him to the fort.+F1 +F1 "Although seriously wounded, the &Babi chief continued, nevertheless, to +F1 give orders and to lead and stimulate his men until, seeing that little +F1 more could be gained, he gave the signal to retreat, remaining himself with +F1 the rear guard." (Comte de Gobineau's "Les Religions et les Philosophies +F1 dans l'Asie Centrale," p. 174.) +P381

I have heard the following account from &Mulla &Sadiq and &Mulla &Mirza &Muhammad-i-Furughi: "We were among those who had remained in the fort with &Quddus. As soon as &Mulla &Husayn, who seemed to have lost consciousness, was brought in, we were ordered to retire. `Leave me alone with him,' were the words of &Quddus as he bade &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir close the door and refuse admittance to anyone desiring to see him. `There are certain confidential matters which I desire him alone to know.' We were amazed a few moments later when we heard the voice of &Mulla &Husayn replying to questions from &Quddus. For two hours they continued to converse with each other. We were surprised to see &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir so greatly agitated. `I was watching &Quddus,' he subsequently informed us, `through a fissure in the door. As soon as he called his name, I saw &Mulla &Husayn arise and seat himself, in his customary manner, on bended knees beside him. With bowed head and downcast eyes, he listened to every word that fell from the lips of &Quddus, and answered his questions. "You have hastened the hour of your departure," I was able to hear &Quddus remark, "and have abandoned me to the mercy of my foes. Please God, I will ere long join you and taste the sweetness of heaven's ineffable delights." I was able to gather the following words uttered by &Mulla &Husayn: "May my life be a ransom for you. Are you well pleased with me?"'

"A long time elapsed before &Quddus bade &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir open the door and admit his companions. `I have bade my last farewell to him,' he said, as we entered the room. `Things which previously I deemed it unallowable to utter I have now shared with him.' We found on our arrival that &Mulla &Husayn had expired. A faint smile still lingered upon his face. Such was the peacefulness of his countenance that he seemed to have fallen asleep. &Quddus attended to his burial, clothed him in his own shirt, and gave instructions to lay him to rest to the south of, and adjoining, the shrine of &Shaykh &Tabarsi.+F1 `Well is it with you to have remained to your last hour faithful to the Covenant +F1 "His [&Mulla &Husayn's] mortal remains still repose in the little inner +F1 room of the shrine of &Shaykh &Tabarsi where, at the direction of &Mulla +F1 &Muhammad-'Ali &Barfurushi, they were reverently laid by the hands of his +F1 sorrowing comrades in the beginning of the year A.D. 1849." ("A +F1 Traveller's Narrative," Note F, p. 245.) +P382 of God,' he said, as he laid a parting kiss upon his eyes and forehead. `I pray God to grant that no division ever be caused between you and me.' He spoke with such poignancy that the seven companions who were standing beside him wept profusely, and wished they had been sacrificed in his stead. &Quddus, with his own hands, laid the body in the tomb, and cautioned those who were standing near him to maintain secrecy regarding the spot which served as his resting place, and to conceal it even from their companions. He afterwards instructed them to inter the bodies of the thirty-six martyrs who had fallen in the course of that engagement in one and the same grave on the northern side of the shrine of &Shaykh &Tabarsi. `Let the loved ones of God,' he was heard to remark as he consigned them to their tomb, `take heed of the example of these martyrs of our Faith. Let them in life be and remain as united as these are now in death.'"

No less than ninety of the companions were wounded that night, most of whom succumbed. From the day of their arrival at &Barfurush to the day they were first attacked, which fell on the twelfth of &Dhi'l-Qa'dih in the year 1264 A.H.,+F1 to the day of the death of &Mulla &Husayn, which took place at the hour of dawn on the ninth of &Rabi'u'l-Avval in the year 1265 A.H.,+F2 the number of martyrs, according to the computation of &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, had reached a total of seventy-two.

From the time when &Mulla &Husayn was assailed by his enemies to the time of his martyrdom was a hundred and sixteen days, a period rendered memorable by deeds so heroic that even his bitterest foes felt bound to confess their wonder. On four distinct occasions, he rose to such heights of courage and power as few indeed could attain. The first encounter took place on the twelfth of &Dhi'l-Qa'dih,+F3 in the outskirts of &Barfurush; the second, in the immediate neighbourhood of the fort of &Shaykh &Tabarsi, on the fifth day of the month of &Muharram,+F4 against the forces of &Abdu'llah &Khan-i-Turkaman; the third, in &Vas-Kas, on the twenty-fifth day of &Muharram,+F5 directed against the army of Prince +F1 October 10, 1848 A.D. +F2 February 2, 1849 A.D. +F3 October 10, 1848 A.D. +F4 December 1, 1848 A.D. +F5 December 21, 1848 A.D. +P383 &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza. The last and most memorable battle of all was directed against the combined forces of &Abbas-Quli &Khan, of Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza, and of &Sulayman &Khan-i-Afshar, assisted by a company of forty-five officers of tried ability and matured experience. From each of these hot and fierce engagements &Mulla &Husayn emerged, in spite of the overwhelming forces arrayed against him, unscathed and triumphant. In each encounter he distinguished himself by such acts of valour, of chivalry, of skill, and of strength that each one would alone suffice to establish for all time the transcendent character of a Faith for the protection of which he had so valiantly fought, and in the path of which he had so nobly died. The traits of mind and of character which, from his very youth, he displayed, the profundity of his learning, the tenacity of his faith, his intrepid courage, his singleness of purpose, his high sense of justice and unswerving devotion, marked him as an outstanding figure among those who, by their lives, have borne witness to the glory and power of the new Revelation. He was six and thirty years old when he quaffed the cup of martyrdom. At the age of eighteen he made the acquaintance, in &Karbila, of Siyyid &Kazim-i-Rashti. For nine years he sat at his feet, and imbibed the lesson which was destined to prepare him for the acceptance of the Message of the &Bab. The nine remaining years of his life were spent in the midst of a restless, a feverish activity which carried him eventually to the field of martyrdom, in circumstances that have shed imperishable lustre upon his country's history.+F1 +F1 "Among them was &Mulla &Husayn, who was made the recipient of the +F1 effulgent glory of the Sun of Revelation. But for him, God would not have +F1 been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of +F1 eternal glory." (The "&Kitab-i-Iqan," p. 188.) See note 5, p. 23. "Frail +F1 of form, but a gallant soldier and an impassioned lover of God he combined +F1 qualities and characteristics which even in the spiritual aristocracy of +F1 Persia are seldom found united in the same person." (Dr. T. K. Cheyne's +F1 "The Reconciliation of Races and Religions," p. 83.) "At last," writes +F1 Gobineau, "he passed away. The new religion, which found in him its first +F1 martyr, lost, in the same stroke, a man whose moral strength and ability +F1 would have been of great value to it, had he lived longer. The +F1 &Muhammadans naturally feel a hatred for the memory of this leader, which +F1 is as deep as the love and veneration shown for him by the &Babis. They +F1 can both justify their opposing sentiments. What is certain is that +F1 &Mulla &Husayn-i-Bushru'i was the first to give to &Babism, in the Persian +F1 empire, the status which a religious or political body acquires in the eyes +F1 of the people only after it has demonstrated its warlike strength." (Comte +F1 de Gobineau's "Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale," p. +F1 176.) "The late &Haji &Mirza &Jani writes: `I myself met him [&Mirza +F1 &Muhammad-Hasan, the younger brother of &Mulla &Husayn] when he was +F1 bringing his mother and sister from &Karbila to &Qazvin and from &Qazvin to +F1 &Tihran. His sister was the wife of &Shaykh &Abu-Turab of &Qazvin, who was +F1 a scholar and philosopher such at is rarely met with and believed with the +F1 utmost sincerity and purity of purpose, while such was his love and +F1 devotion to the &Bab that if anyone did so much as mention the name of His +F1 Supreme Holiness (the souls of all beside him be His sacrifice) he could +F1 not restrain his tears. Often have I seen him, when engaged in the perusal +F1 of the writings of His Supreme Holiness, become almost beside himself with +F1 rapture, and nearly faint with joy. Of his wife he used to say: "I +F1 married her three years ago in &Karbila. She was then but an indifferent +F1 scholar even in Persian, but now she can expound texts from the &Qur'an and +F1 explain the most difficult questions and most subtle points of the doctrine +F1 of the Divine Unity in such wise that I have never seen a man who was her +F1 equal in this, or in readiness of apprehension. These gifts she has +F1 obtained by the blessing of His Holiness the Supreme and through converse +F1 with her holiness the Pure (&Qurratu'l-'Ayn). I have seen in her a +F1 patience and resignation rare even in the most self-denying men, for +F1 during these three years, though I have not sent her a single &dinar for +F1 her expenses and she has supported herself only with the greatest +F1 difficulty, she has never uttered a word; and now that she has come to +F1 &Tihran, she refrains altogether from speaking of the past, and though, in +F1 accordance with the wishes of &Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab, she now desires to +F1 proceed to &Khurasan, and has literally nothing to put on save one +F1 well-worn dress which she wears, she never asks for clothes or +F1 travelling-money, but ever seeks reasonable excuses wherewith to set me at +F1 my ease and prevent me from feeling ashamed. Her purity, chastity, and +F1 virtue are boundless, and during all this while no unprivileged person hath +F1 so much as heard her voice." But the virtues of the daughter were +F1 surpassed by those of the mother, who possessed rare attainments and +F1 accomplishments, and had composed many poems and eloquent elegies on the +F1 afflictions of her sons. Although &Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab had warned her of +F1 his approaching martyrdom and foretold to her all the impending calamities, +F1 she still continued to exhibit the same eager devotion and cheerful +F1 resignation, rejoicing that God had accepted the sacrifice of her sons, and +F1 even praying that they might attain to this great dignity and not be +F1 deprived of so great blessedness. It is indeed wonderful to meditate on +F1 this virtuous and saintly family, the sons so conspicuous for their +F1 single-minded devotion and self-sacrifice, the mother and daughter so +F1 patient and resigned. When I, &Mirza &Jani, met &Mirza &Muhammad-Hasan, he +F1 was but seventeen years of age, yet I observed in him a dignity, gravity, +F1 composure, and virtue which amazed me. After the death of +F1 &Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab, &Hadrat-i-Quddus bestowed on him the sword and turban +F1 of that glorious martyr, and made him captain of the troops of the True +F1 King. As to his martyrdom, there is a difference of opinion as to whether +F1 he was slain at the breakfast-table in the camp, or suffered martyrdom with +F1 &Jinab-i-Quddus in the square of &Barfurush.'" (The "&Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. +F1 93-5.) The sister of &Mulla &Husayn was surnamed "&Varaqatu'l-Firdaws" and +F1 was intimately associated, while in &Karbila, with &Tahirih. ("Memorials +F1 of the Faithful," p. 270.) +P384

So complete and humiliating a rout paralysed for a time the efforts of the enemy. Five and forty days passed before they could again reassemble their forces and renew their attack. During these intervening days, which ended with the day of &Naw-Ruz, the intense cold which prevailed induced them to defer their venture against an opponent that had covered them with so much reproach and shame. Though their attacks had been suspended, the officers in charge of the remnants of the imperial army had given strict orders prohibiting the arrival of all manner of reinforcements at the fort. When the supply of their provisions was nearly exhausted, &Quddus instructed &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir to distribute among his companions the rice which &Mulla &Husayn had stored for such time as might be required. When each had received his portion, &Quddus summoned them and said: "Whoever feels himself strong enough to withstand the calamities that are soon to befall us, let him remain with us in this fort. And whoever perceives in himself the least hesitation and fear, let him betake himself away from this place. Let him leave immediately ere the enemy has again assembled his forces and assailed us. The way will soon be barred before our face; we shall very soon encounter the severest hardship and fall a victim to devastating afflictions."

The very night &Quddus had given this warning, a siyyid from Qum, &Mirza &Husayn-i-Mutavalli, was moved to betray his companions. "Why is it," he wrote to &Abbas-Quli &Khan-i-Larijani, "that you have left unfinished the work +P385 which you have begun? You have already disposed of a formidable opponent. By the removal of &Mulla &Husayn, who was the moving force behind these walls, you have demolished the pillar on which the strength and security of the fort depend. Had you been patient for one more day, you would have assuredly won for yourself the laurels of victory. With no more than a hundred men, I pledge my word that within the space of two days you will be able to capture the fort and secure the unconditional surrender of its occupants. They are worn with famine and are being grievously tested." The sealed letter was entrusted to a certain Siyyid &Aliy-i-Zargar, who, as he carried with him the share of the rice he had received from &Quddus, stole out of the fort at the hour of midnight and delivered it to &Abbas-Quli &Khan, with whom he was already acquainted. The message reached him at a time when he had sought refuge in a village situated at a distance of four farsangs+F1 from the fort, and knew not whether he should return to the capital and present himself after such a humiliating defeat to his sovereign, or repair to his home in &Larijan, where he was sure to face the reproaches of his relations and friends.

He had just risen from his bed when, at the hour of sunrise, the siyyid brought him the letter. The news of the death of &Mulla &Husayn nerved him to a fresh resolve. Fearing +F1 See Glossary. +P386 lest the messenger should spread the report concerning the death of so redoubtable an opponent, he instantly killed him, and then contrived by some strange device to divert from himself the suspicion of murder. Resolved to take the fullest advantage of the distress of the besieged and of the depletion of their forces, he undertook immediately the necessary preparations for the resumption of his attacks. Ten days before &Naw-Ruz, he had encamped at half a farsang from the fort, and had ascertained the accuracy of the message that treacherous siyyid had brought him. In the hope of obtaining for himself every possible credit for the eventual surrender of his opponents, he refused to divulge, to even his closest officers, the information he had received.

The day had just broken when he hoisted his standard+F1 and, marching at the head of two regiments of infantry and cavalry, encompassed the fort and ordered his men to open fire upon the sentinels who were guarding the turrets. "The betrayer," &Quddus informed &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, who had hastened to acquaint him with the gravity of the situation, "has announced the death of &Mulla &Husayn to &Abbas-Quli &Khan. Emboldened by his removal, he is now determined to storm our stronghold and to secure for himself the honour of being its sole conqueror. Sally out and, with the aid of eighteen men marching at your side, administer a befitting chastisement upon the aggressor and his host. Let him realise that though &Mulla &Husayn be no more, God's +F1 "This time the terror knew no bounds; throughout the province the people, +F1 deeply aroused by the repeated defeats of &Islam, were beginning to lean +F1 toward the new religion. The military leaders felt their authority +F1 tottering, the religious chiefs saw their power over souls waning; the +F1 situation was extremely critical and the least incident might place the +F1 province completely under the influence of the Reformer." (A. L. M. +F1 Nicolas' "Siyyid &Ali-Muhammad dit le &Bab," p. 315.) +F1 "But when the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama' was informed of this, he (fearing lest +F1 the &Babis should enter &Barfurush and mete out to him the punishment which +F1 he deserved) was overcome with trouble and consternation, and wrote several +F1 successive letters to &Abbas-Quli &Khan, saying: `I congratulate you on +F1 your courage and discretion, but how much to be deplored it is that after +F1 you have been at such pains, lost so many of your kinsmen, and gained at +F1 length so signal a victory, you did not follow it up. You have made a +F1 great multitude food for the sword, and have returned, leaving only a few +F1 decrepit old men as survivors. Alas, that, after all your efforts and +F1 perseverance, the prince is now prepared to march against the castle and +F1 take captive these few poor wretches, so that after all he will get the +F1 credit of this signal victory, and will appropriate to himself all the +F1 money and property of the vanquished! You must make it your first and most +F1 important business to return to the castle ere he has set out, for the +F1 government of a province like &Mazindaran is not a thing to be trifled +F1 with. Strive, then, to gain the entire credit of this victory, and let +F1 your exertions accomplish what your zeal has begun.' He also wrote at +F1 great length to the clergy of &Amul urgently exhorting them to use their +F1 best endeavours to make the &Sartip &Abbas-Quli &Khan start at once without +F1 further delay. So they continued too remind him incessantly that it was +F1 his duty to march with all speed against the castle; and the &Sartip, +F1 though he knew that what the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama' had written to him was +F1 utterly false and baseless, was eager, if it should be possible, to make +F1 some amends for what had passed, and so to clear himself in some measure of +F1 the disgrace which he had incurred in the eyes of the &Larijani women whose +F1 husbands he had sacrificed, and of the government. But inwardly he was +F1 consumed with anxiety, fearing that, as in the previous campaign, he might +F1 fail to accomplish anything. Most of his men, too, were wounded, while +F1 many had fled and concealed themselves in the surrounding villages distant +F1 four or five farsangs from the city. So, as a makeshift, he wrote to the +F1 clergy of &Amul, saying: `If indeed this be a religious war, you, who are +F1 such zealous champions of the Faith, and to whom men look for example, +F1 should take the lead, and make the first move, so that others may follow +F1 you.' The clergy, not being prepared with a suitable answer, and seeing no +F1 way of excusing themselves, were obliged to send a message to the effect +F1 that the war was a religious war. A great company of tradesmen, common +F1 people, and roughs was assembled, and these, with the clergy and students, +F1 set out, ostensibly for the accomplishment of a religious duty, but really +F1 bent on plunder and rapine. Most of these went to &Barfurush and there +F1 joined the advance of Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza, who, on reaching a village +F1 distant one farsang from the castle, sent a body of his men to reconnoitre +F1 and collect information about the movements of the &Babi garrison." (The +F1 "&Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. 72-3.) +P387 invincible power still continues to sustain his companions and enable them to triumph over the forces of their enemies."

No sooner had &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir selected his companions than he ordered that the gate of the fort be flung open. Leaping upon their chargers and raising the cry of "&Ya &Sahibu'z-Zaman!" they plunged headlong into the camp of the enemy. The whole army fled in confusion before so terrific a charge. All but a few were able to escape. They reached &Barfurush utterly demoralised and laden with shame. &Abbas-Quli &Khan was so shaken with fear that he fell from his horse. Leaving, in his distress, one of his boots hanging from the stirrup, he ran away, half shod and bewildered, in the direction which the army had taken. Filled with despair, he hastened to the prince and confessed the ignominious reverse he had sustained.+F1 &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, on his part, emerging together with his eighteen companions unscathed from that encounter, and holding in his hand the +F1 "The reverend divines, who with their pupils, had come to take part in the +F1 holy war, were scarce able to sleep at night for fear (though their +F1 quarters were in a place distant two farsangs from the castle), and +F1 continually in their conversation would they roundly abuse the prince and +F1 &Abbas-Quli &Khan and curse the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama'; `for,' said they, `these +F1 have, without sufficient reason, taken us away from our studies, our +F1 discussions, and the earning of our livelihood, besides bringing us into +F1 dire peril; since to fight with men like these, who have renounced the +F1 world and carry their lives in their hands, is to incur great risk.' So +F1 the holy verse, `Cast not yourselves into peril with your own hands,' +F1 became their daily utterance. One said: `Certain circumstances exonerate +F1 me from the duty of taking part in this war at present.' Another (adducing +F1 thirty different pretexts) said: I am lawfully excused and am compelled to +F1 turn back.' A third said: `I have little children dependant on me; what +F1 can I do?' A fourth said: `I have made no provision for my wife, so I +F1 must go, but, should it be necessary, I will return again.' A fifth said: +F1 `My accounts with certain persons are not yet settled; should I fall a +F1 martyr my wealth will be wasted and an injustice will be done to my wife +F1 and children; and both waste and injustice are condemned as repugnant to +F1 our holy religion and displeasing to God.' A sixth said: `I owe money to +F1 certain persons and have none to acquit me of my debt. Should I fall my +F1 debt will not allow me to cross the Bridge of &Sirat.' A seventh said: `I +F1 came away without the knowledge of my mother, and she had said to me: +F1 "Shouldst thou go I will make the milk wherewith I nourished thee unlawful +F1 to thee." I fear, therefore, that I may be cast off aa undutiful by my +F1 mother.' An eighth wept, saying: `I have made a vow to visit &Karbila +F1 this year; one circumambulation of the holy sepulchre of the Chief of +F1 Martyrs is equivalent in merit to a hundred thousand martyrdoms or a +F1 thousand pilgrimages to Mecca. I fear to fail in the fulfilment of my vow +F1 and to be disappointed of this great blessing.' Others said: `We for our +F1 part, have neither seen in these people, nor heard of them aught that +F1 showeth them to be unbelievers, for they also say: "There is no god but +F1 God, &Muhammad is the Apostle of God and &Ali is the Friend of God." At +F1 most, they maintain that the advent of the &Imam &Mihdi has taken place. +F1 Let them be; for at all events they are no worse than the &sunnis who +F1 reject the twelve &Imams and the fourteen immaculate saints recognise such +F1 an one as &Umar as caliph, prefer &Uthman to &Ali-ibn-i-Abi-Talib, and +F1 accept &Abu-Bakr as the successor of our holy Prophet. Why should our +F1 divines leave those alone and fight with these about matter whereof the +F1 rights and wrongs have not been properly determined?' In short throughout +F1 the camp, murmurs arose from every tongue, and complaints from every mouth; +F1 each one sang a different tune and devised a different pretext; and all +F1 awaited but some plausible excuse to betake themselves to flight. So when +F1 &Abbas-Quli &Khan perceived this to be the case, he, fearing lest the +F1 contagion of their terror might spread to his soldiers, was forced to +F1 accept the excuses of these reverend divines and their disciples and +F1 followers, who forthwith departed, rejoicing greatly, and uttering prayers +F1 for the &Sartip's success." (The "&Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. 74-6.) +P388 standard which an affrighted enemy had abandoned, repaired with exultation to the fort and submitted to his chief, who had inspired him with such courage, this evidence of his victory.

So complete a rout immediately brought relief to the hard-pressed companions. It cemented their unity and reminded them afresh of the efficacy of that power with which their Faith had endowed them. Their food, alas, was by this time reduced to the flesh of horses, which they had brought away with them from the deserted camp of the enemy. With steadfast fortitude they endured the afflictions which beset them from every side. Their hearts were set on the wishes of &Quddus; all else mattered but little. Neither the severity of their distress nor the continual threats of the enemy could cause them to deviate a hairbreadth from the path which their departed companions had so heroically trodden. A few were found who subsequently faltered in the darkest hour of adversity. The faint-heartedness which this negligible element was compelled to betray paled, however, into insignificance before the radiance which the mass of their stouthearted companions shed in the hour of realised doom. +P389

Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza, who was stationed in &Sari, welcomed with keen delight the news of the defeat that had overtaken the forces under the immediate command of his colleague &Abbas-Quli &Khan. Though himself desirous of extirpating the band that had sought shelter behind the walls of the fort, he rejoiced at the knowledge that his rival had failed to secure the victory which he coveted.+F1 He wrote immediately to &Tihran and demanded that reinforcements in the form of bomb-shells and camel-artillery, with all the necessary equipments, be despatched without delay to the neighbourhood of the fort, he being determined, this time, to effect the complete subjugation of its obstinate occupants.

Whilst their enemies were preparing for yet another and still fiercer attack upon their stronghold, the companions of &Quddus, utterly indifferent to the gnawing distress that afflicted them, acclaimed with joy and gratitude the approach of &Naw-Ruz. In the course of that festival, they gave free vent to their feelings of thanksgiving and praise in return for the manifold blessings which the Almighty had bestowed upon them. Though oppressed with hunger, they indulged in songs and merriment, utterly disdaining the danger with which they were beset. The fort resounded with the ascriptions of glory and praise which, both in the daytime and in the night-season, ascended from the hearts of that joyous band. The verse, "Holy, holy, the Lord our God, the Lord of the angels and the spirit," issued unceasingly from their lips, heightened their enthusiasm, and reanimated their courage.

All that remained of the cattle they had brought with them to the fort was a cow which &Haji &Nasiru'd-Din-i-Qazvini had set aside, and the milk of which he made into a pudding every day for the table of &Quddus. Unwilling to +F1 "&Mihdi-Quli &Mirza was somewhat surprised. He felt deeply disappointed, +F1 but what impressed him even more was that the &Sardar could be considered +F1 as having been defeated as well as he, and this thought, flattering to his +F1 self-love, brought him no little pleasure. Not only did he no longer fear +F1 that one of his lieutenants might have won an enviable glory in taking the +F1 fortress of the &Babis; but it was not he himself alone who had failed; he +F1 had a companion in misfortune and a companion whom he would succeed in +F1 proving responsible for the two defeats. Overjoyed he called together his +F1 chiefs great and small and apprised them of the news, deploring of course +F1 the tragic fate of the &Sardar and expressing the ardent hope that this +F1 valiant soldier might be more fortunate in the future." (Comte de +F1 Gobineau's "Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale," p. +F1 179.) +P390 deny his hunger-stricken friends their share of the delicacy which his devoted companion prepared for him, &Quddus would, after partaking of a few teaspoonfuls of that dish, invariably distribute the rest among them. "I have ceased to enjoy," he was often heard to remark, "since the departure of &Mulla &Husayn, the meat and drink which they prepare for me. My heart bleeds at the sight of my famished companions, worn and wasted around me." Despite these adverse circumstances, he unfailingly continued further to elucidate in his commentary the significance of the &Sad of &Samad, and to exhort his friends to persevere till the vary end in their heroic endeavours. At morn and at eventide, &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir would chant, in the presence of the assembled believers, verses from that commentary, the reading of which would quicken their enthusiasm and brighten their hopes.

I have heard &Mulla &Mirza &Muhammad-i-Furughi testify to the following: "God knows that we had ceased to hunger for food. Our thoughts were no longer concerned with matters pertaining to our daily bread. We were so enraptured by the entrancing melody of those verses that, were we to have continued for years in that state, no trace of weariness and fatigue could possibly have dimmed our enthusiasm or marred our gladness. And whenever the lack of nourishment would tend to sap our vitality and weaken our strength, &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir would hasten to &Quddus and acquaint him with our plight. A glimpse of his face, the magic of his words, as he walked amongst us, would transmute our despondency into golden joy. We were reinforced with a strength of such intensity that, had the hosts of our enemies appeared suddenly before us, we felt ourselves capable of subjugating their forces."

On the day of &Naw-Ruz, which fell on the twenty-fourth of &Rabi'u'th-Thani in the year 1265 A.H.,+F1 &Quddus alluded, in a written message to his companions, to the approach of such trials as would bring in their wake the martyrdom of a considerable number of his friends. A few days later, an innumerable host,+F2 commanded by Prince &Mihdi-Quli +F1 1849 A.D. +F2 "The Prince assigned to each one his post during the siege; he entrusted +F2 &Haji &Khan &Nuri and &Mirza &Abdu'llah Navayy with the responsibility of +F2 securing adequate supplies. As military leaders, he selected the &Sardar +F2 &Abbas-Quli-i-Larijani, towards whom, since his recent failure, he was +F2 showing more sympathy; then &Nasru'llah &Khan-i-Bandibi, another chieftain, +F2 and &Mustafa &Khan from &Ashraf to whom he gave the command of the brave +F2 &tufang-chis of that city and also the command of the &suritis. Other +F2 lesser lords led the men of &Dudankih and &Bala-Rastaq as well as several +F2 Turkish and Kurdish nomads who were not included in the bands of the great +F2 chiefs. These nomads were entrusted with the special duty of watching +F2 every move of the enemy. Past experience had convinced them that they +F2 should be more vigilant in the future. Turks and Kurds were given +F2 therefore the responsibility of following, night and day, the operations of +F2 the enemy and to be ever on the alert in order to prevent possible +F2 surprises." (Ibid., p. 181.) +P391 &Mirza+F1 and seconded by the joint forces of &Sulayman &Khan-i-Afshar, of &Abbas-Quli &Khan-i-Larijani, and of &Ja'far-Quli &Khan, assisted by about forty other officers, encamped in the neighbourhood of the fort, and set about constructing a series of trenches and barricades in its immediate vicinity.+F2 On the ninth day of the month of &Baha,+F3 the commanding officer gave orders to those in charge of his artillery to open fire in the direction of the besieged. While the bombardment was in progress, &Quddus emerged from his room and walked to the centre of the fort. His face was wreathed in smiles, and his demeanour breathed forth the utmost tranquillity. As he was pacing the floor, a cannon-ball fell suddenly before him. "How utterly unaware," he calmly remarked, as he rolled it with his foot, "are these boastful aggressors of the power of God's avenging wrath! Have they forgotten that a creature as insignificant as the gnat was capable of extinguishing +F1 "&Mihdi-Quli &Mirza, however, wished to combine recent strategy with old +F1 military technique and ordered to be brought from &Tihran two cannon and +F1 two mortars with the necessary ammunition. He also enlisted the assistance +F1 of a man from &Hirat who had discovered an explosive substance which could +F1 project flames to a distance of seven hundred meters and set fire to +F1 anything combustible within that radius. A trial test was made and it +F1 proved satisfactory; the burning material was shot out into the fort, a +F1 conflagration started immediately and all the dwellings or shelters whether +F1 of wood, of reeds or of straw, which the &Babis had erected, either within +F1 the enclosure or upon the walls, were reduced to ashes. +F1 "While this destruction went on, the bombs and bullets shot from the +F1 mortars seriously damaged a building hastily erected by men who were +F1 neither architects nor engineers and had never anticipated an artillery +F1 attack. In a very short time, the outer defences of the fortress were +F1 dismantled; nothing was left of them but fallen girders, smoked and burning +F1 timbers, scattered stones." (Ibid., pp. 181-182.) +F2 "After taking these precautions, they dug holes and trenches for the use +F2 of the &tufang-chis who were ordered to shoot down any &Babis who might +F2 appear. They built large towers as high as the various levels of the +F2 fortress or even higher and, through a continuous plunging fire, they +F2 rendered the circulation of the &Babis within their fort extremely +F2 dangerous. It was a decided advantage for the besiegers, but, in a few +F2 days, the &Babi chiefs, taking advantage of the long nights, raised their +F2 fortifications so that their height exceeded that of the attacking towers +F2 of the enemy." (Ibid., p. 181.) +F3 The ninth day after &Naw-Ruz. +P392 the life of the all-powerful Nimrod? Have they not heard that the roaring of the tempest was sufficient to destroy the people of &Ad and &Thamud and to annihilate their forces? Seek they to intimidate the heroes of God, in whose sight the pomp of royalty is but an empty shadow, with such contemptible evidences of their cruelty?" "You are," he added, as he turned to his friends, "those same companions of whom &Muhammad, the Apostle of God, has thus spoken: `Oh, how I long to behold the countenance of my brethren; my brethren who will appear in the end of the world! Blessed are we, blessed are they; greater is their blessedness than ours.' Beware lest you allow the encroachments of self and desire to impair so glorious a station. Fear not the threats of the wicked, neither be dismayed by the clamour of the ungodly. Each one of you has his appointed hour, and when that time is come, neither the assaults of your enemy nor the endeavours of your friends will be able either to retard or to advance that hour. If the powers of the earth league themselves against you, they will be powerless, ere that hour strikes, to lessen by one jot or tittle the span of your life. Should you allow your hearts to be agitated for but one moment by the booming of these guns which, with increasing violence, will continue to shower their shot upon this fort, you will have cast yourselves out of the stronghold of Divine protection."

So powerful an appeal could not fail to breathe confidence into the hearts of those who heard it. A few, however, whose countenances betrayed vacillation and fear, were seen huddled together in a sheltered corner of the fort, viewing with envy and surprise the zeal that animated their companions.+F1 +F1 "Once indeed, some few of them did go out to try to obtain a little tea +F1 and sugar for &Jinab-i-Quddus. The most notable of these was &Mulla &Sa'id +F1 of &Zarkanad. Now he was a man so accomplished in science that when +F1 certain learned men of the kindred of &Mulla &Muhammad-Taqi of &Nur +F1 addressed to &Jinab-i-Quddus in writing certain questions touching the +F1 science of divination and astrology, the latter said to &Mulla &Sa'id: `Do +F1 you speedily write for them a brief and compendious reply that their +F1 messenger be not kept waiting and a more detailed answer shall be written +F1 subsequently.' So &Mulla &Sa'id though hurried by the presence of the +F1 messenger and distracted by the turmoil of the siege rapidly penned a most +F1 eloquent address wherein while replying to the questions asked he +F1 introduced nearly a hundred well-authenticated traditions bearing on the +F1 truth of the new Manifestation of the promised Proof besides several which +F1 foreshadowed the halting of those who had believed in the Lord about +F1 &Tabarsi and their martyrdom The learned men of &Nur were amazed beyond all +F1 measure at his erudition and said: `Candour compels us to admit that such +F1 a presentation of these matters is a great miracle, and that such erudition +F1 and eloquence are far beyond the &Mulla &Sa'id whom we knew. Assuredly +F1 this talent hath been bestowed on him from on high and he in turn hath made +F1 it manifest to us.' Now &Mulla &Sa'id and his companions, while they were +F1 without the castle fell into the hands of the royal troops and were by them +F1 carried before the prince. The prince strove by every means to extract +F1 from them some information about the state of the &Babi garrison their +F1 numbers and the amount of their munitions; but do what he would, he could +F1 gain nothing. So when he perceived &Mulla &Sa'id to be a man of talent and +F1 understanding he said to him: `Repent, and I will release you and not +F1 suffer you to be slain.' To this &Mulla &Sa'id replied `Never did anyone +F1 repent of obedience to God's command; why then should I? Rather do you +F1 repent who are acting contrary to His good pleasure, and more evilly than +F1 anyone hath heretofore done.' And he spoke much more after the same +F1 fashion. So at length they sent him to &Sari in chains and fetters and +F1 there slew him under circumstances of the utmost cruelty along with his +F1 companions, who appear to have been five in number." (The +F1 "&Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. 79-80.) +P393

The army of Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza continued for a few days to fire in the direction of the fort. His men were surprised to find that the booming of their guns had failed to silence the voice of prayer and the acclamations of joy which the besieged raised in answer to their threats. Instead of the unconditional surrender which they expected, the call of the &muadhdhin,+F1 the chanting of the verses of the &Qur'an, and the chorus of gladsome voices intoning hymns of thanksgiving and praise reached their ears without ceasing.

Exasperated by these evidences of unquenchable fervour and impelled by a burning desire to extinguish the enthusiasm which swelled within the breasts of his opponents, &Ja'far-quli &Khan erected a tower, upon which he stationed his cannon,+F2 and from that eminence directed his fire into the heart of the fort. &Quddus immediately summoned &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir and instructed him to sally again and inflict upon the "boastful newcomer" a humiliation no less crushing than the one which &Abbas-Quli &Khan had suffered. +F1 See Glossary. +F2 "Thus the latter constructed four towers on the four sides of the castle, +F2 and raised them so high that they were able to command the interior of the +F2 fortress with their guns, and to make the garrison targets for their +F2 bullets. Then the faithful, seeing this, began to dig subterranean +F2 passages and to retreat thither. But the ground of &Mazindaran lies near +F2 the water and is saturated with moisture, added to which rain fell +F2 continually, increasing the damage, so that these poor sufferers dwelt +F2 amidst mud and water till their garments rotted away with damp.... +F2 Whenever one of their comrades quaffed the draught of martyrdom before +F2 their eyes, instead of grieving they rejoiced. Thus, for instance, on one +F2 occasion bomb-shell fell on the roof of a hut, which caught fire. &Shaykh +F2 &Salih of &Shiraz went to extinguish the fire. A bullet struck his head +F2 and shattered his skull. Even as they were raising his corpse a second +F2 bullet carried away the hand of &Aqa &Mirza &Muhammad &Ali, the son of +F2 Siyyid &Ahmad who was the father of &Aqa Siyyid &Husayn, `the beloved.' So +F2 too, was &Aqa Siyyid &Husayn `the beloved,' a child ten years of age slain +F2 before his father's eyes and he fell rolling in mud and gore, with limbs +F2 quivering like those of a half-killed bird." (The "&Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. +F2 81-3.) +P394 "Let him know," he added, "that God's lion-hearted warriors, when pressed and driven by hunger, are able to manifest deeds of such heroism as no ordinary mortals can show. Let him know that the greater their hunger, the more devastating shall be the effects of their exasperation." &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir again ordered eighteen of his companions to hurry to their steeds and follow him. The gates of the fort were thrown open, and the cry of "&Ya &Sahibu'z-Zaman!" --fiercer and more thrilling than ever--diffused panic and consternation in the ranks of the enemy. &Ja'far-Quli &Khan, with thirty of his men, fell before the sword of their adversary, who rushed to the tower, captured the guns, and hurled them to the ground. Thence they threw themselves upon the barricade which had been erected, demolished a number of them, and would, but for the approaching darkness, have captured and destroyed the rest.

Triumphant and unhurt, they repaired to the fort, carrying back with them a number of the stoutest and best-fed stallions which had been left behind. A few days elapsed during which there was no sign of a counter-attack.+F1 A sudden explosion in one of the ammunition stores of the enemy, which had caused the death of several artillery officers and a number of their fellow-combatants, forced them for one whole month to suspend their attacks upon the garrison.+F2 This lull enabled a number of the companions to emerge occasionally from their stronghold and gather such grass as they could find in the field as the only means wherewith to +F1 "This state of affairs had lasted four months. The &Shah began to grow +F1 impatient. The success of the &Babis aroused his anger which according to +F1 the Persian historian he expressed thus: `We thought that our army would +F1 go without hesitation through fire and water, that, fearless, it would +F1 fight a lion or a whale, but we have sent it to fight a handful of weak and +F1 defenseless men and it has achieved nothing! Do the notables of +F1 &Mazindaran think that we approve of this delay? Is it their policy to +F1 allow this conflagration to spread in order to magnify their importance in +F1 case they later put an end to it? Very well, let them know that I shall +F1 act as though &Allah had never created &Mazindaran and I shall exterminate +F1 its inhabitants to the last man!" (A. L. M. Nicolas' "Siyyid &Ali-Muhammad +F1 dit le &Bab," p. 322.) +F2 "The siege had been going on for four months and had made no visible +F2 progress. The old fortifications had been destroyed but, with indomitable +F2 energy, the &Babis had built new ones and, night and day, they restored and +F2 enlarged them. It was impossible to foresee the outcome of this situation, +F2 the more so because, as I have already said, &Mazindaran was not the only +F2 region in Persia where the devotees of the new Faith were giving evidence +F2 of their zeal and their daring. The King and the prime minister, in their +F2 anxiety, burst forth into abuse against their lieutenants. Not only did +F2 they charge them with incompetence, in the most bitter terms, but they +F2 threatened to extend to them the same treatment planned for the &Babis, if +F2 a final settlement were not reached without delay. Thereupon, the command +F2 was taken from &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza and given to the &Afshar &Sulayman &Khan, +F2 a man of acknowledged firmness and of great influence, not only in his own +F2 tribe, one of the noblest in Persia, but throughout the military circles +F2 who knew him and held him in high esteem. He was given the most rigorous +F2 orders." (Comte de Gobineau's "Les Religions et les Philosophies dans +F2 l'Asie Centrale," pp. 183-184.) +F2 ..."Those who remained firm had already consumed not only all +F2 their food supply, but such grass as they could find in the enclosure and +F2 the bark of all the trees. There remained only the leather of their belts +F2 and the scabbards of their swords. They had to resort to the expedient +F2 recommended by the Spanish ambassador to the soldiers of the league +F2 besieged in Paris; they ground the bones of the dead and made flour with +F2 the dust thereof. At last, desperate, they were reduced to perpetrate a +F2 sort of profanation. The horse of &Mulla &Husayn had died of the wounds +F2 suffered during that fatal night which witnessed the death of its master. +F2 The &Babis had buried it out of regard for their holy leader and a little +F2 of the deep veneration which all felt for him hovered over the grave of the +F2 poor animal. They held council and, deploring the necessity for such a +F2 discussion, they debated the question whether extreme distress could +F2 justify them to disinter the sacred charger and eat the remains. With deep +F2 sorrow, they agreed that the deed was justifiable. They cooked the remains +F2 of the horse with the flour made from the bones of the dead, they ate this +F2 strange mixture and took up their guns once more!" (Ibid., pp 186-187.) +P395 allay their hunger. The flesh of horses, even the leather of their saddles, had been consumed by these hard-pressed companions. They boiled the grass and devoured it with piteous avidity.+F1 As their strength declined, as they languished exhausted within the walls of their fort, &Quddus multiplied his visits to them, and endeavoured by his words of cheer and of hope to lighten the load of their agony.

The month of &Jamadiyu'th-Thani+F2 had just begun when the artillery of the enemy was heard again discharging its showers of balls upon the fort. Simultaneously with the booming of the cannons, a detachment of the army, headed by a number of officers and consisting of several regiments of infantry and cavalry, rushed to storm it. The sound of their approach impelled &Quddus to summon promptly his valiant lieutenant, &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, and to bid him emerge with thirty-six of his companions and repulse their attack. +F1 &Abdu'l-Baha refers, in the "Memorials of the Faithful" (pp. 16-17) to the +F1 hardships and sufferings endured by the heroic defenders of the fort of +F1 &Shaykh &Tabarsi He pays a glowing tribute to the constancy, the zeal and +F1 courage of the besieged, mentioning in particular &Mulla +F1 &Sadiq-i-Muqaddas. "For eighteen days," He says, "they remained without +F1 food. They lived on the leather of their shoes. This too was soon +F1 consumed, and they had nothing left but water. They drank a mouthful +F1 every morning and lay famished and exhausted in their fort. When attacked, +F1 however, they would instantly spring to their feet, and manifest in the +F1 face of the enemy a magnificent courage and astonishing resistance.... +F1 Under such circumstances to maintain an unwavering faith and patience is +F1 extremely difficult, and to endure such dire afflictions a rare +F1 phenomenon." +F2 April 24-May 23, 1849 A.D. +P396 "Never since our occupation of this fort," he added, "have we under any circumstances attempted to direct any offensive against our opponents. Not until they unchained their attack upon us did we arise to defend our lives. Had we cherished the ambition of waging holy war against them, had we harboured the least intention of achieving ascendancy through the power of our arms over the unbelievers, we should not, until this day, have remained besieged within these walls. The force of our arms would have by now, as was the case with the companions of &Muhammad in days past, convulsed the nations of the earth and prepared them for the acceptance of our Message. Such is not the way, however, which we have chosen to tread. Ever since we repaired to this fort, our sole, our unalterable purpose has been the vindication, by our deeds and by our readiness to shed our blood in the path of our Faith, of the exalted character of our mission. The hour is fast approaching when we shall be able to consummate this task." &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir once more leaped on horseback and, with the thirty-six companions whom he had selected, confronted and scattered the forces which had beset him. He carried with him, as he re-entered the gate, the banner which an alarmed enemy had abandoned as soon as the reverberating cry of "&Ya &Sahibu'z-Zaman!" had been raised. Five of his companions suffered martyrdom in the course of that engagement, all of whom he bore to the fort and interred in one tomb close to the resting place of their fallen brethren.

Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza, astounded by this further evidence of the inexhaustible vitality of his opponents, took counsel with the chiefs of his staff, urging them to devise such means as would enable him to bring that costly enterprise to a speedy end. For three days he deliberated with them, and finally came to the conclusion that the most advisable course to take would be to suspend all manner of hostilities for a few days in the hope that the besieged, exhausted with hunger and goaded by despair, would decide to emerge from their retreat and submit to an unconditional surrender.

As the prince was waiting for the consummation of the plan he had conceived, there arrived from &Tihran a messenger +P397 bearing to him the &farman+F1 of his sovereign. This man was a resident of the village of Kand, a place not far from the capital. He succeeded in obtaining leave from the prince to enter the fort and attempt to induce two of its occupants, &Mulla &Mihdi and his brother &Mulla &Baqir-i-Kandi, to escape from the imminent danger to which their lives were exposed. As he approached its walls, he called the sentinels and asked them to inform &Mulla &Mihdiy-Kandi that an acquaintance of his desired to see him. &Mulla &Mihdi reported the matter to &Quddus, who permitted him to meet his friend.

I have heard &Aqay-i-Kalim give the following account, as related to him by that same messenger whom he met in &Tihran: "`I saw,' the messenger informed me, `&Mulla &Mihdi appear above the wall of the fort, his countenance revealing an expression of stern resolve that baffled description. He looked as fierce as a lion, his sword was girded on over a long white shirt after the manner of the Arabs, and he had a white kerchief around his head. "What is it that you seek?" he impatiently enquired. "Say it quickly, for I fear that my master will summon me and find me absent." The determination that glowed in his eyes confused me. I was dumbfounded at his looks and manner. The thought suddenly flashed through my mind that I would awaken a dormant sentiment in his heart. I reminded him of his infant child, &Rahman, whom he had left behind in the village, in his eagerness to enlist under the standard of &Mulla &Husayn. In his great affection for the child, he had specially composed a poem which he chanted as he rocked his cradle and lulled him to sleep. "Your beloved &Rahman," I said, "longs for the affection which you once lavished upon him. He is alone and forsaken, and yearns to see you." "Tell him from me," was the father's instant reply, "that the love of the true &Rahman,+F2 a love that transcends all earthly affections, has so filled my heart that it has left no place for any other it love besides His." The poignancy with which he uttered these words brought tears to my eyes. "Accursed," I indignantly exclaimed, "be those who consider you and your fellow-disciples as having strayed from the path of God!" +F1 See Glossary. +F2 Reference to God, the word &Rahman meaning "merciful." +P398 "What," I asked him, "if I venture to enter the fort and join you?" "If your motive be to seek and find the Truth," he calmly replied, "I will gladly show you the way. And if you seek to visit me as an old and lifelong friend, I will accord you the welcome of which the Prophet of God has spoken: `Welcome your guests though they be of the infidels.' I will, faithful to that injunction, offer you the boiled grass and the churned bones which serve as my meat, the best I can procure for you. But if your intention be to harm me, I warn you that I will defend myself and will hurl you from the heights of these walls to the ground." His unswerving obstinacy convinced me of the futility of my efforts. I could feel that he was fired with such enthusiasm that, were the divines of the realm to assemble and endeavour to dissuade him from the course he had chosen to pursue, he would, alone and unaided, baffle their efforts. Neither, was I convinced, could all the potentates of the earth succeed in luring him away from the Beloved of his heart's desire. "May the cup," I was moved to say, "which your lips have tasted, bring you all the blessings you seek." "The prince," I added, "has vowed that whoever steps out of this fort will be secure from danger, that he will even receive a safe passage from him, as well as whatever expenses he may require for the journey to his home." He promised to convey the prince's message to his fellow-companions. "Is there anything further you wish to tell me?" he added. "I am impatient to join my master." "May God," I replied, "assist you in accomplishing your purpose." "He has indeed assisted me!" he burst forth in exultation. "How else could I have been delivered from the darkness of my prison-home in Kand? How could I have reached this exalted stronghold?" No sooner had he uttered these words than, turning his face away from me, he vanished from my sight.'"

As soon as he had joined his companions, &Mulla &Mihdi conveyed the prince's message to them. On the afternoon of that same day, Siyyid &Mirza &Husayn-i-Mutavalli, accompanied by his servant, left the fort and went directly to join the prince in his camp. The next day, &Rasul-i-Bahnimiri and a few other of his companions, unable to resist the ravages of famine, and encouraged by the explicit assurances +P399 or the prince, sadly and reluctantly separated themselves from their friends. No sooner had they stepped out of the fort than they were all instantly slain at the order of &Abbas-Quli &Khan-i-Larijani.

During the few days that elapsed after that incident, the enemy, still encamped in the neighbourhood of the fort, refrained from any act of hostility towards &Quddus and his companions. On Wednesday morning, the sixteenth of &Jamadiyu'th-Thani,+F1 an emissary of the prince arrived at the fort and requested that two representatives be delegated by the besieged to conduct confidential negotiations with them in the hope of arriving at a peaceful settlement of the issues outstanding between them.+F2

Accordingly, &Quddus instructed &Mulla &Yusuf-i-Ardibili and Siyyid &Riday-i-Khurasani to act as his representatives, and bade them inform the prince of his readiness to accede to his wish. &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza courteously received them, and invited them to partake of the tea which he had prepared. "We should," they said, as they declined his offer, "feel it to be an act of disloyalty on our part were we to partake of either meat or drink whilst our beloved leader languishes worn and famished in the fort." "The hostilities between us," the prince remarked, "have been unduly prolonged. We, on both sides, have fought long and suffered grievously. It is my fervent wish to achieve an amicable settlement of our differences." He took hold of a copy of the &Qur'an that lay beside him, and wrote, with his own hand, in confirmation of his statement, the following words on the margin of the opening &Surih: "I swear by this most holy Book, by the righteousness of God who has revealed it, and the Mission of Him who was inspired with its verses, that I cherish no other purpose than to promote peace and friendliness between us. Come forth from your stronghold and rest assured that no hand will be stretched forth against you. You yourself +F1 May 9, 1849 A.D. +F2 "This stark and desperate bravery, this unquenchable enthusiasm gave grave +F2 concern to the leaders of the imperial army. Despairing to break through +F2 the fortification after repeated defeats, they thought of resorting to +F2 shrewdness. The Prince was naturally shrewd and &Sulayman &Khan-i-Afshar, +F2 recently sent by the &Shah, was urging such a method, fearful that longer +F2 delays might endanger his prestige and his life." (A. L. M. Nicolas' +F2 "Siyyid &Ali-Muhammad dit le &Bab," p. 325.) +P400 and your companions, I solemnly declare, are under the sheltering protection of the Almighty, of &Muhammad, His Prophet, and of &Nasiri'd-Din &Shah, our sovereign. I pledge my honour that no man, either in this army or in this neighbourhood, will ever attempt to assail you. The malediction of God, the omnipotent Avenger, rest upon me if in my heart I cherish any other desire than that which I have stated.

He affixed his seal to his statement and, delivering the &Qur'an into the hands of &Mulla &Yusuf, asked him to convey his greetings to his leader and to present him this formal and written assurance. "I will," he added, "in pursuance of my declaration, despatch to the gate of the fort, this very afternoon, a number of horses, which I trust he and his leading companions will accept and mount, in order to ride to the neighbourhood of this camp, where a special tent will have been pitched for their reception. I would request them to be our guests until such time as I shall be able to arrange for their return, at my expense, to their homes." &Quddus received the &Qur'an from the hand of his messenger, kissed it reverently, and said: "O our Lord, decide between us and between our people with truth; for the best to decide art Thou."+F1 Immediately after, he bade the rest of his companions prepare themselves to leave the fort. "By our response to their invitation," he told them, "we shall enable them to demonstrate the sincerity of their intentions."

As the hour of their departure approached, &Quddus attired his head with the green turban which the &Bab had sent to him at the time He sent the one that &Mulla &Husayn wore on the day of his martyrdom. At the gate of the fort, they mounted the horses which had been placed at their disposal, &Quddus mounting the favourite steed of the prince which the latter had sent for his use. His chief companions, among whom were a number of siyyids and learned divines, rode behind him, and were followed by the rest, who marched on foot, carrying with them all that was left of their arms and belongings. As the company, who were two hundred and two in number, reached the tent which the prince had ordered to be pitched for &Quddus in the vicinity of the public bath +F1 &Qur'an, 7:88. +P401 of the village of &Dizva, overlooking the camp of the enemy, they alighted and proceeded to occupy their lodgings in the neighbourhood of that tent.

Soon after their arrival, &Quddus emerged from his tent and, gathering together his companions, addressed them in these words: "You should show forth exemplary renunciation, for such behaviour on your part will exalt our Cause and redound to its glory. Anything short of complete detachment will but serve to tarnish the purity of its name and to obscure its splendour. Pray the Almighty to grant that even to your last hour He may graciously assist you to contribute your share to the exaltation of His Faith."

A few hours after sunset, they were served with dinner brought from the camp of the prince. The food that was offered them in separate trays, each of which was assigned to a group of thirty companions, was poor and scanty. "Nine of us," those who were with &Quddus subsequently related, "were summoned by our leader to partake of the dinner which had been served in his tent. As he refused to taste it, we too, following his example, refrained from eating. The attendants who waited upon us were delighted to partake of the dishes which we had refused to touch, and devoured their contents with appreciation and avidity." A few of the companions +P402 who were dining outside the tent were heard remonstrating with the attendants, pleading that they were willing to buy from them, at however exorbitant a price, the bread which they needed. &Quddus strongly disapproved of their conduct and rebuked them for the request they had made. But for the intercession of &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, he would have severely punished them for having so completely disregarded his earnest exhortations.

At daybreak a messenger arrived, summoning &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir to the presence of the prince. With the consent of &Quddus, he responded to that invitation, and returned an hour later, informing his chief that the prince had, in the presence of &Sulayman &Khan-i-Afshar, reiterated the assurances he had given, and had treated him with great consideration and kindness. "`My oath,' he assured me," &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir explained, "`is irrevocable and sacred.' He cited the case of &Ja'far-Quli &Khan, who, notwithstanding his shameless massacre of thousands of soldiers of the imperial army, in the course of the insurrection fomented by the &Salar, was pardoned by his sovereign and promptly invested with fresh honours by &Muhammad &Shah. To-morrow the prince intends to accompany you in the morning to the public bath, from whence he will proceed to your tent, after which he will provide the horses required to convey the entire company to Sang-Sar, from where they will disperse, some returning to their homes in &Iraq, and others proceeding to &Khurasan. At the request of &Sulayman &Khan, who urged that the presence of such a large gathering at such a fortified centre as Sang-Sar would be fraught with risk, the prince decided that the party should disperse, instead, at &Firuz-Kuh. I am of opinion that what his tongue professes, his heart does not believe at all." &Quddus, who shared his view, bade his companions disperse that very night, and stated that he himself would soon proceed to &Barfurush. They hastened to implore him not to separate himself from them, and begged to be allowed to continue to enjoy the blessings of his companionship. He counselled them to be calm and patient, and assured them that, whatever afflictions the future might yet reveal, they would meet again. "Weep not," were his parting words; "the reunion which will follow this separation +P403 will be such as shall eternally endure. We have committed our Cause to the care of God; whatever be His will and pleasure, the same we joyously accept."

The prince failed to redeem his promise. Instead of joining &Quddus in his tent, he called him, with several of his companions, to his headquarters, and informed him, as soon as they reached the tent of the &Farrash-Bashi,+F1 that he himself would summon him at noon to his presence. Shortly after, a number of the prince's attendants went and told the rest of the companions that &Quddus permitted them to join him at the army's headquarters. Several of them were deceived by this report, were made captives, and were eventually sold as slaves. These unfortunate victims constitute the remnant of the companions of the fort of &Shaykh &Tabarsi, who survived that heroic struggle and were spared to transmit to their countrymen the woeful tale of their sufferings and trials.

Soon after, the prince's attendants brought pressure to bear upon &Mulla &Yusuf to inform the remainder of his companions of the desire of &Quddus that they immediately disarm. "What is it that you will tell them exactly?" they asked him, as he was being conducted to a place at some distance from the army's headquarters. "I will," was the bold reply, "warn them that whatever be henceforth the nature of the message you choose to deliver to them on behalf of their leader, that message is naught but downright falsehood." These words had hardly escaped his lips when he was mercilessly put to death.

From this savage act they turned their attention to the fort, plundered it of its contents, and proceeded to bombard and demolish it completely.+F2 They then immediately encompassed the remaining companions and opened fire upon them. Any who escaped the bullets were killed by the swords of the officers and the spears of their men.+F3 In the +F1 See Glossary. +F2 "All the fortifications constructed by the &Babis were razed to the +F2 ground and even the ground was leveled to remove any evidences of the +F2 heroic defense of those who had died for their Faith. They imagined that +F2 this would silence history." (A. L. M. Nicolas' "Siyyid &Ali-Muhammad dit +F2 le &Bab," p. 327.) +F3 "They formed them in a line and made sport of cutting open their +F3 stomachs. This amused them the more because, from the perforated +F3 intestines, issued grass still undigested, striking evidence of the +F3 sufferings they had endured and also of the faith that had sustained them. +F3 Some, very few, succeeded in escaping into the forest." (Ibid.) +P404 very throes of death, these unconquerable heroes were still heard to utter the words, "Holy, holy, O Lord our God, Lord of the angels and the spirit," words which in moments of exultation had fallen from their lips, and which they now repeated with undiminished fervour at this crowning hour of their lives.

As soon as these atrocities hath been perpetrated, the prince ordered those who had been retained as captives to be ushered, one after another, into his presence. Those among them who were men of recognised standing, such as the father of &Badi',+F1 &Mulla &Mirza &Muhammad-i-Furughi, and &Haji &Nasir-i-Qazvini,+F2 he charged his attendants to conduct to &Tihran and obtain in return for their deliverance a ransom from each one of them in direct proportion to their capacity and wealth. As to the rest, he gave orders to his executioners that they be immediately put to death. A few were cut to pieces with the sword,+F3 others were torn asunder, a number were bound to trees and riddled with bullets, and still others were blown +F1 &Haji &Abdu'l-Majid-i-Nishaburi, who was eventually martyred in &Khurasan. +F2 "It was then, says &Mirza &Jani, that &Islam gave a shameful exhibition +F2 to the world. The victors, if they can be so called, wished to enjoy the +F2 intoxication of their triumph. They bound in chains &Quddus, &Mirza +F2 &Muhammad-Hasan &Khan, brother of the &Babu'l-Bab, &Akhund &Mulla +F2 &Muhammad-Sadiq-i-Khurasani, &Mirza &Muhammad &Sadiq-i-Khurasani, &Haji +F2 &Mirza &Hasan &Khurasani, &Shaykh &Ni'matu'llah-i-Amuli, &Haji +F2 &Nasir-i-Qazvini, &Mulla &Yusuf-i-Ardibili, &Aqa Siyyid +F2 &Abdu'l-'Aim-i-Khu'i and several others. These they placed at the center +F2 of the parade which started out at the sound of the trumpets, and, every +F2 time they went through an inhabited section, they struck them." (A. L. M. +F2 Nicolas' "Siyyid &Ali-Muhammad dit le &Bab," pp. 327-328.) +F2 "The cruelty went further still. If a few escaped death, having been +F2 sold into slavery, others were tortured until they died. Those who found +F2 kindly masters were &Akhund &Mulla &Muhammad-Sadiq-i-Khurasani, &Mulla +F2 &Muhammad-i-Mahvalatiy-i-Dugh-Abadi, &Aqa Siyyid &Azim-i-Khu'i, &Haji +F2 &Nasir-i-Qazvini, &Haji &Abdu'l-Majid-i-Nishaburi and &Mirza +F2 &Husayn-i-Matavalliy-i-Qumi. Four &Babis suffered martyrdom at +F2 &Barfurush, two were sent to &Amul; one of these was &Mulla +F2 &Ni'matu'llah-i-Amuli, the other &Mirza +F2 &Muhammad-Baqir-i-Khurasaniy-i-Qa'ini, cousin of our &Babi author. +F2 "&Qa'ini lived previously at &Mashhad, on the avenue called +F2 &Khiyaban-Bala, and his house, which had been named `&Babiyyih,' was the +F2 rendezvous of the secretaries as well as the home for the co-religionists +F2 journeying through. It is there that &Quddus and the &Babu'l-Bab sojourned +F2 on their way to &Khurasan. Besides his religious knowledge, &Qa'ini was +F2 very skillful with his hands and it was he who designed the fortifications +F2 of &Shaykh-Tabarsi." (A. L. M. Nicolas' "Siyyid &Ali-Muhammad dit le +F2 &Bab," p. 329.) +F3 "As to the other prisoners they were made to lie down on the ground and +F3 the executioners cut open their stomachs. It was noticed that several of +F3 these unfortunates had raw grass in their intestines. This massacre +F3 completed, they found that there was still more to be done and they +F3 assassinated the fugitives who had already been pardoned. There were women +F3 and children and even fifty were not spared and their throats were cut. It +F3 was indeed a full day with much killing and no risk!" (Comte de Gobineau's +F3 "Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale," p. 189.) +F3 "On his arrival at &Amul, &Mulla &Ni'matu'llah was tortured with ruthless +F3 ferocity. Apparently, this scene threw &Qa'ini into a fit of rage. In any +F3 case, when the executioner approached, &Qa'ini, breaking his bonds, jumped +F3 upon him, snatched his sword and struck him with such violence that his +F3 head rolled about fifteen feet away. The crowd rushed upon him but, +F3 terrible in his strength, he mowed down all those who came within his reach +F3 and they had finally to shoot him with a rifle in order to subdue him. +F3 After his death, they found in his pocket a piece of roasted horse flesh +F3 proof of the misery that he had endured for his faith !" (Ibid., pp. +F3 329-330.) +P405 from the mouths of cannons and consigned to the flames.+F1

This terrible butchery had hardly been concluded when three of the companions of &Quddus, who were residents of Sang-Sar, were ushered into the presence of the prince. One of them was Siyyid &Ahmad, whose father, &Mir &Muhammad-'Ali, a devoted admirer of &Shaykh &Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i, had been a man of great learning and distinguished merit. He, accompanied by this same Siyyid &Ahmad and his brother, &Mir &Abu'l-Qasim, who met his death the very night on which &Mulla &Husayn was slain, had departed for &Karbila in the year preceding the declaration of the &Bab, with the intention of introducing his two sons to Siyyid &Kazim. Ere his arrival, the siyyid had departed this life. He immediately determined to leave for Najaf. While in that city, the Prophet &Muhammad one night appeared to him in a dream, bidding the &Imam &Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, announce to him that after his death both his sons, Siyyid &Ahmad and &Mir &Abu'l-Qasim, would attain the presence of the promised &Qa'im and would each suffer martyrdom in His path. As soon as he awoke, he called for his son Siyyid &Ahmad and acquainted him with his will and last wishes. On the seventh day after that dream he died.

In Sang-Sar two other persons, &Karbila'i &Ali and &Karbila'i &Abu-Muhammad, both known for their piety and spiritual insight, strove to prepare the people for the acceptance of +F1 "The whole world marvelled at the manner of their sacrifice.... The mind +F1 is bewildered at their deeds and the soul marvelleth at their fortitude +F1 and bodily endurance.... These holy lights have for eighteen years, +F1 heroically endured the showers of afflictions which, from every side have +F1 rained upon them With what love, what devotion, what exultation and holy +F1 rapture they sacrificed their lives in the path of the All-Glorious! To +F1 the truth of this all witness. And yet how can they belittle this +F1 Revelation? Hath any age witnessed such momentous happenings? If these +F1 companions be not the true strivers after God, who else could be called by +F1 this name? Have these companions been seekers after power or glory? Have +F1 they ever yearned for riches? Have they cherished any desire except the +F1 good pleasure of God? If these companions with all their marvellous +F1 testimonies and wondrous works be false who then is worthy to claim for +F1 himself the truth? By God! their very deeds are a sufficient testimony, +F1 and an irrefutable proof unto all the peoples of the earth, were men to +F1 ponder in their hearts the mysteries of Divine Revelation. `And they who +F1 act unjustly shall soon know what a lot awaiteth them!'" (The +F1 "&Kitab-i-Iqan," pp. 189-91.) +P406 the promised Revelation, the advent of which they felt was fast approaching. In the year 1264 A.H.+F1 they publicly announced that in that very year a man named Siyyid &Ali would, preceded by a Black Standard and accompanied by a number of his chosen companions, set forth from &Khurasan and proceed to &Mazindaran. They urged every loyal adherent of &Islam to arise and lend him every possible assistance. "The standard which he will hoist," they declared, "will be none other than the standard of the promised &Qa'im; he who will unfurl it, none other than His lieutenant and chief promoter of His Cause. Whoso follows him will be saved, and he who turns away will be among the fallen." &Karbila'i &Abu-Muhammad urged his two sons, &Abu'l-Qasim and &Muhammad-'Ali, to arise for the triumph of the new Revelation and to sacrifice every material consideration for the attainment of that end. Both &Karbila'i &Abu-Muhammad and &Karbila'i &Ali died in the spring of that same year.

These two sons of &Karbila'i &Abu-Muhammad were the two companions who had been ushered, together with Siyyid &Ahmad, into the presence of the prince. &Mulla &Zaynu'l-'Abidin-i-Shahmirzadi, one of the trusted and learned counsellors of the government, acquainted the prince with their story and related the experiences and activities of their respective fathers. "For what reason," Siyyid &Ahmad was asked, "have you chosen to tread a path that has involved you and your kinsmen in such circumstances of wretchedness and disgrace? Could you not have been satisfied with the vast number of erudite and illustrious divines who are to be found in this land and in &Iraq?" "My faith in this Cause," he fearlessly retorted, "is born not of idle imitation. I have dispassionately enquired into its precepts, and am convinced of its truth. When in Najaf, I ventured to request the preeminent mujtahid of that city, &Shaykh &Muhammad-Hasan-i-Najafi, to expound for me certain truths connected with the secondary principles underlying the teachings of &Islam. He refused to accede to my request. I reiterated my appeal, whereupon he angrily rebuked me and persisted in his refusal. How can I, in the light of such experience, be expected to seek enlightenment on the abstruse articles of the Faith +F1 1847-8 A.D. +P407 of &Islam from a divine, however illustrious, who refuses to answer my question on such simple and ordinary matters and who expresses his indignation at my having put such questions to him?" "What is your belief concerning &Haji &Muhammad-'Ali?" asked the prince. "We believe," he replied, "&Mulla &Husayn to have been the bearer of the standard of which &Muhammad has spoken: `Should your eyes behold the Black Standards proceeding from &Khurasan, hasten ye towards them, even though ye should have to crawl over the snow.' For this reason we have renounced the world and have flocked to his standard, a standard which is but a symbol of our Faith. If you wish to bestow upon me a favour, bid your executioner put an end to me and enable me to be gathered to the company of my immortal companions. For the world and all its charms have ceased to allure me. I long to depart this life and return to my God." The prince, who was reluctant to take the life of a siyyid, refused to order his execution. His two companions, however, were immediately put to death. He, with his brother Siyyid &Abu-Talib, was delivered into the hands of &Mulla &Zaynu'l-'Abidin, who was instructed to conduct them to Sang-Sar.

Meanwhile &Mirza &Muhammad-Taqi, accompanied by seven of the &ulamas of &Sari, set out from that town to share in the meritorious act of inflicting the punishment of death upon the companions of &Quddus. When they found that they had already been put to death, &Mirza &Muhammad-Taqi urged the prince to reconsider his decision and to order the immediate execution of Siyyid &Ahmad, pleading that his arrival at &Sari would be the signal for fresh disturbances as grave as those which had already afflicted them. The prince eventually yielded, on the express condition that he be regarded as his guest until his own arrival at &Sari, at which time he would take whatever measures were required to prevent him from disturbing the peace of the neighbourhood.

No sooner had &Mirza &Muhammad-Taqi taken the direction of &Sari than he proceeded to vilify Siyyid &Ahmad and his father. "Why ill-treat a guest," his captive pleaded, "whom the prince has committed to your charge? Why ignore the Prophet's injunction, `Honour thy guest though he be an infidel'?" Roused to a burst of fury, &Mirza &Muhammad-Taqi, +P408 together with his seven companions, drew their swords and cut his body to pieces. With his last breath Siyyid &Ahmad was heard invoking the aid of the &Sahibu'z-Zaman. As to his brother Siyyid &Abu-Talib, he was safely conducted to Sang-Sar by &Mulla &Zaynu'l-'Abidin, and to this day resides with his brother Siyyid &Muhammad-Rida in &Mazindaran. Both are engaged in the service of the Cause and are accounted among its active supporters.

As soon as his work was completed, the prince, accompanied by &Quddus, returned to &Barfurush. They arrived on Friday afternoon, the eighteenth of &Jamadiyu'th-Thani.+F1 The &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama', together with all the &ulamas of the town, came out to welcome the prince and to extend their congratulations on his triumphal return. The whole town was beflagged to celebrate the victory, and the bonfires which blazed at night witnessed to the joy with which a grateful population greeted the return of the prince. Three days of festivities elapsed during which he gave no indication as to his intention regarding the fate of &Quddus. He vacillated in his policy, and was extremely reluctant to ill-treat his captive. He at first refused to allow the people to gratify their feelings of unrelenting hatred, and was able to restrain their fury. He had originally intended to conduct him to &Tihran and, by delivering him into the hands of his sovereign, to relieve himself of the responsibility which weighed upon him.

The &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama''s unquenchable hostility, however, interfered with the execution of this plan. The hatred with which &Quddus and his Cause inspired him blazed into furious rage as he witnessed the increasing evidences of the prince's inclination to allow so formidable an opponent to slip from his grasp. Day and night he remonstrated with him and, with every cunning that his resourceful brain could devise, sought to dissuade him from pursuing a policy which he thought to be at once disastrous and cowardly. In the fury of his despair, he appealed to the mob and sought, by inflaming their passions, to awaken the basest sentiments of revenge in their hearts. The whole of &Barfurush had been aroused by the persistency of his call. His diabolical skill +F1 May 11, 1849 A.D. +P409 soon won him the sympathy and support of the masses. "I have vowed," he imperiously protested, "to deny myself both food and sleep until such time as I am able to end the life of &Haji &Muhammad-'Ali with my own hands!" The threats of an agitated multitude reinforced his plea and succeeded in arousing the apprehensions of the prince. Fearing that his own life might be endangered, he summoned to his presence the leading &ulamas of &Barfurush for the purpose of consulting as to the measures that should be taken to allay the tumult of popular excitement. All those who had been invited responded with the exception of &Mulla &Muhammad-i-Hamzih, who pleaded to be excused from attending that meeting. He had previously, on several occasions, endeavoured, during the siege of the fort, to persuade the people to refrain from violence. To him &Quddus, a few days before his abandonment of the fort, had committed, through one of his trusted companions of &Mazindaran, a locked saddlebag containing the text of his own interpretation of the &Sad of &Samad as well as all his other writings and papers that he had in his possession, the fate of which remains unknown until the present day.

No sooner had the &ulamas assembled than the prince gave orders for &Quddus to be brought into their presence. Since the day of his abandoning the fort, &Quddus, who had been delivered into the custody of the &Farrash-Bashi, had not been summoned to his presence. As soon as he arrived, the prince arose and invited him to be seated by his side. Turning to the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama', he urged that his conversations with him be dispassionately and conscientiously conducted. "Your discussions," he asserted, "must revolve around, and be based upon, the verses of the &Qur'an and the traditions of &Muhammad, by which means alone you can demonstrate the truth or falsity of your contentions." "For what reason," the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama' impertinently enquired, "have you, by choosing to place a green turban upon your head, arrogated to yourself a right which only he who is a true descendant of the Prophet can claim? Do you not know that whoso defies this sacred tradition is accursed of God?" "Was Siyyid &Murtada," &Quddus calmly replied, "whom all the recognised &ulamas praise and esteem, a descendant of +P410 the Prophet through his father or his mother?" One of those present at that gathering instantly declared the mother alone to have been a siyyid. "Why, then, object to me," retorted &Quddus, "since my mother was always recognised by the inhabitants of this town as a lineal descendant of the &Imam &Hasan? Was she not, because of her descent, honoured, nay venerated, by every one of you?"

No one dared to contradict him. The &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama' burst forth into a fit of indignation and despair. Angrily he flung his turban to the ground and arose to leave the meeting. "This man," he thundered, ere he departed, "has succeeded in proving to you that he is a descendent of the &Imam &Hasan. He will, ere long, justify his claim to be the mouthpiece of God and the revealer of His will!" The prince was moved to make this declaration: "I wash my hands of all responsibility for any harm that may befall this man. You are free to do what you like with him. You will yourselves be answerable to God on the Day of Judgment." Immediately after he had spoken these words, he called for his horse and, accompanied by his attendants, departed for &Sari. Intimidated by the imprecations of the &ulamas and forgetful of his oath, he abjectly surrendered &Quddus to the hands of an unrelenting foe, those ravening wolves who panted for the moment when they could pounce, with uncontrolled violence, upon their prey, and let loose on him the fiercest passions of revenge and hate.

No sooner had the prince freed them from the restraints which he had exercised than the &ulamas and the people of &Barfurush, acting under orders from the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama',+F1 arose to perpetrate upon the body of their victim acts of such atrocious cruelty as no pen can describe. By the testimony of &Baha'u'llah, that heroic youth, who was still on the threshold of his life, was subjected to such tortures and suffered +F1 "The &Babis call attention to the fact that shortly afterwards a strange +F1 disease afflicted &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama'. In spite of the furs which he wore, +F1 in spite of the fire which burned constantly in his room, he shivered with +F1 cold yet, at the same time, his fever was so high, that nothing could +F1 quench his intolerable thirst. He died, and his house, which was very +F1 beautiful, was abandoned and finally crumbled into ruins. Little by +F1 little, the practice grew of dumping refuse on the site where it had once +F1 so proudly stood. This so impressed the &Mazindaranis that when they +F1 quarrel among themselves, the final insult frequently is, `May thy house +F1 meet the same fate as the house of &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama!'" (A. L. M. Nicolas' +F1 "Siyyid &Ali-Muhammad dit le &Bab," p. 330.) +P411 such a death as even Jesus had not faced in the hour of His greatest agony. The absence of any restraint on the part of the government authorities, the ingenious barbarity which the torture-mongers of &Barfurush so ably displayed, the fierce fanaticism which glowed in the breasts of its &shi'ah inhabitants, the moral support accorded to them by the dignitaries of Church and State in the capital--above all, the acts of heroism which their victim and his companions had accomplished and which had served to heighten their exasperation, all combined to nerve the hand of the assailants and to add to the diabolical ferocity which characterised his martyrdom.

Such were its circumstances that the &Bab, who was then confined in the castle of &Chihriq, was unable for a period of six months either to write or to dictate. The deep grief which he felt had stilled the voice of revelation and silenced His pen. How deeply He mourned His loss! What cries of anguish He must have uttered as the tale of the siege, the untold sufferings, the shameless betrayal, and the wholesale massacre of the companions of &Shaykh &Tabarsi reached His ears and was unfolded before His eyes! What pangs of sorrow He must have felt when He learned of the shameful treatment which His beloved &Quddus had undergone in his hour of martyrdom at the hands of the people of &Barfurush; how he was stripped of his clothes; how the turban which He had bestowed upon him had been befouled; how, barefooted, bareheaded, and loaded with chains, he was paraded through the streets, followed and scorned by the entire population of the town; how he was execrated and spat upon by the howling mob; how he was assailed with the knives and axes of the scum of its female inhabitants; how his body was pierced and mutilated, and how eventually it was delivered to the flames!

Amidst his torments, &Quddus was heard whispering forgiveness to his foes. "Forgive, O my God," he cried, "the trespasses of this people. Deal with them in Thy mercy, for they know not what we already have discovered and cherish. I have striven to show them the path that leads to their salvation; behold how they have risen to overwhelm and kill me! Show them, O God, the way of Truth, and turn their ignorance into faith." In his hour of agony, the &Siyyid-i-Qumi, +P412 who had so treacherously deserted the fort, was seen passing by his side. Observing his helplessness, he smote him in the face. "You claimed," he cried in haughty scorn, "that your voice was the voice of God. If you speak the truth, burst your bonds asunder and free yourself from the hands of your enemies." &Quddus looked steadfastly into his +P413 face, sighed deeply, and said: "May God requite you for your deed, inasmuch as you have helped to add to the measure of my afflictions." Approaching the &Sabzih-Maydan, he raised his voice and said: "Would that my mother were with me, and could see with her own eyes the splendour of my nuptials!" He had scarcely spoken these words when the enraged multitude fell upon him and, tearing his body to pieces, threw the scattered members into the fire which they had kindled far that purpose. In the middle of the night, what still remained of the fragments of that burned and mutilated body was gathered by the hand of a devoted friend+F1 and interred in a place not far distant from the scene of his martyrdom.+F2

It would be appropriate at this juncture to place on record the names of those martyrs who participated in the defence of the fort of &Shaykh &Tabarsi, in the hope that generations yet to come may recall with pride and gratitude the names, no less than the deeds, of those pioneers who, by their life and death, have so greatly enriched the annals of God's immortal Faith. Such names as I have been able to collect from various sources, and for which I am particularly indebted +F1 "At all events it appears that after the martyrdom of &Jinab-i-Quddus a +F1 pious divine &Haji &Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Hamzih by name, whose skill in +F1 exegesis and spiritual gifts was recognised by all, secretly sent several +F1 persons to bury the mutilated remains in the ruined college already +F1 mentioned. And he, far from approving the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama''s conduct, +F1 used to curse and revile him, and never himself pronounced sentence of +F1 death against any &Babi, but, on the contrary used to obtain decent burial +F1 for those slain by the &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama'. And when men questioned him +F1 concerning the garrison of the castle, he would reply: `I do not condemn +F1 them or speak evil of them.' For this reason half of &Barfurush remained +F1 neutral, for at first he used to forbid men to traduce or molest the +F1 &Babis, though later when the trouble waxed great, he deemed it prudent to +F1 be silent and shut himself up in his house. Now his austerity of life, +F1 piety, learning, and virtue were as well known to the people of &Mazindaran +F1 as were the irreligion immorality and worldliness of the +F1 &Sa'idu'l-'Ulama'." (The "&Tarikh-i-Jadid," p. 92.) +F2 "He who knew &Quddus and who made the pilgrimage with him is the one upon +F2 whom `eight unities' have passed and God honored him among His angels in +F2 the heavens, because of the way in which he had withdrawn himself from all +F2 and because he was without blame in the sight of God." ("Le &Bayan +F2 Persan," vol. 2, p. 164.) "Yet more wonderful than the events above +F2 described is the account of them given by &Abbas-Quli &Khan, with many +F2 expressions of admiration to Prince &Ahmad &Mirza. The late &Haji +F2 &Mirza &Jani writes: `About two years after the disaster of &Shaykh +F2 &Tabarsi, I heard one, who, though not a believer, was honest, truthful, +F2 and worthy of credit, relate as follows: "We were sitting together when +F2 some allusion was made to the war waged by some of those present against +F2 &Hadrat-i-Quddus and &Jinab-i-Babu'l-Bab. Prince &Ahmad &Mirza and +F2 &Abbas-Quli &Khan were amongst the company. The prince questioned +F2 &Abbas-Quli &Khan about the matter, and he replied thus: `The truth of the +F2 matter is that anyone who had not seen &Karbila would, if he had seen +F2 &Tabarsi, not only have comprehended what there took place, but would have +F2 ceased to consider it and had he seen &Mulla &Husayn of &Bushruyih he would +F2 have been convinced that the Chief of Martyrs had returned to earth; and +F2 had he witnessed my deeds he would assuredly have said: "This is &Shimr +F2 come back with sword and Lance." I swear by the sacred plume of His +F2 Majesty the Centre of the Universe that one day &Mulla &Husayn, having on +F2 his head a green turban, and over his shoulder a shroud, came forth from +F2 the castle, stood forth in the open field, and, leaning on a lance which he +F2 held in his hand said: "O people, why, without enquiry and under the +F2 influence of passion and prejudiced misrepresentation, do ye act so cruelly +F2 towards us, and strive without cause to shed innocent blood? Be ashamed +F2 before the Creator of the universe, and at last give us passage, that we +F2 may depart out of this land." Seeing that the soldiers were moved, I +F2 opened fire and ordered the troops to shout so as to drown his voice. +F2 Again I saw him lean on his lance and heard him cry: "Is there any who +F2 will help me?" three times so that all heard his cry. At that moment all +F2 the soldiers were silent and some began to weep, and many of the horsemen +F2 were visibly affected. Fearing that the army might be seduced from their +F2 allegiance, I again ordered them to fire and shout. Then I saw &Mulla +F2 &Husayn unsheathe his sword raise his face towards heaven, and heard him +F2 exclaim: "O God I have completed the proof to this host, but it availeth +F2 not.' Then he began to attack us on the right and on the left. I swear +F2 by God that on that day he wielded the sword in such wise as transcends the +F2 power of man. Only the horsemen of &Mazindaran held their ground and +F2 refused to flee. And when &Mulla &Husayn was well warmed to the fray, he +F2 overtook a fugitive soldier. The soldier sheltered himself behind a tree, +F2 and further strove to shield himself with his musket. &Mulla &Husayn dealt +F2 him such blow with his sword that he clave him and the tree and the musket +F2 into six pieces. And, during that war not once was his sword-stroke at +F2 fault, but every blow that he struck fell true. And by the nature of their +F2 wounds I could recognise all whom &Mulla &Husayn had cut down with his +F2 sword, and since I had heard and knew that none could rightly wield the +F2 sword save the Chief of Believers, and that it was well-nigh impossible for +F2 sword to cut so true, therefore I forbade all who were aware of this thing +F2 to mention it or make it known, lest the troops should be discouraged and +F2 should wax faint in the fight. But in truth I know not what had been shown +F2 to these people, or what they had seen, that they came forth to battle with +F2 such alacrity and joy, and engaged so eagerly and gladly in the strife, +F2 without displaying in their countenance any trace of fear or apprehension. +F2 One would imagine that in their eyes the keen sword and blood-spilling +F2 dagger were but means to the attainment of everlasting life, so eagerly did +F2 their necks and bosoms welcome them as they circled like salamanders round +F2 the fiery hail of bullets. And the astonishing thing was that all these +F2 men were scholars and men of learning, sedentary recluses of the college +F2 and the cloister, delicately nurtured and of weakly frame, inured indeed to +F2 austerities, but strangers to the roar of cannon, the rattle of musketry, +F2 and the field of battle. During the last three months of the siege, +F2 moreover, they were absolutely without bread and water, and were reduced to +F2 the extreme of weakness through lack of even such pittance of food as is +F2 sufficient to sustain life. Notwithstanding this, it seemed as if in time +F2 of battle a new spirit were breathed into their frames, insomuch that the +F2 imagination of man cannot conceive the vehemence of their courage and +F2 valour. They used to expose their bodies to the bullets and cannon-balls +F2 not only fearlessly and courageously, but eagerly and joyously, seeming to +F2 regard the battle-field as a banquet, and to be bent on casting away their +F2 lives.'"'" (The "&Tarikh-i-Jadid," pp. 106-9.) +P414 to &Ismu'llahu'l-Mim, &Ismu'llahu'l-Javad, and &Ismu'llahu'l-Asad, I now proceed to enumerate, trusting that even as in the world beyond their souls have been invested with the light of unfading glory, their names may likewise linger for ever on the tongues of men; that their mention may continue to evoke a like spirit of enthusiasm and devotion in the hearts of those to whom this priceless heritage has been transmitted. From my informants I not only have been able to gather the names of most of those who fell in the course of that memorable siege, but have also succeeded in obtaining a representative, though incomplete, list of all those martyrs who, from the year '60+F1 until the present day, the latter part of the month of &Rabi'u'l-Avval in the year 1306 A.H.,+F2 have laid down their lives in the path of the Cause of God. It is my intention to make mention of each of these names in connection with the particular event with which it is chiefly connected. As to those who quaffed the cup of martyrdom while defending the fort of &Tabarsi, their names are as follows:

1. First and foremost among them stands &Quddus, upon whom the &Bab bestowed the name of &Ismu'llahu'l-Akhar.+F3 He, the Last Letter of the Living and the &Bab's chosen companion +F1 1844 A.D. +F2 November-December 1888 A.D. +F3 Literally "The Last Name of God." +P415 on His pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, was, together with &Mulla &Sadiq and &Mulla &Ali-Akbar-i-Ardistani, the first to suffer persecution on Persian soil for the sake of the Cause of God. He was only eighteen years of age when he left his native town of &Barfurush for &Karbila. For about four years he sat at the feet of Siyyid &Kazim, and at the age of twenty-two met and recognised his Beloved in &Shiraz. Five years later, on the twenty-third day of &Jamadiyu'th-Thani in the year 1265 A.H.,+F1 he was destined to fall, in the &Sabzih-Maydan of &Barfurush, a victim of the most refined and wanton barbarity at the hands of the enemy. The &Bab and, at a later time, &Baha'u'llah have mourned in unnumbered Tablets and prayers his loss, and have lavished on him their eulogies. Such was the honour accorded to him by &Baha'u'llah that in His commentary on the verse of &Kullu't-Ta'am,+F2 which He revealed while in &Baghdad, He conferred upon him the unrivalled station of the &Nuqtiy-i-Ukhra,+F3 a station second to none except that of the &Bab Himself.+F4

2. &Mulla &Husayn, surnamed the &Babu'l-Bab, the first to recognise and embrace the new Revelation. At the age of eighteen, he, too, departed from his native town of &Bushruyih in &Khurasan for &Karbila, and for a period of nine years +F1 May 16 1849 A.D. +F2 &Qur'an, 3:93. +F3 Literally "The Last Point." +F4 Refer to note 2, p. 413. +P416 remained closely associated with Siyyid &Kazim. Four years prior to the Declaration of the &Bab, acting according to the instructions of Siyyid &Kazim, he met in &Isfahan the learned mujtahid Siyyid &Baqir-i-Rashti and in &Mashhad &Mirza &Askari, to both of whom he delivered with dignity and eloquence the messages with which he had been entrusted by his leader. The circumstances attending his martyrdom evoked the &Bab's inexpressible sorrow, a sorrow that found vent in eulogies and prayers of such great number as would be equivalent to thrice the volume of the &Qur'an. In one of His visiting Tablets, the &Bab asserts that the very dust of the ground where the remains of &Mulla &Husayn lie buried is endowed with such potency as to bring joy to the disconsolate and healing to the sick. In the &Kitab-i-Iqan, &Baha'u'llah extols with still greater force the virtues of &Mulla &Husayn. "But for him," He writes, "God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor have ascended the throne of eternal glory!"+F1

3. &Mirza &Muhammad-Hasan, the brother of &Mulla &Husayn.

4. &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, the nephew of &Mulla &Husayn. He, as well as &Mirza &Muhammad-Hasan, accompanied &Mulla &Husayn from &Bushruyih to &Karbila and from thence to &Shiraz, where they embraced the Message of the &Bab and were enrolled among the Letters of the Living. With the exception of the journey of &Mulla &Husayn to the castle of &Mah-Ku, they continued to be with him until the time they suffered martyrdom in the fort of &Tabarsi.

5. The brother-in-law of &Mulla &Husayn, the father of &Mirza &Abu'l-Hasan and &Mirza &Muhammad-Husayn, both of whom are now in &Bushruyih, and into whose hands the care of the &Varaqatu'l-Firdaws, &Mulla &Husayn's sister, is committed. Both are firm and devoted adherents of the Faith.

6. The son of &Mulla &Ahmad, the elder brother of &Mulla &Mirza &Muhammad-i-Furughi. He, unlike his uncle, &Mulla &Mirza &Muhammad, suffered martyrdom and was, as testified by the latter, a youth of great piety and distinguished for his learning and his integrity of character. +F1 Refer to note 1, p. 383. +P417

7. &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, known as &Harati, though originally a resident of &Qayin. He was a close relative of the father of &Nabil-i-Akbar, and was the first in &Mashhad to embrace the Cause. It was he who built the &Babiyyih, and who devotedly served &Quddus during his sojourn in that city. When &Mulla &Husayn hoisted the Black Standard, he, together with his child, &Mirza &Muhammad-Kazim, eagerly enrolled under his banner and went forth with him to &Mazindaran. That child was saved eventually, and has now grown up into a fervent and active supporter of the Faith in &Mashhad. It was &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir who acted as the standard-bearer of the company, who designed the plan of the fort, its walls and turrets and the moat which surrounded it, who succeeded &Mulla &Husayn in organising the forces of his companions and in leading the charge against the enemy, and who acted as the intimate companion, the lieutenant and trusted counsellor of &Quddus until the hour when he fell a martyr in the path of the Cause.

8. &Mirza &Muhammad-Taqiy-i-Juvayni, a native of &Sabzihvar, who was distinguished for his literary accomplishments and was often entrusted by &Mulla &Husayn with the task of leading the charge against the assailants. His head and that of his fellow-companion, &Mirza &Muhammad-Baqir, were impaled on spears and paraded through the streets of &Barfurush, amid the shouts and howling of an excited populace.

9. &Qambar-'Ali, the fearless and faithful servant of &Mulla &Husayn, who accompanied him on his journey to &Mah-Ku and who suffered martyrdom on the very night on which his master fell a victim to the bullets of the enemy.

10. &Hasan and

11. &Quli, who, together with a man named Iskandar, a native of &Zanjan, bore the body of &Mulla &Husayn to the fort on the night of his martyrdom and placed it at the feet of &Quddus. He it was, the same &Hasan, who, by the orders of the chief constable of &Mashhad, was led by a halter through the streets of that city.

12. &Muhammad-Hasan, the brother of &Mulla &Sadiq, whom the comrades of &Khusraw slew on the way between &Barfurush and the fort of &Tabarsi. He distinguished himself +P418 by his unwavering constancy, and had been one of the servants of the shrine of the &Imam &Rida.

13. Siyyid &Rida, who, with &Mulla &Yusuf-i-Ardibili, was commissioned by &Quddus to meet the prince, and who brought back with him the sealed copy of the &Qur'an bearing the oath which the prince had written. He was one of the well-known siyyids of &Khurasan, and was recognised for his learning as well as for the integrity of his character.

14. &Mulla &Mardan-'Ali, one of the noted companions from &Khurasan, a resident of the village of &Miyamay, the site of a well-fortified fortress situated between &Sabzihvar and &Shah-Rud. He, together with thirty-three companions, enlisted under the banner of &Mulla &Husayn on the day of the latter's passage through that village. It was in the masjid of &Miyamay, to which &Mulla &Husayn had repaired in order to offer the Friday congregational prayer, that he delivered his soul-stirring appeal in which he laid stress upon the fulfilment of the tradition relating to the hoisting of the Black Standard in &Khurasan, and in which he declared himself to be its bearer. His eloquent address profoundly impressed his hearers, so much so that on that very day the majority of those who heard him, most of whom were men of distinguished merit, arose and followed him. Only one of those thirty-three companions, a &Mulla &Isa, survived, whose sons are at present in the village of &Miyamay, actively engaged in the service of the Cause. The names of the martyred companions of that village are as follows:

15. &Mulla &Muhammad-Mihdi,

16. &Mulla &Muhammad-Ja'far,

17. &Mulla &Muhammad-ibn-i-Mulla &Muhammad,

18. &Mulla &Rahim,

19. &Mulla Muhammad-Rida,

20. &Mulla &Muhammad-Husayn,

21. &Mulla &Muhammad,

22. &Mulla &Yusuf,

23. &Mulla &Ya'qub,

24. &Mulla &Ali,

25. &Mulla &Zaynu'l-'Abidin,

26. &Mulla &Muhammad, son of &Mulla &Zaynu'l-'Abidin,

27. &Mulla &Baqir, +P419

28. &Mulla &Abdu'l-Muhammad,

29. &Mulla &Abu'l-Hasan,

30. &Mulla &Isma'il,

31. &Mulla &Abdu'l-'Ali,

32. &Mulla &Aqa-Baba,

33. &Mulla &Abdu'l-Javad,

34. &Mulla &Muhammad-Husayn,

35. &Mulla &Muhammad-Baqir,

36. &Mulla &Muhammad,

37. &Haji &Hasan,

38. &Karbila'i &Ali,

39. &Mulla &Karbila'i &Ali,

40. &Karbila'i &Nur-Muhammad,

41. &Muhammad-Ibrahim,

42. &Muhammad-Sa'im,

43. &Muhammad-Hadi,

44. Siyyid &Mihdi,

45. &Abu-Muhammad.

Of the companions of the village of Sang-Sar, which forms part of the district of &Simnan, eighteen were martyred. Their names are as follows:

46. Siyyid &Ahmad, whose body was cut to pieces by &Mirza &Muhammad-Taqi and the seven &ulamas of &Sari. He was a noted divine and greatly esteemed for his eloquence and piety.

47. &Mir &Abu'l-Qasim, Siyyid &Ahmad's brother, who won the crown of martyrdom on the very night on which &Mulla &Husayn met his death.

48. &Mir &Mihdi, the paternal uncle of Siyyid &Ahmad,

49. &Mir &Ibrahim, the brother-in-law of Siyyid &Ahmad,

50. &Safar-'Ali, the son of &Karbila'i &Ali, who, together with &Karbila'i &Muhammad, had so strenuously endeavoured to awaken the people of Sang-Sar from their sleep of heedlessness. Both of them, owing to their infirmities, were unable to proceed to the fort of &Tabarsi.

51. &Muhammad-'Ali, the son of &Karbila'i &Abu-Muhammad,

52. &Abu'l-Qasim, the brother of &Muhammad-'Ali,

53. &Karbila'i &Ibrahim,

54. &Ali-Ahmad, +P420

55. &Mulla &Ali-Akbar,

56. &Mulla &Husayn-'Ali,

57. &Abbas-'Ali,

58. &Husayn-'Ali,

59. &Mulla &Ali-Asghar,

60. &Karbila'i &Isma'il,

61. &Ali &Khan,

62. &Muhammad-Ibrahim,

63. &Abdu'l-'Azim.

From the village of &Shah-Mirzad, two fell in defending the fort:

64. &Mulla &Abu-Rahim and

65. &Karbila'i &Kazim.

As to the adherents of the Faith in &Mazindaran, twenty-seven martyrs have thus far been recorded:

66. &Mulla &Riday-i-Shah,

67. &Azim,

68. &Karbila'i &Muhammad-Ja'far,

69. Siyyid &Husayn,

70. &Muhammad-Baqir,

71. Siyyid &Razzaq,

72. &Ustad &Ibrahim,

73. &Mulla &Sa'id-i-Zirih-Kinari,

74. &Riday-i-'Arab,

75. &Rasul-i-Bahnimiri,

76. &Muhammad-Husayn, the brother of &Rasul-i-Bahnimiri,

77. &Tahir,

78. &Shafi',

79. &Qasim,

80. &Mulla &Muhammad-Jan,

81. &Masih, the brother of &Mulla &Muhammad-Jan,

82. &Ita-Baba,

83. &Yusuf,

84. &Fadlu'llah,

85. &Baba,

86. &Safi-Quli,

87. &Nizam,

88. &Ruhu'llah,

89. &Ali-Quli, +P421

90. &Sultan,

91. &Ja'far,

92. &Khalil.

Of the believers of &Savad-Kuh, the five following names have thus far been ascertained:

93. &Karbila'i &Qambar-Kalish,

94. &Mulla &Nad-'Aliy-i-Mutavalli,

95. &Abdu'l-Haqq,

96. &Itabaki-Chupan,

97. Son of &Itabaki-Chupan.

From the town of &Ardistan, the following have suffered martyrdom:

98. &Mirza &Ali-Muhammad, son of &Mirza &Muhammad-Sa'id,

99. &Mirza &Abdu'-Vasi', son of &Haji &Abdu'l-Vahhab,

100. &Muhammad-Husayn, son of &Haji &Muhammad-Sadiq,

101. &Muhammad-Mihdi, son of &Haji &Muhammad-Ibrahim,

102. &Mirza &Ahmad, son of &Muhsin,

103. &Mirza &Muhammad, son of &Mir &Muhammad-Taqi.

From the city of &Isfahan, thirty have thus far been recorded:

104. &Mulla &Ja'far, the sifter of wheat, whose name has been mentioned by the &Bab in the Persian &Bayan.

105. &Ustad &Aqa, surnamed &Buzurg-Banna,

106. &Ustad &Hasan, son of &Ustad &Aqa,

107. &Ustad &Muhammad, son of &Ustad &Aqa,

108. &Muhammad-Husayn, son of &Ustad &Aqa, whose younger brother &Ustad &Ja'far was sold several times by his enemies until he reached his native city, where he now resides.

109. &Ustad &Qurban-'Aliy-i-Banna,

110. &Ali-Akbar, son of &Ustad &Qurban-'Aliy-i-Banna,

111. &Abdu'llah, son of &Ustad &Qurban-'Ali-i-Banna,

112. &Muhammad-i-Baqir-Naqsh, the maternal uncle of Siyyid &Yahya, son of &Mirza &Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Nahri. He was fourteen years old and was martyred the very night that &Mulla &Husayn met his death.

113. &Mulla &Muhammad-Taqi,

114. &Mulla &Muhammad-Rida, both brothers of the late &Abdu's-Salih, the gardener of the &Ridvan at &Akka.

115. &Mulla &Ahmad-i-Saffar, +P422

116. &Mulla &Husayn-i-Miskar,

117. &Ahmad-i-Payvandi,

118. &Hasan-i-Sha'r-Baf-i-Yazdi,

119. &Muhammad-Taqi,

120. &Muhammad-'Attar, brother of &Hasan-i-Sha'r-Baf,

121. &Mulla &Abdu'l-Khaliq, who cut his throat in &Badasht and whom &Tahirih named &Dhabih.

122. &Husayn,

123. &Abu'l-Qasim, brother of &Husayn,

124. &Mirza &Muhammad-Rida,

125. &Mulla Haydar, brother of &Mirza &Muhammad-Rida,

126. &Mirza &Mihdi,

127. &Muhammad-Ibrahim,

128. &Muhammad-Husayn, surnamed &Dastmal-Girih-Zan,

129. &Muhammad-Hasan-i-Chit-Saz, a well-known cloth manufacturer who attained the presence of the &Bab.

130. &Muhammad-Husayn-i-'Attar,

131. &Ustad &Haji &Muhammad-i-Banna,

132. &Mahmud-i-Muqari'i, a noted cloth dealer. He was newly married and had attained the presence of the &Bab in the castle of &Chihriq. The &Bab urged him to proceed to the &Jaziriy-i-Khadra and to lend his assistance to &Quddus. While in &Tihran, he received a letter from his brother announcing the birth of a son and entreating him to hasten to &Isfahan to see him, and then to proceed to whichever place he felt inclined. "I am too much fired," he replied, "with the love of this Cause to be able to devote any attention to my son. I am impatient to join &Quddus and to enlist under his banner."

133. Siyyid &Muhammad-Riday-i-Pa-Qal'iyi, a distinguished siyyid and a highly esteemed divine, whose declared purpose to enlist under the banner of &Mulla &Husayn caused a great tumult among the &ulamas of &Isfahan.

Among the believers of &Shiraz, the following attained the station of martyrdom:

134. &Mulla &Abdu'llah, known also by the name of &Mirza &Salih,

135. &Mulla &Zaynu'l-'Abidin,

136. &Mirza &Muhammad.

Of the adherents of the Faith in Yazd, only four have thus far been recorded: +P423

137. The siyyid who walked on foot all the way from &Khurasan to &Barfurush, where he fell a victim to the bullet of the enemy.

138. Siyyid &Ahmad, the father of Siyyid &Husayn-i-'Aziz, the amanuensis of the &Bab,

139. &Mirza &Muhammad-'Ali, son of Siyyid &Ahmad, whose head was blown off by the ball from a cannon as he was standing at the entrance of the fort, and who, because of his tender age, was greatly loved and admired by &Quddus.

140. &Shaykh &Ali, son of &Shaykh &Abdu'l-Khaliq-i-Yazdi, a resident of &Mashhad, a youth whose enthusiasm and untiring energy were greatly praised by &Mulla &Husayn and &Quddus.

Of the believers of &Qazvin, the following were martyred:

141. &Mirza &Muhammad-'Ali, a noted divine, whose father, &Haji &Mulla &Abdu'l-Vahhab, was one of the most distinguished mujtahids in &Qazvin. He attained the presence of the &Bab in &Shiraz, and was enrolled as one of the Letters of the Living.

142. &Muhammad-Hadi, a noted merchant, son of &Haji &Abdu'l-Karim, surnamed &Baghban-Bashi,

143. Siyyid &Ahmad,

144. &Mirza &Abdu'l-Jalil, a noted divine,

145. &Mirza &Mihdi.

146. From the village of &Lahard, a man named &Haji &Muhammad-'Ali, who had greatly suffered as a result of the murder of &Mulla &Taqi in &Qazvin.

Of the believers of &Khuy, the following have suffered martyrdom:

147. &Mulla &Mihdi, a distinguished divine, who had been one of the esteemed disciples of Siyyid &Kazim. He was noted for his learning, his eloquence, and his staunchness of faith.

148. &Mulla &Mahmud-i-Khu'i, brother of &Mulla &Mihdi, one of the Letters of the Living and a distinguished divine.

149. &Mulla &Yusuf-i-Ardibili, one of the Letters of the Living, noted for his learning, his enthusiasm and eloquence. It was he who had aroused the apprehensions of &Haji &Karim &Khan on his arrival at &Kirman, and who struck terror to the hearts of his adversaries. "This man," &Haji &Karim &Khan was heard to say to his congregation, "must needs be expelled from this town, for if he be allowed to remain, he will assuredly +P424 cause the same tumult in &Kirman as he has already done in &Shiraz. The injury he will inflict will be irreparable. The magic of his eloquence and the force of his personality, if they do not already excel those of &Mulla &Husayn, are certainly not inferior to them." By this means he was able to force him to curtail his stay in &Kirman and to prevent him from addressing the people from the pulpit. The &Bab gave him the following instructions: "You must visit the towns and cities of Persia and summon their inhabitants to the Cause of God. On the first day of the month of &Muharram in the year 1265 A.H.,+F1 you must be in &Mazindaran and must arise to lend every assistance in your power to &Quddus." &Mulla &Yusuf, faithful to the instructions of his Master, refused to prolong his stay beyond a week in any of the towns and cities which he visited. On his arrival in &Mazindaran, he was made captive by the forces of Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza, who immediately recognised him and gave orders that he be imprisoned. He was eventually released, as we have already observed, by the companions of &Mulla &Husayn on the day of the battle of &Vas-Kas.

150. &Mulla &Jalil-i-Urumi, one of the Letters of the Living, noted for his learning, his eloquence, and tenacity of faith.

151. &Mulla &Ahmad, a resident of &Maraghih, one of the Letters of the Living, and a distinguished disciple of Siyyid &Kazim.

152. &Mulla &Mihdiy-i-Kandi, a close companion of &Baha'u'llah, and a tutor to the children of His household.

153. &Mulla &Baqir, brother of &Mulla &Mihdi, both of whom were men of considerable learning, to whose great attainments &Baha'u'llah testifies in the "&Kitab-i-Iqan."

154. Siyyid &Kazim, a resident of &Zanjan, and one of its noted merchants. He attained the presence of the &Bab in &Shiraz, and accompanied Him to &Isfahan. His brother, Siyyid &Murtada, was one of the Seven Martyrs of &Tihran.

155. Iskandar, also a resident of &Zanjan, who, together with &Hasan and &Quli, bore the body of &Mulla &Husayn to the fort.

156. &Isma'il,

157. &Karbila'i &Abdu'l-'Ali, +F1 November 27, 1848 A.D. +P425

158. &Abdu'l-Muhammad,

159. &Haji &Abbas,

160. Siyyid &Ahmad--all residents of &Zanjan.

161. Siyyid &Husayn-i-Kulah-Duz, a resident of &Barfurush, whose head was impaled on a lance and was paraded through its streets.

162. &Mulla &Hasan-i-Rashti,

163. &Mulla &Hasan-i-Bayajmandi,

164. &Mulla &Ni'matu'llah-i-Barfurushi,

165. &Mulla &Muhammad-Taqiy-i-Qarakhili,

166. &Ustad &Zaynu'l-'Abidin,

167. &Ustad &Qasim, son of &Ustad &Zaynu'l-'Abidin,

168. &Ustad &Ali-Akbar, brother of &Ustad &Zaynu'l-'Abidin.

The last three were masons by profession, were natives of &Kirman, and resided in &Qayin in the province of &Khurasan.

169 and 170. &Mulla &Riday-i-Shah and a young man from &Bahnimir were slain two days after the abandonment of the fort by &Quddus, in the &Panj-Shanbih-Bazar of &Barfurush. &Haji &Mulla &Muhammad-i-Hamzih, surnamed the &Shari'at-Madar, succeeded in burying their bodies in the neighbourhood of the &Masjid-i-Kazim-Big, and in inducing their murderer to repent and ask forgiveness.

171. &Mulla &Muhammad-i-Mu'allim-i-Nuri, an intimate companion of &Baha'u'llah who was closely associated with Him in &Nur, in &Tihran, and in &Mazindaran. He was famed for his intelligence and learning, and was subjected, &Quddus only excepted, to the severest atrocities that have ever befallen a defender of the fort of &Tabarsi. The prince had promised that he would release him on condition that he would execrate the name of &Quddus, and had pledged his word that, should he be willing to recant, he would take him back with him to &Tihran and make him the tutor of his sons. "Never will I consent," he replied, "to vilify the beloved of God at the bidding of a man such as you. Were you to confer upon me the whole of the kingdom of Persia, I would not for one moment turn my face from my beloved leader. My body is at your mercy, my soul you are powerless to subdue. Torture me as you will, that I may be enabled to demonstrate to you the truth of the verse, `Then, wish for death, if ye be men of +P426 truth.'"+F1 The prince, infuriated by his answer, gave orders that his body be cut to pieces and that no effort be spared to inflict upon him a most humiliating punishment.

172. &Haji &Muhammad-i-Karradi, whose home was situated in one of the palm groves adjoining the old city of &Baghdad, a man of great courage who had fought and led a hundred men in the war against &Ibrahim &Pasha of Egypt. He had been a fervent disciple of Siyyid &Kazim, and was the author of a long poem in which he expatiated upon the virtues and merits of the siyyid. He was seventy-five years old when he embraced the Faith of the &Bab, whom he likewise eulogised in an eloquent and detailed poem. He distinguished himself by his heroic acts during the siege of the fort, and eventually became a victim of the bullets of the enemy.

173. &Sa'id-i-Jabbavi, a native of &Baghdad, who displayed extraordinary courage during the siege. He was shot in the abdomen, and, though severely wounded, managed to walk until he reached the presence of &Quddus. He joyously threw himself at his feet and expired.

The circumstances of the martyrdom of these last two companions were related by Siyyid &Abu-Talib-i-Sang-Sari, one of those who survived that memorable siege, in a communication he addressed to &Baha'u'llah. In it he relates, in addition, his own story, as well as that of his two brothers, Siyyid &Ahmad and &Mir &Abu'l-Qasim, both of whom were martyred while defending the fort. "On the day on which &Khusraw was slain," he wrote, "I happened to be the guest of a certain &Karbila'i &Ali-Jan, the &kad-khuda+F2 of one of the villages in the neighbourhood of the fort. He had gone to assist in the protection of &Khusraw, and had returned and was relating to me the circumstances attending his death. On that very day, a messenger informed me that two Arabs had arrived at that village and were anxious to join the occupants of the fort. They expressed their fear of the people of the village of &Qadi-Kala, and promised that they would amply reward whoever would be willing to conduct them to their destination. I recalled the counsels of my father, &Mir &Muhammad-'Ali, who exhorted me to arise and +F1 &Qur'an, 9:94. +F2 See Glossary. +P427 help in the promotion of the Cause of the &Bab. I immediately decided to seize the opportunity that had presented itself to me, and, together with these two Arabs, and with the aid and assistance of the &Kad-khuda, reached the fort, met &Mulla &Husayn, and determined to consecrate the remaining days of my life to the service of the Cause he had chosen to follow."

The names of some of the officers who distinguished themselves among the opponents of the companions of &Quddus are as follows:

1. Prince &Mihdi-Quli &Mirza, brother of the late &Muhammad &Shah, +P428

2. &Sulayman &Khan-i-Afshar,

3. &Haji &Mustafa &Khan-i-Sur-Tij,

4. &Abdu'llah &Khan, brother of &Haji &Mustafa &Khan,

5. &Abbas-Quli &Khan-i-Larijani, who shot &Mulla &Husayn,

6. &Nuru'llah &Khan-i-Afghan,

7. &Habibu'llah &Khan-i-Afghan,

8. &Dhu'l-Faqar &Khan-i-Karavuli,

9. &Ali-Asghar &Khan-i-Du-Dungi'i,

10. &Khuda-Murad &Khan-i-Kurd,

11. &Khalil &Khan-i-Savad-Kuhi,

12. &Ja'far-Quli &Khan-i-Surkh-Karri'i,

13. The &Sartip of the &Fawj-i-Kalbat, +P429

14. &Zakariyyay-i-Qadi-Kala'i, a cousin of &Khusraw, and his successor.

As to those believers who participated in that memorable siege and survived its tragic end, I have been thus far unable to ascertain in full either their names or their number. I have contented myself with a representative, though incomplete, list of the names of its martyrs, trusting that in the days to come the valiant promoters of the Faith will arise to fill this gap, and will, by their research and industry, be able to remedy the imperfections of this altogether inadequate description of what must ever remain as one of the most moving episodes of modern times. +P430