Excerpted and Compiled by
Wilmette
Institute
October 2000
With kind permission of George Ronald Publisher,
Oxford
Excerpts from pages 368-379:
This momentous Epistle was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in the last
year of His earthly life. It is addressed to
Shay
kh
Muhammad-Taqí, known as Áqá Najafí, a son of
Shay
kh Muhammad-Báqir who was stigmatized by Him as
'Wolf'. After the death of his father in 1883, Áqá Najafí
succeeded him as a leading mujtahid of Isfahán. He was an inveterate
enemy and formidable opponent of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, a
vicious and evil-minded clergyman who fulfilled the famous saying: 'The child
is the secret of his sire.' He well merited the title 'Son of the Wolf'.
In his younger days he collaborated with his father in pursuing the policy of
murdering the Bahá'ís. He was the one who rolled up his sleeves
on the occasion of the martyrdom of the King and the Beloved of the Martyrs and
announced his readiness to carry out their execution personally should the
official executioner refuse to co-operate. Once he assumed office it was
through his instigation and on his direct orders that the great upheavals
against the Bahá'ís occurred in Isfahán and neighbouring
townships. It was by his command that several believers were put to death, and
in 1903 he was the chief instigator of the upheaval of Yazd, the bloodiest
massacre of the Bahá'ís since the bloodbath of Tihrán in
1852.
To such a man, who was perpetrating the most heinous crimes against His
followers in Persia, Bahá'u'lláh addressed this weighty Epistle.
The opening paragraph is in praise of God, and the second, in praise of
Bahá'u'lláh as the 'Supreme Mediator', 'the Most Exalted Pen',
'the dawning-place' of God's 'most excellent names', and 'the dayspring of His
most exalted attributes'. Having unequivocally announced His own station to
Áqá Najafí, Bahá'u'lláh in the next
paragraph proclaims to him that 'the ear of man hath been created that it may
hearken unto the Divine Voice of this Day', counsels him first to 'purify' his
soul 'with the waters of renunciation', to 'crown' his head with 'the crown of
the fear of God' and then to arise from his seat, turn his face in the
direction of Bahá'u'lláh's abode and recite a prayer which is
revealed especially for him.
From the manner in which Áqá Najafí continued his
opposition to the Faith after receiving this Epistle, we can guess the extent
of his anger on reading the first three paragraphs. The perusal of the lengthy
prayer which followed must have enraged him further. Although the revelation of
this prayer, and indeed the whole Epistle, is a genuine attempt by
Bahá'u'lláh to lead his misguided soul to God, the prayer
nevertheless serves as the best descriptive material for depicting the infamous
life of Áqá Najafí. Among some beautiful passages we find
condemnatory statements such as these, in which Áqá Najafí
is counselled by Bahá'u'lláh to recite in a prayerful attitude
and beg God's forgiveness for his wicked deeds:
'I testify, O my God, and my King, that Thou hast created me to
remember Thee, to glorify Thee, and to aid Thy Cause. And yet, I have aided
Thine enemies...'
'Alas, alas, for my waywardness, and my shame, and my sinfulness, and
my wrong-doing ... alas, alas! and again alas, alas! for my wretchedness and
the grievousness of my transgressions! Thou didst call me into being, O my God,
to exalt Thy Word, and to manifest Thy Cause. My heedlessness, however, hath
deterred me and compassed me about, in such wise that I have arisen to blot out
Thy signs, and to shed the blood of Thy loved ones...
'O Lord, my Lord! and again, O Lord, my Lord! and yet again, O Lord,
my Lord! I bear witness that by reason of mine iniquity the fruits of the tree
of Thy justice have fallen, and though the fire of my rebelliousness the hearts
of such of Thy creatures as enjoy near access to Thee were consumed, and the
souls of the sincere among Thy servants have melted. O wretched, wretched that
I am! O the cruelties, the glaring cruelties, I inflicted! Woe is me, woe is
me, for my remoteness from Thee, and for my waywardness, and mine ignorance,
and my baseness, and my repudiation of Thee, and my protests against
Thee!...
'Alas, alas! My turning away from Thee hath burnt up the veil of mine
integrity, and my denial of Thee hath rent asunder the covering cast over mine
honor. O would that I were beneath the depths of the earth, so that my evil
deeds would remain unknown to Thy servants! Thou seest the sinner, O my Lord,
who hath turned towards the dawning-place of Thy forgiveness and Thy bounty,
and the mountain of iniquity that hath sought the heaven of Thy mercy and
pardon. Alas, alas! My mighty sins have prevented me from approaching the court
of Thy mercy, and my monstrous deeds have caused me to stray far from the
sanctuary of Thy presence. Indeed, I am he that hath failed in duty towards
Thee, and hath broken Thy Covenant and Thy Testament, and committed that which
hath made the dwellers of the cities of Thy justice, and the dawning-places of
Thy grace in Thy realms, to lament. I testify, O my God, that I have put away
Thy commandments, and clung to the dictates of my passions, and have cast away
the statutes of Thy Book, and seized the book of mine own desire. O misery,
misery! As mine iniquities waxed greater and greater, Thy forbearance towards
me augmented, and as the fire of my rebelliousness grew fiercer, the more did
Thy forgiveness and Thy grace seek to smother up its flame. By the power of Thy
might! O Thou Who art the desire of the world and the Best-Beloved of the
nations! Thy long-suffering hath puffed me up, and Thy patience hath emboldened
me...
'...Thou hast given me a tongue wherewith to remember and praise
Thee, and yet it uttereth that which hath caused the souls of such of Thy
chosen ones as are nigh unto Thee to melt...
'...Thou has given me eyes to witness Thy signs, and to behold Thy
verses, and to contemplate the revelations of Thine handiwork, but I have
rejected Thy will, and have committed what hath caused the faithful among Thy
creatures and the detached amidst Thy servants to groan. Thou hast given me
ears that I may incline them unto Thy praise and Thy celebration...
'...And yet, alas, alas, I have forsaken Thy Cause, and have
commanded Thy servants to blaspheme against Thy trusted ones and Thy loved
ones, and have acted, before the throne of Thy justice, in such wise that those
that have recognized Thy unity and are wholly devoted to Thee among the
dwellers of Thy realm mourned with a sore lamentation...
'...Alas, alas! Thou hast ordained that every pulpit be set apart for
Thy mention, and for the glorification of Thy Word, and the revelation of Thy
Cause, but I have ascended it to proclaim the violation of Thy Covenant, and
have spoken unto Thy servants such words as have caused the dwellers of the
Tabernacles of Thy majesty and the denizens of the Cities of Thy wisdom to
lament...
'...By Thy glory! I know not for which sin to beg Thy forgiveness and
implore Thy pardon, nor from which of mine iniquities to turn aside unto the
Court of Thy bounteousness and the Sanctuary of Thy favor. Such are my sins and
trespasses that no man can number them, nor pen describe them...
[1]
No one but God can address a man in this way and lay bare before him his
sinfulness and transgressions. Never for one moment did Áqá
Najafí look upon himself in the light of this prayer while on this
earth. But no doubt he has been able to see his true self in the world beyond,
like every other soul, and discover how grievously he erred in his earthly
life.
A noticeable feature throughout the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf is
Bahá'u'lláh's loving exhortation. There is no revenge in God's
domain. Although He is addressing one of His bitterest enemies, God's loving
compassion can be seen at work. While condemning his wicked deeds, He prays
that he may change his ways. While sometimes appearing wrathful, He is never
vindictive in His remarks. While denouncing his machinations, He is never
extreme in His words. His dispassionate exposition of His teachings, His
explicit description of the circumstances of His Revelation, His profound
arguments setting forth the proofs of the validity of His Mission, His
challenging remarks addressed to His adversaries, are all interwoven with
passages reflecting His compassion, His exalted counsels, and His unbounded
love for His servants, whether friend or foe.
The Re-revelation of Tablets
In His Tablets Bahá'u'lláh occasionally quotes passages from
Writings He has previously revealed. But the
Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf is different, in that it contains a great many quotations from His
earlier Tablets. It includes an anthology of His Writings, chosen by Himself.
We have already described in previous volumes the manner in which
Bahá'u'lláh revealed His Writings and the speed with which His
amanuensis was empowered by Him to write down His words. Whereas any compiler
will copy the required source material for his quotations, the Revealer of the
Word of God does not follow this pattern. It is inconceivable to imagine that
when He wished to quote from a previous Tablet, Bahá'u'lláh would
stop the flow of His Revelation and direct His amanuensis to insert a certain
part of a Tablet as a quotation. It must be remembered that
Bahá'u'lláh revealed about fifteen thousand Tablets during the
forty years of His Ministry. Most of these were not easily accessible at the
time, and none of them were indexed so as to enable one to retrieve a desired
passage from among so many pages. For Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis or
anyone else to try to find part of a Tablet in those days would be very much
like looking for a needle in a haystack.
On the other hand, divine revelation, as witnessed by many of
Bahá'u'lláh's disciples, was accompanied by the release of
enormous powers which emanated from His person, manifesting the majesty of God
and His awe-inspiring glory as verses of God poured down like copious rain. To
suddenly stop this heavenly outpouring and busy oneself with the cumbersome
task of looking for a passage among so many pages, would not only have been
inconsistent with the dignity and majesty of the Revealer of the Word of God,
but would also degrade him to the position of a human author.
Every quotation one finds in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf was
re-revealed by Bahá'u'lláh at the time. This is one of the
evidences of the power of God, that His Mouthpiece can utter the same words
which had been revealed to Him some years before. Not only was this true in
relation to His own Writings, but, as mentioned previously, He quoted passages
from the Writings of the Báb without having access to His Works. Of
course this knowledge is not limited to Books of Scripture but extends to
everything. In the Tablet of Hikmat Bahá'u'lláh confirms this to
Nabíl-i-Akbar in these words:
Thou knowest full well that We perused not the books which men
possess and We acquired not the learning current amongst them, and yet whenever
We desire to quote the sayings of the learned and of the wise, presently there
will appear before the face of thy Lord in the form of a tablet all that which
hath appeared in the world and is revealed in the Holy Books and Scriptures.
Thus do We set down in writing that which the eye perceiveth. Verily His
knowledge encompasseth the earth and the heavens.
This is a Tablet wherein the Pen of the Unseen hath inscribed the
knowledge of all that hath been and shall be - a knowledge that none other but
My wondrous Tongue can interpret. [2]
A careful examination of the quotations in the
Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf shows that the quotations and the original texts are almost exactly
the same. Very rarely they may differ in one or two words, usually an adverb, a
preposition or an adjective, but the meaning remains the same. The reason for
this is that a certain word has been re-revealed differently. The discrepancy
is more noticeable in the original language, for the translation into English
is not affected by the change of an adverb or a preposition.
To cite an example: in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
Bahá'u'lláh quotes the 'second leaf of the Most Exalted Paradise'
from His Tablet known as
Kalimát-i-Firdawsíyyih. The
phrase 'Pen of the Most High' in the original Tablet is re-revealed in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf as 'Pen of the Divine Expounder', but the
rest of the quotation remains the same as in its original form.
Bahá'u'lláh's Presentation of His Teachings
A deep study of the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf requires some
knowledge of Islamic subjects. A detailed study of these is beyond the scope of
this book, but some brief notes are given in Appendix 3, and the English
edition also has a useful glossary. Some historical events too need
explanation, but most of these have already been described in this and former
volumes; references will be given to these where necessary.
Throughout the Epistle Bahá'u'lláh addresses Áqá
Najafí as the '
Shay
kh'. He proclaims to him the advent of
the Day of God, identifies Himself as God's Supreme Manifestation and describes
the verities enshrined in His Revelation. He describes His Mission clearly,
introducing Himself to the
Shay
kh when he states:
This Wronged One hath frequented no school, neither hath He attended
the controversies of the learned. By My Life! Not of Mine own volition have I
revealed Myself, but God, of His own choosing, hath manifested Me.
[3]
He then quotes some verses He had revealed in the Lawh-i-Sultán
addressed to Násiri'd-Dín
Sháh, beginning with this
celebrated passage:
O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo,
the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the
knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One who is
Almighty and All-Knowing. [4]
In this Epistle Bahá'u'lláh outlines some of His basic teachings
such as love, unity, and similar principles which constitute the cornerstones
of His Faith. Most of the utterances expressing these teachings are gleaned by
Himself from His previously revealed Writings. He probably uses this method in
order to assure the
Shay
kh that these teachings are not newly
formulated but have been promulgated from the very beginning of His Revelation,
and that for several decades the believers have been exhorted to carry them
out. These are some of the teachings which, among many more, He presents to the
Shay
kh:
The Divine Messengers have been sent down ... for the purpose of
promoting the knowledge of God, and for furthering unity and fellowship amongst
men... [5]
Justice and equity are twin Guardians that watch over men...
[6]
That the diverse communities of the earth, and the manifold systems
of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of
animosity among men, is, in this Day, the essence of the Faith of God and His
religion... [7]
Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose
violence none can quench... [8]
Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye
with one another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and
fellowship... [9]
So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole
earth... [10]
Consort with all men, O people of Bahá, in a spirit of
friendliness and fellowship... [11]
A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men...
[12]
O ye friends of God in His cities and His loved ones in His lands!
This Wronged One enjoineth on you honesty and piety...
[13]
We enjoin the servants of God and His handmaidens to be pure and to
fear God, that they may shake off the slumber of their corrupt desires, and
turn toward God... [14]
Revile ye not one another. We, verily, have come to unite and weld
together all that dwell on earth... [15]
Lay fast hold on whatever will profit you, and profit the peoples of
the world. Thus commandeth you the King of Eternity, Who is manifest in His
Most Great Name... [16]
In this Revelation the hosts which can render it victorious are the
hosts of praiseworthy deeds and upright character...
[17]
Verily I say: The fear of God hath ever been a sure defence and a
safe stronghold for all the peoples of the world...
[18]
We, verily, have chosen courtesy, and made it the true mark of such
as are nigh unto Him. Courtesy, is, in truth, a raiment which fitteth all men,
whether young or old... [19]
Purge your hearts from love of the world, and your tongues from
calumny, and your limbs from whatsoever may withhold you from drawing nigh unto
God... [20]
This Wronged One hath, at all times, summoned the peoples of the
world unto that which will exalt them, and draw them nigh unto God...
[21]
Say: O people of God! Adorn your temples with the ornament of
trustworthiness and piety. Help then, your Lord with the hosts of goodly deeds
and a praiseworthy character. [22]
These are just a few of Bahá'u'lláh's exhortations, constituting
the essence of His spiritual teachings, which He has set forth in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf for the
Shay
kh. He also
quotes for him a celebrated passage revealed as an admonishment to His son,
Badí'u'llah, a passage which may be regarded as a charter of moral
conduct for an individual:
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of
the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face.
Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer to the cry of
the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment,
and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all
men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a
sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of
the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine
acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength
for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of
the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of
fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body
of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of
virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge
a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light
in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.
[23]
'Shed not the blood of anyone'
Another category of teachings which features prominently in the
Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf is that which forbids contention, strife, religious
hostility, warfare, and all acts from which a trace of mischief or sedition may
be detected. The reason for Bahá'u'lláh's emphasis on this topic
becomes apparent in the light of history. During the Bábí
Dispensation the followers of the Báb defended themselves heroically
against the onslaught of their enemies. The upheavals of
Mázindarán, Nayríz and Zanján are typical examples.
Since they took up arms and defended themselves so valiantly, the
Bábís were highly feared by the Persian populace. This sense of
fear was heightened by the attempt on the life of Násiri'd-Dín
Sháh by a few irresponsible Bábís in 1850.
From the early days of His Ministry Bahá'u'lláh admonished the
followers of the Báb to abandon the practice of the use of force, to put
their swords in their sheaths and never bring them out again. 'In the Book of
God, the Mighty, the Great,' Bahá'u'lláh admonishes His loved
ones, 'Ye have been forbidden to engage in contention and conflict.' He
exhorted His followers not to resist their enemies by force, and if the
occasion demanded it, to give their lives willingly in the path of God rather
than to kill. Concerning this transformation, Bahá'u'lláh writes
in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf:
Day and night, while confined in that dungeon, We meditated upon the
deeds, the condition, and the conduct of the Bábís, wondering
what could have led a people so high-minded, so noble, and of such
intelligence, to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act against the
person of His Majesty. This Wronged One, thereupon, decided to arise, after His
release from prison, and undertake, with the utmost vigor, the task of
regenerating this people...
After Our arrival, We revealed, as a copious rain, by the aid of God
and His Divine Grace and mercy, Our verses, and sent them to various parts of
the world. We exhorted all men, and particularly this people, through Our wise
counsels and loving admonitions, and forbade them to engage in sedition,
quarrels, disputes and conflict. As a result of this, and by the grace of God,
waywardness and folly were changed into piety and understanding, and weapons
converted into instruments of peace. [24]
In spite of this complete transformation, the people of Persia did not
differentiate between the Bábís and the Bahá'ís.
They insisted on regarding the followers of Bahá'u'lláh as
Bábís and in associating them with violence. It is for this
reason that throughout this Epistle Bahá'u'lláh quotes passages
such as these:
Beware lest ye shed the blood of anyone. Unsheathe the sword of your
tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the
citadels of men's hearts... [25]
O people! Spread not disorder in the land, and shed not the blood of
anyone... [26]
The sword of the virtuous character and upright conduct is sharper
than the blades of steel... [27]
Not only were the public given wrong impressions about the conduct of the
believers: Násiri'd-Dín
Sháh himself is said to
have been afraid throughout his reign even of coming face to face with a
Bahá'í. This fear was somewhat understandable, because he always
remembered the attempt on his life.
Excerpts from pages 380-385
It was because of the
Sháh's mistrust that
Bahá'u'lláh revealed passages such as these, to dissociate the
conduct of the Bahá'ís from the conduct of those of the past and
assure him and the
Shay
kh of their loyalty and truthfulness:
Night and day hath this Wronged One been occupied in that which would
unite the hearts, and edify the souls of men. The events that have happened in
Persia during the early years have truly saddened the well-favored and sincere
ones. Each year witnessed a fresh massacre, pillage, plunder, and shedding of
blood. At one time there appeared in Zanján that which caused the
greatest consternation; at another in Nayríz, and at yet another in
Tabarsí, and finally there occurred the episode of the Land of Tá
(Tihrán). From that time onwards this Wronged One, assisted by the One
True God - exalted be His glory - acquainted this oppressed people with the
things which beseemed them. All have sanctified themselves from the things
which they and others possess, and have clung unto, and fixed their eyes upon
that which pertaineth unto God.
It is now incumbent upon His Majesty the Sháh - may
God, exalted be He, protect him - to deal with this people with loving-kindness
and mercy. This Wronged One pledgeth Himself, before the Divine Kaaba, that,
apart from truthfulness and trustworthiness, this people will show forth
nothing that can in any way conflict with the world-adorning views of His
Majesty. [28]
In another passage He states:
O Shaykh! It is incumbent upon the divines to unite
with His Majesty, the Sháh - may God assist him - and to cleave
day and night unto that which will exalt the station of both the government and
the nation. This people are assiduously occupied in enlightening the souls of
men and in rehabilitating their condition. Unto this testifieth that which hath
been sent down by the Most Sublime Pen in this lucid Tablet.
[29]
And again He demonstrates the spiritual character of the Bahá'ís
and their readiness to give their lives rather than hurting their enemies:
O Shaykh! This people have passed beyond the narrow
straits of names, and pitched their tents upon the shores of the sea of
renunciation. They would willingly lay down a myriad lives, rather than breathe
the word desired by their enemies. They have clung to that which pleaseth God,
and are wholly detached and freed from the things which pertain unto men. They
have preferred to have their heads cut off rather than utter one unseemly word.
Ponder this in thine heart. Methinks they have quaffed their fill of the ocean
of renunciation. The life of the present world hath failed to withhold them
from suffering martyrdom in the path of God.
In Mázindarán a vast number of the servants of God were
exterminated. The Governor, under the influence of calumniators, robbed a great
many of all that they possessed. Among the charges he laid against them was
that they had been laying up arms, whereas upon investigation it was found out
that they had nothing but an unloaded rifle! Gracious God! This people need no
weapons of destruction, inasmuch as they have girded themselves to reconstruct
the world. Their hosts are the hosts of goodly deeds, and their arms the arms
of upright conduct, and their commander the fear of God. Blessed that one that
judgeth with fairness. [30]
The reader may be helped to appreciate the significance of the term 'narrow
straits of names' used above by referring to the subject of the 'Kingdom of
Names' discussed in volume 2. 'The aim ... is to quench the flame of hate.'
In order to highlight the transformation which had taken place since the days
of the Bábí upheavals, Bahá'u'lláh cites the
examples of a few of the Bahá'í martyrs who had put up no
resistance even under the threat of death. He addresses the
Shay
kh in these words:
O Shaykh! Time and again have I declared, and now yet
again I affirm, that for two score years We have, through the grace of God and
by His irresistible and potent will, extended such aid to His Majesty the
Sháh - may God assist him - as the exponents of justice and of
equity would regard as incontestable and absolute...
Previous to these forty years controversies and conflicts continually
prevailed and agitated the servants of God. But since then, aided by the hosts
of wisdom, of utterance, of exhortations and understanding, they have all
seized and taken fast hold of the firm cord of patience and of the shining hem
of fortitude, in such wise that this wronged people endured steadfastly
whatever befell them, and committed everything unto God, and this
notwithstanding that in Mázindarán and at Rasht a great
many have been most hideously tormented. Among them was his honor,
Hájí Nasír, who, unquestionably, was a brilliant light
that shone forth above the horizon of resignation. After he had suffered
martyrdom, they plucked out his eyes and cut off his nose, and inflicted on him
such indignities that strangers wept and lamented, and secretly raised funds to
support his wife and children. [31]
Hájí Nasír was a devoted believer in whose honour
Bahá'u'lláh revealed the Tablet of Nasír. Part of this
important Tablet has been translated by Shoghi Effendi into English, and a
brief account of his life and martyrdom as well as a description of this
well-known Tablet is given in a previous volume.
Bahá'u'lláh also refers to the martyrdom of the 'twin shining
lights', the King and Beloved of Martyrs:
O Shaykh! My Pen is abashed to recount what actually
took place. In the land of Sád (Isfahán) the fire of tyranny
burned with such a hot flame that every fair-minded person groaned aloud. By
thy life! The cities of knowledge and of understanding wept with such a weeping
that the souls of the pious and of the God-fearing were melted. The twin
shining lights, Hasan and Husayn (the King of Martyrs and the Beloved of
Martyrs) offered up spontaneously their lives in that city. Neither fortune,
nor wealth, nor glory, could deter them! God knoweth the things which befell
them and yet the people are, for the most part, unaware!
[32]
Bahá'u'lláh further cites the example of other martyrs for the
Shay
kh:
Before them one named Kázim and they who were with him, and
after them, his honor Ashraf, all quaffed the draught of martyrdom with
the utmost fervor and longing, and hastened unto the Supreme Companion.
[33]
By Kázim is meant Mullá Kázim from
Tal
khun
chih, a village in the neighbourhood of Isfahán. He
was a learned divine well respected by the people of Isfahán. He became
a believer in AH 1288 (AD 1871-2) and began to teach the Faith to his people,
some of whom became believers. The news spread and he was forced to leave his
native village. For a time he lived in Isfahán where he succeeded in
bringing a number of people under the shadow of the Cause. This news reached
the powerful mujtahid of the city, the inveterate enemy of the Cause
Shay
kh Muhammad-Báqir (the Wolf), who immediately wrote
his death sentence. By this time, however, Mullá Kázim had
relinquished his clerical attire and was working as a labourer in a public bath
in the city. He succeeded in slipping out of Isfahán back to his own
village. Then followed a period of comings and goings to Isfahán,
Shíráz and Tihrán. At last he was arrested in his
native village and sent to Isfahán where he was put in prison. Prince
Mas'úd Mírzá the Zillu's-Sultán summoned
Mullá Kázim to his presence, and when he refused to recant his
Faith the Prince implemented the death sentence and ordered his execution. This
was in 1877.
Excerpts from pages 385-388:
As to A
shraf mentioned in the passage cited above, he was a native of
Najafábád, but since he lived in Ábádih for some
time he became known as Mírzá A
shraf of
Ábádih. He was a great teacher of the Faith who enabled many
souls to embrace the Cause of God....
...Mírzá A
shraf was executed on 23 October 1888 by
hanging in the same public square as Mullá Kázim. By order of
Áqá Najafí, his body was trampled underfoot, savagely
mutilated by the mob, delivered to the flames and then thrown into a ditch and
a wall pulled down over it. These barbarous acts of killing were typical of the
way in which a great many Bahá'í martyrs met their deaths in a
spirit of resignation and reliance upon God.
In the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Bahá'u'lláh cites
the names of a few other martyrs. He mentions Badí', who delivered
Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to the
Sháh, gives a brief
account of the martyrdom of Áqá Najaf-'Alí, calls to mind
the stories of Mírzá Mustafa, of Abá Basir and
A
shraf-i-Zanjání, of Abá Badí' (the father
of Badí'), and of Siyyid Ismá'íl. The stories of these
martyrs are recounted in previous volumes. In the
Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf Bahá'u'lláh marvels at the
splendour and glory which the light of renunciation, shining from the
upper chamber of the heart of Mullá 'Alí-Ján, hath shed.
He was so carried away by the breezes of the Most Sublime Word and by the power
of the Pen of Glory that to him the field of martyrdom equalled, nay
outrivalled, the haunts of earthly delights. [34]
Mullá 'Alí-Ján was a native of Mázindarán
and was born in the year 1846... Shoghi Effendi has summarized the story of his
martyrdom in these words:
Mullá 'Alí Ján was conducted on foot from
Mázindarán to Tihrán, the hardships of that journey being
so severe that his neck was wounded and his body swollen from the waist to the
feet. On the day of his martyrdom he asked for water, performed his ablutions,
recited his prayers, bestowed a considerable gift of money on his executioner,
and was still in the act of prayer when his throat was slit by a dagger, after
which his corpse was spat upon, covered with mud, left exposed for three days,
and finally hewn to pieces. [35]
Another example cited in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf of the
Bahá'ís showing compassion and extending forgiveness to their
enemies is the story of the martyrdom of Hájí
Muhammad-Ridá in 'I
shqábád, a moving episode which
has already been related elsewhere in this book.
By referring to these heart-rending stories of the martyrs,
Bahá'u'lláh highlights the most important aim of His Cause,
namely to blot out every trace of enmity and hatred from the hearts of men and
unite mankind through the power of His Revelation.
Excerpts from pages 388-390:
In the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Bahá'u'lláh cites
for the
Shay
kh long passages from His Tablets to the kings and
rulers of His time, Tablets through which He had proclaimed His Mission,
unveiled the nature of His Revelation, elucidated its fundamental verities,
described some of His universal teachings, issued His exhortations, and
summoned the most potent among the crowned heads of the world to embrace His
Cause. Parts of these Tablets addressed to Násiri'd-Dín
Sháh (known as the
Lawh-i-Sultán), to Napoleon III,
to the Czar of Russia and Queen Victoria are re-revealed in this mighty
Epistle. These Tablets have already been referred to in some detail in previous
volumes.
Another subject which comes up in various parts of the
Epistle to the Son
of the Wolf is the suffering inflicted upon Bahá'u'lláh from
the early days of the Báb's Ministry. Quoting a passage from His
Tablet to Queen Victoria Bahá'u'lláh remarks:
Consider these days in which He Who is the Ancient Beauty hath come
in the Most Great Name, that He may quicken the world and unite its peoples.
They, however, rose up against Him with sharpened swords, and committed that
which caused the Faithful Spirit to lament, until in the end they imprisoned
Him in the most desolate of cities, and broke the grasp of the faithful upon
the hem of His robe...
...At all times He was at the mercy of the wicked doers. At one time
they cast Him into prison, at another they banished Him, and at yet another
hurried Him from land to land. Thus have they pronounced judgment against Us,
and God, truly, is aware of what I say. [37]
In a passage addressed to the
Shay
kh Bahá'u'lláh
recounts some of the ordeals He was subjected to in the earlier days in
Persia.
O Shaykh! That which hath touched this Wronged One is
beyond compare or equal. We have borne it all with the utmost willingness and
resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be
exalted. While confined in the prison of the Land of Mím
(Mázindarán) We were one day delivered into the hands of the
divines. Thou canst well imagine what befell Us. Shouldst thou at sometime
happen to visit the dungeon of His Majesty the Sháh, ask the
director and chief jailer to show thee those two chains, one of which is known
as Qará-Guhar, and the other as Salásil. I swear by the Day-Star
of Justice that for four months this Wronged One was tormented and chained by
one or the other of them. 'My grief exceedeth all the woes to which Jacob gave
vent, and all the afflictions of Job are but a part of My sorrows!'
[38]
In mentioning 'the prison of the Land of Mim', Bahá'u'lláh is
referring to the incident in Amul where He was bastinadoed and imprisoned for a
short while. The 'dungeon of His majesty the
Sháh' is the
Síyáh-
Chál of Tihrán. The verse at the end
of the above passage comes from the famous Arab poet, Ibn-i-Fárid, in
his celebrated ode the
Qasídiy-i-Tá'íyyih.
Bahá'u'lláh wrote His own
Qasídiy-i-Varqá'íyyih in a rhyme and metre
identical with the former, and He quotes this verse from Ibn-i-Fárid in
His
Qasídih. The circumstances of its revelation are described in
a former volume.
In another passage Bahá'u'lláh describes His afflictions in
these words:
The one true God well knoweth, and all the company of His trusted
ones testify, that this Wronged One hath, at all times, been faced with dire
peril. But for the tribulations that have touched Me in the path of God, life
would have held no sweetness for Me, and My existence would have profited Me
nothing. For them who are endued with discernment, and whose eyes are fixed
upon the Sublime Vision, it is no secret that I have been, most of the days of
My life, even as a slave, sitting under a sword hanging on a thread, knowing
not whether it would fall soon or late upon him. And yet, notwithstanding all
this We render thanks unto God, the Lord of the worlds.
[39]
Excerpts from pages 391-394:
The Machinations of the Azalís in Constantinople
In several parts of the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
Bahá'u'lláh refers to the machinations of the followers of
Mírzá Yahyá who together with a few so-called
Bahá'ís unfaithful to Him created a series of disgraceful
scandals in Constantinople (Istanbul) with the aim of tarnishing the good name
of the Faith. Their shameful activities, which continued for about a decade,
brought great pain and suffering to the heart of Bahá'u'lláh. The
following is a reference in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf to this
episode.
Gracious God! This is the day whereon the wise should seek the advice
of this Wronged One, and ask Him Who is the Truth what things are conducive to
the glory and tranquillity of men. And yet, all are earnestly striving to put
out this glorious and shining light, and are diligently seeking either to
establish Our guilt, or to voice their protest against Us. Matters have come to
such a pass, that the conduct of this Wronged One hath, in every way, been
grossly misrepresented, and in a manner which it would be unseemly to mention.
One of Our friends hath reported that among the residents of the Great City
(Constantinople) he had heard with the greatest regret someone state that, each
year, a sum of fifty thousand tumans was being despatched from his native land
to 'Akká! It hath not, however, been made clear who had disbursed the
sum, nor through whose hands it had passed!
Briefly, this Wronged One hath, in the face of all that hath befallen
Him at their hands, and all that hath been said of Him, endured patiently, and
held His peace, inasmuch as it is Our purpose, through the loving providence of
God - exalted be His glory - and His surpassing mercy, to abolish, through the
force of Our utterance, all disputes, war, and bloodshed, from the face of the
earth. Under all conditions We have, in spite of what they have said, endured
with seemly patience, and have left them to God. [2]
In another passage He refers to this episode again:
O Shaykh! We have time and again stated that for a
number of years We have extended Our aid unto His Majesty the
Sháh. For years no untoward incident hath occurred in Persia. The
reins of the stirrers of sedition among various sects were held firmly in the
grasp of power. None hath transgressed his limits. By God! This people have
never been, nor are they now, inclined to mischief. Their hearts are illumined
with the light of the fear of God, and adorned with the adornment of His love.
Their concern hath ever been and now is for the betterment of the world. Their
purpose is to obliterate differences, and quench the flame of hatred and
enmity, so that the whole earth may come to be viewed as one country. On the
other hand, the officials of the Persian Embassy in the Great City
(Constantinople) are energetically and assiduously seeking to exterminate these
wronged ones. They desire one thing, and God desireth another. Consider now
what hath befallen the trusted ones of God in every land. At one time they have
been accused of theft and larceny; at another they have been calumniated in a
manner without parallel in this world. [3]
He further states:
God alone - exalted be His glory - is cognizant of the things which
befell this Wronged One. Every day bringeth a fresh report of stories current
against Us at the Embassy in Constantinople. Gracious God! The sole aim of
their machinations is to bring about the extermination of this servant. They
are, however, oblivious of the fact that abasement in the path of God is My
true glory. In the newspapers the following hath been recorded: 'Touching the
fraudulent dealings of some of the exiles of 'Akká, and the excesses
committed by them against several people, etc....' Unto them who are the
exponents of justice and the daysprings of equity the intention of the writer
is evident and his purpose clear. Briefly, he arose and inflicted upon Me
divers tribulations, and treated Me with injustice and cruelty. By God! This
Wronged One would not barter this place of exile for the Most Sublime
Habitation. In the estimation of men of insight whatsoever befalleth in the
path of God is manifest glory and a supreme attainment... Such abasement
hath been inflicted that each day they spread fresh calumnies.
[4]
The background to all this is as follows: from the early days of the Faith the
city of Constantinople had been a centre of Bahá'í activity. It
all began with the exile of Bahá'u'lláh to that city. When
Bahá'u'lláh went to Adrianople, He made arrangements for one or
two faithful believers to remain in Constantinople to act as a channel of
communication between Him and His followers. Constantinople being the capital
of the Ottoman empire and an important centre for trade and business, other
individuals soon arrived, some of whom were faithful believers and some
followers of Mírzá Yahyá or trouble-makers. In this way
Constantinople became a nest of conspiracy and intrigue against the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh.
The situation grew worse as the years went by, and the campaign of hostility
and vilification reached such proportions as to become a cause of distress to
Bahá'u'lláh during the last ten years of His life.
Excerpts from pages 396-399:
Muhammad-'Alí and his infamous associates intensified their campaign of
slander and calumny against the Bahá'ís. Nabíl, who was to
return to Persia on the orders of Bahá'u'lláh, was, alas,
engulfed again in the mesh of their conspiracy and intrigues. He could not
endure this any more. This time he succeeded in putting an end to his own life
by poisoning himself. Bahá'u'lláh describes his fate in
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf:
In this connection it is necessary to mention the following
occurrence, that haply men may take fast hold of the cord of justice and
truthfulness. Hájí Shaykh Muhammad 'Alí -
upon him be the glory of God, the Ever-Abiding - was a merchant of high repute,
well-known unto most of the inhabitants of the Great City (Constantinople). Not
long ago, when the Persian Embassy in Constantinople was secretly engaged in
stirring up mischief, it was noticed that this believing and sincere soul was
greatly distressed. Finally, one night he threw himself into the sea, but was
rescued by some passers-by who chanced to come upon him at that moment. His act
was widely commented upon and given varied interpretations by different people.
Following this, one night he repaired to a mosque, and, as reported by the
guardian of that place, kept vigil the whole night, and was occupied until the
morning in offering, ardently and with tearful eyes, his prayers and
supplications. Upon hearing him suddenly cease his devotions, the guardian went
to him, and found that he had already surrendered his soul. An empty bottle was
found by his side, indicating that he had poisoned himself. Briefly, the
guardian, while greatly astonished, broke the news to the people. It was found
out that he had left two testaments. In the first he recognized and confessed
the unity of God, that His Exalted Being had neither peer nor equal, and that
His Essence was exalted above all praise, all glorification and description. He
also testified to the Revelation of the Prophets and the holy ones, and
recognized what had been written down in the Books of God, the Lord of all men.
On another page, in which he had set down a prayer, he wrote these words in
conclusion: 'This servant and the loved ones of God are perplexed. On the one
hand the Pen of the Most High hath forbidden all men to engage in sedition,
contention or conflict, and on the other that same Pen hath sent down these
most sublime words: "Should anyone, in the presence of the Manifestation,
discover an evil intention on the part of any soul, he must not oppose him, but
must leave him to God." Considering that on the one hand this binding command
is clear and firmly established, and that on the other calumnies, beyond human
strength to bear or endure, have been uttered, this servant hath chosen to
commit this most grievous sin. I turn suppliantly unto the ocean of God's
bounty and the heaven of Divine mercy, and hope that He will blot out with the
pen of His grace and bounteousness the misdeeds of this servant. Though my
transgressions be manifold, and unnumbered my evil-doings, yet do I cleave
tenaciously to the cord of His bounty, and cling unto the hem of His
generosity. God is witness, and they that are nigh unto His Threshold know full
well, that this servant could not bear to hear the tales related by the
perfidious. I, therefore, have committed this act. If He chastise me, He verily
is to be praised for what He doeth; and if He forgive me, His behest shall be
obeyed.'
Ponder, now, O Shaykh, the influence of the word of
God, that haply thou mayest turn from the left hand of idle fancy unto the
right hand of certitude... We beseech God - blessed and glorified be He - to
forgive the aforementioned person (Hájí Shaykh
Muhammad 'Alí), and change his evil deeds into good ones. He, verily, is
the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous.
[6]
After the death of Nabíl, Hájí Amín and Nazir left
Constantinople, but Siyyid Ahmad-i-Afnán remained there, and when it
became necessary for him to go to 'I
shqábád,
Bahá'u'lláh sent
'Azízu'lláh-i-Ja
dhdháb, a dedicated believer and a
capable businessman, to relieve the Afnán, take over the management of
his affairs in Constantinople and expedite the departure of Siyyid
Ahmad-i-Afnán to the Holy Land and then to
'I
shqábád.
The night before Siyyid Ahmad's departure for 'Akká,
Muhammad-'Alí came up with another of his lies. He announced that a
servant of the Afnán had broken into his premises and stolen a large sum
of money. He circulated the allegation far and wide, saying that the stolen
money was being taken to 'Akká. Ja
dhdháb proved to the
Persian Consul that the whole episode was a mere fabrication. In this way the
perfidy and dishonourable conduct of this unscrupulous man from Isfahán,
who was a tool in the hands of the Azalís, were once again revealed for
all to see.
Excerpt from page 402:
The sufferings and pain that this lengthy episode, stretching over almost a
decade, inflicted upon Bahá'u'lláh is evident from the contents
of many of His Tablets. For instance, the accusations against
Afnán-i-Kabír described above are mentioned by
Bahá'u'lláh in the following passages from
Epistle to the Son
of the Wolf:
...In the Great City (Constantinople) they have roused a considerable
number of people to oppose this Wronged One. Things have come to such a pass
that the officials in that city have acted in a manner which hath brought shame
to both the government and the people. A distinguished siyyid, whose well-known
integrity, acceptable conduct, and commercial reputation, were recognized by
the majority of fair-minded men, and who was regarded by all as a highly
honored merchant, once visited Beirut. In view of his friendship for this
Wronged One they telegraphed the Persian Dragoman informing him that this
siyyid, assisted by his servant, had stolen a sum of money and other things and
gone to 'Akká. Their design in this matter was to dishonor this Wronged
One... This Wronged One, however, beseecheth the one true God to graciously
assist every one in that which beseemeth these days.
[13]
Excerpt from page 405:
And in another instance He states:
Moreover, many are now engaged in spreading lies and calumnies, and
have no other intention than to instill distrust into the hearts and souls of
men. As soon as some one leaveth the Great City (Constantinople) to visit this
land, they at once telegraph and proclaim that he hath stolen money and fled to
'Akká. A highly accomplished, learned and distinguished man visited, in
his declining years, the Holy Land, seeking peace and retirement, and about him
they have written such things as have caused them who are devoted to God and
are nigh unto Him to sigh. [14]
The 'distinguished Siyyid' and 'highly accomplished, learned and distinguished
man' mentioned in these passages are both references to Hájí
Mírzá Siyyid Hasan known as the Afnán-i-Kabír, a
brother of the wife of the Báb. He was also a paternal cousin of the
mother of the Báb. He was very much attracted to the person of the
Báb, and became a believer in Yazd through the teaching efforts of
Hájí Muhammad-Ibráhím, entitled by
Bahá'u'lláh 'Mubálli
gh' (Bahá'í
teacher). It was to this teacher of the Cause that Bahá'u'lláh
revealed the Tablet quoted in the Tablet of 'I
shráqát
(Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 117-19) and in the
Epistle to the
Son of the Wolf, pp. 131-4.
Excerpts from pages 406-412:
One of the major themes of the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf is the
unveiling of Bahá'u'lláh's station as the Supreme Manifestation
of God. In the early days when He was cast into the darksome dungeon of
Tihrán which witnessed the birth of His Revelation,
Bahá'u'lláh alluded in His
Rashh-i-'Amá, a celebrated ode, to the advent
of the Day of God. From that time on He announced these glad-tidings in
innumerable Tablets, and as the sun of His Revelation mounted to its zenith, He
unceasingly proclaimed this theme to mankind and identified Himself as the
Revealer of the Most Great Spirit of God whose advent had been promised by the
Prophets of the past.
It is because of the immensity of this claim that the enemies of the Faith had
misrepresented His statements and accused Him of claiming to be the Essence of
Divinity itself. Bahá'u'lláh refutes this in the
Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf. Addressing the
Shay
kh He states:
Either thou or someone else hath said: 'Let the Súrih of
Tawhíd be translated, so that all may know and be fully persuaded that
the one true God begetteth not, nor is He begotten. Moreover, the
Bábís believe in his (Bahá'u'lláh's) Divinity and
Godhood.' [16]
The Súrih of Tawhíd is one of the shortest chapters of the
Qur'án and proclaims the unity of God:
Say, God is one God; the eternal God: He begetteth not, neither is He
begotten and there is not anyone like unto Him. [17]
Bahá'u'lláh explains the meaning of divinity in great detail,
demonstrates that the appearance of the Lord has been prophesied by the
Prophets of old, quotes from the sayings of the Prophet of Islam and the Holy
Imáms passages in support of His argument, and poses questions such as
this for the
Shay
kh to resolve:
What explanation can they give concerning that which the Seal of the
Prophets (Muhammad) ... hath said: 'Ye verily, shall behold your Lord as ye
behold the full moon on its fourteenth night'? [18]
Bahá'u'lláh further states:
Men have failed to perceive Our purpose in the references We have
made to Divinity and Godhood. Were they to apprehend it, they would arise from
their places, and cry out: 'We, verily, ask pardon of God!' The Seal of the
Prophets - may the souls of all else but Him be offered up for His sake -
saith: 'Manifold are Our relationships with God. At one time, We are He
Himself, and He is We Ourself. At another He is that He is, and We are that We
are.' [19]
Bahá'u'lláh in this Epistle unveils the glory of His station to
the
Shay
kh and through him to all mankind. He imparts the
glad-tidings that the Day promised by the Prophets of old, when mankind shall
behold the face of God and attain His presence, is now come. We cite below a
few out of several prophecies which Bahá'u'lláh quotes in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf.
From the Qur'án: 'To him who hopeth to attain the presence of God, the
set time of God will surely come. And He is the Hearer, the Knower.'
[20]
From Isaiah: 'Get thee up into the high mountain, O Zion, that bringest good
tidings; lift up Thy Voice with strength, O Jerusalem, that bringeth good
tidings. Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: "Behold your
God! Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for
Him".'
[21]
From Amos: 'Prepare to meet Thy God, O Israel, for, lo, He that formeth the
mountains and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought,
that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the
earth, the Lord, the God of Hosts, is His Name.'
[22]
From the Writings of the Báb: 'In the year nine [AH 1269, AD 1852-3]
ye will attain unto the Presence of God.' 'He, verily, is the One Who, under
all conditions, proclaimeth: "I, in very truth, am God!"'
[23]
In many of His Tablets Bahá'u'lláh has explained the meaning of
the presence of God in this day, and while claiming to represent Him on this
earth, He unequivocally dissociates Himself from the Divine Being. We observe
that on the one hand, Bahá'u'lláh proclaims, 'I verily am God',
and on the other, He declares to the
Shay
kh, 'This Servant, this
Wronged One, is abashed to claim for Himself any existence whatever, how much
more those exalted grades of being!' This apparent contradiction and the true
station of Bahá'u'lláh have both been explained in this and
previous volumes in great detail.
Once again in the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
Bahá'u'lláh explains this important subject:
In all the Divine Books the promise of the Divine Presence hath been
explicitly recorded. By this Presence is meant the Presence of Him Who is the
Day-spring of the signs, and the Dawning-Place of the clear tokens, and the
Manifestation of the Excellent Names, and the Source of the attributes, of the
true God, exalted be His glory. God in His Essence and in His own Self hath
ever been unseen, inaccessible, and unknowable. By Presence, therefore, is
meant the Presence of the One Who is His Vicegerent amongst men. He, moreover,
hath never had, nor hath He, any peer or likeness. For were He to have any peer
or likeness, how could it then be demonstrated that His being is exalted above,
and His essence sanctified from, all comparison and likeness?
[24]
Throughout the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
Bahá'u'lláh admonishes the
Shay
kh to heed His
message and examine His Cause. In a language at once moving and compassionate,
He urges one of the greatest enemies of His Faith, this bloodthirsty mujtahid,
to mend his ways and turn to his God. The following passages gleaned from this
mighty Epistle testify to God's loving-kindness and mercy, which are shown even
to His bitterest enemy:
O Shaykh! We have learned that thou hast turned away
from Us, and protested against Us, in such wise that thou hast bidden the
people to curse Me, and decreed that the blood of the servants of God be
shed... [25]
O Shaykh! Verily, I say, the seal of the Choice Wine
hath, in the name of Him Who is the Self-Subsisting, been broken; withhold not
thyself therefrom. [26]
O Shaykh! I swear by the Sun of Truth Which hath risen
and shineth above the horizon of this Prison! The betterment of the world hath
been the sole aim of this Wronged One. [27]
O Shaykh! No breeze can compare with the breezes of
Divine Revelation, whilst the Word which is uttered by God shineth and flasheth
as the sun amidst the books of men. [28]
O Shaykh! Every time God the True One - exalted be His
glory - revealed Himself in the person of His Manifestation, He came unto men
with the standard of 'He doeth what He willeth, and ordaineth what He
pleaseth.' None hath the right to ask why or wherefore, and he that doth so,
hath indeed turned aside from God, the Lord of Lords.
[29]
O Shaykh! That which hath touched this Wronged One is
beyond compare or equal. We have borne it all with the utmost willingness and
resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be
exalted. [30]
O Shaykh! We had seized the reins of authority by the
power of God and His Divine might, as He alone can seize, Who is the Mighty,
the Strong. None had the power to stir up mischief or sedition. Now, however,
as they have failed to appreciate this loving-kindness and these bounties, they
have been, and will be, afflicted with the retribution which their acts must
entail. [31]
In other passages Bahá'u'lláh summons the
Shay
kh
to embrace His Cause and arise to promote it among the peoples of the world. No
one except the Supreme Manifestation of God can address a wicked enemy in these
words:
O Shaykh! This Wronged One beseecheth God - blessed and
glorified be He - to make thee the one who will open the door of justice, and
reveal through thee His Cause among His servants. He, verily, is the
All-Powerful, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. [32]
And again He says:
O Shaykh! Seek thou the shore of the Most Great Ocean,
and enter, then, the Crimson Ark which God hath ordained in the
Qayyúm-i-Asmá for the people of Bahá. Verily, it passeth
over land and sea. He that entereth therein is saved, and he that turneth aside
perisheth. Shouldst thou enter therein and attain unto it, set thy face towards
the Kaaba of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and say: 'O my God! I
beseech Thee by Thy most glorious light, and all Thy lights are verily
glorious.' Thereupon, will the doors of the Kingdom be flung wide before thy
face, and thou wilt behold what eyes have never beheld, and hear what ears have
never heard. [33]
In several passages Bahá'u'lláh invites the
Shay
kh
to attain His presence and witness for himself the revelation of the verses of
God which are sent down upon Him. In one of these passages He thus addresses
the
Shay
kh:
O Shaykh! Ponder upon the things which have been
mentioned, perchance thou mayest quaff the Sealed Wine through the power of the
name of Him Who is the Self- Subsisting, and obtain that which no one is
capable of comprehending. Gird up the loins of endeavor, and direct thyself
towards the Most Sublime Kingdom, that haply thou mayest perceive, as they
descend upon Me, the breaths of Revelation and inspiration, and attain
thereunto. Verily, I say: The Cause of God hath never had, nor hath it now, any
peer or equal. Rend asunder the veils of idle fancies. He, in truth, will
reinforce thee, and assist thee, as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the
Strong, the All-Subduing, the Almighty. While there is yet time, and the
blessed Lote-Tree is still calling aloud amongst men, suffer not thyself to be
deprived. Place thy trust in God, and commit thine affairs unto Him, and enter
then the Most Great Prison, that thou mayest hear what no ear hath ever heard,
and gaze on that which no eye hath ever seen. After such an exposition, can
there remain any room for doubt? Nay, by God, Who standeth over His Cause!
[34]
Although the
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf was addressed to
Shay
kh Muhammad-Taqí, many of Bahá'u'lláh's
utterances in it are directed towards humanity in general, and some to
particular individuals. In addition to the references to historical events and
the presentation and expounding of His teachings, considerable space is given
to the unfaithfulness of Mírzá Yahyá and his followers,
who are referred to as the 'People of the Bayán'; the machinations of
Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahání; the activities of Mírzá
Hádíy-i-Dawlat-Ábádí and several
others.
Excerpts from pages 432-440:
Notes for the Study of Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
In the diversity of its topics, in the profundity of its arguments, in the
sublimity of its style, in the compelling force of its challenges, and in the
hidden significances of its allusions, this book assumes a very special
position among the Writings of the Author of the Faith. The study of such a
work requires some background knowledge of history and religious
terminology.
These notes are intended to provide a brief explanation of some of the terms
used in
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Since many of its themes have
already been discussed in the four volumes of The Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh, references are given mainly to these volumes. To
enlarge the scope of information, references to other works are supplied where
necessary. The page numbers shown in the left-hand column are from
Epistle
to the Son of the Wolf (ESW), Wilmette, Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1962 edition; vols. 1, 2, 3, refer to The Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh, while 'above, p. 000', refers to the page number in
this present volume.
Page:
11
|
Note:
'This Wronged One hath frequented no School', see vol. 1, pp. 19, 20, 22, 62-3. |
| 11 |
'Tablet,
addressed to His Majesty the Sháh', see vol. 2, pp. 338-56; vol.
3, pp. 174-91. |
| 13 |
The
Tablet quoted was revealed in honour of Hájí Mírzá
Haydar-'Alí. |
| 14 |
'The
war that hath involved the two Nations...' The two nations are Persia and
Russia. During the reign of Fath-'Alí Sháh (1797-1834),
the clergy declared holy war and Persia was the loser. It resulted in the
successive disastrous treaties of Gulistán (1813) and Turkomanchay
(1826). |
| 15 |
'Book
of Fatimih', see vol. 1, pp. 71-2. |
| 16 |
These
passages from the Hidden Words allude to the waywardness of the divines.
See vol. 2, p. 350. |
| 17 |
'Willingly
will I obey the judge...', a quotation from an ode by Ibn-i-Farid (AH 576-632),
the famous Egyptian poet who was a leading Súfí. |
| 17 |
Hill
and Haram: see ESW, p. 187. |
| 17 |
Kaaba:
see ESW, p. 188. |
| 18 |
'The
seal of the Choice Wine hath ... been broken.' The reference to choice wine,
sealed, may be found in the Qur'án (see 83: 22-6). The significance of
'sealed' is that the true meanings of the Words of God in former Dispensations
were not disclosed until the advent of Bahá'u'lláh (see vol. 1,
pp. 160-61, on this prophecy of Daniel). The unsealing of the Choice Wine
signifies the revelation of the Word of God in this age, disclosing to mankind
new teachings and new laws. Bahá'u'lláh declares in the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, 'Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of
laws. Nay rather We have unsealed the Choice Wine with the fingers of might and
power.' |
| 19 |
'fisherman',
a reference to Peter, the Disciple of Christ. |
| 19 |
Abú-Dhar,
the Shepherd', see ESW, p. 183. |
| 19 |
'He
Who was wholly unversed...'This passage recalls the story mentioned in the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas concerning Ja'far, 'the sifter of Wheat', see The
Dawn-Breakers, p. 99. |
| 19 |
'whilst
the acknowledged exponent ... of ... sciences...' This refers to
Shaykh Muhammad-Hasan-i-Najafí, the leading mujtahid of
Persia and a great enemy of the Cause of the Báb and
Bahá'u'lláh. |
| 20-21 |
'The
attempt on the life of His Majesty ... and the dungeon...' See God Passes By,
pp. 61-72, and vol. 1, pp. 7-11. |
| 32 |
'...a
knowledge which, when applied, will largely, though not wholly eliminate fear.'
This knowledge has not been expounded by Bahá'u'lláh. |
| 32 |
'Crimson
Book' usually refers to the Kitáb-i-'Ahd,
Bahá'u'lláh's Will and Testament. In this instance He writes, 'A
word ... recorded ... in the Crimson Book which is capable of fully disclosing
that force which is hid in men...' This passage may be a reference to this
verse in the Kitáb-i-'Ahd: 'O Ye My Branches! A mighty force, a
consummate power lieth concealed in the world of being...' |
| 41 |
Siyyid
of Findirisk, Abú-Nasr, and Abú-'Alí Síná:
see ESW, pp. 192 and 183. |
| 45 |
Tablet
to Napoleon III: see The Promised Day Is Come, also vol. 2, pp. 368-9,
and vol. 3, pp. 109-15. |
| 56 |
'Tablet
... to the Czar of Russia', see The Promised Day Is Come, also vol. 3,
pp. 118-23. |
| 59 |
'Tablet
of Her Majesty, the Queen', see The Promised Day Is Come, also vol. 3,
pp. 123-8. |
| 68 |
'A
highly accomplished ... man.' This is Hájí Mírzá
Siyyid Hasan, the Afnán-i-Kabír, see above, p. 404-6. |
| 68 |
'Mírzá
Husayn Khán, Mushiru'd-Dawlih.' Persian ambassador to
Constantinople, see vol. 2, vol. 3, pp. 218-19. |
| 68 |
'Prince
Shujá'u'd-Dawlih accompanied by Mírzá Safá, see
vol. 2, pp. 55-8. |
| 68 |
'Kamál
Páshá', see vol. 2 pp. 3, 56 |
| 70 |
'Siyyid
Muhammad', Muhammad-i-Isfahání, the Anti-Christ of the
Bahá'í Revelation, see vols. 1, 2, 3. |
| 72 |
'Hájí
Nasír', see above, p. 383. |
| 72 |
'The
twin shining lights, Hasan and Husayn', see above, Chapter 5. |
| 72 |
'one
named Kázim', see above, pp. 384-5. |
| 72 |
'his
honour Ashraf, see above, pp. 385-6. |
| 73 |
'Sardar
Aziz Khán', Governor of Adhirbayjan, see vol.2, p. 61. |
| 73 |
'Mírzá
Mustafa', see vol. 2, pp. 60-61. |
| 73 |
'his
honour Badí'', see vol. 3, Chapter 9. |
| 73 |
'his
honour Najaf-'Alí', see vol. 2, pp. 222-3. |
| 73 |
'Mullá
'Alí Ján', see above, pp. 386-7. |
| 73 |
'Abá-Básir
and Siyyid Ashraf-i-Zanjání', see vol. 2, pp. 223-32. |
| 75 |
'The
father of Badí' Hájí
'Abdu'l-Majíd-i-Níshápúrí, Abá
Badí', see vol. 2, pp. 128-36. |
| 75 |
'his
honour Siyyid Ismá'íl', see vol. 1, pp. 101-3. |
| 76 |
'he
that was chosen to be slain was but one person', a reference to the sacrifice
of Abraham. |
| 76 |
'Balál,
the Ethiopian', 'sín' and 'shín', see ESW, p. 184. |
| 77 |
'prison
of the Land of Mím', a reference to Bahá'u'lláh's
imprisonment in Amul. See The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 368-76. |
| 77 |
'Qará-Guhar'
and 'Salásil', see vol. 1, p. 9. |
| 77 |
'Hájí
Muhammad-Ridá', see above, pp. 342-6. |
| 79 |
'Lawh-i-Burhán',
see above, Chapter 6. |
| 86 |
'Mírzá
Hádí Dawlat-Ábádí' who 'ascended the pulpits
and spoke words which ill befitted him', see above, pp. 174-6. |
| 86 |
'Sad-i-Isfahání',
Mírzá Murtiá the Sadru'l-'ulamá, a clergyman of low
intelligence who became a Bábí and fell under the spell of Siyyid
Muhammad-i-Isfahání. |
| 88 |
For
the upheavals of Zanján, Nayríz and Tabarsí see The
Dawn-Breakers. |
| 94 |
'One
of My Branches (sons)...', a reference to Mírzá
Badí'u'llah who later became a Covenant-breaker. See The Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'. |
| 106 |
'In
the Great City (Constantinople) they have roused a considerable number of
people to oppose this Wronged One...', see above, pp. 392-402. |
| 107 |
'Luqmán',
see ESW, p. 189. |
| 108 |
'Akhtar',
a newspaper published in Istanbul. See above, pp. 303, 396, 402. |
| 108 |
'Hájí
Shaykh Muhammad-'Alí', Nabíl son of Nabíl.
See above, pp. 394-8. |
| 111 |
'Imám
Sádiq', Ja'far-i-Sádiq, the sixth Imám of
Shí'ah Islám. |
| 111 |
'Imám
'Alí' the first Imám of Shí'ah Islam. |
| 112 |
'Abí-'Abdi'lláh',
a reference to Imám Sádiq. |
| 112 |
'Mufaal',
'Abú Jafar-i-Túsí', and 'Jabir' (p. 113): compilers of
hadíth (Traditions of Islam) handed down from the sixth
Imám. |
| 114 |
'The
Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing...' This originates from the Arabic
word 'Sadratu'l-Muntahá'. It is the symbol of the Manifestation of God,
to which no one has access. |
| 115-19 |
'Divine
Presence', see above, p. 409, and vol. 2, pp. 16-18. |
| 120 |
'...The
Prince of the World', a reference to the Báb. |
| 120 |
'Shaykh-i-Ahsá'í
(Shaykh Ahmad)', the founder of the Shaykhi sect.
See The Dawn-Breakers. |
| 122 |
'...Our
loved ones have been arrested in the land of Tá (Tihrán)...' This
is a reference to the imprisonment of the Hands of the Cause,
Hájí Mullá 'Alí-Akbar and Hájí
Amín, in the prison of Qazvín in 1891. See above, pp. 337-8. This
date provides also a clue to the period in which the Epistle to the Son of
the Wolf was revealed. |
| 123 |
'officials
of the Persian Embassy in the Great City', see above, pp. 393-402. |
| 125 |
'Touching
the fraudulent dealings...' see above, pp. 393, 396, 401. |
| 128 |
'O
people of Shín (Shíráz): Have Ye forgotten
My loving-kindness...' This is a reference to the Revelation of the Báb
in Shíráz. |
| 130 |
'The
heedless ones have hamstrung Thy white She-Camel...', see Appendix I. |
| 131 |
'Wings
that are besmirched with mire can never soar.' See Gleanings, CLIII. |
| 131-4 |
'...These
perspicuous verses have ... been sent down from the Kingdom of Divine
knowledge...' For the origin of this Tablet see above, pp. 153-4. |
| 135-9 |
'Qayyúm-i-Asmá',
the Báb's commentary on the Súrih of Joseph, described by
Bahá'u'lláh as 'the first, the greatest, and mightiest of all
books' in the Bábí Dispensation. Its first chapter was revealed
on the evening of 22 May 1844 in the presence of Mullá Husayn. See vol.
1, pp. 280, 293, 302. |
| 135-9 |
'Crimson
Ark', mentioned in the Qayyúm-i-Asmá, its occupants are the
people of Bahá. See God Passes By, p. 23. |
| 136 |
Tablet
concerning trustworthiness, see above, pp. 16-17. |
| 137 |
'Kamál
Páshá visited this Wronged One.' See vol. 2, pp. 3, 56. |
| 138 |
'At
present, a new language and a new script have been devised.' This is possibly a
reference to Esperanto which was invented about four years before
Bahá'u'lláh wrote this Epistle. |
| 141-3 |
Words
of the Báb concerning the greatness of the Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh, see vol. 1, Chapter 18, and above, pp. 153-4 and
153n. |
| 142 |
'his
honour, 'Azím', Mullá 'Alí, a well-known disciple of the
Báb. See The Dawn-Breakers, under 'Azím' in index. |
| 148 |
'Lawh-i-Ra'ís',
and 'Lawh-i-Fu'ád', see vol. 3. |
| 149 |
'Land
of Tá (Tihrán)', see vol. 1, pp. 46-9. |
| 150 |
'Neither
is there a thing green or sere, but it is noted in a distinct writing.'
Qur'án 6:59. See vol. 3, pp. 245-6. |
| 151-63 |
Passages
from the Báb concerning the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, see
vol. 1, Chapter 18, and vol. 2, pp. 370-81. |
| 153-5 |
'Him
Whom God shall make manifest', the promised One of the Bayán who was to
manifest Himself after the Báb, i.e. Bahá'u'lláh. See vol.
1, Chapter 18. |
| 156 |
'mirrors'.
The Báb had bestowed the designation 'mirror' upon a few of His
followers. See vol. 2, pp. 376-7. |
| 158 |
'Dhi'l-Jawshan,
and Ibn-i-Anas and Asbahí', see ESW, pp. 185, 187. |
| 160 |
'O
Mirror of My generosity', a reference to Hájí Siyyid
Javád-i-Karbilá'í, a devoted follower of the Báb
and Bahá'u'lláh. See vol. 1, pp. 221-4, vol. 2, pp. 376-7, and
vol. 3, pp. 279-80. |
| 163-77 |
'Hádí',
Hádíy-i-Dawlat-Ábádí, who had publicly
recanted his faith in the Báb, yet was installed as the successor to
Mírzá Yahyá. See ESW, p. 86, and above, pp. 174-6. |
| 164 |
'Siyyid
Muhammad', as above, note to ESW, p. 70. |
| 164 |
'he
joined Mírzá Yahyá', Bahá'u'lláh's
half-brother, the breaker of the Covenant of the Báb. See vol. 1,
chapter 15, and also vols. 2 and 3. |
| 164 |
'Mawlavís',
an order of whirling dervishes. |
| 166 |
'Mírzá
Músá', a faithful brother of Bahá'u'lláh and one of
His apostles. See vols. 1, 2 and 3. |
| 168 |
'The
authorship of the Kitáb-i-Íqán...' The followers of
Mírzá Yahyá had shamefully circulated the rumour that the
author of this Book was Mírzá Yahyá. See vol. 2, pp. 66-70. |
| 169 |
'Hasan-i-Mázindarání',
a paternal cousin of Bahá'u'lláh and a faithful believer. See
vol. 1, p. 50n, and vol. 3, pp. 68, 209n, 216-17. |
| 169 |
'...one
of the sisters of this Wronged One...', a reference to Sháh
Sultán Khánum known as Khánum Buzurg, who
became a follower of Mírzá Yahyá. See vol. 1, p. 50, and
vol. 2, p. 206. |
| 169-70 |
'Mírzá
Ridá-Qulí', a half-brother of Bahá'u'lláh. See vol.
1, p. 12, and vol. 3, pp. 218-19. |
| 170 |
'Mírzá
Muhammad-Hasan's daughter', Sháhr-Banu, see vol. 2, pp. 205-6.
Her father was a faithful half-brother of Bahá'u'lláh. |
| 170 |
'Farman-Farmá
and Hisamu's-Saltanih', both princes and paternal uncles of
Násiri'd-Dín Sháh. |
| 173 |
'Siyyid
Husayn', a native of Yazd, one of the Letters of the Living who was a companion
of the Báb in Máh-Kú and Chihríq and served
Him as His amanuensis till His martyrdom. See The Dawn-Breakers, under
'Husayn-i-Yazdí, Siyyid', in the index. |
| 173 |
'Mírzá
Ahmad', a reference to Mullá 'Abdu'l
Karím-i-Qazvíní, a trusted disciple of the Báb. See
The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 504-5, God Passes By, p. 51, and vol. 1, pp. 53-4. |
| 173 |
'he
... who was continually surrounded by five of the handmaidens of God.' This is
an allusion to Mírzá Yahyá who practised polygamy. He had
married eleven wives and was known to be a person who lusted after women. |
| 174 |
'Mullá
Báqir', a native of Tabriz and a Letter of the Living. See vol. 2, pp.
146-7. |
| 174-7 |
'Dayyán',
a reference to Mírzá Asadu'lláh of Khúy, an
outstanding disciple of the Báb who was murdered on the orders of
Mírzá Yahyá. See vol. 1, pp. 249-52. |
| 176 |
'Mírzá
'Alí-Akbar', a paternal cousin of the Báb who was murdered in
Baghdád on the orders of Mírzá Yahyá. See
vol. 1, pp. 251. |
| 176 |
'Abu'l-Qásim-i-Káshí',
one of the disciples of the Báb who had attained His presence in
Káshán. He went to Baghdád, recognized the
station of Bahá'u'lláh and became an ardent lover of the Blessed
Beauty. He was murdered in Baghdád on the orders of
Mírzá Yahyá. |
| 176 |
'Siyyid
Ibráhím', entitled by the Báb as Khalíl. He
was a native of Tabriz, a learned divine of the Shaykhi sect, a
disciple of the Báb who attained His presence in Adhirbayjan and
received several Tablets from Him. He attained the presence of
Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád. Mírzá
Yahyá endeavoured to have him killed, but did not succeed. See vol. 1,
p. 250. |
| 177 |
'...that
which had been done, affecting the honour of the Báb, which hath truly
overwhelmed all lands with sorrow.' This is a reference to Mírzá
Yahyá's marriage with the second wife of the Báb. See vol. 1, pp.
248-9. 178-81 For an explanation of the Islamic terms and names in these pages
see ESW glossary. |
Pages 432-440:
Notes for chapters 24-25
CHAPTER 24: EPISTLE TO THE SON OF THE WOLF
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 3-8.
- Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 148-9.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 11.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 12.
- ibid p. 13.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 14.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 15.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 23.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 24.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 26.
- ibid. p. 27.
- ibid. p. 50.
- ibid. p. 54.
- ibid. p. 137.
- ibid. p. 135.
- ibid. pp. 93-4.
- ibid. pp. 21-2.
- ibid. p. 25.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 29.
- ibid. pp. 88-9.
- ibid. p. 137.
- ibid. p. 74.
- ibid. pp. 71-2.
- ibid. p. 72.
- ibid.
- ibid. p. 73.
- God Passes By, p. 201.
- Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 219.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 63-4.
- ibid. pp. 76-7.
- ibid. p. 94.
CHAPTER 25: EPISTLE TO THE SON OF THE WOLF (continued)
- Gleanings, XLVI.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 33-5.
- ibid. pp. 122-3.
- ibid. pp. 125-6.
- Unpublished compilation, National Archives Committee, no. 19, p.
455.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 108-10.
- Unpublished compilation, National Archives Committee, no. 15. pp.
404-5.
- ibid. no. 27, pp. 343-4.
- ibid. no. 31, p. 32.
- Ma'idiy-i-Asamani, vol. 5, pp. 18-19.
- Asraru'l-Athar, vol. 1, p. 21.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 108.
- ibid. p. 106.
- ibid. pp. 67-8.
- Memorials of the Faithful, pp. 21-2.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 41.
- Qur'an, 112.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 41-2.
- ibid. p. 43.
- ibid. p. 116.
- ibid. pp. 144-5.
- ibid. pp. 145-6.
- ibid. pp. 141, 142.
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 118--19.
- ibid. p. 17.
- ibid. p. 18.
- ibid. p. 36.
- ibid. p. 42.
- ibid. p. 67.
- ibid. p. 76.
- ibid. pp. 105-6.
- ibid. p. 96.
- ibid. pp. 139-40.
- ibid. pp. 113-14
