Declaration of the Báb

1865 - Journal Asiatique (Kazem Beg)

Mirza Kazem-Bek; Bab i babidy: religiozno-politicheskie smuty v Persii v 1844-1852 godakh

St. Petersburg, 1865; French Version of 1866

Author: a Christian who had converted from Islam

Google Translation:-

Chapter 2 - Start of Mission, Age 28

Towards the twenty-eighth year 1, Mirza Ali Mohammed returned to his homeland with the new title of Karbala. Whatever was his humble nature and that may never be the idea arise reformer came to him, the honorable reception which he did his friends, flattering the home of his fellow citizens, and the curious attention and relentless he was the object from its surroundings, all this excitement gradually self-esteem. Previously it. had considered that as a man. by his austere life and continence. had penetrated some secrets do Tarikat. It is also possible that the constant blandishments of those who have approached it raised, and that he doutât so to speak, other thoughts, the fact is that since that time he came to see themselves as master appointed by heaven itself to reclaim its country. He started in his speech in two ways, by openly blaming the people of Fars, and in general his countrymen, not to comply with the sacred law. "Nefs Ammar (the passions that we control and dominate), he said, took precedence over the words of Allah, <341> we will soon emerge completely from the true path, unless we amend at the earliest! " Morality preached by a young man at the age when the passions pulse is extraordinarily on an audience of people to religious fanaticism, especially when the words of the preacher is in perfect harmony with its actions Nobody doubted continence or the rigidity of Kerbela Seid Ali Mohammed: he spoke little, was always a dreamer and often fleeing men, which again excited the curiosity we looked everywhere.

We do not know whether to attribute this behavior to a strong will, which therefore would have been either of hypocrisy, an excessive bigotry, or if it was the result of a deep conviction. This latter assumption seems most likely, the fact is that the morality of his life, the young Seid served as an example to those around him. So we listened willingly when in speeches interspersed ambiguous and he spoke against the abuses which prevail in all classes of society. We repeated his words in the amplifying and it spoke of him as the true master, and one comes to him without reserve. Soon a company of blind followers formed around the new master mystique. It seems however that the Kerbela Seid Ali Mohammed himself continued to learn, because from time to time, and always unexpectedly, he attended the lessons of Sheikh Abid-known and estimated <342> to Shiraz. He wandered from one place to another as a nonsense or illuminated; sometimes, like a being abandoned, or homeless shelter, he left the city, wandered the deserts and mountains, sometimes he was withdrawing in ruins inhabited by owls and owls, and then suddenly it was among his classmates. However, the people followed him everywhere, he does remarkable person, he rarely even acknowledged disciples and continued to engage in his usual musings, so each of his few words it was religiously collected by his entourage. Some said he was in the djezb 2, the others he was transported into the world of revelation, while others said it was in secret conversation with the invisible Imam, Governor of the world, in a murid each word, ignoring the way his bragging 3.

1 In 1840, in conformity with the indications of naših-out tavarikh.

2 See chap. III, $ 2 note at the end of the first letter.

3 The European lit will not understand without doubt how desemblables events may occur; in the East, they can not surprise anyone. I said earlier that the enlightened portion of mankind is always seeking and awaiting a master. The teacher and the teaching it provides at all costs must be something supernatural. In the East, the bottom murid people attribute to their mourchides wonders such as the Prophet himself had never been entitled to so much honor. Here is a fact still present in my memory. In 1818 (when I was fifteen years), he came to a sheikh Derbend Khorasan with his murid. In the words of the people he works miracles, in his hands, they said, iron and lead turned into gold, and every night he performed the rniradj (journey to the celestial regions attributed to Muhammad by Muslims) and <343> other things supernatural. In the people we thought of all this, though it was totally opposed to the doctrines of Islam. Clergy are mixed. The mouhtésib (Superintendent of Police) brought the dervish and ordered him to explain the rumors that spread improbable. It refused in the presence of all, adding: "Anyone who m'attribuer these things is an unbeliever." We let go. But rumors of man is not kept, as his servant or murid was secretly running the noise that his mourchide had not want to admit modesty and humility. To finish, the commander of space, J. J. Boukhvostoff, fit to leave the city dervish.

Chapter 3 - On the Name of the Bab

3. GIVE HIM ON BEHALF OF THE BAB.

So pure and pious life was that of Ali Mohammed Seid, as it portrays us, the enthusiasm of his murid and his admirers had to give a high opinion of himself. One day, in one of those rare circumstances where it is allowed to go to converse with his audience, he fell into a fit of djezb and that tradition says, he realized that he was the Bab, the gate of truth! ... he was sent by Allah for those who seek the truth could be achieved by it. Since that time he began to be known as the Bab 1. Although this nickname even point again in the religious pomp, it was nonetheless happily imagined. I do not know whether the words of Christ: "I am the door" he was known, but he knew without doubt that Muhammad had said: "I <344> am the city of knowledge and Ali (his son) is the door of this city. " That is why Ali, the first Imam of Shiites, was known as the "gateway to science, the gateway to truth," although it does give him that very rarely in the conversation. Since that time, dedicated to murid Seid began to give him the name of Bab and Babis take one of the Bab or sectarians. Thus began a sect unknown, sect whose doctrine is not yet set and which, even today, probably did not adopt the system.

1 The author of naših tavarikh-out, as noted above, speaks of this ironically. Another tradition says that her name was first given by his disciple and companion Moullah-Houssein. (See chap. II, art. 3.)

Chapter 4 - Báb Goes to Mecca

$ 4. BAB GOES TO MECCA. - PROGRESS OF BOUCHROUÏ

After sowing nilly Manvi few grains in this land of fertile Chiraz in prejudices and superstitions, be Kerbela Seid Ali Mohammed went on pilgrimage to Mecca. He left Shiraz alone in the greatest secrecy, and sometimes when you least expect it: two or three of his disciples, at most, were instructed in his departure.

[1 According to tradition, he was accompanied by one of his disciples, a young scholar, twenty years old, named Mohammed-Ali, who in later played an important role in the uprising of Mazandéran (Chapter II , $ 6). Others say he became acquainted Bab on the way to Mecca (ibid. note).]

At that time the reputation of the new master was already widespread in the provinces; all met people willing to follow his doctrine, and we already talked to him in the Mazandéran and Khorasan. In the absence of the <345> teacher, who had gone almost fugitive, his disciples ran to actively support and extend its reputation. One of them, some Moullah-Houssein-Bouchrouï, a man full of energy and eloquence, was acting on behalf of Bab in giving to his vicar (Naib) 1. We do not know if the Bab had to represent, we know only that Bouchrouï, head of murid zealous Bab, knew so well make this popular name that the Government is obliged to take stringent measures. Rumors ran everywhere in the people on the expected coming of the savior and a protector of Islam, all the unemployed were saying: "Here comes a happy time, here is the beginning of the visible kingdom of Sahib ouz Zeman-2, together us under his banner; deliver us body and soul to his holy will .... and other similar words. A government wise and sensible conduct on the part of the clergy could strangle at birth a similar motion and derive the same education moral, but the carelessness of local authorities, the tenacity and passion of the legal profession for <346> Sufis or mystics, especially at the beginning of this century when the Cheïkhites appeared, and the requirement of the law in similar cases, does condemn or absolve that after the decision of Chariat 3; met all these causes contributed to the success of this dangerous movement.

1 Of this remarkable character, see ch. II.

2-Zeman ouz Sahib, according to Shia doctrine, the government invisibly century and for Muslims. When he appears (which must be preceded by the second coming of the Messiah, according to the doctrine of Islam), good Muslims will come to store weapons under his banner and surrendering blindly to his holy will. The situation of the empire of Turkey is such today that in Asia Minor it may well also expect the appearance of an impostor in this case, if measures are not taken.

3 When a man is accused of schism in the Muslim country, it can not be sentenced to death if before the court makes a declaration of faith in the face of the main tenets of the dominant religion, these simple words, "I certify that 'there is no other God but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet "enough to save the death penalty any person accused of infidelity, according to the laws common to Sunnis and Shiites. These add to this a third article of faith, "and that Ali is the Veli Allah," but the meaning of the word Veli is so vague, so indefinite, that dissidents among Shiites torn between various shades with this word: holy, spiritual provider, manager, etc ... Faith Isna-called dominant'achari or Djafari, gives this word a more or less extended, others a more abstract sense; finally raise some further direction on this, so that for them is the force Veli even Ali. Thus, when a Shiite inculpé decide the three articles cited in the formula, it is absolved, and it does not grow further investigations. (Conf. chap. III. $ 1, on the Vilaïet).]