Bahaism and Its Claims: A Study of the Religion Promulgated by Baha Ullah and Abdul BahaWilson, Samuel Graham
Religion
Bahaism and Its Claims: A Study of the Religion Promulgated by Baha Ullah and Abdul Baha
Wilson, Samuel Graham
Bahai Faith -- Controversial literature
doings? If Baha is true why does he talk so? Why do these brothers
revile each other? What a fool I am to come so many miles to hear such
revilings from a divinity!" We then went to the room of Ishan. My
companion said to Ishan, "Why do they curse so?" I said, "I wish to ask
a question." He said, "What is it?" I said, "You say they do not work
miracles, but must there not be personal power and influence in
words?""[501]
The condition at Adrianople culminated in a series of crimes, which now
come before us for examination.
Charges have been made, in detail, against the companions of Baha Ullah
of assassinating the Azalis, the followers of his rival Subh-i-Azal.
Most of the information regarding the matter is to be found in the
books and translations of Professor Browne, the great authority on
Bahaism in the Anglo-Saxon world. I wish to present and weigh the
evidence in hand regarding these accusations.
1. The first charge is _that Baha Ullah attempted to poison Subh-i-Azal,
his half-brother_ and predecessor. This charge is found in the "Hasht
Behesht," a history of Babism, by Aga Sayid Javad,[502] a prominent
Mullah of Kirman and a leading disciple of the Bab. The occurrence took
place when Azal and Baha were both at Adrianople under surveillance of
the Turkish authorities. Baha, so it narrates,[503] ordered that there
should be placed before him and "Azal a dish of plain food, with one
side of which he had mixed some poison, intending to poison Azal. For
hitherto the apportioned breakfast and supper had been from the house of
Mirza Husain Ali (Baha Ullah). When that poisoned dish was placed before
them, Baha pressed Azal to take of it. By a fortunate chance, the smell
of onions was perceptible in the food, and Azal, being averse to onions,
refused to taste it. Though urgently pressed, he refused, saying: 'It
smells of onions.' Baha, supposing his evil design was suspected, and to
disguise the truth, ate a little from the other (unpoisoned) side in
order that Azal's suspicions might be dispelled and that he might eat of
the poisoned side. Now, inasmuch as the poison had to some extent
diffused itself to the other side, it produced some slight effect on
Baha, causing him sickness and vomiting, so that he summoned his
physician." This account was confirmed by Mirza Abdul Ali, the son of
Subh-i-Azal, to Professor Browne, when he visited him in Cyprus in
1888.[504]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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