Bahai Faith; Kings and rulers; Shoghi, Effendi, 1897-1957 -- Correspondence
And what of the other tribulations which, before and immediately after
this dreadful episode, touched Him? What of His confinement in the home of
one of the kad-_kh_udás of Ṭihrán? What of the savage violence with which
He was stoned by the angry people in the neighborhood of the village of
Níyálá? What of His incarceration by the emissaries of the army of the
_Sh_áh in Mázindarán, and His receiving the bastinado by order, and in the
presence, of the assembled siyyids and mujtahids into whose hands He had
been delivered by the civil authorities of Ámul? What of the howls of
derision and abuse with which a crowd of ruffians subsequently pursued
Him? What of the monstrous accusation brought against Him by the Imperial
household, the Court and the people, when the attempt was made on the life
of Náṣiri’d-Dín _Sh_áh? What of the infamous outrages, the abuse and
ridicule heaped on Him when He was arrested by responsible officers of the
government, and conducted from Níyávarán “on foot and in chains, with
bared head and bare feet,” and exposed to the fierce rays of the midsummer
sun, to the Síyáh-_Ch_ál of Ṭihrán? What of the avidity with which corrupt
officials sacked His house and carried away all His possessions and
disposed of His fortune? What of the cruel edict that tore Him from the
small band of the Báb’s bewildered, hounded, and shepherdless followers,
separated Him from His kinsmen and friends, and banished Him, in the depth
of winter, despoiled and defamed, to ‘Iráq?
Severe as were these tribulations which succeeded one another with
bewildering rapidity as a result of the premeditated attacks and the
systematic machinations of the court, the clergy, the government and the
people, they were but the prelude to a harrowing and extensive captivity
which that edict had formally initiated. Extending over a period of more
than forty years, and carrying Him successively to ‘Iráq, Sulaymáníyyih,
Constantinople, Adrianople and finally to the penal colony of Akká, this
long banishment was at last ended by His death, at the age of over three
score years and ten, terminating a captivity which, in its range, its
duration and the diversity and severity of its afflictions, is unexampled
in the history of previous Dispensations.
No need to expatiate on the particular episodes which cast a lurid light
on the moving annals of those years. No need to dwell on the character and
actions of the peoples, rulers and divines who have participated in, and
contributed to heighten the poignancy of the scenes of this, the greatest
drama in the world’s spiritual history.
FEATURES OF THIS MOVING DRAMA
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