The Reconciliation of Races and ReligionsCheyne, T. K. (Thomas Kelly)
Religion
The Reconciliation of Races and Religions
Cheyne, T. K. (Thomas Kelly)
Bahais
It would have been wiser, however, to have consulted Baha-'ullah, and
to have remembered the prophecy of the Bāb, in which it was
expressly foretold that Dayyan would believe on 'Him whom God would
make manifest.' Ṣubḥ-i-Ezel was not slow to detect the weak point
in Dayyan's position, who could not be at once the Expected One and a
believer in the Expected One. [Footnote: See Ezel's own words in
_Mustaikaz_, p. 6.] Dayyan, however, made up as well as he could
for his inconsistency. He went at last to Baha-'ullah, and discussed
the matter in all its bearings with him. The result was that with
great public spirit he retired in favour of Baha.
The news was soon spread abroad; it was not helpful to the cause of
Ezel. Some of the Ezelites, who had read the Christian Gospels
(translated by Henry Martyn), surnamed Dayyan 'the Judas Iscariot of
this people.' [Footnote: _TN_, p. 357.] Others, instigated
probably by their leaders, thought it best to nip the flower in the
bud. So by Ezelite hands Dayyan was foully slain.
It was on this occasion that Ezel vented curses and abusive language
on his rival. The proof is only too cogent, though the two books which
contain it are not as yet printed. [Footnote: They are both in the
British Museum, and are called respectively _Mustaikaz_
(No. 6256) and _Asar-el-Ghulam_ (No. 6256). I am indebted for
facts (partly) and references to MSS. to my friend Mirza 'Ali Akbar.]
MIRZA HAYDAR 'ALI
A delightful Bahai disciple--the _Fra Angelico_ of the brethren,
as we may call him,--Mirza Haydar 'Ali was especially interesting to
younger visitors to Abdul Baha. One of them writes thus: 'He was a
venerable, smiling old man, with long Persian robes and a spotlessly
white turban. As we had travelled along, the Persian ladies had
laughingly spoken of a beautiful young man, who, they were sure, would
captivate me. They would make a match between us, they said.
'This now proved to be the aged Mirza, whose kindly, humorous old eyes
twinkled merrily as he heard what they had prophesied, and joined in
their laughter. They did not cover before him. Afterwards the ladies
told me something of his history. He was imprisoned for fourteen years
during the time of the persecution. At one time, when he was being
transferred from one prison to another, many days' journey away, he
and his fellow-prisoner, another Bahai, were carried on donkeys, head
downwards, with their feet and hands secured. Haydar 'Ali laughed and
sang gaily. So they beat him unmercifully, and said, "Now, will you
sing?" But he answered them that he was more glad than before, since
he had been given the pleasure of enduring something for the sake of
God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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