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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
It has been my good fortune to secure the manuscript of a history of Persia, from the year 1212 (A.D. 1805) to 1286 (a.d. 1869), written in the Shikasta hand and consisting of 135 closely written foolscap pages, each page containing thirty-two lines. Most of the pages are annotated with copious notes. The author of this interesting volume is Aḥmad ibn Abul Ḥasan Sharif of Shīrāz; and his style is terse and easy. It appears that he had secured the manuscript of a history ending at the reign of Fatḥ 'Ali Shāh and decided to complete that volume and bring it up to his own time. As to the identity of the author, I was informed by a friend, who was himself an inhabitant of Shīrāz, that the author was Mīrzā Aḥmad Khān Vaqāyi' Nigār. On referring to the Fārs Nāma of Ḥājjī Mīrzā, Ḥasan Tabīb of Shīrāz, I find, however, that the Vaqāyi' Nigār was the second son of Ḥājjī Mīrzā Asad Allāh. He is not, therefore, the writer of the manuscript in my possession, who seems to have closely studied the conditions existing in Persia at the time he wrote, and expresses frank opinions about the evils which attracted his notice. His criticisms, though moderate in tone, must have been too bold for those times. With regard to this book, he states:— “In those times, I formed a resolution, despite my want of knowledge and information, and because of the mere fact that I can distinguish between black and white, to compose a history, to obtain matter as far as possible from different histories, and to correct and reduce to writing such important subjects as involve less controversy, from the time of His Holiness the Prophet's Flight to the present, in a manner which may give rise to no objection.
page 447 note 1 I met, in Khurāsān, one of the sect who had accompanied Mulla Husain to Shīrāz from the Holy Places, had been with him as far as the Shaikh-i-Ṭabarsi fort, where they found themselves in distress, and who had come out to enlist assistance on behalf of Mullā, Ḥusain, while the latter's affair was disposed of in his absence. I had seen him at Shīrāz and knew him. I evinced friendliness towards him and, having assured him that I would not disclose his belief, I asked him the reason for Mullā Ḥusain's and his own adherence and loyalty to the Bāb. He observed, and he is responsible (for the statement): “Mullā Ḥusain enjoyed the full confidence of the late Ḥajjī Sayyid Kāẓim Rashtī; and the latter had told him several times: ‘After my death, the True One will appear, and thou wilt surely enter his service and answer his call.’ We were a large body who accompanied Mullā Ḥusain everywhere, and it was our belief that, after the death of Ḥajjī Sayyid Kāẓim, the leadership of the Shaikhī sect would vest in Mullā Ḥusain, because we did not know anyone in the tribe more pious than he. He was a hermit and ascetic in the mosque of Kūfa at the time of Ḥajjī Sayyid Kāẓim's demise. Two days later, one of the adherents arrived there and handed a letter to Mullā Ḥusain from the Sayyid. We felt certain that the Sayyid had constituted him his successor and leader of the sect. On reading it, Mullā Ḥusain decided to leave, despite the fact that the purpose for which he had stayed there had not been completed. We asked him the reason for his departure, and he said: ‘I am ordered to undertake a journey and to go to the service of a great personage.’ We said: ‘We presumed that this is your turn to be the leader.’ He burst into tears, saying: ‘How far from me! Where am I, and where are these positions?’ He, thereupon, prepared to go to Shīrāz, and used to tell me, en route: ‘It has not been determined where I am to go; but I believe that I may go to Kirmān and see Hājjī Muḥammad Karīm KḤān, as it may be that the Sayyid meant that I should enter the service of the Imam through him.’ In this belief we came to Shīrāz; and on the day of our arrival we met a negro at Dukkāni-Bīva, which is ½ farsakh from Shīrāz, who inquired which of us was named Mullā. Ḥusain. We pointed him out, and the negro approached Mullā Ḥusain and stopped him, whispering certain words into his ears while he remained on his horse. We saw Mullā Ḥusain dismount, his attitude greatly changed. He made the negro walk ahead of him, he following in his wake. We asked what we should do; and the negro told us to go to the Gumruk (Customs) caravanserai. We followed, and on reaching the caravanserai, the same negro guided us to a room. We went in, and there saw Mullā Ḥusain sitting most reverently opposite a Sayyid. They were engaged in a discussion. A little later both got up and went to the Sayyid's house, giving us another residence. We could see that there was some difference between the Sayyid and Mullā Ḥusain; but at every subsequent meeting Mullā Ḥusain showed more respect and loyalty (to the Sayyid) than on the previous occasion. After several days we became tired, and remonstrated with Mullā Ḥusain, saying: ‘We supposed that we should obey thee after the Sayyid and thou didst bring us away on a promise that we should go to Kirmān. Thou madest such haste that thou didst not complete the days of seclusion. What means this stoppage at Shīrāz? If thou goest in quest of the True One, haste should be made.’ Said he: ‘I am stranded here. I was not ordered to Kirmān but to Pars; and since I did not anticipate seeing anyone in Fārs, I presumed that my destination was Kirmān. But since the negro came and mentioned my name and gave me this Sayyid's message, and after the meetings of the last few days, I am inclined to think that this is the man whom the Sayyid (Kāẓim) mentioned to me in his prediction about the appearance of the True One. However, I have not satisfied my mind completely. We must hold several other conversations; and I must obtain full discernment, for the matter of religion is a difficult one.’ They conversed with one another on several other occasions; and at length Mullā Ḥusain was won over and entrapped. He yielded to proofs which convinced us, and he assured us that this was in truth the very man whose appearance was promised. We also witnessed some of his miracles, and followed him.” My own humble belief, however, is that even if this statement be true, and even if they did see anything, it must have been of the nature of the wonders which ascetics perform as a result of self-denial. For instance, a member of this sect, who bore relation to the Bāb and had followed him at first but seceded from him later, used to say: “Often certain views and predictions used to emanate from him, the actual fulfilment of which we witnessed later. He used to talk about places which we knew he had not visited in his lifetime, and of persons whom he had never met. Those who had seen and visited (such places) confirmed his statements. But he sometimes made statements which were not fulfilled. For example, before his voyage to Mecca, he conferred upon me the governorship of Ādharbāyjān. When I asked him, on his return, to fulfil the promise he said: ‘A hitch has occurred in that respect; but in lieu of this, such-and-and-such a sum will be received by thee from such-and-such a quarter within six months.’ This also failed to happen. He frequently prophesied to us all that he would conquer all the Eastern and Western countries; but he was killed in that manner at Tabrīz. This caused my disbelief in him.” (No wonder that this man left the Bab!—M. M.)
page 460 note 1 'Abbās Effendi, 'Abdul Bahā, in his book A Traveller's Narrative, written to illustrate the episode of the Bab (translated by Professor E. G. Browne), ates: “Abbas Quli Khan recognized him from the top of a tree afar off, and with his own hand discharged several bullets. At the third shot he threw him from his feet. He was borne by his followers to the fort and there they buried him.”
page 464 note 1 He seems to have been a thorn in the side of the local government at Yazd.