Táhirih was a woman of rare accomplishment. Most Persian
women were not educated, but Táhirih's father had recognized early on that his
young daughter was gifted with an especially keen mind. He loved her dearly and
educated her the same way he educated his sons. Táhirih had grown into a woman
as famous for her intelligence as for her beauty -- more than equal to any man
in her knowledge of religion and in her ability to present strong, clear arguments.
She possessed other talents as well. In a land where people had, for centuries,
turned to their poets as often as their prophets for inspiration, Tahirih was
known for the exquisite poetry she wrote. Her father, highly regarded among
Persia's religious leaders, had taught his daughter well.
Still, she was a woman in a Muslim society. When men
gathered in her father's house for religious discussion, Táhirih had to speak
from behind a curtain, for women were not permitted to be in the company of men
who were not members of their immediate family. She could never expect to be a
spiritual leader, no matter how great her knowledge and skill. Some mullas even
argued that women did not possess souls and ranked little higher than animals.
How could they possibly understand religion?
"Would that she had been a boy," said her father,
"for he would have shed illumination upon my household, and would have
succeeded me."
Táhirih's marriage had been arranged according to the
customs of the day, and she became mother to a daughter and two sons.
One day in the library of her cousin's house, she had
happened upon the writings of Shaykh Ahmad, which captured her interest and led
her into correspondence with Siyyid Kazim. Determined to study with him,
Táhirih had traveled to Karbala, but ten days before her arrival Siyyid Kazim
died.
Táhirih had stayed among his followers in that city,
spending her time in prayer and meditation, until one night she was visited
with a remarkable dream. In this dream a young man wearing a black robe and a
green turban appeared to her in the heavens and, with upraised hands, recited
certain verses -- the same verses that she later read in a copy of the Báb's
commentary on the Surih of Joseph.
When the fearless Táhirih declared her belief in the Báb,
she had indeed become a spiritual leader. Her passionate and persuasive
arguments convinced multitudes in city after city of the truth of the Báb and
His Cause. Princes, mullas, and government officials were won over by her
knowledge, her eloquence, and the indomitable force of her character. Táhirih
taught many women as well, among them the respected widow of Siyyid Kazim.
On her return to Qazvin, Táhirih had caused a furor. She had
refused to return to the home of her husband, Mulla Muhammad, who thought of
himself, along with his father and uncle, as the best of the mujtahids [doctors
of religion] of Persia. Táhirih sent her reply with his messenger:
"Say to my presumptuous and arrogant kinsman, 'If your
desire had really been to be a faithful mate and companion to me, you would
have hastened to meet me in Karbila and would on foot have guided my howdah all
the way to Qazvin. I would, while journeying with you, have aroused you from
your sleep of heedlessness and would have shown you the way of truth. But this
was not to be. Three years have elapsed since our separation. Neither in this
world nor in the next can I ever be associated with you. I have cast you out of
my life forever.'"
For a Muslim husband to be addressed with such words by his
wife was unheard of and enraged both Mulla Muhammad and his father, Mulla Taqi.
They subsequently branded Táhirih a heretic and bent all their efforts to sully
her reputation.
It was Mulla Taqi who was later murdered in the mosque --
struck down by a man enraged at his cruel condemnation of a man who had done
nothing more than praise Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim.
Yet even after the murderer had confessed, the family and
friends of Mulla Taqi were determined to make the bold and independent Táhirih
suffer for the crime.
"No one else but you is guilty of the murder of our
father," they said. "You issued the order for his
assassination."
Her accusers questioned her for hours about the crime, but
to every question Táhirih replied with calm dignity, "This deed has been
perpetrated without our knowledge."
Her father tried to protect her by keeping her in his own
house, but her accusers were determined to have their way. It was not justice
they wanted, but blood. Táhirih's life was in grave danger.
When Baha’u’llah learned of Táhirih's situation, He at once
set in motion a plan to rescue her. Swiftly, in the dark of night, He sent a
trusted Bábi and his wife to Qazvin, [the town where Táhirih was put in house
arrest] giving them careful instructions. The woman, disguised as a beggar, was
to deliver a letter directly into Táhirih's hands and wait. When Táhirih was
ready, the two women were to walk together along the back ways of Qazvin until
they came to the city gate. There the Bábi man would meet them with three
horses, and they would ride the back roads to Tehran.
''As soon as the gates [of Tehran] are opened, you must
enter the city and proceed immediately to My house," Baha’u’llah
instructed them. "You should exercise the utmost caution lest her identity
be disclosed. The Almighty will assuredly guide your steps and will surround
you with His unfailing protection."
The Bábi husband and wife did just as Baha’u’llah told them.
Táhirih's life depended on their obedience to His instructions.
Morning brought the angry relatives of the murdered man of
Qazvin to Táhirih's door, but Táhirih was not at home. The surprised and angry
relatives searched everywhere in Qazvin, but she was nowhere to be found.
Táhirih was safely in Tehran.
Táhirih rested for a few days in the home of her protector,
Baha’u’llah. Because of Baha’u’llah’s social position and the great esteem in
which He was held by all, His home was a safe haven in which Bábis could
gather.
One day the illustrious Vahid -- the shah's messenger who
had become a Bábi -- was a visitor in Baha’u’llah’s home. Vahid sat explaining
certain spiritual traditions while others listened. Tahirih herself listened
from behind the customary curtain, holding the four-year-old child ‘Abdu'l-Baha
on her lap.
Vahid was eloquent as always, but Táhirih was tired of talk.
This was a brilliant new Day, the Day of the Qa'im! [the Promised One of
Muslims] Suddenly she could contain herself no longer:
"Cease idly repeating the traditions of the past,"
she said from behind the curtain, "for the day of service, of steadfast
action, is come. Now is the time to show forth the true signs of God, to rend
asunder the veils of idle fancy, to promote the Word of God, and to sacrifice
ourselves in His path. Let deeds, not words, be our adorning!"
Because of Baha'u'llah's swift action, Táhirih was be able to
join her fellow believers at Badasht. Though Baha’u’llah would direct the
course of that historic conference, Táhirih herself would make it a gathering
that none would forget.
(Adapted from ‘The Story of Baha’u’llah’, by Druzelle
Cederquist)
