Translator’s Forward

Translator’s Foreword

Rasht is the seat of Gilan province in northern Iran, and occupies the western half of the south Caspian littoral.

The genesis of the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths in Rasht dates back to the Bábí period, when apparently a number of its inhabitants embraced the Báb’s movement. By early 1850s, in the confused state following the Báb’s martyrdom, the Bábí community fractured and various pockets of the Bábís turned to different Bábí leaders for inspiration and guidance. It was around 1271 AH [1854] that one of the Rasht Bábís, a certain Karbalá’í Ibráhím Samsár [“dealer of second-hand goods”] Rashtí, twice went to Adharbayjan and met Mírzá Asadu’lláh Dayyán, and became a staunch follower of him, a sentiment which he shared with other Bábís of the region as well.[1] At present, not much is known of these Dayyánís and they presumably have disappeared as a group.[2]

Around 1270 AH [1853], several Bábís migrated from Qazvin to nearby Lahijan, which was the major town of Gilan at that time. One of them, Siyyid Javád, had been a Shaykhí in Qazvin – which had a robust Shaykhí-Bábí community – and succeeded in converting a number of residents to the Báb’s Faith. Siyyid Javád, however, threw his lot with Mírzá Yahyá Azal and tried to keep his group of Bábís isolated from the other Bábís of Lahijan who had become followers of Bahá’u’lláh. On one occasion when Siyyid Javád was away in Qazvín, one of his associates, Mírzá ‘Alí Ashraf (known later as the poet ‘Andalíb), searched out the Bahá’ís and became convinced that Baha’u’llah was the new Manifestation of God. Soon Mírzá ‘Alí Ashraf succeeded in converting Siyyid Javád as well as other Azalís of this group.[3]

Some time earlier, Hájí Nasír Qazvíní, a well-known survivor of the battle at Shaykh Tabarsí, and his family had settled in Rasht and commenced trading. Though several of this family were Bahá’ís and known in the city as such, no one from Rasht embraced the Faith.[4] In 1870s, in Lahijan, Mírza ‘Alí Ashraf ‘Andalíb was encouraged by the Qazvíní Bahá’ís of that town to migrate to Rasht where he settled in Saráry Mírzá Bábá and began teaching the Faith. Soon he was joined by Siyyid Javád Qazvíní, Áqá Muhammad Ismá‘íl and Áqá Muhammad-Ibráhím Lahíjání, who had been taught by ‘Andalíb, and they commenced informing the locals of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.

Through these efforts, a number of locals, including the following, embraced the Cause: Mírzá Mihdí; Mírzá Báqir Bassár and his brothers, Mírzá ‘Alí and Áqá ‘Alí-Asghar and their families; Mullá Yúsuf-‘Alí and his brother, Áqá Husayn, and their father, Mullá Muhammad[5]; Karbalá’í Qásim and his brother, Áqá Ridá Zargar; Áqá Rasúl Qannád [“the confectioner”]; Áqá Muhammad-Javád; and the Sádát Khams.[6] By 1296 AH [1879] there were some twenty Bahá’ís in that town. Over time, their number continued to gradually increase and included Mírzá Áqá Hakím [“physician”] and Mírzá Ibráhím Jadíd and some others. With great caution, they would come together in the evenings for Bahá’í meetings.[7]

A widespread persecution against Bahá’ís erupted in 1300 AH [1882], which greatly affected Bahá’í communities in several Iranian cities. In Rasht, eleven Bahá’ís were imprisoned. Hájí Nasír and another believer died in prison.[8]

As sources for the study the early Bahá’í community of Rasht, presently four documents or accounts are known to the translator:

1.     Memoir of Mírzá Mihdí Tabíb. In his seminal work, Hasan Balyuzi refers to this memoir: “In Rasht, Samandar spent most of his time meeting enquirers in the home of a physician, Mírzá Mihdí Khán. This zealous Bahá’í, a native of Hamadan of Jewish background, has written an absorbing autobiography, which unfortunately has not seen the light of day.”[9] A rendering of this autobiography will be forthcoming by the present translator.

2.     Táríkh Zuhúru’l-Haqq, volume 6, pages 923-974. This section covers the introduction of the Faith in Gilan province and has considerable biographical information on the early Bahá’ís of Rasht. It is a hoped that extracts from this account would be added as an appendix to subsequent editions of the present study.

3.     Táríkh Zuhúru’l-Haqq, volume 8, part 2, pages 757-799. This account deals with the Bahá’í community of Gilan in general, and Rasht to a great length, during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry. Portions will be extracted to annotate the present study in the next revision.

4.     The present document by Mírzá Yahyá ‘Amídu’l-Atibbá Hamadání, covering the period 1889 to 1903. The author was a physician in Hamadan of Jewish ancestry. He migrated to Rasht in 1889 and in 1926 wrote his recollections of the events and prominent believers that he had encountered in that city. He passed away two years later in 1347 AH [1928]. In the present rendering, subheadings, footnotes and clarifying comments in square brackets have been added.

A debt of gratitude is owed to Prof Juan R. Cole, who in the mid 1990s graciously shared with me a copy of this important manuscript, which he had located in the Afnan Library in England. This manuscript has since been digitally published on H-Bahai at: http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~bahai/arabic/vol5/rasht/rasht.htm. I am also indebted to Phillip Tussing who with great care read through the manuscript and offered a number of suggestions for its improvement, and to Sen McGlinn and Dr. Moojan Momen for several important comments. I am grateful to Dr. Necati Alkan for the two important documents cited in Appendix 1. All errors and shortcomings, however, are mine.

                                                                             Ahang Rabbani

                                                                             February 2007

                                                                             Houston, Texas