The Persian government believed the banishment of the
Blessed Perfection from Persia would be the extermination of His Cause in that
country. These rulers now realized that it spread more rapidly. His prestige
increased; His teachings became more widely circulated. The chiefs of Persia
then used their influence to have Bahá’u’lláh exiled from Baghdád. He was
summoned to Constantinople by the Turkish authorities. While in Constantinople
He ignored every restriction, especially the hostility of ministers of state
and clergy. The official representatives of Persia again brought their
influence to bear upon the Turkish authorities and succeeded in having
Bahá’u’lláh banished from Constantinople to Adrianople, the object being to
keep Him as far away as possible from Persia and render His communication with
that country more difficult. Nevertheless, the Cause still spread and
strengthened.
Finally, they consulted together and said, “We have banished
Bahá’u’lláh from place to place, but each time he is exiled his cause is more
widely extended, his proclamation increases in power, and day by day his lamp
is becoming brighter. This is due to the fact that we have exiled him to large
cities and populous centers. Therefore, we will send him to a penal colony as a
prisoner so that all may know he is the associate of murderers, robbers and
criminals; in a short time he and his followers will perish.” The Sultán of
Turkey then banished Him to the prison of Akká in Syria.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a
talk, 18 April, 1912, New York; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks
Delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in
1912’)
