In the aftermath of the martyrdom of the Báb, and during the
absence of the Desired One, that unchaste one engaged in such a disgraceful act
as would have been repulsive even to the notorious Ghayúr of Baghdad. [1] That
is, after the martyrdom of the Báb, he wedded the wife of the Exalted One, the
Mother of the Faithful, marriage to whom had, according to His explicit
statement, been forbidden to all. [2] And as if that dishonour were not enough,
when he found her not to his liking, he presented that honourable lady—the
sister of Mullá Rajab-‘Alí and the wife of the Báb—to Siyyid
Muhammad-i-Isfahání. This was the extent of his exertions, his claim to might,
power, and fame: to busy himself, by day and by night, in multiplying the
number of his wives. He even summoned his own wife’s sister, Ruqíyyih Khánum,
from Mázindarán, and married her too, thus being “married to two sisters at the
same time”. [3] He also wed the sister of Mírzá Nasru’lláh-i-Tafrishí. The
mother of Mírzá Ahmad, too, was one of his lawful wives, and he further entered
into matrimony with the daughter of an Arab, thus transgressing the limits set
by the clear text of the Bayán. These are his numerous marriages in Baghdad
alone and do not include the ones in Tihrán and Mázindarán. Should ye
investigate the matter, the truth of this verse would be made clear and
evident: “He was calamity itself, that huntsman who passed through our grove.
[4] We shall not expatiate further on this matter. The point is simply that
that “paragon of chastity” [5] carried out such acts as are contrary to the
explicit Text revealed by the Merciful Lord, and spent his days and nights in
these vain pursuits.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; ‘Light of the World’)
[1] A character, infamous for his moral laxity and
indifference to honour and fidelity, mentioned in Ottoman Turkish sources
[2] A reference to Fátimih, the second wife of the Báb
[3] A reference to the prohibition in Qur’án 4:23 against
marriage to two sisters at the same time
[4] Poem by Nazírí Nishápúrí
[5] Mírzá Yahyá. An allusion and contrast to “Yahyá the
chaste”,the Islamic title of John the Baptist (see Qur’án 3:39)
