The Martyrs of Manshád
By
Siyyid Muhammad Tabíb Manshádí
Translated by
Ahang Rabbani
Naghmeh Astani
Introduction
What follows is the account of a band of selfless, dedicated, love-intoxicated followers of Bahá’u’lláh who sacrificed the most precious of all things in His service – life itself.
The story begins in the summer of 1903 and concludes only a few weeks later. It takes place in Manshád, a town near
The story of Manshád’s pogrom, and the events leading up to it, is immortalized by the pen of Siyyid Muhammad Tabíb Manshádí, an eyewitness to many of the episodes. For some of the details, he later closely interviewed all the remaining survivors and thereby completed his brief narration which was published in
Áqá Siyyid Muhammad (1863-1918) was a Bahá’í physician who practiced traditional Iranian medicine in the small town of
Áqá Siyyid Muhammad left an account, rich in detail, of what he witnessed during those blood-soaked days – an account he supplemented with details from interviews with the survivors. Its value is enhanced by the specificity of information it offers: names of the martyrs, circumstances of their deaths, identities of the murderers. Subheads have been added to clarify places and dates. In a few places, the author quotes lines of poetry or Islamic traditions to accentuate his narrative. For the most part they have been omitted in the present translation (and replaced with ellipses, thusly, …) as they have no direct bearing on the history.
Those familiar with the modern history of
The present translation is a revision and completion of an earlier rendering which was published in “The Martyrs of Manshád”, World Order, Ahang Rabbani and Naghmeh Astani, Fall 1996, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 21-36.
We are indebted to our cousin, Dr. Khazeh Fananapazir, for contributing a provisional translation of `Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet, which appears in the narrative below.
Ahang Rabbani and Naghmeh Astani
April 2005
Author’s Biography[1]
Áqá Siyyid Muhammad Tabíb Manshádí was a son of Áqá Siyyid `Abdu’l-Ghaní and Sakinih Khánum. He was born in 1280 A.H. [1863-4] in
Some five years before the upheaval of
After some time, the honored Á[qá] Siyyid Muhammad married Bibi-Rubabih, a daughter of the late Hájí Siyyid Husayn Banádakí – a union which resulted in two offspring.
In the year 1321 A.H. [1903], a great episode of persecution took place in Manshád and
Regarding the details of the days of pogrom, Áqá Siyyid Abu’l-Qasim Baydá and also Hájí Muhammad Táhir Malmírí have written books, of which the one by Malmírí, titled Táríkh Shuhaday Yazd [History of Yazd’s Martyrs] has been published.
At the age of 56, in the year 1336 A.H. [1918], the honored Á[qá] Siyyid Muhammad Tabíb Manshádí, with a pleasing end and with utmost resignation and acquiesce, he ascended to the world beyond and was buried in that city’s cemetery.
A blessed Tablet revealed by `Abdu’l-Bahá addressed to the author has been located, which adorns this book, and serves as a testimony for the depth of his faith and certitude.
He is the All-Glorious.
He is the All-Glorious.
O my God! Thou hast exalted Thyself through Thy Most Great Manifestation evident in the horizon of Thy verses and Thou hast glorified Thy being through the Beauty of Thy most gracious Name manifest in the realm of Thy perspicuous signs. Blind are the eyes that behold not the traces of Thy sovereign power which has embraced all daysprings of existence and deaf are the ears that hear not Thy call in this Promised Day. Great is their loss in not attaining that special gift. The blind eye is powerless to witness and discern this Vision and hardened ears are unable to enjoy the sweet accents of the Most Exalted Word and to hearken the verses of Thy Book – a Book that explains the Hidden Mystery.
O our Lord! Thanks be unto Thee in that thou hast enabled us to hear Thy summons, Thou hast confirmed us in being attentive, Thou hast nourished us with Thy bounties and gifts, Thou hast raised us up in this Day of “Meeting God” from graves of self and desire, guided us to the Path of righteousness, illuminated our eyes with the light of guidance, dilated our chests so that we can behold the great signs, cheered our hearts with Thy glad tidings, strengthened our backs with the hosts of Thy Abhá Kingdom, and fortified our being with a battalion from thy exalted dominion, so much so that the announcement of Thy Manifestation has reached all horizons and the seven firmaments have been embraced by the traces of Thy Appearance.
O God! Praise be unto thee for all these. Assist thy servant who has turned unto Thee and who has clung to Thy Cord, adhered to Thy hem, so that he may attain that which is beloved and desirable in both this world and the world to come.
Verily Thou art the Most Generous, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
`A. `A.[2]
Author’s Preface
The esteemed divine friends – upon them rests the glory of God – should be informed that when the heartbreaking upheavals of Manshád occurred, this servant was closely observant of the events and incidents, and saw for himself what transpired and has decided to outline them briefly in this monograph.
It should also be noted that for certain episodes, I have benefited from the most-reliable information gleaned from the divine friends who themselves where witness to the uproars and for completeness have included that as well.
Siyyid Muhammad Tabíb Manshádí
The Martyrs of Manshád
By: Siyyid Muhammad Tabíb Manshádí
The upheaval of Manshád commenced on Saturday, 1 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H., corresponding to 1282 Sh, or 26 June 1903 AD[3], or 8 Tir 825 Jalali, or 1272 Fars, or the day of Jalal of the month Rahmat in the Bahá’í year “Ab” of the fourth vahid in the Manifestation of the Point of Bayán – may my spirit and the spirit of the world be a sacrifice unto His meekness – that is, the year 61 Bayání.[4] …[5]
In accordance with the instructions of `Abdu’l-Bahá – may the spirits of the world be a sacrifice unto His grace – I hereby submit this narrative to the presence of the divine friends and those firm in God’s Covenant – upon all rest the Glory of the Most Glorious.
In the year 1321 A.H., corresponding to the year 61 of the Manifestation of the Point of Bayán – may my spirit and the spirit of the world be a sacrifice unto Him – the illustrious Ibn-Abhar – upon him rest the glory of God – came from
The illustrious Ibn-Abhar remained in Manshád for four days. On the fifth day, via the
[Upheaval in
On Saturday[6], 16 Rabí`u’l-Avval 1321 A.H. [
The next morning some of these mischievous people gathered around the shop of Áqá Muhammad `Attár, son of Hájí `Azíz Khán, and stoned the front entrance.[7] Then they captured the shopkeeper and took him to the Imám-Jum`ih, requesting permission to kill him. A few non-Bahá’ís who were acquainted with Áqá Muhammad’s goodly character, his honesty and trustworthiness, however, intervened and assisted with his release.
On the third day, 18 Rabí`u’l-Avval 1321 [14 June 1903], three hours after sunrise, in the middle of Yazd’s bazaar, one of the Bahá’ís, the honored Hájí Mírzá Halabí-sáz, was stabbed and killed by the butcher’s cleaver of Hasan ibn Rasúl, one of the hoodlums. Prince [Sultan-]Husayn Mírzá, the Jalálu’d-Dawlih, son of Prince [Sultan-]Mas`úd Mírzá, titled the Zillu’s-Sultán, who was at that time the Governor of Yazd, quickly dispatched his aides on the receipt of this news to calm the people and stop further rioting and killings.
[The Upheaval in Manshád]
When the tragic news of Hájí Mírzá’s martyrdom reached the Bahá’ís of Manshád, they mourned his death and held a memorial service for that much-loved believer. The entire Bahá’í community was present in that assemblage, engaged in prayer and supplications. The news of this gathering and the mourning of the friends further inflamed the hatred and animosity of the enemies, who began plotting riots to slay the friends.
The believers of Manshád informed the Governor of their dire condition. In response he dispatched to Manshád ten Sháhsavan soldiers headed by a man named `Ísá Khán Sartíp [commander], who had orders to protect the believers and prevent further upheaval by the non-Bahá’ís. When `Ísá Khán and his men arrived in Manshád, they stayed for four days in the house of the town’s chieftain, Muhammad Kalántar, son of Hájí `Alí-Akbar Manshádí.
[Friday, 26 June]
On the fourth day, Friday, 29 Rabí`u’l-Avval 1321 A.H. [
About
[Saturday, 27 June]
The following Saturday morning, 1 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
When they left my house, Áqá `Alí-Akbar returned to his shop, and Shátir Hasan set out to investigate the matter. At the Manshád’s cemetery he came upon [the source of the news], Muhammad-Sádiq Na`ím-Ábádí, whom he asked about the dreadful events in
Muhammad-Sádiq then stood there and cried out for the town’s people to gather around. When a large group had formed, he told them of the upheavals and turbulence in
Meanwhile some three hundred people gathered around Muhammad-Sádiq in the cemetery and embraced the idea of vandalizing and pillaging the Bahá’ís’ belongings and putting them to death. Hájí `Alí-Muhammad, an influential believer who in effect was the head of the Bahá’í community, was soon informed of this gathering and went to the hoodlums to prevent them from rioting and mischief. Succeeding in this effort, afterwards he came directly to my house, happy that the group had had a change of heart. The crowd, however, remained quiet for only a short time before becoming agitated again, an agitation much louder than before. Once again Hájí `Alí-Muhammad went out to calm the crowd, but his efforts were in vain this time, and the mob’s abusive cries grew worse.
In the midst of all the commotion Áqá Ghulám-Ridá, son of Hájí `Alí-Naqí, while trying to escape, crossed paths with Siyyid Ibráhím Kallih-dar [shepherd], son of Siyyid Abúl Manshádí. Siyyid Ibráhím tried to take Áqá Ghulám-Ridá’s life. Áqá Ghulám-Ridá escaped, and the Siyyid returned to the group of rioters and deceitfully lay motionless on the ground as if dead. His family, relatives and friends gathered around him, shouting, “O people, Islam is finished. Bahá’ís have murdered the Siyyid!” Some three hundred people, including the rioters and spectators, lifted the Siyyid’s supposedly lifeless body and carried it to the house of Muhammad Kalántar [town’s chief]. There they continued with their accusations and agitation that the Bahá’ís had killed the Siyyid.
Muhammad Kalántar sent a messenger to my house bearing the news that Bahá’ís had beaten up a Siyyid, who had been brought unconscious to the chief’s house, and asking me to examine him to determine if he was still alive. Confident of God’s confirmations and putting my trust in Him, I went to the Kalántar’s home. On the way I ran into the mob of rioters who attempted to kill me. A non-Bahá’í prevented them and dispersed them from around me. I finally passed through the crowd safely and reached the Kalántar’s home. After examining the Siyyid and checking his pulse, I knew there was nothing wrong with him, and told the crowd: “No one has beaten or injured the Siyyid. Do not create mischief for no reason.” No one listened, and the hoodlums grasped the pretext of the Siyyid’s condition to leave the Kalántar’s house shouting and screaming.
Twenty-seven of the ruffians, agitated further by a certain Javád, son of Hájí Muhammad-Husayn Shírází, and with the approval of Muhammad Kalántar, separated from the group. These 27 were: Muhammad-Sádiq Na`ím-Ábádí; Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn; Siyyid Muhammad-`Alí, Rawdih-khan[8] [reciter]; `Alí-Akbar, son of Ibráhím; Ghulám-Ridá of Tazarján; Hájí, son of Mírzá-`Alí; Ahmad-Júlá; the three sons of Ghulám-`Alí Najjár [carpenter], namely, Ghulám-Husayn `Ashiq, Javád, and Hájí; `Alí `Arab; Muhammad, son of Ridá; `Abdu’l-`Alí, son of Ahmad; `Alí, son of Hájí `Ali-Akbar and a nephew of the Kalántar; Husayn-`Alí, son of Hájí Abu’l-Qásim; Mihdí and Ibráhím, sons of Umm-Laylí; Ja`far, son of Ghulám; Ridá, Husayn, and Hasan, sons of Báqir; Ahmad, son of Shahrbánú; `Alí-Bayk, son of Amír-Bayk; Ahmad, son of Hájí Ghulám; `Alí, son of `Askar, known as `Ali-Tarkaú; Mírzá Ahmad, son of Muhammad-Husayn Dahan; and `Alí, son of Báqir ibn Abúl.
Heavily armed and yelling loudly, they walked to the farm of Khájih Hasan. When they reached their destination about an hour before
Having taken the life of Mullá `Alí-Akbar, the bloodthirsty and savage mob immediately attacked the house of Muhammad-Ismá`íl Khabbáz [baker], son of Mírzá Ibráhím Khabbáz, who lived on the same farm. They pillaged his house and, finding him on the second floor, stabbed him repeatedly before throwing him from the balcony, after which his body was subjected to various sorts of blows by those eagerly waiting outside. …
The sanctified remains of that lover of truth was buried in the vicinity of his house at Mazra`ih Khájíh Muhsin, near a large boulder by the road, where it remains to the present time. At time of his martyrdom, the honored Áqá Muhammad-Ismá`íl was sixty-seven years old.
After committing this murder, the mob left the farm at Mazra`ih Khájíh Muhsin, returning to Manshád and joining some three hundred spectators from the town and surrounding localities. They marched toward the home of Ustád Husayn Ursi-duz [shoemaker] one of the believers from
Ustád Husayn’s aged mother ran out of the house and threw herself on her son’s lifeless body, weeping bitterly. The heartless mob threw stones and inflicted many injuries on this devoted woman who was seventy years old. She became ill and only twenty days after the martyrdom of her son passed on to the
The body of Ustád Husayn was taken to the bank of the
After the martyrdom of Ustád Husayn, the entire malicious mob continued with its vicious attacks [on the lives and property of Bahá’ís]. Arriving in a neighborhood known as Karchinár around one o’clock in the afternoon, they encountered three believers: the honored Áqá Husayn, son of Muhammad-Kázim; Áqá Ghulám-`Alí, son of Hasan ibn Hájí Rajab; and Áqá Ramadán, son of Javád ibn Hájí `Alí-Naqí. These believers were attempting to flee to the refuge of the mountains known as Pusht Bágh Naw and Mazra`ih `Abbás on the south side of Manshád. The mob followed them.
`Alí, the brother of Muhammad Kalántar, fired and shot Áqá Husayn. As he fell, the mob opened fire on him, riddling his body with bullets. Not satisfied with this act, they stoned what remained of his mortal frame. Sixty-five years old at the time of his martyrdom, he was brought back to Karchinár quarter and buried in his own home.
Immediately after the killing of Áqá Husayn, the murderous mob found the esteemed Áqá Ghulám-`Alí in the same vicinity. One of the ruffians, a certain `Abdu’l-`Alí fired on him first; then the rest clubbed and stoned his young body until he died. Regrettably, the honored Áqá Ramadán suffered the same fate, as his companions. He was found taking refuge under a large rock on the hill. They dropped the rock on him, killing him.
Áqá Ramadán was twenty-two years old at the time of his martyrdom. He was buried in the same mountain, about a 1000-yard up the hill, near the place that he suffered martyrdom. Áqá Ghulám-`Alí was eighteen years old at the time of martyrdom. He was buried on the same hill, some distance above the resting-place of Áqá Ramadán, locations that would remain their permanent gravesites.
The mob remained on the hill until sunset. They then turned back to Manshád looking for Bahá’ís. On the way, passing through the Muhammad-Ábád region, they came upon the honored Siyyid Mírzá, son of Siyyid Ahmad. Having left his home out of fear of the enemies, he had lain down to rest by a wall on the northern mountains of Manshád, known as Kúh Murád-`Alí, and had fallen asleep on the ground. Seeing him, two of the hooligans, Ghulám-`Alí, son of Hájí Muhammad, and Ghulám-Husayn, son of Mírzá `Alí-Ridá, picked up a massive rock and delivered a fatal blow to the head of the sleeping and defenseless Siyyid Mírzá.
He was carried to and buried there in his own orchard in Muhammad-Abad quarter, which to this day remains his resting-place. He was seventy-five years old on the day of his martyrdom.
To sum up, on that first day of upheavals, from one hour before
[Sunday, 28 June]
The next day, Sunday, 2 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
The first home and shop they came upon belonged to [two previously mentioned brothers] Shátir Hasan and Áqá `Alí-Akbar. All their belongings were either destroyed or plundered; even the grapevines in their garden were uprooted and smashed. The house and shop were then set afire.
Afterward, about two hours before
They located Mullá Muhammad. Hájí Husayn-`Ali said to his two cohorts, “The honored Mullá Muhammad has been my teacher and educator. I suggest that we leave him alone and spare his life.” The other two would not consent to this and brought Mullá Muhammad downstairs and told the other ruffians about his presence. The mob and the [ten] gunmen circled around him. One of the Khabari gunmen, Ghulám-Ridá Zardankí, fired a shot at his chest, which was followed by another shot by `Alí-Akbar. Then the rest either opened fire on Mullá Muhammad or stoned and clubbed him.
After viciously killing him, they tied a rope to his feet and dragged his sacred body to the back of Áqá `Alí-Akbar’s house and threw it on a stone-filled field front of Shahsuni’s house. Two of them, Zaynu’l-`Ábidín `Attár and his son Hasan-`Alí, residence of Rahat-Ábád farm, brought kerosene and another, `Alí `Arab, poured it over the body and set it on fire. As the body burned, the rest of them continued to stone it, so much so that the charred remains were completely buried under the rocks. When the last parts of Mullá Muhammad’s body were covered, some of the thugs and murderers poured water over the pile of rocks and left the scene.
That evening, his son, Ustád Naqí, with the help of another believer, Hájí `Alí-Muhammad, took the body and buried it in a field known as Sar-Mu, belonging to Mullá Muhammad himself. His resting-place remains to this day at the same spot. He was fifty-eight years old at the time of his martyrdom.
On the first day of the troubles, fearing the onslaught of the evildoers, [a group of Bahá’ís] had taken refuge in the nearby mountains on the eastern side of the town, behind the Mazra’ih Turks. They included: the honored Shátir Hasan Khabbáz [baker], Áqá `Alí-Akbar, and Assadu’lláh, sons of the late Mírzá Ibráhím Khabbáz; Áqá Hasan-`Alí; Javád; Áqá Siyyid Taqí; Áqá Siyyid Baqír; Siyyid Husayn; children of the late Áqá Siyyid Ahmad; Áqá Siyyid Muhammad, son of Siyyid Taqí; Áqá Mírzá Muhammad-Hudá; `Abdu’l-Vahháb; `Abdu’r-Rasúl; and Áqá Muhammad, son of Mihdí.
A certain Rajab-`Alí, who previously often frequented the Bahá’í gatherings and on occasions had expressed his love and allegiance to the Faith and had been friendly to the believers, learned of their hiding place in the mountains. Sunday night he went to visit them. Because the believers trusted him, they inquired about the events of recent days, asking further about the friends who had been murdered, their families, and their own households and relatives who were left behind. Rajab-`Alí told the Bahá’ís about the upheavals, the martyrdom of friends and the generally disastrous condition of the believers in town. When the group asked what was to come, Rajab-`Alí told them, “Today a group of Khabari gunmen have entered Manshád and the local thugs plan to invite some other hoodlums from the villages of Taft and Mihríjird to come. Tomorrow morning three, perhaps four, hundred of them will circle this hill and will not allow one of you [Bahá’ís] to escape as all will be slain and your possessions plundered.”
On hearing this, since they trusted this man – though he had never inhaled the fragrance of certitude – the believers became greatly perturbed. The refugees decided that in the middle of the night they would descend the hill and travel in a separate direction. Little did they know that Rajab-`Alí was devoid of any spiritual qualities and was completely insincere. When they dispersed in the dead of the night, Áqá `Alí-Akbar had a bad fall and broke his leg. … Shátir Hasan was also severely injured when a rock rolled over his foot. As a result, these two brothers were obliged to remain in the hills and could not disperse with the others.
Meanwhile, upon leaving the group, Rajab-`Alí, went directly to the home of Muhammad Kalántar and gave him a thorough report of the plans of the Bahá’ís and the condition of the two brothers in the hills.
[Monday, 29 June]
The next morning, Monday, 3 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
Meanwhile, early in the morning, Shátir Hasan, [in spite of his injuries,] had come down the hill to fetch water for his illustrious brother, who was in great pain. He was by a small spring, situated some two thousand yards above the Hujjat-Ábád Farm, known as Mazra`ih Kahkum Buzurg, when the mob spotted him by the oak trees. Circling him, they demanded to know the whereabouts of his brother. Shátir Hasan told the group that the night before, while he was running, a rock had fallen on him and cut his foot, causing it to bleed badly, and, if they followed the blood trail, it would lead to his brother, Áqá `Alí-Akbar.
A number of men remained with him to ensure that he would not go anywhere. The rest followed the blood trail until they reached the top of the hill and saw Áqá `Alí-Akbar, who was very weak and could not move. When he was spotted, one of the gunmen, Muhammad Rabí`, son-in-law of the Kalántar, shot him, following which Ridá Shikárí [hunter] from the village of Banádak-Sádát, and then the other townspeople also launched a volley of bullets.
After killing `Alí-Akbar, they left the body in the same spot and came back down to join the rest by the stream. Shátir Hasan had some rock candy, which he distributed among the mob and assassins. Then he took off his outer garments and divided them among the mob. … Having thereby prepared himself for his martyrdom, he asked if he could drink some water before they killed him. He was told, “Go to the stream and drink some.” Shátir Hasan said, “Though I know you will not allow me time to drink, I am resigned to the will of God and welcome His decrees.” … As soon as he had taken a few steps toward the stream, seventeen of the Khabari, `Arabs of Fárs, and Manshádí gunmen shot him in the back. He fell to the ground, only to receive a second volley from the same seventeen people. This was followed by a third round of shots. In all, a total of fifty-one bullets pierced his beloved body.
After Shátir Hasan’s martyrdom, his body was left by the same stream. Later that evening a few of the friends brought back his remains to Manshád, placed it in a wooden coffin and hid the coffin in his own home for four months until it was safe to bury it in the same Hujjat-Ábád Farm, on the eastern flank of a large pool known as Mazra`ih Kahkum Buzurg.
Forty days after the martyrdom of the honored Áqá `Alí-Akbar, nine of the believers of Manshád returned quietly at night to the hills and located his body. This group included: Áqá `Alí-Akbar, son of Muhammad and a nephew of the martyred Áqá `Alí-Akbar; Áqá Javád, son of martyred Mullá Bábá’í; Áqá `Alí-Akbar, son of Hájí `Alí-Muhammad; Áqá `Alí-Muhammad, son of martyred Áqá Mírzá Muhammad; Áqá Haydar, son of Taqí; Áqá Mírzá `Alí Muqaní [well-digger]; Áqá Ghulám-Husayn, son of Hájí Ja`far; Áqá Mírzá `Alí-Akbar, son of Husayn ibn Hájí Nasru’llah; Áqá `Abdu’l-Vahhab. They also placed his sanctified remains in a casket and buried it at his own home in Manshád.
Presently the burial spot of the honored Shátir Hasan is in the same Hujjat-Ábád Farm, known as Mazra`ih Kuhkum Buzurg, and the resting-place of the esteemed Áqá `Ali-Akbar is in his own residence in Manshád. Áqá `Ali-Akbar was fifty-six years old at the time of his martyrdom, while Shátir Hasan was sixty years old.
[Tuesday, 30 June]
On Tuesday, 4 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
[Wednesday, 1 July]
Wednesday morning, 5 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
He was brought back to Manshád and taken to the home of Muhammad-Rabí`. Áqá Mírzá Husayn asked for a drink of water, in response to which the aforementioned Muhammad-Sádiq Na`ím-Ábádí unsheathed a large knife and stabbed him in the chest, saying, “Water for you is the tip of this dagger!” The man turned to the mob and said, “O people, I had vowed to drink the blood of these Bábís. Now watch me fulfill my vow.” He pulled the knife out of the body and licked all the blood off it. Then he signaled the mob to shoot Áqá Mírzá Husayn, which the crazed gunmen were happy to do with many volleys. Áqá Mírzá Husayn fell to the ground. Not being satisfied with that, Akbar, son of Ahmad, Javád, son of Ghulám-`Ali Najjár, Husayn-`Ali, son of Hájí Muhammad, and Akbar, son of Ibráhím, and a number of other ruffians then circled his remains and stoned and clubbed him. After killing him in that fashion two hours before[10]
That same day Muhammad Kalántar sent some of his men to arrest Áqá Yádu’lláh, son of Áqá Mírzá Husayn. The boy, who was no more than twelve years old, was taken to the home of the Kalántar so he might also be put to death. In the ensuing gathering in which this servant was also present, I told Muhammad Kalántar, “The boy is a minor and religious laws are not applicable to him. Instruct your men not to kill him.” The hoodlums still wanted to slay the child. To ensure his freedom, I suggested to the Kalántar, “If you agree, collect some money from the mother as a price for his liberty.” He accepted my request, and the mother of the child was called. Upon collecting a sum, he allowed the boy to leave.
Again, on the same Wednesday, the mob, after killing Áqá Mírzá Husayn, went to Kuzh neighborhood, situated on the outskirts of Manshád on the way to Káv-Afshád. At that time one of the believers, Áqá `Alí-Muhammad, son of Hájí Husayn ibn Hájí `Alí-Akbar Turk, was hiding from the bloodthirsty crowd in the home of Husayn, son of Hasan ibn Panáh-`Alí. Four thugs entered the house; they were: Hasan-`Alí, son of Hájí Muhammad; Javád, son of Muhammad Hádí; `Alí-Akbar, son of Ibráhím; and `Alí-Akbar, son of Hájí Husayn. Along with some other hoodlums, they located the honored Áqá `Alí-Muhammad, and took him outside and dragged him to the shop of Mírzá Vald [son of] Ustád Ja`far Sabbagh [painter]. One of the gunmen, `Alí-Akbar, son of Hájí Husayn, aimed his gun at Áqá `Alí-Muhammad’s head and fired. He immediately fell to the ground at which time the rest of the crowd began stoning him. At that moment, while the severely injured Áqá `Alí-Muhammad was breathing his last breaths, Biman-`Ali, son of Ghulám-Ridá, approached him. This heartless individual opened Áqá `Alí-Muhammad’s mouth, filled it with sand and soil, and then kicked him in chest until he was dead.
A rope was tied to his feet, and he was dragged and paraded to the front door of the martyred Shátir Hasan’s home, [the believer whom the same people had killed earlier]. His body was left there until nighttime, when one of the believers gathered his remains and buried them in northern orchard of the residence, next to a wall, where they remain to this day. Áqá `Alí-Muhammad was forty-five years old at the time of martyrdom.
[Thursday, 2 July]
The next day, Thursday, 6 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [2 July 1903], two hours before noon, four men entered the home of Khadíjih-Sultán, an elderly Bahá’í woman, daughter of Hájí Rajab and mother of the martyred Áqá Ghulám-Ridá, son of Hájí `Ali-Naqí. The four assailants were: Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn; `Alí, son of Hájí Akbar; Ahmad, son of Hájí Ghulám; and Ghulám-Ridá Tazarjání. They took her to the home of Muhammad Kalántar and requested his permission to kill her. He instructed them to take her away, thereby signaling his consent. The men took her to the top of tikiyih[11] in the town center and pushed her off the roof. The women of Manshád gathered around her body and first removed her cheddar and veil, after which men and women alike stoned her sanctified remains. Khadíjih-Sultán, who was later buried in her own home in Karami quarter, where she remains to the present day, was sixty-five years old at the time of her death.
[Friday, 3 July]
On Friday, 7 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
By now an eager ill-intending crowd had gathered and was watching the whole incident. Áqá Siyyid Javád’s hands were tied behind his back, and with bare feet and head he was taken to the home of Muhammad Kalántar. ... At that moment, when they brought Áqá Siyyid Javád, I happened to be visiting the Kalántar at his home. Áqá Javád’s countenance seemed to glow with joy, extreme happiness, and certitude. He was radiating a heavenly smile as he entered the room. He was not speaking to anyone. ...
Muhammad Kalántar appeared on the roof of the house. The crowd told the Kalántar that they had captured this Bahá’í. He said, “Why have you brought the Siyyid to me?” And with the wave of his hand the Kalántar signaled his approval for him to be taken away and be killed. The mob paraded the Siyyid to Manshád’s Maydan Nakhl [palm tree square]. One of them, Javád, son of Ghulám-`Alí Najjár [carpenter], fired a bullet that shattered his skull. He fell to ground. Others joined in by firing their guns at him and engaging in their ritual stoning, cursing, and defaming of the remains. The three principle slayers were: Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn; `Alí-Akbar, son of Hájí Husayn; and Ghulám-Ridá Tazarjání.
It was an hour before
[Saturday, 4 July]
On Saturday, 8 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
They tied a rope around the neck of Áqá Muhammad-`Ali, and two men, Muhammad, son of Ridá, and Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn, forcefully pulled each end. Such is how Áqá Muhammad-’Alí was martyred two hours before sunset. …
After the killing, they stoned and clubbed his remains and left the body. That evening the believers took his remains to the `Arab quarter and buried him in an orchard belonging to Áqá Muhammad-’Alí himself, where his resting-place remains to this day. He was fifty years old.
[Sunday, 5 July]
The following day, Sunday, 9 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [5 July 1903], the honored Áqá Ghulám-Ridá, son of Hájí `Alí-Naqí, who had also taken refuge at a home of a friend, Siyyid Ridá, son of Mírzá Jamál, was discovered by Siyyid Husayn, son of Siyyid `Alí-Ridá. He informed four of the men [who had committed many of the earlier killings]: Muhammad-Sádiq Na`ím-Ábádí; Mírzá Ridá, son of Hájí Siyyid Mírzá the Imám Jum`ih of Manshád; Siyyid Husayn, son of Hájí Siyyid Mahmúd; and Siyyid Ibráhím, son of Siyyid `Alí-Ridá. They came together with a large mob and seized the esteemed Áqá Ghulám-Ridá.
They tied his hands behind him, leading him through the streets and eventually to a neighborhood known as Pusht Bágh. There he was shot by two of the gunmen, Siyyid Husayn, son of Hájí Siyyid Mahmúd, and Siyyid Ibráhím, son of Siyyid `Alí-Ridá. Each fired a fatal shot at him. His body was stoned, clubbed, and then thrown into a nearby well. It was three hours into the morning.
Two months later his body was recovered from the well by fellow believers and buried in his own home at a site near the grave of his mother, Khadíjih Sultán, whom the same people had killed earlier. These two souls, the mother and the son, are still buried next to each other in the Karami quarters. He was forty years old at the time of martyrdom.
[Thursday, 9 July]
The honored Áqá Assadu’lláh, an illustrious son of Mírzá Ibráhím Khabbáz [baker], and a brother of the martyred Shátir Hasan and Áqá `Alí-Akbar, was in hiding during the ensuing upheavals and commotion in Manshád. On Wednesday evening, 12 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
The next dawn, while passing through Gudar-zar, a well-known curve in the road, several men from the
The people sent a report of the day’s event to the Imám-Jum`ih of
When the six evildoers came to the farm, they took Áqá Assadu’lláh to the rooftop of a building on the farm belonging to a certain Siyyid Muhammad and asked if he was a Bahá’í. On hearing an affirmative response, one of the men, Siyyid Husayn `Arab, stabbed him with a knife, and the others mercilessly shot him. His body was thrown into the streets, where it lay untouched for only a short while. This martyrdom occurred three hours into the afternoon.
Meanwhile, upon learning of Áqá Assadu’lláh’s arrest, ten of the Manshád’s thugs rode to the Ibráhím-Ábád farm. The ten assailants were: Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn; `Alí-Akbar, son of Ibráhím; Muhammad, son of Ridá; Ghulám-Husayn `Áshiq; Mírzá, son of Ustád Ja`far Sabbágh [painter]; Hasan-`Alí, son of Hájí Muhammad; Javád and Hájí, sons of Ghulám-`Alí Najjár [carpenter]; Mihdí, son of Umm-Laylí; and Siyyid Yahyá, son of Mírzá Ibráhím.
Arriving about an hour after Áqá Assadu’lláh was executed by the Taft’s gunmen, one of the [Manshádí] men, `Alí-Akbar, son of Ibráhím, approached the body and with his carpenter’s ax severed the head. The head was brought back to Manshád and thrown on the ground in Maydan Nakhl [town’s palm-tree square]. It remained there for three hours ... and then was taken and hung from the door of Áqá Assadu’lláh’s own haberdasher shop, where passers-by stoned it. On seeing this spectacle, Mullá Muhammad-Husayn Rawdih-khan, a well-known Muslim reciter, cried out, “O people! In Karbalá the infidel Baní Umayyih had the temerity to kill the Fifth of the Holy Household[12], the Prince of the Martyrs [Imám Husayn], and hung his blessed head from the gates of the city, for which the people of Islam have cursed them for centuries. Today you have committed the same exact shameful act of the infidels!” Upon hearing this, the people stopped their assault on the severed head.
A day later the head was taken down and carried to the home of the victim’s brother, Husayn-Bábá, next door to the same shop, and buried. Áqá Assadu’lláh’s headless body, still lying in the same field in the Ibrahim-Ábád farm, was thrown in a well. Two months later one of the believers by the name of `Alí-Ridá, son of Fayyad-Muqani [well digger], removed his body from the well and buried it at the same farm where Áqá Assadu’lláh had been martyred.
Four months later, Áqá Mírzá Assadu’llah, son of Mírzá Ismá`íl, who was a relative of the martyred Áqá Assadu’llah, exhumed the sacred head of Áqá Assadu’llah and placed it in the same coffin used for Shátir Hasan. This coffin was taken to the aforementioned Mazra`ih Kuhkum [Buzurg] for burial. Presently the body of Áqá Assadu’llah is buried in the farm known as Ibrahim-Ábád, while his head is interned in Mazra`ih Kuhkum, known as Hujjat-Ábád, buried with his brother [Shátir Hasan]. Áqá Assadu’lláh was thirty-five years old at the time of martyrdom.
[Friday, 10 July]
On Friday, 14 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
It was two hours before
After the mod had dispersed, one of the non-Bahá’í relatives of Áqá Mírzá Muhammad, a certain Siyyid Mihdí, took his sanctified remains and buried him in an orchard adjacent to the residence of Áqá Mírzá Muhammad, known as Áqá Rida’i’s field, where remains his resting-place to this day. Áqá Mírzá Muhammad was forty-three years old.
On the same day, Áqá Siyyid Husayn, son of Áqá Siyyid Ahmad, was yet another Bahá’í who had taken refuge at the home of a Muslim friend, Siyyid Áqá’í. Two days before Manshád’s convulsions, his eldest son, Siyyid Javád, who was only fourteen years old, had fallen while working in the farm fields with his grandfather, breaking one leg and severely injuring the other. His injuries were so severe that he could not move and was bedridden. Every day I would visit the boy and tend to his wounds. On the first day of the upheaval the wife of Áqá Siyyid Husayn, fearing the enmity of the thugs, had taken her injured son to the home of Siyyid Áqá’í to be with his father. Thus Siyyid Husayn, his wife, and Siyyid Javád were all three hiding there. Siyyid Husayn also had another younger son and daughter who were left alone. These two homeless young children were each day in a different house and at nights, hungry, thirsty, and desolate, would hide in the fields or mountains.
On that Friday, which was now the fourteenth day of the troubles, the vicious mob was searching every household in Manshád in hope of finding more Bahá’ís to kill. Siyyid Áqá’í informed Áqá Siyyid Husayn’s wife of the day’s events, indicating to her that soon his house would be searched and did not want Áqá Siyyid Husayn to be killed in his house. When Áqá Siyyid Husayn learned of the conversation from his wife, he told her that his death was near. He alone left the home that had been his family’s refuge, bidding farewell to his wife and son. Taking the advice of his host, he changed his clothes and took refuge behind the pulpit of the nearby mosque. His host had asked him to remain there until the mob had finished searching his house. Then he would be able to return.
Although the anticipated search of the house did not result in any findings, a number of women in the neighborhood reported having seen Siyyid Husayn in the mosque. Siyyid Husayn, aware of his dire situation, had no choice but to leave the mosque, running a distance of two hundred yards and then climbing over a wall into a wheat field. He hid in the wheat but was spotted by a woman who told Ibráhím, son of Umm-Liylá, who entered the field and searched until he found Siyyid Husayn. Upon finding him, Ibráhím, immediately struck him with a wooden club, while another, Husayn-`Alí, son of Hájí Muhammad, fired at Siyyid Husayn’s face. Thereupon, Siyyid Husayn, son of Siyyid Ibráhím, decided to fire on the victim, but the gun did not discharge. However, the honored Siyyid Husayn had already fallen down with that very first bullet.
Ghulám-Ridá Tazarjání threw Siyyid Husayn, who was nearly dead, over the same wall he had earlier climbed and then dragged him by his feet to the house of Mullá Bábá’í, a [soon-to be] martyr himself. The honored Siyyid Husayn still had some life left in him when his wife and son were informed and quickly ran to the scene but were stopped and assaulted by the curses and obscenities shouted at them by Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn. In their fear, the wretched believers sat on the ground, while Ghulám-Ridá continued his abusive language towards the wife.
After the departure of Ghulám-Ridá, they dared go near Siyyid Husayn. Upon hearing the crying voices of his family, he opened his eyes and looked at his wife and children. The family threw themselves on his body, and he embraced them tenderly. While holding his loved ones and several teardrops streaming from his eyes, Áqá Siyyid Husayn’s hallowed spirit left for the Exalted Paradise. That evening his remains were taken to his home in the Mírzá quarters of the city and buried in front of the building, where it serves as his burial-place to this day. He was forty years old.
When he heard the news of his father’s martyrdom, the bedridden and broken-hearted Siyyid Javád pleaded for one last opportunity to visit and bid farewell to his father. Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to this poor boy, though he was only a short distance away from his fallen father. After Siyyid Husayn’s death, Siyyid Javád was taken back to his own home. He was constantly heard saying and praying, “How I wish that the enemies had seen me and taken my life on that day too! If only they would come now and cut my heart out allowing me to join that exalted soul!” Not a day went by that he did not wish for his own death. His wailing and lamenting were destined to be as ephemeral as his fleeting life, for he was to outlive his father’s brutal martyrdom by only fourteen days. Every night his mother would take the other two children, afraid that the neighbors would bring harm to them, and spend the night at Siyyid Áqá’í’s home. Each night Siyyid Javád would beg his mother not to leave him alone. He feared he would die alone. But the poor mother had no choice but to look after the other two young children and protect them. When she returned home on Friday, 28 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
On the same Friday [10 July] that Siyyid Husayn was martyred, another young man by the name of Áqá Husayn-`Alí, son of the [soon-to-be] martyred Mullá Baba’i, was also martyred.
Fearing the bloodthirsty mob, this young man had gone to the mountains on the north side of Manshád, known as
[Saturday, 11 July]
The following day, 15 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [11 July 1903], Áqá Ghulám-Husayn, son of Taqí Dallal [broker], a Bahá’í from Yazd who had come to Manshád to escape the brutal pogrom unfolding there, along with another Bahá’í named Áqá Siyyid Báqir, son of the late Siyyid Ahmad Manshádí and a brother of the martyred Áqá Siyyid Husayn, were found hiding in one of the caves in the eastern mountains, behind the Turks’ farm. Two hours after sunrise the mob surrounded the cave and at first, Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn, called for the two believers, Áqá Siyyid Báqir and Áqá Ghulám-Husayn, to surrender. Acquiescing, they emerged, whereupon Áqá Ghulám-Husayn was killed instantly by a huge volley of gunfire and later beheaded. His headless body was left alone and later was buried in the same spot. His head was taken to Muhammad Kalántar, who instructed one of his messengers, Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí, son of Husayn Turk, to take it as a gift to Mírzá Fathu’lláh, the Mushíru’l-Mamálik, the [newly-appointed] Governor of the
After Áqá Ghulám-Husayn was assassinated, the mob sought out Áqá Siyyid Báqir, who had escaped the fate of his companion and returned to his own home some time earlier. Since it was getting warm, and people seemed thirsty, Áqá Siyyid Báqir invited the men inside to have some fruit. They accepted his invitation and entered. After enjoying the refreshments and fruits that Áqá Siyyid Báqir offered them, they arrested him and, tying his hands, led him to the home of Muhammad Kalántar, who ordered his imprisonment.
On that same day Siyyid `Alí[14], out of fear, decided to leave Manshád and started toward
Siyyid `Alí was summarily arrested, his hands tied behind him, and he was taken to Tazarján where they sought the permission of Mírzá Ibráhím, the Imám-Jum`ih of
When they came to Maydan Nakhl [town’s palm-tree square], Siyyid `Ali escaped from his three captors and sought refuge behind the palm. By now a group of savage townspeople had heard of their arrival and had come to see them: Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn; Muhammad-Sádiq Na`im-Ábádí; Javád and Hájí, sons of Ghulám-Ridá Najjár [carpenter]; Ahamd Javád; Ghulám-Ridá Tazarjani; Mírzá Muhammad-`Ali Tafti, an attendant of Prince Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad, surnamed, Navvab Vakilu’t-Tawliyih.
This group joined the three original assailants, and some others, and circled Maydan Nakhl. They had surrounded the victim and were prepared to take his life when one of the villager cried out that the palm was sacred and that his life should be spared until he released his hold on it.[16] They ignored the man and it was about sunset when Ghulám-Ridá Tazarjání fired the first shot, which was followed by shots by Siyyid Sádiq Turanjí and Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí Taftí, attendant of Navvab Vakilu’t-Tawliyih, fatally shot Siyyid `Alí. Thus, that illustrious soul was martyred under the palms in town’s square.
That evening, his wife removed her husband’s remains from the scene and buried them in their home in Mírzáha quarter of Manshád, where it remains his burial-spot to this day. He was thirty-five years old at the time of martyrdom.
The three men who had arrested Siyyid `Alí and instigated his murder, namely, Siyyid Sádiq, Siyyid `Ali-Akbar and Mírzá Muhammad-`Ali of Turanj, decided before leaving town to shed the blood of this servant. With this intention in mind they left Maydan Nakhl and came to my home. I was alone when the three men entered my house. Since at the time I neither knew them, nor I was aware of their intentions, I greeted them warmly. A water-pipe was offered, and tea was served. Then I asked them where they were from and what business brought them to Manshád, upon which they related to me the story of Siyyid `Alí’s martyrdom beneath the palms. Upon hearing this, I was overwhelmed by sorrow and grief. Seeing my condition, the men immediately left my house. Outside, Siyyid Sádiq had asked the other two why they had not killed me. They said that, since I had been so extremely kind and hospitable, they did not have the heart to take my life.
That same early evening, after the mob killing of Siyyid `Alí, the men immediately returned to the home of Muhammad Kalántar, where Siyyid Báqir was imprisoned. It was late in the afternoon when they took him to a field known as Mazra`ih Turkha, to a farm known as Jan-Áqá’i. Three of them, namely, Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí Taftí, the attendant of Navvab Vakilu’t-Tawliyih, Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn, and Muhammad-Sádiq Na`ím-Ábádí, each fired a bullet into their victim.
Later the believers took the hallowed remains and buried them next to the grave that contained the headless body of Áqá Ghulám-Husayn Dallal killed earlier in the day – his companion and fellow martyr. That spot is located in Mazra`ih Turkha, by a bent known as Kamar Kasih-Piyalih, behind Lay-Zardih River, south-side of Káv-Afshádí Road. Siyyid Báqir was fifty-one years old.
[Sunday, 12 July]
The following day, Sunday, 16 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
`Ali-Akbar, son of Hájí Husayn, tied a rope around the martyr’s feet and dragged him back home, where later that evening his wife brought the body inside and laid it to rest. That house is located in Sar-Bagh quarter of Manshád, and he remains buried there at the present. He was twenty-three years old at the time of martyrdom.
[Wednesday, 15 July]
The following Wednesday, 19 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [15 July 1903], the honored Mullá Bábá’í, a brother of the illustrious [martyred] Rada’r-Rúh [and father of the recently martyred Áqá Muhammad], found shelter in Rakur quarter, located between Manshád and Káv-Afshád, in the home of Hájí Muhammad-Hasan, son of Hájí Qásim.[17] A woman by the name of Hájíyyih, wife of Hájí Qásim-`Ali, who lived in that neighborhood, learned of his whereabouts and informed Manshád’s terror-inducing populace. Soon a mob, consisting of thugs, murderers and onlookers, totaling over two hundred, descended upon the house where Mullá Bábá’í had taken refuge.
Several men entered the home and began searching the rooms. Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn, came upon the room where Mullá Bábá’í and his son, Áqá Javád, were sitting in a dark corner. He instructed them to come out of the room, but they said nothing. `Ali-Akbar, son of Ibráhím, brought a lamp and entered the room and then came out saying that Mullá Bábá’í and his son must be shot right there, but, apprehensive of the harm that might befall his son, Mullá Bábá’í quickly surrendered instead.
Mullá Bábá’í’s hands were tied behind his back and, bareheaded and barefoot, he was led to the home of Hájí Siyyid Husayn, son of Hájí Siyyid Ahmad, in the Mírzáhá section of town to be killed. Another group captured Áqá Javád, Mullá Bábá’í’s son, and brought him as well to be killed. Mullá Bábá’í, who was in the middle of the crowd, could not see his son; hence he asked Siyyid Husayn, if they had not yet killed his son, to bring him near so he could see him one last time. Siyyid Husayn agreed and brought the son near. When the Mullá saw his son, his last spoken words were instructions to Áqá Javád that, should he survive, he should arrange for the payment of a debt to a certain individual. Bidding him farewell, Mullá Bábá’í left the boy to the care of Siyyid Husayn, expressing the wish that he not be obliged to speak again and so remained silent.
Although the crowd wanted to kill the boy, Siyyid Husayn intervened and took him inside his own home. It was around
In the midst of the chaos Shátir Hasan Khabbáz [baker] of Ardikán retrieved a can of kerosene from a nearby shop of Zaynu’l-`Abidin `Attar, poured it over Mullá Bábá’í and `Alí `Arab Haddad Manshádí, set him ablaze. While the flames engulfed him, those who carried guns began to shoot him. Others were satisfied with clubbing and stoning him. Siyyid Husayn, son of Siyyid `Ali, and Siyyid Hasan, son of Siyyid `Ali-Ridá Manshádí, tied a rope to his feet and dragged his remains to the home of a fellow believer, the honored Siyyid Taqí. That night, believers retrieved the body and buried it in a land known as Mullá Akbarí, near the home of Siyyid Taqi, where remains his burial-spot to this day. Mullá Bábá’í was sixty-five years old at the time of martyrdom.
Bahá’í Pogroms in Nearby Villages[18]
Village of Káv-Afshád
On Friday, 14 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [10 July 1903], a memorial gathering in honor of the Prince of the Martyrs [Imám] Husayn ibn `Ali – may my life be a sacrifice unto His meekness – was held at the home of Hájí Mullá Muhammad-`Alí Dahan in the village of Káv-Afshád [where all the village men,] including a Bahá’í named Ustád Ridá, were in attendance. Sometime during the event a group of thugs from Manshád arrived at the gathering and, on spotting Ustád Ridá, attempted to martyr him then and there. Some of the natives of Káv-Afshád, however, became agitated and prevented this slaying, arguing that, “In honor of the rawdih-khani[19] of Imám Husayn ibn `Ali, upon Him be peace, we will not permit that he be taken from this house and be slain.” …
A sever confrontation occurred between the villagers and Manshádí thugs, and at the end resulted in the Manshádí hooligans being expelled from the gathering by the people of Káv-Afshád. At the conclusion of the commemorative gathering, the esteemed Ustád Ridá, [apprehensive of his life,] left the house and took refuge in the house of Hasan, son Muhammad Káv-Afshádí, his son-in-law.
However, after only two days, the local thugs decided on slaying of Ustád Ridá. Hasan notified the ruffians of Ustád Ridá’s whereabouts. Thereupon the house of the son-in-law was rushed that Sunday afternoon, 16 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
After martyrdom, his body was hung from a nearby tree until the next morning when his sacred remains were lowered and buried by non-Bahá’ís behind and on the north side of the takiyih[21] of Káv-Afshád, by the road. Presently he remains buried in the same location.
Ustád Ridá was fifty-six years old at time of his martyrdom.
Village of Darrih
Shátir Hasan [son of Zaynu’l-`Abidin] was a Bahá’í from the Kushak-Naw quarter of
Meanwhile, the honored Áqá Mírzá Ibráhím Tabíb Khurramsháhí, a Bahá’í of
The hands of the two distinguished men were tied behind them. Led in front of the crowd, they were compelled to march to Kushtkhan[22] of Darrih village, to an area known as Khabbáz-Ráraun, while sustaining injuries of rocks, stones and sticks being thrown at them. On the way they were stoned so severely and repeatedly that before reaching their destination, they gave life to the Life-Giver. Their sacred remains were thrown in an empty well, between Bágh and the pool of Mazra`ih Javádí’s aqueduct. This well is by Ibráhím-Ábádí roadside, near a large bolder. The well was filled with dirt until their bodies were no longer visible. Shátir Hasan was thirty-five, and Mírzá Ibráhím Tabíb, sixty-five years old at the time of their martyrdom.
Village of Banadak-Sadat
When on Sunday, 2 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [28 June 1903], the news of the commotion and pogroms of Yazd and Manshád and martyrdom of the divine friends had reached the ears of the people in the village of Banádak, the inhabitants followed the example of the thugs in Yazd and Manshád and about two hundred of them and some others congregated two hours before the sunset deciding on killing the Bahá’ís and spilling the blood of those wronged-ones. They proceeded towards the Bagh-Kurk quarter, which was one of the neighborhoods of Banádak.
The esteemed Áqá Husayn, son of Báqir, was one of the believers of
Afterwards a rope was tied to his feet and he was dragged on the ground until they reached Kudar Tazarjan at the fork in the road where one road leads to Bágh-Hájían quarter and the other road leads inside Banádak village. They threw the remains in the middle of a small brook on skirts of the southern hills of Banádak, situated about twenty steps from the main road passing by the aqueduct of Qádí’s farm. After two days and nights that his sacred body was left on the mountainside, he was finally buried there. Áqá Husayn was sixty-five years old at the time of martyrdom.
The honored Áqá Mírzá Muhammad Hudá, who was one of the believers of
On Thursday, 6 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [2 July 1903], a group of men, including of the following, entered the residence of the honored Áqá Muhammad [Hudá]: Hájí Ahmad, son of Báqir; Hájí Siyyid Karím, son of Siyyid Husayn; Muhammad, son of Husayn; son of Báqir, the Mubashi; Mírzá Muhammad, son of Hájí Mullá Sádiq; Chiraq-`Ali, son of Ghulám-Husayn Khájíh; all were from Banádak, and from Yazd was Hájí Karím Shurmal and Hájí `Alí Dallak [masseur]. After the mob entered the house, they looked for the esteemed Áqá Muhammad, but on being unable to find him, torched the house and left.
They searched the nearby homes and eventually one of the thugs was able to locate him in one of the homes in the neighborhood, known as Khanih-Khuda’i. The crowd was notified of his whereabouts and in no time over one hundred fifty of the hoodlums entered the house and removed the honored Áqá Mírzá Muhammad from the house.
At first, Hájí Siyyid Karím, son of Siyyid Husayn, repeatedly stroke him with a chain he had brought with him. These beatings caused severe lacerations, but the ruffians retorted to Hájí Siyyid Karím, “Such beatings are ineffective and will not result in the desired outcome! We must slay him!” When Hájí Siyyid Karím heard such talks, he shot the honored Áqá Mírzá Muhammad. This was followed by shots fired at the victim by: Hájí Karím Shurmal; Chiraq-`Alí, son of Ghulám-Husayn Khájíh; and Hájí `Alí Dallak. Thereupon, the mob also opened fire on his remains.
It was two hours before
For three days, his charred remains were left on the mountainside. The thugs stoned it so much that it was completely covered and to this day rests in the same spot. The honored Mírzá Muhammad Hudá was fifty years old at the time of martyrdom.
Áqá Ghulám-Ridá, son of Husayn ibn Hájí Rahman, was one of the believers of Banádak-Sádát. Because of the hostilities of non-Bahá’ís, he had left Banádak two years earlier and was residing in Manshád. On the first day of troubles in his new town, he fled to the
It was Saturday, 15 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [11 July 1903], when Mírzá Muhammad Tafti and one of the attendants of Navvab Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad, titled Vakilu’t-Tawliyih, brought the honored Ghulám-Ridá to Manshád with hands tied, where he was conducted to the house of Muhammad Kalántar. It was the evening hour. They were ready to turn him over to Manshád’s thugs so he could be martyred that very night, but this servant was present in the gathering and said to Muhammad Kalántar, “The villagers did not commit this murder and refused to shoulder responsibilities for such an act. It would be best if the people of Manshád followed their example. If you deem appropriate, kindly allow him to leave this night for whatever directions he wishes.” Muhammad, however, did not consent to this request. Therefore I asked him to delay his killing until the morning, a request that was accepted. He instructed Áqá Ghulám-Ridá to be imprisoned.
That Sunday morning, 16 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
The same two men who had brought Áqá Ghulám-Ridá to Manshád by way of Nayr were now charged to take him, hands tied, to Banadak. There, he was first brought before Siyyid Kázim, brother of Navvab Vakilu’t-Tawliyih, and permission was sought to slay the prisoner. Outwardly, Siyyid Kázim ordered the release of the man, but with a secret motion issued instruction for his killing. A mob of about two hundred strong took Áqá Ghulám-Ridá from Siyyid Kázim’s house to Til Zankiyan, situated on the eastern flank of Banádak. He was surrounded by the mob. First, Husayn, son of Mihdi, who was a thug from
After his martyrdom, one of the thugs, a certain Raziq, from
The honored Ghulám-Ridá was thirty years old at the time of martyrdom.
Village of Hanzá
After the pogroms of Taft and
That day, Áqá Mírzá [Muhammad] Árám was in the mosque in Hanzá. Muhammad, son of Vahhab, entered and resolved to kill him. Áqá Mírzá [Muhammad] Árám, however, became aware of his intention and left the mosque for his house. Muhammad also came out of the mosque and followed him, looking for an opportunity to slay him on the way. Áqá Mírzá Árám entered his house, with Muhammad’s plan remaining frustrated.
When Wednesday morning, 5 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
After martyrdom, the thugs stoned his remains. Then they removed him to an orchard outside the village, known as Bágh Aramiha, which belonged to the martyred Mírzá Muhammad. He was buried there. Six years later, the widow of the honored Mírzá Muhammad, in accordance with Islamic practices, exhumed his remains from that location and carried it to
On Thursday, 6 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
Hájí ibn Abu-Talib entered the house and came by her room, calling her by name. Having no choice or recourse that exalted lady emerged from the room. Hájí ibn Abu-Talib and Husayn Kalagh Tafti seized that wronged woman, and at first beat her with chains so much that she was covered in blood. She pleaded ceaselessly, crying, “Have you no shame of my Grandfather, the Messenger of God[25], upon Him and His family be peace? For the sake of my sanctified Grandmother[26], discard the notion of killing me and leave me be.” They did not heed her pleas and showed no mercy.
They brought her by Hanzá’s river, across from the house of Mírzá `Abdu’llah Tabib Hanzá’í. While a large crowd had surrounded that wronged lady, Hájí ibn Abu-Talib and Husayn Kalagh Tafti each stabbed her, and then others joined in stoning her. It was two hours before
Afterwards a rope was tied to her feet and she was dragged to Hájí `Abdu’r-Rasúl Hanzá’í’s house. They gathered firewood and set her remains on fire. Not satisfied with that, they brought gunpowder and poured it over her and the fire, while continuing to stone and beat her body.
Subsequently, her charred remains were buried in an orchard belonging to the honored Áqá Siyyid Muhammad-`Ali, brother of that wronged woman, a spot that severs to this day as her resting-place. She was forty-nine years old at the time of martyrdom.
On the first day of upheavals, the rioters in Hanzá attempted to murder the honored Siyyid Muhammad-`Ali Kazir [son of Sharu’d-Din and brother of martyred Fatimih Bagum] and the honored Áqá Mírzá Javád Sabbagh [son of Muhammad Qannad [confectioner]]. Fearing the antagonism of the enemies, the two men escaped and each took refuge at a different place. For three days Áqá Siyyid Muhammad-`Ali Kazir was hiding in the hills on the north of Hanzá: one day in the home of Siyyid Vali Khan Hanzá’í, and two more days in the aqueduct’s wells. The honored Áqá Mírzá Javád Sabbagh also hid for two days in the house of Mírzá Mihdi, son of Hájí `Abdu’r-Rasúl Hanzá’í, and four more days in the home of Husayn, son of Ismá`íl Hanzá’í.
On Friday, 7 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
When the people of Tazarjan saw the honored Áqá Siyyid Muhammad-`Ali, they decided to take his life. Mu`in-Divan’s attendants tried what they could to prevent them, but were unsuccessful. Those involved included three thugs from
This group was planning to bring Áqá Siyyid Muhammad-`Ali from Tazarjan to Hanzá. But by the time they reached Mazra`ih Husayn-Ábád, the transgressors compelled Áqá Siyyid Muhammad-`Ali to climb an orchard’s wall, which he reluctantly and with no recourse agreed to. From below, Hájí `Ali Hujjih-furush fired a shot at his head, followed by shots by Muhammad Palang and volleys from other thugs. Áqá Siyyid Muhammad-`Ali fell from the top of the wall to the ground and thusly attained the exalted station of martyrdom that day at noontime. The evildoers stoned his remains and they tied a rope to his feet and dragged him to the
As for Áqá Mírzá Javád Sabbágh, his martyrdom occurred on the same day, 7 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
The mob moved quickly and surrounded the residence of Husayn ibn Ismá`íl. Some of the men entered the house and brought Áqá Mírzá Javád outside. By the authorization of Mírzá Muhammad-Ja`far, the same aforementioned group of thugs and vagabonds, joined by a number of other hoodlums and rioters, carried the honored Áqá Mírzá Javád to the home of Mírzá Muhammad-Ridá Mujtahid Kirmanshahi. They tied him to a pine tree and shot him repeatedly.
It was three hours after
Village of Hadash
On Friday[27], 29 Rabí`u’l-Avval 1321 A.H. [
People inquired of Husayn Mubashir, “What wrong has this youth committed that you have him thusly tied to a tree?” “This lad is a Bahá’í,” he responded, “and has escaped from
Therefore, Husayn ordered that honored person to be untied from the tree and conducted to the home of Áqá Shaykh `Ali, where Áqá Shaykh Ahmad Hadashi was present in that gathering as well. When Áqá `Abdu’r-Rasúl entered, Áqá Shaykh `Ali and Shaykh Ahmad questioned him thoroughly. Afterwards they responded to Husayn ibn Abu’l-Hasan and the villagers, “We were unable to ascertain the truth of this lad’s beliefs and consequently are unable to render an opinion on his case and issue a fatwa condemning him to death. Take this boy to Qaraq quarter which is one of Hadash’s neighborhoods, before Mullá `Abdu’l-Karim Rawdih-khan [reciter] and inquire from the people of that quarter about him as they know him well. If someone without malice and based on insight and knowledge testifies to the apostasy of this youth, then he must be killed.”
Husayn, son of Abu’l-Hasan, and a crowd of three hundred strong, carried Áqá `Abdu’r-Rasúl from that house and for some two hours paraded him in the streets of Hadash village. It was two hours before
However, Shaykh `Alí and Shaykh Ahmad stated to the ruffians, “This testimony does not establish the apostasy and infidelity of this youth and therefore you cannot kill him.” The thugs did not heed the words of Shaykh Ahmad and brought the honored Áqá `Abdu’r-Rasúl outside the house to murder him. That gentle youth grabbed the hem of the garment of Husayn ibn Abu’l-Hasan and pleaded not to be killed. But that tyrant did not accept and ordered his slaying.
The thugs surrounded him in the same Baghistan [orchard], next to the home of Hasan, son of Abu-Talib Hadashi. First, Áqá Kuchak Safa Raz, a native of
After he was murdered, a rope was tied to his feet and his sacred remains were dragged on the ground. He was taken to the river next to the village cemetery, near Mazra`ih Mullá `Abdu’l-Karím’s pool, about fifty yards north of the road, on the eastern flank of Hadash’s hills. They threw his body there.
Two natives of Hadash, one was Hájí `Ali, son of Áqá Muhammad, and the other, wife of Hasan, son of Bábá, each brought a container of kerosene and for the sake of nearness unto God, poured over his sanctified remains and set him on fire. After he was charred, the hoodlums stoned him so much that his remained were completely covered by stones.
The honored Áqá `Abdu’r-Rasúl was fourteen years old at the time of martyrdom.
Village of Tang-Chinár [of Pusht-kuh farms]
On the first day of upheavals in
Consequently, congruent with the Governor’s wishes, the honored Hájí Mírzá Muhammad, left
That night, Áqá Muhammad-Háshim carried the provisions with him to Mihríjird arriving there on Sunday morning, 2 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
It was the eve of Monday, 3 Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321 A.H. [
When the honored Áqá Muhammad-Háshim arrived at the farm, the inhabitants of that farm and other farms in Tang-Chinár became aware of his arrival, and congregated and surrounded him. Muhammad-`Ali, son of Ridá, and Husayn and Muhammad, sons of Taqi Sariban Chinárí, and some other thugs of Tang-Chinár shot him with repeated volleys. Then they stoned and clubbed his remains. It was two hours before
After martyrdom they tied a rope to his feet and dragged him until they reached a river situated between Muradi’s and Hájí Muhammad-`Ali’s farms. There the mob collected firewood and set afire his remains. … After incinerating his sacred temple, they buried it there by the river where it remains to this day.
The honored Áqá Muhammad-Háshim Dallal was forty-two years old at the time of martyrdom. …
Honor Role of Bahá’í Martyrs of
Manshád and its Vicinity
Town of Manshád
June 27 Mullá `Alí-Akbar 70 years old
June 27 Muhammad-Ismá`íl 67
June 27 Ustád Husayn 50
June 27 Áqá Husayn 65
June 27 Áqá Ghulám-`Alí 18
June 27 Áqá Ramadan 22
June 27 Siyyid Mírzá 75
June 28 Mullá Muhammad Manshádí 58
June 29 Áqá `Alí-Akbar 56
June 29 Shátir Hasan 60
June 30 Áqá `Alí-Akbar ibn Hasan 50
July 1 Áqá Mírzá Husayn 60
July 1 Áqá `Alí-Muhammad 45
July 2 Khadíjih-Sultan 65
July 3 Áqá Siyyid Javád 40
July 4 Áqá Muhammad -`Alí 50
July 5 Áqá Ghulám-Ridá 40
July 9 Áqá Assadu’llah 35
July 10 Áqá Mírzá Muhammad 43
July 10 Áqá Siyyid Husayn 40
July 10 Áqá Husayn-`Alí 19
July 11 Áqá Ghulám-Husayn 63
July 11 Siyyid `Alí 35
July 11 Áqá Siyyid Báqir 51
July 12 Áqá Muhammad 23
July 12 mother of martyr Ustád Husayn 70
July 15 Mullá Babá’í 65
July 24 Siyyid Javád 14
Village of Káv-Afshád
July 12 Ustád Ridá 56 years old
Village of Darrih
June 26 Shátir Hasan 35
June 26 Mírzá Ibráhím Tabíb 65
Village of Banadak
June 28 Áqá Husayn 65
July 2 Mírzá Muhammad Hudá 50
July 12 Áqá Ghulám-Ridá 30
Village of Hanza
July 1 Mírzá Muhammad Árám 40
July 2 Fatimih Bagum 49
July 3 Áqá Siyyid Muhammad-`Alí 40
July 3 Áqá Mírzá Javád Sabbágh 42
Village of Hadash
June 27 Áqá `Abdu’r-Rasúl 14
Village of Tang-Chinár
June 29 Áqá Muhammad-Háshim 42
[1] This biography appears at the beginning of the Manshád history and is reproduced here in translation.
[2] Provisional translation of this Tablet was graciously contributed by Dr. Khazeh Fananapazir.
[3] According to calendars available to the present translator, the first day of Rabí`u’th-Thání 1321A.H. corresponded to
[4] The Bábí-Bahá’í calendar divides time into cycles of 19 years, vahid, with the third year being “Ab”, father. “Ab” is composed of two letters that have the numerical values of 1 and 2, respectively, and therefore their sum is 3.
[5] As customary with Middle Eastern Bahá’í narratives, the opening passage is devoted to praise and glorification of God, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. This passage has been omitted in the present translation.
[6] Calendars available to the present translators give 16 Rabí`u’l-Avval as a Friday. However, the lunar dating may vary slightly from place to place as the beginning of the month is determined by the local cleric’s sighting of the moon.
[7] According to Malmírí, p. 89, the first shop they went to was that of Áqá Muhammad Husayn Attar, son of Hájí `Aziz Khan.
[8] A dramatic preacher specializing in the emotional recitation of the narratives of martyrdom of Imam Husayn.
[9] These two brothers and their entire family had embraced the new Faith on Siyyid Yahyá Vahíd Dárábí’s last visit to
[10] Most likely typist error and “after” is meant.
[11] A building where large gatherings for mourning of the martyred Imáms are held.
[12] Al-i `
[13] The last two sentences occurs further in the narrative, but to improve the flow, it has been moved to this spot.
[14] The text erroneously has Siyyid Taqí.
[15] The text erroneously has Tazyaj.
[16] Every year in the month of Muharram, the first month in the lunar calendar of Islam, the Shí`ís mourn the martyrdom of Imám Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Karbalá in the year 61 A.H. As part of the rituals commemorating the events of Karbalá, a large coffin resembling a palm tree is prepared and covered with expensive fabrics and decorated with daggers, swords, and mirrors. The believers carry the coffin, representing Imám Husayn’s coffin, the procession that passes through the streets. It appears that such a coffin was in the town-square and that Siyyid `Ali sought refuge behind it. Hence the protests of the villagers that “the palm was sacred” and that “his life should be spared.”
[17] Mullá Bábá’í had become a believer some fifty-three years earlier, during Vahíd Dáríbí’s visit to
[18] In addition to the account of the Manshád’s pogrom, Siyyid Muhammad Tabíb Manshádí also recorded the heinous Bahá’í killings in the nearby villages. Because of their historical importance, they have been translated as well.
[19] Commemoration or observance gatherings in honor of Imam Husayn.
[20] This comment echoes the exhortation of Bahá’u’lláh in the Lawh Shikar Shikkan. For the text of the tablet, see The Bahá’í World: An International Record, Volume XVIII, 1979-1983, comp. The Universal House of Justice (Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1986), p. 11.
[21] Takiyih is the place of worship or soothsaying for the Shi`ih Muslims.
[22] An area used to slaughtering sheep.
[23] Allusion to the fact that Prophet Abraham was tested with fire.
[24] According to calendars available to the present translator, 4 Rabí`u’th-Thání was a Tuesday.
[25] A reference to Prophet Muhammad.
[26] A reference to Fatimih, daughter of Prophet Muhammad.
[27] According to calendars available to the present translator, 29 Rabi`u’l-Avval was a Thursday.
[28] Each farsang is 6 kilometers.