Bahaism and Its Claims Part 14

[340] Phelps, p. 139.

[341] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 361.

[342] "New Hist.," p. 273, Note 2.

[343] "Tablets of Abdul Baha," Vol. I, pp. 209, 218.

[344] "New Hist.," p. 415 and Note 1.

[345] "Tablets," Vol. I, p. 107.

[346] "Trav.'s Narr.," p. 84.

[347] "Facts for Behaists," p. 59.

[348] _The Family of Baha Ullah (1817-1892)_

First wife, named Nawab, or Aseyeh, ent.i.tled Veraka-ulya, "the Supreme Leaf," married at Teheran, 1251 A. H., _i. e._, 1835 A. D.

Her children, (1) Aga Mirza Sadik, born at Teheran, died at 4 years. (2) Abbas Effendi, born at Teheran, 1841. (3) Bahiah Khanum, born at Teheran, 1844. N. B.: Some reverse the order of (2) and (3). (4) Ali Mohammed, born at Teheran, died at 7 years. (5) Aga Mahdi, born at Teheran, died at Acca, 1871. (6) Ali Mohammed, born at Bagdad, died at 2 years.

Companion wife, Ayesha, t.i.tle Mahd Ulya, "the Supreme Cradle," married A. H. 1266, 1850 A. D.

Her children, (1) Mohammed Ali, born at Bagdad, 1854. (2) Samadiah, Bagdad, 1857, died Acca, 1904. (3) Ali Mohammed, Bagdad, died at 2 years. (4) Saz-Habbieh, Bagdad, died Constantinople. (5) Zia Ullah, Adrianople, 1867, Haifa, 1898. (6) Badi Ullah, Adrianople.

Concubine, a sister of Mirza Mahdi Kashani, taken at Bagdad.

Her child, (1) One daughter, born 1873, at Acca, name Shuruk.

The wives and concubine of Baha Ullah all survived him.

[349] Phelps, p. 139.

[350] "New Hist.," pp. 160-162, 164.

[351] "Life of Abbas Effendi," p. 92.

[352] Phelps, p. 94.

[353] Phelps, p. 105.

[354] A Chicago Bahai told me that Baha took several wives, that his experience of the evils of polygamy, the quarrels of his wives and children might be a warning to us not to follow his example!

[355] See Professor Browne's Introduction to Mirza Jani's "History."

Also Abul Fazl's "Bahai Proofs," pp. 113-119, and Kheiralla's "Facts for Behaists."

[356] _Jour. Roy. As. Soc._, 1892.

[357] "The wife is still in a helpless state; her fate remains entirely in the power of her husband's caprice "(Vatralsky in _Amer. Jour. of Theology_, 1902, p. 72).

[358] "Trav.'s Narr.," pp. 378-379.

[359] _Outlook_, of New York, quoted in _The Missionary Review_, October, 1901, p. 773.

[360] "A Heavenly Vista," by L. G. Gregory, p. 31.

[361] Page 15.

[362] "Encyc. Britt.," article, "Babism."

[363] Dreyfus, _Ibid._, p. 128.

[364] But if they limit themselves to twenty-eight words, it was better for them, says the "Bayan."

[365] _American Rev. of Rev._, 1912, p. 719.

[366] Pages 191-198.

[367] "Observations of a Bahai Traveller," by Remey, pp. 53, 67; also Dreyfus, _Ibid._, p. 172.

[368] "New Hist.," pp. 274, 441.

[369] Her spirit of intolerance is condemned by Professor Browne.

[370] "New Hist.," p. 357.

[371] Mirza Jani's "History," Introduction, p. xlii.

[372] "New Hist.," p. 365.

[373] "A Year Among the Persians," p. 523.

[374] "Mohammedan young men will no longer consent to marry girls they have not seen, but now in Beirut visit them and drive out with them on the public highways with the mothers as chaperones" (Jessup's "Fifty-three Years in Syria," p. 640).

[375] Phelps, p. x.x.xix.

[376] _Ibid._, p. 109; Chase, "In Galilee," p. 63; Goodall, "Daily Lessons," p. 19. Abdul Baha did not break through oriental custom nor serve the lady guests before himself. The lady pilgrim writes, "The first day at lunch, after Baha had partaken of the honey, he pa.s.sed it to us" ("Daily Lessons," p. 16). Like the ordinary Moslem he was well pleased to sit down to eat with the foreign ladies but never arranged that the American Bahai men should sit down to meals with his ladies.

Mr. C. M. Remey tells, in "Observations of a Bahai Traveller," of meeting Persian Bahai women but rarely in Persia (pp. 75-76). In Kasvin, in the garden of Kurrat-ul-Ayn, one woman partly raised her veil and gave him a greeting of welcome. In Teheran a lady, unveiled, and her husband entertained the Bahais. The husband and wife received the twenty men in one room and the wife received the dozen women in another room.

They were separated by a curtain, through which Sprague and Remey spoke, telling of the liberty of women in the West. The lady of the house used her best persuasion to induce the other women to mix with the men.

Finally "the women arose and drawing aside their veils with one accord entered the room. The men made place for the ladies by retreating to the other side of the room, while the newcomers found seats. When the women had arisen to the situation, they were quite equal to it. Then it was the men who were ill at ease. In fact their embarra.s.sment was contagious, for even I began to be uneasy and scarcely dared to take a look at the faces opposite. Sherbets and other refreshments were served and chanting continued. Bit by bit the men gained their ease, but, as their embarra.s.sment pa.s.sed, the women seemed to lose courage. Little by little the veils were drawn over their faces. Then one moved as if to leave, where upon all arose and like a flock of affrighted birds fluttered from the room." This incident shows how little change has been affected in the social habits of Bahai women in sixty years after Kurrat-ul-Ayn.

[377] B = 2, a = 1, h = 5, a = 1, total 9 in Persian Abjad counting.

[378] "Tablets of Abdul Baha," Vol. I, p. 50.

[379] _Ibid._, p. 27.