Memorials of the
Faithful by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Translated from the original Persian text annotated by Marzieh Gail
Wilmette, Illinois
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CONTENTS Proem . . . xi 1 Nabíl-i-Akbar . . . 3 2 Ismu’lláhu’l-A¦daq . . . 7 3 Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar . . . 10 4 Shaykh Salmán . . . 14 5 Mírzá Mu¥ammad-‘Alí, the Afnán . . . 18 6 Þájí Mírzá Þasan, the Afnán . . . 23 7 Mu¥ammad-‘Alíy-i-I¦fahání . . . 25 8 ‘Abdu’¦-ßáli¥, the Gardener . . . 27 9 Ustád Ismá‘íl . . . 30 10 Nabíl-i-Zarandí . . . 33 11 Darvísh ßidq-‘Alí . . . 38 12 Áqá Mírzá Ma¥múd and Áqá Ri¤á . . . 40 13 Pidar-Ján of Qazvín . . . 43 14 Shaykh ßádiq-i-Yazdí . . . 44 15 Sháh-Mu¥ammad-Amín . . . 46 16 Mashhadí Fa¬¬á¥ . . . 48 17 Nabíl of Qá’in . . . 50 18 Siyyid Mu¥ammad-Taqí Manshádí . . . 55 19 Mu¥ammad-‘Alí ßabbáq of Yazd . . . 58 20 ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár of I¦fahán . . . 60 21 ‘Alí Najaf-Ábádí . . . 62 22 Mashhadí Þusayn and Mashhadí Mu¥ammad-i-Ádhirbáyjání . . . 63
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23 Þájí ‘Abdu’r-Ra¥ím-i-Yazdí . . . 65 24 Þájí ‘Abdu’lláh Najaf-Ábádí . . . 67 25 Mu¥ammad-Hádíy-i-ßa¥¥áf . . . 68 26 Mírzá Mu¥ammad-Qulí . . . 71 27 Ustád Báqir and Ustád A¥mad . . . 73 28 Mu¥ammad Þaná-Sáb . . . 74 29 Þájí Faraju’lláh Tafríshí . . . 76 30 Áqá Ibráhím-i-I¦fahání and His Brothers . . . 77 31 Áqá Mu¥ammad-Ibráhím . . . 81 32 Zaynu’l-‘Ábidín Yazdí . . . 83 33 Þájí Mullá Mihdíy-i-Yazdí . . . 84 34 His Eminence Kalím (Mírzá Músá) . . . 86 35 Þájí Mu¥ammad Khán . . . 91 36 Áqá Mu¥ammad-Ibráhím Amír . . . 94 37 Mírzá Mihdíy-i-Káshání . . . 95 38 Mishkín-Qalam . . . 98 39 Ustád ‘Alí-Akbar-i-Najjár . . . 102 40 Shaykh ‘Alí-Akbar-i-Mázgání . . . 104 41 Mírzá Mu¥ammad, the Servant at the Travelers’ Hospice . . . 106 42 Mírzá Mu¥ammad-i-Vakíl . . . 108 43 Þájí Mu¥ammad-Ri¤áy-i-Shírází . . . 116 44 Þusayn Effendi Tabrízí . . . 118 45 Jamshíd-i-Gurjí . . . 119 46 Þájí Ja‘far-i-Tabrízí and His Brothers . . . 122 47 Þájí Mírzá Mu¥ammad-Taqí, the Afnán . . . 126 48 ‘Abdu’lláh Baghdádí . . . 129
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49 Mu¥ammad-Mu¦¬afá Baghdádí . . . 131 50 Sulaymán Khán-i-Tunukábání . . . 134 51 ‘Abdu’r-Ra¥mán, the Coppersmith . . . 138 52 Mu¥ammad-Ibráhím-i-Tabrízí . . . 139 53 Mu¥ammad-‘Alíy-i-Ardikání . . . 141 54 Þájí Áqáy-i-Tabrízí . . . 142 55 Ustád Qulám-‘Alíy-i-Najjár . . . 143 56 Jináb-i-Muníb . . . 144 57 Mírzá Mu¦¬afá Naráqí . . . 147 58 Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín . . . 149 59 ‘Aμím-i-Tafríshí . . . 153 60 Mírzá Ja‘far-i-Yazdí . . . 155 61 Þusayn-Áqáy-i-Tabrízí . . . 157 62 ‘Alí-‘Askar-i-Tabrízí . . . 160 63 Áqá ‘Alíy-i-Qazvíní . . . 163 64 Áqá Mu¥ammad-Báqir and Áqá Mu¥ammad-Ismá‘íl, the Tailor . . . 166 65 Abu’l-Qásim of Sul¬án-Ábád . . . 169 66 Áqá Faraj . . . 170 67 The Consort of the King of Martyrs . . . 171 68 Shamsu’¤-Øu¥á . . . 178 69 øáhirih . . . 188 Guide to Persian Pronunciation . . . 201 Glossary . . . 203
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Memorials of the Faithful ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ There was, in the city of Najaf, ______________________________________________ among the disciples of the widely known mujtahid, Shaykh ______________________________________________ Murta¤á, a man without likeness or peer. His name was Áqá ______________________________________________ Mu¥ammad-i-Qá’iní, and later on he would receive, from the ______________________________________________ Manifestation, the title of Nabíl-i-Akbar.1 This eminent soul ______________________________________________ became the leading member of the mujtahid’s company of dis______________________________________________ ciples. Singled out from among them all, he alone was given ______________________________________________ the rank of mujtahid—for the late Shaykh Murta¤á was never ______________________________________________ wont to confer this degree. ______________________________________________ He excelled not only in theology but in other branches of ______________________________________________ knowledge, such as the humanities, the philosophy of the Illu______________________________________________ minati, the teachings of the mystics and of the Shaykhí School. ______________________________________________ He was a universal man, in himself alone a convincing proof. ______________________________________________ When his eyes were opened to the light of Divine guidance, ______________________________________________ and he breathed in the fragrances of Heaven, he became a ·ame of______________________________________________ God. Then his heart leapt within him, and in an ecstasy of ______________________________________________ joy and love, he roared out like a leviathan in the deep. ______________________________________________ With praises showered upon him, he received his new rank ______________________________________________ from the mujtahid. He then left Najaf and came to Baghdad, ______________________________________________ and here he was honored with meeting Bahá’u’lláh. Here he ______________________________________________ beheld the light that blazed on Sinai in the Holy Tree. Soon he ______________________________________________ was in such a state that he could rest neither day nor night. ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 1 ______________________________________________ For the author of The Dawn-Breakers, see Nabíl-i-Zarandí. ______________________________________________
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______________________________________________ One day, on the ·oor of the outer apartments reserved for ______________________________________________ the men, the honored Nabíl was reverently kneeling in the pres______________________________________________ ence of Bahá’u’lláh. At that moment Þájí Mírzá Þasan-‘Amú, a ______________________________________________ trusted associate of the mujtahids of Karbilá, came in with ______________________________________________ Zaynu’l-‘Ábidín Khán, the Fakhru’d-Dawlih. Observing how ______________________________________________ humbly and deferentially Nabíl was kneeling there, the Þají ______________________________________________ was astonished. ______________________________________________ “Sir,” he murmured, “what are you doing in this place?” ______________________________________________ Nabíl answered, “I came here for the same reason you did.” ______________________________________________ The two visitors could not recover from their surprise, for it ______________________________________________ was widely known that this personage was unique among ______________________________________________ mujtahids and was the most favored disciple of the renowned ______________________________________________ Shaykh Murta¤á. ______________________________________________ Later, Nabíl-i-Akbar left for Persia and went on to Khurásán. ______________________________________________ The Amír of Qá’in—Mír ‘Alam Khán—showed him every cour______________________________________________ tesy at ³rst, and greatly valued his company. So marked was ______________________________________________ this that people felt the Amír was captivated by him, and in______________________________________________ deed he was spellbound at the scholar’s eloquence, knowledge, ______________________________________________ and accomplishments. One can judge, from this, what honors ______________________________________________ were accorded to Nabíl by the rest, for “men follow the faith of ______________________________________________ their kings.” ______________________________________________ Nabíl spent some time thus esteemed and in high favor, but ______________________________________________ the love he had for God was past all concealing. It burst from ______________________________________________ his heart, ·amed out and consumed its coverings. ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ A thousand ways I tried ______________________________________________ My love to hide— ______________________________________________ But how could I, upon that blazing pyre ______________________________________________ Not catch ³re! ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ He brought light to the Qá’in area and converted a great ______________________________________________ number of people. And when he had become known far and ______________________________________________ wide by this new name, the clergy, envious and malevolent, ______________________________________________
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Memorials of the Faithful ______________________________________________ arose, and informed against him, sending their calumnies on to ______________________________________________ øihrán, so that Ná¦iri’d-Dín Sháh rose up in wrath. Terri³ed of ______________________________________________ the Sháh, the Amír attacked Nabíl with all his might. Soon the ______________________________________________ whole city was in an uproar, and the populace, lashed to fury, ______________________________________________ turned upon him. ______________________________________________ That enraptured lover of God never gave way, but with______________________________________________ stood them all. At last, however, they drove him out—drove ______________________________________________ out that man who saw what they did not—and he went up to ______________________________________________ øihrán, where he was a fugitive, and homeless. ______________________________________________ Here, his enemies struck at him again. He was pursued by ______________________________________________ the watchmen; guards looked everywhere for him, asking after ______________________________________________ him in every street and alley, hunting him down to catch and ______________________________________________ torture him. Hiding, he would pass by them like the sigh of the ______________________________________________ oppressed, and rise to the hills; or again, like the tears of the ______________________________________________ wronged, he would slip down into the valleys. He could no ______________________________________________ longer wear the turban denoting his rank; he disguised himself, ______________________________________________ putting on a layman’s hat, so that they would fail to recognize ______________________________________________ him and would let him be. ______________________________________________ In secret, with all his powers he kept on spreading the Faith ______________________________________________ and setting forth its proofs, and was a guiding lamp to many ______________________________________________ souls. He was exposed to danger at all times, always vigilant ______________________________________________ and on his guard. The Government never gave up its search for ______________________________________________ him, nor did the people cease from discussing his case. ______________________________________________ He left, then, for Bukhárá and ‘Ishqábád, continuously teach______________________________________________ ing the Faith in those regions. Like a candle, he was using up ______________________________________________ his life; but in spite of his su²erings he was never dispirited, ______________________________________________ rather his joy and ardor increased with every passing day. He ______________________________________________ was eloquent of speech; he was a skilled physician, a remedy for ______________________________________________ every ill, a balm to every sore. He would guide the Illuminati ______________________________________________ by their own philosophical principles, and with the mystics he ______________________________________________ would prove the Divine Advent in terms of “inspiration” and ______________________________________________ the “celestial vision.” He would convince the Shaykhí leaders by______________________________________________ quoting the very words of their late Founders, Shaykh A¥mad ______________________________________________
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______________________________________________ and Siyyid Káμim, and would convert Islamic theologians with ______________________________________________ texts from the Qur’án and traditions from the Imáms, who ______________________________________________ guide mankind aright. Thus he was an instant medicine to the ______________________________________________ ailing, and a rich bestowal to the poor. ______________________________________________ He became penniless in Bukhárá and a prey to many troubles, ______________________________________________ until at the last, far from his homeland, he died, hastening ______________________________________________ away to the Kingdom where no poverty exists. ______________________________________________ Nabíl-i-Akbar was the author of a masterly essay demon______________________________________________ strating the truth of the Cause, but the friends do not have it in ______________________________________________ hand at the present time. I hope that it will come to light, and ______________________________________________ will serve as an admonition to the learned. It is true that in this ______________________________________________ swiftly passing world he was the target of countless woes; and ______________________________________________ yet, all those generations of powerful clerics, those shaykhs like ______________________________________________ Murta¤á and Mírzá Þabíbu’lláh and Áyatu’lláh-i-Khurásání and ______________________________________________ Mullá Asadu’lláh-i-Mázindarání—all of them will disappear ______________________________________________ without a trace. They will leave no name behind them, no sign, ______________________________________________ no fruit. No word will be passed down from any of them; no ______________________________________________ man will tell of them again. But because he stood steadfast in ______________________________________________ this holy Faith, because he guided souls and served this Cause ______________________________________________ and spread its fame, that star, Nabíl, will shine forever from the ______________________________________________ horizon of abiding light. ______________________________________________ It is clear that whatever glory is gained outside the Cause of ______________________________________________ God turns to abasement at the end; and ease and comfort not ______________________________________________ met with on the path of God are ³nally but care and sorrow; ______________________________________________ and all such wealth is penury, and nothing more. ______________________________________________ A sign of guidance, he was, an emblem of the fear of God. ______________________________________________ For this Faith, he laid down his life, and in dying, triumphed. ______________________________________________ He passed by the world and its rewards; he closed his eyes to ______________________________________________ rank and wealth; he loosed himself from all such chains and ______________________________________________ fetters, and put every worldly thought aside. Of wide learning, at______________________________________________ once a mujtahid, a philosopher, a mystic, and gifted with ______________________________________________ intuitive sight, he was also an accomplished man of letters and an______________________________________________ orator without a peer. He had a great and universal mind. ______________________________________________ Praise be to God, at the end he was made the recipient of heavenly grace. Upon him be the glory of God, the All-Glori-
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