If Walls Could Speak ...
Introduction to the Account of Sayyid Ibrahim Concerning Nayriz
By: Ahang Rabbani
In the ancient times, man recorded his daily observations and history of important events through drawings on the cave walls. In the modern times, one would not expect important history to be written merely on walls, but as it turns out, an eyewitness account of the Babis of Nayris is just that: A history on the wall.
During 1850-53, the Babis of Nayriz were
engulfed in defending their community against a most brutal and murderous campaign
in the course of which many thousands on both sides perished. At the conclusion
of those events, a citizen of that city inscribed the details of the
occurrences on the inner wall of a popular mosque, the Masjid-i Jami` Saghir[1]
(The Smaller Friday Mosque). In the colophon of this important historical
document, the author introduces himself as Ibrahim, son of Áqá Siyyid Husayn
Nayrízi, and the present translator knows no other biographical information
about him.
M.A. Faizi reports that Shu`lih[2]
in the introduction of his collection of poetry, known as Khusraw va Shirin, has written, “... Eventually the government
provided support to the local forces and in the same way that is written on the
wall of the Masjid-i Jami` Saghir by the hand of the late Siyyid Taqi
Khushnivis Nayrízi, and is reflected with some minor differences and errors in
the Nasikhu’t-Tavvarikh, Siyyid Yahyá
was slain...”[3]
This particular mosque was located in the
Bazar quarter of Nayríz and all along had been in the hand of the Muslims
waging battles with the Bábís. Therefore, the fact that such a history was
recorded and preserved on its wall indicates the deep impressions that this
event had made on the consciousness of the people of Nayríz. Although written
in a seemingly neutral language, and in a few parts even outwardly critical of
Vahid and his followers, it does not fail to convey the depth of admiration and
respect for the Bábís that had been evoked in the heart of the writer. Clearly
the author, who resided in the quarter whose inhabitants had been extremely
hostile to the Bábís and himself an observer, or perhaps a participant in the
battles, had developed such admiration towards the besieged that he took the
not inconsiderable risk of penning this sympathetic narrative in a public
place. In this regard, about the author of this historic account, H.M. Balyuzi
has noted, “Although he had to write with circumspection to avoid being
denounced, he composed his narrative in such a way that one can, without
difficulty, read more of it between the lines. His account bears out the fact
that Vahíd was given solemn assurances, that he was received with great esteem
and reverence, that those who had pledged their word broke their pledges, that
the quarter of Chinar-Sukhtih, which was then a stronghold of the Bábís of
Nayríz, and the quarter of Bazar were sacked, that houses were demolished, huge
sums of money extorted, and Nayríz was reduced to a state of desolation.”[4]
For many years this singularly
important narrative remained unnoticed and protected under a cover of dust and
dirt and only in 1940 did it come to notice, when an archaeologist examining
historic buildings in Nayriz discovered its existence. The dust and debris was
carefully removed from this inscription until finally the actual text became
fully visible. This archaeologist, who according to Ruhani, was friendly
towards the Baha’is, provided the Spiritual Assembly of that city with a copy
of the inscription.[5] The full
text was reproduced in Nayríz-i Mushkbiz
and Lam`atu’l-Anvar[6],
and while some minor differences exist between them, both sources have been
utilized in this translation.[7]
In terms of writing style, this document was composed in the customary Qájár
mode, which included a generous dosage of abstruse language, excessive
ambiguities and many laudatory titles. To the degree possible, these have been
retained in the translation so that the reader can have an idea of this style
of composition.
