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| MÍRZÁ 'AZÍZU'LLÁH-I-JADHDHÁB |
Aqa 'Azizu'llah-i-Jadhdhab, the merchant, whose honesty so surprised Mirza 'Ali-Asghar Khan, the Aminu's-Sultan, as to declare him to be an angel, came from the Jewish fold.
Mashhad is a holy city and it had had a sizeable Jewish population. They suffered considerably at the hands of unruly fanatics. As happened in Europe in medieval times, when Jews were forced to renounce their faith although many of them whilst ostensibly professing Christianity kept to their old allegiance, so it happened in Mashhad in recent times. Let Lord Curzon tell us what occurred in Mashhad, during the reign of Muhammad Shah:
It must also be added that the poor Jewess could not bring herself to slaughter the stray dog they had cornered. A Muslim was asked to do it for her, and it was this man, perhaps out of fear, who dashed about shouting that the Jews were guilty of insolence and deliberate affront, offering for sacrifice a dog on the day when sheep or camels are sacrificed in memory of the act of Abraham. Whatever the case, the Jews of Mashhad, dwelling in the quarter of the city called the 'Idgah, paid heavily in human lives on that tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijjah. Some fifty of them suffered death, their synagogue was demolished, their Torahs consigned to the fire. It is reported that only one Torah remained; it had been secreted in a safe place. Then, as that forcible conversion took shape, the holy city came to have a Jadid-Khanih (New House): the quarter of the Jadidu'l-Islam (newly converted to Islam).
Of course it is impossible to say how many of those repressed Jews genuinely became Muslims and how many remained attached to their old faith. But there was one Jew in Mashhad of whose true allegiance we have ample evidence; he was Mulla Hizqil (Ezekiel), known as Namdar, the father of Aqa 'Azizu'llah. Mulla Hizqil was a merchant, but he was also very learned, and held classes to teach his pupils the Torah, the Talmud and other religious works. Even more, he had a copy of the Mathnavi of Jalali'd-Din-i-Rumi, written in Hebrew characters, from which he taught his favourite pupils. Some twelve years prior to that episode of forcible conversion, Mulla Hizqil invited Mirza 'Askari, an eminent Muslim divine of Mashhad whom he knew personally, to give him the word of testifying to utter. He told Mirza 'Askari that studying Torah and other holy scriptures had convinced him of the truth of Islam. So, years before the tumult of 1838, Mulla Hizqil had, of his own accord, become a Muslim, but no one in his family other than his wife, and certainly none of his pupils, knew of it. Then one day, when engaged in reading from Rumi's Mathnavi, he turned to his eldest son and said: 'Shamuyil [Samuel]! Holy scriptures indicate that today is the day of the Advent of that greatest Manifestation of Yahweh [Jehovah], Who is the Redeemer of all. I shall be leaving this world, but beware lest you all remain heedless.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah was two years old when his father died, and under his mother's care he grew up mindful of his religious duties. However, when he was eight years of age, and attending a Muslim school in their quarter, one day a boy tried to cheat him, not giving back to him some of his writing materials which he had purloined. Another boy intervened and ordered the cheat: 'Give it back to him; these people are still Jewish.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah, not being cognizant of his own origins, was terribly hurt; he told his mother, 'I will never go again to that place for my lessons; today, a boy insulted me and called me "Yahudi" [Jewish].' His mother explained their situation to him, of which the boy had been totally ignorant, and it revolted him. At that early age, he decided to revert to the Faith of his forefathers. His mother had said to him: 'Being Yahudi meant that we are descendants of Yahuda, the son of Jacob. We have been forcibly converted to Islam; but your own father had, years before that forced conversion, by his own free will come into the Islamic fold. During that awful night of massacre and murder, at the instance of Mirza 'Askari, who himself had given your father the word of Shahadat [testifying] to utter, we were all taken to the house of Aqa Rajab, who was called Rajab Bahadur. We ourselves remained safe, but all that we possessed was pillaged.' Horrified, Aqa 'Azizu'llah ceased going to that Muslim school for his lessons, and at a tender age started trading. And he became a master in his work.
Now, the divines of Mashhad had appointed one among themselves to keep a close watch over the Jadid-Khanih. All the Jadids, even old ones over seventy, were expected to attend congregational prayers, and no kosher meat was allowed. Despite all these pressures Aqa 'Azizu'llah was determined to take up the Jewish Faith. He asked a cousin to teach him the Torah in secrecy, and he never left his home on a Saturday to avoid setting his eyes on the face of a Muslim on the Sabbath.
Thus the matter stood with Aqa 'Azizu'llah until the martyrdom of Badi', who was a youth of Khurasan. Aqa 'Azizu'llah had a half-brother named Aqa Shahvirdi, who had already, unbeknown to all, embraced the Faith of Baha'u'llah. One day Aqa Shahvirdi came to speak of the courage of that youth and of his glorious martyrdom. It was the first time that Aqa 'Azizu'llah had heard the name 'Baha'i' and wanted to know more, but his brother, well aware of fanaticism all around him, was very circumspect and kept silent. Two other brothers of Aqa 'Azizu'llah, named Aqa Asadu'llah and Aqa Rahmatu'llah, resided and traded in the town of Turbat-i-Haydari, whilst he and Aqa Shahvirdi lived in Mashhad. Aqa 'Azizu'llah's merchandise consisted mainly of goods in silk and most of his customers were Turkamans who frequented Mashhad in search of trade.
One day in the year AH 1291 (18 February 1874 -- 6 February 1875), when Aqa 'Azizullah was newly married, Aqa Shahvirdi came to him with a proposal: 'I have a very large quantity of damask, the price has fallen by two-thirds in Mashhad, and more than that there is no ready cash; if I sell it will have to be against future payment. But I am told that the market for this fabric is very good at Badkubih. Should I go there alone and die on the way all will be lost. Would you accompany me for a month to put this deal through?' Ties of kinship were too strong and Aqa 'Azizu'llah could not refuse his brother's request. He gave the charge of his own trading-house to Aqa Yusuf, one of the Jadids of Mashhad, and the two brothers set out for the Caucasus. When they reached Nishapur, Baha'is, such as Shaykh Muhammad-i-Ma'muri (uncle of the martyr, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Khurasani) and Shaykh Mustafa, came to visit Aqa Shahvirdi. By then, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was certain that his brother had become a follower of the new Faith, but, although much disturbed, he kept his peace. In every town and city they passed through, there were Baha'is whom Aqa Shahvirdi wished to meet and so he did: in Sabzivar there was Haji Muhammad-Rida (martyred some years later in 'Ishqabad); in Kushkbagh lived Mulla Muhammad-i-Kushkbaghi; in Shahrud, Mulla Ghulam-Riday-i-Hirati; in Badkubih itself (their destination), Mirza 'Abdu'l-Mu'min and Mulla Abu-Talib; in Shirvan, Karbila'i Isma'il and the family of Samadov. But everywhere Aqa Shahvirdi would ask the Baha'is not to speak to his brother of their Faith. 'He is a zealot for our old Faith,' Aqa Shahvirdi would tell them, 'and he will not listen to you.' For his part Aqa 'Azizu'llah kept silent, and in the homes of his brother's co-religionists would not touch their cooked food, taking only cups of tea and boiled eggs offered to him. Thus the two brothers went about in Caucasia. Badkubih did not provide, after all, a good and profitable market for damask, and Aqa Shahvirdi thought that he should try their luck in Tiflis (Tbilisi). He went there by himself, leaving Aqa 'Azizu'llah behind in the town of Shaki, with most of their merchandise. The peregrinations of the two brothers in the Caucasus had taken several months and nowhere had they been able to dispose of their goods profitably.
Aqa 'Azizu'llah then decided to go on alone to the renowned and historic city of Gandzha (now Kirovabad) where there were better prospects. Taking his seat in a four-horse carriage (with his goods) at Shaki, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was put on the alert by the looks of his fellow-passengers. Had it not been for his sagacity, he would not have lived to see another day. Although he had learned some Turkish, he pretended to have no knowledge at all of that language, and thus, listening to the cartman and the other passengers talking in Turkish, he realized that they were plotting to murder him and steal his goods. Reaching Gandzha, he sought out Mashhadi Muhammad-Ja'far, the rentier of a well-known caravanserai of that city, to whom he had a letter of introduction from Haji 'Ali-Akbar, a Persian merchant of Shaki. Through his host he was rescued from the clutches of the villainous cartman and his passengers. But being on his own in Gandzha, he apparently did not take full advantage of the favourable market. Later, it was seen that a temporary situation created by a Christian festival had limited his sales.
From Caucasia, the two brothers made their way to Istanbul. It took them fourteen months in the Ottoman capital to sell all their silken goods. Aqa 'Azizu'llah, who had abandoned his schooling at an early age, was most anxious to improve his knowledge. During those months of travelling he brought his mind to it, and being well endowed with a high intellect, he made rapid progress. His brother, Aqa Shahvirdi, had a case with him which contained books and papers. These he would take out, from time to time, and peruse. This had not escaped Aqa 'Azizu'llah's notice. One day, when Aqa Shahvirdi had gone to the bazar, Aqa 'Azizu'llah opened that case and came upon writings which he realized appertained to the Baha'i Faith, and they appealed to him, although he could not fully understand them. Then he had a dream. Let him recount it in his own words:
Mashhad is a holy city and it had had a sizeable Jewish population. They suffered considerably at the hands of unruly fanatics. As happened in Europe in medieval times, when Jews were forced to renounce their faith although many of them whilst ostensibly professing Christianity kept to their old allegiance, so it happened in Mashhad in recent times. Let Lord Curzon tell us what occurred in Mashhad, during the reign of Muhammad Shah:
The occasion was as follows: A poor woman had a sore hand. A Mussulman [Muslim] physician advised her to kill a dog and put her hand in the blood of it. She did so; when suddenly the whole population rose and said that they had done it in derision of their prophet. Thirty-five Jews were killed in a few minutes; the rest, struck with terror, became Mohammedans. They are now more zealous Jews in secret than ever, but call themselves Anusim, the Compelled Ones. [Narrative of Mission to Bokhara in 1843-1845, vol i p. 239, and vol. ii p. 72]Wolff does not add--what is necessary to explain the sudden outburst--that the incidents of the Jewess and the slaughtered dog unfortunately occurred on the very day when the Mohammedans were celebrating the annual Feast of Sacrifice.[3] Superstition and malice very easily aggravated an innocent act into a deliberate insult to the national faith; and hence the outbreak that ensued. There is much less fanaticism now than in those days; but it still behoves a Yehudi [Yahudi], or Jew, to conduct himself circumspectly and to walk with a modest air in Meshed. (Persia and the Persian Question, vol. 1, pp. 165-6) [3. The tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijjah: 'Id al-Adha or 'Id-i-Qurban. (HMB)]
It must also be added that the poor Jewess could not bring herself to slaughter the stray dog they had cornered. A Muslim was asked to do it for her, and it was this man, perhaps out of fear, who dashed about shouting that the Jews were guilty of insolence and deliberate affront, offering for sacrifice a dog on the day when sheep or camels are sacrificed in memory of the act of Abraham. Whatever the case, the Jews of Mashhad, dwelling in the quarter of the city called the 'Idgah, paid heavily in human lives on that tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijjah. Some fifty of them suffered death, their synagogue was demolished, their Torahs consigned to the fire. It is reported that only one Torah remained; it had been secreted in a safe place. Then, as that forcible conversion took shape, the holy city came to have a Jadid-Khanih (New House): the quarter of the Jadidu'l-Islam (newly converted to Islam).
Of course it is impossible to say how many of those repressed Jews genuinely became Muslims and how many remained attached to their old faith. But there was one Jew in Mashhad of whose true allegiance we have ample evidence; he was Mulla Hizqil (Ezekiel), known as Namdar, the father of Aqa 'Azizu'llah. Mulla Hizqil was a merchant, but he was also very learned, and held classes to teach his pupils the Torah, the Talmud and other religious works. Even more, he had a copy of the Mathnavi of Jalali'd-Din-i-Rumi, written in Hebrew characters, from which he taught his favourite pupils. Some twelve years prior to that episode of forcible conversion, Mulla Hizqil invited Mirza 'Askari, an eminent Muslim divine of Mashhad whom he knew personally, to give him the word of testifying to utter. He told Mirza 'Askari that studying Torah and other holy scriptures had convinced him of the truth of Islam. So, years before the tumult of 1838, Mulla Hizqil had, of his own accord, become a Muslim, but no one in his family other than his wife, and certainly none of his pupils, knew of it. Then one day, when engaged in reading from Rumi's Mathnavi, he turned to his eldest son and said: 'Shamuyil [Samuel]! Holy scriptures indicate that today is the day of the Advent of that greatest Manifestation of Yahweh [Jehovah], Who is the Redeemer of all. I shall be leaving this world, but beware lest you all remain heedless.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah was two years old when his father died, and under his mother's care he grew up mindful of his religious duties. However, when he was eight years of age, and attending a Muslim school in their quarter, one day a boy tried to cheat him, not giving back to him some of his writing materials which he had purloined. Another boy intervened and ordered the cheat: 'Give it back to him; these people are still Jewish.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah, not being cognizant of his own origins, was terribly hurt; he told his mother, 'I will never go again to that place for my lessons; today, a boy insulted me and called me "Yahudi" [Jewish].' His mother explained their situation to him, of which the boy had been totally ignorant, and it revolted him. At that early age, he decided to revert to the Faith of his forefathers. His mother had said to him: 'Being Yahudi meant that we are descendants of Yahuda, the son of Jacob. We have been forcibly converted to Islam; but your own father had, years before that forced conversion, by his own free will come into the Islamic fold. During that awful night of massacre and murder, at the instance of Mirza 'Askari, who himself had given your father the word of Shahadat [testifying] to utter, we were all taken to the house of Aqa Rajab, who was called Rajab Bahadur. We ourselves remained safe, but all that we possessed was pillaged.' Horrified, Aqa 'Azizu'llah ceased going to that Muslim school for his lessons, and at a tender age started trading. And he became a master in his work.
Now, the divines of Mashhad had appointed one among themselves to keep a close watch over the Jadid-Khanih. All the Jadids, even old ones over seventy, were expected to attend congregational prayers, and no kosher meat was allowed. Despite all these pressures Aqa 'Azizu'llah was determined to take up the Jewish Faith. He asked a cousin to teach him the Torah in secrecy, and he never left his home on a Saturday to avoid setting his eyes on the face of a Muslim on the Sabbath.
Thus the matter stood with Aqa 'Azizu'llah until the martyrdom of Badi', who was a youth of Khurasan. Aqa 'Azizu'llah had a half-brother named Aqa Shahvirdi, who had already, unbeknown to all, embraced the Faith of Baha'u'llah. One day Aqa Shahvirdi came to speak of the courage of that youth and of his glorious martyrdom. It was the first time that Aqa 'Azizu'llah had heard the name 'Baha'i' and wanted to know more, but his brother, well aware of fanaticism all around him, was very circumspect and kept silent. Two other brothers of Aqa 'Azizu'llah, named Aqa Asadu'llah and Aqa Rahmatu'llah, resided and traded in the town of Turbat-i-Haydari, whilst he and Aqa Shahvirdi lived in Mashhad. Aqa 'Azizu'llah's merchandise consisted mainly of goods in silk and most of his customers were Turkamans who frequented Mashhad in search of trade.
One day in the year AH 1291 (18 February 1874 -- 6 February 1875), when Aqa 'Azizullah was newly married, Aqa Shahvirdi came to him with a proposal: 'I have a very large quantity of damask, the price has fallen by two-thirds in Mashhad, and more than that there is no ready cash; if I sell it will have to be against future payment. But I am told that the market for this fabric is very good at Badkubih. Should I go there alone and die on the way all will be lost. Would you accompany me for a month to put this deal through?' Ties of kinship were too strong and Aqa 'Azizu'llah could not refuse his brother's request. He gave the charge of his own trading-house to Aqa Yusuf, one of the Jadids of Mashhad, and the two brothers set out for the Caucasus. When they reached Nishapur, Baha'is, such as Shaykh Muhammad-i-Ma'muri (uncle of the martyr, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Khurasani) and Shaykh Mustafa, came to visit Aqa Shahvirdi. By then, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was certain that his brother had become a follower of the new Faith, but, although much disturbed, he kept his peace. In every town and city they passed through, there were Baha'is whom Aqa Shahvirdi wished to meet and so he did: in Sabzivar there was Haji Muhammad-Rida (martyred some years later in 'Ishqabad); in Kushkbagh lived Mulla Muhammad-i-Kushkbaghi; in Shahrud, Mulla Ghulam-Riday-i-Hirati; in Badkubih itself (their destination), Mirza 'Abdu'l-Mu'min and Mulla Abu-Talib; in Shirvan, Karbila'i Isma'il and the family of Samadov. But everywhere Aqa Shahvirdi would ask the Baha'is not to speak to his brother of their Faith. 'He is a zealot for our old Faith,' Aqa Shahvirdi would tell them, 'and he will not listen to you.' For his part Aqa 'Azizu'llah kept silent, and in the homes of his brother's co-religionists would not touch their cooked food, taking only cups of tea and boiled eggs offered to him. Thus the two brothers went about in Caucasia. Badkubih did not provide, after all, a good and profitable market for damask, and Aqa Shahvirdi thought that he should try their luck in Tiflis (Tbilisi). He went there by himself, leaving Aqa 'Azizu'llah behind in the town of Shaki, with most of their merchandise. The peregrinations of the two brothers in the Caucasus had taken several months and nowhere had they been able to dispose of their goods profitably.
Aqa 'Azizu'llah then decided to go on alone to the renowned and historic city of Gandzha (now Kirovabad) where there were better prospects. Taking his seat in a four-horse carriage (with his goods) at Shaki, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was put on the alert by the looks of his fellow-passengers. Had it not been for his sagacity, he would not have lived to see another day. Although he had learned some Turkish, he pretended to have no knowledge at all of that language, and thus, listening to the cartman and the other passengers talking in Turkish, he realized that they were plotting to murder him and steal his goods. Reaching Gandzha, he sought out Mashhadi Muhammad-Ja'far, the rentier of a well-known caravanserai of that city, to whom he had a letter of introduction from Haji 'Ali-Akbar, a Persian merchant of Shaki. Through his host he was rescued from the clutches of the villainous cartman and his passengers. But being on his own in Gandzha, he apparently did not take full advantage of the favourable market. Later, it was seen that a temporary situation created by a Christian festival had limited his sales.
From Caucasia, the two brothers made their way to Istanbul. It took them fourteen months in the Ottoman capital to sell all their silken goods. Aqa 'Azizu'llah, who had abandoned his schooling at an early age, was most anxious to improve his knowledge. During those months of travelling he brought his mind to it, and being well endowed with a high intellect, he made rapid progress. His brother, Aqa Shahvirdi, had a case with him which contained books and papers. These he would take out, from time to time, and peruse. This had not escaped Aqa 'Azizu'llah's notice. One day, when Aqa Shahvirdi had gone to the bazar, Aqa 'Azizu'llah opened that case and came upon writings which he realized appertained to the Baha'i Faith, and they appealed to him, although he could not fully understand them. Then he had a dream. Let him recount it in his own words:
In my dream I saw it announced that it was the day of the Advent of Yahveh of the Torah, the Promise of all the Scriptures: God watching the march past of all the Prophets and their adherents, examining their deeds and achievements. I went immediately to the direction indicated, and I saw a vast plain. As far as the eye could see people were ranged, rank upon rank. Every Prophet with His followers was seated facing the Qiblih. I marvelled how my eyes were empowered to see them all. Facing all these ranks and ranges of people, a Blessed Being was seated on a two-tiered chair, speaking. I was standing at the end of these ranks and ranges. That Blessed Being was more than fifty years of age, and had a long, black beard and a green taj on His head, made of green silk. He beckoned to me with His hand to go to His presence. With both hands I pointed to the people, meaning to say, how could I get through? He beckoned with His blessed hands to all those ranks of people, and they, one and all, prostrated themselves. Then, once again, He beckoned to me to come. I was hesitant, lest He was summoning someone else. Then, when He beckoned a third time, I started to move, walking over the people who were prostrated, one foot on a back, another on a head, until I reached Him, threw myself at His feet and kissed them. He raised me with His blessed hand and said: 'Praise be to God, the best of all creators'.This dream had a profound effect on Aqa 'Azizu'llah, but he still remained rooted in his previous beliefs, until he and his brother reached Istanbul and lodged in Khan-i-Yusufiyan. Whilst there Haji 'Abdu'l-Majid-i-Nishapuri, the father of the glorious Badi', and a sister of Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi also arrived at the Turkish metropolis and took lodgings in the same inn. One day, when his brother was absent, Aqa 'Azizu'llah sat down with Aba-Badi' (the Father of Badi') to talk of the Baha'i Faith and he opened his heart to him. And soon whatever doubts he had were dispelled. There and then he gave his total, unhedged allegiance to Baha'u'llah, Whose Cause he served with distinction to the end of his days. Aqa 'Azizu'llah said that he thanked God for the long delay in selling their merchandise. That delay had kept them in Istanbul and had made possible the encounter leading him to Truth.
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