Who is who: Nabil

Apparently Nabil is the bearer of the Point’s works referred to in Note G. According to Mirza Jawad’s Historical Epitome, P. 25, Materials for the study of the BABi Religion by Prof. Browne” Nabil cast himself into the sea a little while after the death of Baha.”

According to Kitab-i Subhi, PP. 116-123, Nabil was implicated in the plot to dispose of Mirza Aqa Jan of Kashan by foul play.
According to Kashful-Hiyal Vol. I. P. 75, “Abdul Baha Abbas became on bad terms with Nabil. He cast Nabil into the sea, drowned him with his own hands, or through his partisans, and afterwards spread the rumour that Nabil had drowned himself.”

According to the memoirs of Baha’s son Mirza Badiullah surnamed the Most Luminous Branch (غصن انور) by Baha: One year after Baha’s death, Nabil visited Bahaullah in Haifa. He was distressed. Nabil said to Badiullah: “I can no longer stay at Acre. The situation there has deteriorated. By dint of violence, abusive language and cursing, one has to act against his own faith, has to regard and hold the Most Mighty Branch [Ghusn-i Azam, i.e. Abdul Baha Abbas] superior in station to the Blessed Beauty [Janab-i Mubarak, i.e. Baha] has to write corrupted [versions of] all the holly writings and epistles, and has to vilify and excommunicate [Baha’s] sons, [Baha’s] words and [Baha’s] family [i.e. all the members of Baha’s household in opposition to Abdul Baha Abbas], failing which one is branded as covenant-breaker [Naqiz] or Vacillator [Mutezalzil, i.e. opposed to Abdul Baha Abbas and partisan of Muhammad Ali] and becomes the object of untold calumnies and falsehoods.” Nabil requested Badiullah to find him a suitable room at the foot of Mount Carmel. He went back to Acre to fetch his things. Nothing was heard of him for sometime. Later “limbs of his body and his clothing” were discovered near the see shores at Acre. These were collated together and buried. Abdul Baha Abbas “shed crocodile tears” during the burial service of Nabil, “although he was exceedingly annoyed with him.”

مذکرات ابن البهاء
بدیع الله

یکروز جناب نبیل اعظم زرندی معروف به حیفا آمدند، از صعود (Baha's death) یکسال گذشته بود بسیار دلتنگ بودند گفتند نمیتوانم در عکا بمانم وضع بسیار بد است. باید انسان به زور و فحش و لعن مخالف اعتقادش قائل شود و غصن اعظم (Abbas Effendi) را فوق جمال مبارک بداند و بگوید و بنویسد همة نوشتجات و الواح مقدسه منحرف و اغصان و حرم و آل را قدح و تکفیر نماید و الاّ ناقض ومتزلزل است و مورد هزار افترا و کذب.

یک اطاق در دامنه کوه کرمل برای من بگیرید میخواهم بقیه عمر را تنها در دامنة این جبل مبارک به سر برم.

گفتم حاضر است.

جناب مذکور رفتند به عکا اسبابشانرا بیاورند مدتی طول کشید خبری از ایشان نرسید بعد شنیدیم چند روز مفقود بوده عقبش میگشتند بعد شخصی قطعات جسد او را در کنار دریا دیده با لباسش خبر کرده قطعات را جمع نموده دفن کردند ... به یقین است بعد از رچوع از حیفا و استدعای اذن به شدت او را منع و زجر نمودند به درچة که جز انتهار چارة نداشته

"A year had passed (the death of Mirza Husayn-Ali). One day, his honourable mighty Nabil of Zarand had come to Hifa. He was very sad because of the ascension (i.e. the death of Mirza Husayn-Ali). He said that he could not stay in Acre, the situation was very bad. One must by the force of insult and damnation consider the opposed one (i.e Abbas) above the ancient beauty (i.e. Mirza Husayn-Ali), tell (everyone) and write about it and believe in his convictions, whilst the mighty branch (i.e. Abbas) considers the sacred writings and tablets corrupted, excommunicates and libels the branches and the household (of Mirza Husayn-Ali). Failure to do so he would be subject to a thousand lies and slanders. Give me a room in the slope of the Carmel Mountain; I wish to spend the rest of my life alone in the slope of this sacred mountain. It is ready, I said! The mentioned honourable went to Acre to bring his things; it took a while and no news of him reached (us). Later, we heard he was missing for a few days and he was searched for. Later, a person saw on the shore pieces of his body in his cloth. Pieces (of his body) were collected and buried. It is obvious that after returning to Hifa and his plea (to Abbas) for permission, he was tortured to the extent that he had no option but to kill himself."

According to the Hasht Bihisht, P. 303, included among the pretenders who declared themselves to be “He Whom God Shall Manifest” was Mirza Muhammad Nabil of Zarand called the “tongue-tied’ (Akhras).

When however, the two brothers, i.e. Abdul Baha Abbas and Muhammad Ali were at loggerheads consequent upon Baha’s “occultation”, Nabil, to quote from Hasht-Bihisht, page 310, “bethought himself of advancing a claim since he had a prior claim in this business”.

Notice of the claim was given to “god’s “[Baha’s] sons” who despatched two men who “strangled” that unfortunate maimed Nabil “to death and cast his body into the sea”. After several days a “spurious will and testament” was produced from Nabil’s rooms wherein it was written that “life had become unlawful” for Nabil after the death of “the Beloved One of Mankind”. For this reason, Nabil had “sacrificed” his life in the cause of the Beloved One”.

Thus, Mirza or Mulla Muhammad of Zarand, who arrogated to himself the office of him-whom-god-will-make-manifest for a time, who pretended to be the Imam Husayn returned again, the king of kings of Karbala, for a while, author of the Quatrains of the events in the life of Baha, Baha's historian, Baha's poet Laureate, holder of the title of the apostle of Baha posthumously, unable to bring himself to adopt the new article of faith. disillusioned and frustrated passed to the mercy of god.

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