The Rise of Baha
11. Baha’s Brief stay in Istanbul
11.2 The BÁBi Exiles in Istanbul
The BÁBi Exiles arrived in Istanbul from Baghdad on “Rabi’ Awal 1, 1280 A.H. (August 16, 1863)”. God passes by, P. 157.
11.2.6. Shoghi Effendi’s Account
Let us now examine what Shoghi Effendi has to say about Baha’s activities in Istanbul.
According to ‘Baha’s declaration in the Ridvan garden in Baghdad’, of which no record exists, section 9.14 refers, Shoghi Effendi states, god passes by, P. 158:
“What now remained to be achieved was the promulgation, in the city of Edirne, of that same mission … the initial phase of that declaration may be said to have opened in Istanbul with the communication (the text of which we, alas, do not possess) addressed by Bahaullah to Sultan Abd al-Aziz himself, the self-styled vicar of the prophet of Islam and the absolute ruler of a mighty empire. So potent, so august a personage was the first among the sovereigns of the world to receive the divine summons, and the first among oriental Monarchs to sustain the impact of god’s retributive justice. The occasion for this communication was provided by the infamous edict the Sultan had promulgated, less than (P. 159) four months after the arrival of the exiles in his capital, banishing them, suddenly and without any justification whatsoever, in the depth of winter, and in the most humiliating circumstances to Edirne, situated on the extremities of his empire. No less a personage than the highly respected brother-in-law of the Sadr-i-Azam was commissioned to apprise the captive of the edict pronounced against him. (P. 160) Refused an audience by Bahaullah that envoy had to content himself with a presentation of his puerile observations and trivial arguments. [Sir Abbas Effendi] Abd-al-Baha and Aqa-i-Kalim [Baha’s brother Mirza Musa], who were delegated to see him, and whom he informed that, after three days, he would return to receive the answer to the order he had been bidden to transmit, that same day a Tablet, severely condemnatory in tone, was revealed by Bahaullah, was entrusted by him, in a sealed envelope, on the following morning, the Shamsi Bey [the official who had been appointed by the government to entertain its quests, ibid, P.157], who was instructed to deliver it into the hands of Ali Pasha [the Prince Minister], and to say that it was sent down from god. ‘I know not what that letter contained’, Shamsi Bey subsequently informed Aqa-i-Kalim, ‘for no sooner had the grand Vizir pressured it than he turned the color of a corpse’. … that tablet, according to Nabil, was of considerable length, opened with words directed to sovereign himself, severely censured his ministers, exposed their immaturity and competence, and included passages in which the ministers themselves were addressed, in which they were boldly challenged, and sternly admonished not to pride themselves on their worldly possessions, nor foolishly seek the riches of their time would inexorably rob them …”
(P. 61): “Pursuant to the presumption orders for the immediate departure of the already twice banished exiles, Bahaullah, his family and his companions, set out, accompanied by Turkish officers from Istanbul” on their journey to Edirne.
Shoghi Effendi’s statement that Baha “addressed a communication to the Sultan. The text of which we, alas, do not possess,” or that Baha “sent a communication, severely condemnatory in tone, to the “Grand Vizier,” of which no record exists, is manifestly an untruth. As an Ottoman subject Baha could not fling such a challenge to the Sultan’s or Grand Vizier’s authority.
The truth is that Baha gave ready obedience to the edict, and was removed to Edirne.
To read more about Baha's members of family, got to the main page, select 'Bahaism -> The Rise of Baha' and navigate through the index.