10.  Turkey

10.1  The Epistle to the Chief, (Lawh-i-Rais)
The epistle intended for the Chief runs as follows:
“O Chief! Hear the voice of god, the protecting Self-Existing king, verily, He crieth between the earth and the heaven, and summoneth all to the most glorious (al-manzar-al-Abha), neither doth thy grunting prevent him, nor the barking of those who are around thee, nor the host of the two worlds … O Chief! Thou hast committed that by reason of which Muhammad the prophet of god lamenteth in the highest heaven and the world hath made thee proud in such wise that thou hast turned away from the Face of Him by whose light the people of the supreme assembly are illuminated, and thou shalt find thyself in a manifest ?, and didst unite with the Persian chief in opposition to me after that I came unto you from the rising-place of greatness and might with a matter whereby the eye of those men (of god) are refreshed (i.e. whereby the are rejoiced). By god! This is a day wherein the Fire speaketh all things, ‘the Beloved of the worlds to come.’ …. Dost thou imagine that thou caust quench the Fire which god hast kindled in the horizon? No, by Himself, the True One, wert thou of those who knew rather by that which thou hath done its burning is increased and the blaze … and the ‘Land of Mystery’ (i.e. Edirne) and what is inside it shall be changed, and shall pass out of the hand of the king (i.e. Sultan of Turkey), and commotions shall appear, and lamentation shall arise, and trouble shall become manifest on all sides, and matters shall be altered by reason of that which hath come on these hearts from the host of oppressors. … Know, then, that we were in the morning one day and we found the friends of god confronted by the transgressors. The troops beset all the gates, and prevented the servants (of god) from entering and exit, and were of the oppressors, and the friends of god, and his family, were left without food in the first night; thus did it befall these for whose sake created the world and what is therein shame upon them; and upon those who commanded them (to do) evil! And god shall consume thine levers with fire … this is a day unto which, had Muhammad the prophet of god attained, he would assuredly say, ‘we have known thee, O desire of (all) the apostles .’ and had the Friend (i.e. Afnan) attained it, he would certainly place his face upon the earth, humbling himself before god, and would say “My heart is at peace, O god of whomsoever is in the heavens and the earths, and thou hast caused me to behold the kingdom of thy command, and the dominion of thy might and I bear witness that at thy manifestation the heart of those who advance are at peace.’ Had the Interlocutor (i.e. Moses) attained it, he would certainly say, “Praise (i.e. to thee) for that thou hast shown me thy beauty.’ …” J.R.A.S. October 1889, PP. 960-963, Prof. Browne’s translation.

The epistle is in Arabic. According to Abd-al-Husayn Ayati surnamed Awara, Al-Kawakib-al-Durriyya, Vol. II, P. 262) the epistle was addressed to ‘Sultan Abd-al-Aziz.”
According to Shoghi Effendi, god passes by, P. 174, the epistle was addressed to “Ali Pasha, the Premier.”

10.1.1  Mirza Jawad’s Remark
According to Mirza Jawad’s Historical Epitome, Materials for the Study of the BÁBi Religion by Prof. Browne, PP. 29-30, “when the soldiers surrounded the house, His Holiness, our master Baha [i.e. Edirne] begun to promulgate the epistle to the chief, which he completed at Gawur Koy situated near Gallipoli.” According to Shoghi Effendi, god passes by, P. 172, “the epistle to the Chief was begun in the village of Kashaneh on his [i.e. Baha’s] way to Gallipoli & was completed shortly after at Gawur Koy.” According to Mirza Jawad’s Historical Epitome, Materials, P. 30 ibid, Captain Hasan Effendi in charge of the escort delivered his charge to his relief major Omar Effendi and then called on Baha to take his turn. Baha communicated to him verbally the prophecies which had been revealed in the epistle to the chief, and ordered him to conceal what had been told him until the time for its fulfilment should come.”

10.1.2  Shoghi Effendi’s Remarks
According to Shoghi Effendi, god passes by, P. 181, “Baha made the following pronouncements to [Captain Hasan Effendi: “Tell the king that this territory will pass out of his hands, and his affairs will be thrown into confusion.” According to Shoghi Effendi, god passes by, P. 173, “To this same Sultan [i.e. Abd-al-Aziz] Baha transmitted, which in Gallipoli, a verbal message through Turkish officer named Omar [i.e. Major Omar Effendi, whom Baha accuses of corrupt practices, see Baha’s letter to Count Gobineau, under France], requesting the sovereign to grant him a ten minute interview, “So that he may demand whatsoever deem to be sufficient testimony and would regard as proof of the veracity of Him who is the Truth,” adding that “should god enable him to produce it, let him, then, release those wronged-ones and leave them to themselves.”

10.1.3  Who was the Recipient of the Tablet?
Sultan Abd-al-Aziz was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire one of the Calipha of the Muslim Sunni world. Ali Pasha was the grand Vizir of the Ottoman Empire. Baha acquired Ottoman nationality at Baghdad during the reign of the said Sultan.
Whether the chief, the addressee of the epistle was the Sultan or the Premier is immaterial. Baha gave ready obedience to the Sultan’s edict and moved from Baghdad to Istanbul. Baha also gave ready obedience to the Sultan’s edict and moved from Istanbul to Edirne (see Baha’s covering letter to Count Gobineau under France). Baha’s information, see Baha's letter, lodged with the governor-general of the Edirne province, in which he accused Subh-i-Azal of having conspired to subvert the established authority, culminated in Baha’s removal from Edirne to Acre on the strength of the Sultan’s edict, to which Baha gave ready obedience and moved to Acre.
In the Epistle, Baha announces his “manifestation,” which makes “a day, unto which had the prophet of god Muhammad attained, he would assuredly say ‘We have known thee, O desire of (all) the apostles,” boasts that neither the “grunting” of the Chief, nor the “barking of those around” him would deter the manifestation from his purpose; warns the Chief that he will find himself in a manifestation because he “turned away from the Face of Him;” charges the chief with “having united” with his counterparts in Iran “in opposition to me:” speaks of what the future has in store for the Ottoman Empire complains of the treatment meted out by the Ottoman soldiers to him and his follower son the eve of their removal from Edirne to Acre, “for whose sake was created the world and what is therein” and reproves “those who commanded them to (do) evil” and adds that “god shall consume their lives with fire.”

10.1.4  Style and the Target Audience of the Epistle
The epistle is couched in the most arrogant and disparaging terms and is indeed a fine specimen of Baha’s commentary style.
In the presence of Baha’s information drawn up in the most humble and cringing terms addressed to the Governor of the Edirne province (Order of Banishment and (Baha's letter to the governor of Edirne)) a functionary serving under Ali Pasha and the Sultan, it does not stand to reason that Bah, an Ottoman subject already condemned to be banished to Acre, from his subversive religious activities, would have sent such an epistle to the premier or to the Sultan. Baha was too wise to embark upon such an adventure. The epistle was never sent to the Chief. It was kept under the carpet. The epistle was intended for the home consumption.

The epistle contains nothing significance, save Baha’s tasteful statements. The then Turkey was already a sick man of Europe and the fate in store for her was an open secret. It called for no oracle.
As for the tasteful statement that the epistle was begun in the hurry and hustle consequent upon Baha’s removal from Edirne and completed on the way to Gallipoli, or that Baha had sent verbal messages to the Sultan through Captain Hasan Effendi or Major Omar Effendi, the statements are for window-dressing. Baha was too preoccupied with his own troubles to promulgate an epistle to the Chief or to send a verbal message to the Sultan.
The epistle was drafted in Acre to console the followers of Baha.

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