Around the midpoint of the 19th century, a young Persian man named Siyyid Ali Mohammad—the Bab—claimed to be the return of the Promised One.
Faithful Muslims, who had yearned for years for the coming of the Promised One, suddenly found themselves faced with doubt, tremendous delight and unbridled hope. The Bab (which means “the Gate”) taught that a new Faith had come, and challenged people to freely investigate its claims. Some became intoxicated with love for the Bab and embraced his cause. Others, confused, continued to wander in search of truth. Yet others, with the utmost prejudice and disbelief, and fearing the loss of their positions and authority, tried to quench the flame of the newly ignited Babi Faith.
Inspired by prophecies from the holy texts and by the guidance and training of their spiritual teachers, many seekers of truth travelled far and wide in search of the Promised One. Before the Bab publicly proclaimed his new Faith, eighteen followers (known to history as Letters of the Living) independently recognized him and arose to promote his teachings.
Tahirih
Among the first 18 Letters of the Living was a single female believer. She embraced the faith of the Bab at a time when women were in effect servants to men and were absolutely devoid of any power, any recognition, or any voice. People believed that women were weak, were only created to bear children and to take care of the household, and had no role in the larger social order.
In such an environment, the appearance of a highly educated, revolutionary and courageous woman with unparalleled wisdom and knowledge was a unique and wondrous occurrence. This noble and distinguished woman, named Fatimeh, was like a brilliant star, illuminating Persia with her poetic words and brave deeds. She became a mythical figure, still revered today.
Fatimeh was the daughter of a well-known Muslim clergyman in Qazvin. Her uncle was a particularly influential clergyman, too, and had absolute authority in the city. From an early age, Fatimeh studied religious themes deeply. She fortunately had access to the private library of her father and her cousin, and this allowed her to spend much of her time in learning, study and research. Soon the depth of her understanding and the potency of her eloquent speech attracted the hearts of many of her family and friends, and her fame as a scholar and powerful thinker grew.
Through her studies—and despite strong opposition from her father and uncle—she developed an interest in the teachings of the Shaykhi Sufis. She ultimately recognized the truth of the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad Ahsai—who had predicted the coming of the Promised One—and began corresponding with his successor Siyyid Kazim Rashti. Her style of writing and the topics of her research were so compelling and profound that Siyyid Kazim bestowed upon her the title of “Solace of the Eyes” (Qurratu’l-Ayn).
Siyyid Kazim’s students, who had learned of her profound knowledge, asked her to allow them to learn from her. She accepted their request, and because a woman at this time and place could not face men in public, she conducted the sessions from behind a curtain, answering her new students’ many religious and jurisprudence questions. This increased her fame in neighboring countries. Having a woman occupy the chair in the school of jurisprudence was unheard of!
During these years the news of the appearance of the Bab spread over the mountains and cities, and reached Fatimeh, first in a dream, as she was:
… fasting by day, practicing religious disciplines, and spending the night in vigils, and chanting prayers. One night when it was getting along toward dawn she laid her head on her pillow, lost all awareness of this earthly life, and dreamed a dream; in her vision a youth, a Siyyid, wearing a black cloak and a green turban, appeared to her in the heavens; he was standing in the air, reciting verses and praying with his hands upraised. At once, she memorized one of those verses, and wrote it down in her notebook when she awoke. After the Bab had declared His mission … [she] was reading a section of the text one day, and she came upon that same verse, which she had noted down from the dream. Instantly offering thanks, she fell to her knees and bowed her forehead to the ground, convinced that the Bab’s message was truth. – Abdu’l-Baha, Memorials of the Faithful, pp. 193-194.
In a letter and a few lines of poetry, she conveyed her recognition of the Bab to him. Upon receiving Fatimeh’s letter, the Bab accepted her faith—and she became the only female Letter of the Living.
This demonstrated that in the new revelation, women and men are equal in rank, and women would soon gain a pivotal place in society.
After her recognition of the new revelation, Fatimeh dedicated her life to spreading the teachings of the Bab. It brought her a great deal of hardship and tremendous suffering. As her fame grew, the majority of her family publicly arose against her. Fatimeh paid no attention to the attacks, and through her written and spoken word, reached out to many Babis throughout the country and watered the tree of their faith.
In 1848 she travelled to the village of Badasht, where she participated in a significant conference planned by prominent Babis to announce the new revelation and abrogate Muslim law. At this conference, she was given the title of “Tahirih”—the Pure One.
During this pivotal conference of Badasht, Tahirih played a historic role that signified the separation of the Babi Faith from previous religious dispensations. Her actions illustrated the absolute independence of the Bab’s revelation, and also elevated the rank and station of women throughout the Middle East. At the conference, Tahirih removed the veil from her face in public—an absolutely shocking symbolic act for that time and place—and advised all women to arise and claim their God-given human rights, encouraging them to strive in the arena of education and social service. She openly and radically advocated the emancipation of women.
Prison where Tahirih was held in Tehran
Two years after the conference, she was arrested, brought to Tehran, imprisoned again and in 1852 she was murdered by order of the royal court. Like thousands of Babis during that time, she gave her life for her beliefs. History has recognized the great contribution of Tahirih towards social reform, and placed her among those women whose names will forever illuminate the story of humanity. Edward G. Browne, a prominent British Orientalist scholar, wrote:
The appearance of such a woman as Qurratu’l-Ayn is in any country and any age a rare phenomenon, but in such a country as Persia it is a prodigy – nay, almost a miracle. Alike in virtue of her marvelous beauty, her rare intellectual gifts, her fervid eloquence, her fearless devotion and her glorious martyrdom, she stands forth incomparable and immortal amidst her country-women. Had the Babi religion no other claim to greatness, this were sufficient—that it produced a heroine like Qurratu’l-Ayn.
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“Iranian women take off Hijab to protest the death
of 22-year-old Masha Amini after detention by ‘Morality Police…’
The women chanted “death to the dictator!”
~ India Today, 9-18-22
Masih Alinejad @AlinejadMasih
“Women of Iran-Saghez removed their headscarves
In protest against the murder of Masha Amini
22-year-old woman
by hijab police and chanting:
death to dictator!
Removing hijab is a punishable crime in Iran.
We call on women & men around the world to show solidarity.”
Watch IRAN.
Something incredible is about to happen… 🕊️
The Bab was the last decendant of Mohammed…the thirteenth iman(green turban) Bahauallah was related to Krishna and Christ and was considered the return of Christ. Thank you
Thank you…😊🌹
WHY IS IT THAT NOW ROSE RAMBLE KEEPS ON PROMOTING THE SO CALLED GREAT WOMEN OF THE PAST, AND POSTING THE INFORMATION AS GREAT WOMEN WHEN NOBODY KNEW ANY THING ABOUT THEM, UNTIL SOMEONE WENT DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL DIGING FOR THIS UNKNOWN SO CALLED FEMALE HEROINES, OBSCURE AS THEIR DEEDS THEMNSELVES.
WHAT WAS WRONG WITH GOD’S AGENDA FOR A NORMAL FAMILY STRUCTURE, WHERE A MAN THAT SUBMITS TO JESUS AS JESUS SUBMITED HIMSELF TO THE FATHER, NEVER CLAIMMING TO BE GREATER TO THE FATHER NOT EVEN BEEN SPECIAL TO GOD, IT WAS GOD HIMSELF THAT ALWAYS OPENLY SAID THAT HE WAS PROUD OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST WHILE HE WAS STILL WALKING ON EARTH TEACHING US THE PLAN OF SALVATION.
WHY DID I BEGAN BY MAN SUBMITING HIMSELF TO GOD AS JESUS SUBMITED HIMSELF TO THE FATHER IS BECAUSE OF THE REBELION THAT WAS CREATED BY SATAN FROM THE TIME OF CREATION, I WAS NOT THERE NOR WAS ANYBODY ELSE THAT HAVE OPOSITE OPINION OF GOD BEEN THE CREATOR OF ALLTHAT THERE IS IN THE SUPERNATURAL AS WELL AS THE NATURAL CREATION, YES SATAN WAS THE CAUSE OF WOMEN REBELING AGAINST MAN AS WELL AS MAN REBELING AGAINST JESUS CHRIST, REASON WHY HUMANITY WAS PERMITED TO GO THROUGH HELL FOR SO MANY CENTURIES, BECAUSE OF THEIR CHAIN OF PRINCIPLES AND CONSEPTS THAT MAN IN A STATE OF REBELION HAS CASE THE SPIRITUAL CHAIN TO BE BRKEN, THAT CAUSE FOR THE WOMAN TO REBEL AGAINST MAN HIMSELF AND CALL HER NEED TO BECOME LIBERATED FROM MANKIND.
BUT ONLY WHEN IT COMES TO WEAK MAN THAT CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT A FEMALE DO TO THEIR HORMONES THAT TURNES MEN INTO SLAVES TO THE WOMAN. WHILE SHE GOES AND CAN CARE LESS TO GO AND SUBMIT HER SELF AND IN MANY WAYS HER DIGNITY TO ANOTHER MAN IN THE BUISNESS WORLD. THEY PREFARE TO BE BOSS BY A STRANGER WHO PAYS THEM AND MAKE SEXUAL ADVANCES ON THEM TO KEEP THEIR JOBS BUT NO TO A MAN THAT CHOSE TO SPEND THEIR LIVES WITH THAT SAME WOMEN.
WOMEN LOVE TO CALL THAT FREEDOM, JUST LOOK AT KAMALA HARRIES THE VICE OF BIDEN SHE MADE IT INTO A FALSE POSITION OF BEEN IN A FALSE WHITE HOUSE PLAYING SECOND FITTLE AS AN IMPOSTOR VICE PRESIDENT BY SELLING HER BODY TO GOVERNOR BROWN AND EVERYONE MAN THAT HAD MORE POWER OVER HER, TO GET TO THE FICTIONAL POLITICAL POSITION THAT SHE HAS NOW.
WHILE ON THE OTHER HAND LOOK AT PELOSI, WHO APER TO BE IN POLITICAL POWER DO TO HER HARD CORE CRIMINAL MIND WHILE HER WEAK WORTHLESS HUSBAND HAD TO BE MESSING AROUND WITH UNDEAGE YOUNG GIRLS BECAUSE OF LOCK OF SEXUAL SATISFATION, NOT GETTING IT FROM HIS OWN WIFE. HITLERY AS WE ALL KNOW WAS A DERENGED HARD CORE JEWESS WHO DID EVERYTHING UNDER THE SATNIC POWER SHE HAD TO DESTROY BABIES, AS WELL AS UNDER AGE CHILDREN AND HAD NO BOUNDS WHEN IT CAME TO CRIME AGIANST HUMANITY, BUT SUBMITED HERSELF TO MEN HIGHER LEVEL CRIMINAL BEAST THE LIKES OF SOROS.
AND NOT TO HER PUBLIC ONLY MARRIED HUSBAND BILL CLINTON WHO WAS HILSELF ALSO A DEVIANT HOMOSEXUAL. AND PEDOPHIULE, THOSE ARE THE EXEMPLES NEVER MENTION BY THOSE THAT LOVE TO CALL THEMSELVES GODDESS AND LIBERATED WOMEN , REATER DIG FOR FEMALES THAT ONLY GOD KNOWS IF THEY ACTUALY EXISTED YET ARE CALL AND GIVEN CREDENTIALS OF BEEN ALMOST GODLY. AND FROM A NATION THAT NEVER SUBMIATED ITSELF TO HAVE A CENTRAL JEW BANK WITHIN THEIR BORDERS AND WOMEN WERE WELL EDUCATED LEARNING FROM THEIR YOUTH WHO THE REAL ENEMIES OF HUMANTIY HAVE BEEN ALL ALONG.
AMERICAN FEMALE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRYING TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN WAY OF LIVING ON OTHER NATIONS AND COULTURES, THEN FINDING THEMSELVES QUESTIONING WHY DOES THE WORLD HATE US?