‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎300v] (607/722)

The cause of the success of the Bab, which in the present day is assuming
large proportions, opens up a large field for speculation. Babism, however,
is a natural phase in religious development, and corresponds in some
measure to that of Mormonism. It is a rebellion against established forms,.
The Bab had not only announced himself to be god, but he had given the
earth to his followers. He denounced the restrictions of the Kuran. He
declared that all the possessions of his followers, including their women,
were in common. He admitted no hereditary claims to rank. He taught
that good and evil had no real existence; that death was the mere trans
migration of the soul from one body to another; and that man and the
earth on which he lived were alike everlasting. The defiance of the Kuran
reached its climax when the Bab laughed to scorn the Prophet"’s descrip
tions of the black-eyed virgins, who welcome the believer to the pavilions
of paradise, and the terror-striking bridge over which the unbelievers are
compelled to pass in order to enter the depths of hell.*
Shortly after the commencement of this extraordinary movement, the
death of the third Kajar sovereign began to draw nigh. Gout and erysi
pelas had broken up the constitution of Muhammad Shah; and he expired
on the 4th of September 1848, in the fortieth year of his age and four
teenth of his reign.
The death of Muhammad Shah was followed by considerable disturbances,
which, however, were by no means so dangerous as on former occasions
of a vacant throne. At Tihran a large body of the more influential cour
tiers px-oceeded to the camp of the British mission, and professed the warm
est devotion to the new sovereign, but declared that they would submit
no longer to the authority of the minister, Haji Mfrza Aghast. In
reply, Colonel Farrant, the British representative, stated that he would
act in concert with the Russian representative, prince Dolgorouki. Subse
quently the two foreign ministers requested Haji Mirza Aghasi to abstain
from all interference in public affairs until the commands of the new sovereign
had been received. Haji Mirza Aghasi agreed in the first instance to
remain in his own village, but afterwards returned to Tihran with twelve
hundred men, and shut himself up in the citadel. Ultimately he made his
escape to a neighbouring shrine ; and the people of Tihran then vented
their fury on his retainers. Meantime, Isfahan and Shiraz were the scenes
of lawless outrage. At Yazd the governor was driven into the citadel; but
was compelled by hunger to engage to leave the place, provided he was
supplied with provisions and beasts of burden. The rebels complied with
his request, and then he shut the gates and refused to fulfil his promise;
but afterwards he found that he also had been overreached, as the rebels
had poisoned the provisions. Ultimately some troops arrived to his rescue,
and enabled him to leave the citadel. Other rebellions took place ; but the
most important was that of Muhammad Nasr Khan, better known as
the Salar, who again appeared in Khurasan.
U hen Muhammad Shah was dying at Tihran, his son and heir-apparent
Nasir-ud-dfn Mirza, was residing at Tabriz in Azarbaijan. The young
prince was only sixteen years of age; and it was expected that considerable
disorders would arise in consequence of his absence from Tihran. Colonel
Farrant, however, prevented much of the evil, by despatching a courier directly
* There appears to be a mistake here. Unbelievers cannot pass over the brid°-e but fall
from it into hell. Believers pass over to paradise. In order to understand the opinions of the
Bab, those ox the buns should be studied.