Helping San Diego, California and beyond since 1997.
Do you need
volunteer, community service, work, military or court hours?
|
|
Helping San Diego, California and beyond since 1997.
|
|
Click here and add this page to your favorites!
|
Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: AUD-BAI |
|
|
BABIISM , the religion founded in Persia in A.D. 18441845 by Mirth `Ali Muhammad of Shiraz, a young Sayyid who was at that time not twenty-five years of age. Before his "manifestation " (zuhiir), of which he gives in the Persian Bayfin a date corresponding to 23rd May 1844, he was a disciple of Sayyid Kazim of Rasht, the leader of the Shaykhis, a sect of extreme ShI'ites characterized by the doctrine (called by them Rukn-irabi', " the fourth support ") that at all times there must exist an intermediary between the twelfth Imam and his faithful followers. This intermediary they called " the perfect ShI'ite," and his prototype is to be found in the four successive Bdbs or " gates " through whom alone the twelfth Imam, during the period of his " minor occultation " (Ghaybat-i-sughrd, A.D. 874940), held communication with his partisans. It was in this sense, and not, as has been often asserted, in the sense of Gate of God " or " Gate of Religion," that the title Bab was understood and assumed by Mfrza'Alf Muhammad; but,thoughstill generally thus styled by non-Bahia, he soon assumed the higher title of Nugta (" Point "), and the title Bab, thus left vacant, was conferred on his ardent disciple, Muilfi Husayn of Bushrawayh. The history of the Bahia, though covering a comparatively short period, is'so full of incident and the particulars now availableare so numerous, that the following account purports to be silly the briefest sketch. The Bab himself was in captivity first at Shiraz, then at Mail, and lastly at Chihrfq, during the greater part of the six years (May 1844 until July 1850) of his brief career, but an active propaganda was carried on by his disciples, which resulted in several serious revolts against the government, especially alter the death of Muhammad Shah in September 1848. Of these risings the first (December 1848-July 1849) took place in Mazandaran, at the ruined shrine of Shaykh Tabarsf, near Barfur6sh, where the Babfs, led by Mull-& Muhammad `Alf of Barfurash and Mulla Husayn of Bushrawayh (" the first who believed "), defied the shah's troops for seven months before they were finally subdued and put to death. The revolt at Zanjan in the north-west of Persia, headed by Mull& Muhammad `Ali Zanjanf, also lasted seven or eight months (MayDecember 1850), while. a serious but less protracted struggle was waged against the government at Nfrfz in Fars by Aga Sayyid Yahya of Nfrfz. Both revolts were in progress when the Bab, with one of his devoted disciples, was brought from his prison at Chihrfq to Tabriz and publicly shot in front of the arg or citadel. The body, after being exposed for some days, was recovered by the Babfs and conveyed to a shrine near Tehran, whence it was ultimately removed to Acre in Syria, where it is now buried. For the next two years comparatively little was heard of the Babis, but on the 35th of August 1852 three of them, acting on their own initiative, attempted to assassinate Nasiru'd-Din Shah as he was returning from the chase to his palace at Niyavaran. The attempt failed, but was the cause of a fresh persecution, and on the 31st of August 1852 some thirty Bahia, including the beautiful and talented poetess Qurratu'l-'Ayn, were put to death in Tehran with atrocious cruelty. Another of the victims of that day was Hajji Mirth Janf of Kashan, the author of the oldest history of the movement
Cambridge in 1843 by E. G, Browne) is based on Mirth Jani's work, but many important passages which did not accord with later Babf doctrine or policy have been suppressed or modified, while some additions have been made. The Bab was succeeded on his death by Mirth Yahya of Nlr (at that time only about twenty years of age), who escaped to Bagdad, and, under the title of Subh-i-Ezel (" the Morning of Eternity "), became the pontiff of the sect. He lived, however, in great seclusion, leaving the direction of affairs almost entirely in the hands of his elder half-brother (born 12th November 1817), Mirth, Husayn `Alf, entitled Balsa' u'lldla (" the Splendour of God " ), who thus gradually became the most conspicuous and most influential member of the sect, though in the Iqdn, one of the most important polemical works of the Babis, composed in 18581859, he still implicitly recognized the supremacy of Subh-i-Ezel. In 1863, however, Baha declared himself to be He whom God shall manifest" (Clan Yuz-hiruhu'ildh, with prophecies of whose advent the works of the Bab are filled), and called on all the Bahia to recognize his claim. The majority responded, but Subh-i-Ezel and some of his faithful adherents refused. After that date the Babfs divided into two sects, Ezelis and Baha'fs, of which the former steadily lost and the latter gained ground, so that in 1908 there were probably from half a million to a million of the latter, and at most only a hundred or two of the former. In 1863 the Babfs were, at the instance of the Persian government, removed from Bagdad to Constantinople, whence they were shortly afterwards transferred to Adrianople. In 1868 Baha and his followers were exiled to Acre in Syria, and Subh-i-Ezel with his few adherents to Famagusta in Cyprus, where he was still living in 1908. Baha'u'llah died at Acre on the 16th of May 1892. His son `Abbas Efendf (also called `Abdu'l-Baha, the servant of Baha") was generally recognized as his successor, but another of his four sons, Muhammad `Ali, put forward a rival claim. This caused a fresh and bitter schism, but Abbas Efendf steadily gained ground, and there could be little doubt as to his eventualtriumph. The controversial literature connected with this latest schism is abundant, not only in Persian, but in English, for since 'goo many Americans have adopted the religion of Baha. The original
A correct understanding of the doctrines of the early Babfs (now represented by the Ezelis) is hardly possible save to one who is conversant with the theology of Islam and its developments, and especially the tenets of the Shl'a. The Babfs are Muhammadans only in the sense that the Muhammadans are Christians or the Christians Jews; that is to say, they recognize Muhammad (Mahomet) as a true prophet and the Qur'an (Koran) as a revelation, but deny their finality. Revelation, according to their view, is progressive, and no revelation is final, for, as the human race progresses, a fuller measure of truth, and ordinances more suitable to the age, are vouchsafed. The Divine Unity is incomprehensible, and can be known only through its Manifestations; to recognize the Manifestation of the cycle in which he lives is the supreme duty of man. Owing to the enormous volume and unsystematic character of the Babf scriptures, and the absence of anything resembling church councils, the doctrine on many important points (such as the future life) is undetermined and vague. The resurrection of the body is denied, but some form of personal immortality is generally, though not universally, accepted. Great importance was attached to the mystical values of letters and numbers, especially the numbers i8 and ig (" the number of the unity ") and 192 = 361 (" the number of all things "). In general, the Bab's doctrines most closely resembled those of the Isma'ilfs and Hurfifis. In the hands of Bala
recent
movement
and " Catalogue and Description of the 27 Babi Manuscripts," Journal of R. Asiat. Soc. (July and October 1892) ; Andreas, Die Blbi's in Persien (1896) ; Baron Victor Rosen, Collections scientifiques de l'Institut des Langues orientales, vol. i. (1897), pp. 179-212; vol. iii. (1886), pp. 1-51; vol. vi. (1891), pp. 141-255; ` Manuscrits Babys "; and other important articles in Russian by the same scholar; and by Captain A. G. Toumansky in the Zapiski vostochnava otdyeleniya Imperatorskava Russkava Archeologicheskava Obshchestva (vols. St Petersburg
Petersburg
Glory
York
Babysme. (En. G. B.) End of Article: BABIISM If you wish, you can link directly to this article.
<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/AUD_BAI/BABIISM.html"> BABIISM </a> |
|
|
(Previous) BABEUF, FRANCOIS NOEL (1760-t797) |
(Next) BABINGTON, ANTHONY (15611586) |
|
Sponsored Advertisements