TAHIRIH, FIRST SUFFRAGETTE OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Táhirih, a Persian noblewoman, distinguished as a scholar and poetess, a prodigy of science as well as beauty and a gentle woman with no doubt had a huge destiny ahead of her. She was born in 1817 and put to death in 1852 by the government of Persia (today Iran.) What could have been Táhirih’s crime? To simply be herself and show her beautiful face as any woman would do. She became the first woman on earth to unveil in Iran. It is remarkable to realize that the first woman suffrage martyr was not a woman from the West, but a young woman from the East, a poet named Táhirih, “The Pure One” and sometimes known as Qurratu'l-'Ayn, of Qazvin, Iran.

Joan of Arc is interrogated by The Cardinal of Winchester in her prison (1824) / Jeanne d’Arc est interrogée par le cardinal de Winchester dans sa prison (1824)Her life could be comparable to the one of Joan of Arc, a young woman who led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, captured by the Burgundians, an East Germanic tribe, sold to the English on May 23, 1430, tried by an ecclesiastical court on January 9, 1431, and on May 30 of the same year, Joan was burned at the stake in the Old Market Square at Rouen by the patriarchal theologists of the Catholic Church for the crime of leaving off the dress and clothing of the feminine sex, a thing contrary to divine laws, wore clothing of gold and furs, armor such as is worn by a man, and rode a magnificent horse which was strictly reserved for nobility.  In other words, she posed a threat to the conservative Catholic Church's religious standard rule of women not to be allowed to wear pants and masculine apparel to stop our society from becoming corrupted. Joan of Arc had to be made an example to all who would defy Christian supremacy. She was only nineteen years old when killed by the Christian Clergy.

A chādor or chādar is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many Iranian women in public spacesTo understand Táhirih’s story, one should know something of the Iran of her time and be aware of that phenomenal quickening of religion known as the Bahá'i Faith which rose at that time in her country of Iran, a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind.  The word "Bahá’í" refers as a term for a follower of Bahá'u'lláh. It derives from the Arabic word Bahá’, meaning "glory" or "splendor”. Táhirih, an influential poet was, at first, a follower of the Bábí faith, a movement founded by Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází who at the age of twenty-four, on May 23, 1844, claimed to be the promised Qá'im (or Mahdi) and took the title of Báb meaning "Gate" after His declaration. It is not difficult to convince anyone that Persian women at that time had no identity of their own. They wore chadors (A chador is a full-length semicircle of fabric open down the front, which is thrown over the head and held closed in front. It has no hand openings or closures but is held shut by the hands or by wrapping the ends around the waist) that covered their bodies and faces completely when in public. They were very much the property of men, fathers and husbands. They had no choice but to obey the man of the house. Western literature called her the Persian Joan of Arc, a prodigy of science as well as beauty. Táhirih and Joan of Arc, both challenged their traditional Church’s dress code and both died in the hands of the clergy.

Edward Granville Browne in later lifeHer given name was Fatimih, though she was rarely called by that name. She was called Ummay-Salmay. Later she was called Zarrin-Taj which means the Golden Crown. As we see in the course of history, when she corresponded with Siyyid Kazim, he addressed her as Qurratu'l-Ayn which means 'Solace of the Eye.' Later in Badasht, Bahá’u’lláh bestowed upon her the title of Táhirih which means the 'Pure One.'

Professor Edward G. Browne, the orientalist from England, said the appearance of a heroine such as Táhirih in those days in Iran was not only a prodigy, but rather a miracle, and if the Bábi Faith did not have any other claim to greatness, producing a heroine like Táhirih would have been sufficient. The mother of the president of Austria said, "I shall do for the women of Austria what Táhirih gave her life to do for the women of Persia."

Shaykh Ahmad ibn Zayn ad-Dín ibn Ibráhím al-Ahsá'í was born in Ahsa, in the northeast of the Arabian peninsula, to a Shi'i family of Sunni origin in either the year 1166 A.H. (1753 C.E.), or 1157 A.H. (1744 C.E.). It was in Yazd that much of his books and letters were written.She was born to a respected and learned family. Her father, Haji Mulla Salih, was not only a very high-positioned clergyman, but was also very wealthy. As a matter of fact, he gave to her as a gift a village which she called Bahjat-Abad, which means the abode of happiness.

At age thirteen, her parents married her to her cousin, the son of Mulla Taqi. The husband's name was Mulla Muhammad. Marriages in that culture were pre-arranged, and cousins would marry each other. She had three children from that marriage, two sons and one daughter. None of them became Bábis or believers. The daughter at the age of twenty-two died, one year after the martyrdom of Táhirih.

Táhirih received her education through attending the courses given by her father and her uncle. Many times in lectures, attended by about two hundred students, but being female she would sit behind curtains. It was not unusual for her to voice her disagreement with her father or her uncle by bringing convincing proofs. Soon she became known among the students as a very learned person. As a matter of fact, her older brother, who later succeeded the father, said that the boys of the family never dared to talk when Táhirih was present because she could easily discover their mistakes and would make them realize their weakness. They preferred silence in her presence. She out-distanced her brothers in progress, but being a woman she was not given any degree and had no place in the ecclesiastic hierarchy.

He clearly innovated in Shi'i thought, in ways that, toward the end of his life, sparked great controversy.So many times her father stated how he wished she were a boy who could succeed him and bring more prestige to the family. One day in the library of her cousin she discovered some books written by -Shay-kh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim. After reading a few pages she became highly interested in these books and asked the cousin if she could borrow them for studying. The cousin refused of course, and said that these books were written by very progressive thinkers, whose doctrines and tenets are highly opposed by her father and uncle. Their doctrines being, one, that the resurrection is not that of rising of the body, but spiritual in nature; the second doctrine, that the Promised One, the Qa'im, would be born of a mother, and he would not be coming out of one thousand years of hiding as Muslims believed and expected. And also that the appearance of the Qa'im was near. The third doctrine was that God shall continue to send educators to mankind. This was somewhat different from what Muslims believed; that Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets and after Him no other Messenger of God would appear. After arguing with the cousin, she won and he gave her the books.

According to Shiah belief, The Hidden Imam would return in a thousand years bringing peace and justice to all mankind thereby marking the end of Muhammad’s dispensation. Since that time devout Shiah have gathered around the holy shrines to pray for his return. Centuries later, in Karbila, Shaykh Ahmad established himself as one initiated into the mysteries of Divine Revelation and therefore qualified to unravel the interpretations of the sacred text of the Quran and Hadith - Painting by Ivan Lloyd, www.bahaifaithart.com.Even though she was married, she spent most of her time at home. She was very close to her mother, and would spend long hours in her father's library. Táhirih and her father had many heated arguments and he raised violent objection toward her doing this. She started a correspondence with Siyyid Kazim, but, Shaykh Ahmad was no longer living at that time.  Their correspondence was done through her Uncle Ali. As the opposition of the father and the uncle became more, she pretended that she was going to Karbila and Najaf, the two holy cities, for pilgrimage. This was quite pleasing to the family. They thought she would become more religious and would start to forget about her thoughts on the doctrines of -Shay-kh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim. With the help of her Uncle Ali, she and her sister, Marzieh, and Uncle Ali went to Karbila. Unfortunately, she arrived ten days too late. Siyyid Kazim had already died on December 31,1843, the year before the Declaration of the Báb.

On the evening of May 22, Baha'is throughout the world commemorate the Declaration of the Bab, which took place in this room (pictured) in the Persian city of Shiraz in 1844.So she became the guest of Siyyid Kazim's wife and stayed with her for the next three years. She joined the company of those students of Siyyid Kazim who remained. The rest had dispersed to find the Qa'im. Soon she became known in Karbila for her  knowledge and ability to debate and convince even the best of the clergy. She had the whole library in her head and quoted pages of books without mistake to support her reasons. She was eagerly expecting the coming of the Promised One, but, being a woman, she had restrictions on traveling. She prayed and meditated constantly until one night in a dream she saw a young Siyyid, wearing a black cloak and green turban, appearing in heaven. This means he was suspended in the air, reciting certain verses, one of which she wrote down in her book. She woke up exhilarated and wrote the verse down.

Tahirih Teaching in Baghdad - Painting by Ivan Lloyd, www.bahaifaithart.comAs soon as she heard about the intended departure of her sister Marzieh's husband, Muhammad-'Ali, from Karbila to go in search of the Qa'im, she sent a message to him. The message said she was sure that he would meet the Promised One in the course of his journey. She said, "When you meet Him,on my behalf tell him, 'The effulgence of Thy face flashed forth, and the rays of Thy visage arose high; then speak the word, Am I not your Lord? Thou art, thou art', we will all reply." She also gave him a sealed letter to deliver to the Qa'im. Muhammad-'Ali eventually met the Báb, and when the Báb received her letter and heard the poetry, He accepted her as a Letter of the Living, (a title provided by the Báb to the first eighteen disciples of the Bábi dispensation She was the only woman, the seventeenth Letter of the Living, right before the last one, Quddus.) This was about August in 1844. Not long after she heard about having been accepted, with her immovable conviction and bewitching eloquence, she began to teach the new Faith.

In 1848, Baha’u’llah, a wealthy nobleman from Tehran, invited a group of Babi’s to gather at a Caravansarie in Badasht, a small hamlet near the Caspian Sea. Initially they discussed plans to help the Bab escape from imprisonment, but one day at the Conference of Badasht, Tahirih removed her veil and appeared before the assembled believers and pronounced: “I am the blast of the trumpet, I am the call of the bugle. Like Gabriel I will awaken sleeping souls.” - Painting by Ivan Lloyd, www.bahaifaithart.comHer active teaching caused a turmoil, but the greatest shock came when she was found to not put on her mourning attire at the beginning of the mourning month of Muharram which coincides with the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, but instead, with her sister, put on festive attire, and celebrated the birth of the Báb which is the first day of that month.

In Bagdad she was the guest of the grandfather of Dr. Zia Baadadi, who in the early 20th century, was a great Baha'i teacher in Chicago. She lectured from behind the curtain. Soon her students from Karbila moved there and added to her audience. Here she challenged the clergy, through the governor, to come for a public debate about their questions of her ideas. Of course, they knew better and did not accept, but became upset and asked the governor to transfer her and the other ladies to the house of the Mufti (the canon) of Bagdad. This was in 1847.

Persia MapThroughout her life she continued to challenge the clergy and by the same intuition that caused her to recognize the Báb, she also recognized the station of Bahá’u’lláh.  For five or six months she was the guest of Báha’u’lláh and during her visit it became obvious that her life was now in danger and in May or June of 1848, Bahá’u’lláh advised His brother to take Táhirih secretly through the city gate as enemies were looking for her and she was taken to the foot of the mountains where she stayed for seven days at the home of a caretaker.

Táhirih later joined 81 believers as guests of Báha’u’lláh at the conference of Badasht, a summer resort full of gardens for the nobility.  It was here that Táhirih came out without the veil over her face.  Her appearance was like a thunderbolt and with an eloquent and matchless speech proclaimed ….” this is the day on which the fetters of the past are burst asunder!”  She concluded with a verse from the Qur’an, “verily, amid gardens and rivers shall the pious dwell in the seat of truth in the presence of the potent King.”  The conference was attacked in the early dawn and Táhirih fled to the town of Nur.

Nasiri'd-Din Shah à Paris en 1889Táhirih was captured and kept under house arrest for four years.  She was brought to the presence of the eighteen-year-old king, Nasirid-Din Shah, who liked her appearance.  She was thirty-two years old when the Shah wrote her a letter urging her to deny her Faith and become a Muslim.  If she would, he wrote, he would marry her and make her the guardian of the ladies of his household. She answered him “Kingdom, wealth and ruling is yours, being detached like a dervish is mine.  If that is good, let it be yours.  If this is bad, I long for it, let it be mine. When he read her answer, he praised her and said, “So far the history has not shown a woman like this.”

“The Seven Martyrs of Tehran” - Painting by Ivan Lloyd, www.bahaifaithart.comAt first, she was placed in an upstairs room which only could be reached by a ladder. Soon the wife of the Kalantar was captivated by her spirit, and restrictions were eased off. The princesses and wives of notables came to listen to her. Her new faith and emancipation of women were exciting to hear. In the wedding celebration of the marriage of the son of the Kalantar, the women asked for her, and as soon as she came, the magic of her words brought people away from music and dancing. In 1852, the prime minister, Mirza Taqi-Khan-i-Amir Kabir, who two years earlier had ordered the execution of the Báb, appointed a few of the clergy and his deputies to interrogate her. They made seven interviews with her, and found her impossible to bend. She ended her interrogation by telling them, "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women."

Tahirih, humanity's first women's suffrage martyr - Painting by Ivan Lloyd, www.bahaifaithart.comThe Prime Minister had no intention to learn the truth. These seven conferences, or trials, were to appease the notable women. The deputies signed the death sentence. August 15, 1852, the infamous day when three Bábis tried to kill the -Shah, Bahá'u'lláh and all the well-known Bábis were thrown into the dungeon, or the Siyah-Chal, of Tehran. Eighty were put to death in the most cruel ways.' Táhirih was still in the house of the Kalantar. One morning she summoned the wife of the kalantar to her room. Kalantar's wife found Táhirih dressed in a white silk dress and scented with attar of rose, a heavenly perfume. The wife of Kalantar later related this story, "I showed my surprise about the unusual sight. She said, 'I have bathed and am preparing to meet my beloved. I wish to free you from the care and anxiety of my imprisonment." She said, "I broke into tears but Táhirih said, 'Do not weep, the time of your lamentation has not yet come. The time of my martyrdom is fast approaching. My last wishes are that you send your son with me to make sure they don't force me to divest myself from this attire, and my body should be thrown into a pit and covered with earth and stones. Also please lock the door, and do not let anyone disturb my devotion. This day I shall fast until I am face-to-face with my Beloved. Three days after my death a woman will come to visit you. Give her this package. "

Four hours after sunset the attendants came and asked for her. She states, "As I went to her room she had her veil on and was pacing the room. She kissed me and handed me a key to her chest and said, 'Whenever you open this chest and see the little things I left for you remember me and rejoice in my gladness.' She left with the guards and my son. My heart broke to see her disappear into the dark. Three hours later my son returned with his face drenched with tears. He gave the following account, "As we reached the garden of Ilkhani, she dismounted her horse and approached me and said, they apparently want to strangle me. Long ago I had set aside this silk scarf which I hoped to be used to take my life, 'and she handed it to me. I found the Sardar (chief officer) drunk. I gave the scarf and the message. He called a servant in and after a few compliments, he gave him gold coins and said, ‘Take this scarf and go and choke this Bábi woman who is causing so much trouble. She is in the servant’s quarters.'

Photo courtesy: www.themuslimwoman.orgI followed the servant. When he entered the room, I stood at the door. When he got close to her she looked at him and said a few words. This servant took the scarf back to Sardar (chief officer) and refused it to do it. Sardar asked for coffee to sober up. Then he asked for one of his low-life servants who had been demoted to the lowest job. This evil-looking man came, and the Sardar made him drunk and gave him the scarf. As this servant approached Táhirih he quickly wrapped the scarf around her neck and killed her. Then, as she requested, her body was lowered into a well and covered with stones and dirt." The Kalantar's wife stated, "Three days later, as foretold by Táhirih, a woman came and took the package."

She was thirty-six years old. Her career was as dazzling as it was brief, and as tragic as it was eventful. What other woman except Táhirih in those days had the courage, erudition, and eloquence to address and confound the ulama at the center of Islam who ranked women slightly higher than animal, and considered them not even having a soul.

At her final hours she told them, "You can kill me as soon as you wish, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women." How true! Unlike her fellow-disciples, her fame spread far and wide in the capitals of Western Europe. Her sacrifices and influence mean more to women than that of Joan of Arc. Her admirers are many throughout the continents. They are eager to know more about her, memorize her poetry, or set them to music, but more than all, to emulate her. May the future historians do justice to her accomplishments and influence. Some of her poetry has been translated. Many of her heart-touching odes are recited by her fanatic countrymen of today without knowing who is the composer and not realizing that the Lord mentioned in those lines signify no one else but Baha'u'llah. Indeed, the title of Zarrin-Taj, or Crown of Gold, was below the station of this immortal heroine whom history will remember as Táhirih, the title conferred upon her by the Blessed Beauty.

Film: “TAHIRIH DIVINE VOICE” Starring Shanta Surendran, Directed by Starr Saffa. The film is in three parts.  Here is part two.