Táhirih

Táhirih (Ṭāhira) (, "The Pure One," also called Qurrat al-ʿAyn ( "Solace/Consolation of the Eyes") are both titles of Fatimah Baraghani/Umm-i Salmih (1814 or 1817 – August 16–27, 1852), an influential poet, women's rights activist and theologian of the Bábí faith in Iran. She was one of the Letters of the Living, the first group of followers of the Báb. Her life, influence and execution made her a key figure of the religion. The daughter of Muhammad Salih Baraghani, she was born into one of the most prominent families of her time. Táhirih led a radical interpretation that, though it split the Babi community, wedded messianism with Bábism.

As a young girl she was educated privately by her father and showed herself a talented writer. Whilst in her teens she married the son of her uncle, with whom she had a difficult marriage. In the early 1840s she became a follower of Shaykh Ahmad and began a secret correspondence with his successor Kazim Rashti. Táhirih travelled to the Shiʻi holy city of Karbala to meet Kazim Rashti, but he died a number of days before her arrival. In 1844 aged about 27, in search of the Qa'im through the Islamic teachings she figured his whereabouts. Independent to any individual she became acquainted with the teachings of the Báb and accepted his religious claims as Qa'im. She soon won renown and infamy for her zealous teachings of his faith and "fearless devotion". Subsequently, exiled back to Iran, Táhirih taught her faith at almost every opportunity. The Persian clergy grew resentful of her and she was detained several times. Throughout her life she battled with her family, who wanted her to return to their traditional beliefs.

Táhirih was probably best remembered for unveiling herself in an assemblage of men during the Conference of Badasht. The unveiling caused much controversy, but Baháʼu'lláh named her Tahirih "the Pure One" at that same Conference. After the historic Conference of Badasht, a number of those who attended were so amazed at the fearlessness and outspoken language of that heroine, that they felt it their duty to acquaint the Báb with the character of her startling and unprecedented behaviour. They strove to tarnish the purity of her name. To their accusations the Bab replied: "What am I to say regarding her whom the Tongue of Power and Glory has named Tahirih [the Pure One]?" These words proved sufficient to silence those who had endeavoured to undermine her position. From that time onwards she was designated by the believers as Tahirih. The Báb continued to highly praise Táhirih and in one of his later writings equates Táhirih's station as equal to that of the seventeen other male 'Letters of the Living' combined. She was soon arrested and placed under house arrest in Tehran. In mid-1852 she was executed in secret on account of her Bábí faith and her unveiling. Before her death she declared: "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women." Since her death, Bábí and Baháʼí literature venerated her to the level of martyr, being described as "the first woman suffrage martyr". As a prominent Bábí (she was the seventeenth disciple or "Letter of the Living" of the Báb) she is highly regarded by followers of the Baháʼí Faith and Azalis and often mentioned in Baháʼí literature as an example of courage in the struggle for women's rights. Her date of birth is uncertain as birth records were destroyed at her execution.

Early life (birth–1844)

thumb|250px|left|The home of Táhirih in [[Qazvin.]]

Táhirih was born Fātemeh Baraghāni in Qazvin, Iran (near Tehran), Her mother was from a Persian noble family, whose brother was the imam of the Shah Mosque of Qazvin. Her mother as well as Táhirih and all her sisters all studied in the Salehiyya, the Salehi madrasa her father had established in 1817, which included a women's section. Táhirih's uncle, Mohammad Taqi Baraghani, was also a mujtahid whose power and influence dominated the court of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Historian and contemporary Nabíl-i-Aʻzam cites that it was in 1817, whilst others claim an earlier date of 1814. Her grandson suggests a much later date of 1819, Shoghi Effendi and William Sears suggest the date of 1817, and other writers agree. After interviewing Táhirih's family and the families of contemporaries as well as reading documents about her life Martha Root believed that the most accurate date of birth was between 1817 and 1819.

The Baraghani brothers had migrated from an obscure village near Qazvin to the city where they made their fortunes in ecclesiastical schools. They soon rose to the ranks of high-ranking clerics in the court of the Shah of Persia and even running religious sections of Qazvin.

Education

Táhirih was educated particularly well for a girl of her era. She was allowed to undertake Islamic studies, and was known for her ability to memorize the Qurʼan as well as being able to grasp hard to understand points of religious law.

Táhrih exerted a powerful charm and charisma on those who met her, and she was generally praised for her beauty. Contemporaries and modern historians comment on Táhirih's rare physical beauty. A courtier described her as "moonfaced", "with hair like musk" whilst one of her fathers pupils wondered how a woman of her beauty could be so intelligent. George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, wrote, "beauty and the female sex also lent their consecration to the new creed and the heroism… the lovely but ill-fated poetess of Qazvín". British Professor Edward Granville Browne who spoke to a great number of her contemporaries, wrote that she was renowned for her "marvellous beauty". The Shah's Austrian physician, Jakob Eduard Polak, also cited her beauty. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and Bahíyyih Khánum noted her beauty in several talks and writings. Táhirih's education with her father lead her to become a devoutly religious and she upheld these beliefs for the rest of her life. It also made her hungry for knowledge and she busied herself with reading and writing religious and other forms of literature. Initially Táhirih kept her new religious beliefs secret from her family. However, with her newfound faith Táhirih found it difficult to comply with her family's rigid religious doctrine and began openly battling with them. The religious tension resulted in Táhirih imploring her father, uncle and husband to allow her to make a pilgrimage to the holy shrines of Karbala. At the age of about 26 in 1843, Táhirih separated from her husband and accompanied by her sister made a sojourn to Karbala. Her real motive for the pilgrimage however was to meet her teacher, Kazim Rashti. Unlike the other Letters of the Living, Táhirih never met the Báb. Continuing to reside in Siyyid Kazim's home, she started to promulgate the new religion of the Báb, Bábism, and attracted many Shakhis to Karbala.

American Martha Root writes about Táhirih: "Picture in your mind one of the most beautiful young women in Iran, a genius, a poet, the

most learned scholar of the Quran and the traditions; think of her as the daughter of a jurist family of letters, daughter of the greatest high priest of her province and very rich, enjoying high rank, living in an artistic palace, and distinguished among her...friends for her boundless, immeasurable courage. Picture what it must mean for a young woman like this, still in her twenties, to arise as the first woman disciple of [the Báb]".

Poetry

After her conversion to the Bábí faith, the poems of Táhirih flourished. it has been claimed by Mohit Tabátabá'i to be older and by someone else – though in making this claim he offered no proof and any argument to the contrary is not possible in Iran. When Táhirih was killed, hostile family members suppressed or destroyed her remaining poems, whilst her others were spread across Iran.

After collecting, translating, and publishing a volume of those poems commonly considered as having been written by Táhirih,The Poetry of Táhirih (2002), scholars John S. Hatcher and Amrollah Hemmat received a photocopy of two handwritten manuscripts from Bíjan Beidáíe, son of renowned scholar Dhuká'í Beidáíe who had originally submitted this manuscript to the Baháʼí archives of Iran. The result of this propitious find of poems previously unpublished, untranslated, and largely unknown, was the publication of two volumes by Hatcher and Hemmat containing both translation of the poetry into English and copies of the original calligraphy. The first volume Adam's Wish (2008) includes a lengthy poem called Adam's Wish, about the desire of Adam and all other past prophets to witness humanity's coming of age. As Hatcher and Hemmat explain in the introductions to these two volumes, some scholars question whether or not all the poems in the manuscript are by Táhirih. Dhuká'í Beidáíe himself states in Persian on page 256 of Adam's Wish that some of the poems may be written by Bihjat (Karím Khan-i-Máftí), one of the Báb'ís of Qazvin who corresponded with Táhirih through exchanges of poems, possibly during the period when she was imprisoned the house of the governor of Tehran in the period prior to her execution. In 2020 Yet another manuscript of untranslated and unpublished poetry was discovered by Hatcher and Hemmat that had been moved from Iran to the Research Department of the Bahá'í World Center shortly before the 1979 Revolution. Using the same format as their previous translated works of Táhirih, Hatcher and Hemmat translated the seventy-five poems into English verse and included the original text together with a glossary and extensive notes. Published in 2024 by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust, this work is titled Sparks of Fire: Unknown Poetry of Táhirih.

Return to Iran

During her journey back to Qazvin, she openly taught the Bábí faith, Aqa ʻAbdu'llah-i-Bihbihani, at this point, wrote to Táhirih's father asking his relatives to remove her from Kermanshah. She then travelled to the small town of Sahneh and then to Hamadan, where she met her brothers who had been sent to ask for her return to Qazvin. She agreed to return with her brothers after making a public statement in Hamedan regarding the Báb. Her father may have remained unconvinced about the rumours but her uncle Mulla Muhammad Taqi Baraghani was horrified and resentful to the Báb, whom he blamed for having brought his family to ill repute. and the blame for this placed on her by her husband, Though interpreted as a cruel act in Root's interviews with family members of Táhirih one claimed this was done out of genuine fear for her safety. Her father was convinced of his daughters' innocence, but her husband was violently against her. He argued that Táhirih be put on trial for the murder of her uncle.

In her trial, Táhirih was questioned hour after hour about the murder of her uncle, in which she denied any involvement. To exert pressure on her, Táhirih was threatened to be branded as was her maid who was almost tortured to procure evidence from Táhirih. However, it fell through after the confession of the murderer himself. Táhirih returned to her father's home, still a prisoner, and was kept under close watch.

and it was Tahirih who pushed the notion that there should be an armed rebellion to save the Bab and create the break. Another source states that there was no doubt that prominent Babi leaders wanted to plan an armed revolt. It seems that much of what Tahirih was pushing was beyond what most of the other Babis were about to accept. As an act of symbolism, she took off her traditional veil in front of an assemblage of men on one occasion and brandished a sword on another. The unveiling caused shock and consternation amongst the men present. Prior to this, many had regarded Táhirih as the epitome of purity and the spiritual return of Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad. Many screamed in horror at the sight, and one man was so horrified that he cut his own throat and, with blood pouring from his neck, fled the scene. Táhirih then arose and began a speech on the break from Islam. She quoted from the Quran, "verily, amid gardens and rivers shall the pious dwell in the seat of truth, in the presence of the potent King" as well as proclaiming herself the Word al-Qa'im would utter on the day of judgement. The unveiling caused great controversy that even led some of the Bábís to abandon their new faith.

The conference of Badasht is considered by Bábís and Baháʼís as a signal moment that demonstrated that the Sharia had been abrogated and superseded by Bábí law. The Báb responded to the accusations of immorality by supporting her position and endorsed the name Baháʼu'lláh gave her at the conference: the Pure (Táhirih). and modern women scholars review this kind of accusation as part of a pattern faced by women leaders and writers then and since in a way that Azar Nafisi says, "the Islamic regime today… fears them and feels vulnerable in the face of a resistance that is not just political but existential."

Imprisonment and death (1848–1852)

thumb|150px|right|[[Nasser-al-Din Shah, King of Persia.]]

After the conference at Badasht Táhirih and Quddus travelled to Mazandaran province together, where they then separated, very often facing harassment on their journey. There are conflicting reports as to the reason of this harassment. According to Lisan al-Mulk the harassment was due to their staying in the same inns, and using the same public bath. In a different account the Babis are harassed by anti-Babi inhabitants of villages that they pass through.

Presentation at Court

After her capture and arrest, Táhirih was escorted to Tehran. It was in Tehran that Táhirih was presented in the court to the young monarch Nasser-al-Din Shah. He was reported to have remarked "I like her looks, leave her, and let her be". Her actions horrified the delegation and were regarded as unbecoming of a woman, no less one from her social background.

After the final conference, the delegation returned and began composing an edict denouncing Táhirih as a heretic, and implying that she should be sentenced to death. Táhirih was the first Iranian woman to be executed on grounds of "corruption on earth," a charge regularly invoked by the Islamic Republic today. Táhirih was then confined to one room in the home of the mayor. She spent her last days in prayer, mediation and fasting. "Weep not," she told the mayor's wife, "the hour when I shall be condemned to suffer martyrdom is fast approaching."

Execution

thumb|250px|left|Prison of Táhirih in Tehran

Two years after the execution of the Báb, three Bábís, acting on their own initiative, attempted to assassinate Nasser-al-Din Shah as he was returning from the chase to his palace at Niyávarfin. The attempt failed, but was the cause of a fresh persecution of the Bábí. Táhirih was blamed due to her Bábí faith. was an eyewitness to the execution and described it as: "I was witness to the execution of Qurret el ayn, who was executed by the war minister and his adjutants; the beautiful woman endured her slow death with superhuman fortitude". ʻAbdu'l-Bahá eulogized Táhirih writing that she was a "woman chaste and holy, a sign and token of surpassing beauty, a burning brand of the love of God". and the "Bab's Lieutenant". Shahrnush Parsipur mentions her in a kind of genealogy of women writers she is inspired by. Azer Jafarov, professor at Baku State University, Azerbaijan, stated that "she influenced modern literature, raised the call for the emancipation of women, and had a deep impact on public consciousness.

A very early western account of Táhirih would have been on January 2, 1913 when ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, then head of the Baháʼí Faith, spoke on women's suffrage to the Women's Freedom League – part of his address and print coverage of his talk noted mentions of Táhirih to the organization.

In art

thumb|Drawing by [[Édouard François Zier|Edouard Zier, who imagines Tahirih in public without a veil (Journal des Voyages, June 5, 1892).]]

Táhirh has been a focus of some writers of the Baháʼí Faith in fiction. Polish/Russian playwright Isabella Grinevskaya wrote the play Báb based on the life and events of the founder of the Bábí religion with a focus on Táhirih. which was performed in St. Petersburg in 1904 and again in 1916/7, and lauded by Leo Tolstoy and other reviewers at the time. In Velimir Khlebnikov's writings and poems she is mentioned frequently (as ); a number of Khlebnikov's poems describes her execution (sometimes mistakenly as a burning on a stake).

About 1908 Constance Faunt Le Roy Runcie attempted to publish a novel about the Bab and "Persia's celebrated poetess Zerryn Taj" (another of Tahirih's names.)

Bahiyyih Nakhjavani published her La femme qui lisait trop (The Woman Who Reads Too Much) in 2007, the English edition was published in 2015. It tells the story of Táhirih. The writer adopts the revolving points of view of mother, sister, daughter, and wife respectively, to trace the impact of this woman's actions on her contemporaries and read her prophetic insights.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam is set to play a role as Tahirih in a film by Jack Lenz named Mona's Dream about the life story of Mona Mahmudnizhad.

Sarah Bernhardt, the best known French actress of her day, asked two of her contemporary authors, Catulle Mendès and Henri Antoine Jules-Bois, to write a play about Tahirih and the Babis for her to portray on stage. Catulle Mendes wrote in Le Figaro that it was after reading Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l´Asie centrale by Arthur de Gobineau that he had the idea to write a drama about Tahéreh Qurrat al-`Ain.

In 2015, during the Adelaide Fringe, Delia Olam co-wrote and staged a one-woman play "Just let the wind untie my perfumed hair", based on Tahirih's final days as seen through several eyewitnesses. Some of Tahirih's poetry, in English translation, was sung to cello or dulcimer accompaniment.

Shabnam Tolouei Iranian actress and filmmaker living in France, has made a documentary of 67 minutes about the life of Tahirih Qurratul'Ayn, in April 2016. The film, called Dust-Flower-Flame, is in Persian language with English and French subtitles.

Russell Garcia and Gina Garcia have composed a musical drama titled The Unquenchable Flame about Táhirih's life, with Tierney Sutton in the role of Táhirih.

In 1990 playwright, singer and actress, Tadia Rice began a ten-year tour of the musical drama, "A Woman and Her Words: The Story of Tahirih". Covering numerous cities in the United States, and performing at the Victoria Theatre in Grahamstown, South Africa; Botswana, Swaziland, and more. She and co-composer Ellis Hall competed for ten Grammy nominations in 2000 with two music productions, "Solace of the Eyes: The Songs of Tahirih" (https://www.amazon.com/Solace-Eyes-Tadia/dp/B00004TSYL)and "A Woman and her Words: The Story of Tahirih" stage play soundtrack. (https://www.amazon.com/WOMAN-HER-WORDS-Story-Tahirih/dp/B00006S4G7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23IT7UYDV3651&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Jr0Nlcfkwba2chefHy4agg.qobRg0dgeSdvMFFyQD45ts3WhRrzcoU_GuCu_8gwfCw&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+woman+and+her+words+tadia&qid=1762062616&s=music&sprefix=a+woman+and+her+words+tadia%2Cpopular%2C211&sr=1-1)

References

External links

Directory of Táhirih's Arabic and Persian writings at h-net
Translation of Táhirih's poetry to English by Martha Root
Táhirih – Táhirih's biographical entry from Memorials of the Faithful by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
Collected English Accounts of Táhirih's Life – Primary and Secondary Biographical Accounts