most of her time in close companionship with them both, occupied in teaching the
Faith. Since this was in the early days of the Cause, the people were not yet afraid of it. From being with
Táhirih,
Shams profited immeasurably, and was more on fire with the Faith than ever. She spent three years in close association with
Táhirih in
Karbilá. Day and night, she was stirred like the sea by the gales of the All-Merciful, and she taught with an eloquent tongue.
As Táhirih became celebrated throughout Karbilá, and the Cause of His Supreme Holiness,
the Báb, spread all over
Persia, the latter-day ‘ulamás arose to deny, to heap scorn upon, and to destroy it. They issued a fatvá or judgment that called for a general massacre. Táhirih was one of those designated by the evil ‘ulamás of the city as an unbeliever, and they mistakenly thought her to be in the home of
Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá. They broke into Shams’s house, hemmed her in, abused and vilified her, and inflicted grievous bodily harm. They dragged her out of the house and through the streets to the bázár; they beat her with clubs; they stoned her, they denounced her in foul language, repeatedly assaulting her. While this was going on,
Ḥájí Siyyid Mihdí, the father of her distinguished husband, reached the scene. “This woman is not Táhirih!” he shouted at them. But he had no witness to prove it,
1 and the
farráshes, the police and the mob would not let up. Then, through the uproar, a voice screamed out: “They have arrested Qurratu’l-‘Ayn!” At this, the people abandoned
Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá.
Guards were placed at the door of Táhirih’s house and no one was allowed to enter or leave, while the authorities waited for instructions from
Baghdád and
Constantinople. As the interval of waiting lengthened out, Táhirih asked for permission to leave for Ba
ghdád. “Let us go there ourselves,”