Table of Contents
Section Two: The Zanján Upheaval Begins
Hujjat arrives back in Zanján
The new king, Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, had appointed one of his maternal uncles, Amír Aslán Khán , with the title of Majdu’d-Dawlih as the new governor of Zanján. Amír Aslán Khán was a cruel and vicious individual. He had been one of those present at the trial of the Báb in Tabríz [DB 17-18, Section 2].24_ACT14 From the very beginning he was very hostile to the Faith of the Báb. When Hujjat arrived back in Zanján, a large gathering of his followers celebrated and came out to greet him. This greatly upset the governor. He did not dare attack Hujjat directly, so he ordered the tongue of the person who had announced the news of Hujjat’s arrival to be cut out. 25_ACT14
The Bábí community in Zanján continues to grow
Hujjat’s teaching work meant the number of Bábís in Zanján continued to increase. Sources say the number of Bábís in Zanján were several thousand consisting of men, women and children, all of whom actively practiced what they understood to be the teachings of their new Faith as taught to them by Hujjat.26_ACT14 One source records that “when Hujjat went out to his mosque to lead Friday prayers, three or four hundred followers escorted him. The crowds attending prayers overflowed the room reserved for prayer into the outer court of the mosque.”27_ACT14 All this was of great concern to the ‘ulamá of Zanján who felt their power was being seriously threatened. It was also of concern to the governor. He had been ordered by the Amír-Kabír to send Hujjat back to the capital, but he did not dare make a direct move against Hujjat, because of Hujjat’s huge number of supporters.
Tensions between Zanjání Bábís and Muslims deepen
One historical analysis states:
The governor, unable to deal with the situation by force, invited Hujjat to the governorate for negotiations. Hujjat came, accompanied by two hundred armed supporters who waited respectfully but pointedly outside the
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