Table of Contents
The case is brought to the Amír-Kabír
Realizing that they could not break these individuals, the chief of police, Mahmúd Khán-i-Kalántar , submitted the case to the Grand Vazír, the Amír-Kabír. The Amír-Kabír had risen through the ranks working with the military and firmly believed in the use of force to control and direct power. The prisoners were now brought in front of the Amír-Kabír. He tried at first by promise of freedom and threat of death to convince the prisoners to recant. However, he soon found that in spite of his being the all-powerful Amir-Kabir, pressuring these prisoners in this manner was not working. Getting angry, he stopped the proceedings with an order that whoever among the Bábí prisoners recanted their faith, they would be released, and if they were unwilling to recant, they would be executed right away.
And then there were seven
Seven of the fourteen broke under the pressure brought onto them. They were immediately released.
The remaining seven constitute the Seven Martyrs of Tihrán. They were:
- Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí , the middle uncle [of the Báb’s three maternal uncles], entitled Khál-i-A’zam [the Most Great Uncle];
- Mírzá Qurbán-‘Alí , a learned Súfí37_ACT11 dervish38_ACT11;
- Hájí Mullá Ismá’íl-i-Qumí, a learned divine;
- Siyyid Husayn-i-Turshízí, a mujtahid;
- Hájí Muhammad-Taqíy-i-Kirmání, a merchant of Kirmán;
- Siyyid Murtadá , a merchant of Zanján; and
- Muhammad-Husayn-i-Marághi’í , a government official.39_ACT11
Nabíl records the tale of the martyrdom of each of these seven,40_ACT11 which we shall now briefly recount.
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