Mr. Dr. Naseruddin Parvin has written an article entitled “the fiction of Qorratul Ein [1]: femininity and poetical art which is worthy to be paid attention in some aspects. First, he has introduced Tahireh Qorratul Ein in brief and portrayed the changes happened in her beliefs and the actions and activities which she did in the Babi creed and also her life which she had husband and four offspring for the readers.
Then, the role of Qorratul Ein has stated in Badasht adventure and her unveiling has been spoken. The following discussion is about her not to be poet.
About the author:
Mr. Dr. Naser Al-Din Parvin (born in 1324 S.H.) in Tehran [2] city is the Iranian contemporary historian and journalist. He has studied journalism course of study in literature and human sciences faculty, Tehran university. He was employed in the national television organization having responsibilities such as the editor-in-chief of the domestic news and was in charge of radio and television of Khorasan province. Eventually, he became the member of faculty of radio and television and cinema high-grade school faculty of broadcasting and taught communicative sociology of television news of the history of Iranian culture.
Four years before the Iranian Revolution, Parvin went to Paris to continue education and got Ph.D. degree in communicative sciences of Paris university and received the similar document in the political sociology course from that university.
His communicative sciences thesis was about the history of journalism writings written outside Iran. After the Revolution, he was active in broadcasting faculty in high-grade school of radio and television and taught there.
After a while, he went to Geneva (Switzerland) and established “the cultural foundation of Nahvi” which was the first exterritorial foundation of the Iranian residing abroad along with Yari Mali, one of his relatives.
A glance at the article called “the fiction of Gerratul Ein, femininity and poetry:
Mr. Dr. Naser Al-Din Parvin has written an article entitled “the fiction of Qorratul Ein Femininity and poetry” in the magazine called “the historical modern investigations”, the new period of time, year 8, No. 1-4, serial number 14, spring to winter 1403 S.H, p. 68-86 which is worthy to be paid attention.
Fatima Baragani Qazvini (1233-1268 A.M.) entitled Zarrin Taj known as Tahireh and Qorratul Ein, the poet and of the first disciples of Seyyed Ali Muhammad Bab and of the leaders of Bab movement. First, she turned to Sheikism and led some parts of Sheikism in Karbala and Iraq; then he turned to Ali Muhammad Bab overtly and became one of his close disciples.
She was the first woman of Babism cult who unveiled her face and announced that Islam’s commandments were cancelled when Bab came. After a white when Naser-Al-Din Shah was assassinated, Qorratul Ein was hanged in Tehran city along with other Babis.
The author explains his motivation concerning discussing about Tahireh as follows: “Numerous books and articles have been written about Tahireh. I have searched and been curious about her character and social-historical position, too.
First, the poems attributed to her attracted my interest and was praising her poetic nature for a while and I regretted for her existent poems to be few. I gradually doubted about a sonnet attributed to Tahireh, but it belonged to another poet by painting by such and such particularly late master Seyyed Muhammad Mohit Tabatabaee.
Then, I heard and read about her historical and social position. I gradually became sure I face with an ideal person about whom and person whom both the religious lovers of Qorratul Ein and the feminists are posing ideas and slogans about her which is imaginary and dreamy; while, our ladies and girls don’t need fiction making or listening to fiction to get their humane and national rights.
Then, he writes about her name and lineage: “That some have said or written her name as Fatima is that the Babis believe that she is the return or manifestation of the Excellency Fatima. Seyyed Mahmoud Alousi, the Mufti of Bagdad who was her host for a while, has given her the title of Hend.
This is a negative title because it points out Hend, Muawiyah’s mother who was pretty and fought with Muslims and said poetry, too. Nabil Zarandi, the author of the history of Babis and Baha’is writes: “Her father called her Zakiyeh; then Seyyed Kazem Rashti, the leader of Sheikhis called her Qorratul Ein and Seyyed Ali Muhammad Bab added the title Tahireh” to her previous titles.
Her paternal descendants were all scholars of religion. When she was a teenager, she got married with her paternal uncle’s son and had three sons and a daughter.
At the same time; like her father, paternal uncle and cousins, she learned the religious training. Her main talent was in this regard, but this woman is one of many women who learned religion and is not exceptional. If we become restricted with the Islamic world, we will find the names of tens of women who are hardworking, researchers, scholars and mystics.
It is worthy to be noted that her paternal uncle’s daughter was interpreting the holy Quran, too and his sister Marzieh had learned the religious knowledge to such an extent we don’t know. Tahireh was arguing with her family and other people up and down for the sake of religion. She became familiar with Sheikhi religion in her birthplace and joined to this group.
With and without her husband, she resided for in Karbala for 13 years. It is said that she became Babi invited by Seyyed Ali Muhammad Shirazi.
It should be added that Seyyed Ali Muhammad was going to Seyyed Kazem Rashti’s – the leader of Sheikhism – class and had visited Tahireh there, too. All Tahireh’s thought, speech and behavior was religious belief and thought.
Even, Mirza Abbas Abdul Baha, Mirza Hussein Ali Nouri’s successor entitled Bahaullah has merely compared her with religious women and has praised… . However; several decades after her killing, some people pretended her actions as an attempt for freeing women to proselytize religious ideals and beliefs or elevate the status of women and wrote her epics and praised her.”
Dr. Parvin continued to write: “The most important part of Tahireh’s life and glorifying her as a pioneer woman is related to the years 1263 – ۱۲۶۵ A.H.
She left Karbala and went to Qazvin city and debated severely with her paternal uncle who was of the opponents of Babis and Sheikis and threatened him. Fifteen days after Tahireh entered into her birthplace, that uncle was murdered and Tahireh was accused to that crime.
Then, she went to Tehran city. Next, she headed off towards Khorasan when she joined Babi heads near Shahroud. She unveiled in the Babi group. After a while, she made an unsuccessful attempt in Nour, Mazandaran, but she was arrested and was killed when she was among the Babis who shot the king. ( Zi Qádeh, 1, 1268 A.H. / Mordad, 26, 1231 S.H.).
At that time, Qorratul Ein was 36. It should be said that the Qajar court and bureau weren’t willing to kill Tahireh.
Tahireh in the position of a married woman having four offspring
Tahireh who was thinking of getting married with the Shah or a prince got married with her paternal uncle’s son who was a mullah. Some has written that the marriage was imposed. If she didn’t like that man she would resist and wouldn’t be the mother of four offspring. She left her husband when she was attracted by Seyyed Ali Muhammad Bab and Sheikh Ahmad Ehsaee.
It is worthy to be said that her sons Ebrahim, Ismaeel and Ishaq became mullahs and didn’t follow her mother’s course. It has been written that her one only daughter Zinat was a scholar, jurisconsult and speaker and had learned the holy Quran by heart.
She was to accused to order her paternal uncle, Mullah Muhammad Taghi’s murder. That uncle was Tahireh’s offspring’s grandfather. So, he was called the third martyr.
Then, the author investigates Badasht events: “In any case, Tahireh and other Babis headed off towards Khorasan ordered by Bab. Some of them went to Mashhad and returned carrying black banners.
The caravan members who had returned from Mashhad and those who came from Tehran and other regions got together in Shahroud. A gathering was formed consisting nearly eighty people.
Anyway, Tahireh “unveiled” there. Dr. Parvin says: “Setr “ستر which has been said by the previous jurisconsults means hiding woman’s body, but cover means veil and mask.
Consequently; according to Babis and others’ narrations unveiling by Tahireh was discovering mask and veil.
There are several reports about Tahireh’s speech and deed in Badasht. Those who agree and disagree. We consider both as exaggerated.
Then, Dr. Parvin investigates Tahireh as poet and says:” The names and works of hundred women have written poetry have been registered in literary histories and the books like “Tazkarat Al-Khawanin” and “the eloquent women”. The poems which are attributed to her belong to others such as Taereh, Ferdowsi, Sohbat Lari, Hatef Isfahani and etc.
Dr. Parvin concludes:
“Tahireh Qorratul Ein possessed a strong character. She accessed the religious trainings well. She got a female mullah. She wasn’t artist, or poet.
She was the product of a kind of religious movement. She unveiled but in a remote village among excited faithful people not in alley or market. Nobody mentioned Tahireh’s unveiling during two years after this adventure when she was residing in Mazandaran.
Source: Baha’i Shenasi, No. 33.
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