During Nasser Al-Din Shah’s period of time when the U.K. was making cults and spying a so-called orientalist physician from England called Edward Browne decided to come to Iran. There wasn’t any relationship between professor Edward Browne, the British physician, Cambridge university, Iran, Tabriz, Kerman, Babism, Bahaism, Yahya Nouri, Acre, Bahaullah. However, if we pay more attention, we will figure out the eternal bond among these words surprisingly.
آنچه در ادامه می خوانید
Trip or mission?!
In 1304 S.H., he enters into the most geopolitical and strategic region of the Middle East and the Islamic world.
He enters into Tabriz city and writes about Ali Muhammad Bab and his bravery and death to start the history of Babism. He aims to make heroes and write to show Babis and Baha’is oppressed and doesn’t mention about the reason for Bab’s execution and riots and massacres committed by Bab and the three wars they ran: Tabarsi fort war, Neyriz war and Zanjan one which have been narrated in the book Mataleul Anwar (the summary of Nabil History). He introduces the Babi and Baha’i dead people as heroes even he narrates about Tahireh Qorratul Ein, one of the Babi women who had been executed due to corruption on the earth as heroin in his itinerary.
Due to Edward Browne’s supporting Babis and Bana’is and kindness towards them, Abbas Nasr believes criticizing the book “a year among the Iranian people”: “It was better for Edward Browne to name his book and itinerary as “a year among the Babis and Baha’is”.
Why should an English physician who has traveled to Iran to diagnose the existent diseases in Iran and to recognize Persian language support a cult too much? Are these words related to his aims?
When he enters into Khoi city and visits Dr. Samuel, he points out him and his sick people: “I don’t travel to practice medicine or medical affairs and I am not going to waste my time in Khoi city.” He wants to say he hasn’t been an orientalist. I am a Baha’i investigator!”
Dr. Browne, wearing black spying cover:
The rest of Browne’s itinerary reveals when Browne says: “After studying the book religions and philosophy in the Middle Asia written by Arthur by de Gobineau, I became enthusiastic to search about Bahaism.”
His other aim is finding cult and spying. As he enters into Abadeh, he sighs: “I hoped to speak more with the followers of Babism and Bahaism cults in Abadeh, but I got disappointed cos I resided there for a short while and I couldn’t find the Babi person who had been introduced to me.”
The extent of the quality of Edward Browne’s trip gradually becomes having relationships with Babis and Baha’is!
The final aim of Edward Browne; supporting the Baha’is:
Edward Browne’s itinerary ends in Bahaism and Babism in one side and on the other side it ends in slandering Islam. Also, Edward Brown searches each city to gather texts about Babis and Baha’is to translate.
Even, he comes back to Cambridge loaded by Baha’ism texts. Of course; after coming back, he travels to Cyprus to visit Sobhi Azal and to Acre to visit Bahaullah. He becomes excited visiting Bahaullah and explains the memoir of his visit:
“I never forget his beauty and can’t describe him. His wide open eyes which figured out the depth of spirit and majesty and power were obvious in his forehead… Don’t ask about the one standing in front of me that I have bent over the one who is the aim of worship and kindness to him the kings envy.”
He also provides the facilities for giving the sir medal to Abbas Effendi.
Eventually, the rest of Edward Browne’s lifetime was spent for translation, edition and compiling Babism and Bahaism books including the translation of the personal article of Sayyah, “the new history (written by Mirza Hussein Hamadani) and “The new writing in brief about the events of the illuminated emergence” (by Mirza Yahya Sobhi Azal) and a handful of articles about Babis and Baha’is. The question is that: How have all of these books been gathered? Most of Babi and Azali books were sent for Edward Browne by Redhvan Ali (Sobhi Azal’s son) and Mirza Mostafa Kateb.
Kasrawi declares about Browne’s mission:
“Although Printing the Baha’i books by Edward has been done due to sympathy, but the final motivation has been Babis and Baha’is supporting”.
Such translations and researches are important in Bahaism history to such an extent that Mirza Muhammad Khan Qazvini confesses that Browne causes the Europeans to be aware of Babis and Baha’is.
At last, a single English physician and linguist is changing into the greatest researcher and Babi historian and saving the sunk Bahaism.
The Excellency Shafiee Kadkani says in the introduction of the translation of the book “Sufism” by Nicolson:
“If an orientalist says the yogurt is white, I think he/she may want to take the whiteness out of yogurt or surely to confirm blackness.”
