The Beardless Man and the Bearded Woman

MOHAMMED REZA ISFAHANI

This article is derived from the book of Kashful Heel by Abdul Husain Aayati. He lived amongst the Baha’is for 20 years and served them through these years. He was popularly known as \"Awareh\" which means the one who wandered about in love (of Bahaullah). After these years, he saw the corruptions of the Baha’is first hand, renounced the Baha’i Faith and finally reverted back to Islam. Thereafter he wrote the book \"Kashful Heel\" to reveal the true face and hypocrisy of the Baha’is. The life history of Awareh is full of interesting events and episodes.

Rubabeh was a woman who stayed at ‘Ferozabad.’ She was blind in one eye since childhood due to smallpox. However she was a devoted servant of Baha’is. She was busy in serving Aaqa Ali Jurabi. Aaqa Ali Jurabi was a young man and since Rubabeh was intensely in love with him, she accepted the Baha’i Faith without any proof. Perhaps women like Rubabeh are found in Baha’is. As she aged, the signs of a beard were visible on her face. When disturbances arose in Yazd, Aaqa Ali Jurabi fled away from there and Rubabeh went to Akka. Her charm and beauty helped her become close to Abbas Effendi. Due to this the other women of his harem became envious of her. She was named as Khademah (servant) and was accepted as a ‘servant’ for the harem. I (Avareh) have explained the preface of this matter and here is its discussion.

Drunkard and the blind Rubabeh:
During my second journey, one day I (Awareh) was not feeling well and this news reached the sanctuary. People started saying that Aawarah was not feeling well and he should be treated. While I was taking rest on the bed in my hostel, I saw a woman having scars of smallpox on her face coming towards me. She came in front of my room, while carrying a wine bottle. At first, I did not recognise this woman and wondered where she had come from and what was her purpose. She entered and I had a long look at her. I felt that she looked familiar. As she talked, I realized that she had a Yazdi accent, I thought a little while and remembered that she was ‘Rubabeh Ferozabadi’.

I asked her, who are you and where you have come from. I told her that her voice seems familiar to me. She replied, I am your old friend, Rubabeh Ferozabadi. I asked her, when did you come and what did you do and where you had been for such a long time.

She said: I stayed for a few years in Akka but could not see Hazrat Mabud (Abbas Effendi). I asked what did you see, what did you hear. Please sit and talk. I asked her, “how did you get beard on your cheeks.” She was ashamed and put her head down and said: I am the same Rubabeh who used to run behind you whenever I heard of you that you were on pulpit to speak. Praise be to Allah that I could see you again after 10 years! In order to praise her, I said, you are not alone who are so fond of me. I too am in love with you.” She took out the bottle from her shawl and said that it belonged to Sarkar-e-Aaqa (Abbas Effendi) and that it was given by ‘Khanam’ (sister of Abbas Effendi) to her for the cure of ‘Aawarah’.

In fact, it was lie! Hazrat Aaqa (Abbas Effendi) himself never used low grade alcohol whereas the alcohol which Rubabeh had given me was clearly of low standard. As per the saying of Haji Ali Muhajir, Shaikh Wafa, one of the oldest and most respected preacher of Baha’is had said in a meeting that doctors of Qazwin had permitted alcohol of Qazwin. After that, every Bahai used to carry and consume alcohol. In the presence of all people in Kashan, Zille Sultan said, In one of the nights which I spent in Paris with Abbas Effendi while both of us were drunk, Abbas Effendi opened his heart and revealed all his secrets to me whereby I learnt that he was not religious at all! . One of the sins of Mirza Ali Akber Rafsanjani was that he did not take ‘Maa’ul Anab’ (a peculiar type of grape water) from the hand of ‘Aaqa’ (Abbas Effendi) when they were seated for food. Everybody considered him as foolish and this was the reason that everybody was deprived of the ‘Maa’ul Anab’ (wine) which used to be distributed by the hand of ‘Aaqa’, Abbas Effendi.

One day I saw Rubabeh coming down from Mount Carmel. I thought that she may have gone there to visit the footsteps of the prophets as it was well known amongst the people that there were footsteps of many prophets on Mount Carmel and this was the reason why the grave of Bab had been made there (although it is not there).

I saw Aaqa Mohammed Hassan call out loudly to Rubabeh and asked her where she had gone. She said, I followed the instruction of ‘Khanam’ (sister of Abbas Effendi). He asked, which instructions? She replied, One of the she-pigeons of the sanctuary (harem) had become pregnant. So Khanam asked me to cut it into pieces and throw it from the top of the mountain. She said that due to the instructions of Khanam and the grace of Mount Carmel and its sacredness, all desires would be fulfilled. As she had not finished, Aaqa Mohammed Hassan asked her to speak softly. I interrupted and said there was no need to keep it secret from me as I had heard similar things in Hamadan and Tehran. A year passed by and after Rubabeh was released from sanctuary, she went back to Yazd. Initially, Rubabeh was a simple blind woman but now she was held in high esteem among the people of Yazd and for a few months, many meetings were held at her home. The women of Yazd used to gather around her and she was much respected among them. In those days, it was customary that if anyone returned from Akka, people would ask him/her their religious problems and would accept their advice without question. Rubabeh too enjoyed this merit for some days.

One day a girl passed by the gathering where Rubabeh was sitting along with other women. She said to other women that Rubabeh was a very shameless woman and her family was also very dishonoured and disrespectful. They believed in her saying without confirming it. After the spread of this news all the people were angry with Rubabeh and they denied her.

In fact, this episode was played out on the instructions from Akka. Since their purpose from Rubabeh had been fulfilled and they were no more in need of her, Baha’is dismissed and disgraced her. It was ridiculous that even those who had never visited the conference centre of Akka went against her without confirming the news about her.

To summarize, Rubabeh was denied and was criticized. We see this even in today’s world amongst the people are valued till such time that Baha’is have use for them. Once they are done with their purpose, Baha’is discard them and disown them.

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