Tahirih (pronounced: TA-he-reh) was the name given to her by Baha’u’llah meaning The Pure One. Tahirih’s given name was Fatima Baraghani was an example of courage and the struggle for women’s rights. Tahirih was also the first woman to be martyred for her new faith. Tahirih was born sometime between 1818-1820 and met her death in 1852. The time of her birth was lost when the record was destroyed upon her execution. You ask why a young woman of only 32-35 was executed? She was executed for mainly one reason that of being a Babi, the forerunner of the Baha’i Faith. The Babi and Baha’i Faith believed in the equality of men and women. Tahirih was a believer and taught her new faith and removed her veil one fateful day, long before it was ever thought of. Tahirih was executed only four years after the First Women’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York.
Her father, a mulla had educated his daughter far beyond the norm for women in her day, in of the Middle East. Her father stated, “Would that she had been a boy, for he would have shed illumination upon my household and would have succeeded me!”
While visiting a cousin, she happened to read the writing of a forerunner of the Bab. Her father was opposed to the concepts of this school of though but she being convinced of their truth lead her father in numerous discussions and debates. She later recognized that the Bab was the fulfillment of prophesies pointing to the return of the twelfth Inam. Even though she never met the Bab, she was appointed one of the “Letters of the Living” (One of his closest disciples) and the only women in this group.
Tahirih from this point on was teaching the Cause of the Bab, her faith. She even challenged the Muslim clergy to engage in public discussions about the Bab and his teachings. Word soon reached the ulama about a woman teaching this new religion and influencing others to investigate it and a complaint was filed with the governor of that district. This lead to Tahirih being attacked, persecuted and her being put in house arrest for three months. When after no word came from Baghdad as to what to do with this woman, he sent her to Baghdad for a hearing. She was released and told to leave the territory. Tahirih continued to spread the word of the Cause of the Bab till her breath.
A major event happened in Badasht in 1848, when Tahirih, Quddus and Baha’u’llah (three of the Bab’s most devoted followers). They met to proclaim that the Bab was the Qa’im (Promised One). Tahirih made the proclamation: “The Trumpet is sounding! The great Trump is blown! The universal Advent in now proclaimed!”, all without her veil!
Those that were attending were panicked, some ran, others renounced their belief in the new faith. One man at the sight of her face, caused the man to slit his own throat and others unsheathed their swords and tried to kill her. Some returned and remained steadfast in their new faith.
Tahirih again was arrested and imprisoned in Tehran under house arrest, but she still taught her new faith. Many of the local women came to learn from Tahirih and the faith continued to spread.
In 1852, she was sentenced to death by the Shah. Her reply to the sentence was, “You can kill me as soon as you link but you cannot stop the emancipation of women.”
". . . she was sentenced to death. Saying she was summoned to the Prime Minister's, they arrived to lead her away from the Kalántar's house. She bathed her face and hands, arrayed herself in a costly dress, and scented with attar of roses she came out of the house.
They brought her into a garden, where the headsmen waited; but these wavered and then refused to end her life. A slave was found, far gone in drunkenness; besotted, vicious, black of heart. And he strangled Tahirih. He forced a scarf between her lips and rammed it down her throat. Then they lifted up herunsullied body and flung it in a well, there in the garden, and over it threw down earth and stones. But Tahirih rejoiced; she had heard with a light heart the tidings of her martyrdom; she set her eyes on the supernal Kingdom and offered up her life.
Salutations be unto her, and praise. Holy be her dust, as the tiers of light come down on it from Heaven."
Abdu'l-Baha, “Memorials of the Faithful”
For more information on the Baha’i Faith:Baha'i Links
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