Mina Yazdani, A Nineteenth Century Persian Text on Political Philosophy: The Text and Context of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Risáliy-i-Síyásíyyih (1893)

This paper explores a hitherto understudied 1893 treatise on the respective roles of religious and political authorities in the context of late 19th century Iran. The author, Mírzá ‘Abbás Núrí (d. 1921), known as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, was exiled from Iran to the Ottoman Empire at the age of nine in 1853, along with his father, Mírzá Ḥusayn ‘Alí Núrí, known as Bahá’u’lláh (d. 1892),the founder of the Bahá’í religion. When Bahá’u’lláh passed in 1892, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá became the head of the thousands-strong community of Bahá’ís. The beginning of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s period of leading the Baha’i religion coincided with the aftermath of the Tobacco Revolt (1891-92) and the tumultuous final years of the reign of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh (d. 1896). During this period, in 1893, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote the Risáliy-i-Síyásíyyih (The Treatise on Politics), reportedly, in response to the question that the Prime Minister Amínu’s-Sulṭán posed to him on whether or not the ulama should interfere in politics. The central thesis of the Risálih, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clarified in subsequent writing, is that the interference of the ulama in political matters has detrimental results. This thesis stood in sharp contrast to the contemporaneous efforts of the reformers and political activists, Siyyid Jamálu’d-Dín-i-Afghání (d.1897), Mírzá Áqá Khán-i-Kirmání (d.1896), and Mírzá Malkam Khán (d.1908), to further involve the ulama in politics. Based on a careful reading of the Risálih and the emphasis the author placed on its wide distribution, as well as related letters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, this paper argues that first, the immediate historical context of the Risáliy-i-Síyásíyyih was not the Tobacco Protest per se, as has been stated, but its aftermath, that is, the rise of the political involvement and influence of the ulama; second, the Risáliy-i-Síyásíyyih must be understood in the context of the decades long history of Bahá’í leaders finding it necessary to distinguish their ways from those of the oppositional anti-Qájár monarch Azalís; meanwhile, the Risálih guided Bahá’ís on how to behave during times of political turmoil and agitation. As such, the Risáliy-i-Síyásíyyih can be considered an official statement of the Bahá’ís stance vis-à-vis political dissidence; third, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá regarded his warnings about threats posed to the country by the political leadership of the ulama as a service to his countrymen.

Mina Yazdani is Professor of History at Eastern Kentucky University. She holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. She has authored a book on the social reality of Persia during the Qajar period as reflected in the Bahá’í writings, as well as numerous journal articles and book chapters. Her research focuses on the intersection of religion and politics in Persia/Iran from the nineteenth century onwards, with emphasis on the country’s Bahá’í community.