Báb's trial in Tabriz

The Báb's trial in Tabríz took place in 1848.

The Báb was put on trial in summer 1848 in the city of Tabriz. There, he was interrogated by the local Islamic clergy in presence of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, who was then the crown prince.^[1]

According to one account, after the Báb's bastinado, he recanted his claims and provided a "sealed undertaking" that he would not repeat his errors.^[2]

British Edward Granville Browne included in his book Materials for the Study of the Bābī Religion (1918) two documents that he had received from Hippolyte Dreyfus in February 1912. Dreyfus, a French Baháʼí and a disciple of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, had written to Browne that he was unsure about their authenticity, asking him to examine them.^[3]

The first document, a handwriting (Document A) purportedly by Amīr Aṣlān Khán, who headed the interrogation of the Bab in Tabriz, reports directly to the Shah that the Bab has repented.^[4] The second handwriting (Document B), seemingly written by the Báb, is a recantation; however, there is no indication that it is the same one mentioned in Document A. Browne describes the handwriting "graceful" but "not easily legible" without personally commenting on its authenticity.^[5]

As per Sayyid Mahdī Golpáygánī, the authentic copies of the papers replicated by Browne were found in the Iranian state archives following the deposition of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar in 1909, then subsequently photographed.^[6] These records are currently archived in the Library of the Iranian Parliament.^[2]

Modern scholars hold differing opinions about authenticity of Document B.

Abbas Amanat asserts:

The text of the recantation published by Browne also merits the utmost reservation. Undated and unsigned, the document hardly qualifies as the "sealed undertaking" in the official report. Moreover, its plain language and wording are highly distinct from the Bab's peculiar style. We can assume that if at all authentic, the recantation was prepared by the authorities but for reasons unknown –perhaps due to the Bab's refusal– remained unsigned.^[7]

Denis MacEoin argues:

The authenticity of the recantation document seems to rest, not only on the handwriting, which bears comparison with that of the Bāb, but also on the explicit denial in it of specific viceregency (nīāba khāṣṣa) on behalf of the imam, something the Bāb had already denied several times before.^[2]

According to Amanat, Document B is "part and parcen of all anti-Bábi-Baháʼí polemics and an effective weapon in the growing arsenal of fictitious documentation."^[7] MacEoin disagrees that the fact is relevant to the authenticity.^[6]

A lengthy Baháʼí work titled Bayán al-haqáʻyíq is devoted to refutation of the authenticity of Document B.^[6]

Bábi sources maintain that the Báb practiced taqiyya in 1845 to keep himself safe^[8] and despite his "confession," esoterically remained faithful to his ideas.^[9] In fact, he did not deny that he was the Qāʾim himself.^[10]

Early Bábi/Baháʼí sources vary from others in narrating the events of the 1848 trial. The Apologia contends that during the trial, the Báb displayed unwavering confidence and effectively outsmarted the clerical interrogators.^[1] These sources dispute the notion that the Báb received a formal education and emphasize the divine source of his knowledge.^[11] Regardless of the perspective towards the Báb, all reports suggest that the clergy focused on highlighting two aspects: the Báb's perceived limited knowledge and his purported inability to perform miracles.^[11] According to Mangol Bayat, historical accounts suggest that both the accusations and the assertion that the Bab performed poorly in the tests were well-founded.^[11]

Commenting on reports of Báb's recantation in Shiraz, Hamid Algar states that:

While it is legitimate to question the accuracy of these accounts, and details may have been invented or emphasized to discredit the Bāb, the silence of Bābi sources on the course of the confrontations suggests that the Bāb was in fact worsted by the ulama in debate.^[12]