Nader Shah. Historical novel. Yunus Oghuz
for the beylerbeyi18 of Qazvin. The beylerbeyi Husam was a brave person at the age of thirty. When he heard about the arrogance of the Afghans he couldn’t bear it. He flew into a rage. When he sent news to the mullabashi that he wanted to say something to him Husam was pleased with the answer he received. The mullabashi promi sed to give him any assis- tance he needed. The Afghans were becoming ungovernable day after day.
At midnight the door of the home of mullabashi was knocked quietly. Though mullabashi knew who was behind the door he said:
– My children, go to the door, somebody is knocking at the door.
The man who knocked at the door was Husam. He entered the room and said: “Good evening!”
The mullabashi stood up, put his hands on his chest and answered him: “Good evening, bey!” He showed him a cushion and asked him to sit.
There were a lot of bookshelves in the room. The mullabashi had read a great deal; he was an educated person. He approached any probl em correctly, according to the rules allowed by “Qur’ani-Kerim”. That was why he was respected by all the people in Qazvin. Most people appealed him in those troubled days knowing about his respect.
The mullabashi arranged himself comfortably on the cushion and asked the beylerbeyi:
– What news in the city, Husam bey?
The beylerbeyi answered, smoothing his moustaches:
– The news is that there is grief, misfortune and meanness in the city! – Our honor has been hurt and disgraced. After some days we must tie a kerchief round our heads.
The mullabashi didn’t consider getting angry was acf ceptable:
– Have patience, Husam bey! Your flying into a rage may harm us. If we start fighting before its time the people can be killed.
– Mullah, the people are being killed. Listen to me, what those cruel Afghans have done. Two drunk Afghans stopped a widow who has four children, in the street and asked about the place where she lived. That poor woman said that she didn’t live far from there. The drunken Afghans began gofng after her. As soon as the woman entered her home, the Afghans also rushed in after her. The hopeless woman took a frying pan and struck the head of one of them. Her children ran outside and began to shout…Those cruel Afghans firstly raped the woman, then choked her. When the neighbors came and saw that they had killed the woman, the neighbors also killed two Afghans, and hid their dead bodfes. Now Afghans are lookfng for everywhere to find them. After that accident they have a good opportunity to meddle everywhere.
The mullabashi said in a miserable, mournful voice:
– I know all you told, Husam bey! – I even know worse than you told! Religion and faith are hurt.
– What are we waiting for?
– The time.
– When will the time come?
– If they behave like thus and make all the people fly into a rage the time will come soon, Husam! Tell me how is the preparation of fighting of the beys?
– I also want to speak about preparation, mull ah! My brave boys are ready. They are waiting for the day when all the people will begin fighting. We have gathered two thousand brave boys having swords and all are ready to fight. When will the time you speak about come?
The mullabashi sighed deeply:
– In fact, the day that we are waiting for has come today. But we wasted a chance, what a pity!
– What does it mean “we wasted the chance?”
– Pay attention to my words, Husam! If we don’t make all the people begin fighting, if the people stay in their homes, the struggle will be strangled in the sea of blood! Today we could use the tragedy of that woman. We had to gather the people, firstly, we had to rouse them, so we can begin to revolt. Revolt for honor, manliness, self -respect… But the neighbors were frightened, they hid the dead bodies of two Afghans because of belong frightened. They showed themselves as though they knew nothing about the accident. The unhappy woman was buried secretly.
The beylerbeyi thought for a while and said pitifully:
– You are right, mullah! We missed a good chance, which we could use. Nobody thought about it.
– Nobody thought, but you must think about it now, Husam bey! If such a kind of tragedy happens once more, you must act immediately. Also ask your brave boys to get in the way and not to let the Afghans help each another.
– All right, mullah!
– If it is thus, be ready, Husam bey! I hope that the time of this revolt won’t be late.
The beylerbeyi thought that the mullabashi was going to finish talking and he stood up:
– Well, allow me go away, I must meet with the beys tomorrow, I must tell them about our conversation.
The mullabashi also stood up. He shook hands with the beylerbeyi and said to him: “Good night!” When Husam bey left mullabashi took the Qur’an, opened it, put his hand on any sentence and read the sentence after intending to follow it in his heart. He thought a bit about the sentence that he read in the Arabian language and smiled with pleasure. Then he blew out the lamp on the niche.
…It was winter, the morning came late. At seven o’clock in the morni ng, the door of the home of mullabashi was knocked noisily. The mullabashi had just finished his morning ritual worship, he was awake, and closing the Qur’an he was reading went out to the yard:
– I am coming, who are you?
Behind the door, there were heard rude words:
– Open the door, be quick, hurry!
The mullabashi opened the door. There were three Afghan fighters at the gate. The mullabashi asked:
– What for have you come? What do you want?
One of the fighters said:
– It is the order of the vice-regent. He ordered us to look into each home as two of our fighters disappeared.
The mullabashi said severely:
– This is the home of the mullabashi in Qazvin. If you lost your fighters go and look for them in other places. Maybe they drank too much and are sleeping in one of the cellars.
– We don’t know anything. We have been ordered to search for them everywhere. We must look for them!
The fighters said thus and wanted to squeeze themselves into the room.
“Maybe the time to fight has come” – The mullabashi thought. It was necessary to draw these fighters to enable the fighting to begin. It was possible to win over the enemy even with one’s death like Imam Husain. Imam had left such a kind of sign in Karbala so that thanks to him the religion of Islam was supported. Couldn’t he save his city and his people by continuing his tradition? The mullabashi came to a final decision and blocked the fighters with his tall body:
– My home is the place where the terms of shariat are kept! I won’t allow you who do slovenly work to enter my cell and disgrace my self-esteem:
– Renegades! Leave my home!
The Afghan fighters began to suspect him. One of them pushed the mullabashi on his breast.
– Don’t stand in our way, old witch!
Though the mullabashi didn’t fall he staggered. Then he said loudly “Bismillahir-rehmanir-rehim” and rushed to – wards them. He caught the collar of the fighter before him, attack-ng his face with his head. The attack covered the fighter’s face in blood and the mullabashi fell on the floor.
…The children were running in the streets and shouting: “They killed mollabashi! The Afghans killed the mollabashi!”
A crowd
The head of the beys.