Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 281
281 to the fulfilment of the Promised Messiah’s as prophecy. A tus - sle ensued between the King and the Parliament, with the King refusing to accept some of the Parliament’s demands. Ultimately, on the insistence of the Parliament, he agreed to dismiss certain of his officials who were thought to be at the root of the mis - chief. At the same time, the King decided to leave Tehran which caused grave tensions to arise between the Nationalists and the Cossacks who formed the King’s bodyguard. The revelation of the Promised Messiah as was partially fulfilled when the Iranian House of Representatives was shelled and destroyed. The King then abolished the Parliament and a general rebellion ensued in many parts of Iran. Laristan, Labudjan, Akbarabad, Bushehr, Shiraz and practically the whole of the south of the country became involved. Governors and officers of the old regime were dismissed and the administration was assumed by nationalists and democrats. Iran was in the grip of internecine warfare. Seeing the precarious state of his country, the King started moving his treasures and personal effects to Russia. Despite his best efforts to quell the rebellion, it continued to spread. By January 1909, it had spread to Isphahan and the Bakhtiari chief also joined the nation - alists. The royal troops suffered an ignominious defeat. The King was forced to proclaim that he would reinstate and defend the representative form of government and promised not to continue the old autocratic rule, but Divine promises can never be averted. Things continued to get worse for the King and, ultimately, even the Cossacks, the Shah’s prided body-guards, joined the revolu - tionaries. The Shah and his family left the palace and took refuge in the Russian Embassy. This was on July 15, 1909, two-and-a- half years after the publication of the revelation, ‘Tremors in the