Chapter I: All Hail Shíráz

All hail, [_Sh_]iraz, hail! Oh site without peer!
May God be the Watchman before thy gate,
That the feet of Misfortune enter not here!
Lest my Ruknabad be left desolate....
--Ḥáfiẓ

In the afternoon of May 22nd 1844 a traveller stood outside the gates of [_Sh_]íráz. He had come from Karbilá, on a spiritual quest to his native land of Írán. A boat had taken him to Bú[_sh_]ihr on the Persian Gulf. From that insalubrious port his route had lain over forbidding mountains to the renowned city of [_Sh_]íráz. He was accompanied by his brother and his nephew, both barely twenty years old, and he himself but in his early thirties. They had undertaken this journey for a purpose which to many seemed fantastic. But for themselves and many more like them it was real and urgent.

This traveller was the same Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í, who, after the accomplishment of his highly fruitful mission in Írán on behalf of Siyyid Káẓim-i-Ra[_sh_]tí, had reached Karbilá only to find his teacher dead. He had learned that Siyyid Káẓim's parting counsel to his disciples had been to leave their homes and their cloisters, to abandon their studies and their debates and go out into the world to seek 'the Lord of the Age' (Ṣáḥibu'z-Zamán) whose advent had for centuries been the hope of countless millions. His supernal light would soon break upon the world, Siyyid Káẓim had said. Mullá Ḥusayn together with a number of Siyyid Káẓim's disciples kept vigil for forty days in the old mosque of Kúfih, nearly in ruins, and then set out on different routes to do their master's bidding.

Mullá Ḥusayn was a man of profound scholarship and unbending will. Nothing daunted him. Now, reaching the gates of [_Sh_]íráz, he sent his companions into the city to obtain lodgings, but he himself tarried for a while in the fields. His mind was occupied with the object of his quest, a quest that had brought him all those wearisome miles to [_Sh_]íráz, the home and the resting-place of two of the greatest poets of Írán. Here, some five hundred years before, Ḥáfiẓ had composed his superb, ethereal lyrics. Here Sa`dí had lived a good part of his life and had written his lucid prose, his lambent verse. Here had worked and died a host of men celebrated both in their own days and thereafter. The air of [_Sh_]íráz, the plain of [_Sh_]íráz, the roses of [_Sh_]íráz, the cypresses of [_Sh_]íráz, have all been lavishly praised.

Forty-four years later, the young Edward Granville Browne, the future eminent orientalist of the University of Cambridge, looked at the plain of [_Sh_]íráz from the heights facing the road to Bú[_sh_]ihr, that mountain pass which is named Alláh-u-Akbar (God is the Greatest) because the traveller thus expresses his wonderment at beholding such a beauteous plain. Browne wrote:

Words cannot describe the rapture which overcame me as,
after many a weary march, I gazed at length on the reality
of that whereof I had so long dreamed, and found the reality
not merely equal to, but far surpassing, the ideal which I
had conceived. It is seldom enough in one's life that this
occurs. When it does, one's innermost being is stirred with
an emotion which baffles description, and which the most
eloquent words can but dimly shadow forth.[1]

This was the city that Mullá Ḥusayn was about to enter. It was as if a magnet had drawn him, with his brother and his nephew, to [_Sh_]íráz. Nor were they alone in being thus drawn.

On this hot afternoon of May 22nd, Mullá Ḥusayn was fatigued after the trying journey from the coast up the precipitous tracks of the rising plateau. But his mind was alert and his soul yearned for that peace which the attainment of his goal would bring him. As he walked and pondered he came face to face with a Youth of striking appearance. That young Man, who was gentle and gracious and whose turban proclaimed His descent from the Prophet Muḥammad, greeted him with great kindness. Mullá Ḥusayn was amazed and overwhelmed by the warmth of this unexpected welcome. It was the courtesy coupled with the dignified mien of this young Siyyid[M] which particularly impressed him. Then the young Man invited him to be His guest and to partake of the evening meal at His house. Mullá Ḥusayn mentioned that his companions had gone ahead and would be awaiting him, to which the young Siyyid replied: 'Commit them to the care of God; He will surely protect and watch over them'.[N]

[Footnote M: A descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad.]

[Footnote N: The quotations in this chapter without reference
numbers are taken from Nabíl, _The Dawn-Breakers_, ch. iii.]

'We soon found ourselves standing at the gate of a house of modest appearance,' Mullá Ḥusayn has recounted. 'He knocked at the door, which was soon opened by an Ethiopian servant. "Enter therein in peace, secure,"[O] were His words as He crossed the threshold and motioned me to follow Him. His invitation, uttered with power and majesty, penetrated my soul. I thought it a good augury to be addressed in such words, standing as I did on the threshold of the first house I was entering in [_Sh_]íráz, a city the very atmosphere of which had produced already an indescribable impression upon me.'

[Footnote O: Qur'án xv, 46.]

[_Sh_]íráz had cast its spell upon Mullá Ḥusayn. But little did he think that his youthful Host, whose utterance rang with authority, was that 'Lord of the Age', that 'Qá'im of the House of Muḥammad' whom he was seeking. Yet he could not escape the feeling that the unexpected encounter might in some way bring him near the end of his quest. At the same time he was uneasy at having left his brother and nephew with no news of himself. He further recounts: 'Overwhelmed with His acts of extreme kindness, I arose to depart. "The time for evening prayer is approaching," I ventured to observe. "I have promised my friends to join them at that hour in the Masjid-i-Íl[_kh_]ání".[P] With extreme courtesy and calm He replied: "You must surely have made the hour of your return conditional upon the will and pleasure of God. It seems that His will has decreed otherwise. You need have no fear of having broken your pledge."' Such undoubted assurance should have made Mullá Ḥusayn aware that he was about to experience the supreme test of his life.

[Footnote P: A well-known mosque in [_Sh_]íráz.]

They prayed together. They sat down to converse. And suddenly his Host asked Mullá Ḥusayn: 'Whom, after Siyyid Káẓim, do you regard as his successor and your leader?' Furthermore, He asked: 'Has your teacher given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing features of the promised One?' Mullá Ḥusayn replied that Siyyid Káẓim had laid the injunction upon his disciples to disperse after his death and seek 'the Lord of the Age', and indeed he had given them indications by which they could come to recognize Him. 'He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent,' said Mullá Ḥusayn, 'and of the seed of Fáṭimih.[Q] As to His age, He is more than twenty and less than thirty. He is endowed with innate knowledge, ... abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency.'

[Footnote Q: The daughter of the Prophet Muḥammad, and the
wife of `Alí, the first Imám.]

There was silence--the pause that precedes the breaking of the dawn. Mullá Ḥusayn has told us that the silence was broken with 'vibrant voice' by his Host who declared to him:

Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me.

Mullá Ḥusayn was for the moment shocked and bewildered. He tried to resist a claim so breath-taking. But Truth looked him in the face. He marshalled arguments. But Truth is its own argument.

Mullá Ḥusayn said: 'He whose advent we await is a Man of unsurpassed holiness, and the Cause He is to reveal [is] a Cause of tremendous power. Many and diverse are the requirements which He who claims to be its visible embodiment must needs fulfil. How often has Siyyid Káẓim referred to the vastness of the knowledge of the promised One! How often did he say: "My own knowledge is but a drop compared with that with which He has been endowed. All my attainments are but a speck of dust in the face of the immensity of His knowledge. Nay, immeasurable is the difference!"'

In days gone by Mullá Ḥusayn had written a dissertation on some of the abstruse doctrines and teachings which [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad and Siyyid Káẓim had enunciated. He carried a copy of this treatise with him. He now presented it to his Host and asked Him to peruse it, and elucidate the mysteries which it contained. Not only did his Host after a rapid look through that treatise shed light upon it, He went far beyond it. Then Mullá Ḥusayn was given the proof of which he had ample knowledge. There is a Súrih (Arabic 'Súrah': chapter) in the Qur'án entitled the Súrih of Joseph.[R] It tells the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, he whom his brothers betrayed and sold into slavery, who suffered imprisonment in Egypt, but rose to rule that land. It is highly allegorical. Siyyid Káẓim had told Mullá Ḥusayn, when requested by him to write a commentary on that chapter of the Qur'án: 'This is, verily, beyond me. He, that great One, who comes after me will, unasked, reveal it for you. That commentary will constitute one of the weightiest testimonies of His truth, and one of the clearest evidences of the loftiness of His position.'

[Footnote R: Súrih xii.]

Mullá Ḥusayn's Host told him: 'Now is the time to reveal the commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.'

'He took up His pen,' Mullá Ḥusayn related, 'and with incredible rapidity revealed the entire Súrih of Mulk, the first chapter of His commentary on the Súrih of Joseph. The overpowering effect of the manner in which He wrote was heightened by the gentle intonation of His voice which accompanied His writing. Not for one moment did He interrupt the flow of the verses which streamed from His pen. Not once did He pause till the Súrih of Mulk was finished. I sat enraptured by the magic of His voice and the sweeping force of His revelation.'

But Mullá Ḥusayn was anxious to rejoin his companions. Since that afternoon--and long ago it seemed--when he had sent them into the city and had himself lingered outside the city-gates, he had had no news of them nor they of him. So he rose and asked to be permitted to depart. His Host smilingly told him: 'If you leave in such a state, whoever sees you will assuredly say: "This poor youth has lost his mind."' 'At that moment,' Mullá Ḥusayn has said, 'the clock registered two hours and eleven minutes after sunset.'

In that moment a new Dispensation was born.

'This night,' said He who ushered in the new Dispensation, He who was to herald a new cycle, 'this very hour will, in the days to come, be celebrated as one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals.'[S]

[Footnote S: Today that night and that hour are celebrated
with joy and reverence and gratitude all over the world.]

The evening meal was now served. Mullá Ḥusayn afterwards recalled: 'That holy repast refreshed alike my body and soul. In the presence of my Host, at that hour, I felt as though I were feeding upon the fruits of Paradise.... Had my youthful Host no other claim to greatness, this were sufficient--that He received me with that quality of hospitality and loving-kindness which I was convinced no other human being could possibly reveal.

'I sat spellbound by His utterance, oblivious of time and of those who awaited me.... Sleep had departed from me that night. I was enthralled by the music of that voice which rose and fell as He chanted; now swelling forth as He revealed verses of the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá',[T] again acquiring ethereal, subtle harmonies as He uttered the prayers He was revealing. At the end of each invocation, He would repeat this verse: "Far from the glory of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, be that which His creatures affirm of Him! And peace be upon His Messengers! And praise be to God, the Lord of all beings!"[U]' Such was Mullá Ḥusayn's recollection of that momentous night.

[Footnote T: The commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.]

[Footnote U: Qur'án xxxvii, 180.]

Then He who stood as the Vicegerent of God on earth thus addressed Mullá Ḥusayn, who only a few hours before had been so anxious, tormented and unsure:

O thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily I say, I
am the Báb, the Gate of God, and thou art the Bábu'l-Báb,
the gate of that Gate. Eighteen souls must, in the
beginning, spontaneously and of their own accord, accept Me
and recognise the truth of My Revelation. Unwarned and
uninvited, each of these must seek independently to find Me.
And when their number is complete, one of them must needs be
chosen to accompany Me on My pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina.
There I shall deliver the Message of God to the [_Sh_]aríf
of Mecca.

And then He laid this injunction upon 'the first to believe' in Him: 'It is incumbent upon you not to divulge, either to your companions or to any other soul, that which you have seen and heard.'

'This Revelation,' Mullá Ḥusayn has further related, 'so suddenly and impetuously thrust upon me, came as a thunderbolt which, for a time, seemed to have benumbed my faculties. I was blinded by its dazzling splendour and overwhelmed by its crushing force. Excitement, joy, awe, and wonder stirred the depths of my soul. Predominant among these emotions was a sense of gladness and strength which seemed to have transfigured me. How feeble and impotent, how dejected and timid, I had felt previously! Then I could neither write nor walk, so tremulous were my hands and feet. Now, however, the knowledge of His Revelation had galvanised my being. I felt possessed of such courage and power that were the world, all its peoples and its potentates, to rise against me, I would, alone and undaunted, withstand their onslaught. The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp.'

On that early morning of May 23rd 1844 when Mullá Ḥusayn stepped out into the streets of [_Sh_]íráz, his heart brimming with joy, he abandoned a priestly career which would have brought him high honours. He abandoned it willingly and knowingly for a task which, though great and noble, would bring him jeers and humiliation. He was well-known amongst the circle of the divines who exercised authority. He had the capacity, the intelligence and the learning which would have placed him in years to come in the forefront of the spiritual guides of the nation. Power and riches would have been his. But by giving his allegiance to the young Siyyid of [_Sh_]íráz whom he had met under such strange circumstances, Mullá Ḥusayn renounced all this, and chose a path in the opposite direction.

Mullá Ḥusayn was not alone in his high resolve. Others with similar prospects of a clerical vocation journeyed to [_Sh_]íráz in search of light and truth. They too had set out at the bidding of Siyyid Káẓim. As if by a magnet, they were drawn to [_Sh_]íráz. How can one explain it otherwise? They had no intimation that in this city lived the One whom they sought. A force far greater than themselves led their steps to [_Sh_]íráz, to their journey's end. As ordained by the Báb, they found Him, each one, independently. They were true, sincere and eager and they had their reward.

The last to arrive was a youth of twenty-two, whose home was in Bárfurú[_sh_][V] in the province of Mázindarán which borders the Caspian Sea. When he was a boy in his early teens, his father, Áqá Muḥammad-Ṣáliḥ, had died. Devoting himself to the pursuit of learning he had joined the circle of Siyyid Káẓim in Karbilá. Eventually, he became an outstanding disciple of that remarkable teacher. It is recorded that the night before this youth, whose name was Mullá Muḥammad-`Ali, reached [_Sh_]íráz, the Báb told Mullá Ḥusayn that on the following day one would arrive whose acceptance of the new theophany would 'complete the number of My chosen disciples'. Next evening as the Báb, accompanied by Mullá Ḥusayn, was going towards His house, they encountered a young man whose dress and appearance showed the effects of a long journey. The newcomer went to Mullá Ḥusayn whom he knew well as a fellow-disciple of Siyyid Káẓim, greeted him and immediately asked whether he had found the object of his quest. Mullá Ḥusayn was not at liberty to divulge the fact that he had, and he tried to pacify his friend and avoid the subject. It was useless, for that youth had seen the Báb. His retort to Mullá Ḥusayn was astounding: 'Why seek you to hide Him from me? I can recognise Him by His gait. I confidently testify that none besides Him, whether in the East or in the West, can claim to be the Truth. None other can manifest the power and majesty that radiate from His holy person.' Mullá Ḥusayn was amazed, and leaving the newcomer he walked on and told the Báb what had transpired. Having already anticipated the arrival of that youth, although he had certainly not received any word from him, the Báb observed: 'Marvel not at his strange behaviour. We have in the world of the spirit been communing with that youth. We know him already.... Go to him and summon him forthwith to Our presence.' Thus did Mullá Muḥammad-`Alíy-i-Bárfurú[_sh_]í, whom the Báb honoured with the title of Quddús (the Most Holy), attain his heart's desire.

[Footnote V: Now named Bábul.]

These disciples of the Báb are called the Letters of the Living.[W] All but one met the Báb face to face, and recognized in Him the Lord of the Age whom they sought. That single exception was a gifted woman, an accomplished writer of verse, courageous, a total stranger to fear, of whom Lord Curzon says:

Beauty and the female sex also lent their consecration to
the new creed, and the heroism of the lovely but ill-fated
poetess of Kazvin, Zerin Taj[X] (Crown of Gold), or
Kurrat-el-Ain (Solace of the Eyes), who, throwing off the
veil, carried the missionary torch far and wide, is one of
the most affecting episodes in modern history.[2]

[Footnote W: Ḥurúf-i-Ḥayy. Ḥayy (the Living) is an
Arabic word, numerically equivalent to eighteen.]

[Footnote X: Zarrín-Táj.]

And here is the tribute of another eminent Englishman, Edward Granville Browne, to this unique woman:

The appearance of such a woman as Ḳurratu'l-`Ayn is in
any country and any age a rare phenomenon, but in such a
country as Persia it is a prodigy--nay, almost a miracle.
Alike in virtue of her marvellous beauty, her rare
intellectual gifts, her fervid eloquence, her fearless
devotion and her glorious martyrdom, she stands forth
incomparable and immortal amidst her countrywomen. Had the
Bábí religion no other claim to greatness, this were
sufficient--that it produced a heroine like
Ḳurratu'l-`Ayn.[3]

Qurratu'l-`Ayn belonged to a family famed for its learning. Her father, Ḥájí Mullá Ṣáliḥ, and her uncle, Ḥájí Mullá Muḥammad-Taqí,[4] were both leading figures among the clergy. But they were far too orthodox for this great woman's spiritual susceptibilities, although a younger uncle, Ḥájí Mullá `Alí, had become a supporter of the [_Sh_]ay[_kh_]í school.[Y] Qurratu'l-`Ayn was married to the son of Ḥájí Mullá Muḥammad-Taqí--her cousin, Mullá Muḥammad. They had children, but their marriage was disastrous. Mullá Muḥammad was even more fanatical and narrow-minded than his father and a wide gulf yawned between husband and wife.

[Footnote Y: The school of [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad.]

Qurratu'l-`Ayn had another cousin, Mullá Javád, who had accepted the rational views of [_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Aḥmad and Siyyid Káẓim. Having learned in this cousin's library of the teaching of the illustrious sage of Karbilá who had gone far beyond the limits of orthodoxy, Qurratu'l-`Ayn corresponded with Siyyid Káẓim and gave him her allegiance. From him she received the name Qurratu'l-`Ayn. In vain did her elders attempt to dampen her enthusiasm. No persuasion or threat could stop the tide of her newly-found devotion. And when she decided to leave her home and her family and join the circle of Siyyid Káẓim, nothing could thwart her purpose. To appreciate the boldness and gravity of her action, one must realize how sheltered were the Eastern women of those days; her behaviour could be seen only as scandalous and almost unprecedented. However, she reached Karbilá too late. Ten days prior to her arrival Siyyid Káẓim had passed away. Qurratu'l-`Ayn remained in Karbilá. She was convinced that before long the One promised to them would appear. Now, many of the disciples of Siyyid Káẓim were setting out on their search. One of them was Qurratu'l-`Ayn's brother-in-law, the husband of her younger sister Marḍíyyih. She gave this relative, Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alí, a sealed letter and told him to deliver it to the One whom they expected and sought. A verbal message in verse was added to the letter: 'Say to Him, from me,' she said,

'The effulgence of thy face flashed forth and
the rays of thy visage arose on high;
Then speak the word, "Am I not your
Lord?" and "Thou art, Thou art!"
we will all reply.'[5]

When Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alí reached the presence of the Báb, he gave Him the letter and the message; and the Báb numbered her among the Letters of the Living. Thus it was that this fearless, eloquent pioneer of woman's emancipation joined the ranks of the first disciples of the Báb. Qurratu'l-`Ayn is better known as Ṭáhirih--the Pure One--a designation by which she will ever be remembered.[Z]

[Footnote Z: We shall see on p. 163 how she acquired this
name.]

* * * * *

The Letters of the Living, the eighteen disciples who found the Báb 'independently and of their own accord', were:

_Mullá Muḥammad-`Alíy-i-Bárfurú[_sh_]í_, entitled Quddús.

_Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í_, entitled Bábu'l-Báb.

_Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥasan-i-Bu[_sh_]rú'í_, brother of Mullá
Ḥusayn.

_Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir_, nephew of Mullá Ḥusayn.

_Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alíy-i-Qazvíní_, brother-in-law of
Ṭáhirih.

_Mullá Aḥmad-i-Ibdál-i-Mará[_gh_]i'í_.

_Mullá Yúsuf-i-Ardibílí._

_Mullá Jalíl-i-Urúmí._

_Mullá Maḥmúd-i-[_Kh_]u'í._

These nine were martyrs who fell during 'the Mázindarán upheaval' (see p. 175).

_Mullá `Alíy-i-Basṭámí_, the first martyr of the Bábí
Dispensation. He was put to death somewhere in `Iráq.

_Qurratu'l-`Ayn, Ṭáhirih_, whose original name was
Umm-Salamih.

_Siyyid Ḥusayn-i-Yazdí_, known as Kátib (the Amanuensis),
and also `Azíz.

Ṭáhirih and Siyyid Ḥusayn-i-Yazdí suffered
martyrdom in the holocaust of August 1852, subsequent to the
attempt made by two Bábís on the life of Náṣiri'd-Dín
[_Sh_]áh.

_[_Sh_]ay[_kh_] Sa`íd-i-Hindí_ (the Indian). He met his death
somewhere in India, though no one knows how and where.

_Mullá Báqir-i-Tabrízí_. He lived on to the advent of
Bahá'u'lláh and believed in Him.

_Mírzá Hádíy-i-Qazvíní_, son of Ḥájí Mírzá `Abdu'l-Vahháb,
and brother of Mírzá Muḥammad-`Alí (the fifth name
above). Mírzá Hádí remained apart from other Bábís and
taught the Faith with caution.

_Mírzá Muḥammad Rawḍih-[_Kh_]án-i-Yazdí_. He too remained
apart from other Bábís and was generally known as a
[_Sh_]ay[_kh_]í. But he never renounced his faith and taught
it whenever he could.

_Mullá [_Kh_]udá-Ba[_kh_][_sh_]-i-Qú[_ch_]ání_, later known as
Mullá `Alíy-i-Rází. He died a natural death, but his son
Ma[_sh_]íyyatu'lláh later met with martyrdom in his youth.

_Mullá Ḥasan-i-Bajistání_. Doubts assailed him after the
martyrdom of the Báb, because he did not consider himself
worthy of the station given to him. Forced to leave his
home, he went to `Iráq and attained the presence of
Bahá'u'lláh.

Mullá `Alíy-i-Basṭámí was given the mission to return to `Iráq and inform the people in that heartland of the [_Sh_]í`ah persuasion that the Báb had appeared, but not to divulge, as yet, any particulars that might reveal His identity. To him the Báb said:

Your faith must be immovable as the rock, must weather every
storm and survive every calamity. Suffer not the
denunciations of the foolish and the calumnies of the clergy
to afflict you, or to turn you from your purpose. For you
are called to partake of the celestial banquet prepared for
you in the immortal Realm. You are the first to leave the
House of God, and to suffer for His sake. If you be slain in
His path, remember that great will be your reward, and
goodly the gift which will be bestowed upon you.

Mullá `Alí was soon on his way to `Iráq. Then the Báb called together the other sixteen disciples and spoke to them, adjuring them to go out into the world and serve their God in the light of the faith given to them:

O My beloved friends! You are the bearers of the name of God
in this Day. You have been chosen as the repositories of His
mystery. It behoves each one of you to manifest the
attributes of God, and to exemplify by your deeds and words
the signs of His righteousness, His power and glory. The
very members of your body must bear witness to the loftiness
of your purpose, the integrity of your life, the reality of
your faith, and the exalted character of your devotion. For
verily I say, this is the Day spoken of by God in His Book:
'On that day will We set a seal upon their mouths; yet shall
their hands speak unto Us, and their feet shall bear witness
to that which they shall have done.'[AA] Ponder the words of
Jesus addressed to His disciples, as He sent them forth to
propagate the Cause of God. In words such as these, He bade
them arise and fulfil their mission: 'Ye are even as the
fire which in the darkness of the night has been kindled
upon the mountain-top. Let your light shine before the eyes
of men. Such must be the purity of your character and the
degree of your renunciation, that the people of the earth
may through you recognise and be drawn closer to the
heavenly Father who is the Source of purity and grace. For
none has seen the Father who is in heaven. You who are His
spiritual children must by your deeds exemplify His virtues,
and witness to His glory. You are the salt of the earth, but
if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? Such must be the degree of your detachment, that
into whatever city you enter to proclaim and teach the Cause
of God, you should in no wise expect either meat or reward
from its people. Nay, when you depart out of that city, you
should shake the dust from off your feet. As you have
entered it pure and undefiled, so must you depart from that
city. For verily I say, the heavenly Father is ever with you
and keeps watch over you. If you be faithful to Him, He will
assuredly deliver into your hands all the treasures of the
earth, and will exalt you above all the rulers and kings of
the world.' O My Letters! Verily I say, immensely exalted is
this Day above the days of the Apostles of old. Nay,
immeasurable is the difference! You are the witnesses of the
Dawn of the promised Day of God. You are the partakers of
the mystic chalice of His Revelation. Gird up the loins of
endeavour, and be mindful of the words of God as revealed in
His Book: 'Lo, the Lord thy God is come, and with Him is the
company of His angels arrayed before Him!'[AB] Purge your
hearts of worldly desires, and let angelic virtues be your
adorning. Strive that by your deeds you may bear witness to
the truth of these words of God, and beware lest, by
'turning back',[AC] He may 'change you for another
people',[AC] who 'shall not be your like',[AD] and who
shall take from you the Kingdom of God. The days when idle
worship was deemed sufficient are ended. The time is come
when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of
stainless purity, can ascend to the throne of the Most High
and be acceptable unto Him. 'The good word riseth up unto
Him, and the righteous deed will cause it to be exalted
before Him.'[AD] You are the lowly, of whom God has thus
spoken in His Book: 'And We desire to show favour to those
who were brought low in the land, and to make them spiritual
leaders among men, and to make them Our heirs.'[AE] You have
been called to this station; you will attain to it, only if
you arise to trample beneath your feet every earthly desire,
and endeavour to become those honoured servants of His who
speak not till He hath spoken, and who do His bidding'. You
are the first Letters that have been generated from the
Primal Point [the Báb], the first Springs that have welled
out from the Source of this Revelation. Beseech the Lord
your God to grant that no earthly entanglements, no worldly
affections, no ephemeral pursuits, may tarnish the purity,
or embitter the sweetness, of that grace which flows through
you. I am preparing you for the advent of a mighty Day.
Exert your utmost endeavour that, in the world to come, I,
who am now instructing you, may, before the mercy-seat of
God, rejoice in your deeds and glory in your achievements.
The secret of the Day that is to come is now concealed. It
can neither be divulged nor estimated. The newly born babe
of that Day excels the wisest and most venerable men of this
time, and the lowliest and most unlearned of that period
shall surpass in understanding the most erudite and
accomplished divines of this age. Scatter throughout the
length and breadth of this land, and, with steadfast feet
and sanctified hearts, prepare the way for His coming. Heed
not your weaknesses and frailty; fix your gaze upon the
invincible power of the Lord, your God, the Almighty. Has He
not, in past days, caused Abraham, in spite of His seeming
helplessness, to triumph over the forces of Nimrod? Has He
not enabled Moses, whose staff was His only companion, to
vanquish Pharaoh and his hosts? Has He not established the
ascendancy of Jesus, poor and lowly as He was in the eyes of
men, over the combined forces of the Jewish people? Has He
not subjected the barbarous and militant tribes of Arabia to
the holy and transforming discipline of Muḥammad, His
Prophet? Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him,
and be assured of ultimate victory.

[Footnote AA: Qur'án xxxvi, 65.]

[Footnote AB: Qur'án lxxxix, 23.]

[Footnote AC: _ibid._, xlvii.]

[Footnote AD: Qur'án.]

[Footnote AE: _ibid._, xxviii, 4.]