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CHAPTER IV
MULLA HUSAYN'S JOURNEY TO TIHRAN
ITH these noble words ringing in his ears, Mulla Husayn embarked
upon his perilous enterprise. Wherever he went, to whatever class of people he
addressed himself, he delivered fearlessly and without reserve the Message with
which his beloved Master had entrusted him. Arriving in Isfahan, he established
himself in the madrisih of Nim-Avard. Around him gathered those
who on his previous visit to that city had known him as the favoured messenger
of Siyyid Kazim to the eminent mujtahid, Haji Siyyid Muhammad-Baqir. (1)
He, being now dead, had been succeeded by his son, who had just returned from
Najaf and was now established upon the seat of his father. Haji Muhammad-Ibrahim-i-Kalbasi
had also fallen seriously ill, and was on the verge of death. The disciples of
the late Haji Siyyid Muhammad-Baqir, now freed from the restraining influence
of their departed teacher, and alarmed at the strange doctrines which Mulla Husayn
was propounding, vehemently denounced him to Haji Siyyid Asadu'llah, the son of
the late Haji Siyyid Muhammad-Baqir. " Mulla Husayn," they complained, "was able,
in the course of his last visit, to win the support of your illustrious father
to the cause of Shaykh Ahmad. No one among the Siyyid's helpless disciples dared
to oppose him. He now comes as the upholder of a still more formidable opponent
and is pleading His Cause with still greater vehemence and vigour. He is persistently
claiming that He whose Cause he now champions is the Revealer of a Book which
is divinely inspired, and which bears a striking resemblance to the tone
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and language of the Qur'an.
In the face of the people of this city, he has flung these challenging words:
`Produce one like it, if you are men of truth.' The day is fast approaching when
the whole of Isfahan will have embraced his Cause!" Haji Siyyid Asadu'llah returned
evasive answers to their complaints. "What am I to say?" he was at last forced
to reply. Do you not yourselves admit that Mulla Husayn has, by his eloquence
and the cogency of his argument, silenced a man no less great than my illustrious
father? How can I, then, who am so inferior to him in merit and knowledge, presume
to challenge what he has already approved? Let each man dispassionately examine
these claims. If he be satisfied, well and good; if not, let him observe silence,
and not incur the risk of discrediting the fair name of our Faith."
Finding that their efforts had failed to influence
Haji Siyyid Asadu'llah, his disciples referred the matter to Haji Muhammad-Ibrahim-i-Kalbasi.
"Woe betide us," they loudly protested, "for the enemy has risen to disrupt the
holy Faith of Islam. ln lurid and exaggerated language, they stressed the challenging
character of the ideas propounded by Mulla Husayn. "Hold your peace," replied
Haji Muhammad-Ibrahim. " Mulla Husayn is not the person to be duped by anyone,
nor can he fall a victim to dangerous heresies. If your contention be true, if
Mulla Husayn has indeed espoused a new Faith, it is unquestionably your first
obligation to enquire dispassionately into the character of his teachings, and
to refrain from denouncing him without previous and careful scrutiny. If my health
and strength be restored, it is my intention, God willing, to investigate the
matter myself, and to ascertain the truth."
This severe rebuke, pronounced by Haji Kalbasi,
greatly disconcerted the disciples of Haji Siyyid Asadu'llah. In their dismay
they appealed to Manuchihr Khan, the Mu'tamidu'd-Dawlih, the governor of the city.
That wise and judicious ruler refused to interfere in these matters, which he
said fell exclusively within the jurisdiction of the ulamas. He warned them to
abstain from mischief and to cease disturbing the peace and tranquillity of the
messenger. His trenchant words shattered the hopes of the mischief-makers. Mulla
Husayn was thereby relieved from the machinations
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of his enemies, and, for
a time, pursued untrammelled the course of his labours.
The first to embrace the Cause
of the Bab in that city was a man, a sifter of wheat, who, as soon as the Call
reached his ears, unreservedly accepted the Message. With marvellous devotion
he served Mulla Husayn, and through his close association with him became a zealous
advocate of the new Revelation. A few years later, when the soul-stirring details
of the siege of the fort of Shaykh Tabarsi were being recounted to him, he felt
an irresistible impulse to throw in his lot with those heroic companions of the
Bab who had risen for the defence of their Faith. Carrying his sieve in his hand,
he immediately arose and set out to reach the scene of that memorable encounter.
"Why leave so hurriedly?" his friends asked him, as they saw him running in a
state of intense excitement through the bazaars of Isfahan. "I have risen," he
replied, "to join the glorious company of the defenders of the fort of Shaykh
Tabarsi! With this sieve which I carry with me, I intend to sift the people in
every city through which I pass. Whomsoever I find ready to espouse the Cause
I have embraced, I will ask to join me and hasten forthwith to the field of martyrdom."
Such was the devotion of this youth, that the Bab, in the Persian Bayan, refers
to him in such terms: " Isfahan, that outstanding city, is distinguished by the
religious fervour of its shi'ah inhabitants, by the learning of its divines, and
by the keen expectation, shared by high and low alike, of the imminent coming
of the Sahibu'z-Zaman. In every quarter of that city, religious institutions have
been established. And yet, when the Messenger of God had been made manifest, they
who claimed to be the repositories of learning and the expounders of the mysteries
of the Faith of God rejected His Message. Of all the inhabitants of that seat
of learning, only one person, a sifter of wheat, was found to recognise the Truth,
and was invested with the robe of Divine virtue!"(1)
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Among the siyyids of Isfahan, a few, such
as Mirza Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Nahri, whose daughter was subsequently joined in wedlock
with the Most Great Branch,(1)
Mirza Hadi, the brother of Mirza Muhammad-'Ali, and Mirza Muhammad-Riday-i-Pa-Qal'iyi,
recognised the truth of the Cause. Mulla Sadiq-i-Khurasani, formerly known as
Muqaddas, and surnamed by Baha'u'llah, Ismu'llahu'l-Asdaq, who, according to the
instructions of Siyyid Kazim, had during the last five years been residing in
Isfahan and had been preparing the way for the advent of the new Revelation, was
also among the first believers who identified themselves with the Message proclaimed
by the Bab.(2) As Soon as he
learned of the arrival of Mulla Husayn in Isfahan, he hastened to meet him. He
gives the following account of his first interview, which took place at night
in the home of Mirza Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Nahri: "I asked Mulla Husayn to divulge
the name of Him who claimed to be the promised Manifestation. He replied: `To
enquire about that name and to divulge it are alike forbidden.' `Would it, then,
be possible,' I asked, `for me, even as the Letters of the Living, to seek independently
the grace of the All-Merciful and, through prayer, to discover His identity?'
`The door of His grace,' he replied, `is never closed before the face of him who
seeks to find Him.' I immediately retired from his presence, and requested his
host to allow me the privacy of a room in his house where, alone and undisturbed,
I could commune with God. In the midst of my contemplation, I suddenly remembered
the face of a Youth whom I had often observed while in Karbila, standing in an
attitude of prayer, with His face bathed in tears at the entrance of the shrine
of the Imam Husayn. That same countenance now reappeared before my eyes. In my
vision I seemed to behold that same face, those same features, expressive of such
joy as I could never describe. He smiled as He gazed at me. I went towards Him,
ready to throw myself at His feet. I was bending towards the ground, when, lo!
that radiant figure vanished from before me. Overpowered with joy and gladness,
I ran out to meet Mulla
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Husayn, who with transport
received me and assured me that I had, at last, attained the object of my desire.
He bade me, however, repress my feelings. `Declare not your vision to anyone,'
he urged me; `the time for it has not yet arrived. You have reaped the fruit of
your patient waiting in Isfahan. You should now proceed to Kirman, and there acquaint
Haji Mirza Karim Khan with this Message. From that place you should travel to
Shiraz and endeavour to rouse the people of that city from their heedlessness.
I hope to join you in Shiraz and share with you the blessings of a joyous reunion
with our Beloved.'"(1)
From Isfahan, Mulla Husayn
proceeded to Kashan. The first to be enrolled in that city among the company of
the faithful was a certain Haji Mirza Jani, surnamed Par-Pa, who was a merchant
of note.(2) Among the friends
of Mulla Husayn was a well-known divine, Siyyid Abdu'l-Baqi, a resident of Kashan
and a member of the shaykhi community. Although intimately associated with Mulla
Husayn during his stay in Najaf and Karbila, the Siyyid felt unable to sacrifice
rank and leadership for the Message which his friend had brought him.
Arriving in Qum, Mulla Husayn found its people
utterly unprepared to heed his call. The seeds he sowed among them did not germinate
until the time when Baha'u'llah was exiled to Baghdad. In those days Haji Mirza
Musa, a native of Qum, embraced the Faith, journeyed to Baghdad, and there met
Baha'u'llah. He eventually quaffed the cup of martyrdom in His path.
From Qum, Mulla Husayn proceeded
directly to Tihran. He lived, during his stay in the capital, in one of the rooms
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which belonged to the madrisih
of Mirza Salih, better known as the madrisih of Pay-i-Minar. Haji Mirza Muhammad-i-Khurasani,
the leader of the shaykhi community of Tihran, who acted as an instructor in that
institution, was
approached by Mulla Husayn
but failed to respond to his motivation to accept the Message. "We had cherished
the hope he said to Mulla Husayn, "that after the death of Siyyid Kazim you would
strive to promote the best interests of the shaykhi community and would deliver
it from the
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obscurity into which it has
sunk. You seem, however, to have betrayed its cause. You have shattered our fondest
expectations. If you persist in disseminating these subversive doctrines, you
will eventually extinguish the remnants of the shaykhis in this city." Mulla Husayn
assured him that he had no intention of prolonging his stay in Tihran, that his
aim was in no wise to abase or suppress the teachings inculcated by Shaykh Ahmad
and Siyyid Kazim.(1)
During his stay in Tihran, Mulla Husayn each
day would leave his room early in the morning and would return to it only an hour
after sunset. Upon his return he would quietly and alone re-enter his room, close
the door behind him, and
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remain in the privacy of
his cell until the next day.(1)
Mirza Musa, Aqay-i-Kalim, the brother of Baha'u'llah, recounted to me the following:
"I have heard Mulla Muhammad-i-Mu'allim, a native of Nur, in the province of Mazindaran,
who was a fervent admirer of both Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim, relate this story:
`I was in those days recognised as one of the favoured disciples of Haji Mirza
Muhammad, and lived in the same school in which he taught. My room adjoined his
room, and we were closely associated together. On the day that he was engaged
in discussion with Mulla Husayn, I overheard their conversation from beginning
to end, and was deeply affected by the ardour, the fluency, and learning of that
youthful stranger. I was surprised at the evasive answers, the arrogance, and
contemptuous behaviour of Haji Mirza Muhammad. That day I felt strongly attracted
by the charm of that youth, and deeply resented the unseemly conduct of my teacher
towards him. I concealed my feelings, however, and pretended to ignore his discussions
with Mulla Husayn. I was seized with a passionate desire to meet the latter, and
ventured, at the hour of midnight, to visit him. He did not expect me, but I knocked
at his door, and found him awake seated beside his lamp. He received me affectionately,
and spoke to me with extreme courtesy and tenderness. I unburdened my heart to
him, and as I was addressing him, tears, which I could not repress, flowed from
my eyes. "I can now see," he said, "the reason why I have chosen to dwell in this
place. Your teacher has contemptuously rejected this Message and despised its
Author. My hope is that his pupil may, unlike his master, recognise its truth.
What is your name, and which city is your home?" "My name," I replied, "is Mulla
Muhammad, and my surname Mu'allim. My home is Nur, in the province of Mazindaran."
"Tell me," further enquired Mulla Husayn, "is there to-day among the family of
the late Mirza Buzurg-i-Nuri, who was so renowned for his character, his charm,
and artistic and intellectual attainments, anyone who has proved himself capable
of maintaining the high traditions of that
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illustrious house?" "Yea,"
I replied, "among his sons now living, one has distinguished Himself by the very
traits which characterised His father. By His virtuous life, His high at-
tainments, His loving-kindness
and liberality, He has proved Himself a noble descendant of a noble father." "What
is His occupation?" he asked me. "He cheers the disconsolate
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and feeds the hungry," I
replied. "What of His rank and position?" "He has none," I said, "apart from befriending
the poor and the stranger." "What is His name?" " Husayn-'Ali." "In which of the
scripts of His father does He excel?" "His favourite script is shikastih-nasta'liq."
"How does He spend His time?" "He roams the woods and delights in the beauties
of the countryside."(1) "What
is His age?" "Eight and twenty." The eagerness with which Mulla Husayn questioned
me, and the sense of delight with which he welcomed every particular I gave him,
greatly surprised me. Turning to me, with his face beaming with satisfaction and
joy, he once more enquired: "I presume you often meet Him?" "I frequently visit
His home," I replied. "Will you," he said, "deliver into His hands a trust from
me?" "Most assuredly," was my reply. He then gave me a scroll wrapped in a piece
of cloth, and requested me to hand it to Him the next day at the hour of dawn.
"Should He deign to answer me," he added, "will you be kind enough to acquaint
me with His reply. I received the scroll from him and, at break of day, arose
to carry out his desire.
"`As I approached the house of Baha'u'llah,
I recognised His brother Mirza Musa, who was standing at the gate, and to whom
I communicated the object of my visit. He went into the house and soon reappeared
bearing a message of welcome. I was ushered into His presence, and presented the
scroll to Mirza Musa, who laid it before Baha'u'llah. He bade us both be seated.
Unfolding the scroll, He glanced at its contents and began to read aloud to us
certain of its passages. I sat enraptured as I listened to the sound of His
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voice and the sweetness of
its melody. He had read a page of the scroll when, turning to His brother, He
said: " Musa, what have you to say? Verily I say, whoso believes in the Qur'an
and recognises its Divine origin, and yet hesitates, though it be for a moment,
to admit that these soul-stirring words are endowed with the same regenerating
power, has most assuredly erred in his judgment and has strayed far from the path
of justice." He spoke no more. Dismissing me from His presence, He charged me
to take to Mulla Husayn, as a gift from Him, a loaf of Russian sugar and a package
of tea,(1) and to convey to
him the expression of His appreciation and love.
"`I arose and, filled with joy, hastened back
to Mulla Husayn, and delivered to him the gift and message of Baha'u'llah. With
what joy and exultation he received them from me! Words fail me to describe the
intensity of his emotion. He started to his feet, received with bowed head the
gift from my hand, and fervently kissed it. He then took me in his arms, kissed
my eyes, and said: "My dearly beloved friend! I pray that even as you have rejoiced
my heart, God may grant you eternal felicity and fill your heart with imperishable
gladness." I was amazed at the behaviour of Mulla Husayn. What could be, I thought
to myself, the nature of the bond that unites these two souls? What could have
kindled so fervid a fellowship in their hearts? Why should Mulla Husayn, in whose
sight the pomp and circumstance of royalty were the merest trifle, have evinced
such gladness at the sight of so inconsiderable a gift from the hands of Baha'u'llah?
I was puzzled by this thought and could not unravel its mystery.
"`A few days later, Mulla Husayn left for
Khurasan. As he bade me farewell, he said: "Breathe not to anyone what you have
heard and witnessed. Let this be a secret hidden within your breast. Divulge not
His name, for they who envy His position will arise to harm Him. In your moments
of meditation, pray that the Almighty may protect Him, that, through Him, He may
exalt the downtrodden, enrich the poor,
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and redeem the fallen. The
secret of things is concealed from our eyes. Ours is the duty to raise the call
of the New Day and to proclaim this Divine Message unto all people. Many a soul
will, in this city, shed his blood in this path. That blood will water the Tree
of God, will cause it to flourish, and to overshadow all mankind."'"
