Index  

Photographs of Bahá'u'lláh's House
published from the Dawn Breakers.

Chapter One

The story of Mullá Husayn begins in the year 1840 in Karbilá, 'Iráq. At the time he had already been a student of Siyyid Kázim for five years. Siyyid Kázim was a teacher of the Qur'án who was preparing the people for the coming of a new Prophet of God.

One day Siyyid Kázim said to his followers, "I wish that one of  you would go to the city of Isfahán, and deliver a message to a great man there named Hájí Siyyid Muhammad Báqir. If one of you can get him to support our teachings, it will greatly help to spread our Cause". Many times Siyyid Kázim repeated this rquest, but no one offered to make the journey.

At this time Mullá Husayn was only twenty-two years old. He was one of the youngest of Siyyid Kázim's students, but certainly one of his best. He sat in Siyyid Kázim's classes quietly and humbly. He was always the last one to arrive before each lecture, and the first one to leave after it was finished. He never stayed after the lecture to ask questions or argue as did many of the others. Ever since childhood he had studied to gain more knowledge--especially about religion and the subject of law.

One day, in 1840, Siyyid Kázim again repeated the question to his students: "Will someone arise and take this Message to Hájí Siyyid Muhammad Báqir in Isfahán?" Still, nobody offered to go, except a man whom Siyyid Kázim did not consider intelligent enough to do it properly. At that moment he turned to Mullá Husayn and said, "You are the one I have chosen. Arise and carry out this mission. With the help of God you will succeed."

Mullá Husayn was filled with joy! He had been too humble to offer himself, but when he was called upon to serve God in this way, he jumped to his feet, kissed the hem of   Siyyid Kázim's coat, and immediately left on his journey to Isfahán.

In a few day' time, Siyyid Kázim received a letter from Mullá Husayn containing the Hájí's declaration of support. When the letter was handed to him, he was lecturing to his followers. However, he read the letter and the declaration to all the men present. He immediately wrote an answer to Mullá Husayn, and also read that to his students. In this letter he praised Mullá Husayn so highly for his service that a few of Siyyid Kázim's followers thought that Mullá Husayn must be the Promised One. The letter was written with such love and tenderness that it was clear that Siyyid Kázim was saying goodby to Mullá Husayn. He knew that he would never see him again on this earth. Siyyid Kázim died on the 31st of December 1843.

It was on the 22nd of January 1844, twenty-two days after the death of Siyyid Kázim, that Mullá Husayn returned to Karbilá. For three days he received visitors at his home, all of whom expressed their sorrow because of the passing of Siyyid Kázim. After listening to their cries he invited the most trusted and outstanding ones to tell him what Siyyid Kázim had told them to do before he died. They told him that Siyyid Kázim had said over and over, "You must leave your homes, travel far and wide, purify your hearts, and search for the Promised One. The only way you can find Him is to search. You must pray to make your hearts pure---and search."

When Mullá Husayn heard these words he said, "Then why are you still here in Karbilá? Why have you not scattered all over the land? Why have you not followed Siyyid Kázim's wish?"

They answered: "It is true we have failed. But, we look to your greatness. We have such confidence in you that if you were to tell us that you are the Promised One yourself, we would believe it and obey you in anything you told us to do."

"God forbid!" said Mullá Husayn. "I am just dust compared to the Promised One,  the Lord of Lords. If you had really understood the message of Siyyid Kázim, you would never have spoken such words! No! What you must do--- and what I must do-- is to arise immediately to carry out Siyyid Kázim's message."

Suiting his action to his words, Mullá Husayn immediately stood up and went to deliver this message to other well-known followers of Siyyid Kázim. Some of them made excuses that they could not leave Karbilá at this time, and few accepted Mullá Husayn's words as the truth.

Mullá Husayn, himself, wasted no time. Together with is brother, Muhammad-Hasan, and his brother's son, Muhammad-Báqir, he set out for Najaf. On the way to Najaf they stopped at a place for forty days to fast and pray and purify themselves for their search for the Báb. Then they went on to Búshihr, on the Persian Gulf.

Holy-Writings.com v2.7 (213613) © 2005 - 2021 Emanuel V. Towfigh & Peter Hoerster | Imprint | Change Interface Language: