On Baha'u'llah: “What is His occupation?” he asked me. “He cheers the disconsolate and feeds the hungry.”

This is another favorite story from The Dawnbreakers featured in Ruhi Book 4 on The Bab and Bah'u'llah.

"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 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 attainments, 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 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." ...

"How does He spend His time?"
Photo: Mazandaran, Iran, "The Fabulous Land Of Iran", 2001 Calendar
"He roams the woods and delights in the beauties of the countryside."

"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.

Image: Loaf of Russian sugar and box of tea

"'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 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, and to convey to him the expression of His appreciation and love.

Image: Facsimile of the Bab's Tablet to Baha'u'llah

"'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.

Photos: Views of the House of Baha'ullah in Tehran

"'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, 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."'

The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation, pp 104-106

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A book that is a feast for the eyes about Mulla Husayn, who played such a prominent role in the history of the Babi and Baha'i Faiths, is "Mulla Husayn: Unfurling the Black Standard" written and illustrated by Ivan Lloyd, translated into Persian by Dr. Minu Sabet, and published by Images International. Story: In 1844 a group of devoted young seekers, led by Mullá Husayn, set out from the holy city of Karbilá (near Baghdad) in search of the Promised Qa'im, a Messianic figure, whose coming had been prophesized for more than a thousand years.