"One day the Bab charged my brother to inform Shaykh
Hasan that He would Himself request Ali Khan to alter
his attitude towards the believers who visited Mah-Ku and
to abandon his severity. `Tell him,' He added, `I will to-morrow
instruct the warden to conduct him to this place.'
I was greatly surprised at such a message. How could the
domineering and self-willed Ali Khan, I thought to myself,
be induced to relax the severity of his discipline? Early the
next day, the gate of the castle being still closed, we were
surprised by a sudden knock at the door, knowing full well
that orders had been given that no one was to be admitted
before the hour of sunrise. We recognised the voice of Ali
Khan, who seemed to be expostulating with the guards, one
of whom presently came in and informed me that the warden
of the castle insisted on being allowed admittance into the
presence of the Bab. I conveyed his message and was commanded
to usher him at once into His presence. As I was
stepping out of the door of His antechamber, I found Ali
Khan standing at the threshold in an attitude of complete
submission, his face betraying an expression of unusual humility
and wonder. His self-assertiveness and pride seemed
to have entirely vanished. Humbly and with extreme courtesy,
he returned my salute and begged me to allow him to
enter the presence of the Bab. I conducted him to the room
which my Master occupied. His limbs trembled as he followed
me. An inner agitation which he could not conceal
247
allowed to bring him to this place that he may meet You.
By this act I hope that my evil deeds may be forgiven, that
I may be enabled to wash away the stains of my cruel behaviour
toward Your friends." His request was granted,
whereupon he went straightway to Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi
and conducted him into the presence of his Master.
Ali Khan set out, within the limits imposed upon him,
to provide whatever would tend to alleviate the rigour of
the captivity of the Bab. At night the gate of the castle
was still closed; in the daytime, however, those whom the
Bab desired to see were allowed to enter His presence, were
able to converse with Him and to receive His instructions.
As He lay confined within the walls of the castle, He devoted
His time to the composition of the Persian Bayan, the
most weighty, the most illuminating and comprehensive of all
His works.(1) In it He laid down the laws and precepts of
His Dispensation, plainly and emphatically announced the
advent of a subsequent Revelation, and persistently urged
His followers to seek and find "Him whom God would make
manifest,"(2) warning them lest they allow the mysteries and
allusions in the Bayan to interfere with their recognition of
His Cause.(3)249
I have heard Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi bear witness to the
following: "The voice of the Bab, as He dictated the teachings
and principles of His Faith, could be clearly heard by
those who were dwelling at the foot of the mountain. The
melody of His chanting, the rhythmic flow of the verses
which streamed from His lips caught our ears and penetrated
into our very souls. Mountain and valley re-echoed the
majesty of His voice. Our hearts vibrated in their depths
to the appeal of His utterance."(1)250
Khan himself never failed to pay his respects to the Bab
each Friday, and to assure Him of his unswerving loyalty
and devotion. He often presented Him with the rarest and
choicest fruit available in the neighbourhood of Mah-Ku,
and would continually offer Him such delicacies as he thought
would prove agreeable to His taste and liking.
In this manner the Bab spent the summer and autumn
within the walls of that castle. A winter followed of such
252
exceptional severity that even the copper implements were
affected by the intensity of the cold. The beginning of that
season coincided with the month of Muharram of the year
1264 A.H.(1) The water which the Bab used for His ablutions
was of such icy coldness that its drops glistened as they froze
upon His face. He would invariably, after the termination
of each prayer, summon Siyyid Husayn to His presence and
would request him to read aloud to Him a passage from the
Muhriqu'l-Qulub, a work composed by the late Haji Mulla
Mihdi, the great-grandfather of Haji Mirza Kamalu'd-Din-i-Naraqi,
in which the author extols the virtues, laments the
death, and narrates the circumstances of the martyrdom of
the Imam Husayn. The recital of those sufferings would
provoke intense emotion in the heart of the Bab. His tears
would keep flowing as He listened to the tale of the unutterable
indignities heaped upon him, and of the agonising pain
which he was made to suffer at the hands of a perfidious
enemy. As the circumstances of that tragic life were unfolded
before Him, the Bab was continually reminded of that
still greater tragedy which was destined to signalise the advent
of the promised Husayn. To Him those past atrocities
were but a symbol which foreshadowed the bitter afflictions
which His own beloved Husayn was soon to suffer at the
hands of His countrymen. He wept as He pictured in His
mind those calamities which He who was to be made manifest
was predestined to suffer, calamities such as the Imam
Husayn, even in the midst of his agonies, was never made
to endure.(2)253
hoisted in Khurasan, and so great was the consternation
provoked by that rising that the projected campaign of the
Shah to Hirat was immediately abandoned. Haji Mirza
Aqasi's recklessness and prodigality had fanned into flame
the smouldering fires of discontent, had exasperated the
masses and encouraged them to stir up sedition and mischief.
The most turbulent elements in Khurasan that inhabited the
regions of Quchan, Bujnurd, and Shiravan leagued themselves
with the Salar, son of the Asifu'd-Dawlih, the elder
maternal uncle of the Shah and governor of the province,
and repudiated the authority of the central government.
Whatever forces were despatched from the capital met with
immediate defeat at the hands of the chief instigators of the
rebellion. Ja'far-Quli Khan-i-Namdar and Amir Arslan Khan,
son of the Salar, who conducted the operations against the
forces of the Shah, displayed the utmost cruelty and, having
repulsed the attacks of the enemy, mercilessly put their
captives to death.
Mulla Husayn was at that time residing at Mashhad,(1)
and was endeavouring, despite the tumult which that revolt
had occasioned, to spread the knowledge of the new Revelation.
No sooner had he discovered that the Salar, in his
desire to extend the scope of the rebellion, had determined
to approach him and obtain his support, than he promptly
decided to leave the city in order to avoid implicating himself
255
Mission of the Bab, and which fell in that year, the year
1264 A.H.,(1) on the thirteenth of the month of Rabi'u'th-Thani,
Ali Khan dreamed a dream. "In my sleep," he
thus relates his story, "I was startled by the sudden intelligence
that Muhammad, the Prophet of God, was soon to
arrive at Mah-Ku, that He was to proceed directly to the
castle in order to visit the Bab and to offer Him His congratulations
on the advent of the Naw-Ruz festival. In my
dream, I ran out to meet Him, eager to extend to so holy a
Visitor the expression of my humble welcome. In a state
of indescribable gladness, I hastened on foot in the direction
of the river, and as I reached the bridge, which lay at a
distance of a maydan(2) from the town of Mah-Ku, I saw two
men advancing towards me. I thought one of them to be
the Prophet Himself, while the other who walked behind
Him I supposed to be one of His distinguished companions.
I hastened to throw myself at His feet, and was bending to
kiss the hem of His robe, when I suddenly awoke. A great
joy had flooded my soul. I felt as if Paradise itself, with all
its delights, had been crowded into my heart. Convinced of
the reality of my vision, I performed my ablutions, offered
my prayer, arrayed myself in my richest attire, anointed
myself with perfume, and proceeded to the spot where, the
night before in my dream, I had gazed upon the countenance
of the Prophet. I had instructed my attendants to saddle
three of my best and swiftest steeds and to conduct them
immediately to the bridge. The sun had just risen when,
alone and unescorted, I walked out of the town of Mah-Ku
in the direction of the river. As I approached the bridge, I
discovered, with a throb of wonder, the two men whom I
had seen in my dream walking one behind the other, and
advancing towards me. Instinctively I fell at the feet of
the one whom I believed to be the Prophet, and devoutly
kissed them. I begged Him and His companion to mount
the horses which I had prepared for their entry into Mah-Ku.
`Nay,' was His reply, `I have vowed to accomplish the whole
of my journey on foot. I will walk to the summit of this
mountain and will there visit your Prisoner.'"
This strange experience of Ali Khan brought about a
257
deepening of reverence in his attitude towards the Bab. His
faith in the potency of His Revelation became even greater,
and his devotion to Him was vastly increased. In an attitude
of humble surrender, he followed Mulla Husayn until
they reached the gate of the castle. As soon as the eyes of
Mulla Husayn fell upon the countenance of his Master, who
was seen standing at the threshold of the gate, he halted
instantly and, bowing low before Him, stood motionless by
His side. The Bab stretched forth His arms and affectionately
embraced him. Taking him by the hand, He conducted
him to His chamber. He then summoned His friends into
His presence and celebrated in their company the feast of
Naw-Ruz. Dishes of sweetmeats and of the choicest fruits
had been spread before Him. He distributed them among
His assembled friends, and as He offered some of the quinces
and apples to Mulla Husayn, He said: "These luscious fruits
have come to us from Milan, the Ard-i-Jannat,(1) and have
been specially plucked and consecrated to this feast by the
Ismu'llahu'l-Fatiq, Muhammad-Taqi."
Until that time no one of the disciples of the Bab but
Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdi and his brother had been allowed to
spend the night within the castle. That day Ali Khan
went to the Bab and said: "If it be Your desire to retain
258
of His personality and the greatness of His character. Mulla
Husayn, who had already, at the bidding of the Bab, departed
from Mah-Ku, was still in Tabriz when the news of his
Master's predicted transference to Chihriq reached him. As
the Bab bade His last farewell to Mulla Husayn, He addressed
him in these words: "You have walked on foot all the way
from your native province to this place. On foot you likewise
must return until you reach your destination; for your
days of horsemanship are yet to come. You are destined
to exhibit such courage, such skill and heroism as shall
eclipse the mightiest deeds of the heroes of old. Your daring
exploits will win the praise and admiration of the dwellers
in the eternal Kingdom. You should visit, on your way, the
believers of Khuy, of Urumiyyih, of Maraghih, of Milan, of
Tabriz, of Zanjan, of Qazvin, and of Tihran. To each you
will convey the expression of My love and tender affection.
You will strive to inflame their hearts anew with the fire of
the love of the Beauty of God, and will endeavour to fortify
their faith in His Revelation. From Tihran you should proceed
to Mazindaran, where God's hidden treasure will be
made manifest to you. You will be called upon to perform
deeds so great as will dwarf the mightiest achievements of
the past. The nature of your task will, in that place, be
revealed to you, and strength and guidance will be bestowed
upon you that you may be fitted to render your service to
His Cause."
On the morning of the ninth day after Naw-Ruz, Mulla
Husayn set forth, as bidden by his Master, on his journey
to Mazindaran. To Qambar-'Ali the Bab addressed these
parting words: "The Qambar-'Ali of a bygone age would
glory in that his namesake has lived to witness a Day for
which even He(1) who was the Lord of his lord sighed in
vain; of which He, with keen longing, has spoken: `Would
that My eyes could behold the faces of My brethren who
have been privileged to attain unto His Day!'"