So Husayn Khán [the governor of the province of Fárs
in Persia] ordered ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd Khán the high constable to attack the
house of the Báb’s maternal uncle at midnight on all sides, and to bring Him
and all His followers handcuffed. But ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd Khán and his hosts
found no one in the house save the Báb, His maternal uncle, and Siyyid Kázim of
Zanján; and as it chanced that on that night the sickness of the plague and the
extreme heat of the weather had compelled Husayn Khán to flee, he
released the Báb on condition of His quitting the city.
On the morning after that night the Báb with Siyyid Kázim of
Zanján set out from Shíráz for Isfáhán. Before reaching Isfáhán He wrote
a letter to the Mu’tamídu’d-Dawlih, the governor of the province, requesting a
lodging in some suitable place with the sanction of the government. The
governor appointed the mansion of the Imám-Jum’ih. There He abode forty days;
and one day, agreeably to the request of the Imám, He wrote without reflection
a commentary on [the Súrih of] V’al-‘Asr before the company. [Qur’án 103] When
this news reached the Mu’tamíd he sought an interview with Him and questioned
Him concerning the “Special Mission.” At that same interview an answer proving
the “Special Mission” was written. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘A Traveler’s Narrative’)
