…these two illustrious souls [Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim]
endowed their followers with the greatest receptivity. That is why after the passing of the late
Siyyid his disciples sought with all their might after the Promised
Beauty. Mullá Ḥusayn and some of his
disciples departed from Iraq, made for Persia, and were taken up with the
search till they entered the city of Shíráz.
As Mullá Ḥusayn had met the Báb before in Karbilá and knew Him, he
became His guest. On the night of the
fifth of Jamádíyu’l-Avval, [23 May 1844] Mullá Ḥusayn was seated in the presence of the
Báb, who was preparing the tea. As the
Báb was serving the tea, He recited certain verses. Mullá Ḥusayn was amazed and astonished to
hear a young man, with no religious education or training in the Arabic tongue,
recite verses of the utmost eloquence and power, a feat which he could have
never thought possible. This led to his
awakening and allegiance. The following
day he told his disciples and others that he had found the Object of their
search and proceeded to describe and portray Him, but he concealed His identity
and did not divulge His name. However,
he so extolled His attributes that his disciples and the others were enthralled
with this news and with unrelenting thirst continued to search for the
life-giving waters.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Talk, ‘Twelve table talks given by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Center)
