Three days later, I saw that same Youth [the Báb] arrive and
take His seat in the midst of the company of the assembled disciples of Siyyid
Kázim. He sat close to the threshold, and with the same modesty and dignity of
bearing listened to the discourse of the Siyyid. As soon as his eyes fell upon
that Youth, the Siyyid discontinued his address and held his peace. Whereupon
one of his disciples begged him to resume the argument which he had left
unfinished. ‘What more shall I say?’ replied Siyyid Kázim, as he turned his
face toward the Báb. ‘Lo, the Truth is more manifest than the ray of light that
has fallen upon that lap!’ I immediately observed that the ray to which the
Siyyid referred had fallen upon the lap of that same Youth whom we had recently
visited.
‘Why is it,’ that questioner enquired, ‘that you neither
reveal His name nor identify His person?’ To this the Siyyid replied by
pointing with his finger to his own throat, implying that were he to divulge
His name, they both would be put to death instantly. This added still further
to my perplexity. I had already heard my teacher observe that so great is the
perversity of this generation, that were he to point with his finger to the
promised One and say: ‘He indeed is the Beloved, the Desire of your hearts and
mine,’ they would still fail to recognise and acknowledge Him. I saw the Siyyid
actually point out with his finger the ray of light that had fallen on that
lap, and yet none among those who were present seemed to apprehend its meaning.
- Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí, (A disciple of Siyyid Kázim,
quoted by Nabil; Chapter 2, ‘The Dawn-Breakers)
