“‘We [Mulla Husayn and the Báb] soon found ourselves
standing at the gate of a house of modest appearance. He knocked at the door,
which was soon opened by an Ethiopian servant. “Enter therein in peace, secure,”
[Qur’án, 15:46] were His words as He crossed the threshold and motioned me to
follow Him. His invitation, uttered with power and majesty, penetrated my soul.
I thought it a good augury to be addressed in such words, standing as I did on
the threshold of the first house I was entering in Shíráz, a city the very
atmosphere of which had produced already an indescribable impression upon me.
Might not my visit to this house, I thought to myself, enable me to draw nearer
to the Object of my quest? Might it not hasten the termination of a period of
intense longing, of strenuous search, of increasing anxiety, which such a quest
involves? As I entered the house and followed my Host to His chamber, a feeling
of unutterable joy invaded my being. Immediately we were seated, He ordered a
ewer of water to be brought, and bade me wash away from my hands and feet the
stains of travel. I pleaded permission to retire from His presence and perform
my ablutions in an adjoining room. He refused to grant my request, and proceeded
to pour the water over my hands. He then gave me to drink of a refreshing
beverage, after which He asked for the samovar [Tea-urn] and Himself prepared
the tea which He offered me.
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| Courtyard of the House of the Báb in Shiraz |
“‘Overwhelmed with His acts of extreme kindness, I arose to
depart. “The time for evening prayer is approaching,” I ventured to observe. “I
have promised my friends to join them at that hour in the Masjid-i-Ílkhání.”
With extreme courtesy and calm He replied: “You must surely have made the hour
of your return conditional upon the will and pleasure of God. It seems that His
will has decreed otherwise. You need have no fear of having broken your
pledge.” His dignity and self-assurance silenced me I renewed my ablutions and
prepared for prayer. He, too, stood beside me and prayed. Whilst praying, I
unburdened my soul, which was much oppressed, both by the mystery of this
interview and the strain and stress of my search. I breathed this prayer: “I
have striven with all my soul, O my God, and until now have failed to find Thy
promised Messenger. I testify that Thy word faileth not, and that Thy promise
is sure.”
- Mulla Husayn (Quoted by Nabil in chapter 3 of ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
