“O thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily I say, I
am the Báb, the Gate of God, and thou art the Bábu’l-Báb, the gate of that
Gate. Eighteen souls must, in the beginning, spontaneously and of their own
accord, accept Me and recognise the truth of My Revelation. Unwarned and
uninvited, each of these must seek independently to find Me. And when their
number is complete, one of them must needs be chosen to accompany Me on My
pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. There I shall deliver the Message of God to the
Sharíf of Mecca. I then shall return to Kúfih, where again, in the Masjid of
that holy city, I shall manifest His Cause. It is incumbent upon you not to
divulge, either to your companions or to any other soul, that which you have
seen and heard. Be engaged in the Masjid-i-Ílkhání in prayer and in teaching.
I, too, will there join you in congregational prayer. Beware lest your attitude
towards Me betray the secret of your faith. You should continue in this
occupation and maintain this attitude until our departure for Ḥijáz. Ere we
depart, we shall appoint unto each of the eighteen souls his special mission,
and shall send them forth to accomplish their task. We shall instruct them to
teach the Word of God and to quicken the souls of men.”
"'Having spoken these words to me, He dismissed me from His
presence. Accompanying me to the door of the house, He committed me to the care
of God.’”
- Mulla Husayn (Quoted by Nabil in chapter 3 of ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
