When, in the year ’60, [1844] Bahá’u’lláh arrived in Núr, He
discovered that the celebrated mujtahid who on His previous visit had wielded
such immense power had passed away. The vast number of his devotees had shrunk
into a mere handful of dejected disciples who, under the leadership of his
successor, Mullá Muhammad, were striving to uphold the traditions of their
departed leader. The enthusiasm which greeted Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival sharply
contrasted with the gloom that had settled upon the remnants of that once
flourishing community. A large number of the officials and notables in that
neighbourhood called upon Him and, with every mark of affection and respect,
accorded Him a befitting welcome. They were eager, in view of the social
position He occupied, to learn from Him all the news regarding the life of the
Sháh, the activities of his ministers, and the affairs of his government. To
their enquiries Bahá’u’lláh replied with extreme indifference, and seemed to
reveal very little interest or concern. With persuasive eloquence He pleaded
the cause of the new Revelation, and directed their attention to the
immeasurable benefits which it was destined to confer upon their country. Those who heard Him marvelled at the keen
interest which a man of His position and age evinced for truths which primarily
concerned the divines and theologians of Islám. They felt powerless to
challenge the soundness of His arguments or to belittle the Cause which He so
ably expounded. They admired the loftiness of His enthusiasm and the profundity
of His thoughts, and were deeply impressed by His detachment and
self-effacement.
(Chapter 5, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
