Those who attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh and heard Him
expound the Message proclaimed by the Báb were so much impressed by the
earnestness of His appeal that they forthwith arose to disseminate that same
Message among the people of Núr and to extol the virtues of its distinguished
Promoter. 
Alarmed, he [Baha’u’llah’s uncle] sought the aid of the mujtahid of Núr, Mullá
Muhammad, and appealed to him to lend him immediate assistance. “O vicegerent
of the Prophet of God!” he said. “Behold what has befallen the Faith. A youth,
a layman, attired in the garb of nobility, has come to Núr, has invaded the
strongholds of orthodoxy, and disrupted the holy Faith of Islám. Arise, and
resist his onslaught. Whoever attains his presence falls immediately under his
spell, and is enthralled by the power of his utterance. I know not whether he
is a sorcerer, or whether he mixes with his tea some mysterious substance that
makes every man who drinks the tea fall a victim to its charm.” The mujtahid,
notwithstanding his own lack of comprehension, was able to realise the folly of
such remarks. Jestingly he observed: “Have you not partaken of his tea, or
heard him address his companions?” “I have,” he replied, “but, thanks to your
loving protection, I have remained immune from the effect of his mysterious
power.” The mujtahid, finding himself unequal to the task of arousing the
populace against Bahá’u’lláh, and of combating directly the ideas which so
powerful an opponent was fearlessly spreading, contented himself with a written
statement in which he declared: “O Azíz, be not afraid, no one will dare molest
you.” In writing this, the mujtahid had, through a grammatical error, so
perverted the purport of his statement, that those who read it among the
notables of the village of Tákúr were scandalised by its meaning, and vilified
both the bearer and the author of that statement.
None dared to contend with His [Bahá’u’lláh's] views except His uncle Azíz,
who ventured to oppose Him, challenging His statements and aspersing their
truth. When those who heard him sought to silence this opponent and to injure
him, Bahá’u’lláh intervened in his behalf, and advised them to leave him in the
hands of God.
His [Bahá’u’lláh’s] speech was like a ‘rushing torrent’ and
his clearness in exposition brought the most learned divines to his feet.”
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.
“In my second dream,” the mujtahid continued, “I found
myself in a place where I beheld around me a number of coffers, each of which,
it was stated, belonged to Bahá’u’lláh. As I opened them, I found them to be
filled with books. Every word and letter recorded in these books was set with
the most exquisite jewels. Their radiance dazzled me. I was so overpowered by
their brilliance that I awoke suddenly from my dream.”
Later on, when Bahá’u’lláh had departed, [from Tehran for
Mazindaran] the mujtahid related to his disciples two of his recent dreams, the
circumstances of which he believed were of the utmost significance. “In my
first dream,” he said, “I was standing in the midst of a vast concourse of
people, all of whom seemed to be pointing to a certain house in which they said
the Sáhibu’z-Zamán dwelt. Frantic with joy, I hastened in my dream to attain
His presence. When I reached the house, I was, to my great surprise, refused
admittance. ‘The promised Qá’im,’ I was informed, ‘is engaged in private
conversation with another Person. Access to them is strictly forbidden.’ From
the guards who were standing beside the door, I gathered that that Person was
none other than Bahá’u’lláh.
Bahá’u’lláh had already, prior to the declaration of the
Báb, visited the district of Núr, at a time when the celebrated mujtahid Mírzá
Muhammad Taqíy-i-Núrí was at the height of his authority and influence. Such
was the eminence of his position, that they who sat at his feet regarded
themselves each as the authorised exponent of the Faith and Law of Islám. The
mujtahid was addressing a company of over two hundred of such disciples, and
was expatiating upon a dark passage of the reported utterances of the imáms,
when Bahá’u’lláh, followed by a number of His companions, passed by that place,
and paused for a while to listen to his discourse. The mujtahid asked his
disciples to elucidate an abstruse theory relating to the metaphysical aspects
of the Islamic teachings. As they all confessed their inability to explain it,
Bahá’u’lláh was moved to give, in brief but convincing language, a lucid
exposition of that theory. The mujtahid was greatly annoyed at the incompetence
of his disciples. “For years I have been instructing you,” he angrily
exclaimed, “and have patiently striven to instil into your minds the
profoundest truths and the noblest principles of the Faith. And yet you allow,
after all these years of persistent study, this youth, a wearer of the kuláh, [1]
who has had no share in scholarly training, and who is entirely unfamiliar with
your academic learning, to demonstrate his superiority over you!
It was my privilege to hear Bahá’u’lláh Himself, one day,
recount the following:
The first journey Bahá’u’lláh undertook for the purpose of
promoting the Revelation announced by the Báb was to His ancestral home in Núr,
in the province of Mázindarán. He set out for the village of Tákúr, the
personal estate of His father, where He owned a vast mansion, royally furnished
and superbly situated.
“‘I arose and, filled with joy, hastened back to Mullá
Husayn, and delivered to him the gift and message of Bahá’u’lláh. With what joy
and exultation he received them from me! Words fail me to describe the
intensity of his emotion. He started to his feet, received with bowed head the
gift from my hand, and fervently kissed it. He then took me in his arms, kissed
my eyes, and said: “My dearly beloved friend! I pray that even as you have
rejoiced my heart, God may grant you eternal felicity and fill your heart with
imperishable gladness.” I was amazed at the behaviour of Mullá Husayn. What
could be, I thought to myself, the nature of the bond that unites these two
souls? What could have kindled so fervid a fellowship in their hearts? Why
should Mullá Husayn, in whose sight the pomp and circumstance of royalty were
the merest trifle, have evinced such gladness at the sight of so inconsiderable
a gift from the hands of Bahá’u’lláh? I was puzzled by this thought and could
not unravel its mystery.
“‘As I approached the house of Bahá’u’lláh, I recognised His
brother Mírzá Músá, who was standing at the gate, and to whom I communicated
the object of my visit. He went into the house and soon reappeared bearing a
message of welcome. I was ushered into His presence, and presented the scroll
to Mírzá Músá, who laid it before Bahá’u’lláh. He bade us both be seated.
Unfolding the scroll, He glanced at its contents and began to read aloud to us
certain of its passages. I sat enraptured as I listened to the sound of His
voice and the sweetness of its melody. He had read a page of the scroll when,
turning to His brother, He said: “Músá, what have you to say? Verily I say,
whoso believes in the Qur’án and recognises its Divine origin, and yet
hesitates, though it be for a moment, to admit that these soul-stirring words
are endowed with the same regenerating power, has most assuredly erred in his
judgment and has strayed far from the path of justice.” He spoke no more.
Dismissing me from His presence, He charged me to take to Mullá Ḥusayn, as a
gift from Him, a loaf of Russian sugar and a package of tea, and to convey to him the expression of His
appreciation and love.
“On one occasion,” writes Dr. J. E. Esslemont,
“‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh, related to the writer the
following particulars about His Father’s early days: ‘From childhood He was
extremely kind and generous. He was a great lover of outdoor life, most of His
time being spent in the garden or the fields. He had an extraordinary power of
attraction, which was felt by all. People always crowded around Him. Ministers
and people of the Court would surround Him, and the children also were devoted
to Him. When He was only thirteen or fourteen years old He became renowned for
His learning.... When Bahá’u’lláh was twenty-two years old, His father died,
and the Government wished Him to succeed to His father’s position in the
Ministry as was customary in Persia, but Bahá’u’lláh did not accept the offer.
Then the Prime Minister said: “Leave him to himself. Such a position is
unworthy of him. He has some higher aim in view. I cannot understand him, but I
am convinced that he is destined for some lofty career. His thoughts are not
like ours. Let him alone.”’” (“Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,” pp. 29–30.)
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| Portrait of Muhammad Shah and his Vizier Haj Mirza Aghasi |
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| Tihran - late 19th Century |
