Chapter Two

While Mullá Husayn was in Búshihr he seemed to be drawn as if by a magnet to the north, and so he moved on to Shíráz. As he reached the gate of the city if Shíráz, he sent his two companions ahead to a certain mosque telling them to stay there until he joined them later. "God willing," he said, "I will join you there for the evening prayer."

A short time later, while walking outside the gate of Shíráz, Mullá Husayn suddenly saw a beautiful Youth, who wore a green turban, coming toward him. The Young Man greeted Mullá Husayn with a smile of loving welcome. He took Mullá Husayn into his arms as though he had been a lifelong friend.

At first, Mullá Husayn thought this Person was a follower of Siyyid Kázim who had come out from Shíráz to meet him. But then the Youth invited Mullá Husayn to His home to rest and refresh himself after his journey. Mullá Husayn tried to excuse himself saying he had two friends waiting for him and he must go to meet them. But the Youth said, "Commit them to the care of God. He will surely protect and watch over them."

Mullá Husayn could not say "no" to this Young Man, and so he followed Him to the gate of His simple house. The door to the house was soon opened by an Ethiopian servant, and the Youth said, "Enter therein in peace, secure." This is a sentence from the blessed Qur'án, a saying of the Prophet Muhammad. Mullá Husayn thought it was a good sighn to hear those words in the first house he entered in Shíráz, so he was filled with joy and happiness to be there.

As soon as Mullá Husayn was seated, the servant brought a jug of water, and the Youth invited Mullá Husayn to wash his hands and feet so he would feel refreshed.   Mullá Husayn asked if he could go into another room to wash himself, but the Young Man refused, and instead He poured the water over Mullá Husayn's hands Himself. Then, He gave Mullá Husayn a cool drink and made some tea.

After finishing the tea, Mullá Husayn stood up and said, "The time for evening prayer is approaching. I have promised my friends to join them at that hour at the mosque."

The Youth was very calm and courteous, but told Mullá Husayn he must have told his friends he would join them, God willing, but that it seemed as if God had other plans for him. He told Mullá Husayn not to worry about keeping his promise. These words made Mullá Husayn calm and happy, so he prepared for prayer.

Mullá Husayn and the Young Man stood side by side as they prayed. This was Mullá Husayn's prayer: "I have tried with all my soul, O my God, and until now I have failed to find Thy promised Messenger. I know that Thy word will not fail, and that Thy promise is sure."

After the prayers were finished, the youth asked Mullá Husayn whom he regarded as his new leader now that Siyyid Kázim had passed away.

Mullá Husayn said, "Siyyid Kázim told all his followers to leave their homes and travel everywhere and look for the Promised One."

The Youth then asked Mullá Husayn if his teacher had given him any signs by which he would know the Promised One.

Mullá Husayn answered, "Yes, Siyyid Kázim said that the Promised One would be a pure descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, and of the family of Fátimih. He would be more than twenty and less than thirty years old. He would have knowledge without having studied. He would be of medium height, would not smoke, and would be physically perfect."

There was a silence for a while, and then the Young Man said with a strong voice: "Behold, all those signs are manifest in Me!" He then repeated each of these signs of the Promised One, and showed how each one was true about Himself. But Mullá Husayn did not at first believe. He remembered what Siyyid Kázim had told him, that the Promised One would be a very holy man, very wise, with more knowledge than any other person on earth. He told the Young Man what Siyyid Kázim said, but as soon as he said it, he became very sorry and very afraid. However, Mullá Husayn had decided when he started his search, that he would test the Promised One in two ways: the Promised One must reveal an explanation of part of the Qur'án known as the Súrih of Joseph without being asked to do so, and must explain a book which Mullá Husayn had written.

Although Mullá Husayn was very afraid, he asked the Young Man to read his book and explain it to him. The Young Man happily looked at parts of the book, closed it, and then spoke to Mullá Husayn. Within a few minuted, he had explained all the ideas and answered all the questions in it. Then, before Mullá Husayn could answer, the Young Man said, "Now is the time to reveal the commentary on the Súrih of Joseph."

Mullá Husayn needed no futher proof. He just sat there before the Young Man watching Him write His explanation, and listening to His beautiful words. When the Young Man had finished, He told Mullá Husayn that it is for God to test His servants and not for His servants to judge God by their own poor standards. He told Mullá Husayn that if he had not been His guest, he would have been in great danger, but the grace of God had saved him. He went on to say that in this Day, all the peoples and nations of the earth, both in the East and the West, should hurry to His door and ask for help from God, the Merciful. Whoever hesitated would be lost. Then the Young Man said that everyone should arise sincerely and of their own accord as Mullá Husayn had done, to go out and look for their promised Beloved with determination.

Mullá Husayn's head was going round and round from all he had heard. he felt he had to rise, and he begged to leave. But the Young Man smiled and told him that if he left then, whoever saw him would say, "This poor youth has lost his mind."

At that moment the clock showed two hours and eleven minites after sunset, on the evening of the 22nd of May 1844. The Young Man turned to Mullá Husayn and said, "This night, this very hour will, in the days to come, be celebrated as one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals. Render thanks to God for having graciously assisted you to attain your heart's desire, . . ."

About forty-five minuted later, the Young Man ordered dinner to be served. The holy food refreshed Mullá Husayn's body, and his soul as well. During the meal and after it, the Young Man continued to talk. Mullá Husayn sat and listened, completely forgetting the time. Suddenly he heard the call to morning prayer, and Mullá Husayn relized that they had talked the whole night long without stopping. They had not become tired. For the first time, Mullá Husayn knew what it was to have peace. He only thought, "Peace! Peace! Glory be to Thee, O God! Peace! Praise be to God, Lord of all creatures!"

Then the Young Man spoke these words to Mullá Husayn: 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 recognize 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."*

The Báb then told Mullá Husayn not to tell any of his friends what he had seen and heard that night, that he must go to the mosque and pray, that the Báb would join him for prayers later, and that Mullá Husayn must pretend not to know Him. He must keep his experience a secret until they leave the city. Then the Báb said, "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."

When the Báb had finished this speech, He asked Mullá Husayn to leave, and He entrusted him to the care of God.

* The Sharíf of Mecca was the keeper of the Most Holy House of the Muslim Religion.