TTENDED by His escort, the Bab proceeded in
the direction of Qum.(1) His alluring charm, combined
with a compelling dignity and unfailing
benevolence, had, by this time, completely disarmed
and transformed His guards. They seemed to have
abdicated all their rights and duties and to have resigned
themselves to His will and pleasure. In their eagerness to
Such lofty sentiments had instilled such confidence in the
hearts of those who accompanied the Bab that had He at
any time chosen to turn away suddenly and leave them, no
one among His guards would have felt in the least perturbed
or would have attempted to pursue Him. Proceeding by a route that skirted the northern end of the city of Qum, they
halted at the village of Qumrud, which was owned by a
relative of Muhammad Big, and the inhabitants of which all
belonged to the sect of the Aliyu'llahi. At the invitation
of the headman of the village, the Bab tarried one night in
that place and was touched by the warmth and spontaneity
of the reception which those simple folk had accorded Him.
Ere He resumed His journey, He invoked the blessings of
After a march of two days from that village, they arrived,
on the afternoon of the eighth day after Naw-Ruz, at the
fortress of Kinar-Gird,(1) which lies six farsangs to the south
of Tihran. They were planning to reach the capital on the
That message, received at an hour of uncertainty and
suspense, imparted solace and strength to the Bab. It dispelled
the gloom that had settled upon His heart, and imbued
His soul with the certainty of victory. The sadness which
had long lingered upon His face, and which the perils of His
captivity had served to aggravate, visibly diminished. He
no longer shed those tears of anguish which had streamed
so profusely from His eyes ever since the days of His arrest
and departure from Shiraz. The cry "Beloved, My Well-Beloved,"
I have heard Mulla Abdu'l-Karim recount the following
incident: "My companions and I were fast asleep in the
vicinity of the tent of the Bab when the trampling of horsemen
suddenly awakened us. We were soon informed that
the tent of the Bab was vacant and that those who had
gone out in search of Him had failed to find Him. We heard
Muhammad Big remonstrate with the guards. `Why feel
disturbed?' he pleaded. `Are not His magnanimity and
nobleness of soul sufficiently established in your eyes to
convince you that He will never, for the sake of His own
safety, consent to involve others in embarrassment? He, no
doubt, must have retired, in the silence of this moonlit night,
to a place where He can seek undisturbed communion with
God. He will unquestionably return to His tent. He will
never desert us.' In his eagerness to reassure his colleagues,
Muhammad Big set out on foot along the road leading to
Tihran. I, too, with my companions, followed him. Shortly
after, the rest of the guards were seen, each on horseback,
marching behind us. We had covered about a maydan(1) when, by the dim light of the early dawn, we discerned in the distance the lonely figure of the Bab. He was coming
towards us from the direction of Tihran. `Did you believe
Me to have escaped?' were His words to Muhammad Big
as He approached him. `Far be it from me,' was the instant
reply as he flung himself at the feet of the Bab, `to entertain
such thoughts.' Muhammad Big was too much awed by the
serene majesty which that radiant face revealed that morning
to venture any further remark. A look of confidence
had settled upon His countenance, His words were invested
with such transcendent power, that a feeling of profound
reverence wrapped our very souls. No one dared to question
Him as to the cause of so remarkable a change in His speech
For a fortnight(1) the Bab tarried in that spot. The tranquillity
which He enjoyed amidst those lovely surroundings
was rudely disturbed by the receipt of a letter which Muhammad
Shah(2) himself addressed to the Bab and which was
Haji Mirza Aqasi(2) was no doubt responsible for having induced Muhammad Shah to address such a communication
to the Bab. He was actuated solely by a sense of fear(3) lest
The Bab was accordingly ordered to proceed to Tabriz.(1)
The same escort, under the command of Muhammad Big,
attended Him on His journey to the northwestern province
of Adhirbayjan. He was allowed to select one companion
and one attendant from among His followers to be with Him
during His sojourn in that province. He selected Siyyid
Husayn-i-Yazdi and Siyyid Hasan, his brother. He refused
to expend on Himself the funds provided by the government
for the expense of that journey. All the allowances that
were given by the State He bestowed upon the poor and
needy, and devoted to His own private needs the money
which He, as a merchant, had earned in Bushihr and Shiraz.
As orders had been given to avoid entering the towns in
the course of the journey to Tabriz, a number of the believers
of Qazvin, informed of the approach of their beloved
Leader, set out for the village of Siyah-Dihan(2) and were
there able to meet Him.
One of them was Mulla Iskandar, who had been delegated
by Hujjat to visit the Bab in Shiraz, and to investigate
His Cause. The Bab commissioned him to deliver the following
message to Sulayman Khan-i-Afshar, who was a great
admirer of the late Siyyid Kazim: "He whose virtues the
late siyyid unceasingly extolled, and to the approach of whose
Revelation he continually alluded, is now revealed. I am
that promised One. Arise and deliver Me from the hand of
the oppressor." When the Bab entrusted this message to
Mulla Iskandar, Sulayman Khan was in Zanjan and was
preparing to leave for Tihran. Within the space of three
days, that message reached him. He failed, however, to
respond to that appeal.
Two days later, a friend of Mulla Iskandar had acquainted
Hujjat, who, at the instigation of the ulamas of Zanjan, had
been incarcerated in the capital, with the appeal of the Bab.
Hujjat immediately instructed the believers of his native
city to undertake whatever preparations were required and
to collect the necessary forces to achieve the deliverance of
their Master. He urged them to proceed with caution and
to attempt, at an appropriate moment, to seize and carry
Him away to whatever place He might desire. These were
shortly joined by a number of believers from Qazvin
and Tihran, who set out, according to the directions of Hujjat,
to execute the plan. They overtook the guards at the hour
of midnight and, finding them fast asleep, approached the
Bab and begged Him to flee. "The mountains of Adhirbayjan
too have their claims," was His confident reply as He lovingly
advised them to abandon their project and return to their
homes.(1)
Approaching the gate of Tabriz, Muhammad Big, feeling
that the hour of his separation from his Prisoner was at
hand, besought His presence and with tearful eyes begged
Him to overlook his shortcomings and transgressions. "The
journey from Isfahan," he said, "has been long and arduous.
I have failed to do my duty and to serve You as I ought.
I crave Your forgiveness, and pray You to vouchsafe me
Your blessings." "Be assured," the Bab replied, "I account
you a member of My fold. They who embrace My Cause
will eternally bless and glorify you, will extol your conduct
and exalt your name."(2) The rest of the guards followed the
The news of the approaching arrival of the Bab at Tabriz
bestirred the believers in that city. They all set out to meet
Him, eager to extend to so beloved a Leader their welcome.
The officials of the government into whose custody the Bab
was to be delivered refused to allow them to draw near and
to receive His blessings. One youth, however, unable to restrain
himself, rushed forth barefooted, through the gate of
the city, and, in his impatience to gaze upon the face of his
Beloved, ran out a distance of half a farsang(1) towards Him.
As he approached the horsemen who were marching in advance
of the Bab, he joyously welcomed them and, seizing
When the Bab arrived at Tabriz, He was conducted to
one of the chief houses in that city, which had been reserved
On the day after the Bab's arrival, Haji
Muhammad-Taqiy-i-Milani, a noted merchant of the city, ventured,
together with Haji Ali-'Askar, to interview the Bab. They
were warned by their friends and well-wishers that by such
an attempt they would not only be risking the loss of their
"I recall how, in the course of my association with Mulla
Husayn, I was impressed by the many evidences of his
perspicacity and extraordinary power. I was privileged to
accompany him on his journey from Shiraz to Mashhad, and
visited with him the towns of Yazd, Tabas, Bushruyih, and
Turbat. I deplored in those days the sadness of my failure
to meet the Bab in Shiraz. `Grieve not,' Mulla Husayn
confidently assured me; `the Almighty is no doubt able to
compensate you in Tabriz for the loss you have sustained
in Shiraz. Not once, but seven times, can He enable you
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