This is the story of Mulla Aliy-i-Bastami, one of the
Letters of the Living, "the first to leave the House of God (Shiraz) and
the first to suffer for His sake…" (The Báb, quoted by Shoghi Effendi,
‘God Passes By’) He was “one of the foremost disciples of Siyyid Kazim…. He was
endowed with such vast learning, and was so deeply conversant with the
teachings of Shaykh Ahmad, that many regarded him as even superior to Mulla
Husayn.” (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
Following the death of their leader, Siyyid Kazim, Mulla Ali
and twelve other followers of Siyyid Kazim decided to follow the example of
Mulla Husayn and begin their search for the Promised One – as they were
instructed to do so by Siyyid Kazim. Mulla Husayn had just started his
spiritual preparation in retirement by praying and fasting for forty days. On
several occasions Mulla 'Ali approached Mulla Husayn to ask him where he was
going and what his destination would be. Every time he neared Mulla Husayn, he
found him so deeply wrapt in prayer that he felt it improper to venture a
question. Mulla 'Ali decided to retire in a like manner from the society of men
and prepare his own heart for the quest. His companions followed his example
with the exception of three who acted as their personal attendants.
As soon as the forty days were up, Mulla Husayn decided to
leave Karbila at once for Persia where he felt his search should begin. His
brother and nephew also accompanied him. An inner prompting led him to Bushihr
on the Persian Gulf. Though he could feel the sweet savors of His holiness the
Báb in Bushir something suddenly turned him like a compass needle to the north.
He set out at once on foot for the city of Shiraz. When he arrived at the gate
of the city, he directed his brother and his nephew, who had accompanied him,
to go to the prayer-house and await his return. "Something draws my heart
into the city," he said, "but I shall meet you for evening
prayers." A few hours before sunset, Mulla Husayn's eyes fell upon the Báb
and received an invitation to His House and became the first believer in the Bábi
Dispensation.
Shortly after Mulla Husayn had left Karbila, Mulla ‘Ali
accompanied by twelve companions also followed him towards Persia.
On the morning of May 23, 1844, the Báb allowed Mulla Husayn, bearing his secret, to return to his fellow travelers. He told Mulla Husayn that seventeen more disciples were to come after him - but they would have to find the Object of their quest alone and unaided, through prayer and meditation. These eighteen, along with the Báb, were to form the body of the "Letters of the Living," the first believers of the new Revelation.
When on the morning of May 23, 1844 Mulla Husayn reached the
mosque where his companions had lodged, he found that some of the followers of
the Shaykhi doctrine had heard of his arrival and had come to see him. He was
already famous in the city; the news of his achievements and the confidence
Siyyid Kazim had placed in him was known everywhere. He was asked to stay in
Shiraz so that searchers for the truth might profit from his vast knowledge.
Mulla Husayn accepted the invitation and told his fellow Shaykhis to prepare
for the talks he would give in the same mosque where they were lodged. He would
teach from one of the books of Siyyid Kazim.
How surprised his companions were when they heard this news!
When Mulla Husayn had left Karbala, he had vowed never to rest until he
attained the presence of the Promised One. They had promised to follow him
wherever he went, and to obey him, whatever he might command. Now, in view of
this change, they felt that they at least deserved an explanation. But this he
refused to give.
Mulla Husayn began his classes and a large group of students
eventually gathered around him, notables of the city coming to visit him as
well. All wondered at the spirit which his lectures revealed. Naturally, they
were unaware that the Source of his inspiration was now the very One whose
advent they were all eagerly awaiting. Nabil has recorded Mulla Husayn's own
recollections of this time:
"During those days I was, on several occasions,
summoned by the Báb to visit Him. He would send at night-time that same
Ethiopian servant to the masjid [mosque], bearing to me His most loving message
of welcome. Every time I visited Him, I spent the entire night in His presence.
Wakeful until the dawn, I sat at His feet fascinated by the charm of His
utterance and oblivious of the world and its cares and pursuits. How rapidly
those precious hours flew by! At daybreak I reluctantly withdrew from His presence.
How eagerly in those days I looked forward to the approach of the evening hour!
With what feelings of sadness and regret I beheld the dawning of day! In the
course of one of these nightly visits, my Host addressed me in these words:
'Tomorrow thirteen of your companions will arrive. To each
of them extend the utmost loving-kindness. Leave them not to themselves, for
they have dedicated their lives to the quest of their Beloved. Pray to God that
He may graciously enable them to walk securely in that path which is finer than
a hair and keener than a sword. Certain ones among them will be accounted, in
the sight of God, as His chosen and favoured disciples. As to others, they will
tread the middle way. The fate of the rest will remain undeclared until the
hour when all that is hidden shall be made manifest.'"(The Dawn-Breakers’)
That same morning, after Mulla Husayn had returned home,
Mulla 'Aliy-i Bastami, with twelve of his companions, arrived at the Ilkhani
Mosque, where Mulla Husayn was staying. Mulla Husayn immediately saw to their
accommodations. After they had been in Shiraz for a few days, Mulla 'Ali
finally gave vent to his anxious feelings:
"You know well," he said, "how great is our
confidence in you. We bear you such loyalty that if you should claim to be the
promised Qa'im we would all unhesitatingly submit. Obedient to your summons, we
have forsaken our homes and have gone forth in search of our promised Beloved.
You were the first to set us all this noble example. We have followed in your
footsteps. We have determined not to relax in our efforts until we find the
Object of our quest. We have followed you to this place, ready to acknowledge
whomsoever you accept, in the hope of seeking the shelter of His protection and
of passing successfully through the tumult and agitation that must needs
signalise the last Hour. How is it that we now see you teaching the people and
conducting their prayers and devotions with the utmost tranquility? Those
evidences of agitation and expectancy seem to have vanished from your
countenance. Tell us, we beseech you, the reason that we too may be delivered
from our present state of suspense and doubt." (‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
Mulla Husayn replied:
"Your companions may naturally attribute my peace and
composure to the ascendancy which I seem to have acquired in this city. The
truth is far from that. The world, I assure you, with all its pomp and
seductions, can never lure away this Husayn of Bushruyih from his Beloved. Ever
since the beginning of this holy enterprise upon which I have embarked, I have
vowed to seal, with my life-blood, my own destiny. For His sake I have welcomed
immersion in an ocean of tribulation. I yearn not for the things of this world.
I crave only the good pleasure of my Beloved. Not until I shed my blood for His
name will the fire that glows within me be quenched. Please God you may live to
witness that day. Might not your companions have thought that, because of the
intensity of his longing and the constancy of his endeavours, God has, in His
infinite mercy, graciously deigned to unlock before the face of Mulla Husayn
the Gate of His grace, and, wishing, according to His inscrutable wisdom, to
conceal this fact, has bidden him engage in such pursuits?” (‘The
Dawn-Breakers’)
Mulla 'Ali immediately understood the import of these words.
With tearful eyes, he pleaded with Mulla Husayn to tell him the name of the One
they both had sought. "I adjure you," he begged, "to bestow upon
me a portion of that holy draught which the Hand of mercy has given you to
drink, for it will assuredly allay my thirst, and ease the pain of longing in
my heart." "Beseech me not to grant you this favor," was the
reply. "Let your trust be in Him, for He will surely guide your steps, and
appease the tumult of your heart." (‘The Dawn-Breakers)
After this conversation, Mulla 'Ali rushed to his companions
to inform them of the secret their leader had concealed, explaining that only
God could guide them to the Beloved of their hearts. They all dispersed and
secluded themselves in their rooms, praying, fasting, and meditating - asking
God to guide them to the Beloved and to remove the veil that separated them
from Him.
On the third night, Mulla 'Ali had a vision. A light
appeared before him, and he followed it until he reached the presence of his
Beloved. It was midnight when the veil was rent and his eyes saw clearly. With
uncontrolled excitement, he hastened to Mulla Husayn's room. Weeping, he told
him about his vision and his discovery. Full of joy, Mulla Husayn recited this
passage from the Qur'an to his dear companion: ‘Praise be to God who hath
guided us hither! We had not been guided had not God guided us!’
At daybreak, the two friends rushed to the house of the Báb.
To their surprise, they were met at the door by His Ethiopian servant. The
servant explained: "Ere break of day, I was summoned to the presence of my
Master, who instructed me to open the door of the house and to stand expectant
at its threshold. 'Two guests,' He said, 'are to arrive early this morning.
Extend to them in my name a warm welcome. Say to them from me, ‘Enter therein
in the name of God.’” (‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
When Mulla 'Alyi-i Bastami came into the presence of his
Beloved, he threw himself at His feet and confessed his faith in Him. This
confession of the second believer was strikingly different from that of the
first one. Mulla Husayn had come to the Báb's House as an almost unwilling
guest, without any idea of what might happen to him in that place. When the Báb
had declared His mission to him, he first scoffed and then doubted and asked
for proofs. But the second believer crossed the threshold of the house with a
heart filled with faith and devotion.
Mulla 'Ali's twelve companions, who had also prayed and
meditated, each found their heart's desire in a different way. Some discovered
him in their dreams, others in visions or through prayer and fasting. Each was
eventually taken to the House of the Báb, where he attained the presence of his
Beloved and accepted His glorious station. Seventeen of these Letters of the
Living were eventually enrolled in Shiraz.
One additional Letter was enrolled. She was a woman and had
not traveled to Shiraz. This was Qurratu'l-'Ayn, later named Tahirih. From
Karbila she had sent a letter, through one of her relatives, to her as yet
unknown Master. The letter expressed her desire to be accepted into the court
of that heavenly King.
Mulla Ali had a great station in the Bábi Dispensation. The
Báb bestowed upon him the station of Imam 'Ali, who in the view of Shí'ah Islam
is the true successor of Muhammad. This He did when He sent Mulla 'Ali to
deliver His newly-revealed words into the hands of Shaykh Muhammad-Hasan-i-Najafi,
one of the leading religious leaders in 'Iraq. In His Message to this divine,
the Báb clearly stated that the bearer of the message was the return of the
reality of Imam 'Ali.
(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers,’ by Nabil, ‘Release the
Sun,” by William Sears, ‘Mulla Husayn’, by Mehrankhani; ’God Passes By’, by
Shoghi Effendi, and ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah vol.4’, by Adib Taherzadeh)
