Isfandiyar was a gem from Africa, pure and untarnished, and
yet firm and steadfast as a diamond under all pressures and persecutions. He
manifested his inherent qualities when faced with perils which endangered his
life as a Babi. His wonderful countenance reflected the rays of love and
courage.
Isfandiyar was a servant in the house of Baha'u'llah and, as
a fruitful tree planted in good soil, he yielded a spiritual harvest. His love
for Baha'u'llah was unlimited and, though many Ministers and other high
government officials coveted him as a servant in their household, he remained
ever-faithful to his own Master.
At the time when the persecution of the Babis began in the
capital and Baha'u'llah was taken to the Siyah-Chal, the enemies of the new
Faith were looking for Isfandiyar so that they could force him to betray the
followers of the Bab whom he had seen in the house of Baha'u'llah. The Shah had
commanded many people to find Isfandiyar and they were searching for him
everywhere. But when he heard of the misfortune which had befallen the family
of his beloved Master, nothing could keep him away from them.
We can imagine Isfandiyar standing among the ruins of his
Master's house, drowned in an ocean of tribulation, his heart heavy with the
weight of anguish. He seemed to have lost everything in the world. He did not
think of all the rich furnishings, clothes and jewels which had been looted
from the house of Baha'u'llah. But the thought of his Master in the Siyah-Chal
and the members of that noble family now dispersed and at the mercy of their
foes was more than he could bear. "Where are the children?" he asked
himself. "What has befallen their saintly mother?" Isfandiyar decided
to find them, but there was no trace of the family in the surrounding
neighbourhood. No one knew where they had gone or what fresh misfortune had
overtaken them.
