November 11, 2016

Fall 1845: Bahá’u’lláh received Quddus into His presence in Tihran

Returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca with the Báb in the spring of 1845, and his subsequent expulsion from Shiraz by the order of its “villainous” governor, Quddus proceeded towards his native town of Barfurúsh (currently known as Babul) in the province of Mázindarán, in northern Iran. On his way he travelled through various town and cities, such as Kirmán, Yazd, Ardikán, Nayin, Ardistán, Isfáhán, Káshán, Qum, and Tihrán. In each of these cities, notwithstanding the obstacles that beset his path, he succeeded in instilling into the understanding of his hearers the principles which he had so bravely arisen to advocate. Nabil, the great Baha’i historian relates how he heard Bahá’u’lláh’s faithful brother, Áqáy-i-Kalím, describe his meeting with Quddus in Tihran:

“The charm of his person, his extreme affability, combined with a dignity of bearing, appealed to even the most careless observer. Whoever was intimately associated with him was seized with an insatiable admiration for the charm of that youth. We watched him one day perform his ablutions, and were struck by the gracefulness which distinguished him from the rest of the worshippers in the performance of so ordinary a rite. He seemed, in our eyes, to be the very incarnation of purity and grace.”

In Tihrán, Quddús was admitted into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh after which he proceeded to Mázindarán, where, in his native town of Barfurúsh, in the home of his father, he lived for about two years, during which time he was surrounded by the loving devotion of his family and kindred. 
(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)