In the meantime, Quddús bade farewell to his companions in
Mashhad, where he had been residing and actively teaching with mulla Husayn,
and left the city accompanied by one of the believers. A few days later, he
encountered one of the believers who informed him of the circumstances
attending the deliverance of Táhirih from her confinement in Qazvín, of her journey
in the direction of Khurásán, and of Bahá’u’lláh’s subsequent departure from
the capital towards Khurasan.
Accompanied by these two believers, Quddus reached the
hamlet of Badasht at the hour of dawn and found there assembled a large
gathering of people whom they recognised as their fellow-believers. They
decided, however, to resume their journey, and proceeded directly to the
village of Sháh-Rud anticipating meeting Bahá’u’lláh there. As they were
approaching that village they encountered another believer who was on his way
to Badasht. In answer to his enquiry as to the object of that gathering that
they had seen earlier, they were informed that Bahá’u’lláh and Táhirih had, a
few days before, left Sháh-Rud for that hamlet of Badasht; that a large number
of believers had already arrived from Isfáhán, Qazvín, and other towns of
Persia, and were waiting to accompany Bahá’u’lláh on His intended journey to
Khurásán.
No sooner had Bahá’u’lláh been informed of the arrival of
Quddús at Sháh-Rud than He decided to join him. Attended by one of the
believers He set out on horseback that same evening for that village, and had
returned with Quddús to Badasht the next morning at the hour of sunrise.
(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil; translated and edited by Shoghi
Effendi)
