While in Karbila, Baha’u’llah sought out the Bábis, as well as those of receptive heart and spirit.
In “Karbilá, He found that a number of its leading residents, among whom were Shaykh Sultán and Hájí Siyyid Javád, had fallen victims to the pernicious influence of a certain Siyyid-i-’Uluvv, and had declared themselves his supporters. They were immersed in superstitions and believed their leader to be the very incarnation of the Divine Spirit. Shaykh Sultán [1] ranked among his most fervent disciples and regarded himself, next to his master, as the foremost leader of his countrymen. Bahá’u’lláh met him on several occasions and succeeded, by His words of counsel and loving-kindness, in purging his mind from his idle fancies and in releasing him from the state of abject servitude into which he had sunk. He won him over completely to the Cause of the Báb and kindled in his heart a desire to propagate the Faith. His fellow-disciples, witnessing the effects of his immediate and marvellous conversion, were led, one after another, to forsake their former allegiance and to embrace the Cause which their colleague had risen to champion. Abandoned and despised by his former adherents, the Siyyid-i-’Uluvv was at length reduced to recognising the authority of Bahá’u’lláh and acknowledging the superiority of His position. He even went so far as to express repentance for his acts, and to pledge his word that he would never again advocate the theories and principles with which he had identified himself.” (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)
Many others, during those months of Baha'u'llah's sojourn in the holy cities of 'Iraq, attained His presence and became devoted to Him. Among them were Mirza 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, that glorious youth of Shiraz; Shaykh-'Ali Mirza, also of Shiraz and the nephew of Shaykh Abu-Turab, the imam-jum'ih of that city who had stood up to protect the Báb; and Mirza Muhammad-'Ali, a well-known physician of Zanjan, who, many years later, met a martyr's death. (Balyuzi, ‘Baha’u’llah, The King of Glory’)
[1] He was an Arab who had been converted to the Babi doctrines by Tahirih when she was in Karbila (David Ruhe, ‘Robe of Light’)
