The Man Who Kept Smiling

A retelling for children, based on the account of Ismu’lláhu’l-Asdaq (Mullá Ṣádiq Khurasani) in Bahá'í Chronicles.

In the city of Shíráz, long ago, there lived a man whom everyone seemed to love. His name was Mullá Ṣádiq, and people called him "the saintly," because his life was so good and pure. He was a great scholar, the kind of teacher whose students leaned in close so they would not miss a word. When he spoke, his voice had such power and such gentleness that people found themselves agreeing almost before they knew it.

Then, in the early days of the Faith, Mullá Ṣádiq became a believer — and he could not keep such good news to himself. He began to teach openly and boldly, right out in the open where anyone could hear.

Not everyone was glad. Some people in the city grew angry. They seized him, tied a rope around his neck like a halter, and led him through the streets and the busy marketplaces to shame him in front of the whole city.

Now, you might think a man being marched along that way, with crowds staring, would hang his head and fall silent. But here is the part that is hard to believe and wonderful to tell. Mullá Ṣádiq stayed calm. He even kept smiling. And as they pulled him from street to street, he simply went right on speaking to the people about the thing he loved. He would not yield. He would not be silenced. When at last they set him free, he did not run away to hide. He picked up and traveled on to keep teaching somewhere new.

That was always his way. No matter how angrily someone shouted at him, he answered cheerfully, gently, with good humor — never with anger of his own.

His teaching led him at last to a place called Fort Tabarsí, where a brave band of believers had gathered. And there, courage was tested as few people are ever tested.

An enemy army surrounded the fort completely. Cannonballs came crashing down without stopping. Worst of all, the food ran out. For eighteen long days, Mullá Ṣádiq and the others had nothing to eat. Imagine being so hungry that you chew the leather of your own shoes — and they truly did, until even that was gone, and only water was left. Each morning they drank a single mouthful and lay down, weak and starving.

And yet — whenever the army attacked, those starving believers leaped to their feet. Somehow they found the strength to stand tall and brave and push the soldiers back from the walls, again and again. To stay faithful and patient through hunger and fear and falling cannon fire like that is one of the hardest things in the whole world. But they did it.

In the end the soldiers took Mullá Ṣádiq prisoner, bound him in chains, and carried him off to be killed. But in the very middle of the night, one man's heart was so touched that he quietly set Mullá Ṣádiq free and guided him to a safe place. Through every single one of these terrible trials, Mullá Ṣádiq never once let go of his faith.

And once he was free again, what do you think he did? He taught more than ever — spending every breath calling people to God, just as he always had.

Long afterward, he came into the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, who gave him great love and favor. Many beautiful Tablets were written for him. People said he was like a surging sea, and like a falcon soaring high in the sky.

Mullá Ṣádiq teaches us something we can hold onto when life gets hard. Being brave does not mean you never feel afraid or tired. It means you keep doing what is right — kindly, and without giving up — even when it costs you everything. He kept smiling, and he kept his faith, right to the very end.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Ismu’lláhu’l-Asdaq (Mullá Ṣádiq Khurasani)".

editors, B. C.. *Bahá'í Chronicles*. https://bahaichronicles.org/ismullahul-asdaq-mulla-%e1%b9%a3adiq/