The Man Who Searched and Searched

A retelling for children, based on the life of Mirza Yusuf Vahid Kashfi from Bahá'í Chronicles.

When Mirza Yusuf was just sixteen years old, he left home to go to school in the city of Shiraz. He was a clever boy, and he loved to learn. He studied grammar and logic and wisdom, and he was good at all of it.

But Mirza Yusuf had a question burning inside him that none of his school lessons could answer. He came from a famous family. His uncle, Vahid, had been a great and learned man who had given his whole life for a new Faith — and people still spoke of him with wonder. Mirza Yusuf wanted to understand what his uncle had found. What was so precious that a person would give everything for it?

So he searched. And he searched. And he searched.

He traveled from city to city — to Yazd, to Isfahan, to far-off places — studying with the wisest teachers he could find. Everywhere he went, he met people who knew a little more about the Faith, and each time, his heart was stirred. But certainty would not quite come. He believed, and then he wondered, and then he believed again. For years and years, the answer stayed just out of reach, like a word on the tip of your tongue.

While staying in a city called Mashhad, Mirza Yusuf decided to try something. Every single morning, after his prayers, he would recite one more special prayer, and he would do this for forty mornings in a row, asking God to help him see clearly.

He kept his promise. Morning after morning, he prayed.

And on the fortieth morning — the very last one — something happened. As he spoke the words of his prayer, it was as though a curtain that had been hanging in front of his eyes was suddenly pulled aside. All at once, he understood. The doubt was gone. In its place was a deep, quiet certainty that filled him up like sunlight filling a room. He rose to his feet and began, from his heart, to recite holy words. After all those years of searching, Mirza Yusuf had found what he was looking for. He believed.

Now Mirza Yusuf had become a respected man. He spoke many languages, knew princes and important people, and had a fine position and a comfortable life. But one day a wonderful thing arrived: a letter, a Tablet, written to him by 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself. In it 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote, "The field of service is wide open."

Mirza Yusuf read those words and knew exactly what he wanted to do. He did not cling to his comfortable life. He gave up his important position. He sold his belongings. And he set out on a long journey — not to become rich or famous, but to serve.

His first and greatest wish was to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá. So he traveled all the way to the city of 'Akká, where 'Abdu'l-Bahá lived. He was allowed to stay for nineteen days, and oh, what days they were! Every day he sat in the presence of the Master, and every day he went to pray at the Sacred Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh. It was the happiest, most precious time of his whole life.

Because Mirza Yusuf could speak English so well, 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave him a special task: to travel to the United States and teach the Faith there. Think how far that was! Mirza Yusuf crossed seas and countries — through Egypt and Italy and France and England — until at last he reached America.

And there he worked harder than almost anyone. From very early in the morning until many hours into the night, he taught and explained and shared. He traveled across many states, helping the believers grow stronger and learn more. He did not know it then, but he was helping to get everything ready, because in just a few years 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself would come to America to visit those very same friends.

Later in his life, 'Abdu'l-Bahá honored Mirza Yusuf with a beautiful gift. He gave him the name Vahid — the same name as the famous uncle Mirza Yusuf had wondered about so long ago, back when he was a searching boy. With that name came a loving request: to serve the Faith with the same courage and giving heart that his uncle had shown. And he did, for the rest of his long life.

Some people give up when the answer doesn't come right away. But Mirza Yusuf teaches us something better: that the most important things are worth searching for patiently, even for years — and that once you truly find what your heart was looking for, you give it everything you have.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Mirza Yusuf Vahid Kashfi".

editors, B. C.. *Bahá'í Chronicles*. https://bahaichronicles.org/mirza-yusuf-vahid-kashfi/