The Scholar Who Dove Headlong

*A retelling for children of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's account of Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar Shahmírzádí in* Memorials of the Faithful*, as given on **Bahá'í Chronicles**.*

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When Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar was young, he studied day and night. He learned philosophy, religious law and the other subjects of his time, and he went to the gatherings of philosophers, mystics and Shaykhís. None of it satisfied him. 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote that in all those circles he had found "no passion; no joy, no ecstasy; no faintest scent of love."

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Then he found the new Faith. 'Abdu'l-Bahá describes him standing at last "on the shore of Truth" and crying out the words of a poem about a sea full of pearls: do not try to swim, but "dive headlong." That is what ‘Alí-Akbar did. First he took in the new teachings humbly himself, and then he shared them. Many people became Bahá'ís because of him.

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In Ṭihrán, people high and low made fun of him. When he walked through the streets and bazaars, they pointed at him and called him a Bahá'í. Whenever trouble broke out in the city, he was the first to be arrested. Again and again he was put in chains, sent to prison and threatened with the sword. A photograph was taken of him in chains beside another faithful believer, Ḥájí Amín. 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote that the two of them sit there "composed, acquiescent, undisturbed."

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In the end, whenever there was an uproar, ‘Alí-Akbar would put on his turban, wrap himself in his cloak, and sit and wait for the guards to come and take him to prison.

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Yet he was kept safe. His enemies lay in wait for him, and everyone knew he was a Bahá'í, but he was protected from harm until the day he died. 'Abdu'l-Bahá said that he stayed "dry in the depths of the sea, cool and safe in the heart of the fire."

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During Bahá'u'lláh's lifetime, ‘Alí-Akbar longed so much to see Him that he hurried to His presence, and Bahá'u'lláh received him kindly and blessed him. He went home to Iran and spent all his time serving the Faith. However often his oppressors threatened him, he said what he had to say. He was one of the Hands of the Cause of God, and after Bahá'u'lláh passed away he stayed firm in the Covenant.

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'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote of him: "I loved him very much, for he was delightful to converse with, and as a companion second to none."

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*This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see ["Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar Shahmírzádí"](/stories/bc-mulla-ali-akbar-shahmirzadi).*

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