The Stranger He Had Waited For

A retelling for children, based on The Dawn-Breakers by Nabíl-i-A'ẓam (Chapter XXV — Bahá'u'lláh's Journey to Karbilá).

Years before our story begins, a man named Shaykh Ḥasan was given a promise he would never forget. The Báb Himself told him, face to face, that one day he would live to see the Promised One — the great Teacher whose coming all the believers were waiting for. The promise was even written down, so it could never be lost.

Imagine carrying a promise like that in your heart, year after year. Shaykh Ḥasan waited. He kept the secret patiently and quietly, and he wondered, season after season, when that wonderful day would finally come.

Then Shaykh Ḥasan traveled to a city called Karbilá. In those days the believers were sad and scattered, like a family that had lost its way. But something was about to change. Bahá'u'lláh came to Karbilá too, and wherever He went, hearts grew calm again and the friends found their courage.

One day, walking through the busy streets, Shaykh Ḥasan saw a stranger. He did not yet know who this person was. But the moment he looked, something stirred deep inside him — a feeling so strong he could not even put it into words. He could not stay away. Again and again he came back, just to look upon this stranger whose presence filled his heart with wonder.

Without anyone telling him, Shaykh Ḥasan was beginning to understand. This was the One. This was the very Promised One the Báb had spoken of, all those years ago.

Bahá'u'lláh knew exactly what was happening in the old man's heart. And so He spoke to him gently, with words the believers still remember today:

Though your heart be aflame with His love, take heed lest any eye discover your inner agitation.

It was not yet time for the whole world to know. The wonderful news had to stay a quiet secret for a while longer. So Shaykh Ḥasan kept his joy hidden, just as he was asked — even though his heart was full to bursting.

But here is the beautiful part. The promise had come true. After all his waiting, all his patience, all his years of holding fast to a single hope, Shaykh Ḥasan had finally seen with his own eyes the One he had longed for.

Sometimes the most important things in life are worth waiting for, even when the waiting is long and quiet. Shaykh Ḥasan never gave up, and never let go of his promise — and in the end, his patient, faithful heart was rewarded.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "The Stranger in Karbilá: Shaykh Ḥasan Recognizes Bahá'u'lláh".

Nabíl-i-A'ẓam. (1932). *The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation*. Bahá'í Publishing Trust. https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/