Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá, Host of the Pilgrims
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, (1915), Bahá'í Publishing Trust · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
Beirut (today: Beirut, Lebanon)
A retelling based on Memorials of the Faithful by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which preserves the life of Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá Baghdádí. Words in quotation marks are 'Abdu'l-Bahá's own, as rendered in that book.
'Abdu'l-Bahá begins His memorial of this believer with the words: "Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá was a blazing light." He was the son of the well-known scholar Shaykh Muḥammad-i-Shibl, and he lived in Iraq. 'Abdu'l-Bahá describes him as "wise, brave, deserving in every way." Guided by his father, he had accepted the Faith from childhood.
In those years the believers in Iraq faced strong opposition, and most of them kept their faith hidden. Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá did not. "The one individual who, in the year seventy, was famed in 'Iráq for his love of Bahá'u'lláh, was this honored person," 'Abdu'l-Bahá writes. He went about openly, and because of his physical strength and his courage his enemies were afraid to attack him.
After Bahá'u'lláh returned from Kurdistán, Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá would come into His presence whenever he was given leave. 'Abdu'l-Bahá calls him the leader of all the friends in Iraq. When Bahá'u'lláh was exiled to Constantinople, he stayed behind, stood up to the enemies of the Faith, and taught it openly. When Bahá'u'lláh declared that He was "He Whom God Shall Manifest," Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá cried out: "Verily, we believe!"
After Bahá'u'lláh had been sent to 'Akká and the believers of Baghdád had been taken prisoner and sent to Mosul, Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá held his ground for a long time. At last his longing for Bahá'u'lláh was such that he set out alone for the Most Great Prison. He arrived in the period of the strictest confinement and was admitted to Bahá'u'lláh's presence.
He then asked leave to live somewhere near 'Akká and was allowed to settle in Beirut. There, 'Abdu'l-Bahá writes, he "faithfully served the Cause, assisting all the pilgrims as they arrived and departed. He was an excellent servitor, a generous and kindly host, and he sacrificed himself to see to their affairs as they passed through." He became known everywhere for this service.
When Bahá'u'lláh passed away in 1892 and some turned against the Covenant, "Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá remained loyal to the Covenant." 'Abdu'l-Bahá adds: "He stood so firm against the waverers that they dared not draw a breath." He went on serving the believers and helping travellers to the Holy Land as before.
Later he moved from Beirut to Iskandarún. He died there, in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's words, "detached from all save Him, rejoicing in His glad tidings, holding fast to the cord that none can sever."
This is a retelling. For the fuller account, see Memorials of the Faithful by 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Cite this story
'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1915). *Memorials of the Faithful*. Bahá'í Publishing Trust. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/
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