The Two Dreams of the Mujtahid of Núr

*A retelling based on **The Dawn-Breakers**, Nabíl's Narrative of the early days of the Faith (chapter V), which records Bahá'u'lláh's visit to the lecture of the mujtahid of Núr and the two dreams the mujtahid described. Words in quotation marks are from that book.*

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Before the Báb declared His mission in 1844, Bahá'u'lláh visited the district of Núr in Mázindarán, His family's ancestral home. At that time the celebrated mujtahid Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqíy-i-Núrí was at the height of his authority. Nabíl writes that those who studied under him each regarded themselves "as the authorised exponent of the Faith and Law of Islam."

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One day the mujtahid was addressing more than two hundred of these disciples on "a dark passage of the reported utterances of the imams," when Bahá'u'lláh passed by with some of His companions and "paused for a while to listen to his discourse."

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The mujtahid asked his disciples to explain an abstruse theory about the metaphysical side of Islamic teaching. None of them could. Bahá'u'lláh then gave, "in brief but convincing language, a lucid exposition of that theory."

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The mujtahid was greatly annoyed with his students. "For years I have been instructing you," he exclaimed, "and have patiently striven to instil into your minds the profoundest truths and the noblest principles of the Faith. And yet you allow, after all these years of persistent study, this youth, a wearer of the kulah, who has had no share in scholarly training, and who is entirely unfamiliar with your academic learning, to demonstrate his superiority over you!" The kuláh, a lambskin hat, was worn by laymen and State officials, not by the clergy.

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After Bahá'u'lláh had gone, the mujtahid told his disciples of two recent dreams which he believed were "of the utmost significance."

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"In my first dream," he said, "I was standing in the midst of a vast concourse of people, all of whom seemed to be pointing to a certain house in which they said the Ṣáḥibu'z-Zamán dwelt. Frantic with joy, I hastened in my dream to attain His presence. When I reached the house, I was, to my great surprise, refused admittance. 'The promised Qá'im,' I was informed, 'is engaged in private conversation with another Person. Access to them is strictly forbidden.' From the guards who were standing beside the door, I gathered that that Person was none other than Bahá'u'lláh."

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The Ṣáḥibu'z-Zamán, the Lord of the Age, is a title of the Qá'im, the Promised One awaited by Shí'ih Muslims.

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"In my second dream," the mujtahid continued, "I found myself in a place where I beheld around me a number of coffers, each of which, it was stated, belonged to Bahá'u'lláh. As I opened them, I found them to be filled with books. Every word and letter recorded in these books was set with the most exquisite jewels. Their radiance dazzled me. I was so overpowered by their brilliance that I awoke suddenly from my dream."

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When Bahá'u'lláh returned to Núr in 1844 to proclaim the Báb's Cause, Nabíl adds, the mujtahid had died. His great following had shrunk to a handful of disciples led by his successor, Mullá Muḥammad.

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*This is a retelling. For the full account, see **The Dawn-Breakers** by Nabíl-i-Aʿẓam.*

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