The Night of the Báb's Declaration

*A retelling based on **The Dawn-Breakers** by Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi (chapter III), which preserves Mullá Ḥusayn's own account of that night as he told it to Mírzá Aḥmad-i-Qazvíní. The words in quotation marks are from that account.*

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Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú'í, a disciple of Siyyid Káẓim, had come to Shíráz with his brother and his nephew, searching for the Promised One whom his teacher had told his disciples to seek. On 22 May 1844, a few hours before sunset, he was walking outside the gate of the city when a Youth in a green turban came towards him, greeted him with a smile, and embraced him like an old friend.

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The Youth invited him to His home to rest after his journey. Mullá Ḥusayn asked to be excused, since his two companions were waiting for him. "Commit them to the care of God," the Youth replied; "He will surely protect and watch over them." Mullá Ḥusayn followed Him.

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They came to a house of modest appearance, and an Ethiopian servant opened the door. "Enter therein in peace, secure," said his Host as He crossed the threshold. Inside, He sent for a ewer of water. Mullá Ḥusayn asked to wash in another room, but his Host would not allow it and poured the water over his hands Himself. Then He gave him a drink, and prepared tea for him with His own hands.

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About an hour after sunset the Youth began to question him. "Whom, after Siyyid Kázim," He asked, "do you regard as his successor and your leader?" Mullá Ḥusayn replied that his teacher had told them to scatter in search of the promised Beloved, and that he was still searching. Asked what signs Siyyid Káẓim had given, he listed them: the Promised One would be of pure lineage, a descendant of Fáṭimih, more than twenty and less than thirty years old, endowed with innate knowledge, of medium height, a non-smoker, and free from bodily deficiency.

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His Host paused, and then declared: "Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me!" He took each sign in turn and showed that it applied to Him.

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Mullá Ḥusayn had set himself two tests. The first was a treatise he had written on the teachings of Shaykh Aḥmad and Siyyid Káẓim. He gave it to his Host, who glanced through it and within a few minutes resolved all its problems. Then his Host said: "It is for God to test His servants, and not for His servants to judge Him in accordance with their deficient standards."

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The second test was a commentary on the Súrih of Joseph, which Mullá Ḥusayn had once asked Siyyid Káẓim to write. Siyyid Káẓim had refused, saying that the One who would come after him would reveal it unasked. Now the Báb said: "Now is the time to reveal the commentary on the Surih of Joseph." He took up His pen and, chanting as He wrote, revealed the whole of the Súrih of Mulk, the first chapter of that commentary, without once pausing. When Mullá Ḥusayn rose to leave, the Báb smilingly bade him stay.

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At that moment the clock showed two hours and eleven minutes after sunset. The Báb declared: "This night, this very hour will, in the days to come, be celebrated as one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals."

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Dinner was served at the third hour after sunset. Mullá Ḥusayn stayed, listening to the Báb chant verses and prayers, until the call to the morning prayer. Before he left, the Báb said to him: "O thou who art the first to believe in Me!

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Verily I say, I am the Bab, the Gate of God, and thou art the Babu'l-Bab, the gate of that Gate." He told him that eighteen souls must, of their own accord, find Him and accept Him, and He charged him not to reveal to anyone what he had seen and heard. Then He walked with His guest to the door and committed him to the care of God.

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*This is a retelling. For Mullá Ḥusayn's full account, see **The Dawn-Breakers** by Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, chapter III.*

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