The governor angrily asks Mullá Sádiq:
Tell me, if you are aware that the opening passage of this book addresses the rulers and kings of the earth saying: ”Divest yourselves of the robe of sovereignty, for He who is the King in truth, hath been made manifest! The Kingdom is God’s, the Most Exalted. Thus hath the Pen of the Most High decreed!” If this be true, it must necessarily apply to my sovereign, Muhammad Sháh, whom I represent as the chief magistrate of this province. Must Muhammad Sháh, according to this behest, lay down his crown and abandon his sovereignty? Must I, too, abdicate my power and relinquish my position?” 9ACT4
Mulla Sádiq unhesitatingly replies:Â
If these words be the Word of God, the abdication of Muhammad Sháh and his like can matter but little. It can in no wise turn aside the Divine purpose, nor alter the sovereignty of the Almighty and Eternal King.
10ACT4
Husayn Khán is outraged at Mullá Sádiq’s answer. He orders his attendants to strip him of his garments and to scourge him with a thousand lashes. He then commands that the beards of both Quddús and Mullá Sádiq. should be burned, their noses be pierced, that through this incision a cord should be passed, and with this halter they should be led through the streets of the city. Husayn Khán added:
It will be an object lesson to the people of Shiraz, who will know what the penalty of heresy will be.
To all this, Mulla Sádiq, calm and self-possessed and with eyes upraised to heaven, is heard reciting this verse of the QĂşr’án:Â
O Lord, our God! We have indeed heard the voice of One that called. He called us to the Faith “Believe ye on the Lord your God!” and we have believed. O God, our God! Forgive us, then, our sins, and hide away from us our evil deeds, and cause us to die with the righteous. 11ACT4
With magnificent fortitude QuddĂşs and Mullá Sádiq resigned themselves to their fate. None intervened on behalf of these sufferers, none was inclined to plead their cause. Soon after this tortuous treatment, they were both expelled from Shiraz, with the warning that if they ever attempted to return to this city, they would both be crucified.Â
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