The Message Spreads11 – Dawn Breakers

Vahíd-i-Dárábí

His given name was Yahyá

[Arabic for John] when he was born in 1811. He was a descendant of the Prophet [i.e. a Siyyid] and came from the village of Dáráb. He was therefore generally known during his lifetime as Siyyid Yahyáy-i-Dárábí

, although history will know him as Vahíd [meaning unique or peerless], the title given to him by the Báb.

By 1845, the news of the Báb and His Message had reached the ears of even those who held the highest seats of authority in Persia. Muhammad Sháh himself was moved to enquire into this. He chose Siyyid Yahyáy-i-Dárábi for this task. Siyyid Yahyá was considered to be one of the most learned, wise and impartial of the religious scholars of that land at that time. He was also the son of Siyyid Ja’far, surnamed Kashfí

, who in his time had been considered as one of the greatest and most celebrated ‘ulamá of that period. Here was a celebrated son of a celebrated father.

Siyyid Yahyá was residing in Tihrán as the honoured guest of the Sháh at the home of the court’s Master of Ceremonies, Mírzá Lutf-‘Alí

. The Sháh sent a confidential command through Lutf-‘Alí to him:

Tell him from us, that inasmuch as we repose the utmost confidence in his integrity, and admire his moral and intellectual standards, and regard him as the most suitable among the divines of our realm, we expect him to proceed to Shíráz, to enquire thoroughly into the episode of the Siyyid-i-Báb, and to inform us of the results of his investigations; We shall then know what measures it behooves us to take.

Siyyid Yahyá himself had wanted to meet and investigate the Báb, so he eagerly took up this command and set out for Shíráz. On his way, he conceived the various questions with which he thought he would test the Báb. Upon arriving in Shíráz, Siyyid Yahyá being an honoured representative of the Sháh was duly housed at the residence of the governor Husayn Khán. Husayn Khán was not eager about Siyyid Yahyá meeting the Báb. Soon after arriving, Siyyid Yahyá also learned that the

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