Table of Contents
Mullá Sádiq was a very learned and well respected mullá, and so it wasn’t unusual for him to lead the congregation in prayer at one of the local mosques. Shortly after Mullá Sádiq reads the Khasá’il-i-Sab’ih, one day as he is chanting the adhán at the Masjid-i-Naw [mosque of Naw], he adds the new words in. Once the gathering in the mosque realize what happened, there is pandemonium in the entire congregation. As the word spreads, Mullá Sádiq and Quddús begin teaching the Cause of the Báb. However, most of the listeners find what Mullá Sádiq and Quddús are teaching to be shocking. The mullás [meaning the clergy; the correct term is ‘ulamá which means the learned ones] now raise a clamour that this is heresy and the pure Faith of Islam had been despoiled. The populace re-echo the protestations of these mullás. As time goes by, the word spreads further throughout Shíráz such that even public order is threatened and the governor of the province7ACT4 hears about this and gets involved. This governor’s name is Husayn Khán ,who is a tyrant. The local mullás convey to Husayn Khán that a disciple [meaning Quddús] of a young man from Shíráz named Siyyid-i-Báb who is in Búshihr right now, has come to Shíráz and is spreading the teachings of his Master. This disciple teaches that his Master is the author of a new Revelation and revealer of a new Book that is divinely inspired. Mullá Sádiq, in spite of his age and learning, has also accepted this faith and is now spreading it. All this heresy is destroying the purity of Islam and misleading the people and has to be stopped at all costs. When Husayn Khán hears all this, he orders the arrest of Quddús and Mullá Sádiq.
Mullá Sádiq and Quddús: The First to be Persecuted for the Cause of God on Persian Soil
Both Quddús and Mullá Sádiq are brought to the governor handcuffed. When the officers had gone to arrest Mullá Sádiq, they had found him reading aloud passages from the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá 8ACT4 to an excited congregation, so they also brought a copy of that book for the governor. Quddús, owing to his young age and unconventional clothing, is ignored by Husayn Khán, who directs his remarks to the more dignified and elderly Mullá Sádiq.
161 / 803