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Mullá Sádiq spreads the Message
After being tortured and expelled from ShĂráz with QuddĂşs,67ACT4 Mullá Sádiq headed to the city of Yazd. The foremost mujtahid of that city was the learned Siyyid Husayn of Azghand who was a good and just man. He was the maternal uncle of a person we have met before, MĂrzá Ahmad of Azghand. When Mullá Husayn had gone to Mashhad on his first trip, the first person to accept the message of the Báb in that city was this MĂrzá Ahmad of Azghand. MĂrzá Ahmad was an exceptionally learned and eminent ShaykhĂ leader. His uncle, Siyyid Husayn had asked him to come from Mashhad to Yazd to support him in combatting the pernicious influence of the self-proclaimed ShaykhĂ leader HájĂ Muhammad-KarĂm Khán. 70ACT4 KarĂm Khán had established his base in the city of Kirmán, which is not far south-east of Yazd, and was actively trying to expand his influence and followers in other areas. MĂrzá Ahmad’s real intention for coming to Yazd was to go to ShĂráz to see the Báb [Yazd is enroute between Mashhad and ShĂráz], but he didn’t tell his uncle this.
Azghand, the hometown of MĂrzá Ahmad is in the province of Khurásán, and Mullá Sádiq was also from Khurásán. They knew each other well and were close trusted friends. Knowing that his friend was in Yazd, Mullá Sádiq upon arriving went straight to the masjid [mosque] in which the uncle Siyyid Husayn was leading the congregational prayer and MĂrzá Ahmad was to deliver the sermon. NabĂl records what happened:
Taking his seat in the first row among the worshippers, he [Mullá Sádiq] joined them in prayer, after which he went straight to Siyyid Husayn and publicly embraced him. Uninvited, he immediately afterwards ascended the pulpit and prepared to address the faithful. Siyyid Husayn, though at first startled, preferred to raise no objection, being curious to discover the motive, and ascertain the degree of the learning, of this sudden intruder. He motioned to his nephew to refrain from opposing him.
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