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knew Mullá Husayn but also was an admirer of him, arrived with the letter from the Prince. Mullá Husayn went to Quddús wondering what to do.
Quddús instructed Mullá Husayn to set out immediately to meet the Prince, assuring him that no harm would befall him. He then told Mullá Husayn that he himself would leave that same evening and head towards the province of Mázindarán, and that when the time was right, Mullá Husayn should gather the faithful, and raising the “Black Standard” [Black Flag] leave Mashhad and join Quddús in Mázindarán. He concluded: “We shall meet at whatever place the Almighty will have decreed.”84ACT6
Mullá Husayn stays and Quddús leaves Mashhad
And so, as planned by QuddĂşs, Mullá Husayn left with the artillery captain to go meet the governing prince, while that same evening, QuddĂşs left Mashhad taking with him only one companion, MĂrzá Muhammad-’AlĂy-i-QazvĂnĂ . This companion, a Letter of the Living, was Táhirih’s cousin and brother-in-law; he had left QazvĂn and come to Mashhad soon after the commotion in QazvĂn began.
Right before leaving, QuddĂşs summoned the key companions who were in Mashhad. These included individuals like Muhammad Báqir-i-Qá’inĂ who was not only highly learned but had led the construction of the BábĂyyih. These individuals will all play significant roles in the near future as companions of Mullá Husayn. QuddĂşs enjoined upon them to bear unquestioned allegiance to Mullá Husayn and to obey implicitly whatever Mullá Husayn might wish them to do. He told them:
Tempestuous are the storms that lie ahead of us. The days of stress and violent commotions are fast approaching. Cleave to him [Mullá Husayn], for in obedience to his command lies your salvation.85ACT6
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