second, I felt as helpless and ignorant as a child; the third found me as lowly as the dust beneath His feet. He had indeed ceased to be the contemptible Siyyid I had previously imagined. To me, He was the manifestation of God Himself, the living embodiment of the Divine Spirit. Ever since that day, I have yearned to lay down my life for His sake. I rejoice that the day I have longed to witness is fast approaching.” 5_ACT11
Vahíd’s family and main base
Vahíd had two families which included four sons
6_ACT11 , and three large homes. He had a large residence in Yazd, where he had settled in 1830s and married his first wife. In 1840, he had taken a second wife [very customary in that period] in Nayríz
. His second wife was the daughter of the pre-eminent religious scholar of Nayríz, and Vahíd had an opulent home in Nayríz, which was the residence of his second family. He also had a home in Dáráb
, which was where his ancestors came from. Vahíd also had several brothers, but none could match him. Openly proclaiming the Faith of the Báb, Vahíd’s erudition and eloquence were such that few dared to openly oppose him, and none could be found who could beat him in religious discussions. The local populace, even the non-believers, respected him greatly, and he had a strong base of followers especially in Yazd and Nayríz.
7_ACT11
Vahíd’s travels
After his meeting with the Báb and his conversion, Vahíd did not return to the capital to report back to the Sháh. He just sent the Sháh a written message describing his assessment and unreserved acceptance of the claims of the Báb. Vahíd returned to his family homes and began a series of travels to various parts of the land teaching the Faith of the Báb. In 1849, Vahíd was busy travel-teaching in the provinces of Kurdistán and Lurestán. He was in Burújird in 1849, when he heard about the events at Fort Shaykh Tabarsí. He set out right away for Tihrán, to get things in order before heading out to Fort Shaykh Tabarsí in Mazindarán.
While Vahíd was in Tihrán, Bahá’u’lláh arrived from Mazindarán, and informed him that all the roads to Fort Shaykh Tabarsí were being controlled, and he would not make it to the Fort. Vahíd was greatly saddened, but he remained in Tihrán for a
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