Table of Contents
principles of the Cause of the Báb and answering their questions. This continued for forty days, until Navváb-i-Radaví convinced the governor of the city, who was young and inexperienced, to send his troops to blockade Vahíd’s home. Together with the troops, came a mob of locals who had been brain-washed with hatred of the Bábís. 13_ACT12
Vahíd’s house is besieged
The friends gathered at Vahíd’s home were distressed at seeing a whole regiment together with an angry mob surrounding the property. Vahíd exhorted them to be calm and patient, and that the Almighty would soon send an avenger. No sooner had he uttered these words, than they saw in the distance a small band of armed Bábís led by a Muhammad-‘Abdu’lláh . Raising the cry of “Yá Sáhibu’z-Zamán” they flung themselves upon the regiment, and in a swoop dispersed them. The regiment together with the governor sought refuge in the neighbouring fort of Nárín . 14_ACT11
Muhammad-‘Abdu’lláh does not follow Vahíd’s advice
Once the troops were dispersed, Muhammad-‘Abdu’lláh came to Vahíd. Vahíd told him that although he had averted the danger to the group that day, the actions of the day would now lead to expansion of the hostility against the Bábís and change the course of events. What was just a religious disturbance was now expanded to a civil disturbance. Vahíd advised him to leave the city right away with his men and commit Vahíd and his group to the care and protection of the Almighty.
Muhammad-‘Abdu’lláh however thought he was doing the right thing and did not follow Vahíd’s advice. He was heard to remark:
It would be cowardly of me to abandon my friends to the mercy of an irate and murderous adversary. What would be the difference between me and them who forsook the Siyyidu’sh-Shudadá 15_ACT12 on the day of Áshúrá 15_ACT11 and left him companionless on the field of Karbilá? 16_ACT11
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