Hájí Sulaymán Khán rescues the Báb’s remains
Hájí Sulaymán Khán
, whose father had been a close attendant of Muhammad Sháh had become a Bábí. Because of his father, he was well connected. He lived at this time in Tihrán and had decided to come to Tabríz to rescue the Báb. He arrived in Tabríz on the afternoon of the second day after the martyrdom of the Báb. Although devastated, he decided to act, and resolved to rescue the holy remains of the Báb. He went to stay at the house of the Kalántar
[mayor] of Tabríz, in one of the suburbs of Tabríz. The Kalántar who was a member of the súfí community, was a relative of Hájí Sulaymán Khán and highly trusted by him. Hájí Sulaymán Khán disclosed his mission to the Kalántar, who then helped him devise a plan to rescue the remains of the Báb. Hájí Sulaymán Khán right away transferred his residence to another location and waited until the evening, when as arranged, a trusted person arrived who knew the ways around the city well and was willing to help. His name was Hájí Alláh-Yár
. Nabíl records:
At the appointed hour, Hájí Sulaymán Khán met Hájí Alláh-Yár, who succeeded, in the middle of that same night, in bearing the bodies from the edge of the moat to the silk factory owned by one of the believers of Mílán; laid them, the next day, in a specially constructed wooden case, and transferred them, according to Hájí Sulaymán Khán’s directions, to a place of safety.
Meanwhile the [army] sentinels sought to justify themselves by pretending that, while they slept, wild beasts had carried away the bodies. Their superiors, on their part, unwilling to compromise their own honour, concealed the truth and did not divulge it to the authorities.37_ACT13
And so, the holy remains of the Báb and Anís were rescued. Hájí Sulaymán Khán right away reported the matter to Bahá’u’lláh, who was then in Tihrán.
The Báb’s remains are brought to Tihrán
Bahá’u’lláh immediately dispatched a messenger with instructions on transfer of the remains to Tihrán. It will be more than another year before the remains eventually reach Tihrán. Nabíl records:
I was myself in Tihrán, in the company of Mírzá Ahmad [one of the amanuenses of the Báb],38_ACT13 when the bodies of the Báb and His companion arrived. Bahá’u’lláh had in the meantime departed for Karbilá, 39_ACT13 …
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