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Upon receiving a bribe from that mullá, the Amír-Túmán got some of his best marksmen to lie in wait for Muhsin. Nabíl recounts:
It was the hour of dawn when, as he [Muhsin] raised the cry of “lá iláh-a-illa’lláh” [There is no God but God], a bullet struck him in the mouth and killed him instantly. Hujjat, as soon as he was informed of that cruel act, ordered another of his companions to ascend the turret and continue the prayer from where Muhsin had left off. 68_ACT14
Indomitable faith of the Bábís
The most critical factor that made the siege and all the forces arrayed against Hujjat and his companions unsuccessful was the indomitable faith of the Bábís. It was a faith not just of certain men, but of men, women, youth and children, of all ages, from all walks of life. Speaking of the events in Zanján, Nabíl records:
My pen is powerless to portray, much less to render befitting tribute to, the consuming enthusiasm that glowed in those valiant hearts. Violent as were the winds of adversity they were powerless to quench its flame. Men and women laboured with unabating fervour to strengthen the defences of the fort and reconstruct whatever the enemy had demolished. What leisure they could obtain was consecrated to prayer. Every thought, every desire, was subordinated to the paramount necessity of guarding their stronghold against the onslaughts of the assailant. The part the women played in these operations was no less arduous than that accomplished by their men companions. Every woman, irrespective of rank and age, joined with energy in the common task. They sewed the garments, baked the bread, ministered to the sick and wounded, repaired the barricades, cleared away from the courts and terraces the balls and missiles fired upon them by the enemy, and, last but not least, cheered the faint in heart and animated the faith of the wavering. Even the children joined in giving whatever assistance was in their power to the common cause, and seemed to be fired by an enthusiasm no less remarkable than that which their fathers and mothers displayed. 69_ACT14
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