The Báb’s Stay in Isfáhán – Page 14

My brother, Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, has no child. I beg You to intercede in his behalf and to grant his heart’s desire.

Nabíl recounts what happened, once Ibráhím had made his request:

The Báb took a portion of the food with which He had been served, placed it with His own hands on a platter, and handed it to His host, asking him to take it to Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí and his wife. “Let them both partake of this,” He said; “their wish will be fulfilled.”

By virtue of that portion which the Báb had chosen to bestow upon her, the wife of Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí conceived and in due time gave birth to a girl [Munírih

], who eventually was joined in wedlock with the Most Great Branch [‘Abdu’l-Bahá

] …”

A Death Sentence is Issued by the ‘ulamá of Isfáhán

The power-hungry and spiritually blind ‘ulamá of Isfáhán, emboldened and supported by the schemes of the Grand Vazír of the Sháh, gathered and issued a statement condemning the Báb to death. Perhaps what is most tragic is not individuals who are fully blind, but those who seem to glimpse the light, but then because of fear or ambition or some other reasons, make the wrong choices and fall of the Bridge. The Imám-Jum’ih turned out to be one of these. Although he did not fully endorse the death sentence, he did write in his own handwriting on it:

I testify that in the course of my association with this youth I have been unable to discover any act that would in any way betray his repudiation of the doctrines of Islam. On the contrary, I have known him as a pious and loyal observer of its precepts. The extravagance of his claims, however, and his disdainful contempt for the things of the world, incline me to believe that he is devoid of reason and judgment.

This led to the Báb’s death sentence being issued.

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