companions on foot right behind. As soon as they emerged, they pealed out the cry: Yá Sahibu’z-Zamán and rushed headlong into the force besieging the fort. The roar of the Bábís and their fearlessness stunned the enemy. Within forty-five minutes the cry of victory was raised. The besiegers were routed, and most fled. Their leader ‘Abdu’lláh Khán and his two main officers, together with four hundred and thirty of their men perished. None of the Bábís were killed in this encounter. No one, except for a man named Qulí, who rode in advance of Quddús, was badly wounded. As soon as the cry of victory was raised, Quddús returned to fort. When he saw that some had gone in pursuit of the enemy, he asked them to return:
We have repulsed the assailants, we need not carry further the punishment. Our purpose is to protect ourselves that we may be able to continue our labours for the regeneration of men. We have no intention whatever of causing unnecessary harm to anyone. What we have already achieved is sufficient testimony to God’s invincible power. We, a little band of His followers, have been able, through His sustaining grace, to overcome the organised and trained army of our enemies.3_ACT9
The companions were further ordered not to take any of the property of their adversaries except their swords and horses.
Construction of a moat and life in the fort
In the days that followed, the dispersed forces of ‘Abdu’lláh Khán began to reassemble. Seeing this, Quddús asked the companions to dig a moat around the fort to safeguard against a renewed attack. The work on the moat was completed in nineteen days.4_ACT9
Life in the fort, in spite of the shortage of food and the constant firing on the fort of the reassembled forces, was surreal. Every morning and every afternoon, all the companions would gather in the square by the shrine, and Quddús would ask Mullá Husayn or one of the other distinguished companions to loudly chant passages from the Writings of the Báb. The bullets that kept raining down on the fort did not deter Quddús nor the companions from these times of devotion. Sometimes, after the recitations, Quddús would expound and explain the significance of the verses that were chanted.5_ACT9 During other times in the day, the companions rejoiced in
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