The Child of the Covenant:
A Study Guide to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha
by Adib Taherzadeh
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chapter 9 | start page | single page | chapter 11 |  |
Chapter 10
The Breaker of the Covenant of the Bab
...notwithstanding this, Mirza Yahya denied Him, dealtfalsely with Him, believed Him not, sowed the seeds of doubt,
closed his eyes to His manifest verses and turned aside therefrom.
Shortly after Mirza Yahya had settled in Baghdad he decided to engage in a profession to hide his identity. At first he changed his headgear, adopting a large turban and assuming the name of Haji 'Ali, the Las-Furush[*] He then took a shop in a bazaar in a dilapidated part of the city and started working. In the meantime, a man of great evil, described by Bahá'u'lláh as 'the embodiment of wickedness and impiety', 'the prime mover of mischief' and 'one accursed of God', entered the scene to influence Mirza Yahya. He was the notorious Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani, known as the 'Antichrist of the Bahá'í Revelation'.[132] In the early days of the Faith this man was a student at a theological school in Isfahan but was expelled for reprehensible conduct. He embraced the Faith during the early part of the ministry of the Bab and later went to Karbila where he joined the ranks of the believers. In the Kitab-i-Iqan Bahá'u'lláh alludes to him as that 'one-eyed man, who ... is arising with the utmost malevolence against Us'.[133] Of him Shoghi Effendi writes:
[* Las-Furush means a dealer in silk. It is interesting that Mirza Yahya was known in official circles as Haji 'Ali until the end of his life.]
[132 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 164.]
[133 Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 248.]
The black-hearted scoundrel who befooled and manipulated this
vain and flaccid man [Mirza Yahya] with consummate skill and
unyielding persistence was a certain Siyyid Muhammad, a native
of Isfahan, notorious for his inordinate ambition, his blind obstinacy
and uncontrollable jealousy. To him Bahá'u'lláh had later
referred in the Kitab-i-Aqdas as the one who had 'led astray' Mirza
Yahya and stigmatized him, in one of His Tablets, as the 'source
of envy and the quintessence of mischief', while 'Abdu'l-Bahá had
described the relationship existing between these two as that of 'the
sucking child' to the 'much-prized breast' of its mother.[134]
[134 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 112-13.]
[page 106]
Siyyid Muhammad was in Karbila when Bahá'u'lláh visited that city in 1851. As soon as he met Bahá'u'lláh, whom he considered as merely another Babi, he was struck by His authority and majesty, and when he saw the honour and reverence shown to Him by the Babis and the Shaykhis, he was filled with an uncontrollable envy which never left him till the end of his tragic life.
As already stated, when Bahá'u'lláh was exiled to Iraq in 1853, the Babis were in great disarray. They were frightened and helpless people who since the martyrdom of the Bab had been driven underground. They did not dare associate with each other in public for fear of being persecuted. When Bahá'u'lláh arrived in Iraq, He inspired them to come out into the open and gradually through His wise and loving leadership the Babi community acquired a new lease of life. The ascendancy of Bahá'u'lláh in public and His rising prestige intensified the fire of jealousy now burning fiercely in Siyyid Muhammad's heart.
Describing the circumstances in which some of the followers of the Bab in Baghdad recognized the station of Bahá'u'lláh and turned to Him in adoration, Shoghi Effendi recounts the reaction shown by Siyyid Muhammad:
To these evidences of an ever deepening veneration for Bahá'u'lláh
and of a passionate attachment to His person were now being
added further grounds for the outbreak of the pent-up jealousies
which His mounting prestige evoked in the breasts of His ill-wishers
and enemies. The steady extension of the circle of His
acquaintances and admirers; His friendly intercourse with officials
including the governor of the city; the unfeigned homage offered
Him, on so many occasions and so spontaneously, by men who had
once been distinguished companions of Siyyid Kazim; the disillusionment
which the persistent concealment of Mirza Yahya, and
the unflattering reports circulated regarding his character and
abilities, had engendered; the signs of increasing independence,
of innate sagacity and inherent superiority and capacity for leadership
unmistakably exhibited by Bahá'u'lláh Himself — all combined
to widen the breach which the infamous and crafty Siyyid Muhammad
had sedulously contrived to create.[135]
[135 ibid, p. 117. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By)]
Knowing Mirza Yahya's weaknesses and fully aware of his ambitions, this scheming Siyyid allied himself closely with him. His influence upon Mirza Yahya was as effective as it was satanic. As a result of this close association, Mirza Yahya began to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of those who had become Bahá'u'lláh's ardent admirers and were attracted to His person. By various means, sometimes openly and sometimes subtly, he began to try to discredit Bahá'u'lláh and misrepresent His motives in reviving the declining fortunes of the Babi community.
While in hiding, Mirza Yahya employed a Persian merchant named Abu'l-Qasim as an intermediary between himself and the believers. As the nominee of the Bab, Mirza Yahya began, with the help of Siyyid Muhammad and through Abu'l-Qazim, to disseminate his misguided directives to all the Babis in Baghdad. As this campaign of misrepresentation gathered momentum, the fortunes of the Faith began to decline and many Babis became confused and disenchanted. It was during these days, too, that Siyyid Muhammad and Mirza Yahya found a way to legitimize their own foul conduct in the community. This they did by abusing the proclamation which had been made at Badasht concerning the abrogation of the laws of Islam.[*] They claimed that the Babi Dispensation had lifted the bounds (Kasr-i-Hudud) which the laws of God had imposed upon the faithful. This refers to the annulment of the laws of Islam which had indeed been swept away through the Dispensation of the Bab and not to the annulment of the bounds of human decency and morality. Mirza Yahya misinterpreted this 'lifting of the bounds' to mean the abrogation of moral principles as well. Thus he began to commit many reprehensible acts. For instance, he ordered his servant to assassinate several outstanding individuals among the Babis, as we shall see.
[* See Shoghi Effendi, God p. 403 and Nabil, Dawn-Breakers. pp. 193-8]
Bahá'u'lláh is referring to this misleading concept when He admonishes the believers in the Kitab-i-Aqdas:
We verily, have commanded you to refuse the dictates of your evil
passions and corrupt desires, and not to transgress the bounds
which the Pen of the Most High hath fixed...[136]
[136 Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, para. 2.]
Encouraged by Siyyid Muhammad, Mirza Yahya then made the preposterous claim of being the successor of the Bab — a position never contemplated by Him. Indeed, He categorically states in the Persian Bayan that He appointed no successor to Himself. As a result of such harmful propaganda and acts of treachery and deceit, which kindled dissension among the believers, 'the fire of the Cause of God', as testified by Nabil, 'had been well-nigh quenched in every place'.[137]
[137 Nabil, quoted in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 113.]
Bahá'u'lláh, in some Tablets revealed during that period, fore-shadows the appearance of severe tests and trials as a result of the machinations of Mirza Yahya and Siyyid Muhammad. In one Tablet He utters these words of warning:
The days of tests are now come. Oceans of dissension and tribulation
are surging, and the Banners of Doubt are, in every nook and
corner, occupied in stirring up mischief and in leading men to
perdition.[138]
[138 Bahá'u'lláh, quoted in ibid. p. 115. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By.)]
In the Tablet of Qullu't-Ta'am,[*] Bahá'u'lláh alludes to His intention to depart from Baghdad; this He did when tests and tribulations reached a climax.{**] When Bahá'u'lláh left Baghdad and retired to the mountains of Kurdistan, Mirza Yahya, disguised as a shopkeeper and sometimes hidden in a house, was emboldened by His absence. Directed by Siyyid Muhammad, he embarked upon some of his cowardly activities, both within and outside the Babi community. As we shall see later, the atrocities committed in his name and on his orders constitute some of the most shameful events in the history of the Faith, events which helped to bring about the near extinction of the Babi religion.
[* For a more detailed study of this Tablet see Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 1, p. 55.]
[** See Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 117-24, quoted in chapter 7 above, for a description of the circumstances leading to Bahá'u'lláh's retirement to the mountains of Kurdistan.]
It must be noted that in order to preserve the integrity of the Faith, Bahá'u'lláh for several years neither questioned the validity of Mirza Yahya's appointment as the leader of the Babi community nor announced the nullification of his leadership. The separation between Bahá'u'lláh and Mirza Yahya took place in Adrianople when a complete break occurred between the Bahá'í and Babi Faiths.
The following account by the Greatest Holy Leaf depicting the hardships and difficulties suffered by the Holy Family during Bahá'u'lláh's absence in the mountains of Kurdistan throws light on their relationship with this unfaithful brother of Bahá'u'lláh and reveals some of his reprehensible conduct:
At length my father decided to leave Baghdad for a time. During
his absence, Subh-i-Azal [Mirza Yahya] could convince himself
whether or no the Babis desired to turn their faces to him as their
leader, as he, in the petty conceit of a small mind and undisciplined
nature, asserted, would, if given an opportunity, prove to
be the case.
Before my father left for his retreat into the wilderness, he
commanded the friends to treat Subh-i-Azal with consideration.
He offered him and his family the shelter and hospitality of our
house.
He asked Mirza Musa, my mother and me, to care for them and
to do everything in our power to make them comfortable.
Our grief was intense when my father left us. He told none of
us either where he was going or when he would return. He took
no luggage, only a little rice, and some coarse bread.
So we, my mother, my brother 'Abbas and I, clung together in
our sorrow and anxiety.
Subh-i-Azal rejoiced, hoping to gain his ends, now that
Jamal-i-Mubarak [Bahá'u'lláh] was no longer present.
Meanwhile, he was a guest in our house. He gave us much
trouble, complaining of the food. Though all the best and most
dainty things were invariably given to him.
He became at this time more than ever terrified lest he should
one day be arrested. He hid himself, keeping the door of our house
locked, and stormed at anybody who opened it.
As for me, I led a very lonely life, and would have liked sometimes
to make friends with other children. But Subh-i-Azal would not
permit any little friends to come to the house, neither would he
let me go out!
Two little girls about my own age lived in the next house. I used
to peep at them; but our guest always came and shouted at me for
opening the door, which he promptly locked. He was always in fear
of being arrested, and cared for nothing but his own safety.
We led a very difficult life at this time as well as a lonely one.
He would not even allow us to go to the Hammam to take our
baths. Nobody was permitted to come to the house to help us, and
the work therefore was very hard.
For hours every day I had to stand drawing water from a deep
well in the house; the ropes were hard and rough, and the bucket
was heavy. My dear mother used to help, but she was not very
strong, and my arms were rather weak. Our guest never helped.
My father having told us to respect and obey this tyrannical
person, we tried to do so, but this respect was not easy, as our lives
were made so unhappy by him.
During this time the darling baby brother, born after our arrival
in Baghdad, became seriously ill. Our guest would not allow a
doctor, or even any neighbour to come to our help.
My mother was heart-broken when the little one died; even then
we were not allowed to have anybody to prepare him for burial.
The sweet body of our beautiful baby was given to a man, who
took it away, and we never knew even where he was laid. I remember
so clearly the sorrow of those days.
A little while after this, we moved into a larger house —
fortunately Subh-i-Azal was too terrified of being seen, if he came with
us — so he preferred to occupy a little house behind ours. We still
sent his food to him, also provided for his family, now increased,
as he had married another wife, a girl from a neighbouring village.
His presence was thus happily removed from our daily life; we
were relieved and much happier.[139]
[139 Greatest Holy Leaf, quoted in Blomfield, Chosen Highway, pp. 50-2.]
During Bahá'u'lláh's absence, news reached Baghdad of the martyrdom of a certain believer of Najaf-Abad, near Isfahan. Mirza Yahya was highly alarmed, fearing that an outbreak of persecution could lead the enemies of the Faith to him, the nominee of the Bab, and cost him his life. With these thoughts in mind, he decided to change his residence. With the help of a certain Mirza 'Aliy-i-Tabrizi, he bought a consignment of shoes, disguised himself as a Jew and went to Basra where he remained for some time and occupied himself in his newfound profession of shoe merchant. Later, when he realized that there was no need for alarm, he returned to Baghdad.
It was during this period under the leadership of Mirza Yahya, inspired by his wicked advisor Siyyid Muhammad, that some of the most heinous atrocities were committed. Mirza Asadu'llah of Khuy, who was surnamed Dayyan by the Bab and was one of His outstanding followers, was murdered on Mirza Yahya's orders.[*] Another victim was Mirza 'Ali-Akbar , a paternal cousin of the Bab. These criminal activities of Mirza Yahya were matched only by certain acts of infamy which he committed, bringing dishonour to the Cause of the Bab. He betrayed the honour of the Bab while Bahá'u'lláh was in Kurdistan by marrying Fatimih, the Bab's second wife,[**] and after a few days giving her in marriage to Siyyid Muhammad. When Bahá'u'lláh learned of this shameful act, His grief knew no bounds. In several Tablets He severely condemned this outrageous betrayal by one who professed to be the nominee of the Bab. In the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, He states:
[* For more information about Dayyan and other atrocities committed by Mirza Yahya see Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vols. 1 and 2, and Taherzadeh. Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh.]
[**See Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 2, p. 262.]
Reflect a while upon the dishonour inflicted upon the Primal
Point. Consider what hath happened. When this Wronged One,
after a retirement of two years during which He wandered
through the deserts and mountains, returned to Baghdad, as a
result of the intervention of a few, who for a long time had sought
Him in the wilderness, a certain Mirza Muhammad-'Ali of Rasht
came to see Him, and related, before a large gathering of people,
that which had been done, affecting the honour of the Bab, which
hath truly overwhelmed all lands with sorrow. Great God! How
could they have countenanced this most grievous betrayal?
Briefly, We beseech God to aid the perpetrator of this deed to
repent, and return unto Him. He, verily, is the Helper, the All-Wise.[140]
[140 Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 176-7.]
Those who were in close contact with Mirza Yahya were fully aware of his immoderate sexual appetites. In the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh alludes to this when He addresses Hadiy-i-Dawlat-Abadi[*] in these words:
[* Successor of Mirza Yahya. For details see Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 4.]
Regardest thou as one wronged he who in this world was never
dealt a single blow, and who was continually surrounded by five
of the handmaidens of God? And imputest thou unto the True
One, Who, from His earliest years until the present day, hath been
in the hands of His enemies, and been tormented with the worst
afflictions in the world, such charges as the Jews did not ascribe
unto Christ? Hearken unto the voice of this Wronged One, and be
not of them that are in utter loss.'[141]
[141 ibid. p. 173. (Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf.)]
'Abdu'l-Bahá mentions that one of Mirza Yahya's preoccupations was to marry one wife after another. He mentions eleven wives but some historians have counted three more.
When Bahá'u'lláh was in the mountains of Kurdistan, Mirza Yahya was driven by an insatiable appetite to satisfy his base and carnal desires. In one of His Tablets Bahá'u'lláh describes an episode which brought further shame to his already shameful career. Mirza Yahya sent a message to a certain believer, Aqa Muhammad-Karim, asking for the hand of his daughter in marriage. The parents of the girl refused to comply and instead gave their daughter in marriage to Abu'l-Qasim, the Persian merchant who had been in the service of Mirza Yahya for some years. No sooner had this happened than Mirza Yahya ordered the elimination of Abu'l-Qasim and he was never seen again.
As a result of such atrocities committed in the name of religion, the Babi community was utterly degraded in the eyes of the public. When Bahá'u'lláh returned from the mountains of Kurdistan the Babis were dispirited and spiritually as dead. Once again Bahá'u'lláh took the reins of the Cause in His hands. He breathed new life into the dying community of the Bab, and through His loving advice and exhortations, both verbally and in writing, raised the morale of the believers in Baghdad and the neighbouring towns. As indicated earlier, Bahá'u'lláh Himself testified to the change in these words:
After Our arrival, We revealed, as a copious rain, by the aid of God
and His Divine Grace and mercy, Our verses, and sent them to
various parts of the world. We exhorted all men, and particularly
this people, through Our wise counsels and loving admonitions,
and forbade them to engage in sedition, quarrels, disputes and
conflict. As a result of this, and by the grace of God, waywardness
and folly were changed into piety and understanding, and weapons
converted into instruments of peace.[142]
[142 ibid., p. 22. (Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf.)]
'Abdu'l-Bahá also states:
Bahá'u'lláh after His return (from Sulaymaniyyih) made such
strenuous efforts in educating and training this community, in
reforming its numbers, in regulating its affairs and in rehabilitating
its fortunes, that in a short while all these troubles and mischiefs
were quenched, and the utmost peace and tranquillity reigned in
men's hearts.[143]
[143 'Abdu'l-Bahá, quoted in Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 133.]
This transformation of spirit and the ascendancy of the community in Iraq and Persia, in spite of Mirza Yahya, continued until the end of Bahá'u'lláh's stay in that country.
The outpouring of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation in Baghdad began to revive the community of the Bab, not only in Iraq but also in Persia, where thousands of Babis had been left leaderless. The many Tablets and Epistles which flowed from the Pen of the Most High, especially the Kitab-i-Iqan and Hidden Words, inspired the believers and breathed a new spirit into their souls. At the same time, the evidences of ascendancy and grandeur which were increasingly manifested by Bahá'u'lláh served to inflame the fire of jealousy smouldering in the heart of Mirza Yahya. Since he could never find the courage to utter a word of opposition to Bahá'u'lláh when he came into His presence, he sowed the seeds of doubt in the minds of the believers and spread false rumours concerning Bahá'u'lláh throughout the community in Persia.
The person who conceived and carried out these misguided plans aimed at discrediting Bahá'u'lláh was Siyyid Muhammad. To cite one example: Soon after the Kitab-i-Iqan was revealed in honour of Haji Siyyid Muhammad, the uncle of the Bab, several copies were made and circulated among the believers. This book came as a shattering blow to Mirza Yahya, who could see its overpowering influence on the friends. Siyyid Muhammad circulated rumours that the Kitab-i-Iqan was the work of Mirza Yahya which had been published in Bahá'u'lláh's name.[*] Such a preposterous claim and similar falsehoods did not influence the rank and file of the believers who, by then, had recognized the corruption and perfidy of Mirza Yahya as compared with Bahá'u'lláh's righteousness and divine virtues. In spite of Mirza Yahya's iniquitous deeds, whether carried out clandestinely or in the open, Bahá'u'lláh always counselled him to uprightness and purity. This state of affairs continued until Bahá'u'lláh was invited to move to Constantinople.
[* For more information about this see Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 2, pp. 68-73.]
The news of Bahá'u'lláh's imminent departure from Baghdad to Istanbul disturbed and frightened Mirza Yahya. He who had hidden himself from the public eye in Baghdad over the years and who, in spite of his iniquitous deeds, relied heavily on Bahá'u'lláh's protection and loving-kindness, found himself suddenly plunged into a grievous situation. The thought of remaining alone in Baghdad was deeply distressing to him. Bahá'u'lláh advised him that since he was free to travel, he should proceed to Persia and there disseminate the writings of the Bab among the believers.[*] But Mirza Yahya had no interest in teaching the Cause of the Bab or in disseminating its holy scriptures. He refused to comply with Bahá'u'lláh's advice on the grounds that the authorities in Persia were ruthlessly persecuting the Babis and therefore his life would be in great danger if he went there.
[* At Bahá'u'lláh's direction these writings had been transcribed by Mirza Yahya some years before and were ready to be taken to Persia.]
At one point Mirza Yahya decided to flee to India or Abyssinia (Ethiopia), where he thought he would be free from persecution. But soon he changed his mind and resigned himself to remaining in Iraq, asking Bahá'u'lláh to arrange the building of a secure hiding place for him. He wanted a cottage in Huvaydar, near Baghdad, in a garden owned by Shaykh Sultan. Bahá'u'lláh acceded to his request and asked Shaykh Sultan, who was one of His devoted Arab followers, to build the cottage for him. But as the building work proceeded Mirza Yahya felt increasingly insecure and eventually cancelled his plans in favour of going to Istanbul incognito. However, he made it clear that he did not intend to travel with Bahá'u'lláh, for he was very suspicious of the authorities' intention in inviting Bahá'u'lláh to Istanbul. He feared that Bahá'u'lláh and his companions might either be handed over to Persian officials or killed on the way.
To go on this long journey Mirza Yahya needed a passport. Not wishing to identify himself to the authorities, he sent a certain Haji Muhammad-Kazim, who resembled him, to the government house to procure a passport for him in his newly assumed name of Mirza 'Aliy-i-Kirmanshahi. He then proceeded to Mosul in disguise, accompanied by an Arab servant, and reached there before Bahá'u'lláh's caravan arrived.
Bahá'u'lláh allowed Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani to be included in the party that accompanied Him to Istanbul. Whenever possible, Bahá'u'lláh ensured that the trouble-makers and those who were not inwardly faithful to Him were not left at large among the believers, often keeping such people close to His own person so as to be able to check their mischief. Although Siyyid Muhammad was a treacherous individual who caused untold difficulties for Bahá'u'lláh and His devoted companions, he was never barred, while in Baghdad, from attaining His presence or taking part in the gatherings of the believers. By allowing Siyyid Muhammad to accompany Him in His exile, Bahá'u'lláh protected the believers in Iraq and elsewhere from the man's satanic influence. Of course, the faithful companions of Bahá'u'lláh, both those who travelled with Him and those who remained behind, were fully aware of the iniquitous deeds of that evil and hypocritical individual who used to pretend, whenever he came into their gatherings, to be a loyal believer himself.
Mirza Yahya waited in Mosul until Bahá'u'lláh's caravan arrived. Then he sent his servant to inform Aqay-i-Kalim (Bahá'u'lláh's most faithful brother, known also as Mirza Musa) of his whereabouts in the city. In one of His Tablets 'Abdu'l-Bahá tells the story in these words:
When we reached Mosul, and a camp was set up on the bank of the
Tigris, where the notables of the town flocked group after group
to come into His blessed presence [Bahá'u'lláh's], on a midnight
that aforementioned Arab, Zahir, came to say that his Honour
[Mirza Yahya] was staying at an inn outside the city, and wished
to meet someone. My uncle, Mirza Musa, went there at midnight
and met him. Mirza Yahya asked about his family, and was told
that they were them and had their own tent and he could visit
them. He said that he did not at all consider it advisable to do so,
but he would accompany the caravan with which his family too
would be travelling. Thus he continued to Diyarbakr, a black cord
round his head, and a begging-bowl in his hand, consorting only
with the Arabs and the Turks in the caravan. At Diyarbakr, he sent
word that he would visit his family at night and join the main body
of the caravan in the morning. That was done. Since Haji Siyyid
Muhammad knew him, he gave out that he was a Persian dervish,
an acquaintance of his, and visited him, but other friends because
they had never seen him [Mirza Yahya], did not recognize him.[144]
[144 'Abdu'l-Bahá, quoted in Balyuzi, King of Glory, pp. 183-4.]
Mirza Yahya, who was now introducing himself as Haji 'Ali, pretended that he did not know anybody in the party, including Bahá'u'lláh, and claimed to be returning from Mecca. He was not recognized by most of the companions because he had been living in disguise and hiding himself from the believers while in Iraq. The crafty Siyyid Muhammad had the nerve to introduce Mirza Yahya as a dervish friend of his to Bahá'u'lláh's companions but they discovered his real identity as they approached their destination. In this fashion Mirza Yahya, whose wives were among the female group travelling with Bahá'u'lláh, accompanied them until they reached the shores of Istanbul. There his identity was disclosed and everyone knew who he was. But during his stay 'in Istanbul, Mirza Yahya did not dare to reveal his true identity to the authorities. To Shamsi Big, who was appointed by the government to act as host to Bahá'u'lláh, he introduced himself as a servant in Bahá'u'lláh's household and he would sometimes sleep in the servants' quarters to prove his case.
When Bahá'u'lláh was exiled to Adrianople, Mirza Yahya and Siyyid Muhammad went with him. Bahá'u'lláh, in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, mentions that Mirza Yahya followed Him from place to place:
Wherever this Wronged One went Mirza Yahya followed Him...
The Siyyid of Isfahan, however, surreptitiously duped him. They
committed that which caused the greatest consternation.'[145]
[145 Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 168.]
[page 116]
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