Yet another from amongst that blessed company was Ustad Isma'il, the
builder. He was the construction overseer of Farru_kh_ _Kh_an
(Aminu'd-Dawlih) in Tihran, living happily and prosperously, a man of high
standing, well regarded by all. But he lost his heart to the Faith, and
was enraptured by it, till his holy passion consumed every intervening
veil. Then he cast caution aside, and became known throughout Tihran as a
pillar of the Baha'is.
Farru_kh_ _Kh_an ably defended him at first. But as time went on, he
summoned him and said, "Ustad, you are very dear to me and I have given
you my protection and have stood by you as best I could. But the _Sh_ah
has found out about you and you know what a bloodthirsty tyrant he is. I
am afraid that he will seize you without warning, and he will hang you.
The best thing for you is to go on a journey. Leave this country, go
somewhere else, and escape from this peril."
Composed, happy, Ustad gave up his work, closed his eyes to his
possessions, and left for 'Iraq, where he lived in poverty. He had
recently taken a bride, and loved her beyond measure. Her mother arrived,
and by subterfuge, obtained his permission to conduct the daughter back to
Tihran, supposedly for a visit. As soon as she reached Kirman_sh_ah, she
went to the mujtahid, and told him that because her son-in-law had
abandoned his religion, her daughter could not remain his lawful wife. The
mujtahid arranged a divorce, and wedded the girl to another man. When word
of this reached Ba_gh_dad, Isma'il, steadfast as ever, only laughed. "God
be praised!" he said. "Nothing is left me on this pathway. I have lost
everything, including my bride. I have been able to give Him all I
possessed."
When Baha'u'llah departed from Ba_gh_dad, and traveled to Rumelia, the
friends remained behind. The inhabitants of Ba_gh_dad then rose up against
those helpless believers, sending them away as captives to Mosul. Ustad
was old and feeble, but he left on foot, with no provisions for his
journey, crossed over mountains and deserts, valleys and hills, and in the
end arrived at the Most Great Prison. At one time, Baha'u'llah had written
down an ode of Rumi's for him, and had told him to turn his face toward
the Bab and sing the words, set to a melody. And so as he wandered through
the long dark nights, Ustad would sing these lines:
I am lost, O Love, possessed and dazed,
Love's fool am I, in all the earth.
They call me first among the crazed,
Though I once came first for wit and worth.
O Love, who sellest me this wine,(13)
O Love, for whom I burn and bleed,
Love, for whom I cry and pine--
Thou the Piper, I the reed.
If Thou wishest me to live,
Through me blow Thy holy breath.
The touch of Jesus Thou wilt give
To me, who've lain an age in death.
Thou, both End and Origin,
Thou without and Thou within--
From every eye Thou hidest well,
And yet in every eye dost dwell.
He was like a bird with broken wings but he had the song and it kept him
going onward to his one true Love. By stealth, he approached the Fortress
and went in, but he was exhausted, spent. He remained for some days, and
came into the presence of Baha'u'llah, after which he was directed to look
for a lodging in Haifa. He got himself to Haifa, but he found no haven
there, no nest or hole, no water, no grain of corn. Finally he made his
home in a cave outside the town. He acquired a little tray and on this he
set out rings of earthenware, and some thimbles, pins and other trinkets.
Every day, from morning till noon, he peddled these, wandering about. Some
days his earnings would amount to twenty paras,(14) some days thirty; and
forty on his best days. Then he would go home to the cave and content
himself with a piece of bread. He was always voicing his thanks, always
saying, "Praise be to God that I have attained such favor and grace; that
I have been separated from friend and stranger alike, and have taken
refuge in this cave. Now I am of those who gave their all, to buy the
Divine Joseph in the market place. What bounty could be any greater than
this!"
Such was his condition, when he died. Many and many a time, Baha'u'llah
was heard to express His satisfaction with Ustad Isma'il. Blessings hemmed
him round, and the eye of God was on him. Salutations be unto him, and
praise. Upon him be the glory of the All-Glorious.