Another of those who left their homes and came to settle in the
neighborhood of Baha'u'llah was Haji Muhammad _Kh_an. This distinguished
man, a native of Sistan, was a Balu_ch_. When he was very young, he caught
fire and became a mystic--an arif, or adept. As a wandering dervish,
completely selfless, he went out from his home and, following the dervish
rule, traveled about in search of his mur_sh_id, his perfect leader. For
he yearned, as the Qalandar dervishes would say, to discover that "priest
of the Magi," or spiritual guide.
Far and wide, he carried on his search. He would speak to everyone he met.
But what he longed for was the sweet scent of the love of God, and this he
was unable to detect in anyone, whether Gnostic or philosopher, or member
of the _Sh_ay_kh_i sect. All he could see in the dervishes was their
tufted beards, and their palms-up religion of beggary. They were
"dervish"--poor in all save God--in name only; all they cared about, it
seemed to him, was whatever came to hand. Nor did he find illumination
among the Illuminati; he heard nothing from them but idle argument. He
observed that their grandiloquence was not eloquence and that their
subtleties were but windy figures of speech. Truth was not there; the core
of inner meaning was absent. For true philosophy is that which produces
rewards of excellence, and among these learned men there was no such fruit
to be found; at the peak of their accomplishment, they became the slaves
of vice, led an unconcerned life and were given over to personal
characteristics that were deserving of blame. To him, of all that
constitutes the high, distinguishing quality of humankind, they were
devoid.
As for the _Sh_ay_kh_i group, their essence was gone, only the dregs
remained; the kernel of them had vanished, leaving the shell behind; most
of their dialectics was lumber and superfluities by now.
Thus at the very moment when he heard the call from the Kingdom of God, he
shouted, "Yea, verily!" and he was off like the desert wind. He traveled
over vast distances, arrived at the Most Great Prison and attained the
presence of Baha'u'llah. When his eyes fell upon that bright Countenance
he was instantly enslaved. He returned to Persia so that he could meet
with those people who professed to be following the Path, those friends of
other days who were seeking out the Truth, and deal with them as his
loyalty and duty required.
Both going and returning, the Haji betook himself to each one of his
friends, foregathered with them, and let each one hear the new song from
Heaven. He reached his homeland and set his family's affairs in order,
providing for all, seeing to the security, happiness and comfort of each
one. After that he bade them all goodby. To his relatives, his wife,
children, kin, he said: "Do not look for me again; do not wait for my
return."
He took up a staff and wandered away; over the mountains he went, across
the plains, seeking and finding the mystics, his friends. On his first
journey, he went to the late Mirza Yusuf _Kh_an (Mustawfiyu'l-Mamalik), in
Tihran. When he had said his say, Yusuf _Kh_an expressed a wish, and
declared that should it be fulfilled, he would believe; the wish was to be
given a son. Should such a bounty become his, Yusuf _Kh_an would be won
over. The Haji reported this to Baha'u'llah, and received a firm promise
in reply. Accordingly, when the Haji met with Yusuf _Kh_an on his second
journey, he found him with a child in his arms. "Mirza," the Haji cried,
"praise be to God! Your test has demonstrated the Truth. You snared your
bird of joy." "Yes," answered Yusuf _Kh_an, "the proof is clear. I am
convinced. This year, when you go to Baha'u'llah, say that I implore His
grace and favor for this child, so that it may be kept safe in the
sheltering care of God."
Haji Muhammad then went to the blissful future martyr, the King of
Martyrs, and asked him to intercede, so that he, the Haji, might be
allowed to keep watch at the doorway of Baha'u'llah. The King of Martyrs
sent in this request by letter, after which Haji _Kh_an duly arrived at
the Most Great Prison and made his home in the neighborhood of his loving
Friend. He enjoyed this honor for a long time, and later, in the Mazra'ih
garden as well, he was very frequently in Baha'u'llah's presence. After
the Beloved had ascended, Haji _Kh_an remained faithful to the Covenant
and Testament, shunning the hypocrites. At last, when this servant was
absent on the journeys to Europe and America, the Haji made his way to the
travelers' hospice at the Haziratu'l-Quds; and here, beside the Shrine of
the Bab, he took his flight to the world above.
May God refresh his spirit with the musk-scented air of the Abha Paradise,
and the sweet savors of holiness that blow from the highest Heaven. Unto
him be greetings and praise. His bright tomb is in Haifa.