One of the captives who were sent on from Ba_gh_dad to Mosul was Mirza
Muhammad-i-Vakil. This righteous soul was among those who became believers
in Ba_gh_dad. It was there he drank from the cup of resignation to the
will of God and sought his rest in the shade of the celestial Tree. He was
a man high-minded and worthy of trust. He was also an extremely capable
and energetic administrator of important affairs, famous in 'Iraq for his
wise counsel. After he became a believer, he was distinguished by the
title of Vakil--deputy. It happened in this way:
There was a notable in Ba_gh_dad by the name of Haji Mirza Hadi, the
jeweler. He had a distinguished son, Aqa Mirza Musa, who had received from
Baha'u'llah the title "Letter of Eternity." This son had become a staunch
believer. As for his father, the Haji, he was a princely individual known
for his lavish open-handedness not only in Persia and 'Iraq but as far
away as India. To begin with he had been a Persian vazir; but when he saw
how the late Fath-'Ali _Sh_ah eyed worldly riches, particularly the
worldly riches of Persian vazirs, and how he snatched whatever they had
accumulated, and how, not content with confiscating their costly vanities
and lumber, he punished and tortured them right and left, calling it a
legal penalty--the Haji dreaded that he too might be catapulted into the
abyss. He abandoned his position as vazir, and his mansion, and fled to
Ba_gh_dad. Fath-'Ali _Sh_ah demanded that the Governor of Ba_gh_dad, Davud
Pa_sh_a, send him back, but the Pa_sh_a was a man of courage and the Haji
was widely known for his able mind. Accordingly, the Pa_sh_a respected and
helped him and the Haji set up in business as a jeweler. He lived with
pomp and splendor, like a great prince. He was one of the most remarkable
men of his time, for within his palace he carried on a life of
gratification and opulence, but he left his pomp, style and retinue
behind, occupied himself with his business affairs and realized great
profits.
The door of his house was always open. Turks and Persians, neighbors,
strangers from far places, all were his honored guests. Most of Persia's
great, when they came on pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines, would stop at his
house, where they would find a banquet laid out, and every luxury ready to
hand. The Haji was, indeed, more distinguished than Persia's Grand Vazir;
he outshone all the vazirs for magnificence, and as the days passed by he
dispensed ever more largesse to all who came and went. He was the pride of
the Persians throughout 'Iraq, the glory of his fellow nationals. Even on
the Turkish vazirs and ministers and the grandees of Ba_gh_dad he bestowed
gifts and favors; and for intelligence and perceptivity he had no equal.
Because of the Haji's advancing years, toward the end of his days his
business affairs declined. Still, he made no change in his way of life.
Exactly as before, he continued to live with elegance. The prominent would
borrow heavily from him, and never pay him back. One of them, the mother
of Aqa _Kh_an Mahallati, borrowed 100,000 tumans(66) from him and did not
repay one penny, for she died soon after. The Il-_Kh_an, 'Ali-Quli _Kh_an,
was another debtor; another was Sayfu'd-Dawlih, a son of Fath-'Ali _Sh_ah;
another, Valiyyih, a daughter of Fath-'Ali _Sh_ah; these are only a few
examples out of many, from among the Turkish amirs and the great of Persia
and 'Iraq. All these debts remained unpaid and irrecoverable.
Nevertheless, that eminent and princely man continued to live exactly as
before.
Toward the close of his life he conceived a remarkable love for
Baha'u'llah, and most humbly, would enter His presence. I remember him
saying one day, to the Blessed Beauty, that in the year 1250 and something
over, Mirza Mawkab the famed astrologer visited the Shrines. "One day he
said to me," the Haji continued, "'Mirza, I see a strange, a unique
conjunction in the stars. It has never occurred before. It proves that a
momentous event is about to take place, and I am certain that this event
can be nothing less than the Advent of the promised Qa'im.'"
Such was the situation of that illustrious prince when he passed away,
leaving as heirs a son and two daughters. Thinking him to be as wealthy as
ever, the people believed that his heirs would inherit millions, for
everyone knew his way of life. The Persian diplomatic representative, the
latter-day mujtahids, and the faithless judge all sharpened their teeth.
They started a quarrel among the heirs, so that in the resulting turmoil
they themselves would make substantial gains. With this in view they did
whatever they could to ruin the heirs, the idea being to strip the
inheritors bare, while the Persian diplomat, the mujtahids, and the judge
would accumulate the spoils.
Mirza Musa was a staunch believer; his sisters, however, were from a
different mother, and they knew nothing of the Cause. One day the two
sisters, accompanied by the son-in-law of the late Mirza Siyyid Rida, came
to the house of Baha'u'llah. The two sisters entered the family apartments
while the son-in-law settled down in the public reception rooms. The two
girls then said to Baha'u'llah: "The Persian envoy, the judge, and the
faithless mujtahids have destroyed us. Toward the close of his life, the
late Haji trusted no one but Yourself. We ourselves have been remiss and
we should have sought Your protection before; in any case we come now to
implore Your pardon and help. Our hope is that You will not send us away
despairing, and that through Your favor and support we shall be saved.
Deign, then, to look into this affair, and to overlook our past mistakes."
Replying, the Blessed Beauty declared with finality that intervention in
affairs of this kind was abhorrent to Him. They kept on pleading with Him,
however. They remained a whole week in the family apartments, clamoring
every morning and evening for favor and grace. "We will not lift our heads
from off this Threshold," they said. "We will seek sanctuary here in this
house; we will remain here, by the door of Him Who guards the angels,
until He shall deign to look into our concerns and to save us from our
oppressors."
Each day, Baha'u'llah would counsel them, saying, "Matters of this kind
are in the hands of the mujtahids and the government authorities. We do
not interfere in such affairs." But they kept on with their importunities,
insisting, imploring, begging for help. It happened that the house of
Baha'u'llah was bare of worldly goods, and these ladies, accustomed to the
best of everything, could hardly be satisfied with bread and water. Food
had to be procured for them on credit. Briefly, from every direction,
there were problems.
Finally one day Baha'u'llah summoned me to His presence. "These esteemed
ladies," He said, "with all their exactions, have put Us to considerable
inconvenience. There is no help for it--you will have to see to this case.
But you must solve this entire, complicated matter in a single day."
The next morning, accompanied by Aqay-i-Kalim, I went to the house of the
late Haji. We called in appraisers and they collected all the jewels in an
upper apartment; the ledgers and account books having to do with the
properties were placed in a second room; the costly furnishings and art
objects of the house in a third. A number of jewelers then went to work
and set a value on the gems. Other experts appraised the house, the shops,
the gardens, the baths. As soon as they began their work I came out and
posted someone in each room so that the appraisers could duly complete
their tasks. By this time it was nearly noon. We then had luncheon, after
which the appraisers were directed to divide everything into two equal
parts, so that lots could be cast; one part would be that of the
daughters, and one that of the son, Mirza Musa.(67) I then went to bed,
for I was ill. In the afternoon I rose, had tea, and repaired to the
family apartments of the mansion. Here I observed that the goods had been
divided into three parts. I said to them: "My instructions were that
everything should be divided into two parts. How is it that there are
three?" The heirs and other relatives answered as one: "A third must
certainly be set aside. That is why we have divided everything into three.
One share is for Mirza Musa, one for the two daughters, and the third we
place at Your disposal; this third is the portion of the deceased and You
are to expend it in any way You see fit."
Greatly disturbed, we told them, "Such a thing is out of the question.
This you must not require, for it cannot be complied with. We gave our
word to Baha'u'llah that not so much as a copper coin would be accepted."
But they, too, swore upon oath that it must be as they wished, that they
would agree to nothing else. This servant answered: "Let us leave this
matter for the present. Is there any further disagreement among you?"
"Yes," said Mirza Musa, "what has become of the money that was left?"
Asked the amount, he answered: "Three hundred thousand tumans." The
daughters said: "There are two possibilities: either this money is here in
the house, in some coffer, or buried hereabouts--or else it is in other
hands. We will give over the house and all its contents to Mirza Musa. We
two will leave the house, with nothing but our veils. If anything turns up
we, as of now, freely accord it to him. If the money is elsewhere, it has
no doubt been deposited in someone's care; and that person, well aware of
the breach of trust, will hardly come forward, deal honorably by us, and
return it--rather, he will make off with it all. Mirza Musa must establish
a satisfactory proof of what he says; his claim alone is not evidence."
Mirza Musa replied: "All the property was in their hands; I knew nothing
of what was going on--I had no hint of it. They did whatever they pleased."
In short, Mirza Musa had no clear proof of his claim. He could only ask,
"Is such a thing possible, that the late Haji had no ready funds?" Since
the claim was unsupported, I felt that pursuing it further would lead to a
scandal and produce nothing of value. Accordingly I bade them: "Cast the
lots." As for the third share, I had them put it in a separate apartment,
close it off, and affix a seal to the door. The key I brought to
Baha'u'llah. "The task is done," I said. "It was accomplished only through
Your confirmations. Otherwise it could not have been completed in a year.
However, a difficulty has arisen." I described in detail the claim of
Mirza Musa and the absence of any proof. Then I said, "Mirza Musa is
heavily in debt. Even should he expend all he has, still he could not pay
off his creditors. It is best, therefore, if You Yourself will accept the
heirs' request, since they persist in their offer, and bestow that share
on Mirza Musa. Then he could at least free himself from his debts and
still have something left over."
On the following day the heirs appeared and implored the Blessed Beauty to
have me accept the third share. "This is out of the question," He told
them. Then they begged and entreated Him to accept that share Himself and
expend it for charitable purposes of His own choice. He answered: "There
is only one purpose for which I might expend that sum." They said, "That
is no concern of ours, even if You have it thrown into the sea. We will
not loose our hold from the hem of Your garment and we will not cease our
importunities until You accede to our request." Then He told them, "I have
now accepted this third share; and I have given it to Mirza Musa, your
brother, but on the condition that, from this day forward, he will speak
no more of any claim against yourselves." The heirs were profuse in their
thanks. And so this weighty and difficult case was settled in a single
day. It left no residue of complaints, no uproar, no further quarrels.
Mirza Musa did his best to urge some of the jewels on me, but I refused.
Finally he requested that I accept a single ring. It was a precious ring,
set with a costly pomegranate ruby, a flawless sphere, and unique. All
around the central stone, it was gemmed with diamonds. This too I refused,
although I had no 'aba to my back and nothing to wear but a cotton tunic
that bespoke the antiquity of the world, nor did I own a copper coin. As
Hafiz would say: "An empty purse, but in our sleeve a hoard."
Grateful for the bounty he had received, Mirza Musa offered Baha'u'llah
everything he possessed: orchards, lands, estates--but it was refused. Then
he appointed the 'ulamas of 'Iraq to intercede for him. They hastened to
Baha'u'llah in a body and begged Him to accept the proffered gifts. He
categorically refused. They respectfully told Him: "Unless You accept, in
a very short time Mirza Musa will scatter it all to the winds. For his own
good, he should not have access to this wealth."
Then in his own hand, Mirza Musa penned deeds of gift, made out according
to each of the five creeds, in Arabic and Persian; two copies he made, and
chose the 'ulamas as his witnesses. Through certain 'ulamas of Ba_gh_dad,
among them the famed scholar 'Abdu's-Salam Effendi, and the erudite and
widely known Siyyid Davud Effendi, he presented the deed of gift to
Baha'u'llah. The Blessed Beauty told them: "We are appointing Mirza Musa
himself as Our deputy."
After Baha'u'llah's departure for Rumelia, Mirza Musa, with a promissory
note, purchased from the Government the tithes of Hindiyyih, a district
near Karbila, and suffered a terrible loss, close to 100,000 tumans. The
Government confiscated his properties and sold them for next to nothing.
When told of the matter, Baha'u'llah said, "Do not speak of this, ever
again. Do not so much as utter a word about those estates." Meanwhile the
exile from Adrianople to Akka took place. Mirza Muhammad went to the
Government authorities and said to them: "I am the deputy (vakil) of
Baha'u'llah. These properties do not belong to Mirza Musa. How is it that
you have taken them over?" But he had no documents to support him, for the
title deeds were in Akka, and on this account the Government rejected his
claim. However, in the process, he became known to all as Mirza Muhammad
the Deputy. This is how he received the title.
When we were in Adrianople, Mirza Musa sent on the ruby ring, through
Siyyid 'Ali-Akbar, and the Blessed Beauty directed us to accept it. After
we reached Akka the believers fell ill, and lay suffering in their beds. I
sent the ring to India, to one of the friends, asking him to sell it with
all possible speed and forward the proceeds to us in Akka to be expended
on the sick. That blessed individual never sent us a penny. Two years
later he wrote to say that he had sold the ring for twenty-five pounds and
had spent that sum on the pilgrims. This, when the ring was of such great
value. I made no complaint. Rather, I praised God, thanking Him that out
of all that wealth not a fleck of dust had settled on my robe.
Mirza Muhammad was taken prisoner and sent away from Ba_gh_dad to Mosul,
where he fell a prey to fearful ills. He had been rich; in God's path he
was now poor. He had enjoyed his ease and comfort; now, for the love of
God, he suffered pain and toil. He lived on for a time in Mosul,
suppliant, resigned, and lowly. And then, severed from all save God,
irresistibly drawn by the gentle gales of the Lord, he rose out of this
dark world to the land of light. Unto him be salutations and praise. May
God shed down upon him the waters of forgiveness, and open before his
grave the gates of Heaven.