FADL-I-SHIRAZI, GUIDED BY DREAMS

A t r a n s c r i p t of a u d i o - c a s s e t t e from series
WINDOWS TO THE PAST
by D a r i u s K. Shahrokh, M.D.

Guided by dreams.. .
Is a dream r e a l , o r what we c a l l real o n l y a p a s s i n g dream, a n
i l l u s i v e e x p e r i e n c e measured o n l y by one t h i n g , time. Is t i m e
a phenomenon f o r a s s e s s i n g a l o s i n g b a t t l e ? Every moment p a s s i n g
b r i n g u s t h a t much c l o s e r t o t h e end! How p i t i f u l t h o s e who p u t
t h e i r t r u s t i n t h i s i l l u s i v e world. How n e g l e c t f u l w e c o u l d be
of a l a s t i n g and o n l y r e a l i t y c a l l e d t h e s o u l ; t h e s o u l c a p a b l e
of comprehending t h e d i f f e r e n c e between r e a l i t y and i l l u s i o n .

Is a dream o n l y f o r t h e l o v e r t o s e e t h e b e l o v e d ,
o r f o r t h e adored one t o commune w i t h t h e s e e k e r ?
Is it of t h e s p i r i t o r m a t e r i a l i n n a t u r e ?
Whichever, t e l l m e who is t h e matchmaker?
0 Matchmaker, g u i d e u s even i n o u r dreams.
We pray you f i n d u s worthy of s u c h a f a v o r .

To r e v e a l a n o t h e r i n s p i r i n g a s w e l l a s e n t e r t a i n i n g s t o r y , t h i s
window from t h e s e Windows t o t h e P a s t w i l l open t o t h e l i f e - s t o r y
of - - Muhammad-Ibrahim from S h i r a z , honored by Abdu'l-Baha
Shaykh
w i t h t h e t i t l e of F a d l , meaning t'i;Z; l e a r n e d one. Throughout t h i s
t a l k , he w i l l be r e f e r r e d t o as F a d l . The c o n t e n t s of t h i s s t o r y
were e x t r a c t e d from Masabih-i-Hidayat Volume I i n P e r s i a n l a n g u a g e
by A z i z ' u ' l l a h Sulaymani.

Was Fad1 a m y s t i c o r a f a i t h h e a l e r ? To t e l l you h e dreamt o f t e n
and w a s a g r e a t s c h o l a r would be a n u n d e r s t a t e m e n t . Do you know
why? Because of t h e f a s c i n a t i n g a c c o u n t s of h i s l i f e a w a i t i n g
t o i n s p i r e you.

T h i s g r e a t s c h o l a r l i v e d i n t h e t i m e of Abdu'l-Baha and t h e e a r l y
part of Shoghi Effendi's ministry. The years of his service to
the Cause extended to four decades, the last fifteen years of which
were during the ministry of the Guardian.

To summarize his life:
An unusual beginning, an unusual ending, and unusual everything
in between. His ancestors were Zoroastrians who tried to escape
the onslaught of Arab invasion of Iran and forced conversion to
Islam. As all Zoroastrians who could afford to do so, Fadl's
ancestors decided to migrate to India. No doubt you know that
the Persian Zoroastrians who settled in India are the prosperous
and industrious Parsees of today.

On the way to India, Fadl's ancestors went through Bahrayn, an
island in the Persian Gulf. As fate had it, once there they were
converted by Muslim teachers and voluntarily embraced Islam. Some
centuries later, attacks by another sect of Islam chased them out
so they returned home and settled in the southern province in Iran
called Fars with its capital Shiraz, the birthplace of the Bab.

Fad1 came from a family of the learned. His father was a mujtahid
or doctor of Islamic law. The father had one wife, but after his
brother died, he sheltered his brother's widow and the children.
As it was the custom, he had to marry her to be able to have her
in his household. The name of his second wife was Maryam or Mary.

Here comes the extraordinary beginning of Fadl's life, a dream
even before his birth. No, he did not see that dream, but his
father did. Both wives of this mujtahid (Fadl's father) were
expecting. The mujtahid had an unusual dream. He saw Abraham,
the father of all prophets, in the form of a child, sitting on
his lap, and suddenly he appeared in form of an adult overshadowing
the mujtahid. Abraham told him that he wished to be part of the
mujtahid's family. When he woke up, after long meditation, he
interpreted the meaning to be that one of his wives would bear
a boy with a great destiny. Shortly the first wife delivered
a girl. He told the family that if the second wife, Mary, would
deliver a boy, he must be notified at once to feed the newborn
his first feeding. Not too long after that, being happily surprised
with the news, he rushed to Mary. The newborn, washed and bundled
was handed over to him. He kissed the baby and gave him his first
f e e d i n g which by custom was a dab of honey and b u t t e r . I n amazement
he k e p t s t a r i n g a t t h e newborn a s i t resembled t h e c h i l d s e e n i n
h i s dream. T h i s o c c u r r e d i n Buraz-jan, a v i l l a g e n e a r Z i r a z some-
t i m e i n 1863 which s h o u l d r i n g a b e l l . Indeed t h e y e a r of t h e
D e c l a r a t i o n of B a h a ' u ' l l a h i n Ba&dad. The name chosen f o r him
w a s , of c o u r s e , Muhammad-Ibrahim. The m u j t a h i d became very a t t a c h e d
t o t h i s son and t r e a t e d him very s p e c i a l . Now l i s t e n t o t h i s .

When Fad1 w a s o n l y s e v e n , h i s f a t h e r p u t a t u r b a n on h i s h e a d ,
which was u n u s u a l , and s e n t him t o s c h o o l . I n two s h o r t y e a r s
he l e a r n e d t o r e a d and write P e r s i a n . When n i n e y e a r s o l d , he
went t o a n o t h e r s c h o o l and i n t h r e e y e a r s mastered t h e A r a b i c
language. T h i s i s something. You know i t t a k e s some of u s e t e r n i t y
t o l e a r n both languages. Then Fad1 was s e n t t o B i r a z t o room
w i t h a n o l d e r b r o t h e r t o s t u d y I s l a m i c knowledge. I n four years
a t t h e age of s i x t e e n h e w a s ready t o l e a r n philosophy which t o o k
him two y e a r s followed by two more y e a r s i n s c i e n c e and s t u d i e s
of t h e I l l u m i n a t i . J u s t t h e names a r e enough t o s t a g g e r o n e ' s
mind, how much more t h e speed of h i s l e a r n i n g . Well, by t h e a g e
of twenty, he a c q u i r e d e v e r y knowledge w i t h i n h i s g r a s p b u t one
mystery s t a y e d a c h a l l e n g e t o him. .. how t o become a p r o p h e t !

Before going t o t h a t phase of h i s l i f e , you l i k e t o know t h a t s u c h
t a l e n t and g e n i u s c o u l d n o t e s c a p e t h e a t t e n t i o n of d i g n i t a r i e s ,
p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e ones w i t h a q u a l i f i e d young l a d y i n t h e i r
household.

The governor of S h i r a z was a l s o t h e owner of t h e s c h o o l where Fad1
and h i s b r o t h e r a t t e n d e d and had t h e i r room. A t times the
governor used t o check on t h e s t u d e n t s b u t h i s v i s i t s t o Fad1 were
different. H e would b r i n g p r e c i o u s g i f t s of e x p e n s i v e l y bound
books, n i c e f u r n i t u r e and s o on f o r F a d l . The governor had a
young s i s t e r - i n - l a w who appeared p e r f e c t f o r F a d l , b u t g e t t i n g
married w a s t h e l a s t t h i n g on F a d l ' s mind. The governor c o n t i n u e d
h i s generous g e s t u r e s , and a t times would remark t o Fad1 t h a t
now you have e v e r y t h i n g i n your p o s s e s s i o n e x c e p t a w i f e .

I n t h o s e d a y s t h e r e was a B a h a ' i who used t o c a r r y a bundle of
c l o t h shoes called giveh t o t h e school t o s e l l t o t h e students.
They a r e very c o m f o r t a b l e and wonderful f o r summer. Fadl, not
knowing a b o u t t h i s man's r e l i g i o n , used t o e n j o y h i s company whose
philosophical and mystic thoughts would touch Fadl's heart. Of
course, if Fad1 knew he was a Baha'i, he would avoid breathing
the same air, so severe was his prejudice. He, according to
himself, was so fanatically against Baha'is that even the name
would repulse him and if ever the thought of a Baha'i occurred
in his mind he would beg God for forgiveness. Fad1 states that
the company of that blessed soul had a certain influence on him
even though at that time they never talked about religion. This
is the proof that with purity and sincerity one can become a channel
permitting the spirit to flow and without speaking a word about
the Faith guide the non-believer. Baha'i writings over and over
emphasize this fact.

To Fadl, all the prophets of God were ordinary but accomplished
people. He wanted to see what it took to become worthy of that
station. Of course, the first step would be knowledge. He read
as much as he could, many times missing meals but got nowhere.
Distraught with disappointment, he decided that his attachments
to books was the obstacle. So one day in the courtyard he made
a mound of his books, poured kerosene on them and set them on
fire.. .no response from heaven! Now what? In deep despair it
occurred to him that maybe the obstacle was his physical body.
No he did not burn that one. We really do not know how he was
planning to intentionally detach himself from his body, or, so
to speak, get rid of the obstacle to his goal of prophethood.
We will never know his plan, but it is reported that he achieved
it. However, he was instructed to repossess his body as it was
the only means for perfecting his soul. No doubt you badly want
to know how he did it. Maybe in a little while!

You see, no one can hasten maturation of the soul by destroying
the body. The price for such an act is high. Not only is it
forbidden by Baha'u'llah, but also it is important to realize that
our body is the temple for our soul and truly a gift from God.
Such a gift should be well-taken care of and not abused as it is
the only instrument at the command of our faculties to take steps
for the advancement of our soul. What about those who die very
young, even as young as in embryonic stage? Their souls will be
immersed in the ocean of the mercy of God, compensated for the
loss of opportunity and shall continue to progress in the worlds
of God.
Somehow t h i s d i g r e s s i o n w a s made t o d i s t r a c t you f r o m c u r i o s i t y
of how d i d h e d o i t . The secret w i l l be s h a r e d w i t h you o n l y u n d e r
one c o n d i t i o n and t h a t i s , p l e a s e d o n ' t t r y i t e v e n i f you d o n ' t
l i k e your body.

Now t h e s e c r e t . One a f t e r n o o n F a d l , now c l o s e t o h i s m i d - t w e n t i e s ,
gave h i s room key t o h i s b r o t h e r and s a i d t h a t t h a t e v e n i n g h e
was i n v i t e d o u t and m i g h t n o t r e t u r n . Whether t h e b r o t h e r t h o u g h t
h e w a s t h e p r i v a t e g u e s t of t h e g o v e r n o r w i t h p o s s i b i l i t y o f wedding
w e d o n ' t know. The b i o g r a p h e r h a s n o t f o u n d any r e c o r d of F a d 1
t a k i n g any u n u s u a l o b j e c t f o r a c h i e v i n g h i s p u r p o s e . We know t h a t
when t h e c e l e b r a t e d Ahmad l e f t h i s p a r e n t s h e t o o k a b u n d l e w i t h
him, b u t F a d 1 - n o t h i n g . J u s t h i s normal o u t f i t and maybe a l i t t l e
money. Soon h e l e f t t h e s c h o o l g r o u n d s and a f t e r some d i s t a n c e ,
t h e c i t y of S h i r a z was b e h i n d him. H e p r e f e r r e d t o walk i n s t e a d
o f r i d i n g as it was a n o t h e r s e l f - d e n i a l , p r e p a r i n g him f o r p r o p h e t -
hood. Did h e know where h e w a s g o i n g ? I w i s h I c o u l d t e l l you.
The answer i s maybe y e s and maybe no. We d o n ' t know what w a s i n
h i s mind, b u t f o r s u r e w e know t h a t t h e s u n was a b o u t t o s e t when
a l l o f a s u d d e n o u t of nowhere a few v i c i o u s s t r a y d o g s came t o w a r d s
him. Q u i t e f r i g h t e n e d , F a d 1 t o o k o f f as f a s t as h e c o u l d b u t
t r i p p e d and f e l l u n c o n s c i o u s . P o s s i b l y h i t h i s head a g a i n s t a
rock o r something l i k e i t .

The f o l l o w i n g i s h i s d e s c r i p t i o n of h i s out-of-body experience
p a r t s of which r e s e m b l e some r e c e n t d e s c r i p t i o n s of n e a r - d e a t h
experiences. It i s amazing how some p a r t s o f a l l d e s c r i p t i o n s
a p p e a r l i k e a copy o f a n o t h e r o n e w h i l e many o f t h e s e p e o p l e h a v e
never read o r heard t h e o t h e r p e o p l e ' s accounts. It must b e a
t r u e e x p e r i e n c e a w a i t i n g e a c h o n e o f u s . T h i s commentary is p u r e l y
my own a n d n o t from B a h a ' i w r i t i n g s .

Anyway, i n a f l a s h F a d 1 f o t l ~ d h i m s e l f o n - t o p o f a n e a r b y t r e e , "
w a t c h i n g w i t h d i s g u s t , h i s body l y i n g i n t h e meadow below. Again
i n a f l a s h h e a s c e n d e d h i g h e r t o a d e l i g h k f u l realm b u t s u d d e n l y + *
remembered h i s body. He r e t u r n e d t o c h e c k i t , b u t a g a i n i t r e p u l s e d
him s o h e a s c e n d e d e v e n h i g h e r , t r y i n g t o go a s h i g h as h e c o u l d .
A l l of a sudden he heard a v o i c e ! "Fadl, t h i s is your s t a t i o n
a n d no h i g h e r . D o n ' t e v e n t r y i t . " F a d 1 s t a t e s when I l o o k e d
a r o u n d i t was a most b e a u t i f u l and b r e a t h t a k i n g s c e n e way, way
beyond d e s c r i p t i o n . Then t h e v o i c e r e s o u n d e d a g a i n . " F a d l , you
a r e r u s h i n g . Your t i m e h a s n o t come y e t . You must r e t u r n t o your
p h y s i c a l form, and o n l y a f t e r p e r f e c t i n g y o u r s e l f a t t h e a g e of
seventy-two you s h a l l ascend t o your s t a t i o n . " Well, t h a t w a s
it. H e found h i m s e l f s i t t i n g up i n t h e meadow and t h e morning
s u n was s h i n i n g . H e l o c a t e d h i s t u r b a n and s h o e s and r e t u r n e d
t o town. That was q u i t e a p a r t y he a t t e n d e d . No d o u b t , h e never
t o l d h i s b r o t h e r how he s p e n t t h a t n i g h t .

What else t o t r y ? Why n o t s u f f e r i n g w i t h s e v e r e s e l f - d e n i a l and
a l i f e of s e c l u s i o n ? F i r s t he avoided meat and prayed c o n s t a n t l y .
Then he d e c i d e d more s u f f e r i n g was n e c e s s a r y . When t h e governor
used t o throw a banquet f o r t h e t h e o l o g i c a l s t u d e n t s he would check
t h e dormitory before dinner. I f any door was open o r l i g h t was
o n , he would a s k t h e s t u d e n t why he w a s n o t a t t e n d i n g h i s banquet.
F a d l , a t one s u c h e v e n i n g , s h u t h i s door and k e p t t h e room d a r k
a s n o t t o be b o t h e r e d by t h e governor. Soon Fad1 decided t h a t
i t was n o t t r u e s u f f e r i n g because he was n o t s e e i n g t h e food.
It would be more m e r i t o r i o u s i f he a t t e n d e d t h e banquet and
practiced self-denial there. So a t s u c h b a n q u e t s h e would p a s s
t h e d e l i c i o u s d i s h e s and l i m i t h i m s e l f t o o n l y b r e a d and v e g e t a b l e s .

Well, s t i l l no trumpet b l a s t a p p o i n t i n g him as a p r o p h e t , b u t h e
a t t a i n e d c e r t a i n c l a r i t y of v i s i o n and p u r i t y of h e a r t . I n t h o s e
days t h e r e was a m y s t i c from S h i r a z who had l e f t h i s home and w e a l t h
t o e s c a p e t h e c r u e l t y of tG p r e v i o u s governor. H e was l i v i n g
i n a n i s o l a t e d room by a n o l d cemetery n o t t o o f a r from S i r a z .
A few d e r v i s h e s had j o i n e d him as t h e i r l e a d e r . T h i s m y s t i c man,
being a p s y c h i c , s e n s e d F a d l ' s i n n e r y e a r n i n g and s e n t one of h i s
f o l l o w e r s t o i n v i t e Fad1 f o r a v i s i t s o he c o u l d g u i d e him t o a l l
truth. The messenger v i s i t e d F a d l , p r e t e n d i n g he wanted Fad1
t o w r i t e a l e t t e r f o r him, b u t Fad1 s e n s e d i t and t o l d him t h i s
is a n e x c u s e , what a r e you r e a l l y h e r e f o r ? The messenger extended
t h e i n v i t a t i o n of t h e m y s t i c l e a d e r . T h i s m y s t i c man had s e e n
B a h a ' u ' l l a h when B a h a ' u ' l l a h w a s i n s e c l u s i o n i n t h e mountains
of Sulaymaniyih.

Fad1 a r r i v e d a t t h e f o r s a k e n room where t h e d e r v i s h e s had g a t h e r e d .
A f t e r a n hour o r s o , he saw a holy-appearing man w i t h a l o n g w h i t e
b e a r d , and d r e s s e d i n t h e l o n g g a r b of d e r v i s h e s , r e t u r n i n g from
the desert. H e w a s t h e m y s t i c l e a d e r who d i d n o t u t t e r a word,
b u t through t e l e p a t h y communicated w i t h F a d l . Within one y e a r ,
F a d l , o f f and on, a t t e n d e d s u c h m e e t i n g s , and a few t i m e s t h e m y s t i c
man brought t o F a d l ' s mind t h e a p p e a r a n c e of t h e Bab, B a h a ' u ' l l a h
and Abdu'l-Baha. Was t h e m y s t i c man a B a h a ' i ? We w i l l never
know. A f t e r one y e a r t h e m y s t i c spoke i n words and s a i d , "You
have reached t h e s t a g e of completion." One of t h e g i f t s from t h i s
m y s t i c was t h e knowledge of f a i t h - h e a l i n g .

Leaving a l l of t h a t b e h i n d , Fad1 headed home f o r Boraz-jan and
asked h i s f a t h e r , t h e m u j t a h i d , t o send him t o t h e holy c i t i e s
i n I r a q t o f u r t h e r h i s l e a r n i n g . H i s f a t h e r , as u s u a l , went a l o n g
w i t h whatever h i s p r e c i o u s son r e q u e s t e d and p r o v i d e d t h e means.
For two y e a r s he s t u d i e d t h e r e and r e c e i v e d t h e d e g r e e of i j t i h a d .
During h i s s t a y t h e r e h i s f a t h e r had s e n t a n o t h e r s o n t o keep Fad1
company.

One n i g h t i n a dream Fad1 heard a v o i c e s a y i n g , "The g o a l of your
h e a r t is i n Khurasan." (A p r o v i n c e i n n o r t h e a s t I r a n . ) Next morning
Fad1 took o n on f o o t w i t h very l i t t l e p r o v i s i o n s . It t o o k him
s i x months t o g e t t h e r e . On t h e way he met a band of highway
r o b b e r s who f e d him a d e l i c i o u s lamb s t e w and gave him some tea
and s u g a r f o r h i s t r i p . A p p a r e n t l y , he n e v e r f o r g o t t h e t a s t e
of t h a t s t e w t o t h e end of h i s l i f e .

For your i n f o r m a t i o n , t h e p r o v i n c i a l c a p i t a l of Khurasan i s t h e
c i t y of Mashhad. Of t h e e l e v e n I m a m s , o n l y one i s b u r i e d i n I r a n ,
and he is I m a m Rida who i s b u r i e d i n Mashhad. T h e r e , he dreamt
t h a t i n t h e company of Imam Rida he we= t o t h e c e l e s t i a l world
where he s a w God w i t h two heavenly b e i n g s , one on e a c h s i d e . One
of them, on b e h a l f of God, gave Fad1 a heavy book t o c o r r e c t .
Fad1 s a i d , "The book i s l a r g e and I d o n ' t have enough t i m e . " He
was t o l d t o keep t h e book and t h a t e v e n t u a l l y he would do i t . Then
he woke up. About two months l a t e r he saw one of t h e p r o p h e t s
i n a dream t e l l i n g him t h a t i n t h i s l i f e he w i l l f i n d t h e s o u r c e
of t r u t h and t h e way w i l l be shown t o him i n h i s own l i t t l e v i l l a g e
of Boraz-j a n .

Now you know why t h e s e n t e n c e 'guided by dreams' i s i n t h e t i t l e
of t h i s t a p e . H e r e a l l y c r i s s c r o s s e d v a s t d i s t a n c e s t o be guided
by dream a f t e r dream. W e a r e not finished yet.

I n t h e middle of t h e h o t summer, he t a c k l e d t h e d u s t y road on f o o t
a g a i n , t r a v e r s i n g m o u n t a i n s and d e s e r t s t o r e t u r n t o h i s v i l l a g e .
Imagine how happy h i s p a r e n t s were t o see t h e i r l o s t s o n . After
t h e l a s t message of h i s b r o t h e r from t h e h o l y c i t i e s a b o u t h i s
sudden d e p a r t u r e t h e y had n o t h e a r d a word f o r a l m o s t a y e a r .
Everybody from f a r and n e a r came t o v i s i t t h e p r i d e and j o y of
t h e family.

I n t h a t v i l l a g e t h e r e was a n o t h e r m u j t a h i d , who was a r i v a l of
Fadl's father. P r e t e n d i n g f r i e n d l i n e s s , h e a l s o came and p a i d
them a v i s i t . A s c u s t o m s were and maybe s t i l l are, e v e r y v i s i t
had t o be r e p a i d . A t h i s e a r l i e s t c o n v e n i e n c e , Fad1 went t o pay
h i s r e s p e c t t o t h a t m u j t a h i d . H e e n t e r e d t h e h o u s e and sat n e a r l y
h a l f a n hour, b u t no s i g n of t h a t mujtahid. When h e showed u p ,
h i s d e s p e r a t e l o o k i n d i c a t e d s o m e t h i n g w a s wrong. Apologizing
f o r t h e d e l a y , h e s t a t e d t h a t h i s o n l y d a u g h t e r was ill w i t h no
hope of r e c o v e r y . Fad1 f o r t h e f i r s t time used t h e magic f a i t h
h e a l i n g , a g i f t from t h e m y s t i c man o f S h i r a z . H e asked f o r i n k ,
p a p e r and pen. On e a c h of t h e f o u r c o r n e r s h e w r o t e Abbas i n
s e p a r a t e l e t t e r s . Abbas i s t h e g i v e n name of Abdu'l-Baha. He
t o l d t h e g r i e v i n g f a t h e r t o soak t h e paper i n water and g i v e t h a t
w a t e r t o h e r t o d r i n k . Fad1 l e f t t h e h o u s e . To e v e r y o n e ' s s u r p r i s e
t h e g i r l ' s f e v e r broke and s h e recovered.

P l e a s e h o l d i t . I know you b a d l y want t o know what w a s t h e c o l o r
o f t h e i n k , and i f E n g l i s h l e t t e r s work as e f f e c t i v e as A r a b i c ,
and a l s o i f c a p i t a l l e t t e r s are more p o t e n t . Let us not practice
medicine without a l i c e n s e .

The m u j t a h i d , t h r i l l e d w i t h t h e m i r a c u l o u s r e c o v e r y o f h i s d a u g h t e r ,
approached F a d l ' s f a t h e r t o p u t t h e p a s t behind and b e g i n a u n i o n .
H e s a i d h e had p l e d g e d t o God t h a t whoever would c u r e h i s d a u g h t e r ,
h e would g i v e h e r i n m a r r i a g e t o him. F a d l ' s f a t h e r was d e l i g h t e d
about such a proposal. I n b e a u t y and w e a l t h t h a t g i r l was
m a t c h l e s s , a n d more t h a n , t h a t it would s t a b i l i z e t h e roaming l i f e
of h i s s o n . He p r e s e n t e d Fad1 w i t h t h e p r o p o s a l which h e a c c e p t e d .
You s h o u l d h a v e s e e n t h e p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h a t wedding which w a s
t h e t a l k o f t h e town. F o r t h e f i r s t t i m e t h e whole v i l l a g e w a s
happy a b o u t s u c h a u n i o n between t h e f a m i l i e s o f two r i v a l
m u j t a h i d s . The v e r y l a s t s t e p f o r t h e wedding was s e n d i n g t h e r i n g
and s p e c i a l items t o t h e b r i d e ' s house.
The night before this took place, another . . .by this time you
should guess what. Well, Fad1 in his dream heard a voice repeating
three times, "Do not get married. It will be an obstacle."

Before sunrise Fad1 was on his horse speeding away with no trace.
Imagine the effect on everyone, particularly the bride and her
family. No doubt the war of rivalry intensified worse than ever.
After some time a merchant friend of Fadl's family, while travelling
in Bushihr, a port city by the Persian Gulf, sighted Fad1 and
immediately notified his father. The father communicated with
Fad1 that if his sudden departure was to avoid the wedding, he
should return home as it was called off forever. So he returned
home.

Before the wedding was planned, Fad1 had seen a dream but had
forgotten all about it. In that dream he saw a young man handing
him a book and telling him "Your answer is in this book.". ...
In those days, the houses of the divines were open to the public
and no knocking was required to enter. Nowadays I have no doubt
they are bolted and locked with heavy duty locks because people
do not consider them divine anymore. One afternoon while Fad1
was alone at home meditating on his past and his endless chain
of dreams, he heard a knock at the door. This was unusual as
knocking was not necessary. He approached the door and said "Who
is it?" A pleasant voice answered, "It is me." That voice had
an unusual effect on Fadl, possibly it sounded like the voice of
the youth in his dream handing him a book. Fad1 asked, "Who do
you want?" The answer was, "You, the Fadl. Aren't you %ay&
Muhammad-Ibrahim?" Then at the doorway Fad1 found a young man who
appeared to be just arriving at the village. Fad1 asked, "Where
are you from?" He said, "I am from -Shiraz and on my way to
- "
Bushihr.
Fad1 helped him take his horse to the stable and showed him in.
The young man brought his saddle bag with him into the house.
They spent the rest of the day covering every subject except
religion. He spent the night as Fadl's guest. After breakfast,
Fad1 could not contain his curiosity any longer. No, not about
having seen the man in his dream, but about the two heavy duty
padlocks on the saddle bag which was unusual.
Fad1 s a i d , "May I a s k , w i t h t h e s e l o c k s , how much g o l d are you
carrying?" The t r a v e l e r answered, "I have something much more
p r e c i o u s t h a n gold." Fad1 a s k e d , "Like what?" The answer w a s ,
"It i s a book." "May I s e e i t ? " Fad1 a s k e d . The t r a v e l e r unlocked
t h e bag and r e v e r e n t l y took The Book of C e r t i t u d e , o r t h e
Kitab-i-Iqan, o u t , k i s s e d i t and handed i t t o F a d l . The t r a v e l e r
s a i d , "While I go t o market t o buy some p r o v i s i o n s , you may r e a d
i t . I s h a l l be l e a v i n g a f t e r lunch." Fad1 i n s i s t e d t h a t he s h o u l d
s t a y l o n g e r , b u t t h e answer was no. The t r a v e l e r l e f t f o r t h e
market. Fad1 i n s t r u c t e d t h e cook t o make a s p e c i a l l u n c h and a l s o
some food f o r t h e t r a v e l e r t o t a k e on h i s j o u r n e y .

A f t e r l u n c h a s t h e t r a v e l e r prepared f o r l e a v i n g , Fad1 begged him
t o l e a v e t h e book f o r a s h o r t w h i l e , because i n t h e s h o r t time
he had i t he b a r e l y c o u l d s c a n i t s more t h a n two hundred pages.
No d o u b t , t h e d a z z l e of t r u t h a l r e a d y caught h i s a t t e n t i o n , and
he wanted more time t o f e a s t h i s e y e s . The g u e s t answered, "This
is my only t r u e w e a l t h and I c a n n o t p a r t w i t h it." Then r e a c h i n g
i n t o h i s p o c k e t s he gave a few t a b l e t s and t h e l o n g o b l i g a t o r y
p r a y e r t o Fad1 t o keep. None of t h e s e w r i t i n g s o r t h e book had
any i n d i c a t i o n about t h e a u t h o r .

Soon Fad1 a c c e p t e d t h e d i v i n e o r i g i n of what he r e a d and memorized
t h e o b l i g a t o r y p r a y e r , r e c i t i n g i t e v e r y day f o r t h e rest of h i s
life. A f t e r r e a d i n g t h o s e w r i t i n g s , t h e s t y l e of h i s speech showed
such obvious change t h a t every one r e c o g n i z e d t h e i n f l u e n c e of
t h e young t r a v e l e r a s p o s s i b l y c a u s i n g Fad1 t o become a B a h a ' i .
Those who were r i v a l s t o t h a t f a m i l y used some members of F a d l ' s
own f a m i l y i n p l o t t i n g t o k i l l him. Some f a m i l y members now
c o n s i d e r e d Fad1 t o be a d i s g r a c e t o t h e f a m i l y . When a deranged
and l o w - l i f e member of F a d l ' s own f a m i l y a t t e m p t e d t h r e e t i m e s
t o k i l l him, F a d l ' s mother begged him t o e s c a p e t h e danger. H i s
f a t h e r o b v i o u s l y had mixed f e e l i n g s , b u t t h e l o v e of h i s mother
p r e v a i l e d over t h e m i s g i v i n g s a b o u t him being a B a h a ' i . Fad1
decided t o t a k e a double purpose s t e p . Number one, t o l e a v e
Boraz-jan and t h e enemies behind; and, s e c o n d , under p r e t e x t of
going t o t h e c e n t e r of I s l a m i c l e a r n i n g once a g a i n , t r y t o
i n v e s t i g a t e t h e s o u r c e of h i s r e c e n t d i s c o v e r y .

H i s f a t h e r c o u l d n o t a g r e e more, hoping Fad1 by l e a r n i n g more a b o u t
Islam, would g e t o v e r h i s temporary d e v i a t i o n . It is i n t e r e s t i n g
t h a t T a h i r i h ' s f a t h e r t h o u g h t t h e same way, a g r e e i n g t o send h e r
t o t h e h o l y c i t i e s . I f o n l y both of t h o s e f a t h e r s knew t h a t t h e y
provided t h e means f o r t h e s a l v a t i o n of t h e s o u l s of t h e whole
f a m i l y . You see, B a h a ' u ' l l a h h a s a s s u r e d u s t h a t even t h e r e l a t i v e s
of a B a h a ' i are f o r g i v e n t h e i r h e e d l e s s n e s s c o n d i t i o n e d t h a t t h e y
have n o t harmed t h e F a i t h . (Rev. of B a h a ' u ' l l a h , Vol 11, p. 401)

He j o i n e d h i s b r o t h e r a l r e a d y i n N a j a f , one of t h e h o l y c i t i e s
i n I r a q . The l a s t t i m e he went t h e r e he was a s e e k e r of l e a r n i n g ,
t h i s time h i s e d u c a t i o n and r e c e i v i n g h i s d o c t o r a t e i n Islamic
l a w was behind him; b u t now he was t h e s e e k e r of t h e r e a l t r u t h .

During h i s s t a y i n N a j a f , Fad1 began t o t e a c h c l a s s e s i n p h i l o s o p h y ,
i n c o r p o r a t i n g a s much d i v i n e philosophy a s he had a c q u i r e d from
r e a d i n g t h o s e t a b l e t s g i v e n t o him by t h e young t r a v e l e r i n h i s
home-town. He s t a t e s t h a t such new i d e a s were very a p p e a l i n g t o
the theological students. I n a l l of h i s a c t i v i t i e s d u r i n g t h o s e
two y e a r s i n t h a t c i t y , he was a l l e y e s and e a r s t o see o r h e a r
any i n d i c a t i o n a b o u t where t h e o b j e c t of h i s q u e s t was. He also
a t t e n d e d a l l g a t h e r i n g s , t r y i n g t o meet a s many p e o p l e a s he c o u l d .
A s soon as h e a s c e r t a i n e d t h a t t h e s o u r c e was i n Akka, he decided
t o l e a v e a t once f o r h i s p o i n t of a d o r a t i o n . F a d l ' s age a t t h i s
t i m e was i n m i d - t h i r t i e s , n e a r l y f i f t e e n y e a r s i n t h e v a l l e y of
search.

On t h a t w i n t e r day very e a r l y i n t h e morning he woke h i s b r o t h e r
up t o t e l l him he was j o i n i n g a c a r a v a n . The b r o t h e r i n d i s b e l i e f
s a i d , ''To where?" The answer w a s t o Akka. Quite surprised t h e
b r o t h e r s a i d , "Now, I see. A l l of t h e new c o n c e p t s i n your
philosophy classes were Babi concepts." Fad1 s a i d , "No, t h e y were
B a h a ' i c o n c e p t s , because I a m a B a h a ' i . " H i s b r o t h e r , s t u n n e d ,
a s k e d , "What s h o u l d I t e l l our f a t h e r ? " Fad1 answered, " T e l l
him t h a t I took t h e road of no r e t u r n . ' ' The b r o t h e r a p p a r e n t l y
woke up w e l l enough t o t a k e advantage of t h e s i t u a t i o n . He t o l d
Fad1 s i n c e t h i s is t h e f i n a l goodbye, might a s w e l l g i v e your seal
and p r o p e r t y documents t o me s o I can manage them f o r you. F a d l ,
whose mind w a s s e t on h i s g l o r i o u s j o u r n e y and was very d e t a c h e d ,
handed them over t o h i s b r o t h e r , o n l y t o l e a r n l a t e r t h a t t h e
b r o t h e r ' s i n t e n t i o n was n o t h i n g b u t t o t r a n s f e r a l l of F a d l ' s a s s e t s
t o h i s own name. What a b r o t h e r ! You can t e l l he d i d n o t have
a s i n g l e v e i n worthy of becoming a B a h a ' i .
Fad1 d i d n o t even t a k e t i m e t o buy c o m f o r t a b l e walking s h o e s .
He l e f t w i t h h i s c l e r i c a l s h o e s which were n o t f i t f o r l o n g walking.
H e took very l i t t l e money w i t h him and decided t o walk a l l t h e
way. I n one of t h e s t o p s , he purchased a p a i r of c o m f o r t a b l e s h o e s .

The n e x t p a r t i s a b o u t a n o t h e r dream, b u t n o t F a d l ' s .... A t one
s t o p , t h e c a r a v a n l e a d e r decided t o camp f o r two n i g h t s . After
a poor n i g h t ' s s l e e p on t h e h a r d ground, when he woke up i n t h e
morning, he s a w a v i l l a g e a t a d i s t a n c e . H e went t o buy some
p r o v i s i o n s . A s he e n t e r e d t h e v i l l a g e , p a s s i n g t h r o u g h some s t r e e t s ,
he saw t h e headman walking towards him, bow i n r e s p e c t , and c a l l
him an a n g e l . Fad1 was a t a l o s s about t h e whole t h i n g and was
s u r e he was mistaken f o r someone e l s e .

The headman r e l i e v e d F a d l ' s puzzlement by s a y i n g , "Last n i g h t I
s a w you i n my dream e x a c t l y as you a r e , and h e r e you a r e i n t h e
flesh. My d a u g h t e r i s i n s e r i o u s t r o u b l e . For a number of days
a leech has attached i t s e l f i n her throat. And now s h e i s
c o n s t a n t l y s p i t t i n g blood and h e r t h r o a t i s c l o s i n g . No one i n
t h e v i l l a g e h a s been a b l e t o remove t h e l e a c h . I n my d e s p a i r l a s t
n i g h t I c r i e d and prayed h a r d f o r r e l i e f . When I f e l l a s l e e p ,
i n my dream you were shown t o m e a s t h e one who would c u r e h e r .
I beg you t o come t o my house and do something."
(You s h o u l d know t h a t s u c h a t h i n g i s p o s s i b l e i n p e o p l e and a n i m a l s
when a t i n y l e e c h on v e g e t a b l e s a t t a c h e s i t s e l f t o t h e l i n i n g of
t h e mouth o r t h r o a t and w i l l n o t l e t go u n t i l i t i s gorged w i t h
blood. )

F a d l , q u i t e b e w i l d e r e d , s t a r t e d t o walk w i t h t h e headman towards
h i s house, t r y i n g h a r d t o t h i n k what he s h o u l d do. Suddenly t h e
answer came t o him. Yes, you f o l k s guessed i t r i g h t . The same
p r e s c r i p t i o n of w r i t i n g Abbas on e a c h c o r n e r of a paper and washing
t h e ink. When t h e y a r r i v e d he d i d n o t even have t o examine t h e
patient. His f a i t h - h e a l i n g p r e s c r i p t i o n w a s a g e n e r i c c u r e - a l l
prescription. However, h e t o l d t h e headman, "I w i l l write a p r a y e r
p r e s c r i p t i o n , and your d a u g h t e r must d r i n k t h e water of t h e i n k ,
b u t i n r e t u r n I want you t o p r o v i d e m e w i t h a m a t t r e s s s o I can
s l e e p f o r a few h o u r s . I am p a r t of a c a r a v a n camped nearby and
have n o t had a good n i g h t ' s s l e e p ."
That d i d i t . The d a u g h t e r drank t h e i n k water and coughed up t h e
gorged leech. Meanwhile, Fad1 fell into a deep sleep on a mattress
in the large room of that house. After a couple hours, the
murmuring sound of a crowd woke him up. Barely opening his eyes,
he saw the room was filled with people of every affliction, all
having a small gift with them, expecting a cure. The headman was
hushing them to stay quiet so the angel could sleep. Soon Fad1
realized that the courtyard was also filled with deformed, blind,
or paralyzed people. He began to worry that he could never make
it back to the caravan. As soon as he stood up, people swarmed
towards him, but were kept back by the headman's attendants.
Fad1 asked for the headman to come close to him. Fad1 whispered
in his ears, "I will write a number of prescriptions, leaving them
with you only under the condition that you distribute them after
I have cleared the village, or I will miss the caravan." He did
exactly that and took a few gifts with him, but I don't think he
had time to buy what he wanted.

Fad1 joined the caravan, and at a certain point he left it and
directed his steps towards Beirut. In Beirut he found a Baha'i
whose name he had obtained. This was during the peak of activities
of the covenant-breakers against Abdu'l-Baha. The talk on the
Covenant in this series explains it in detail. This Baha'i man
was very kind to Fadl, gave him some money and warned him not to
fall in the trap of the covenant-breakers who were on the lookout
for newcomers to Akka to mislead them. With his ears filled with
warnings, he arrived in Akka and was cautiously looking for the
Baha'i guest house.

As he was walking through the narrow streets trying to locate the
house, he saw at a distance a group of people following
Abdu'l-Baha. He recognized Abdu'l-Baha at once. Do you know how?
He had seen him before. Didn't I tell you ? Well, you know it
now. In that dream of his in Khurasan when he saw God flanked by
two holy beings, one of them was Abdu'l-Baha. No doubt you have
met believers who have seen Abdu'l-Baha in their dream long before
hearing about the Faith. As badly as he wanted to run after Him,
he found it would be irreverent and improper. He contained his
emotions and went to the direction of the guest house.

Another exciting experience in the life of Fad1 is ready to unfold.
B e f o r e w e go any f u r t h e r w i t h t h i s c h a p t e r , you s h o u l d know t h a t
F a d l , who u s u a l l y had a t e n s e n a t u r e , w a s even more u p t i g h t by
h a v i n g h i s ears f i l l e d a b o u t t r a p s of t h e covenant-breakers.
Fad1 l o c a t e d t h e B a h a ' i g u e s t h o u s e , and saw a man s t a n d i n g a t
t h e d o o r . B e f o r e Fad1 c o u l d e n t e r , t h e doorman t o l d him, "My f r i e n d ,
you a r r i v e d a few m i n u t e s l a t e . They l o c k e d t h e d o o r and l e f t .
P l e a s e go t o t h e c o f f e e house." F a d 1 a n g r i l y s a i d , "I h a v e n o t
come h e r e t o go t o t h e c o f f e e house" and pushed t h e doorman a s i d e ,
t h i n k i n g h e was a c o v e n a n t - b r e a k e r , and dashed up t h e s t a i r s t o
f i n d t h e door l o c k e d . The doorman s a i d , ''I t o l d you t h e d o o r was
l o c k e d . P l e a s e go and rest a w h i l e i n t h e c o f f e e h o u s e . I will
i n f o r m t h e Master a b o u t your a r r i v a l . " Fad1 h e s i t a n t l y went t o
t h e c o f f e e house w i t h h i s g u a r d up. Meanwhile, t h e doorman r a n
t o Abdu'l-Baha's h o u s e and gave t h e news of t h e t e n s e and p e c u l i a r
new a r r i v a l .

D r . Yunis A f r u k h t i h , t h e H e r a l d of t h e C o v e n a n t , Haji Mirza
Haydar-Ali, t h e Angel of Carmel, and t h e c e l e b r a t e d c a l l i g r a p h e r ,
Mishkin-Qalam, and o t h e r s were i n Abdu'l-Baha's h o u s e and h e a r d
t h e d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e doorman. F e a r s t r u c k them t h a t most l i k e l y
h e w a s a bad-tempered Mulla s e n t by t h e c l e r g y of t h e h o l y c i t i e s
t o i n v e s t i g a t e Abdu'l-Baha. You see, i n t h o s e d a y s t h e c o v e n a n t -
b r e a k e r s d i d a l l i n t h e i r power t o undermine and d i s c r e d i t
Abdu'l-Baha. Somehow, Abdu'l-Baha's words p u z z l e d them a b o u t t h e
i d e n t i t y o f t h e newcomer. The Master t o l d Haji M i r z a Haydar-Ali,
who was advanced i n a g e w i t h hunched b a c k , " P l e a s e go and t a k e
good care of o u r d e a r g u e s t and make him c o m f o r t a b l e f o r t h e n i g h t . "

F a d l , s i t t i n g on g u a r d i n t h e c o f f e e h o u s e s c a n n i n g e v e r y c o r n e r
f o r s i g n of d a n g e r , l o o k e d o u t t h e window and s a w a n u n u s u a l s i g h t ;
a n o l d hunchbacked man w a l k i n g f a s t t o w a r d s t h e c o f f e e h o u s e
f o l l o w e d by t h e doorman. They soon a p p e a r e d a t t h e doorway where
t h e o l d man, Haji, gave t h e key o f t h e g u e s t h o u s e t o t h e doorman,
and t h e n h e came and s a t n e x t t o F a d l . After preliminary greeting
words, Haji a s k e d F a d l , "May I a s k where do you come from ?I1
The answer w a s "Najaf ." T h a t answer i t s e l f was enough t o worry
Haji even more, b e c a u s e i t w a s t h e c e n t e r o f Islamic a c t i v i t y .
"Where is your b i r t h p l a c e ? "
.
" S h i r a z l1
What i s your r e l i g i o n ? "
"Baha 'i l1.
"Who taught you the Faith ?"
'1
No one .I'
"Who do you know?''
"No one .I'
"Who sent you here?"
"Myself. "
"Did you ride or by foot ?"
"I walked all the way."
I'
What is the purpose of your visit ?"
'1
To attain the presence of my Lord .I'
These abrupt answers did not satisfy Haji's interrogation and even
made him more worried and suspicious. Haji took Fad1 to the guest
house. That evening those believers who had been in Abdu'l-Baha's
house and had heard about this strange visitor, came to pay Fad1
a visit, but really for the purpose of further interrogation.
All they found was a cantankerous mulla quite dusty with unkempt
hair and beard from his long journey. His answers to their
questions did not satisfy them at all, but they could not be rude
because of Abdu'l-Baha calling him our dear guest. This indicated
that Abdu'l-Baha knew exactly who Fad1 was without having
physically met him. Soon you will know what I mean.

The next day after breakfast, Haji brought a clean outfit and hat
and instructed the attendant to show Fad1 the way to the public
bath. After the bath, Haji told Fadl, "Make yourself comfortable.
I must ask permission for you to attain the presence of Abdu'l-
Baha." In a short while the doorman came and said, "Please follow
me.11 That morning the Mufti of Akka (mufti is a prominent
religious title) and a few of the divines had come to the presence
of Abdu'l-Baha with their questions about successorship to
Muhammad. The Master was explaining the rightful position of Imam
Ali and the true successor to Muhammad. You like to know that
the Muslims of Turkish Empire, including Akka, were of the Sunni
sect who do not accept Ali and the Imams.

Abdu'l-Baha was speaking to a roomful of people when Fad1 arrived.
Out of twelve chairs in the room, eleven were occupied. The only
empty one was on the right side of Abdu'l-Baha. Fad1 appeared
at the door not knowing what to do next. In that culture in such
occasions, one does not automatically go and occupy the only empty
seat, particularly the one on the right side of a prominent person,
as it is considered the seat of honor.
As soon as Abdu'l-Baha saw Fad1 at the door, He interrupted his
talk and said, "Welcome, welcome. You have come a long way. Please
take a seat," pointing to the chair next to Himself. Well, friends,
if there is a heaven on earth that is where Fad1 was. Tiredness
from his long journey disappeared at once. Abdu'l-Baha continued
His explanation, when at one point Fad1 quoted an appropriate verse
from the Qur'an. Abdu'l-Baha turned to Fad1 and said, "It is true,
Jinab-i-Fadl," (meaning your honor the learned) "but, unfortunately,
these people have not read their own holy book."

Then Abdu'l-Baha showered Fad1 with generous praise. Well, you
can imagine the looks on the faces of the believers in attendance
who considered him a miserable agent. From then on everyone
addressed him as Jinab-i-Fadl. Abdu'l-Baha made some brief remarks
after that, then dismissing the crowd, he told Fadl, "You must
be very tired. Please go to the guest house and rest," and told
Haji, "Our guest is your responsibility. Look after his comfort."
As the believers and Fad1 left Abdu'l-Baha's house, they all
gathered around Fadl, who, until a short while ago, was thought
to be an intruder. Now everyone wanted to embrace and kiss him,
but Fadl, being quite uptight and upset with their interrogation
the night before, said with anger, "It is not necessary to kiss
me. '1

This is a good time to point out that it is very easy to judge
a person's faith and sincerity from their appearance and our
premature impression. How often this could prove to be wrong.

If you like to know what was the source for the numerous dreams
of Fadl, you should hear this. The next day Abdu'l-Baha told
Dr. Yunis Khan, "We converted Fadl. Let us see how he compares
with your converts." Now we can easily see that Abdull-Baha had
his sight on that great man. Dr. Yunis Khan answered, "My Lord,
whatever you touch turns into gold, while ours becomes only copper."

In four months of his stay in Akka, under the instruction of
Abdu'l-Baha, Fad1 gave classes for the believers but in the mid-
course, he discontinued teaching because his philosophical concepts
were too advanced for the average people of Akka. Once Abdu'l-
Baha asked the believers, "How are you spending your evening hours
at the guest house?" meaning, "Are you attending Fadl's courses?"
No one dared to say that recently Fad1 had discontinued his
classes, but Abdu'l-Baha knew it. After everyone was dismissed,
Abdu'l-Baha asked Fad1 to stay and accompany Him for a walk.
The Master told Fad1 the story of the learned man and the idiot.
He said once there was a learned man imprisoned in a cell with
an idiot. The learned man sent a petition to the king saying,
I beg of you to give me any punishment except the company of this
idiot." Then Abdu ' 1-Baha comforted Fad1 not to get discouraged
due to low capacity of the audience. Fad1 remembered that gem
of advice for the rest of his life. As we shall see, much of his
life was spent teaching Arabic to the youth in Baha'i schools in
Tehran and Hamadan. You can realize how this was less than proper
use of a brilliant man like Fadl, and how he kept it up because
of what Abdu'l-Baha had told him on that day.

There were a number of noteworthy events during Fadl's stay in
Akka which speak for themselves. Fad1 states, "One day, with a
number of other believers, I was in the presence of Abdu'l-Baha.
As the Master was talking, it came to my mind that I wish I could
meet with the arch covenant-breaker , meaning Abdu '1-Baha' s half-
brother, and help him to understand his delusion." Suddenly
Abdu'l-Baha interrupted His conversation, directed His blessed
face towards me and said, "After the Ascension of Baha'u'llah,
I had a number of face-to-face meetings with my brother, and told
him how our purpose is nothing but the promotion of the Faith of
Baha'u'llah. Such a purpose is best served only if we support each
other. Then I counselled him, showed extreme kindness to him, even
at one time cried, but of no avail." The rest of the believers
present could not figure out why all of a sudden Abdu'l-Baha
digressed to that issue, but Fad1 realized his mind was read by
Abdu'l-Baha, and being guided, he did not approach the
arch-breaker.

Another time Fad1 had planned that the next time when in the
presence of Abdu'l-Baha he would ask Him to bless the soul of his
father who had passed away. The next day he attended Abdu'l-Baha's
presence at His home. After Fad1 sat down, Abdu'l-Baha, while
gazing at the sea through the window, said, "Jinab-i-Fadl, as a
result of your embracing the Cause of Baha'u'llah, many people
have been and will be blessed."
Fadl, in those four months had many other experiences which were
extraordinary and exciting. In the interest of time, I will share
only a couple more. Aren't these stories heart touching?

Now those precious days of closeness to the object of his love
were drawing to a close. As close as the next day. Fad1 made
a wish that Abdu'l-Baha would write something for him in His own
handwriting. You know that Abdu'l-Baha when having an audience,
would also be writing letters, and at times dictating another letter
to a scribe. Well, the next day would be the sad day which Fad1
wished would never come. But the earth, to displeasure of Fadl,
continued its rotation, and the sun rose on the day of departure.
For the last time, He attained the presence of Abdu'l-Baha along
with a number of other believers.

Abdu'l-Baha was writing and at times would speak to those thirsty
souls in attendance. He finished writing a tablet, folded it,
and put it in an envelope. Haji, the same blessed man who at Fadl's
arrival brought the key to open the guest house, was sitting next
to Fadl. Abdu'l-Baha beckoned Haji and told him, "Send this to
Fad1 after his departure." Haji returned back to his seat and
told Fadl, "This tablet was written for you, but will be sent to
you after your departure." Many such tablets by Baha'u'llah and
Abdu'l-Baha would not be given to the believers while in
attendance, but sent to them later. It is my personal feeling
that the reason was to make sure it would arrive safely through
a courier, as being robbed or searched during travel was not unusual
in those days.

The night before, Fad1 was also meditating on all of the suffering
he had gone through, as well as his degree of learning and what
to do next. At the end of that last precious hour he spent close
to his beloved Master, AbduTl-Baha dismissed everyone else and
came to Fadl, put His blessed hand on his shoulder, and said these
heartwarming and assuring last words, "Jinab-i-Fadl, ask whatever
your heart desires and it shall be granted." Fad1 answered, "My
wish is none other than your well-being and pleasure with my
servitude to your threshold." Abdu ' 1-Baha said, "Marhaba ,"
indicating how pleased He was with the true understanding of that
great man of learning. After all, what could be higher than
humility and service. The Master Himself was the Exemplar of such
an attribute.
Then He gave Fad1 n i n e t e e n B r i t i s h pounds, a good sum of money,
and i n s t r u c t e d him t o u s e a n a l t e r n a t e e n t r y t o I r a n t h r o u g h R u s s i a .
The l a s t moving s c e n e of t h a t f a r e w e l l w a s Abdu'l-Baha embracing
and k i s s i n g F a d l . Then H e s a i d , "Fi Arnanu'llah" meaning may God
p r o t e c t you. Doesn't i t touch your h e a r t , imagining t h a t l a s t
h o u r , t h a t l a s t minute when a l o v e r , f i n a l l y h a v i n g found h i s
beloved, h a s t o p a r t , w i t h t h e m i s s i o n t o g a l v a n i z e t h e B a h a ' i s
f a r and n e a r . Only i f t h a t embrace c o u l d have l a s t e d a l i t t l e
longer !

A f t e r t h a t e m o t i o n a l f a r e w e l l when h i s t e a r s s t o p p e d t o f l o w , h e
asked H a j i i f he c o u l d l o o k a t t h e t a b l e t Abdu'l-Baha had j u s t
r e v e a l e d i n h i s honor. H e r e a d i t w i t h s u c h c o n c e n t r a t i o n a s i f
memorizing e v e r y word. So charged w i t h a n unshakeable r e s o l v e
and c e r t i t u d e , t h a t s p i r i t u a l g i a n t r e t u r n e d t o I r a n , n o t f o r t h e
g l o r y of fame and w e a l t h , b u t f o r t h e g l o r y of s e r v i t u d e i n t h e
p a t h of h i s Lord. He s t a y e d f o r a w h i l e as t h e g u e s t of a d e d i c a t e d
b e l i e v e r i n t h e n o r t h e r n c i t y of Rasht. - The l o c a l assembly t h e r e
s e n t him around as a t r a v e l - t e a c h e r . A g i a n t l i k e him c o u l d n o t
e s c a p e d e t e c t i o n and h o s t i l i t y of t h e c l e r g y .

When a g i t a t i o n of t h e p u b l i c , f u e l e d by t h e d i v i n e s , w a s r e a c h i n g
i t s peak b e f o r e o u t b r e a k of v i o l e n c e , a prominent d i g n i t a r y who
w a s a b e l i e v e r s e n t a message t o t h e c h i d c l e r g y saying $hat
When agitation of the public, fueled by the divines, was reaching
its peak before outbreak of violence, a prominent dignitary who
was a believer sent a message to the chief clergy saying that
instead of all the clamour, it is more reasonable for you honorable
people to meet Fad1 face-to-face in a public debate. They used
to hate that, knowing the outcome, but sometimes they were forced
into it or lose face. A few confrontations took place, one of
which was in a mosque. The truth of the Faith was publically proven
and established, and the divines were badly defeated. Fadl's
fame grew so much that on the streets people would point at him,
that he is the one who defeated the clergy. Of course, the public
having wished the opposite outcome began to show indications of
their annoyance and hostility. Before anything serious happened,
the local assembly asked Fad1 to head for Tehran.

There the local assembly sent him to the fanatic city of Qum.
As discreet as he tried to be in his teaching efforts in that
beehive, the obnoxious divines plotted his assassination but he
secretly slipped through their net. If you like to know what
happened, I don't mind sharing it with you. There he did not contact
any Baha'is. Having a turban denoting his degree of ijtahid, he
went to the seminary and began to teach courses. With his novel
concepts, the students were highly impressed, and he became very
popular. They would openly say that they had never seen anybody
as learned and interesting as this new teacher. Somehow from
the gist of his teaching, the more seasoned and clever divines
recognized his being a Baha'i and intention to teach the Faith,
and plotted to kill him.

You like to know that Fad1 had an impressively large build and
a stern look. Unfortunately, a good photo of him was not available.
His photo on the insert is taken from a group photo of teachers
in Tehran Baha'i School, in his later years.

With his charisma and unmatched knowledge, he was best of the Baha'i
teachers, and also defense against the abusive and ruthless Islamic
divines. When teaching in Baha'i schools, he wore a hat, but when
teaching the Faith in firesides or debates he wore a turban denoting
his Islamic rank. Whenever the Faith has needed or will need people
of such caliber, God recreates those worthy of such a privilege.
Fadl-i-Qa'ini, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, and this Fad1 are some examples
of the Will of the Almighty at work.

Fad1 received a number of tablets from Abdu'l-Baha, but the reunion
in his mortal life never took place.

Well, couple more interesting events, and you have heard the whole
story. Let us give each one a title. The first will be 'The Hopping
Mulla,' and the next, 'The Fighting Cock who Turned into a Pitiful
Mouse.' I know you are imagining some wild scenes. Well, continue
to imagine, but meanwhile a few words about his personal life.
A tablet from Abdu'l-Baha instructed Fad1 to make Tehran his
headquarters and to do travel-teaching. Therefore, he settled
in Tehran and got married. During the day he used to teach in
full curriculum Baha'i school, and at night he taught the seekers.
He had one son and two daughters. Later on, under the instruction
of the Assembly of Tehran, he and his family moved to the city
of Hamadan. There, his wife became the principal of a Baha'i school
and Fad1 kept up the same schedule. As a Muslim, he could have
been a professor of a theological college, but he patiently taught
Arabic to the young folks, way below his level. As said before,
the story of the wise man and the idiot in prison told by
'Abdu'l-Baha in Akka never escaped his mind, practicing the
patience needed by all school teachers. This may have been one
of his greatest tests because by nature he was a tense person.
You should also know that he was very humble and detached.

Now the story of the wretched hopping Mulla. Once in Tehran,
Fad1 was confronted by two Mullas who were cousins. One was older
and more learned so he did most of the talking. In the course
of discussion, the senior Mulla said, "I wish I knew why a person
like you has become a follower of Baha'u'llah. Give me a good
proof." Fad1 answered, "Proofs are many, but the greatest is His
revealed words which flow like a spring downpour." Mulla asked
for an example. Fad1 recited part of the Tablet of Ahmad which
he knew by heart. "Well, well," was the Mulla's answer, "if that
is all, I can do the same." Fadl's retort was, "Go ahead and
reveal right now so I become your follower." In those days
particularly, Muslims used to sit on their knees. Chairs have
been considered by Muslims a decadent Western influence. The same
for eating utensils. Sitting on the floor and eating with right
hand is righteous for a Muslim, but don't ever dare plunge your
left hand into the main dish if you want to safely get back home.
Left hand is considered dirty.

Sorry for the digression. So Fad1 said, "Go ahead and reveal."
The mulla straightened his posture, cleared his throat a few times
and stroked his beard and said a certain common verse meaning
salutation and praise be to Muhammad and his descendants. Such
a verse is multipurpose and heard commonly in Muslim countries.
It wards off evil as well as attracts bounty. How can I forget
my travels in Iran from one city to another. Anytime the tire
of the bus would hit a pothole which was often or the overloaded
bus slightly tipped, the whole crowd in unison would shout that
verse which surely would wake up the driver. That is a protection,
isn't it ?

Unless you know these details the story has no spice. The mulla
said the special verse loudly and waited and waited. No revelation
descended. Most likely that spot was jinxed so he put his two
hands on the floor and hopped a couple feet away. Got settled,
cleared throat, stroked his beard and said the verse ...again no
sign of any revelation. While Fad1 was amused by the show, he
kept watching the act with interest. The mulla hopped for the
second and third time and went through the whole routine. On
the fourth trial the other mulla could not contain his giggle any
longer. He began laughing loud and said "Dear cousin, you seem
to have no control over the revelation coming to you, but at least
you could stop saying so many loud praise verses."

The other incident is slightly scary showing the courage of Fad1
not thinking about his safety when the defense of the Faith was
at stake. Tehran used to have a section which was known for being
fanatically religious. Its name was Sangilach. I remember from
my youth years in Tehran there was a large field in that section
called Sangilach square. Every dawn and sunset during the fasting
month of Ramadan, a cannon would be fired there for millions of
inhabitants of Tehran to know when to stop or start eating. I
cannot figure out if choosing that section for firing the cannon
was really a favor to the faithful Muslims in Sangilach or not.
We could clearly hear the blast in the opposite end of the city.

Two of the notorious divines of that section continued in their
preaching to bad mouth the Faith and the believers. Repeatedly
they called for public debate but such a confrontation did not
appear safe and wise to the Baha'i assembly. Finally, a Baha'i
teacher was appointed to respond. Before the debate began, the
clergy and their entourage and the crowd intimidated that teacher.
He decided not to debate. This added fuel to the fire of their
attacks. The walls of the streets were covered with grafitti
that the best Baha'i teacher proved to be empty and was defeated.
The snowball effect of their vicious attacks, riling up the mob,
became dangerous, but still the Local Assembly for protection of
the believers decided against another confrontation.

That spiritual giant with his impressive appearance could no longer
stand the abuse and put his life on the line. He and two prominent
believers, one an officer, decided to arrange a meeting date at
the home of the chief clergy. These three did not wish the risky
outcome to reflect on the Tehran Assembly. The appointed day
arrived. Before noon on that day, Fad1 jotted down his assets
and debts on a piece of paper. After lunch, he kissed his baby
daughter and said goodbye to his wife. The three Baha'is joined
each other and began to walk towards Sangilach. The two divines
had announced in the mosque about such a meeting. The people in
that area were so riled up and sure of the defeat of the Baha'is,
that they planned to literally tear them apart after the debate.
In such tense situation, the three continued their walk in the
narrow, dusty and dirty streets of Sangilach. Hostile and curious
women crowding the streets peeked through their chadors. No doubt
men were inside sharpening their tools for the slaughter. Barely
having any room to walk, passing through the masses of onlookers,
would be enough to change the mind of an ordinary man, no matter
how brave. But Fad1 leading the trio was not an ordinary man.
He was a determined lion resolved to clear the name of the ~ a i t h
once and for all. They reached the house of the senior divine
who was not at home. Possibly at the mosque giving his final
instruction to his deputies. You can realize this was not another
bee hive. It was a serpents' den.
Whether we like it or not, they were in the den. In the guest
room, the younger divine who also was the brother of the chief
was seated with a few Muslims and four armed soldiers. The junior
divine was seated on the floor on one side of a special cushion
denoting the seat of honor for the chief. Fad1 as stern as a
tower of strength went and sat on the other side of the cushion.
After exchange of a few formalities, the mulla began the debate
by questioning Fad1 on certain aspect of Islam trying to discredit
the Faith. Fad1 rebuffed him severely on every point. You
remember by custom they were all sitting on their knees. The
mulla found himself at a dead end and brought book after book.
Fad1 used those books and pounded the mulla with proofs from his
own books. Mulla in desperation was getting louder and more
rude by the minute. He constantly was jerking his head, arms and
body and on his knees was inching his way towards Fadl. We don't
know if these jerky movements were involuntary spasm triggered
by the tension or voluntary moves trying to intimidate Fadl, but
we know one thing for sure, and that is, Fadl's moves were quite
voluntary trying to neutralize such gestures of that vicous and
miserable enemy of the Faith. Fad1 also began to inch his way
around that special cushion towards the mulla. A few times they
came knee to knee after resuming their original seats. The
attendees, particularly the soldiers, were fascinated. The soldiers,
highly impressed by the charisma, strength, and knowledge of Fadl,
had to warn the mulla a few times when he was stooping to
obscenities. This encounter lasted about one hour when that junior
cock was totally defeated. Now his honor the chief clergy entered
and everyone in respect stood up until he sat on that special
cushion. The Muslims were anxiously waiting for the chief to give
the fatal blow because he was their best man.

After exchanging some words, both he and Fad1 realized that in
a certain class in the holy cities they were classmates. Maybe
it was not a pleasant surprise for the chief, since he realized
the caliber of the opponent. Anyway, after a chilling silence,
the chief asked a few questions about what had already been
discussed. To the embarassment of the defeated junior, Fad1 said,
"We already settled that question." Everyone, including the junior
mulla, positively nodded their heads. Who wanted that scene
repeated?

The chief brought up subjects which to himself were decisive blows,
but each one was precisely answered by Fad1 and rebuffed. This
second round lasted three to four hours and was conducted in a
more courteous atmosphere. After there was nothing more to say,
Fad1 looked at the people and said, "You be the witnesses," and
then looking into the eyes of the chief, he said "And you concede
to your defeat. You have no right to bad mouth the Faith or the
believers in your preaching or on the walls of the streets." The
two mullas were quieter than mice hearing the roar of that mighty
lion. Fad1 got up and said goodbye and with the company left that
center of oppression. Fortunately, he returned home without a
scratch. The proceedings of this encounter was written to
Abdu'l-Baha who praised Fad1 in a letter.

You recall before these two exciting experiences, you were told
that he was teaching the youth in Baha'i school of city of Hamadan
where his wife was the principal. After three years due to
inattentiveness of the youth and lack of maturity of some of the
adults, he was discouraged and returned to Tehran. While in
Hamadan the news of the Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha reached him which
undoubtedly broke his heart.

According to the writer of the history, Fadl's greatness was only
realized by the elite in the Baha'i community. To others, he
was just another learned believer with a nice title from
'Abdu'l-Baha, oblivious of what it took to deserve such an honor.
He was not adequately appreciated during his life time, neither
was Socrates, the Father of Philosophy, or that musical genius,
Mozart.

On that celebration of the 9th day of Ridvan in 1935, when this
narator was only a little four year old Zoroastrian boy, Fad1 gave
a long speech at the Tehran Baha'i center called Haziratu'l-Quds.
He was 72 years old....does age 72 ring a bell? Do you recall
when in his early twenties during his out-of-body experience he
was foretold about age 72 specifically? Well, his age was right,
and he had perfected his qualities to the best of his ability.
The hour of departure was fast approaching.

Following that speech, Fad1 fell ill and was bedridden for four
months. Against the advice of his physicians, visitors from all
walks of life were pouring in. They had to see their Fad1 and
show their appreciation even though it was too late. One night
Fad1 told his wife, "I will be your guest only for a few more
hours." After comforting her with assurance, he asked for the
children. He kissed them and sent them to bed. Having never
missed his obligatory prayer, as weak as he was, recited the long
obligatory prayer while lying in bed. How could he miss his last
opportunity. His last breath had to be used only to praise the
Lord for the bounty of recognizing Baha'u'llah and testifying to
his deep certitude and faith. You recall, that prayer was the
first Baha'i writing he memorized while still a Muslim, not knowing
the Author. Now as a believer, this was his final preparation for
his departure. One hour after he finished his prayer, he serenely
closed his eyes to this mortal world and ascended to that lofty
station beyond words promised to him.

The Guardian, in his telegram about the passing of - - Muhammad-
Shaykh
Ibrahim-i-airazi, known as Fadl-i-airazi, stated Fadl's services
shall not be forgotten with the passage of time.

May this humble contribution help to keep his memory alive.
What you heard in this inspiring and eventful story was edited
from the biography written by Azizu'llah-i-Sulaymani in Persian.
According to the writer, parts of it were directly spoken to him
by Fad1 himself, and the rest is from the written biography provided
by Fadl's wife of many years, Naw-Zohur -
Khanum.

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