Mírzá Mihdí – The most Pure Branch

Hail to Thee, Sacrifice of Glory . ..

A dedicated compilations/ documents for the forthcoming of the 150th commemoration of the martyrdom of

Mírzá Mihdí – The most Pure Branch

1st posting

(will keep posting until the 22rd of June 2020 marking the day He was fatally wounded when he fell from the roof of the barracks.at sunset and passed away 22 hours later on the 23rd of June, 1870

Tablet from Baha'u'llah concerning the Purest Branch

picture of a

Tablet revealed by Baha'u'llah at the time when the Purest Branch was being prepared for the grave in His presence

The third child of Navvab was her noble and

long-suffering son, the Purest Branch. He was the one

who, in the prime of youth, offered up his life in the path

of his Lord.[1] In a prayer revealed after his martyrdom

Bahá'u'lláh makes the following statement which Shoghi

Effendi describes as astounding: [1 For a more detailed

study of his life, see The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 3.]

"I have, O my Lord, offered up that which Thou hast

given Me, that Thy servants may be quickened and all

that dwell on earth be united." [7-12]

It is at once significant and mysterious that the

unity of mankind, the pivot around which all the teachings

of Bahá'u'lláh revolve, would come into being as a result

of the sacrifice of the Purest Branch.

Here are

Bahá'u'lláh's words after that tragic event:

"At this very moment, My son is being washed

before My face, after Our having sacrificed him in the

Most Great Prison. Thereat have the dwellers of the

Abha Tabernacle wept with a great weeping, and such as

have suffered imprisonment with this Youth in the path

of God, the Lord of the promised Day, lamented. Under

such conditions My Pen hath not been prevented from

remembering its Lord, the Lord of all nations. It

summoneth the people unto God, the Almighty, the

All-Bountiful. This is the day whereon he that was

created by the light of Baha has suffered

martyrdom, at a time when he lay imprisoned at the

hands of his enemies.

"Upon thee, O Branch of God! be the remembrance

of God and His praise, and the praise of all that dwell in

the Realm of Immortality, and of all the denizens of the

Kingdom of Names. Happy art thou in that thou hast been

faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament, until

Thou didst sacrifice thyself before the face of thy Lord,

the Almighty, the Unconstrained. Thou, in truth, hast

been wronged, and to this testifieth the Beauty of Him,

the Self-Subsisting. Thou didst, in the first days of thy

life, bear that which hath caused all things to groan; and

made every pillar to tremble. Happy is the one that

remembereth thee, and draweth nigh, through thee, unto

God, the Creator of the Morn.

"Glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! Thou seest me

in the hands of Mine enemies, and My son blood-stained

before Thy face, O Thou in Whose hands is the kingdom

of all names. I have, O my Lord, offered up that which

Thou hast given Me, that Thy servants may be quickened

and all that dwell on earth be united. Blessed art thou,

and blessed he that turneth unto thee, and visiteth thy

grave, and draweth nigh, through thee, unto God, the

Lord of all that was and shall be... I testify that thou

didst return in meekness unto thine abode. Great is thy

blessedness and the blessedness of them that hold fast

unto the hem of thy outspread robe... Thou art, verily, the

trust of God and His treasure in this land. Erelong will

God reveal through thee that which He hath desired. He,

verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. When

thou wast laid to rest in the earth, the earth itself

trembled in its longing to meet thee. Thus hath it been

decreed, and yet the people perceive not.... Were We to

recount the mysteries of thine ascension, they that are

asleep would waken, and all beings would be set ablaze

with the fire of the remembrance of My Name, the

Mighty, the Loving." [7-13

Indeed, the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Navvab,

whose 'husband' is 'the Lord of Hosts', has been fulfilled.

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;

and great shall be the peace of thy children." 125

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Baha'u'llah, p.

The Death of The Purest Branch

In 1848, at a time when the followers of the Báb were engulfed by sufferings and persecutions, a son had been born in Tihrán to Bahá'u'lláh and His illustrious wife Ásíyih Khánum, entitled Navváb.* He was four years younger than 'Abdu'l-Bahá and was given the name 'Mihdí', after a brother of Bahá'u'lláh who was dear to Him and had died a year before. Later the Pen of the Most High bestowed upon this son the title 'Ghusnu'lláhu'l-Athar' (The Purest Branch).

Unlike 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Mírzá Mihdí could not remember much of a life of luxury in Tihrán, for when he was just over four years of age His father had been imprisoned in the Síyáh-Chál, and all His possessions plundered and seized by the enemies of the Cause. During the four months that Bahá'u'lláh lay in that horrible dungeon, the Holy Family spent their days in anguish and fear, not knowing what would happen to Him. Often frightened and anxious, this child, tender in age and delicate by nature, found his only shelter and refuge within the arms of a loving and devoted mother. But Providence deprived him of this also. As the journey to Baghdád, undertaken in the severe cold of the winter, was laden with hardships and dangers unbearable for a child as delicate as Mírzá Mihdí, he had to be left behind in Tihrán in the care of relatives. For about seven years he tasted the agony and heartbreak of separation from his beloved parents. It seems that at this early age, his soul was being prepared by the Almighty through pain and suffering to play a major part in the arena of sacrifice and to shed an imperishable lustre upon the Cause of his heavenly Father.

Mírzá Mihdí was taken to Baghdád to join the Family in the year AH 1276 (circa AD 1860). It was in that city that this pure and holy youth, noted for his meekness, came in touch with the Divine Spirit and was magnetized by the energizing forces of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. From that time on, he devoted every moment of his life to the service of his heavenly Father. He was Bahá'u'lláh's companion in Baghdád, Adrianople and 'Akká, and served Him as an amanuensis* towards the end of his life, leaving to posterity some Tablets in his handwriting. The last ten years of his life were filled with the hardship and suffering inflicted on Bahá'u'lláh and His companions in the course of the three successive banishments from Baghdád to 'Akká.

The Purest Branch resembled 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and throughout his short and eventful life he displayed the same spiritual qualities which distinguished his illustrious Brother. The believers loved and venerated him as they did 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

In 'Akká, the Purest Branch lived in the barracks near his Father. Often he attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh late in the afternoon to act as His amanuensis. On 22 June 1870, early in the evening, Bahá'u'lláh informed His son that he was not needed that day to write and that instead he could go up on the roof for prayer and meditation as was his custom. It was a normal practice of the prisoners to go on the roof for fresh air in the evening of a hot summer day. The Purest Branch had often paced up and down that roof chanting prayers and meditating. But on that fateful evening as he chanted the verses of the Qasídiy-i-Varqá'íyyih, one of Bahá'u'lláh's most moving poems revealed in Kurdistán,* he was carried away in a state of utter detachment and joy. As he paced along that familiar space wrapped in his customary meditations with his eyes closed, he fell through an open skylight on to an open crate lying on the floor below. He was badly wounded, and bled profusely. He was so terribly injured that they had to remove his clothes by tearing them from him. The following is a summary of an account given by Husayn-i-Áshchí, the cook in Bahá'u'lláh's household, and a devoted believer. In this he describes the tragic circumstances of the fall and death of the Purest Branch:

It is not possible for anyone to visualize the measure of humility and self-effacement and the intensity of devotion and meekness which the Purest Branch evinced in his life. He was a few years younger than the Master, but slightly taller than him. He used to act as Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis and was engaged in transcribing the Writings...When he had finished writing he was in the habit of going on to the roof of the barracks for prayers. There was a skylight, an opening in the middle of the roof near where the kitchen was situated. As he was pacing in a state of prayer, attracted to the Kingdom of Abhá, with his head turned upwards, he fell through the skylight down on some hard objects. The terrific loud sound of the impact made us all run to the scene of the tragedy where we beheld in astonishment what had happened as decreed by God, and were so shocked as to beat upon our heads. Then the Ancient Beauty came out of his room and asked what he had done which caused his fall. The Purest Branch said that he knew the whereabouts of the skylight and in the past had been careful not to come near it, but this time it was his fate to forget about it.We carried his precious person to his room and called a doctor who was an Italian, but he could not help...In spite

of much pain and agony, and being weak, he warmly greeted those who came to his bedside, showered an abundance of love and favours upon them and apologized to everyone, saying he was ashamed that while they were all sitting, he had to lie down in their presence...1

Members of the Holy Family and some of the companions gathered around him and all were so distressed and grief-stricken that 'Abdu'l-Bahá with tearful eyes entered the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, prostrated Himself at His feet and begged for healing. Bahá'u'lláh is reported to have said 'O my Greatest Branch,* leave him in the hands of his God.' He then proceeded to the bedside of his injured son, dismissed everyone from His presence and stayed beside him for some time. Although no one knows what took place in that precious hour between the lover and the Beloved, we can be sure that this son of Bahá'u'lláh, whose devotion and love for the Cause of His Father knew no bounds, must have been exhilarated by the outpouring of bounties and love from his Lord.

It must be remembered that the relationship of Bahá'u'lláh and the members of His family who remained faithful to the Cause was not identical to the relationship which exists between members of other families. Normally, a father and a son at home have a very intimate and informal attitude towards each other. But in the case of Bahá'u'lláh and His faithful children, it was very different indeed, although that intimate relationship of father and son did indeed exist. However, the station of Bahá'u'lláh as a Manifestation of God completely overshadowed His position as a physical father. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Greatest Holy Leaf and the Purest Branch looked upon Bahá'u'lláh not merely as their father, but as their Lord. And because they had truly recognized His station, they acted at all times as most humble servants at His threshold. 'Abdu'l-Bahá always entered the presence of Bahá'u'lláh with such genuine humbleness and reverence that no one among His followers

could manifest the spirit of lowliness and utter self-effacement as He did. The humility of 'Abdu'l-Bahá as He bowed before His Father, or prostrated Himself at His feet or dismounted His steed when He approached the Mansion in which Bahá'u'lláh resided, demonstrates this unique relationship which existed between this Father and His faithful sons and daughter.

In the light of all this we can appreciate how the Purest Branch must have felt when his Father went to his bedside. What expressions of devotion, love and thanksgiving must have passed through his lips on that occasion, we cannot imagine. All we know is that Bahá'u'lláh, having the power of life and death in His hands, asked His dying son whether he wished to live. He assured him that if this was his wish God would enable him to recover and grant him good health. But the Purest Branch begged Bahá'u'lláh to accept his life as a ransom for the opening of the gates of the prison to the face of the many believers who were longing to come and enter the presence of their Lord. Bahá'u'lláh accepted his sacrifice and he died on 23 June 1870, twenty-two hours after his fall.

Thus ended the life of one of whom Bahá'u'lláh states that he 'was created of the light of Bahá', whose birth had taken place during some of the darkest hours in the history of the Faith, whose infancy had been spent within the cradle of adversity, whose soul at an early age had been set aglow with the fire of ordeal and separation, whose days of joy had been spent in exile and within the walls of a prison, and whose tragic death had clothed him with the crimson vesture of sacrifice, shedding thereby an imperishable lustre upon the Cause of his glorious Father.

The death of the Purest Branch within the confines of the prison created a bitter commotion among the companions who lamented the loss of one of the most illustrious among the family of Bahá'u'lláh. The following is a summary of Husayn-i-Áshchí's notes:

When the Purest Branch passed away, Shaykh Mahmúd* begged the Master to allow him to have the honour of washing the body and not to let anyone† from the city of 'Akká perform this service. The Master gave permission. A tent was pitched in the middle of the barracks. We placed his blessed body upon a table in the middle of the tent and Shaykh Mahmúd began the task of washing it.‡ The loved ones of God were wailing and lamenting with tearful eyes and, like unto moths, were circling around that candle which the hands of God had lighted. I brought water in and was involved in washing the body. The Master was pacing up and down outside the tent. His face betrayed signs of deep sorrow...The body after being washed and shrouded was placed inside a new casket. At this moment the cry of weeping and mourning and sore lamentation rose up to the heavens. The casket was carried high on the shoulders of men out of the barracks with utmost serenity and majesty. It was laid to rest outside 'Akká in the graveyard of Nabí Sálih...At the time of returning to the barracks an earth tremor shook the area and we all knew that it was the effect of the interment of that holy being.2

Nabíl-i-A'zam has said that he, Siyyid Mihdíy-i-Dahají § and Nabíl-i-Qá'iní ø were in Nazareth when the earth tremor occurred. It lasted for about three minutes and people were frightened. Later when they heard the news of the death of the Purest Branch they realized that it coincided with the timing of his burial and then they knew the reason for it. Bahá'u'lláh, in one of His Tablets referring to the Purest Branch, confirms the cause of the earth tremor in these words:

Blessed art thou and blessed he that turneth unto thee, and visiteth thy grave, and draweth nigh, through thee, unto God, the Lord of all that was and shall be...I testify that thou didst return in meekness unto thine abode. Great is thy blessedness and the blessedness of them that hold fast unto the hem of thy outspread robe...Thou art, verily, the trust of God and His treasure in this land. Erelong will God reveal through thee that which He hath desired. He, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. When thou wast laid to rest in the earth, the earth itself trembled in its longing to meet thee. Thus hath it been decreed, and yet the people perceive not...Were We to recount the mysteries of thine ascension, they that are asleep would waken, and all beings would be set ablaze with the fire of the remembrance of My Name, the Mighty, the Loving.3

After his tragic death the saintly mother of the Purest Branch mourned the passing of her beloved son and wept almost incessantly. When Bahá'u'lláh assured her that God had accepted her son as a ransom, that the believers might attain the presence of their Beloved and that mankind as a whole be quickened, that noble mother was consoled and her weeping ceased.

The blood-stained clothes of the Purest Branch are among the precious relics gathered by the hands of his devoted sister, the Greatest Holy Leaf, and left to posterity as a silent witness to this great sacrifice.

Soon after the martyrdom of the Purest Branch many restrictions in the barracks were relaxed and several believers who were longing to attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh did so. And about four months after this tragic event, Bahá'u'lláh and His companions left the prison barracks altogether. As we shall see later, Bahá'u'lláh resided in a house in 'Akká, and soon many pilgrims from Persia came and attained His presence.

In December 1939 Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith, in the face of great dangers and difficulties and in the

company of a few friends, with great care and with his own hands, removed the remains of the Purest Branch, together with those of his illustrious mother, from two different cemeteries in 'Akká, and at a profoundly moving ceremony on Christmas Day in the presence of a few believers, carried the caskets on his own shoulders and buried those sacred remains on the slope of Mount Carmel, adjacent to the resting place of the Greatest Holy Leaf and in the vicinity of the Shrine of the Báb.

The death of the Purest Branch must be viewed as Bahá'u'lláh's own sacrifice, a sacrifice on the same level as the crucifixion of Christ and the martyrdom of the Báb. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith, states that Bahá'u'lláh has exalted the death of the Purest Branch to the 'rank of those great acts of atonement associated with Abraham's intended sacrifice of His son, with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the martyrdom of the Imám Husayn...' 4 In another instance, Shoghi Effendi states5 that in the Bábí Dispensation, it was the Báb himself who sacrificed His life for the redemption and purification of mankind. In the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, it was the Purest Branch who gave his life releasing thereby all the forces necessary for bringing about the unity of mankind.