The first of these, _Sh_ay_kh_
U_th_man, included no less a person than the Sultan himself and his
entourage among his adherents. The second, in reply to whose query the
"Four Valleys" was later revealed, commanded the unwavering allegiance of
at least a hundred thousand devout followers, while the third was held in
such veneration by his supporters that they regarded him as co-equal with
_Kh_alid himself, the founder of the Order.

When Baha'u'llah arrived in Sulaymaniyyih none at first, owing to the
strict silence and reserve He maintained, suspected Him of being possessed
of any learning or wisdom. It was only accidentally, through seeing a
specimen of His exquisite penmanship shown to them by one of the students
who waited upon Him, that the curiosity of the learned instructors and
students of that seminary was aroused, and they were impelled to approach
Him and test the degree of His knowledge and the extent of His familiarity
with the arts and sciences current amongst them. That seat of learning had
been renowned for its vast endowments, its numerous takyihs, and its
association with Salahi'd-Din-i-Ayyubi and his descendants; from it some
of the most illustrious exponents of Sunni Islam had gone forth to teach
its precepts, and now a delegation, headed by _Sh_ay_kh_ Isma'il himself,
and consisting of its most eminent doctors and most distinguished
students, called upon Baha'u'llah, and, finding Him willing to reply to
any questions they might wish to address Him, they requested Him to
elucidate for them, in the course of several interviews, the abstruse
passages contained in the Futuhat-i-Makkiyyih, the celebrated work of the
famous _Sh_ay_kh_ Muhyi'd-Din-i-'Arabi. "God is My witness," was
Baha'u'llah's instant reply to the learned delegation, "that I have never
seen the book you refer to. I regard, however, through the power of God,
... whatever you wish me to do as easy of accomplishment." Directing one
of them to read aloud to Him, every day, a page of that book, He was able
to resolve their perplexities in so amazing a fashion that they were lost
in admiration. Not contenting Himself with a mere clarification of the
obscure passages of the text, He would interpret for them the mind of its
author, and expound his doctrine, and unfold his purpose. At times He
would even go so far as to question the soundness of certain views
propounded in that book, and would Himself vouchsafe a correct
presentation of the issue