my's sudden
onslaughts and the bombshells raining down and bursting in the heart of
the Fort. Under such circumstances to maintain an unwavering faith and
patience is extremely difficult, and to endure such dire afflictions a
rare phenomenon.(2)

Ismu'llah did not slacken under fire. Once freed, he taught more widely
than ever. He spent every waking breath in calling the people to the
Kingdom of God. In 'Iraq, he attained the presence of Baha'u'llah, and
again in the Most Great Prison, receiving from Him grace and favor.

He was like a surging sea, a falcon that soared high. His visage shone,
his tongue was eloquent, his strength and steadfastness astounding. When
he opened his lips to teach, the proofs would stream out; when he chanted
or prayed, his eyes shed tears like a spring cloud. His face was luminous,
his life spiritual, his knowledge both acquired and innate; and celestial
was his ardor, his detachment from the world, his righteousness, his piety
and fear of God.

Ismu'llah's tomb is in Hamadan. Many a Tablet was revealed for him by the
Supreme Pen of Baha'u'llah, including a special Visitation Tablet after
his passing. He was a great personage, perfect in all things.

Such blessed beings have now left this world. Thank God, they did not
linger on, to witness the agonies that followed the ascension of
Baha'u'llah--the intense afflictions; for firmly rooted mountains will
shake and tremble at these, and the high-towering hills bow down.

He was truly Ismu'llah, the Name of God. Fortunate is the one who
circumambulates that tomb, who blesses himself with the dust of that
grave. Upon him be salutations and praise in the Abha Realm.

MULLA 'ALI-AKBAR

Yet another Hand of the Cause was the revered Mulla 'Ali-Akbar, upon him
be the glory of God, the All-Glorious. Early in life, this illustrious man
attended institutions of higher learning and labored diligently, by day
and night, until he became thoroughly conversant with the learning of the
day, with secular studies, philosophy, and religious jurisprudence. He
frequented the gatherings of philosophers, mystics, and _Sh_ay_kh_is,
thoughtfully traversing those areas of knowledge, intuitive wisdom, and
illumination; but he thirsted after the wellspring of truth, and hungered
for the bread that comes down from Heaven. No matter how he strove to
perfect himself in those regions of the mind, he was never satisfied; he
never reached the goal of his desire