light. His
luminous grave is in Akka. Upon him be the glory of the All-Glorious; upon
him be mercy, out of the grace of the Lord.

MUHAMMAD-MUSTAFA BAGHDADI

Muhammad-Mustafa was a blazing light. He was the son of the famous scholar
_Sh_ay_kh_ Muhammad-i-_Sh_ibl; he lived in 'Iraq, and from his earliest
youth was clearly unique and beyond compare; wise, brave, deserving in
every way, he was known far and wide. From childhood, guided by his
father, he had lit the light of faith in the chapel of his heart. He had
rid himself of the hindering veils of illusion, gazed about with
perceptive eyes, witnessed great new signs of God and, regardless of the
consequences, had cried aloud: "The earth hath shone out with the light of
her Lord!"(77)

Gracious God! The opposition was powerful, the penalty obvious, the
friends, every one of them, terrified, and off in some corner hiding their
belief; at such a time this intrepid personality boldly went about his
business, and like a man, faced up to every tyrant. The one individual
who, in the year seventy, was famed in 'Iraq for his love of Baha'u'llah,
was this honored person. A few other souls, then in Ba_gh_dad and its
environs, had crept away into nooks and crannies and, imprisoned in their
own lethargy, there they remained. But this admirable Muhammad-Mustafa
would boldly, proudly come and go like a man, and the hostile, because of
his physical strength and his courage, were afraid to attack him.

After Baha'u'llah's return from His journey to Kurdistan, the virile
strength and bearing of that gallant individual was still further
enhanced. Whenever leave was granted, he would attend upon Baha'u'llah,
and would hear from His lips expressions of favor and grace. He was the
leader, among all the friends in 'Iraq, and after the great separation,
when the convoy of the Beloved left for Constantinople, he remained loyal
and staunch, and withstood the foe. He girded himself for service and
openly, publicly, observed by all, taught the Faith.

As soon as Baha'u'llah's declaration that He was "He Whom God Shall
Manifest"(78) had become known far and wide, Muhammad-Mustafa--being among
those souls who had become believers prior to this Declaration, and before
the call was raised--cried out: "Verily, we believe!" Because, even before
this Declaration, the very light itself pierced through the veils that had
closed off the peoples of the world, so that every seeing eye beheld t