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LESSON EIGHT - THE FIRST MARTYR OF THE FAITH

Preparation: Diagram for each child (the sufferings of Mulla Ali). Crayons.

Summary of previous lesson: The Báb was brought up by His uncle and mother after His father died. The teacher brought Him home from school saying that He was a special child. He married His cousin Khadijih Bagum who saw Him one night deep in prayer. He explained that God had wanted her to see Him like that so that she would have no doubt Who He was.

Mulla Aliy-i-Bastami, one of the Letters of the Living, was called to the Báb, who spoke to him words of cheer and loving-kindness. He told him to go at once to Najaf and Karbila and not to be afraid should anyone try to harm him. "Your faith must be as immovable as the rock, must weather every storm and survive every calamity.... You are the first to leave the House of God, and to suffer for His sake. If you be slain in His path, remember that great will be your reward, and goodly the gift which will be bestowed upon you".

As soon as the Bab had spoken, Mulla Ali arose and made preparations for his Journey. A short way out of Shiraz, Mulla Ali was overtaken by a youth who seemed very excited. His name was Abdu'l-Vahab, and he wanted to speak with Mulla Ali. He begged Mulla Ali to take him with him and to guide him in the way to the truth. Abdu'l-Vahab had had a dream in which he heard someone announce the coming of the Imam 'Ah, and calling the people to seek him. Immediately he heard the call, Abdu1l-Vahab got up, left his shop and hurried to the market place where he found Mulla Ali speaking to the people. Then Abdu'l-Vahab awoke from his dream and saw Mulla Ali pass by with another man beside him. Abdu'l-Vahab got up quickly and followed him until he was standing in exactly the same spot as he had seen him in his dream. The man who was with Mulla Ali said that he would rather walk through flames of hell than believe what Mulla Ali was telling him, but Mulla Ali replied that it did not matter if the whole universe turned against God, and he returned to the City. The youth followed Mulla Ali until he caught up with him, and when Mulla Ali had heard his story, he tried to calm him and persuade him to return to his shop. It would be too difficult for the young man to go with him, but the more he tried to say the more the youth insisted that he must go, even though Mulla Ash assured him God was looking after him and would help him find what he was looking for. Finally Mulla Ali had to agree that Abdu'l-Vahab could join him.

The father of Abdu'l-Vahab then told this story. He was a very important man in the town and nobody dared say anything that he did not agree with. When he heard that his son had left his shop, he rushed out to find him, taking with him a club which he could use to beat his son. He asked people if anyone had seen his son, and was told that he had left the city behind a man wearing a turban. His father then grew angry at his son's behaviour and decided he was going to severely punish him. However, when he saw Mulla Ali, he began to beat him instead, and although the strokes were very painful, Mulla Ali quietly said "Stay your hand, 0 Abdu'l-Majid, for the eye of God is observing you. I take Him as my witness, that I am in no wise responsible for the conduct of your son. I mind not the tortures you inflict upon me, for I stand prepared for the most grievous afflictions in the path I have chosen to follow.

"Your injuries, compared to what is destined to befall me in the future, re as a drop compared to the ocean. Verily, I say you shall survive me, and will come to recognise my innocence. Great will then be your remorse, and deep your sorrow". Abdu'l-Majid took no notice and continued to beat him until he was exhausted, and he ordered his son to return with him to Shiraz leaving Mulla Ali by himself.

On the way back to Shiraz, Abdu'l-Vahab told his father of his dream, and suddenly he felt remorseful about h~s behaviour towards Mulla Ali and he knew that he had not done anything wrong. Many years later, Abdu'l-Majid met Baha'u'llah, and became one of His followers, and only then did he feel that he was forgiven for the wrong he had done to Mulla Ali.

Mulla Ali, although he knew that the path he had chosen was a very difficult and often painful one, continued on his journey to Najaf, where he went to meet one of the leading religious teachers. In front of a crowd of his disciples, Mulla Ali told them about the Bab and His new message to the people of Iran. Instead of being pleased, the teacher told Mulla Ali to stop, and leave at once. Eventually Mulla Ali was taken, with his hands in chains, to a government official who was told that he had spoken against Muhammad and was a disgrace to the Faith of Islam. Mulla Ali was then taken to Baghdad where he was put into prison.

Mulla Ali was then brought in front of the leaders of Baghdad where the Mufti, the leading religious teacher, called him, "0 enemy of God."' A merchant of the town, Haji Hashim, whispered in the Mufti's ear that he did not yet know Mulla Ali and that he should not speak to him in that way. He should not listen to what busybodies say, but he should find out for himself what Mulla Ali was like. The Mufti was not pleased, and left the room, and Mulla Ali was again thrown into prison. Haji Hashim tried to find out what happened to Mulla Ali but no-one really knew. Some said that on his way to Constantinople he fell ill and died, whilst others believed he had been killed. Whatever happened, Mulla Ali was the first to suffer for this new Faith of God and the first to lay down his life for it.

Complete the missing letters to show the sufferings of Mulla Ali.

Colour in the pictures.

 

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