Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era

This terrible imprisonment lasted four months, but Bahá’u’lláh and His companions remained zealous and enthusiastic, in the greatest of happiness. Almost every day one or more of them was tortured or put to death and the others reminded that their turn might come next. When the executioners came to fetch one of the friends, the one whose name was called would literally dance with joy, kiss the hands of Bahá’u’lláh, embrace the rest of his fellow believers and then hasten with glad eagerness to the place of martyrdom.

It was conclusively proved that Bahá’u’lláh had no share in the plot against the Sháh, and the Russian Minister testified to the purity of His character. He was, moreover, so ill that it was thought He would die. Instead, therefore, of sentencing Him to death, the Sháh ordered that He should be exiled to ‘Iráq-i-‘Arab, in Mesopotamia; and thither, a fortnight later, Bahá’u’lláh set out, accompanied by His family and a number of other believers. They suffered terribly from cold and other hardships on the long winter journey and arrived in Baghdád in a state of almost utter destitution.

As soon as His health permitted, Bahá’u’lláh began to teach inquirers and to encourage and exhort the believers, and soon peace and happiness reigned among the Bábís. 1 This, however, was short-lived. Bahá’u’lláh’s half brother, Mírzá Yaḥyá, also 27 known as Subh-i-Azal, arrived in Baghdád, and soon afterwards differences, secretly instigated by him, began to grow, just as similar divisions had arisen among the disciples of Christ. These differences (which later, in Adrianople, became open and violent) were very painful to Bahá’u’lláh, Whose whole aim in life was the promotion of unity among the people of the world.