eading
calligrapher of Persia and well known to all the great; he enjoyed a
special position among the court ministers of Tihran, and with them he was
solidly established.(59) He was famed throughout Asia Minor; his pen was
the wonder of all calligraphers, for he was adept at every calligraphic
style. He was besides, for human virtues, a bright star.

This highly accomplished man first heard of the Cause of God in Isfahan,
and the result was that he set out to find Baha'u'llah. He crossed the
great distances, measured out the miles, climbing mountains, passing over
deserts and over the sea, until at last he came to Adrianople. Here he
reached the heights of faith and assurance; here he drank the wine of
certitude. He responded to the summons of God, he attained the presence of
Baha'u'llah, he ascended to that apogee where he was received and
accepted. By now he was reeling to and fro like a drunkard in his love for
God, and because of his violent desire and yearning, his mind seemed to
wander. He would be raised up, and then cast down again; he was as one
distracted. He spent some time under the sheltering grace of Baha'u'llah,
and every day new blessings were showered upon him. Meanwhile he produced
his splendid calligraphs; he would write out the Most Great Name, Ya
Baha'u'l-Abha, O Thou Glory of the All-Glorious, with marvelous skill, in
many different forms, and would send them everywhere.(60)

He was then directed to go on a journey to Constantinople, and set out
with Jinab-i-Sayyah. When he reached that Great City, the leading Persians
and Turks received him with every honor at first, and they were captivated
by his jet black, calligraphic art. He, however, began boldly and
eloquently to teach the Faith. The Persian ambassador lurked in ambush;
betaking himself to the Sultan's vazirs he slandered Mi_sh_kin-Qalam.
"This man is an agitator," the ambassador told them, "sent here by
Baha'u'llah to stir up trouble and make mischief in this Great City. He
has already won over a large company, and he intends to subdue still more.
These Baha'is turned Persia upside down; now they have started in on the
capital of Turkey. The Persian Government put 20,000 of them to the sword,
hoping by this tactic to quench the fires of sedition. You should awaken
to the danger; soon this perverse thing will blaze up here as well. It
will consume the harvest of your life; it will burn up the whole world.
Then you can do nothing, for it wi