tened to the welcoming shelter of the Lord of Lords. A man to outward
seeming without education, for he could neither read nor write, he was of
sharp intelligence and a trustworthy friend. Through one of the believers,
he was brought into the presence of Baha'u'llah, and was soon widely known
to the public as a disciple. He found himself a corner to live in, close
beside the house of the Blessed Beauty, and mornings and evenings would
enter the presence of Baha'u'llah. For a time he was supremely happy.

When Baha'u'llah and His retinue left Ba_gh_dad for Constantinople, Aqa
Muhammad-'Ali was of that company, and fevered with the love of God. We
reached Constantinople; and since the Government obliged us to settle in
Adrianople we left Muhammad-'Ali in the Turkish capital to assist the
believers as they came and went through that city. We then went on to
Adrianople. This man remained alone and he suffered intense distress for
he had no friend nor companion nor anyone to care for him.

After two years of this he came on to Adrianople, seeking a haven in the
loving-kindness of Baha'u'llah. He went to work as a peddler, and when the
great rebellion(34) began and the oppressors drove the friends to the
extreme of adversity, he too was among the prisoners and was exiled with
us to the fortress at Akka.

He spent a considerable time in the Most Great Prison, after which
Baha'u'llah desired him to leave for Sidon, where he engaged in trade.
Sometimes he would return and be received by Baha'u'llah, but otherwise he
stayed in Sidon. He lived respected and trusted, a credit to all. When the
Supreme Affliction came upon us, he returned to Akka and passed the
remainder of his days near the Holy Tomb.

The friends, one and all, were pleased with him, and he was cherished at
the Holy Threshold; in this state he soared to abiding glory, leaving his
kin to mourn. He was a kind man, an excellent one: content with God's will
for him, thankful, a man of dignity, long-suffering. Upon him be the glory
of the All-Glorious. May God send down, upon his scented tomb in Akka,
tiers of celestial light.

'ABDU'L-GHAFFAR OF ISFAHAN

Another of those who left their homeland to become our neighbors and
fellow prisoners was 'Abdu'l-_Gh_affar of Isfahan. He was a highly
perceptive individual who, on commercial business, had traveled about Asia
Minor for many years. He made a journey to 'Iraq, where Aqa Muhammad-'Ali
of Sad (Isfahan) brou