“I know nothing about it,” the money-changer replied. “Come along,” said
the farrá_sh_ to Salmán. “All is clear at last. You are a Bábí.”
It happened that the turban which Salmán had on his head was similar to
those worn in _Sh_ú_sh_tar. As they were passing a crossroads, a man from
_Sh_ú_sh_tar came out of his shop. He embraced Salmán and cried: “Where
have you been, _Kh_ájih Muḥammad-‘Alí? When did you arrive? Welcome!”
Salmán replied, “I came here a few days ago and now the police have
arrested me.”
“What do you want with him?” the merchant asked the farrá_sh_. “What are
you after?”
“He is a Bábí,” was the answer. “God forbid!” cried the man from
_Sh_ú_sh_tar. “I know him well. _Kh_ájih Muḥammad-‘Alí is a God-fearing
Muslim, a _Sh_í’ih, a devout follower of the Imám ‘Alí.” With this he gave
the farrá_sh_ a sum of money and Salmán was freed.
They went into the shop and the merchant began to ask Salmán how he was
faring. Salmán told him: “I am not _Kh_ájih Muḥammad-‘Alí.”
The man from _Sh_ú_sh_tar was dumbfounded. “You look exactly like him!” he
exclaimed. “You two are identical. However, since you are not he, give me
back the money I paid the farrá_sh_.”
Salmán immediately handed him the money, left, went out through the city
gate and made for Hindíyán.
When Bahá’u’lláh arrived in ‘Iráq, the first messenger to reach His holy
presence was Salmán, who then returned with Tablets addressed to the
friends in Hindíyán. Once each year, this blessed individual would set out
on foot to see his Well-Beloved, after which he would retrace his steps,
carrying Tablets to many cities, Iṣfáhán, _Sh_íráz, Ká_sh_án, Ṭihrán, and
the rest.
From the year 69 until the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh in 1309 A.H.,(7)
Salmán would arrive once a year, bringing letters, leaving with the
Tablets, faithfully delivering each one to him for whom it was intended.
Every single year throughout that long period, he came on foot from Persia
to ‘Iráq, or to Adrianople, or to the Most Great Prison at Akká; came with
the greatest eagerness and love, and then went back again.
He had remarkable powers of endurance. He traveled on foot, as a rule
eating nothing but onions and bread; and in all that time, he moved about
in such a way that he was never once held up and never once lost a letter
or a Tablet. Every letter was safely delivered; every Tablet reached its
intended recipient. Over and over again, in Iṣfáhán, he was subjected to
severe trials, but he remained patient and thankful under all conditions,
and earned from non-Bahá’ís the title of “the Bábís’ Angel Gabriel.”
Throughout his entire life, Salmán rendered this momentous service to the
Cause of God, becoming the means of its spread and contributing to the
happiness of the believers, annually bringing Divine glad tidings to the
cities and villages of Persia. He was close to the heart of Bahá’u’lláh,
Who looked upon him with especial favor and grace. Among the Holy
Scriptures, there are Tablets revealed in his name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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