TThe author of the present book is Mulla Ismail known as Mirza Mustafa Katib (the scribe) who was a dyer by occupation. His life was threatened by the incitement of (a local known as) Aqa Najafi and after seven of the Babis were brutally martyred in Sadeh of Isfahan. He was persecuted by the governor of Isfahan, his ear was cut off by order of the governor and was chained and dragged through the streets of Isfahan and was thrown out of the city.
By night, Babis brought him back to Isfahan and a few days later sent him to the village of Tar in the province of Natanz. There, he was received by Mulla Muhammad Baqir of Tar who was one of the learned Babi champions. Mulla Muhammad accommodated him in the basement of his brother's house where Mirza Mustafa this respectable scribe continued to scribe Babi works.
After a while, Aqa Najafi found out (about his whereabouts) and sought to move against Mulla Baqir, he was forced to flee. At this time the late Mirza Mustafa moved to Tehran to save his life and to continue his work. He changed his name to Mirza Mustafa and settled in Tehran where he continued to scribe the works of the Primal Point and Subh-i Azal for the rest of his life.
In 1901 with the intention to visit Subh-i Azal he travelled to Cyprus with his two daughters Hamideh Khanum & Muhtaram Khanum where he stayed close to Subh-i Azal for three years. There, Subh-i Azal's son Mirza Abdul-Wahid married one of his daughters. He returned to Tehran with his daughters after the death of Mirza Abdul-Wahid.
The late Mirza Mustafa was in correspondence with Professor Browne, in fact many of the manuscripts in his precious collection were scribed by him at his request. He spent nearly 30 years in reproduction of the Bayanic works. His death occurred at 30:30 PM on Thursday 28th July 1921 when he was over 80 years old. His remains were buried at Ibn-Babuyeh in Tehran where the late
Haji Mirza Hadi of Dowlat Abadi is also buried. Amongst his daughters and sons, Mirza Nurullah Tavangar was best known.
This book concerns Mirza Mustafa's response to Zayn Al-Abedin of Najaf-Abad (one of the provinces of Isfahan) entitled (by Baha) as Zayn-al Muqarabin who had invited him to join him in following Baha. Mirza Mustafa quotes many passages from Persian Bayan, reasons and refutes Baha's claim based on Bayan and other works of the Primal Point and reaffirms his loyalty to Subh-i Azal as the Mirror of the station of the Primal Point and who was appointed by His Holiness by special nomination to command the religion of Bayan after his martyrdom.
The book also contains many vivid historical accounts from eyewitnesses who had travelled to Baqdad to visit Subh-i Azal when Baha served Subh-i Azal on the outset. Pilgrims told him of being prevented to visit Subh-i Azal by Baha under various pretexts. There are also eyewitness accounts by pilgrims who told him they had seen Baha practicing the writing of verses and then destroying them in the see (p. 75).
This book in its current format was donated several years ago to Prof. Juan Cole which was posted on H-Net.
The second book of Mirza Mustafa is in fact his Will & Testament which he wrote in submitting to this provision of the Bayan (5:13) which commands people of Bayan to write their testament to reach the promised One of Bayan. After an introductory chapter containing his biography he refutes Baha's claim based on the writings of the Primal Point.
The following is a partial translation of Subh-i Azal's open letter to Baha, also quoted in full in page 46:
“…O faithless brother what has happened that in vain you joined hands to violate my honour, and to stain your own hand with my blood. You gathered round yourself a band of persons addicted to vice … you excited this gang of villains to hate me … I appointed you to act for me. I ordered my friends to obey you … you are now out to destroy me. I was your guest you abused me. You swore at me in my face. That which you yourself deserved you ascribed to me. You inspired your servants with rancorous hatred of me. Even you taught your own barber your own falsehoods. He gave false evidence against the truth. You set in motion this great sedition …. Outwardly you pretended to be my friend. You attended my feast. You ate my meal of trust. Inwardly you manifested your falsehood until Shawal 23 [Presumably March 11, 1866] when I was keeping a fast you withheld bread and water from me. … By deceit you intercepted my epistles. Some of them which were to your advantage you paraded before the inhabitants of the city [i.e. Edirne]. At present am in straitened circumstances and you are in affluence. And yet you pretend the contrary …”
Please click here to view the Response to Zay-al Muqarrabin پاسخ به زین المقربین