So it was that the Luminary of the world returned to ‘Iráq,
[1] where We found no more than a handful of souls,
faint and dispirited, nay utterly lost and dead. The Cause of God had ceased to
be on any one’s lips, nor was any heart receptive to its message. This lowly
Servant arose then with such vigour to protect and promote the Cause of God
that methinks a new resurrection was ushered in. The glory of the Cause became
manifest in every town and its fair name exalted in every city, to such an
extent that all the rulers treated it with tolerance and benevolence.
O Maryam! The determination evinced by this Servant to
withstand the onslaught of His foes from every sect and kindred so deepened
their rancour that it can scarcely be depicted or imagined. Thus was it
ordained by the Lord of might and power.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
[1] After Baha'u'llah's retirement to Kurdistan
