…Following the story of the life of the Báb as we celebrate the bicentenary of His Birth (1819)
According to Mirzá Abu’l-Fadl of Gulpáygán, He journeyed to the holy cities of ’Iráq in the spring of 1841, stayed in ‘Iráq for nearly seven months and returned to His ‘native province of Fárs’ in the autumn of that year.
- Hand of the Cause Balyuzi ('The Báb - The Herald of the Day of Days')
According to him, [Hájí Mírzá Habibu’lláh] when the Báb decided to go on pilgrimage to the holy cities of ‘Iráq He wrote to His uncles in Shíráz asking them to come and take over the business from Him. His uncles, however, procrastinated, whereupon the Báb settled all the outstanding matters in Bushihr Himself, brought His books up to date, locked and sealed the door of the office and left the keys with the gate-keeper of the caravanserai, to be handed over to any one of His uncles. He informed His uncles of what He had done and explained that since they had not heeded His repeated pleas He had no other alternative, determined as He was to go on pilgrimage to the holy cities.[Najaf and Karbila, both in Iraq] Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad was greatly perturbed lest their credit be damaged and their clients suffer serious loss. But Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Ali assured him that their nephew would never do anything to compromise them and that all accounts would be found in perfect order. Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad hurried to Bushihr where a close inspection of the books satisfied him that nothing had been left to chance.
- Hand of the Cause Balyuzi ('The Báb - The Herald of the Day of Days')