Though William Miller felt great disappointment at seeing an empty sky---Jesus had not returned in the way he expected—the vision was realized in the Islamic world.
Siyyid Kazim, the leader of the Shaykhis in Iran, believed that a ‘rightly guided one’ had appeared in the world and was here to renew religion. His allegorical interpretation of the Qur’an told him so.
The time had come for his students to go out and seek the Promised One.
Luke Slott explains the last wish of Siyyid Kazim
After Siyyid Kazim’s passing, his student, Mulla Husayn, secluded himself in the Great Mosque at Kufa, south of Baghdad, one of the oldest mosques in the Islamic world.
Great Mosque at Kufa
He purified himself by praying and fasting for forty days and nights before beginning his quest. He was one of the few Shaykhis who set out as their teacher had counselled.
Mulla Husayn’s prayers led him to Shiraz, the ancient city of poets and gardens. He arrived at the gate of Shiraz on a hot and sunny afternoon.
A young man greeted him with great warmth. His name was Siyyid Ali Muhammad. Mulla Husayn thought to himself that this young man must be one of his fellow Shaykhis. Evening was approaching. The young Siyyid invited Mullah Husayn to come to his home.
Soon the two arrived at the door of the house:
“We soon found ourselves standing at the gate of a house of modest appearance. He knocked at the door, which was soon opened by an Ethiopian servant. “Enter therein in peace, secure” were His words as He crossed the threshold and motioned me to follow Him. His invitation, uttered with power and majesty, penetrated my soul.”
The door of the House of the Bab