Among those who emigrated and were companions in the
Most Great Prison was Áqá ‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ. This excellent soul, a child of early believers, came from
Iṣfahán. His noble-hearted father died, and this child grew up an orphan. There was none to rear or care for him and he was the prey of anyone who chose to do him harm. At last he became adolescent, and older now, sought out his Well-Beloved. He emigrated to the Most Great Prison and here, at the
Ridván, achieved the honor of being appointed gardener. At this task he was second to none. In his faith, too, he was staunch, loyal, worthy of trust; as to his character, he was an embodiment of the sacred verse, “Of a noble nature art thou.”
1 That is how he won the distinction of being gardener at the Ridván, and of thus receiving the greatest bounty of all: almost daily, he entered the presence of
Bahá’u’lláh.
For the
Most Great Name was held prisoner and confined nine years in the fortress-town of
‘Akká; and at all times, both in the barracks and afterward, from without the house, the police and
farráshes had Him under constant guard. The
Blessed Beauty lived in a very small house,