By 1863, Bahá’u’lláh concluded that the time had come to
begin acquainting some of those around Him with the mission which had been
entrusted to Him in the darkness of the Síyáh-Chál. This decision coincided
with a new stage in the campaign of opposition to His work, which had been
relentlessly pursued by the Shi‘ih Muslim clergy and representatives of the
Persian government. Fearing that the acclaim which Bahá’u’lláh was beginning to
enjoy among influential Persian visitors to Iraq would re-ignite popular
enthusiasm in Persia, the Shah’s government pressed the Ottoman authorities to
remove Him far from the borders and into the interior of the empire. Eventually,
the Turkish government acceded to these pressures and invited the exile, as its
guest, to make His residence in the capital, Constantinople. Despite the
courteous terms in which the message was couched, the intention was clearly to
require compliance.
(From ‘Baha’u’llah’; A statement prepared by the Bahá'í
International Community Office of Public Information, at the request of the
Universal House of Justice and published in 1992)
