…He [the Báb] donned the pilgrim’s garb, mounted a camel,
and set out for Mecca, arriving on the first of Dhi’l-Ḥajjih (December 12).
Quddús, holding the bridle in his hands, accompanied his Master on foot to that
holy Shrine. 
Landing at Jaddih after a stormy voyage of over a month’s
duration…
It was not until, however, the Báb had received the eagerly
anticipated letter of Mullá Husayn, His trusted and beloved lieutenant,
communicating the joyful tidings of his interview with Bahá’u’lláh, that He
decided to undertake His long and arduous pilgrimage to the Tombs of His
ancestors. In the month of Sha‘bán, of the year 1260 A.H. (September, 1844) He
Who, both on His father’s and mother’s side, was of the seed of the illustrious
Fátimih, and Who was a descendant of the Imám Husayn, the most eminent among
the lawful successors of the Prophet of Islám, proceeded, in fulfillment of
Islamic traditions, to visit the Kaaba. He embarked from Bushihr on the 19th of
Ramadán (October, 1844) on a sailing vessel, accompanied by Quddús whom He was
assiduously preparing for the assumption of his future office. 
Galvanized into action by the mandate conferred upon them,
launched on their perilous and revolutionizing mission, these lesser luminaries
who, together with the Báb, constitute the First Váhid (Unity) of the
Dispensation of the Bayán, scattered far and wide through the provinces of
their native land, where, with matchless heroism, they resisted the savage and
concerted onslaught of the forces arrayed against them, and immortalized their
Faith by their own exploits and those of their co-religionists, raising thereby
a tumult that convulsed their country and sent its echoes reverberating as far
as the capitals of Western Europe. 
To the care of Mullá Husayn He [the Báb] committed a
mission, more specific in character and mightier in import. He affirmed that
His covenant with him had been established, cautioned him to be forbearing with
the divines he would encounter, directed him to proceed to Tihrán, and alluded,
in the most glowing terms, to the as yet unrevealed Mystery enshrined in that
city—a Mystery that would, He affirmed, transcend the light shed by both Hijáz
and Shíráz. 
He [the Báb] enjoined them [Letters of the Living] to
observe the utmost caution and moderation in their behavior, unveiled the
loftiness of their rank, and stressed the magnitude of their responsibilities.
He recalled the words addressed by Jesus to His disciples, and emphasized the
superlative greatness of the New Day. He warned them lest by turning back they
forfeit the Kingdom of God, and assured them that if they did God’s bidding,
God would make them His heirs and spiritual leaders among men. He hinted at the
secret, and announced the approach, of a still mightier Day, and bade them
prepare themselves for its advent. He called to remembrance the triumph of
Abraham over Nimrod, of Moses over Pharaoh, of Jesus over the Jewish people,
and of Muhammad over the tribes of Arabia, and asserted the inevitability and
ultimate ascendancy of His own Revelation. 
…a woman, the only one of her sex, who, unlike her
fellow-disciples, never attained the presence of the Báb, was invested with the
rank of apostleship in the new Dispensation. A poetess, less than thirty years
of age, of distinguished birth, of bewitching charm, of captivating eloquence,
indomitable in spirit, unorthodox in her views, audacious in her acts,
immortalized as Táhirih (the Pure One) by the “Tongue of Glory,” and surnamed
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn (Solace of the Eyes) by Siyyid Kázim, her teacher, she had, in
consequence of the appearance of the Báb to her in a dream, received the first
intimation of a Cause which was destined to exalt her to the fairest heights of
fame, and on which she, through her bold heroism, was to shed such imperishable
luster.