The second was the invitation, in the form of an Epistle,
conveyed by Quddús, to the Sherif of Mecca, in which the custodian of the House
of God was called upon to embrace the truth of the new Revelation. Absorbed in
his own pursuits the Sherif however failed to respond. Seven years later, when
in the course of a conversation with a certain Hájí Níyáz-i-Baghdádí, this same
Sherif was informed of the circumstances attending the mission and martyrdom of
the Prophet of Shíráz, he listened attentively to the description of those
events and expressed his indignation at the tragic fate that had overtaken Him.
- Shoghi Effendi (Chapter 1, ‘God Passes By)