The dramatic story of the beloved son of Bah?'u'll?h, who fell from a
skylight in the roof of the prison where he, his family and many other
Bah?'?s were imprisoned, and who sacrificed his life that others might
attain the presence of the Manifestation of God and, ultimately, bring
about the unity of the world.
It is in the nature of the mystery of sacrifice that those who sacrifice
themselves are often not aware of the full extent of the spiritual power
they are unlocking. And this seems to have been the case with the act of
sacrifice that forms the subject matter of Boris Handal's book.
When the son of Bah?'u'll?h, M?rz? Mihd?, the Purest Branch, fell from a
skylight in the roof of the prison where he, his family and many Bah?'?s
were imprisoned with the Manifestation of God, he was severely injured and
likely to die from his injuries. When offered his life by his father, he
chose instead to sacrifice it so that the doors of the prison might open
and those who longed to see Bah?'u'll?h attain their desire.
In accepting this sacrifice, Bah?'u'll?h prayed for an even greater
objective, 'I have, O my Lord, offered up that which Thou hast given Me,
that Thy servants may be quickened, and all that dwell on earth be united.'
M?rz? Mihd?: The Purest Branch
recounts the dramatic story of the short life of one whose sacrifice was
raised by Bah?'u'll?h to the same station as the great sacrifices of
humanity's religious history - Abraham's intended sacrifice of His son, the
crucifixion of Christ, the martyrdom of the Im?m Husayn - and unleashed the
spiritual energies need to achieve the ultimate aim of Bah?'u'll?h's
revelation: the spiritual regeneration of the individual and the unity of
the people of the world.