The Babi and Baha'i Religion — Page 21
THE B Ā B Ī AND BAH Ā ’ Ī RELIGION 21 time, in seclusion. He would extricate himself from the business of the shop, climb to the roof, and there devote himself to prayer and meditation. " 16 At this stage he began to write in support of the Shia doctrine, with some monographs on the Hidden Imam, which attracted a considerable amount of attention in Shaikhiyyah circles. "The B a b wrote in detail in regard to the Imam Mahdi and his character- istic attributes, and he always withheld his pen from writing anything against the Shia view. In fact he supported and extolled this view, holding it to be correct, including the belief in regard to the Hidden Imam. " 17 ‘Al i Muhammad married when he was 22, and his friends and relations thought that now perhaps he would settle down. After one year a child was born, but died in infancy. Now more disturbed in mind than ever before, he left home and went to Karbala. This was 1258 Hijra, when K az im Rasht i was yet alive. In addition to visiting the tombs of celebrated saints, ‘Al i Muhammad also attended the dars 18 of K az im Rasht i 19. He returned from Karbala to Bushahr 16 A l-Kaw a kib , page 64. 17 Al-Kaw a kib , page 66. 18 A lecture or discourse by a learned religious scholar in an informal class which anyone interested can attend. [Publisher] 19 Al-Ris a tul Tis’a ‘Asharia , page 29.