At dawn in the village of Níyálá, with stones raining down from the mountain, Bahá’u’lláh wrapped Quddús in His own garments and sent him to safety. The gesture says much about this learned believer of Bárfurúsh, known everywhere for wisdom, knowledge and sanctity, of whom Bahá’u’lláh wrote that he differed from the Báb only in having turned toward Him. Named by the Báb among the First and the Last, Quddús wrote Tablets in Badasht that foretold a mystery soon to dawn from the horizon of Bahá, and he spoke the daring language of divine unity, though no station, however exalted, was to become a veil before the One yet to come. John the Baptist rejoiced at the voice of the bridegroom and welcomed his own decrease [1], and something of that joy marks Quddús as well: greatness shown as readiness to recognize. His life leads naturally into the circle of the Letters of the Living, toward the fearless Táhirih, and into the gathering at Badasht and its bold announcement of a new Day.
We were all gathered in the village of Niyala and were resting at the foot of a mountain, when, at the hour of dawn, we were suddenly awakened by the stones which the people of the neighbourhood were hurling upon us from the top of the mountain. The fierceness of their attack induced our companions to flee in terror and consternation. I clothed Quddus in my own garments and despatched him to a place of safety, where I intended to join him. When I arrived, I found that he had gone.
(Bahá’u’lláh, to words to Nabil-i-A'zam -- BHU0017)
02
Whilst in Sari, We were again exposed to the insults of the people. Though the notables of that town were, for the most part, Our friends and had on several occasions met Us in Tihran, no sooner had the townspeople recognized Us, as We walked with Quddus in the streets, than they began to hurl their invectives at Us. The cry 'Babi! Babi!' greeted Us wherever We went. We were unable to escape their bitter denunciations.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Words spoken in the house of Aqay-i-Kalim to Nabil-i-A'zam 2, 1306-05-08 ca. [1889-Jan-10], to words to Nabil-i-A'zam -- BHU0002)
03
The Herald, that is the Primal Point - may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him - during the days of His journey to Maku, outwardly concealed from all, attained the honor of Our presence, and Quddus - upon him be My glory and loving-kindness - attained repeatedly. During the journey to the Land of Kha We specifically summoned him, and for numbered months he attained Our presence. The Primal Point - may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him - named both him and the Most Great Gate as the First and the Last, and likewise interpreted them as the First to come and the Last to go, giving each the glad-tidings of this Revelation, and specifically saying to Sayyah - upon him be My glory - "Go forth, that thou mayest find."
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1303-06? [1886-Mar], to Mirza Ali Muhammad Yazdi (Varqa) et al -- BH00009)
04
And furthermore, His Holiness Quddus - exalted be His praise - hath inscribed and dispatched several Tablets whilst in the land of Badasht, which this servant hath never disclosed. Among these, They have given explicit tidings - not by way of allusion - concerning this wondrous Cause, in His words - glorified be His praise: "And when the Lord manifesteth a mystery from the horizon of Baha in His land or in one yet nearer, that resplendent Dawn from the Point of the Bayan shall have been but a herald. And when the heavens of attraction are upraised through the mystery of the mystic verses, that shall be a harbinger of Our Cause for the people of the cloud." Those blessed Tablets do now exist, and all bear witness and testimony to this Cause in the most explicit terms.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Sarraj, to Ali Muhammad Sarraj -- BH00006)
05
For many have made claims of divinity and lordship - His Holiness Quddus, may my spirit be sacrificed for him, revealed a book on the interpretation of Samad where from beginning to end it is "I am God", and the honorable Tahirih raised "I am God" to the highest heavens in Badasht, and likewise some loved ones in Badasht, and the Blessed Beauty in the Qasidiy-i-Varqa'iyyih states: "All divinities became divine from a sprinkling of my command, and all lords became lordly from an overflow of my wisdom."
Among what was revealed in the Bayan is the school of Him Whom God shall make manifest, and better still He says be not veiled by a Vahid of the Bayan - and the Vahid of the Bayan consists of the sacred Being and the thirteen Letters of the Living, among whom is Quddus, who according to the explicit text of the Bab has thirteen Vahids of mirrors under his shadow.
One of the other great and learned believers was Molla Mahomet Ali of Bar Faroosh. His title was "Excellency Ghoddoos" (Holy). He was a sheik known everywhere for his wisdom, knowledge and sanctity.
… The Blessed Perfection wrote in a tablet to the Bab - "There is no difference between you and him except that he looked towards you."
One evening Hazrati Quddus went to the house of the Bab-ul-Bab. In those days, Hazrati Quddus was not recognized as a man of high rank and authority. He was only accounted as a religious scholar. Bab-ul-Bab occupied the highest seat, and Jinabi Quddus occupied a place near the door. During that night various conversations and explanations took place between the two. This acquainted Bab-ul-Bab with the lofty degree of knowledge possessed by the young scholar, as a consequence of which he made himself humble before him. On the following morning, when the party of the preceding day went again into the presence of Bab-ul-Bab, they discovered a great change: They found the young scholar occupying the highest seat, while in his presence stood Bab-ul-Bab with the utmost humility and meekness.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Ali Kuli Khan and Florence Khan spoken in June 1906 -- ABU0467)
09
As to the question about the inscription at the end of one of the blessed Tablets reading "Muhammad-Qabli-'Ali, the mine of God's Command" - if this was not a scribal error, by the precedence of Muhammad before 'Ali is meant His Holiness Quddus - may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him - who was known by the name Muhammad-Qabli-'Ali and who attained the supreme martyrdom in the land of Mim.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1298-01 [1880-Dec], to Haji Mulla Ayn Lam -- BH00831)
10
As to Myself, I shall, accompanied by Quddus and My Ethiopian servant, proceed on My pilgrimage to Hijaz. I shall join the company of the pilgrims of Fars, who will shortly be sailing for that land. I shall visit Mecca and Medina, and there fulfil the mission with which God has entrusted Me. God willing, I shall return hither by the way of Kufih, in which place I hope to meet you. If it be decreed otherwise, I shall ask you to join Me in Shiraz.
(The Báb, Words to Mulla Husayn, 1260-08 ca. -- BBU0005)