In the days of Bahá’u’lláh, during the worst times in the
Most Great Prison, they would not permit any of the friends either to leave the
Fortress or to come in from the outside. “Skew-Cap” [1] and the Siyyid [2]
lived by the second gate of the city, and watched there at all times, day and
night. Whenever they spied a Bahá’í traveler they would hurry away to the
Governor and tell him that the traveler was bringing in letters and would carry
the answers back. The Governor would then arrest the traveler, seize his
papers, jail him, and drive him out. This became an established custom with the
authorities and went on for a long time—indeed, for nine years until, little by
little, the practice was abandoned. - ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Memorials of the Faithful’)
[1] Áqá Ján, cf. Shoghi Effendi, ‘God Passes By’; not to be
confused with Mirza Aqa Jan, Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis. He was a retired
artillery officer in the Turkish army. (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of
Baha'u'llah - vol. 2)
[2] Siyyid Muhammad, the Antichrist of the Bahá’í
Revelation. cf. ‘God Passes By’
