Shaykh Mahmud-i-Arab, was the religious leader of Akka at the time of the exile of Bahá'u'lláh and the Holy Family and a number of the believers to the Holy Land.  He has given the following account of his spiritual journey:

"My father was the religious leader of Akka.  He had great respect for one of the Arab shaykhs who was a knowledgeable man.  He used to visit him frequently.  Once, while I was still very young, he took me with him to the shaykh's house.  The old spiritual man said: "Soon, the Lord of the world shall come to Akka and shall live in the tallest building of the city.  Alas that I will not be alive to attain His presence."  Then he told my father: "You will also pass away before His coming."  Then he pointed to me and said: "But this child will attain His presence."  He then pulled me towards himself, sat me on his lap and kissed my eyes several times.  He said: "I kiss these eyes because one day they are going to behold that Holy Being."  After saying these things he cried bitterly. Then he turned to me and said: "The language of His Holiness is Persian and in order to go to His room, you have to go up a large number of steps.  When you attain His presence, kiss the dust of His feet in my memory."

Sometime passed and that spiritual shaykh passed away.  After a while my father passed away too.  I grew up and became occupied with life and work.  Since I was the religious leader or Mufti of Akka, everyone respected me and I led a good life.  I had completely forgotten all the sayings of the spiritual old man.  Then one day I heard that someone who was accused of destroying the religion of Islam had been brought to Akka and imprisoned in the fortress.  The people said: "This Prisoner is the God of the Persians.”  I, who was the Mufti of Akka and a fanatical Arab, was very angry that the government had brought such an infidel to Akka.  I decided to kill Him and in this way to have rendered some service to Islam. 

One day I took my gun and hid it underneath my cloak and went to the prison.  I went up the stairs and told the guard: "I want to see the Prisoner."  Since I was the Mufti and an important person, I had permission to enter the fortress, otherwise the rest of the people were not allowed into the fortress.  The guard informed Bahá'u'lláh that someone wanted to see Him.  Bahá'u'lláh replied: "Tell  him to leave his gun behind and then he may come in."  I was very surprised to have heard this, as I was sure no one knew I had hidden a gun under my cloak.  I came angrily out of the prison.  I thought to myself: "I am a strong and powerful man.  I do not need a gun.  When I go to Him I shall kill Him with my own hands."  With this thought in mind, I returned to the prison a few days later.  This time Bahá'u'lláh said to the guard: "Tell him to purify his heart first and then he may come in."  I became very confused.  Who was this Person Who could read my mind as well?  That day I could not persuade myself to go and visit Him. 

One Friday morning I went to Akka's mosque.  I saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá  who was performing His ablutions.  The people said: "This youth is the Son of that Prisoner."  I angrily went forward and grasped ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's arm and asked: "Are You the Son of God?"  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked into my eyes and reminded me of this commandment of Islam which is recorded in the Holy Qur’an: "Be kind to a guest, even though he may be an infidel."  I saw in the eyes of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá an appearance that made me feel ashamed, as a result of which I immediately left and returned home. 

A little while passed.  One night in a dream I saw my father and that spiritual old man, repeating the same words that he had said during my childhood about the coming of the Lord of the world.  When I woke up I told myself that if this Prisoner Himself calls me to His presence, then I shall believe in Him. 

When I arrived at the city gate, someone came forward and said: "Shaykh Mahmud!  Where have you been?  Bahá'u'lláh has sent for you three times today."  I went with him to the prison.  We went up the stairs past the guards until we reached the cell of Bahá'u'lláh.  I entered the room and in the customary manner of the Arabs showed my respects and stood quietly in a corner.  Without saying a word, Bahá'u'lláh paced the room for a long time.  Then He came towards me and held my ear and twisted it hard.  I realised this punishment was because I had forgotten the sayings of that spiritual old man.  I immediately threw myself at His feet and kissed the earth trodden by His blessed feet."

Light of Faith, Sadeghzadeh and Golmohammadi, p.101

Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol 3

What pearls of wisdom do we discover in this story? 

1. We learn that the Manifestations of God are aware of all the secrets of the hearts.  So Bahá'u'lláh knew what the motive of the Mufti was, even though he had no physical contact with him.  He says:  “O heedless ones! Think not the secrets of hearts are hidden, nay, know ye of a certainty that in clear characters, they are engraved and are openly manifest in the holy Presence.” (Bahá'u'lláh, Hidden Words, Persian no.59)
2. We learn that despite Their power to free themselves from bondage and misery, They consent to appalling sufferings, so that human beings may exercise their own free will in an effort to recognise the truth.  Bahá'u'lláh says: “’If God had pleased, He had surely made all men one people.’  His purpose, however, is to enable the pure in spirit and the detached in heart to ascend, by virtue of their own innate powers, unto the shores of the Most Great Ocean, that thereby they who seek the Beauty of the All-Glorious may be distinguished and separated from the wayward and perverse.” (Gleanings XXIX)
3. The fact that They consent to undergo suffering, is in itself the supreme evidence for the existence of other worlds. If Bahá'u'lláh was able to read the mind of the Mufti of Akka, and to cause such a transformation of his heart, then He was clearly able to free Himself from bondage and live a comfortable life in a high position in society – but He didn’t.  Why?  Because the Manifestations of God, despite Their power, choose not to attach too much importance to this material world, in order to demonstrate to the people that the life of this world is not the real life, and that it is not worthy of attachment, because everything relating to this world is transitory and like a mirage – this world is merely the preparation ground, a stepping stone for real life in the next spiritual worlds of God. Bahá'u'lláh says: “Wert thou to ponder in thine heart the behavior of the Prophets of God thou wouldst assuredly and readily testify that there must needs be other worlds besides this world. How could such Souls have consented to surrender themselves unto their enemies if they believed all the worlds of God to have been reduced to this earthly life? Would they have willingly suffered such afflictions and torments as no man hath ever experienced or witnessed?” (Gleanings LXXXI)
4. We learn that it is possible even for the most cruel hearted and fanatical of people to be transformed into good unprejudiced human beings and that the Word of God alone has the power to transform souls.  Bahá'u'lláh says: “The still greater task of converting satanic strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish… The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change.” (Gleanings XCIX)