Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin, surnamed Zaynu'l-Muqarrabin (the ornament of them that are nigh unto God) by Bahá'u'lláh. Before his conversion to the Bábí Faith, he was a learned mujtahid (doctor of Islamic law) and an outstanding figure in his native town of Najaf-Abad. He became an ardent Bábí about the time of the imprisonment of Bahá'u'lláh in the Siyah-Chal, and was bitterly opposed and persecuted by those very people who were once his admirers and followers. Later he travelled to Baghdad and eventually attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh after His return from the mountains of Kurdistan. As a result of this meeting and of receiving some Tablets from Bahá'u'lláh, his soul was transformed and attained such heights of faith and dedication that he is numbered among the outstanding Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh. After his release from a long period of exile and imprisonment in Mosul, Iraq, he made his way to 'Akká where he spent the rest of his days in Bahá'u'lláh's service, mostly as a scribe.
He was meticulous in transcribing the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and took great pains to ensure that they were correctly recorded. Any Tablet in the handwriting of Zaynu'l-Muqarrabin is considered accurate. He has left to posterity, in his exquisite hand, many volumes comprising most of Bahá'u'lláh's important Tablets; today Bahá'í publications in Persian and Arabic are authenticated by comparison with these.
