Monday, August 31, 2009

AKKA


Akká - Ptolemais of the ancient world, St Jean d'Acre of the Crusaders and their last stronghold, which refused to bow to the might of Napoleon, a city that gathered renown throughout the centuries - had indeed fallen into disrepute at this period of its chequered history. Its air and water were foul and pestilential. Proverb had it that a bird flying over 'Akká would fall dead. To its forbidding barracks were consigned the rebels, the desperadoes, the unredeemable criminals of the Ottoman domains - sent there to perish.

This was also the city of which David had spoken as 'The Strong City', which Hosea had extolled as a 'door of hope', of which Ezekiel had said, 'Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. . . . And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.'3 And the Founder of Islam had thus eulogized this very city, 'Blessed the man that hath visited 'Akká, and blessed he that hath visited the visitor of 'Akká. . . . And he that raiseth therein the call to prayer, his voice will be lifted up unto Paradise.'

The 'Akká which opened its gates to receive as a Prisoner the Redeemer of the world, was a city that had fathomed the depths of misery. And Bahá'u'lláh's exile to the Holy Land, His incarceration in the grim citadel of 'Akká, was intended by His adversaries to be the final blow which, in their calculations, would shatter His Faith and fortune. How significant and momentous will this exile seem, if we recall certain prophecies uttered in the past. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Centre of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, and the Expounder of His Message, thus speaks of this stupendous event:

When Bahá'u'lláh came to this prison in the Holy Land, the
wise men realized that the glad tidings which God gave through the
tongue of the Prophets two or three thousand years before, were again
manifested, and that God was faithful to His promise; for to some of the
Prophets He had revealed and given the good news that 'The Lord of Hosts
should be manifested in the Holy Land.' All these promises were fulfilled,
and it is difficult to understand how Bahá'u'lláh could have been obliged
to leave Persia, and to pitch His tent in this Holy Land, but for the
persecution of His enemies, His banishment and exile.

David had so majestically announced: 'and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.'

'The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them' Isaiah had said, 'and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel an Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.'

'The Lord will roar from Zion' had been Amos's testimony, 'and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherd shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.'7

And Micah had thus foreseen,8 ' . . . from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain', he shall come.

(H.M. Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah - The King of Glory, p. 281)

Saturday, August 01, 2009

The following hath been recorded concerning the merits of 'Akká, and of the sea, and of Aynu'l-Baqar (The Spring of the Cow) which is in 'Akká:

Abdu'l-'Aziz, son of Abdu'-Salam, hath related unto us that the Prophet -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon him -- hath said: "Akká is a city in Syria to which God hath shown His special mercy."

Ibn-i-Mas'ud -- may God be pleased with him -- hath stated: "The Prophet -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -- hath said: 'Of all shores the best is the shore of Askelon, and 'Akká is, verily, better than Askelon, and the merit of 'Akká above that of Askelon and all other shores is as the merit of Muhammad above that of all other Prophets. I bring you tidings of a city betwixt two mountains in Syria, in the middle of a meadow, which is called 'Akká. Verily, he that entereth therein, longing for it and eager to visit it, God will forgive his sins, both of the past and of the future. And he that departeth from it, other than as a pilgrim, God will not bless his departure. In it is a spring called the Spring of the Cow. Whoso drinketh a draught therefrom, God will fill his heart with light, and will protect him from the most great terror on the Day of Resurrection.'"

Anas, son of Malik -- may God be pleased with him -- hath said: "The Apostle of God -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -- hath said: 'By the shore of the sea is a city, suspended beneath the Throne, and named 'Akká. He that dwelleth therein, firm and expecting a reward from God -- exalted be He -- God will write down for him, until the Day of Resurrection, the recompense of such as have been patient, and have stood up, and knelt down, and prostrated themselves, before Him.'"

And He -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -- hath said: "I announce unto you a city, on the shores of the sea, white, whose whiteness is pleasing unto God -- exalted be He! It is called 'Akká. He that hath been bitten by one of its fleas is better, in the estimation of God, than he who hath received a grievous blow in the path of God. And he that raiseth therein the call to prayer, his voice will be lifted up unto Paradise. And he that remaineth therein for seven days in the face of the enemy, God will gather him with Khidr -- peace be upon Him -- and God will protect him from the most great terror on the Day of Resurrection." And He -- may the blessings of God, -- exalted be He -- and His salutations be upon Him -- hath said: "There are kings and princes in Paradise. The poor of 'Akká are the kings of Paradise and the princes thereof. A month in 'Akká is better than a thousand years elsewhere."

The Apostle of God -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -- is reported to have said: "Blessed the man that hath visited 'Akká, and blessed he that hath visited the visitor of 'Akká. Blessed the one that hath drunk from the Spring of the Cow and washed in its waters, for the black-eyed damsels quaff the camphor in Paradise, which hath come from the Spring of the Cow, and from the Spring of Salvan (Siloam), and the Well of Zamzam. Well is it with him that hath drunk from these springs, and washed in their waters, for God hath forbidden the fire of hell to touch him and his body on the Day of Resurrection."

The Prophet -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -- is stated to have said: "In 'Akká are works of supererogation and acts which are beneficial, which God vouchsafed specially unto whomsoever He pleaseth. And he that saith in 'Akká: 'Glorified be God, and praise be unto God, and there is none other God but God, and most great is God, and there is no power nor strength except in God, the Exalted, the Mighty,' God will write down for him a thousand good deeds, and blot out from him a thousand evil deeds, and will uplift him a thousand grades in Paradise, and will forgive him his transgressions. And whoso saith in 'Akká: 'I beg forgiveness of God,' God will forgive all his trespasses. And he that remembereth God in 'Akká at morn and at eventide, in the night-season and at dawn, is better in the sight of God than he who beareth swords, spears and arms in the path of God -- exalted be He!"

The Apostle of God -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -- hath also said: "He that looketh upon the sea at eventide, and saith: 'God is Most Great!' at sunset, God will forgive his sins, though they be heaped as piles of sand. And he that counteth forty waves, while repeating: 'God is Most Great!' -- exalted be He -- God will forgive his sins, both past and future."

The Apostle of God -- may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -- hath said: "He that looketh upon the sea a full night is better than he who passeth two whole months betwixt the Rukn and the Maqam. And he that hath been brought up on the shores of the sea is better than he that hath been brought up elsewhere. And he that lieth on the shore is as he that standeth elsewhere."

Verily, the Apostle of God -- may the blessings of God, exalted be He, and His salutations be upon Him -- hath spoken the truth.

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 177-181)